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Vice President Osinbajo Visits Victims Of Boko Haram In Maiduguri

Osinbajo in Maiduguri

Vice President Yemi Osinbajo, commiserates with Mrs. Aisha Ibrahim who is nursing her daughter, affected by the Boko Haram insurgence at the University of Maiduguri Teaching Hospital, today, July 1st. [myad]

Presidency Laughs Off PDP’s Rejection Of Amina Zakari’s Appointment As Acting INEC Chairman

Amina Zakari INEC
The Nigeria Presidency has described the claim that the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has rejected Mrs. Amina Bala Zakari’s appointment as acting chairperson of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) as laughable.
It said that PDP contradicted itself by admitting that the right  and power of the President to appoint INEC chairman could not be questioned only to turn around to reject it.
A statement today, from the special adviser to President Muhammadu Buhari on media and publicity, Femi Adesina said: “we have noted with regret, the latest tirade against President Muhammadu Buhari issued today by the PDP’s Spokesman, Mr. Olisa Metuh.
“Other than boring reporters at his press conference with a rehash of baseless allegations of inaction against the President, Mr Metuh clearly had nothing new to say apart from his charge of nepotism and partisanship  in the appointment of the Acting INEC Chairman, which also lacks any factual foundation.”
Adesina made it clear that President Buhari did not “overrule” Professor Attahiru Jega in appointing Mrs. Amina Zakari as the Acting INEC Chairman, as Mr Metuh alleged.
“Professor Jega’s purported handing over to another Commissioner cannot be construed as an “appointment” because only the President has the constitutional authority, which he exercised to appoint Mrs. Zakari as  acting Chairman of INEC.”
The Presidential spokesman said that contrary to Metuh’s allegations, President Buhari’s appointment of Mrs. Zakari as Acting INEC Chariman was based entirely on merit, her vast experience in the internal operations of INEC and the President’s commitment to affirmative action in support of gender equality, because, apart from being fully qualified for the position, Mrs. Zakari was the only woman among the six Commissioners considered.”
He argued therefore the due Process was followed in Mrs. Zakari’s appointment, adding that Metuh’s spurious claims of her appointment being influenced by “personal relationship with the Presidency” and a  Governor in the North-West “to pave the way for the APC” at election tribunals should be disregarded by the public.
According to Adesina, the allegations are nothing  but falsehoods contrived by Mr. Metuh  to unjustly denigrate a President popularly elected by Nigerians to undo the damage done to the nation by years of PDP rule. [mayd]

Billionaire Saudi Arabian Prince Donates His $32 Billion To Charity At His Death

Saudi Billionaire Prince
Saudi Arabian billionaire, Alwaleed bin Talal has announced the donation of his $32bn (£20bn) fortune to charity when he dies.
The prince, already known for his ostentatious charitable donations, told reporters today in Saudi Arabia that he would begin to move the considerable wealth to his Alwaleed Philanthropic Foundation over the coming years.
The $32bn will include Prince Alwaleed’s stake in Kingdom Holding, the investment firm he chairs, as well as his assets outside Saudi Arabia.
In a statement read to reporters at a conference in Riyadh, the prince said his pledge “will help build bridges to foster cultural understanding, develop communities, empower women, enable youth, provide vital disaster relief and create a more tolerant and accepting world.”
He said that the donation “will be allocated according to a well-devised plan throughout the coming years” but added there was no time limit on when the donation should be spent.
He said that the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, which has focused on donating money to education and world health initiatives, was his inspiration.
“It is a commitment without boundaries. A commitment to all mankind,” Alwaleed said.
The Saudi prince, nephew to the late king Abdullah, said he would head a board of trustees tasked with spending the money. After he dies, his son will become president of the board of trustees and his daughter the vice president.
Alwaleed made the statement alongside his two children, Prince Khaled and Princess Reem. He said both were supportive of his decision.
In April this year, Prince Alwaleed promised to give each of the 100 fighter pilots that took part in Riyadh’s latest air strikes in Yemen a brand new Bentley. After a backlash on Twitter, in which he holds a $300m stake, the prince withdrew the pledge.
As well as media investments, Kingdom Holding has interests ranging from the Euro Disney theme park and Apple to Four Seasons hotels and Citigroup. [myad]

Presidential Spokesman, Adesina Urges Media Managers To Disseminate Information With Accuracy

Femi Adesina SA
Special Adviser to President Muhammadu Buhari on Media and Publicity, Mr Femi Adesina has stressed the need for stakeholders in information management to ensure that accurate information is disseminated to the general public at all times.
Speaking at a meeting with members of the Forum of Spokespersons of Security and Response Agencies (FOSSRA) and the Centre for Crisis Communication (CCC) today in Abuja, Adesina said that it was only with accurate information that the public could have a better understanding of the actions and policies of government.
Adesina said that the establishment of FOSSRA and CCC was timely as they will help in building and fostering the much needed synergy among critical stakeholders in security and crisis management.
He gave an assurance that the administration of President Buhari will collaborate with the Centre in ensuring that activities of government, especially in the area of ameliorating the pains of victims of terrorism and insurgency are well disseminated.
The Chairman of FOSSRA, who is also the  Defence spokesperson, Major-General Chris Olukolade congratulated Adesina and the Senior Special Assistant to the President on Media and Publicity, Mallam Garba Shehu  on their appointments.
Major-General Olukolade also briefed the Presidential spokespersons on the activities of the Centre for Crisis Communication and FOSSRA. [myad]

New INEC Boss, Amina Zakari, Pledges To Improve Electoral Process

Amina Zakari INEC
The newly appointed Acting Chairperson of Independent National Electoral Commission, Amina Bala Zakari has pledged to continue to work towards the improvement of the electoral process in the country.
Amina Zakari who spoke today at a brief hand over ceremony, held at the INEC headquarters, Abuja said: “I accept this with humility and added dedication to serve. We hope to see the continued improvement of the electoral processes in the country.”
The acting chairperson of the electoral umpire said that the successes achieved under the leadership of the immediate past Chairman of the Commission, Professor Attahiru Jega, must be consolidated.
She prayed for God’s guidance to lead the Commission until a new Commission is constituted, saying: “we cannot rest on our oars until we deliver on that premise.”
The first female boss of INEC is a professional Pharmacist. She hails from Jigawa State.
She completed her Secondary Education from the prestigious Queens College Yaba, Lagos. She graduated with a Bachelor of Science (B.sc) Degree in Pharmacy with Second Class Upper (Best Graduating Student) in 1980 from the Ahmadu Bello University, Zaria.
After completing the National Youth Service Corps, she worked as a professional Pharmacist in various hospitals from 1983 – 1996. She then moved into the consultancy field to serve in various capacities as a consultant in Health and Social Services from 1997 up till her appointment as National Commissioner, INEC.
She has also served as a Special Assistant to former President Olusegun Obasanjo and was posted to FCT where she   served  as Secretary of Health and Human Services, Social Development and Agriculture and Rural Development from 2004 – 2007.
Her Consultancy services covered Federal MDAs (FMWH, NAFDAC, NPHCDA etc) MDGs and the Private Sector.
Amina Bala Zakari is a registered Pharmacist and Member of the Pharmacist’s Society of Nigeria as well as Member of Nigeria Institute of Management (MNIM).
Other qualifications obtained include: Certificate in Managing Drugs Supply for Primary Health Care from MHS Amsterdam in 1997, Certificate in Project Management 1998, Certificate in Senior Management from Crown Agents    London in 2005, Certificate in Executive Education in Business Management from Harvard Business School. [myad]

Fani-Kayode Lists Catalogue Of Criminal Offences He Was Accused Of In The Past, Changes His Name

PDP Campaign Director, Femi Fani Kayode
Former Nigeria Aviation minister and recently, Director of media and publicity to President Goodluck Jonathan’s Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) Presidential campaign organisation, Femi Fani-Kayode has rolled out series of criminal cases which have been made against him by those he called political detractors, even as he announced the change of his family name from Fani-Kayode to Olukayode.
Addressing newsmen today in Lagos while reacting to the court verdict earlier in the day, acquitting him of money laundering, Olukayode said that initially, he was accused of stealing N19.5bn of public funds when he was Minister of Aviation but that it was thrown out by the courts.
“Then I was accused of stealing N6.5bn. It was thrown out by the courts. Then I was accused of laundering N200m. It was thrown out by the courts. Then I was accused of laundering N99m. It was thrown out by the courts. Finally, I was accused of laundering N1m and N1.1m respectively, and today, both of these charges have also been thrown out by the courts.”
Olukayode said that in the last seven years, he had been subjected to the most malicious, vicious, sinister, well-orchestrated, insidious and devastating form of political persecution and wickedness, adding: “the whole process almost destroyed my life, my family, my reputation, my health and my career. I thank God for His goodness, His mercy and for the fact that today, the whole nightmare has finally come to an end.”
The former PDP Presidential campaign spokesman thanked God, his family members, leaders of the Body of Christ, intercessors, pastors, political associates and friends who never doubted his innocence and who stood by him through thick and thin “for today’s verdict.”
He thanked the judiciary “for refusing to send an innocent man to jail and for refusing to allow themselves to be used as tools for personal and vindictive vendettas or political persecution.”
Olukayode recalled that the whole nightmare started on 1st of July 2008 when he was arrested in the premises of the Nigerian Senate after the public hearing on the N19.5 billion Naira Aviation Intervention Fund.
“I was cleared of any wrong doing in the administration of that fund by the Senate Commitee on Aviation yet despite that, immediately after the sitting before the Comimitee, I was abducted and arrested in an unceremonious and shameul fashion and locked up by the Farida Waziri-led EFCC for 10 days and charged to a magistrate court in Abuja.
“Today, the 1st of July 2015, seven years to the day from that day when I was first arrested and first put into detention, I have been discharged and acquitted of all remaining charges by the courts.
“As a mark of honor and respect for the Lord and as an everlasting testimony of my love for and dedication to him, I wish to make it known to the Nigerian public that as from today my name will be changed.
“It will no longer be David Oluwafemi Fani-Kayode but instead, it shall be David Oluwafemi Olukayode. Olukayode means “the Lord has brought me joy” and today he has done precisely that.”
The former aviation minister said that he had sworn not leave the shores of Nigeria until the case was finally brought to an end and that since the courts had pronounced his innocence seven years after it all began “I shall be leaving the shores of my beloved country for the first time in seven years for a short holiday and a long overdue medical examination.” [myad]

Airtel, UNICEF Partner To Empower Nigerian Communities

Aitel and UNICEF
UNICEF and Airtel, a leading telecommunications services provider with operations in 20 countries across Asia and Africa, have entered a partnership agreement to expand their collaboration across all 36 states of the federation and the Federal Capital Territory (FCT).
A statement from the telecommunications provider said that the partnership will increase access to social change related information and provide opportunities for participation whilst pushing forward U-Report, an innovative project supported by UNICEF.
It said that the agreement would allow UNICEF to tap into Airtel’s mobile services to make health, education, child protection and community-focused content available to Airtel customers across the country.
It said that through improved connectivity, more Nigerians will have free access to mobile applications and services developed by UNICEF, such as U-Report.
U-Report, an innovative SMS-based platform, empowers Nigerians to participate and engage in policy-making and governance and to access real time information on key social issues. The platform, which was launched officially in Nigeria on 29 April, 2015, has over 400,000 registered users, making Nigeria the leading U-Report platform globally, among 16 other countries that are running the same application.
Commenting on the initiative, Chief Executive Officer and Managing Director of Airtel Nigeria, Segun Ogunsanya, said the company is committed to empowering Nigerians and is keen on supporting programmes that will enrich the lives of its various stakeholders.
“At Airtel Nigeria, we constantly look for opportunities to excite, delight and empower our customers. This innovative partnership with UNICEF offers Nigerians a golden opportunity to transform the country and we are glad to be part of the U-Report project.”
Jean Gough, UNICEF Representative in Nigeria, said: “UNICEF is committed to providing innovative solutions towards better delivery of services and social change. This partnership with Airtel has the potential to empower millions of Nigerians through access to information and with opportunities to help them transform their societies.” [myad]

Argentine Airline Fires 2 Pilots For Playing ‘Love’ With Model While Flying Passenger Plane

Argentine pilots sacked

An Argentinian airline has sacked two pilots and banned a Playboy model from travelling with them for five years, after a video was uploaded to social media showing the model flying a passenger plane during take-off. The Aerolineas Argentinas flight was travelling from the capital Buenos Aires to Rosario in central Argentina.

Actress and glamour model, Vicky Xipolitakis uploaded a photo-set to Twitter on Thursday showing herself in the plane’s cockpit, in between the two smiling pilots. The photographs were uploaded three days after the incident took place.

In a video, obtained by Argentinian television news program Telenoche, the pilots are seen explaining how the various controls work. Ms Xipolitakis is seen shouting: “I’m going to accelerate and will take off!”

The pilots then joke that as an Argentinian taxpayer, she is entitled to fly the plane – as the airline is wholly owned by the Argentine Government.

The airline fired pilots Patricio Zocchi Molina and Federico Matias Soaje after becoming aware of the incident.

In an official statement, they also said criminal proceedings would be initiated against the two pilots and Ms Xipolitakis, “under Article 190 of the penal code for putting the flight’s safety at risk”.

In a statement, translated from Spanish by ABC News, Ms Xipolitakis wrote: “I sincerely and wholeheartedly did not imagine I could cause this much damage.”

“With respect to the extraordinary flight, being there was an unforgettable and beautiful experience, I never thought there would be this much fuss.” [myad]

Fani-Kayode Misses Jail, As Court Acquits Him Of Money Laundering

Fani Kayode in court

Federal High Court sitting in Lagos today, left off the hooks, the former Nigeria Aviation minister, Mr. Femi Fani-kayode on a two count charge of money laundering preferred against him by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC).

The court held that the EFCC, which charged him to court, was unable to prove the charges against him beyond reasonable doubt and consequently acquitted him.

Fani-Kayode’s trial began in 2008 before Justice Ramat Mohammed, with EFCC alleging that he laundered about N100 million while he was the Minister of Culture and Tourism and subsequently, Aviation Minister. The allegedly laundered sum was, however, reduced to N2.1million on Nov. 17, 2014 after Ofili-Ajumogobia dismissed 38 out of the 40-count levelled against Fani-Kayode for want of proof.

The EFCC prosecutor, Keyamo, while urging the court to uphold the remaining two counts and to accordingly convict Fani-Kayode, said the former minister had failed to exonerate himself of the allegations. Keyamo pointed out that the object of the charge was that Fani-Kayode transacted in cash sums above N500,000, which was the threshold stipulated by the Money Laundering (Prohibition) Act.

Keyamo had argued that Fani-Kayode had admitted making such transactions in his confessional statement of Dec. 22, 2008 made to the EFCC. He said: “In this statement, he admitted that he transacted in cash above N500,000. My Lord, this statement went in without objection by the accused person and the statement was voluntary.

“With the combination of this confessional statement and the statement of the IPO that investigated the allegation, we rely on all of this to submit that we have discharged our burden that monies were received by the accused person in cash and were not done through any financial institution.”

Meanwhile, the EFCC has reacted to the judgment, saying that it would study same before deciding on what next to do. [myad]

 

47 Boko Haram Members, 22 Female Suicide Bombers Surrender To Government – Dr. Akilu

Dr Fatima Akilu
No fewer than 47 male combatants of the dreaded Boko Haram and 22 female suicide bombers are believed to have voluntarily surrendered to the Nigerian government and are now being rehabilitated by the office of the National Security Adviser (ONSA).
The cheering news was broken to President Muhammadu Buhari today by the Head of the Countering Violent Extremism (CVE) Department of the ONSA, Dr. Fatima Akilu, when she briefed the President on the activities of the department at the Presidential Villa, Abuja.
According to Dr. Akilu, no fewer than 22 women and girls, recruited as suicide bombers by Boko haram are now undergoing rehabilitation by the CVE after voluntarily embracing the de-radicalization program.
Dr. Akilu said that one of the objectives of the CVE is to reform terrorists and prevent others from joining terrorist organisations and violent sects.
Dr. Akilu said that its non-military approach was running concurrently with the armed onslaught against insurgents in the country, adding that so far, the CVE has rehabilitated no fewer than 305 victims of terrorism rescued from the Sambisa Forest by the Nigerian military.
She said that a National Security Corridor Program has been created to provide a safe route for those who wish to leave Boko Haram voluntarily.
President Buhari commended steps being taken by the Office of the National Security Adviser (ONSA) and other agencies of government to rehabilitate victims of terrorism and violent extremism in Nigeria.
He emphasised that the Federal Government will continue to do its  best to ensure that victims of Boko Haram’s atrocities receive necessary support, even as it strives to rid the country of terrorism and insurgency in the shortest possible time. [myad]

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