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Buhari Reassures Donor Agencies On Accountability

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Buhari Reassures Donor Agencies On Accountability
President Buhari poses with the Global Fund team
President Buhari poses with Gavi and the Global Fund team

President Muhammadu Buhari has assured the International community and donor agencies that his administration was making progress in its effort to correct the lapses of Nigeria as a nation.

According to Presidential spokesman, Femi Adesina, President Buhari said this while receiving a team led by Seth Berkley, Chief Executive Officer of Gavi and The Global Fund, in the State Houseon Thursday.

The President said he was impressed with the patience and steadfastness of leading supporters of health care in Nigeria, “despite our shortcomings as a nation.”

“We are making genuine efforts to correct the lapses. We are very serious about people behaving themselves, and being accountable,” the President said.

The president thanked the team for deciding to re-engage with Nigeria despite the country’s inefficiencies.

“You decided to be here, not minding our shortcomings. There are other countries that would bring less problems. We appreciate your commitment, and we will do our best to put ourselves in the best shape (for you) to help us,” President Buhari said.

Leader of the delegation, Berkley, had raised issues over the way donor funds for health care were utilized in the past, but noted that the three focal points of the Buhari administration; security, economic development, and anti-corruption were critical to the future of Nigeria.

He said Gavi and the Global Fund were disappointed when forensic audit revealed systemic weaknesses and corruption in the utilization of funds given in the past, adding that there is now a “breath of fresh air” under President Buhari’s leadership and fight against corruption and they were willing to “close the books of the past, and look into future support.”

Minister of Health, Prof Isaac Adewole, who was also at the event, disclosed that those indicted in the audit of the donor funds in the past, which was done between 2010 and 2015, had already been questioned by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission,EFCC, and would be arraigned in court soon.

 

Buhari Makes Five Appointments In The Health Sector

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Buhari Makes Five Appointments In The Health Sector
President Muhammadu Buhari
President Muhammadu Buhari

President Muhammadu Buhari has appointed new chief executives for five health agencies, namely the National Primary Health Care Development Agency, NPHCDA; Centre for Disease Control, CDC; National Agency for the Control of Aids, NACA; National Institute for Medical Research, NIMR and National Health Insurance Scheme, NHIS.

US-based Echezona Ezeanolue, a professor of paediatrics and public health at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas, is the new boss at the NPHCDA, while Usman Yusuf, another US-based award-winning professor of paediatrics, becomes the executive secretary of the NHIS.

Also Chikwe Ihekweazu, a public health consultant, was appointed the new head of the CDC; Aliyu Hussein, a UK-based consultant in microbiology and infectious diseases is the new Director-General of NACA, while Babatunde Lawal Salako, the current provost of the College of Medicine, University of Ibadan, is the new CEO of the NIMR.

Three Nigerians Executed In Indonesia For Drug Crimes

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Three Nigerians Executed In Indonesia For Drug Crimes
The executed prisoners being brought back by an ambulance
The executed prisoners being brought back by an ambulance

Three Nigerians and an Indonesian man were executed by firing squad in the wee hours of Friday morning for drug-related offences at the Nusakambangan prison island.

The Nigerians executed were Seck Osmane, Humphrey Jefferson Ejike and Michael Titus Igweh.

The Indonesian was named as Freddy Budiman.

Ten other convicts expected to have been killed along with the four had a last-minute stay of execution.

Those awaiting executions include three Indonesians, a Pakistani, an Indian, one Zimbabwean and four other Nigerians.

Amnesty International condemned the killings as a “deplorable act” that violated local and international law.

Indonesia’s Deputy Attorney-General Noor Rachmad said it was “not a pleasant thing but it was to implement the law”.

“The executions are only aimed at halting drug crimes,” he said, adding that the rest “will be carried out in stages”.

Indonesia has some of the world’s toughest drug laws, and has faced intense criticism internationally for resuming executions.

In April 2015, the execution of 14 drug convicts, mostly foreigners, was widely criticised.

Australia briefly withdrew its ambassador from Indonesia in protest over the execution of its citizens, Andrew Chan and Myuran Sukumaran.

Indonesian President Joko Widodo vowed to take a hard line against drug trafficking when he was elected in 2014, saying he would not compromise over death sentences to convicted drug dealers.

This is the third round of executions under Widodo.

Turkey Wants “Illegal” Turkish Establishments In Nigeria Closed

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Turkey Wants “Illegal” Turkish Establishments In Nigeria Closed
Turkish President, Recep Tayyip Erdogan
Turkish President, Recep Tayyip Erdogan

The Government of Turkey has called on the Nigerian Government to shut down schools and other establishments in the country purportedly owned by Turkey as these organizations were owned by suspected terrorists.

Turkey said it had officially notified Nigeria of “the existence of 17 of such schools in Nigeria, which bear the name of Turkey” but were not owned by the European country.

The country said the institutions were allegedly owned by the Fethullah Gulen Terrorist Organisation, allegedly founded by Fethullah Gulen, the man accused by the Turkish President, Recep Tayyip Erdogan, of sponsoring the recent failed coup attempt in the country.

Hakan Cakil, Turkey’s Ambassador to Nigeria, made these revelations when the Vice-Chairman of the Senate Committee on Foreign Affairs, Shehu Sani, paid him a visit at his office in Abuja.

Cakil said Turkey does not own any school in Nigeria, adding that similar schools established in Turkey had been shut down.

A document released by the Turkish embassy listed the indicted schools and institutions as Surat Educational Limited, Abuja; Nigerian-Turkish International School, in Abuja, Kaduna, Kano, Yobe, Ogun and Lagos; and the Nigerian-Turkish Nile University, Abuja.

Others, according to the embassy, are The Association of Businessmen and Investors of Nigeria and Turkey/Abinat, Abuja and Lagos; Ufuk Dialogue Foundation, Abuja; Nigerian-Turkish Nizamiye Hospital, Abuja; and Vefa Travel Agency, Abuja.

According to the ambassador, confessions by the coup plotters, who are currently under investigation, have indicated that the same syndicate, which hatched the botched July 15, 2016 coup, own the schools in Nigeria.

The ambassador said, “You may be aware that the Government of Turkey has started to investigate the sponsors of the coup and it is now very clear that Gulen was behind the coup. There are some testimonies we have taken from the military officials,

“In Nigeria, they have 17 schools; some of them are in Kano, Abuja, Lagos, etc., and they are offering scholarships to their graduates. They are not Turkish government schools. The schools bearing “Turkish” are schools belonging to Fethullah Gulen,

“We are starting a legal process to take the name ‘Turkish’ out of the name of the schools. They are not the schools of the Turkish government; they are misleading the public.”

The ambassador said he had contacted the Nigerian Ministry of Foreign Affairs and had requested officially for the closure of these schools.

“Also, I have informed Mr. Geoffrey Onyema and Mr. Abba Kyari on this subject, requesting their support on closing down the schools,” Cakil said.

He said Turkey attached “too much importance” to the issue, adding that “We cannot claim to be a democracy and harbour people who will overthrow government in another country.”

Daily Post reported that the Director of Press and Public Communication of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Clement Aduku, however, said he was not aware of the letter by the Turkish mission.

Multinational Joint Task Force Captures Damasak

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Multinational Joint Task Force Captures Damasak
File
File

The Multinational Joint Task Force, MNJTF, has announced the capture of Damasak, a town bordering Nigeria and Niger in northern Borno State, from Boko Haram.

Damasak, the capital of Mobbar Local Government Area, had been a stronghold of the insurgents, where attacks have been launched against troops on several occasions. The MNJTF said it is one of the last frontiers of Boko Haram.

The MNJTF, with headquarters in N’Djamena, is a collection of soldiers from Nigeria, Cameroon, Chad, Niger Republic, and Benin Republic. In a statement signed by spokesperson for the body, Muhammad Dole, a Colonel, Damasak was captured on Thursday.

“In continuation with clearance operation of the towns and villages by MNJTF, the troops of the Sector 4 in Diffa Niger Republic have successfully cleared Sure village, captured and occupied Damasak town today by 1000hrs.

“The forces are coordinating to stabilize the immediate environs. The gallant troops fought their way into the town with Close Air support by combined Air Operation from MNJTF member states,” the statement read, adding that troops’ morale remains high.

APC Wins Imo North Senatorial Re-Run Election

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APC Wins Imo North Senatorial Re-Run Election
Benjami Uwajumogu
Winner of the Imo North Senatorial Re-run Election, Benjami Uwajumogu

The Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, has declared former Speaker of the Imo State House of Assembly, Ben Uwajimogu, of the All Progressives Congress, APC, winner of the Imo North Senatorial District election which was held on Saturday, 23 July.

Uwajimogu polled 56,076 votes to beat his opponent from the People’s Democratic Party, PDP candidate, Athan Achonu who had 43,815 votes.

The returning officer, Arinze Agbaogu announced the results at the Central Collation Centre in Okigwe Local Government headquarters, saying the APC candidate having scored the majority of votes in the election has been declared winner of the election.

Similarly, the APC candidate in Oru East, Nkenna Nzeruo and his counterpart in Isiala Mbano, Chiji Collins, were also declared winners of the State House of Assembly rerun elections in their area.

INEC had declared the election inconclusive in some areas, citing irregularities and saying that supplementary elections would hold on Thursday, 28 July.

Meanwhile, the PDP has rejected the results as declared by INEC, saying it does not reflect what actually played out during the election in the zone.

Boko Haram Ambushes UN Agencies 

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Boko Haram Ambushes UN Agencies 

Army UN

Three members of the United Nations and other international humanitarian organisations were among five persons wounded when Boko Haram ambushed a team of nongovernmental organisations escorted by soldiers from Bama on Thursday attacked.

The other two are soldiers, a statement by the army said, adding that the wounded have been evacuated to the University of Maiduguri Teaching Hospital and are in stable conditions.

According to army spokesperson, Sani Usman, a Colonel, the attack happened in Meleri village near Kawuri.

Usman said the troops, however, successfully cleared the ambush.

The Maiduguri-Bama road is still one of the roads considered unsafe, despite troops sacking the insurgents from Bama.

In April, the General Officer Commanding 7 Division of the army in Maiduguri, Victor Ezugwu, a Brigadier General, was attacked as he went on an operational tour. One of his security details was killed while two others were injured.

While commiserating with the wounded soldiers, UN and other affected NGOs, the army said it is determined to ensure safety of lives and property, as it strives to being the insurgency to an end.

UNICEF Suspends Humanitarian Intervention In Northeast

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UNICEF Suspends Humanitarian Intervention In Northeast

unicef

Following Thursday’s attack by Boko Haram, the United Nations Children’s Emergency Fund, UNICEF, has suspended its humanitarian assistance to Borno state pending a security review.

Three officials of international nongovernmental organisations were among five persons wounded in the attack on the Maiduguri-Bama road and according to the UN children’s agency, an employee and a contractor working for it were injured in the attack.

In a statement, UNICEF says the assistance it was delivering to Bama was “desperately needed.”

“This was not only an attack on humanitarian workers. It is an attack on people who most need the assistance and aid that these workers were bringing,” the statement continued.

Doctors Without Borders warned this week that more than 500,000 people in Borno state urgently need emergency assistance, adding that 15,000 people in the town of Banki have been isolated by Boko Haram violence and depend entirely on humanitarian aid.

A chronic shortage of relief materials have resulted in a catastrophic health situation, particularly in Bama, with very high levels of malnutrition among women and children.

Navy Says Presidency Not Interfering In Recruitment Exercise

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Navy Says Presidency Not Interfering In Recruitment Exercise
File: Nigerian Navy routine quarterly road exercise
File: Nigerian Navy routine quarterly road exercise

The Nigerian Naval Headquarters has refuted a news report published on Tuesday 26 July 2016 by an online medium named vaxity.com, with the title “Chief of the Naval Staff faces sack for rejecting illegal recruitment list from Mamman Daura”.

A statement released by Cor Ezekobe, a Navy Commodore and Director of Information in the Naval Headquarters said that the report was one of the many attempts to disparage and scandalize the current efforts of the Federal Government to eliminate all forms of corrupt tendencies in our national life.

“The Naval Headquarters therefore wishes to reiterate that the news report is false, mischievous, malicious and is intended by its sponsors to create disaffection among the citizens as regards the conduct of the Nigerian Navy Recruitment Exercise.

“Members of the public are hereby advised to disregard this report,” the statement read.

Ezekobe also talked about the ongoing anti-crude oil theft operations of the Navy in the Niger Delta, saying the exercise has been yielding positive results.

He stated that a “patrol team deployed by NNS DELTA, naval base in Warri raided an illegal refinery at Asiagbene community in Warri South West Local Government Area of Delta State. Four large GP tanks laden with about 10,000 liters each of product suspected to be illegally refined AGO was destroyed.

“Also the patrol team on 21 July 2016 located and destroyed 2 illegal refineries with 3 Cotonou boats containing approximately 350MT of illegally refined AGO at Asosolo and Ugbosede in Warri South West LGA.

“During the raid, 2 persons were arrested while the following items were recovered; 5 speed boats, 20 drums of illegally refined AGO, 5 drums of illegally refined DPK, 1 pumping machine, 1 generator and 1 x 90HP outboard engine. The suspects are undergoing further investigation.”

The Navy spokesman further stated that another “patrol team deployed by NNS PATHFINDER in Port Harcourt, Rivers State has raided and destroyed 2 active illegal refinery sites around Ogu Bolo in Rivers State. During the raid, 6 Storage tanks each  containing 60,000 liters of suspected stolen crude and 2 speed boats     carrying 15 drums each of illegally refined AGO were destroyed. The patrol team also destroyed a barge laden with about 120,000 liters of suspected illegally refined AGO.”

Ezekobe called for more synergy between the various security agencies that police the numerous waterways across the country in order to ensure better protection of life and property within the hinterlands.

How Lawmakers Pad Budget – House Member

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How Lawmakers Pad Budget – House Member
Dogara and Jibrin
The men at the centre of the padding controversy, Dogara and Jibrin

A member of the House of Representatives, Lawal Gumau, has given insight into how lawmakers make additions into the budget, which has come to be known as padding.

According to Gumau, who was speaking on Channels’ Sunrise Daily on Thursday, the insertions happen at the last minute just before the document is returned to the President for his signature.

“After the budget is prepared from the committees, it goes to the Appropriation Committee and they will work on the budget and return it to the members in the chamber for everybody to see, read and agree on it. Padding does not come in up till that point.

“Immediately after the House has passed the budget, before they submit it to the President is when the padding takes place. The members will not know that after they passed the budget, something was inserted,” he said.

Gumau, a member of Transparency Group, a collection of lawmakers in the green chamber calling for the probe of allegations of padding against the leadership of the House by former chairman of the House appropriation committee, Abdulmumin Jibrin, said the sharp practice had been on since 2011 and members were warned before the 7th National Assembly came into existence.

Maintaining that he is not in support of either Speaker Yakubu Dogara, who is accused of spearheading the padding, or the self-styled whistle-blower Jibrin, Gumau wondered why investigation has not commenced by the relevant government agencies.

“What is the Attorney General of the Federation doing? Is he not the law officer? If there is a petition, can’t he investigate or give an order for an investigation to be carried out?

“We have EFCC, we have ICPC; we have the Nigeria Police. What are they doing that they cannot investigate? What we are saying is that the House open this issue for an investigation,” he queried.

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