How Selfish Ambitious Leaders Retarded PDP’s Vision, Dokpesi Complains

July 30, 2016

One of the aspirants for the national chairmanship position of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Chief Raymond Dokpesi, has regretted that those he described as selfish ambitious leaders have retarded the vision of the founding fathers of the party.

Dokpesi, who spoke during the week at the PDP secretariat in Umuahia, the Abia State capital, said: “selfish ambitions of some leaders of the party have retarded the vision, which led to the eventual loss of power to the All Progressives Congress (APC) in the 2015 general elections.”

He lamented that the original idea of the founding fathers of the PDP was to lay a foundation of a party that would serve as an umbrella for all Nigerians, not minding their tribes and class.

Dokpesi regretted that along the line, the party made a lot of mistakes, especially in the 16 years it occupied the Presidency, from 1999 to 2015.

Dokpesi said: “today, the PDP is described as the most corrupt party in the country; they said our leaders are clueless and corrupt. That was how they described former President Goodluck Jonathan.

“By the special grace of God, we cannot sit back and allow the country to continue to decline. We cannot sit back without giving the APC good opposition, we cannot sit back and not rebrand, re-energize and revitalise the PDP so that by 2019, we can give the APC a purposeful opposition and contest as a party in order to win the next presidential election.”

While canvassing for support in the forthcoming national convention of the PDP, Dokpesi said that the PDP had the capacity to rebuild itself to give Nigerian youths another opportunity achieve their dreams.

“I believe the youths should be given the opportunity to run this country. It is my desires for us to have leaders at all levels below 45 years, while elder statesmen will sit back and give them direction.” [myad]

I Am Ready To Lay Down My Life For Rivers State, Governor Wike Proclaims

Greenbarge Reporters

July 30, 2016

The Rivers State Governor, Nyesom Wike, has declared that he is ready to lay down his life for his state and that his commitment to the people of the state is total.

“I am ready to lay down my life for the state. My commitment to the development of Rivers State is total. I will forever defend it.”
The governor who spoke on Saturday during a breakfast meeting with the National Executive Council of the Nigerian Guild of Editors (NGE), led by its President, Funke Egbemode, said that his administration has surmounted political and economic challenges to deliver quality pro-people projects and improve the living standard of the people of the state.

He vowed that his commitment to development and democracy is irrevocable even as he stressed that the state would attain greater mileage in terms of development if it is not made to face endless rerun elections and politically-induced security challenges.

Governor Wike said that those who are planning to rig elections in the state will not succeed because the people are ever vigilant to stop them, adding: “stealing the mandate of the people is a serious crime and it is worse than armed robbery.
“In this case, those involved plot to use arms to steal the mandate of Rivers people, that will never succeed.
“They came to rig the March 19 rerun elections and the people resisted.”
Wike advised the media to work towards informing the world on the true situation in Rivers State, pointing out that majority of the information in the public domain are concocted by the opposition.
“For our democracy to continue to succeed, the media has a major role to play. It was publicity that led to the failure of the Turkish coup.” [myad]

President Buhari Moves To Cleanup Ogoniland, Approves Governing Council For It

Greenbarge Reporters

July 30, 2016

President Muhammadu Buhari has made a positive move towards the cleaning up of Ogoni land in Rivers state, with the approval of a 10-member Board of Trustees and a Governing Council comprising of 13 individuals.

The official tweeter handle of the Presidency known as Presidency Nigeria, posted this on Saturday, revealing that the announcement was made by the Minister of Environment, Mrs. Amina Mohammed, in a statement by Permanent Secretary of the ministry, Dr. Bukar Hassan.

Amina Mohammed said that the structures would ensure inclusiveness, accountability, transparency and sustainability of the cleanup exercise, and that she was aware of the various concerns raised by stakeholders on the perceived slow pace of the clean up.

The minister was quoted as saying that “Nigerians have a right to voice their concerns. We have responsibility to deliver. The launch was the first step in a 30-year journey. We continue to make strides toward the implementation.

“We ask for patience as we lay solid foundations for the cleanup. The context is complex and stakeholders are diverse. All must be taken along.”

She explained that the President had remained steadfast in his conviction to see Ogoniland and other parts of the Niger Delta cleaned up.

President Buhari inaugurated the clean up on June 2 at Bodo in Gokana Local Government Area of Rivers State.

Amina Mohammed said that her ministry is working with the Ministries of Petroleum Resources, Niger Delta, NDDC and key stakeholders in implementing the UNEP report.

She observed that the exercise is a collective responsibility and urged all the Niger Delta communities, especially the Ogonis, to support the remediation and restoration efforts of government.

According to the UN report, it is estimated that the cleanup of Ogoniland could take up to 30 years with the initial remediation taking five years and the restoration another 25 years. [myad]

Soldiers Ambush Boko Haram Riding On Bicycle, Kill One

Greenbarge Reporters

July 30, 2016

Nigeria soldiers on Operation LAFIYA DOLE in the North East, Friday night, ambushed Boko Haram terrorists at a crossing point.
According to information, the ambush party decisively dealt with the terrorists who were riding on bicycles at a crossing point off Damboa-Kubwa road towards Multe village axis. The team killed one of the terrorists, as others escaped with gunshot wounds.

The soldiers recovered one AK-47 rifle with registration number 565907530 and14 rounds of 7.62mm (Special) ammunition, a wooden Dane Gun shaped to the resemblance of an AK-47rifle, 1 fabricated double-barrelled pistol and 4 bicycles.

In a related development, earlier on Saturday morning, there was a report of a suspected bag containing Improvised Explosive Devices (IEDs) near ECC premises, which is adjacent to the residence of a former governor of Borno State, Malla Kachalla, along Pompomari bye-pass in Maiduguri.

The Nigeria Police Explosive Ordnance Device (EOD) team was immediately called while the military provided outer cordon as the team safely demobilized the IED bag. [myad]

13 Inmates Of Kogi Prison Escape, In Third Jailbreak

Greenbarge Reporters

July 30, 2016

Thirteen inmates of the Koton Karfe prison in Kogi state have escaped at in the early hours of Saturday in fresh jailbreak recorded. The prison had witnessed similar jailbreaks in 2010 and 2013.

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) learned that at about 7am on Saturday, the inmates forcefully brought down the wall of the prison and jumped out into the free world.

It was also gathered that one of the escaped inmates was re-arrested almost immediately by security agents.

It was gathered that the Comptroller–General of the Nigeria Prison Service had already sent a representative to Koton Karfe to assess the situation.

The State’s Controller of Prison, Mr. Musa Maza, who would have shed more light on the incident, did not pick several calls made to his mobile telephone line. [myad]

Medical Doctor Declared Missing In Kwara

Greenbarge Reporters

July 30, 2016

A medical doctor attached to Omu-Aran General Hospital in Kwara state, Dr. Abdulkareem Abdulrahman has been declared missing. Information had it that Dr. Abdulkareem was last seen on July 24.

A statement by the secretary of the state chapter of the Nigeria Medicla Association (NMA), Dr. Victor Iroha said: “Abdulraheem drove out of his residence opposite Federal Road Safety Commission Office, GRA in his Navy blue Toyota Corolla car with registration number BWR 532 RP and had not been seen since then.
“His phone has also been unreachable and there has been no trace of either him or his car.”
Dr. Iroha said that all search efforts had so far yielded no results, even as he said that the matter has been reported to the Police and allied security agencies.
The NMA appealed to people with useful information to contact the nearest Police station or his brother, Ridwan, on 08110709470 or NMA’s Kwara State Public Relations Officer on 08034086152. [myad]

Large Hot Air Balloon Crashes In US, Killing 16

Greenbarge Reporters

July 30, 2016

A large hot air balloon was said to have caught fire and crashed in central Texas, the United States of America on Saturday, killing 16 people.

The accident occurred shortly after 7:40 am when the balloon crashed into a field near Lockhart, around 30 miles south of Austin, Lynn Lunsford of the Federal Aviation Administration said in a statement.

“It does not appear at this time that there were any survivors of the crash,” the Caldwell County sheriff’s office said.

“When the Emergency Responders and the Sheriff’s Office arrived on the scene, it was apparent that the reported fire was the basket portion of a hot air balloon,” it added in a statement posted on Twitter.

FAA investigators were on their way to the site, Lunsford said, with the National Transportation Safety Board taking charge of the probe.

NTSB lead investigator Erik Grosof did not confirm the number of deaths or injuries, telling reporters only that “right now we have a number of fatalities.”

Texas Governor, Greg Abbott offered condolences to those affected by the crash.

“Our thoughts and prayers are with the victims and their families, as well as the Lockhart community,” he said in a statement.

If all 16 fatalities are confirmed, the crash would be the deadliest US hot air balloon accident on record, according to the NTSB. Previously, the highest number of fatalities in a single hot air balloon crash was six.

Hot air balloon crashes are rare in the United States. The NTSB investigated 760 such accidents between 1964 and 2013. Of those, 67 were fatal.

Three people died in May 2014 during an air balloon festival in Virginia when a balloon hit a power line and burst into flames while landing.

Hot air balloons use propane gas to heat air that keeps them afloat. They are regulated by the FAA, which requires balloon pilots to be certified and for balloons to have air worthiness certificates.

The FAA inspects the balloons used for commercial ventures after 100 hours of flight time or at least once a year.

AFP. [myad]

UNICEF Returns To Work In Borno After Boko Haram Attack

Greenbarge Reporters

July 29, 2016

The United Nations Education Fund (UNICEF) has announced its full return to work providing assistance to millions of conflict-affected children in northeast Nigeria, despite attacks on its workers by members of Boko Haram in Bama, Borno State on Thursday.

It would be recalled that a staff of the Fund was injured even as the organization announced temporary suspension of travel to high risk areas by its workers.

In a statement, the UNICEF Nigeria Representative, Jean Gough said: “we are working at full strength in the Borno state capital Maiduguri. We continue to call for increased efforts to reach people in desperate need across the state. We cannot let this heartless attack divert any of us from reaching the more than two million people who are in dire need of immediate humanitarian assistance.”

UNICEF called on donors and humanitarian organizations to scale-up the response to the emerging disaster in Borno state, which is the most affected by the conflict with Boko Haram.

Before the attack, security conditions had been improving in several areas.

“Our teams were finding people living on the brink of disaster,” said Jean Gough, “The violence has disrupted farming and markets, destroyed food stocks, and damaged or destroyed health and water facilities. We absolutely have to reach more of these communities.”

UNICEF estimates that 244,000 children will suffer from severe acute malnutrition this year in Borno state alone and if they are not reached with treatment, one in five of them will die.

UNICEF has provided two million people with health services and treated 56,000 children for malnutrition in the three conflict-affected states of northeast Nigeria. A quarter of a million people have improved access to clean water, and over 200,000 children have been able to go back to school.

Despite the temporary suspension of travel to high risk areas, UNICEF plans to scale-up its response in Borno state substantially. At the beginning of the year, UNICEF appealed for US$55 million for its emergency work, of which US$23 million has so far been received. [myad]

Yes, Nigeria Has Defeated Boko Haram, But Another War Looms – Senator Ndume

Greenbarge Reporters

July 29, 2016

Senator, representing the Borno South Senatorial zone, Mohammed Ali Ndume has said that there are indications that Nigeria is winning the war against Boko Haram, expressing concern that the greater war lying ahead now is that of hunger, poverty, and malnutrition in the North East.

Senator Ali Ndume, who spoke to news men at the Presidential Villa, Abuja after joining President Muhammadu Buhari in performing Friday Juma’at prayer said: “the fight against Boko Haram, with the determination and seriousness from this government, is almost over.

“We are facing another war and that is fight against hunger, malnutrition and poverty, and that too, government is bracing up for it.”

The senator appealed to well-meaning individuals, non-governmental agencies and the international community to help address the looming sorry state of affairs in the North East, saying: “we are crying out; we are looking up to you to help us in the North East, particularly in Borno. The aftermath of the insurgency, which is almost over, is the issue of hunger, poverty and malnutrition.

“For three years our people who mostly depended on subsistence farming, did not go to their farms, and government alone cannot feed the whole North East or Borno state alone, and that is our greatest challenge.

“We are calling on all non-governmental agencies, individuals, all Nigerians and even the international community to join hands in helping our people no matter how little it is.’’ [myad]

Hillary Clinton Cries Out: Powerful Forces Are Threatening To Pull Us Apart

Greenbarge Reporters

July 29, 2016

Democrat candidate for the United States of America’s forthcoming Presidential election, Mrs. Hillary Clinton has cried out against powerful forces whom she said have come to pull the world apart.

“Powerful forces are threatening to pull us apart,” she said.

Mrs. Clinton specifically accused her Republican opponent in November’s election, Donald Trump, of sowing discord, saying: “he wants to divide us – from the rest of the world, and from each other.”

Speaking on the final night of the party’s convention in Philadelphia, the first US woman nominated by a major party said there were huge challenges.

This was even as Trump tweeted that Mrs. Clinton’s speech had failed to address the threat posed by radical Islam, making the former secretary of state unfit to lead the country.

Mrs. Clinton had to present herself to the nation as the newly crowned Democratic Party nominee. She had to address doubts some Americans have expressed about her character.

In an acceptance speech that occasionally soared and sometimes trudged along, she did her best to frame the upcoming general election race in her favour.

The US, she asserted, was founded on compromise and embraced “the enduring truth that we are stronger together” – wrapping her campaign slogan in revolutionary-era regalia.

“Bonds of trust and respect are fraying. And just as with our founders there are no guarantees. It truly is up to us. We have to decide whether we’re going to work together so we can all rise together.”

She added: “We are not afraid. We will rise to the challenge, just as we always have.”

The risk to American prosperity included inequality, limited social mobility, political gridlock, “threats at home and abroad” and frustration over wage stagnation, she said.

Campaign pledges she mentioned:

Creating more jobs with rising wages and pay equality
Campaign finance reform and protecting voting rights
Addressing climate change through clean energy policy
“Building a path to citizenship” for undocumented immigrants in the US
Raising the national minimum wage
“Common-sense” gun control
Rejecting “unfair trade deals” and supporting “homegrown manufacturers”

However, she was confident these challenges could be overcome with the American values of “freedom and equality, justice and opportunity”.

She acknowledged that too many Americans had been “left behind” by economic forces and addressed them directly: “Some of you are frustrated – even furious. And you know what? You’re right.”

Clinton’s attacks on Trump

“We will not build a wall. Instead, we will build an economy where everyone who wants a good paying job can get one. “
“Don’t believe anyone who says: ‘I alone can fix it.'”
“He spoke for 70-odd minutes – and I do mean odd. And he offered zero solutions.”
“It’s just not right that Donald Trump can ignore his debts, but students and families can’t refinance theirs.”
“Explain to me what part of America First leads him to make Trump ties in China, not Colorado.”

Another highlight at the convention was when the father of a fallen Muslim soldier challenged Donald Trump over his Muslim ban, prompting an ovation.

And General John Allen, former commander of US forces in Afghanistan, appeared on stage with other military veterans and gave Mrs. Clinton a ringing endorsement as commander-in-chief.

Mrs. Clinton’s high-stakes remarks on the closing night of the four-day convention followed a rousing speech by US President, Barack Obama.

He said that there had never been a man or woman more qualified than Mrs. Clinton to serve as president.

Mrs. Clinton and Mr. Trump are set for an election battle widely considered to be a tight race when voters head to the polls in November. [myad]

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