BREAKING: US increases tourism visa cost to N99, 900 for Nigerians, blames FG

The United States Embassy in Nigeria says effective from Thursday, August 29, 2019, Nigerians applying for tourism, student and business visas will not only pay the N59, 200 fee but will have to pay an extra $110 (N40, 700) after the visa has been issued to them bringing the total cost to N99, 900. However, applicants who are denied visas would not need to pay the extra N40, 700.



Applicants seeking the L1 Visa (work permit) will pay an extra N112, 100 if given visas while those applying for H4 Visa (dependency/spousal) will pay an extra N66, 600. The US Embassy adopts the rate of N370/$1 for Nigerians which is higher than both the official rate and the black market rate.

The increment also comes amid complaints from hundreds of Nigerian visa applicants that they had not been able to secure US visa appointment dates despite making payments for visas.

The embassy said in a statement that the increment was done based on reciprocity.



It lamented that Americans were paying too much to secure Nigerian visas and thus the US government decided to retaliate. The US embassy said it had been holding talks with the Nigerian government to reduce the fee but the Federal Government refused to accede to its requests.

The directive comes less than four months after the US cancelled the drop box system for Nigerian visa applicants which used to allow Nigerians who have a travel history to the US to apply for visas without going for interviews at the embassy.



The statement read in part, “Effective worldwide on August 29, Nigerian citizens will be required to pay a visa issuance fee, or reciprocity fee, for all approved applications for non-immigrant visas in B, F, H1B, I, L, and R visa classifications.

“The reciprocity fee will be charged in addition to the non-immigrant visa application fee, also known as the MRV fee, which all applicants pay at the time of application.  Nigerian citizens whose applications for a non-immigrant visa are denied will not be charged the new reciprocity fee. Both reciprocity and MRV fees are non-refundable, and their amounts vary based on visa classification.

“US law requires US visa fees and validity periods to be based on the treatment afforded to US citizens by foreign governments, insofar as possible.  Visa issuance fees are implemented under the principle of reciprocity: when a foreign government imposes additional visa fees on US citizens, the United States will impose reciprocal fees on citizens of that country for similar types of visas.

“Nationals of a number of countries worldwide are currently required to pay this type of fee after their non-immigrant visa application is approved.

“The total cost for a US citizen to obtain a visa to Nigeria is currently higher than the total cost for a Nigerian to obtain a comparable visa to the United States.  The new reciprocity fee for Nigerian citizens is meant to eliminate that cost difference.

“Since early 2018, the US government has engaged the Nigerian government to request that the Nigerian government change the fees charged to US citizens for certain visa categories.  After 18 months of review and consultations, the government of Nigeria has not changed its fee structure for U.S. citizen visa applicants, requiring the US Department of State to enact new reciprocity fees in accordance with our visa laws.

“The reciprocity fee will be required for all Nigerian citizens worldwide, regardless of where they are applying for a non-immigrant visa to the United States.  The reciprocity fee is required for each visa that is issued, which means both adults and minors whose visa applications are approved will be charged the reciprocity fee.  The fee can only be paid at the US Embassy or the US Consulate General.  The reciprocity fee cannot be paid at banks or any other location.”

See Reciprocity fee schedule, organized by visa classification:

Read More

NLC Set To Hold National Rally Over Insecurity

Worried by the rising insecurity in the country the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) has concluded plans to embark on a nationwide rally.

The rally according to the union is to sensitise governments and citizens on the need to urgently arrest the increased case of insecurity ranging from kidnapping, banditry, among others.


This decision, which was disclosed in a communique on Monday, was part of the resolutions reached by the national executive committee of the NLC, during its recently concluded meeting in Kano State.

Labour leaders during the meeting highlighted the negative effects of the current security situation on the nation’s economy.

Also contained in the communique issued at the end of the meeting is the issue of the implementation of the new national minimum wage.

The union called on the Federal Government to immediately begin implementation of the new minimum wage for civil servants.

They insisted that the Federal and State governments must commence the payment of the new wage immediately, beginning from when the bill was signed into law by the president.

Read More

Buhari’s govt wants to frame Obasanjo, says Atiku

The presidential candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party in the February 2019 election, Atiku Abubakar, on Monday raised the alarm that President Muhammadu Buhari’s government was desperately plotting to frame former President Olusegun Obasanjo to stop him from criticising Buhari’s administration.

Atiku, in a statement by his media office, also alleged that the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission was feeding members of the media with deliberate falsehoods in an attempt to cause disaffection between him and Obasanjo on one hand, and between Obasanjo and Nigerians in general.



He said, “The truth is that there is desperation on the part of the current administration to rope in former President Olusegun Obasanjo into a crime as a way of silencing his voice, which they see as the preeminent critical voice against the misrule that they have foisted on Nigerians.”

“Atiku stated that for the avoidance of doubt, his son-in-law,  Mallam Babalele Abdullahi, did not donate any money in cash to the Olusegun Obasanjo Library.

“He said it is true that Abdullahi facilitated the donation of  N50m to the Olusegun Obasanjo Presidential Library.

“He added that many other individuals, including civic-minded traditional rulers, state governors, bankers and captains of industry also donated to the library.



Atiku alleged that in attempt to robe Obasanjo into a crime,  Buhari’s government officials allegedly asked the Federal Inland Revenue Service to “falsely and libellously” include Obasanjo Farm in a published list of tax evaders, along with the names of other Peoples Democratic Party sympathisers, such as prominent international singer, Mr David Adeleke, popularly called Davido, who played a prominent role in the PDP’s governorship campaign in Osun State, for which he  was allegedly being punished.

Read More

Nigeria to become the world’s capital for infants’ death.by 2021--World Bank

A new report by the World Bank says Africa’s giant, Nigeria, will by 2021 become the world’s capital for infants’ death.

The revelation is contained in the latest bi-annual economic report of the World Bank’s Bretton Woods Institution.

It predicts that the most populous country on the continent will overtake India as the nation with the highest number of infant mortality under the age of five by 2021.

This new report comes few months after Nigeria overtook India as the poverty capital of the world.

The report says one reason for this estimate is the fact that the highest number of children who die from malaria in the world can be found in Nigeria.

Another reason is that the West African country recorded 714,000 under-five deaths in 2017, according to the current World Bank figures, while India recorded 989,000 deaths in the same year.

“Nigeria will overtake India in 2021 as the country with the most under-five deaths in the world. More children die of malaria in Nigeria than in any other country in the world,” the report said.

It continued: “Poverty remains high in Nigeria and access to basic social services is not universal. In 2016, the World Bank estimated poverty at 38.8 per cent of the population using the national poverty line. But by the international poverty line of PPP-corrected $1.90 per capita per day, an estimated 49.2 per cent of the population lived below poverty in 2017.”

The report also stated that Nigeria has the highest number of out-of-primary school-aged children in the world, nine million children to be exact. 90 per cent of these children are said to come from Northern Nigeria.

“Vaccination coverage rates in Nigeria have changed little over the last 25 years, in sharp contrast to other West African countries which have made more rapid progress even though they started from higher levels,” the World Bank report added.

Read More

ASUU Strike: Nigerian govt resumes talks with striking lecturers

The federal government on Tuesday resumed talks with the leaders of the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) over the ongoing strike in public universities which entered a month today.
The crucial meeting has in attendance the national president of the union, Biodun Ogunyemi, who led the union’s delegation.
The meeting is taking place at the Federal Ministry of Education in Abuja.

Also present are the education minister, Adamu Adamu; the permanent secretary, Sunny Echono; representative of National Universities Commission and representative from the National Income, Wages and Salaries Commission.

Speaking with PREMIUM TIMES briefly, the president of the National Association of Nigerian Students (NANS), Danielson Akpan, who was present at the meeting, said the two parties need to consider the interest of the students in their deliberations.

“My fear is that these politicians can give a ‘political response’ and may not meet the conditions again,” Mr Akpan said.
The NANS president confirmed that the meeting started a few minutes past 2 p.m.

The union embarked on strike on November 4 over the poor funding of Nigerian universities, an alleged plan by the federal government to increase students’ fees and introduce an education bank, as well as non-implementation of previous agreements.

Read More

Students kick as Osinbajo visits OAU for convocation

Students of Obafemi Awolowo University, Ile Ife on Monday expressed their reservations against the planned visit of the Nigerian Vice -president, Professor Yemi Osinbajo into the campus to attend the 43rd combined convocation of the university holding next week.


The students, through their representative, Gbenga Ololoniran, who is the Protem Chairman, Students’ Union Action Committee, described the planned visit as an aberration, saying the Vice-president had been part of problem confronting Nigerian universities.

He said the APC led administration’s policy on education was totally anti-poor, which tends towards making it difficult for the children of average Nigerian to access qualitative education and become well informed to challenge the old political order.


He noted that the struggle against this abysmal situation in the education sector and the citadel in particular had led to victimisation and repression of students’ activists and proscription of students’ movement.

“At this period where the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) has been on strike across universities, including OAU, over the rotten state of university education, it is still a shock to us that the only solution provided by the government is for tertiary students to begin to pay N700,000 as tuition fee per session.

“We, therefore, see the presence of such anti-student figure of the government in an academic arena to be a guest speaker, as a rape of our collective intelligence in a university where students’ academic activities are currently battered by the nationwide industrial action of ASUU.


“We make bold to assert that Prof. Osinbajo is not welcome on OAU campus”, Ololoniran said.

He, therefore, called on the Federal Government to retrace it’s steps and work towards adequate funding of education by committing at least 26 per cent of the country’s budget as against the paltry seven per cent to the education sector.

In a swift reaction, the Public Relations Officer of the Institution, Mr Abiodun Olanrewaju described the threat expressed by the students’ leader as personal opinion of Ololoniran, saying” in fact, the OAU Community, particularly the students, are eagerly waiting for a day when either President Muhammadu Buhari or Vice President Yemi Osinbajo, or both of them, will come to OAU on a visit.

“The community is ready to give a rousing welcome to the Senior Advocate of Nigeria and renowned Professor of law whose brilliant performance in the present administration has done the academic community proud,” he added.

Read More

‘Rice importation to end in Nigeria by 2020’

The Policy Adviser of the John Kufuor Foundation, Hon. Abraham Dwuma, on Tuesday expressed the belief that rice importation into the country would end by 2020.

Dwuma told the News Agency of Nigeria in Ilorin that the Africa Rice Advocacy Platform under the JKF had  created a rice value chain to achieve this.

He said the purpose of the platform was for Africa to achieve zero importation of rice.



”Two years from now, Nigeria should have no business importing rice because I have travelled the length and breadth of the country and I know the potentials.


”Kebbi State alone can produce all the rice Nigeria needs; talk more of Sokoto and even Kwara.

“‘For, example, in Akwa Ibom, they have one of the best lands for rice production.

”When we came to Nigeria, farmers were doing 1.5 tonnes per hectare, now they are doing six tonnes per hectare two times in a year.

”We believe that with this platform, we will get there,” Dwuma said.



(NAN)

Read More

Alleged N6.3bn: I won’t honour EFCC’s invitation — Jang

 


A former governor of Plateau State, Jonah Jang, yesterday said he would not honour the invitation of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission asking him to report to its Kano office on December 5 for allegedly misappropriating N6.3 billion when he was governor.

In a statement yesterday by his media consultant, Clinton Garuba, Jang said he had written to the commission urging it to pick another date in January, 2019.




He said he took the decision to turn down the invitation because he was under trial in Jos having been charged to court by the same commission.

He said: “And the matter is expected to commence definite hearing around the date of the invitation. To be sure, it is baffling how the EFCC expects the serving senator to be in two places at the same time since he does not possess any psychic abilities.”




Jang clarified that the invitation was unconnected with a report alleging that the commission had traced a mansion worth N500 million to him.

He said: “The property located at No. 8 and 9 Gobarau Road, Unguwan Rimi GRA, Kaduna state does not belong to Senator Jang, and this is not the first time the commission would investigate its ownership.

Read More

Buhari urged to replicate increase in Police salary for teachers

The Class of 1978 of Government College Ughelli, has asked President Muhammadu Buhari to replicate the increase in the salary structure of the Nigeria Police in the salaries of teachers in Nigeria.




The class made their position known during their inaugural annual lecture and conference as part of activities to mark its 40 years anniversary.



The event which held  at the school premises  in Ughelli, was entitled:  “Falling Standard of Education in Nigeria: Role of Old Boys, Government, Teachers, and Students.”

In his remarks, Chairman of the class, Dr. Akpo Mudiaga Odje while lamenting the welfare of teachers in the country, said: “We hope President Buhari extends the increase of police salary to teachers as well as to members of Academic Staff Union of Universities, ASUU, who are currently on strike.”

Read More

2019 election is between thieves and honest people – El-Rufai

                                 


Kaduna state governor, Malam Nasir El-Rufai, has likened the 2019 general election as a contest between honest and dishonest people.

El-Rufai, who delivered a keynote address at the launching of his campaign council in Kaduna, also likened Monday’s flag-off of PDP presidential campaign in Sokoto as a gang-up of ‘thieves.’ The governor said the PDP rented crowd from neighbouring countries because Sokoto people refused to come out for the rally. He said Nigerians have to stand up and show them that Kaduna is not a state that will allow them cheat the people and the masses.




“What we have done in Kaduna state in the last three years has shown that APC as a party is the one that loves the masses and assists the masses; not a party that will take public fund and share among the rich. That is why we want you people to go out and tell the people to vote President Muhammadu Buhari again.

“So, when it is time to launch President Muhammadu Buhari’s campaign in Kaduna, people should come for the whole world to see that it is not Niger Republic people that are disguising as Nigerians,” he said.

The governor enjoined the people of Kaduna to show that they are in support of President Muhammadu Buhari, when is time to cast their votes.

“We should vote for President Muhammadu Buhari and all the APC candidates. In Kaduna, we will support APC from top to bottom.

The governor said the task in 2019 is to continue to work towards the upliftment of the people as they cannot allow the people whose ideology is looting to return to power.

The campaign council was inaugurated by the party’s Deputy National Chairman (North), Alhaji Lawal Shuaibu.

Read More

Saraki sold our mandate for a pot of porridge--Tinubu

 

A national leader of the All Progressives Congress, APC, Bola Tinubu has lambasted the Senate President, Bukola Saraki, for defecting to the All Progressives Congress, APC ahead of the 2015 polls.

He lamented that the former Kwara State Governor used the APC to give a lifeline to the opposition Peoples Democratic Party, PDP.

Tinubu spoke during the National Consultative Forum themed: “Nigeria on the right track” organised by the National Committee of Buhari Support Groups, on Tuesday, Daily Trust reports.

Claiming that Saraki was not honest, the former Lagos State governor said the Senate President sold APC’s mandate for a pot of porridge.

He stated that after using the APC to win election in 2015, “Saraki used our mandate to give lifeline to the opposition. Leadership is about character.

“He left PDP, joined us, got elected and sold our mandate for a pot of porridge. God is honest.”

Read More

2019 poverty rate will treble --Ex-minister predicts

A former Minister of Foreign Affairs, Mr Odein Ajumogobia (SAN), has predicted that the poverty level in the country may be worse in 2019 than this year.

He said Nigeria had in the last four years witnessed a continuous downward spiral in the poverty index, saying, “There is every indication that just as 2018 was worse than 2017, 2019 will be worse than 2018.”


According to him, available statistics have shown that in each of the last four years, the country’s per capita Gross Domestic Product progressively declined.

“It is a sobering thought – if the statistics are to be believed – that we should have, at this stage, overtaken India with the number of extremely poor households in Nigeria, a nation with one sixth of India’s 1.2 billion population,” Ajumogobia said in Lagos on Friday during a colloquium held to mark the 25th anniversary of a commercial law firm, Kenna Partners.


The colloquium, with the theme, Footprints in law and society, towards a paradigm shift, was chaired by the first female Senior Advocate of Nigeria, Chief ‘Folake Solanke.

Ajumogobia chided President Muhammadu Buhari for his suggestion at the last annual conference of the Nigerian Bar Association that the rule of law must bow to national security.

The SAN warned that without respect for the rule of law, “inclusive development and growth would continue to elude us in our downward spiral of poverty and chaos as we continue to, regrettably, to bask in our dubious distinction as the poverty capital of the world!”

In her address, 86-year-old Solanke, worried about the large number of political parties registered by the Independent National Electoral Commission to participate in next year’s general elections.



 “Something must be done to weed out the political parties to a minimum. In the United States of America, there are two political parties, but in Nigeria, 80 of the 91 registered political parties want to produce the next President. Something is wrong with our Electoral Act; we must go and look at Section 222 and do something about it,” Solanke said.

Justice Amina Augie of the Supreme Court, who delivered the anniversary lecture, warned politicians against weakening public institutions for selfish reasons, saying it will haunt them.

Read More

Nigeria won’t return to era of stealing public funds--Osinbajo

Nigeria’s Vice President, Yemi Osinbajo, on Tuesday, said Nigeria will not go back to era when money meant for the development of the country was pocketed by few individuals.
Mr Osinbajo stated this in Dutse, the Jigawa State capital, while launching the 6th phase of a youth empowerment initiative.


He said the All Progressive Congress administration is not stealing Nigeria’s money, adding that all monies accruing to it will be judiciously used.
”Nigeria is moving forward to next level.

 This is one of the reasons why President Muhammadu Buhari decided to fight corruption in Nigeria; because before now, a lot of the money that was supposed to empower the common man on the street were put in the pockets of those that led us before.
“When we came on board, we insisted that must stop, they can no longer be stealing people’s money, the money must be utilised for the well-being of all Nigerians,” the vice president said.


He said, ”When President Buhari started the fight, those who looted public treasury opposed him and they’re still fighting him till now. By God’s grace, Nigerians will see the benefits of the anti-corruption fight.”

He also said before the current government came on board, the previous one ”earned $383 billion in four years” but wasted it.


”They didn’t construct roads, no empowerment, they embezzled the money. For three years, the APC administration earned only over $115 billion. That’s (about) one-third of what they had and we’re doing five times more.


“We’re doing more because we’re not stealing the money. If the money of our people is not stolen, there will be enough for us to do everything,” he said.
He also explained the rationale behind the government’s ‘Trader moni’ scheme.


“The Trader moni is one of the important policies of President Buhari’s administration. It is giving loans to 35,000 beneficiaries, petty traders in Jigawa; and we’re targeting two million beneficiaries across the country.
“The initiative targets those at the bottom of the pyramid, we will keep empowering them until they are lifted to become bigger traders.”
The vice president also commended the governor of Jigawa for ”the good work he has been doing.”

In his remarks, the governor, Muhammad Badaru, said his administration has so far empowered over 134,600 youth through various programmes across the 27 local government areas of the state.

Read More

Akwa Ibom crisis: HURIWA moves against Akpabio

The Human Rights Writers Association of Nigeria, HURIWA, Tuesday tasked authorities of the United States of America, USA, to bar former Senate Minority Leader, Godswill Akpabio, from entering their country for allegedly aiding and abetting the current outburst of violence in the Akwa Ibom State House of Assembly.  

The association, in a petition signed by its national coordinator, Comrade Emmanuel Onwubiko and addressed to the US Ambassador to Nigeria, Stuart Symington, called for the withdrawal of Akpabio’s Visas, noting that his call for the use of Hitler-styled violence largely informs the unrest currently pervading the State Assembly The petition titled, “Request for Diplomatic Sanction of Senator Godswill Akpabio”, dated November 23, 2018, who a few weeks ago left the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP for the All Progressives Congress, APC, quoted the lawmaker to have boasted that his new party will take over the state.


The HURIWA petition read in part, “Sir, recall that Senator Akpabio left the PDP a few weeks ago, turning his back on his godson, Governor Udom Emmanuel, setting off a chain of acrimonious exchanges between the two as reported by the independent media. “Sir, we are worried that this threat made by the serving Senator from Akwa Ibom State may have already started manifesting given the current violence that is been unleashed on Akwa Ibom State by the All Progressives Congress- controlled police force.

 “Our prayer is that you should use your good office to stop Senator Godswill Akpabio from visiting your country which is known for its lack of tolerance for violence of all shades particularly with regards to the approval of the atrocities by Hitler in Poland which is clearly what this Nigerian senator just did. “Kindly withdraw all visas to Senator Godswill Akpabio who has clearly professed his approval to the atrocities committed against humanity and civilization by the world’s most dangerous war criminal-Adolph Hitler.”

Read More

We remain unshaken in our support for Buhari's reelection--Tinubu

At a packed stadium, All Progressives Congress (APC) stalwart Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu yesterday announced the resolution of the progressives  to support continuity of good governance.

“There is no going back in the resolve to return President Muhammadu Buhari for another term in office,” the former Lagos State governor said.

It was at the inauguration of Isiaka Adegboyega Oyetola and Benedict Olugboyega Alabi as Osun State governor and deputy governor.

The colourful ceremony, attended by many dignitaries and ordinary folks, took place at the Osogbo Township Stadium  in the state capital.

Tinubu said Nigerians could not afford to go back to the “scavengers, who personalised governance because of their greed”.

To the APC stalwart, there should be enough of greed and self-serving government that “has held back our progress as a nation”.

He stressed that there was nothing to show for the 16 years of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in power.

He said the PDP only laid the foundation for “greed” and “selfishness”.

His words:  “Nigeria must never be allowed to go back to the corruption, greed and selfishness that have held back our progress. No shaking and no going back to the old foxes, old scavengers and old greed of this country. Look back at their years in government and find out if they laid any good foundation. They didn’t, except the personalisation theory of greed.”

Tinubu, who was elated by the inauguration of the new government in Osun State, congratulated the former governor, Rauf Aregbesola, for handing over power to a progressive administration.

He said: “I congratulate you, Aregbesola, for handing over power to a progressive. Now you have joined me in the club of former governors. You have really done very well. You have run progressive and welfarist programmes. I commend you for your performance in the two terms you have spent as governor.

“You have done very well. Since eight years, which is like yesterday. You earned a progressive mandate and did it for four years and renewed it for another four years. It was a welfarist and progressive programmes now handed over to another progressive governor. Thank you for walking the path and doing a good job.”

Tinubu, who congratulated Oyetola and Alabi, assured them that the administration would be supported by progressives in all parts of Nigeria.

According to him, Oyetola’s emergence as governor is a continuation and testament of APC’s progressive ideology of governance started four years ago by President Buhari.

He urged the new governor  to follow the path that will engender progressive development, put smiles on people’s faces and take the country to higher heights.

The former governor said: “We want you to maintain the same path of progress. We are strongly behind you. Ride on, no going back. There is no any other party here in the Southwest.”

President Muhammadu Buhari, who was represented by the Secretary to the Government of the Federation, Mr. Boss Mustapha, said the inauguration marked a peaceful transition from one administration to another.

President, who commended the former governor for steering the ship of the state successfully for eight years and handing over power to an APC administration, thanked the people of Osun for conducting themselves peacefully during  and after the governorship elections.

Buhari advised politicians in the 2019 general elections to make their campaigns focus on programmes and agenda capable of emancipating the people from hardship.

He called on Oyetola to centre his administration around the welfare of the people of the state, especially women and youths, to make life meaningful to them.

He said: “Public office is a trust. You must rule with a human face and the fear of God. You must ensure that all the ongoing projects are completed.”

He assured the new governor of all the necessary support that would help him succeed.

Buhari also called on Nigerians to vote for the APC in the 2019 general elections.

He urged them to conduct themselves peacefully  – in a manner devoid of bitterness and violence, shunning hate speech and violence during the campaigns.

He praised the Aregbesola for bringing “immense developments” to the state in the last eight years.

He assured that the APC-led administration would continue to deliver the democracy dividends to the people.

Among the dignitaries at the event were Senator Oluremi Tinubu,  Gen. Alani Aknirinade, Aregbesola’s wife, Sherifat and his former deputy Mrs. Grace Titi Laoye-Tomori.

There were Governors Akinwumi Ambode (Lagos), Rotimi Akeredolu (Ondo), Kayode Fayemi (Ekiti) and Abdullahi Ganduje (Kano).

Former Ogun State Governor Aremo Olusegun Osoba, Senator Musiliu Obanikoro and Osun State Chief Judge, Justice Adepele Ojo were there.

Others were the APC National Chairman, Adams Oshiomhole, former  Osun State  Governor Chief Bisi Akande, the Ooni of Ife, Oba Adeyeye Ogunwusi, the Alaafin of Oyo, Oba Lamidi Adeyemi, the Aragbiji of Iragbiji, Oba Abdul-Rasheed Olabomi, the Oluwo of Iwoland, Oba Abdul-Rasheed Adewale Akanbi, the Orangun of Oke-Ila, Oba Dokun Abolarin, former  House of Representatives Speaker Patricia Olubunmi Etteh, Osun state speaker of the State House of Assembly, Najeem Salaam, former state speaker, Adejare Bello, APC women leader, Chief Mrs Kemi Nelson, Senator Ayo Fasanmi, Senator Solomon Adeola , former Lagos deputy governor, Femi Pedro, Senator Babajide Omoworare, Senator Sola Adeyeye.

Read More

Jonathan goes offensive on Gov. Shettima, Buhari

                        


Former President Goodluck Ebele Jonathan has named the Governor of Borno State, Ibrahim Shettima as one of those who are working towards rubishing his new book.

Jonathan said that there was a comprehensive plot to discredit his book, ‘My Transition Hours’, launched in Abuja on Tuesday.

The Bayelsa-born politician said the diatribes aimed at the book since its launch by Shettima and the Muhammadu Buhari presidency, is proof of the calculated plot to discredit his effort and hard work.

Jonathan said this in a statement signed by his spokesperson, Ikechukwu Eze, and made available to reporters in Abuja on Saturday.

Governor Shettima had described the book as “an elementary book of fiction,” particularly in respect to its account on the Chibok girls saga.

Also, President Buhari’s Media Assistant, Garba Shehu, was quoted to have said that Jonathan’s anti-corruption records, as mentioned in the book, could not be substantiated.

Jonathan said, “It is obvious from the pattern of deleterious comments from certain quarters since the successful public presentation of My Transition Hour s, a book authored by Dr. Goodluck Jonathan that a comprehensive plan to discredit the book is afoot.

“However, since facts don’t lie, the plot shall come to naught, just as the sustained propaganda blitzkrieg against the author and all he stands for, has failed to dampen enthusiasm and respect for his legacies.

“On Wednesday Nigerians were treated to a noisy but feeble defence by Borno Governor Kashim Shettima who, only ended up showcasing a jaded ritual of chest-thumbing, rather than offer plausible explanations for the ignoble roles he played in worsening the Boko Haram tragedy in his home state.

“Why he (Shettima) deliberately ignored the directive of both the Federal Ministry of Education and the West African Examinations Council (WAEC) for governors to keep candidates in the affected locations out of harm’s way by relocating them to safer areas for their exams.

“If it was bad enough that ignoring the directive meant deliberately exposing the girls and other school children to danger, it was utterly reprehensible that when the girls eventually got kidnapped the governor refused to cooperate with the federal government during the search and rescue efforts.

“He is on record to have boasted that he did not contact the President until 19 days after the abduction had taken place. One other of such clearly senseless behaviour was his ill-advised roller coaster trip to America and Europe soon after the girls were abducted; a development that pushed a bemused foreign journalist to ask him what he was doing abroad at a time his home was burning.

“It is puzzling that the governor continues to hide behind the cover of the report of the Presidential Committee, rather than explain his actions. He should please publish the report or any document he has that either absolved him of indiscretion or gave him credit for his actions on the Chibok School Girl’s saga.

“Garba Shehu towed a revisionist path when he claimed that Jonathan’s anti-corruption records couldn’t be substantiated.

“Has he forgotten that facts don’t lie? The only credible and globally recognized anti-corruption marker is Transparency International. Nigeria’s best ranking in TI’s corruption perception index still remains her placing in 2014, under President Jonathan, as the 136th out of all the countries ranked.

“This is far better than the last position recorded under the present government where Nigeria was ranked as number 148, a decline that took the nation 12 places backward.

“Rather than continue to raise a false banner of piety which apparently is no longer working, this administration would have served itself and the country better by understudying the success nuggets of its predecessors.

“Only then will they learn that Jonathan was able to do this through effective implementation of sound economic policies and institutional anti-corruption measures established by his administration.

“Part of the successful tools established by Jonathan to fight corruption included the Integrated Personnel and Payroll Information System, IPPIS, which weeded out 50,000 ghost federal workers and saved the country N15 billion monthly.

“The institutional framework also included the establishment of such mechanisms as the treasury single account (TSA), and bank verification number (BVN), vital anti-corruption tools which are now shamelessly being appropriated by those that inherited them.

“There is no doubt that Jonathan provided focused leadership on the economic front, through institutional and sectoral reforms which impacted positively on the fundamentals for growth.

“Having sowed wisely, the Jonathan administration reaped bountifully by keeping inflation at a single digit, growing Nigeria’s economy to become the largest in Africa with a GDP of over half a trillion US dollars, and becoming the number one foreign direct investment destination on the continent.

“All those were achieved because there were credible and sustainable economic programmes that were quite appealing to both local investors and the global business community.

“It is a known fact that businesses, growth and economic well-being shy away from corrupt territories. Doesn’t the fact that Nigeria has regressed to become the country with the highest number of poor people on earth, with tens of millions of jobs lost in less than four years, tell us something about where we now stand as a nation on anti-corruption fight?”

Read More

Dare me, steal public funds because you're close to me,I'll deal with you – Buhari

  President Muhammadu Buhari Friday in Abuja declared that he would ensure that all corrupt public officials who misappropriate public funds and make life difficult for the people are sent to jail.



 This is as the former Governor of Benue State and Senator representing Benue North West in the senate, George Akume has accused the Benue State Government of being behind the farmers/herders clashes which have claimed many lives and destruction of property worth several millions of naira.



President Buhari who met behind closed-doors with the All Progressives Congress, APC, stakeholders led by Senator Akume at the Presidential Villa, Abuja, said leaders who undermine the economy by denying workers their benefits, while stuffing personal accounts with public funds will not escape the current anti-corruption dragnet.


 He said the Federal Government’s bailout to states and Paris Club funds were basically to alleviate the sufferings of the people, describing misappropriation as unjust and unfair to workers. According to him, “I honestly don’t know how people sleep when workers have not been paid. The workers have to pay rent, buy food, send their children to school and they have healthcare to take care of. “I assure you that my main interest is all Nigerians in all parts of the country. Therefore, if anybody who tries to create any impression that I prefer any group across ethnicity or religion let him dare me by being caught red handed stealing public funds.  I will deal with him,” he said. The President in a statement by his Special Adviser on Media and Publicity, Chief Femi Adesina, told the APC delegation that the Federal Executive Council had been monitoring the plight of workers across the country and utilisation of the bailout and Paris Club funds by some states. “I thank you for your courage to come and see me. This visit has resuscitated our morale,” he said. He noted that the Federal Government had made significant progress in diversifying the economy by investing in agriculture and encouraging more individuals and entrepreneurs to go into farming, pointing out that Nigeria would soon become self-sufficient in feeding its citizenry.



 “We are proud of what we have achieved with resources at our disposal,” he added, listing ongoing road, rail, sea port, airport and power projects as hallmarks of his administration’s commitment to improving lives. President Buhari said the Ministry of Agriculture and the Central Bank of Nigeria will be further motivated to work together and support all interested Nigerians to take up farming on commercial scale. He noted that the killings across the country, including Benue, Zamfara and Taraba, were carried out by “ungodly” people who had no religious or ethnic inclinations. “We know about herders. The ones we knew carried sticks, and sometimes cutlasses to cut foliage for their cattle. We now have people who carry AK 47s and pretend they are herdsmen. “We are working hard to secure our borders. We are going to see how the old cattle routes can be opened. We will control movement. Please beg our people to be patient,” he said.


The President pointed out that security personnel were already uncovering the network of the killers and arresting them. In his remarks, the leader of the delegation said the narrative in the state about the Federal Government was fast changing for the positive as more people had discovered the good intentions of President Buhari to secure lives and property, and alleviate poverty. “Mr President, we know your commitment to Nigeria. We know how much you love the country and will be ready to die for the good cause,” Sen. Akume said. Akume, a former governor of Benue State, told the President that APC members had started sensitization and mobilisation of voters for the 2019 elections, noting that more had accepted the party and its manifesto in the state. He commended the President for the flag-off of the dualization of the Abuja-Keffi-Lafia-Makurdi road, urging more attention on the Makurdi-Otukpo road and the water projects in Gboko and Otukpo.



“You have worked hard to stop herdsmen and farmers clashes in Benue. It is important to note that many people used religion and ethnicity to score cheap points. Religion was used in Benue for sinister purposes,” he added. On corruption, Akume said the President has made significant difference by tackling perpetrators. Speaking to State House correspondents, the former Senate Minority Leader claimed that the opposition Peoples Democratic Party wasted the nation’s resources without any meaningful achievement for 16 years, adding that though the party wants to come back to power, it has no message for the people. Akume said he was aware of those behind the herders/farmers clashes in Benue State but, assured that the situation has been significantly brought under control. According to him, “When you talk about herdsmen and farmers clash, it is a story going good bye.  Have you heard of farmers/herders clashes in Benue again? No. We know those who were behind that, government was behind that. I am talking about the state government through the Livestock Guards; they knew what was going on. So it is now a thing of the past.” On the backlog of salaries, pensions and gratuities in the state, Akume alleged that there was ongoing fraud in government which has made it impossible for the governor to meet up with this critical obligation to the state workforce.


He said, “And as for him, certainly he knows that there is fraud on the payroll. I have been in government before, everything that is going on there is fraudulent in Benue State and the people are simply tired on this misinformation that they have been receiving. “The narrative has changed, it is not a question of herdsmen, we are not talking about religious and ethnic bigotry, we are talking about performance of government. If you cannot pay salaries, if you cannot pay pensions, if you cannot pay gratuity, what are you doing there? “If you cannot provide infrastructure what are you doing there, what is the basic purpose of government? It is the welfare of the people, security for the people. If you say your slogan is my people first and we are telling you no, my people last because you are misappropriating their money. So, it is not my people first, it is my pocket first in Benue State.” He explained that the meeting with the President and APC stakeholders from Benue State was a solidarity visit to express total sense of involvement and commitment to his re-election. He said, “A man who has worked so tirelessly to turn around the fortunes of this country, deserves to be supported by all well meaning Nigerians. This has nothing to do with politics.”

Read More

Attack On Soldiers true,but beware Of mischievous Propaganda-- Nigerian Army

The Nigerian Army has confirmed that there was an attack on soldiers in Metele in Borno State.

The Army, which confirmed the attack in a statement on its official Twitter handle on Friday night, however, described the casualty figures as false and “various footages” in circulation as “old and inaccurate BHT (Boko Haram Terrorist) propaganda videos.

News agency AFP had quoted military sources as saying that the IS-backed Boko Haram faction, the Islamic State West Africa Province killed 43 soldiers in attacks on military bases in the remote village in Borno State, near Nigeria’s border with Niger Republic.

The Army, however, called for caution in its statement, warning that Boko Harm were circulating propaganda material.

“Whilst it is understandable how such misinformation can be spread in this era of social media frenzy, the spurious circulation of some of these videos only contribute to further propagate the propaganda intent of the terrorists; to misinform the populace and portray themselves as what they are not.

“So far, the situation is that the location is under control as reinforcing units have been able to repel the terrorists and stabilise the situation.”

The army did not, however, give details of the casualty figure it had.

Read the full statement below:

The Attention of the NA has been drawn to several social media, print, electronic and online publications about the recent attack on 157 Task Force Battalion at Metele. Whilst It is true that there was an attack on the location on 18 November 2018, it has, however, become necessary to correct several misinformation being circulated with regards to this unfortunate event.

It is important for the public to note that the NA has laid down procedures for reporting incidents that involve its personnel who fall casualty in action. Out of respect for the families of our gallant troops, the NOKs are first notified before any form of public information so as to avoid exacerbating the grief family members would bear were they to discover such from unofficial sources.

Furthermore, it suffices to observe that several social media, print and online publications have been brandishing false casualty figures as well as circulating various footages of old and inaccurate BHT propaganda videos and alluding same to be the attack on 157 Task Force Battalion. Whilst it is understandable how such misinformation can be spread in this era of social media frenzy, the spurious circulation of some of these videos only contribute to further propagate the propaganda intent of the terrorists; to misinform the populace and portray themselves as what they are not. So far, the situation is that the location is under control as reinforcing units have been able to repel the terrorists and stabilize the situation.

The NA sincerely wishes to thank the various arms of government, MDAs and sister agencies that have stood with her in these trying times; by commiserating with the families of the fallen heroes who have paid the supreme price for the defence of our dearly beloved country. The necessary support is given the NA by the Federal Government and the goodwill of the Nigerian populace will undoubtedly continue to spur the NA towards the ultimate defeat of highly degraded BHTs.

Read More

IS Claims responsibility over Killing of 118 Persons In ‘West African Province’

The Islamic State group has claimed to have killed 118 people in its self-styled West Africa province in the last week, after a series of attacks against military bases in northeast Nigeria that have raised fears of a resurgent Boko Haram.

The Islamist militant group said in a video posted online late on Thursday that it conducted five operations in Chad and Nigeria between November 15 and 21, according to the SITE Intelligence Group, which monitors jihadist activity.

No other details were given but the claim follows recent attacks on army bases in Borno state, northeast Nigeria, which has been the epicentre of the deadly nine-year conflict.

Security sources said at least 44 soldiers were killed in an attack in Metele village, near the border with Niger, on Sunday, although one soldier who escaped gave a higher toll.

“The truth is we lost more than 100 men because we were quickly routed,” he said on condition of anonymity from the Borno state capital, Maiduguri, on Friday.

“We were outgunned, so we tried to fight. We realised it was unrealistic so we decided to leave.”

Most of the soldiers were killed as the trucks they were in tried to crash through a perimeter fence at the base but got stuck. Senior officers were among the dead, he added.

Even a search team that came to find the bodies of fallen soldiers on Tuesday was attacked, the soldier said.

On Friday night, the Nigerian Army confirmed that there was an attack on Metele on November 18, but described the casualty figures being reported as false and “various footages” in circulation as “old and inaccurate BHT (Boko Haram Terrorist) propaganda videos.

“While it is understandable how such misinformation can be spread in this era of social media frenzy, the spurious circulation of some of these videos only contribute to further propagate the propaganda intent of the terrorists; to misinform the populace and portray themselves as what they are not,” the Army said in a statement on its official Twitter Handle.

“So far, the situation is that the location is under control as reinforcing units have been able to repel the terrorists and stabilize the situation.”

The army, however, did not provide details of the casualty figures.


AFP has reported at least 17 attempts to overrun army bases since July. Many have been claimed by the IS-backed Boko Haram faction, Islamic State West Africa Province (ISWAP).

Security analysts said more attacks were expected in the run-up to February 16, when Nigerians go to the polls to elect a new president and parliament.

But Yan St-Pierre, a counter-terrorism specialist with the Modern Security Consulting Group, said there were implications beyond Nigeria’s borders.

The intensity and regularity of recent attacks indicated ISWAP now had “a capacity for sustained warfare” and “a significant number of fighters and materials” at its disposal.

Asked whether that meant external support from IS remnants from elsewhere, he told AFP: “Without a doubt.”

He added: “ISWAP’s attacks occur against military and foreign targets with increasing frequency in Nigeria, Chad, and Niger, with an increasing presence in Cameroon.”

That “not only demonstrates that ISWAP has the capacity and the mobility to successfully organise attacks in multiple areas but that its interests are fully regional”, he said.

“Put in the context of expanding IS activity in the Sahel — especially eastwards — this regional focus is an important change that affects ISWAP military operations.”


Political capital

More than 27,000 people have been killed since the insurgency began in 2009 and some 1.8 million are still homeless, as aid agencies battle the humanitarian fall-out of the fighting.

President Muhammadu Buhari, who was elected in 2015 on a pledge to defeat Boko Haram, has claimed the jihadists were “technically defeated”.

The recent attacks have cast doubt on that assertion and the main opposition Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) is questioning Buhari’s security record.

PDP presidential candidate Atiku Abubakar sent a condolence message to the families of those who were killed and said the losses were “a clear sign that our troops need to be better funded and better equipped”.

Soldiers have complained of being over-stretched and under-resourced.

Senate leader Bukola Saraki said a delegation of senators would travel to the northeast to visit frontline troops, as others questioned the effectiveness of the counter-insurgency.

Peter Ayodele Fayose, a former state governor and leading PDP figure, added: “It is time that we face the reality that Boko Haram is not technically defeated.”


Public opinion

Amaechi Nwokolo, a security analyst at the Roman Institute of Security Studies in Abuja, said the insurgency had become politicised.

“Now, as election season and Christmas approach, we are likely to see an upsurge in attacks. These terrorists are not dumb. They will certainly want to create chaos around the election.”

Political analyst Chris Ngwodo said the PDP would likely want to make capital out of the current situation but added it had not translated into a loss of support for Buhari or the APC.

“I can’t see that these attacks have shifted public opinion here,” he said from Maiduguri. “Borno still feels like Buhari territory.

“The opposition will look for chinks in the armour of the ruling party but I don’t know if they can generate the kind of traction from these kinds of incidents.”

AFP

Read More

Boko Haram: Buhari Sends Defence Minister to Chad

Worried by the deteriorating security situation on the Nigeria – Chad border, President Muhammadu Buhari has dispatched the Minister of Defence, Brigadier General Mansur Dan Ali (RTD) to neighbouring Republic of Chad for an urgent meeting with President Idris Deby and Ali’s defence counterpart.

A reliable diplomatic source in Abuja, on Friday, said Ali’s mission was to unearth what led to the increase in the activities of Boko Haram terrorists in the area and immediate solution to it.



According to the source, “Nigeria has a Chad  problem in the Multi-National Joint Task Force (MNJTF) put together to secure the Lake Chad basin areas and repel the Boko Haram attacks against all the countries around the Lake.”

Chad is believed to be having its own internal security challenges and this has reportedly led to  pulling out its troops manning the country’s border around Lake Chad.

“That lacuna is being exploited by the Boko Haram terrorists, who go in and out of Nigeria, Niger and Cameroon to launch terrorist acts.  This is a clear illustration of the fact that terrorism is beyond national border. “

Asked to comment on the development, the Senior Special Assistant to the President on Media and Publicity, Mr. Garba Shehu, confirmed that he was aware that the Defence Minister was going to Chad but said he was not aware of the purpose of his mission there.

Read More