The Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC) has suspended its crude oil exploration in the Lake Chad Basin and in parts of Borno State, after 48 members of its workforce and some military personnel were killed in an attack by Boko Haram.
Ibe Kachikwu, Minister of State for Petroleum Resources, who spoke to journalists in Abuja, said the exercise had to be put on hold until the corporation gets sufficient clearance from the military to resume its oil search in the region.
Kachikwu commiserated with the families of victims, saying the corporation got the necessary clearance from security agencies before embarking on the trip on Tuesday.
He regretted that the team was ambushed by the insurgents but insisted that no work would happen at the site anytime soon.
The commercial oil found in neighboring Chad Republic had encouraged the NNPC, on the orders of President Muhammadu Buhari, to intensify and focus its exploratory work in the inland basins on the Chad Basin and Benue Trough areas.
In November 2016, it resumed exploration activities in Gubio, Magumeri, Monguno, Kukawa, Abadam, Guzamala and Mobar, after getting security advice from the military.
The bodies of 48 members of the exploration team killed in the attack have been deposited at the University of Maiduguri Teaching Hospital (UMTH).
This was after the Nigerian army claimed that 10 of the abducted persons had been rescued.
An opposition party, Democratic People’s Congress (DPC), has described the Senate’s support for independent candidature in the ongoing review of the 1999 Constitution as a legislative suicide.
“The Senate unwittingly committed a legislative suicide by approving independent candidature in the constitutional amendment,” Olusegun Peters, National Chairman of the party, said in a statement.
“It is manifest that most of our senators are not popular in their constituencies and would not get their parties’ nominations for re-election.
“Independent candidature is the only option an unpopular senator can use to perpetrate himself in office with the wealth acquired while in power. It is not in national interest.
“With some Nigerians’ penchant for political appellation of ‘His Excellency’ and ‘Honourable’ on those who aspired or contested a presidential, governorship or legislative election, it is certain that INEC will have between 500 to 1000 candidates in a ballot paper. It will be chaotic and confusing to the electorate. This could come up as Nigerian democracy gradually develops.
“This is without prejudice to the proposed unbundling of INEC. Certainly, it will be an uphill task to allow independent candidates in our electoral process. At the appropriate time Nigerians will welcome independent candidates as obtainable in advanced democracies like United States of America.”
DPC also urged the 36 state houses of assembly to reject the Senate’s endorsement of independent candidature.
It kicked against “the unconstitutional power the Senate arrogated to the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to de-register political parties that did not win an election”.
This it said, would not augur well for the democratic process at a time the nation’s electoral process is grossly marred by irregularities, rigging, brigandage among others.
“It is unacceptable, unjust, undemocratic and in bad faith by major political parties who see emerging parties as a threat to their continued stay in power,” DPC said.
The bodies of 48 members of the federal government team exploring for oil in the north-east, who were ambushed by the Boko Haram on Tuesday, have been brought to the University of Maiduguri Teaching Hospital (UMTH).
This is in spite of the claims by the Nigerian army that 10 of the abducted persons had been rescued.
According to Punch, sources at the UMTH and the Maimalari Army Barrack said the corpses comprise 18 soldiers, 15 Civilian JTF members, five UNIMAID staff members and four NNPC drivers.
Six persons who were wounded in the attack but escaped to some unknown location in Yobe State were later found dead and brought to Maiduguri, according to the report.
Sani Usman, spokesman of the Army, released a press statement on Wednesday claiming that all the NNPC staff abducted in the Tuesday’s ambush had been rescued.
“On receipt of the information, the Brigade mobilized and sent reinforcement, search and rescue party that include the Armed Forces Special Forces and guides that worked and pursued the terrorists throughout the night,” he said.
“So far, they have rescued all the NNPC staff and recovered the corpses of the Officer, 8 soldiers and a civilian who have been evacuated to 7 Division Medical Services and Hospital.”
Usman also stated that the rescue team killed many of the terrorists and recovered many arms and ammunition, including gun trucks and Improvised Explosive Device (IED) making materials.
But the report by Punch said that five lecturers from the University of Maiduguri in the exploration team were killed. They include Joseph Millitus, Manaja Uba and Idris Njodi.
Danjuma Gambo, spokesman of the University of Maiduguri, said he could not comment on the development as he was in Abuja and therefore did not have adequate update on the matter.
Similarly, Kingsley Samuel, Deputy Director Army Public Relations, refused to comment on the matter, saying: “You have to get in contact with Abuja on this, as I have no available information. It is under the 8 division.”
Luka Binniyat, the former Kaduna State Bureau Chief of Vanguard Newspaper, is still in prison custody 13 days after he was granted bail by a Kaduna State high court.
Binniyat was taken to court by Nasir El-Rufai, Governor of Kaduna state, for publishing what turned out to be a false report of an attack by herdsmen in some area of Southern Kaduna.
Binniyat, a vocal critic of El-Rufai’s handling of the Southern Kaduna crisis, had reported that herdsmen attacked and killed five students of the College of Education Gidan Waya. According to him, the story was based on information given to him by a resident in the area, but it was later proven that no attack of such took place in the area.
El-Rufai subsequently got Binniyat arrested and charged to court for spreading false information capable of disrupting the public peace. This is in spite of apologies by the journalist for the error and his efforts to withdraw the story.
On July 12, Justice Bashir Sukola, of the Kaduna State High Court ordered that Binniyat be remanded in prison custody, and on Thursday July 20, the judge granted him bail but under very strict conditions.
For instance, Binniyat was ordered to produce two sureties who must deposit a bank bond of N10 million and express readiness to renew the bond every six months.
Justice Sukola adjourned the case to August 31, and ordered Binniyat to remain in prison custody pending the perfection of his bail conditions.
Alex Marama, his lawyer, said the bail conditions were too stringent for his client and was not in the interest of equity and justice. He said an application had been filed for the bail conditions to be reviewed.
Meanwhile, the Nigeria Union of Journalists (NUJ) has shown solidarity with Binniyat while condemning the Kaduna State government for its handling of the case
Christopher Isiguzo, NUJ Vice President, South East, expressed the association’s dissatisfaction during a solidarity visit to the Kaduna Prison.
“We want to also express displeasure over the conditions attached to his bail by a Kaduna High Court. We are talking about a journalist and not a criminal or hoodlum,” Isiguzo said.
“He is not part of those asking people to vacate any part of the country and you are attaching such stringent bail conditions to him.
“We are, therefore, calling for the immediate and unconditional release of our colleague. The CJN and the NJC should also intervene so judges don’t continue to drag the image of the judiciary in the mud.”
President Muhammadu Buhari was all smiles in the photos released by the Presidency after he hosted the second batch of governors who visited him on Wednesday.
The governors are Udom Emmanuel of Akwa Ibom, Samuel Ortom of Benue State, Kashim Shettima of Borno State, Dave Umahi of Ebonyi State, Umar Ganduje of Kano State; Abiola Ajimobi of Oyo State and Abdulaziz Yari of Zamfara State.
On Sunday, Buhari had received the first delegation of visitors comprising John Odigie-Oyegun, the National Chairman of the All Progressives Congress (APC); Rochas Okorocha, Governor of Imo State and Chairman of the APC Governors’ forum; Tanko Al-Makura, Governor of Nasarawa State; Yahaya Bello, Governor of Kogi State and Rotimi Amaechi, the Minister of Transportation.
The senate has decided on a series of constitution amendment matters, the highlights being the approval of independent candidature and the removal of lawmaking power from the executive.
Below are details of how the lawmakers voted on the various subheadings.
In 2011, Rebecca Dali’s son disappeared during the crises that rocked Jos, the Plateau State capital, but in 2017 a humanitarian organisation that she founded — Centre for Caring, Empowerment, and Peace Initiatives (CCEPI) — has been named winner of the Sérgio Vieira de Mello Award in recognition of her humanitarian services in the north-east.
According to NAN, the award is conferred once in every two years, to draw the attention to the unnoticed efforts by individuals, groups and organisations who are “doing something special and unique to reconcile people and parties in conflict”.
“The award ceremony will take place on August 21 in Geneva, Switzerland, during the celebration of this year’s World Humanitarian Day,” said Hanson Tamfu, External Relations Officer of the United Nations High Commission for Refugees (UNHCR), Nigeria.
Tamfu said that Dali’s organisation has been instrumental for the re-integration of women who were kidnapped and lived with the Boko Haram terrorists, as well as children born to these women, whom the local people refer to as “bad blood children”.
According to him, Dali was the first humanitarian actor to set up a livelihood programme for Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) and returnees in Madagali and Michika local government areas of Adamawa.
Reacting to the development, Dali said the award had come to assuage the sadness for the disappearance of her son in the 2011 Jos crisis.
“Indeed, the award is like a miracle to me because I never expected it,” she said. I feel as if I do not deserve any praise for the work I do because it is service to humanity and to my people.
“I dedicate this award to God almighty, all my donors, including the UNHCR, who have enabled me to be internationally visible”.
Aside the UNHCR, the CCEPI is also being supported by the International Rescue Committee (IRC), which commenced humanitarian operations in the north-east in 2014.
The Sérgio Vieira de Mello award has a symbolic cash prize of about N6.6 million.
The World Humanitarian Day is usually celebrated every August 19 in honour of the 22 aid workers who died in a bomb attack on the UN headquarters in Bagdad in 2003, among whom was Sergio Vieira de Mello, a Brazilian diplomat who worked for the UN for more than 34 years.
It is also a day to commemorate all those who have lost their lives in humanitarian service and to celebrate the spirit that inspires humanitarian workers around the world.
Many members of a federal government team on an oil exploration mission to the northeast have been kidnapped after an ambush by gunmen suspected to be Boko Haram members.
According to Punch, the team was on its way to an exploration site at Bornoyesu village in Magumeri Local Government Area of Borno State when they were ambushed halfway. The ambush was staged despite the presence of security operatives escorting the team.
The report has it that the security operatives comprised soldiers, civilian JTF members and local hunters.
“Out of the 11 vehicles (carrying the escorts) … only three escaped back to Maiduguri, while the rest are feared to have been taken away by the militants after their occupants abandoned them and scampered into the surrounding bushes,” the report quoted an unnamed security source as saying.
The source, however, could not confirm the number of people in the oil exploration team.
“I don’t know, but I heard they have been frequenting the site for about a month now,” the source said.
“No source has so far revealed to us that any or some or all the oil workers, who have been coming from Abuja, has escaped; as at this night (9:30 pm) nobody has told me anything about their whereabouts.”
A local hunter was also quoted as confirming that five soldiers who were seen to have fled the ambush had not reached Maiduguri.
He also could not confirm any death, but he said the injured among the security agents, civilian JTF and hunters, had been taken to the University of Maiduguri Teaching Hospital.
In May, Maikanti Baru, Group Managing Director of the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC), said that clearance had been obtained from military authorities for the resumption of oil exploration activities in the north-east, including the Lake Chad basin.
Young Nigerians besieged the National Assembly complex in Abuja on Tuesday demanding the passage of the ‘not too young to run’ bill.
Here is all you need to know about the bill:
NOMENCLATURE
The real nomenclature of the bill is: ‘A bill for an act to alter the provision of the constitution of the federal republic of Nigeria, 1999 and for other matters connected therewith’.
SPONSORS
At the Senate, it was sponsored by Abdul-Aziz Nyako, who represents Adamawa Central Senatorial District, while at House of Representatives, it was sponsored by Tony Nwulu, who represents Oshodi/Isolo II Federal Constituency of Lagos State.
However, the campaign to get young Nigerians aware of the bill and push for its passage is being championed by Youth Initiative for Advocacy Growth and Advancement (YIAGA), headed by Samson Itodo.
OBJECTIVES
The ‘no too young to run’ bill seeks to alter Sections 65, 106, 131, 177 of the 1999 of the Federal Republic of Nigeria (as amended) to reduce the age qualification for contesting for elective positions.
It proposed that the age requirement for running for the Office of the President should be lowered from 40 years to 30 years, Governor from 35 to 30, Senate from 35 to 30, House of Representatives 30 to 25 and State House of Assembly 30 to 25. The bill also seeks to allow independent candidature in the country’s electoral process.
Ultimately, the goal is to promote increased youth participation in the political processes globally, given that a greater percentage of the world’s population is made up of people between the ages of 20 and 40.
HOW FAR THE BILL HAS GONE?
The bill, with gazette number SB. 363, was read and passed for the first time during the Senate’s plenary on November 1, 2016. However, according to Adesola Adeyeye, an Osun State lawmaker, when it was debated by the constitution review committee, majority of the committee members opposed it, so it was dropped.
Conversely, at the House of Representatives, the bill has passed the 1st and 2nd reading stage and is currently before the House Committee on Constitution Review.
Also, according to Adeyeye, at the end of the just concluded legislators’ retreat, which took place in Lagos, the lawmakers were convinced that the bill should be given favourable consideration.
SUPPORTERS OF THE BILL
Apart from sponsors Nwulu and Nyako, some other lawmakers have publicly supported the bill. It does appear though that the bill is favourably perceived by the House of Representatives, while the same cannot be said of the Senate. Perhaps the most vocal supporter of the bill in the Senate is Adeyeye, who insists that “if you are old enough to die for your country (i.e to be enlisted in the military), you are old enough to hold office in your country”.
In the lower legislative chamber, many of the members, including Yakubu Dogara, the Speaker, had voiced support for the bill on several occasions, promising to ensure that it is passed.
Lately, Bukola Saraki, the Senate President, and some of his loyalists such as Dino Melaye, appear to be tilting in support of the bill.
INTERNATIONAL ORGANISATIONS
Ahmad Alhendawi, UN Secretary-General’s Envoy on Youth , endorses the campaign
The ‘not too young to run bill’ enjoys the support of many international organisations, chief of which is the Office of the UN Secretary-General’s Envoy on Youth, which has already turned the agitation into a global campaign.
It was launched at the first United Nations Forum on Human Rights, Democracy and the Rule of Law at United Nations Geneva, on November 22, 2016.
Other international bodies partnering with YIAGA on the campaign include the Inter-Parliamentary Union (IPU), the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), the United Nations Human Rights Office of the High Commissioner, and the European Youth Forum.
Doctors in South Africa say a nine-year-old boy infected with HIV at birth may have been cured of the disease as he has spent most of his life without needing any treatment.
According to BBC, the little boy, whose identity is being protected, was given a burst of treatment shortly after birth, but he has since been off drugs for eight-and-a-half years without symptoms or signs of active virus.
This is unusual because HIV carriers usually need treatment every day to prevent the virus from destroying their immune system and causing AIDS.
Medical researchers say understanding how the child is protected could lead to new drugs or a vaccine for stopping HIV.
The child caught the infection from his mother around the time of birth in 2007, and tests showed he had very high levels of HIV in the blood.
However, though early antiretroviral therapy was not standard practice at the time, it was given to the child from nine weeks old as part of a clinical trial.
Gradually, levels of the virus became undetectable and treatment was eventually stopped after 40 weeks, and unlike anybody else on the study, the virus has not returned.
This is the third case where early therapy against HIV has proved ‘successful’.
“The ‘Mississippi Baby’ was put on treatment within 30 hours of birth and went 27 months without treatment before HIV re-emerged in her blood,” the report read. “There was also a case in France with a patient who has now gone more than 11 years without drugs.”
However, Avy Violari, the head of paediatric research at the Perinal HIV Research Unit in Johannesburg, said it was doubtful “that antiretroviral therapy alone can lead to remission”.
“We don’t really know what’s the reason why this child has achieved remission – we believe it’s either genetic or immune system-related,” he said.
It is worth noting that while there is no active HIV in the child’s body, the virus has been detected in the child’s immune cells. Latent HIV can hide inside the immune cells for long periods of time, so there is still a danger the child could need drug treatment in the future.
Diana Gibb, a London-based researcher, said cases like this are “exciting to see.”
“But it is important to remember it is one child,” he added. “HIV is still a massive problem around the world and we mustn’t put all our eyes on to one phenomenon like this, as opposed to looking at the bigger issues for Africa.”
There are over 36.7 million people living with HIV all over the world, and only 53% of them are receiving antiretroviral therapy.
