File: President Muhammadu Buhari and Ex – President Goodluck Jonathan
Former President Goodluck Jonathan, ex-Head of State General Abdulsalami Abubakar and former Head of the Interim National Government, Chief Ernest Shonekan, are currently attending the Council of State meeting at the Aso Rock Presidential Villa in Abuja.
They are the only past leaders attending the meeting at the time of filing this report.
The meeting commenced at exactly 11.10am, and is also being attended by Vice President Yemi Osinbajo and Secretary to the Government of the Federation, Babachir Lawal.
This is the second meeting of the Council of State convened by President Muhammadu Buhari, and the first to be attended by Jonathan since leavng office.
Senate President Bukola Saraki and House of Representatives Speaker Yakubu Dogara who are also members of the council are absent.
The meeting is expected to consider names of nominees to fill vacant positions of National and Resident Electoral Commissioners, RECs, at the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC.
The INEC currently has six national commissioners out of 12, while 21 out of 37 Resident Electoral Commissioners are yet to be appointed.
President Buhari is also expected to brief the council on the nomination of Ibrahim Idris as acting Inspector-General of Police. The Nigerian Police Council, NPC, is expected to ratify the appointment thereafter.
The Nigerian Council of State is an organ of the Nigerian government whose functions include advising the executive on policy making.
It comprises the president as chairman; vice president (deputy chairman); all former presidents and all former heads of the government of the federation; all former Chief Justices of Nigeria; President of the Senate; Speaker of the House of Representatives; state governors and Attorney-General of the Federation.
The responsibilities of the council include advising the president in the exercise of his powers with respect to the appointments of INEC commissioners, members of the National Population Commission, the National Judicial Council, prerogative of mercy and award of national honours.
The council also advises the president whenever requested to do so on the maintenance of public order and on such other matters as the president may direct.
The Nigerian Army on Tuesday arrested a suspected Boko Haram member who was on the list of 200 fighters declared wanted months ago by the military.
Muhammad Bulama, whose photograph is number 105, according to army spokesperson, Sani Usman, a Colonel, was arrested alongside two others as they headed to a market on horseback in Gujba local government area of Yobe State.
“Bulama was arrested along side with 2 other suspected Boko Haram terrorists; Ardo Abba Muhammed (elder brother to Bulama as claimed) and Muhammadu Kaigama, in Azare community, Gujba Local Government Area of Yobe State, with the help of the local vigilantes in the town.
“They were arrested riding on horseback and bicycle shepherding some sheep towards market,” Usman said in a statement.
The army spokesperson said Bulama personally identified his photograph on the list and revealed that his role in the terrorist organisation was rearing animals.
“He further confessed that they came to the village to sell the animals as they had ran out of cash in their hideout and would also get some food items back to for the upcoming Sallah festivity,” the statement read.
Minister of Defence, Mansur Dan-Ali, has recommended a total review of the nation’s defence policy to enable it tackle the many domestic security challenges in Nigeria.
The minister said this when he received the 2015 National Defence Policy Committee’s report in Abuja on Tuesday, adding that the existing National Defence Policy had not been reviewed in the last 10 years.
He is of the opinion that the lack of review over the years had made it difficult for the armed forces to effectively tackle emerging threats to national security.
Dan-Ali also explained that his ministry was already restructuring the armed forces to enable civilian staff undergo military training in other to build their capacity.
The call for a review of the defence policy is coming amidst security challenges in the oil-rich nation that have affected the nation’s crude oil output.
The so called Niger Delta Avengers has claimed responsibility for most of the attacks on oil installations in the region, which has adversely affected the Nation’s crude oil production.
In the northeast, Nigeria is yet to completely deal with the Boko Haram terrorist group, which is pushing for the establishment of an Islamic State and an end to Western education in the region.
Other splinter groups, like the Indigenous People of Biafra, IPOB, in the Southeast, are springing up and seeking secession from Nigeria.
The Nigerian Army has confirmed the death of four soldiers in a boat mishap within Bayelsa waterways saying that the remains of the soldiers were yet to be found, but residents say two bodies have so far been salvaged.
The soldiers drowned during the ongoing military training exercise codenamed “Operation Crocodile Smile” after their boat capsized along Brass Water Front, Brass Local Government Area of the state.
Spokesman of the Nigerian Army, Sani Usman, a colonel, confirmed on Tuesday in Yenagoa that four Soldiers died in the incident, but added their remains were yet to be seen.
Usman said that search is underway.
“I can confirm to you that there was a mishap yesterday involving death of four soldiers; on whether their bodies have been recovered, search is underway and we are yet to get detail on that,” he said on phone.
A resident in the area, Jonah Kennedy however said that two out of the four bodies have been recovered as at Tuesday evening by local divers.
“I learnt that the community youths, soldiers and other local divers are on search to see that those bodies are recovered; this evening, we heard that two of them have been found,” Kennedy said
Lloyd Sese, Chairman of the Maritime Workers Union in Bayelsa, described the incident as unfortunate, urging the federal and state governments to improve emergency response along waterways in the state.
Food items keep getting to camps but IDPs remain hungry
By Samuel Malik
Last week President Muhammadu Buhari ordered the police to arrest culprits involved in the diversion of relief materials meant for internally displaced persons, IDPs, and make “public example” of them. This followed a report by AP showing malnourished children in camps in Maiduguri, Borno State.
Allegations of diversion of relief materials have been with us long before now. Unfortunately, despite increased donations towards the humanitarian crisis in the Northeast, the plight of the IDPs has not abated. Instead it seems to be on the rise.
Beyond the usual rhetoric of issuing orders for the arrest of suspects, nothing else is done. A look at some of the reported cases of diversion of relief items would suffice.
In a store operated by the Borno State Emergency Management Agency, BOSEMA, in one of the camps in Maiduguri, the website also reported officials offloading food items, including cartons of tomato paste and fish inside the store. There were bags of rice, sugar, cartons of vegetable oil, several jerry cans of palm oil, and cartons of noodles.
In Adamawa state, similar things were happening at the camps. Bags of assorted items donated by companies like Dangote, Honeywell, Faro, BUA, Indomie, Vitafoam were offloaded into the stores ostensibly for distribution to IDPs. But despite the loads of relief materials donated to the camps, reports of starvation at IDP camps continued.
A malnourished child given improvised nutrition
Recently, a senior NEMA staff confirmed to the www.icirnigeria.org that less than 60 out of more than 100 trucks of relief items were delivered to the agency. This led to the arrest of a contractor accused of diverting 60 trucks loaded with relief materials.
Also, a few weeks ago, a truck carrying 600 bags of maize from Gombe state meant for displaced persons in Taraba state did not arrive. President Buhari had directed that 12,000 bags of maize be taken to Taraba and 20 trucks were loaded with the items. However, the permanent secretary of Taraba state Emergency Management Agency, Nuvalga Dan-Habu, said the state only received 11,400 bags.
Some members of the youth vigilante group, Civilian JTF, in Borno state recently arrested an ambulance leaving one of the IDPs camps with relief materials disguised as patients.
President Muhammadu Buhari’s order for the arrest of suspects was not the first time government was making such declaration. However, the outcomes have remained the same; officials continue to have a field day as investigations are never thorough and culprits go scot free.
In September 2014, at the commencement of distribution of relief materials to IDPs, former president, Goodluck Jonathan, warned that officials caught diverting relief items would face the full wrath of the law. No one was caught, and no one received the weight of the law.
In September 2015 while swearing in new commissioners and local government caretaker chairmen, Governor Kashim Shettima warned that he would not hesitate to sack any official guilty of diverting relief materials meant for IDPs.
This was after a secret investigation by the state government which confirmed that officials were actually diverting relief materials. But the government did not make a scape goat of anyone.
IDPs have been forced to become beggars in a bid to survive
Rather, government officials and agencies blame one another instead of owning up or expose those behind the crime.
NEMA finds it convenient to use the MoU it signed with the Borno state government as excuse that its duty is only to deliver food items to the custody of the state while it is the state that delivers the food to IDPs.
The state government on its part blames nongovernmental organisations operating in the state for exploiting displaced persons. Governor Shettima has openly accused NGOs in the state of making money from the misery of his people.
Refugees International, a US-based advocacy group, in April published a report indicting both government and humanitarian agencies working in the northeast of abdicating their responsibilities while thousands of IDPs starved.
If the Borno state government and indeed, the federal government, are desirous of addressing the grave humanitarian crisis in the Northeast, it must take the crime of diversion of relief materials serious. Those involved in the crime are not ghosts, and it is inexcusable that up till now, neither NEMA nor the Borno state government has exposed those behind this serious crime that has led to the death of hundreds of IDPs, including children.
If government is not just paying lip service to rehabilitation of the Northeast, it must get tough with “thieves” stealing food items meant for IDPs.
This report was published as part of the IWPR-sponsored Fellowship
President Buhari was at the APC Mega Rally at the Samuel Ogbemudia Stadium in Benin City
President Muhammadu Buhari has applauded the achievements of Governor Adams Oshiomole in Edo State and described Godwin Obaseki, candidate of the All Progressives Congress, APC, in Saturday’s Governorship Election, as the right person to succeed him.
Buhari gave the endorsement at the APC’s final campaign rally at the Samuel Ogbemudia Stadium on Tuesday in Benin, the state capital.
“Obaseki is a seasoned technocrat and I recommend him to you so that you can continue to grow the state’s developmental stride,” president Buhari said.
He also applauded what he described as the several achievements of Governor Adams Oshiomhole in the state.
Buhari said to the comrade governor: “I am grateful for inviting me to come today to identify with you. You have built schools and roads which I have seen myself,” he said.
The president said the Edo people should vote for Obaseki come Saturday, September 10, in order to sustain and continue with Oshiomhole’s “good works”.
He acknowledged that the country is going through certain economic challenges, but assured the people that his administration was on top of the matter.
President Buhari paid glowing tributes to the late Benin monarch, Oba Erediuwa, whom he described as a foremost traditional leader with unquestionable integrity.
“I have not seen any more forthright traditional ruler,” he said.
Earlier, the Edo State APC chairman, Anselm Ojezua, said the president’s visit would boost the party’s chances at the polls.
He said the party and its candidate had prepared very well and are ready for the elections, “But the president gracing the final rally will no doubt further enhance the chances of the party at the poll,’’.
“As for us, we have worked hard for the election, but the visit of Mr President today, Tuesday, is going to be an added advantage to us,” he had said.
The BBOG Campaigners defied police barricades as they pressed home their demands
A pro-Buhari group on Tuesday clashed with members of the Bring Back Our Girls, BBOG, campaigners as they made their way to the presidential villa.
The BBOG group had forced their way through a police barricade at the Three Arms Zone in Abuja, determined to have an audience with President Buhari.
PremiumTimes reported that the group of Buhari’s supporters blocked their path, demanding an end to the demonstration.
The group said the president is “a man of peace” and must not be distracted in his efforts to “move the nation forward”.
Idris King, spokesman for the group, described the BBOG group as a scam, sponsored to undermine the administration of the APC.
“We are for peace. Buhari is a man of peace,” the group chanted.
One of the leaders of BBOG group, Aisha Yesufu, said President Buhari appeared to be doing nothing to get the girls back.
“All we are saying is Bring Back Our Girls. There is a fourth option which entails doing nothing, which seems like government’s option. That will not be accepted,” she said.
Earlier in the day, security operatives, comprising mainly of police personnel, had tried to stop the campaigners from going ahead with their planned rally to the Presidential Villa, Abuja.
The ‘Bring Back Our Girls’ campaign began in April 2014 after the Boko Haram Terrorists kidnapped over 200 school girls from their school dormitory in Chibok, Borno State.
Members of the group have consistently hold sit-out sessions every day at the Unity Fountain in Abuja, calling on the government to rescue the girls from Boko Haram’s captivity.
But the campaign was revitalised after Boko Haram released a video in August, which showed that some of the girls were alive.
The terror group said it would only exchange the girls for their members detained by the government across the country.
Although President Buhari said he would be willing to concede to the demand, the chibok girls campaigners said the government had not done enough.
They vowed to march to the presidential villa every 72 hours until the government makes clear what steps it was taking to get the girls back.
The Damboa Township Market was on Tuesday re-opened to the public two years after it was closed due to Boko Haram attacks.
Damboa, headquarters of Damboa Local Government Area of Borno is located few kilometres from the Sambisa forest, the hideout of the Boko Haram terrorists.
Terrorists repeatedly attacked the town at the height of the insurgency, forcing many to flee the town. The LG authorities were also compelled to order the closure of the market, which is a commercial melting pot for communities around the area.
The Caretaker Chairman of the council, Abu Hong, reopened the market at a ceremony in Damboa.
Hong said that the market was reopened after the return of peace to the area.
The chairman commended Borno State Governor, Kashim Shettima, for his support to the military toward the fight against the terrorists.
Hong also thanked the military, members of the Civilian JTF and local hunters for their efforts in chasing out the terrorists.
He urged traders in the market to be security conscious and collaborate with security agents toward sustaining the peace in the area.
Also, the District Head of Damboa, Abdullahi Damboa, expressed happiness over the re-opening of the market.
He assured the state government of his support toward maintenance of peace in the market.
Chinese engineers have visited the site of the 3050MW Mambilla hydro-power project at Gembu in Taraba State preparatory to kicking off the project.
The high profile visit, which took place last weekend, included 40 Chinese engineers and officials of the Ministry of Power, Works and Housing Gembu is about 340 kilometres away from Jalingo, the state capital.
The team inspected areas mapped out for the project from River Dongo in Gembu, headquarters of Sardauna local government area.
The main project, including the huge turbines, is to be constructed at Baruf where River Dongo cascaded from 1671metres above sea level into the basin below.
It was gathered that this was the first time such a number of experts visited the site since the plan to construct the dam was conceived several decades ago.
The Dam, according to its design, will also boost irrigation farming in the state, a major source of excitement for thousands people who live in the project area.
Senior Special Assistant on Media to Taraba State Governor, Silvanus Giwa confirmed the visit to the area by the Chinese firm saying they were there on a feasibility study preparatory to the commencement of the project.
Also, a former deputy Speaker of the House of Representatives, Babangida Nguroje confirmed the visit by the Chinese to the Mambilla Hydro Power project site saying he was reliably informed that all necessary arrangements had been concluded for the take- off of the power project.
“I can confirm to you that the Chinese were at the project site yesterday and we have been reliably informed that they are making the necessary arrangements for the commencement of the project,” Nguroje said.
He said the people of the Mambilla were excited over the project, especially following the recent visit to the area by former President Olusegun Obasanjo while assuring that they would give their maximum cooperation for the success of the project considering its potential economic benefits.
“We are psychologically prepared for the take- off of the project,” he said even as he appealed to the Federal Government to expedite action on its take-off.
Among the 27 active power generating plants in Nigeria, only three including Kainji, Jebba and Shiroro Generation companies (Gencos) are hydro based electricity source.
The other 24 plants are gas powered turbines.
The squabbles between two Chinese companies that caused setbacks previously, had been resolved, officials told Daily Trust yesterday.
It was also learnt that the scope of work at the site has finally been presented by the Chinese contractors to the federal government.
A consultant and former staff of the Bureau of Public Enterprises (BPE) had told our reporter that President Goodluck Jonathan’s administration got a new French consultant who expanded the project’s scope to 3050mw and re-valued the cost at $3.2bn (about N636.9bn) in 2011.
The power sector expert attributed the delay in flagging off the project since 2011 to the inclusion of Sinohydro Corporation, a Chinese firm that was not part of the original bid winners – CGC/CGGC in 2005.
“The Obasanjo government signed the contract with the Chinese firm in 2007 and if it was followed by now, we would have added 2600mw additional hydropower to the grid,” he said.
Earlier this year, Fashola had said the Taraba State Governor who was a former Minister of State, Power, Darius Ishaku acquired the project land and would construct an access road to the site.
Governor Darius Ishaku of Taraba State
“The first thing to do is to acquire the land and deal with compensation issues, which the Governor has promised to deal with.
“The feasibility study has been done and so too the Environmental Impact Assessment. We move one day at a time closer to starting Mambilla,” Fashola had stated.
The Director, Energy Resources Development in the ministry, Emmanuel Ajayi who responded to a recent Daily Trust enquiries said the federal government this year resolved that the two Chinese firms, Gezhouba Construction Group Corporation (CGGC), and the Sinohydro Corporation must agree to handle the Engineering, Procurement and Construction (EPC) contract.
Ajayi in the exclusive interview said project cost had been reviewed with the Bureau of Public Procurement (BPP) valuing it at $5.732billion (about N1.140trn).
Another official in the ministry said the project could last for 63 months (over five years) after it is flagged off, including 12 months for a Defect Liability Period (test running).
On the funding sources, it was gathered that the federal government will contribute its 15 per cent equity financing after raking in about N1trillion from the sales of the 10 gas-based power plants under the National Integrated Power Projects (NIPPs).
The transaction process has been on since 2014 when the bidders were announced.
Our reporter learnt that should the funding delay, government is ready to explore a loan source for the 15% from the Africa Development Bank (AfDB) to fast track the construction as the 85 per cent funding from China is already domiciled with the China Export Import (EXIM) Bank.
The Inspector General of Police, IGP, Ibrahim Idris, has approved the deployment of additional twenty five thousand (25,000) Police personnel to Edo State to ensure safety of life and property before, during and after this Saturday’s governorship election.
The IGP has also deployed a Deputy Inspector General of Police, assisted by an Assistant Inspector General of Police and three commissioners of Police to coordinate electoral process in the state.
This was contained in a statement released by the force public relations officer, Don Awunah, on Tuesday in Abuja.
Awunah said the police personnel comprised “the Police Mobile Force [PMF], the Counter Terrorism Units [CTU], the Anti bomb Squad [EOD], the Marine Police, Conventional policemen, the Armament Units, Personnel from Force criminal Intelligence and Investigation Department [FCIID], Force Intelligence Bureau [FIB] and the Sniffer Dog Section.”
The statement added that “the Police Aerial Surveillance Helicopters and Gun Boats, ten [10] additional Armoured Personnel Carriers and five hundred and fifty patrol vehicles will be deployed, to cover all the polling units, rack centers, collating centres, Riverine areas and difficult terrains.”
Awuna stated that “the IGP will convene a Peace Accord Meeting of all the political parties, candidates, INEC officials, Election Observers and other stakeholders before the date of the election in Benin City, Edo State.”
“This meeting will focus on the overall desirability of peace during the election and adherence to the rules of the game,” he said.
The FPRO urged all police personnel and other security agencies on electoral duty “to be professionally polite and civil but firm in the discharge of their statutory duties” which is “to provide adequate security for the electorates, INEC officials, electoral materials, election observers and all stakeholders throughout the period of the election.”
He called on political parties and their leaders, traditional rulers,and community leaders, to prevail on their people to be law abiding and not allow themselves to be used to cause trouble.
He warned that the full weight of the law “will be fully applied on any person or group of persons found violating the Electoral Act.”
The IGP enjoined Edo electorates to cooperate with the Police force in the discharge of its duties, promising that its personnel “will operate within the framework of Democratic Policing.”
