All Progressives Congress (APC) national leader, Asiwaju Bola Tinubu, has raised a lot of points to show how Vice President Yemi Osinbajo has been dedicated to the course of service to Nigeria in general and Lagos State in particular on his journey through life as he turns 63 tomorrow, March 8.
In a congratulatory statement today, March 7, the APC leader spoke of Osinbajo’s reputation for loyalty, dedication and selflessness.
“Erudite legal luminary, Osinbajo’s reputation for loyalty, dedication, selflessness is well deserved. He is resolutely committed to the causes he believes in.
“Osinbajo has proven to be a dependable ally of President Muhammadu Buhari, working harmoniously with the president to deliver for the country.
“I recall with fond memories the time we worked together along with other technocrats to help lay a solid foundation for an egalitarian and prosperous Lagos.
“We used the instrumentality of the law to advance the course of restructuring and get for Lagos what rightly belongs to her.
“Most of the landmark cases Lagos won at the Supreme Court bore Osinbajo’s imprint.
“I wish his wife, Dolapo Osinbajo, and other members of the family a most memorable celebration.
“My prayer is God Almighty grant Osinbajo continued good health, renewed vitality and many more years of service to the country.”
Saudi Arabia has confirmed two female citizens of the country with coronavirus, bringing the total number of confirmed cases in the Kingdom to seven. This is even as the management of the two Holy Mosques in Makkah and Madinnah has provided protective devices against the entry of the virus.
A statement by the country’s health ministry said that one of the two female Saudi citizens arrived from Iran via Bahrain, while the other came from Iraq’s Najaf through the United Arab Emirates. The statement said that over 100 Saudis disclose recent travels to Iran amid coronavirus outbreak The ministry said both women did not declare their recent travels to Iran and Iraq upon arriving in the Kingdom. Saudi Arabia had earlier called on citizens to declare visits to Iran in the past 14 days, as part of measures to contain the coronavirus outbreak.
The Kingdom’s General Authority for Civil Aviation, in a statement, confirmed that at least 128 people disclosed their recent travels to Iran as at today, March 7. While the authorities have decided various ways to prevent coronavirus from entering the Holy Mosque in Makkah, the Kingdom had since limited entry of arrivals from UAE, Kuwait and Bahrain.
Russia has placed travel ban on Iran against the backdrop of coronavirus infection, which even Saudi Arabian government earlier accused Iran of spreading in neigbouring countries with impunity.
Russia announced today, March 6 that the Federal Security Service will be “temporarily halting passage through the Russian border of foreign citizens… arriving from Iran” to work study or travel in Russia, a government decree said.
The measures, according to the Russian government are aimed at stopping the spread of the new coronavirus infection on Russian territory and protect public health.
The new rules exclude people with permanent residency in Russia, nationals of countries in the Moscow-led Eurasian economic union, which includes Armenia, Belarus, Kazakhstan and Kyrgyzstan, as well as members of official delegations and plane crews, it said.
Russian government said that it’s foreign ministry will halt accepting documents of foreign nationals applying for the Russian visa from Iran, even as the government ordered its aviation authority to notify Russian airlines about the ban, which impacts passengers transferring through Russian territory.
Iran earlier had announced a surge in COVID-19 cases with 17 more deaths raising the total number of people killed to 124 as the Islamic republic battles the world’s deadliest outbreak of the disease outside China where it originated.
Russia has already announced six new cases of the COVID-19 virus infection in the country, five of which were registered in Moscow. All six recently visited Italy.
The Nigerian Air Force (NAF) has bombarded the Boko Haram terrorists’ camp at Alafa ‘C’ in the heart of Sambisa forest in Borno State.
This was contained in a statement today, March 6, by Air Commodore Ibikunle Daramola, NAF Director of Public Relations and Information.
He said that the operation was conducted yesterday, March 5 through the Air Task Force (ATF) of Operation LAFIYA DOLE under the auspices of Operation DECISIVE EDGE.
Daramola disclosed that the raid followed confirmatory Intelligence Surveillance and Reconnaissance (ISR) missions which established that several compounds in the settlement were being used by Boko Haram to train their fighters.
“The bomb strikes and rocket salvos from the ATF’s fighter jets hit the designated compounds, obliterating most of the structures and neutralising some of the BHT occupants,” he said.
Daramola asserted that NAF, operating in concert with surface forces, would sustain its air campaigns against the terrorists’ hideouts to shape the battle space for the effective conduct of further ground and air operations.
Operation DECISIVE EDGE, a new air interdiction operation was initiated to specifically target known Boko Haram Terrorists hideouts that were inaccessible to ground forces.
A 60 year old evangelical pastor, Michael Oluronbi years and his 58 year old wife, Juliana have been jailed 34 years and 11 years respectively in Britain, after they were convicted of a catalogue of rape and sexual abuse and multiple abortion on against children and adults over two decades.
The Judge, Justice Sarah Buckingham who gave the ruling today, March 6, described Oluronbi as “arrogant, selfish and vain” and that the pastor carried out “one of the worst cases of sexual abuse” against children to come to court.
“You abused your position of trust.”
Michael Oluronbi Oluronbi, 60, who is originally from Nigeria, was convicted of 15 counts of rape, seven counts of indecent assault and two counts of sexual assault at a trial that ended in January.
The court was told that there were at least 88 separate occasions on which he raped his victims, who are now adults.
Some offences were carried out after he convinced some of his victims to take part in “spiritual bathing”, which he said would “cleanse” them of evil spirits.
Birmingham Crown Court in central England was told some of his young female victims became pregnant several times.
But Oluronbi, a trained pharmacist, took them to abortion clinics to hide his crimes.
The pastor’s wife, Juliana, was jailed for 11 years after being found guilty of three charges of aiding and abetting rape after helping arrange some of the terminations.
“They (his victims) trusted you like God…. In my judgment, your offending must be one of the worst cases of sexual abuse of multiple children to come before the courts.”
Oluronbi, described by his victims as “controlling”, was arrested when one of those he abused came forward. He was detained by police last year at Birmingham airport on his way to Nigeria.
When asked about the offences, which took place in Birmingham and London dating back to the 1980s, the court was told he said: “The devil made me do it.”
The court was told Oluronbi was linked to a Birmingham branch of the Cherubim and Seraphim Church, which was founded in Nigeria.
He set up a splinter group separate from the church and at another address for about 40 adults and children, where he began his practice of “spiritual bathing”, jurors heard.
Pope Francis has cancelled all non-essential services at Vatican clinic even as the premises is set to be disinfected as coronavirus made its way into the Vatican, which is home to the Catholic Pontiff.
The first case of coronavirus was confirmed today, March 6, after a member of the Vatican’s staff tested positive for coronavirus amid fears for the Pope’s health.
The Pope was forced to cancel some of his official meetings after suffering from a cold during an Ash Wednesday service. It was learnt that outpatient services at the Vatican’s health clinic were all suspended in order to sanitize the environment.
Vatican spokesman, Matteo Bruni announced while addressing reporters in the city and said: “the city state’s emergency services will continue.
He said that Vatican has informed Italian health authorities, adding: “the clinic is open to staff and family members of people who work at the Vatican.”
So far, about 97,000 cases have been infected with the deadly disease while 3,383 deaths have been recorded since the outbreak in Wuhan, China.
The Government of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia has accused Iran of knowingly spreading COVID-19 Coronavirus to the Kingdom by “irresponsibly” granting Saudi citizens entry to its territories without stamping their passports, especially at a time where there is an outbreak of COVID-19 in Iran.
An official statement from the Kingdom’s ministry of Health today, March 5, said that the five confirmed cases of Saudi nationals testing positive for COVID-19 all returned from Iran via Bahrain and Kuwait without disclosing the fact that they had traveled to Iran to the relevant Saudi authorities.
The statement which stressed that the kingdom strongly denounced Iran’s “irresponsible action,” said that such actions are a proof of Iran’s direct responsibility in increasing COVID-19 infections and in the virus’s outbreak all around the world.
“This behavior poses a serious public health threat to the international community and undermines international efforts to combat COVID-19, putting many communities around the world at risk.”
The Kingdom, in the statement, advised all Saudi citizens who had visited and returned from Iran during the past weeks to immediately report this matter and to contact the health ministry via the toll-free number (937) so that they may be guided through the necessary safety measures.
It also urged citizens who are currently in Iran to immediately report their travel to Iran upon their arrival in the Kingdom.
“Citizens who voluntary report their travel to Iran during a time window of 48 hours following this statement will not be subjected to the Travel Documents Law and its related regulations.”
The statement added that the Kingdom is keen on ensuring the safety of all citizens who had visited Iran by providing them with this opportunity and refraining from any legal action against them.
“Furthermore, the Kingdom is determined to protect the families of those who had traveled to places where there is an outbreak of COVID-19; such measures aim to help protect their wellbeing and the safety of others.”
The Saudi government reaffirmed that Saudi citizens should not travel to Iran for any reason, stressing that serious legal actions will be taken against those who commit this act going forward.
The Kingdom called upon Iranian authorities to disclose the identities of Saudi nationals who had illegally visited Iran since the 1st of February, even as it made it clear that it would hold the Iranian authorities fully responsible for all Saudis who did not report their travels and had gotten infected during their stay in Iran.
It said that the Iranian regime’s continuous withholding of the identity of Saudi nationals who had secretly traveled to Iran and allowing them to do so illegally, threatens public health not only in the Kingdom but on international level as well.
Adams Aliyu Oshiomhole | Photo credit: Premium Times
National chairman of the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC), Adams Oshiomhole has blamed Abuja court that ordered his suspension yesterday, March 4, of turning justice on its head.
He said that apart from the fact that no court in the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), including the high court that suspended him has power to join federal agencies in such matter, the court forgot that he is a national officer of the APC not the ward in his State that purported to have sacked him upon which the court suspended him.
Speaking to news men today, March 5, shortly after a closed door meeting with President Muhammadu Buhari at the Presidential villa, Abuja, Oshiomhole said: “our lawyers told me that in law, when you sue a federal agency, FCT High Court has no jurisdiction to entertain it. “Number two, the purported suspension of my person by my ward, first I am going to give you a document to that effect so that you can form your opinion.
“Number three, I am not an officer of my ward, I am the national chairman of my party, elected at a national convention by over 7,000 delegates, so how could nine persons sit down somewhere and purport that they have removed a national chairman.
“And the court, contrary to all logic, all judicial precedence find comfort in granting an interim interlocutory order to stop me from functioning pending when the matter is determine?
“In other words, he (the judge) gave the order without the facts being laid before him and in the process adjourned the case to 7th of April.
“The calculations are clear that between now and April 7th, my opponent in the system would have had ample time to do all the mischievous plans they have in place to destabilize the APC. Some APC members have membership of more than one political party.
“But happily this afternoon, a federal high court that I believe that has jurisdictions on federal issues because the DSS, the police are not state institutions but federal institutions, has given an appropriate order to restrain the so called suspension that was allegedly impose on me by my ward in Edo State.
“I thought that I had a duty to brief Mr. President as the overall leader of our party about this development.
“Incidentally, when I requested for the audience yesterday I wasn’t sure what has happened today will happen. But I had a duty to inform him about the court order. But happily before coming here, the order from a Federal High Court that has made nonsense of what the FCT court purported to have done has already settled the question.
“And I showed to the president the resolutions of my ward even though a ward executive does not have the powers to remove a national chairman, just to say that the document that we have says clearly that my ward passed vote of confidence on me.
“How, the court can hold vote of confidence and twist it to mean vote of no confidence, only that judge can explain it to himself.
“But the good news is that this is not a final court nor is it the only court, incidentally it is just the court that didn’t have the jurisdiction even to listen to this matter. And our lawyers so pointed it out but the judge was determined to oblige those who want to destabilize the All Progressives Congress.
“Let me also say that those behind this plot, the hands you saw which includes as you saw yesterday, the Edo State governor and his people jubilating but that is the irony of life, that you will help give birth to a child and the child look for cutlass to want to chop off your neck.
“It has happened in history, it has happened in this country so I won’t be only person. But there are other forces who see me for whatever reason as a threat to them. And those leading this anti-Oshiomhole campaign, some of them I emphasize, cannot even boast of a counselor in their state even as they lay claim to leadership position in our party.
“I am proud to say that I have done my best not only when I was a governor, I have done my best as chairman of this party.
“I have worked not only along members of the party and with support of the good people of Nigeria for the president to be re-elected, for us to have majority in the two chambers of the National Assembly. I also worked hard to deliver my unit, my ward, I worked hard to deliver my local government. I worked hard to deliver my federal constituency three of them in my senatorial zone. I also worked hard to deliver my senator.
“Those (who are) fighting me couldn’t deliver even a counselor of a local government in their units. And they just feel that if they cannot give me orders then they must do everything to embarrass my person, but I believe that he who God stands with no man born of a woman can bring him down.
“I can’t say more than that. Those who are parading themselves, holding meetings at night, my prayer to my God is that let them meet at night, what they do at night will be destroyed by light in the day time. I don’t go for night business I do day business. They know themselves, they know me and I know them.”
On why they want him out, Oshiomhole said: “Why they want me out? You see there is an issue in this country. People want strong leadership, the averaged Nigerian want to have a strong leader for Nigeria, they want to have strong leaders in various institutions, they want institutions that are strong enough that cannot be controlled by individuals.
“That was why President Obama said, what Africa needs are strong institutions not strong persons. Unfortunately, very few section of our elites want to weaken institutions so that they can control and if you refuse to oblige them the misuse of your institution then they go for your jocular, that is the only thing.
“Otherwise I ask you, remember the confusion we had at the last NEC meeting? That meeting took place exactly a week or about 10 days after we had won Kogi election, Bayelsa election before the court took it and donated it to somebody else.
“Yet in the face of this victory, people said Oshiomhole must be removed, precisely because we won more seats.
“But you see whatever you do, those who want to fight you will fight you. But I know that my tenure will be defined by God not by man. And I worry more about what I will be remembered for when I was chairman rather than how long I was chairman.
“And I am convinced that I have done my very best, mistakes would have been made and I want to see the one person who will say he has never made mistakes. But if there are mistakes of the head we have the capacity to correct mistakes of the head.
“But I know I have not set out to make the mistakes of the heart. It is just that by the reason of the position that I occupy, it is not quite appropriate for me to join at this hour in explaining who is responsible for the losses that people point out and they want to heap on my head.
“Even when we have lost some states, I ask you did you see one newspaper that congratulated Oshiomhole when we won in Kogi, Bayelsa before the court took it back?
“But look at the narrative, once it goes the other way, if we succeed it is not me, if we lose it is me. I know even in corporate organizations, we have what we call profit and loss account, you have profit and loss; that is what is called balance sheet.
“If you look at my balance sheet, I know I am not the best chairman in the world but I believe I have given my all even at the expense of my family well being and family life to support my party, to ensure that I work sometimes almost 20 hours a day to ensure that I provide the desired leadership that APC needs.
“And I am proud of the support that I am getting from the ordinary majority of our party and even majority of our leaders of our party.
“It is just unfortunate that if you have out of 100, 90 people are happy with you, will call and say well done, those 10 who are not are the ones that will call press conference to denounce you. They are the ones who will hold midnight meetings in a minister’s house to say how do we bring him down.
“They are the ones who will plot how do we get rid of him because they want to be president in 2023 even when they hold on their state at the moment is doubtful, if they were to go for referendum in terms of their approval rating.
“But as for me, I live my life as the Christians say live it as if they will be no tomorrow, on day by day basis. But God will see me through. He knows my heart, He knows my conscience and He knows the wishes of the overall majority of our members and to them I remain ever grateful.
“For all those who have been worried between yesterday and today, I believe God has answered their prayers, and when God answers the prayers, who am I to nurse any further disappointment. I am very grateful.”
Special Adviser to President Muhammadu Buhari on Media and Publicity, Femi Adesina has given assurance that the President will not disappoint Southeast in the execution of the ongoing legacy projects in the region before he leaves office in 2023.
Adesina, who received in audience, the Editorial management of Orient Daily Newspaper, led by Stanley Egbochuku, today, March 5, at the Presidential Villa, said that many ongoing Federal projects in the five south-eastern States of Abia, Anambra, Ebonyi, Enugu and Imo are currently at different stages of completion.
According to him, there are about 69 ongoing projects mainly roads and bridges in the region, which are being funded from budgetary allocations, the Sukuk Bond and the Presidential Infrastructure Development Fund.
“Last December, I had reason to travel to Onitsha, Anambra State and onboard the flight to Asaba, I remember the Obi of Onitsha, Igwe Nnaemeka Alfred Achebe, asking me to ‘thank the President profusely for us on the second Niger Bridge.’
“The good thing is that the project will be completed by February 2022, as promised by the contractor handling it.”
Adesina welcomed the initiative by the media group to partner with his office to uphold professionalism in the media industry.
This was even as Egbochuku, who is a former Vice President of African Capital Alliance praised the two principal Presidential media handlers; Femi Adesina and Garba Shehu, saying that they have done so much.
“You have not disappointed us in the media industry and must be assured of our strong support.”
Egbochuku, a close associate of the late Chief MKO Abiola, had at one time or the other worked with Daily Times of Nigeria Plc, Concord Press Nigeria Limited, Business Day Media Limited.
Ministers of Finance and Governors of Central Banks in Africa will converge on Transcorp Hotel, Abuja from March 9 to 10, for a Senior Policy Seminar on agriculture, aimed at coming up with a policy on how the continent would leverage research for agricultural development. The seminar is organized by the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) in collaboration with the African Economic Research Consortium (AERC), a Nairobi-based public non-profit organization, devoted to advancement of economic policy research and training.
A statement from the CBN today, March 5 said that the seminar will provide high-level African policy makers, including Central Bank Governors, Ministers of Finance and others across the continent, the opportunity to come together to dialogue and exchange ideas and policy experiences and research studies conducted by the AERC and its affiliates.
It said that the seminar has as its theme: “Agricultural and Food Policies for Better Nutrition in Africa,” and will have about 15 Central Bank Governors and Ministers of Finance across the continent in attendance.
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The Nigerian Air Force (NAF) has bombarded the Boko Haram terrorists’ camp at Alafa ‘C’ in the heart of Sambisa forest in Borno State.
