No hope of recovering Bakassi, says Buhari

President Muhammadu Buhari says Nigeria will abide by the ruling of the International Court of Justice (ICJ) on the Bakassi Peninsula.

Speaking on Wednesday during an interactive session with Nigerians living in Cameroon, Buhari said his administration will ensure the faithful implementation of the Green Tree Agreement, which regulates the ceding of Bakassi to Cameroon.


The oil-rich territory, which was under Cross River state, was transferred to Cameroon on August 14, 2008.


“Since Nigeria allowed the case to go to court (ICJ), and we lost, we have to abide by it,” Femi Adesina, his spokesman, quoted him as saying in response to a question on the issue.
Buhari added that his administration had yet to articulate a foreign policy for Nigeria beyond what was captured in the manifesto of the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC).


He promised to make Nigerian embassies more efficient in terms of relations with other countries and urged Nigerians in the Diaspora to be law-abiding in their host countries.


According to Adesina, Buhari assured about 40,000 Nigerian refugees in Cameroon, who fled as a result of Boko Haram insurgency, that his administration will ensure their safe return and rehabilitation.


Buhari also assured Nigerians in that country that he would do everything possible towards bringing positive change to Nigeria.


“Despite the numerous challenges confronting us, the future of our country is bright. You all know very well that your fellow Nigerians are resilient, hardworking and patriotic.


“These qualities have always seen us through our most difficult national challenges and they will do so now. We are determined to end this callousness against our innocent citizens.


“The defence of the territorial integrity of Nigeria and the protection of lives and properties of Nigerians and all those who live in the country are out top priorities. We shall explore all reasonable options to enable us to bring this rebellion to an end.”
Buhari is expected to return to Nigeria on Thursday.

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Banks ‘seize’ indebted states’ NLNG dividend

Abdulaziz Yari, governor of Zamfara state, says some states were deprived of their share of the $2.1 billion Nigeria Liquefied Natural Gas Company (NLNG) to help states solve their indebtedness to their workforce.

Speaking with state house correspondents after a meeting with Vice-President Yemi Osinbajo, he said the states in question lost their funds to the banks they were owing.


“What I’m saying, no money is released yet but I think the NLNG money that was given, some states, their own was taken by the banks because it is due for them to pay some certain repayment of loans, which they cannot. So, therefore, automatically, that has to go there,” he said.


“But I think the CBN governor is negotiating with the banks on how we are going to share in case… Now, we have agreed that this bailout or intervention funds are coming so that they will know the purpose, [that they] were made for the states, to rescue them to ensure that they pay staff salaries in their respective states.


“But for sure, some other governors reported that money went to their accounts; it was taken by some banks because of their outstanding loans.”


Yari talked down the significance of the economic crisis in many states, saying the governors deserved to be bailed out by the federal government in the same manner the banking industry had been, in the past.


“As I have been saying, the bailout has been made in the banking sector and bailout has been made in the downstream sector of the economy,” he said.


“So, now, if states are in trouble as we all agreed that yes, there is a problem, some states cannot pay salaries, if the federal government says okay, we are going to make some kind of adjustment to states to get out of their problems, if you call it bailout, it is okay. If you call it intervention, it’s okay.
“But the reason why I think so many governors don’t talk about the issue of bailout, they are thinking as if money is going to be created for governments or for governors to go and continue, as we have prescribed, they were somehow reckless. You get the point?


“So, the actual thing is we have a problem and there are no two ways about it. The federal government has to come to the rescue of the states or else, you have a failed state. The federal government cannot fold its arms and the states will be in trouble.”

Airforce ‘block’ fuel supplies to Boko Haram

The Nigerian Air Force (NAF) has blocked the fuel supply route of Boko Haram insurgents along the nation’s border with Cameroon.

Dele Alonge, NAF’s director of information, confirmed this in a statement on Wednesday.
Alonge said airforce personnel seized over 4,000 drums and jerry cans of petroleum products in an operation conducted on
Tuesday.


“Items suspected to be supplies meant for BHT (Boko Haram Terrorists) were confiscated from the smugglers in Pepe, Dashin-Hausa, Belel Bilachi, and Konkul villages located along the Nigeria-Cameroon Borders on Tuesday, 28 July 2015,” the statement read.


“The NAF was able to achieve the recent feat through its air patrol activities, covering both land and water, along the Nigeria-Cameroon boarders.


“The NAF has continued to identify and destroy BHT camps and resupplies by employing surveillance and combat aircraft. Intelligence gathered revealed that these efforts have greatly strained the supply efforts of the BHT.”

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Senate to screen service chiefs Thursday

The senate will screen the newly appointed service chiefs on Thursday in line with a constitutional requirement, Bukola Saraki, senate president, said on Wednesday.

President Muhammadu Buhari had written to the senate seeking confirmation of the appointment of the service chiefs.


In a letter read by the senate president on the floor
of the senate on Tuesday, Buhari said he was seeking the approval of the senate to comply with the extant laws of the country.


In compliance with section 18 (1) of the armed forces Act (CAP820) laws of the federal republic of Nigeria 2004, I hereby forward the names of the underlisted officers for the kind confirmation of the federal republic of Nigeria,” he wrote.


The service chiefs to be screened are Abayomi Gabriel Olonishakin, major general and chief of defence staff; Yusuf Tukur Buratai, major general and chief of army staff; Ibot Ekwe-Ebas, rear admiral chief of naval staff; and Sadiq Baba Abubabar, air vice marshal and chief of air staff.


The service chiefs were appointed on July 13.

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PDP: PMB’s choice of Daura as DSS DG ‘ungodly’

The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has accused Lawan Daura, director-general of the Department of State Service (DSS), of being a card-carrying member of the All Progressives Congress (APC), describing his appointment as “ungodly and unacceptable.”

Speaking at a news conference in Abuja on Wednesday, Uche Secondus, acting national chairman of the PDP, alleged that Daura was a critical intelligence stakeholder for the APC during the presidential campaigns.

He called on President Muhammadu Buhari to rein him in, alleging that the DSS under Daura was hounding electoral officers and members of election petition tribunal in PDP states.


The National Working Committee (NWC) brings to the attention of President Muhammadu Buhari to some disturbing development in the polity which, if not nipped in the bud, might significantly affect our democracy and stability as a nation negatively, and that is the growing and unwarranted intrusion of some over-zealous security operatives on issues bordering purely on politics,” he said.


“In particular, the NWC wishes to draw the attention of the president to the continued intimidation, harassment as well as the hounding, arrest and detention of electoral officers and members of election tribunals by operatives of the Department of State Services (DSS) in Rivers, Akwa-Ibom and other PDP states.


“The NWC notes that this unfortunate development has been the case since the appointment of the new director general of the DSS, Alhaji Lawan Musa Daura, whom we learnt was a critical intelligence stakeholder of the APC as a card-carrying member of that party during the campaigns. This is ungodly and unacceptable.


“We do hope that in his new job, the director-general of DSS is not mixing issues on the APC presidential candidate and the president of the federal republic of Nigeria, hence the need for Mr President to rein him in as the development is capable of eroding the cherished independence of the judiciary and the electoral commission, a sine qua non for a virile democracy, which guarantees our unity and stability as a nation.”


Secondus also  President Buhari to reconsider the appointment of Amina Zakari, acting chairman of the Independent Electoral Commission (INEC), saying she is not suitable for the position because of her blood relationship with him.


“Similarly, we urge Mr President to take a critical look at the issue of the appointment of Amina Zakari as acting chairman of INEC for which our party has several times raised some salient issues on why she is not suitable for that position. It is incontrovertible that Mrs Zakari, by virtue of her blood relationship with Mr President, cannot preside over the affairs of an Independent National Electoral Commission,” he said.


“Nigeria belongs to all of us irrespective of political, religious and ethnic affiliation and as a responsible political party we shall not fold our hands and watch while our nation drift along dangerous line.


“Furthermore, the NWC commends and congratulates the PDP caucuses in the senate and the house of representatives on the smooth emergence of the minority leadership in the national assembly. We note that the process was without any interference whatsoever from the leadership of our great party in keeping with the dictates of the independence of the legislature.


“Finally, the NWC deliberated on the state of the party in Ekiti state and resolved that it only recognises the state Exco led by Chief Idowu Faleye. The NWC however summons all critical stakeholders in the party administration in Ekiti state to a meeting with the national leadership on the issues in the state chapter.”

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UNVEILED: 35 of the 46 women Bill Cosby allegedly raped

Thirty-five women out of the 46 Bill Cosby rape accusers are featured as the cover story of New York Magazine’s latest issue.


The magazine depicts the women, united by their alleged horrific experiences and the bondage of silence throughout the years, as “the unwelcome sisterhood”.
All the claims involved date back from the sixties till 1996.


The alleged victims were interviewed and photographed over a six-month period, as the number of accusers increased while the project was ongoing.
One of the women, Heidi Thomas, who is now 55 years old, shared the story of how she was raped by Cosby under the guise of role-play as they were about to rehearse for a performance.


“He said, ‘Let’s try a cold read,’ so he pulls out a script. The scene was set in a bar; the character was someone who was inebriated. He poured a glass of white wine. And he said, use this as a prop—now, that means you’re going to have to sip on it, of course. I really don’t remember much, except waking up in his bedroom. He was naked, and he was forcing himself into my mouth.”


Releasing a statement on the significance of its feature story, the magazine said: The group of women Cosby allegedly assaulted functions almost as a longitudinal study – both for how an individual woman, on her own, deals with such trauma over the decades and for how the culture at large has grappled with rape over the same time period.


In the ’60s, when the first alleged assault by Cosby occurred, rape was considered to be something violent committed by a stranger … But among younger women, and particularly online, there is a strong sense now that speaking up is the only thing to do, that a woman claiming her own victimhood is more powerful than any other weapon in the fight against rape.


Although Bill Cosby has not been criminally charged based on multiple allegations, political and legal authorities in the US, including the president, are under increasing pressure to find ways to legally punish the legendary comedian.


Cosby’s sterling career has been shattered by rape allegations. Notably, his statue was removed from Walt Disney’s Hollywood Studios theme park on July 8.
Photo Credit: New York Magazine

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Oshiomhole: Jonathan’s minister ‘cornered’ $6bn

Adams Oshiomhole, governor of Edo state, on Monday said that “senior American officials” told him during President Muhammadu Buhari’s visit to the states that one of ex-President Goodluck Jonathan’s ministers cornered $6 billion.


Speaking with state house correspondents after holding a meeting Buhari at the villa, Oshiomhole accused the preceding federal government of liquidating the country and exploiting state institutions for personal use.
“The PDP destroyed the country. I mean from the lips of American officials, senior officials of the State Department said one minister, under PDP, cornered as much as $6 billion. The man said even by Washington standards, that is earth-shattering.


“So, PDP is. a party that presided over the liquidation of our nation, destroyed all our institutions, converted the Armed Forces commanders to use them as if they were political thugs, converted NTA to a party megaphone, destroyed the SSS, went after opposition as if we were rabbits to be pursued in to our holes, compromised even student unions and destroyed everything that you can think of and elevated religion to a state affair.”


He added that during PDP’s reign, religious and ethnic tensions were so stoked that Christians were pitched against Muslims, while the various geopolitical zones clashed all the time as each sought to outsmart others purely on selfish interests.


“Just to retain power, Obas and Obis were elevated with dollars. You guys were reporting dollars that were changing hands; when NNPC was spending much more money than is available to the Federation Account,” he said.


“We are a very patient people. If we were not a patient people, anybody wearing the tag of PDP ought to feel very unsafe because you are all victims- all of us here.”
He recalled a visit to Johnnie Carson, former assistant secretary of state, in company of Senator Saraki, who was chairman of the governors’ forum at the time, on the eve of President Barack Obama’s first visit to Africa.


“We went to complain, ‘why is Nigeria not on the list?'” Oshiomhole said.
“What he said for me was quite instructive compared to what he said last week. Then I was present when he said, ‘you know, we who see ourselves not just as friends of Nigeria, each time we think there is light at the end of the tunnel and it is time to encourage Nigeria to build on it, you would wake up the following day under President Jonathan to find out that even the tunnel had been removed’.


“Those were the words of Mr. Carson. Now, last week, this same Carson chaired the president’s address at the Institute of Peace and he said ‘we now have a man of enormous integrity; one that has shown so much faith in the democratic process; one that refused to be frustrated even in the face of massively rigged elections. He submitted to the judicial process and even when that was compromised he never gave up’.


“‘America has done its check and we are convinced that this president is the one that Nigeria needs at this time to regain its leadership of the African continent. America now has a partner worthy of relations because they believe that every dollar that America provides to support Nigeria whether in the area of security, in the area of education, or encouraging American investors to invest in Nigeria, there is an enabling environment because what had been destroying the country is corruption.


“‘You have so much capital outflow; so, America is ready to stand side-by-side to support this president to achieve his core objective of fighting corruption, restoring security, creating jobs and redistributing prosperity.'”

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Buhari’s meeting with APC reps ends in deadlock

The move by President Muhammadu Buhari to resolve the leadership crisis in the  house of representatives did not yield the desired result.  


The meeting between Buhari and APC lawmakers ended in a stalemate, but discussions were expected to continue on Monday night.
Buhari had called the meeting at the presidential villa in Abuja ahead of the resumption of the national assembly on Tuesday.


But the meeting which had both factions of the house in attendance only lasted 20 minutes, with each camp holding its grounds on the choice of principal officers in the house.


Buhari insisted on the supremacy of the party but both camps defined the supremacy differently.
The speaker, Yakubu Dogara, and the party’s preferred majority leader, Femi Gbajabiamila, both attended the meeting.


Gbajabiamila, who first spoke to newsmen, said Buhari insisted on party supremacy.
“We are still talking. But I think this is the first time everybody is coming together in a cordial atmosphere. We came together for the first time as one family, with a lot of camaraderie. I think we are almost at the point where all of these will be behind us. Hopefully, by tomorrow (Tuesday),” he said.
“It is not about magic, it is about what should have been done a long time ago. We have finally sat down together and we will resolve it before the night, in a couple of hours.


“The important thing is that the country wants to move ahead. The House wants to move ahead and the party wants to move ahead. Move ahead, we shall.


“Whoever or whatever outside forces that might have been stoking the fire, I think we would put that to an end this evening at the meeting.”


APC chairman, John Odigie-Oyegun, said: “Everything is upbeat. You can see that I am smiling. You will be very surprised that a lot was achieved in 20 minutes.


“As the chairman of the party, I can say that there are no discordant tunes. You can see the speaker of the house standing firmly beside me and I have a feeling that in another three or four hours and by tomorrow, we will have a good news for the nation.


“It is never too late to straighten the path. I have a feeling in another three four hours and by tomorrow, we will have come to a compromise and have good news for the nation.”


On whether this was not coming late, he said “it is never too late to strengthen the party”.


Dogara said he had always stood by the party, telling the media: “There has never been a time that I never stood firmly by the party. So like my chairman has  explained, we are going into consultations with the party and I am sure sooner than later, we will have good news for Nigeria.


“I have always stood firmly by the party and like my chairman has just explained, we will go to do consultations with the party and I am sure sooner than later, we will have good news for Nigerian”
A few hours to the commencement of the meeting, Yusuf Lasun, deputy speaker of the assembly, had vowed to resist “pressure from individuals or groups to resign” in order to allow Gbajabiamila emerge as the majority leader of the house.

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Ghana striker Jordan Ayew completes Aston Villa move

Aston Villa have signed Ghana striker Jordan Ayew on a five-year deal for an undisclosed fee. The 23-year-old, who joins from Lorient in France’s Ligue 1, helped his country to second place in the 2015 Africa Cup of Nations.


Villa were in the market for a striker after selling Belgian Christian Benteke to Liverpool for £32.5m.
Ayew’s arrival follows Villa’s summer acquisition of fellow Ligue 1 players Jordan Amavi and Idrissa Gueye.


The Midlanders, who also lost Fabian Delph to Manchester City, have signed Scott Sinclair, Micah Richards and Mark Bunn since the end of last season.


“I’m really pleased to bring Jordan to the football club,” manager Tim Sherwood said.
“He is a fantastic young player who is perfectly suited to the Premier League.”


His older brother, Andre Ayew, moved to Swansea City after leaving Marseille in June.

FRSC Introduces "ICE" Campaign To Save Life

Federal Road Safety Commission has just come out with the concept of “ICE”..
Please read carefully, it may save your life or that of someone you know


"We all carry our mobile phones with names & numbers stored in its memory.


If we were to be involved in an accident or were taken ill, the people attending us would have our mobile phone but wouldn't know who to call.


Yes, there are hundreds of numbers stored but which one is the contact person in case of an emergency?


Hence this 'ICE' (In Case of Emergency) Campaign. The concept of 'ICE' is catching on quickly.




It is a method of contact during emergency situations. As mobile phones are carried by the majority of the population, all you need to do is store the number of a contact person or persons who should be contacted during emergency under the name 'ICE' ( In Case Of Emergency).


The idea was thought up by a paramedic who found that when he went to the scenes of accidents there were always mobile phones with patients but they didn't know which number to call. He therefore thought that it would be a good idea if there was a nationally recognized name for this purpose. In an emergency situation, Emergency Service personnel and hospital staff would be able to quickly contact the right person by simply dialing the number you have stored as 'ICE'.


Please forward this.  or  It won't take too many 'forwards' before everybody will know about this.
It really could save your life, or put a loved one's mind at rest.


For more than one contact name simply enter, eg: ICE Amaka, ICE2 and ICE3 etc.


PASS THIS AROUND AS MANY PEOPLE AS POSSIBLE AS THIS CAN HELP IN AN EMERGENCY"..  From the Federal Road Safety Commission .


Kindly SHARE with any option below to save life...   

Police raid Lagos black spots, arrest 16

No fewer than 16 suspected hoodlums have been arrested by the Lagos State Police Command as it continued with its raid of black spots in the metropolis.


The arrest is disclosed in a statement by ACP Olatunji Disu in charge of the Rapid Respond Squad which carried out the raid.
According to the statement, the suspects were arrested at different black spots in Ijora.
The News Agency of Nigeria recalls that 93 of such suspects were arrested at Oshodi on July 22.
“The raid on the Ijora hideouts is in continuation of the onslaught against criminals in all parts of the state.
“It is part of efforts by the state government to create a secure environment for prospective investors and to secure the lives and property of the residents,’’ the statement said.

Sir Victor Uwaifo to release ‘Tupepe’ video with 2face Idibia

After the release of his double album ‘Legend Reborn’, Hypertek act, Sir Victor Uwaifo has decided to add more to his collection with the plan to drop a video off the album.


 The video to be released features 2face Idibia and is titled ‘Tupepe’. The making of the video saw the energetic and vibrant moves displayed by the legend himself and it’s directed by Clarence Peters.

No one more corrupt than Amaechi, Wike warns Buhari

Nyesom Wike, governor of Rivers state, has advised President Muhammad Buhari not to give Rotimi Amaechi, any appointment in his cabinet.


Describing his predecessor as the most corrupt government official in the country, Wike said Buhari’s anti-corruption campaign would suffer if a man like Amaechi served in his government.




Given the role Amaechi played in the emergence of Buhari, there are reports that the director-general of the APC presidential campaign will be considered in Buhari’s cabinet.




“If Buhari is sincere in his fight against corruption, let him probe the Amaechi’s government and he will discover that there cannot be a government official that is more corrupt than Amaechi,” Opunabo Inko-Tariah, Wike’s special adviser on media and publicity, said in a statement issued on Sunday.




“From the genesis to revelation of his government, Amaechi’s fiscal recklessness and dictatorial policies and approaches are responsible for the financial woes of the state that should ordinarily be buoyant.




“A man like Amaechi must not be allowed to flaunt the fruits of his crime with impunity. He has to account for the monthly allocations he received in 8 years and the IGRs for the same period. He spirited so much out of the system with little or nothing to show for it.




“The appointment of Amaechi by Buhari will be an endorsement of corruption by Buhari,” he said.


The governor said if Amaechi was blameless, he wouldn’t be seeking protection from investigation.
“If there are no skeletons in his cupboard, why try to frustrate the Hon Justice Omereji’s commission of inquiry? This obviates the need for further evidence that his hands are dirty.   After all, he started and ended his reign with the late Justice Kayode Esho’s panel and the Prof Odinkalu’s commission of inquiry respectively -not to talk of that headed by Justice B A Georgewill.  ‘Do unto others, what you want others to do unto you’, our Lord Jesus admonished my brother Knight, Amaechi.




“The attempt to stop the Hon Justice Omereji’s Commission of Inquiry from investigating his government is not only risible but shameful and highly provocative. It is ironical that the same man who sealed the judiciary for close to two years and turned lawyers into taxi drivers and artisans  will now have the gumption to approach the same courts he desecrated for justice.




“If his successor had followed his footsteps, which court would he have approached to seek redress?  How will he appear before those he almost turned into beggars?  As a result of his callous and insensitive actions, most lawyers had broken homes as they could not sustain their families. Some even lost their loved ones in hospitals for lack of money to buy needed drugs.”

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Theo Walcott to sign a new deal with Arsenal

Arsenal forward Theo Walcott is getting “closer and closer” to signing a new contract, says manager Arsene Wenger.


The 26-year-old England forward has a year remaining on his current deal.
When asked about whether Walcott had signed a new contract, Wenger said: “Not yet. Hopefully we can finalise it very soon.”


Meanwhile, Arsenal goalkeeper Wojciech Szczesny is set to join Italian side Roma and will have a medical on Monday in Rome.


Walcott, who joined from Southampton in 2006 at the age of just 16,scored the winner as Arsenal defeated Wolfsburg 1-0 to win the Emirates Cup on Sunday.


He signed a new three-and-a-half-year contract with Arsenal, worth £100,000 a week, in January 2013.


Walcott has made 302 league and cup appearances for the Gunners, scoring 76 goals.
He was hampered by a knee problem last season which limited him to 14 Premier League appearances.