Fuel Price: Youths Urge Labour To Cancel Planned Strike

A group of youths under the aegis of Buhari Youth Organisation, has called on the Nigerian Labour Congress to cancel its planned strike in protest against increase in price of petrol.

The call is contained in a statement signed by the group’s National President, Mr Ubale Nalado and made available to News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Abuja on Tuesday.

The statement said NLC should join other workers unions that have declared support for the increase in the price of petrol, as a sacrifice for the future of the nation’s economy.

It said that the group was confident that the Buhari administration possessed the sincerity of purpose to judiciously use the savings from the removal for subsidy to build critical national infrastructure.

According to the statement, Buhari’s antecedents as an elder statesman further laid credence to the fact that his personal interest would never supersede the national interest.

“It is very conspicuous that President Buhari who would never allow his personal interest to be above that of the Nigerian masses.

“Significant percentage of Nigerians agreed with the decision of the NNPC to deregulate the sector.

“They also believe and trust President Buhari’s administration on using the savings from the removed subsidy to build our infrastructure.

The group, therefore, called on the NLC to rethink their position by adopting the opinions and interest of the larger society who have agreed to support the position of government.
It reiterated its determination to intensify their collective effort towards sensitising and propagating the economic policies and ideology of the President for overall development of the country.

The statement added that the NLC should support the current administration in its avowed commitment to creating growth through massive diversification of the economy.

Credit: Guardian

Nigerian Army Dissociates Self From Planned Celebration Of Boko Haram ‘Success’

The Nigeria Army says it has nothing to do with a proposed solidarity rally being organised by some civil groups to celebrate the “successes” being achieved over Boko Haram in the ongoing counterinsurgency operations in North East Nigeria.

The Army said though the initiative could be borne out of sheer patriotism, the show of solidarity could be dangerous as it is capable of distracting the soldiers and the Army authority.

It thereby advised the group to be cautious with the plan.

The spokesman of the Nigerian Army, Sani Usman, said in a statement that the public should rather remain more vigilant at this crucial stage of the battle.

His statement reads:

“The attention of the Nigerian Army has been drawn to a number of groups and individuals celebrating the routing out and decimation of Boko Haram terrorists on our soil. So much as we thank them for that, it is imperative to state that we do not begrudge such persons (and) their desire to identify and associate themselves with this success.

“However, the Nigerian Army wishes to disassociate itself from such celebrations and solidarity rallies.

“We also would like to advice that they should tread with caution as this could be distractive to us. The public are please informed that the terrorists are surreptitiously fanning out of their last enclaves in Sambisa to cause havoc or seek refuge elsewhere.

“Therefore, there is need for all to be more vigilant and security conscious to enable us clear the remnants of these terrorists wherever they might flee.

“We would like to reassure the public that we will remain professional and focused in clearing the remnants of these criminals on the Nigerian soil.”

Credit: Thisday

Fayose Attacks Buhari Over Planned Increment Of VAT

The Ekiti State Governor, Ayodele Fayose, on Sunday criticised President Muhammadu Buhari, over the planned increase of the Value Added Tax, VAT, by five per cent.

The governor, who was reacting to comments attributed to Vice President Yemi Osinbajo in Lagos, said the move would worsen the hardship already faced by Nigerians.

He described the plan as “wicked and insensitive” to the plight of Nigerians who are suffering from the bad economic policies of Mr. Buhari and the All Progressives Congress-led government.

Mr. Fayose who spoke through his Special Assistant on Public Communications and New Media, Lere Olayinka, said any increment in VAT or any other tax being paid by Nigerians would make life unbearable for the people.

“Nigerians are suffering and the little that they have, the federal government is planning to take back through VAT increment. This is wickedness,” the governor said.

“Under three months, electricity tariff was increased despite epileptic power supply, N50 stamp duty was imposed on bank customers for money received into their accounts via electronic transfer, cash and cheques; petrol is being sold for as high as N400 per litre and now they are talking about increasing VAT to 10 per cent, this is the height of insensitivity to the plight of Nigerians.”

Lamenting the increase in the cost of living which he said is occasioned by the bad economic policies of the federal government, Mr. Fayose said recent figures from the National Bureau of Statistics, NBS, revealed that the prices of food have hit a record high while inflation is worsening.

“How can government be considering 100 per cent increment in VAT when businesses are folding up, prices of essential commodities have skyrocketed, millions of Nigerians are losing their jobs and those who are still employed are no longer getting paid regularly,” he said.

Credit: PremiumTimes

Gbagyi Residents In Kaduna Protest Planned Houses’ Demolition

Gbagyi Villa building demolition Residents of Gbagyi Villa Community in Chikun Local Government Area of Kaduna State are protesting against a plan by the State government to demolish their buildings.

The government claims the buildings were illegally erected on a parcel of land belonging to Kaduna polytechnic.

The residents, comprising of men, women and even children embarked on a peaceful demonstration on Thursday morning, demanding that the planned demolition should be suspended.

With placards they sang anti-government songs, as they marched along the roads to show their anger.

They claimed to be in possession of all relevant documents that gave them the right to occupy the land, insisting that the planned demolition was illegal and inhuman.

According to them, the land in question had been a source of dispute between them and the polytechnic due to the fact that the native owners were not duly settled to enable them transfer complete ownership to the institution.

The Chairman Gbagyi Community, Chris Obodumu, claimed that late Governor Patrick Yahowa in 2011 resolved the dispute and amicably demarcated the boundary between the two parties.

Reacting to the protest, spokesman for the state governor, Mr Samuel Aruwan, explained that the planned demolition was “to restore the land back to the rightful owner – the Kaduna Polytechnic”.

He stated that some people deliberately encroached into the portion of land belonging to the polytechnic even when they knew where the boundary was.

According to him, as the municipal authority in which all land in the state is vested upon, the government was again approached in 2015 by the Kaduna Polytechnic requesting action to preserve their title.

Although none of the residents have presented their land titles to the relevant government agency, Aruwan said the government was ready to recognise and protect every proven title to land.

Gbagyi Villa Community shares boundaries with Kaduna Polytechnic and Ungwar Romi, along the eastern bye-pass.

Both the Gbagyi Villa land and that of the polytechnic were formally one piece of land before a part of it was acquired by the latter many years ago.

In recent time, some people were said to have encroached into the land and erected their structures there without approval from either the state government or the polytechnic management.

The owners of the houses have been served a notice of eviction through KASUPDA, after which they will be demolished.

In the copy of the eviction notice, dated August 5, 2015, the council based its action on the state’s 1958 Township Building Rules and Environmental Protection Law of 2010.

Pending when the bulldozers will move in, the residents demand that a committee be set up by the state governor to investigate all issues and transactions relating to the land.

They also called on Governor Nasir El-Rufai to consider the recommendation of the white paper of the Yakowa’s administration not to demolish lands belonging to the Gbayi people.

They said that the polytechnic community was not laying claim to the same land and wondered what the interest of the Kaduna State government on the matter was.

According to them, the plan to demolish their buildings rubbishes all efforts and procedures that had sustained the peace and unity in their community over the years.

Credit: ChannelsTv

See The Woman Who Planned To Sell Her Baby For N30,000

At the recently concluded gospel crusade in Calabar, one Dr. Chris Okafor called out a rather bizarre case during his prophecy session, saying that there was a woman at the crusade ground who had been offered N30, 000 each for two of her lovely children.

The woman, he said, was making plans to actually sell her children to raise money for business. Pastor Chris Okafor and others during the crusade Before he was done dishing out the woman’s details prophetically as he is fond of doing, the woman ran out from the crowd and affirmed everything he had said.

Seeing her case was beyond prayers, the man of God after praying for her, asked how much she needed for business and she retorted “N30,000”. He then smiled and asked if it was okay to give her hundred thousand naira N100, 000. She was literally dumfounded. And indeed, right there and then, she got her own rather “financial deliverance” of N100, 000.

Credit: Vanguard

 

DSS Alerts Abuja Residents Of Planned Attack By Boko Haram

The Department of State Services (DSS) has alerted Abuja residents over plots by Boko Haram militants to attack Churches, Mosques and Markets, using girls to bomb those places.

A memo by the Director of Security Services, Federal Capital Territory, Mohammed Ibrahim, is urging religious bodies to put their members on the alert.

The memo addressed to the National Presidents of Jama’atu Nasril Islam and the Christian Association of Nigeria asked residents to report suspicious elements around places of worship to the authorities.

On Friday, unidentified suicide bomber detonated explosives during a Shia Muslim procession in Kano, killing 21 people and injuring several.

The blast took place in the village of Dakasoye, about 51km south of Kano.

Credit: ChennelsTV

Police Warn Biafran Group Against Planned Protest

The Nigeria Police Force has warned the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB) against carrying out its planned protest across some South Eastern states.

This is contained in a statement issued by the Force spokesperson, Acting Assistant Commissioner of Police, ACP Olabisi Kolawole, on Friday in Abuja.

” Information available to the Nigeria Police indicates plans by the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB) to embark on ill-advised protest using dangerous weapons across some South Eastern States,”it said.

Credit: Leadership

How Alamieyeseigha Died Before Planned Oversea Treatment

Fresh facts emerged yesterday on how the first elected governor of Bayelsa State, Chief Diepreye Solomon Peter Alameiseigha died at the Port Harcourt Teaching Hospital (UPTH) few hours before he could be flown abroad for further treatment by the Bayelsa State government.

Also confirmed was the fact that Late Alameiseigha was never in a coma for two days as claimed by some media reports.

It was gathered that the Bayelsa State government had activated a plan to fly him overseas for further treatment before he died on Saturday.

The arrangement, according to a top Bayelsa State government official, was at the instance of the state deputy governor, Rear Admiral Gboribiogha John-Jonah (rtd) after his visit to Alamiyeseigha on his sick bed at the hospital in Port Harcourt.

It was gathered that the state deputy governor, who was at Omoku in Rivers State for a programme at Agip on hearing about the former governor’s poor health called him on phone on Friday and spoke with him at about 8.15pm, before his demise on Saturday contrary to claims that he (Alamieyeseigha) was in coma for two days before he passed on.

“This is a sad loss for Bayelsa and Ijaw nation. Contrary to claim that Alamieyeseigha was in coma for two days before he passed on, the state deputy governor who was at Omoku for a programme at Agip on hearing about Alamieyeseigha’s poor health called and spoke with him on phone at about 8.15pm.

He even directed the state commissioner of Health, Dr. Ayibatonye Owei to stay back and monitor him. The deputy governor later visited him at the hospital on Saturday morning before leaving for Yenagoa with an instruction that an air ambulance be put on notice for him (Aalamieyeseigha) to be flown abroad for further treatment.

“Shortly after the deputy governor arrived Yenagoa, he received the sad news that Alamieyeseigha had passed on,” the source said.

Read More: leadership

BUSTED! Boko Haram Planned To Bomb Nnamdi Azikiwe Int’l Airport

A plot by Boko Haram terrorists to bomb the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport was uncovered last Monday by the Department of State Service, DSS.

The DSS made this known on Saturday in a statement by an official, Tony Opuiyo in which he said a fourteen year old boy,  Sulaiymon Abdulraman (a.k.a Sunday AJAYI), of Kogi State was apprehended inside the airport.

On interrogation, Abdulraman allegedly disclosed that he infiltrated the airport with the assistance of one Dauda Sadiq (a.k.a Peter) who the DSS said, is presently at large and was directed to spy on the installation and pass information in respect of travelers’ movement including passenger screening, boarding procedures and other processes in the departure and arrival halls.

Read More: leadership

Senate Splits Over Lamorde’s N1tn Planned Probe

Members appeared divided over the planned probe of the Chairman of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, Ibrahim Lamorde, over alleged diversion of stolen funds recovered from looters.

While the Senate leadership said the probe would proceed as scheduled on Wednesday (tomorrow), members of the Peoples Democratic Party in the upper federal legislative chamber kicked against the probe.

The EFCC boss, according to a petition before the Senate, has been accused of diverting N1tn said to have been recovered from a former Governor of Bayelsa State, Diepreye Alamieyeseigha; and a former Inspector-General of Police, Tafa Balogun.

Read More: punchng

How We Planned Lekki Bank Robbery In 24 hours, More Suspects Nabbed

Police in Lagos have arrested four suspected members of the 22-man robbery gang that invaded the Lekki branch of First City Monument Bank, FCMB, two months ago in Lagos, killing five persons.

Recovered from the suspects were a 2008 model Honda Accord car purchased by one of the suspects from his share of the loot; a white Blackberry Z10 phone, one Apple i-Phone 5, one military face cap, used during the operation, and 120 expended ammunition.

Preliminary investigation revealed that some of the suspects were oil bunkerers recruited from Delta, Ondo states and Arepo in Ogun State. They were identified as Duke Odogbo, 38; Lawrence Kingsley, 31; Ebi Tosan, 20, and Ekelemo Kuete, 30.

One of the suspects, Odogbo, who gave a graphic explanation of how the bank robbery took place, revealed that it took the gang 24 hours to plan the operation at Tarkwa Bay.

He further told a crowd at the Police Command headquarters, where they were paraded, that his share of the N15 million loot was N500,000.

‘I was invited from Warri’
According to him, “I was invited by a friend from Warri, Delta State, to come for bunkering job. But on reaching Lagos, I was told it was a bank robbery.

“I told them I was into bunkering and not robbery. But because they told me we were going to make much money from it, I decided to join them.
“On the day of the operation, we left Tarkwa Bay at about 4.30 p.m., in two boats; with 11 persons on each. But one of the boats developed fault on the way. We all entered the good one.

“We got to the bank few minutes after 5p.m. Immediately we left the canal, some of us went to the road and started firing, thereby making way for those of us that would go inside. I led the team that went in.

The suspects and the recovered car (inset).

“We were all putting on Army camouflage. I shattered the entrance glass with bullets and when we got inside, we demanded for the money realized for that day. The manager told us they did not make much.

“But we broke into one of their strong rooms where we got some money. We also broke into two ATM boxes, but there was no money in either of them. We told ourselves that the operation must not exceed 40 minutes.

“To my surprise, by the time we were leaving, I discovered that my colleagues were with seven extra rifles. When I asked, they said they saw some policemen in a van, concluded they were there for us and shot at them. I was not the one that shot the policemen. I did not kill anyone.

“It was when we got to the forest, located in an island in Ikorodu that we discovered that the amount stolen was N15 million and I got N500,000. I used my share to boost my bunkering business.”

I was in charge of  the boat—Kuete

On his part, Kuete confessed that he drove one of the speed boats, adding that he was given N50,000 at the end of the operation.
Kuete, who resides at Arepo area of Ogun State, said: “I must confess, I knew that we were going to rob a bank. I am a bunkerer at Arepo and I make at least N80,000 from each operation. “I was hired to take them to the bank. I remained in the boat with four others, while the rest left for the bank.

“When they came back, we headed straight for our hideout, where our leaders shared the money according to individual’s involvement. I got N50,000.”

Creditvanguardngr

Protest In Enugu Over Planned Impeachment Of Gov. Chime

Hundreds of protesters have flooded the Enugu government house, kicking against the planned impeachment of Governor Sullivan Chime by members of the State’s House of Assembly.

Fifteen members of the House of Assembly, led by the speaker, Hon. Eugene Odo, had on Monday directed the clerk to serve Chime the impeachment notice.

However, reports gather that hundreds of members of the Peoples Democratic Party, especially women and youths, have taken over the Government House, calling on the lawmakers to drop the plan.

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