Saturday, October 29, 2016
Embrace Dialogue Or Face Full Military Force, NAF Warns Militants

The Chief of Air Staff, Air Marshall Sadique Abubakar, has warned Niger Delta militants to dialogue with the Federal Government and embrace peace, otherwise full weight of the law would descend on them.

Air Marshall Abubakar declared this yesterday, while commissioning new blocks of Airmen quarters at the 97 Special Operations Group (SOG) of NAF, Port Harcourt, Rivers State.

The NAF boss advised militants to stop pipeline vandalism and destruction of oil installations, which have caused environmental pollution and economic damage to the nation’s economy.

Abubakar said NAF placed priority on the training of Air Force personnel, adding that it had groomed over 700 professional.

He said: “I think the Niger Delta problem requires a comprehensive solution.

“Our response is to protect Nigeria and Nigerians and Nigeria’s territory. That is what we are doing. And the whole thing is about ensuring we have professional service.

“Professionalism requires training and about providing for the welfare of the people; that informed this accommodation.

“We have trained over 700 of our personnel in the last one year, in different parts of the world. And all these are about efficiency service. As we take care of training, we also take care of the welfare of the people”, Abubakar noted.

He recalled: “Our message to them is that they should embrace and dialogue with the Federal Government. On our part, we will continue to discharge our constitutional responsibility. We are not unaware of our responsibility. We are doing everything possible to protect Nigerians.

“We will do everything humanly possible to protect lives and ensure peace. The constitution has given us mandate to protect our people. Let them embrace peace; but, if they fail to do that, we have a constitutional responsibility to protect lives”, he declared.

Saturday, October 29, 2016
Suspected Fulani Herdsmen In Military Uniforms Kill 85-Year-Old Man, Six Others In Fresh Attack

Gunmen suspected to be Fulani herdsmen in Army uniforms on Thursday evening invaded the Ungwar Missi village in Jema’a Local Government Area, Kaduna State, killing seven persons while several others were critically injured.

Among those killed by the suspected herdsmen dressed in Army uniforms were an 85-year-old District Head of the village, John Zango and an 80-year-old man, Yakubu Abuja.

The Kaduna State Police Command confirmed the attack but said only four and not seven persons lost their lives.

Its Public Relations Officer, Aliyu Usman, who confirmed the attack, said the police had since commenced investigation into the matter.

This is coming just less than two weeks after the attack on Godogodo, in Jema’a Local Government Area, which claimed no fewer than 20 lives, a development that forced the chairman of the local government area to place the area under curfew.

It was learnt that the group, in army uniforms, came to Ungwar Missi village and called out the Village Head, Mr. John Zogo, and the elders of the village for what they claimed to be security briefing on the situation in the area.

An eyewitness said that as soon as the group in military uniforms started discussing with the village head and the elders, there were gunshots on the outskirts of the village and “the same soldiers then shot and killed the village head and some others in his house and fled.”

According to the eyewitness, they did not stay to defend the village.

“The whole village was burnt down and those who managed to escape have no place to stay now,” he said.

Saturday, October 29, 2016
God Sent Buhari To Save Nigeria From Collapse - Oyegun

The National Chairman of Nigeria’s ruling All Progressives Congress, APC, says God sent President Muhammadu Buhari to save Nigeria from collapse.

The News Agency of Nigeria reports that Mr. Oyegun made the observation in Sokoto on Friday when he declared open a three-day retreat organised by the Kano State Chapter of the party for its officials and stakeholders on political party management.

Mr. Oyegun said: ”Buhari was God-sent at the most crucial time in Nigeria’s history.

“He inherited a comatose economy and he has been strenuously working to deliver on his campaign promises centred on the economy, security and fighting corruption.

“Insurgency has been tamed, while the issues of militancy and other related security challenges were being diligently attended to by the President.”

Mr. Oyegun also said that the president was being so “frugal” with every kobo that accrued to the nation, saying that the economy would soon bounce back.

The party national chairman said that no sane and patriotic Nigerian would be pessimistic about the way Mr. Buhari was uniquely tackling corruption.

“Buhari is generally working tirelessly to make Nigeria a better place for all Nigerians,” he said.

Mr. Oyegun stressed the need for internal democracy as well as ensuring the supremacy of the party.

The Kano State Governor, Abdullahi Ganduje, said that the retreat was organised for stocktaking on the achievements, problems and to chart the way forward.

Mr. Ganduje said that APC in Kano was still united and indivisible.

Governor Aminu Tambuwal of Sokoto State said the retreat would help to keep the party on the right track.

Mr. Tambuwal said: “This is to ensure that government is properly adjusted in the interest of the common people.”

Kawu Sumaila, the Senior Special Assistant to the President on National Assembly Matters, restated that governors of the party were its due leaders in the states.

The Chief Whip of the House of Representatives, Alhassan Doguwa and a chieftain of the party in the state, Bashir Tofa, commended the wisdom of organising the retreat.

The Zonal Vice Chairman of the party, North West, Inuwa Abdulkadir, said that the retreat was the first of its kind organised by any of the state chapters of the party.

Premium Times

Saturday, October 29, 2016
Court Summons Buhari, DSS DG Over Prosecution Of Arrested Judges

President Muhammadu Buhari, Director-General of the Department of State Service, DSS, Mr. Lawal Daura, and other government officials have been summoned by an Abuja Federal High court.

They are to appear on November 15 to provide reasons why seven judges arrested between October 7 and 8 should be prosecuted.

Others equally summoned are the Attorney-General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, Abubakar Malami, SAN, the Inspector-General of Police, Ibrahim Idris, and the National Judicial Council, NJC.

They were all cited as Respondents in a legal action that was instituted before the high court by a Lagos-based lawyer, Mr. Olukoya Ogungbeje.

President Buhari is not expected to appear in person; he is expected to brief a lawyer to represent him before the court on that date.

Vanguard

Saturday, October 29, 2016
National Assembly Strips President Powers To Control CCT, CCB



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The Senate yesterday concurred with the House of Representatives in the transfer of powers from the President to the National Assembly on matters relating to the control of Code of Conduct Tribunal (CCT) and Code of Conduct Bureau (CC.

But the passage of the bill in the Senate was not without heated debate among the Unity Forum and Like Minds lawmakers.

During the consideration of the report which was read for the third time and passed, emotions ran high as lawmakers in favour and those opposed to the amendment spoke on top of their voices.

The bill originated from the House of Representatives. It was passed in the House in May, 2016 and referred to the Senate for concurrence.

It was first introduced in the Senate in April, 2016 by Senator Peter Nwaoboshi and was abruptly withdrawn, following massive public outcry that the bill was meant to weaken the powers of the CCB and CCT.

The passage of the bill yesterday followed the consideration of the report of the Senate Committee on Ethics, Privileges and Public Petitions which did “critical examination of the bill preparatory to concurrence of the Senate.”

Chairman of the committee, Senator Samuel Anyanwu, said the political situation of the time when the bill was first introduced in the Senate was not conducive for its continued processing hence, it was suspended.

Anyanwu listed objectives of the bill to include, to amend the Code of Conduct Bureau and Tribunal Act Cap. C15 Laws of the Federation of Nigeria, 2004 by Altering the tenure of the office of the Chairman and Members of the Bureau; Amend entry age of the Chairman and Members of the Bureau; Relocating the power to exercise authority over the Bureau from Mr. President to the National Assembly, Extending power of the Attorney-General of the Federation to prosecute to private legal practitioners to enable the Bureau prosecute its cases; and Making certain provisions clearer and more elaborate.

Section 1(2)(b) which sought to reduce the entry age of the Chairman and members of the Bureau from 50 years to 30 years was rejected by the Senate.

The Upper Chamber therefore retained 50 years as the entry age of the Chairman and members of the bureau. Section 1(4) which sought to reduce the tenure of the chairman and members from serving until they are 70 to a term of five years subject to renewal for one further term only, making a total of 10 years in all was carried.

The Senate resolved that “Section 18(1)(2) under “Exemption” are amended by substituting ‘President’ with the ‘National Assembly’ and to substitute in sub-section 1 ‘him’ with ‘it’.”

With the amendment, the National Assembly will now perform the function in Section 18 (2) instead of the President, which implies that the National Assembly will determine those to appear before the CCT.

Those who spoke against the bill were members of the Unity Forum.

Senator Yahaya Abdullahi said: “To remove a president who has equally been elected by the country is wrong. You cannot reprobate and appropriate the substitution of the president to the National Assembly. We can hold the president responsible. We are the only institution that can even remove the president in this country under the Constitution. So, the president is under our oversight. I think we have taken this thing too far. Let us be dispassionate about this matter.”

A prominent member of Unity Forum, Senator Ahmed Lawan said: “The Senate is a moderator on legislation. This bill emanated from the House of Representatives and our colleagues there passed it. I agree totally with the submissions of some of our colleagues here that we do not have to tarry to pass it.

Attempts by Senate Leader Ali Ndume to prevail on his colleagues to suspend the consideration and passage of the bill, proved abortive.

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Saturday, October 29, 2016
Nigeria Lost N2.1 Trillion To Militants, Vandals In 2016 - NNPC

A total of $7 billion (N2.1 trillion) is said to have been lost to the activities of militants and vandals in the Niger Delta region of Nigeria.

This revelation was made known by The Group Managing Director of NNPC, Maikanti Baru, on Friday, October 28, 2016.

At the 2016 Fiscal Liquidity Assessment Committee Retreat in Abuja, Baru said the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation and Nigerian Government lost the sum to the activities of militancy groups and oil pipeline vandals.

Baru also said that apart from security challenges in the region, politics, judiciary, oil prices and production cost continued to impact negatively on the oil industry.

In his words: “Over 7000kpd of crude oil has been lost due to vandalism this year. A bulk of the loss is from JV assets. This implies that 60 per cent of oil production lost is NNPC-FGN equity.
“At an estimated price of $45 per barrel, the total 2016 revenue loss to the Federation Account translates to about $7 billion. This is money that the government could have used to achieve major infrastructural milestones.
“ This loss is equivalent to a new 7,000mw power plant; new 350kpd refinery; over 30 per cent of National budget; and a new 1,700 kilometre pipeline,’’ he said.


Proffering solution, Baru said the NNPC planned to increase security of oil and gas assets, improve its community social responsibility and the Amnesty programme.

He also said the NNPC planned to renegotiate terms of Production Sharing Contract with deep offshore operating companies because with the current agreement, only 17.7 per cent of total revenue comes to government.

Saturday, October 29, 2016
OUTRAGEOUS!!! Policeman Receives Heavy Beaten After Elderly Man He Pushed Inside Gutter Dies (Graphic Video)

The reports reads:

A Policeman was beaten up for pushing a commercial bus driver inside gutter. This incident happened at airport bus stop around 12pm on 26/10/2016

According to a facebook user (Peculiar Lekenson) who uploaded the video, he wrote: This policeman in a quest to arrest a LT commercial bus, push the old man inside d gutter at airport bus stop around 12pm on 26/10/2016. The policeman, his other colleague came in a vanagon bus which they initially arrested then use the same bus to raid on other commercial buses. The other police ran away immediate towards oshodi. While d other in the video attempt to zoom off but was crushed to d wall by the LT bus he was going to arrest.

Video below

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