Chidoka named aviation minister, Oyeyemi becomes FRSC boss
Former British Prime Minister Gordon Brown said on Tuesday that the world must band together 100 days after the mass abduction of Nigeria schoolgirls to send the message that “we will not forget” the more than 200 children still in the clutches of extremists.
Brown, now a United Nations special envoy for global education said that he hoped the recent arrival of helicopters, night-vision equipment and other gear to aid in the search for the girls would yield a breakthrough.
Gordon Brown
“I hope that in the next few weeks we can see more positive results than we’ve seen in the last hundred days,” Brown said. “This is every parent’s nightmare.”
The kidnapping, carried out by the Boko Haram group, drew global condemnation, notably through widespread use of the #BringBackOurGirls hashtag on Twitter. The White House criticized the government of Nigerian President Goodluck Jonathan for its sluggish response to the crisis and initial reluctance to accept U.S. help.
An international mobilization, including a special team to help coordinate search efforts and reconnaissance flights, has failed to date to rescue the girls and return them to their families. Equipment and other help have come in from Eastern Europe, China, the United States, Britain, France, and Israel. Officials fear that the young women have been separated into smaller groups, with some scattered elsewhere in Nigeria and others taken over the borders into Chad, Cameroon and Niger.
Asked why they had not yet been rescued, Brown replied: “Because they’re being held by a terrorist group that is intent on causing the maximum damage.”
“And while I think they’ve been located, at least some of them have been located, they have been split up as a group, and therefore it is very difficult to rescue one group without putting at risk the others,” said Brown.
“It’s possible that some are in Cameroon. It’s possible that some are in Niger. It’s possible that some are in other countries now, and it’s also possible that the long-term plan of Boko Haram is to disperse some of them across the whole of Africa,” Brown said.
The former prime minister urged people around the world to show public support for the families and for girls’ education.
“We must show, in the international community, a hundred days after they’ve been taken into captivity, we will not forget, we will always remember the plight that they are facing and the dangers they are undergoing, and we will keep the torch for these girls alive and lit so that the whole world knows that we must do everything in our power to rescue them,” he said.
“The families will see that they are not without support and they should not lose hope, because the efforts are intensifying to bring back the girls,” Brown said. “We are not forgetting them. We’re trying to do everything we can to bring them back.”
Asked about the downing of Malaysia Airlines Flight 17, Brown branded it “a terrorist act” and called for a investigation under U.N. auspices. And he echoed Western suspicions that the passenger jet was shot down by Moscow-backed separatists in eastern Ukraine.
Brown also recalled his “very difficult dealings” with Russian President Vladimir Putin – notably over the assassination of Alexander Litvinenko, a former KGB spy, in London in 2006. Russia has refused to deport the lead suspect, a Russian also thought to have ties to the KGB.
“As you know, there was a murder that took place in London and it was traced back to people in Russia, and from that moment, relations between myself and President Putin were very difficult,” he said.
When it comes to the downed airliner, “we’ve got to remember that any government or any group of leaders in any country that are either directly or indirectly responsible for an act which caused a huge amount of disturbance or damage or indeed the loss of lives, they’ve got to be held accountable in this modern international community,” he said.
Asked about the fighting between Israel and Hamas militants in the Gaza Strip, Brown called for a ceasefire “as quickly as possible,” followed by renewed efforts to forge “a more lasting peace” based on the creation of a Palestinian state living at peace with Israel.
Brown also repeated his opposition to Scottish independence and predicted that voters will reject severing ties with the rest of the United Kingdom in a September 18 referendum.
Culled From Yahoo news
- See more at: http://www.vanguardngr.com/2014/07/bringbackourgirls-helicopters-night-vision-equipment-aid-search-arrive/#sthash.BlHhbYGs.dpuf100 days after: Why I have not visited Chibok – President
By Emmanuel Aziken, Clifford Ndujihe & Ben Agande
ABUJA—ONE hundred days after the abduction of more than 200 schoolgirls in Chibok, Borno State, by Boko Haram terrorists, President Goodluck Jonathan, yesterday, met with parents of the girls. At the closed-door meeting were 53 of the girls, who had earlier escaped from their abductors as well as representatives of Chibok community and other stakeholders.
The meeting which started at about 11 o’clock ended at about 2:15 pm. Also at the meeting were Governor Kashim Shettima of Borno State; Governor Isa Yuguda of Bauchi State and the Senate President, David Mark.
An earlier attempt to hold the meeting did not materialize as representatives of the community declined to meet the President after meeting Pakistani girl-child education activist, Malala Yousafzai.
Speaking on the outcome of the Abuja meeting,Dr. Reuben Abati (Special Adviser to the President on Media & Publicity), said President Jonathan reassured the Chibok community that his Administration was doing everything humanly possible to rescue the girls and return them safely to their parents and appealed for their patience, understanding and cooperation.
Quoting the President, Abati said: “Anyone who gives you the impression that we are aloof and that we are not doing what we are supposed to do to get the girls out is not being truthful.
“Our commitment is not just to get the girls out, it is also to rout Boko Haram completely from Nigeria. But we are very, very mindful of the safety of the girls. We want to return them all alive to their parents. If they are killed in any rescue effort, then we have achieved nothing.”
The President said that although he was yet to visit Chibok in the aftermath of the abductions, his heart was constantly with the traumatized parents and people, and his desire was to visit them when their daughters have been freed and they can receive him with smiling faces of joy, rather than with tears of anguish.
“Our duty now is to take all relevant steps to recover our girls alive and our primary interest is getting them out as safely as possible. I will not want to say much, but we are doing everything humanly possible to get the girls out.
“This is not the time for talking much. This is the time for action. We will get to the time that we will tell stories. We will get to the time that we will celebrate and I assure you that, by God’s grace, that time will come soon,” President Jonathan told them.
Responding to appeals from the community leaders for more help in overcoming some of the challenges imposed on Chibok and neighbouring communities by the Boko Haram insurgency, the President said that the National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA) and Federal Medical Agencies will intensify their efforts to provide them with additional relief and assistance.
He also assured them that Chibok and other communities in the three North-Eastern States most affected by the Boko Haram insurgency will be the first beneficiaries of the Victims’ Support Fund, the Presidential Initiative for the North-East, the Safe Schools Initiative and other developmental programmes which the Federal Government is evolving to address the damage, losses, setbacks, economic and social dislocations occasioned by the Boko Haram insurgency.
Escaped Chibok girls arrive for meeting with President Jonathan at State House
“We solicit your maximum cooperation. Let us work together. Evil can never overcome good. We will surely overcome Boko Haram,” he told them.
In his remarks at the meeting, Governor Shettima called for more sobriety, reflection and unity of purpose in the fight against terrorism in the country.
He pledged that his state will give President Jonathan the fullest possible support for his efforts to address the problems caused by terrorism and the Boko Haram insurgency.
A member of the parents’ delegation, Dr. Pogu Bitrus presented the Chibok community’s address to the President.
Other speakers at the meeting included a district head, Mr. Zannamadu Usman; a member of the Borno State House of Assembly, Aminu Foni Chibok; parents of the abducted girls and three of the girls who escaped from their captors, Godia Simon, Dorcas Musa and Joy Bishara.
National security chiefs, ministers and other senior government officials were also present at the meeting.
Global events to mark 100 days of abduction
Meanwhile, there will be rallies and demonstrations to mark the 100th day anniversary of the abduction of the girls across major cities of the world including Nigeria today.
While a sit-in would be held at the Abuja Fountain, a remembrance service would hold at the Wall of Missing Girls at Falomo Roundabout, Lagos at 4pm.
A statement issued by the #Bring Back Our Girls campaign, yesterday, said a candlelight vigil would be held at the Nigerian Consulate in New York this evening with events also holding in India, Pakistan, the United Kingdom and other major towns of the world.
The statement was issued on behalf of the group by Hadiza Usman, Oby Ezekwesili, Ms. Yemisi Ransome Kuti, Aisha Oyebode who is the first daughter of former Nigerian military ruler, Gen. Murtala Muhammed, among other organizers.
“Through our various meetings, our singular message has been to demand that the Federal Government performs its fundamental duty of ensuring the security and the welfare of its citizens. As we denounce the wave of terror and insecurity across the country, we continue to demand that the Federal Government deploy its resources to ensure that the missing girls are brought home, and the errors leading from three-weeks of delayed action are remedied,” the group said yesterday.
“Citizens who have insisted on standing with our girls and ensuring they are not forgotten are heartbroken that our daughters and sisters are about to spend 100 days with their evil captors.”
Noting the federal administration’s continuing insensitivity to the activities of their group, they said: “The continued pattern of intolerance to the activities of the #Bring Back Our Girls Campaign is at variance with our effort to promote healthy civic engagement by citizens to strengthen the resolve of government to rescue the girls.
“As days become weeks and months and our girls are separated from their parents and their community, our singular focus remains on their safe return in the shortest possible time.”
When will remaining Chibok school girls be rescued?
Apart from about 50 girls that reportedly escaped on their own, the rest have remained in captivity. And this is in spite of efforts of the governments at all levels, the security agencies and the international community.
The development provoked a number of questions, namely: Will the Chibok school girls ever be rescued? When will they be rescued? Will they be brought back alive? What can we do to fast track their rescue?
Although, there was a delay in the commencement of rescue efforts on account of claims and counter-claims about the circumstances, the actual number of students abducted as well as politicisation of the tragedy, nobody expected the girls to remain in captivity till now.
Reports that some of the girls, who were writing their 2014 West African Senior School Certificate examinations when they were kidnapped had been married off; impregnated; scattered in neighbouring countries of Chad, Cameroun and Niger Republic; and forced to change their religion raised a groundswell of anxiety in the polity.
Efforts to rescue the girls
Following the unceasing outcry, President Goodluck Jonathan on May 6, about three weeks after the abduction, inaugurated the Presidential Fact-finding Committee on the Abduction of the Chibok Schoolgirls.
The committee submitted its report on June 20. According to its findings, 119 female students escaped from the school during the attack; 276 female students were abducted; 57 female students escaped from the insurgents after the abduction while 219 female students remain unaccounted for.
Repeatedly, the Presidency and security agencies have assured that the girls would be rescued, saying they would use all the tools of national power – military, intelligence, police, economic and political – in the crusade but so far the desired result has remained elusive.
To rescue the girls, apart from fighting and winning the war against terrorism, the government has among others:
Procured sophisticated fighter helicopters with in-built night vision technology and new equipment to strengthen the capability of the military and security forces;
Captured some senior-level Boko Haram commanders and collaborators. Aminu Sadiq Ogwuche, one of the masterminds of the April 14 bombing of the Nyanya (Abuja) bus station that killed about 100 civilians, was arrested by Nigerian officials after securing his extradition from Sudan. Mohammed Zakari, a Boko Haram leader known as the “Chief Butcher” was captured during the Nigerian forces raid on Balmo Forest, during which they expelled Boko Haram insurgents from the area;
• Developed $100 milliion Safe Schools Initiative (SSI) programme of which $20 million has been realized so far to safeguard school children in states under emergency rule. The government received pledges of support from the UN Special Envoy for Global Education, the World Bank, the African Development Bank and other donors. The SSI measures include providing perimeter fences, housing for teachers, community policing and school guards, alarm systems, and communication equipment.
• Undertaken steps to address the socio-economic factors that feed the insurgency by implementing a community service programme that has recruited 11,500 young people to participate in public works projects. The YouWin programme supports young entrepreneurs with grants to start a business or expand existing ones;
• Launched a Presidential Committee on Victims Support tagged: “Nigeria Terrorism Victims Support Foundation” which is essentially targeting to raise $1 billion from a Public-Private Partnership funding. This Presidential Initiative will mobilise resources and administer appropriate support to victims of insurgency and Boko Haram terror activities across the country. The Committee is chaired by General Theophilus Yakubu Danjuma (rtd);
Started developing a comprehensive economic empowerment plan for the region — the Presidential Initiative for the North East (PINE);
The President met the presidents of Chad, Cameroun, Niger Republic and Benin Republic in Paris leading to strong regional cooperation in the fight against cross-border crime and terrorism and the establishment of Regional Intelligence Unit for the purpose of information sharing and joint security operations in the area.
Established a multi-national Joint Task Force was established as a fall-out of the Lake Chad Basin Commission Partnership and got the commitment of ECOWAS and Africa Union to helping the country in her fight against terror: and
Nigerian police uncovered and prevented a bomb attack near a school in the north eastern city of Gombe.
Knocks on govt’s efforts
In spite of these efforts, some critics have described the government’s move as too feeble and indecisive. For instance, the inability of the armed forces to storm Sambisa Forest where the girls were being kept to confront the insurgents came under hammer. Another minus for the presidency was the refusal of the president to visit Chibok to see the parents of the abducted girls despite an avalanche of calls from many quarters to do so. Many observers were pained that while global efforts to bring back the girls are on, more children and women were being abducted by Boko Haram amid series of attacks and sacking of numerous towns especially in Borno, the epicentre of the insurgency.
About two months ago, the government backed out on a prisoner-swap offer that would have led to freeing the girls.
However, the government countered the criticisms saying that it is doing its best to win the war.
No to prisoner swap
Restating its position and willingness to dialogue with the sect, especially through the Turaki Committee, which went round the country especially the North East with a view to eliciting a discussion with members of the sect, the government said it would however not subject the release of the abducted Chibok schoolgirls to prisoner swap that entails release of Boko Haram kingpins.
On attacks that it is too slow, the government said it knows where the girls are and is making efforts to rescue them alive. “Having known where the girls are, the efforts of government are to ensure that the abducted Chibok schoolgirls remain within the borders of Nigeria, and that they are eventually rescued alive. And this goes with a lot of planning, evaluation and assessment of prevailing situation within the general mission area. This is in line with international best practices in respect of such operations. Therefore, we urge all citizens of the world, particularly the parents, members of the Chibok community and Nigerians to be patient and supportive of the effort of government. What is clear is the readiness and willingness of government to deploy assets and resources towards rescuing the children. The parents, the Chibok community are assured and they have no reason to doubt that government and Nigerians are with them in this ordeal,” a presidency official said.
Speaking on the issue during the inauguration of the Victims Support Fund Committee last week, President Jonathan, who is seeking $1billion loan to buy equipment to combat the insurgency scourge, said: “The reality today is that, we are confronted with individuals whose minds have been so twisted and tutored to believe they are doing God a service. Let me reiterate clearly that evil will never prevail over good. The blood that is being wasted everyday by those who take advantage of the vulnerability of our people to spread extremist doctrines and recruit them for murderous errands are enemies of humanity. We will never waste any effort in bringing the individuals responsible for crimes against humanity to justice.”
Declaring that the days of Boko Haram are numbered and our war against terrorism is gathering momentum, he called “on all Nigerians to stand together in support of our security agencies against terrorism.
They are working night and day under difficult circumstances. It is unfortunate that when our security personnel prevent 1000 attacks, it is the one attack that succeeds that makes headline news and tends to portray our security agencies as not doing enough. It is part of the realities we have to deal with. We owe Nigerians nothing but victory over terror. The life of every Nigerian is precious and we will continue to work round the clock to put an end to this insurgency.”
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Email- See more at: http://www.vanguardngr.com/2014/07/100-days-visited-chibok-president/#sthash.q8hzTerW.dpufDisturbing video shows how Boko Haram men beheaded Nigerian Air Force officer
Sahara Reporters today shared a disturbing video which showed a Nigerian Air officer identified as Umar Abubakar being interrogated and later gruesomely murdered by Boko Haram men in Borno state. The sect men then paraded with his head in a jubilant display.
The victim, who was extensively interrogated before his gruesome killing, identified himself as Umar Abubakar, disclosing that he was a member of Section 9 of the Nigerian armed forces engaged in counter-insurgency measures against Boko Haram.
In the video clip, the insurgents asked their victim to state his monthly pay to which he replied N40,000. He also disclosed that his commanding officer was a 2nd lieutenant. The insurgents displayed their victim's identity card, chanting that the world should know that Allah had given them an enemy.
This is too sad. Just sad. Couldn't bring myself to watch the video. Continue...
"So you were sent to kill Boko Haram? And you are serving the state instead of Allah? We are members of Jama'atu Ahlis Sunna Lidda'awati Wal-Jihad and Allah has given us an infidel today," one of the Islamist sect's leaders said in the video.
Thinking that reprieve would come his way, the captured military operative proclaimed himself a Muslim of Jama'atu Izalal extraction, but the insurgents, who spoke Hausa mixed with Kanuri, dismissed his plea. Their leader said: "No amount of prayers will save you, we will judge you according to the Quran."
To the chants of Allahuakubar, the insurgents decapitated the hapless officer. After beheading their victim, the terrorists held up his severed head in jubilation as one of them used a mobile phone to film the gory scene. The victim's headless body can be seen on the ground in a pool of blood, his hands tied with a rope.
Source: Sahara Reporters
Erm, sorry you can't watch the video here. Go on Youtube to watch - here
The victim, who was extensively interrogated before his gruesome killing, identified himself as Umar Abubakar, disclosing that he was a member of Section 9 of the Nigerian armed forces engaged in counter-insurgency measures against Boko Haram.
In the video clip, the insurgents asked their victim to state his monthly pay to which he replied N40,000. He also disclosed that his commanding officer was a 2nd lieutenant. The insurgents displayed their victim's identity card, chanting that the world should know that Allah had given them an enemy.This is too sad. Just sad. Couldn't bring myself to watch the video. Continue...
"So you were sent to kill Boko Haram? And you are serving the state instead of Allah? We are members of Jama'atu Ahlis Sunna Lidda'awati Wal-Jihad and Allah has given us an infidel today," one of the Islamist sect's leaders said in the video.
Thinking that reprieve would come his way, the captured military operative proclaimed himself a Muslim of Jama'atu Izalal extraction, but the insurgents, who spoke Hausa mixed with Kanuri, dismissed his plea. Their leader said: "No amount of prayers will save you, we will judge you according to the Quran."
To the chants of Allahuakubar, the insurgents decapitated the hapless officer. After beheading their victim, the terrorists held up his severed head in jubilation as one of them used a mobile phone to film the gory scene. The victim's headless body can be seen on the ground in a pool of blood, his hands tied with a rope.
Source: Sahara Reporters
Erm, sorry you can't watch the video here. Go on Youtube to watch - here
Military Uncovers Boko Haram Plans To Attack Five Busy Spots In Abuja
Vincent Ehiabi
The Nigerian Army has uncovered plans by the dreaded terrorist group, Boko Haram, to launch an offensive on five busy spots in Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Abuja.
According to Daily Sun, an intelligence report had revealed that the sect members have intruded Utako Market, posing as petty traders, wheel barrow pushers, butchers, as well as cab drivers, while they await instructions on when to bomb the market.
A security source, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said the terrorists target the Utako Market, Area 1 Shopping Centre, DeiDei Market, Farmers Market, Maitama and Area 3 Motor Spare Parts Market located behind the old secretariat in Abuja.
It assured that the security agencies are working tirelessly to foil the impending attacks, adding that the task force in charge of security in the FCT was considering closing down the Utako Market, DeiDei Market and the shopping malls marked for the attacks.
It further revealed that security operatives had already met with the management of targeted markets and shopping mall to brainstorm on how to avert the impending attack. He said security agencies shut down one of such malls located at Wuse Zone 5 after it received a threat letter from insurgents over an impending attack.
It was, however, observed that to execute adequate security in Utako market would pose some challenges because of its largeness.
Another top security source, who spoke on condition of anonymity said, adequate security had been put in place in the market.
He revealed some of them to include installation of several gates to check vehicular movement, eradication of traders without shops operating outside the market, securing of banks operating in the market premises, eradicating the illegal motor park that had taken over the parking lot and also halted the unselective parking within and outside the market.
The source said the move had however, caused some panics within the market therefore posing a huge challenge to security operatives.
Meanwhile, the Nigerian Army has already started purchasing news weapons which they will use to end the terrorist group that has reportedly killed over 4,000 innocent people since 2009. The dreaded terrorist group and its leader, Abubakar Shekau, have been blacklisted by the UN.
BREAKING NEWS: Chibok Girls Parents Arrive Presidential Villa
Vincent Ehiabi, 2 hours ago
Parents of the school girls that were abducted from Government Girls Secondary School, Chibok , Borno State on April 14, by the dreaded terrorist group, Boko Haram, have reportedly arrived the Presidential Villa Abuja, to meet with President Goodluck Jonathan.
Chibok girls parents arrival at Presidential Villa
Daily Trust reports that the girls’ parents were conveyed with four Abuja Urban Mass Transit buses to the Banquet Hall of the State House at about 10.30am this morning.
It was also reported that about 30 of the escaped girls also graced the invitation.
The parents in attendance also include those of the girls still held captive by the terrorist group, as well as some community opinion leaders who are not direct parents of any of the victims.
High ranking federal government officials and all the service chiefs have also arrived for the meeting.
Reports just coming disclosed that the meeting started at 11.20am shortly after President Jonathan, and Senate President David Mark, arrived the venue. The governors of Borno and Bauchi States, Kassim Shettima and Isa Yuguda, are also reported to be in attendance.
It is also reported that Journalists have been asked to leave the meeting venue, as the meeting is been held behind closed doors.
It would be recalled that the meeting was earlier slated to hold on July 15, 2014, but was cancelled by the abducted girls parents,but the meeting was, however, rescheduled for Tuesday, 22 July, 2014.
Meanwhile, a source disclosed that the abducted girls parents arrived in Abuja yesterday (Monday), and were lodged in NICON Luxury hotel.
The President had agreed to meet 12 parents and five girls who escaped from the terrorist den following a request by Pakistani rights campaigner Malala Yousafzai, who visited him (President) at the presidential villa.
Organisers say millions of girls and women are being stopped from realising their potential due to illegal and harmful practices.
03:07AM, UK,
Tuesday 22 July 2014
The first ever "Girl Summit" is being held in the UK, aimed at increasing efforts to end female genital mutilation (FGM) and child, early and forced marriage (CEFM) within a generation.
Co-hosted by UNICEF and the UK Government the event is being held in London from today and will bring together government representatives, international organisations, the private sector and girls themselves to call for action.
Organisations involved say millions of girls and women are being prevented from achieving their potential, or live a life free from violence, because of harmful practices such as FGM and CEFM, which are illegal in the UK.
Sky News spoke to one Kurdish woman who at the age of 15 was forced to marry a man she didn't know, and was subsequently beaten and raped.
Speaking through a translator, she described how her own relatives attacked her when she tried to escape.
"Her own family tried to kill her for leaving her husband," the translator said.
"They stabbed her twice, once in the chest and another in the back, and this was done by her brothers.
"When she did escape she was also prevented from seeing her children for 15 years. This has had a tremendous psychological effect."
But Diane Nammi from the Iranian and Kurdish women's rights organisation says this isn't just a distant problem.
Some 14 million girls are married every year before they turn 18
"It happens in London, in Newcastle, anywhere in the UK," she said.
"They are doing it mainly where there is sharia law and sharia courts, and so many young girls can be wife of a man as old as their father or grandfather, they can be the second wife of a man."
It's estimated that 14 million girls are married every year before they reach 18, with one in nine across the developing world married by 15.
Some 60% of child brides are also taken out of school so they have no formal education.
In most countries the legal minimum age for marriage is 18 - but loopholes often allow it to happen as part of local customs.
The group Girls Not Brides told Sky News that change is happening within communities and families in the UK, and across Africa, South Asia, the Middle East and Europe, with more and more saying no to this form of abuse.
But Heather Hamilton from the partnership said many still don't realise the harm child marriage causes.
She said: "It's an entire end to the girl's life as her own person.
"We take it for granted that we’re going to be able to make choices and have opportunities.
"We're going to be able to choose whether we get married, go to school or university.
"It's almost inconceivable for women who have the privileges we have to understand what this means, but it has a devastating impact on the girls and their lives."
A social media campaign has been launched to boost support for the event, with the Government asking people to share the hashtag #GirlSummit.
| credits: www.bellanaija.com
A Nigerian Air Force Mi-35 Helicopter on a training mission on Monday crashed due to a technical fault at a location South of Bama, Borno State, the Director of Information, Nigeria Defence Headquarters, Maj. Gen. Chris Olukolade, said in a press statement.
Some observers, however, reasoned that the craft could have been blown off by the insurgents who have taken hold of over half of Borno State.
An officer, who spoke anonymously to journalists, before Olukolade’s press statement said, a surveillance jet was shot down by the insurgents around Bama.
But in the press statement by Olukolade, it was revealed that “investigation has commenced to unravel the circumstances that led to the accident.”
He discounted the insinuation that the plane crashed as a result of insurgency attack, saying “it is established that the crash is not as a result of any enemy action.”
Olukolade promised that further details on the crash would be made known after investigation.
FG bans registration, deportation of citizens within Nigeria
.Insists Chibok girls’ whereabouts known
President Goodluck Jonathan has ordered the immediate stoppage of deportation and registration of Nigerians within the 36 states of the federation. Towards this end, he called for a meeting the National Council of State next week to discuss the seriousness and the implication of registration and deportation of Nigerians from one state to the other.
While noting that the action was “more potent than Boko Haram,” to disintegrate Nigeria, the President warned that any security operatives caught assisting in deportation and registration of Nigerians would be heavily sanctioned.
He also warned youth groups who are as a result of this act planning in some states to ferment trouble to desist or face severe sanctions.
The decision was taken at yesterday at the National Security Council meeting, presided over by Jonathan which had in attendance all the service chiefs, Inspector General of Police, Director General, State Security Service (SSS), DG, National Intelligence Agency (NIA), ministers of Interior, Foreign Affairs and Police Affairs.
Addressing State House correspondents at the end of the meeting, the IGP, Muhammed Abubakar and the DG SSS, Ita Ekpeyong, said the meeting considered the deportation of Nigerians from any part of the country as a dangerous trend that must be stopped forthwith.
Abubakar said, “primarily, the council discussed very important issues – Boko Haram, that is to say the issue of terrorism in Nigeria, second most important issue the Chibok girls and lastly the issue of Nigerians being discriminated against in some parts of the country.”
Ekpeyong, said Council regarded the issue of deportation, registration of Nigerians in states of the federation as even more potent than Boko Haram: “Council discussed in detail the issue of registration of Nigerians in any part of the country, being subjected to registration, being subjected to deportation, being taken away from one part of the country to the other.
“Council discussed the reaction by some groups in Kano State and other parts of the country.
“Council observed that this threat was more potent than Boko Haram and could disintegrate the country. And we take this very seriously, for people to deport people, for people to take people from one place to the other, for registration of indigenes no matter where they are. No matter where they are they are free to settle anywhere they like.
“Council resolved that the issue of registration of Nigerians anywhere in the country and deportation should stop forthwith. To re-emphasis the importance, the President attached to this, he asked the IG and I to address the press, this must stop forthwith.
“Security operatives should not be involved in anybody trying to register people and anybody trying to deport people, security operatives must henceforth not be involved. If Police, SSS are found to be involved they will be severely dealt with.
“Also youth groups trying to forment trouble because of this issue are warned to desist from it because government is taking serious notice of it. Government is doing everything possible to steam this from getting out of control. As a matter of fact to show the urgency, the Council of State meeting will be held anytime next week to discuss this issues.
Speaking on the fight on terrorism, Ekpeyong said: “The fight against Boko Haram is ongoing. We kept saying that the fight against Boko Haram is like the footballer. You know when the Germans played Argentina, it was only that one goal they scored that everyone is remembering, the other goals that were stopped nobody will remember. There are several things government is doing, there are several attacks government has stopped but nobody will remember those ones because we don’t tell you but several things are going on.
“The issue of Chibok girls, government is making efforts. We know where they are but we don’t want to endanger their lives that is the truth. We want to take it gradually and release them at the appropriate time. We know where they are you can go to bed with that.”
While noting that the action was “more potent than Boko Haram,” to disintegrate Nigeria, the President warned that any security operatives caught assisting in deportation and registration of Nigerians would be heavily sanctioned.
He also warned youth groups who are as a result of this act planning in some states to ferment trouble to desist or face severe sanctions.
The decision was taken at yesterday at the National Security Council meeting, presided over by Jonathan which had in attendance all the service chiefs, Inspector General of Police, Director General, State Security Service (SSS), DG, National Intelligence Agency (NIA), ministers of Interior, Foreign Affairs and Police Affairs.
Addressing State House correspondents at the end of the meeting, the IGP, Muhammed Abubakar and the DG SSS, Ita Ekpeyong, said the meeting considered the deportation of Nigerians from any part of the country as a dangerous trend that must be stopped forthwith.
Abubakar said, “primarily, the council discussed very important issues – Boko Haram, that is to say the issue of terrorism in Nigeria, second most important issue the Chibok girls and lastly the issue of Nigerians being discriminated against in some parts of the country.”
Ekpeyong, said Council regarded the issue of deportation, registration of Nigerians in states of the federation as even more potent than Boko Haram: “Council discussed in detail the issue of registration of Nigerians in any part of the country, being subjected to registration, being subjected to deportation, being taken away from one part of the country to the other.
“Council discussed the reaction by some groups in Kano State and other parts of the country.
“Council observed that this threat was more potent than Boko Haram and could disintegrate the country. And we take this very seriously, for people to deport people, for people to take people from one place to the other, for registration of indigenes no matter where they are. No matter where they are they are free to settle anywhere they like.
“Council resolved that the issue of registration of Nigerians anywhere in the country and deportation should stop forthwith. To re-emphasis the importance, the President attached to this, he asked the IG and I to address the press, this must stop forthwith.
“Security operatives should not be involved in anybody trying to register people and anybody trying to deport people, security operatives must henceforth not be involved. If Police, SSS are found to be involved they will be severely dealt with.
“Also youth groups trying to forment trouble because of this issue are warned to desist from it because government is taking serious notice of it. Government is doing everything possible to steam this from getting out of control. As a matter of fact to show the urgency, the Council of State meeting will be held anytime next week to discuss this issues.
Speaking on the fight on terrorism, Ekpeyong said: “The fight against Boko Haram is ongoing. We kept saying that the fight against Boko Haram is like the footballer. You know when the Germans played Argentina, it was only that one goal they scored that everyone is remembering, the other goals that were stopped nobody will remember. There are several things government is doing, there are several attacks government has stopped but nobody will remember those ones because we don’t tell you but several things are going on.
“The issue of Chibok girls, government is making efforts. We know where they are but we don’t want to endanger their lives that is the truth. We want to take it gradually and release them at the appropriate time. We know where they are you can go to bed with that.”
'We know where the Chibok girls are but we are just being careful' - DG SSS insists
While fielding questions from newsmen after today's National Security Council meeting held at the Presidential Villa, the Director General of the Department of State Security, DSS, Mr Ita Ekpeyong said that security forces know where precisely the kidnapped Chibok girls are but are being very careful in their rescue efforts so as not to endanger their lives.
"The issue of the Chibok girls, government is making efforts. We know where they are but we don't want to endanger their lives, that is the truth. We want to take it gradually and release them at the appropriate time. We know where they are" he said
Mr Ekpeyong also stated that the Federal Government has directed all the state government planning to register non-indigines in their state by issuing them means of Identification, to stop forthwith and warned military officers not to work with states that may want to go ahead with the process. (Picture above showsNational Security Council Meeting at the Presidential Villa, in Abuja today)
Shocking Alert: what defiance!
HEAR AMINU SADIQ OGWUCHE, THE NYANYA BOMBER!
“I don't deny that I am the executioner of the Nyanya bomb incident. I did it in order to draw government's attention to our demands. We want our detained colleagues released and compensation paid to those of our colleagues who were killed by the federal troops during operations. We want Islamic rule in the whole of northern Nigeria. Western education is a sin against Allah. It's time for dialogue between government and Boko Haram leaders for the way out of the deadlock".
“If I am left alone, I will still kill those infidels who have refused to repent of their sins against Allah. This is my mission on earth. My mission is to wipe out infidels from the face of the earth. You call me bomb detonator, and I love that. I am ready to kill again. In fact, I enjoy killing people who are unbelievers; those deceived by western education and disobedient to Allah and his holy Koran. I don't care what will happen to me now because if I die, I shall go to heaven for doing god's work. I won't beg anybody for forgiveness but I can assure you that my so called trial will not be an easy exercise. If I like, I plead not guilty in court to make things difficult for the federal government but inside my mind, I know I did the damn thing. It is my word against federal government evidence. I know a little bit about the intricacies of the law through the study of several law books. Nobody can push me around because I am not a fool".
“We used to come in from Chad-Niger border and carry out our activities. But owing to security presence, we shifted to Cameroonian border in Mambisa. But the Army people will not allow us to rest. They killed a lot of our people there and we ran for our dear life".
UNA HEAR THIS MADMAN SO?!!
According to the Department of State Security, Ogwuche served in the Intelligence Unit of the Nigerian Army at Child Avenue, Arakan Barracks, Lagos, between 2001 and 2006 with service Number 95/104 and is reported to have deserted in 2006. He is also the son of a retired colonel.
England’s Crime Rate Has Fallen So Low They Need 15,000 Fewer Police
July 17, 2014
A record 14% fall in the last 12 months has taken crime levels in England and Wales to their lowest level for 33 years, according to the Office for National Statistics.
Crime has fallen across most types of offenses, according to the authoritative crime survey of England and Wales with the largest falls including a 20% drop in violent crime, a 17% fall in criminal damage and a 10% fall in theft.
In fact, the fall in crime has meant fewer police officers needed on the street and a total cut in the police force of 15,825 since 2010.
(READ the story from the Guardian)
Photo of the day: IG of Police conducting traffic in Abuja today
Sunday, July 20, 2014
Inspector General of Police, MD Abubakar fully dressed in Traffic Police uniform, controlling traffic at the popular Ministry of Finance Junction in Central Abuja today July 20th. Even if this is for show, it is the right kind of show. There is doubting that this singular act will stand for him in history. Kudos to you, IG, MD Abubakar.
Female ritualist caught with corpse of a 3yr old boy in Mile 2Sunday, July 20, 2014
Here's a pic of the police officer who caught the woman...Don’t give up, Kumuyi tells Nigerians
JULY 20, 2014 BY OYETUNJI ABIOYE
10 ways to end doctors’ strikes (FOREVER) in Nigeria
BY FEMI OGUNYEMI
A GOVERNMENT official once told me : ” You people (doctors) should do as we say; after all we pay your salaries”.
And a colleague once said to me: “They (government) should just give us what we want.”
Both are wrong; and herein lies the locus of persistent conflict.
Government’s action impinges on ALL doctors, including those whose salary they don’t pay.
And my colleague would be better served in getting what “has been agreed” rather than what he “wants”. Subtle differences but key to understanding the nature of negotiation.
It reminds me of advice a Professor gave me many years ago regarding negotiating employment contracts in new jobs: “Meet YOUR needs by making the other party happy that you’ve met THEIR needs”. Everyone wins. Tricky, but it works.
Why do doctors strike?
Contrary to what some might think, doctors do have a right to strike. According to the ILO, every worker does.
The impact of such a strike on the community, economy and the profession itself is severe, especially in developing countries like Nigeria. All stakeholders and involved groups must take an ethical approach and share a moral obligation to put society first.
There are three main reasons why doctors strike:
*Medical practice, and the doctor-patient relationship continues to change. Patient care decision-making, in both public and private practice, is now shared between employer requirements, patient demands, insurance companies, other third party payers, and government regulations. The doctor is no more the sole determinant of patient care and there is some frustration from this disempowerment. Doctors have become like any other employee who must sometimes negotiate wages and compensation to meet personal economic needs.
*Doctors may have a genuine dissatisfaction with inadequate facilities, drugs, and lack of support from employers and elected government officials. Non- physicians often quote the Hippocratic Oath: “The health of my patient will be my first consideration” as a reason that doctors should NOT go on strike. In fact, when doctors feel they are unable to provide safe and effective care for their patients, the Oath may be the exact reason they should strike; the “first, do no harm” principle.
*The failure of government and employers to honour collective bargaining agreements, CBAs, for improved wages and conditions of service is a major crucial reason in Nigeria. A signed MOU is an agreement; a pact. Failure, refusal or delay in implementation breeds distrust and a perception of a lack of commitment. This not only presents immediate conflict but prejudices future negotiations.
The NMA had listed 24 “demands” of government. I had planned to address each of these issues in this article but will defer that for now.
However, having written three reviews (Vanguard Newspapers April/May 2014) on the National Health Bill 2014, I must reiterate that this Bill MUST NOT be signed by President Goodluck Jonathan in its present form.
The NMA should actually take a lead role in its public review!
Nine of the 24 “demands” appear to be directly related to what I call SCC, that is Salaries, Compensation and Conditions of service. These are @3, 5, 8, 9, 10, 11, 14, 17 and 21.
The problem for doctors is that their SCC is lumped together with the rest of the civil service as they are considered by government to be like any other “public service employee”.
There is an inherent mistake in this philosophy. A doctor is not something you do, it is something you are!
This is why it is so much more difficult for doctors to simply discontinue practising medicine, and it makes them susceptible to exploitation in negotiations.
How to end doctors strikes (FOREVER) in Nigeria
*The establishment of a clearly defined, mutually agreed condition of service for doctors, is the single most dramatic step in halting doctors strikes in Nigeria.
The UK NHS is the biggest government run health service in the world. There is a distinct code of service for doctors, entirely separate from the civil service.
Let’s look at the NHS Terms and Conditions of Service Handbook. There are seven parts.
Part 2 deals with PAY: pay structure, maintaining round the clock services, overtime payments, pay in high cost areas, recruitment and retention premia, career and pay progression.
Part 3 deals with Terms and Conditions of Service: hours of the working week, part time employees and fixed time contracts, contractual continuity of care, annual leave and general public holidays, sickness absence, maternity leave and pay, redundancy pay, travel cost reimbursement, subsistence allowances, mutually agreed (their words) resignation schemes, whistleblowing and injury allowance.
One can see from the above why there was no doctors strike in the UK for 37 years! After a strike in 1975, that of June 2012 was a mere 24 hour revolt to highlight pension disagreements.
*Legitimate Collective Bargaining Agreements, CBAs, must be respected and implemented in a timely manner. The courts, and mutually agreed arbitration panels, must be involved.
*The importance of ethics must be integrated into the profession, the government and employers. ALL parties have a moral obligation to society.
* The profession must resist the impulse to make economic demands beyond the capacity of the employer (government) or which could hinder the provision of other services like education or public utilities. Doctors have a duty of care to patients, while government has a duty of care to the public. Fortunately, or unfortunately, they are one and the same. Some demands may also require legislation by the National Assembly; this will take time.
* Government should resist the urge to arbitrarily call certain groups of workers as “essential services” so as to deny them a right to strike. In fact, if such workers are considered “essential” then they deserve a separate mechanism of pay and service conditions.
* Both parties must put forward trained and skilled negotiators.
* Government must avoid threats of unjustifiable disciplinary action.
* The media, TV, newspapers, radio, and social media is crucial to ALL parties in communicating with the general public. To garner public support and understanding, disagreements and agreements must be transparent.
* The NMA should embark on a major membership drive to include ALL registered Nigerian doctors. These members should be regularly surveyed, balloted and informed on all matters being discussed on their behalf.
* Finally the MDCN, the doctors’ regulatory body, has a duty in restoration of respect to the profession. There is a feeling that professional standing may have been diminished by repeated strikes in the past. The MDCN can encourage and accredit more CPD activities in the fields of management and administration. They can design and monitor a code of standards of good medical practice in Nigeria.
- See more at: http://www.vanguardngr.com/2014/07/10-ways-end-doctors-strikes-forever-nigeria/#sthash.JwsrFboo.dpuf
BY FEMI OGUNYEMI
A GOVERNMENT official once told me : ” You people (doctors) should do as we say; after all we pay your salaries”.
And a colleague once said to me: “They (government) should just give us what we want.”
Both are wrong; and herein lies the locus of persistent conflict.
Government’s action impinges on ALL doctors, including those whose salary they don’t pay.
And my colleague would be better served in getting what “has been agreed” rather than what he “wants”. Subtle differences but key to understanding the nature of negotiation.
It reminds me of advice a Professor gave me many years ago regarding negotiating employment contracts in new jobs: “Meet YOUR needs by making the other party happy that you’ve met THEIR needs”. Everyone wins. Tricky, but it works.
Why do doctors strike?
Contrary to what some might think, doctors do have a right to strike. According to the ILO, every worker does.
The impact of such a strike on the community, economy and the profession itself is severe, especially in developing countries like Nigeria. All stakeholders and involved groups must take an ethical approach and share a moral obligation to put society first.
There are three main reasons why doctors strike:
*Medical practice, and the doctor-patient relationship continues to change. Patient care decision-making, in both public and private practice, is now shared between employer requirements, patient demands, insurance companies, other third party payers, and government regulations. The doctor is no more the sole determinant of patient care and there is some frustration from this disempowerment. Doctors have become like any other employee who must sometimes negotiate wages and compensation to meet personal economic needs.
*Doctors may have a genuine dissatisfaction with inadequate facilities, drugs, and lack of support from employers and elected government officials. Non- physicians often quote the Hippocratic Oath: “The health of my patient will be my first consideration” as a reason that doctors should NOT go on strike. In fact, when doctors feel they are unable to provide safe and effective care for their patients, the Oath may be the exact reason they should strike; the “first, do no harm” principle.
*The failure of government and employers to honour collective bargaining agreements, CBAs, for improved wages and conditions of service is a major crucial reason in Nigeria. A signed MOU is an agreement; a pact. Failure, refusal or delay in implementation breeds distrust and a perception of a lack of commitment. This not only presents immediate conflict but prejudices future negotiations.
The NMA had listed 24 “demands” of government. I had planned to address each of these issues in this article but will defer that for now.
However, having written three reviews (Vanguard Newspapers April/May 2014) on the National Health Bill 2014, I must reiterate that this Bill MUST NOT be signed by President Goodluck Jonathan in its present form.
The NMA should actually take a lead role in its public review!
Nine of the 24 “demands” appear to be directly related to what I call SCC, that is Salaries, Compensation and Conditions of service. These are @3, 5, 8, 9, 10, 11, 14, 17 and 21.
The problem for doctors is that their SCC is lumped together with the rest of the civil service as they are considered by government to be like any other “public service employee”.
There is an inherent mistake in this philosophy. A doctor is not something you do, it is something you are!
This is why it is so much more difficult for doctors to simply discontinue practising medicine, and it makes them susceptible to exploitation in negotiations.
How to end doctors strikes (FOREVER) in Nigeria
*The establishment of a clearly defined, mutually agreed condition of service for doctors, is the single most dramatic step in halting doctors strikes in Nigeria.
The UK NHS is the biggest government run health service in the world. There is a distinct code of service for doctors, entirely separate from the civil service.
Let’s look at the NHS Terms and Conditions of Service Handbook. There are seven parts.
Part 2 deals with PAY: pay structure, maintaining round the clock services, overtime payments, pay in high cost areas, recruitment and retention premia, career and pay progression.
Part 3 deals with Terms and Conditions of Service: hours of the working week, part time employees and fixed time contracts, contractual continuity of care, annual leave and general public holidays, sickness absence, maternity leave and pay, redundancy pay, travel cost reimbursement, subsistence allowances, mutually agreed (their words) resignation schemes, whistleblowing and injury allowance.
One can see from the above why there was no doctors strike in the UK for 37 years! After a strike in 1975, that of June 2012 was a mere 24 hour revolt to highlight pension disagreements.
*Legitimate Collective Bargaining Agreements, CBAs, must be respected and implemented in a timely manner. The courts, and mutually agreed arbitration panels, must be involved.
*The importance of ethics must be integrated into the profession, the government and employers. ALL parties have a moral obligation to society.
* The profession must resist the impulse to make economic demands beyond the capacity of the employer (government) or which could hinder the provision of other services like education or public utilities. Doctors have a duty of care to patients, while government has a duty of care to the public. Fortunately, or unfortunately, they are one and the same. Some demands may also require legislation by the National Assembly; this will take time.
* Government should resist the urge to arbitrarily call certain groups of workers as “essential services” so as to deny them a right to strike. In fact, if such workers are considered “essential” then they deserve a separate mechanism of pay and service conditions.
* Both parties must put forward trained and skilled negotiators.
* Government must avoid threats of unjustifiable disciplinary action.
* The media, TV, newspapers, radio, and social media is crucial to ALL parties in communicating with the general public. To garner public support and understanding, disagreements and agreements must be transparent.
* The NMA should embark on a major membership drive to include ALL registered Nigerian doctors. These members should be regularly surveyed, balloted and informed on all matters being discussed on their behalf.
* Finally the MDCN, the doctors’ regulatory body, has a duty in restoration of respect to the profession. There is a feeling that professional standing may have been diminished by repeated strikes in the past. The MDCN can encourage and accredit more CPD activities in the fields of management and administration. They can design and monitor a code of standards of good medical practice in Nigeria.
Civil Defence member in custody for stabbing teacher to death
Below is a press statement from the Force Headquarters
A member of the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC), Assistant-Inspector Lasisi Kabir Iyanda, has been arrested and detained in Police custody over the brutal murder, on 27 June, 2014, of a 32-year-old Kamaldeen Muritala, an Islamic Religious Knowledge teacher attached to Titilope Islamic Comprehensive High School, Ejigbo, Osun State.
Preliminary enquiry by Police detectives from the Osun State Police Command, Osogbo reveals that the victim, Kamaldeen Muritala died at Baptist Hospital Ejigbo from complications arising from fatal stab wounds inflicted on his neck with a jack-knife by the NSCDC member during an argument close to the entrance of an examination hall where National Examination Council (NECO) examination was taking place. Continue...
Following the demise of the deceased Islamic teacher, students of the school attempted to raze down office structures belonging to the NSCDC as well as those of other government establishments in the area, but the timely intervention of the Police prevented further breakdown of law and order.
Meanwhile, the Police High Command has commended the officers and men of Osun State Police Command for their timely intervention which helped to rescue the 30-year-old suspect concerned as well as other property and whittle down what otherwise might have turned into a major catastrophe. The apex Police Authority however, enjoins citizens never to take laws into their own hands no matter the provocation, promising that justice would be served in this case.
A member of the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC), Assistant-Inspector Lasisi Kabir Iyanda, has been arrested and detained in Police custody over the brutal murder, on 27 June, 2014, of a 32-year-old Kamaldeen Muritala, an Islamic Religious Knowledge teacher attached to Titilope Islamic Comprehensive High School, Ejigbo, Osun State.
Preliminary enquiry by Police detectives from the Osun State Police Command, Osogbo reveals that the victim, Kamaldeen Muritala died at Baptist Hospital Ejigbo from complications arising from fatal stab wounds inflicted on his neck with a jack-knife by the NSCDC member during an argument close to the entrance of an examination hall where National Examination Council (NECO) examination was taking place. Continue...
Following the demise of the deceased Islamic teacher, students of the school attempted to raze down office structures belonging to the NSCDC as well as those of other government establishments in the area, but the timely intervention of the Police prevented further breakdown of law and order.
Meanwhile, the Police High Command has commended the officers and men of Osun State Police Command for their timely intervention which helped to rescue the 30-year-old suspect concerned as well as other property and whittle down what otherwise might have turned into a major catastrophe. The apex Police Authority however, enjoins citizens never to take laws into their own hands no matter the provocation, promising that justice would be served in this case.
Imo Police uncover 8 bedroom kidnappers den
The Imo state police command has uncovered an eight bedroom underground kidnappers' den in Umuchima Village, Okwu Autonomous Community in Ikeduru LGA of the state, used by kidnappers to keep those they kidnapped from various parts of the country.
In an operation led by the state's police commissioner, Abdulmajid Ali, men of the state police force in collaboration with some vigilante members, yesterday July 19th stormed the dilapidated & isolated building where they made the discovery. Continue...
Speaking with newsmen after the operation, the state Police commissioner said they were able to rescue two people from the den. He said the building will be demolished. He warned criminals to stay away from Imo state as the state Police command are working to rid the state of criminals.
Some residents of the village said they know that the house is owned by a man who though dead now, was greatly feared as he was a very mysterious person. They said they know he had an underground but did not know it was used to harbor kidnapped victims.
In an operation led by the state's police commissioner, Abdulmajid Ali, men of the state police force in collaboration with some vigilante members, yesterday July 19th stormed the dilapidated & isolated building where they made the discovery. Continue...
Some residents of the village said they know that the house is owned by a man who though dead now, was greatly feared as he was a very mysterious person. They said they know he had an underground but did not know it was used to harbor kidnapped victims.
Boko Haram kills more than 100, hoists flag in Borno
BY NDAHI MARAMA, Maiduguri with agency report
Boko Haram extremists have killed more than 100 people and hoisted their black and white flag over a town left undefended by the military, just 85 kilometers (53 miles) from Maiduguri, a civil defense spokesman and a human rights advocate said Saturday.
Hundreds of villagers in another northeast area, Askira Uba, are fleeing after receiving letters from the Islamic extremists threatening to attack and take over their areas, spokesman Abbas Gava of the Nigerian Vigilante Group said.
“Nine major villages are on the run,” he said.
Survivors said yesterday that insurgents fired rocket-propelled grenades and lobbed homemade bombs into homes, and then gunned down people as they tried to escape the fires in the attack on Damboa town launched before dawn on Friday. Most of the town has burned down, they said.
A human rights advocate said the extremists struck again as people were trying to bury the dead later Friday, and said the death toll is probably much higher than 100. He spoke on condition of anonymity because he is not authorized to speak to reporters.
The only defense came from vigilantes armed with clubs and homemade rifles, Gava said.
The town had been under siege for two weeks since Boko Haram dislodged soldiers from a new tank battalion camp on its outskirts. It seemed that instead of offering protection, the camp drew the wrath of the extremists.
The Defense Ministry had claimed to have repelled the attack and killed at least 50 insurgents for the loss of six soldiers including the commanding officer. But locals said many soldiers were killed and the military was driven from the base. They said the extremists twice have ambushed military convoys trying to reach the base in the past week.
The militants had cut off access to the town from the south on Monday when they blew up a bridge further south. Damboa is on the main road south from Maiduguri, the Borno state capital, and at a strategic crossroads for farmers to bring their produce to market.
Hundreds of thousands of farmers have been driven from their lands in the 5-year-old insurgency, and officials have been warning of imminent food shortages.
Both Nigeria’s military and Boko Haram have been claiming victories on the battlefield in the rapidly spreading Islamic insurgency in Africa’s most populous nation and biggest oil producer.
Boko Haram has attracted international condemnation for the abductions of more than 200 Nigerian schoolgirls who have been held in captivity for 3 months.
The insurgents have increased the number and deadliness of attacks this year, particularly in their stronghold in the northeast, though they also have detonated bombs as far away as Lagos, the commercial capital in the southwest. Human Rights Watch published a report this week which said the insurgency has killed at least 2,053 civilians in an estimated 95 attacks during the first half of 2014.
That compares to an estimated 3,600 people killed in the first four years of the insurgency.
- See more at: http://www.vanguardngr.com/2014/07/boko-haram-kills-100-hoists-flag-borno/#sthash.v8eXtlyJ.dpuf
BY NDAHI MARAMA, Maiduguri with agency report
Boko Haram extremists have killed more than 100 people and hoisted their black and white flag over a town left undefended by the military, just 85 kilometers (53 miles) from Maiduguri, a civil defense spokesman and a human rights advocate said Saturday.
Hundreds of villagers in another northeast area, Askira Uba, are fleeing after receiving letters from the Islamic extremists threatening to attack and take over their areas, spokesman Abbas Gava of the Nigerian Vigilante Group said.
“Nine major villages are on the run,” he said.
Survivors said yesterday that insurgents fired rocket-propelled grenades and lobbed homemade bombs into homes, and then gunned down people as they tried to escape the fires in the attack on Damboa town launched before dawn on Friday. Most of the town has burned down, they said.
A human rights advocate said the extremists struck again as people were trying to bury the dead later Friday, and said the death toll is probably much higher than 100. He spoke on condition of anonymity because he is not authorized to speak to reporters.
The only defense came from vigilantes armed with clubs and homemade rifles, Gava said.
The town had been under siege for two weeks since Boko Haram dislodged soldiers from a new tank battalion camp on its outskirts. It seemed that instead of offering protection, the camp drew the wrath of the extremists.
The Defense Ministry had claimed to have repelled the attack and killed at least 50 insurgents for the loss of six soldiers including the commanding officer. But locals said many soldiers were killed and the military was driven from the base. They said the extremists twice have ambushed military convoys trying to reach the base in the past week.
The militants had cut off access to the town from the south on Monday when they blew up a bridge further south. Damboa is on the main road south from Maiduguri, the Borno state capital, and at a strategic crossroads for farmers to bring their produce to market.
Hundreds of thousands of farmers have been driven from their lands in the 5-year-old insurgency, and officials have been warning of imminent food shortages.
Both Nigeria’s military and Boko Haram have been claiming victories on the battlefield in the rapidly spreading Islamic insurgency in Africa’s most populous nation and biggest oil producer.
Boko Haram has attracted international condemnation for the abductions of more than 200 Nigerian schoolgirls who have been held in captivity for 3 months.
The insurgents have increased the number and deadliness of attacks this year, particularly in their stronghold in the northeast, though they also have detonated bombs as far away as Lagos, the commercial capital in the southwest. Human Rights Watch published a report this week which said the insurgency has killed at least 2,053 civilians in an estimated 95 attacks during the first half of 2014.
That compares to an estimated 3,600 people killed in the first four years of the insurgency.
Project Fame Unleashes 7th Season of Great Entertainment
As the MTN Project Fame Season 7 begins this July, 2014, families and the youth across Anglophone West Africa will be expecting the usual excitement and suspense that have endeared them to the reality show in the past seven years. The TV musical reality show’s audience will be glued to their TV sets all evening to watch, rate and applaud extraordinary performances from young and promising superstars who will be aiming to win the highest prize at the end of 13 weeks of intense competition. Continue...
The optimism among the show’s audience finds expression in its unequalled rate of productivity. In its class, the show stands head and shoulder above competition having contributed immensely to the increase in the talent base of the sub region’s music industry. This accolade is laudable even as critics of the show have often acknowledged the emergence of Iyanya, Chidinma Ekile and Kesse from Ghana as a perfect example of how to nurture ordinary people into superstars. That is, essentially, remarkable.
From this weekend, the sweet serenade from the Adrenaline band and the judges’ verdicts that follow each contestant’s performance will be the cynosure of millions of fans who will tune in daily – either on terrestrial TV stations or satellite – to watch West Africa unleash its finest musical talent.
What is more, the Faculty comprising Joke Silva, Ben Ogbeiwi, Kaffy and Miss Ige are expected to be as endearing and moderately stern, to headline another great season.
As well, there will be the charm that follows each stretch of sentence – either announcing a performance or appealing to the audience – when Joseph Benjamin and Adora Oleh anchor the reality show again.
Indeed, Project Fame possesses the right degree of creativity that has continued to push the frontiers of family entertainment and redefine the nurturing act as it pertains to musical talent. Occasionally, established artistes visit the academy to mentor the contestants and give them that rare privilege of performing together on the same stage. Last year was memorable in that regard. The social media was awash with commentaries ranging from tweets and facebook mentions when Wale Ojo, the eventual best contestant, performed alongside Tiwa Savage. They formed a perfect blend and their rendition was seamless.
This is it. The presentation, packaging and scripting of each show is ingenuous; little wonder it has maintained its status as the best musical reality show for over seven years. This year, attention will be drawn to who emerges the winner and who will be embracing a new musical genre as we have seen Ayobami and Adetoun do – both transforming from R n B crooners to Afro-beat and Waka respectively.
Project Fame Season 7 will surpass expectations, especially with backings from MTN, Nigeria’s leading ICT and telecommunications company.
The optimism among the show’s audience finds expression in its unequalled rate of productivity. In its class, the show stands head and shoulder above competition having contributed immensely to the increase in the talent base of the sub region’s music industry. This accolade is laudable even as critics of the show have often acknowledged the emergence of Iyanya, Chidinma Ekile and Kesse from Ghana as a perfect example of how to nurture ordinary people into superstars. That is, essentially, remarkable.
From this weekend, the sweet serenade from the Adrenaline band and the judges’ verdicts that follow each contestant’s performance will be the cynosure of millions of fans who will tune in daily – either on terrestrial TV stations or satellite – to watch West Africa unleash its finest musical talent.
What is more, the Faculty comprising Joke Silva, Ben Ogbeiwi, Kaffy and Miss Ige are expected to be as endearing and moderately stern, to headline another great season.
As well, there will be the charm that follows each stretch of sentence – either announcing a performance or appealing to the audience – when Joseph Benjamin and Adora Oleh anchor the reality show again.
Indeed, Project Fame possesses the right degree of creativity that has continued to push the frontiers of family entertainment and redefine the nurturing act as it pertains to musical talent. Occasionally, established artistes visit the academy to mentor the contestants and give them that rare privilege of performing together on the same stage. Last year was memorable in that regard. The social media was awash with commentaries ranging from tweets and facebook mentions when Wale Ojo, the eventual best contestant, performed alongside Tiwa Savage. They formed a perfect blend and their rendition was seamless.
This is it. The presentation, packaging and scripting of each show is ingenuous; little wonder it has maintained its status as the best musical reality show for over seven years. This year, attention will be drawn to who emerges the winner and who will be embracing a new musical genre as we have seen Ayobami and Adetoun do – both transforming from R n B crooners to Afro-beat and Waka respectively.
Project Fame Season 7 will surpass expectations, especially with backings from MTN, Nigeria’s leading ICT and telecommunications company.
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The Arewa Consultative Forum (ACF) has cautioned the Igbo in South eastern Nigeria against maltreating northerners, warning that such could endanger the multi-billion Naira investment of the Igbo in the North.
ACF said the ongoing controversy in the East on issuance of identity cards to persons of northern extraction was uncalled for and estimated that the Igbos’ investments in Kaduna, Kano, and Jos alone amounted to about N45 trillion.
The Deputy Secretary-General of ACF, Abubakar Umar said this while addressing members of the South-South/South-East Arewa Coalition, who paid a courtesy call on ACF on Thursday.
According to him, statistics available to them indicated that the Igbos’ investments in Kaduna, Kano, and Jos alone amounted to N45 trillion and with such huge investments in just three States of the north, the Easterners have no reason to maltreat northerners doing businesses in the East, stressing that, “If the table turns, it could be disastrous to their investments.
“They may suffer for it, but we are praying for understanding among the entire Nigerians to accept themselves wherever they live to earn legitimate means of livelihood. We express our fear that if the north should embark on similar development by screening the Igbos in the northern region, it could lead to a crisis that may lead to undeserved division of Nigerians along ethnic or religious lines.
“Yoruba and Igbo people in Jos, capital of Plateau State lost N480 billion and N410 billion investments respectively to the 2011 post election violence. The South-South also lost N970 billion in the same crisis.
‘We have these statistics, so we expect the Igbos to treat our kinsmen, our brothers and sisters in the East as kings and Queens in view of the fact that they (Igbos) have more investments in the north than in the East.
“Take Abuja, the Federal capital territory, for example, the Igbos occupy over 73 percent of the land, so these are some of the reasons why they should be everybody’s keepers in their place,” Umar said.
The leader of the Coalition, Mallam Awwal Yusuf had earlier said that northerners were doing business amidst fear in the East and called on the ACF to intervene.
“This is because every trader or Muslim from the north is considered Boko Haram”.
Yusuf said the Arewa Coalition has taken to court the issue of identity card in order to seek justice and be freed from undue molestation in the hands of the people in the area.
“We are embarrassed with this issue of identity cards. Why should it be only traders or Muslims from the north that should be identified?.
‘We have taken the case to a court in Enugu, and we are hopeful that the State Governor, Sullivan Chime is ready to help us by sending his lawyer to stand for us”,he said.
The Secretary-General of the ACF, Col. John Ubah (rtd) also told the visiting northerners from the East that ACF was established to protect the whole north and its people.
He said whatever happened to any northerner anywhere was always considered a serious issue.
The Arewa Consultative Forum (ACF) has cautioned the Igbo in South eastern Nigeria against maltreating northerners, warning that such could endanger the multi-billion Naira investment of the Igbo in the North.
ACF said the ongoing controversy in the East on issuance of identity cards to persons of northern extraction was uncalled for and estimated that the Igbos’ investments in Kaduna, Kano, and Jos alone amounted to about N45 trillion.
The Deputy Secretary-General of ACF, Abubakar Umar said this while addressing members of the South-South/South-East Arewa Coalition, who paid a courtesy call on ACF on Thursday.
According to him, statistics available to them indicated that the Igbos’ investments in Kaduna, Kano, and Jos alone amounted to N45 trillion and with such huge investments in just three States of the north, the Easterners have no reason to maltreat northerners doing businesses in the East, stressing that, “If the table turns, it could be disastrous to their investments.
“They may suffer for it, but we are praying for understanding among the entire Nigerians to accept themselves wherever they live to earn legitimate means of livelihood. We express our fear that if the north should embark on similar development by screening the Igbos in the northern region, it could lead to a crisis that may lead to undeserved division of Nigerians along ethnic or religious lines.
“Yoruba and Igbo people in Jos, capital of Plateau State lost N480 billion and N410 billion investments respectively to the 2011 post election violence. The South-South also lost N970 billion in the same crisis.
‘We have these statistics, so we expect the Igbos to treat our kinsmen, our brothers and sisters in the East as kings and Queens in view of the fact that they (Igbos) have more investments in the north than in the East.
“Take Abuja, the Federal capital territory, for example, the Igbos occupy over 73 percent of the land, so these are some of the reasons why they should be everybody’s keepers in their place,” Umar said.
The leader of the Coalition, Mallam Awwal Yusuf had earlier said that northerners were doing business amidst fear in the East and called on the ACF to intervene.
“This is because every trader or Muslim from the north is considered Boko Haram”.
Yusuf said the Arewa Coalition has taken to court the issue of identity card in order to seek justice and be freed from undue molestation in the hands of the people in the area.
“We are embarrassed with this issue of identity cards. Why should it be only traders or Muslims from the north that should be identified?.
‘We have taken the case to a court in Enugu, and we are hopeful that the State Governor, Sullivan Chime is ready to help us by sending his lawyer to stand for us”,he said.
The Secretary-General of the ACF, Col. John Ubah (rtd) also told the visiting northerners from the East that ACF was established to protect the whole north and its people.
He said whatever happened to any northerner anywhere was always considered a serious issue.
Vanguard Editorial: Extradition Of Ogwuche
THE successful extradition of suspected Nyanya motor park bomb mastermind, Aminu Sadiq Ogwuche restates the importance of international cooperation in the fight against terrorism. The dispatch with which the extradition processes was concluded was remarkable.
Shortly after the last April 14 bombing of the park which Abuja-bound workers, traders and other passengers patronise, the Directorate of State Services, DSS, paraded five suspects who reportedly played leading roles in the attack that claimed more than 70 lives and injured about 250. Rufai Tsiga and Ogwuche were declared wanted.
NYANYA BLAST CO-MASTERMIND—Nyanya bombing co-mastermind, Aminu Sadiq Ogwuche (M), arriving with Interpol officials at the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport, Abuja, yesterday. Inset: Mohammed Zakari, Boko Haram’s alleged Chief Butcher arrested by Police in Bauchi.
Ogwuche, the son of a retired military officer, was later identified as a terror suspect who was earlier arrested but was released, according to DSS because of “intense pressure from human rights activists who alleged human rights violation”.
The security agencies said Ogwuche had fled to Sudan, a country with a thriving nursery for radical Islamists who have caused mayhem and made parts of Sudan ungovernable. Moves to extradite Ogwuche ran into an initial diplomatic blind end because there was no extradition protocol between the countries.
While the tension occasioned by the continued harbouring of Ogwuche by Sudan lasted, many Nigerians were worried that Sudan, led by General Omar Al Bashir, a fugitive, wanted by the International Court of Justice, in The Hague, for serial human rights violations in his country, would thwart the extradition efforts.
Sudan’s refusal could have posed further threats to Nigeria. Terrorists attacking the North East would have found Sudan a haven. The cooperation of Sudan resulted in the signing of the protocol within months. Ogwuche is home to answer the charges of mass killing preferred against him in the Nyanya attack.
With internal cohesion of our security agencies and the cooperation of security agencies under the Interpol and other platforms, terrorists would soon realise that there are no hiding places for them.
This successful operation could reassure Nigerians, particularly those terrorist attacks affect directly, that the state would not relent in bringing suspects of the attacks to justice. It is a departure from the well-known trend where people who commit crimes could go scot-free.
A lot of work remains to be done. Thorough investigations are required to unearth the sources of resources terrorists use. There is the tendency to focus on their financial sources, but identification of sources that facilitate their escape abroad is equally important. Who aided Ogwuche’s escape? Until these sources are blocked, terrorists would be encouraged to keep causing havoc.
The public has roles to play in the war against terror. The security agencies would be more successful with the public’s support. A vigilant and security-conscious public that provides credible information to security agencies could shorten the duration of the war.
- See more at: http://www.vanguardngr.com/2014/07/extradition-ogwuche/#sthash.GP9bQ1ib.dpuf
Boko Haram : Some soldiers chicken out of battle – Gen Minimah
By KINGSLEY OMONOBI-ABUJA
Chief of Army Staff, Lt-Gen. KTJ Minimah has confirmed the long held secret that desertion, acts of cowardice and indiscipline within the army in the ongoing fight against terrorism was one of the greatest setbacks in checkmating Boko Haram insurgency in the country.
In a communiqué issued at the end of the third quarterly conference of the COAS, via the Defence Headquarters twitter handle @DefenceInfoNG, being a highlight of the COAS admonition, Minimah said “the rising acts of indiscipline and unprofessional conduct by troops was unbecoming and charged Commanders at all levels to put a stop to it as the Nigerian Army was a professional organization.”
He recalled the attempted mutiny by troops in Maiduguri, the Borno State capital, against the then GOC 7 Division, Maj.Gen Ahmadu Mohammed saying, “A few issues needs to be urgently addressed that have caught my attention in recent weeks.
Principal among these is the rising acts of indiscipline and unprofessional conduct by troops. In this regard, the recent mutinous act in Maiduguri and reported destruction of public property in Lagos readily comes to mind. As a professional army, the conduct of our troops must be above board at all times”
Blaming it on the fact that most people, who joined the military in recent times, do so out of the need for employment and not passion for military service, Minimah said, “Desertion is part of warfare. We must accept that since the era of the Cartagena wars, soldiers had deserted from battle field. In our own case, we are doing recruitment now and we are also receiving presentations from across the country, from people who want their wards to be enlisted in the army”.
“But we need to have a thorough recruitment because mind you, there is high level of unemployment on ground; most people want jobs and if that job means joining the army fine. It is a source of employment.
However, when the reality of the military service comes, he drops his riffles. So desertion will continue to be there. We had desertion in ECOMOG; in the Nigerian Civil war and now it will continue to be there”.
“Also, acts of indiscipline will continue to be there but when they are caught, they are investigated and when they are found questionable they will face the Court-Martial”.
“Like I said, in a few months time, the war will be over. But I cannot give you a clear calendar date because this is war on terrorism. It cannot be determined in terms of concrete date”.
On allegations that the army was underperforming in the war on terror, he said, “The Nigerian Army is performing. I know the expectations of the Nigerian citizens but the expectation is rather too much in haste.
We need some time; we need patience and you must know we are fighting terrorism. We are not fighting a conventional war. Nigerian Army is a conventional and regular army”.
“The terrorist is someone you don’t know. It may be someone who sold food or fruit to you in the morning and by the afternoon he is the terrorist. We are having all that inter-play in the battle front in the North-East. We have to be conscious to separate the terrorist from the law abiding citizens and we also have human rights to protect”.
“We are fighting Nigerian citizens we are not fighting foreigners; so caution must be exercised. I appeal and assure that we will certainly surmount it but we also need support from the nation, from all segments of society and from the people including the media. And we need patience and time for us to do it.
We also have the equipment and the FG is introducing fresh and newer equipment to us which in a short while hopefully be there for use”.
Family of slain pastor still missing days after Boko Haram attack –Church members
. By TIMOTHY OLANREWAJU, MAIDUGURI ON
The wife and three children of a pastor killed by Boko Haram in the last Monday attack at a Borno community may have been abducted by the insurgents as members of the church headed by the slain pastor said they are yet to see the family.
Suspected Boko Haram members attacked Dille near Lassa in Askira/Uba Local Government, south of Borno, killing no fewer than 25 people including the pastor of the local assembly of The Redeemed Christian Church of God (RCCG) in the town, Taiwo Dokun.
A member of the church, Jacob Mamza, who spoke to journalists yesterday on phone from Dille, about 200 kilometres from Maiduguri, Borno State capital, recounted how the Ondo State-born Pastor Taiwo was murdered by the rampaging insurgents.
According to him, the clergy was shot and butchered while attempting to flee his house on the fateful morning of the attack, having realised the attackers were closing in on him in his official quarters.
“The pastor was in his house at about 6am when the insurgents attacked the village, his house was surrounded by the hoodlums and while attempting to run, he was shot. He was running to a neighbour’s house and it was in the course of his fleeing that he was shot in the head and the chest and the insurgents equally came to butcher him to make sure that he was dead,” Mamza disclosed in a emotion-laden voice.
He said the terrorists then went into the pastor’s house and burnt it, adding that Boko Haramfighters may have abducted the pastor’s wife and three children “who are apparently inside the house” at the time of the attack.
“The family could have been abducted by the insurgents who took away many of the residents of the town because we didn’t see the family members since then and none of them has called us. Though their residence was completely razed by the insurgents, we didn’t also find their corpses in the debris. This is our dilemma now,” another church member, who preferred anonymity, told journalists.
The source said members of the church at Dille who were already scattered, may be compelled to bury the slain pastor at Mubi in Adamawa State where the corpse is presently deposited. The source said the decision was informed by the decomposing condition of the corpse and financial implication of conveying it to Akure, Ondo State where the deceased hailed from. “He might be buried at Mubi for he was initially taken to a Mubi hospital where he was embalmed but because it was not properly done, the corpse started swelling up and a decision was taken to bury him in the town.”
Several feared dead as Boko Haram attack Damboa, Borno
Boko Haram gunmen killed many people in an attack on the town of Damboa in Borno State, throwing explosives into residential homes and shooting dead civilians who tried to surrender, an official said Friday“The insurgents attacked the town from 6:30pm (1730 GMT) on Thursday to the early hours of today,” said the official in Damboa’s local government who requested anonymity. “They killed many people. Women and children fled into the bush,” he added.
Those who could not flee surrendered and were killed by the insurgents,” he added.
The militants attacked a police station and an army camp in Damboa on July 6, chasing the security forces out of the town, which has been one of the hardest-hit areas in Boko Haram’s five-year extremist uprising.
Damboa residents have been left unguarded since the previous attack, the official and witnesses said.
Resident Ahmed Buba said the assailants stormed as locals were preparing to break the Ramadan fast at sundown.
“We were defenceless because all the security personnel, including soldiers and policemen, have withdrawn,” he told AFP
Those who survived the overnight raid fled to the state capital Maiduguri and sought shelter in the palace of the area’s top cleric, Umar Garbai El-Kanemi, also known as the Shehu of Borno.
The survivors “lodged a complaint with the Shehu because there are no security forces in Damboa,” the official said.
The military was not immediately available to comment on the attack in the poor, remote region, which often has limited mobile phone coverage.
We’ll expose Boko Haram supporters –Jonathan
President Goodluck Jonathan has once again expressed optimism that Boko Haram insurgency will be brought to an end, saying the sect’s backers will soon be exposed.
He said, “For those who take pleasure in seeing innocent human beings in pains, to see limbs being shattered and blood flowing in all direction after terror attacks, we say, you shall have no hiding place. Nigerians will expose you. The people of conscience around the world have rejected you.”
Speaking at the inauguration of the Victims Support Fund Committee at the State House in Abuja on Wednesday, Jonathan said the aim was to “kick-start the process of providing succour to our people” who have been directly affected by acts of terrorism in the country.
According to him, the Federal Government is working round the clock to end Boko Haram attacks.
He said, “We owe Nigerians nothing but victory over terror. The life of every Nigerian is precious and we will continue to work round the clock to put an end to this insurgency.
“The reality today is that, we are confronted with individuals whose minds have been so twisted and tutored to believe they are doing God a service.
“Let me reiterate clearly that evil will never prevail over good. The blood that is being wasted everyday by those who take advantage of the vulnerability of our people to spread extremist doctrines and recruit them for murderous errands are enemies of humanity. We will never waste any effort in bringing the individuals responsible for crimes against humanity to justice.”
The Nigerian president however challenged the media for giving his government and security operatives a bad image, claiming that such coverage was undermining the war against terrorism.
He said, “I call on all Nigerians to stand together in support of our security agencies against terrorism…
New Policy On Bureau-De-Change In Nigeria’s Interest – Emefiele
— July 18, 2014
The governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), Godwin Emefiele, has defended the new policy of the bank which seeks to review the operational requirements of Bureau De-Change (BDC) in the country saying it was geared towards protecting the nation’s foreign reserves which was being ‘profusely’ depleted by their activities.
Emefiele stated this when he appeared before the House of Representatives Committee on Banking and Currency’s interactive session..
The CBN recently announced a new policy which required an increase in the capital base of the BDC from N10 million to N35 million in addition to cancellation of multiple ownership structure before July 31.
The governor stated that rather than achieve the laudable objectives for which BDC were set up to and complement the nation’s financial system, “operations of the BDC have over time, been bedevilled with rent-seeking, weak operational structure, potential financing of illicit transactions, gradual dollarisation of the economy as well as multiple ownership which were against operational codes and license.”
2015: Don’t declare now, PDP govs caution Jonatha
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Zamfara Farmers go Digital
Zamfara farmers go digital, NAPI to register 80,000
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No fewer than 80,000 farmers from Zamfara State would be registered and issued the e-wallet card by the Nigerian Agriculture Payment Initiative (NAPI).
The Chief Executive Officer of Cellulant, an organisation responsible for digitalising farmers with e-wallet card, Mr. Bolaji Akinboro, disclosed the development during a workshop organised by Cellulant in Gusau, Zamfara State.
Bolaji explained that Zamfara was selected among the three states that would enjoy NAPI, Cellulant’s initiative in the country.
He revealed that through NAPI, every farmer in the state would have access to a smart chip card that hosts their e-wallet.
According to him, with e-wallet system, farmers would be accessible to financial institutions and various service providers.
“NAPI was targeting a minimum of 45,000 to 80,000 farmers in Zamfara State, this would solve the problem of farmers’ access to credit to produce more for commercial purpose.”
He maintained that NAPI had provided new opportunities for various goods and services to be made available to farmers in a structured and transparent mode.
In his address, the state governor, who was represented by the Commissioner for Agriculture, Idiris Keta, explained that arrangement had been concluded to disburse N1 billion loan to farmers in the state.
Those at the workshop included Emir of Gusau, Alhaji Muhammed Kabir Danbaba, representative of Central Bank, local government chairmen, representative of farmers associations and commissioners of agriculture from Sokoto and Kano states.
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176 teachers killed in Nigeria’s restive north-east since 2011 – official
ABUJA (AFP) – One hundred and seventy-six teachers have been killed and 900 schools destroyed in Nigeria’s Borno state since Boko Haram militants intensified their violent attacks in 2011, officials said Thursday.
The governor of the northeastern state Kashim Shettima revealed the horrifying statistics in a statement to a committee attempting to make the country’s schools safer.
The Safe Schools Initiative has been backed by former British prime minister Gordon Brown, who is the representative of the UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon.
Brown pledged $10 million (7.4 million euros) to the scheme during last May’s World Economic Forum, while Nigeria’s private sector is expected to put in 1.6 billion naira ($9.8 million, 7.3 million euros).
Although the scheme covers the whole of Africa’s most populous nation, it is scheduled to start off in Borno and neighbouring Yobe and Adamawa, the three states under emergency rule since May last year, and the hardest hit by Boko Haram’s five-year-old insurgency.
Boko Haram abducted 276 girls from their school in Chibok in Borno on April 14. Fifty-seven of the girls have escaped while the remaining 219 are thought to be still held hostage.
The group has attacked many schools and killed hundreds of students in the northeast of the country since it began its violence.
Shettima briefed the committee on the current state of education following the insurgency, while security and counter-terrorism experts from donor agencies formally presented a road-map for school safety, the statement said.
ABUJA (AFP) – One hundred and seventy-six teachers have been killed and 900 schools destroyed in Nigeria’s Borno state since Boko Haram militants intensified their violent attacks in 2011, officials said Thursday.
The governor of the northeastern state Kashim Shettima revealed the horrifying statistics in a statement to a committee attempting to make the country’s schools safer.
The Safe Schools Initiative has been backed by former British prime minister Gordon Brown, who is the representative of the UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon.
Brown pledged $10 million (7.4 million euros) to the scheme during last May’s World Economic Forum, while Nigeria’s private sector is expected to put in 1.6 billion naira ($9.8 million, 7.3 million euros).
Although the scheme covers the whole of Africa’s most populous nation, it is scheduled to start off in Borno and neighbouring Yobe and Adamawa, the three states under emergency rule since May last year, and the hardest hit by Boko Haram’s five-year-old insurgency.
Boko Haram abducted 276 girls from their school in Chibok in Borno on April 14. Fifty-seven of the girls have escaped while the remaining 219 are thought to be still held hostage.
The group has attacked many schools and killed hundreds of students in the northeast of the country since it began its violence.
Shettima briefed the committee on the current state of education following the insurgency, while security and counter-terrorism experts from donor agencies formally presented a road-map for school safety, the statement said.
Photos: Education activist Malala Yousafzai in Abuja, Nigeria
Today is renowned girl child education campaigner Malala Yousafzai's 17th birthday, but instead of being anywhere in the world to celebrate, she chose to come to Nigeria. The Pakistani girl shot by Taliban a few years ago for campaigning for girl child education, arrived Abuja, Nigeria in the early hours of today, to raise her voice in the demand to release the kidnapped Chibok girls.
She's expected to meet with President Jonathan tomorrow Monday July 14th, as well as families of some of the missing
She's expected to meet with President Jonathan tomorrow Monday July 14th, as well as families of some of the missing
