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Insurgency: Northern elders express solidarity with Buhari

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Insurgency: Northern elders express solidarity with Buhari

… call on international community to support Nigeria in fight against terrorism

The Northern Elders’ Council (NEC) has expressed solidarity with President Muhammadu Buhari and expressed confidence in his ability to effectively halt the remnants of terrorists in the country following the killing of farmworkers in Borno State.

The group, in a statement signed by its Assistant General Secretary, Dr Adama Kabiru, on Wednesday, described the killing as “barbaric, repulsive, inexcusable, depraved and deserving of the harshest consequences possible”.

The NEC said persons or groups gloating over the sad incident as a way of deriding President Buhari is tacitly encouraging Boko Haram to kill more.

According to the council, the sad incident should instead serve as a wake-up call to all relevant stakeholders irrespective of pecuniary differences to support the military.

The group, however, urged the international community to support Nigeria in way of cutting off the terrorists’ access to funding and arms.

The NEC further appealed to countries that have placed an embargo on the sales of arms to Nigeria to have a rethink.

Read the full statement below:

The Northern Elders’ Council (NEC) is urging that the Boko Haram terrorists responsible for killing scores of farmers in Zabarmari, Borno State must not go unpunished for their abhorrent crime against humanity. The specific individuals that carried out the attack should be identified and dealt with while the campaign to exterminate the terrorist group should be escalated. This is even as we sympathize with the families of the bereaved, President Muhammadu Buhari and the entire nation.

We condemn the killing of these innocent farmers, who were only out to earn their livelihood, in the strongest terms as barbaric, repulsive, inexcusable, depraved and deserving of the harshest consequences possible. The punishment for this crime should be made particularly stiff given the fact that the terrorists possibly targeted the farmers to precipitate a food crisis.

The council regrets that the terrorists and their enablers committed the atrocious murder despite all of Mr President’s sacrifices and that of the Nigerian military by exploiting the political atmosphere in Borno State to inflict pains on humanity.

The killing of the farmers should now prompt an alignment among all stakeholders irrespective of pecuniary differences. Those sitting on the fence in the anti-terror war must now take a stand in the interest of humanity while those who that usually make justification for the crimes committed by Boko Haram terrorists should now know that it is them against the civilized world that holds the sanctity of human life dear.

We appeal to those currently trying to squeeze political capital out of this tragedy to have a rethink because it is appalling for anyone to be callous to the point of using the death of innocent persons at the hands of terrorists as means of gaining political traction. Anyone gloating over the murder as a way of deriding President Buhari is tacitly encouraging Boko Haram to kill more people, which unfortunately is what a worrying number of persons have been doing.

NEC is certain that the death of these farmers will trigger actions that guarantee that days of the terrorists are numbered, and this singular wicked and dastardly act is one they will pay the highest price possible for. Nigerians should help ensure this by furnishing the military and security agencies with timely information that will lead to successful military operations against Boko Haram fighters.

We, therefore, urge Mr President to give the command for the Nigerian military to unleash on Boko Haram and any of its known affiliates while the intelligence community is also mandated to fish out terrorists’ enablers to cut off the financial, propaganda and intelligence they receive from their supporters. Resources should be prioritized to scale up the operations to rid northeast Nigeria and the entire  Lake Chad Basin of terrorism.

The international community must at this point shake off their indifference, particularly countries whose foreign policy drive had contributed to the rise of extremism and terrorism. They should support Nigeria by assisting in cutting off the terrorists’ access to funding and arms. Those countries that have refused to sell arms to Nigeria must at this stage have a rethink especially when it has become crystal clear that their subtle embargoes on arms sales to Nigeria were premised on false reporting by NGOs that covertly work to advance the cause of the terrorists.

BREAKING: Buhari agrees to address House of Reps

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BREAKING: Buhari agrees to address House of Reps

President Muhammadu Buhari has agreed to address the House of Representatives as requested by the lawmakers.

This was made known by the Speaker of the House of Representatives, Rt. Hon Femi Gbajabiamilla. According to him a date had been agreed on and it will be communicated soon.

He stated that the president is more concerned than most on the insecurity of the nation and will speak to Nigerians through their representatives soon.

2023: Kogi Assembly backs Yahaya Bello for president, hails ‘track record’

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2023: Kogi Assembly backs Yahaya Bello for president, hails ‘track record’

 

The Kogi State House of Assembly has passed a vote of confidence on Governor Yahaya Bello and endorsed him to become the President of Nigeria come 2023.

The Assembly members, in a motion moved on behalf of all other members by the Majority Leader of the House, Hon. Hassan Abdullahi, predicated their call upon the sterling performance of the Governor since he assumed office in 2016 and is currently into his second term in Office.

According to the Assembly members in a unanimous resolution on the floor of the House in Lokoja, Wednesday, the Governor has proven capability and capacity to lead the nation.

The resolution reads: “We, the honourable speaker and the honourable members of Kogi State House of Assembly upon due deliberation of proper motion therefore, do hereby unanimously make and pass a Vote of Confidence on His Excellency, Governor Yahaya Bello of Kogi State.

“That this Vote of Confidence is founded upon irrefutable and irreducible incidents of Governor Yahaya Bello’s leadership as the 4th Executive Governor of Kogi State, for a reference period spanning 27th January, 2016 till date, during which he has demonstrated uncommon courage, capacity and competence at his duty post, even in the face of the most daunting odds.”

In view of the security situation of the country, the Assembly members hailed the uncommon heroics of the Governor in ensuring security in the state.

“Yahaya Bello, has been exceptional in security, protection of lives and properties across our joint and several constituencies – a key performance indicator, if not the most crucial, for leadership at all levels in Nigeria today.

“Under his watch, Kogi State has been transformed from the kidnap capital of Nigeria outside the embattled North East, into a polity where abduction of humans for ransom, along with other violent crimes like armed robbery and the formerly ubiquitous herdsmen scourge, have become mere opportunistic aberrations.

“That this, at various times, culminated in Kogi State ranking as the second most peaceful state in the federation and the most peaceful in the North.

“In the same vein, Kogi has been rated the state with the second lowest crime rate in the country under Yahaya Bello’s watchful leadership.”

Also, the Assembly members laud the Governor’s sound economic policies and programs, which have culminated in improving the standards of living of the people. They also commended him for the life-touching projects he has executed across the state.

It further reads: “Yahaya Bello, by his creative governance style has somehow engineered a reversal of several negative national development indicators in Kogi State. Examples abound everywhere.

“Kogi State was recognised by the United Nations as far back as 2017 as one of only 4 Nigerian states at the time making remarkable progress in the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) whereupon the state was invited to participate in the 72nd UN General Assembly – as personally witnessed by the Rt Honourable Speaker who was the leader of the Delegation.

“Kogi State was recognised by the Federal Ministry of Health, the National Population Commission and the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) as leading in the reduction of under 5 mortality rate in Nigeria even as the country has sadly overtaken India now as the world capital of this malaise.

“Kogi State is recognised by the National Bureau of Statistics (2018), in one of her 2018 Labour Force Statistics as one of only 9 states in Nigeria to reduce unemployment as the rest of the nation sank deeper into it.

“Kogi State has remained a consistent leader over the years in national rankings for Probity in handling public finances, including the 100 per cent scored last month in the 2019 States Fiscal Transparency, Accountability and Sustainability (SFTAS), which entitled Kogi State to over $20m in World Bank grants, among others.”

The Kogi State House of Assembly also hailed the Governor for unifying the state and also putting the state on the map of national reckoning.

“That this Kogi State House of Assembly further makes a Call to National Service to His Excellency, Governor Yahaya Bello of Kogi State and we hereby impress it upon him to run for the Office of the President or Vice President of Nigeria in 2023 – after his current assignment in Kogi State.

“That this solemn Call is first and foremost premised upon and born of our belief that subject, Yahaya Bello, is a fit and proper person, with the right mix of youth, experience and track record to answer same firmly and decisively in 2023 and beyond.

FEC approves N117bn for rehabilitation of major roads

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FEC approves N117bn for rehabilitation of major roads

 

 

The Federal Executive Council (FEC) has approved N117.6 billion for the rehabilitation of some roads across the country.

The FEC meeting on Wednesday was presided by President Muhammadu Buhari.

Minister of Works and Housing, Babatunde Fashola, briefed journalists at the end of the meeting.

“The Ministry of works and Housing presented three memoranda, two relating to roads and one relating to a banking application,” he said.

“The first set of roads is for a total sum of N18,923,846,198.47 and it is with respect to roads and bridges as follows; rehabilitation of 26 km road linking Kano, Jigawa and Katsina States, N8.767 billion, Omo-Umulokpa road in Anambra and Enugu States, N1.712 billion, rehabilitation of Oye-Oranta road in Anambra, N2.504 billion, Okpoko bridge along Benue-Cross River road, N1.057 billion, bridge at km 22.7 along Bida-Zungeru road in Niger State, N1.022 billion, Nkumi bridge linking Abia and Enugu States, N1.0.72 billion and Challawa-Nunku road in Kombotso, Kano State, N2.787 billion.

“The other memorandum relating to roads is also for the total sum of N98,073,840, 842.81. The roads are Rijiya-Gusau road in Zamfara State, N7.799 billion, Jegga-Kwana-Sanagi-Gumi road in Kebbi State, N31.539 billion, Koko-Mahuta road in Kebbi, N19.713 billion, Kuka Babbangida-Ganagara road in Katsina State, N11.731 billion, Ihiala-Olu-Umudu road, N16.750 billion, Oye-Ama-Etite -Umuawulu road in Anambra, N2.155 billion and Bichi road in Kano State, N8.384 billion.”

The minister said some of the roads had been abandoned for many years.

Amotekun Corps arrest suspected killers of Olufon Oba Adeusi

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Amotekun Corps arrest suspected killers of Olufon Oba Adeusi

Security operatives have arrested several suspects believed to be connected to the killing of Olufon of Ifon Oba Israel Adeusi.

 

Commander of the Ondo Security Network Agency also known as Amotekun Corps Adetunji Adeleye announced this on Wednesday at a press briefing in Akure.

 

He said four kidnap victims were rescued during the search for killers of Oba Adeusi.

 

He declined revealing the identity of the suspects as investigation was still ongoing.

 

The suspects were arrested by a combine team of security operatives that stormed Elegbaka forest after the killing of the monarch last Thursday.

 

Adeleye also said surveillance has been mounted at the farm of Olu Falae to prevent further attack on the farm by suspected herdsmen.

 

“In the past few weeks, Ondo State witnessed increase in kidnappings, armed robbery and men of the Amotekun Corps went into action in collaboration with other security agencies.

 

“We observed a downward trend after the ban of okada at night so we had to change tactics. That was why we launched the Operation Clean-Up which is intense patrol across the nook and cranny of Akure and other parts of the state,” he said.

Criminal gangs selling fake Covid-19 vaccines, Interpol alerts Nigeria, others

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Criminal gangs selling fake Covid-19 vaccines, Interpol alerts Nigeria, others

The International Criminal Police Organisation has alerted Nigeria, South Africa, United Kingdom, United States and 190 other countries of scheme from organised crime groups to sell fake vaccines to people and nations as the need to get a cure for Covid-19 becomes intense.

Interpol also noted that there is threat from some unnamed crime syndicate to steal supplies of vaccines during upcoming Covid-19 vaccination campaigns.

The need for a vaccine has become more urgent globally and nationally with Nigeria recording over 67,000 COVID-19 infections and over 1,000 associated fatalities, according to the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control.

The World Health Organisation has identified 49 “candidate vaccines” at the stage of clinical trials in humans by mid-November, up from 11 in mid-June.

Hopes are high that shots could be ready for use before the end of the year as two frontrunner vaccines – by Moderna and BioNTech/Pfizer – already reported that phase 3 trials for their mRNA vaccine showed 95 per cent efficacy in preventing Covid-19 symptoms and did not produce adverse side effects among thousands of volunteers.

According to a statement on Wednesday by Interpol Secretary General, Jürgen Stock, therefore, stressed the need for coordination between law enforcement and health regulatory bodies to ensure the safety of individuals and wellbeing of communities are protected.

In the statement titled, ‘INTERPOL warns of organised crime threat to COVID-19 vaccines’, Stock stated, “As governments are preparing to roll out vaccines, criminal organisations are planning to infiltrate or disrupt supply chains.

“Criminal networks will also be targeting unsuspecting members of the public via fake websites and false cures, which could pose a significant risk to their health, even their lives.

“It is essential that law enforcement is as prepared as possible for what will be an onslaught of all types of criminal activity linked to the COVID-19 vaccine, which is why INTERPOL has issued this global warning.”

According to him, 3,000 websites associated with online pharmacies are suspected of selling fake medicines and medical devices.
He advised members of the 194 countries to take special care when going online to search for medical equipment or medicines.

Vehicle owners to pay N250,000 as FG makes U-turn on free gas conversion plan

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Vehicle owners to pay N250,000 as FG makes U-turn on free gas conversion plan

THE Federal Government has backpedalled on its proposed move to provide free conversion services to motorists to switch from Premium Motor Spirit (PMS) to autogas.

The government had said in September that Nigerians would incur no costs to get their vehicles converted to those using gas in its plan to make gas the first choice of cheaper and cleaner energy.

According to the government this became necessary to cushion the effect of the hike in the pump price of petroleum which is one of the consequences of the deregulation of the downstream sector of the oil industry.

But speaking on Wednesday, Justice Derefaka, Technical Adviser on Gas Business and Policy implementation to Minister of State for Petroleum, Timipre Sylva, said car owners would pay up to N250,000 to have their vehicles converted to run on gas.

Derefaka, who is also the Programme Manager, Nigerian Gas Flare Commercialisation Project, stated this today while featuring on Channels Television’s Sunrise Daily programme.

According to him, conversion of vehicles from petrol to run on gas will take at least seven hours at the various conversion centres across the country.

He said there are different payment approaches to making the conversion, adding that vehicle owners can have agreement with commercial banks to get their conversion done.

He said, “The conversion of your vehicle is not something that will take three weeks or seven days; it will take you around seven to eight hours because they (technicians) need to do a diagnosis of your vehicle to see if it is fit for conversion. After that, they will test for roadworthiness and then proceed.”

When asked who bears the cost for the conversion of the vehicles, the official said,

“Who owns the car? The owner of the car basically will decide to say I want to run on autogas or CNG or LNG and like the honourable minister had mentioned before, conversion has basic strands, you can partner with your bank and the bank will now agree with the conversion centre to convert your vehicle, not for free entirely.

“The installer will now put some form of mechanism that each time you buy the gas; a certain amount will be deducted to pay for the conversion kit. Some people will say it is too expensive but I don’t think it is because within a period of five to seven months, you’ve already paid off the cost.

“The cost varies, it depends on the cylinder of the vehicle but on the average, it is around N200,000 to N250,000 and this is for a four-cylinder vehicle but it becomes a little bit higher for a six-cylinder vehicle.”

Derefaka noted that some centres have started the conversion already.

“If you take your vehicle to some of the centres like the one commissioned yesterday (Tuesday), technicians and original equipment manufacturers are there so you can bring your vehicles for conversion to start running on gas.” he stated.

He also said 50 conversion centres will be upgraded and by January 2021, there will be conversion centres across the six geopolitical zones of the country.

The minister’s aide said the move will reduce carbon emissions as well as the demand for petrol.

The Federal Government on Tuesday inaugurated the autogas scheme in Abuja, insisting that it will be more economical to power automobiles using autogas rather than petrol.

The government had also said it would convert one million vehicles to run on autogas before the end of 2020.

Zabarmari Killings: Senate, Reps urged to face realities in insurgency war

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Zabarmari Killings: Senate, Reps urged to face realities in insurgency war

 

Following the killing of farmworkers in Zabarmari, Borno State, members of the Senate and the House of Representatives have been advised to face the reality on the ground and see the fight against insurgency as a collective one.

The Coalition for Truth and Justice (CTJ) gave this call on Wednesday at a press conference in Abuja.

Speaking on behalf of the group, National Coordinator, Timothy Charles noted that for far too long, the crisis in the North-East has been left for the military alone without any help from relevant stakeholders, including the National Assembly.

According to the coalition, the NASS has always danced to the gallery without proferring any solution.

To put an end to the menace, Mr Charles said all hands must be on deck, urging the National Assembly to explore ways it can use the instrument of the legislation to assist the country and the troops on the frontlines.

The coalition further challenged the lawmakers to come up with innovations that would promote the security of lives and properties in the country.

With a more pragmatic and proactive commitment from all critical stakeholders including the Senate and House of Representatives, the group, however, assured that the insurgency war would soon come to an end.

Read the full statement below:

The Coalition for Truth and Justice receives the recent statement credited to the hallowed chambers of the Senate and the House of Representatives in the National Assembly with regards to the security situation in the country.

The position of the National Assembly which from all intents and purposes is not malicious, but instead, it is out of tune with reality because the insurgency crisis in North-East Nigeria has been left for the military alone, while institutions such as the National Assembly has continued to pay lip service.

The Coalition for Truth and Justice is particularly alarmed that the hallowed chambers of the National Assembly have not been credited to have proffered any solution to the insurgency crisis in North-East Nigeria, but instead, it has been playing to the gallery through public statements that are more of rhetoric and grandstanding.

The National Assembly has again by their recent actions demonstrated gross insensitivity to the sanctity of human lives with regards to the Zabarmari killings in Jere Local Government Area of Borno State.

The Coalition for Truth and Justice is calling on members of both chambers of the National Assembly to put the interest of the country at heart in the conduct of their legislative business by exploring ways it can use the instrument of the legislation to assist the country in the fight against insurgency and other criminal activities in Nigeria.

The members of the Senate, as well as the House of Representatives, must realize that they are representatives of the people. As such, it behoves on them to see the task of addressing the security challenges in the country as a collective one.

It is also instructive to add that the people they represent in the National Assembly are also victims of acts of criminalities. As such, it is expected that our lawmakers should come up with innovations that would promote the security of lives and properties in the country.

Our lawmakers must also be seen to be a part of the solution to the spate of insecurity in the country. Their deliberations in the hallowed chambers must reflect the realities on the ground and must also be seen as having respect for the sanctity of human lives.

It is indeed instructive to state that had the members of the Senate and the House of Representatives been supportive of the efforts of the government towards tackling the threats posed by the Boko Haram insurgency, Nigeria would have made considerable progress in the war against insurgency.

The Coalition for Truth and Justice wishes to advise the members of the National Assembly to do all within its powers to render valuable support to the government on the war against insurgency in Nigeria.

It must also as matter urgency begin the process of enacting laws that would boost the operations of the Armed Forces of the Federal Republic of Nigeria because the realities on the ground require a more pragmatic and proactive commitment from all critical stakeholders including the National Assembly.

The members of the National Assembly must see this task as a national concern and do all within its purview to ensure that Nigeria records success in the war against insurgency. It must also be stated that this is not the era for paying lip service and criticizing the government’s efforts. This is indeed the era of joining hands and working as a team towards the overarching aim of ensuring the security of lives and properties in Nigeria.

The Coalition for Truth and Justice believes that our lawmakers can enact laws that would also further strengthen Nigerians sovereignty and protect the country from external aggression and in the overall interest of the country.

This is indeed not the time to apportion blames because human lives are being lost daily, but rather this is the time for collective action and with a strategic purpose of nipping in the mid the nefarious activities of insurgents and terrorists, as well as other criminal gangs across the country.

The members of the National Assembly must also see themselves as partners in progress and not rivals in governance as recent events suggest with the unfortunate incident in Zabarmari community in Jere Local Government Area of Borno State.

The Coalition for Truth and Justice is charging the members of the National Assembly to rise to the occasion in this critical point of our existence as a country by doing the needful in support of the war against insurgency and terrorism in Nigeria.

The Coalition for Truth and Justice believes that if the National Assembly extends its support to the war against insurgency and terrorism, Nigeria shall experience tremendous success.

This is our position.

Nasarawa governor names twins after Buhari, predecessor

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Nasarawa governor names twins after Buhari, predecessor

Nasarawa State Governor, Abdullahi Sule, has named his set of male twins after President Muhammadu Buhari and predecessor, Senator Umar Al-Makura.

Sule named the first Mohammed Shamsudeen and other Umar Faruq on Tuesday.

The governor took a second wife in 2019, a few weeks to his inauguration.

The naming ceremony took place at the palace of the governor’s father in Gudi, Akwanga Local Government.

Sule said he named them after Buhari and Al-Makura because of the respect he had for the two leaders.

Speaker of Nasarawa State House of Assembly Ibrahim Balarabe led other members to the ceremony.

Emir of Lafia Justice Sidi Bage (rtd.) prayed God to give the twins good health, prosperity and make them grow to be good citizens.

Ihedioha has no plan to join APC, PDP says

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Ihedioha has no plan to join APC, PDP says

The People’s Democratic Party (PDP) says former Imo State Governor, Emeka Ihedioha, has no plan to join the All Progressives Congress (APC).

In a statement on Tuesday, Ogubundu Nwadike, Imo PDP Publicity Secretary, said it was untrue that the ex-Deputy Speaker of the House of Representatives, and some PDP stalwarts were set to decamp.

The spokesman noted that Ihedioha, being a life member of the National Executive Committee (NEC), is a stakeholder and leader whose loyalty to the PDP since formation has never been called to question.

“His integrity quotient has been tested and proven. We are not oblivious of the clandestine efforts by fifth columnists who have perpetually lost sleep over the goodwill, respect and massive support Rt. Hon. Ihedioha enjoys in the state and across the country.

“The good news is that the sponsors of the joke are not unknown to Imolites and Nigerians. Without any need to yet publish their identities, we will only assure them that their pettiness is inconsequential.”

 

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