Bomb Blast In Turkey Kills 10, Leaves 15 Injured

A bomb blast which ripped through the historic Sultanahmet square at central Istanbul, has left ten people dead and 15 others injured.

The explosion at the major tourist attraction, occurred at about 10.20am local time on Tuesday, January 12.

Police secure the area after an explosion in central Istanbul, Turkey January 12, 2016. Turkish police sealed off a central Istanbul square in the historic Sultanahmet district on Tuesday after a large explosion, a Reuters witness said, and the Dogan news agency reported several people were injured in the blast. REUTERS/OsmanOrsal

In a statement quoted by the Dogan news agency, the city governor’s office said: “Investigations into the cause of the explosion, the type of explosion and perpetrator or perpetrators are underway,”.
At least one witness reported that a suicide bomber was responsible for the explosion, but the official cause of the explosion has not been announced, as there was no immediate claim of responsibility.
Al Jazeera’s Emre Rende, reporting from Istanbul, said information was scarce immediately after the blast.
“Witnesses have said that the blast was heard from other neighbourhoods,” he said.
“Witnesses said that the ground shook, ” Rende added.

A witness, Erdem Koroglu told NTV that he saw several people lying on the ground following the blast, as it was hard to tell who was alive or dead.
Ambulances rushed to the site of the blast which is close to the Blue Mosque and Hagia Sophia, in a major tourist area of Turkey’s most populous city, ferrying away the wounded as police cordoned off streets.
Police are reportedly taking extra measures to protect people against the possibility of a second explosion.
The blast comes just over a year after a female suicide bomber blew herself up at a police station for tourists off the same square, killing one officer and wounding another.
Turkey has seen several attacks of this magnitude in recently times. on Saturday, October 10 2015, two suspected suicide bombers killed 86 people and left scores injured at a rally of pro-Kurdish and leftist activists outside Ankara’s main train station in Turkey.

Few months earlier, about 27 people reportedly died and 100 injured, after an explosion at a cultural centre in the southeastern Turkish town of Suruc.

ISIS: Children Soldiers Narrate Their Shocking Ordeals

“Nasir” is one of the lucky ones who managed to escape from the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS), which was training him to be a suicide bomber.

ISIS sends more child soldiers into battle.

Coming Back To Life
Nasir has reunited with his mother at the Esyan refugee camp in Kurdistan and returned back to school.
Narrating his shocking ordeal to CNN, the 12-year-old boy asked not to show his face and disclose his real name.
“There were 60 of us. The scariest times for us all were when the airstrikes happened. They’d lead all of us underground into the tunnels to hide. They told us the Americans, the unbelievers, were trying to kill us but they, the fighters, they loved us. They would look after us better than our parents.
“When they were training us they would tell us our parents were unbelievers and that our first job was to go back to kill them,” he said.

Nasir said that the youngest of the boys was just 5 years old, and none of them was exempt from horrible trainings carried out by the terrorists.
“We weren’t allowed to cry but I would think about my mother, think about her worrying about me and I’d try and cry quietly. When we escaped and I saw my mother again, it was like coming back to life,” he recalled.
Nasir escaped from ISIS after he was featured in a propaganda video made at the Al Farouq Institute in Raqqa, Syria.
Unbelievably Hard Decision
According to Aziz Abdullah Hadur, a Peshmerga commander, those who reach the relative safety of the Gweyr frontline, Iraq, are in a desperate state.
“When they arrive to us they’re so skinny, they barely look human. They tell us they’ve been living in a hell,” he said.
Recalling some fierce battles in northern Iraq, the commander said that he and his fighters sometimes had to open fire on children who were sent by ISIS to attack them.

“Many times when we are facing ISIS, we see the children at the front line and they’re wearing explosive vests. They are brainwashed.
“We don’t know when they approach our positions whether they’re really escaping or they’ve been sent to kill us.
“When they make it through our lines they kill our fighters. It’s an unbelievably hard decision. You don’t know what to do because if you don’t kill them they’ll kill you,” Hadur said.

Nouri rests with his grandparents while his brother Saman sleeps. Credits: CNN

Countless Beatings
Another boy who escaped from ISIS’ clutches is 11-year-old Nouri, who was kidnapped with his family and taken to the terrorists’ camp in Tel Aafar, northern Iraq.
When Nouri refused to join other boys for training, ISIS fighters broke his leg in three places.
When the boy’s leg healed, he could only limp and became “useless” for ISIS. Rather than shoot him they allowed his grandmother to come and carry him home.
“They asked us to come with them for the training. At first we refused to go because we were afraid. They asked me to go to the mountain and I refused again, then they broke my leg. That saved me. The other children were taken by force,” he said.
Nouri’s 5-year-old brother Saman was also released. However, cruel beatings at the hands of ISIS fighters traumatized him; therefore, every night the boy wakes up screaming and suffers from seizures.
Unfortunately, the boys’ parents and their baby brother still remain in captivity.

Arms Deal Scandal: PDP Calls On Jonathan To Speak Out

The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has urged the former president Goodluck Jonathan to speak out on the controversial $2.1bn meant for the purchase of arms to fight the Boko Haram sect but which was allegedly shared by some influential politicians.

File photo of former president Goodluck Jonathan

According to the party, the controversy surrounding the sharing of the money by Sambo Dasuki, the former national security adviser (NSA), should have attracted Jonathan’s attention by now.
The Punch reports that Alhaji Abdulahi Jalo, the deputy national publicity secretary of the PDP, appealed to the ex-president at a press briefing on Monday, January 11, in Abuja.
Jalo said that Jonathan should clear the air and tell Nigerians whether he authorized the sharing of the money meant to fight insurgency in the country. He also stressed that those who took part in the sharing of the money should refund it.
“As all of you know, no single kobo can be spent by the federal government without an act of the National Assembly.
“Money earmarked for arms purchase, some people diverted it to something else. So many people that you cannot even expect were involved. Now, darkness has come to light.
“Jonathan is alive, he should clarify whether he asked the National Security Adviser to divert money meant to fight Boko Haram into his campaign.

“I’m from the North-East and I know the terrible security situation our people are facing there. The money was meant to fight Boko Haram, and we all know that you can’t rule without peace. Now darkness has given way for the light.”
“It was not only members of the PDP that shared the money; members of the All Progressives Grand Alliance, Accord Party and the Social Democratic Party, among others, also shared. At least, Chief Olu Falae is not a member of the PDP.
“All of them should return the money. Then, (former) President Jonathan must speak on it. He is still alive. Has he ever said anything like this to Dasuki, ‘go and take from the money meant for the war against Boko Haram and share for my campaign’? It is time for him to speak up,” he said.
The deputy national publicity secretary further recalled that the PDP held a fundraising dinner for Jonathan’s presidential campaign during which more than N20bn was realized. He challenged the beneficiaries of the money from Dasuki to explain how the party benefitted from such money.

“We are not fools. Money meant for the party’s campaign was given to the chairman of our party. We had a dinner, where billions of money was realised and this money was for the campaign. We said so and Nigerians were aware.
“We thank God that all those who took money used their private accounts and companies to get that. What has this got to do with the PDP?
“Haliru Bello did a contract with the office of Sambo Dasuki to the tune of N600m with his company’s name, not PDP,” he noted.
Speaking about Olisa Metuh, the national publicity secretary of the PDP, who has been recently taken into the custody of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, Jalo said:
“His company allegedly had transactions with the office of National Security Adviser. So, what is PDP’s business with that?
“We want those people that have been accused to shed more light, whether they were given the money to campaign for Jonathan.
“Did they bring the money to the party national secretariat? PDP has nothing to do with individuals that used their companies to do contracts with National Security Adviser.

“Those who have been accused to have collected money from the office of the NSA should come and tell Nigerians how they used the money for the party.
“PDP has no company. It is not a private company. It is a political party. Was this money paid into the party account? No. So, these people are ‘on their own’.”
Jalo noted that all the recipients of the money from the office of the NSA must have asked where the money was coming from. Because of their ignorance all Nigerians are looking at every member of the PDP as criminals, he added.
He also wondered why some prominent members of the party have remained quiet since the scandal broke.
Ibrahim Magu, the chairman of the EFCC, has recently explained why Goodluck Jonathan has not been arrested over the $2.1 billion arms deal.
He said that no document has been traced to the former president giving any approval for the disbursement of the money for any other purpose than arms purchase.

Security Operatives Nab Gov Mimiko With Foreign Currency In Bayelsa

The Ondo state chapter of the All Progressives Congress (APC) has alleged that Governor Olusegun Mimiko was caught with a “huge sum of foreign currency” by security operatives in the early hours of the Bayelsa state supplementary governorship election.

The Ondo state chapter of the APC alleged that Governor Olusegun Mimiko was caught with foreign currency in Bayelsa state

The Herald reports that the party’s allegation was contained in a statement issued in Akure by its director of publicity and media, Steve Otaloro.
The APC alleged that Governor Mimiko’s media aides bribed some sections of the media, especially their proprietors in Ondo and Bayelsa states, to “kill the story” from going public.
The party described as shocking and unacceptable for the state governor to take such a huge amount of money to campaign in Bayelsa state while his people are struggling to survive in the face of poverty.
“We have often heard such stories which we found difficult to believe until this instance that was intercepted by men of the security services.
“This, however, confirms why Dr. Mimiko is regarded as an ‘ATM Governor’ outside the State while the people he swore to serve are living in squalor and abject poverty,” Otaloro said.
The party spokesman said the governor cannot refute the story because he will provoke the security operatives that caught him with the foreign currencies in Bayelsa state.
“The State Government neither owned up to the story nor denied it as it used to because it knew a denial might provoke a response by the security services to set the record straight.
“Ondo State APC views this mindless profligacy with grave consequences at the time when an average Ondo State citizen finds it difficult to have a decent meal per day and at a time when the State Government is owing workers two months salary.
“Besides, the State Government budget performance index has been less than 15 percent since the beginning of Governor Mimiko’s tenure,” he said.

The party challenged Governor Mimiko to explain to Ondo people where he got the money he used to prosecute the supplementary election in the oil rich state of Bayelsa.
“At this point, Dr. Mimiko ought to concentrate on projects and services that would allow him to leave his footprint on the sand of time in terms of developmental projects as his tenure winds up rather than diverting the State resources to frivolous awards to boost his political ego,” the statement read.
Meanwhile, the Peoples Democratic Party Governors’ Forum (PDPGF), during the build up to Bayelsa state governorship election warned President Muhammadu Buhari and other relevant agencies of government to desist from interfering in the supplementary election scheduled in the state.
Bayelsa state came alive on Sunday, after the Independent National Electoral Commission announced the re-election of Governor Seriake Dickson of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) for another term of four years.

EFCC May Seek Dikko's Extradition From Dubai

The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) may seek extradition of Abdullahi Dikko, the former comptroller-general of Nigeria Customs Service, from Dubai if he fails to honour its invitation this week.

Dikko has some questions to answer over what Col Ali met on ground.

Last week, the EFCC operatives stormed Dikko’s residence at Jabi in Abuja and turned the house upside down looking for some incriminating documents over the on-going investigation of some petitions against him while in office.
Shortly after the search, the commission revealed that it had trailed the ex-customs boss to Dubai, the United Arab Emirates, and was planning to arrest him at the nation’s airports.
Leadership reports that a source close to the EFCC said that the failure of Dikko to honour the invitation may mean the use of extradition from the United Arab Emirates, where the former customs boss is suspected to be living since his retirement.

“It is advisable for Dikko to return home this week to answer some questions raised by the petitioners who accused him of sharp practices while in office the better otherwise, the commission will has no choice but to use the extradition to bring him to justice wherever he may be.
“Dikko has some questions to answer over what Col Ali met on ground, the place stinks, to say the least and if the man has travelled out of the country, we may ask him to come back if he has nothing to hide else we may be forced to use other ways to bring him back,” the source said.
Meanwhile, some youths under the aegis of the Northern Youth Council of Nigeria have condemned the recent invasion of Dikko’s residence by the EFCC operatives.
According to the northern youths, the invasion is undemocratic, barbaric and the worst form of state prosecution.

Bayelsa Poll: Tears, Prayers Trail Shooting Of Traditional Ruler

Tears and prayers have continued to trail the condition of the Peremambiri King, popular known as Progress Never Die, who is struggling for his life at a hospital in Yenagoa, Bayelsa state capital.
Never Die was shot on Saturday, January 9, during the supplementary election in Bayelsa state when some ex-militants invaded the Peremambiri community, located in Southern Ijaw local government area.
READ ALSO: Bayelsa Poll: Sylva Heads To Court
In a recent visit to the hospital (name withheld for security reason), it was gathered that Peter Ogunyanwo, the Bayelsa state police commissioner struggled to hold his emotions as he was almost moved to tears on seeing Never Die.

Bayelsa monarch”Progress Never Die” struggling to stay alive after he was shot in Southern Ijaw during the Bayelsa guber poll (PHOTO CREDIT: Ibanga Isine of Premium Times)

Premium Times reports that Ogunyanwo removed his beret and prayed fervently for the monarch.
It was gathered that just before the monarch was wheeled into the theatre for a major operation, Ogunyawo removed his cap, held the monarch on the arm and prayed for about three minutes.
The commissioner of police however advised politicians in the country to embrace peace in their quest for power.

The Peremambiri King, Progress Neverdie was said to have sustained bullet wounds during a clash that ensued between his supporters and that of a popular youth leader named Eris Paul popularly known as Ogunbos.
Naij.com reporter in Bayelsa sighted the monarch being conveyed in an ambulance to an undisclosed hospital for treatment.

Rivers APC Apologises To Professor Wole Soyinka

The Rivers state chapter of the All Progressives Congress (APC) has tendered an apology to Nobel Laureate, Professor Wole Soyinka on the recent accusation by the Rivers state government against him.
Recall that the Rivers government recently expressed shock when it found that the ex-governor of the state, Rotimi Amaechi had spent N82 million to host Soyinka to a three-hour dinner.

Austin-Tam George, the state commissioner for information and communication, made the disclosure while addressing journalists on Tuesday, January 5, at the Government House in Port Harcourt.
The Rivers APC chairman, in the state, Davies Ikanya, tendered the apology through his Senior Special Assistant (SSA) on media and public affairs, Chief Eze Chukwuemeka Eze.
Eze said: ”On behalf of the good people of Rivers State, we hereby tender an unreserved apology to Prof. Wole Soyinka and assure him that Wike’s vile attempt to link him to an imaginary corruption has failed.
”The accusation is nothing but the ranting of a drowning man looking for whom to pull into the stinking pool. But Wike has over-reached himself this time, because Prof. Soyinka is globally renowned as a man of unimpeachable integrity, who has never been associated with corruption in his over 80 years on earth.
”The fact remains that Wike is currently in a pit full of faeces, looking for whom he will splatter the faeces on; sadly, he remembered our revered Nobel laureate. As rightly observed by Prof. Soyinka, Wike is ready to splatter sewage in all possible and improbable directions.
”The Rivers APC noted that Wike, in his desperation to demonise Amaechi and whoever that is associated with him, must have forgotten that his panel of enquiry, which investigated the former governor’s tenure, exonerated him of any financial misdeeds.”
”For Wike to try to disparage a respected personality like Prof. Soyinka in this manner only exposes him as a drowning man looking for any tool to stay afloat. If Wike is sure of his records, why doesn’t he go to court to retrieve the N82 million? ”

The party stated that the achievements of the Amaechi administration could not be wished away or cancelled through cheap blackmail.
Meanwhile, Soyinka has described the statement by the Rivers state government as ‘abominable distractions.”
In a statement issued on Wednesday, January 6, the Ogun-born professor said it was never his business to look into the catering logistics of the numerous luncheons, dinners, institutions, etc. that he attends all over the world.
Reacting to the allegation, Amaechi urged Wike to go to court if he has any cases of fraud or misappropriation of state funds against him instead of what he called ”silly distractions. ”

Lionel Messi Win FIFA Ballon D'or 2015

Barcelona’s Lionel Messi has been named the 2015 FIFA Ballon D’or winner ahead of Real Madrid’s Cristiano Ronaldo and and club teammate Neymar.

Lionel Messi wins his fifth Ballon D’or

Messi, who ahead of the FIFA ballon D’or ceremony wasvoted by fans as their favorite to win the award was claiming his fifth world player of the year award (a record).
Messi won five trophies with Barcelona in an excellent. He led Barcelona to the La Liga, Copa Del Rey, UEFA Super Cup and the Club World Cup.

This is Messi’s fifth award which is a record. Messi received 41.33% of all votes ahead of Cristiano (27.76%) & Neymar (7.86%)
The winners are:
FIFA Ballon d’Or: Lionel Messi
FIFA Women’s World Player of the Year: Carli Lloyd
FIFA World Coach of the Year (Men’s): Luis Enrique
FIFA World Coach of the Year (Women’s): Jill Ellis
FIFA Puskás Award: Wendell Lira
The FIFAPro XI: Thiago Silva (PSG), Marcelo, Sergio Ramos (Real Madrid), Dani Alves (Barcelona), Andres Iniesta (Barcelona), Luka Modric (Real Madrid), Paul Pogba (Juventus), Neymar, Lionel Messi (Barcelona), Cristiano Ronaldo (Real Madrid), Manuel Neuer (Bayern Munich)

FIFA pro XI player ranking

FIFA Fair Play Award: Given to all football clubs and players who assisted in the 2015 European refugees crisis.
FACT: Only German players combined (7), Dutch combined (7) and France combined (6) have won more Ballon D’ors than Messi alone

Barcelona's Luis Suarez Gets Two-match Ban

Barcelona’s Luis Suarez has been banned for two games by the Spanish FA’s disciplinary committee for his actions in a tunnel after Barcelona’s 4 – 1 win over local rivals Espanyol in the Copa del Rey on Wednesday.

Luis Suarez of FC Barcelona looks on during the La Liga match between Real Madrid CF and FC Barcelona  (Photo by Denis Doyle/Getty Images)

 After the final whistle, the two teams scuffled in the tunnel where and referee Martinez Munuera’s reported that the former Liverpool man taunted his opponents.
In announcing their appeal, Barca said Suarez had not used the words the referee wrote in his report.
Espanyol players Pape Diop and Hernan Perez, who were both sent off during Wednesday’s game, have each received one-match suspensions.
The suspensions  apply to Copa Del Rey matches
“Barcelona received notification on Friday from the Spanish Football Federation that striker Luis Suarez was to face a two-match suspension for taking part [in] incidents between players from Barca and Espanyol in the tunnel leading to the dressing rooms following Wednesday’s Copa del Rey last 16 first leg at Camp Nou,” the statement said.
“Barcelona will immediately proceed to appeal the ban. If the sanction holds up, Suarez would miss the return leg next Wednesday and a hypothetical first leg of the quarterfinals, should Barca qualify.
“In the appeal, FC Barcelona is expected to argue that the player, as he later stated, did not use the allegedly offensive words that were attributed to him in the referee’s official notes following the match.”
Suarez has a long history of controversy on the pitch and is still serving out his nine-match FIFA ban for biting Italy’s Giorgio Chiellini at the 2014 World Cup.

What If Trump Is Elected America's Next President?

the possibility of Donald Trump, the world-famous business magnate, emerging as the next president of the United States of America. Would a person like Trump do good in a country like the US?

Donald Trump, US presidential candidate

The ongoing electioneering campaign in the United States of America has possibly taken a new turn with what can be rightly called the Trump effect. Initially, nobody gave Trump any serious thought as a contender in the next year’s presidential election, but few months after, he has managed to stay. Beyond that, he has also managed to stay at the top of Republicans’ contenders for the party’s presidential ticket even above the renowned surgeon Dr Ben Carson, former president’s son Jeb Bush, younger brother to George Bush and former governor, as well as Ted Cruz. These are well-established Americans that were perhaps taken more serious than Trump at the beginning of the campaigns.
Though not as if Donald Trump has not made his own marks in his own field too, he has. Trump is an American billionaire and writer, one of the most vocal critics of President Obama and his administration. But not more than a handfull of people took him seriously when he declared his intention to run for America’s highest political office. Today, he towers as the most preferred candidate in his party, the Republican Party, and as well occupies a remarkable position in the general election outcome as many Americans prefer him to others. In fact, according to a poll, about 68% of his supporters affirmed that they will vote for him even if he runs as an independent candidate.
What could be responsible for the rise of Trump’s political relevance in America’s presidential race?

Trump speaks the minds of Americans

Donald Trump is a perfect picture of what is right and wrong with America — arrogant rightness and arrogant wrongness. Thus in many ways, Trump seems to be championing that American creed, the mind of many Americans! Though they may not publicly share some of Trump’s views as to avoid being offensive to others, but one needs to look at the polls and his wild acceptance which is growing daily to appreciate that fact.
For instance, a 2010 Harvard politics study which placed American Muslims at 2% of Americans, has it that 53% of American Muslims find it difficult to live with their faith after the September 11, 2001 events. The import of this is that there is a palpable widespread dispassion of Americans towards other Americans of the Islamic religion. This frostiness towards Muslims in America, as is deducible from the Harvard poll, has been there. That nobody is talking about it does not mean it is not there. That people are peacefully going about their businesses trying to be modest and civilized does not conceal their sentiments against a section of Americans. The emergence of ISIS and the ongoing terror activities across the globe which have hit France, Mali and others, did not help the situation.
So when Donald Trump’s utterances about banning Muslims from travelling to America prompt online petition in the UK to ban Trump from entering the UK, but not in America, it is not coincidental; instead of his popularity to die down, it is skyrocketing.

His resentment of the norm

Donald Trump has demonstrated strong antipathy to what is popularly called political correctness in America. This is just a lose term for not being principled. Put differently, political correctness is an attempt at pleasing or posing to please everybody, or in other words, “belonging to everybody”. This is very common for politicians in America to avoid hurting a section of the populace which may then influence their chances at the polls.
Of course, political correctness is tantamount to living multi-standard life just to appear cool and accepted by all. In reality, general acceptance of a politician is simply impossible, it is only a virtue pursued. But it is relevant because of its potency to deliver bulk votes which is needful for winning election.
Political correctness is a safe net adopted by both Republican and Democrat politicians. Trump challenges the rightness of political correctness in reshaping, restoring or building a stronger America. He talks hard after the manner of America’s political realism. On 8th December, 2015, for instance, he posted on Facebook: “Since I am self-funding my campaign, I don’t have to worry about being politically correct! President Obama has fought ISIS in a politically correct manner and look where it has gotten us! If we don’t talk about and address our country’s issues – we will never solve them!”
So in many ways, Trump somehow gets people who disagree with him to agree with him at some point. By the way, that post generated about 500,000 likes, over 50, 000 shares, and about 30, 000 comments in a matter of hours! So Trump represents the face of new American politics for his staunch supporters, this is perceptible. For other American voters who find him a bit obnoxious, his apparent unusual views can be both annoying and also serve as a basis for competing views on issues.
For American politicians, Trump is driving them to brute honesty of sort. No matter how you see him or consider his views disquieting, he is making some realistic submissions within the American context. Even though he is coming from conceivably strange perspective, he is making clear points and seems to be saying what many Americans have in mind. There is every possibility for a president Trump.

How Much Ministry Of Power Will Spend On Electricity

The ministry of works, power and housing is to spend N20, 692,987,864 on the provision of electricity to its corporate headquarters in Abuja, Daily Independent reports.

Babatunde Fashola, the minister of power, works and housing.

According to the 2016 appropriation bill, the expenditure also includes the sum of N45, 463,197 for fuelling of its generating plants.
Following the amalgamation of the three key ministries, the ministry of works, power and housing will be reportedly granted a huge chunk of the national budget, especially in the power sector.
The National Rural Electrification Agency has been allocated the sum of N9.7 billion, Electricity Management Services – N2.2 billion, National Power Training Institute – N1.3 billion, Nigeria Electricity Liability Management Limited – N3.3 billion, Nigeria Bulk Electricity Trading Plc. – N60.7 billion, the Transmission Company of Nigeria – N48.2 billion.
The Federal Road Maintenance Agency has been allocated the sum of N46.2 billion, N569,566, 969 has also been allocated to the same ministry for local and foreign travels.
The ministry has proposed 19 new electricity projects valued at N20.287 billion and 78 road projects estimated to cost N260.838 billion.

On Thursday, January 7, Babatunde Fashola, the minister of power, works and housing, met with the local manufacturers of pre-paid meters in Abuja to address the problems of estimated billing and electricity theft.
According to a statement made by Timothy Oyedeji, the director of press of the ministry of power, the aim of the meeting was to re-focus attention on the need to rapidly roll-out meters in order to ensure that Distribution Companies charge electricity consumers only for energy they consume.
Oyedeji said that the report that was submitted to the meeting showed that there are over three million unmetered customers nationwide.
He stressed that government’s policy is to bridge the metering gap as quickly as possible with maximum impact on local manufacturing and employment potential fully harnessed.
Meanwhile, Sam Amadi, who served as the chairman of the Nigerian Electricity Regulatory Commission, has recently explained why electricity consumers will have to pay more from February 1 and why metering customers is very necessary.

Buhari Arrives Cotonou For Niger Basin Authority Summit

Nigeria’s president, Muhammadu Buhari has arrived in Cotonou, the Republic of Benin, for the 11th summit of the heads of state and government of the Niger Basin Authority.

President Buhari being received by the Prime Minister of Republic of Benin Mr Lionel Zinsou and Nigeria’s Ambassador to Benin Republic Amb. Lawrence Obisakin at the Cotonou International Airport as President Buhari arrives to attend 11th Summit of the Heads of State and Government of the Niger Basin Authority in Cotonou Benin Republic on 8th Jan 2016

According to a statement signed by Adamu Sambo, the president was received by the prime minister of the Republic of Benin, Mr Lionel Zinsou, Nigeria’s ambassador to Benin, Lawrence Obisakin, the minister of water resources, Suleiman Adamu, the minister of state foreign affairs and members of the Nigerian community in the neighbouring west African country.

Nine heads of state of the member countries of the Niger Basin Authority are attending the summit during which a new secretary general of the organisation is expected to be appointed.

President Buhari with President Boni Yayi of Benin Republic, President Iddris Deby of Chad, President Issoufou Mohammadou of Niger Republic and President Faure Gnassingbe of Togo as President Buhari attends 11th Summit of the Heads of State and Government of the Niger Basin Authority in Cotonou Benin Republic on 8th Jan 2016

“The minister of water resources Suleiman Adamu speaks on Nigeria’s expectation at the Summit,” the statement said.

Opinion: Let The Hunters Hunt Down Boko Haram!

The request by hunters in Borno state to be allowed by the military authorities to join in the war against insurgents in Sambisa forest may ordinarily be considered a suicidal mission on the part of the hunters, as it concerns the fact that the hunters are not evenly matched weapon-wise against Boko Haram terrorists.
However, allowing the hunters get into the thick of the battle against the insurgents may boost the fight and enable the conventional troops regain the remaining ground lost to the insurgents since the unconventional war, also described as asymmetrical war by security experts, began in 2009.
Malam Mai-Gana Mai-Durma, the Borno Emir of the Hunters, had made the appeal to the military authorities in Maiduguri while addressing newsmen recently. He said the call became necessary because the hunters were familiar with the terrain at the Sambisa forest which is the operational base of the terrorists.
Their request echoes the involvement of Civilian Joint Task Force in assisting Nigeria’s military to rout the terrorists in the North East. If the military could allow the Civilian JTF join the fight, with the attendant exploits they have done so far, why not give the patriotic hunters the same chance to hunt down the terrorists? The fact that the hunters know the terrain very well will help in taking the fight to the terrorists right in their enclave. The large number of the hunters from the 27 local government areas of Borno state which Durma said had been rendered idle by the Boko Haram terrorism, if deployed could make significant impact in the final push against the insurgents. It takes courage for hunters who cannot match the sophisticated weapons used by Boko Haram to seek to engage them inside the forest.
It was the same courage and patriotic zeal that drove a group of barely armed youths in Borno State to join the fight against the insurgents. When the Civilian JTF began their operations some years ago with bare hands and clubs against Boko Haram that had armoured tanks and other war arsenals such as rocket launchers, machine guns and AK47 rifles, many feared that they were on a suicidal mission. Indeed some of them have lost their lives in the course of this fight. But they helped in no small way in blunting the impact of the rampaging militants in Maiduguri. At a time, the youths arrested more than 30 suspected members of Boko Haram in one week alone and handed them over to security forces. Even when some military men refused to fight because of lack of weapons, the Civilian JTF kept on staking their lives by fighting the terrorists.
The youths were said to have joined the fray after over 13 people including women and children were killed by Boko Haram at Hausari Ward in June 2013. Hausari was said to be a notorious Boko Haram hideout before the Civilian JTF and Nigerian troops routed the insurgents. When the youths started the manhunt for the terrorists, Abubakar Maulum, a leader of the group in his early 20s, told reporters they were spurred to engage the terrorists by the courage displayed by a group of youths at Hausari, saying he was determined to sacrifice his life to ensure sanity returned to the state. “We are tired of them and we want to put an end to it. Since soldiers don’t really know who the Boko Haram members are, we who live with them and know them very well resolved we have no option than to help fish them out,” he said.
Taking up people who are ready to blow themselves up along with others while fighting a cause they believe in is quite a daunting task. The hunters who are begging the military authorities to be allowed to join the fight should be allowed to do so after a careful consideration. Since they claim to know the terrain very well, they should be given the necessary encouragement just like the Civilian JTF. Their collaboration with the military could result in the long awaited rescue of the Chibok girls who have been in Boko Haram’s captivity since April 2014. The war against the insurgents may have been won technically, according to the Federal Government, but until the Chibok girls are rescued and the attacks on soft targets abate substantially, Nigerians will remain skeptical and may not join in singing the victory song just yet.
At this stage of the war, no effort should be spared in enlisting the support of the people, nonetheless the willing hunters, in the war ravaged communities in the northeast states of Borno, Adamawa and Yobe, to decimate the remnants of the terrorists now attacking soft targets. Apart from engaging in direct combat, the hunters could be deployed for intelligence gathering in Sambisa forest. Allowing the hunters join the battle won’t take anything away from the gallant efforts of the nation’s military and the supreme sacrifice they have made since 2009 when the insurgency began.

APC Urges Anti-Corruption Agencies To Avoid PDP’s Gimmicks

The All Progressives Congress (APC) has reacted to three press statements issued on Friday, January 8, by the Deputy Senate President, Ike Ekweremadu, and Ekiti state governor, Ayodele Fayose and the acting national chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Uche Secondus over alleged plans by the party and President Buhari’s administration to silence the opposition through a selective anti-corruption fight.
According to a statement issued by Mala Buni, the APC national secretary, the APC says it is aware of the “intensified orchestrated attacks by the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and their agents on the hugely successful war against corruption being waged by the President Muhammadu Buhari administration”.
The party is also “aware of the plot by the PDP and their agents to stampede and blackmail anti-corruption agencies over ongoing corruption cases being investigated”, Premium Times reports.
The statement reads: “The APC urges anti-corruption agencies not to be distracted by these syndicated and coordinated attacks and continue to employ all legal and legitimate avenues to bring to book all looters of our common wealth.
“It is clear that the PDP is out of sync and out of step with the generality of Nigerians on the clamour to bring to book all looters of public funds. The days of impunity are over. The PDP and treasury thieves must pay for the recklessness and shocking mis-management of public funds perpetuated under the defunct 16-year PDP rule. It is however reassuring that in spite of desperate and shameless attempts by the PDP and it’s agents to discredit President Buhari’s anti-corruption efforts, the war against corruption is being won.
“The PDP camp in baseless allegations accuses the president of a selective anti-corruption fight while members of the APC ‘with serious corruption allegations go about their businesses’. The PDP camp in continuation of its laughable conspiracy theories also speaks of ‘a calculated attempt to decimate and silence the opposition’ through the anti-corruption fight and an attempt to turn the country to a one-party state.
“The position of the APC has not changed. For the umpteenth time, if the PDP has any proof of corruption against any APC member as alleged, we advise that they approach any of the anti-graft agencies constitutionally mandated to handle such cases. The ongoing war against corruption is not selective. Anybody guilty of corrupt practices must face the law. The political will and sincerity of purpose of the present administration to tackle corruption from the roots to the upper echelons no matter whose ox is gored is unwavering.
“We advise individuals being investigated on corruption charges to cooperate with investigators instead of declaring innocence on newspaper pages and other media outlets.
“Again we state that the PDP and their agents do not have the luxury of dictating how the present administration and anti-corruption agencies carries out its legitimate duty of catching looters of public funds, as long as it conforms with the rule of law.
“On the allegation by the acting PDP National Chairman, Uche Secondus that the APC is attempting to foist a one-party system on the country, such idle chat does not deserve a response.”
The PDP had earlier said in a statement the continued incarceration of its spokesman, Olisa Metuh, by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) since Tuesday January 5, without charging him to court, clearly shows the dictatorial character of the President Muhammadu Buhari-led APC federal government, which has not hidden its disdain for rule of law and an appetite to gag the opposition.

Soyinka Says Buhari Is Effectively Takling Corruption

Professor Wole Soyinka, world-famous Nigerian playwright and poet, a Nobel Laureate, said President Muhammadu Buhari’s administration is effectively tackling corruption, exposing the vice at a level no administration has reached before.




Soyinka spoke at his Lagos home during Lai Mohammed, the Nigerian minister of information and culture’s, Saturday visit.
“We have not had a case where it had been alleged and increasingly proven that money supposed to be spent on defending ourselves, our nation, our neighbourhood, has been shared among individuals,” Soyinka said.
“We never had experience where we were in a state of critical emergency where children are being kidnapped under our noses.
“Never had there been in a situation where we are helpless and our soldiers are sent to the front to defend our very existence and we are not backing them up with conduct that shows integrity and commitment.
“Because of these reasons, corruption is really desperate and has chosen to fight back, but I am confident that corruption will be resolved,” Soyinka said.
Professor prompted the federal government to continue bringing national treasury looters to book.
Touching upon the allegations of his own involvement in corrupt practices, Soyinka said they were insulting to him and he is ready to face appropriate legal authority if properly invited.

Benue Rerun: NEC Fixes February 13 For Mark, Onjeh Clash

The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has fixed the Benue South Senatorial District re-run election for February 13, 2016, Daily Post reports.
According to INEC, 4,931 staff will be deployed to conduct the election.
The breakdown shows that 102 Supervising Presiding Officers; 1,016 Presiding Officers; and 3,522 Assistant Presiding Officers (I, II, III), will be deployed.
Others are 1,174 Assistant Presiding Officers and 235 Reserve Assistant Presiding Officers.

INEC Decides February 13 as date when David Mark, Onjeh Will Go Head-To-Head

Many are expecting the elections to be a two-horse race between Comrade Daniel Onjeh, the candidate of the All Progressives Congress (APC) and David Mark of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP).
Naij.com recalls that the election of  David Mark was nullified by a Court Of Appeal sitting in Makurdi, the Benue state capital. The court also ordered a re-run election within 90 days.
In reaction to the the court ruling for a re-run of the Benue South Senatorial election, the returning officer who conducted the election, Professor Latif Tiamiyu, has reportedly said the election which produced David Mark as the winner was free and fair.
Benue South Senatorial District has nine local government areas, 102 Registration Areas, 1,016 Polling Units and a total of 1,174 Voting Points.

Dasukigate: How I Spent N100million Given To Me - Falae

Olu Falae, a former secretary to the government of the federation, has shed more light on how he disbursed the N100million he received from a leader of the Peoples Democratic Party, Tony Anenih, ahead of the 2015 elections.
Speaking to Premium Times, Falae said the fund was received through the account of his party, Social Democratic Party (SDP), before it was distributed to the state branches of the party.

Olu Falae explains How he Spent N100million Given to him by Tony Anenih

The 78-year old also dismissed statements by some party members that they were not aware that the N100million was received by the party from the PDP, for the elections.
He said: “It is true I received the money for the party and then it was distributed to the state branches of the party for onward distribution to other levels of the party.
“The money came through the party’s account and it was through this account that the monies were distributed.
“The account is there for everyone to verify. I can assure you that all the branches of the party in the states received the money.
“We have over 200,000 people in the party, am I supposed to go around telling everyone that I have received the money.
“I have my integrity intact. I was a former MD of a bank, I was a former minister and a former secretary to the government of the federation.
“Once they cannot link us to the Dasuki thing, they are coming up with all sorts of things.
“Based on my integrity, these allegations should be discarded. At 78, what will I be doing with public funds.”

Falae’s statement comes days after he admitted collecting N100 million from Tony Anenih, a former chairman of the Board of Trustees (BoT) of the PDP.
Naij.com recalls that the money was part of at least $2.1 billion allegedly diverted by a former National Security Adviser, Sambo Dasuki, from arms purchase to politicians.

Nigerian Players Don't Deserve CAF Awards - Okocha

Former captain of the Super Eagles, Austin ‘Jay Jay’ Okocha, says CAF’s decision not to name any Nigerian among the finalists for the African player of the year cannot be faulted.  

Austin ‘Jay Jay’ Okocha at #ShowbizInteractiveWithGEJ, Lagos, March 15, 2015.

 Speaking to reporters after the 2015 Glo-CAF ceremony held on Thursday, January 7 in Abuja, Okocha said Nigerian football has declined drastically in the past few years.
He says Nigeria should not be ashamed of going through a rough period and urged citizens to join in the battle to return Nigeria to the pinnacle of African football.
Okocha said: “I don’t think any of our players at this moment deserve to be there because we have been struggling. We must try to work hard to make sure that we will have one person in contention next time. Honestly speaking, we are going through a rough period, but there is nothing to be ashamed of.

“We all need to battle and make sure we return to where we really belong. We have signs that suggest that we may qualify for Gabon, but we must work had to see it work out by acknowledging that first of all we are not doing very well, so we have to humble ourselves by starting afresh.
“Once we accept our fate at the moment, I think there will be a fresh beginning for us. Deservedly, we are at our current ratings because our results have not been very encouraging. We just need to accept it and then fight our way back.
“But we must first admit that our current form is not that good, so that we can begin to put certain measures in place to return us to where we should be by first seeking to qualify for the Africa Cup of Nations. I believe that Sunday Oliseh will give us the ticket for Gabon.”
Gabon and Dortmund attacker Pierre Emerick Aubameyang was named African player of the year ahead of Manchester City’s Yaya Toure and Swansea City’s Andre Ayew who were in second and third place respectively.

#BayelsaDecides : Police Nab Fake INEC Official

The continued ‘drama’ at the ongoing gubernatorial elections in Bayelsa has taken a new turn as a fake official of the Independent National Electoral Commission has been arrested at Famgbe, Yenagoa, The Nation reports.
The suspect was reportedly hired to help rig the election in the area. According to reports, after adequate questioning, the suspect made confessional statement indicting some government officials.

Fake INEC Staff Arrested in Famgbe

However, Situation Room reports that two people have been killed while twelve others were seriously injured with bullet wounds in an attack at Basambiri, Nembe LGA of Bayelsa state by political thugs.
Meanwhile, there are reports that serious violence have erupted at Ekeremor town, Ekeremor local government area.
Armed thugs have reportedly hijacked security process within the area, bringing all electoral activities to a halt. 

Also, in Southern Ijaw local government, precisely in Amassoma Grammar School, men of the Joint Task Force have repelled efforts by armed political thugs who attempted to hijack electoral materials meant for some units in the ward.

EFCC Accused Of Shielding Buhari's Associates From Probe

The chairman of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), Ibrahim Magu has been accused of shielding President Muhammadu Buhari’s associates from probe.

EFCC Boss, Ibrahim Magu

The allegation was made by the Ekiti Justice Group (EJG) who accused Magu of ignoring petitions against chieftains of the All Progressives Congress (APC).

According to The Cable, the group described as “shameless falsehood”, the assurances of the EFCC boss that the commission did not have any petition against APC leaders, else it would have gone after them.
The group said: ”It is on record that petitions were submitted to the EFCC office in Abuja against former governor of Ekiti State, Dr Kayode Fayemi, by the State Government and concerned groups.”
Speaking on the allegation which have been coming up for a while, Magu recently said: “Such accusations have come up a lot, but, we work with petitions before us, in fact, I am eager and waiting for something from the other side, but nothing has come so far.”
In reaction to Magu’s words, EJG through a statement by its national secretary, Ebenezer Olaleye,  said it was on record that the Save Ekiti Coalition (SEC) wrote a petition dated September 26, 2014 to the EFCC and Independent Corrupt Practices Commission (ICPC), and the petition was submitted in Abuja on September 29, 2014.
Narrating its expereince further, the group said the state government even wrote a letter to EFCC in September 2015, reminding the commission of its petition.
The EJG said: ”It is a clear confirmation of EFCC partisanship for Magu to claim ignorance of the SEC petition duly received by the commission with attached documents on September 29, 2014.
”The EFCC chairman should rather come clean and tell Nigerians that under the President Mohammadu Buhari-led APC government, only those opposed to the federal government must be presented as corrupt while APC chieftains who are supporting the president can never be corrupt even if there is evidence that they stole their states blind.” 

Meanwhile, the national leadership of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has said it was wrong to assume that the party was against President Muhammadu Buahri’s anti-corruption war.
Alhaji Ibrahim Jalo, the deputy national publicity secretary of the PDP said the party was not against the prosecution of those who looted funds meant for the purchase of arms in the war against Boko Haram insurgency.
According to him rather than tarnish the party’s name, those guilty of looting the nation’s funds should be properly punished to serve as a deterrent to others.
Among those currently facing different charges before different courts in Abuja are the acting chairman of the BoT of the party, Alhaji Haliru Bello; a former governor of Sokoto state, Alhaji Attahiru Bafarawa; a former minister of state for finance, Amb. Bashir Yuguda; and the founder of Daar Communications Plc, Dr. Raymond Dokpesi.
Also, Chief Olisa Metuh, the national publicity secretary of the party is currently being detained by the EFCC over alleged corruption. On Tuesday, January 5, officials of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission stormed his Abuja home and whisked him away.

How Amaechi Spent Rivers' N40billion On Buhari's Election

Fresh findings have revealed that Chibuike Amaechi, the immediate past governor of Rivers state and current minister of transport, allegedly acquired and diverted not less than N40 billion of the state funds into the presidential campaign of the All Progressives Congress (APC).
According to SIGNAL, an online medium, the minister plunged the huge amount into the campaign which saw the emergence of Muhammadu Buhari as president, emerging details are revealing.
Sources informed Rivers State’s treasury was emptied into private concerns of the former governor as well as the APC presidential campaign.

An inquiry had been set up in October 2015, to investigate the sale of state assets in Rivers state under to demand the immediate prosecution of Amaechi and all his cronies involved in the illegal sale of Rivers state assets, the panel reported that the former governor misappropriated over N97 billion in the sale of the state valued assets.
“The commission recommends that the former governor of Rivers State, Rt. Hon. Rotimi Amaechi, along with his former commissioners for Finance and Power, Dr. Chamberlain Peterside and Augustine Nwokocha, respectively, should be held to account for their roles in the sales of the power generation assets of First Independent Power Limited and the disbursement of the proceeds therefrom.
“Government accepts this recommendation and directs the office of the Honorable Attorney-General and commissioner for Justice, to promptly set in motion the appropriate machinery for the recovery of the proceeds of the sale of the gas turbines from the former governor, Rotimi Amaechi, and every other persons implicated in the commission’s report,” Emma Okah, the commissioner of housing in Rivers state, who spoke on behalf of the state government, said.
A source who spoke to SIGNAL said: “The N6 billion largesse Amaechi donated to Buhari just for the primaries alone is what was partly spent settling over 8,000 APC delegates. Buhari outspent Atiku, Kwankwaso and the other aspirants. Delegates were settled in hard currency before and on the grounds of the primaries.
“Seven bullion vans brought Amaechi’s money into the arena of the APC presidential primaries. How do you think Buhari got the ticket? It was Amaechi’s money that did the job.”
Amaechi, according to the report, also allegedly funneled over N30 billion into the overall presidential campaign of the APC across the thirty-six states of Nigeria.
Another source who pleaded anonymity, said: “Amaechi was the one spending most of the money for media, for the US consultant David Axelrod and most of the private jets and vehicles used by APC during the campaign were provided by him. That’s why he became known even within his party’s circles as the ‘ATM’.”
Another senior Rives state government official, who did not want his name mentioned, informed that, “Amaechi had access to over N3 trillion during his eight years as Rivers State governor, but failed to leave funds for the development of the state. His only ambition was the wastage of Rivers State money like a prodigal son on his political ambitions.”

Five Arrested Over Plot To Attack Jonathan

e persons alleged to be plotting an attack on the house of former president Goodluck Jonathan in Yenogoa were apprehended in a hotel in Swali area of the Bayelsa state capital.
The Punch reports that, the suspects were caught as they were perfecting strategies to unleash terror in the home of the ex-president.
Names of the suspects, all males, were given as, Asupha Emeka, 34; Ebipre Ebebi, 25; Samuel Joe, 27; Okilo Matthew, 25; and Timiere Matthew, 25.

According to the report, the suspects were thugs loyal to a candidate of one of the frontline political parties in the state ahead of Saturday’s election. However, the major reason for the alleged attack on Jonathan is yet to be ascertained, but it was gathered that the incident was part of the measures to create tension.
Confirming the report, a security source, who desired anonymity, said the planned attack on Jonathan’s residence was orchestrated in a manner as to give the impression that the opposition was after the life of Jonathan.

Five arrested over plans to attack Ex-president Goodluck Jonathan’s house in Bayelsa

He said: “The planned attack on Jonathan’s house was to give an impression of violence ahead of the supplementary election in the state. What the mastermind intends to achieve through that is what I cannot fathom.
“You know this is the time of politics when politicians design all manner of tricks, crisis and strategies to heat up the polity. This is one of those aspects of dangerous politics they are playing.
“The ringleader of this dastardly act, we learnt is a member of Jonathan’s party. The whole plot was contrived to give the impression that the opposition is the one responsible.”
But on his part, Asinim Butswat, the police public relations officer, Bayelsa state command said their apprehension was based on a tip-off.
Butswat said: “On the January 6, 2016, at about 1500hrs, based on a tip-off, detectives from the Anti-Kidnapping and Anti-Vice unit stormed a hotel premises in Swali community, Yenagoa, and arrested five suspects.
“The suspects are Asupha Emeka, Ebipre Ebebi, Samuel Joe, Okilo Matthew and Timiere Matthew.”
The police spokesman said the suspects were drawing a plan to launch an attack on a yet-to-be identified location, adding that the suspects were currently undergoing interrogation and that investigation was on-going.

the alleged plot on Goodluck Jonathan comes just a month after he had narrowly escaped death in Bayelsa state on November 30, 2015.
Some suspected men accused of working for the All Progressives Congress (APC) in the state drove into Jonathan’s convoy.
The militants, who stopped and drove into a short motorcade transporting the former president from the Julius Berger bridge area of the state capital Yenagoa, trailed and chased the motorcade to the entrance of the house of Jonathan in the Kpansia area of the town, before they were trailed and detained by a combined team of security operatives attached to the ex-president.

Ex-PDP Boss, Haliru Mohammed, Son Granted Bail

Former Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) chairman, Dr Haliru Mohammed, has been granted bail alongside his son, Abba, by a Federal High Court in Abuja.

The judge over the case, Ahmed Mohammed in his ruling said granted the accused persons bail on a bond of N300 million each.

Dr Haliru Mohammed assisted by his aides out of the court room on Tuesday, January 5

“This ruling is rested on the bail applications brought to this court by the first and third defendants,” Mohammed said.

The judge added that: “The issue to be determined is whether the applicants have tendered sufficient evidences to support their bail applications.”

Quoting the constitution the judge also said bail can be denied if the applicant if granted bail will commit another offense, jump bail and/ or interfere with ongoing investigation.

The first defendant, Abba is is to provide a bond of N300 million, two sureties – one of whom must be a civil servant not below grade level 12 and the other must own a landed property with Abuja on like some of the bond.

Abba is also expected to deposit his travel passport with the court and his sureties will submit an affidavit of means and their passport photographs to the court.

He must also remainin kuje prison pending the perfection of his bail conditions.

For the the third defendant, Haliru, he is expected to provide a bail bond of N300 million, two sureties – one a director in the civil service and the other a land owner within Abuja.

The land must also be valued at N300 million and the documents of the land will be deposited at the court till the end of the trial.

The sureties will also deposit their passport photographs to the court and an affidavit of means. Haliru is also expected to deposit his travel passport to the court.

The judge also ordered that he remains under the supervision of the inspector general of police while on admission at the Abuja clinics as earlier ordered until theconditions are met.

Mohammed further adjourned the case to Tuesday, February 16 for definite hearing on the matter.

Counsel to the former defense minister, Abdulaziz Ibrahim while speaking to journalists said although the court’s conditions appeared to be stringent his client will do everything possible to meet the bail.

Recall that on Tuesday, January 5, the court adjourned the ruling on a bail application by the duo, but they have gotten a reprieve now.
Mohammed created a seen in court on the said day as he appeared in court on a wheel chair which sparked off reactions from Nigerians.
The politician and his son were arraigned by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) for allegedly receiving N300million 11 days to the 2015 presidential election.
In the charge sheet, the EFCC claimed that Bello, a former Minister of Defence, received N300million cash on March 17, which was  11 days to the presidential election.
Abbah Mohammed is alleged to have received N600 million from Dasuki’s office on behalf of BAM Projects & Properties Limited, an Abuja-based realty company.
Abbah Mohammed was arrested by the EFCC on November 30 this year, along with Bashir Yuguda, who is the former minister of state for finance; Sagir Bafarawa, son of the former Sokoto state governor Attahiru Bafarawa; and Shuaibu Salisu, the director of finance in the office of the former NSA.
Last year, the arraignment of Mohammed at the court was stalled due to ill-health on Wednesday, December, 30. Sources close to Mohammed had told Naij.com that he (Haliru Mohammed) had been sick hence his absence on the said day.
Meanwhiel, the FCT Federal High Court had directed Nigerian commercial banks to freeze the accounts of some suspects involved in the arms procurement scandal that has been traced to Sambo Dasuki, the former NSA.

Fani-Kayode Has No Right To Insult President Buhari – Okereke

Emmanuel Osita Okereke, the director general of the National Taskforce to Combat Illegal Importation of Small Arms, Ammunitions and Light Weapons, the president of Importers Association of Nigeria and a former presidential candidate of the African Liberation Party, warned former minister Femi Fani-Kayode against making verbal attacks on President Muhammadu Buhari.

Emmanuel Osita Okereke on Femi Fani Kayode verbally assaulting Buhari

Addressing the press in Enugu on Thursday, Okereke touched upon the subject of Fani-Kayode’s sharp criticism of the incumbent president.
An attack on President Buhari is an attack directed to Nigerians since the president is a corporate personality, Okereke said.
“Fani-Kayode has been involved in the government since 1999 to 2015 and somebody like him should not be talking. He was a minister of culture and tourism, and a minister for aviation. As a minister, Fani-Kayode could not renovate one single airport. Can he tell us this is his achievement as minister of aviation? Can he tell us this is his achievement as minister of culture and tourism?

“He was special adviser to Obasanjo. When he became the spokesman of the Jonathan campaign organization, what was his achievement? If he had capacity as a media person he would have found out the fault and the problem while Jonathan could not win the election. So I look at him as a failure,” Okereke said.
“President Buhari is not his mate and he never contested the same position with him. They had the power, they couldn’t manage the power and power has been given to someone else”, Okereke added.

CHAN 2016: Eagles To Take On Angola

Ahead of the 4th African Nations Championship (CHAN),  the Super Eagles  of Nigeria will confront the Palancas Negras of Angola in an international friendly on Wednesday, January 6.

The Super Eagles of Nigeria during their training

The encounter would serve as test for the Nigerian team ahead of the CHAN tournament slated for January 16 in Rwanda.
The coach of the national team, Sunday Oliseh who has since arrived the Pretoria expressed optimism about the match adding that they had began training since Sunday.

The skillful Angolan team finished as runner-up at the 2^nd African Nations Championship in Sudan five years ago, while Nigeria finished in third place at the 3^rd edition in South Africa in 2014.
Wednesday’s clash comes five days before another top duel – a friendly with Cote d’Ivoire at the same Tuks University Stadium

The Super Eagles B delegation will fly into Rwanda on January 15, three days before the team trade tackles with neighbours-to-the-north Niger Republic in their first match of the tournament, at the astro-turf Stade Regional Nyamirambo in Kigali.
The super eagles team will be captained by Chima Akas in the absence of Gbolahan Salami, will also play Tunisia and Guinea in Group C, with the match against the Guineans scheduled for the city of Rubavu.
Meanwhile, Sunday Oliseh, the head coach of Nigeria international football team, has named 23 players who will take part in African Nations Championship (CHAN) in Rwanda.
The championship will be held from January 16  to February 7, 2016.

Comic Actor To Be Buried In Feburary

Nollywood comic actor Dede One Day who died on Monday, December 14, 2015, is set to be buried on Saturday, February 13, a day before Valentine’s Day.

Dede One Day

According to members of his family the late comic actor Onwuzurike Ogubie, would be buried in his home town Umuagwuru Mbieri, Imo state.
The comic actor who became known for his ‘Laugh with Me’ project passed on after battling with high blood pressure after performing at an event in his home town.

It was reported that a day to Dede’s death, he anchored a program for one Charles Esonu in Aba. He from there went to Ugwunagbo for another event he was paid to anchor but he could not conclude the event as he was rushed to the hospital over blood pressure and died hours later.

$2.1Bn: We Will Hand Over Any Officer To EFCC – DHQ

The Defence Headquarters has said that any military personnel serving or retired who is required to make clarifications of his or her role in the ongoing $2.1 billion arms probe would be released to the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) in the interests of the country and national development.

Brigadier General Rabe Abubakar said any military personnel serving or retired would be handed to the EFCC for investigation

This was made known on Monday, January 4, by the acting director of defence information, Brigadier General Rabe Abubakar, while reacting to reports that a top military officer had been detained by the anti-graft agency.
He denied knowledge of any serving officers being in the custody of the anti-graft agency for corruption related cases, but stated that the institution has zero tolerance for corruption which is responsible for the country’s underdevelopment.
General Abubakar reiterated that any official found wanting would be made to face the law because the military as an institution of government is guided by the laws of the country.
His words: “The military is in support of the war on corruption. All military personnel, serving or retired can be invited by the committee in the interest of the nation.
“I actually don’t have the information that a serving personnel of the military is in custody of the EFCC. I am not a member of the committee so I don’t have that information but anybody serving or retired who is found wanting can be invited.
“Anybody can be invited by the committee or any other agency of government to shed more light on his action because the military is part of government institution. We are completely in support of the war against corruption because this is something that will help the country.

“More so, Nobody is above the law, the military like any of the government institutions operates within the provisions of the constitution. So whoever goes against the law must be held accountable to move our country forward.
“We are always in support of the war against corruption as we do against terrorism. Therefore, we will partner with any agency or organization on this. This is a national duty.”
The Nation reported that the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) in its investigation into the $2.1 billion arms deal arrested a top military officer in connection to the deal.
The former national security adviser, Col Sambo Dasuki has been in custody for allegedly distributing elsewhere the sum of $2.1 billion meant for arms procurement for the Nigerian armed forces.
Meanwhile, the spokesman for the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Olisa Metuh is undergoing investigation for allegedly collecting N400 million from the Office of the National Security Adviser (ONSA).

Craig Strickland Found Dead One Week After Missing

Missing country singer, Craig Strickland who was last seen one week ago has been found dead.

According to News reports, Strickland was found dead yesterday, January 4.
The Oklahoma Highway Patrol’s spokesperson confirmed the singer’s death, revealing that his body has been recovered following an extensive search of Kaw Lake area, north of Tulsa, Oklahoma.

According to the reports, Helen Strickland, Strickland’s wife, as well as his family members have been informed of his death.

Usweekly reports that Strickland’s body had been located within Bear Creek Cove, which had been the original search area.

Following the confirmation of Strickland’s death by the authorities, Helen Strickland tweeted saying:

“#CraigStrickland was found today.

“He is safe with his Father in Heaven. Thank you Lord for leading us to him today. I will praise you, Amen.”

Strickland had on Monday, December 28, been reported missing after he and his close friend, Chase Morland, headed out on a hunting trip.
May his soul rest in Peace.

Nigeria Is Not Seeking For A Loan- IMF Chief

Christine Lagarde, the managing director of the International Monetary Fund (IMF), has disclosed the real reason why she came to Nigeria.

Christine Lagarde

The IMF chief said that contrary to widespread perception, she was not in Nigeria to negotiate a loan for the country.

“I am not here to negotiate loan with conditionalities because Nigeria does not need a new IMF programme,” Lagarde said.
While addressing a press conference at the State House in Abuja, Lagarde said she had a fruitful discussion with President Muhammadu Buhari on the state of the Nigerian economy in the light of dwindling oil prices.
She further said that they had discussions on how Nigeria could face the challenges associated with global economic meltdown.
Lagarde also said that her meeting with the president also dwelled on Buhari’s fight against corruption and his commitment to transparency and accountability in governance.
Premium Times reports that the IMF Chief spoke highly of the nation, stressing that IMF considers Nigeria a key player in global financial structure.
She added that ongoing reforms in the country would definitely have a great impact country’s bordering Nigeria.
It will be recalled that in 2015,  the IMF listed Nigeria as the world’s 22nd largest economy in the world. A survey by the IMF, showed that with an annual growth rate of 5% during the course of 2015, Nigeria’s gross domestic product (GDP) is set to total $1.105trn, representing a 5% growth from 2014.
The IMF has asked Nigeria as Africa’s biggest oil producer and economy to devaluate its naira over the uncertainty trailing its political landscape and economy. According to the body, the devaluation will go a long way in aiding the economic reform which Nigeria needs.

Buhari Tells IMF MD How Nigeria Will Overcome Challenges

President Muhammadu Buhari has told Ms Christine Lagarde, the managing director of the International Monetary Fund (IMF) how he intends to manage the country’s economic crisis.
This was during a meeting between the pair at the presidential villa in Abuja on Tuesday, January 5, 2016.
A statement issued by Femi Adesina, the president’s special adviser on media and publicity indicates that President Buhari’s administration will look inwards, enforce regulations to stop financial leakages and adopt global best practices in generating more revenue to mitigate the effect of dwindling oil prices on the Nigerian economy.
The statement read: “We have just come out of budget discussions after many weeks of taking into consideration the many needs of the country, and the down turn of the economy with falling oil prices and the negative economic forecasts.

Managing Director of the International Monetary Fund (IMF), Ms Christine Lagarde and President Muhammadu Buhari during the meeting today. Photo: Femi Adesina

“We are working very hard and with the budget as our way forward, we will do our best to ensure that our country survives the current economic downturn.
“We have also told all heads of Ministries, Departments and Agencies of government that on our watch, they will fully account for all funds that get into their coffers.”

The President also informed that the federal government was reviewing its operational costs and had directed all the Ministries, Departments and Agencies to cut down on their overhead costs.
In her remarks, Ms Lagarde said that the IMF will be willing to assist Nigeria in plugging revenue leakages, tracing stolen funds and restructuring its tax system.
She said that Nigeria had all the potentials to overcome the current economic challenge of falling commodity prices without resorting to the IMF for financial support.
Meanwhile, the management of DAAR Communications, owners of AIT and Raypower have offered President Buhari a giant card as gift to commemorate the festive celebrations.

EFCC Has Not Accused Me Of Stealing - Lamido

Former governor of Jigawa state, Alhaji Sule Lamido has stated that the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) did not charge him to court for stealing. 

Alhaji Sule Lamido is standing trial for money laundering

Lamido made the statement in an interview with Premium Times published today, January 5.

Asked if he collected bribe from a major contractor in the state as alleged by the anti-graft body, Lamido said: ”I cannot speak on that because the issue is already in court.
”Secondly, the EFCC should proof whether it was a bribe or a Code of Conduct issue. In the charges they brought against me, there was no where they said I stole the Jigawa State Government money.’‘
He concluded by saying: ”Because we are in court, I don’t want to say more on the issue. Let the court determine whether I am guilty or not.”
Read the full interview here.
The former governor made headlines when he was re arraigned by the EFCC alongside his sons, Aminu Sule Lamido and Mustapha Sule Lamido before a federal high court in Abuja over charges bordering on corruption and money laundering.

Aminu Lamido had filed an appeal at the Court of Appeal sitting in Kaduna state asking the court to set aside the decision of the lower court that found him guilty of laundering $40,000 (N7.96 million).

He was arrested by operatives of the EFCC on December 11, 2012 at the Mallam Aminu Kano International Airport on his way to Egypt for failure to declare the sum of $40,000 in the Customs Currency Declaration Form after initially declaring the statutory $10,000 to the Nigeria Custom Service.