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CBN Denies Forex Subsidy For Hajj Pilgrims

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CBN Denies Forex Subsidy For Hajj Pilgrims
CBN Governor, Godwin Emefiele
CBN Governor, Godwin Emefiele

Governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria, CBN, Godwin Emefiele, has said that the apex bank did not subsidise foreign exchange for the 2016 hajj pilgrims.

The CBN had released a circular stating that forex would be made available to intending pilgrims at a subsidized rate N197 to a dollar.

Garba Shehu, Senior Special Assistant on media to President Muhammadu Buhari, on Friday defended the action on his social media pages.

He said, “The exchange rate of N197 to a dollar was approved by the President about three months ago, much earlier than when the new forex regime came into being.

“The Chairman of the Hajj Commission has confirmed that it is non-discriminatory. It was approved for Christian and Muslim pilgrimages for this year. The CBN has offered an explanation,” Shehu had said.

But the decision was widely criticized by Nigerians, most notably the presidential candidate of KOWA Party in the 2015 general elections, Oluremi Sonaiya.

“Why should we be subsidising forex for people who want to go for pilgrimage?” she wondered.

“I raised this issue when Christian pilgrims got concession last year and I asked Christian leaders to reject it. I said then that those interested in pilgrimage should be made to raise money to sponsor themselves.

“Why should we expect the country to be subsidising dollar for a few people? It is disheartening,” she lamented.

But on Tuesday, Emefiele Emefiele said the deal between the CBN and the pilgrims was consummated long before the new forex policy was implemented.

“Pilgrims made what is called advance payment for their personal travel allowance, in this case $750,” Emefilele said at a press conference.

“They make those advance payments to the state pilgrims board, and then the state passes it to the national body, who in this case has reached an agreement with the central bank about the appropriate rate that would be used.

“…It is important for me to go back. In 2015, when the market rate was 197, the pilgrims commission, Christians and Muslims, actually came to the central bank and agreed at N160 to the dollar, even when the market was 197. That was an agreement and a contract reached,” Emefiele explained.

He continued, “For 2016, the pilgrims commission came to the Central Bank of Nigeria, and we agreed that it had to be done at the market rate, which at that time was N197.”

“The contract was reached sometime around March and April this year. I would think it would be inappropriate at this time, because the exchange rate has adjusted, that we should go back to the pilgrims and pay the difference.

He said the CBN, as a business, could not breach a contract reached by both parties.

Labourers Uncover Arms Cache In Anambra

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Labourers Uncover Arms Cache In Anambra

arms cache

The Anambra State Police Command on Tuesday said a cache of arms was discovered by some labourers working at a construction site at Umuowelle, Agulu in Anaocha Local Government Area of Anambra State.

Nkeiru Nwode, the State Police Public Relations Officer, said the labourers were digging the foundation of the building when they discovered the arms cache and promptly reported to Neni Police Division.

She said the state Commissioner of Police, Sam Kaula, led a team of officers to the site to supervise the evacuation of the arms cache, which according to her was in different sizes and calibers and worth millions of naira.

“The Commissioner was there to personally see things for himself. The ammunition are large, and is worth millions of Naira, investigation is still on and soon we shall get to the roots of this,” Nwode said.

The parcel of land reportedly belongs to an unidentified man who lives in Enugu.

Acording to the police PRO, the arms cache had been sent to the appropriate units for determination of their calibres, but no arrests had been made.

She urged the people in the area to remain calm as the police were on top of the situation.

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Basketmouth Blasts Jonathan’s Administration

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Basketmouth Blasts Jonathan’s Administration
Bright Okpocha aka Basketmouth
Bright Okpocha aka Basketmouth

One of Nigeria’s finest comedians, Bright Okpocha, popularly known as Basketmouth, has blamed former president Goodluck Jonathan for the economic problems bedeviling the country.

He expressed his opinion via one of his social media handles, stating that though he did not campaign nor voted for Muhammadu Buhari in the last general election, he hoped he would emerge victorious at the polls.

“While many of my colleagues, friends and family members campaigned for the PDP, APC and various candidates during the last elections (and I cannot emphasize enough that it is their right to do so), I never campaigned for Buhari or any other politician.

“Indeed, I personally hoped that he would win the election and perhaps that was evident in my body language and I am happy he won. But I did not campaign for him,” he said.

He said he would have voted anybody but Jonathan as the country was already in a bad place by the end of Jonathan’s administration “and it was only a matter of time before we would have suffered the plights of Brazil and Venezuela.”

“Truth of the matter is that I would have voted anyone that could speak 2 words of English against GEJ and that’s strictly based on the amount of greed and selfishness we witnessed from members of his administration in the 6 years that he sat on the rock.

“They put us in this septic tank we are in right now…. well, that and the oil price downfall among other things,” Basketmouth said.

Basketmouth however said he was hopeful that the Buhari-led administration woud turn around the fortunes of the Nation.

“I have seen how government can influence and affect the lives of the downtrodden positively. I am still patient, praying and hoping that PMB can turn Nigeria’s economy around and help strengthen Nigeria’s social justice system.

Amnesty International Appeals To El-Rufai Against Demolition

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Amnesty International Appeals To El-Rufai Against Demolition

Kaduna Demolition1

Amnesty International, AI, has appealed to Governor Nasir El-Rufai of Kaduna state not to go ahead with the proposed demolition of over 1,000 houses at Gbagyi Villa in Kaduna state.

The human rights group said an estimated 5,000 people would be left homeless if the state government were to go ahead with the plan.

In a statement, AI said information at its disposal shows that the government has no alternative arrangement for residents for the houses earmarked for demolition.

“The Kaduna State Urban Planning and Development Authority,KASUPDA, has issued a 21-day demolition notices to some residents of Gbagyi Villa, Kaduna state, on four occasions between 4 November 2015 and 16 March 2016,” the statement read.

It went further, “Amnesty International has seen these notices and some of the houses marked X. Residents say they have not been consulted about the planned demolition, and no alternative housing or compensation has been offered.”

The group said that residents of the area had initiated a court case on 10 March and obtained an injunction against the planned demolition, but despite the ongoing court case, the governor visited the community on 21 July and publicly said that houses will be demolished even before the conclusion of the court case.

“Each of the houses marked for demolition has an average of five residents. Therefore, should the demolitions go ahead, at least five thousand people (including, men, women and children) will be left homeless and vulnerable to a range of human rights violations,” AI stated.

It added that “Many of the residents, who are either the original farmland owners or those who bought land from its original owners, and their tenants, do not have the demanded title documents, as these are difficult and costly to obtain.”

Governor El-Rufai said the buildings had encroached on the land belonging to the Kaduna State Polytechnic, and built without title documents and building permits.

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Military Vows To Fish Out Killers of 3 Naval Officers

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Military Vows To Fish Out Killers of 3 Naval Officers
File
File

The Commander of the military operation aimed at combating militant activities in the Niger Delta region, code-named “Operation Delta Safe” force has deployed reinforcement team to apprehend suspected militants that killed three members of the Joint Task Force on Monday Morning.

The three naval personnel were reportedly killed in Nembe, a riverine area of Bayelsa State, by persons suspected to be militants who were disguised as mourners coming from a burial.

A statement by A. Ahmed, a lieutenant commander and spokesman for the military, said the officers came under attack at a checkpoint mounted by the Nembe waterway checkpoint.

“The commander of Operation Delta Safe, Rear Admiral Joseph Okojie, has consequently deployed reinforcement team to apprehend the perpetrators of this heinous crime,” the statement read.

Okojie further warned that henceforth, Operation Delta Safe would go on offensive to fish out criminals in the region.

The military spokesman said the attack will not deter the ongoing Operation Delta Safe aimed at flushing out all forms of criminality especially pipeline vandalism and destruction of illegal refinery within the region.

Ahmed assured law abiding citizens of Nembe community that Operation Delta Safe was mandated to ensure conducive and safe water ways for legitimate business in the Joint Operation Areas.

Militancy has increased in the oil-rich region in the last five months with several oil installations attacked, a situation the Nigerian government said had made worse Nigeria’s poor power supply situation.

Nigeria’s revenue, largely generated from the sale of crude oil, has decreased in recent months as a result of renewed militant activities in the Niger Delta.

Stakeholders Call For More Energy Conservation

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Stakeholders Call For More Energy Conservation
Minister of Power, Babatunde Fashola and the Shehu of Borno
Minister of Power, Babatunde Fashola and the Shehu of Borno

Stakeholders in the energy industry are unanimous in their agreement that power supply in the country could only improve if consumers were sensitised on the need to conserve energy.

This resolution was reached during a power sector stakeholders meeting in Maiduguri, the Borno state capital.

The stakeholders meeting is a monthly parley convened by the Power Minister for key actors including power generators, transmitters, and distributors.

Minister of power, works and housing Babatunde Fashola in an address at the meeting urged state governments to “educate people on the need to conserve electricity.”

“Driving through Damboa road we saw not a few shops with their electricity bulbs still switched on at 11:00am; that is energy being wasted where it is not needed and can be put to good use,” he said.

Fashola added that the “increased power supply experienced lately was in line with the Federal Government’s road map of first achieving “incremental power”.

He appealed to state governors across the nation to conduct a proper energy audit for the power ministry to use as a basis for planning power consumption.

“We plan to do one in the next census, but our work will be greatly relieved if the states give us that information in a very reliable manner,” the former Lagos State governor said.

State government officials at the meeting pledged to key into the call by the operators of the power sector, assuring them of their commitment to educating citizens on appropriate usage of energy.

It was the 8th of such energy stakeholders meeting since the current government came on board, with participants drawn from different parts of the country to identify and brainstorm on critical challenges facing the electricity industry.

Fashola inspecting the power project
Fashola inspecting the Damboa power project

The minister also inspected a 330 and 132KV line substation being constructed near Damboa which is expected to boost power generation and supply in the host state and environs upon completion.

Contractor Diverts Trucks Of Grains Meant For Northeast

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Contractor Diverts Trucks Of Grains Meant For Northeast
Senate Leader, Ali Ndume
Senate Leader, Ali Ndume

Senate Majority Leader, Ali Ndume, has revealed that out of the 113 trucks of grains approved by President Muhammadu Buhari for distribution to Internally Displaced Persons, IDPs, in the North east, only 53 were actually delivered while the remaining were diverted by the contractor.

Ndume made the revelation while speaking to journalists in Maiduguri while on a visit “to inquire about the true situation on ground regarding the release of grains.”

The Senate Leader stated that President Buhari had in April ordered the release of 10,000 tons of grains to the six North eastern states to cushion the effect of insurgency in the region but lamented that only part of the items were delivered.

He said the contractor was supposed to have delivered 103 trucks of assorted grains for distribution in Borno State, but “he only delivered 53 trucks, the authorities are on it to get the remaining 60 trucks.”

According to Ndume, President Buhari had instructed that the grains should be tracked which necessitated a probe during which it was discovered that some of the grains were diverted.

“President Muhammad Buhari is very concerned on the issues in the North East… The President had an intelligent report that the grains had not been released so he called me and asked me to find out the truth,” he said.

Ndume revealed that it was after an investigation that it was discovered that the contractor had diverted 60 trucks out of the 113 meant for the state, adding that the contractor is already in the net of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC.

“Our original plan was to start sharing the grains but we cannot distribute only 53 trucks now,” he said.

President is concerned about the Northeast

Ndume, who represents Borno South Senatorial district, expressed gratitude to President Buhari on behalf of the people of the North east region for his concern on the humanitarian crisis there.

“We are grateful for his concern on the Humanitarian crisis in the North East. Like I said we discuss most often on the issue and when I told him about the devastation in Bama and Gwoza where the entire houses and infrastructure were destroyed he felt very sad,” Ndume said.

“Last week we spent almost two hours discussing with the President on the issue of hunger, starvation, resettlement and rehabilitation of the North East.

“I think that he is genuinely concerned about the problem because he also has independent sources of information,” he added.

File: Ali Ndume and Saraki during a visit to IDP camps in Borno
File: Ali Ndume and Saraki during a visit to IDP camps in Borno

The NEDC Bill

The lawmaker expressed optimism that the National Assembly will pass the North East Development Commission, NEDC, bill into law as soon as possible.

“The House of Representatives is already done with it before going on recess. The senate was almost done with it too but for some little hiccups due to the source of funding at the proposed headquarters.”

Ndume, however, said that the issue had been resolved by the leadership, adding that: “We are hoping that immediately we resume it will be a priority to all of us as everybody is supportive of the bill.”

“The passage of the bill is crucial for effective framework for the rehabilitation of the North East devastated by the Boko Haram terrorists,” he added.

FG Re-Launches WAI

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FG Re-Launches WAI
NOA DG, Garba Abari in a group photograph with members of the WAI Brigade
NOA DG, Garba Abari in a group photograph with members of the WAI Brigade

 

The President Muhammadu Buhari-led administration has re-launched the War Against Indiscipline, WAI, Brigade.

The announcement was made by Garba Abari, the Director-General, National Orientation Agency, NOA, during the National and State Commanders meeting of the Community Support Brigade, CSB, also known as WAI.

Speaking at the meeting, Abari said: “It’s great pleasure that I have the opportunity to meet with the leadership of WAI, for the first time since my assumption of office about two months ago.

This meeting is meant to discuss the repositioning of the WAI Brigade in the current dispensation of change.

“I’m not only delighted with this gathering, but excited with you all for keeping faith and working tirelessly to contribute your quota to nation building as volunteers who are not being paid for over 3 decades. So, I salute your patriotic efforts, indeed, Nigeria salutes your patriotism,” he said.

The NOA DG, stated that the role of the WAI Brigade in civil intelligence gathering cannot be over emphasized, giving the level of insecurity, violence, kidnapping and other forms of social vices in the country.

He recalled that the WAI Brigade was a brain-child of President Buhari, who as Military Head of State in 1983 established the Brigade, to instill discipline among Nigerians, as well as fight endemic corruption.

“The ills and woes that bedeviled the nation at that time are still very much with us today,” he said.

The NOA boss disclosed that the intention of the present administration to re-launch the Brigade was for better performance, urging members contribute their quota to make the change mantra of the Buhari administration a reality.

Whenever and wherever you see something, you must say something to save our nation from decline,” Abari urged.

Governor, Military Assure Niger Residents Of Safety After Clash

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Governor, Military Assure Niger Residents Of Safety After Clash
Maj. Gen. Adeniyi Oyebade
Maj. Gen. Adeniyi Oyebade

Governor Abubakar Sani Bello of Niger State and Adeniyi Oyebade, a Major General and GOC 1 Mechanised Division of the Nigerian Army, have assured poeple of the state of their safety and urged them to be law abiding and report any suspicious persons or movements to appropriate security agencies.

The Governor who spoke through his deputy, Ahmed Ketso made the call while receiving the GOC at the Government House, Minna.

Governor Bello described last Thursday’s incidence in Kopa community and environs of Bosso Local Government Area which led to the death of ten soldiers and some civilians as unfortunate and called on all to consider it as an act of God

He stressed the need for joint operation by all security agencies so as to prevent the state from being infested with criminals flushed out from neighbouring states.

The governor then assured the GOC of the state government’s support to to the military while charging them to respect rules of engagement.

He also called on political office holders and politicians to be sensitive in their sayings and shun all sort of rumor that could become an obstacle to the peaceful co-existence that the state is known for.

The military has assured residents of Kopa, Lunko and other nearby communities in Bosso Local Government area of Niger State where 10 soldiers and 7 villagers were killed last Thursday of their safety and advised them to return to their homes.

The GOC gave this assurance during his remark at the Government House. Residents of the villages had fled their homes on Thursday following a face-off that led to the death of an officer, 8 soldiers and Air force men for fear of reprisal attacks by the military.

Oyebade said that now that normalcy has returned to the area, the state government should use all its information apparatus to plead with the villagers to return to their homes assuring that the safety of their lives and properties are guaranteed.

He also expressed the appreciation of the military high command to the state government for its prompt intervention, visit to the scene of the incidence and to 31 Artillery Brigade to condole with the officers and men over the loss of their colleagues.

He disclosed that the 57 suspects arrested by his men and the cache of assorted weapons recovered are to be handed over to the Police by Tuesday for further investigation and prosecution.

Police Arrests Suspected Killers Of Oyo State Lawmaker

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Police Arrests Suspected Killers Of Oyo State Lawmaker

police2

The Oyo State Police Command says it has arrested four suspected assassins in connection with the murder of Gideon Aremu, a member of the State House of Assembly.

Aremu, a member of the Labour Party, representing Oorelope Constituency, was until his death on July 1, the Chairman, House Committee on Information, Public Relations and Security.

He was killed in front of his house in Alakia area of the state as he alighted from his car to open his gate.

A family source had said that three gunmen on a motorcycle trailed him to the house and shot him severally after a brief argument and also made away with his mobile phones and an unspecified amount of money.

Oyo State governor Abiola Ajimobi had placed a five million Naira bounty on the heads of the gunmen responsible for the murder of the lawmaker.

According to Leye Oyebade, the Oyo State Commissioner of Police, said that the arrest was made possible by a combined team of Intelligence Response Team of the Inspector General of Police, Ibrahim Idris, and detectives from the Oyo State Police Command.

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