No fewer than 700 officers and soldiers of the Nigerian Army are set for deployment for peace keeping operation in Liberia. This is coming against the background of the fierce battle going on against Boko Haram at home.
Addressing the troops after their pre-deployment training in Jaji, Kaduna State, today, the General Officer Commanding (GOC) 1 Division, Nigerian Army, Major General Kenneth Osuji warned them to avoid any act capable of dragging the image of Nigeria and Nigerian Army to the mud, as the army will not accept a situation where its soldiers are seen as soft targets.
General Osuji who is the GOC of the 1 Brigade, which is made up of the Nigerian Battalion (NIBATT)36 in the United Nations Mission in Liberia (UNMIL) said, they must work with the rules of engagement of the mission and respect the cultural and religious sensitivity of Liberia people.
“Be reminded that the Nigerian Army will not accept any situation where its troops are seen as soft targets or conducting themselves in unprofessional manner such as trafficking in illicit substances of any kind including alcohol and drugs.
“Additionally, you must respect the cultural and religious sensitivity of the people of Liberia. You must exhibit the highest sense of personal/environmental hygiene as Liberia is just emerging from an EBOLA epidemic,” the GOC stressed. [myad]
Senate President, Bukola Saraki has appointed Chuks Okocha, Thisday Politics Editor in Abuja and Environs and a former Regional Editor in the Niger Delta as his Special Assistant on Print Media. Okocha holds a Masters Degree in Sustainable Environmental Management from Middlesex University in London.
Okocha comes to the job with a rich pedigree in journalism having covered the State House during the administrations of former military administrations of President Ibrahim Babangida, late Sani Abacha, Abdulsalami Abubakar and during the interim government of Chief Ernest Shonekan. He also covered the National Assembly at inception of the Fourth Republic in 1999.
In a statement released by the Deputy Clerk to the National Assembly, Mr. Ben Efeturi announcing the appointments, the Senate President has also appointed former Nation Senate Correspondent, Mr. Sanni Onogu as his Chief Press Secretary.
Mr. Bankole Omisore is Saraki’s Special Assistant on New Media.
The appointments, said Efeturi, take immediate effect. [myad]
Outgoing chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), Professor Attahiru Jega has said that university vice-chancellors were appointed returning officers during the last general elections because they were people with track record of credibility.
Jega who spoke to newsmen on the sideline of a dinner organized in his honour by the Association of Vice-Chancellors of Nigerian Universities (AVCNU) in Abuja said: “We were looking for people with integrity; and we have no doubt that there are many people with integrity in the Nigerian university system.
“So, it is like a ready-made constituency to get the kind of people we needed for the job to be done. That is not to say that it is only in the universities you can find people of integrity.
“We know that anybody who has risen in the system to become a vice-chancellor will not for anything damage his or her reputation by pandering to the wishes of politicians.”
He expressed appreciation to the goodwill shown to him by members of the association, adding that he would continue to be a good ambassador of the Nigerian university system.
Jega said he was delighted to note that the vice-chancellors were pleased with the feat which they collectively achieved in the 2015 elections.
He, however, said that all staff of INEC contributed to the success of the elections as he alone could not take the glory.
The INEC chairman said he would proceed on leave and rest at the end of his tenure and return to the university to continue teaching, research and community service afterwards.
Earlier in his remarks, Professor Joseph Ajienka, the Chairman of the association, commended Jega for rendering a service to his country creditably and with dignity.
He also hailed all the vice chancellors that helped Jega in performing a national task that gave so much credibility to the last elections.
“It will go a long way in telling the world that vice-chancellors are capable of serving their country,’’ Ajienka who is the Vice-Chancellor University of Port Harcourt, added. [myad]
President Muhammadu Buhari has dissolved the board of the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC) with immediate effect. The dissolution of the NNPC board might signal President Buhari’s determination to clean up the oil industry in the country. The directive for the dissolution of the board was conveyed in a letter signed today by the Head of the Civil Service of the Federation, Barrister Danladi Kifasi. In the three paragraph statement, President Buhari was quoted as expressing appreciation to members of the dissolved board for their services to the nation.
Special adviser to President Buhari, Femi Adesina had earlier made it clear that the President was going to clean up the oil industry, adding: “there’s no way he could proceed with the same board in place.”
Buhari, who defeated Goodluck Jonathan in March elections and became head of state on May 29, pledged during his campaign to clamp down on graft, including in the oil sector, which the government depends on for about two-thirds of revenue and 90 percent of export earnings.
Buhari’s All Progressives Congress said it would probably strip the Nigerian National Petroleum Corp. of regulatory powers and would look into breaking the company into more efficient, commercially-driven units.
Chief executive officer of the Lagos-based consultancy Financial Derivatives Co. Bismarck Rewane said: “it is about time that the President take action on this (NNPC) financial cancer. He should go below the board and clean up that place.”
The NNPC had the worst disclosure record of 44 international and national energy companies analyzed in a 2011 report by Transparency International and the Revenue Watch Institute.
Last year, Jonathan suspended then central bank Governor Lamido Sanusi after he alleged the NNPC hadn’t remitted $20 billion to the government. A PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP report into the matter released in April said the company needed to refund as much as $4.29 billion.
The NNPC has a “blank check” to spend without limits or control, according to the PwC report. Accounting and monitoring systems for oil revenue appear to be weak and inaccurate, while data from different sources are plagued by “significant discrepancies,” it said.
Buhari’s move may have been more of a formality as the current board had little power without a head, according to Clement Nwankwo, the executive director of the Abuja-based Policy and Legal Advocacy Centre. [myad]
All Progressives Congress (APC) majority members of the new House of Representatives threw caution to the wind today when they openly engaged in physical assault over the selection of leadership of the House. The Speaker, Yakubu Dogara saved the situation by quickly adjourning the plenary to July 21. [myad]
Delta State Governor, Senator Ifeanyi Okowa has said his administration inherited a debt profile of N637.22 billion, with a call on all Deltans to be ready to make sacrifices necessary to put the state on the path of economic recovery.
Giving a breakdown of the debt profile, Okowa disclosed that N98.62 billion is as a result of Revenue Bond and indebtedness to commercial banks, while outstanding contractual obligations stood at N538, 601,962,421.50.
Okowa who addressed members of the State House Of Assembly in Asaba on the financial status of the state, said that it became necessary to let the lawmakers know the state of affairs in order “to put the Legislature on the same page with the Executive, so that we can think together, plan together, and tighten our belts going forward.”
“I see more opportunities in our current economic predicament than the threats it poses. We must muster the resolve and political will to boldly and decisively – confront the challenges that we face, right the ship of our State and lay a solid foundation of prosperity both now and for future generation of Deltans. It won’t be easy. It is not supposed to be easy. But there is no gain without pain, no prize without a price.
“A good place to start is for us to reject the old ways of doing business. First, beginning with me and this honourable House, we must be ready to make the necessary sacrifices to reduce the cost of governance. Secondly, the endless turf battles and approach to legislative action would need to give way to civility and respect for each arm of government. Thirdly, the House must make laws that protect and promote the interest of the State and our people. Fourthly, we must act with the sense of urgency that our current situation demands, and navigate the ship of state aright.”
The Governor told the House that the 2015 budget of N409 Billion as passed has to be reviewed because it is no longer realistic in the wake of current realities, which clearly show that our expected revenue is now far below what was projected in view of the declining earnings from FAAC occasioned by the crash in oil prices.
He assured the House that the administration is frantically working at putting the necessary machinery in place to boost our IGR, and steps will be urgently taken to plug the loopholes in our revenue collection process. In our land resource management, action will be taken to re-certify Certificates of Occupancy (C of O) beginning with our urban settlements, while MDAs will be made more accountable in the generation of revenue.
He called for a cordial relationship among the different arms of government, reminding the Legislature of their constitutional responsibility “to make make laws for the peace, order, and good governance of the State.” Governor Okowa promised to build a “model worthy of emulation” in Executive-Legislature based on his experience as a former member of the Senate.
Okowa appealed for patience and understanding regarding the suspension of the civil service recruitment even as he admitted that it was a painful and difficult decision to make. He added: “we came to this inescapable decision because the entire recruitment exercise was riddled with fraud and corruption as it violated established Civil Service Rules and Regulations. More so, it was not logical that a State struggling to meet its payroll obligation should employ more persons.”
While sympathising with those affected by the exercise, he urged the house members to appeal to their constituents who were affected by the exercise for understanding because “we do not mean them any harm” and “you have my highest assurances that in the long term this decision is for the benefit of everybody. Sometimes things have to get worse before they can get better.”
Governor Okowa enjoined the house members to be mindful of their place in history.
“The focus of responsible leadership is not always about the next election; it is about the next generation,” he declared. “We would have written our names in gold if in the next four years Delta State can boast of a functioning public school system that ensures that the children of the poor are provided quality education, accessible and affordable primary and secondary healthcare system, a flourishing agricultural and agri-business sector, and the proliferation of Micro, Small, and Medium Scale Enterprises (that ensure our teeming youth population is productively engaged), well planned and environmentally friendly cities, and integrated rural development.”
In a brief remark, the Majority Leader of the House of Assembly, Hon. Tim Owhofere, member representing Isoko North, thanked the governor for the briefing and promised that the legislature would partner with other arms of government to deliver the dividends of democracy to the people. [myad]
The captain of the national Ghanaian football team, Asamoah Gyan, has been charged by police for the rape and sodomy of Sarah Kwablah, a 22 year old student at the University of Ghana. Kwablah’s lawyer, Maurice Ampaw, said the complaint was made two days ago at the Victim Support Unit (DOOVSU) of the Ministry Police Station in Accra.
Gyan has admitted to having sex with Sarah Kwablah. However, he claims that the sex was entirely consensual.
Kwablah, is also accusing Gyan of fathering her pregnancy. Hospital scans have shown that she is indeed pregnant but Gyan claims that the child is not his. He has demanded a paternity test to determine the veracity of her claims. Reports say he is prepared to take responsibility of the child if it is proven that he is the father.
According to numerous reports, Kwablah is also asking for a fully furnished apartment, a housemaid, and a $1,000 monthly stipend from Gyan. The Black Stars captain, Gyan, has called the demands outrageous.
Kwablah has also threatened to release a sex tape of the couple, from the time they had a relationship, which supposedly began in February. A case of blackmail was subsequently filed by Asamoah Gyan’s lawyer, Kissi Adjabeng, at the Ordorkor Police Station.
In light of the madness, Gyan spoke to the Ghanaian radio station, Happy FM, saying “all through my career, I have always contended with obstacles whenever I’m trying to do anything but I never give up because I am mentally strong. I have not always had things running smoothly for me but I try to sail through.
“What has kept me going up to this time is my mental toughness,” he went on, confident that his history of dealing with challenges on his way to greatness will come in handy again.
“You will notice that at almost every point in my life I have had challenges. I am blessed to have been able to go through all the time so I will go through this one too, again.” [myad]
An Upper Sharia Court, Rijiyar Lemo, in Kano, has sentenced two persons, Abdul-Inyas and Hajiya Mairo, to death for blasphemy against the Prophet of Islam.
The offence, committed in early June, triggered protest in Kano. The demonstration was however promptly quelled by law enforcement agents.
A statement by the State Sharia Court of Appeal, signed by a man named Nasiru, said the two persons were found guilty under section 110 and section 382b of the Sharia Penal Court law year 2000.
“They are hereby sentenced to death,” the statement read.
The statement acknowledged that some Muslim faithful in Kano threatened violence if the accused were set free.
The court however freed Alkasim Abubakar, Yahya Abubakar, Isa Abubakar, and Abdullahi Abubakar, who were arrested alongside the two convicted persons.
They were found not guilty by the court.
Already, news of the judgment has sparked jubilation by a section of Kano residents. [myad]
President Muhammadu Buhari has approved the appointment of Ahmed Idris as the new Accountant General of the Federation (AGF).
In a statement today, the Director of Communications in the Office of the Head of Civil Service of the Federation, Haruna Imrana, said the appointment took effect immediately.
“The Head of the Civil Service of the Federation Barrister Danladi Kifasi who announced the appointment said that the appointment is with effect from 25th of June 2015,” the statement said.
It said the new AGF who hails from Kano State, was born on November 25, 1960, and was until his appointment, the Director of Finance and Accounts, Federal Ministry of Mines and Steel Development.
The position of AGF became vacant after the former Accountant General, Jonah Otunla, resigned on June 12.
The Office of the Head of Service later conducted examinations for prospective candidates for the position.
All Directors of Finance and Accounts and some in the Audit department, from all the Ministries, numbering over 60, attended the first round of examination.
It was gathered that about 20 eligible candidates were eventually dropped after the first sitting. [myad]
Majority all Progressives Congress (APC) Senators have for once, respected the party’s position by ratifying it’s recommended candidates for North-West and North-East zonal caucuses for the positions of Senate Majority Leader and Deputy Majority Leader.
While Senator Mohammed Ali Ndume from Borno State got approved for the Majority Leader, Senator Bala Ibn Na’Allah from Kebbi central was ratified as Deputy Majority leader. Francis Alimikhena was equally confirmed as Deputy Chief Whip.
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