Is North Korean President Missing? He Has Been Absent Since September 3

October 9, 2014

The North Korean President, Kim Jong-un may have been missing for reasons that are not yet clear. His prolonged absence from public view, including skipping a session of parliament, has raised questions as to whether his disappearance has less to do with his health and more to do with his grip on power in nuclear-armed North Korea.
Kim is said to have gone out of the public glare and has not been seen in public since Sept. 3, an unusual stretch in a country where the media provides a steady stream of propaganda images featuring the supreme leader overseeing everything from missile launches to grain harvests.
While official media reports say Kim is suffering “discomfort,” his seclusion has sparked discussion about who is in charge of a country that boasts 1.2 million troops and has threatened to turn Seoul into a “sea of fire.”
Having missed a session of the Supreme People’s Assembly last month, attention has turned to today’s anniversary celebration of the founding of the ruling Workers’ Party and whether Kim, who walked with a limp in the most-recent footage provided, will show up.
The surprise visit by Vice Marshal Hwang Pyong-so to the closing of the Asian Games in Incheon, South Korea on Oct. 4, fanned social media posts that Kim’s top military official may be in charge, a reading challenged by one former intelligence official.
“The senior North Korean officials’ recent visit is a clear sign Kim is firmly in power,” said Kim Jung-bong, who served in South Korea’s National Intelligence Service and now teaches political science at Hanzhong University.
“It’s Kim himself that sent those senior officials,” he said. “There is nothing yet that indicates his power has been compromised.”
A documentary aired last month on state television showed an overweight Kim limping at a public appearance and said he was suffering from “discomfort.” South Korea’s Chosun Ilbo newspaper reported on Sept. 30 that Kim had been hospitalized after surgery on both ankles to address an injury sustained during field supervisions in June.
“He could be suffering from anything from gout to a bone fracture in his foot,” said Jun Jae Bum, a professor at Hanyang University Hospital for Rheumatic Diseases. “But none of them would be ailments serious enough to incapacitate him from making political decisions.”
Kim, believed to be in his early 30s, has consolidated his power since the death of his father Kim Jong-il in December 2011. He’s made a series of high-level purges, including the removal in 2012 of Chief of General Staff Ri Yong-ho, who guided him in the succession process. Bloomberg.

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Endorsing Jonathan Is In Order But Not Good For Akwa Ibom State, Says Akpabio

Greenbarge Reporters

October 9, 2014

Governor Godswill Akpabio of Akwa Ibom state has hailed the endorsement, by all stakeholders of the ruling Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), of President Goodluck Jonathan, for the 2015 Presidential election but said such endorsement of any candidate in his state is not desirable.
Governor Akpabio who answered reporters’ questions after a close-door meeting with President Jonathan at the Presidential Villa, Abuja today said that the endorsement of Jonathan makes the 2015 contest easier for the PDP and also makes the political calculation in Nigeria totally free and devoid of violence and unnecessary acrimony.
Akpabio said that for Akwa Ibo state, it is very difficult to talk about endorsement because of the large number of aspirants, saying: “if you have a large number of aspirants, it is good to allow all of them to go to the field and test their popularity.”
The governor turned again, on Jonathan that the endorsement would bring harmony within the body polity of the entire nation.
“Note also that it deepens democracy. I was asked this question by members of the congressional black caucus in the United States two weeks ago and we explained that here is a President (Jonathan) that in spite of distractions, has remained focussed in trying to transform the Nigerian economy, and today even under the present circumstances, Nigeria is running the biggest economy in Africa. That is from the World bank and international agencies, and we have been rated now as the 24th largest economy in the world.
“What we need to do now is to work to translate that into job creation for our children and to bring in more industries to Nigeria and of course attract more investments, but we can’t rest on our oars. We must work harder to improve the power sector and to provide the impetus in the agricultural sector.” Governor Akpabio stressed that endorsement of President Jonathan will deepen democracy in all sense of the word and would signal the fact that Nigerian has arrived in terms of democratization.
Accordign to him, PDP is modelled after the Democratic Party of America with almost similar practice.
“When they see a performing president in America, they don’t allow that president to go for unnecessary primaries. That was what happened with Obama. Obama did not pass through any primaries in the Democratic Party, and so the governors of Nigeria took cognizance of the best practices in democracy worldwide when that endorsement came and it was ratified by the Board of Trustees and the National Executive Committee of our great party. It is the first such has happened since 1960 and we want to congratulate all Nigerians and all the stakeholders who took part in that endorsement.
“I assure you it will allow the president to focus on the main elections and the business of governance of the country.
Governor Akpabio however said, on applying similar endorsement in Akwa Ibom state that it will be very difficult because of the large number of aspirants.
“I am a product of good primaries. We were 57 in number in 2006; we were the highest in the country. I contested against 57 people; in total, we were about 58. So, I defeated 57 people to become the governor of Akwa Ibom state. So, at the state level once you have a lot of people showing interest in the governorship, it is good to allow a level playing field and give opportunity to all. It also helps democracy because it helps people to go out, propagate the ideas of the party and talk about what they would like to do for the electorate, sell themselves and the manifestos and from there the electorate would have the opportunity to pick the best out of the lot.
“But the presidential election that is coming up in the PDP is different. We have not seen any other person coming out to challenge Mr. President because of his credibility and what he has been able to put on ground.
“Everybody says ‘oh, the transformation agenda of the president is on course and what else would they come to do than to allow him to continue? Why can’t we give a chance to the man who has initiated the transformation to conclude the transformation?’
“That is why it is different in the presidency, and that is why it is a novel; it has never been done before since 1960.
“But at the state level, I would want to urge all my colleagues, the governors and stakeholders of the PDP to allow a level playing field so that all candidates can go out there. There is a lot of joy when people are canvassing and going round. It keeps even the voters excited, you know, and also helps to spread some largesse around because in the course of consultation something is dropping from party faithful here and there and then people are drinking. I mean, this thing should be joy.”

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Corruption: Governor Uduaghan And I Never Crossed Each Other’s Path, Ex EFCC Boss, Farida Waziri Says

Greenbarge Reporters

October 8, 2014

Former Chairman of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), Mrs. Farida Waziri has said that she never had cause to visit governor Emmanuel Uduaghan of Delta state when she was in charge of the anti corruption body because the governor was running a transparent administration.
Speaking at the maiden edition of The Sun Women Leadership Summit in Asaba today, Mrs. Waziri gave Dr. Uduaghan administration a pat on the back for following due process in its financial transactions.
“The governor never crossed my path and I never crossed his while I was in EFCC. That is why I have the confidence to come into Delta State.
“He is a performing governor, following due process and he has done very well for his people. When I was coming, I thought I will have to land in Benin, but was told there was an airport here; the Asaba International Airport that I saw is one of the best in the country. Your Governor has performed well in infrastructural development.”
She said that the Sun Women Summit was timely and urged women to always put in their best in whatever they do saying: “I want to ask women not to lose their femininity and they should respect themselves, dress responsibly and at the end, they will earn respect.”
Governor Uduaghan, who declared the summit open asked women to always cooperate among themselves so as to harness their potentials to the fullest in their fields of endeavour, stressing: “women must come together to win in a man’s world. They should refuse to be used to pull down or limit their fellow women in whatever fields of endeavour.”
Dr. Uduaghan noted that women have the capacity to aspire to any position if they are united and that most often, they don’t succeed for positions they aspire to because their fellow women are being used to thwart their efforts.
“Women must agree to work together. They will win in elections by refusing to be manipulated by men to be used against their fellow women.”
Dr Uduaghan added: “men can manoeuvre their ways in politics but, it is difficult for women to do so.”
The Governor said that Delta State has surpassed the 35 percent affirmative action for women, adding that his administration has identified the abilities of women in producing results and is harnessing such abilities to the fullest.
Dr. Uduaghan said that a lot of women from Delta State have recorded great successes in different fields of life, observing that the former Managing Director of Bank of Industry, Evelyn Oputu, the Minister of Finance and Coordinating Minister of the Economy, Mrs. Ngozi Okonko-Iweala, Blessing Okagbare among others, were making Nigeria proud in their chosen fields.
Evelyn Oputu, in a thought-provoking keynote lecture, said that for Nigeria to have the status of a developed nation, the potentials of women should be unlocked, observing that women have the same traits as men.
The Managing Director of Sun Newspaper, Mr. Femi Adesina had explained that the summit was an important forum to give women the opportunity to discuss on the way forward. She commended the Delta State Government for hosting the maiden edition of the summit.
Majority Leader of the House of Representatives, Hon. Mulikat Akande-Adeola, who was the chairperson of the occasion expressed hope that the summit would provide women the opportunity to be involved in the decision making process of the country. [myad]

Nigeria’s Presidency Vehemently Denies That Jonathan Is Worth $100 Million, Threatens Legal Action

Greenbarge Reporters

October 8, 2014

Nigeria’s Presidency has vehemently denied report by a website – RichestLifestyle.com – listing President Goodluck Jonathan as the sixth richest African President with an estimated net worth of $100 Million U.S. Dollars.
In a statement discounting such claim, special adviser to President Jonathan on media and Publicity, Dr. Reuben Abati threatened to drag the foreign media that floated the idea and what he called its local copy-cat to local and international court for libel.
“We therefore demand a retraction and an unreserved apology from Richest Lifestyle.com and all those who have reproduced the offensive article.
“Otherwise, they should be prepared to substantiate their libelous claims against the President in courts of law within and outside Nigeria
Dr. Abati condemned what he called ‘the totally unwarranted inclusion of President Jonathan in the publication titled “Africa’s Richest Presidents 2014” as another attempt to unjustifiably portray the President as a corrupt leader and incite public disaffection against him.
He said categorically that there is no factual basis for ranking President Jonathan as the sixth richest African Head of State with a net worth of about $100 Million U.S. Dollars, adding: “as is well known, President Jonathan has never been a businessman or entrepreneur, but a life-long public servant.
“The President has held public office since 1999 and has regularly declared his assets as required by Nigerian laws. He has had no personal income since 1999 other than his official remuneration as deputy governor, governor, vice president, acting president and president which are matters of public record.
“There has been no significant variation in the totality of his personal assets as contained in his last declaration to the Nigerian Code of Conduct Bureau in 2011 which, as can be verified, was a very, very far cry from the $100 million figure now being bandied about by Richest Lifestyle.com and other irresponsible, copy-cat publications.
“The clear and unacceptable imputation of the claim that President Jonathan is now worth about $100 Million is that the President has corruptly enriched himself while in office which is certainly not the case.”
The Richest Lifestyle, a US-based website had listed President Jonathan as the 6th Richest African president. In an article titled, ‘Richest African Presidents 2014′ the US website compiled a list of the nine richest presidents and kings in Africa.
According to the article, President Jonathan is worth $100 Million as the Angolan President, Jose Eduardo do Santos comes first with $20 Billion worth while the Moroccan President, Mohammed VI nets $2.5 Billion.
The leaders and their worth as presented by the website who were so listed are as follow:
1.Jose Eduardo dos Santos of Angola – Net Worth: $20 Billion
2.Mohammed VI of Morocco – Net Worth: $2.5 Billion
3.Teodoro Obiang Nguema Mbasogo of Equatorial Guinea – $600 Million
4.Uhuru Kenyatta of Kenya – Net Worth: $500 Million
5.Paul Biya of Cameroon – Net Worth: $200 Million
6.King Mswati III of Swaziland – Net Worth: $100 Million (The monarch shares the number 6 spot with President Jonathan)
7.Idriss Deby of Chad – Net Worth: $50 Million
8.Robert Mugabe of Zimbabwe – Net Worth: $10 Million. [myad]

Court Verdict On Adamawa By-Election, Postponement Of Evil Day For PDP – Atiku

Greenbarge Reporters

October 8, 2014

Former Vice President and presidential aspirant of All Progressives Congress (APC), Atiku Abubakar has described an Abuja Federal High Court’s verdict today, stopping the Saturday’s governorship by-election in Adamawa State as a postponement of evil day for Peoples Democratic Party (PDP). He said that though he is bound as a democrat to abide by the verdict,
it has only delayed the overwhelming desire of the people of the state to vote out PDP government in the state.
In a statement by his media office in Abuja today, Atiku said that the Court reinstatement of the former Deputy Governor of Adamawa State, Mr. Bala Ngilari as the substantive Acting Governor of the state has only delayed the ouster of the PDP whenever the election is held.
“The judicial verdict that may have tacitly cancelled the governorship by-election in Adamawa state for now was a painful development for the membership of the APC in Adamawa State.
“As leaders of the party, we shall respect the verdict of the court, but we must be quick to say that the verdict has merely delayed the overwhelming desire of the people of Adamawa State to vote for change and thumbs down the PDP imposition on a people. Clearly we in the APC had the momentum and therefore an advantage going into Saturday’s election.
“The people of Adamawa want change. They expressed that desire throughout the nooks and crannies of the state as evidenced in the massive momentum going for the candidate of our party during the electioneering campaign.”
He, however, stressed “As democrats with firm believe in the rule of law, we will respect the verdict of the judiciary. As politicians championing the course of change for a better and prosperous Nigeria, we shall remain resolute and provide the leadership that will make it possible for the people of Adamawa State and Nigerians in general to vote for change whenever and wherever the opportunity arises.”

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We Have Nothing To Do With Lavi International Corp, Nigeria Petroleum Corporation Warns

Greenbarge Reporters

October 8, 2014

The Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC) has cautioned contractors and other stakeholders in the oil and gas industry not to deal with one Messrs Lavi International Corp that has been parading itself as having come from the NNPC, to buy or sell Nigerian crude oil, describing it as phantom contract fraudsters.
In a statement issued by the Group General Manager, Group Public Affairs Division, Mr. Ohi Alegbe, the Corporation asked members of the public to be wary of persons with fraudulent intents circulating letters authorizing the lifting of Bonny Light crude oil from Nigeria.
It said that NNPC never authorized the said company neither was the firm one of its crude oil off-takers for the 2014-2015 Term Contract Period.
According to the statement, the Corporation has not allocated any crude oil volume as speculated in the fake letter of authorization.
It further noted that the list of local and international companies duly approved as NNPC’s crude oil off-takers for the 2014-2015 Term Contract Period had been widely publicized.
It called on member of the public to avail themselves of such information to avoid being duped by unscrupulous elements.
“Meanwhile, we are working closely with relevant security agencies to track and bring to book all those behind these nefarious activities.”

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Abuja Court Shatters Ambition Of Adamawa Acting Governor, Fintiri, Orders Nyako’s Deputy Sworn-In As Governor, Cancels Governorship Election

Greenbarge Reporters

October 8, 2014

Justice Ademola Adeniyi of Federal High Court, Abuja, has shattered the ambition of the erstwhile speaker of Adamawa state, Alhaji Umar Fitiri, who ascended the governorship of the state in acting capacity after the former governor, Murtala Nyako was impeached and his deputy tricked out of office.
The court also cut off Fintiri’s ambition of becoming the substantive governor under the platform of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) as its candidate for this week’s Saturday gubernatorial by-election in the state.
The court similarly ordered that the former deputy governor of the state, Mr. Bala Ngilari, who was tricked to resign shortly before governor Nyako was impeached, be sworn in as the substantive governor of the state.
Umar Fintiri has been asked to vacate the office as the acting governor of the state with immediate effect.
The Judge ruled that the alleged resignation of Ngilari on July 14, 2014 was invalid, null and void as it breached the provisions of sections 306(1), (2) and (5) of the 1999 Constitution because it was addressed to the Speaker and acted upon by the House of Assembly.
Ngilari, through his lawyer, Mr. Festus Keyamo, had submitted that by virtue of section 191 (1) of the 1999 Constitution that after the impeachment of Governor Murtala Nyako, that he, Ngilari being the next in the line of succession should have been inaugurated as governor.
The former deputy governor further deposed that the assertion that he resigned his position as deputy governor was untenable given the claim by the House of Assembly that he, Ngilari resigned in a letter addressed to the speaker of the House of Assembly.
Ngilari had relied on section 306 (1), (2) and (5) of the 1999 Constitution of Federal Republic of Nigeria (as amended), that his resignation from office as deputy governor could only be addressed to the substantive governor at that time who he claimed was Nyako.
Nyako, in his submission to the court had also claimed that he did not accept the purported resignation of Ngilari as deputy governor.
The bye-election fixed for this Saturday, will no longer hold.
Meanwhile the Independent National Electoral Commission has called off a consultative stakeholders meeting earlier scheduled to commence today ahead of the October 11 governorship bye-election, following the Court ruling which stopped the bye-election and ordered the immediate inauguration of a former Deputy Governor of the State.
The consultative meeting with stakeholders was scheduled by INEC to find out ways of conducting the election in the face of security challenges in the State.

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$9.3 Million Arms Deal Scandal: APC Demands To Know What Was Asari Dokubo Doing In Seized Oritsejafor’s Jet

Greenbarge Reporters

October 8, 2014

The All Progressives Congress (APC) has asked President Goodluck Jonathan to explain to Nigerians what Mujaheed Asari Dokubo, was doing on the plane that illegally ferried US$9.3 million to South Africa, where Asari Dokubo, another Nigerian and an Israeli were arrested, according to a published report.
In a statement issued in Abuja today, APC National Publicity Secretary, Alhaji Lai Mohammed said that since the federal government has taken ownership of the funds by saying the National Security Adviser (NSA) issued the end-user certificate for the arms purchase, it stands to reason that the same government will know the involvement of all those aboard the plane.
It said, therefore, that the federal government has a lot of questions to answer on the whole deal, including whether Asari Dokubo is the contractor or the end user, who he was procuring arms for and for what purpose.
APC said the questions become pertinent because even the NSA, who issued the end-user agreement for the purchase, does not and cannot purchase arms for any of the armed services. The Service Chiefs have separate budgets from the NSA for arms purchase.
”Under our Constitution, the NSA is an adviser and has no executive powers to deploy troops from any of the services or purchase arms for them. That the arms purported to be purchased from South Africa were ordered from the office of the NSA is nothing but a mere fabrication, and raises serious questions about the motive for the purchase.
”Nigerians will therefore like to know on whose behalf Asari Dokubo was purchasing arms. This is very crucial because Asari Dokubo has been threatening that Nigeria will not know peace if his benefactor, President Jonathan, is not re-elected. Therefore, Nigerians will like to know whether he has started stockpiling arms to make his threat a reality, since elections are due in a few months’ time.
”If these arms are meant to fight insurgency, as the government has claimed, what is Asari Dokubo’s business purchasing arms for the Nigerian military, if indeed they were for the military? Does it not occur to the Nigerian government that this man who once took arms against the state may not have jettisoned his sinister plan against the same state? Which country will ever allow a man who once carried arms against the state to now be purchasing arms for the same state? Even if it is true that he is purchasing the arms for the state, what prevents him from also using the opportunity to purchase arms for his own sinister motive? Could this be why Asari Dokubo has been talking publicly and confidently, without official censure, that President Jonathan must be re-elected or Nigeria will not know peace again?” the party queried.
”…on Tuesday, we again asked President Jonathan to come clean on the US$9.3 million and US$5.7 million deals. We also asked him to tell Nigerians the identity of the two Nigerians who were on the plane that illegally ferried money to South Africa. Now that the Nigerians are known, and they are the President’s men, the story has taken a new dimension,” it said.

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Afghan Hangs 5 For Gang-Rape

Greenbarge Reporters

October 8, 2014

Five Afghan men have been executed for gang-raping four women, in a case that has sparked national outrage.
Officials say the men were executed in Pul-e-Charkhi prison east of Kabul. A sixth man convicted of unrelated crimes was also hanged.
The authorities ignored last-minute appeals for clemency from rights groups who said the convictions were unsafe.
Violence against women in Afghanistan is rife but correspondents say cases rarely attract this much attention.
The rapes took place in Paghman district near Kabul in August. The women were returning from a wedding.
Many Afghans demanded the death penalty. Former President Hamid Karzai signed the death warrants on his last day in office.
“The court’s verdict has been implemented and all the convicts have been executed – five from the Paghman case, plus Habib Istalifi, who was head of a notorious kidnapping gang,” the attorney general’s chief-of-staff Atta Mohammad Noori said.
There was no word from new President, Ashraf Ghani, who took over from Karzai in September.

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Photo: Atiku Commissions Ewi Of Ado Ekiti General Hospital

Greenbarge Reporters

October 7, 2014

Former Vice President and chieftain of All Progressives Congress (APC), Atiku Abubakar (R), Governor Kayode Fayemi (C) and Oba Adeyemo Adejuyigba (L) at the commissioning of a new General Hospital named after the Ewi of Ado Ekiti, Oba Adeyemo Adejuyigba in Ekiti on Monday.
Former Vice President and chieftain of All Progressives Congress (APC), Atiku Abubakar and Governor Kayode Fayemi acknowledging cheers from supporters at the commissioning of a new General Hospital named after the Ewi of Ado Ekiti, Oba Adeyemo Adejuyigba in Ekiti on Monday.

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