₦airaland Forum

ojun50:
I wish i can see all dis people nd put a bullet in their head.

Nigeria’s President-elect may commute the sentences of soldiers on death row, a lawyer, Mr. Femi Falana, (SAN), said on Friday.

Falana, in a telephone interview with our correspondent, expressed confidence that the country’s incoming President, Gen. Muhammadu Buhari (retd.), may not sign the death warrants on the 66 soldiers convicted for mutiny.

He said Buhari had promised to review the operations against Boko Haram militants in the North-East.

He said, “No democratically elected president in Nigeria has ever signed a warrant for the execution of anybody since 1960. He (Buhari) has repeatedly expressed concern over the collapse of the military institution and the war in the North-East.

“He has said the prosecution of the war on terror will be reviewed, that implies that the entire operations will have to be reviewed.”

The convicted soldiers had said they lacked adequate weapons to fight the Islamist insurgents.

The Nigerian Army has revealed that another 579 soldiers are facing trial over indiscipline.

Army spokesman, Sani Usman, said the courts martial, currently taking place in the capital, Abuja, were to ensure professionalism in the army.

The International Committee of the Red Cross has said that the Boko Haram insurgency, which began in 2009, had caused “one of the most serious humanitarian crises in Africa.”

Falana, a prominent human rights lawyer, who represented some of the 66 soldiers sentenced to death for conspiracy, cowardice and mutiny last year, said the Nigerian government had failed to adequately equip the units fighting the insurgency in the north-East.

"They (the soldiers) did not sign to commit suicide but to fight for their fatherland and since the government did not make weapons available, they were unable to fight,” he told the BBC’s Newsday programme.

“The sentences are awaiting confirmation but we are taking steps to ensure that no soldier, no officer in Nigeria is executed on account of the negligence of the Nigerian state in motivating the soldiers to fight and equip them.”

He said that outgoing President Goodluck Jonathan “had refused to grant the request of the convicted soldiers to review their matter.”

“So happily the incoming government of Gen. Muhammadu Buhari has promised to review the entire operations in the North-East region and we are confident that the cases of the officers and the soldiers will be reviewed so that justice will be done to them,” he added.

The Joint Senate Committees on Petroleum Resources (Upstream and Downstream) on Friday asked the Minister of Finance/Coordinating Minister for the Economy, Dr. Ngozi Okonjo – Iweala, and her counterpart in the Petroleum Resources Ministry, Mrs. Diezani Allison-Madueke, to appear before it on Monday next week over the lingering fuel crisis in the country.

Also summoned were the Group Managing Director, Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation; Managing Director, Petroleum Pricing and Regulatory Agency, and the Director of the Department of Petroleum Resources.

Representatives of the Major Oil Marketers Association of Nigeria; Independent Petroleum Marketers Association of Nigeria and the National Association of Road Transport Owners are also expected to answer questions from the senators at the National Assembly complex by 10:00am.

A statement in Abuja by the chairmen of the two committees, Senators Emmanuel Paulker (Upstream) and Magnus Abe (Downstream), explained that the invitation of the public officers and groups was as a result of the assignment given to them by the senate.

The statement said the Deputy Senate Majority Leader, Senator Abdul Ningi, had drawn the attention of the Senate to the lingering fuel scarcity in the country and the untold hardship on the generality of Nigerians.

It added that Ningi also urged the Senate to look into the matter with a view to finding lasting solution to the problem.

It stated that it was in view of the development that the Senate directed its Committees on Downstream Petroleum sector and Petroleum Resources (Upstream) to investigate the matter and brief the Senate about their findings next Tuesday.

The joint committee said the invitation extended to the affected individuals, agencies and groups was therefore necessary in order to obtain adequate information that would be needed to write their report for submission to the whole house.


http://www.punchng.com/news/fuel-crisis-senate-summons-okonjo-iweala-allison-madueke-nnpc-others-2/

Good memory

It is amazing to see these books once again. They bring back sweet old memories. Do you have any interesting experience with any of these books? Please share. I am an ardent fan of Understanding Maths, well not until I got to primary 6 sha...

Taylor86:
I even get blood group?


wich kind life b dis

Na wa for u o...

I believe many of us will find this interesting and useful. It is always good to know who you can donate to and who can give to you...

Burger01:
Shut up jare Shettima! Bunker ko, dunger ni>

Naija leaders...always talking like mumu since 16BC.

Governor Kassim Shettima of Borno State has said there is a likelihood that the over 200 girls, kidnapped by Boko Haram from the Government Secondary School, Chibok in Borno State in April, 2014, are being held in bunkers, inside the Sambisa Forest.

He therefore asked the military to fish out members of the Boko Haram sect and liberate the girls.

According to him, insurgency had claimed over 300,000 lives in the North-East, contrary to the 13,000 figure being reported in the media, with Borno State alone, losing over 70,000 people.

The Governor spoke on Tuesday in Abuja while presenting a paper, entitled ‘Holistic approach for the reconstruction and rehabilitation of the North-East Nigeria region ravaged by terrorism and insurgency: The national and international policy options/perspectives’, at a two-day post-election conference on security and governance.

The programme was organised by an NGO, Savannah Centre, established by a former Permanent Representative to the United Nations, Prof. Ibrahim Gambari.

The governor, who was represented on the occasion by the Secretary, Borno Elders Forum, Dr. Bulama Gubio, said the insurgents, having operated in the large expanse of the forest for so many years unchallenged, were able to build a bunker, large enough to accommodate many people in the area.

He said, “We are suspecting that Chibok girls are living with the insurgents in bunkers. I think the military must carry out its operations beyond the surface earth. They (Boko Haram) were also known to have dug tunnels to enable them to move from house to house. So, having been left unchallenged for such a long time, such possibilities cannot be ruled out which poses serious obstacles within the forest.

“The insurgents used their bases in the Sambisa Forest to launch deadly attacks and make quick retreat to their base which enabled them to capture and take over control of all the LGAs in the Nigeria/Cameroon, Chad and Niger borders, thus effectively cutting off the three neighbouring countries, thereby declaring what they assumed was their independent territory (caliphate).”

Shettima also warned that unless Sambisa Forest was completely and effectively rid of the terrorists by the military, any reconstruction and rehabilitation carried out in the North-East would be an exercise in futility.


http://www.punchng.com/news/bharam-may-be-hiding-chibok-girls-in-bunkers-shettima/#comments

Does she need a soothsayer to tell her that she no longer owns her husband's heart anymore?

It is clear to see something is playing out between the coworker and husband. Don't be deceived. That's what happens when ones find a new centre of attraction. Shift in interest.

omenka:
Yet Ngozi told us 2milllion jobs were created first quarter.

Smh.

Exactly. This is part of the jobs the government created nah....Trekking is a job for the jobless..

But truly, I seem to be loving this...

This is what happens when people combine orijin, garri and chewing stick as breakfast...It critically impairs thinking....

Jonathan and this series of sacking galore...Na wa ooo....
My question to him, is he just discovering the incompetence of these people or is he trying to score cheap point by letting people see that he is a formidable president to still reckon with...

Five residents of Bauchi State have revealed their plans to embark on a three-month trekking from Bauchi to Saudi Arabia.

Dahiru Aminu, 33; Abdullahi Hussaini (36), Kabiru Saleh (35), Abubakar Daguma (45) and Mohammed Yawale (45) said they were motivated to trek from Bauchi to Saudi Arabia following the landslide victory of Muhammadu Buhari, who contested the March 28 election on the platform of the All progressives Congress.

One Suleiman Hashimu, who said he trekked from Lagos to Abuja in appreciation of Buhari’s presidential poll victory, started the trekking-for-politicians trend, which seems to have spread among the youths.

Speaking on behalf of the group, the Secretary, Mohammed Yawale, said the trekking was to identify with Buhari because of his persistence for the past 12 years in contesting the presidential election till he won in his fourth attempt.

He said they were ready to sacrifice their lives for their mission which they added was a just cause for them.

Yawale said, “We are motivated by the man, who trekked from Lagos to Abuja for Buhari’s victory. We also decided to trek from Bauchi to Saudi Arabia to show our profound appreciation to God for giving him victory.

“Buhari tried for 12 years to become President of this country but God didn’t make it possible for him. Now he has given him the opportunity to lead this nation. Nigeria is a decayed state and we believe that Buhari will fix things in the country.”

He believed the team would spend at least three months to trek to Saudi Arabia, dismissing all the risks involved, especially going through the insurgency-ridden area of Maiduguri.

“We will trek from Bauchi to Maiduguri and from there, we will get to Chad and then Sudan then we will proceed to Jeddah before arriving in Saudi Arabia.

“By our calculations, we will get there in three months time. We will begin a day after the swearing in of Buhari.

“We are ready to sacrifice our lives for this mission because we believe it is a just one. We implore all Nigerians to pray for us that God will give us success in our journey.

Yawale added that though they were healthy, they would all go to hospital for check-up to ascertain their physical fitness for the three-month journey to the Holy land.

http://www.punchng.com/news/bauchi-five-man-team-begins-saudi-trekking-for-buhari/

President Goodluck Jonathan has sacked the Executive Secretary of the Nigeria Investment Promotion Council (NIPC), Saratu Umar.

Jonathan sacked Umar on Monday, May 18, 2015, after staff accused her of gross incompetence.

The President also approved the appointment of Uju Hassan-Baba as the acting Executive Secretary of NIPS.

This was disclosed via a statement released on Monday by Jonathan’s media aide, Reuben Abati.

It reads:

“President Goodluck Ebele Jonathan has approved the appointment of Mrs. Uju Aisha Hassan-Baba, as the new Executive Secretary/Chief Executive of the Nigerian Investment Promotion Commission (NIPC).”

“Mrs. Hassan-Baba takes over from Mrs. Saratu Altine Umar who has been relieved of her appointment as the Executive Secretary/Chief Executive of NIPC with immediate effect.”

“The new Executive Secretary/Chief Executive had served previously as Director-General, Legal Aid Council of Nigeria, Attorney-General and Commissioner of Justice in Anambra State and Director, Legal Services, Federal Ministry of Industry, Trade and Investment. President Jonathan thanks the out-going Executive Secretary/Chief Executive for her services and wishes her well in her future endeavours.”

The President has, in the past two months, sacked a number of officials with the most recent being the Executive Secretary of the Petroleum Equalization Fund (PEF), Sharon Adefunke Kasali.


http://pulse.ng/local/goodluck-jonathan-president-sacks-nipc-boss-appoints-replacement-id3771795.html

TheFilmmaker:
Johnathan Nollywood.

adextetoo:
THE MOMENT YOUR CLUELESSNESS GOT YOU TO A LEVEL WHEREBY YOU SAID STEALING IS NOT CORRUPTION I KNEW YOUR WITCHES IN BAYELSA ARE AFTER YOUR HEAD

Hahahahhahahah...this man just keeps emphasizing his cluelessness...just shut up for once and relocate back to otueke...

smsshola:
Anything that has a beginning also has an end..time fo everything.

Well said...

The National Assembly bureaucracy has asked members of the House of Representatives to pack all their personal belongings out of their offices latest Monday, May 18 (today), with just 17 days to the end of their tenure.

Findings by The PUNCH on Sunday showed that an internal memo from the management conveyed the directive to the 360 outgoing lawmakers.

Senior legislative aides and other non-civil service members of staff in the lawmakers’ offices reportedly received a similar memo.

“They started receiving the memo on Wednesday last week, specifically asking them to move their personal effects out of the offices by May 18 (today).

“Many of them actually started complying almost immediately, particularly members who are not coming back to be part of the 8th Assembly.

“I have seen a couple of lawmakers’ aides moving personal property out of the offices since the memo came in,” a National Assembly source informed The PUNCH in Abuja on Sunday.

More than 233 of the current members will be out of the House by June 5, though the memo was addressed to both returning and non-returning ones.

One official, who did not want to be named, claimed that the directive was “procedural” and meant to prepare the offices for re-allocation in the weeks ahead.

The official explained, “We have to prepare the offices because there is a lot of work ahead to be done.

[i]“We are welcoming a new House. Most of the offices will be re-allocated. The name tags will change. Some ranking members will have to change offices.

“The same thing will apply to the sitting arrangements in the chambers. If we don’t start work now, we will not meet up with the schedule before the inauguration of the 8th Assembly.”

[/i]The official added that, “with or without memo,” it was expected that members would start moving their belongings out of the offices since the tenure was over.

When contacted, the Chairman, House Committee on Media and Public Affairs, Mr. Zakari Mohammed, confirmed knowledge of the memo, but he dismissed it as “nothing serious.”

He said, “That one (memo) is nothing serious. I think it has to do with some renovations or repairs that they have to do in some of the offices.

“It is just to say, ‘give some space for the repairs’, a normal thing that happens.”


http://www.punchng.com/news/nassembly-management-asks-lawmakers-to-vacate-offices-today/

Outgoing President Goodluck Jonathan has asked for forgiveness from Nigerians hurt directly or indirectly by his actions during his tenure as Vice- President, acting President and President.

He explained to worshippers at a farewell service organised in his honour at the Aso Villa Chapel in Abuja on Sunday, that those actions were not deliberately done.

Jonathan pointed out that there were times one would take a decision in the best interest of all but friends and associates might not understand why.

The President said, “Nothing is perfect; if you wait for perfection, you cannot achieve anything. No system is perfect. Every human system has an element of imperfection.

“So, for the eight years that I have been here as Vice-President, acting President and President, I can say that no one is perfect.

“We have done certain things that probably we shouldn’t have done, but we didn’t do them deliberately.

“So, for those that we offended, it was not deliberate; it was as a result of the exigencies of the office.

“We plead that such people should forgive us; I think we have done our best. You may do your own best and your friends and associates may misunderstand you.”

Jonathan thanked God and those who stood by him and his family in the last eight years, saying he had every reason to be thankful.

While admitting that public office holders have different roles, the President said no head of government, be it at the national or sub- regional levels, could do everything.

He however said it was normal for office holders to set and achieve targets so that their tenure would be remembered.

Jonathan recalled that when he was the governor of Bayelsa State, his target was to construct two bridges in the state annually.

But he said that that dream was cut short when he was nominated as the vice presidential candidate of the then Peoples Democratic Party’s candidate, Umaru Yar’Adua (late).

The President said although he was leaving as President and his wife as the First Lady, they would not leave members of the Aso Rock Chapel who were relentless in praying for them.

Jonathan added, “I believe some of you may even come closer and even do more meaningful things together when we leave office.

“The office is quite challenging; some of you may desire to see us but I believe that as we move forward, things will get better.

“I don’t believe that it is only in government that one can do things; outside it (government), you can do a lot.

“The richest people in the world don’t even serve in government. (Aliko) Dangote has never been in government, yet he is doing so much.

“Bill Gates too has never been in government, yet he is the richest man in the world. So outside government, a lot of things happen; It is for us to be committed and be focused.

Joyful atmosphere pervaded the chapel during the service which was the last time Jonathan and his family would be worshipping there (chapel) before May 29.

There will not be service at the chapel on May 24 because of an interdenominational service to commemorate the nation’s Democracy Day at the National Christian Centre, Abuja.

Colourfully-dressed chapel members, friends and associates of Jonathan and his family as well as top government officials turned out en masse to wish them well.

The chapel committee and the children presented gifts to Jonathan, his wife, Patience, and his mother, Eunice.

The President later led his family members to dance at the altar for a special thanksgiving to express gratitude to God for being with them in the last five years.

The President’s Chaplain, Ven. Obioma Onwuzurumba, in a short message titled, “To God be the Glory” thanked God for keeping the Jonathan family safe throughout their stay in the Presidential Villa.

Mrs. Jonathan read the first lesson of the service from Numbers 6:22-27 while the Executive Secretary, Nigerian Christian Pilgrims Commission, John Kennedy-Okpara, read the second lesson from 2 Chorinthians 13:11-14.

The service featured special presentation by the children, presentation by the chapel committee and special prayers for the nation.

A five-year-old girl, Juliet Ishola of the children church, stole the show with a memory verse taken from 1 Timothy 6: 6-7.

She got a standing ovation from the congregation when after reading the verse, she turned to Jonathan and said, “For emphasis, I will take verse 7 of I Timothy chapter 6 again which says “For we brought nothing into this world and it is certain we will not take anything away.”

Juliet went on to tell the President, “You seem to understand this verse more than all of us by your reaction to the results of the 2015 presidential election.

“God bless you sir for allowing peace to reign in the country.”

Osinbajo fails to take over chapel

However, the expectation that Jonathan would formally hand over the chapel to the Vice President-elect, Yemi Osinbajo, on Sunday did not materialise.

Former President Olusegun Obasanjo was said to have handed over the worship centre to Jonathan as the Vice President since the then President-elect(Yar’Adua) was a Muslim.

The same process would have taken place on Sunday but for Osinbajo’s absence.

Onwuzurumba later confirmed to State House correspondents that the handover process was part of the programme packaged for the day.

He said it could not be done because the President-elect did not attend the service in person.

“We actually invited the President-elect for the handing over of the chapel but for one reason or the other, he was absent.

“But he was represented in the service by a regional pastor of the Redeemed Christian Church of God. The handover will be done later.”

Pastor Emmanuel Ibitaye from the RCCG was one of the guests recognised during the service but he was not introduced as Osinbajo’s representative.

Among the prominent persons who attended the service were Peter Obi, Diepreye Alamieyeseigha, members of the National Assembly, members of the Federal Executive Council as well as heads of government agencies and parastatals.

http://www.punchng.com/news/jonathan-weve-done-things-we-shouldnt-have-done/

Yomieluv:
soldiers inhumanity to soldiers.

Quite a sad situation...

It's just like losing your clients to another agency. If they keep losing their source of tithes and offering, how will they achieve their target for the year?
But seriously, do people still go to church not to talk of being asked not to marry from another denomination?
Iranu lasan lasan...Rubbish..

importexpert:
let justice be done to these soldiers please. why will they undergo this for just protesting that they need weapon?

Naija at its best...

Medley:
I will conclude that APC is power thirsty when the next INEC chairman is appointed - if the person is of questionable character, and when elections are conducted under them..

I'm sure Buhari's government will not want to create tension, discord and doubts by appointing a questionable character as the next inec chairman.

Human rights lawyer, Femi Falana (SAN), on Saturday, said 12 soldiers, who were sentenced to death for mutiny in September 2014, have been starved and held underground by the military.

Falana in an interview with Sahara TV, which was monitored by our correspondent, said the military was denying the soldiers their right to an appeal.

He added that it had been more than one week since any of the soldiers were fed food.

He said, “I am in touch with them (the soldiers) and I am taking up their basic complaints, which is that they are currently being starved and dehumanised by the military authorities that are supposed to have taken them to the jailhouse, having convicted them. But they are being kept in an underground cell somewhere in Lagos.

“Under the Armed Forces Act, soldiers who are convicted and sentenced by the court martial are entitled to appeal to the Court of Appeal after the authorities might have confirmed the sentences. In this particular instance, these 12 soldiers are among 66 that have been convicted and sentenced to death.

“The Chief of Army Staff ought to have confirmed the sentences since November (2015) in the case of the 12. And in the case of the 54 others, it should have been February, since they were convicted in December (2014). In other words, confirmation or review should take place less than two months after conviction.”

According to Falana, seven months after, the military authorities have not done anything. He added that the fate of the soldiers had yet to be determined because the confirmation had not taken place and they had been denied their right of appeal under the Armed Forces Act and under the Nigerian Constitution.

He further underscored the illegality of the military authorities executing the soldiers without allowing them exercise their right of appeal, stating that the country was no longer under a military dictatorship.

“The soldiers did not commit mutiny. They were asking for weapons to fight Boko Haram and Section 217 of the Nigerian Constitution says the government of Nigeria shall equip them adequately. In this case, the government failed in its responsibility to equip the army and simply asked these boys to commit suicide,” he said.


http://www.punchng.com/news/soldiers-on-death-row-starved-in-underground-cell-falana/

I feel investigating and getting to the root of this matter will go a long way in proving GMB's credibility...let's see how it will unfold...

A candidate of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in Delta state in the last elections, Christopher Anirah has alleged that the party’s governorship candidate in the state, Otega Emerhor, and the National Secretary, John Oyegun conspired to fake his death to substitute his name with another candidate’s.

Anirah said the APC chieftains claimed he was dead, and in the span of 24 hours made available a death certificate and a court affidavit to substantiate his death.

The leaders were said to have dispatched a letter to the Independent National Electoral Commission immediately to effect Anirah’s substitution – they presented another party member’s name as Gibson Akporehe.

Anirah won the APC primary election on December 7, 2014 to represent the Sapele/Okpe/Uwvie Federal Constituency.

He said when he asked INEC to reinstate his name; the Commission required a letter from Oyegun to invalidate Akporehe’s, the letter which, he said, was never dispatched.

According to Premium Times, when Oyegun was contacted for reaction on the allegation, he refused to comment, stating he is too busy to be responding to “allegations of somebody I have never seen in my life”.

The newspaper however reported that going by a document it obtained, and the comments from some APC officials that were interviewed, Anirah’s side of the story adds up.

It said it paints ‘a troubling picture of a shocking fraud.’

The documents Premium Times obtained are;

1. A copy of the March 27 INEC letter, where the Commission directed the resident electoral commission that Anirah’s name be replaced with Akporehe based on the former’s purported death. It carried reference number INEC/LEG/LM/27T/10/87 and signed by Ibrahim Bawa, acting Director of INEC’s Legal unit.

2. A letter dated January 20 with reference number APC/NHDQ/INEC/19/015/108 bearing Oyegun’s name and signature, which was received by INEC on January 23, informing the electoral body of the purported death of Anirah, thereby asking the commission to replace his name with Akporehe’s.

Attached to the January 20 letter were a “death certificate” of Anirah; and a January 15 letter bearing the name and alleged signature of Delta APC Secretary stating Anirah’s death and that he be replaced with Akporehe.

3. Other attachments included a notification of death letter to the Delta APC chairman bearing the name and signature of Odibo Anirah, purportedly the head of the Anirah family; and an affidavit of death bearing Chidi Okonji as deponent.

However, even though the APC did not win the election in his constituency, Anirah said all he wants his justice so that such fraud does not happen again.

“What I want is justice because if these people succeed it could be another person’s turn tomorrow. The world should know that I’m not dead, I am alive. It’s just some people in APC that want me dead, and if anything happens to me and my family, they should be held responsible,” he said.

Apparent attempts have been made to arrest Oyegun in connection to the allegation, but Anirah said police efforts to arrest him has been unsuccessful, adding that people like Oyegun are above the law in a country like Nigeria.


http://pulse.ng/politics/nigeria-elections-2015-brewing-scandal-how-apc-leaders-faked-mans-death-to-force-a-substitution-on-inec-id3765342.html

If there's one thing Lagosians are really good at, it is how they skillfully remodel someone's face without necessarily learning the work of a panel beater. See how d guy face transform sharp sharp...Even Buhari's change na small compared to d guy's face...

vizkiz:
I don't even receive her calls to start with! So how do I get to notice all these

Same here, I'd rather not communicate again
..

Sometimes most people in a relationship quickly discover their mistakes and immediately choose to make amends.

Well, love is a strong feeling and it takes a while to get over someone you love dearly.

Sometimes most people in a relationship quickly discover their mistakes and immediately choose to make amends.

Here are tips that will help you know if your ex wants you back.

1. When your ex always calls you to know how you are doing.

2. He or she gets jealous when they see you with a someone else.

3. He or She always reminds you of the good old days.

4. You ex always sends you pictures of both of you together.

5. He or she apologises to you, for the wrong done.

6. If he or she says “I miss you” always whenever you meet.

7. He or she secretly stares at you.

8. He or she has truly changed and makes an effort to prove it to you.

http://pulse.ng/