The Independent Petroleum Marketers Association of Nigeria (IPMAN) has secured 1,350 hectares of land in Itobe, Kogi State for its own refinery, for which it has already had applied for license from Petroleum Pipeline Products Regulatory Agency (PPPRA).
National Chairman of Chief Okoronkwo Chinedu announced this during the weekend, even as he said that his association is no longer interested in subsidy, but its alternative that could bring normalcy into the Nigerian petroleum market.
He suggested that in the meantime, the federal government should enter into what he called crude swap arrangements with his association as an option to put an end to the lingering fuel crisis.
The marketers had stopped importation of petroleum products since March when the controversy over subsidy debts began, leaving the business of fuel importation to the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC), which now imports only 50 per cent of required products into the country.
He said however that local refining of crude should be taken as the long-term solution to the current fuel crisis.
Also the Major Maketers Association of Nigeria (MOMAN) has confirmed that its members have not been importing subsidy based petroleum products.
The Executive Secretary, Olawore Obafemi, said they have only been helping NNPC in the distribution of the products, thus confirming claims that only 50 per cent of local demand of the product is currently being supplied.
Like his IPMAN counterpart, Olawore said it was obvious that government could no longer sustain the subsidy regime, hence the support for total deregulation of the entire oil and gas sector. [myad]
Chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), Professor Attahiru Jega has said that he regretted that he could not fulfil the promise he made when he assumed office that he would create separate salary structure for those working with the commission.
Jega spoke in Abuja today at a retreat, organised for the electoral officers of the commission where the 2015 elections were reviewed. The retreat was titled “2015 general elections: lessons and way forward.”
Jega also declared that workers of the commission were subjected to difficult circumstances during the course of the 2015 elections, saying however that apart from the special salary issue, the commission, under his leadership, performed well.
He said that despite the undertaking he made when he assumed office on the need to create special salary structure for the members of staff of the commission, he was unable to accomplish that up till now.
“I must say that we have been mindful of the need to keep on motivating the staff to keep on improving condition of service and condition of work. And to keep on improving the welfare of the staff.
“We have done our best as a commission under very difficult circumstances and my major regret, as I have always acknowledged, is that a major undertaking we made when we first came in as a commission, which is to have a separate salary structure for the staffs of the commission, we have not been able to get.
“And obviously this is one area where we still have to do a lot of work and put in a lot of effort as we move towards the future and to improve.
“But apart from that, I don’t think we have done badly in terms of promoting the welfare and the well-being of the staff.
“We have ensured that salaries were paid regularly, we have ensured that there are a lot of opportunity for self improvement through the organisation of seminar and workshop with partners.”
He said that he was aware that there was no way the commission could satisfy everyone, saying that some were not happy when the commission moved some of its members of staff to different departments.
“Again as I said, we could not have satisfied the expectations of everybody, we believe that we have done our best. I must say that not all of you are happy with perhaps with some of the measures that we have introduced as a commission.
“The restructuring and reorganisation certainly could not have satisfied everybody because it required trimming down the size of the commission and also redefining schedule of responsibilities, putting square pegs in square holes as we called it at that time.” [myad]
Sudanese President, Omar al-Bashir, undermined the ruling of a court in South Africa where he had gone to participate in the Africa Union Summit which stopped him from leaving the country, in connection with his indictment for war crime by the International Criminal Court (ICC). al-Bashir left South Africa today for Sudan without any challenge.
A source confirmed in Johannesburg that a plane bearing President al-Bashir, took off from the Waterkloof Airforce base outside Pretoria, with Mr. al-Bashir.
The source said that al-Bashir’s aircraft, must have been flown from Oliver Tambo International Airport to Waterkloof, yesterday night to facilitate his escape.
Meanwhile, William Mokhari, a South African government lawyer, told the North Gauteng High Court that it was not clear if al-Bashir’s name was on the list of officials who boarded a plane to Sudan.
However, a Sudanese government official, said on condition of anonymity, that al-Bashir was expected back in Sudan today afternoon.
The Sudanese President’s arrival in South Africa for the 25th African Union (AU) Summit sparked an outcry and forced Pretoria to defend its controversial guest.
The South African Litigation Centre (SALC), said it had sought a court injunction to order the government to arrest Sudanese President al-Bashir and transfer him to the ICC.
It said this was for him to face the indictment on war crimes and crimes against humanity, charges over the long-drawn internecine war in Sudan’s Darfur region.
SALC said the UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon, has said the warrant for Mr. al-Bashir’s arrest must be implemented by countries who have signed up to the Hague court’s statutes.
It said as a result of this, South Africa, as a signatory of the Rome Statute establishing the court, was bound to arrest the Sudanese leader.
SALC insisted that the court’s warrant for the arrest of President al-Bashir on charges of crimes against humanity and war crimes was a matter that should be treated seriously. [myad]
No fewer than five gunmen have reportedly abducted Pastor Seyi Adekunle of the Living Faith Church, a.k.a. Winners Chapel situated along IBB Way, opposite the Margaret Ekpo International Airport, Calabar.
Report had it that the pastor was abducted inside the church at about 7.30 p.m. during a prayer session. The gunmen, it was gathered, fired into the air to scare everyone around before entering the church.
The pastor was allegedly pushed into the car brought by the men and taken to an unknown destination.
Police sources said that Pastor Adekunle is the head pastor of Province Two of the church. Works have been ongoing in the church since 2014 when the pastor joined the branch of the church.
A member of the church who declined to identify himself for fear of harassment disclosed that the pastor was holding a prayer sesson with members of the congregation when the gunmen burst in and started demanding for money.
When told that there was no money in the church, the suspects got angry and took the pastor away.
A police source revealed that the suspects got information that the pastor was keeping a huge amount of money meant for the construction of the church and decided to abduct him to get the money as ransom for his release.
Investigations revealed further that the church held its Sunday service yesterday with Pastor Adekunle’s assistant in charge. There was tight security provided by policemen around the premises during the service.
Spokesman of the Cross River State Police Command, Mr. Hogan Bassey, confirmed the incident, adding that the kidnappers were yet to make any demand. [myad]
President Muhammadu Buhari has made it clear that he is not in a hurry to appoint ministers for now, saying: “I don’t know why people are so anxious for the ministers. But eventually we will have them.”
In an interview with ARISE News today, in South Africa, the President: “I’m not in a hurry to get ministers.”
He said that main reason is that the ministers under the immediate past President, Dr. Goodluck Jonathan failed to complied with an agreement between him and Jonathan by properly making handing over notes before his inauguration on May 29.
“I had a transition committee, which I agreed with former President Goodluck Jonathan that the ministers of the outgone government should hand over their notes and documents to this transition committee so that we could be prepared.
“The ministers knew that they were going but the technocrats, permanent secretaries and so on, knew they will remain. So if anything goes wrong, they will be invited to explain.
“Unfortunately, the outgone government did not co-operate. So what the committee did was to divide itself into about five sub-committees, and I (only) got the report, I think, three days ago.
“I was waiting for that report, because I would like to know what positions there are in the government, especially in terms of the finance and petroleum portfolios.”
Speaking on the emergence of Senator Bukola Saraki as Senate president and the division that followed, President Buhari compared it with the presidential primary of the All Progressives Congress (APC).
“For example, when we came to our party’s primary for the presidential election, four of us stood (in the primary). There was no problem because it is part of the system.
“I happened to win and they agreed there and then that we should all work for the party. But unfortunately, in this National Assembly, there was a division. So it’s up to them (legislators) to sort it out.” [myad]
President Muhammadu Buhari joins President Jacob Zuma of South Africa, President Robert Mugabe of Zimbabwe (Chairman African Union) and other African Heads of States in a group photograph, popularly referred to as ‘Family Photo’ at the opening of the 25th African Union (AU) Summit in Johannesburg, South Africa, today, June 14th. [myad]
One of the greatest challenges in marriage is navigating the differences between the typical male thought process and the typical female thought process. God (in His wisdom and His sense of humor). gave men and women very different perspectives. When these differences are understood, the husband and wife can harmonize with each other and see the world with more depth and perspective than either could do alone.
To help ladies understand the mind of your man, I’ve listed below the main things that seem to dominate our thoughts. I hope these insights spark some rich conversations in your marriage.
If your husband is like most guys, his thoughts are probably dominated by…
(In no particular order)
Concern for your happiness
This one might surprise you, but most husbands can never be happier than they believe their wife is. Your happiness, contentment and joy is of the utmost importance. Sometimes our own selfishness and pride gets in the way, but your happiness is a consistent thought. When you are unhappy (or you seem unhappy), we’ll try to figure out how to make it right.
Sex
This one probably isn’t a shocker, but we actually think about sex even more than you think we do. It dominates our thoughts. In fact, most of us wish we could dial down our mental sex drive. We’ll often gauge the health of our marriage based on the health of our sex life.
How to achieve more
Most guys are results-driven, and even if your husband has achieved “success” in life, chances are he still feels like he doesn’t measure up in certain areas. Men can be (to a fault) driven to achieve. Engage with your husband in conversation about his goals and dreams and remind him that healthy relationships, not trophies or money, are the ultimate measure of success. We guys need to be reminded of this often.
Searching for peace
Men tend to crave silence and solitude in a way most women do not. Men tend to mentally recharge through silence and contemplation while women tend to recharge through conversation and engagement. Again, these are generalizations which don’t apply to every individual, but I’ve observed them to be true in a majority of couples.
Food
This one might seem carnal and shallow, but we think about food all the time. If you took all the brain space we use up thinking about food and s*x, most of us would have the mental capacity to memorize an encyclopedia! I’ve been thinking about my next meal the entire time I’ve been writing this article!
Money
Most men are wired with a need to be a provider for their families. We’ll often think hard about ways to make ends meet and generate more income to provide. Sometimes this healthy need to provide can consume us and evolve into an unhealthy need to generate wealth motivated by selfish ambition more than family provision.
Sports* (but not necessarily for the reasons you’re thinking)
We love seeing modern-day gladiators battle it out on the field and we even will sometimes live vicariously through them (since we all have an inner gladiator inside), but this isn’t the only reason we like sports. We also like sports because on that field or court, everything makes sense. The lines are clearly drawn, the rules are known by all and scoreboard is always in view. We wish all parts of life were this clear and measurable. We want “success” but don’t always know if we’re winning or not in most areas of life.
*Even when a man isn’t into sports, he will usually gravitate to one or more hobbies where he can “keep score.” (Video games, fishing, car shows, poker, etc.) There seems to be a hard-wired desire for structure and/or measurable success in most men’s hobby pursuits.
Pain from the past
Just like the “instant replay” in sports, most of us have a few major life regrets or scars inflicted on us that we are tempted to keep replaying in our minds. They haunt us until (or unless) we learn to embrace the richness and depth of God’s grace. If a man won’t embrace grace, he’ll lock himself in a mental prison where he will punish himself (or punish those around him) for the wrongs he’s done or the wrongs that have been done to him.
Leaving a legacy
Every man wants his life to count. He wants to be respected by his family and he wants to make a lasting contribution to the world that will endure beyond his own lifetime. Most men feel the constant pressure of wanting to leave a legacy, but not knowing where to start or how to do it. We often need to be reminded that being a faithful husband and dad is the best legacy of all (even if there’s never a marble statue carved in our honor). [myad]
A Pretoria High Court in South African has issued a temporary ban on Sudanese President Omar al-Bashir from leaving the country after the International Criminal Court (ICC) is apparent response to the request of the ICC for his arrest at the ongoing summit in Johannesburg.
Bashir, who is wanted over alleged war crimes, crimes against humanity and genocide in the Darfur conflict, had been traveling to, mostly, countries that have not joined the ICC. But South Africa is a signatory to the court’s statutes.
The Pretoria Court said in a statement today that it was “compelling respondents to prevent President Omar Al-Bashir from leaving the country until an order is made in this court.”
The hearing is set to take place later today, the opening day of the African Union summit. The ruling came after the Southern African Litigation Centre, a legal rights group, launched an urgent court application to force the authorities to arrest Bashir.
Bashir joined a group photograph of leaders at the summit despite the calls for his arrest. Wearing a blue suit, he stood in the front row for the photograph along with South African host, President Jacob Zuma and Zimbabwe’s President, Robert Mugabe, who is the chairman of the 54-member group.
Mugabe has previously urged African leaders to pull out of the ICC, which critics accuse of targeting Africa. The ICC said in a statement from its headquarters in The Hague that it “calls on South Africa… to spare no effort in ensuring the execution of the arrest warrants” against Bashir.
It said South Africa diplomats had been pressed last month to arrest Bashir if he attended the summit, but that they replied they faced “competing obligations” over the issue. Bashir, 71, seized power in Sudan in an Islamist-backed coup in 1989.
“South Africa has an obligation to arrest him,” Johannesburg-based rights lawyer Gabriel Shumba told AFP. “Failure to do so puts them in the same bracket as other African regimes who have no respect for human rights. It’s actually a test for South Africa.”
Darfur erupted into conflict in 2003 when insurgents mounted a campaign against Bashir’s government, complaining their region was politically and economically marginalised. – ‘Grave crimes’ – More than 300,000 people have been killed in the conflict and fighting has forced some 2.5 million people to flee their homes, the United Nations says.
Khartoum, however, disputes the figures, estimating the death toll at no more than 10,000. “Allowing President al-Bashir into South Africa without arresting him would be a major stain on South Africa’s reputation for promoting justice for grave crimes,” said Elise Keppler of Human Rights Watch.
“South Africa’s legal obligations as an ICC member mean cooperating in al-Bashir’s arrest, not in his travel plans.” The two days of discussions among the member states had been set to focus on the political unrest in Burundi and the migration crisis across the continent. [myad]
Wife of the President, Mrs. Aisha Buhari, has said that the immediate past President of Nigeria, Dr. Goodluck Jonathan was not bad but that the people around him misled him. She made it clear therefore that those who are going to work with her husband, President Muhammadu Buhari should not make the same mistake of derailing the good intentions of her husband.
Mrs. Buhari who was addressing All Progressives Congress’ women and youths at an “Appreciation Dinner” at the old Banquet Hall of the Presidential Villa, Abuja warned those who would be working with her husband to be wary of the fact that it took her husband a journey of 12 years before getting to the position he currently occupies.
According to her, the actions and behaviour of the people around her husband would go a long way in defining his Presidency.
“There is nothing people did not say about the past administration. It is not Jonathan that is not good but the people around him.
“So, the people that are going to be around General Buhari have to be very careful because this election ended peacefully.
“We are praying and hoping that people around him should know that it took him 12 years to get to that position and they must know that they are coming to serve the masses, not General Buhari in person. It is the people that are around him that will determine the political health of our state.”
The President’s wife also promised that the current administration would run an open government, adding that government under her husband would be run in clear departure from what was obtainable under Jonathan when people were allegedly asked to be paying huge amount of money in foreign currency before they could see the President or his wife.
“I will like to inform you that in the past regime, whether it is true or false, only God knows, some people were going round and parading themselves as Personal Assistants.
“If you wanted to see the First Lady, you will pay $30,000 or $50,000 and if you are seeing the President, you will pay all that you have gathered in your lifetime.
“This will not happen in our regime. Whoever asks you to give a single penny in the name of coming to see the President or his wife is not our staff. He is not an APC member, it is a lie. Don’t be deceived,” she said.
She disclosed that she had never participated in her husband’s campaign in the previous elections which he attempted, but that in 2015, the national leader of the APC and former Lagos State Governor, Asiwaju Bola Tinubu, encouraged her to play active role.
She described Buhari as the pillar of her success despite the generation gap between the two of them, adding that it was the President who encouraged her to go to school.
“Many people did not know why I was not appearing for the last three campaigns. I appeared only this time and I think it made a lot of difference. A lot of people said my husband earned four million votes as a result of my campaign.
“We were not sure but with the popularity of my husband, we thought then that he needed female support to cancel all sorts of gender problems people have been attaching to him such as the fact that he kept me under a purdahn. He had never kept me under a purdah even for a moment since I got married to him.
“Even now, by the recent campaigns, it was Bola Ahmed Tinubu who insisted that I should come out and support my husband. Not that I never liked supporting my husband but it all depended on the people around him, that was before.
“And now too, it is the people around him that showed that they wanted me to participate, we did and we have seen the difference.
“My husband is a gender-sensitive human being, having so many girls as his own biological children and then having me as a wife, then you can see the generation gap. He allowed me to go to school. To cut the story short, he is the pillar of my success.”
The President’s wife said when Tinubu continued pestering her to join the campaign train, she talked to her husband who gave his approval.
She said she knew from the beginning that the campaign would not be easy, recalling that the greatest challenge she faced was security.
She recalled how the wife of the governor of Zamfara State had told her that supporters of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) stopped their convoy from returning to Gusau, the state capital up until 4am at a point.
The President’s wife said she also had her own raw deal when she joined the campaign train to Ilorin, Kwara State capital.
Those who attended the dinner included wife of the Vice President, Mrs. Dolapo Osinbajo; wife of the President of the Senate, Mrs. Toyin Saraki; wife of the Speaker of the House of Representatives, Mrs. Gimbia Dogara; wife of the National Chairman of the APC, Mrs. Victoria Odigie-Oyegun; wives of APC state governors, APC female deputy governors; wives of former governors on the platform of the party and other top officials of the party across the country. The national leader of the party, Asiwaju Bola Tinubu, was represented by Senator Babafemi Ojudu. [myad]
Senior Special Assistant to President Muhammadu Buhari on media and publicity, Malam Garba Shehu has denied that Vice-President Yemi Osinbajo, was prevented from attending a meeting held with the National Security Adviser by the President.
Garba Shehu who reacted to the allegation that made the rounds early in the week said: “that is the creation of someone who just wanted to write something. It was on the same day he 9Professor Osinbajo) travelled to Sudan to represent the President, the government and the people of Nigeria at the inauguration of the president of that country.
“He couldn’t have been present in two places at the same time. Osinbajo is the Vice-President of Nigeria. In the absence of the President, he is the President. So, there cannot be dark corners into which he will not be allowed. It is not true.” [myad]
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