Babatope To Buhari: You Dare Not Probe Jonathan

March 14, 2016

A members of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) Board of Trustees, Chief Ebenezer Babatope, has cautioned the Muhammadu Buhari-led administration against probing ex-President Goodluck Jonathan.
Babatope said that any attempt to probe the person of Jonathan would humiliate the PDP leader.
Reacting to pressure being mounted on President Buhari to investigate Jonathan, Babatope said that doing so would amount to laying a bad precedent.
He said however that the former President can only be probed “if it becomes brazenly open that a lot of thefts are traced to him, but for now nothing has been traced to him.”
Chief Babatope stressed that those who are calling for the probe of Jonathan “are enemies of this country. Whoever is spearheading the probe may be digging his political grave. Have they found him guilty?
“All the noise we have been hearing is about the security vote. Buhari embarked on such a probe during his first coming as a military leader when he threw all manner of Nigerian leaders into jail.
“The late sage, Pa Obafemi Awolowo, said you must not humiliate your leadership. When you decide to humiliate your leadership, it is not Jonathan that you’re humiliating, it is your values that you are casting aspersions on.”
Also the spokesperson of the Ijaw National Congress, Mr. Victor Burubo, said that it is wrong for anybody to begin the probe of the ex-President.
He said: “I don’t think he (Jonathan) should be probed. In every government, there are people responsible for various functions and when such people are found wanting, they are fished out and probed. It is not the head of the government that should be probed.
“In Buhari’s government, people padded the national budget. Would they now say that Buhari should be investigated? Nobody has said that Buhari should be investigated.”
The presidency had recently said that the anti-graft commission is free to probe Jonathan, adding that Buhari does not tele-guide the EFCC in any way.
Former national security adviser Sambo Dasuki, who is currently in detention, reportedly said that he received approvals from Jonathan to divert huge sums of money meant for the procurement of arms in the war against Boko Haram insurgents. While some want a prospective probe to be limited to former president’s Jonathan government, some countered that it should be extended to all past governments. [myad]

Osinbajo Announces Nigeria’s Move To Sign Zero Gas Flaring Agreement With UN

Greenbarge Reporters

March 14, 2016

Vice President Yemi Osibanjo has announced today, of the move by Nigerian, With the support of the National Assembly, to sign the United Nations Agreement on Zero Routing Gas Flaring by 2030.
Osinbajo said that the federal government had earlier set national target of 2020 to end gas flaring in the country.
Speaking today at the opening of the 6th African Petroleum Congress and Exhibition where he represented President Muhammadu Buhari, the Vice President, who declared the conference opened, said ending gas flaring is imperative for African oil producers considering the amount of waste involved.
This was even as he called on African countries to take
advantage of the gas-to-power potentials.
“There is also the gas-to-power challenge in many member-states and the paradox of much gas but precious little gas to fire power plants.
“It is time to take a much further stand on gas flaring, both from environmental and a waste-of-needed-resources perspectives.”
The Vice President told the gathering, composed of oil and energy ministers from several African countries and chieftains in the oil and gas sector that the incremental use of gas in Africa’s energy mix has become an imperative.
“if Africa must meet her future energy needs, the issue of the development of a robust gas infrastructure must be jointly addressed.”
According to him, of the over 150 billion cubit metres of associated gas that is is flared annually in the world, Africa flares an estimated 40 billion cubit metres, “while about half of that is flared by Nigeria.”
He said that Nigeria has the 7th largest deposit of gas in the world with reserves estimated at over 185 trillion cubic feet (TCF), and also the highest quality.
Addressing legislators, policy makers and oil and gas industry experts from around the continent at the International Conference Centre in Abuja, Professor Osinbajo said that with the present volatility in the industry, the coming years would be defining for African oil and gas producing countries.
He suggested that developing local content initiatives and policies would be very useful for the sector, even as he said that a common approach to local content will ensure that the whole of Africa benefit from economy of scale associated with vast resources.
He said that with the current oil prices and the challenges faced in the industry, the relevance and creativity of the African Petroleum Producers Association is being tested.
Vice President Osinbajo assured that the continent has all the resources needed to transform African countries and that there is no reason why the African oil and gas industry should remain attached to the apron springs of industries elsewhere.
He expressed the need for African oil producing countries to take their destiny in their hands, challenging African Petroleum Producers Association (APPA) member-countries to recognize the latent and huge resources in Africa and develop the strategy for the development of domestic refining capacity in the oil and gas critical for sustainable economic growth.
“We must explore mechanisms to expand regional refining capacities in an efficient and cost effective manner.”
He recalled Nigeria’s active involvement in the West African pipeline project expected to deliver clean, safe natural gas from Nigeria to countries in the sub-region.
The Vice President commended the organizers of the conference, describing the theme of the meeting: “Positioning African Petroleum For Global Development and Value Addition” as apt as hydro carbon now accounts for a significant proportion of government revenue and could help address the challenge of gas-to-power for energy generation.
In his welcome remarks, the Minister of State for Petroleum Resources, and President of APPA, Dr. Ibe Kachikwu said that the conference is coming at a critical period when the industry is experiencing price volatility. He observed that the situation is of global concern, threatening oil and gas investments, but that it also creates opportunities for new energy sources.
At the opening ceremony of conference were members of the National Assembly, members of the Federal Executive Council (FEC), including the Communication Minister, Adebayo Shittu, the Minister of State for Health, Dr. Osagie Ehanire and the Secretary to the Government of the Federation, Babachir Lawal. The Executive Secretary of the association, Engr. Mohaman Gaya, envoys as well as local and international Petroleum Industry chieftains and experts were also in attendance. [myad]

Buhari Describes Terrorists As Merchants Of Evil, Sympathises With Cote D’Ivoire Over Sunday Attack

Greenbarge Reporters

March 14, 2016

President Muhammadu Buhari has described terrorists across the world as merchants of evil as he condemned Sunday’s terrorist attack on the Grand Bassam Resort in Cote D’Ivoire.
In a telephone call to President Alassane Ouattara after the attack, President Buhari restated his call for greater international cooperation against terrorists and their sponsors.
“They have attacked a hotel in Mali, leaving 21 people dead. They killed over 130 people in attacks on Paris and they murdered 28 persons in Burkina Faso.
“Terrorism does not respect territorial boundaries again. That is why the world has to come together, present a common front and deal with these merchants of evil.” President Buhari insisted that terrorism now transcends all national boundaries, even as he assured his Ivorian counterpart of Nigeria’s full solidarity and support as his country grapples with the consequences of the heinous attack and strives to overcome the new security challenges posed by the terrorist incursion.
Buhari conveyed the sympathy of the Federal Government and people of Nigeria to the people of Cote D’Ivoire as they mourn their compatriots and foreign visitors who lost their lives in the attack.
President Ouattara thanked President Buhari for Nigeria’s sympathy and solidarity. [myad]

INEC Shifts FCT Council Polls To April 9, Says Original Date Of March 19 Not Feasible

Greenbarge Reporters

March 14, 2016

The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), has rescheduled the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) Area Council Elections earlier scheduled for March 19 to now hold on April 9.
The Resident Electoral Commissioner (REC) for the FCT, Professor Jacob S. Jatau, announced the rescheduling at an emergency stakeholders meeting today.
Professor Jatau said the Commission is not fully ready for the election on March 19, saying that the change in the date is to enable the Commission conduct free, fair and credible elections.
“It (the Commission) is also determined to deliver qualitative electoral services to Nigerians resident in the FCT.”
The Commissioner said that the Commission has reviewed its preparedness to guarantee the required results and in keeping with its policy on transparency, decided to brief stakeholders on the challenge it has encountered in the recruitment of ad-hoc workers for the election.
“Over a period of time, the Commission has collaborated well and enjoyed cordial relationship with the National Youth Service Corps (NYSC): there is a challenge currently as the Commission has not been able to get the required number of corps members for the election scheduled for March 19, 2016.”
He said that given this challenge, the Commission began consultations with the authorities of the University of Abuja to get the balance of the required number of ad-hoc workers which has been received but that “it is not possible to adequately train and deploy them for the exercise.”
“In the light of this development therefore, the Commission has decided to shift the elections by three weeks. The new date for the Area Councils Elections in the FCT is April 9th, 2016. The tenure of the current Chairmen and Councilors will expire on May 17th, 2016.”
Professor Jatau called for the understanding and support of Political Parties and other stakeholders since the new date is still within the time allowed by law even as he appealed to the media for greater collaboration in the area of dissemination of relevant information to the electorate.
The Stakeholders meeting was attended by the FCT Police Commissioner, Wilson Inalegwu; NYSC State Coordinator, Omotayo Adewoye; representative of Directorate of State Security Service Ilupeju Adebayo and Administrative Secretary of the FCT INEC, A.A Adamu. [myad]

Egypt Devalues Currency As Foreign Inflow Decline

Greenbarge Reporters

March 14, 2016

Central Bank of Egypt has announced that it had devalued the Egyptian pound by 14.3 per cent to 8.95 to the United States dollar to face “challenges” emerging from declining foreign currency inflows.
The bank has been battling an acute US dollar shortage over the past few months, with the local currency often trading at a rate of almost 10 pounds to a dollar on the black market.
The devaluation boosted sentiment on the stock market, with Egypt’s benchmark EGX30 index rising 6.7 per cent to 7,003.91 in midday trading.
The Central Bank of Egypt said the move to devalue the pound was aimed at adopting a “more flexible foreign exchange policy” that would be driven by demand and supply.
“This will resolve the exchange rate irregularities, resulting in a more regular and continuous flow of foreign currency.”
It said in a statement that the move would also help face “challenges from a noticeable decline in foreign currency inflows from tourism, direct investment and remittances from Egyptians living overseas.”
Tourism, a cornerstone of the Egyptian economy and a key foreign exchange earner, has been severely hit by years of political turmoil triggered since the fall of longtime leader Hosni Mubarak in 2011.
It was dealt a body blow with the bombing of a Russian passenger airliner over the Sinai Peninsula on October 31 that killed all 224 people on board, mostly Russian tourists.
The jihadist Islamic State group said it blew up the plane with a bomb on board.
Revenues from tourism slumped 15 per cent year-on-year to $6.1bn in 2015.
Egypt’s foreign exchange reserves have fallen from more than $36bn in 2010 to about $16 billion, despite some $20bn given in aid to Cairo by its powerful Gulf allies.
But the bank said the reserves would reach $25bn by the end of 2016 on the back of “foreign investments and an increase in the competitiveness of the Egyptian economy.” [myad]

Amaechi To Police: You’ve Failed In Rivers; Says Wike Is ‘Bushman’

Greenbarge Reporters

March 14, 2016

Former governor of Rivers state and present Transport minister, Chief Rotimi Amaechi has accused police of failing in their duty in River state even as he described his successor, governor Nyeson Wike as ‘bushman.’

The minister who spoke when he visited the slain All Progressives Congress (APC) members in Omoku, Ogba, Egbema/Ndoni local government area of Rivers state argued: “we can’t have police and be experiencing this kind of thing. Internal security is the responsibility of the police so if we have police and keep experiencing this in Omoku it means the police in Rivers State has failed and the people that are been killed are mostly APC members.”

Amaechi told the bereaved families that President Muhammadu Buhari was aware of the killings in Omoku and promised that full investigation will be carried out to unravel the killers.

“The President is fully aware of the situation. I was the governor of this state and Omoku wasn’t this bad. Police can’t claim not to know who the people are because I was governor, the police worked with me, we knew where the criminals were and we went after them.”

Amaechi also assured the people that arrangements have been made to beef up security ahead of the State and National Assembly re- run elections in the state.

“There will be enough security on the Election Day. There will be enough security to protect lives.”

Amaechi also visited families of late Frankline Obi and late Chukwuladi Adiela in Omoku, Rivers state.

The late Frankline Obi was the APC chairman of ward 4 and was killed and beheaded by unknown gunmen alongside his pregnant wife and son while late Chukwuladi Adiela was an APC stalwart of ward 14.

The former governor accused his successor Wike of lacking the political will and capacity to govern Rivers State, saying: “Wike lacks capacity to govern. Somebody who just knows how to steal money is a bushman.”

Amaechi at an APC rally in Rumueme, Obio/Akpor Local Government Area, ahead of the state and national assembly elections, asked Wike to bring evidence to show that he is corrupt.

“I will bring evidence to show that Wike is corrupt. Wike did the Rukpoku/Eneka road during my tenure and did not complete it. I gave Wike the contracts to do all the roads around Aristle House (a hotel in GRA) but he failed to do them, I gave him 14 schools to give to Obio/Akpor people, he stole them, he lacks character.”

On the security situation in the state, Amaechi said: “when I was the governor, one thing that I kept thinking of was how to chase these criminals away but under Nyesom Wike, he meets with them. If Wike does not secure you people, the federal government will secure you. If he doesn’t want to be ignored he should go and secure you people because federal government will no longer tolerate these killings in Rivers State.”

“Saturday is your day, come out and vote. They will no longer have the police they had, they will no longer have the army they had, we pray that INEC should be neutral, your job is to match out and vote for APC, we will not write results like Nyesom Wike, so go back to your wards and do door to door.”

Also, in Akuku/Toru local government area, Amaechi told his party supporters to be courageous in exercising their franchise without fear of intimidation

“You see, it is not enough to provide security because if there are no votes we will lose, the implication therefore is that all of you must come out and vote for APC so that we will win the election.” [myad]

Obaigbena Threatens ThisDay Workers With Sack, Says Divided Loyalty’ll Not Be Condoned

Greenbarge Reporters

March 14, 2016

Chairman and Editor-in-Chief of THISDAY Media Group/ARISE TV Networks, Nduka Obaigbena, has threatened to sack any worker in the organization that fall short of the new work schedules as contained in a memo he rolled out.

The publisher warned the workers in all the departments of the company that the management will no longer condone what he called divided loyalty, saying that absentees at the mandatory staff meetings as contained in the memo would have their appointments terminated.

“Please note that these staff meetings beginning tomorrow March 14, 2016 are mandatory and compulsory ( emphasis mine). Absentees will have their appointments terminated. You have been warned. It is time to take back the company for the welfare and benefit of every one. If you have other (employment) commitments elsewhere and or conflicts of interest, you must resign honourably. Divided loyalty will no longer be condoned.”

The full text of the memo reads:
Dear Team THISDAY:
This is to confirm MANDATORY MEETINGS FOR ALL STAFF as follows:
1. Advertising and Marketing Divisional Meetings ( All marketers and sales agents must attend) : 09:00 – EVERY DAY Monday to Fridays;
2. FULL Editorial Meeting – in Lagos and Abuja : ALL Editorial Staff in Lagos and Abuja including Editors must attend – 11:00 EVERY DAY Monday to Fridays.
Journalist are required not to book and or accept appointments before 1PM everyday. If you are to cover a scheduled assignment OR meet up an important appointment, you are required to submit your request for a written approval by email -complete with evidence – for exemption form the daily meetings at least 24 hours earlier. ( verbal approvals will not be accepted);
3. LINE Editors Meting- ( ALL Line Editors must attend) 4PM EVERY DAY – Monday to Friday;
4. Digital Division Meeting: – Must be attended by all staff of the newly formed Digital Division.- 12 Noon Mondays – Fridays;
4. Operations Services Meeting – must be attended by all unit heads of all operations and services departments: -circulation, printing, pre-press; transport & logistics, maintenance, procurement, finance and administration. 2PM Monday to Friday;
5. Senior Management Meetings: 12 Noon every Monday;
6. Board Of Directors Exco Meetings – First Tuesday every month.

POLICY ANNOUNCEMENTS:
1. The Editorial Building will now open at 7AM and Close at 10PM every day except for the Night Editors and team as well as the Digital Team on night duty. Every journalist is required to close, submit final copy and go home at 9PM every day, except for days with LATE BREAKING NEWS. Page planners are required to complete their work by 10PM every day, except for LATE BREAKING NEWS. The building will be restricted at 11 PM. A new staff bus will depart the premises at 9PM. NO LOITERING WILL BE PERMITTED ANY LONGER.
2. PRINTERS AND NON-EDITORIAL STAFF WILL NO LONGER BE ALLOWED INTO THE EDITORIAL BUILDING EXCEPT FOR THEIR MANAGERS ON ASSIGNMENT.
3. The Staff Canteen will be open from tomorrow for all socialising.
4. Visitors will now be strictly restricted. Any new policy on visitors will be announced soon.
5. Please note that these staff meetings beginning tomorrow March 14, 2016 are mandatory and compulsory ( emphasis mine). Absentees will have their appointments terminated. You have been warned. It is time to take back the company for the welfare and benefit of every one. If you have other (employment) commitments elsewhere and or conflicts of interest, you must resign honourably. Divided loyalty will no longer be condoned.
Very many thanks!
Nduka Obaigbena
Chairman & Editor-in-Chief
THISDAY Media Group / ARISE TV Networks
Level C, 885 2nd Avenue, New York NY 10017
Ground Floor, 80 Haymarket London SW1 Y4TQ
35 Creek Road Apapa, Lagos
www.thisdaylive.com www.arise.tv. [myad]

Group Condemns Unsolicited SMS, Calls By GSM Providers, Asks For Sanction

Greenbarge Reporters

March 14, 2016

Muslim Rights Concern (MURIC) has condemned the unsolicited and indiscriminate calls and Short Message Service (SMS), known as text messages by Telecommunications Companies proiding mobile phone service and called on the House of Representatives which has aready started the move to enact a bill aimed at reducing such incidences to pursue it to logical conclusion.

The bill to sanction the GSM providers for the unnecessary calls and text messages, sponsored by Ali Madaki (APC-Kano), has already scaled through the second reading on the floor of the House. It is now awaiting fine-tuning by the House Committee on Telecommunication.
In a statement, the Director of MURIC, Professor Ishaq Akintola, noted that unsolicited calls and text messages constitute public nuisance, irritants of no small measure, threat to the health of Nigerians and drawbacks to productivity.
“Judged from its irritant perspective, mobile telephone services which began actively during the regime of Chief Olusegun Obasanjo (1999 – 2007) is fast becoming a curse rather than a blessing unless something is done urgently.
“Service providers have become extremely audacious. They exhibit no concern for the personal privacy and health of consumers. They call defenseless consumers by phone and send strange and unsolicited text messages to them at odd times. Those that are most disturbing and irritating are sent in the unholy hours of the morning between 1 and 4 am when hardworking Nigerians are fast asleep.
“The messages wake them forcefully from sleep. Many find it hard to go back to sleep hours after the satanic invasion of their privacy. This is not only irritating but provocative and exploitative. It is gross abuse of priviledge on the part of service providers.
“These unsolicited telephone calls and text messages are not limited to nights and early morning hours alone. They also come during the day. The high volume of text messages sent by service providers has exposed these shylock business concerns as relentless capitalist compradore bourgeoisie. Some customers receive as many as 40 messages per day.
“MURIC is asking the telecommunication companies operating in Nigeria: If you can afford to send so many text messages to all customers at no extra charges to yourselves, why do you charge so high for the text messages sent by individual customers?
“It is our contention that Nigerians are being taken for a ride by service providers. These capitalist-oriented companies are inflicting pain on innocent subscribers. Nigerians yearn for protection.
“We call attention to the great havoc in the torrential outpouring of text messages from service providers to innocent tax-payers. The havoc is mainly in health hazards but what could be more damaging to a nation than threat to the health of its citizens?
“Experts agree that sound sleep means ability to think clearly, to plan and to design the next line of action in day-to-day endeavours. The reverse is the case when sleep is brutally cut. There is no gainsaying the fact that stress and fatigue are certain to occur when people are stinted of sleep. We suspect that the current rise in mental illnesses all over the country is partly informed by this flagrant disregard for people’s privacy and the rate at which unsolicited calls and text messages have been disturbing Nigerians.
“The impact of this phenomenon on the nation’s economy cannot be overemphasized. . If it is true that the health of the individual reflects on the performance of the Gross Domestic Product (GDP), then we must agree that the telecommunication service providers are not serving the interest of our country.
“MURIC invites the Consumer Protection Society to wake up to its responsibilities. We also charge the House Committee on Telecommunication to expedite action on the draft bill as Nigerians are eagerly awaiting the outcome of its deliberation on the bill. Finally, we urge President Muhammadu Buhari to give speedy accent to the bill as soon as it gets to the Presidency.” [myad]

EFCC’s Claim Of Discovering $1Million In Alex Badeh’s Residence Is Frame-Up – Aides

Greenbarge Reporters

March 14, 2016

Some personal aides, including the domestic staff of the former Nigeria Chief of Defence Staff, Air Chief Marshall Alex Badeh, have clarified that no money was ever picked from house of their embattled boss at any point in time by the operatives of the Economic and Financial Crime Commission (EFCC).
Speaking to newsmen at separate points, the aides said however that they were aware of attempts by the people they could identify, to plant some objects, including money around the house, ostensibly to implicate their boss.
The EFCC had recently alleged that its operatives have discovered the sum of $1 Million cash at the residence of embattled former Chief of Defence staff.
Badeh’s aides made it clear that the story of $1 Million was part of a grand design to nail the Adamawa born General.
According to them, Badeh could not have kept such a colossal amount of money in cash in his residence when he had all the opportunity to move it somewhere else; if it ever existed.
“Moreover, he does not have $1 Million to keep for anybody to find, having been surviving on charity, following the blockage of all his access to funds.”
This is even as Chief Badeh had himself repeatedly denied the report linking him with a so-called $1 Million cash in his residence, saying that he did not even have any such money and could not have kept what he did not have for the EFCC to pick.
Badeh was reported as challenging the EFCC to provide proofs linking him with the money, even as he alleged that he was being framed up in a seeming vendetta war against him by unnamed forces.
Badeh’s attorneys have expressed surprise that so far, no official reaction has come from the EFCC since the speculation gained currency in the media to the effect that the sum of $1 Million was picked up by its men from the residence of Badeh.
They said that what has been happening has been what they called ‘syndicated fresh angles’ being added to the report to embellish it as an issue in the media. [myad]

Rivers As Battle Ground: Police Move Senior Officers For Re-Run Polls

Greenbarge Reporters

March 13, 2016

The Inspector-General of Police, Solomon Arase, has directed the Assistant Inspector-General of Police in charge of Zone 6 Calabar, Adisa Bolanta and three Commissioners of Police to relocate to Port Harcourt on Monday for pre-election preparations for the rerun polls scheduled for next Saturday.

This, he said was in furtherance of strategies designed to prevent electoral violence and to ensure a smooth and orderly conduct of the Rivers State Supplementary elections.

A statement by the Force Public Relations Officer, Olabisi Kolawole today in Abuja, said the three Commissioners of Police were deployed to supervise security arrangements within the three Senatorial Districts – Rivers East, Rivers West and Rivers South East, respectively.

It said that 6000 conventional Policemen and 14 units of Police Mobile Force personnel would complement the personnel of Rivers State Command during the election.

“In addition, the Deputy Inspector-General of Police in charge of Department of Operations, Sontoye Wakama, has also been directed to proceed to Rivers immediately to hold meetings with stakeholders and police officers in the State Command on the need for peaceful conduct before, during and after the election.”

The IG, who assured the law-abiding electorates of a secure and enabling environment to exercise their franchise, warned all security details against accompanying their principals and politicians to polling booths and collation centres during the election.

He emphasized that only security personnel specially assigned for election duties must be seen within and around the places designated for the election. [myad]

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