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Several Insurgents Killed In Foiled Attack On Military Base In Bama

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Several Insurgents Killed In Foiled Attack On Military Base In Bama

Musdapha Ilo, Maiduguri

A “massive” attack was staged by members of the banned terrorist group, Boko Haram on Friday in Bama, Borno state whivc left several persons dead.

An exact figure of the casualty cannot be ascertained at the moment but the military said several members of the deadly sect were killed in the attack targeted at one of the army barracks in the state.

Eyewitnesses who spoke with our correspondent expressed fears that some innocent civilians may have also been caught in the crossfire in which Improvised Explosive Devices, IEDs. and petrol-bombs were freely used.

The attackers were said to have tried to gain entrance into the barrack through the Cameroonian border road of Gulumba, but the army soon got wind of the plan and in a repel attack killed some members of the sect..

Confirming the incident Friday in Maiduguri, the acting spokesman of 7 Division of Nigerian Army, Aliyu Danja, a Captain, said there was an attempted attack on a barrack in Bama, which was made by suspected Boko Haram terror suspects, but they were repelled and crushed.

“The soldiers were able to kill several members of the Islamist sect,” he said.

Danja said several arms and vehicles used by members of the sect in the attack were destroyed, adding that details on the number of casualty will be made available to journalists when the troops return from the fields.

Also confirming the attack, the director, Defence Information, Chris Olukolade, a Major-General, said Bama barracks was attacked by terrorists who came from cells located across Nigerian Border with Cameroun through Banki town.

“High caliber weapons such as anti-aircraft and rocket propelled guns were freely used in the attack that lasted several hours,” he said.

According to the statement, ground troops backed by the Air Force repelled the attack and are in pursuit of the insurgents, even as reinforcement has been dispatched to enhance the operation.

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“Details of casualties recorded in the incident will be released when the ongoing cordon and search operations in the general area is concluded,” he added.

Normalcy is being been restored in the barracks and the surrounding communities have been properly secured.

Bama, which is about 65km from Maiduguri the state capital has witnessed some of the fiercest attacks launched by terrorists in the state, forcing residents to flee to neighbouring towns for safety, leaving it deserted.

Gov Kwankwaso Dumps PDP For APC

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Gov Kwankwaso Dumps PDP For APC

Governor Rabi’u Kwankwaso of Kano State has formally dumped the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP and has declared membership for the All progressives Congress, APC.

This is coming barely 24 hours after the mass defection of 37 House Representative members from the ruling party to the new opposition.

Kwankwaso made the declaration shortly after a meeting with former PDP stakeholders at the Government House, Kano, on Thursday.

He said he found it necessary to leave the PDP in order to bring about democratic change in the country.

“It is imperative to leave the old order and embrace the new order found in the APC to bring about democratic change in Nigeria,’’ he said.

The governor, who hoisted the flag of the APC in the midst of party supporters from the 44 local government areas of the state, promised to carry everybody along in order to move the state forward.

The APC flag had also been hoisted at the main gate of the Government House, Kano.

FG To Evacuate 200 Nigerians Trapped In CAR

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FG To Evacuate 200 Nigerians Trapped In CAR

As the sectarian violence in the Central African Republic, CAR, which began in March following the overthrow of President Francois Bozize rages, the federal government has perfected plans to evacuate 200 Nigerians trapped in Bangui, the country’s capital.

Chairman, House of Representatives committee on foreign affairs, Nnenna Ukeje, who disclosed this during a live interview on NTA network news, said the 200 Nigerians were currently taking refuge at the Nigeria Embassy in Bangui.

She said the committee had engaged the foreign affairs ministry and the National Emergency Management Agency, NEMA, to immediately provide an aircraft for their evacuation

According to Ukeje, there are about 30,000 Nigerians living in CAR.

Human Rights Watch reported that Christian militia fighters in CAR have committed atrocities against Muslims in a cycle of violence that “threatens to spin out of control.”

Emergencies director for Human Rights Watch, Peter Bouckaert, said the “potential for further mass violence is shockingly high.”

The UN estimates that about 600 people have been killed in less than two weeks while some 210,000 people have been forced from their homes in the capital alone.

Earlier this month, the UN Security Council authorised an African-led and French-backed peacekeeping force to quell the spiralling violence.

France has deployed 1,600 troops under the UN mandate to help the African peacekeeping force to restore security in the country.

Gov Oshiomhole Chides Striking Doctors In Edo

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Gov Oshiomhole Chides Striking Doctors In Edo

Caption: Gov Oshiomhole Shaking hands with Abe Eghe of the Joint Action Committee of the Medical and Dental Consultants Association

From Jefferson Ibiwale, Benin

Governor Adams Oshiomhole of Edo State on Thursday, lashed out doctors in the state for abandoning their jobs and embarking on a warning strike in solidarity with their colleagues under the payroll of the federal government.

He described the action of the doctors as provocative, illegal, avoidable and unnecessary.

It would be recalled that doctors across the country under the umbrella of the Nigeria Medical Association, NMA, began a five-day warning strike to protest failure of the federal government to keep to a deal on improved welfare for workers and funding for healthcare.

But Oshiomhole in a meeting with the Association of Resident Doctors, Medical and Dental Consultants Association in government House in Benin, said doctors in the state had no business joining the strike when the issues behind the strike had no direct impact on them.

He said as staff of the state government, their salaries and other emoluments were taken care of by the state, adding that the doctors had no right abandoning their jobs for a solidarity strike without first seeking the permission of its employer.

“If you have any grievances you are obliged by law, you are obliged by tradition, you are actually compelled by your own oath not to abandon your patients off as if there is pleasure…The Federal Government has no hand in your employment, no hand in your promotion and they have no hand in your posting… So, I believe therefore, that even if we are to talk in the context of employer-employee relationship, you are obliged by law to state the particulars of your grievances to your employer,” the governor said.

According to the governor, the underlying reason behind the strike may be to enrich those doctors engaged in private practices by shutting down public hospitals so that those who are sick have no choice but to go to private clinics and where they cannot afford the bills, are left to die.

“If solidarity was the basis of your participation, why are doctors in the private practice not part of the action? It is a gross abuse of your skills. It borders on blackmail on the entire system and holds all of us to ransom. ‘When a doctor no longer borders about the life of a patient, that is the beginning of the end,” Oshiomhole said.

He said even if doctors in the state feel obliged to join their colleagues in registering their dissatisfaction, they are to join in the strike days or weeks after the initial start off date as a form of secondary action and not in the manner that they have done as if they were directly affected.

“I do understand the logic and essence of solidarity, but in this business, before you resort to solidarity action, people who are themselves directly involved in the dispute may choose on their own to first go on strike. If after sometime you feel that no one is listening and there is need to reinforce by way of solidarity, subject to the rule of law, then you can decide to go on a secondary action. I am not aware that you can go on strike the same day as those who are directly affected,” he said.

Responding on behalf of the others, Eghe Abe said the ssociation would convene to consider the position of the governor in the interest of the state.

 

CBN Recants On Missing $49.8 Billion

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CBN Recants On Missing $49.8 Billion

The governor of Central Bank of Nigeria, CBN, Sanusi Lamido Sanusi, has reversed his position on the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation, NNPC’s unremitted $49.8 billon being proceeds from oil sales, saying he never said the sum was missing.

Sanusi who appeared before the Senate committee on finance on Wednesday, said he only asked for investigations into the matter, adding that “in truth, there is no missing money. Chairman, we did not see the letter as a conclusion of our investigation, but an invitation to investigate.”

“So, the conclusion that $49.8 billion was missing was wrong, even though we had the allegation that it was un-remitted,” Sanusi said.

According to him, after reconciliation meetings with a technical team from the bank, the ministry of finance, ministry of petroleum resources, the Federal Inland Revenue Service, FIRS, and the Department Of Petroleum Resources, DPR, the CBN discovered a shortfall of only $12 billion.

Sanusi also expressed regrets that a private letter written to the President was leaked to the public and pleaded for more time to enable the CBN, NNPC and all relevant agencies come up with a collective figure.

“What I would like to do is, given the progress we have made, to request that we be given little more time to continue with this process and come back with the final position that is a common position among us if the committee will so grant us,” he requested

However, the Senate says it will continue investigations into the matter.

Speaking earlier, Senate President, David Mark, noted that the controversial amount was still an allegation but stressed that it was a serious one.

“At this point, all that we have is an allegation, but it is a serious allegation. The essence of this public heading is to establish the fact. It’s for us to get facts so that when we come back we can make useful and meaningful contributions,” he said.

He urged members of the committee to remains unbiased and deal with the matter objectively according to available facts.

Sanusi had alleged in a letter to President Goodluck Jonathan dated September 25 that the NNPC had failed to remit $49.8 billion between 2012 and 2013 but the NNPC had said that no money was missing.

Nasarawa To Conduct Council Polls In March

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Nasarawa To Conduct Council Polls In March

By Godwin Ojoshimite

Nasarawa Indepndent Electoral Commission, NASIEC, has fixed March 15, 2014 for elections into all the local government areas is the state.

Chairman of the commission, Abdullahi Moddibo, announced the new date on Wednesday while briefing journalists in Lafia, the state capital.

Moddibo, who also released the detailed timetable for the election said the commission is committed to conducting a free, fair and ncredible elections.

He said the ban on political campaign had been lifted with the release of the time table, adding that political party primaries are scheduled to hold between January 4 and 13, 2014.

He said all logistic arrangements for the polls had been concluded, including the recruitment and trainning of ad-hoc staff for the exercise.

The NASIEC chairman appealed to politicians in the state to play the game with all sense of decorum in order to ensure hitch-free polls in the state.

He also appealed to members of the public to sustain the relative peace in the state, stressing that it would enhance successful polls in the interest of all.

The commission had earlier fixed December 14,2013 for the election but had to post-pone it, citing security challenges facing the state as a reason.

FG Inaugurates Monitoring Committee For N200 Billion Education Fund

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FG Inaugurates Monitoring Committee For N200 Billion Education Fund

The federal government has inaugurated a committee to monitor the disbursement of N200 billion allocated to public owned universities in Nigeria under a recent deal with the Academic Staff Union of Universities, ASUU.

The committee includes representatives of the National Universities Commission, NUC; Tertiary Education Trust Fund, TETfund and members of ASUU.

Others are officials of the federal ministry of education, vice chancellors and technical consultants.

The committee was inaugurated by the secretary to the government, Anyim Pius Anyim, on behalf of President Goodluck Jonathan.

The monitoring committee is led by the supervising minister of education, Nyesom Wike.

Others members are the executive secretary of NUC; Julius Okojie; a former executive secretary of TETfund, Mahmoud Yaqub; director tertiary, federal ministry of education; the Vice chancellors of Bayero university, Kano and University of Ibadan as well as representatives of ASUU and others.

After the inauguration ceremony, members held their first meeting to discuss the logistics and strategies on how the fund would be adequately distributed to public owned universities, based on the submitted needs assessment report on Nigerian universities.

At the meeting, chaired by Wike, it was agreed that the committee would not carry out the implementation of the needs assessment report but would only supervise and thoroughly monitor the disbursement of the fund.

“This newly inaugurated committee will not do the implementation of the needs assessment. We are not giving out contract but we will only go round the universities to check if the allocated fund is utilized appropriately based on the needs assessment report,” the minister said.

Allocation and logistics committees were also set up to fashion out strategies on immediate disbursement of the fund, and to outline other approaches that would facilitate a proper supervision of the projects across the six geo political zones.

“These two sub-committees are being set to enhance the performance and efficiency in our supervision, more so, other teams could be formed across the six geo-political zones to monitor projects in universities across the federation,” Wike stated.

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He also stressed: “for record purpose, a university must embark on projects according to the submissions in the needs assessment report. A university should not be in need of a lecture theatre and now build a vice chancellor’s lodge. This would bring issues later.”

The sub-committee members, led by Mahmoud, are expected to submit their report on December 24, to enable disbursement of the fund to universities.

It would be recalled that ASUU and the Nigerian government signed an agreement to begin the implementation of the 2009 agreement which includes the disbursement of the N200bn as the first instalment to be paid before the end of 2013.

 

Over 500 Killed In South Sudan Clash

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Over 500 Killed In South Sudan Clash

About 500 people are believed to have been killed in recent fighting in Sout Sudan, Africa’s newest country, officials in the country have said.

Another 800 persons wounded.

Information minister Michael Makuei Lueth told CNN that some bodies are still being found in forests and many of those who were wounded are dying in hospitals.

U.N. officials have expressed deep concern about the unrest, saying between 15,000 and 20,000 people have taken shelter in the organization’s compounds in the capital, Juba.

The spokesperson for the Uganda Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Fred Opolot said the government had closed its embassy on Wednesday in Juba, South Sudan amid clashes.

Opolot told Xinhua on the telephone that it was prudent to close its mission in Juba for the safety and security of the staff.

“At the height of the skirmishes, it was prudent that the mission be closed to ensure security and safety of the staff. As soon as the situation stabilises, our staff will return back to resume work at the mission,” he added.

He said that the move came barely a day after the U.S. closed its embassy in Juba and advised its citizens to immediately leave the country.

Opolot said that if the clashes between soldiers loyal to the sacked former Vice President Riek Machar and incumbent President Salva Kiir continued to escalate, the government would evacuate the embassy staff and citizens trapped in the fighting.

“At the moment our staff are still there helping us to monitor the situation, once the situation escalates then they will be evacuated,” he said.

The clashes in Juba started on Sunday following an alleged coup attempt by a group of soldiers who raided an armoury at the army’s main barracks in Juba.

PDP To Sue 37 House Members For Defection

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PDP To Sue 37 House Members For Defection

The National Working Committee, NWC, of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, has said that it will go to court to challenge the decision of 37 of its members in the House of Representatives to defect to the All Progressives Congress, APC.

The national publicity secretary of the party, Olisa Metuh, made this known in a statement issued on Wednesday in Abuja.

The members had on Wednesday in a letter to the Speaker of the House announced their decision to defect to APC

“As lawmakers, the defectors must be aware of provisions of section 68 (1) (g) of the amended 1999 constitution, which states conditions upon which a member of the Legislature will change platforms,” the party said.

He said the courts have declared that the PDP remains one united party and that any member of the national or state assemblies who renounces his membership of the party, must be ready to face the consequences of defection in line with provisions of the constitution.

The PDP spokesman said that the defection of the PDP House members to the APC os treacherous.

He added that the action, if confirmed, would be a huge betrayal to the PDP and millions of voters who worked timelessly to ensure their election on PDP platform in their respective constituencies.

Metuh said further that it was a desperate attempt by some selfish politicians to cause confusion in the polity.

He, however, assured PDP members and supporters nationwide that the party remains “unshaken by the departure of fifth columnists,” adding “We shall undoubtedly emerge stronger and more cohesive after these events.”

He said the PDP was unshaken by the purported defection of some members and urged party members to utilise their majority to strengthen the support for President Goodluck Jonathan’s transformation agenda and the PDP national leadership.

EFCC Denies Reports That It Is Broke

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EFCC Denies Reports That It Is Broke

The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, has disowned comments by the secretary of its board, Emmanuel Aremo, that it is broke and has less than N2 million left in its account.

Aremo, who led a delegation of the EFCC to the public hearing by the Senate committee on Drugs, Narcotics and Financial Crimes on the Bill to establish the Nigerian Financial Intelligence Agency, had said the commission urgently needed urgent injection of funds as it could barely pay staff salaries.

“If we can pay salary this month, that is all. That is the position under which we operate,” he told the Senate committee.

However, the commision’s head, media & publicity, Wilson Uwujaren, said Wednesday that the report is a “gross misrepresentation” of what transpired at the hearing.

Uwujaren said “The mention of N2 million by Aremo was not in respect of the total financial health of the EFCC, but a direct response to a remark by the Chair of the Committee, Senator Victor Lar, to the effect that his committee had observed during an oversight visit to the Nigerian Financial Intelligence Unit, NFIU that it has no power generating set while its ceiling had caved in.”

He continued: “To this, Aremo remarked that the Commission had complained to the committee during the visit on the state of its finances and that the situation has not improved.”

He said the comment has no bearing whatsoever on the operations of the commission.

But Aremo had complained bitterly about the poor financial position of EFCC, saying the commission need urgent injection of funds.

He also kicked against the NFIU Bill, arguing that even as part of the EFCC, it was discharging its responsibility efficiently without complaints from financial institutions, adding that if granted autonomy, the unit would become exposed to desperate politicians capable of securing court injunctions to frustrate its operations.

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