Police Moves To Block Arm Supplies To Boko Haram

August 13, 2014

Acting Inspector-General of Police (IGP), Suleiman Abba has ordered immediate establishment of Tactical Operation Points (TOP) in selected states of the North East and North West as part of strategic measures lined up to contain the illegal movement of small arms and light weapons and other explosive materials.

A statement from the Force Public Relations Officer, ACP Frank Mba quoted the police boss as saying that the establishment of the operation points will frustrate the activities of insurgents and other criminals and halt further spread of violence in the country.

Suleiman was said to given his determination to track and mop up illegal arms trade and arrest the unchallenged movement of explosive materials by hoodlums and other unpatriotic elements.

The IGP who made it clear that the Police will continue to work in close collaboration with other security Forces in the land, vowed that the Force will leave no stone unturned in ensuring that the citizens of Nigeria enjoy maximum safety and security in their own country, even as he appealed to the general public, particularly those in the North East and North West to cooperate with the Police for the greater safety of all.

He said that the new operational points will be manned by Policemen who have received adequate training in tactical operation and counter-terrorism and they are being established in various strategic locations, including highways in Kano, Jigawa, Sokoto, Kebbi, Zamfara, Bauchi, Gombe and Taraba states.

The IGP has charged all Assistant Inspectors -General of Police (AIGs) in charge of the Zones covering the affected states and all Commissioners of Police in charge of these states to ensure close supervision and constant reskilling of the personnel performing this special operation. [myad]

If Not The Army, Who Then? By Garba Shehu

Garba Shehu

August 13, 2014

The terror groups in the North-East who now have a territory of their own on the Nigerian soil, as confirmed by various reports, added another woeful chapter to this country’s history when on July 3, they destroyed the national grid power-line that is supplying electricity to Borno State.
But listen, that is not even the whole story.
ThisDay newspaper, which amazingly tucked this important report titled “Terror Attacks Plunge Borno into Blackout,” deep inside its edition of Friday August 8th, said that the state had been without power for more than a month because the army says it is unsafe for engineers to venture out to carry out the repairs.
Said the paper: “… an official of the Yola Electricity Distribution Company, who spoke anonymously in Maiduguri as he was not authorized to officially speak, said: ‘we had made some attempts to go there and fix it, as it will take not more than five hours to replace and fix the destroyed power-line from the National Grid.’ The soldiers however warned that it is very dangerous and suicidal for engineers and other facility support team to go to the site for repairs and fixing of destroyed power lines near the village.”
As a consequence, the state continues to be in darkness and the company left to lament their continued loss of revenue. This is a good article and I hope someone in the Ministry of Defense will read and react to it.
When I read it myself, what came to the mind was, am I reading this correctly? That the army cannot defend engineers and technicians for five hours so that the repairs can be made? This is incredible. This country has Africa’s best army by reputation. The army is the glue that held, and still holds Nigeria as one. Today, the army is fighting an international conspiracy against Nigeria and it is not an easy war. But never you forget that we fixed Liberia and Sierra-Leone and before then, Congo. The West African sub-region had remained more stable than the others because of what the Nigerian army could do. If this Borno story is true, the question then to ask is, where is all the billions of Naira going into funding of the army that won’t fix this problem? The Chief of Army Staff, General Minimah, a month ago, decried cowardice leading to desertion by soldiers. There is no better evidence of what he spoke about than this incident. This is cowardice or abysmal lack of leadership or both.
Many have said it and it bears repeating that the Nigerian government needs to put the lives of our citizens in the North-East on top of its priorities. This single incident is illustrative of the worrisome indifference with which that sub-region is being treated. Indeed, the public and the world at large need no further evidence of how below the radar we have kept our countrymen and women in Borno, Yobe and the North-East generally. The problem, as I can see it is that we don’t even have a clear policy in the country in dealing with these challenges coming from security. This is worsened by the fact that the perspectives of the administration differ markedly in favor of those who live in Abuja and the South.
When an incident, say a bomb explosion happens in Abuja, everyone in government – the Presidency, the National Assembly, the Police all rush to the scene and thereafter, the hospitals to console the victims. Even the media are complicit. This incident gets massive attention in the newspapers, radio and TV.
By contrast, the horrors of the people of Borno and Yobe merely elicit sighs and condemnations in statements issued by press secretaries. They are treated like cattle and often crushed like ants by one, and sometimes both sides of the conflict. This is wrong. Government should not treat any section of the citizens as aliens or a forgotten people.
Speaking to the paper on the hardship and effect of the continuing blackout on the more than three million people affected by it, a Professor of Economics at the University of Maiduguri, Dahiru Balami lamented that “all socio-economic activities, including cold chain stores for fruits and vegetables will come to a halt, with increasing losses of goods and sales revenues of marketers and traders, including the over 15,000 butchers in Maiduguri’s Monday market alone… (the outage) has not only destroyed the means of livelihood of three million residents, but the economic situation of vulcanisers and welders that constitute about 40 per cent of labour force will be made worse.”
This is odd and unacceptable. The government of Nigeria, which needs the support of all citizens to combat groups that continue to carry out extreme acts of terror must change from their indifferent attitude towards the people of the affected areas. In addition to addressing the root causes that fuel crimes and insurgency such as poverty and inequality, they must equip the army and the police very well and have the security services look inwards for cowards in their midst. Those that can be helped, through counseling and psychological prop ups should be saved. Those that can’t be helped should be flushed out from their ranks.
Jobs in the army and police should be reserved for our brave men and women, not cowards. [myad]

Northern Elders Are Mischief Makers, Says Doyin Okupe

Greenbarge Reporters

August 12, 2014

Senior Special Assistant to President Goodluck Jonathan on Public Affairs, Dr. Doyin Okupe, described the allegation by Northern Elders that Jonathan’s administration is sponsoring insurgency to decimate the Muslim-dominated North as “preposterous, contrary to common sense, divisive and essentially a deliberate attempt to disseminate ‘hate mentality’ and cause mischief.”

Okupe reacted to the northern elders who yesterday President Jonathan up to the end of October to produce the Chibok schoolgirls abducted since April 14 by Boko Haram and end the group’s insurgency or forget the 2015 Presidency.

In a statement today, Okupe listed what President Jonathan’s administration has been doing to rescue the girls and end Boko Haram’s campaign of terror, pointing out that he does not need an ultimatum to do his work as President.

Below is the text of the statement:

“We read with deep concern the statement published in the media today by the Northern Elders Forum giving President Goodluck Jonathan a two-ultimatum on the Boko Haram Insurgency and the Chibok Girls abduction Saga.

“We wish to state categorically that President Jonathan does not require any threat or ultimatum from any group of persons to be alive to his responsibilities to the Nigerian People.

“The issue of Insurgency especially those ideologically based on Islamic extremism is a global phenomenon and requires tact, military capability, serious de-radicalisation techniques and community based counter insurgency programmes to ensure success.

“In these areas, the Federal Government is making progress:-

•We are improving on our operational capabilities and efficiencies by acquiring more advanced weapons and technologies for our military and security agencies.

•We have drafted more military personnel to the region to strengthen the fighting power of our armed forces.

•We are taking advantage of the offers from our international military and intelligence allies to assist in identifying key locations.

•We are working with our neighbours to secure the borders and limit the movements of the Boko Haram fighters, building on the agreements reached at the recent summits in Paris and London.

•We are deploying more resources to maximize operational efficiency, acquire more advanced and relevant weaponry and boost the general morale of our combatants. This is why the Government recently requested for an additional funding of $1bn.

•And the last piece in the puzzle is targeting the domestic and international funding, and stopping the money flows into the coffers of the terrorists.

•With all these efforts and the support of our allies, these steps will help fight the threat of the Boko Haram and move us closer to bringing the girls back safely.

“Lastly, the suggestion that the Government is carrying out any scheme to annihilate any section of the country for political gain is preposterous, contrary to common sense, divisive and essentially a deliberate attempt to disseminate “hate mentality” and cause mischief.

“President Goodluck Jonathan was voted for by an overwhelming majority of Nigerians across the board, and he will never promote any policy that is either divisive or inimical to the wellbeing of any section of the polity.

“What the country needs today is total co-operation, of all its citizens and stakeholders, with the Government and our military and the security agencies.

“We wish to assure Nigerians that in spite of this and many more distractions, the President is focused on continued successful executions of his transformation Agenda; and the guarantee of the security of lives and properties of the Nigerian people.” [myad]

Army Warns Soldiers Fighting Boko Haram Against Cowardly Acts

Greenbarge Reporters

August 12, 2014

Nigeria Army has warned against cowardly acts by its soldiers and their wives in a period of serious operation when the entire nation depends on them to address the security challenges. This is coming as spouses of the soldiers protested recently over deployment of their husbands to trouble spots as the war against Boko Haram hot up in the North East.

Director of Defence Information, Major General Chris Olukolade, said in a statement in Abuja: “The tension raised following the activities of a group of women who tried to disrupt activities in Giwa Barracks, Maiduguri, earlier today has been addressed. The situation had attracted media attention and elicited a lot of concern from well meaning Nigerians.

“Although the situation was quickly brought under control, the issues being raised by the women were clarified to them by the authorities of the 7 Division. It was pointed out that contrary to their belief, there has never been any attempt to relocate them as alleged.

“Furthermore, it was made clear that while the Army remains sensitive to the needs of the family members, it was not normal or proper for any Officer or Soldier to decide where he or she be deployed, neither will such demand be encouraged from spouses in a period of serious operation when the entire nation was depending on the Army to address the security challenges.

“They were however assured that no Officer, Soldier or unit would be tasked without the necessary means to accomplish their task. It was also stated that Troops were not being sent on operation without the necessary arms, ammunition and support as alleged. The recent operations at Bulanbulin and Damboa where terrorists were cleared without a single casualty on the troops was cited.

“The military authorities therefore reassure citizens that the situation has been brought under control, while appropriate action would be taken against any person found to be involved in the heinous and cowardly acts or attempts to demoralise or discourage the troops by preventing them from obeying lawful orders and command in defence of the country.” [myad]

Saudi Arabia Executes Syrian Drug Trafficker

Greenbarge Reporters

August 12, 2014

Saudi authorities beheaded a Syrian national, Safwan Hindawi today, after he was convicted of trafficking drugs into the ultra-conservative Muslim kingdom, the interior ministry announced.

Safwan Hindawi was arrested as he was smuggling a “large amount of narcotic pills into the kingdom,” said the ministry in a statement carried by the official SPA news agency.

His beheading in the northern Jawf region raised to 24 the number of executions so far this year in the Gulf state, according to an AFP count based on official reports.

Last year, the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights denounced a “sharp increase in the use of capital punishment” in Saudi Arabia.

In 2013, there were 78 executions.

Rape, murder, apostasy, armed robbery and drug trafficking are all punishable by death under Saudi Arabia’s strict version of Islamic sharia law. [myad]

Shell Nigeria Begins Oil Production From Nigeria’s Bonga North West

Greenbarge Reporters

August 12, 2014

Shell’s deep-water subsidiary in Nigeria, Shell Nigeria Exploration and Production Company Ltd (SNEPCo), has started oil production from the first well at the Bonga North West deep-water development off the Nigerian coast.

The Bonga project, which began producing oil and gas in 2005, was Nigeria’s first deep-water development in water depths over 1,000 metres. Oil production from the first well began on 5 August and “represents a significant step forward for the project”, SNEPCo said.

Oil from the Bonga North West sub-sea facilities is transported by a new undersea pipeline to the existing Bonga floating production, storage and offloading (FPSO) export facility. SNEPCo said: “The Bonga FPSO has been upgraded to handle the additional oil flow from Bonga North West which, at peak production, is expected to contribute 40,000 barrels of oil equivalent per day, helping to maintain the facility’s overall output.”

The Bonga FPSO is one of the world’s largest such facilities. It is 300 metres long and is the height of a 12-storey building. The FPSO receives crude from production wells on the seabed and the oil is processed onboard, stored and then sent to a single point mooring buoy anchored nearby that is used to load it onto tankers for export. When fully laden with oil, Bonga weighs 300,000 tonnes and is held in place by 500-tonne anchors linked by 20 km of mooring lines.

Four oil producing wells and two water injection wells in the Bonga North West development will be connected to the FPSO.

The Bonga field, which covers an area of 60 square kilometres, lies 120 kilometres offshore in the Gulf of Guinea. The field also supplies gas to the Nigeria Liquefied Natural Gas (LNG) Company Limited at Bonny Island, from where it is exported as LNG to European and global markets.

SNEPCo said the Bonga North West project is part of its “long-standing commitment to developing deep-water engineering skills in Nigeria”. The company said investments it has made with project partners to date include upgrades of local contractors’ facilities and providing specialised training for Nigerians to work in the energy industry.

SNEPCo, which was formed in 1993 to develop Nigeria’s deep water oil and gas resources, operates the Bonga project and holds a 55% stake. The other project partners are Esso Exploration & Production Nigeria (Deepwater) Limited (20%), Total E&P Nigeria Limited (12.5%) and Nigerian Agip Exploration Limited (12.5%) under a production sharing contract with the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation. [myad]

72 Year Old South African MP Resigns, Apologizes Over Fake Doctorate Degree

Greenbarge Reporters

August 12, 2014

Top South African politician and anti-apartheid activist, Pallo Jordan has resigned as an MP after it was revealed his academic qualifications were fake. Jordan was former minister under ex-President Nelson Mandela and is generally referred to as Dr Jordan.

The governing African National Congress (ANC) has said that Mr. Jordan had apologised for “deceiving government and the people of South Africa for many years”after media reports exposed him as having lied on his Curriculum Vitae about having a doctorate.

“A man of Comrade Pallo Jordan’s intellect does not need to perpetuate deceit, he must be given time to deal with his guilt,” ANC Secretary General, Gwede Mantashe said in a statement.

“As the ANC, we have accepted his public apology. To apologise was not an action of the faint hearted.”

Mr .Jordan, 72, began working for the ANC in exile and rose through its ranks, returning to South Africa after the party was unbanned to become its spokesman.

He went on to hold several ministerial posts after the end of white minority rule in 1994 until 2009.

A report in South Africa’s Sunday Times newspaper said that its investigation found that the ANC veteran had no degrees or diplomas from the University of Wisconsin-Madison or the London School of Economics, the two institutions cited on his CV.

However, this is not the first time senior ANC members have been exposed for falsifying their qualifications, with two similar cases in the last four years. [myad]

Cure, Vaccines For Ebola Disease In The Making, May Be Ready Next Year

Greenbarge Reporters

August 12, 2014

There is now a good tiding with a news filtering in that some companies in the United States of America are already getting closer to discovering drugs that can cure the deadly Ebola disease, even as some others are working on vaccines for same.
Information has it that one of the companies, known as Bavarian Nordic A/S, a Danish company has started developing its smallpox vaccine, Imvanex, for use as an anti-filovirus injection. The drug was found to be 100 percent protective against Ebola and Marburg in non-human primates.
The U.S. government awarded the company a $17.9 million contract in 2012. The injectable form of Imvanex is likely to enter Phase one clinical trials in the United States in 2015.
Another company, Biocryst Pharmaceuticals Inc, is believed to have developed a drug called BCX4430 which has gone through pre-clinical trials to treat Marburg, another dangerous disease similar to Ebola. Experts and analysts are said to have concluded that the drug can potentially cure Ebola.
This even as another company, Mapp Biopharmaceutical Inc, a California-based privately owned company has produced an anti-Ebola drug which was given to two Ebola-infected U.S aid workers that have since shown signs of improvement. Information said however that so far, the drug has only been tested in monkeys. Mapp was part of a consortium of 15 research outfits that in March won a five-year grant from the National Institutes of Health worth up to $28 million to find a treatment for Ebola
And yet another company, Siga Technologies Inc, a bio-defense drug developer is said to have produced an experimental drug, known as ST-383. The drug is meant to prevent the Ebola virus from entering host cells and effectively end Ebola’ replication cycle. The company says the drug is being tested on animals.
Other companies are as follows:
Tekmira Pharmaceuticals Corp, a Canadian drugmaker which FDA has allowed to resume testing its drug in people infected with Ebola, after blocking human tests last month. The FDA had halted the early-stage study following safety concerns among people taking the highest doses of the drug.
Medivector is also a privately held drugmaker, along with its Japanese partner, Fujifilm Holdings Corp. It is in talks with the FDA to submit an application to expand the use of its influenza drug, Favipiravir, as a treatment for Ebola.
Sarepta Therapeutics Inc is another company that has undertaken some human trials on its anti-Ebola drug, but lost government funding two years ago whereas Nanoviricides Inc company has said, last week that it would resume development of its anti-Ebola drug.
For vaccines, Glaxosmithkline PLC (GSK) is said to be co-developing a vaccine with the U.S. National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID). The vaccine is beleived to have shown promising results in primates.
The vaccine is due to enter early-stage human trials, pending U.S. Food and Drug Administration approval. GSK has said human testing should start this year. NIAID expects trials to begin as early as fall 2014.
It said that even if it is fast-tracked and works as well as hoped, the new vaccine could not be ready for widespread deployment before 2015.
There is also Johnson & Johnson:
The company’s Crucell unit is working with the U.S. NIAID to develop a vaccine, which should enter early-stage clinical testing in late-2015 or early-2016. The Crucell vaccine is designed to give additional protection against Marburg, another severe and highly fatal disease caused by a virus from the same family as Ebola.
Profectus Bioscience Inc;
The privately owned company has tested its vaccine in monkeys, with good results. A single intramuscular injection was found to protect all of the rhesus monkeys exposed to Ebola three weeks later. The company hopes to launch a human trial within 12 months.
So far, the Ebola epidemic in West Africa has killed nearly 1,000 people and has prompted the World Health Organization to declare an international health emergency.
No Ebola drugs or vaccines have entered mid-stage human trials, let alone been approved. The most advanced have been tested only in monkeys and a handful of humans. [myad]

APC, Aregbesola’s victory And The Rest Of Us, By Josephine Babatunde

Greenbarge Reporters

August 11, 2014

As members of All Progressives Congress (APC) all over the country are in celebration mood over the victory of Governor Rauf Aregbesola, it is time for the party’s spin doctors to have a rethink on the way and manner they disparaged the office of the President and its occupant in the build-up to the Osun gubernatorial election.
Few days before the gubernatorial polls, the propaganda mill of the opposition party was agog with disjointed information that the Federal Government has militrized the State with the sole aim of rigging the election in favour of the ruling Peoples Democratic Party (PDP).
Now that Aregbesola has won the election, what has become of the propaganda churned out by the APC?
In a clear show of statesmanship, President Goodluck Jonathan was the first to congratulate Aregbesola on his victory. It was also a demonstration of the spirit of sportsmanship.
Unfortunately, all such Presidential maturity had failed to thaw the hatred and bitterness that Aregbesola and his party have against Jonathan’s presidency.
Instead of Aregbesola to be humble in victory, he is still talking as if he is in a war front.
Here him: “Ordinarily, this should be a moment of joy and celebration, consequent upon the hard-earned triumph of the people’s will. However, this election shows that democracy is still gravely endangered in Nigeria.”
Does it mean that his victory is not the true reflection of the people’s will since democracy at the point of his victory is still endangered?
Jonathan has been called all sort of names by members and governors of APC for no just cause.
What is amazing is that some of the party chieftains in the state have faked their arrests just so as to tar the image of Jonathan as somebody drunken with tyrannical powers.
Now, it is clear to well-meaning Nigerians that such efforts to smear President Jonathan have failed.
Just for a moment, assume that the result of the Osun gubernatorial poll did not favour the incumbent governor, it is undountedly if APC members would have accepted: they would have gone to town with the message that Jonathan rigged out Aregbesola and the APC.
Now that APC has gotten the victory, the like of Lai Mohammed and other spin doctors of the governor as well the party itself have all lost their voice to tell Nigerians how the presence of security personnel had helped their candidate in winning the election.
Even in victory, the party and its members find it hard to accept with equanimity, their victory.
One thing that is clear is that the victory of APC in Osun has not, in any way, been a death knell for PDP in the south west; instead, it has further endeared President Jonathan and the party to the people of the region.
Reason? People of the region have seen that all the name callings he had been subjected to by APC and its spin doctors were only meant to tarnish him.
When PDP trounced APC in Ekiti governorship recently, no single soul in APC had the spirit of sportsmanship to congratulate the party on its victory; instead, they linked the dismal performance of the party to the presence of security people.
Even the incumbent governor of the State, Kayode Fayemi, who congratulated his opponent, Ayodele Fayose on his victory had to recant his earlier statement, giving an excuse that he congratulated the winner to avert mayhem.
Demonising PDP and Jonathan in the pages of newspapers does not speak well of a party that wants to take power at the centre.
One begins to imagine what would be the behaviour of the like of Lai Mohammed if APC wrests power from the PDP in 2015.
I am not a member of PDP but a mother with children in whom I have inculcated good behaviour, believing that our rulers will create an enabling environment for them to prosper.
The attitudes of the people in the opposition party have proved that the future is bleak for our sons and daughters as they intimidate, bully and forcefully influence the will of the electorate through their bellicose statements.
For APC not to be happy in victory, there is every tendency that they are going to be violent and war prone in defeat.
For Aregbesola to be lampooning Federal Government even in victory is a sad commentary on the kind of party and personalities that want to determine our destiny in 2015.
‪

• Josephine Babatunde contributed this piece from Festac town, Lagos. [myad]

FCT Minister, Bala Mohammed Bullies Kuje Area Council Chairman Over Ebola Centre

Greenbarge Reporters

August 11, 2014

The minister of the Nigeria Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Bala Mohammed today, turned a bully against the elected chairman of Kuje Area Council, Mr. Ishaku Shaban Tete over the siting of Ebola disease centre in the capital of the Area Council, Kuje.
Bala told the chairman, who had presented the protest of the Kuje residents against the move to site the Ebola centre in the area: “I will hold you responsible for the success of the project. And I warn you that nothing should happen to stop it!”
The chairman had made it known at a sensitisation session held to enlighten stakeholders on the centre, that people in his jurisdiction are not comfortable with the project.
He drew the attention of the minister to the fact that the general hospital where the Ebola centre is to be located is a busy place, and that pregnant women, children and other normal patients always flood it.
“Bringing Ebola centre to such crowded hospital will amount to mass murder because if it catches one person, be rest assured that it will spread rapidly to all the residents.”
Mr. Ishaku Tete then appealed to the minister to consider taking the centre to an empty Infectious Diseases Hospital (IDH) in an isolated place in Zuba.
Our correspondent who was at the meeting reports that the minister was visibly angered and fell short of abusing the chairman openly.
Report had it that youths and other residents of the town have vowed to burn down whatever structure that would be put up in the name of Ebola centre, even as the chairman had earlier vowed not to allow the centre to be established in his area council even if it would cost him his position as chairman. [myad]

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