Tag Archives: Considers

DHQ Considers Recall Of South African Mercenaries Over Boko Haram’s Resurgence

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Rattled by the recent killings of the Commanding Officer of the 272 Special Task Force Task Battalion, Lt. Col. Muhammad Abu-Ali and six soldiers by members of Boko Haram, the Defence Headquarters (DHQ) is mulling over whether to reach out to President Muhammadu Buhari on the urgent need to recall the South African mercenaries recruited by former President Goodluck Jonathan to help finish off the terror group.

Sources, who spoke from both the presidency and DHQ yesterday in Abuja, said some army chiefs have decided to impress it on the president that the sophisticated weapons the South African mercenaries possess could help in “finishing off members of Boko Haram” that has witnessed a resurgence in the war between the terrorists and Nigerian troops.

It was gathered that members of Boko Haram might have experienced a boost, especially after they received a huge payout from the presidency for the release of 21 Chibok girls recently.

In the last few weeks, there has been an upsurge of suicide bombings linked to Boko Haram. The terror group has also killed several Nigerian troops fighting in the North-east, including Abu-Ali and his men, who were given a national burial at the military cemetery, Abuja on Monday.

Read More: thisdaylive

NNPC Considers Crude Importation From Chad, Niger Republic For Kaduna Refinery

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As part of the efforts to address frequent disruptions to the supply of crude oil to the Kaduna Refinery and Petrochemical Company (KRPC) as a result of the Niger Delta militancy, the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC) is considering importing crude oil from Chad and Niger Republic, investigations have revealed.

This is coming as the President of the Organisation of Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) and Qatar’s Energy Minister, Mohammed Al Sada, has stated that oil prices would rebound during the third and fourth quarters of 2016.

NNPC, it was learnt, is also considering the option of using railway transportation to move crude from the Niger Delta to the refinery complex.

A top official of the NNPC, who spoke on the condition of anonymity, disclosed yesterday that the corporation might refit the Kaduna refinery to be able to process Nigerien and Chadian crude grades, following the incessant attacks on the pipelines that feed the plant with Nigerian Bonny Light crude.

According to him, the refinery was originally designed to process Nigerian crude and foreign heavy crude at the ratio of about 70:30.

Read More: Thisday

 

Buhari Considers Hadiza Bala Usman As Head Of NPA

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In a bid to inject a fresh pair of hands to run the Nigerian Ports Authority (NPA), the Minister of Transportation, Mr. Chibuike Amaechi, has submitted Ms. Hadiza Bala Usman’s name to President Muhammadu Buhari to take over as the new managing director of NPA, according to THISDAY.

Should Buhari approve the recommendation, Ms. Bala Usman, 40, will become the first female chief executive of a top tier federal government agency and of the NPA.

She shall take over from Alhaji Habib Abdullahi, who was reinstated by Buhari in August 2015 as the managing director of NPA, after he had been shown the exit by former President Goodluck Jonathan in April 2015.

Sources in the presidency, who confirmed that Ms. Bala Usman’s name had been sent to the president, said Amaechi had decided to make the changes in order to overhaul the NPA.

Amaechi, it was gathered, is not particularly impressed with the way the NPA was being run and has decided to effect a change of the executive team as soon as possible.

A presidency source said that the minute Ms. Bala Usman’s name was submitted to the president, Buhari was happy to consider the recommendation, given the past relationship he had with her father, the late Prof. Yusufu Bala Usman, who was a renowned Ahmadu Bello University (ABU) academic, historian and activist before his death some years ago.

Amaechi was also believed to have recommended Ms. Bala Usman, on the grounds that two chief executives of the foremost parastatals under his ministry – Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency (NIMASA) and the Nigerian Railway Corporation (NRC) – are from the south, and he would rather have an equitable distribution of appointments into the agencies under his ministry.

Ms. Bala Usman, who is currently the chief of staff to the Kaduna State Governor, Nasir el-Rufai, and a member of the All Progressives Congress (APC), was born in Zaria, Kaduna State, on January 2, 1976.

Credit: Thisday

Customs Considers Reopening Borno Border Posts To Fight Arms Influx

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The Comptroller-General of Customs, Hameed Ali, said the organisation would consider reopening the customs posts at Gamboru Ngala and Banki border posts in Borno State to fight arms influx and curtail insurgency.

Mr. Ali said this during his visit to defence formations, including the Defence Intelligence Agency and Nigerian Air Force and Nigeria Police on Thursday in Abuja.

The comptroller-general said for customs to achieve its target, it needed the support of the military, police and intelligence agencies.

Mr. Ali, a retired colonel, said smuggling of small arms and ammunition had to be prevented in view of the current insurgency in the country.

He said the essence of the visit was to further strengthen synergy between the police, intelligent agencies, service chiefs and customs, to have a safer country and a viable economy.

Mr. Ali said customs would consider reopening the border posts due to the request by the Chief of Army Staff, Tukur Buratai.

Credit: PremiumTimes

Buhari Considers Only 19 Ministers

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President-elect, Muhammadu Buhari may pruned down the number of ministries from the present 31 to 19.The move is part of measures to reduce the cost of governance in the country.

Presently, ministries and agencies of government consume more than 70 percent of the federal budget through the recurrent expenditure instrument. If the move scales through, most of the candidates being considered for the Federal Executive Council (FEC) will end up as Ministers of State, after all.

Read more:  TheGuardian