At least 286,000 farmers in Borno state registered under the Gross Enhancement Scheme, GES, in 2012 and 2013 are to receive federal government subsidised fertilizer this year.

Speaking during the flag-off of the scheme in the state on Sunday in Maiduguri, the minister of state for agriculture, Bukar Tijjani, who was represented by Kale Bukar, the federal director of agriculture in charge of Yobe State said 800 trucks of NPK fertiliser and urea subsidised at 25 % have been allocated to the state.

Each of the bags of fertiliser would now be sold at N3, 850 instead of N4, 500.

“Additionally, each farmer will be entitled to a free 20kg bag of highly improved maize or rice seed after purchasing the fertiliser,” the minister added.

About 5,000 of the 286, 000 benefitting registered farmers are female beneficiaries.

He explained that two agro dealers Madalla Global Concept and Al Iman Agro Ventures had been appointed to take charge of the fertiliser sales in the state.

While Madalla Global Concept will handle the sales of the fertiliser to farmers in the southern senatorial zone, Al Amin Agro Ventures will handle the sales to farmers in the central zone and both dealers will share the sales of fertilizer to farmers in the northern zone.

Tijjani said the measure is to bridge the gap created by the absence of GSM network in the state.

Chairman of the Madalla Global Concept, Ado Adamu, disclosed that redemption centres had also been created across the state to ensure that all the targeted farmers are reached.

“We have created redemption centres across the state for easy access to farmers. For example farmers in Shani and Hawul Local Government Area (LGA) will redeem their stock in Azareheadquarters of Hawul LGA, while farmers in Bayo, Biu and Kwaya Kusar will get their supply in Biu,” he said.

Farmers in Damboa, Chibok and Askira-Uba LGAs will get their supply in Rumugo
town in Askira-Uba, while those in all LGAs in Northern and Central Zones will get their supply in redemption centres in Maiduguri.

The All Progressive Congress, APC, has accused the presidency of flouting Independent National Electoral Commission rules by campaigning for the 2015 elections.

In a statement issued in Lagos on Sunday by its interim national publicity secretary, Lai Mohammed, the party described the rally organized by the first lady, Patience Jonathan, last week as early political campaign for President, Goodluck Jonathan, ahead of the 2015 presidential elections despite the warning by INEC.

The electoral body earlier reminded all players of the provision of Section 99(1) of the Electoral Act 2010 (as Amended), which states that “For the purpose of this Act, the period of campaigning in public by every political party shall commence 90 days before polling day and end 24 hours prior to that day.”

It cautioned that campaigning outside this provision is a violation of the law, warning that the commission will not hesitate to apply appropriate sanctions against culprits as provided by relevant sections of the law.

The APC asked the presidency to tell Nigerians why it has defied INEC rules by continuing to campaign for the 2015 elections.

The party also called on INEC to mete out appropriate sanctions to anyone who has violated its ban on early campaigns for the 2015 elections, in view of the first lady-driven peace rally that it referred to as ‘a facade for electioneering campaign.’

The APC described the rally as the first of its kind in Nigeria “where women were drawn from various security agencies” and “coerced into a march of shame, as organizers of the campaign masquerading as a peace rally blocked traffic and prevented citizens from earning their daily bread”.

It said a party that defies rules and lies to citizens cannot be trusted to rule over a people who are eager for their country to join the comity of developed nations.

”Defying INEC, this brazen campaign featured women clad in specially-made ‘ankara’ that bore the picture of President Jonathan and reminds one of the disgraceful days of the late despot MobutuSese Seko of former Zaire, and the late clownish leader of Uganda, Idi Amin. What a company to keep in the 21st century,” APC noted.

The party also faulted the assertion by presidential adviser on public affairs, Doyin Okupe, that President Jonathan has not informed anyone that he will contest in 2015 when his wife had commenced a campaign.

“Okupe said his boss has not told anyone he will run, and had the temerity to insult the media by saying they have been taken over by a few people. The good news is that Nigerians are far smarter than their present rulers and therefore cannot be fooled,” APC said.

The All Nigeria People’s Party, ANPP, has been accused of being behind the insecurity ravagingBorno State and other parts of northern Nigeria.

This view was expressed by the chairman of Borno state chapter of the Conference of Nigeria Political Parties, CNPP, Babagana Musa, while speaking at a meeting of members the Borno State chapters of the Congress for Progressive Change, CPC, and Action Congress of Nigeria, ACN, to fashion out modalities of working with the ANPP in the newly registered All Progressive Congress,APC.

The recently registered APC comprises of the ACN, CPC, ANPP and a faction of the All Progressive Grand Alliance, APGA.

Speaking at the meeting, Musa, to the embarrassment and unease of many present, said that theANPP constitutes the major problem to Borno State, just as the Peoples Democratic Party,PDP,remains Nigeria’s biggest problem.

“We all know that Borno state problem is the ANPP.  Since 1999 to date, the ANPP ruled BornoState and the dividends of democracy ANPP is giving Borno people is the present insecurity and instability,” he said..

The CNPP chairman, now a chieftain of the APC, lamented that “the incompetence of the presentANPP government in Borno state leads to so much hardship”, noting that many pledges the party remain unfulfilled.

Musa added that the new party must seek alliance with other smaller existing parties to work together to oust the PD in the 2015 general election.

Musa’s critical comments, however, did not go down well with other chieftains of the APC at the meeting who quickly distanced themselves from his view.

The other politicians who were visibly embarrassed quickly clarified to newsmen who covered the event that the CNPP chairman’s comments were his personal opinion and did not reflect that of the new party.

In his own remarks earlier, former chairman of the ACN in the state, Kawu Tijjani, observed that the coming into being of the APC is not a mere change of name of three parties but a voluntary collaboration by them to make a difference in Nigerian politics.

Former chairman of the CPC in Borno State, Ibrahim Elzubairu, who chaired the meeting said that the new party would bring “a new beginning, politically, free from the divisive, restricted politics of recent past, characterized by fear and hero worship.”

Oil giant, Chevron Nigeria Limited, and its host communities have expressed divergent views on a gas leak reported at Chevron’s offshore gas field in the Atlantic Ocean located off Bayelsacoastline.

The News Agency of Nigeria, NAN, reports that officials of National Oil Spills Detection and Response Agency, NOSDRA confirmed receiving a report of a leakage in Chevron’s field last Wednesday.

Head of NOSDRA’s zonal operations office in Port Harcourt,Adeyinka Adewumi, said that the agency had received a report of the leak from Chevron and was awaiting a joint visit to ascertain the cause of the leak.

Coastal communities in Koluama 1 and Koluama 2 communities had alleged that the gas leakage had discharged crude and gas into the environment leading to pollution of the air and marine ecosystem.

Community sources told NAN on Sunday that the oil firm had been making frantic efforts to mitigate the leakage while the leak continued.

A resident from Fishtown community in Brass council area of Bayelsa State, Larry Gabriel, said that leaking well, located about five kilometres from the site of a January 2012 gas explosion “is still discharging gas into the air”.

“The leakage is yet to stop. They have been deploying chemicals to dissolve the oil and sink it to the sea bed as it gushes out from the well. That is why they are saying that they have no oil spill. The traces of dissolved crude have hit the shoreline. The gas emission has compromised the air quality and the smell is everywhere but unfortunately gas is invisible but they had an explosion here in 2012 and we do not want a repeat,” he said.

Gabriel added: “We will not accept any attempt to conceal this incident and we appeal to the agencies of government to rise to the occasion and get to the root of this incident.”

However, Chevron in a statement insisted that it did not record any oil spill in its operations nearBayelsa coastline.

The oil firm did not provide any detail on the reported gas leakage and alleged pollution of air in the communities.

The military Joint Task Force, JTF, operating in Yobe, Borno and Adamawa states under state of emergency will from today hand over command to a new Army division.

A statement issued in Abuja on Sunday by the director of defense information, Chris Olukolade, said the command of the on-going internal security operations in the North east would enter a new phase as the control of the mission reverts to the Army Headquarters.

He said a new division had been created and would take-off to continue the counter-insurgency operation with immediate effect.

“Coming three months into the mission to stamp out terrorism in the North East, this development is in line with the plans laid out for the conduct of the operations. The phase being concluded on Monday was executed by a Joint Task Force composed by troops drawn from the services of the Armed Forces as well as other security agencies who conducted Operation BOYONA,” he said.

He said the code-name BOYONA was an acronym derived from the names of the three states ofBorno, Yobe and Adamawa covered by the state of emergency declaration.

According to him, the effort was meant to constitute the first phase of the counter-terrorists operation.

He said the Army would now be solely in charge of the operations, but still under the routine guidance of the Defense Headquarters.

President Goodluck Jonathan had declared state of emergency on May 14 in three states following serious security challenges posed by the activities of Boko Haram.

Governor of Ogun State, Ibikunle Amosun, has described the death of SoniranSowemimo, a former commissioner for information in the state, as shocking.

Sowemimo, a high chief of Egba, died on Friday night at the age of 71.

In a statement signed by his chief press secretary, Funmi Wakama, the governor said “he died at a time when his wealth of experience was mostly needed, not just in the pen profession, but in the socioeconomic advancement of Ogun”.

Amosun described the deceased as “a revered media practitioner, community man par excellence and a patriotic citizen”.

“He devoted his life to the service of the state and humanity in general…Chief Sowemimo has certainly left his footprints on the sands of time,” he added.

The governor further prayed for the repose of his soul and also commiserated with theSowemimo family, the people of Ogun and the media community in Nigeria, on the exit of the renowned journalist.

Also, the Ogun State council of Nigeria Union of Journalists, NUJ, described the demise ofSowemimo as shocking.

READ ALSO:

• Boko Haram Kills 13 In Retaliatory Attacks In Borno
• APC Asks INEC To Sanction Jonathan For Early Campaign
• APC Chieftain Blames ANPP for Borno’s Woes
• Chevron, Bayelsa communities disagree on gas leakage
• New Army Division Takes Charge Of Adamawa, Borno and Yobe

The condolence was contained in a statement issued by the council’s chairman, Wole Sokunbi who said that “Sowemimo lived a fruitful life and bequeathed a worthy legacy to the younger generation”.

In the same vein, a member of the state house of representatives, Lanre Odubote, who worked with Sowemimo at Ogun State Broadcasting Corporation, OGBC, Abeokuta, described him as “a team player, teacher and master in the journalism profession”.

“He laid a solid foundation in Ogun as Commissioner for Information; the NUJ and indeed the entire journalism profession will miss this great master,” he said.

The Joint Task Force, JTF, in Borno State claimed on Monday that the wanted leader of the dreaded Boko Haram sect, Abubakar Shekau, may have been killed by the military in an attack on the group between June.

In a press statement issued by the JTF today signed by its spokesman, Sagir Musa, a lieutenant colonel, it said that Intelligence report had “revealed that Abubakar Shekau, the most dreaded and wanted Boko Haram terrorists leader, may have died.”

“He died of gunshot wound received in an encounter with the JTF troops in one of their camps atSambisa Forest on 30 June 2013. Shekau was mortally wounded in the encounter and was sneaked into Amitchide – a border community in Cameroun for treatment which he never recovered from,” the task force’s statement claimed.

Musa said further that “It is greatly believed that Shekau might have died between 25 July to 3 August, 2013.”

Shekau is, perhaps, the most wanted man in Nigeria, having led insurgents who have waged a terrorist war against many states in northern Nigeria, killing more than 2,500 persons in several attacks.

He was declared wanted last year by the Nigerian military with the sum of N50 million placed on him. He has also been declared a terrorist by the American government which also placed a bounty of $7 million on him.

Many crimes have been personally ascribed to Shekau, including the killing of some Muslim clerics in northern Nigeria while he is also said to have was masterminded the kidnap of the seven French citizens and elder statesman Shettima Ali Monguno.

According to Musa, the Boko Haram leader was also responsible for bombings of many places of worship and public buildings including the Police Headquarters and the United Nations Building inAbuja.

However, in a video released on August 13, nearly two weeks after Shekau is said to have been killed by the military, he admonished his followers to continue to wage war against the country and step u[p the killing of innocent people.

The All Progressives Congress, APC, says the N87 billion being demanded by the Academic Staff Union of Universities, ASUU represents earned allowances and therefore cannot be renegotiated.

According to a statement issued in on Tuesday by its interim national publicity secretary, Lai Mohammed, the party said that ASUU was not making any fresh demand beyond the agreement it reached with the government in 2009.

“Agreements are meant to be honoured, and breaching them comes with some consequences. The 87 billion naira that ASUU is demanding represents earned allowances hence cannot be renegotiated,” the APC said.

“In any case, this amount pales into insignificance when placed side by side with the 1 trillion nairathat has been spent on federal legislators in the past 8 years; or the frivolity involved in a government minister travelling to China to negotiate  a $1 billion loan in a chartered jet (with its attendant costs) and with a retinue of staffers who earned generous estacode in hard currency,” the party added.

It said the attitude of government towards the on-going strike which has crippled academic activities in public universities since July 1, is an indication of the kind of importance that it attaches to education.

Citing comments made by the minister of state for education, NyesonWike, the APC expressed shock and disgust at the nonchalant attitude demonstrated by those who should be working round the clock to resolve the crisis.

“We are not surprised, because most government officials have sent their children and wards to foreign universities, hence do not give a damn if the children of others are in school or not,” theAPC said.

The party said while the federal government has refused to meet its own side of an agreement it reached with ASUU since 2009, it could pay out N3 trillion in fraudulent fuel subsidies to “fat cats”, spend N10 billion annually to maintain the jets in the presidential fleet and do little or nothing to prevent the stealing of 400,000 barrels of crude oil per day, which translates to $120 million in a month, money that surely ends up in some people’s pockets.

According to the party, “if the Federal Government would reduce its profligacy and cut waste, there will be enough money to pay teachers in public universities, as well as fund research and upgrade infrastructure in such institutions.”

“Hungry teachers can neither teach well nor carry out research. And poorly-taught students can neither excel nor propel their nation to great heights,” the party added.

It noted that education is the key to national development and that talking about national growth and development without adequately funding education is a “pipe dream”.

Popular citizen journalism website, Saharareporters.com, has come under cyber attack in the last three days from unknown  persons who have succeeded in grounding the site.

The attack was announced in a statement signed by news website’s publisher,  Omoyele Sowore, which was posted on its Facebook page.

The statement read: “During the period between Wed. Aug 14 and Fri. Aug 16, 2013,SaharaReporters has been under a severe denial of service attack. The attackers have used a multi-pronged approach to their attack.”

Sowore said the attackers used a botnet comprising some thousands of servers across the globe, to incapacitate the site a number of times during the period.

“Their initial attack targeted a POST method attack to bypass the caching servers that normally prevent these types of attack. As soon as we were able to assuage the effects of that attack, the attackers switched their strategy and began bombarding the site in other ways. After responding to this methodology and getting the site functioning for the majority of the day on Thursday, the attackers again changed their strategy,” he noted.

“The third prong of the attack is called a SYN Flood attack, and it works by overloading the server with connection requests that linger for long periods of time. The SYN Flood began sometime early Friday morning and continues as of 2pm EST Friday afternoon,” Sowore said in the statement.

While noting that this third phase of the attack has proven quite challenging to overcome, he assured readers that the website’s team of server administrators were working “very” hard to push past the challenge and get reporters back on line.

The publisher also noted that “since establishing Saharareporters.com in 2006, the website and operators have been subjected to series of attacks both in the cyber space, media platforms and through proxy lawsuits, we have been declared public enemies to the extent that one of the columnists associated with Saharareporters has been serially detained and harassed whenever he visits Nigeria”.

He added: “While we cannot stop the powerful subjects of our groundbreaking reports from engaging in these cowardly attacks, we assure the reading public, especially our fans that nothing will stop Saharareporters and its affiliates from keeping up on the well-traveled path of exposing the characters responsible for the decimation of the dignity of Africans.”

A visit to the website this morning revealed that it still remains grounded.