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Be True Ambassadors Of Nigeria-Buhari Tasks Olympic Team

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Be True Ambassadors Of Nigeria-Buhari Tasks Olympic Team
President Buhari in a group photograph with some Team Nigeria members
President Buhari in a group photograph with some Team Nigeria members

President Muhammadu Buhari has called on the Nigerian contingent to the 2016 Rio Olympics to be true ambassadors of the country and to prioritize integrity and honesty ahead of the quest to win medals.

The President gave the charge during a ceremony at the State House in which the athletes were officially handed over to Nigerian Olympics Committee and President Buhari was invested as the grand patron of the NOC.

He commended the athletes for their “outstanding performances” which qualified them to fly the country’s flag in Rio De Janeiro, Brazil, assuring them that funds budgeted for the Games would be released without delay.

He however urged officials who have no important role to play during the games to stay back and cheer the team from home.

“We are all aware of our nation’s dwindling revenue and the current global economic challenges.  It is therefore imperative that funds provided for the Games are utilized judiciously.  In this regard, any official who has no business at the Games should stay at home to cheer the team from here and if they must travel to the Olympics, they should do so at their own expense,” he said.

The President advised the athletes and officials not to engage in acts that could dent the image of the country.

“I want to charge all athletes and team officials going to the Olympic Games to be worthy ambassadors of our great country, both on the field of play and outside the sporting arena,

“The eyes of the global community are on you and as such, you should desist from acts that could dent the image of our great country, Nigeria,

“You are very aware of recent doping allegations which cast aspersions not only on the individual athletes but on their home countries. Please keep Nigeria clean,” the President charged.

Buhari wished team Nigeria success during the outing urging them to “Please bring as many medals back home as a result of your efforts and endeavour,

“But remember it is more important to compete and acquit your country as a fair sporting nation than to bring a pack of medals as a result of bending the rules and denying the Games of fair competition.”

The President assured them of the support of all Nigerians as they strive to make themselves and the country proud.

Nigeria has a total of 78 athletes comprising of 49 male and 29 female athletes, to compete in 10 different sport disciplines.

A good number of Nigerian athletes have also qualified for the Paralympic Games, which comes up immediately after the Olympic Games in Brazil.

Niger Gov. Blames Parents For Increase In Child Beggars

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Niger Gov. Blames Parents For Increase In Child Beggars
Niger State Governor Abubakar Bello
Niger State Governor Abubakar Bello

Governor Abubakar Bello of Niger State has blamed parents for the high rate of child beggars, otherwise known as Almajiris, on the streets of major towns in the northern region of Nigeria.

He said parents were guilty of abandoning their responsibilities in bringing up children under the guise of religion and sending them far from home to seek Islamic knowledge without anything to support them.

The governor made this observation when he played host to the new State Comptroller of Immigration, Tamuno Oyedeji, in Minna.

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Governor Bello stated there were enough Muslim Clerics spread across the country and that parents have no reason whatever to send a child far from home in other to acquire Islamic education.

He described the development as worrisome and unacceptable as these children are left without care, adding that the state government would do all it could to protect such vulnerable children so that they don’t become menace to the society.

“We are also fine tuning some laws in this regard with the hope that it would bring enduring solution to the problem. But in the main time, we have decided to send these child beggars on the street back to their parents”, the governor added.

He also pledged to sustain the joint patrol of the Immigration Service in the state in order to curtail illegal migration from neighboring Niger and Benin Republics.

Bello called on officers of the service to always be on the alert and pay attention to entry flights into the country, especially those returning pilgrims, in other to apprehend those who might sneak in illegally.

He promised to assist the State command of the Immigration service with logistics to boost its monitoring and surveillance across the state.

The new State Comptroller, Oyedeji acknowledged the continued support of the state government to the Immigration service and assured that the service would continue to work with relevant stakeholders to ensure sustainable peace and stability in the state.

 

Stop Blackmailing Government Officials – Buhari

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Stop Blackmailing Government Officials – Buhari
File: President Buhari congratulating Kachikwu on his appointment as Minister of State, Petroleum Resources
File: President Buhari congratulating Kachikwu on his appointment as Minister of State, Petroleum Resources

President Muhammadu Buhari has called on well-meaning Nigerians to discountenance attempts to tarnish the image of his ministers and other senior government officials, who are being tarred with the brush of corruption without any concrete evidence.

The President was reacting to reports, particularly by online media, that the immediate past Group Managing Director of the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation, NNPC, and Minister of State for Petroleum, Ibe Kachikwu, is being investigated over crude oil swap deals and gas liftings during his tenure as GMD of the petroleum corporation.

President Buhari appealed for decent and civilized comments, particularly when it has to do with the integrity of those who are serving the country.

“Terrible and unfounded comments about other people’s integrity are not good.

“We are not going to spare anybody who soils his hands, but people should please wait till such individuals are indicted,” the President said.

He reiterated the administration’s commitment to probity, accountability and integrity, promising that transparency remains a watchword, which would never be trifled with.

Senate Questions Emefiele Behind Closed Doors

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Senate Questions Emefiele Behind Closed Doors
CBN Governor, Godwin Emefiele
CBN Governor, Godwin Emefiele

The Senate on Tuesday held a closed-door meeting with the Governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria, CBN, Godwin Emefiele on the monetary policies being adopted by the apex bank in order to salvage the country’s economy.

According to a brief information by the Senate President, Bukola Saraki on one of his social media accounts, the senators “questioned the CBN Governor on the recent changes made to Nigeria’s foreign exchange management policy; the determination of foreign exchange rates; the monetary policy of the Federal Government; the challenges being experienced by many commercial banks; and the need to diversify and grow Nigeria’s economy for better performance.”

Saraki said the 8th senate will continue its collaborative approach of working to bring succour to the Nigerian people in the form of effective oversight and innovative legislation.

Also at Plenary, the senate received a letter from the presidency requesting the passage of the 2016 budget of over 37 federal agencies.

The agencies include the CBN, the Federal Inland Revenue Service, FIRS, the Nigeria Television Authority, NTA, as well as the Federal Radio Corporation of Nigeria, FRCN.

NNPC To Set Up Energy Renewable Plant In Benue

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NNPC To Set Up Energy Renewable Plant In Benue

NNPC Headquarters, Abuja
NNPC Headquarters, Abuja

The Nigeria National Petroleum Corporation, NNPC, has said it plans to set up an energy renewable plant in Benue State, that will use agro products to generate energy.

Rabiu Suleiman, General Manager in charge of Renewable Energy Division at the NNPC, stated this on Tuesday in Markurdi when he paid a courtesy visit to Governor Samuel Ortom at the Government House.

He said the project is going to cost an estimated 300 million dollars and would be financed through joint partnership with foreign partners, adding that the corporation had already secured partners that were ready to support the project.

Suleiman said Government had conceived the idea of diversifying energy generation from existing sources to agricultural products since 2005 but it had been in the pipeline.

The NNPC manager said President Muhammadu Buhari had already taken initiatives to begin the diversification programme and thanked the Benue State Government for providing 20,000 hectares of land for the projects’ take-off, assuring that the land would form part of its equity share of the plant.

Suleiman said the plant, when completed, would boost economic growth and create employment for the people of the state.

He further explained that the land would be used to cultivate sugarcane, cassava and oil palm for the extraction of ethanol as a renewable energy source.

“Apart from ethanol which will be sourced from the agricultural products, we can also make fertilisers and animal feeds from their byproducts,” he said.

He said the Federal Government also identified seven other states for its renewable energy project but said the success of the Benue plant would determine the take-off of the other projects.

Governor Ortom assured the delegation that his administration would provide adequate security to both the expatriate and local staff engaged in the plant.

He also thanked President Buhari for considering Benue as a pilot project of the agricultural renewable programme.

 

 

Resign For Peace To Reign In PDP, Sheriff Tells Makarfi

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Resign For Peace To Reign In PDP, Sheriff Tells Makarfi
Ali Modu-Sheriff
Ali Modu-Sheriff

Former Borno State Governor and factional leader of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, Ali-Modu Sheriff, has given conditions that must be met by the Makarfi-led Caretaker Committee for peace to return to the party.

He said the only condition for peace was for the caretaker committee led by Ahmed Makarfi to resign, because there is no place for a caretaker committee in the party’s constitution.

He stated this while playing host to a delegation of party members from the 17 local government areas in Abia State.

Earlier at a peace meeting organised to resolve the crisis rocking the party, Modu-Sheriff had ruled out the possibility of an out-of-court settlement of the matter, insisting that the caretaker committee must go.

He also proposed that he be allowed to nominate a chairman, and ten persons into the new convention committee.

“Yes, we have met and issues were discussed but all the issues I put forward for them was for the Makarfi-led caretaker committee to resign. It is an aberration as far as our party constitution is concern. I told them that I am not ready to be a permanent chairman but I want the party to be placed in proper stead,” Modu-Sheriff said.

He added that: “If he resigns tomorrow (referring to Makarfi), I will ask the members of my NWC whose tenure still lasts to 2018, including myself, to set up a convention committee in Abuja and put respected members into the committee.

“In that convention, I will give away my mandate, which does not expire until 2018.

“I have given the people the opportunity to see ‎that Sheriff is not the problem. The problem is that some people want to make the party their personal property and that will not happen under Sheriff,” he said.

Donald Trump’ s Wife Accused Of Plagiarism

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Donald Trump’ s Wife Accused Of Plagiarism

Trump Obama

Donald Trump’s wife, Melania, took centre stage on the first day of the Republican National Convention as she faced accusations that a portion of her speech plagiarised Michelle Obama.

Commentators noticed similarities with Michelle’s Obama’s 2008 convention speech.

It was Melania’s first speech of the campaign and reports say she had the help of a speechwriting team.

Donald Trump’s communications adviser Jason Miller issued a statement saying: “In writing her beautiful speech, Melania’s team of writers took notes on her life’s inspirations, and in some instances included fragments that reflected her own thinking.

In a section of her speech, Melania said: “My parents impressed on me the values that you work hard for what you want in life; that your word is your bond and you do what you say and keep your promise; that you treat people with respect.”

Michelle Obama’s speech in 2008 carried similar lines: “And Barack and I were raised with so many of the same values: that you work hard for what you want in life; that your word is your bond and you do what you say you’re going to do; that you treat people with dignity and respect, even if you don’t know them, and even if you don’t agree with them.”

Another portion of Mrs Trump’s speech said: “[My parents] taught me to show the values and morals in my daily life. That is the lesson that I continue to pass along to our son. And we need to pass those lessons on to the many generations to follow, because we want our children in this nation to know that the only limit to your achievements is the strength of your dreams and your willingness to work for them.”

Again, Mrs Obama had said: “And Barack Obama and I set out to build lives guided by these values, and pass them on to the next generations. Because we want our children, and all children in this nation, to know that the only limit to the height of your achievement is the reach of your dreams and your willingness to work for them.”

Melania, a Slovenian-born former model, said of her husband that “He’s tough when he has to be but he’s also kind and fair and caring. The kindness is not always noted, but it’s there for all to see. That is one reason I fell in love with him to begin with.”

“If you want someone to fight for you and your country, I can assure you, he is the guy,” Melania added.

She has kept a lower profile compared with other spouses of major candidates, while Trump’s adult children have often been more prominent.

Saraki Raises Alarm On Malnutrition In Borno

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Saraki Raises Alarm On Malnutrition In Borno
Saraki carrying a recovering baby at a health facility in Borno State, as the State Governor, Kashim Shettima looks on
Saraki carrying a recovering baby at a health facility in Borno State, as the State Governor, Kashim Shettima looks on

Senate President Bukola Saraki has described the present malnutrition challenge being witnessed in Borno State as a national problem which deserves the attention of everyone.

So serious is the problem that the Senate President has promised to raise the issue on the floor of the upper legislative chamber of the National Assembly soonest.

Saraki made this declaration while in Maiduguri, the Borno State capital, on a condolence visit to the people of the state over the death of Shettima Monguno, a first republic minister and the first African head of the Organisation of Petroleum Exporting Countries, OPEC.

The Senate President also used the opportunity to visit the centre for the treatment of people suffering from severe malnutrition.

During his interaction with journalists at the Maiduguri International Airport after the visit, Saraki said that Borno State has been left to carry too much of the burden of the Boko Haram insurgency, adding that it has become pertinent for others to give the people there a helping hand.

“I am happy I am here with the leadership of the Senate. Before we break we will definitely discuss it (the Borno malnutrition crisis) on the floor and see what we can do,” he said, adding that the federal government and all concerned agencies need to do more to remedy the situation.

“I think it is not good for a country like ours, we are a rich country, it is just an issue of organizing ourselves and getting the fund to support the state government. The state has been carrying too much of the load on their own,” Saraki said.

“We all need to put in our effort and see how we can address the (malnutrition) situation because it is the women and children that have suffered most from this. We must do our best to play a role and support the state in doing that,” he added.

The Senate President was accompanied on the visit by the Majority Leader of the Senate, Mohammed Ali Ndume, Abubakar Kyari, Baba Garbai and Adamu Aliero.

He said the visit to Borno was an eye-opener as it has offered the team the opportunity to see first-hand the extent of the malnutrition crisis.

He however commended that state government for the work it has been doing in managing the crisis.

Saraki said that the senate is almost at the last stage of passing the law on the North East Development Commission.

“We believe that the institutional framework is necessary to start to address the situation and once we pass the bill the commission can start to work and begin to register the issues of rehabilitation and reconstruction that is important.”

Buratai Orders Audit Of Army Accounts 

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Buratai Orders Audit Of Army Accounts 
Chief of Army Staff, Tukur Buratai
Chief of Army Staff, Tukur Buratai

To prevent past practices where funds meant for fighting insurgency in the northeast were embezzled, the Chief of Army Staff, Tukur Buratai, a Lieutenant General, has ordered the Military Police to carry out a forensic audit of all formations and units in the northeast, Daily Trust has reported.

Buratai said the success recorded by the army in the counterinsurgency operation owes to the prudent application of resources, adding that the audit, which also involves other army formations across the country, is aimed at ensuring that money allocated to the army is judiciously utilised.

“The military police is presently carrying out a forensic audit of every formation in the Nigerian Army and, in particular, our operations in the northeast.

“We are looking into the details of how funds were utilised in all our operations, especially in the northeast, in order to ensure that we justify what has been given to the Army,’’ Buratai said when Ugochukwu Osuagwu, Principal Partner of St Francis Xavier Solicitors paid him visit.

Ugochukwu had written to the Code of Conduct Bureau to get the details of Buratai’s asset declaration form in the wake of allegations that he bought properties in Dubai as Chief of Army Staff.

According to Ugochukwu, his letter to the CCB was borne out of the need to unearth the truth and now that it has been established that the properties in question were declared, the matter should be rested.

“When this issue came up I felt there was a need for the central body, which is the Code of Conduct Bureau, to put an end to this matter.

“My firm wrote to the CCB and in the letter of July 11 it was clearly stated that the said asset was in his asset declaration form and the said property was declared in his wife’s name,” he said.

Buratai commended the lawyer’s action and urged Nigerians to follow his example, adding that the army remains committed to transparency and the fight against corruption.

Dogara Promises To Deliver On PIB

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Dogara Promises To Deliver On PIB

 

Speaker Dogara delivering his welcome address at the summit
Speaker Dogara delivering his welcome address at the Summit

Speaker of the Federal House of Representatives, Yakubu Dogara, has promised that the he would work together with his colleagues in the green chamber of the national assembly to pass the Petroleum Industry Bill, PIB, in order to enhance and ensure better oil exploration and production in the country.

Dogara made this pledge during his welcome address at the National stakeholders’ summit on Petroleum industry reforms, organized by the House Committee on Petroleum, in Abuja on Monday.

He said that Nigeria, as one of the richest petroleum regions of the world, has not been able to maximize effectively its immense oil and gas potentials and the revenue accruing from it, due to inefficient infrastructure and inadequate legal framework.

“The result is that Nigeria is both one of the world’s largest producers of crude oil, and one of the world’s leading importers of petroleum products, a dependency that has enriched the elite at the expense of the increasingly impoverished masses,” Dogara stated.

The speaker said that the aim of the summit was to make participants put heads together and find ways of avoiding pitfalls in the efforts to pass the PIB into law.

“This is why we are here today. Most of us have been co-travellers on the journey to pass the bill into law, and have the requisite experience to avoid pitfalls ahead, hence this resolve to seek proper consultation with you and build confidence amongst us,” Dogara said.

He also said that there was no pending executive bill on the PIB on the floor of the National Assembly as being insinuated by the media, adding that he had on three occasions requested the Executive to as a matter of urgency send an executive bill on intended reforms in the petroleum sector, with the hope to avoid the situation in the 6th and 7th National assembly where the PIB was sent too late and could not be passed.

Dogara however said that two members of the house have come up with draft bills. He asked participants at the summit “to familiarize themselves with the bills and make necessary inputs at the public hearing stage of the bills.”

“We also hope that this summit will craft its own version of the PIB for the attention of the National Assembly, taking into consideration all the existing drafts and also the pending bills,” he said.

Speaker Dogara said the House of Representatives is committed to making robust laws that will impact positively on the people and he expressed their readiness “to completely overhaul and transform the Nigerian Petroleum industry, particularly the institutional framework which is believed to be the key to any meaningful reform in the sector.”

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