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FG Denies Excluding South East From Rail Projects

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FG Denies Excluding South East From Rail Projects

 

The federal government has said that the South-East geo-political zone was not excluded from the ongoing rail projects across the country.

Director of Press in the ministry of transportation, Yetunde Sonaike, made the clarification in a statement on Thursday.

Sonaike explained that major rail projects being undertaken by the government are the Lagos to Calabar and Lagos to Kano rail lines.

The Lagos – Calabar will traverse Lagos-Shagamu-Ore-Benin City-Sapele-Warri-Yenegoa with siding to Otuoke-Port Harcourt-Aba-Uyo-calabar and branch line from Benin City-Abudu-Onitsha including Onitsha rail bridge.

The Lagos – Kano rail Project will traverse Lagos-Abeokuta-Ibadan-Oshogbo-Ilorin-Jebba-Minna-Kaduna-Zaria-Kano with branch line from Minna-Abuja and Abuja-Kaduna.

The Ministry also stated that the China Exim Bank loan which the federal government intends to procure would be used to fund three segments from the rail project which are as follows: “Lagos-Ibadan: Lagos-Abeokuta-Ibadan with extension to Apapa Port Complex (Segment 2 of Lagos – Kano), Kano-Kaduna (Segment 3A of Lagos – Kano) and Calabar – Port Harcourt: Port Harcourt-Aba-Uyo-Calabar with extension to Onne Deep Sea Port (Segment 1 of the Coastal rail Line).”

“From the foregoing, it can be deduced that the Federal Government rail projects touch various sections of the country and therefore no section is or will be left out,” the statement read.

“The Present Administration of President Muhammadu Buhari remains committed to serving the nation and determined to revive the rail infrastructure thereby ensuring ease of movement of people and cargoes within the country.

“The rail project is aimed at fast- tracking economic diversification as well as optimizing the Federal Government change agenda in the transportation sector which will serve as an economic index for growth and development.”

It would be recalled that the Nigerian Senate had summoned the minister of transportation, Rotimi Amaechi to appear before its committee on transport to explain the seeming exclusion of rail lines linking the South East region to other parts of the country.

This followed a motion raised by Abia State lawmaker, Enyinnaya Abaribe, asking the Senate to suspend consideration of the request by President Muhammadu Buhari, for the lawmakers’ approval for the government to secure loans from the Chinese EXIM bank to finance the construction of rail projects across the country.

Abaribe said: “The Eastern section of the rail segment which has link between South-Eastern and North-Eastern segment of the rail line is completely left out.

“The loan being a federal government would be paid by all sections of the country; therefore, every section of the country should be taken into consideration.

“For the railway project to have meaningful impact on the development of the country it should cover all parts of the country.

“Exclusion of the Eastern section which links four zones of South-South, South-East, and North -Central and the North-East, and the key cities such as Port Harcourt, Enugu, Aba, Markurdi, Lafia, Gudi, Bauchi and Maiduguri is inexplicable.”

I Will Sign 2017 Budget If… Ag President Osinbajo

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I Will Sign 2017 Budget If… Ag President Osinbajo

Acting President Yemi Osinbajo has said that he would assent to the 2017 budget proposal which was recently passed by the National Assembly, once he is satisfied with the contents as passed by the legislators.

This was made known by spokesman to the acting President, Laolu Akande, via his verified tweeter handle on Thursday.

“Just so we are clear: when the time comes, everything is set, and he is satisfied, Ag. President Yemi Osinbajo will assent to the 2017 Budget,” Akande tweeted.

This follows reports by some media outfits quoting the minister of Information and Culture, Lai Mohammed as saying that it was not clear yet who will sign the budget.

Vanguard Newspaper had published a report titled: “We don’t know who will sign 2017 budget – Lai Mohammed”, but the Minister when contacted on the phone on Thursday described the report as “absolute rubbish.”

In his explanation, the Minister said: “They asked who’s going to sign the budget, the President or the VP. I said that does not arise.

“Do they want me to say President? Then, they ask when he is coming back? So, I say when it is transmitted to the Presidency, that decision will be taken.”

To further clarify the position of the information minister, his media aide released a statement denying the report by Vanguard Newspaper.

The statement read: “Our attention has been drawn to a story in a section of the media quoting the Honourable Minister of Information and Culture, Alhaji Lai Mohammed, as saying “we don’t know who will sign the 2017 budget”.

“This quote is a malicious misrepresentation of what transpired at the post-Federal Executive Council Meeting press briefing on Wednesday, 17 May 2017.

“When the minister was asked a question relating to the signing of the 2017 budget, his response was: “When it is transmitted to the Presidency, the issue will be addressed.”

“Anything beyond that response amounts to deliberate mischief and should be ignored.”

The National Assembly last week passed the 2017 budget proposal which was presented before the lawmakers by President Muhammadu Buhari in December 2016.

A total of N7.44 trillion was approved by the legislature, an increase of N143 billion from the N7.29 trillion budget submitted the President.

The passed budget is, however, yet to get to the presidency as there are reports some members of the Senate are not satisfied with the final version.

Corruption Hampering Nigeria’s Anti-Terrorism Campaign – TI

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Corruption Hampering Nigeria’s Anti-Terrorism Campaign – TI

 

International anti-corruption organization, Transparency International, TI, has said that Nigeria’s anti-terrorism campaign in the North East is not making the desired progress because of corruption in the country’s military.

TI made this known in a report released on Thursday, saying there was lack of transparency in the award of contracts.

“Corrupt military officers have been able to benefit from the conflict through the creation of fake defence contracts, the proceeds of which are often laundered abroad in the UK, US and elsewhere,” the report read.

The anti-corruption body says developments such as these make it difficult for the military to acquire the required equipment and training to take on the militants who are armed with sophisticated weapons.

TI noted that corruption in the military has left the soldiers on the field “without vital equipment, insufficiently trained and under-resourced.”

“This has crippled the Nigerian military in fighting an aggressive ideologically inspired enemy such as Boko Haram.”

The international anti-corruption body said it was disappointing that soldiers were reportedly run out of ammunition or fuel while in the battlefield, adding that such scenarios could be prevented if government’s defence budget and procurement procedures were made more transparent.

Katherine Dixon, Director Transparency International Defence and Security, called for a quick action against corruption in the Nigeria’s defence sector.

She said: “Corruption in Nigeria is not just a problem for Nigerians, but a concern for all of those looking to tackle violent extremism around the world.

“Entering into blind defence deals that ignore the rampant corruption in Nigeria’s defence sector means international partners could inadvertently be giving rise to Boko Haram.

“Likewise, the doors to allow corrupt officials to launder their ill-gotten gains out of Nigeria should be slammed shut, through the active denial of visas and other domestic legislation that targets corrupt money.”

However, in a quick reaction, spokesman of the Nigerian Defence headquarters, John Enenche, a Major General, denied the report by Transparency International, describing it as false.

Enenche maintained that issues of corruption cannot be traced to the current leadership of the Nigerian military.

According to him, “A lot has been done to train, boost troops’ morale and procure vital equipment through due process,” adding that the military “will continue to get better with the right kind of leadership that we have today”.

Enenche reiterated that the Muhammadu Buhari-led administration has ensured that the troops participating in the counter insurgency operation, codenamed ‘Operation Lafiya Dole’, get the required training and equipment.

Former FBI Director To Lead Probe Into Russia Meddling In US Election

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Former FBI Director To Lead Probe Into Russia Meddling In US Election

A former FBI boss has been named special counsel to oversee an inquiry into Russia’s alleged meddling in the 2016 US Presidential election  and any Trump campaign ties.

In naming Robert Mueller, the deputy attorney general said it was in the public interest to have an outsider.The appointment was widely endorsed by politicians from both sides.

Calls for a special investigation had mounted since President Donald Trump fired the most recent FBI director, James Comey, last week.

The announcement apparently took the White House by surprise, with Trump only being informed of it after Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein had signed the order.

The FBI and Congress are looking into potential links between Trump’s campaign team and Russia. Mueller will take over the FBI investigation.

US intelligence agencies believe Moscow tried to tip the election in favour of Trump.

Meanwhile the New York Times reports that sacked US National Security Adviser, NSA, Michael Flynn, had told Trump’s transition team in early January that he was under investigation for working as a paid lobbyist for Turkey during the election campaign.

But Trump went ahead and appointed Flynn as his national security adviser weeks later despite the warning, only to sack him after just 24 days.

In his statement announcing Mueller’s appointment, Deputy Attorney General Rosenstein said: “The public interest requires me to place this investigation under the authority of a person who exercises a degree of independence from the normal chain of command.”

Mueller, who will have wide-ranging powers, said simply: “I accept this responsibility and will discharge it to the best of my ability.”

Just over an hour after the news of Mueller’s appointment emerged, President Trump predicted the new investigation would clear him and his team.

Previously, the White House had said there was no need for an outsider to lead an inquiry.

“A thorough investigation will confirm what we already know – there was no collusion between my campaign and any foreign entity,” said the president.

The top Democrat in the Senate, Chuck Schumer, said Mueller was “exactly the right kind of individual for this job”. But House minority leader Nancy Pelosi was more cautious.”

A special prosecutor is the first step, but it cannot be the last,” she said. “He cannot take the place of a truly independent, outside commission that is completely free from the Trump administration’s meddling.

“Republican leaders were also restrained.Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell said the appointment “confirms that the investigation… will continue.”

House Speaker Paul Ryan said: “My priority has been to ensure thorough and independent investigations are allowed to follow the facts wherever they may lead… The addition of Robert Mueller as special counsel is consistent with this goal.”

Mueller, 72, served as FBI director for 12 years under Presidents George W. Bush and Barack Obama as the longest serving bureau chief since J EdgarHoover.

He is expected to announce his resignation from a private law firm to avoid conflicts of interest.

Two Soldiers Injured In Borno Suicide Bomb Attack

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Two Soldiers Injured In Borno Suicide Bomb Attack

 

Two soldiers were injured in a suicide bomb attack at a military checkpoint in Konduga, Borno State, the police said on Thursday.

The state Police spokesman, Victor Isuku, said in a statement that a female suicide bomber, detonated an explosive strapped on her at a military checkpoint just in front of an internally displaced persons camp.

Isuku said the incident took place at about 7.30 pm on Wednesday.

“A female suicide bomber detonated explosive strapped to her body at Mashimari by military checkpoint behind internally displaced persons camp at Konduga killing herself only.”

“Two Soldiers were reported injured as a result of the explosion,” he added

He said that the scene of the crime was visited by a team of the Explosive Ordnance Department, EOD, of the police who declared the area safe and restored normalcy.

The police PRO said that security officers will continue to be monitored.

Theatre Commander of Operation Lafiya Dole, Lucky Irabor, also confirmed the incident adding that the affected soldiers are currently receiving treatment at University of Maiduguri Teaching Hospital.

“What happened was they tried to stop the suicide bomber who attempted to infiltrate the camp. When she persisted they shot her in the process and got injured from the explosion that followed,” Irabor said.

Troops Free Kidnap Victims, Recover Arms In Bayelsa

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Troops Free Kidnap Victims, Recover Arms In Bayelsa

 

The leadership of the Joint Task Force, JTF, deployed to the Niger Delta has said its troops have freed two kidnap victims in a raid carried out at creeks in Brass and Ekeremor local government areas of Bayelsa State.

Commander of the JTF, Suleman Apochi, a Naval Rear Admiral, told newsmen in Yenagoa that the troops also recovered arms and ammunition in the rescue operation which took place during the weekend.

According to Apochi, three AK 47 riffles, three pistols, a medium calibre 12 mm gun as well as several rounds of ammunition were recovered from the kidnappers den during the raid He however said that one of the rescued kidnap victims sustained gunshot injuries during the shootout with the militants who later abandoned their camps due to superior firepower of the troops.

He added that the injured victim is currently receiving medical attention at a medical facility and is in a stable condition.

One of the freed victims, Sulaiman Yinusa,  was kidnapped at Abonima in Rivers while returning from a business trip to Aba.

He said he had spent 50 days in the creeks where their abductors kept them.

Yinusa said: “I remain eternally grateful to God for my rescue by the joint military force, it was God’s making, they had killed many hostages before two of us were freed, especially those that their relations cannot come up with the ransom demanded.

“They had demanded N10 million and my people cannot even raise N1 million, they negotiated ransom down to N100,000 but my people could not raise the money.

“They had told me that I will be killed today Wednesday (but) as God would have it we were freed last Sunday, that is God at work, I am so proud of Nigerian military,” the elated victim said.

The JTF commander, Apochi, further said that the military will continue its clearance operation in Southern Ondo to rid the area of criminals.

“We were vindicated when the Ondo State Governor visited the creeks in Southern Ondo following results that troops had sacked residents and destroyed houses, it was evident that no houses were torched as erroneously reported,” he said.

“We are after the criminals and we are raiding their hideouts and we need the support of the people to isolate the criminals, in the ongoing operation.”

Five Nigerians Who Can  End Poverty In The Country – Oxfam Report

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Five Nigerians Who Can  End Poverty In The Country – Oxfam Report

 

By Yekeen Nurudeen

Lifting all Nigerians living below the extreme poverty line of $1.90 per day out of poverty for one year will cost about $24 billion, an international humanitarian non-governmental organisation, Oxfam has said, adding that the wealth of only five Nigerians can bail out the country..

The organisation in a report titled “Oxfam Nigeria Inequality Report” released on Wednesday said “this amount of money is just lower than the total wealth owned overall by the five richest Nigerians in 2016, which was equal to $29.9 billion.”

In the executive summary of the report, Oxfam remarks that Nigeria is still seen as Africa’s largest economy and one of the fastest-growing in the world despite the prevailing recession, lamenting that more than half of the population grapples with extreme poverty, while a small group of elites enjoys ever-growing wealth.

It maintained that poverty and inequality in Nigeria were not due to lack of resources, but to the ill-use, misallocation and misappropriation of such resources adding that a culture of corruption and rent-seeking combined with a political elite out of touch with the daily struggles of  average Nigerians are also responsible for the high level poverty in the country.

“While more than 112 million people were living in poverty in 2010, the richest Nigerian man will take 42 years to spend all of his wealth at N1 million per day,” the report read.

According to Oxfam’s calculations, the amount of money that the richest Nigerian man can earn annually from his wealth is sufficient to lift 2 million people out of poverty for one year.

“Lifting all Nigerians living below the extreme poverty line of $1.90 out of poverty for one year will cost about $24 billion. This amount of money is just lower than the total wealth owned overall by the five richest Nigerians in 2016, which was equal to $29.9 billion” Oxfam said in the report.

According to the report , the scale of economic inequality in the country has reached extreme levels, noting that the inequality reflects in the daily struggles of the majority of the population in the face of accumulation of obscene amounts of wealth by a small number of individuals

It lamented that poverty in Nigeria is particularly outrageous as it has been growing in the context of an expanding economy where the benefits have been reaped by a minority of people, and have bypassed the majority of the population.

“Annual economic growth averaged over 7 percent in the 2000s,  and yet Nigeria is one of the few African countries where both the number and the share of people living below the national poverty line over that period, increased from 69 million in 2004 to 112 in 2010, equivalent to 69 percent of the population. In the same period the number of millionaires increased by approximately 44 percent. Income inequality, as measured by the Gini Index, grew from 40% in 2003 to 43 percent in 2009.

“Regional inequality is high in Nigeria, and it translates into higher rates of poverty in the north-western states of the country. For example, in Sokoto State, 81 percent of the population is poor, while poverty incidence is much lower, at 34 percent, in Niger,” the report revealed.

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Senate Gives Osinbajo 2 Weeks To Submit Budgets Of Revenue Agencies

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Senate Gives Osinbajo 2 Weeks To Submit Budgets Of Revenue Agencies

 

The Senate has given Acting President Yemi Osinbajo two weeks to submit the budgets of 31 government agencies, including the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation, NNPC, the Nigerian Ports Authority, NPA and the Federal Inland Revenue Service, FIRS, to the National Assembly in line with the provisions of the Nigerian Constitution and the Fiscal Responsibility Act.

The Senate also resolved that the concerned agencies should stop further spending pending compliance.

This follows a motion raised by the Deputy Leader of the Senate, Bala Na’Allah, during Wednesday’s plenary.

Many other lawmakers, including Deputy Senate President Ike Ekweremadu; Solomon Adeola, Dino Melaye; George Sekibo, Jibrin Barau, James Manager, and Barnabas Gemade, all condemned the affected agencies for showing total disregard for the law and spending huge sums without appropriation.

Section 21 of the Fiscal Responsibility Act, FRA, provides that estimates of revenue and expenditure of 31 public corporations, agencies and government owned companies, listed in the Schedule to the Act, should submit their annual budgets to their supervisory ministers “not later than end of August of each financial year.”

Then, “The Minister shall cause the estimates submitted in pursuance of subsection (2) of this section to be attached as part of the Appropriation Bill to be submitted to the National Assembly,” Section 21(3) of the Act.

The affected government agencies also include, the Nigeria Deposit insurance Corporation; Bureau of Public Enterprise, BPE; the National Agency for Science and Engineering Infrastructure; the Nigerian Social Insurance Trust Fund, NSITF; the Corporate Affairs Commission, CAC; the National Clearing and Forwarding Agency; Nigerian Unity Line; Nigerian Airspace Management Agency, NAMA; Nigerian Shippers Council, NSC; the National Maritime Authority; Raw Material Research and Development Council; Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority, NCAA and the National Sugar Development Council.

Others are the Nigerian Postal Service; Nigerian Ports Authority, NPA; Federal Airport Authority of Nigeria, FAAN; Nigerian Mining Corporation; Nigeria Re-insurance; Nigerdock Nigeria PLC; Securities and Exchange Commission, SEC; National Insurance Corporation of Nigeria; and the Nigeria Re-insurance Corporation.

Also in the list are: Nigerian Telecommunication; National Automotive Council; Nigerian Tourism Development; National Communication Commission, NCC; National Agency for Food & Drug Administration & Control, NAFDAC; Nigerian Customs Service; FIRS; and Central Bank of Nigeria, CBN.

Online newspaper Premium Times reports that some of these bodies, particularly the NCC and the FIRS, presented their 2016budgets to the National Assembly well after the passage of the 2016 national budget.

“As at November 2016, the FIRS budget for that year was still under consideration at the National Assembly, six months after the 2016 Appropriations was signed into law by the President,” Premium Times said.

Deputy Senate leader, Na’Allah pointed out that by law, the budgets of the affected agencies ought to have been presented alongside the 2017 budget presented last December by President Muhammadu Buhari.

He said that the non-submission of the budget in line with the FRA amounted to abuse of law, adding that the Senate will support the anti-corruption campaign by ensuring an end to impunity and abuse of laid down rules by people in power.

Lagos State lawmaker Sololmon Adeola, noted that the development has lingered over the years, adding that the combined budget of the agencies was bigger than the national budget.

“We are talking about N10 trillion,” he said.

Also adding to the debate, Barau Jibrin said: “It is an aberration. I don’t know where this can be condoned. Money running into trillions can be spent without being budgeted for year in year out.”

Senate President Bukola Saraki, while ruling on the issue explained that it was only the President who has the authority to write the National Assembly on appropriation matters.

Hence, Acting President Osinbajo should within two weeks receive the budgets of the affected agencies and lay same before the Senate.

Chairman of the Senate committee on Rules and Business, Baba Garbai, told journalists that the recent development would “in no way” stop the 2017 budget from being assented to by the acting President.

Nigeria Condemns Mutiny In Cote D’Ivoire

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Nigeria Condemns Mutiny In Cote D’Ivoire

 

The Nigerian Government has condemned in strong terms the recent developments in Cote d”Ivoire in which some members of the country’s  Armed Forces revolted against the Government.

This was contained in a statement issued late Wednesday by Laolu Akande, the special adviser on media to acting President Yemi Osinbajo.

“Nigeria expresses strong and unflinching support for the Government of President Allassane Ouattara and welcomes ongoing efforts at resolving the crisis,” the statement read.

“The Federal Government (Of Nigeria) urges the parties to the crisis to exercise maximum restraint, remain calm and continue with dialogue and negotiations with the Government of President Ouattara.

“Nigeria also urges the mutineers to return to their barracks and to refrain from any action capable of undermining the peace, security and democracy in the country.

The statement further “urges the people of Cote d’Ivoire to remain steadfast in their support for the Government and to refrain from giving support to the mutineers in the overall interest of peace, tranquillity, good order and prosperity of the country.”

The presidential spokesman further said that Acting President Yemi Osinbajo, had been engaged in phone discussions with the Ivorien President and the President of Liberia, Ellen Johnson-Sirleaf, who is also the current ECOWAS Chairperson, on ways towards a peaceful resolution.

In a series of conversations with both Presidents since Monday, May 15, Osinbajo reportedly expressed Nigeria’s support for the government and people of Cote d’Ivoire, and also for the sustenance of peace, security and democracy in the country.

He also noted the readiness of the Nigerian Government to work with ECOWAS and West African leaders to pursue a quick resolution of the situation.

Former Bayelsa PDP Chairman Murdered In His House

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Former Bayelsa PDP Chairman Murdered In His House

 

Former Acting Bayelsa State Chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, Christopher Hobobo, has reportedly been assassinated.

Hobobo was said to have been murdered in his residence located on PDP Road, in the State capital, Yenagoa.

He was reportedly stabbed to death by unknown assassins in the early hours of Wednesday.

This is coming less than one month after a Yenagoa-based broadcast journalist, Famous Giobaro, was also killed by unknown gunmen.

Reports say Hobobo’s gate was forced open by the assailants before they gained access into his sitting room , where they allegedly stabbed him several times in the chest.

It was gathered that the attackers had to stab their victim to death perhaps in order not to attract the attention of neighbours.

Punch newspaper reports that it was the relations of the deceased that  later invited police.

A team of policemen led by the Divisional Police Officer , Ekeki Division, was said to have removed the corpse amidst wailing from sympathisers and neighbours.

The body was said to have been deposited at the morgue of the federal Medical center, Yenagoa.

Two of the family members, Desi Tambrebofa and John Gidi , expressed shock over the manner Hobobo was brutally murdered, saying he was an  easy going man.

The Bayelsa State Commissioner of Police, Amba Asuquo , who had visited the scene of the crime , assured the family members that the police would fish out the perpetrators of the crime.

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