National Publicity Secretary of Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Chief Olisa Metuh has supported the move by President Muhammadu Buhari to bring corrupt political leaders to book but that such exercise should not be selective.
“We expect the President Muhammadu Buhari’s government not to embark on selective probing of public office holders found wanting before or during his government,” he said.
Metuh spoke today at the State Congress of PDP in Lokoja where he advised the PDP members in the state to ensure that they were free of corruption in their dealings.
“If your hands are clean, you will not be afraid of any probe,” he said.
The publicity scribe described corruption as a crime against the common will of Nigerians, saying: “corruption is a crime against the people, the nation and our Constitution,” he said.
He said every legitimate means should be deployed to fight public corruption and that the approach to eradicating corruption in Nigeria must be just.
The PDP spokesman urged the would-be-delegates in the state’s congress to elect those that would pilot the affairs of the party for the next four years.
Idris Wada of Kogi, said the congress provided members the opportunity to change the history of the party in the state for the better.
“I urge delegates to choose wisely,” the governor said.
Wada urged members to support the candidates that would make up the state’s executive council from the congress.
“Support any candidate that wins at the end of the congress. What we are doing here today will change the history of the PDP in our state,” he said. [myad]
Former militant leaders in the Niger Delta region have accused the Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC) of spending N4 billion to sponsor the Peoples Democratic Party’s 2015 elections, including the failed re-election bid of former President Goodluck Jonathan.
Speaking under the auspices of the Niger Delta Watchdogs (NDW), the ex-warlords praised President Muhammadu Buhari for the dissolving the NDDC board.
In a statement today, the ex-militants argued that while former President Olusegun Obasanjo established the NDDC for the development of the region, the immediate past board turned the commission into an institution for sponsoring ‘PDP elections’ in 2015.
The statement, signed by ‘General’ John Duku’ and three others on behalf of the NDW, declared that the NDDC spent over N4bn in sponsoring PDP elections when abandoned projects, belonging to the commission littered the entire Niger Delta region.
They called on the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) to investigate the immediate past board of the commission.
The statement read: “The formation of the NDDC by former President Olusegun Obasanjo was for the development of the Niger Delta region. But the immediate past board of the commission has derailed from the aims and objectives of the commission and turned the commission into a political finance institution by using the money meant for the development of the Niger Delta Master plan to sponsor PDP elections in 2015.
“We were so shock that the commission spent over N4bn to sponsor PDP elections whereas abandoned projects by the commission are scattered all over the Niger Delta region. We call on EFCC to investigate and bring the immediate past board to justice.”
The ex-militant leaders urged Buhari to appoint a technocrat and God-fearing person as the new managing director of the NDDC.
NDW added, “The Niger Delta militants/ex-militant commanders commend Mr. President for the dissolution of the Niger Delta Development Commission Board. We salute the courage of the President to dissolve the NDDC. Over 45 commanders met under the auspices of the Niger Delta Watchdogs.”
They also suggested that the President should appoint someone with experience in the oil and gas industry and maintained that such step would make it easier for the NDDC to relate with the oil companies with a view to developing the region.
Advising Buhari to reject any nomination from politicians, the ex-fighters pleaded with him to accept a candidate that enjoyed the support of the masses. [myad]
Senate President, Bukola Saraki has branded the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC) as the engine room of corruption in the country even as he asked the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) to thoroughly investigate the activities of the Corporation.
Speaking when the leadership of the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) led by its president, Ayuba Wabba visited him in Abuja today, Saraki said: “NNPC is where people who are the real engine room of corruption are.
”While the senate has interacted with the Independent Corrupt Practices and other Related Offences Commission (ICPC), it also intends to engage the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) to look at the areas where the national assembly can assist to ensure that the fight against corruption is efficiently prosecuted.”
“We, in the eighth senate, have said there will be zero tolerance for the issue of corruption. Corruption is one issue slowing down development and some of the problems we are embarking on – whether you talk about our refineries not working, you talk of the issue of fuel subsidy, you talk about the high cost of governance, everything you talked about comes back to this issue of corruption and I think it is time for all of us, those of us in the national assembly, the executive and the workers, to show serious commitment.
“This should not be a headline-grabbing approach because at the end of the day, you are workers, when you talk about oil theft, we have Nigerian workers at the terminals who surely must know when this thing is going on. Everywhere that there is corruption, some workers are there either participating or observing. We now have a great opportunity to win the war against corruption because we have a leadership led by President Muhammadu Buhari that we believe has the political will to do the right thing.
“We are assuring you that at the executive side, we have elected the president that will do it well. I am making the commitment on behalf of the national assembly and myself that we are committed to fighting corruption. If you remember, I was the one that single-handedly in 2011 opened the lid on the fuel subsidy scam that everybody is talking about now.
“But at the end of the day, who are those people working in these places? They are Nigerian workers. They are not workers from anywhere else. So, I think I will also throw the challenge, now that we are getting the message that the political leadership is ready to take on this thing called corruption, I think we need the cooperation of our workers who know it all. They see it happen and when you look at the anti-corruption agencies, with all due respect, you will find out that 80 per cent of some of the cases are cases at the state level.
“You hardly see where people who are the real engine room which is the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation or where most of these corruption cases on oil are being put on trial.”
Saraki talked about the internal crisis in the Senate and the leadership crisis in NLC, saying: “You talked about the internal challenges that the NLC leadership is facing. I think I want to say the challenges are similar to ours. People contested elections, some will win and of course, some will lose; but at the end of the day, we all win when we all leave our personal interest and look at the interest of Nigeria.
“I want to assure you and Nigerians that we in the senate are ready to work for you. We are committed to the work we are elected to do. I think there are more of the noise outside the senate than in the senate. We are committed and we want our actions and our words to speak for us.”
“We recall that as a chairman of the Nigeria Governors’ Forum, your intervention helped to resolve the protracted teachers’ strike over their negotiated 27.5% teaching allowance. Similarly, not long ago, we had cause to condemn the ‘passing of 47 bills in 10 minutes’, by the seventh senate on the twilight of its lifespan.
“We note that though you were a member of the seventh senate, you were one of the few who felt honour-bound to publicly distance yourself from that regrettable incident.
“Therein lies the source of our hope that the 8th senate under your watch will be less opaque, less secretive, and will witness more transparency, more responsiveness to the yearnings and aspirations of the Nigerian people.” [myad]
Governors of the 36 states in Nigeria have unanimously resolved today to prune down the cost of governance to face the reality of the current economic down-turn. Rising from the National Economic Council (NEC) meeting, held today at the Aso Presidential Villa, Abuja, the governors resolved to look at so many wasteful spending, especially on overhead, with a view to removing them. In the meeting, which was presided over by Vice President Yemi Osinbajo, the governors were concerned about the huge wage bill for their workers, for which President Muhammadu Buhari recently announced bailout funds to assuage. Speaking to newsmen on behalf of his colleagues shortly after over six hours meeting, governor Akinwunmi Ambode of Lagos said the governors also resolved to rally round President Buhari’s federal government to tackle the security challenges that have bedeviled the North East and South South, as well as to seriously address the bad situation of the nation’s economy. Ambode said that there was no template for all the governors on how to reduce the cost of governance, adding that each state would look at some peculiar situation before embarking on such reduction. Though the governors did not arrive at a uniform method of reducing the cost of governance, it was learnt that the major thing on the agenda would be the reduction in the number of political appointees, the number of vehicles for the governors and other officials of the states as well as the daily running cost of the government, including petty contracts.
“We resolved that all states should find ways to reduce their cost of governance,” governor Ambode emphasized, adding: “we do not have a uniform template on how to reduce the cost of governance but it is very clear that states in the specific situations will find different ways and means of ensuring the cost of running governance is not as huge as it has always been.
“So, it is left for the states in their respective situation to find the different ways of cutting cost but what is important is that we cannot continue with the kind of huge burden or huge cost we apply to run our government.
“A situation where you are having a huge percentage of your budget as recurrent expenditure is obviously not acceptable. And you must look for ways in reducing the cost of administration in the various states.”
Ambode said the committee set up by the council during its last meeting to probe the expenses of the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation and the Excess Crude Account under the past administration would submit its report during their next meeting.
According to a council document released at the end of the meeting, the council received a presentation from the governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria, Godwin Emefiele, on the update of restructuring of bank loans for the states and payment of salary arrears.
The governor was said to have informed the council that following meetings with banks, it was agreed that existing loans should be restructured for the minimum of 20 years while salary arrears should also be restructured for the minimum of 15 years and not exceed more than 20 years.
He added that states could opt for either the bond option, which would attract market rate, or the debt restructuring option, which would attract single digit rate.
“Council resolved that a four-man team made up of the governors of Bauchi, Rivers, Ondo and Osun States are to follow up with the CBN to ensure that the issues of Excess Crude Collateral for the states are sorted out by next week Tuesday,” the statement added.
The document also indicated that a presentation made by the Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Finance, showed that the Excess Crude Account currently stands at $2.078 billion.
The council directed the Committee on ECA to work with the Accountant-General’s office to resolve the gaps observed in the presentation. [myad]
Detectives from Anambra State Police Criminal Investigation Department, Awka are currently investigating the alleged rape of a housewife by a white garment prophet who happens to be the elder brother to the victim’s husband on a farmland in Umuchu town, Aguata Local Government of the State.
The Criminal Investigative arm of the State Police Command embarked on the investigation after receiving a petition from a group known as Human Rights Awareness Initiative and Road Safety on behalf of the victim.
According to the victim, Mrs. Chinasa Okoronkwo, the Prophet identified as Pius Okoronkwo raped the victim while working on her farmland after she escaped several sexual harassment from the suspect.
Okoronkwo, who is the founder of Covenant Sabbath Mission Yaweh church with headquarters in Umuchu, however debunked the allegation saying that it was an attempt to blackmail him after sponsoring the marriage between her and his younger brother.
Chinasa on her part admitted that the suspect sponsored her marriage but stated that the prophet had another motive for sponsoring the traditional wedding.
The victim added that after her traditional marriage, the prophet approached her and told her that it was his responsibility to impregnate her despite being married to his brother.
She stated that despite her husband’s poor economic status, she turned down the offer since he was still alive and fit to get her pregnant.
The housewife further disclosed that the prophet kept harassing her until he allegedly raped her on her farm, adding that he threatened to kill her if she refused.
Chinasa affirmed that she had to seek the help of the human rights NGO so that the suspect will be made to face the wrath of the law.
Confirming the matter, Comrade Gilbert Obinwa of the Human Rights Awareness Initiative and Road Safety, said they received a complaint from the woman, adding that they had to petition the State Commissioner of Police.
Obinwa disclosed that what happened to the woman was height of injustice, adding that the police should investigate the allegation and ensure that the suspect be made to face the wrath of the law. [myad]
National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) has announced the discovery of what the most Earth-like planet yet, called Kepler-452b through its Space telescope science team. Kepler 452-b is believed to be the very first apparently rocky planet that definitively orbits a sun-like star in the habitable zone.
“Today, we’re pleased to announce the discovery of Kepler 452b: the first small planet in the habitable zone of a G type star like our sun,” said Jon Jenkins, Kepler data analyst and lead author on the new discovery.
“The Earth is a little less lonely, because there’s a new kid on the block who moved in right next door.”
Kepler 452-b circles its star—which is the same surface temperature as the sun, 10% brighter and 20% larger—at an orbital radius 5% larger than that of the Earth, and a period of 385 Earth days. With a planetary radius only 50% larger than Earth’s, there’s a very good chance this world is rocky. If it is a rocky world, it’d weigh in at about 5 Earth masses, giving this ‘super-Earth’ a surface gravity of roughly 2g.
It could have a thick, cloudy atmosphere, and surface volcanic activity.
Even more exciting than Kepler 452-b’s Earth-like characteristics is the fact that this world has spent six billion years, give or take two, in the habitable zone of its star. As Jenkins pointed out today, “that’s considerable time for life to arise somewhere on its surface or in its oceans should the conditions for life exist.”
Kepler 452 b is about 1.5 billion years older than the Earth. If it were Earth sized, the planet and its ageing, brightening star might be at a point in their evolution where liquid water would be rapidly evaporating from the surface. But because of its higher mass, astronomers believe Kepler 452-b is protected from losing water for the next 500 million years or so.
The discovery of 452-b dethrones Kepler-438 and Kepler-442b, which, as of January, were the two most Earth-like planets to date. But despite being smaller than 452-b, 438-b and 442-b orbit dimmer, M and K stars respectively.
Kepler 452-b was discovered while mining the trove of Kepler transit data collected between 2009 and 2013. So far, it’s the only known world in its system, which lies some 1,400 light years from Earth. We’re not going to get there anytime soon, but it’s fascinating to think that, off in the distant reaches of space, a world very much like our own might really exist.
Two decades ago, astrophysicist Didier Queloz of Cambridge University, a PhD candidate at the time, shook the astronomy world with the accidental discovery of a planet twice the mass of Jupiter orbiting blisteringly close to the star 51 Pegasi. It was the first exoplanet discovered orbiting a Sun-like star (and only the second exoplanet, period), and became the prototype for a class of planets known today as hot Jupiters. Over the next decade, extrasolar planet discoveries continued to trickle in as astronomers used a variety of detection tools to capture the faint footprint of large planets orbiting close to their parent stars. None of these worlds were good candidates for habitability, but their discovery nonetheless helped to rewrite our understanding of the cosmic landscape.
Then, in 2009, NASA’s exoplanet hunting Kepler mission was launched into heliocentric orbit (orbit around our sun). The mission, designed to take a cosmic ‘census’ of the Cygnus Arm of our Milky Way several hundred light years distant, identifies planets by transit photometry. This entails measuring a faint dip in starlight as an orbiting planet crosses its path in Kepler’s line of sight. Transit events are both rare and incredibly difficult to detect, as the change in starlight caused by a planet is utterly miniscule. But with a photometer a thousand times more precise than anything built before, and outside the cloud of our atmosphere, Kepler was up to the challenge.
And the discoveries began to pour in. Literally, our cosmic veil was lifted as Kepler began to discover dozens, then hundreds of worlds— some of them, rocky and super-Earth-sized worlds in the not-too-hot, not-too-cold habitable zone of their star. The first Kepler mission, which ran from 2009 to 2013, confirmed over 1,000 worlds, including 11 planets less than twice the size of Earth in the habitable zone of a Sun-like star. Worlds that could, just maybe, harbor liquid water and life.
Extrapolating from Kepler’s small cosmic census, astronomers now believe there are probably a hundred billion world in our galaxy — at least one for every star. That’s an amazing find, given that fifty years ago, the notion of any extrasolar planets was considered radical.
After four years of monitoring, Kepler had lost two of its critical spacecraft reaction wheels, destabilising the scope and rendering it unable to continue staring at its fixed, distant target. But all other spacecraft hardware remained intact, and so NASA decided that Kepler would continue its mission, after a fashion, on two wheels instead of four.
In June 2014, the K2 mission became fully operational, regaining a photometric precision similar to that of the original mission. Since 2014, Kepler has pointed itself near the ecliptic plane sequentially observing fields across a wide range of latitudes in both the northern and southern skies. Until today’s announcement, K2 had confirmed 22 extrasolar planets. This had included the two most Earth-like planets to date, Kepler-438b and Kepler-442b. [myad]
The Ecological Fund Office has formally released a book for the purpose of enlightening the public on the series of Federal Government’s intervention projects towards securing the environment and save lives across the country. The 212-page compendium titled: “Saving Lives and Securing the Environment: Chronicle of Federal Government’s Ecological Interventions,” documents some of the lifesaving efforts and activities of the Federal Government, aimed at taming our environment and ecosystem. The six-chapter book, published by Thinkers Communications on behalf of the Ecological Fund Office, recalls Nigeria’s ecological problems which include soil erosion, floods, oil pollution, water and air pollutions, waste mismanagement, drought, desertification and afforestation, and the consequent establishment of Ecological Fund Office under the office of the Secretary to the Government of the Federation and supervised by the National Committee on Ecological Problems (NCEP). According to a press statement signed by John Moses on behalf of the Publishers, the book also contains a comprehensive list of government’s intervention programmes . “These include rehabilitation of Kargo and Rijana dams, flood and erosion control at Federal Medical Centre Abakaliki, Ngeloke river flood control, Nri gully erosion control. Nimo gully erosion control, Oruruala Iguduasa erosion and flood control, internal road drainage at Alvan Ikokwu College of Education, remediation of polluted sites at mining impacted areas in Bukuru, Banga soil erosion and flood control and gully erosion control at Abia State University. Others are Nkisi water works, Umuozu-Ugiri erosion control, Okpolo/Ire erosion contro, Saint Kizito Secondary School erosion control, NekedeUmumhagu gully erosion, Ururuala/Ogudousa erosion control, Kubani dam rehabilitation, concrete drainages and culverts at Eastern Naval Command, Utuoke Phase II project, afforestation programme, solar powered model village Katsina, Daza Machilla erosion and flood control and the medical waste disposal incinerator in Katsina that was replicated in 25 states of the federation, among others.” [myad]
Former Secretary to the Government of the Federation and elder statesman, Aminu Saleh is dead. he died today at the age of 87.
He died at the Federal Medical Centre, Azare, in Katagum Local Government Area of Bauchi State after a brief illness.
Aminu Saleh served as SGF under the regime of late General Sani Abacha.
A family source, who spoke in confidence, said the remains of Saleh would be buried later this evening according to Islamic rites.
He is survived by one wife, 13 children and many grandchildren, among whom is the immediate past Deputy Governor of Bauchi State, Sagir Saleh.
Meanwhile, the immediate past Governor of Bauchi State, Mallam Isa Yuguda, has described the death of the elder statesman as a great loss to the country considering his wealth of experience.
Yuguda said that the death of the former SGF was a monumental loss not only to his immediate and extended families, Katagum Emirate and Bauchi State, but the entire country, considering the late Saleh’s contributions to the socio-political and economic development of the country over the years.
In the statement by his Chief Press Secretary, Ishola Adeyemi, the ex-governor recalled that he enjoyed fatherly advice from the late Saleh during his eight years tenure as the Governor of the State.
He added that the ex-SGF was always frank and straight forward on matters that bordered on good governance and leadership. [myad]
Nigeria Vice President Professor Yemi Osinbajo has said that there is no excuse why Nigerian leaders cannot manage with success, the economy of the country just as leaders in other advanced nations have been doing. Professor Osinbajo who spoke today while receiving the leadership of the National Union of Road Transport Workers (NURTW) on a courtesy visit to his office at the Presidential Villa, emphasised: “good economies are run by men not spirits: men and women like you and I, flesh and blood. There is no reason why our country cannot be well run.” The Vice President stressed that the key towards the attainment of sound economy and prosperous country is the rule of law. “We insist that the rule of the law be maintained, that no one is above the law. Nobody is above the law. It is the first rule, the President has committed himself to this. He said it yesterday again in the US, that nobody is above the law.” Professor Osinbajo emphasised that if somebody is held according to law, the country should support it, adding: “Let us support what is good and right for the country Osinbajo commended the important role the road transporters play in the nation’s economy, adding that the union is one of the truly national organisations that Nigeria can boast of. He said that members of the union have provided the most accessible form of transportation for the people. Professor Osinbajo said: “your role comes with a great deal of responsibility and with tremendous opportunity.” He said that one of the things President Muhammadu Buhari has said consistently is that “our elites must understand that every privilege comes with responsibility, like maintaining the peace and stability of this nation. Without the peace, none of us can function.” To this end, the Vice President restated the Buhari administration’s resolve to see the end to Boko Haram insurgency, adding: “I believe we would see the end of Boko Haram, because we hold ourselves responsible to ensure that the insurgency does not continue.” He advised NURTW members to remain vigilant, because “those who are being used for the attacks, the children, are conveyed from place to place. “These are children who don’t even know what they are doing. We can’t call them suicide bombers. They don’t know they are bombing themselves.” The Vice President asked the NURTW delegation to educate the people, drivers, people involved in transportation, to spread the message that they should be careful about carrying goods which they cannot identify, and to report suspicious movement of people to the authorities.” According to him, government will provide access to members of the union in order to pass on useful information. The President of the union, Alhaji Najeem Usman Yasin, commended the government of Buhari for adopting various strategies aimed at addressing corruption and security challenges facing the country. The NURTW leader said that the union has implicit confidence in the Buhari Presidency’s ability to meet the challenges ahead, and transform Nigeria. [myad]
President Muhammadu Buhari has blamed the United States of America for resorting to what he called “blanket application of the Leahy Law on the grounds of unproven allegations of human rights violation for the escalation of Boko Haram insurgency and terrorism in Nigeria. “The blanket application of the Leahy Law by the United States on the grounds of unproven allegations of human rights violations levelled against our forces has denied us access to appropriate strategic weapons to prosecute the war against the insurgents. “In the face of abduction of innocent school girls from their hostels, indiscriminate bombings of civilians in markets and places of worship, our forces have remained largely impotent because they do not possess the appropriate weapons and technology which they could have had, had the so called human rights violations not been an obstacle.” President Buhari who addressed the United States Institute for Peace, in Washington DC today as he concluded his four-day official visit to the United States said: “unwittingly, and I dare say, unintentionally, the application of the Leahy law amendment by the U. S. Government has aided and abated the Boko Haram terrorist group in the prosecution of its extremist ideology and hate, the indiscriminate killings and maiming of civilians, in raping of women and girls, and in their other heinous crimes. I believe this is not the spirit of the Leahy Laws. I know the American people cannot support any group engaged in these crimes. I therefore strongly appeal to both the Executive Arm and the US Congress to examine how the US Government can provide us with far more substantial counter-terrorism assistance with minimal strings. “The longer we delay, the deadlier the Boko Haram gets. At all events, we have re-written the rules of engagement protecting the rights of combatants and in particular safeguarding civilians in theatres of conflict.” Reacting to a question after his address, President Buhari assured that he would work very hard to sustain the current goodwill his government had received at home and abroad, adding that despite his perceived slowness and the reality of lack of resources, he would work very hard “so that people will see and believe that we are trying and can deliver and hopefully become less critical.” The Nigerian leader acknowledged the huge challenges confronting his administration such as the crash in the price of crude oil, its theft, pipeline vandalisation in the Niger Delta, hostage taking and insecurity in the North East, even as he restated his determination to sustain the goodwill by working very hard. “And I believe I will succeed,” he declared emphatically. “Despite our current challenges, Nigeria’s commitment to good governance, anti-corruption, democracy and security of lives and property remains firm. Similarly, I must reaffirm that despite the current challenges that we face domestically, we are ready and willing to face our duties…Fixing Nigeria’s problems as formidable as they are is the responsibility of Nigerians. The international community can only assist, but the hard work belongs to Nigerians and their government. I will as President, lead from the front, but all Nigerians, including the opposition parties, civil society, business and religious leaders, public servants, labour unions, the youth and professional associations all have important roles to play to get our country back on a sound economic footing.” [myad]
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