American Biggest Bank, JP Morgan Reports 76 Million Customer Accounts Hacked

October 3, 2014

The United States of America’s biggest bank, JP Morgan has revealed it suffered a massive cyber attack on 76 million private and seven million business customers in the US.

The raid gathered account holders names and addresses but the bank said it did not involve critical information such as account and social security numbers.

It said in a filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission that it had not seen any “unusual customer fraud related to this incident”.

Earlier this year, there were reports that Russia had hacked into its systems.

In August, the bank said it was cooperating with law enforcement officials over this suspected incident.

The bank said that “customers (whose accounts had been hacked) are not liable for unauthorized transactions on their account that they promptly alert the firm to”.

JP Morgan says it is unlikely customers will need to take any action, such as changing their passwords or account information.

Its company spokeswoman, Patricia Wexler, said that the bank is not offering credit monitoring to customers either because it does not believe any financial information, account data or personally identifiable information was taken.

Other major US firms, including Home Depot and Target have been the subject of similar widescale attacks.

The Home Depot breach affected 56 million customer payment cards, while Target saw credit card data for 40 million customers stolen, as well as personal and identification information for 70 million other customers. [myad]

About 2 Million Pilgrims Head For Arafat In Mecca Today, Tomorrow Is Eid-el-Kabir

Greenbarge Reporters

October 3, 2014

About two million Muslims, including over 70,000 from Nigeria, who have converged on Mecca, Saudi Arabia from all over the world to perform this year’s hajj, will move enmass to Arafat to observe Arafat day, to be followed tomorrow across the Muslim world with Eid-el-Kabir, known as big Sallah, where rams and other recommended animals will be slaughtered.
The pilgrims had, yesterday, moved enmass from their various locations in Mecca, Jedah and Medinah Munawara to Minna to await the Arafat Day.
Arafat is a massive plain where pilgrims are expected to go and stay, supplicating and praying extensively up to the sun set when they would move to Muzdallifa in the evening and Jamrah tomorrow morning.

The Saudi Arabian government’s agencies have made elaborate arrangements to ensure the smooth flow of pilgrims from Makkah, Madinah, Jeddah, Riyadh, Taif and Dammam into the tent city. The pilgrims will spend the day and night in prayers and then head to the plains of Arafat this morning.

The Day of Arafat is an Islamic Holy Day, in which the verse of the Qur’an was revealed which explained that the religion had been perfected. The Day falls on the 9th day of Dhul Hijja of the lunar Islamic Calendar. This happens to be approximately 70 days after the end of the month of Ramadan. It is the second day of the Hajj pilgrimage and the day after is the first day of the major Islamic Holiday of Eid ul-Aha. At dawn of this day, Muslim pilgrims will make their way from Mina to a nearby hillside and plain called Mount Arafat and the Plain of Arafat. It was from this site that Muhammad gave his famous Farewell Sermon in his final year of life.

There are numerous virtues claimed for the 9th of Dhu ’l-Hijjah which is known as Yawmi al-‘Arafat. This is the day where the pilgrims assemble on the plain of ‘Arafat to complete one of the essential rituals of the Hajj.

It is claimed that this is the day the religion was perfected and the blessings of Allah were completed. The following verse was revealed to Muhammad on the day of ‘Arafat, Allah says: “Today, I have perfected your religion for you, and have completed My blessing upon you, and chosen Islam as Dīn (religion and a way of life) for you”. (Al Maidah: V3)

The completion of Allah’s blessing refers to forgiveness for ones sins by Allah, as without it the blessings of Allah cannot be complete. This brings to light the importance of being forgiven by Allah.

Fasting on Arafah day is expiation for sins committed the year before and the year after.

Abu Qatadah is reported to have said that Muhammad said: “Fasting on the day of ‘Arafat is an expiation (of sins) for two years, the year preceding it and the year following it. (Reported by Ibn Majah).

In Saheeh Muslim, it was narrated from Aa’ishah that Muhammad said: ‘There is no day on which Allah frees more people from the Fire than the Day of Arafat. He comes close and expresses His pride to the angels, saying, ‘What do these people want?’ [myad]

Governor Uduaghan Mourns Remi Oyo, Says Her Footprints In History Is Indelible

Greenbarge Reporters

October 3, 2014

Delta State Governor, Dr. Emmanuel Uduaghan has expressed sadness over the death, in London, of former presidential spokeswoman, Oluremi Oyo. The governor said Mrs. Oyo died leaving indelible footprints in the history of Nigeria.
In a statement by Felix Ofou, his Press Secretary, the governor said the late Mrs. Oyo will be remembered for her pioneering role as a journalist, editor, media manager, community leader and as spokeswoman of former President Olusegun Obasanjo.
Dr. Uduaghan pointed out that ‎she excelled in various roles assigned to her as a thorough bred professional, culminating in being elected the first female president of the Nigerian Guild of Editors (NGE), a position used in providing responsible leadership for journalists in the country.
“The highpoint of her career was being elected president of the guild (NGE), a position she used in galvanizing journalists for purposeful leadership role in the country. It is not in doubt that it was on account of excellent performance that endeared ‎her to former President Obasanjo and the subsequent appointment as his media adviser.”
Governor Uduaghan noted that it was on account of distinguished performance that the former NGE president ‎was subsequently appointed the Managing Director of the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) after her tenure as spokeswoman to the former president.
He particularly applauded the simplicity, poise and humility with which she executed tasks assigned to her, ensuring that the media remained a pillar that could not be ignored in the country’s nascent democratic experiment. “Irrespective of which political divide you belong, one fact that was visible to all was her determination to make the media relevant and sustain it as an important pillar of democracy. That is why I regret that she would not be around to contribute her quota in the transition to the 2015 general elections.”
Governor Uduaghan asked God to grant the deceased family, the NGE, NAN and the media the fortitude to bear the loss at the exit of a quintessential Amazon ‎like Oyo. [myad]

Rivers State APC Alleges Vandalisation Of Its Billboards By PDP

Greenbarge Reporters

October 3, 2014

Rivers State chapter of All Progressives Congress (APC) has drawn the attention of police and other security agencies to alleged vandalization of its billboards and other signposts by Peoples Democratic Party (PDP).
In a statement by its Publicity Secretary, Chris Finebone, APC alleged also that PDP supporters have been vandalizing its offices in the local government areas across the state.
The party stressed the need for the security agencies to apply themselves to their constitutional briefs by acting professionally.
“They should stand on the side of justice, equity and fair play so that they will ultimately end up on the good side of history.
“It is the constitutional duty of the Nigerian Police and other security agencies to provide equal protection of lives and property to all Nigerians, irrespective of party affiliation.”[myad]

Bangladesh Sacks Minister For Describing Hajj As Waste Of Manpower

Greenbarge Reporters

October 2, 2014

Bangladesh government has sacked a top minister the country’s telecommunications minister, Abdul Latif Siddique, for describing Muslim Hajj as a waste of manpower.

The minister said: “Hajj is a waste of manpower. Those who perform Hajj do not have any productivity. They deduct from the economy, spend a lot of money abroad.”

The comments of the sacked minister triggered protests by Islamists who declared him an apostate. They set a 24-hour deadline to replace him. The minister made the remarks in New York where he accompanying Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina.

He was quoted by local radio station as saying: “I am dead against Hajj and Tablighi Jamaat. Two million people have gone to Saudi Arabia to perform Hajj.”

The main opposition Bangladesh Nationalist Party has urged the government to bring Siddique to justice for his “derogatory” comments, the Daily Starnewspaper reported.

“Unless Latif is brought to justice, the people’s wrath cannot be tamed,” senior BNP leader and spokesman, General Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir was quoted as saying by the English language newspaper.

A senior government official said that Siddique would be removed but he did not comment whether it was linked to demand by the Islamists.

“The decision has been taken to remove him from the Cabinet,” the official from the Prime Minister’s Office said, speaking on condition of anonymity.

The Daily Star also confirmed the sacking in its report published on its website.

He also criticised the non-political Islamic group, Tablighi Jamaat, millions of whose followers congregate outside the Bangladeshi capital each year in what authorities called the second largest Muslim gathering after the Hajj.

Siddique was also quoted as saying that about two million people who gathered “don’t do any work except halting traffic movement throughout the country.”

There was no comment from the Tablighi Jamaat. [myad]

Why I Stormed Out Of PDP And Why I Returned, Says Governor Mimiko

Greenbarge Reporters

October 2, 2014

The Ondo state governor, Dr. Olusegun Mimiko has formally defected from Labour Party (LP) to the ruling Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), giving reasons why he left the party in 2006 and why he has returned with members of the LP on which platform he was elected twice as governor.
Governor Mimiko, who was formally received into PDP today by Vice President Mohammed Namadi Sambo at the Presidential Aso Villa, Abuja, recalled that he left PDP in the first place because, at some time in history, the room for democracy in the party got greatly conscripted.
“Thus, some eight years ago, when we had need to run for office and the space for internal democracy within PDP had considerably shrank, we chose to leave, but then, not to align with the then emergent opposition party in the land, the ACN.
“Precisely, on December 14, 2006, we publicly announced LP as our choice of platform. To the glory of God, four months later, in the April 14, 2007 election, we got the mandate of our people go govern Ondo state. Although our election was stolen by the political tendency in power in Abuja at that time, thanks to a judiciary that continues to be profoundly alert to its duty in a democracy, we managed to retrieve our mandate two years later.”
Governor Mimiko said that he is aware that Nigeria has always ended up as two-party state and that the current dispensation has thrown up PDP and what he called “fledgling APC.”
He said that in the process, smaller parties are constrained at operating only at the fringe of the political process with all the restrictions thereto for greater political involvement and action.
“Historically, every attempt to build a third force in this bipolar environment has not only been quite expensive bu actually met with muted success. What is more, the argument is unassailable that the two party dominant system has always worked to enhance national unity and facilitated the process of nation-building as all key players are invariably compelled to work within either of the two dominant parties without regard to religious, regional and ethnic specificities.”
Governor Mimiko said that for him and the LP chieftains to want to align with either of the two dominant political forces in the current dispensation is, in the circumstance, the correct democratic position they have to take at this historical juncture.
The governor made it clear that he and his LP chieftains have always supported the Jonathan Presidential project, recalling that in 2011, even from LP platform, “we endorsed, worked for and voted massively for Jobathan.
“This did not prevent us from working for LP candidates where it fielded candidates in subsequent polls. With the 2015 INEC time table, which put Presidential and National Assembly elections on the same day, it has become obvious that the type of support we need to give President Jonathan without creating conflict of interest is better canalize through the President’s political party, the PDP.”
The governor stressed that the target of the LP chieftains who defected to PDP is to help the process of getting President Jonathan elected in 2015, adding: “we hope to be part of the process of creating, especially in the South West, a solid and robust platform of involvement in the election of the President, governors and legislators and post election governance structure which will help to engender rapid socio-economic development.
Senate President, David Mark, Delta state governor, Emmanuel Uduaghan, National Deputy National Chairman of PDP and
Chief of Staff to President Jonathan were on hand to welcome governor Mimiko back to PDP even as the former governor of Osun state, Chief Gbenga Daniel was among those that accompanied Mimiko to Aso Rock. [myad]

Senator Mark Fears For PDP’s Unity In Ondo, As Governor Mimiko Defects, Takes Over Its Leadership

Greenbarge Reporters

October 2, 2014

Senate President, David Mark has expressed concern that the defection of the Ondo state governor, Dr. Olusegun Mimiko from Labour Party (LP) which platform he was elected in…to the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) may cause crisis and confusion in the rank and file of the state’s PDP.
Senator Mark, who headed the integration committee of PDP that saw to the return of governor Mimiko to the party said: “we don’t want to hear about old PDP and new PDP in the state.”
The Senate President appealed to those whom governor Mimiko met in PDP to blend well together, saying: “the mixture should not be like water and oil.”
He asked governor Mimiko as new leader of PDP in Ondo state to treat every member on the same pedestal.
He also appealed to the party’s members that have been managing it before now to respect the leadership of Mimiko.
Senator Mark said that with the coming of Mimiko, PDP now has two governors in the South West, adding that the party is set to break through the region in the 2015 general elections.
“The Ekiti governor-elect, Ayo Fayose, will soon be sworn-in soon and nothing will stop that”
The Deputy National Chairman of PDP, Prince Uche Secondus assured that the party is one and united everywhere, saying that governor Mimiko and all those who returned to the party would have all their entitlements restored.
He also announced that the party has granted automatic waver to returnees who want to contest any election in the primaries, promising that the primaries would be transparent, free and fair.
Secondus also cautioned against bickering, rumour and disintegration of PDP in Ondo state, even as he asked governor Mimiko to now take up the leadership of the party in the state.

[myad]

Jonathan, Atiku Eulogise Remi Oyo

Greenbarge Reporters

October 2, 2014

President Goodluck Jonathan has described Dame Felicia Oluwaremilekun Oyo whose death in a London hospital was announced today, as one of the most eminent Nigerian female journalists, even as the former Nigerian Vice President, Atiku Abubakar said she was a role model.
In a separate condolence messages today, the two leaders said that Dame Remi Oyo, who was at different times, the Managing Director of the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) and Special Adviser on media and publicity to Chief Olusegun Obasanjo when he was President of Nigeria described her as trail brazer.
President Jonathan consoled Dame Oyo’s husband, Vincent, her children, Otome and Okiemuote, her surviving siblings and other relatives.
He also commiserated with the Nigerian Guild of Editors (NGE) which she served as a two-term President in the course of her trail-blazing journalism career, the management and staff of NAN as well as the many colleagues, friends and protégés she garnered in her very fulfilled life.
President Jonathan said that Dame Oyo was able to attain great success in a profession hitherto dominated by men and was also able to enter national service as Senior Special Assistant (Media & Publicity) to former President Olusegun Obasanjo in 2003.
Jonathan observed that late Dame Oyo was the first female Press Secretary to a Nigerian Head of State until 2007 even as said that despite that she was much honoured in life with accolades and awards including Officer of the Order of the Niger, Dame Oyo would always be remembered and continually honoured in posterity for her exemplary professional life, her inspiring leadership qualities, motherliness and generosity, her immense patriotism and her remarkable transformation of the News Agency of Nigeria during her tenure as the agency’s Managing Director.
Former Vice President Atiku also venerated Dame Oyo, saying that she was able to distinguish herself in her own profession as an excellent and hard working journalist who rose to the position of President of the Nigeria Guild of Editors.
The former Vice President noted that Oyo’s rise to prominence in her chosen profession was a testimony to the fact that women could attain any position through excellence, once the opportunity was given to them.
Atiku Abubakar explained that the late Oyo was a pride to Nigerian journalism and womanhood at large, adding that she was a role model to many professional women committed to hard-work and excellence.

[myad]

2015 Election: We Will Throw Our Door Open To International Observers – Jonathan

Greenbarge Reporters

October 2, 2014

President Goodluck Jonathan has reiterated his Administration’s commitment to ensuring that the 2015 elections are as free, fair and credible as they can possibly be.
“We received international commendations for the conduct of the 2011 general elections and I can assure you that the 2015 general elections will be even better.
“Our friends and well-wishers will be welcomed to observe the elections under the auspices of the African Union, ECOWAS, United Nations, the European Union or other international bodies to affirm that the elections are as free, fair and credible as we have promised. President Jonathan spoke today at audiences with the new ambassadors of Spain, Finland, Ireland and Ghana who presented their letters of credence to him at the Presidential Villa, Abuja.
Jonathan called on Ambassador Alfonso Barnuevo Sebastian De Erice of Spain, Ambassador Pirjo Suomela-Chowdhury of Finland, Ambassador Sean Hoy of Ireland and Ambassador William Azumah Awinador-Kanyirige of Ghana to strive to further enhance trade and economic relations between Nigeria and their respective countries.
The four new ambassadors promised to do their utmost best to strengthen bilateral relations between their countries and Nigeria during their tenures in Abuja.

[myad]

The More Presidential Aspirants In APC Ready To Rescue Nigeria From PDP The Better – Atiku

Greenbarge Reporters

October 2, 2014

Atiku Abubakar and Gen. Muhammadu Buhari (rtr)

Presidential aspirant on the platform of the All Progressives Congress (APC) and former Vice President Atiku Abubakar has made it clear that the more Presidential aspirants emerge in APC with the aim joining in the mission to rescue Nigeria from the ruling Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), the better it would be for the country.
Said he: “the more individuals who are ready to be part of the mission to rescue the country, the better,” even as he said that the task of rescuing Nigeria is a duty which leaders of the APC are committed to.
In a statement which he personally signed today in Abuja, Atiku welcomed the decision of General Muhammadu Buhari to join the contest for the Presidential ticket of APC for the 2015 general elections.
“Nigeria has floundered for far too long. Our people are yearning for a change and we must listen to them before they lose faith in the ability of their leaders to revive the country.
“You will recall that during my declaration speech penultimate week, I did mention that my priority, if given the chance to run and serve as the President of Nigeria is addressing the issues of jobs creation and providing decent employment for Nigerians, especially the youths.
“I believe that it is only when we can provide decent jobs for our young people, that we can have a hope for the decent future for our country.
“It is also not in doubt that of recent, successive administrations have failed woefully in building the infrastructure that can promote a healthy economy: our education system is in shambles, public health system is in virtual comatose, we have very poor network of roads totally at variance with the wealth of a country that is the seventh oil producer in the world.
“I believe that the country has failed in these areas because of the excessive centralization of functions and resources to the government at the centre. The government that the APC plans to lead in the next few months, by the grace of God, will be fully committed to devolution of powers and resources to the state governments in line with the manifesto of our great party. I also plan to march this resolve with a full commitment to ensuring transparency in all sectors of our national life.
“I am equally disturbed about the way our people have been divided along ethnic and religious fault lines and how we are steadily and dangerously losing a sense of community where every Nigerian can live together without mutual suspicion.
“I believe that the next president of our country, who by the grace of God will be produced by our great party, must be someone who is a unifier, bridge-builder and not someone who bears ethno-religious bias. Above all, he must embody a vision of a Nigeria for all.
“I have no doubt in my mind that we both share a common concern about rescuing our country from the deadly grip of the PDP and it is on this note that I do warmly welcome him on board in this very important national rescue mission. I look forward to meeting him in an open, free and fair contest for the ticket.”

[myad]

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