₦airaland Forum

Amnesty International on Friday stated that the coordinated attacks by Boko Haram that killed at least 17 people and injured 34 more on Wednesday night were “vicious, demonstrate a contemptible disregard for human life and the bloodiest so far this year.”Osai Ojigho, Director of Amnesty International Nigeria, in a statement made available to DAILY POST, said Boko Haram must end its campaign of unlawful killings of civilians.“These deplorable attacks took place at a time when Muslims were breaking their fast during the holy month of Ramadan and demonstrate complete disregard for human life“The Nigerian authorities must do more to protect civilians and bring the actual perpetrators of all such attacks to justice, rather than sweeping up hundreds of suspects and holding them indefinitely in horrific, life-threatening conditions.”
AI recalled that the attacks started at around 6.30pm when Boko Haram fighters opened fire randomly in Jiddari Polo community in Maiduguri, one of the northern region’s biggest towns. AI added that later, at around 9pm, four suicide bombers detonated explosive devices near the Lake Chad Basin Research Institute in Goni Kachallari area of the town. Amnesty International said an eyewitness told the body that he heard four explosions, one very close-by. It quoted the eyewitness as saying, “Two of my children, 13-year old twins, were injured by shrapnel. Some of the injuries were minor while some were serious like one whose nose was split.“I quickly looked for pieces of cloth to tie the nose to prevent it from severing and to also stop the bleeding.”The man said that he and his neighbours gave first aid to people who had been injured by the blast and accompanied them to hospital.

For the past month, with Nigeria’s president Muhammadu Buhari away on hissecond medical vacationto London this year, Yemi Osinbajo has been in charge. With the countrymired in a recession, Osinbajo faces a tough task but the acting president has alreadywon plauditsfor his proactive, hands-on approach—a stark contrast to Buhari’s slow, delibrate approach.In fact, Osinbajo is seen to have done so well, early talk of apossible shotat the presidency in the 2019 elections is startingto emerge.Much of this is down to the acting president’s decisive actions. Under his watch, Nigeria haskicked off reformsat local ports, famed for their congestion and corruption, and as part of his drive to improve the ease of doing business in Nigeria,entry visa rulesfor investors and tourists have been relaxed.Beyond those, Osinbajo has also scored points for attending a recent forum to commemorate the 50th anniversary of Nigeria’s civil war. Largely regarded as a taboo topic, the war isscarcely discussed, especially by government officials. Osinbajo’s keynote speechappealing for unitywas well-timed as secessionist calls have grown louder in parts of Nigeria’s southeast.Osinbajo’svisit to Nigeria’s volatile oil-producingNiger Delta communities in March was also applauded. In a region that’s frequently been at odds with the federal government, his pacifist rhetoric was timely as Nigeria looks to boost its oil production.The acting president’s charming photo-opswhile mingling with traders at local markets and visiting school kids have also proven popular.Calabar, thank you so much for the warmth and welcome.pic.twitter.com/V6dtVa101z— Prof Yemi Osinbajo (@ProfOsinbajo)June 1, 2017But the fawning over Osinbajo’s leadership and gestures reveals a deeper truth: Nigerians have very low expectations of their leaders. In part, that’s down to the kind of leaders the country has had.Nigeria has been ruled by military heads ofstate for more than half of its 56 years since gaining independence in Oct. 1960. Indeed, Olusegun Obasanjo and Muhammadu Buhari, two democratically elected presidents, are former military heads of state. As civilians, both men will have ruled for a total of 12 years if Buhari completes his current term. Essentially, formuch of its existence, Nigeria has been ledby military rulers or by former military rulers.With local politics anchored less on competence and more on ethnicity and religion, there’s been little room for smart, issue-based politicking as well as long-term visionary leadership. Last week, Osinbajo, a senior pastor at one of Nigeria’s largest churches, wasforced to denyclaims that a majority of his aides areChristian.As such, conditioned by decades of charmless, often corrupt, leadership and ethnic-focused politics, Osinbajo, a charismatic London School of Economics-trained professor feels like a breath of fresh air.Of course, no one should be deemed worthy of being president on the back of nice photo-ops and a few speeches. While he’s said and done the right things, there simply isn’t anything tangible to celebrate just yet, in fact, quite the opposite. Unemployment has risen for theninth straight quarterwhile inflation is beginning to tick upwards again. Ordinary Nigerians struggle to remember a worse economic environment.The new policies are yet to fully get off the ground, though the acting president’s teamis quick to point out these policies are not new, but those of president Buhari. Over time, Osinbajo might well turn out to be a great (acting) president. For now he appears to already be swaying public opinion his way mostly by being seen to take action rather than the details of his policies. Again, it shows how little Nigerians have come to expect from their leaders.Being from a certain part of the country, practicing a certain religion or looking and acting presidential should not be enough. The bar to lead Africa’s largest country should be much higher.

The Senate has confirmed the nomination of 82-year-old Sylvanus Nsofor as an ambassador, after he was initially rejected in March.Mr. Nsofor from Imo State was one of the three non-career ambassadorial nominees the Senate rejected alongside Jacob Daodu from Ondo State, in March.“Although he was calm at the screening, he looked frail and tired. His responses to the issues raised were either not answered or devoid of details and mostly satirical,” observed Monsurat Sunmonu, chairperson of the foreign affairs committee, giving reason for Mr. Nsofor’s earlier rejection on March 23.Mrs. Sunmonu, APC-Oyo, also noted that Mr. Nsofor, during his screening, refused to recite the national anthem and questioned Senators’ reason for asking him for the recital. According to Mrs. Sunmonu, the 82-year-oldjudge pushed back a question on his suitability for the job of an envoy based on his age. Mrs. Sunmonu quoted the nominee as saying the Senate should ask Zimbabwe’s President Robert Mugabe how he was leading his country despite his very advanced age. But despite his earlier rejection as well as the observations raised by the Senate,Mr. Nsofor was renominated for confirmation by Mr. Buhari on April 27.However, the committee on foreign affairs reversed itself on Wednesday by recommending Mr. Nsofor for confirmation. Mrs. Sunmonu said the nominee had improved in the ways he responded to questions during his second screening. She also said a report by the State Security Service against the nominee could not be sustained because it did not bother on criminal records but was a mere advisory based on Mr. Nsofor’s old age. Apart from Mr. Nsofor, the Senate also confirmed the nominations of Olusola Iji, Ondo State, and Yusuf Hinna, Gombe State, as non-career ambassadorial nominees. Meanwhile, the Senate tasked its foreign affairs committee to investigate the rationale for increased cost of Hajj pilgrimage by the National Hajj Commission of Nigeria.

Nigeria has been invited to the G7 Summit, which is currently being held in Taormina, Sicily in Italy. This was confirmed by the Special Assistant on Media to the Acting President, Laolu Akande.“Acting President, Osinbajo, invited to ongoing G7 summit in Italy to represent Nigeria, leaves this morning and is expected back later in the evening today,” he wrote on his Twitter feed on Saturday.
The leaders of the United States, Canada, Britain, France, Germany, Italy and Japan – countries collectively known as the Group of Seven (G7) – meet annually to discuss a wide range of issues, including global economy, security and energy

Osun State Governor, Rauf Aregbesola,
on Tuesday stated that the Chief of
Army Staff, Lt. Gen. Tukur Buratai,
averted coup in Nigeria. Aregbesola made the declaration at the
Osun State House of Assembly in
Osogbo, the state capital. He urged the House to pass a
resolution commending Buratai for his
thorough professionalism and belief in
the current democracy. The governor also called for a probe
into the coup allegation with a view to
bringing any erring officer to book. Recall that Buratai, last week, said he
received information that some individuals were approaching some
officers and soldiers for political
reasons.

Femi Falana (SAN), yesterday urged the
Nigerian government to arrest those
planning to overthrow President
Muhammadu Buhari’s administration
and try them for treasonable felony
before it’s too late. Recall that the Chief of Army Staff
(COAS), Nigerian Army, Lieutenant
General TY Buratai, last week said he received information that some
individuals were approaching some
officers and soldiers for undisclosed political reasons. Brigadier General Sani Kukasheka
Usman, Director Army Public Relations,
said on the basis of that, Buratai “has
warned such persons to desist from
these acts”. Falana, however, warned that the
matter must not be treated with levity
because of the weighty consequences. He spoke in Ilorin, Kwara State, at the
weekend in a paper titled “Politics,
Leadership And Accountability: The
Role Of The People” delivered at a
colloquium on Kwara@50 organised
by The Movement For Genuine Change.
Falana said: “The political class should
stop playing into the hands of
potential coup plotters. While the
decision of the Army chief to alert the
nation of the devilish plot is
appreciated, the authorities should proceed to fish out the coup plotters
and their civilian collaborators with a
view to trying them for treasonable
felony. “Notwithstanding the glaring
shortcomings of the fragile democratic
process, the people should be allowed
to take advantage of the democratic
structures to take their political destiny
in their own hands.”

Acting President Yemi Osinbajo is set to approve of the 2017 budget, according to his senior special assistant on media and publicity, Laolu Akande. Mr. Akande announced this on Twitter on Wednesday.

Just so we are clear: when the time comes, everything is set, & he is satisfied, Ag. President Yemi Osinbajo will assent to the 2017 budget

Another Nigerian schoolgirl from the kidnapped group known as the "Chibok girls" has escaped from her captivity by Islamist insurgency Boko Haram, a presidential spokesman said on Wednesday. The escape makes her the latest to return of the roughly 270 girls kidnapped by Boko Haram in April 2014 from the northeastern town of Chibok. Earlier this month, the militants swapped 82 of the girls in exchange for prisoners. Vice President Yemi Osinbajo at a cabinet meeting in the capital Abuja on Wednesday "announced that another Chibok schoolgirl had been found after she escaped from her captors," said the spokesman. "I learnt she is already being brought to Abuja," he said, giving no further details. Of the 270 girls originally kidnapped, around 60 have escaped and more than 100 have been released. About 100 more are still believed to be in captivity. Boko Haram's insurgency has killed more than 20,000 people and displaced more than two million since 2009 in an attempt to create an Islamic caliphate in northeastern Nigeria. Three years ago, the abduction of the girls from their secondary school by Boko Haram sparked global outrage and a celebrity-backed campaign #bringbackourgirls. For more than two years there was no sign of the girls. But the discovery of one of them with a baby last May raised hopes for their safety, with a further two girls found in later months and a group of 21 released by the Islamist militants in October. Although the Chibok girls are the most high-profile case, Boko Haram has kidnapped thousands of adults and children, many of whose cases are neglected, say aid organisations. The group often uses those captives, especially young girls and women, as suicide bombers.

A British firm is under investigation
by the U.K., U.S., Nigeria and Norway
for its role in bribing a Norwegian
official and a former Nigerian warlord
in a multi-million-pound defense deal
of seven decommissioned naval vessels. The case's first court verdict
based on the allegations will be
announced Tuesday in Oslo. CAS-Global Ltd. bought
a hand naval vessel —
the KNM Horten — via
the U.K. and exported it
to a Nigerian company
controlled by a former Nigerian warlord.
According to Corruption
Watch, an anti-bribery
group that is set to release a report on the issue on
Monday, the newly obtained
documents also reveal the role U.K.
government played in approving the
export license for the deal. Not much is known about Cas-Global’s
business. The Companies House in the
U.K. had declared last month that it
intended to dissolve the firm that
was set up in 2008 as it seemed to be
inactive. Cas-Global has already been the subject of an investigation since
2014 by the City of London police’s
specialist anti-corruption unit. The City of London police told the
Guardian that its detectives “continue
to actively investigate the suspected
bribery of a Norwegian public official
in connection with the purchase of
ex-naval vessels from 2012 onwards. The joint investigation with the
Norwegian authorities has led to the
arrest of four men.” The city of
London police is also "liaising with
the American and Nigerian authorities
in respect of inquiries connected to financial transfers."

Vice President Yemi Osinbajo’s
Committee, set up to investigate the
suspended Secretary to the
Government of the Federation, SGF,
Babachir Lawal and the Director-
General of the Nigerian Intelligence Agence, NIA, Ayo Oke, has
recommended the removal of the duo. This recommendation, contained in the
report of the probe, leaked to the
media on Wednesday. Similarly, a massive shake-up has been
planned for the NIA and the SGF’s
offices. The Nigerian government is, however,
expected to release the findings and
recommendations once President
Muhammadu Buhari gives his nod. Buhari, it was gathered, received the
report before his medical follow-up trip
abroad last Sunday.
He and Osinbajo had a closed-door
deliberation on the next line of action. Other members are Attorney-General
and Minister of Justice Abubakar
Malami and National Security Adviser
(NSA) Gen. Babagana Munguno. But it is not yet known if there will be
any form of soft landing for Lawal and
Oke.
A source told DAILY POST that “I don’t
envisage public ridicule of suspended
Lawal and Oke. But they will be made
to cough out whatever money went
missing under them.” Recall that the Centre for Anti-
Corruption and Open Leadership,
CACOL, raised alarm that there was a ploy by those close to President Buhari
to give them a soft-landing. CACOL in a statement by its Director,
Debo Adeniran, said “The body
language we are getting from the FG of
recent is of a government now
buckling down to serious business. “We trust that the Vice President, as a
man of proven integrity himself, must
have assembled a team he believed
would midwife foolproof investigation
and come up with impeccable findings. “The country is at the edge of a
precipice and I don’t think this
government has the time to elongate
keeping those who are not in same
spirit with it in office.”

Following the statutory retirement of some members of Management, within the last three months, the Management of the Nigeria Customs Service has been reconstituted with appointments of four (4) Ag. Deputy Comptroller-Generals and seven (7) Ag. Assistant Comptroller-Generals. While re-constituting the new team, the Comptroller-General of Customs Col. Hameed Ibrahim Ali (Rtd) also approved slight redeployment of 8 Comptrollers to re-engineer the management of the Service for efficient service delivery. The new NCS Management members include: 1. ALU SULE ROBERT ACG T&T- Ag. DCG T&T 2. OLUBIYI RONKE (MRS) ACG FATS – Ag. DCG HRD 3. DANGALADIMA AMINU ACG E, I & I – Ag. DCG E, I & I 4. IFERI PATIENCE (MRS) ACG SR & P – Ag. DCG SR & P 5. CHIDI AUGUSTINE ACG EX. FTZ & I.I – Ag. DCG EX. FTZ & I.I 6. HAMZA LADAN COMPT INV. – Ag. ACG FATS 7. EKEKEZIE KAYCEE (MRS) COMPT. VAL. – Ag. ACG T & T 8. HARUNA MAMUD COMPT. FOU ‘A’ – Ag. ACG E,I & I 9. SARKI-UMAR F. M (MRS) CAC ED/DT – Ag. ACG EX. FTZ & I.I 10. FATADE, A. O.B CAC PTML – Ag. ACG (ZONAL COOR) ZONE ‘D’ 11. ENWEREUZOR FRANCIS (MRS) CAC EN/AN/EB – Ag. ACG SR & P 12. DAHIRU AMINU CAC FCT – Ag. ACG (ZONAL COOR) ZONE ‘B’ DCG UMAR IYA ABUBAKAR who was formally in charge of Tariff and Trade now moves to Finance Administration and Technical Services. In the same vein, eight ( Comptrollers of Customs were redeployed as follows:- 1. MOHAMMED, U.G COMPT FOU C- COMT FOU A 2. AMAJAM, B. A COMPT. TECH. SERV- COMPT FOU C 3. UMAR, D (MRS) COMPT. WELFARE- CAC FCT 4. DIXON, F.O (MRS) COMPT. POSTING- CAC EDO/DELTA 5. AREMU, A. M (MRS) CAC LAG. IND – CAC PTML 6. SULAIMAN, M. S. J COMPT. ESTAB- CAC EN/AN/EB 7. GIMBA B, U COMPT. HQTS- COMPT TECH. SERV 8. OLADUNMI, M.O (MRS) COMPT. L & P- CAC LAG. IND As the new members of Management come on board, the CGC charges them to bring their experiences to bear in the administration of the Service. He said the modest achievements of the ongoing reform agenda in the areas of revenue generation, anti- smuggling operations and trade facilitation must be sustained and improved upon in the interest of the nation. Signed Joseph Attah Public Relations Officer For: Comptroller-General of Customs

SK Usman, Abuja: In a bid to re-strategize, the Nigerian Army has posted in 147 officers into Operation LAFIYA DOLE, some Divisions, formations and training schools.

In a posting released by the Office of the Military Secretary (Army), last week, Major General RO Yusuf, Commander, Nigerian Army Ordnance Corps, is now the Commander Training and Doctrine Command (TRADOC), Minna, while Major General A Oyebade, General Officer Commanding (GOC), 1 Division Nigerian Army, will move to Army Headquarters as Chief of Logistics (COLOG), in the same vein, Major General AM Dikko has been posted from the Office of the National Security Adviser to 1 Division as GOC, while Major General I Attahiru is now the Theatre Commander, Operation LAFIYA DOLE.

Major General LEO Irabor will now move to Multinational Joint Task Force (MNJTF), as the Field Commander. Major General PJ Dauke has been posted from 3 Division to 81 Division as GOC and Brigadier General BI Ahanotu will be Acting GOC 3 Division.

The erstwhile Registrar of the Nigerian Defence Academy, Brigadier General IM Yusuf will be the Acting GOC 7 Division and Brigadier General SO Olabanji, the Commandant of Amphibious Training School Calabar, is now the Acting GOC 8 Task Force Division. The GOC 81 Division, Major General EB Oyefolu, is now the Commander, Nigerian Army Training Centre (NATRAC), Kontagora, while Brigadier General MG Ali, has been moved to Nigerian Army Special Forces School Buni Yadi, as Commandant from NATRAC.

Meanwhile, GOC 8 Task Force Division, Major General AA Nani has been moved to TRADOC, as Director Research, Development, Training and Evaluation, while Brigadier F=General VO Ezugwu is moving tpo Depot Nigerian Army, Zaria as Commandant. He is relieving Brigadier General CG Musa who has been posted to the Office of the Chief of Army Staff as Principal Staff Officer Combat Arms.

Similarly, Brigadier General IM Obot is Brigade Commander 26 Task Force Brigade, while Brigadier General AO Quadri will move from the Office of the Chief of Army Staff to 25 Task Force Brigade as Commander.

In Addition those affected in the new posting include some Commandants and Staff Officers at the Defence, Army Headquarters and Brigades.

The recent release of the 82 Chibok
schoolgirls by Boko Haram insurgents
as facilitated by the Federal
Government has been commended by
the United States of America. The US commended the Muhammdau
Buhari-led Nigerian government for
securing the release of the 82 girls after
3 years in captivity. According to the US government, the
release of 82 of the Chibok schoolgirls
by their Boko Haram captors, after
three years, is heart-warming. The remark was made by the Deputy
Director, Office of West African Affairs,
Bureau of African Affairs at the U.S.
Department of State, Nathan Holt, in
Washington, D.C. via teleconference on:
“Nigeria, a critical U.S. partner.” He said the release of the girls from
captivity was also a positive
development for them and their
families.
“Many of you will have also followed
the news of the release of the Chibok
girls over the weekend. “Obviously, that was a heart-warming
and positive development for the
young women involved and for their
families. “We’d like to point out that they’re
among thousands of victims of Boko
Haram and its offshoot, ISIS West
Africa,’’ Holt said.

Elder statesman and former Minister of
Petroleum Resources, Prof. Tam David-
West has claimed that the President
Muhammadu Buhari-led government is
habouring corrupt people. He, therefore, called on the President to
urgently kick them out of his
government. David-West, who spoke with newsmen
shortly after being conferred with
honorary Doctor of Science (D.Sc) by
the Nasarawa State University, Keffi,
said Buhari, as a person, was very
clean, “but the people around him are corrupt.” He said: “The president is my friend
and I always tell him the people
around him are corrupt. Buhari is clean.
I have worked with him and I can
enter fire because of him; but a lot of
people around him are very corrupt and until he kicks them out of his
government, the country cannot move
forward. Nigeria is a great country “There are a lot of people using
government positions to influence
things for themselves. When I was
minister of petroleum, I had only three
refineries and I was exporting petrol
and the country was moving on well. President Buhari needs to clean up his
house.”
On the probe of Secretary to
Government of the Federation (SGF)
Babachir Lawal, Prof David-West said:
“If the SGF loves Buhari, he would have
resigned. I did not influence any
contract to my favour or steal money when I was in government. People
even made fun of me, that I was taking
only tea.”

A 21-year old lady has been hospitalised after she was gang-raped by five men on her way to work at Irawo area of Owode Onirin, Ikorodu, Lagos State. According to PM express, the victim suffered her fate while going to work as early as 5.30am to beat traffic. The lady was attacked while she was heading to the bus terminal. The suspects took her to an open corner, forcefully removed her pant and raped her in turns without any protection. The newspaper reports that after the dastardly act, she was allowed to go and the suspects disappeared. The victim returned home to inform her parents of what happened. The matter was reported to the police who took the victim to the scene and she was able to identify one of the suspects. One of the suspects, a 21-year old Mathew Odunayo was arrested and charged before Ogba Magistrates court for sexual assault and unlawful penetration with others now at large under the Criminal Code. He pleaded not guilty. The prosecutor, Mr Isiaku Babaji reminded the court that the offence the defendant committed was a serious crime and urged the court to consider a stringent bail that will not enable him to escape in the interest of justice. The presiding Magistrate, Mr J.A. Abegun granted him bail in the sum of N200,000 with two sureties in like sum. Odunayo was remanded in prison custody pending when he will perfect his bail condition. The matter was adjourned till 19th May 2017.

Boko Haram’s leader Abubakar Shekau has been injured and one of his deputies killed in an air strike in northeast Nigeria, civilian and security sources told AFP on Wednesday.
Two Nigerian Air Force jets bombarded fighters who had gathered for prayers inBalla village, some 40 kilometres (25 miles) from Damboa, on the edge of the Sambisa Forest, last Friday.“Shekau was wounded in the bombings and is believed to be receiving treatment near the Nigerian border with Cameroon around Kolofata,” said one source with contacts within Boko Haram.Boko Haram’s leader Abubakar Shekau has been injured and one of his deputies killed in an air strike in northeast Nigeria, civilian and security sources told AFP on Wednesday.
Two Nigerian Air Force jets bombarded fighters who had gathered for prayers in Balla village, some 40 kilometres (25 miles) from Damboa, on the edge of the Sambisa Forest, last Friday.“Shekau was wounded in the bombings and is believed to be receiving treatment near the Nigerian border with Cameroon around Kolofata,” said one source with contacts within Boko Haram.“His deputy, Abba Mustapha, alias Malam Abba, was killed in the attack along with another key lieutenant, Abubakar Gashua, alias Abu Aisha,” he added. Babakura Kolo, a member of the civilian militia in the Borno state capital, Maiduguri, gave a similar account, saying “Shekau was injured and a number of commanders were killed.“Among them is his deputy called Malam Abba. They suffered heavy casualties because the bombings targeted a large gathering of his followers attending Friday prayers.”There was no immediate comment from the Nigerian military when contacted by AFP. The authorities have previously claimed to have killed Shekau on at least three occasions.In an emailed statement on Tuesday night, the air force said it had bombed “a gathering of Boko Haram terrorists” last Friday “in a village 3.42 km northeast of Mangosum”.The “air interdiction mission” in the remote region involved three jets.“Battle damage assessment conducted after the strike showed that several leaders of the Boko Haram terrorist organisation and their followers were killed during the attacks,” it added.

President Muhammadu Buhari continues to take a rest from official functions on the advice of his doctors, Information Minister Lai Mohammed has said. Mr. Mohammed stated this Wednesday while addressing State House correspondents after a meeting of the Federal Executive Council, FEC, which Mr. Buhari failed to attend for the third time running.“The President chose today to rest, he was in his office yesterday, which you all reported.“He is taking his doctors’ advice so that he can fully recover,” the minister said.Mr. Buhari was also absent during FEC meeting last week. Then, Mr. Mohammed said the president was taking the day to rest and work from home.

Chairman of Thisday Editorial Board ,
Olusegun Adeniyi, in his new book,
“Against the r un of play” , stated that
embattled former National Security
Adviser, Sambo Dasuki (rtd), supported
President Muhammadu Buhari in the build-up to the 2011 general election . Adeniyi noted that “one of those who
worked tirelessly to make the 2011
alliance between Tinubu and Buhari
work was Colonel Sambo Dasuki (rtd),
who would later become the National
Security Adviser to Jonathan.” He added that Nasir El-Rufai, governor
of Kaduna state , during the period,
expressed the belief that following the
collapse of the merger talks ahead
2011 polls , both Tinubu and Ribadu
worked for Jonathan. “Tinubu of course gave the votes from
Lagos and a few other SouthWest
states, except Osun, to Jonathan, while
the calculation of Ribadu was to reduce
Buhari’s votes in the north even
though he failed on that score.” DAILY POST recalls that Dasuki in 2015
disclosed how he supported Buhari’s
presidential aspiration in 2003, 2007 and 2011.
Dasuki said he knelt down in 2011 for
the former National Chairman of the
defunct Action Congress of Nigeria
(ACN), Chief Bisi Akande, to make
Buhari a joint candidate of the ACN and
the defunct Congress of Peoples Congress (CPC). The ex-NSA urged Nigerians to verify
from prominent Northerners, such as
Adamu Adamu, Bashir Kurfi, Wada
Maida, Sule Hamman and Kabir Yusuf ,
among others. He also cleared the air on his
involvement in the 1985 coup that led
to the ouster of Buhari, then a military
Head of State.

The Ekiti State Governor, Ayodele
Fayose, has called on Nigerians to
continue criticising President
Muhammadu Buhari because the
President is on his way to destroy the
country. Fayose, who is the Chairman of the
Peoples Democratic Party, PDP,
Governors’ Forum gave the call while
reacting to a question on whether he is
the main opposition voice to the
Buhari-led government. Speaking with The Sun, Fayose said,
“It’s not as if I am the main opposition
to Buhari, I am just a believer in
fairness, wherever criminals belong,
whoever they are, Muslims or
Christians, it does not matter, crime is crime, wickedness is wickedness,
brutality is brutality. “I will continue to say it as it is,
because when we all keep quiet we
will be taken one after the other and
we will be destroyed by this
administration. We must remember
that Nigeria is greater than all of us, the power of the people is better than
those of us in power. “One day we will all die whether it’s by
oppression or sickness, so let me say I
am not afraid of anything. If you don’t
die, age will take everything away
from you.
“Look at our President, if you can see
his heart, he wishes he was 42 years
old because that is the age and time
one can be active. May God give him
good health because it is in good
health that Nigerians can benefit. “When the President comes out every
Friday, do we say we have a
ceremonial President? Let us have a
President valued for money and votes.
You can’t deceive people forever
because the truth hurts and the hunger in the land is ridiculous. The people are
hungry and angry.”

Nigerians have taken over the social
media with the hashtag,
#WheresBuhari, to demanded the
whereabouts of President Muhammdau
Buhari who has not been seen in public
in recent times. The president who was supposed to
make a public address to Nigerian civil
servants on May 1 was nowhere in
sight. Also, the President has not attended
the last three Federal Executive Council,
FEC meeting. Recently, the Vice President, Yemi
Osinbajo has been attending and
taking charge in so many occasions
where the President himself should
have shown up. Just last week, the Minister of
Information, Lai Mohammed told
Nigerians that the President could be
working from home. A statement he
later denied.
However, As majority of Nigerians
,especially the federal government
workers and civil servants observe the
May 1st ‘Worker’s Day’ holiday on
Monday, some took to the social media
platform, Twitter to ask about President Buhari.

@EU Emmanuel wrote, “Our President
is now a ghost worker …a ghost
worker looking for a ghost worker to
catch.#wheresBuhari
@UgomPrince said, “I rather die on the
seat isn’t the best. Your health is
paramount. Resign or show yourself
strong. #wheresBuhari
@dondekojo wrote, “Please
#wheresBuhari, he has yet to address
the nation in months. No FEC meeting
in 3 weeks and he has gone
incommunicado. @OrjiUka wrote, “On this day, I join
well meaning Nigerians to demand the
health status of our Prsident
#wheresBuhari.” This is coming after the presidency had
late last week, via its twitter handle,
@NGRpresidency, told Nigerians that
there is no need for apprehension over
the health of President Muhammadu
Buhari. It further stated that the absence of the
President from the FEC meeting on
Wednesday was a last minute decision,
otherwise the cabinet and the public
would have been alerted in advance. It
added that as eager as the President is to be up and about, his doctor had
advised him to take things slowly as
he fully recovers from the long period
of treatment in the United Kingdom.

The British Government has denied
allegation that it conspired with others
to ensure the defeat of former
President, Goodluck Jonathan, in the
2015 general election, reiterating that
President Muhammadu Buari won with the backing of majority of Nigerians. Jonathan in a book: “Against the Run of
Play,” written by the Chairman of the
Editorial Board of Thisday newspaper,
Olusegun Adeniyi, alleged that former
British Prime Minister, David Cameron,
connived with former United States President Barack Obama, among other
world leaders, to push him out of office. Reacting on Friday, the British High
Commission in Nigeria in a statement
signed by its Press and Public Affairs
Officer, Joe Abuku, said the outcome of
the 2015 elections was totally the
decision of Nigerians. Britain said the only role it played in
the election was the engagement with
Nigerians and their leaders prior to the
elections to make it non-violent, free
and fair. The statement reads: “Prior to the
2015 elections in Nigeria, the UK
engaged with Nigerian political parties
and their leaders to urge them to run a
fair, non violent campaign and allow
Nigerian voters to decide who their future political leadership would be. “We congratulated President Jonathan
on having handed over power
peacefully in 2015 having lost the
Nigerian Presidential elections. “The elections were a credit to the
Nigerian people and a truly historic
moment for Nigerian democracy. This
process further strengthened Nigeria’s
democratic tradition. “The UK welcomes the assessment of
independent observers, including the
EU, that Nigeria’s elections were largely
peaceful and conducted in accordance
with recognised international
democratic norms, and that there was no evidence of systemic manipulation
of the process.”

It was the turn of the suspended Secretary to the Government of the Federation (SGF), Babachir David Lawal,to face the three-man panel headed by Vice President Yemi Osinbajo yesterday.
He was quizzed for about two hours by the committee that was set up to investigate allegations of violations of law and due process made against him in the award of contracts under the Presidential Initiative on the North East (PINE).The committee had on Monday interacted with the suspended Director-General of the National Intelligence Agency, Ayo Oke for several hours. It was over the discovery of the huge amount money in foreign and local currencies by Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) operatives in a residential apartment at Osborne Towers, Ikoyi, Lagos. Lawal, who arrived at the State House around 1pm, was seen coming out of the meeting by 3:15 pm.The suspended SGF was seen entering some offices before he was seen in the company of the National Security Adviser (NSA) Babagana Mongunu, a member of the panel about 30 minutes after his audience with the three-man panel.He had been attended to by the committee after Osinbajo received members of the Bangladesh military delegation at the State House, Abuja.

Nigeria’s Minister of Finance, Kemi Adeosun, has said the nation plans to get out of recession by boosting government non-oil revenues and cracking down on corruption. Reuters reports that Mrs. Adeosun made the remarks while fielding questions from reporters at the World Bank conference in Washington on Thursday. Analysts said the Nigerian government’s anti- corruption war received a boost recently when the government suspended the Secretary to the Government of the Federation, SGF, David Lawal, and ordered an investigation into the allegations of violations of law and due process made against him in the award of contracts under the Presidential Initiative on the North East, PINE. Similarly, the government also ordered a full scale investigation into the discovery of large amounts of foreign and local currencies by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, in a residential apartment at Osborne Towers, Ikoyi, Lagos, over which the National Intelligence Agency (NIA) has made a claim. The Director General of the NIA, Ayo Oke, was also suspended. There are insinuations that these and other funds recovered from similar anti- graft operations would be ploughed back into the economy. Meanwhile, Mrs. Adeosun said the government will also issue more international debt to pay for
infrastructural projects. Nigeria is in its second year of recession, brought on by lower oil prices, which have slashed government revenues, weakened the currency and caused dollar shortages. The development has stifled investment initiatives and frustrated businesses and households.

The Federal Government has
condemned the use of chemical weapon in Syria on April 4. At least 87 people were killed in the attack, including many children. The Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Olushola Enikanolaiye, in a statement in Abuja called on all parties to the Syria conflict to cease hostilities. Mr. Enikanolaiye also urged the parties to resume negotiations for an early resolution of the protracted conflict and the loss of lives and destruction of property. He further called on all actors in the conflict to respect the Chemical Weapon Convention which prohibits the Development, Production, Stockpiling and Use of Chemical Weapon in all armed conflicts. in this connection. He urged all Member States that have not yet destroyed their stockpile of chemical weapons to do so without delay. “Nigeria feels reassured by the UN Secretary General that the UN Security Council, in the exercise of its responsibility for international peace and security, will take adequate measure to address these development,” he said.

The Presidency has denied the involvement of the Vice President, Yemi Osinbajo in a N10m bribe as claimed by former Chief of Army Staff, Lt. Gen Ishaya Bamaiyi(rtd).

Bamaiyi, in his book, “The Vindication of A General” alleged that Osinbanjo was directed to convict him and others within six months during the time, he, Osinbajo was Lagos State Attorney- General.

The former Army claims that Osinbajo shielded the then trial judge, Justice Ade Alabi, whom he accused of demanding a N10 million bribe from him.


However, the Senior Special Assistant to the Vice-President on Media and Publicity, Laolu Akande, described Bamaiyi’s claims as blatant lies.

In a statement, Akande said Osinbajo was never called to Abuja or given any form of instruction on how to resolve the case.

According to Akande, “ My attention has been drawn to claims made by General Bamaiyi in his book Vindication of a General, where he alleged that the then Attorney-General of Lagos State, Osinbajo, the trial judge, (in the criminal case of his “involvement” in the shooting of Alex Ibru) Justice Ade Alabi and the State Police Commissioner were called to Abuja and “directed to convict us at all costs within six months.”


“That Justice Ade Alabi asked for a N10m bribe through “one Mr. Martin” to facilitate his bail application in the case, and that the National Judicial Council panel composed to investigate the bribery allegation, protected the Judge.

“Specifically that Prof. Osinbajo “brought what he said was the panel report during one of the motions. Unfortunately, pages one through twenty-nine of the report were not produced.”While the Vice President, Osinbajo would take more comprehensive steps to address the evil insinuations made by the retired General, I have confirmed from him, i.e. Prof. Osinbajo, that he was never called to Abuja or at any time given any instructions on how to resolve the case. This blatant lie arose only from the fertile imagination of the author.

“Equally, the shifty recollections of the retired General about Prof. Osinbajo bringing a panel report with pages missing is as ludicrous as it is incongruous. For instance, is the author saying the then Lagos State Attorney-General was responsible for the NJC panel report? That would be incredible and clearly a mischievous proposition.”

Akande stated that Bamaiyi’s counsel, Mike Okoy, who argued the bail application for the former Army Chief had confessed in open court and in several newspaper public notices as ordered by Court that he lied against Justice Alabi.


“Okoye actually had to read his confession and apology in the open court in a case that involved such prominent lawyers like Chief F.R.A Williams, who in particular pressed that Okoye be held fully responsible for his wild accusations.

“It is incredible that after all of this, the author went on to mislead the public. What impudence!” the presidency stated,” Akande added.

The dpa news agency reports that the 22-year-old man, who was born in Germany and who hadn’t committed a crime, arrived in Lagos Thursday. The unnamed man was one of two detained in February in Goettingen during an investigation of suspected attack plans. When the two men were picked up, investigators found two weapons, at least one of them a firearm that had been altered to fire live ammunition. advertisement Also found were ammunition, flags of the Islamic State group and a machete. The man deported to Nigeria is banned from entering Germany for life. Following attacks by Islamic extremists last year, German authorities vowed to step up deportations of foreigners deemed to be threats.

The British Government will give the Federal Government information about Nigerians who own property in that country next year, a presidential aide has said. Bolaji Owosanoye, Executive Secretary, Presidential Advisory Committee against Corruption, told the correspondent of the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in New York that negotiations on this had reached advanced stage.Mr. Owosanoye said the measure being taken by the governments of both countries was a step forward in the fight against corruption.“There’s no doubt that rogues in government oppress and impoverish their people by corruption and this must be sanctioned by collective action.“We need to make sure that there is no safehaven for you (corrupt officials) to run to.“Britain has promised that by 2018, she will provide Nigeria with the information about who owns what and where; that’s very helpful.“These include all the houses that have been bought by public officials or accounts that are held by public officials on which they are right now not paying taxes or which they cannot explain the sources.“So if you cannot buy a house in England, you have to look for somewhere else.“But if all countries criminalise this, then it becomes much more difficult unless you want to buy the house on Mars,” he said. The presidential aide also explained that Nigeria and other African countries, who are victims of illicit financial flows, must challenge developed countries to block illicit financial flows from developing countries.“Receiving states – the countries of the North – need to be proactive to block the proceeds of crime even before a request is made by victim countries.“This is because, in many situations, it is clear that illegality is taking place.“We think that reversing the burden of proof to improve the confiscation of criminal proceeds of crime would help, especially when we are going after the asset and not necessarily the person.“If the person who claims to own the asset would not cooperate in giving information, then this should be a point in favour of the state,” Mr. Owosanoye said. He contended that the burden of proof for criminal proceeds should shift to the suspect and not the government, citing the case of a former Managing Director of the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC).“A former Managing Director of the NNPC was found with nine million dollars cash and over 70 million naira in his house in a small place he has built. “He said the money is a gift. He was asked if he could tell the very generous angels who gave him this money.“He’s not been able to provide that information. That sort of disposition should be used to penalise a claimant of asset whocannot justify the origin of the asset.“The proposed “Unexplained Wealth Order in England,’’ which hopefully we were told would pass through the legal process this year, should really help to deepen the conversation in this regard.“It (Unexplained Wealth Order) would help to quickly recover assets,” the presidential aide said.Mr. Owosanoye said available research records showed that about 60 per cent of capital flight from Africa came from Nigeria because of the size of its economy.