Saturday, 31 December 2011

Boko Haram: Read Jonathan’s declaration of state of emergency address

The President declared state of emergency in the troubled areas in the four states, Borno, Yobe, Niger and plateau states in his Saturday afternoon,nationwide broadcast.




Below is the text of Jonathan’s address



ADDRESS BY HIS EXCELLENCY, PRESIDENT GOODLUCK EBELE JONATHAN, GCFR, ON THE OCCASION OF THE DECLARATION OF A STATE OF EMERGENCY IN CERTAIN PARTS OF THE FEDERATION IN ORDER TO RESTORE PULIC ORDER, PEACE AND SECURITY IN THE FEDERATION, December 31, 2011



Fellow Nigerians, it has become necessary to address you on recent events in some parts of the country that have threatened our collective security and shaken the foundations of our corporate existence as a nation.



2. You are all aware of the security challenges which the activities of the Boko Haram sect have foisted on the country. What began as sectarian crises in the North Eastern parts of the country has gradually evolved into terrorist activities in different parts of the country with attendant negative consequences on our national security.



3. Government in an effort to find a lasting solution to the security threats occasioned by the activities of the Boko Haram sect, constituted a Presidential Committee under the Chairmanship of Ambassador Usman Gaji Galtimari, to ascertain the immediate and remote causes of the crises. While efforts are being made to implement the recommendations of the Committee, the crises have assumed a terrorist dimension with vital institutions of government including the United Nations Building and places of worship becoming targets of terrorist attacks.











4. While the search for lasting solutions is ongoing, it has become imperative to take some decisive measures necessary to restore normalcy in the country especially within the affected communities. Consequently, I have in the exercise of the powers conferred on me by the provisions of section 305(1) of the Constitution, declared a state of emergency in the following parts of the federation, namely:







(i) Borno State



a) Maidugiri Metropolitan LGA



b) Gamboru Ngala LGA



c) Banki Bama LGA



d) Biu LGA



e) Jere LGA



(ii) Yobe State



a) Damaturu LGA



b) Geidam LGA



c) Potiskum LGA



d) Buniyadi-Gujba LGA



e) Gasua-Bade LGA



(iii) Plateau State



a) Jos North LGA



b) Jos South LGA



c) Barkin-Ladi LGA



d) Riyom LGA



(iv) Niger State



a) Suleja LGA



The details of this proclamation will be transmitted to the National Assembly as soon as they reconvene from their current recess, for their necessary action.



5. The Chief of Defence Staff and the Inspector-General of Police have been directed to put appropriate measures in place to ensure the protection of lives and properties of residents in the affected parts of the country. I therefore urge the political leadership in the affected states and Local Government Areas to give maximum cooperation to the law enforcement agencies deployed to their respective communities to ensure that the situation is brought under control within the shortest possible time.



6. The Chief of Defence Staff, in collaboration with other Service Chiefs, has also been directed to set up a special force unit within the Armed Forces, with dedicated counter terrorism responsibilities.



7. As part of the overall strategy to overcome the current security challenges, I have directed the closure of the land borders contiguous to the affected Local Government Areas so as to control incidences of cross boarder terrorist activities as terrorists have taken advantage of the present situation to strike at targets in Nigeria and retreat beyond the reach of our law enforcement personnel.



8. Let me assure our neighbours, especially within the ECOWAS sub-region, of Nigeria’s commitment to its international obligations as provided by the ECOWAS Protocol on Free Movement of Persons. The temporary closure of our borders in the affected areas is only an interim measure designed to address the current security challenges and will be reviewed as soon as normalcy is restored.



9. I commend the efforts of our political leaders at various levels as well as our traditional and religious leaders for their support for the various conflict resolution mechanisms and peace building measures that have been initiated by this administration. We call on the citizenry to continue to provide useful information to our law enforcement agencies to enable us arrest the situation.



10. Terrorism is a war against all of us. I call on all Nigerians to join hands with government to fight these terrorists.



11. I wish all Nigerians a very happy New Year.



12. Long Live the Federal Republic of Nigeria.

Thursday, 29 December 2011

SUPREME COURT UPHOLDS JONATHAN’S ELECTION …Buhari Kicks

The Supreme Court on Wednesday threw out a challenge to President Goodluck Jonathan's victory in April 16 elections, upholding the result and rejecting calls by the main opposition party for a recount in several parts of the country. Jonathan was declared winner with 59 percent of the vote but his nearest rival, former military ruler Muhammadu Buhari, who scored 32 percent, refused to accept the outcome.

Aso Rock Earmarks N5billion To Furnish Mrs. Jonathan’s Ngo Hq ...As She Sacks Govt. Parastatal From Office

The Institute for Peace and Conflict Resolution, Abuja, a parastatal established by a government Gazette in 2007 was on Wednesday sacked by the office of the First Lady to give way for her pet project. It was gathered that three-quarters of the office complex has been re-allocated to the African First Lady Peace Initiative, a non Governmental Organization of the First Lady, Dame Patience Jonathan. It was authoritatively gathered that the Director-General of the Institute, Dr. Joseph H.P Golwa was summoned to the Presidential Villa, Aso Rocks, Abuja and given matching others to evacuate two-third of the Institute’s staff from its operational base.
Shortly after the Aso Rocks meeting, it was gathered that some officials of the office of the First Lady visited the Central Area office of the Institute in company of a white man suspected to be the contractor contracted to rehabilitate the Institute’s building.The contractor, it was gathered, was told to create a separate gate, reception and other conveniences for the First Lady for a contract sum of N5 billion. Presidential sources, however, claim that the renovation of the building was awarded for N500million. The contract was not captured in this year’s budget, besides, the office of the First Lady is not known to the First and Second Amended 1999 Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria. The ejection order served staffers of the Institute dislocated four Directors, the whole of the accounts department and more than half of the Institute’s researchers. The affected directors include the Director of Research and Policy analysis, Director of Democracy, Director of Defence and Security and the Chief Accountant of the Institute. “Right now, one wing of the Institute has been taken over. They took over the main gate, the parking spaces and the reception area. You will be sorry for our staff as the white man came and gave us 24 hours to pack our office equipment. The Directors were so helpless but they could not say a word for fear of being victimized”, the source stressed.
Some civil servants in Abuja wondered why the First Lady did not consider buying a property with the money budgeted for the renovation. They argued that Late Mrs. Maryam Babangida used the money she realized from her NGO to build the Women Development Centre located adjacent the Central Bank of Nigeria, CBN. Wife of the late maximum dictator, General Sani Abacha, Mariam, through her NGO build the now popular National Hospital, Abuja, it is located near the bombed United Nations House, Abuja. Late wife of Former President, Stella Obasanjo built a structure and began operation at Bwari, Abuja for her NGO, Child Care. The pattern was, however, altered in the case of Hadjia Turai Yar’adua as several billions realized during the launch of her pet project, and meant to address health challenges of cancer patients allegedly went to her private purse. She is currently hibernating in Dubai.

XMAS BOMBING: NIGER DELTA MILITANTS BEGIN ATTACK ON MUSLIMS

A Niger Delta Militant Group under the aegis of Joint Revolutionary Council bombed an Islamic School in Sapele, Delta State, injuring about six Children in an apparent retaliation of Boko Haram’s Christmas Day Bombing that killed over Thirty Catholic faithful of the St. Theresa Catholic Church, Madalla, Niger State.

The Niger Delta Militant Group had warned that it will carry out a retaliatory attack against Muslims in the Southern Nigeria if Boko Haram fails to stop attack on Christians in the North.
The group warned Southern leaders not to condemn it action saying, “any southerner that speaks evil against us will be violently visited by us because they too are in support of the killing of southerner by Boko Haram.” According to a statement made available to Pointblanknews.com after the attack on the Sapele Islamic School, the group which preferred to be called Egbesu Mightier Fraternity warned that it will continue to hunt down Muslims in the Southern Nigeria until Boko Haram stop the killings and bombing of churches in the North. “The Boko Haram killings in the north will no longer be accepted and we are ready to equally kill any Muslim we see in southern Nigeria. We gave this warning since October this year if Boko Haram will not stop killing any southerner we will also kill until they (Boko Haram) stop killing because no part of this country is constitutionally empowered to kill any Nigerian,” the group said in a statement jointly signed by its “Revolutionary Council.” According to the group, “the Sapele killing in Delta State yesterday night was carried out by us(Egbesu Mightier Fraternity) even the ones of Warri and Sapele on the 8th and 10th of December respectively was carried out by us.”
“We will continue to kill. We have warned time without number that they should leave the southern states immediately. We will not regret any soul that will go on the part of any Muslim in the south,” the group said.
The Delta state police command through its Public Relations Officer, Charles Muka, confirmed the Sapele bombing. Muka said a low capacity bomb was thrown by unknown persons on a motorbike. He confirmed that six children were injured and are currently receiving treatment at an undisclosed nearby Hospital in Sapele.

Sunday, 25 December 2011

Suleja Xmas Day blast: We are responsible, says Boko Haram

A purported spokesman for Boko Haram claimed responsibility for a Christmas Day explosion near a church outside the Nigerian capital that killed at least 27 people.
“We are responsible for all the attacks in the past few days, including today’s bombing of the church in Madalla,” Abul Qaqa told AFP by phone. “We will continue to launch such attacks throughout the north in the next few days.”

Saturday, 24 December 2011

JTF soldier, 24 others paraded for kidnapping

It was a show of shame yesterday when a soldier attached to the Joint Task Force, JTF, in the Niger Delta, was among twenty four others paraded by the Rivers state Police Command over alleged involvement in kidnapping and other related crimes. According to the state Police boss, the soldier and his five member gang had made attempts to abduct a business man in the state before their arrest. Continuing, the state Police Commissioner, Mr Aba said among the twenty four paraded, six were fraudsters who connived with their accomplice in some of the telecommunication industries to defraud unsuspecting members of the public.
According to the Police boss, they got GSM numbers of senior citizens through their syndicate group in the communication sector and send threat messages to them for money. And out of fear, most of the senior citizens gave in to the threat and parted with huge sums of money. The Police Commissioner said investigation was in top gear to arrest their accomplice in the communication industry. Continuing, Mr Aba said others paraded specialised in car snatching and sale of the stolen vehicles. Among this group was a lady. He explained that luck ran out on them following a tip off the Police acted on. The Police boss further assured residents of the state of a hitch free Christmas celebration. He said over 6,000 police men had been deployed to provide security in all the nooks and crannies of the state just as he enjoined residents to go about their celebration peacefully.

NAFDAC takes charge of N25million worth of expired drugs

The National Agency for Food and Drugs Administration and Control (NAFDAC) in Edo state, yesterday, took charge of expired drugs worth over N25m from representatives of the Pharmaceutical Society of Nigeria in the state. The expired drugs were handed over to NAFDAC by officers of the Communities Pharmacies Action Centre. According to COPA, the exercise was in line with its professional duties to submit for destruction expired drugs collated from pharmacies in the state.

Friday, 23 December 2011

Police arrest journalist’s family over story on Suswam

Benue Police Command has raided the house of Mr. Henry Ibya, a Makurdi-based journalist, taking away his wife, child and 60-year old uncle over a story on Governor Gabriel Suswam’s wife, published in Wednesday’s edition of the Western Premier newspaper.
The story chronicled how the governor’s wife allegedly misappropriated N100 million meant for the celebration of an occasion tagged Celebrating the Benue woman.
It was learnt that the publication set the journalist on a collision path with the government, which ordered his arrest and prosecution.
Family sources said Ibya’s house was raided at 9pm on Wednesday. They said the police came in two vehicles and whisked away the journalist’s family members.
Colleagues react
Journalists in Makurdi expressed dismay at the arrest of their colleague’s wife, saying it was wrong to visit the sins of a person on another.
They said the action was capable of severing the relationship between the police and the media in the state.
Police story
The police, however, denied detaining the journalist’s wife, child and elderly uncle. They explained that the woman was invited for questioning but was never put in the cell. Mr. Anthony Njoku, Assistant Commissioner of Police, CID, told journalists that the police only invited the woman for questioning and never detained her.
He said the woman had been released together with the child and uncle.
He, however, appealed to journalists to prevail on the fleeing journalist to report himself to the police.

KEYAMO SEEKS DPP'S ORDER TO PROSECUTE CUSTOMS BOSS FOR ALLEGED CERTIFICATE FORGERY

A Lagos High Court, Ikeja, has  granted leave to Lagos lawyer, Festus Keyamo, to file an application for an order of mandamus to compel the state Directorate of Public Prosecution (DPP) to prosecute the Comptroller-General of the Nigeria Customs Service,  Abdullahi Dikko, for alleged certificate forgery.

Keyamo, in his statement of facts, stated that the application followed the affidavit dated September 1, 2009 and sworn to by his client, Mr. Olajide Oyewole, stating that he (Oyewole) helped Dikko to forge two certificates purportedly issued to him (Dikko) by the Nigerian Institute of Management as well as another one by the West African Examination Council (WAEC).

Thursday, 22 December 2011

Nigerian Air Hostess Arrested With 4KG Of Cocaine At Heathrow, UK

An air hostess for Arik Air, Ms Chinwendu Uwakaonyenma Ogbonnaya, was arrested at Heathrow Airport on Sunday over an allegation of smuggling four kilogram’s of cocaine into the United Kingdom.
The airline promptly promised to support the British police and the magistrates in the matter even as it regrets that the incident is the first involving its crew.A statement by the British High Commission in Abuja Tuesday said the drug was discovered in an item of luggage conveyed by 30-year-old Ogbonnaya.
“She had arrived into Heathrow Terminal 4 having travelled on an Arik Air flight from Lagos in Nigeria,” the statement said, adding that she was charged with attempting to import a class A substance, and appeared before Uxbridge Magistrate court Tuesday.
The British High Commission quoted the Director of UK Border Agency operations at Heathrow, Marc Owen, as saying: “UK Border Agency officers are on constant alert, 24 hours a day, 365 days a year to keep class A drugs and other banned substances out of the UK.”
According to him, the agency is determined to prevent this terrible trade which can have “such a destructive impact on the lives of so many”.

TACKLE CORRUPTION, BUILD NEW REFINERIES, CNPP TELLS JONATHAN

The Conference of Nigerian Political Parties (CNPP) has called on President Goodluck Jonathan to tackle corruption in the petroleum sector and build new refineries before removing fuel subsidy.

UK DISQUALIFIES NIGERIAN DOCTORS FROM SEEKING LICENSE TO PRACTICE.

Graduates of medical colleges from 9 Nigerian higher institutions seeking to register or obtain a license to practice in the United Kingdom have been barred by the General Medical Council (GMC) of the United Kingdom.


PLAB, is the UK exam that enables non UK Medical graduates to undertake post graduate medical training in the country.

The GMC is a body of independent regulators that registers doctors to practice medicine in the UK.

The decision to bar qualifications from the medical colleges was taken on 14 February 2011.

According to guidelines issued by the GMC, doctors and medical graduates who obtained their qualifications after December 10, 2010 from the affected institutions would not be approved to take the PLAB test.

The Nigerian schools barred according to the GMC’s are:
1. Ambrose Ali University (this only applies to those who graduated after 10 December 2010).
2. Ebonyi State University (this only applies to those who graduated after 10 December 2010).
3. Igbinedion University College of Health Sciences (this applies only to those who graduated on or after 1 April 2010).
4. Ladoke Akintola University of Technology (LAUTECH) (this only applies to those who graduated after 10 December 2010).
5. Nnamdi Azikiwe University (this only applies to those who graduated after 10 December 2010).
6. University of Benin (this applies only to those who graduated on or after 1 April 2010).
7. University of Jos (this only applies to those who graduated after 10 December 2010).
8. University of Nigeria (this only applies to those who graduated after 10 December 2010) and
9. University of Port Harcourt (this only applies to those who graduated after 10 December 2010).

Tuesday, 20 December 2011

Mobile Money: GTBank Partners MTN

GTBank has entered into a partnership with MTN Nigeria to promote financial inclusiveness, with the launch of Mobile Money, targeted at the unbanked population of the county. Statistics reveals that 75 percent of adult Nigerians are either unbanked or under-banked at the moment. At the launch of the product in Lagos, the Managing Director/Chief Executive Officer of GTBank Plc, Segun Agbaje said that Mobile Money will help mobilise funds from the unbanked and channel the funds to productive sectors of the economy where the funds are needed.

Actress and Upcoming Singer Tonto Dikeh Visits Dagrin's Tomb

Tonto Dikeh took time out to visit Dagrin's tomb, at Atan Cementry, Yaba Lagos. The famous indigenous rapper passed away in 2009 and was acknowledged as one of the best Nigerian rappers to ever live.

2012 Budget: Presidency to Spend 1 Billion Naira on Food Subsidy

Taxpayers will spend a fortune feeding the president and his deputy next year
The Federal Government plans to spend approximately N1 billion in feeding its first and second citizens next year if the National Assembly approves President Goodluck Jonathan’s spending proposal as submitted to it last week. The president and his deputy will together enjoy N992.57 million worth of food and general catering services in 2012. According to a  detailed analysis of the N4.749trillion  budget the president presented to lawmakers last week, the cost of purchasing food stuffs, catering supplies, kitchen equipments for the president and his vice, and their offices, will cost the nation N992.57 million, about N7 million away from a billion naira.

Sunday, 18 December 2011

DIG Ganiyu Dawodu Slumps, Dies

The Inspector-General of Police Hafiz Ringim has announced the sudden death of the Deputy Inspector General of Police in charge of Investigation (D Department), Mr. Ganiyu Ali Dawodu,
Ringim said the death occurred on Thursday in Lagos when the late DIG along with his friends visited another friend of theirs in his hotel room. Late Dawodu who sources said had been having problems with his heart slumped and died during the visit.
He was born on the 26th of June 1953 in Lagos and was appointed as Cadet Assistant Superintendent of Police in 1981 after his graduation from University of Ibadan where he bagged B.Sc. in Sociology.
He served in several states as a Senior Police Officer and these include Commissioner of Police in Osun, Sokoto and Kano states.
He also served as Assistant Inspector General of Police in Zone 1 Kano, Zone 12 Bauchi and AIG in charge of Force Intelligence Unit until his promotion to Deputy Inspector General in charge of Force Criminal Investigation Department in September 2010.
Dawodu was survived by an aged father, wives, children, brothers and sisters.

MONICA WINS MTN PROJECT FAME.

After seven long weeks, Monica has emerged winner of the season sensational music talent hunt reality TV show; MTN Project Fame West Africa. Monica beat five others to clinch the winning prize of a mouth watering recording contract, brand new RAV 4 jeep and 2.5 million naira.Monica was announced the winner during the MTN Project Fame West Africa Season 4 grand finale aired on national television on Sunday. Monica’s total prize money is a whooping 7 million naira.  She is the second female to have ever won the singing competition following massive votes that poured her way from ecstatic fans. Roy was 1st runner up. He takes home 1.5 million naira and a Toyota corolla saloon car.

FUEL SUBSIDY

FUEL SUBSIDY: FG NOT READY FOR DISCUSSION - NLC

Saturday, 17 December 2011