The Dangote Foundation has flagged off the distribution of 106 trucks of food items to Internally Displaced Persons, IDPs, camps in Maiduguri, the capital of Borno State.
This is for the feeding of people in the camps during the ongoing Ramadan period.
According to Zouwaira Youssufu, chairperson of the foundation, the donation was in fulfillment of Aliko Dangote’s earlier promise to feed people who have been displaced by insurgency in the state.
Dangote recently donated N2 billion to the Borno State government for the rehabilitation and reconstruction of critical infrastructure that was destroyed by the Boko Haram insurgents.
Borno State Governor, Kashim Shettima who was present at the occasion acknowledged that in time of very serious challenges, the Dangote Foundation had stood firmly on the side of the people. He disclosed that the donation of food trucks was not the first time that the foundation was intervening in Borno state, adding that a year ago, the Foundation donated the sum of N400 million to 40,000 IDPs and indigent people of Borno. “Apart from that, for the past couple of years, the foundation had been sending food items for distribution to the people of Borno state,” Shettima added. He assured the foundation and the people of Borno State that the N2 billion expected from the foundation would be judiciously utilized for the good of the people in areas of health, education and gender empowerment.
He said the state government will provide the Dangote Foundation with the list of the projects to support so that the monies will go directly into the projects for which they were intended to avoid the issue of embezzlement.
The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission has seized a N3.58bn mansion in the Asokoro area of Abuja allegedly belonging to the former Minister of Petroleum Resources, Diezani Alison-Madueke.
The Acting Chairman of the EFCC, Ibrahim Magu, said this during an interview with Al-Jazeera, a Qatar-based news network.
Magu said items in the house included jewellery, furniture, and a bulletproof gym worth about $2m.
He stated that the house was part of the $10bn in cash and assets that had been seized by the federal government in the last one year.
Magu said the agency had been able to take on a lot of big shots that were hitherto untouchable in the country, including top shots in the military and the political class, adding that a total of 164 convictions have been made in the last one year.
He denied claims that the fight against corruption was politically-motivated.
“No, not my EFCC; not the EFCC of today. We are not politicized. If there is an allegation against anybody, we will go after them,” he said.
Comptroller-General of Immigration, Muhammad Babandede, has given Passport Control Officers nationwide 48 hoursto clear all backlog of passport applications.
The order, given on Monday, also include all Passport Issuing Desks in Nigeria’s Foreign Missions.
Babandede said failure to comply with the directive would be interpreted to mean the passport officers were incompetent and will therefore be removed.
He warned all passport offices to ensure that processing of passport does not exceed 72 hours as stipulated by the service policy.
He called on Passport applicants to always get their breeder documents such as birth certificate, age declaration, certified guarantor’s forms from the right sources to avoid delay in the processing of their Passports.
In a related development, the CGI said he has inaugurated a Committee comprising the Assistant Comptroller-General of Immigration (Passports), Ndubisi Ndife and NIS Technical Partners, Messrs Iris Technologies Ltd and NewWorks Ltd to re-configure the NIS Passport platform in order to enable State Passport offices re-issue Passports to applicants who want to change their data on account of marriage or due to loss of previous ones.
With this development, such category of applicants need not travel to Abuja to effect any change in their travel documents but go to the Passport offices in the States they reside to do it. Presently, women who wish to change their data such as name due to marriage are required to travel to the Service Headquarters in Abuja to effect those changes, which sometimes take up to three days.
The South-South edition of the federal government’s Town Hall meetings ended in Uyo,the Akwa Ibom State Capital, today with a revelation by Minister of State for Petroleum, Ibe Kachikwu, that President Muhammadu Buhari’s administration was yet to allocate oil blocks to anyone since coming to power in May last year.
The minister also said that he had reached out to the Niger Delta Avengers on the need to stop the destruction of oil installations in the region.
Kachikwu made the disclosure while answering questions from the audience after all the ministers present had given their speeches.
Rotimi Amaechi, Minister of Transport, also said the federal government would soon commence the revival of old railway lines and construction of new ones, adding that the Lagos-Calabar rail line is one of those to be constructed.
Kachikwu said over N7 billion has been invested by the federal government in the oil and gas sector with a large part of it located in Akwa Ibom State.
He urged militants blowing up oil installations to desist from destroying the environment, stressing that “there is no where in the world where violence has solved any problem.”
He said President Buhari was yet to allocate oil block to anybody because he was more interested in “clearing the mess.”
The town hall meeting is an initiative of the federal ministry of information and culture under the leadership of the Minister, Lai Mohammed.
Ministers of Budget and Economic Planning, Udoma Udo-Udoma, Niger Delta Affairs, Usani Usani and that of Environment, Amina Mohammed also took turns to address the audience on steps taken so far by the federal government to put Nigeria back on the path of growth and progress.
Udo-Udoma said the current economic challenge in the country could partly be attributed to the decline in crude oil prices which is the major revenue earner for the country and also the disruptions in oil production which makes it impossible to reach the production target. He however added that the 2016 Budget, if fully implemented, will bring progress to Nigeria and Nigerians.
Kachikwu said his ministry has done a lot within the period in review, including the restructuring of the Nigeria National Petroleum Corporation, NNPC.
Also his ministry has started publishing a monthly report which shows all its activities in the month in order to enhance transparency and accountability.
On the issue of subsidy, Kachikwu said, “We’ve taken on the issue of fuel subsidy which was plagued with so much fraud, was costing the government about N1.4 trillion every year, we’ve managed to remove fuel subsidy from Nigerian space.”
He said the greatest feat the ministry has recorded so far is the deregulation of the petroleum sector which has made it possible for more people to import petroleum products after going through the legal processes. He said this has led to competition in the sector and will eventually bring down the price of petroleum products in the country.
He however said gas flaring was still a major challenge.
Minister of Environment, Amina Mohammed said the federal government was partnering with the international community to tackle desertification, coastal erosion and floods.
“We have to protect our world,” she said, “Without it, we would not survive; without us, the environment will survive and so we have to talk about the issues of pollution and sanitation.”
The minister for Niger Delta Affairs, Usani Usani, said government has entered training agreements with various European institutions, including United Kingdom in order to train the youths from the Niger delta region.
He urged the youths of the region to eschew violence and destruction of oil installations as that would only worsen the level of environmental degradation in the area thereby making life more difficult for the people.
The south-south edition of the town hall meeting is the fourth in the series after similar exercises in Lagos on April 25, Kaduna, May 10 and Kano, May 25.
Embattled Chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, Ali-Modu Sheriff is insisting that he remains the chairman of the party until 2018.
Sheriff stormed the headquarters of the PDP as early as 7 am on Monday morning but was refused entry by security agencies. He was later allowed to enter the secretariat, but drove off shortly after to see the Inspector General of Police, Solomon Arase.
In a chat with journalists outside the headquarters premises, Sheriff maintained that a court ruling has refused to recognize the Ahmad Makarfi-led caretaker committee and as such, he remains the chairman of the party.
“All the judgments that are available today recognize us as the sole chairman of this party. We have a court order in our hands to allow us to go into our office…”
Sheriff however was not pleased that security agencies, especially officers and men of the Nigerian police force were stationed at the gates of the party secretariat in order to stop him from entering the premises.
He explained that there was a truce between the IGP and the conflicting factions of the PDP that nobody should be allowed in until all the court cases have been decided, but according to him, “the IGP decided to take the laws into his hands and allow the wrong people in.”
Sheriff, however said he and his followers will remain law abiding as he would not allow miscreants to turn the protest into a violent one.
Secretary General of the Nigeria Football Federation, Mohammed Sanusi, has admitted that the federation was owing the late Shuaibu Amodu two months’ salary.
Peterside Idah, a former Super Eagles goalkeeper, had alleged that the federation owed the late coach close to seven months wages.
Idah claimed he received a call from the late Super Eagles coach, intimating him of his backlog of unpaid salaries.
But the NFF scribe on Monday said Amodu like other management staff are owed only two months wages, and that the NFF would pay all monies due late Amodu to his family.
Shuaibu, who had coached BCC Lions, El-Kanemi Warriors, Shooting Stars and Orlando Pirates, died in his sleep in the early hours of Saturday, after complaining of chest pains on Friday night.
Family sources said he was hypertensive, and had rejected the Super Eagles’ coaching job in February on this ground.
The Movement for the Emancipation of the Niger Delta, MEND, on Monday announced a seven-member team, led by Odein Ajumogobia, a former Minister of Petroleum, to dialogue with the Federal Government.
Other members of the team are Bismark Rewane (Delta) and Florence Ita-Giwa (Cross River).
The rest are Timipa Jenkins Okponipere (Bayelsa), Ledum Mitee (Rivers) and Lawson Omokhodion (Edo) and Ibanga Isine (Akwa Ibom), who is a PREMIUM TIMES reporter.
The News Agency of Nigeria,NAN,quoted Jomo Gbomo, MEND’s spokesman, in an online statement on Monday as saying that the other members of the team would be made public in due course after consultations with relevant stakeholders.
Gbomo said the team would dialogue with the federal government on the immediate, medium and long-term future of the Niger Delta region.
He said members had already agreed to serve on behalf of the Niger Delta Region.
He recalled that MEND on May 30, 2014, declared a ceasefire on attacks against the nation`s key economic and strategic interests.
Gbomo said the group took the decision in response to former President Goodluck Jonathan`s Democracy Day speech.
“Our message to the Niger Delta Avengers, NDA, is simple: The Niger Delta struggle is beyond attacks on oil installations.
“If indeed your cause is to avenge the injustice done to the Niger Delta region; then, we urge you to ceasefire and join us to the table of negotiation with the Federal Government.
“Otherwise, the Niger Delta struggle shall be hijacked, once again by selfish interests for their own personal aggrandizement,” Gbomo said.
He said the problems and challenges facing the region after attacks on key installations were environmental pollution and political corruption.
Dozens of bodies were removed overnight from an Orlando gay club in the United States where a US born gunman shot a crowd of gay killing at least 49 and injuring more than 53.
Many have also stormed local hospitals in the area to donate blood for the injured, some of who are said to be in critical conditions.
The gunman, identified as Omar Mateen, had opened fire in the early hours of Sunday morning, interrupting an evening of drinking, dancing and drag shows at the club.
Authorities say Mateen emerged, carrying an AR-15 and fired relentlessly into the crowd. He also fired at police men who came on a rescue mission and took hostages before he was killed
The shooting is regarded as the deadliest in the history of the country.
Authorities said Mateen had pledged allegiance to the Islamic State in a 911 around the time of the attack
Authorities are wondering if it was an act of terrorism and are probing the background of Mateen, a 29-year-old American citizen from Fort Pierce, Florida, who had worked as a security guard. The gunman’s father recalled that his son recently got angry when he saw two men kissing in Miami and said that might be related to the assault.
Thirty-nine of the dead were reportedly killed at the club while 10 died in the hospital.
In a country known for religious violence, a community is re-writing the story and spreading the gospel of religious tolerance.
Muslim farmers in a small community near the city of Gojira in Pakistan’s Punjab Province are contributing money and labour to build a church for their Christian neighbours.
Ijaz Farook, a Muslim leader in the village, told the BBC that they are helping to show that it is possible to live together with people of different faiths and that” living together in unity” is important.
Their Christian neighbours have been torched by the love and affection shown by their Muslim brothers. Aftab James, the Parish Priest, said what their Muslim neighbours were doing was “quite significant”.
Pakistan is a hot bed of extremists’’ violence and hundreds have lost their lives in countless suicide attacks.
The Nigerian Army has described as “unfair” and “unethical” some media reports which alleged that the compulsory retirement of some senior officers was an attempt by the Muhammadu Buhari-led federal government to purge the military of southerners and to strengthen the grip of northerners.
There were allegations that the senior army officers were compelled to retire because they were from the southern part of Nigeria and loyal to former President Goodluck Jonathan.
However, Sani Usman, the acting director, Army public relations, issued a statement on Sunday denying the allegations and insisting that the exercise was carried out in strict compliance with the country’s extant laws.
He said the reports were the handwork of “some mischievous elements who are trying to whip up sentiments.”
“This is quite unfortunate because all the affected officers were retired based on Service exigencies and in line with the Armed Forces Act, CAP A20 Laws of the Federation of Nigeria 2004,” he said.
It would be recalled that on Friday, June 10, the Nigerian army announced the compulsory retirement of 38 senior officers for alleged partisanship during the 2015 general election.
The affected officers include 9 Major Generals, 10 Brigadier Generals, 7 Colonels, 11 Lieutenant Colonels and a Major.
