PENGASSAN Warns Mobil To Reinstate 150 Sacked Workers

Posted on December 22, 2016 by Staff Reporter

Petroleum and Natural Gas Senior Staff Association of Nigeria, PENGASSAN, has warned Mobil Producing Nigeria Unlimited, MPNU, an affiliate of ExxonMobil, to immediately reinstate the over 150 of its members sacked by the company.

This was contained in a statement, yesterday, in Port Harcourt, Rivers State, co-signed by Festus Osifo, Chairman and Aruoture Ugavah, Secretary, of PENGASSAN Producers Forum.

The statement noted that the action of the oil firm was pre-empting, because MPNU sacked the workers who are members of PENGASSAN when discussions between the union and the company were ongoing.

The union, said: “It has come to our notice that the management of Mobil Producing Nigeria Unlimited, MPNU, an affiliate of ExxonMobil, has served disengagement letters to more than 150 of our members in their employment.

“This heinous disengagement was done even as discussion was still ongoing in that regard between the association (PENGASSAN) and ExxonMobil management. We view the action of MPNU management as premeditated and aimed at destroying the existing peace in the industry.

“MPNU management’s action is also a deliberate expression of disrespect and disregard to the association, labour laws and Collective Bargaining Agreement, CBA, duly signed by both the association and ExxonMobil Management.”

PENGASSAN called on all stakeholders, Federal Ministry of Petroleum Resources, Federal Ministry of Labour and Productivity, Department of Petroleum Resource and the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation, NNPC, to prevail on MPNU to return to the negotiating table.

http://www.vanguardngr.com/2016/12/pengassan-warns-mobil-reinstate-150-sacked-workers/

Buratai Warns Against Delay In Payment Of Troops’ Salaries

Posted on December 21, 2016 by Staff Reporter

Chief of Army Staff, Lt General Tukur Buratai, yesterday, warned against delay in payment of salaries and allowances of troops engaged in the fight against insurgency in the North East.

Buratai, who spoke while declaring open, a seminar on Integrated Payroll and Personnel Information System, IPPIS, for army personnel, in Abuja, insisted that prompt and accelerated payment of salaries and allowances to the fighting troops was one of the ways of boosting their moral.

He admitted that the objectives of the IPPIS were to ensure transparency, accountability and improve the effectiveness of payroll administration in all government ministries and agencies, adding that the development would present new challenges in the management of troops’ salaries and allowances.

He said: “I approve this seminar and know that the implementation of IPPIS in the military will present new challenges in the management of troops’ salaries and allowances. “I am hereby charging the finance corps to ensure that the nuances of transition are well understood so as to continue to boost the morale of the fighting troops.

“We understand that seamless, timely and regular payment of personnel salaries and allowances are an essential ingredient for the sustenance of morale of the troops.

“This is especially important towards the current ongoing efforts at consolidating on the counter-terrorism efforts in the north eastern part of the country and indeed all other operations around the country.”

Credit:

http://www.vanguardngr.com/2016/12/boko-haram-buratai-warns-delay-payment-troops-salaries/

MMM Will Lead To Losses, Access Bank Warns Customers

Posted on December 7, 2016 by Staff Reporter

Access Bank Nigeria Plc has warned its customers to avoid dealing with Mavrodi Mondial Movement, a Ponzi scheme, which has been declared illegal by the Central Bank of Nigeria and the Securities and Exchange Commission.

The bank in an emailed statement to its customers said it had come to its attention “that some customers are engaged in the Ponzi scheme called ‘MMM’”.

“Please be advised that this scheme is not in line with any applicable or known investment product and may ultimately lead to loss of funds in the long run,” the bank warned.

“We advise that customers avail themselves of genuine and approved investments and products in the Nigerian banking environment.”

Despite the warning by the Federal Government, thousands of Nigerians have continued to patronise the scheme with its website ranking as one of the five most visited in the country, ahead of Facebook.

Credit: punchng

Don’t Demonise Shiites, Judge Warns Nigerian Government

Posted on December 3, 2016 by Staff Reporter

A Federal High Court in Abuja on Friday warned Nigeria’s government against demonising Shiites and their Islamic Movement of Nigeria, IMN.

Delivering judgement in a bail application sought by the IMN leader, Ibrahim El-Zakzaky, the trial judge, Gabriel Kolawole, said Nigeria’s government must allow its citizens enjoy the fundamental right to freedom.

“I am of the view that the applicant need not be demonised, but that they should be allowed to practice the faith they choose,” said Mr. Kolawole.

The judge said Nigeria’s law allows a person or group to practice whatever religion they choose and in whatever manner that they deem fit.

He said although it is a known fact that most Nigerian Muslims are Sunnis, the constitution allows freedom of thought and worship.

Mr. Kolawole described the Shiite’s relationship with the Nigerian government as “delicate and slippery”.

He said his court was set to give its judgement since October 5 but decided to allow parties settle out of court, considering the sensitive nature of religious issues.

“They are much more delicate and judicially speaking, slippery in nature,” Mr. Kolawole said.

http://www.premiumtimesng.com/news/headlines/216973-dont-demonise-shiites-judge-warns-nigerian-government.html

Burn American Flag, Go To Jail; Trump Warns

Posted on November 29, 2016 by Staff Reporter

The President-elect of the United States, Donald Trump, has warned that anybody who burns American flag may lose citizenship or go to jail.

He posted this on his Twitter handle on Tuesday.

“Nobody should be allowed to burn the American flag – if they do, there must be consequences – perhaps loss of citizenship or year in jail!,” he said.

Nobody should be allowed to burn the American flag – if they do, there must be consequences – perhaps loss of citizenship or year in jail!

— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) November 29, 2016

Credit: dailytrust

Fashola Warns Nigeria’s Electricity Distribution Companies To Stop Blackmailing FG

Posted on November 22, 2016 by Staff Reporter

The Minister of Power, Works and Housing, Babatunde Fashola, has warned Electricity Distribution Companies (DisCos) to stop blackmailing the Federal Government over outstanding debts allegedly owed them by Ministries, Departments and Agencies (MDA).

A statement in Abuja on Tuesday by Hakeem Bello, Special Adviser, Communications to the minister, stated that Mr. Fashola gave the warning at a meeting with power sector operators in the country.

Mr. Fashola was reacting to the advertorial placed by the Association of Electricity Distributing Companies (AEDC) on the debt owed DisCos by MDAs.

He said government would not succumb to blackmail and would only pay verified debts.

Mr. Fashola also advised the DisCos to pursue the debt issue in their capacities as Discos and not under the aegis of any association.

He said that although the constitution guaranteed freedom of association, the privatisation that resulted in the transfer of the distribution asset of power was not held between the Federal Government and any association.

According to the minster, the DisCos have so far failed to provide details of such debts for verification.

Fashola said “Let me say without any equivocation that government will not succumb to the blackmail, at least not the Federal Government of Nigeria”.

He said that government had provided an online platform where it requested all the DisCos to submit details of their debts to that platform for government to verify it.

http://www.premiumtimesng.com/news/headlines/216044-fashola-talks-tough-warns-nigerias-electricity-distribution-companies.html

Merkel, With Nod To Trump, Warns Against Protectionism

Posted on November 15, 2016 by Staff Reporter

German Chancellor Angela Merkel called on Tuesday for globalization to be framed in multilateral agreements rather than see countries adopt protectionist measures, in a thinly veiled warning to U.S. President-elect Donald Trump.

In his campaign, Trump argued that international trade agreements had hurt U.S. workers and the country’s competitiveness. He has promised to “get tough” with China and withdraw from the 12-nation Trans-Pacific Partnership, or TPP, which is still not finalized.

Merkel, having last week offered to work with Trump on the basis of democratic values, used a speech to set out the case for strengthening international cooperation in the field of trade and avoiding a slide into protectionism.

“We are at the moment in a situation in the European Union, in our country and worldwide where there is an argument about how we want to shape globalization,” Merkel told a meeting of Germany’s BDA employers association.

“Globalization is happening. We can arrange it such that we strengthen multilateral instruments … or such that we seal ourselves off and become protectionist.”

“I am pleased that you, like me, are convinced that we must fashion globalization in a multilateral way,” added Merkel.

She said she would make globalization a theme for debate during Germany’s presidency of the G20 next year.

Merkel was the driving force in Europe behind the Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership (TTIP), an ambitious trade deal between the European Union and United States).

That agreement, still in the negotiation phase, seems sure to die under Trump, whose protectionist promises, should they become reality, would hit few countries harder than Germany, whose economic strength depends heavily on the openness of the global trading system.

Hunger Crisis Could Kill 200 Children Per Day, Humanitarian Agency Warns FG

Posted on November 15, 2016 by Staff Reporter

Two hundred children could die every day from hunger in northeastern Nigeria as a result of the ongoing conflict in the country, a humanitarian agency has warned.

Up to half of all children under the age of five are acutely malnourished, international charity Save the Children said on Monday, after screening the health of boys and girls in the region between June and October in 2016.

The figure could be even worse in areas that are out of reach because of insecurity, according to the report.

“Children are presenting in desperate conditions and facing severe malnutrition, often in combination with other life-threatening illnesses like pneumonia, malaria and diarrhoea,” said Ben Foot, Save the Children country director.

“For some cases this may be the second or third time they have fought malnutrition so their immune systems are already severely weakened.”

Violent attacks on civilians since 2009 by the armed group Boko Haram have affected almost 15 million people in northeastern Nigeria, according to the World Health Organization (WHO).

Zainabu Ibrahim, a mother of five severely malnourished children who escaped the clutches of Boko Haram three months ago, lives in a Bakassi camp in Maiduguri, which is home to almost 21,000 other displaced people.

“Boko Haram fighters stopped us from farming. We were really living on wild fruits and leaves,” Ibrahim told Al Jazeera.

“When we came here months ago, six of us were registered as a family and were given two measures each of corn, rice and beans to take us through the month. We tried to convince them that won’t be enough but no one pays any attention.”

More than 2.2 million people have fled their homes in the region, while 7 million people are estimated to be in need of humanitarian assistance, according to the WHO.

Yuletide: AIG Warns Policemen Not To Mount Road Blocks

Posted on November 9, 2016 by Staff Reporter

Officers and men of Zone 6 Police Command have been ordered to conduct only stop and search on vehicles and not to mount road blocks on the highways at Yuletide.

Mr Abubakar Marafa, Assistant Inspector General of Police in-charge of Zone 6, Calabar, gave the directive on Wednesday during a familiarisation tour of the Cross River command.

Marafa said crime fighting was more effective through intelligence gathering and not by mounting road blocks which impede smooth flow of traffic and used to extort money from motorists.

He reiterated that mounting of road blocks by the police was illegal.

“We are in a digital era, and crime fighting has gone beyond the confines of blocking the road to collect money from drivers and also slowing movement on the road.

“Stop and Search is a more effective way of combating crime because it is based on intelligence report’’, he said.

Marafa said a lot of people would be on the road travelling to different locations during the Christmas period, hence the duty of the police was to safeguard their lives by providing them with appropriate security.

“We have to do our best to safeguard the lives of the people travelling during the Christmas period and not to slow down their movement by extorting money from them’’, he said.

He urged policemen not to act beggarly but to be courageous while confronting suspects during their stop and search operation.

Mr Jimoh Ozi-Obeh, Commissioner of Police in the state, said the command had put necessary measures in place to ensure a crime free Christmas in Calabar and also during carnival.

Credit: dailytrust

NLC Warns Against Another Fuel Price Increase

Posted on November 7, 2016 by Staff Reporter

The Nigeria Labour Congress has warned the Federal Government against any further increase in the pump price of petroleum products, especially Premium Motor Spirit, otherwise called petrol.

The warning is coming as the retail stations of the Nigerian Petroleum Corporations in the Federal Capital Territory and its environs have increased the pump price of the PMS to N145 from the initial N141.

Similarly, some private marketers of petroleum products are now selling petrol in their outlets at N150 per litre.

It was reported that some filling stations in Lagos and Ogun states had refrained from selling the product.

For instance, the Oando filling stations at Alapere and Berger as well as the Mobil filling station opposite the Magodo Estate gate did not dispense the product to members of the public since Friday.

Similarly, the Ascon and NNPC stations between Arepo and Magboro, off the Lagos-Ibadan Expressway, Ogun State, did not sell the product on Sunday, raising fears of another round of fuel scarcity.

The General Secretary, NLC, Dr. Peter Ozo-Eson, said on the telephone on Sunday that it would be insensitive on the part of the government to increase fuel price in view of the current hardship in the land.

http://punchng.com/nlc-warns-another-fuel-price-increase/

IG Warns Officers Against Lobbying For Promotion

Posted on November 2, 2016 by Staff Reporter

The Inspector-General of Police (IGP) Ibrahim Idris has warned officers to desist from lobbying for promotion or face prosecution. Idris gave the warning yesterday in Abuja at the IGP conference with senior officers after decorating the newly promoted Assistant Inspectors General of Police (AIGs).

Meanwhile, the Inspector General of Police has denied reports that the recent postings carried out by his administration are lopsided.
A media report on Monday said the recent posting of police officers across the country was intended to punish some of those affected.

A statement yesterday in Abuja by the Force Public Relations Officer Don Awunah, a Deputy Commissioner of Police (DCP) said: “It is suffice to state that transfers and postings in the Nigeria Police Force are administrative and routine aimed at enhancing utmost efficiency of the officers and men for better and effective service delivery.”

The new AIGs are Abubakar Adamu, Kayode Aderanti, Mohammed Usman, Abdul Danwawu, Felix Ogundeji, Ezekiel Zang and Pius Imue.He told the officers that promotion was based on merit as a result of hard work and dedication and not favoritism.

According to him: “Posting in the service is based on exigencies and not on lobbying. Do not lobby. It is based strictly on seniority and vacancy. We have a management that assesses people based on these established criteria. We don’t want people lobbying here and there. I want my colleagues to please observe some of these issues, they are very important.”

Idris said the police had recorded successes against kidnapers, adding that more needed to be done to eradicate the crime. “I want to thank you for ensuring that the crime rate has reduced. The issue of discipline is however very important, your uniform is for the service of Nigerians. So in whatever capacity you find yourself, it is for service,” he said.

Credit: dailytimes

MMM Is A Fraud, Don’t Invest In It, CBN Warns Nigerians

Posted on November 1, 2016 by Staff Reporter

The Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) has cautioned Nigerians against getting involved in MMM, a scheme that is currently making the rounds among Nigerians.

This is coming shortly after the Minister of Solid Minerals and Steel Development, Dr. Kayode Fayemi, dissociated himself from the MMM, saying he has nothing to do with it or any other online financial aid community, projects or contracts.

This was made known by the head of the consumer protection department of the CBN, Kadija Kassim, on Monday. She made it known that activities associated with the scheme are not regulated by any institution.

Speaking during a mentoring program for students of Government Secondary School, Suleja, Kassim warned against the use of MMM Federal Republic of Nigeria, a Ponzi scheme company, referring to the scheme as a “wonder bank”.

In Kassim’s words, “We have heard about the activities of MMM.

“But I want to warn you against it because they are wonder banks that are not regulated.

“Desist from their activities because they are fraudulent.

“Don’t save what is left after spending, but spend what is left after saving.”

The scheme claims to allow a 30 per cent monthly return on investment for every investor and a lot of Nigerians have been lured into it.

Credit: dailytrust

Trump Warns Of World War III If Clinton Is Elected

Posted on October 26, 2016 by Staff Reporter

Donald Trump warned in an interview Tuesday that Hillary Clinton’s policies as president to address the Syrian conflict would lead to World War III, arguing the Democratic nominee would draw the US into armed confrontation with Russia, Syria and Iran.

“What we should do is focus on ISIS. We should not be focusing on Syria,” Trump told Reuters on Tuesday morning at his resort in Doral, Florida. “You’re going to end up in World War III over Syria if we listen to Hillary Clinton.”

The Republican nominee, who has called for a rapprochement with Russia in order to jointly combat ISIS, argued that his Democratic rival’s calls for taking a more aggressive posture in Syria to bring the conflict there to an end and combat ISIS will only draw the US into a larger war. Trump’s remarks come as he trails Clinton in most national and key battleground state polls just two weeks from Election Day.

“You’re not fighting Syria anymore, you’re fighting Syria, Russia and Iran, all right? Russia is a nuclear country, but a country where the nukes work as opposed to other countries that talk,” he said.

Trump has not laid out a clear strategy for combating ISIS or addressing the globally destabilizing conflict in Syria, which has killed hundreds of thousands and pushed millions more to flee their homes. He has suggested the US should allow ISIS, anti-government rebels and the Syrian government to fight it out and more recently has focused on joining forces with Russia — which has aided the Syrian regime in the bombing of civilians and US-allied rebels — to combat ISIS.

“Assad is secondary, to me, to ISIS,” Trump told Reuters of the Syrian President Bashar al-Assad, whom US officials have argued must step down.

Clinton has called for establishing a no-fly zone over Syria to help bring the five-year civil war to an end, a proposal top Republicans in Congress have championed, which President Barack Obama and others have opposed due to the risk of entering into conflict with Russia.

A US-enforced no-fly zone would mean the US could shoot down a Russian jet should it enter Syrian airspace.

Clinton addressed those concerns in the final presidential debate, arguing that it would “save lives and hasten the end of the conflict,” while cautioning that “this would not be done just on the first day.”

“This would take a lot of negotiation and it would also take making it clear to the Russians and the Syrians that our purpose is to provide safe zones on the ground,” Clinton said during the debate earlier this month. “I think we could strike a deal and make it very clear to the Russians and Syrians that this was something that we believe the best interests of the people on the ground in Syria. It would help us in the fight against ISIS.”

Trump has additionally called for establishing safe zones in Syria to protect civilians — as has Clinton — which could also put the US in conflict with the Syrian government or Russia should they oppose the policy.

American Hacker Jester Warns Russia To Stop Interfering With U.S. Election

Posted on October 24, 2016 by Staff Reporter

The American vigilante hacker known as Jester (whose signature graphic is shown above) took a swipe at Russia for hacking U.S. sites. The self-described “gray hat” hacker who calls himself “Jester” hacked the Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs website Friday night. His message: “Stop attacking Americans,” according to CNNMoney.

Anyone who visited the Ministry website after the hack first heard the intentionally loud, annoying, attention-demanding dial tone sound that plays just before American emergency broadcast civil alert messages. Jester’s letter to the Ministry displayed in full on the site’s homepage. The letter, which no longer appears on the site but was still visible Saturday, went into detail about the activities to which The Jester objected.

As summarized by CNNMoney, Jester’s message was, “Comrades! We interrupt regular scheduled Russian Foreign Affairs Website programming to bring you the following important message … Knock it off. You may be able to push around nations around you, but this is America. Nobody is impressed.”

Jester’s complaints about Russian hacking included alleged Russian interfering with American politics. Recently 17 U.S. intelligence agencies accused Russian agencies of being behind hacks into the Democratic National Committee (DNC) emails, leaking information to influence the election toward Donald Trump and away from Hillary Clinton. Russia is also accused of supplying hacked and stolen emails to WikiLeaks.

Russia’s President Vladimir Putin has denied Russian involvement with DNC or other hacking, but the Jester called him out for it. “Let’s get real, I know it’s you, even if by proxy, and you know it’s you. Now, get to your room. Before I lose my temper.”

The Jester, who in the past has actively attacked terrorist activities, told CNNMoney this weekend that his frustration over Friday’s distributed denial of service (DDoS) attacks that overloaded significant internet sites in the U.S. led him to attack the Russian Ministry site.

Muslim Cleric Warns Against New Gender Equality Bill

Posted on October 12, 2016 by Staff Reporter

A prominent Muslim cleric in Nigeria has warned Muslim lawmakers that they will be condemned as “unbelievers” if they back a new gender equality bill.

The bill proposes that men and women inherit an equal share, violating the Koran, Sheikh Isyaka Rabiu said.

Gender activists have been pushing for the bill to end discrimination against women in a country with roughly the same number of Christians and Muslims.

Lawmakers say that public hearings will be held before the bill is passed.

Reverend Musa Asake, the secretary of the West African state’s main Christian group, the Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN), told the BBC’s Hausa service that he did not find anything wrong with the bill because in “Christianity inheritance is shared equally between male and female”.

The senate has already rejected an earlier version of the bill, saying in March that it was incompatible with Nigerian culture and religious beliefs.

The BBC’s Muhammad Kabir Muhammad in the capital, Abuja, says the new bill has been sponsored by a female senator, and is a watered-down version of the rejected Gender and Equal Opportunity Bill.

Nevertheless, it is still facing strong resistance from Muslim groups, including the influential Tijjaniya Brotherhood of which Sheikh Rabiu is a leader, our correspondent says.

Don’t Sell NLNG, NNPC, Ezekwesili Warns FG

Posted on October 4, 2016 by Staff Reporter

The Senior Economic Adviser of the Africa Economic Development Policy Initiative and the initiator of Bring Back Our Girls (BBOG) project, Dr Oby Ezekwesili, yesterday, joined the league of prominent Nigerians opposed to the sale of Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC) and Nigerian Liquefied Natural Gas (NLNG).
The former Education Minister in a statement made, said “I am opposed to the sale of any productive assets like the NLNG because there seems to be no clear economic vision and rigorous analytics to serve as the anchor for such a major policy thrust. We need well deliberated policies from our government including the plans for revitalisation of the programme of privatisation being run by BPE to properly situate public debate of economic structural change agenda. After all, even in our country, there is now proof that the economy can relatively respond to deliberate, well thought and rigorous analysis of context and sound policy options in resolving growth and development problems.” But for the refineries, she said that the government can proceed urgently through the Bureau of Public Enterprises (BPE) to sell them off, because, according to her, they are acesspit of corruption in the petroleum sector, stressing that their sale would amount to fiscal savings and should therefore be supported by all.
Exekwesili however, regretted that at the inception of this administration, on May 29, 2015, when the economy showed signs of strait, the government did not act fast to prevent the present economic situation.
“The parlous state of the Nigerian economy on May 29, 2015 should therefore have instructed an incisive and urgent macroeconomic stabilisation programme to realign price levels in the economy. If a menu of sound monetary and fiscal policies that the economy needed on May 29, 2015 had been provided, it would have sent the right signal to players that there was no cause for alarm. Had the government made quick and necessary adjustments that corresponded close enough to the level of impact that a 40 per cent sharp drop in government oil revenue necessitated, the story would most likely be less negative today.”
She further noted that “With inflation- nay, stagflation- now at high double digits of 18 per cent , with the decline of foreign reserve from $37.3 billion at end of 2014 to $25billion in September 2016, with an “administrative-floating ” exchange rate regime that still creates enormous opportunities for corruption and rent seeking arbitrage, with a high interest rate that poses a stress for the financial sector because of deteriorating bank asset quality as well as for limited access to credit by the real sector, with a continuously declining aggregate demand, with a shrinking gross domestic product, with 2016 budget deficit level of $11billion that still has unclear sources of financing…”

http://sunnewsonline.com/dont-sell-nlng-nnpc-ezekwesili-warns-fg/

U.N. Warns Russia Over Syria Air Strikes

Posted on October 4, 2016 by Staff Reporter

United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights Zeid Ra’ad al Hussein warned Russia on Tuesday over the use of incendiary weapons in Syria’s besieged enclave of eastern Aleppo, and said crimes by one side did not justify illegal acts by the other.

Zeid said that the situation in Aleppo demanded bold new initiatives “including proposals to limit the use of the veto by the permanent members of the Security Council”, which would enable the U.N. body to refer the situation in Syria to the International Criminal Court (ICC).

“Such a referral would be more than justified given the rampant and deeply shocking impunity that has characterized the conflict and the magnitude of the crimes that have been committed, some of which may indeed amount to war crimes and crimes against humanity,” Zeid said in a statement.

Syria’s government and its allies had undertaken a “pattern of attacks” against targets with special protection under international humanitarian law, including medical units, aid workers and water-pumping stations, he said.

Russia is a key player in the Syrian civil war by virtue of its military support for President Bashar al-Assad and its role as one of five veto-holding powers on the Security Council.

The use of indiscriminate weapons such as incendiary weapons in heavily populated areas was of particularly grave concern, Zeid said, drawing a parallel with the battles of Warsaw, Stalingrad and Dresden during World War Two.

There is no statute of limitations on international crimes, his spokesman Rupert Colville said.

“I remind all State parties to Protocol III of the Convention on Certain Conventional Weapons, including the Russian Federation, that they are strictly prohibited from using incendiary weapons in airstrikes on heavily populated areas, and that the use of such weapons by ground forces is severely restricted,” Zeid said.

The rebels’ use of inaccurate “hell-fire cannons”, homemade mortars that fire gas cylinders packed with explosives and shrapnel, was also totally unacceptable, he said.

Designating the enemy as a “terrorist organization” was not an excuse to ignore the laws of war, Zeid said.

Japan Warns On Measles After Infected Fan Joins Bieber Concert

Posted on August 26, 2016 by Staff Reporter

Japanese authorities have warned of a possible measles outbreak after a fan who went to a Justin Bieber concert near Tokyo was diagnosed with the contagious disease, officials said Friday.

A 19-year-old man had a fever of more than 39 degrees Celsius (102 degrees Fahrenheit) and a rash over his body after returning from Indonesia earlier this month, the Disease Control and Prevention Center (DCC) and local media have said.

Despite the condition, the man, whose name was withheld, went to Bieber’s concert on August 14 at Makuhari Messe in Chiba, east of Tokyo, where some 25,000 fans gathered for the event, they said.

The man, from the western Japanese city of Nishinomiya, then stopped in Tokyo and neighbouring Kanagawa prefecture before returning home on August 19, when he was finally diagnosed with measles.

“Measles is highly infectious,” an official at Japan’s health and welfare ministry told AFP.

“It could lead to a fatal case,” he added, issuing warnings to hospitals across the nation to be aware of an outbreak.

Concert organisers on their website also asked those who attended to see doctors if they developed symptoms.

http://guardian.ng/news/japan-warns-on-measles-after-infected-fan-joins-bieber-concert/

Avoid The Jonathan Error, Sanusi Warns Buhari

Posted on August 24, 2016 by Staff Reporter

The current Buhari-led administration may end like the Jonathan administration if it fails to retrace its footsteps, the Emir of Kano, Lamido Sanusi II, has warned.

Sanusi, who was the chairman, Special Session at the 15th Joint Planning Board and National Council on Development Planning, said if the Federal Government toes the way of the last administration, it will end up like it.

He said the economy created terrorism, following the government’s inability to create employment opportunities for the over 80 million youths in the country.

He lamented that the country has not been able to attract investments, saying that the example of Lagos State typifies what Nigeria can achieve.

He warned those he described as “clamouring to break up the country because of oil” to stop the agitation, stressing that oil would soon become insignificant globally.

The emir said, “There is nothing we are facing today that we did not know would happen. We made mistakes, many of them deliberate. We ignored every single warning.

”We should not continue to blame the previous administration, as we have also made some mistakes in the current administration.

“We must retrace our steps; otherwise we may fall into the same trap we fell the last time when the government was always right.

“The bottom line is that if your policy is wrong, it is you that must change.”

Credit:

http://punchng.com/avoid-jonathan-error-sanusi-warns-buhari/

N’East Crisis: UN Warns 5.5m People May Urgently Need Food Aid In Sept

Posted on August 22, 2016 by Staff Reporter

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Nigeria’s economic slowdown, compounded by Boko Haram attacks, could mean 5.5 million people needing food aid in the volatile North-east by next month, the United Nations High Commission for Refugees (UNHCR) has warned.

The warning came as the National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA) disclosed that about 161,000 Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) from the North Eastern part of Nigeria were still at various camps in three neighbouring countries of Chad, Niger and Cameroon.

It also emerged that, as part of efforts to end insurgency, the Nigerian Army had embarked on operations in forests in Bauchi State in order to flush out fleeing Boko Haram members and criminal elements in the state.

UNHCR, while issuing the warning, noted that, as government troops advance against the militants, the somewhat better access for aid workers under military escort to Borno and Yobe states has exposed “catastrophic levels” of suffering and a “vast regional crisis.”
Inflation and soaring food prices come at a time when people have little left from the last harvest, according the U.N.’s World Food Programme (WFP) .

“Because of Nigeria’s economic downturn, the number of hungry people could double in the North-eastern states that are already so heavily afflicted by the conflict,” WFP spokeswoman, Bettina Luescher, told a news briefing.

“Our experts are warning it could go as high as 5.5 million people by next month,” she said. “The drop in oil prices and sharp rise in the cost of imported staples has compounded the years of violence that these poor people had to suffer.”
WFP has delivered food to 170,000 people in North-eastern Nigeria, but hopes to reach 700,000 by year-end, Luescher said.

Protests Don’t Pay, Mugabe Warns Citizens

Posted on August 8, 2016 by Staff Reporter

Zimbabwean President Robert Mugabe on Monday warned that protests against his rule “don’t pay”, after a string of public strikes across the country were quelled by police.

“Things like protests don’t pay because usually they end up being violent protests,” Mugabe said while addressing hundreds gathered to commemorate Heroes Day in the capital Harare.

The day is marked to remember fallen heroes of the liberation war of the 1970s.

“What does it help to go in the streets with the intention to show that you are able to throw stones? To throw stones, to hit the police with stones — we do not want that.”

The 92-year-old leader’s comments come after a series of street protests erupted in past weeks, sparked by Zimbabwe’s faltering economy.

Last week riot police used tear gas and water cannons to break up a protest by several hundred demonstrators in the capital.

http://punchng.com/protests-dont-pay-mugabe-warns-citizens/

Be Wary Of PDP Men Around You, Katsina Emir Warns Masari

Posted on August 8, 2016 by Staff Reporter

The Emir of Katsina, Alhaji Abdulmumin Kabir Usman, has cautioned the state governor, Aminu Masari, to be ‘wary and careful’ with members of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) surrounding him.
Speaking at a book presentation at the weekend, the emir noted that it was necessary to be wary of them because of their past deeds and antecedents.

He said the PDP in the last 16 years “led us to what we are seeing presently”, adding that it would be unfair for one to expect a rot of 16 years to be fixed in a year.
He said the present administration emerged at a period that things had been messed up, noting that those criticising President Muhammadu Buhari for not delivering were not fair and just.
“What is needed from all is to support and pray to ensure that the right thing is dome to return the country on the path of growth and development,” the monarch said.
He enjoined those in authority to always remember that they would account for their deeds one day before the Almighty God.

Credit: DailyTrust

Japan Warns Over Pokemon Go Pitfalls Ahead Of Launch

Posted on July 21, 2016 by Staff Reporter

Japan isn’t taking any chances when it comes to the safety of impatient fans awaiting the release of Pokemon Go in the country where the cutesy monsters were born.

Tokyo has issued a nine-point safety guide warning of dangers gamers could face, including heat stroke, online scams and dubious strangers.

Japan’s National Center of Incident Readiness and Strategy for Cybersecurity (NISC) has also advised fans to download a weather app so Pokemon hunts don’t land them — improbably — in the path of a tsunami or climate-related dangers.

Heat stroke is a constant worry this time of year so players should wear a hat, the guide advises, adding that parents should snap pictures of Pokemon-hunting kids for rescuers in case their young ones get lost.

“Dangerous places” should be avoided at all costs, and gamers should never meet up with someone who contacts them online because they could be a real-life monster, it cautions.

A caption featuring a pair of cartoon Wild West cowboys warns about robberies and other troubles that players elsewhere have recounted.

“There have been reports that players have gotten run over, fallen into water, gotten bitten by a snake or robbed,” it added.

The list is the latest in a slew of warnings issued worldwide since the hugely popular smartphone app was launched two weeks ago.

It has already been blamed for a wave of crimes, traffic violations and complaints in cities around the globe.

Credit: Guardian

Leave Oil Fields, Terminals Now, Niger Delta Avengers Warns Oil Workers

Posted on July 21, 2016 by Staff Reporter

Niger Delta Avengers (NDA) has warned oil workers and foreigners to vacate oil fields and terminals as it is ready to fight dirty.

The militant group, in a statement signed by its spokesman, Mudoch Agbinibo, specifically warned Nigeria Union of Petroleum and Natural Gas Workers (NUPENG) and Petroleum and Natural Gas Senior Staff Association of Nigeria (PENGASSAN) workers as well as foreigners to leave oil fields and terminals because “it will be going to be very dirty very soon.”

In the statement issued in the early hours of Thursday, the group said: “We are warning NUPENG and Pengassan to leave all oil fields and terminals in the Niger Delta because it will be going to be dirty very soon. Foreigners are to leave too”.

NDA, which reacted angrily to the claim by the Nigerian Navy that its logisitics supplier was arrested, described it as the biggest joker of the 21st century boasting that all its members are intact.

It castigated the Nigerian Navy as having lost its sense of professionalism with its attribution of every suspect arrested to the Niger Delta Avengers.

“As it is now, any Tom, Dick and Harry is a suspect of Niger Delta Avengers. Nigeria Navy has lost the sense of professionalism.

“The Nigeria military arrested school students in Oporoza and called them the Niger Delta Avengers; any criminal caught is NDA, even their business partners (illegal oil bunkerers) with which things went sour are NDA. Sea pirates are now NDA”, it said.

Also, the group lambasted the military for always denying any of its successful attacks on oil pipelines only to go after criminals and parade them as its members that breached such facilities.

“When Niger Delta Avengers carries out any major attack, they (Nigerian military) will deny it. First was the NNPC pipeline that was blown; second the 48-inches Exxonmobil pipeline that was blown by NDA. Mobil and the government denied it. Only for Exxonmobil to declare force majeure a few days after the attack”, it stated.

The militant group said emphatically that the Qua Iboe export pipeline operated by ExxonMobil which was blasted two weeks ago is down right now.

“Let me give a little brief about the Qua Iboe Export terminal. This is a subsidiary of Mobil and it is the biggest export stream in Nigeria. They export one million barrels every two days.

“I Brig. Gen Agbinibo personally led this operation, unlike the Nigeria Chief of Naval Staff that sit in the comfort of his office to pass orders”, the statement added.

The Niger Delta Avengers advised the military to stop deceiving the public and its Commander in Chief and come out with the truth on the Akwa Ibom blast instead of claiming that its operatives didn’t blow up the line but system anomaly.

“Shame on the Nigeria military.
Reports from our intelligence agent, the only way funds can be allocated to various departments of the military is only when they arrest the Niger Delta Avengers operatives.

“But soonest the Nigerian public and their Commander in Chief will know that the military is not capable to handle the Niger Delta Avengers.

“How do you explain a military officer having a house in choice areas in Nigeria and outside the country?

“Nigeria serving and retired top officers are the richest people in Nigeria. How do they get such wealth? Right now, they are using Niger Delta Avengers to fraud the Nigeria government and tax payers of their money.”

Credit: Thisday

ISIS Targeting Children Through Mobile App, FG Warns

Posted on June 17, 2016 by Staff Reporter

The Islamic State of Iraq and Syria has developed and launched a new mobile application aimed at recruiting and indoctrinating children for the purpose of furthering its Jihad course.

A statement issued by Minister of Information and Culture, Alhaji Lai Mohammed, in Abuja on Thursday said the mobile application, tagged ‘Huroof’ (Arabic alphabets or letters), is to be used by ISIS to teach children the Arabic alphabets with the aid of guns, military tanks and cannons.

Mohammed said, “The application utilises colourful illustrations that attract and engage the attention of young children.”

The minister urged members of the public and parents in particular to be vigilant and to prevent their children and wards from being indoctrinated

The Federal Government had in 2014 issued a security alert that the ISIS had employed the services of a South African to recruit fighters for it from West Africa.

Shortly after the warning, a son of a prominent former Chief Justice of Nigeria was reported to have travelled to Syria in company with his two wives to fight for ISIS. The man was reportedly killed in Syria recently.

Islamist terror group operating in West Africa and especially in Nigeria, the Boko Haram, had also pledged allegiance to ISIS which also welcomed it to its fold.

Credit: Punch

NNPC Warns Public Against Fake Recruitment

Posted on February 22, 2016 by Staff Reporter

NNPC has warned the public to disregard any invitation on recruitment exercise. In a statement made available to journalists by its Group General Manager, Group Public Affairs Division, Ohi Alegbe, the corporation called on members of the public to be wary of fraudsters sending letters to unsuspecting individuals inviting them for “the second process of recruitment” billed to hold on February 29, saying it is currently not recruiting. “The scam invitation letters, which directed recipients to pay the sum of N21,500 into a certain account number with Zenith Bank purportedly for ‘onshore and offshore/training kits/materials’ should be disregarded as they were not sent by the corporation,” the NNPC warned. It further warned that “anyone who entertains such invitations or deals with peddlers of such invitations does so at his or her own risk.”

The corporation urged anyone contacted for the purpose of the purported recruitment by the corporation to report such persons to relevant law enforcement agencies. Meanwhile, the Pipeline and Products Marketing Company, PPMC, has assured of ample products supply in the Lagos area following a hitch in the products supply system in the Lagos environs. The PPMC, a subsidiary of the NNPC, says it has intervened in the crisis which is arising from the leadership tussle between the Mobil branch and national office of the Petroleum Tanker Drivers Union. The PPMC stated that it has intervened in the dispute, assuring that normalcy will soon be restored. It further assured that there was sufficient stock of products in Lagos and across the country while advising motorists not to resort to panic buying, stressing that the situation was under control. The corporation further reiterated its commitment to uninterrupted product supply to the general public in keeping with its mandate of ensuring products sufficiency across the country. However, the Independent Petroleum Marketers Association of Nigeria, IPMAN, while insisting that the supply to Lagos is inadequate, has called on NNPC to step up import of Premium Motor Spirit (PMS) also known as petrol to avert another round of scarcity.

Credit: NationalMirror

Buhari’s CoS Laments Mail Leakage, Warns Villa Staff

Posted on February 3, 2016 by Staff Reporter

Chief of Staff (COS) to President Muhammadu Buhari, Mallam Abba Kyari, on Tuesday, warned workers in the State House against leaking official letters or sitting on files, threatening that tough sanctions await anybody caught in such acts. The CoS spoke at the send forth of four staff members who either retired or were redeployed or posted to foreign mission from the State House. His words: “But just one thing we cannot tolerate is letters and information going out of this office. I have seen one with my signature shown to me. “So I do not know who that is; I do not know why anyone should do that but please make sure that that does not happen. “Anything that is written, it will come out anyway; it is not a secret; but the bad thing is for it to come out before it is publicly made by the relevant authorities.

“So please don’t fall into this trap of somebody asking you to bring a letter, because if by accident you are found or the letter traced to you clearly, it would not be something that we would tolerate.’’ Accordingly, the President’s man told the workers to remain disciplined, dedicated to their duty, shun gossips in the office and move correspondences faster. “Those of us who are remaining here, we should remain and rededicate ourselves not make rooms for small talks or gossip; concentrate and do your job.

“What I want to announce now is that very soon when a full team is constituted, the turn-around for any mail should not be more than 48 hours. “If you think you can’t turn it out within 48 hours then I should know why. Maybe you have to ask some questions from somewhere. “Please, let no mail remain on any body’s desk for more than 48 hours,’’ Kyari warned. He charged the workers to embrace the wind of change of the administration, adding that for the Change to have meaning “we have to do things differently.’’ He also cautioned the workers not to abuse the privilege of working in the State House through mischief.

“This office is not about giving contracts. This office is not about peddling influence. This office is not about being paid to make somebody see the President,’’ he said. The CoS recalled a twit which alleged that people paid up to 40,000 dollars to the office to be taken to the President, describing such rumour as cheap blackmail. Kyari urged them to ensure the success of the administration and the prosperity of the country as anything contrary would spell doom for the people. He said: “If this country works, it works for all of us. If it fails to work, it will fail for all of us.

Credit: DailyTimes

Boko Haram Plans Abduction For Ransom, FG Warns

Posted on December 18, 2015 by Staff Reporter

The Federal Government of Nigeria has warned that Boko Haram terrorists are planning to abduct pupils, students or foreigners in a desperate effort to raise funds through ransom.

According to the government, the terrorists have been put on the run by the military but they are in dare need of food, medical and arms supply.

In a statement issued by the Minister of Information and Culture, Mr Lai Mohammed, in Abuja on Friday, said that the planned abduction is in line with the terrorists’ new modus operandi of focusing on soft targets, having been routed from their stronghold and their capacity to stage spectacular attacks substantially degraded.

Credit: ChannelsTV

Army Warns Pro Biafran Protesters

Posted on November 17, 2015 by Staff Reporter

Apparently piqued by the growing secessionist protests in some parts of the country, the Nigerian Army has warned in strong terms its resolve to resort to use of minimum force if called upon to do so. The army’s position followed simultaneous media parleys in Lagos and Jos, the Plateau State capital, on Monday. General Officers Commanding 81 and 3 Divisions of the Nigerian Army, Majors- General Isidore Edet and Hassan Umaru, respectively, issued these warnings while meeting with media.

In like manner, the 82 Division of the Nigerian Army also pledged its readiness to suppress insurrection in the South East and South-South geopolitical zones whenever it was called upon to do so. The Jos briefing was held at the Maxwell Kobe Cantonment, Rukuba, Plateau State, while that of Lagos was held at the 81 Division Officers Mess, Onikan. In Lagos, Gen. Edet of 81 Division, said the Nigerian Army would not stand idly by and allow some dissidents to disrupt the peace being enjoyed in the country as well as truncate the nation’s democracy.

He therefore said that the Army could be forced into using minimum force in dealing with civilians agitating specifically for the return of Biafra Republic. “It is the duty of an officer or soldier to ensure the enforcement of law and order. In conjunction with other security agencies, troops are duty bound to intervene in any situation to avoid a breakdown in peace and stability of an area where they are deployed,” Maj-Gen. Umaru said. “It is inexcusable for troops to stand aside and watch security situation deteriorate and for avoidance of doubt, the rule of engagement for internal security operations include principle of minimum force and proportionality must be applied at all times.”

Credit: DailyTimes

Kaduna Govt. Warns Residents Against Making Inciting Statements

Posted on November 3, 2015 by Staff Reporter

The Kaduna State government has cautioned residents of the state to desist from making statements that are capable of breaching the peace and unity of the state.

The warning was contained in a statement issued by Governor Nasir El-Rufai’s spokesman, Samuel Aruwan, at the end of the Kaduna State Security Council meeting on Tuesday.

The council vowed to punish anyone found fabricating allegations of religious blasphemy, either to seek sympathy or for any other reason, maintaining that such person would be prosecuted as prescribed in the Penal Code of the state and the Nigerian Constitution.

While reiterating the government’s commitment to protecting lives and property in the state, the council warned that appropriate sanction would be given any individual found inciting religious, ethnic or political violence or any form of civil disturbance in the state no matter his or her public standing.

It also reiterated that the law banning commercial motorcycles in the state was still in force, disclosing that law enforcement agencies had been directed to ensure compliance and prosecution of any offender.

Credit: ChannelsTV

DHQ Warns Against Circulation Of Fake National ID Cards

Posted on September 24, 2015 by Staff Reporter

The Nigerian military authorities have issued a red alert against the prevailing incidences of unauthorised reproduction of the national identity cards by some unscrupulous elements in society.

A statement signed by the Acting Director of Defence Information, Col. Rabe Abubakar said, “In view of the prevailing racketeering, the Defence Headquarters hereby warns members of the public to be mindful of getting their national identification from sources other than the National Identity Management Commission (NIMC).”

It expressed concern “that such acts of illegal reproduction of the national ID cards could engender a serious security breach in the ongoing counter-insurgency operation in the northeast.

“The public is also warned that the approved national ID card, which is a chip-based card, has over eighteen security features some of which are not visible to the naked eyes distinguishing it from any of its kind and can only be issued by the NIMC.

Read More: dailytimes

NSA Warns Of Likely Boko Haram Attack On Lagos Ports

Posted on September 24, 2015 by Staff Reporter

The office of the National Security Adviser, NSA, has issued a security alert on the likelihood of Boko Haram attack on Lagos seaports.

The alert was as a result of the concern expressed by the United States Embassy on the security situation at the nation’s seaports.

The security alert was signed by Assistant Comptroller General of Customs in charge of Enforcement and Intelligence, Mr. Dan Ugo, on behalf of the Comptroller General, Col. Hameed Ali (retd).

Following the security alert, the Nigeria Customs Service, NCS, has begun the restriction of persons into its various commands and formations in Lagos.

The development has brought about an increase in the level of security checks at all access points into the ports.

Read More: vanguardngr

Nigeria’s Economy May Slip Into Recession, CBN Warns

Posted on September 23, 2015 by Staff Reporter

From the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) yesterday came a warning shot on the economy: Nigeria risks sliding into recession next year.

The apex bank also hinted that the implementation of the Treasury Single Account (TSA) might affect the country’s economic growth.

Speaking yesterday at the end of the Monetary Policy Committee (MPC) meeting in Abuja , CBN Governor Godwin Emefiele lamented that with “two consecutive quarters of slow growth, the economy could slip into recession in 2016 if proactive steps are not taken to revive growth in key sectors of the economy.”

Emefiele added: “The overall economic environment remains fragile. The economy further slowed in the second quarter of the year, making it the second consecutive quarterly less-than-expected performance.”

In the face of the prevailing circumstances, the MPC advocated that a “synergy between monetary and fiscal policies remains the most potent option to sustainable growth.”

Read More: thenationonlineng

Flood: NEMA Warns Communities To Vacate Waterways

Posted on September 8, 2015 by Staff Reporter

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The National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA) has advised states and local governments to immediately relocate residents of communities along rivers, waterways and flood-prone areas to safer grounds to avoid unnecessary loss of lives and properties.

A statement signed by the agency’s Senior Information Officer, Sani Datti said the warning has become necessary as result of heavy rains and the devastating affect of floods that have been witnessed in most of the communities along rivers, waterways and flood prone areas in the recent time,

The statement quoted the Director General of NEMA, Muhammad Sani Sidi of having urged state and local governments to ensure adequate and proper refuse dumping sites from where they would be evacuated regularly.

Read More: thisdaylive

Don’t Negotiate With Boko Haram, Arewa Group Warns Buhari

Posted on August 26, 2015 by Staff Reporter

The Arewa Consultative Forum (ACF) has urged the Federal Government to shelve any plans to dialogue with the Boko Haram insurgent group arguing that such efforts may be an exercise in futility.

According to a former Inspector General of Police who is also the ACF Chairman, Alhaji Ibrahim Coomasie, previous attempts at a peaceful resolution of the prolonged Boko Haram insurgency did not yield the desired results.

Coomasie who spoke at a press conference in Kaduna yesterday also chided Igbo elders and leaders for allegedly failing to condemn those promoting the revival of Biafra.

He said that government should sustain its current onslaught against the Boko Haram insurgents noting that, “so far, so good, things are going on as they should and very soon, we who’ll finish with Boko Haram.

“If you recall, the Federal Government in the past proposed a dialogue and even set up a mediation group but the so called dialogue collapsed.

“There had also been other issues including a ceasefire agreement which the Boko Haram and even the Federal Government described as false.
“So, with the way things are happening, is it now we should talk of dialogue and who is asking for dialogue in the first place?

“During the last one year, the ACF has made concerted efforts aimed at bringing to the notice of both the northern states and the Federal Government, the killings and other atrocities being perpetrated by the Boko Haram and their collaborators.

“We had put pressure on both the Federal Government and the northern states governments, urging them to save the lives of our people by acting fast and decisively to stop the insurgency.”

Read More: vanguardngr

Kris Jenner Warns Daughter After New Report Says ‘Kylie’s 2 Months Pregnant’

Posted on August 20, 2015 by Staff Reporter

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Kris Jenner has been telling her youngest daughter Kylie to be safe amid rumors that the 18-year-old reality TV star is pregnant. The concern from Kris follows a story published by Life & Style magazine in its August issue, which hit the stands Wednesday, with the headline “Kylie’s 2 Months Pregnant.”

“Kris has been preaching to Kylie about birth control for years,” an insider told Hollywood Life, adding: “She was only 23 when she had Kourtney so she knows what it’s like to be a young mother. She has always wanted the girls to really be ready before going down that road.

Read More: ibtimes

SE, SS Group Warns Buhari Against Alienation Of Zones

Posted on August 14, 2015 by Staff Reporter

The South-East South-South Professionals of Nigeria (SESSPN), a Non-Governmental Organisation (NGO) which claimed to be “engaged in promoting good governance and rapid, sustainable and inclusive development” in the two geo-political zones of the country, has expressed concern about allegations that the new All Progressive Congress (APC) Federal Government, may be out to “alienate” the zones from general development in Nigeria.

In a letter addressed to Buhari and signed by its president, Emeka Ugwu-Oju and Secretary, Dagogo Karibi-Whyte, the group, which described the two zones as “major enablers of the Nigerian economy”, highlighted some recent events that fuelled its fears that the areas may indeed be on the road to alienation.

In the letter dated July 29, 2015, the SESSPN drew the attention of President Buhari to some “extant issues” which included the speech of the President during a visit to the United States of America, alleged lopsidedness in key appointments by the Federal Government and the threats against Senator Ike Ekweremadu’s emergence as the Deputy Senate President.

The letter, which was copied to many political leaders of the two zones across political divides, however expressed the readiness of the people of the zones to work with the rest of the country to achieve the change dream that the APC government desires.

Read More: ngrguardiannews

PDP Supports PMB’s Anti-Corruption Move, Warns Against Victimization

Posted on July 29, 2015 by Staff Reporter

The opposition Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) supported the anti-corruption war by President Muhammadu Buhari, noting however, that the war should not be blind to the impunity of the present leaders of the country in terms of borrowing and spending without recourse to the statutory organs of government.

The party also insisted on due process in order to ensure that it is not used as a guise to victimize innocent citizens and curtail the freedom of Nigerians.

The PDP in a statement issued by its national publicity secretary, Olisa Metuh, said the clarification has become necessary to remove any misconception that it is against the decision of the present administration to probe some past officials of government because they are PDP members.

“The PDP supports the decision of the federal government to fight corruption in our country. However, we make bold to state that it should not be used as a guise to victimise innocent citizens”.

“Democracy has come to stay in Nigeria and no citizen, irrespective of political, religious or ethnic affiliation should be denied access to due process and the rule of law in the process.”

Credit: leadership

Committee Threatens Sanctions Against Violent House Of Reps Members

Posted on July 28, 2015 by Staff Reporter

As members of the House of Representatives resume plenary on Tuesday, the Adhoc Committee on Code of Conduct has warned returning members to behave orderly.

Plenary was cut short the last time the House sat on June 25 when some members attempted to seize the mace leading to a free-for-all fight between members loyal to Speaker Yakubu Dogara and Femi Gbajabiamila.

After the fracas, Mr. Dogara postponed plenary to July 28.

The ad hoc committee on code of conduct on Monday told returning members that it has been saddled with the responsibility of carrying out the functions of the Standing Committee on Ethics and Privileges.

The committee, in a notice signed by Aminu Shagari, called on members to conduct themselves in an orderly manner on Tuesday.

“The Committee will no longer tolerate any unruly behaviour by any member of the House no matter how highly placed,” he said.

Mr. Shagari also advised members who have grievances to explore peaceful avenues of seeking redress instead of resorting to violence on the floor of the House, or the precincts of the National Assembly.

“There are adequate sanctions in place to penalise any member who may want to disrupt the peace during plenary, Committee meetings or other legislative functions of the House.

“The House will deal decisively with any member who violates the rules, disrupts plenary, or is found wanting of misconduct and other sundry offences.

“Members are admonished to demonstrate high standards of ethics consistent with the important role of Lawmaking and the 8th Assembly Legislative Agenda which places emphasis on the wellbeing of the Nigerian people,” the statement read.

Credit: premiumtimesng

Former ISIS Bride Recruiter Warns European Girls Of Caliphate Horrors

Posted on June 24, 2015 by Staff Reporter

A Syrian woman believed responsible for helping to deliver hundreds of young European girls to ISIS has defected, and is now warning young women of the hell that awaits them in the black-clad Islamist army’s so-called caliphate.

“You are young,” the defector, who used the alias Um Asma in an interview with German newspaper Bild am Sonntag, told young women considering running away to join ISIS. “The caliphate is not what you think it is. Women are whipped, sold and stoned. Corpses are on display publicly for weeks.”

“The caliphate is not what you think it is. Women are whipped, sold and stoned.”

– Um Asma

Asma described her efforts as a member of the women’s terror group al-Khansa, named after a 7^thcentury female poet who converted to Islam and wrote odes to dead Muslim fighters. The 23-year-old wore a full covering niqab that shields everything but her eyes in the interview, and used the alias because she fears ISIS retaliation. Before the outbreak of the Syrian war in 2011, she said, she wore “entirely normal clothes, had Christian friends, listened to music and went dancing.”

Read More: foxnews

APC Warns Jega To Watch His Utterances

Posted on June 19, 2015 by Staff Reporter

The All Progressives Congress (APC) has warned the outgoing Chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to guard his utterances as it relates to the just concluded general elections in Rivers State.

The party was reacting to Jega’s comment suggesting that the massive electoral fraud perpetrated during the last general elections in Rivers State was not as huge as reported.

The party in a statement by the Publicity Secretary of the party in Rivers State, Chris Finebone said it was sad that Jega was trying to down play the atrocities committed by the INEC staff during the elections in the state.

The party accused Jega of trying to shore up his reputation before the eyes of the world with his comments.

Read More: NigerianMonitor

Don’t Pay $50,000 To See Me Or My Husband, Aisha Buhari Warns

Posted on June 15, 2015 by Staff Reporter

Wife of the President, Aisha Buhari, has warned that anyone who demands $50,000 to enable him see her or her husband should be disregarded.

Speaking at an appreciation dinner she hosted for women and youths at the Banquet Hall of the Presidential Villa on Saturday, she said whoever demands money to facilitates his or her seeing her or her husband was neither working for the President nor the All Progressives Congress, APC.

She said: “I will like to inform you that in the past regime, whether it is true or false, only God knows. Some people were going round, parading themselves as personal assistants. If you wanted to see the First Lady, you will pay $30,000 or $50,000; and if you are seeing the President, you will pay all that you have gathered in your lifetime.

“This will not happen in our regime. Whoever asks you to give a single penny in the name of coming to see the President or his wife is not our staff. He is not an APC member; it is a lie. Don’t be deceived.”

She stated that there was nothing people did not say about the past administration, stressing that it was not former President Goodluck Jonathan that was not good but the people around him.

The President’s wife said the people that are going to be around her husband have to be very careful because the election ended peacefully.

“We are praying and hoping that people around him should know that it took him 12 years to get to that position and they must know that they are coming to serve the masses, not President Muhammadu Buhari in person.

“It is the people that are around him that will determine the political health of our state.

“I am so delighted to stand before you today as the wife of a former Head of State and today being called the wife of the President. It was such a long journey and we thank God it ended this way; we really thank God.

“I want to thank all Nigerian women and youths for the crucial roles they played towards the success of the last elections. I am very much aware of your steadfastness during the election campaigns up till the elections proper,” she said.

She explained that in line with the philosophy of her husband, the administration would be open to all Nigerians.

While noting the challenges faced by the country in the areas of security, unemployment and corruption, she said the responsibility to solve the problems should not be left for the government alone.

Mrs. Buhari also used the occasion to explain that her husband never put her in purdah.

She urged Nigerians to come up with practical solutions, collectively and individually, that would facilitate answers to the ills of the society, especially women issues.

“Even, by the recent campaigns, it was Bola Ahmed Tinubu who insisted that I should come out and support my husband. Not that I never liked supporting my husband but it all depended on the people around him. And now, it is the people around him that said they wanted me to participate; we did and we have seen the difference.

“My husband is a gender- sensitive being, having so many girls as his own biological children and then having me as his wife. Then, you can see the generation gap. He allowed me to go to school. To cut the story short, he is the pillar of my success.

“The women of Nigeria are not asking for equal representation but a fair representation.

“As you are all aware, they were the major voters; we constitute more than 50 per cent and in the end, we found out that the number of female legislators that we used to have declined. I do not think this is fair to women. We feel we are not adequately represented.

“We should now make it as a mission in the next four years, to fight for fair representation of women in both leadership and decision-making bodies,” she said.

She also spoke on the high rate of divorce in the North, widowhood in the South and female students’ harassment in higher institutions, demanding that something be done to solve the problems.

Credit: nationalmirroronline

NASS Leadership: PDP Warns APC Against Witchhunt On Clerk, Assembly Commission

Posted on June 12, 2015 by Staff Reporter

The Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, has cautioned the Presidency and the All Progressives Congress, APC, against any attempt to intimidate or harass the Clerk of the National Assembly, Salisu Maikasuwa, and the National Assembly Service Commission over the election of Senate president and House of Representatives speaker.

PDP National Publicity Secretary, Olisa Metuh, in a statement on Thursday said any attempt by the APC to transfer their frustration, which was a product of their ineptitude, would amount to witch-hunt and victimization.

The party said the undertone of the statement of President Muhammadu Buhari’s spokesperson, Garba Shehu that the Clerk was adequately requested to shift the time for the inauguration to enable the President address the APC legislators but he ignored it “amounts to putting undue pressure on civil servants in the National Assembly for performing their legitimate duties and sends a serious signal which should not be ignored.”

It accused the APC of displaying its arrogance and disrespect for the dictates of the constitution by attempting to adjust the President’s promulgation order on the National Assembly and seeking to put their interest over and above the supreme law of the land.

“It is a clear mark of disrespect to the constitution for the President and his party to fix a meeting for him to address their legislators the same time he had directed the Assembly to be inaugurated in line with the constitution. For 16 years that PDP nurtured democracy in this country, there was never a day it attempted to arm-twist or intimidate the bureaucracy of the National Assembly to do its bidding given our recognition and respect for the independence and sanctity of the legislative arm.

“The National Assembly is the citadel of democracy and represents the collective voice of all Nigerians. The PDP, even in opposition will continue to protect its sanctity and will therefore resist any attempt by the APC to undermine its independence and those of other democratic institutions in our country,” the statement said.

The party noted that the position of the APC and the Presidency clearly negates President Buhari’s well-received and praised assertion in his inaugural speech that he belongs to everybody and belongs to nobody as Nigeria’s President.

“By the last minute attempt to shift the inauguration time for party interest, the President violates his Presidential oath to defend the constitution and serve the nation without fear or favour and irrespective of party, religion and tribe, as he did not consider the interests of other political parties and the generality of Nigerians,” the party said.

The PDP said emerging events have continued to justify its position that the APC is ill-equipped and unprepared for the enormous challenge of ruling the country adding that such became glaring in the way and manner the APC handled a very vital issue like the inauguration of the National Assembly.

“From March 28, 2015 to June 9th, the APC had about 74 days within which it was expected to put its house in order and present its leaders for the 8th National Assembly, but it could not because of the greed and selfishness of its so-called godfathers who instead chose to fix their party meeting the same time the President scheduled for the inauguration of the National Assembly.”

The PDP said rather than vilify the Clerk of the National Assembly, the APC should commend him for his patriotic and courageous stand that has helped minimize the embarrassment the shifting would have brought to the country internationally given that it has been announced to take place at a particular time on Tuesday.

The party therefore charged the Presidency and APC to apologize to Nigerians for the embarrassment their ineptitude and inexperience has been causing the nation since they came into office.

Credit: premiumtimesng

APC Warns Buhari Supporters

Posted on May 29, 2015 by Staff Reporter

The All Progressives Congress (APC) has urged supporters of the President-elect, Muhammadu Buhari to stay at home if they don’t have an invitation for his inauguration on Friday.

The party noted that the event is a government programme and not that of the party.

The party in a statement signed by the head of Buhari’s media team, Garba Shehu, urged supporters of Buhari planning to travel to Abuja for the event to jettison the plan.

He advised the party’s supporters to stay in their respective states and follow the proceedings on Radio and TV.

Read more: Naij

You Cannot Stampede Jonathan Out Of Office, Presidency Warns APC

Posted on May 7, 2015 by Staff Reporter

Special Adviser to the President on Political Affairs, Prof. Rufai Ahmed Alkali has chided the All Progressives Congress, APC, over its recent utterances urging the party to talk less and plan more as the nation moves towards the 29th May inauguration date.

Reacting to the alarm raised by the APC that President Jonathan is running the economy aground before handing over, Professor Alkali said “the allegation is immature, reckless and out of tune with the President’s desire and patriotic commitment to a peaceful transfer of power”.

“Nigerians will recall that shortly after the results of the Presidential elections were announced, President Goodluck Jonathan inaugurated a high powered transition committee to plan and organize a hitch free transition programme for the inauguration of the incoming administration.

Surprisingly, it took the APC more than three weeks to wake up to its responsibility to constitute its own transition committee. How then can they turn round to accuse the government of frustrating the transition programme?

Read More: vanguardngr

FG Warns Buhari Not To Reverse Privatization Of Power Sector

Posted on May 6, 2015 by Staff Reporter

The Federal Government on Wednesday warned the incoming government of the President-elect, Gen. Muhammadu Buhari (retd.), to avoid reversing the privatisation of the power sector carried out by the outgoing administration.

Minister of Power, Prof. Chinedu Nebo, said this in an interview with State House correspondents after the weekly Federal Executive Council meeting.

Nebo also attributed the poor power supply being witnessed across the country to those he called demon-possessed Nigerians who he said derive pleasure in vandalising gas pipelines for no just reason.

Read More: punchng

Afenifere Warns Buhari Against Selective Corruption Fight, Asks Him To Implement 2014 Confab Report

Posted on April 30, 2015 by Staff Reporter

The Pan-Yoruba socio-political group, Afenifere, has charged President-elect, Muhammadu Buhari, not to be selective in his fight against corruption. The group also called on him to ensure the implementation of the confab report as a way out of corruption and the complexities of Nigeria’s federal system.

In a communique issued on Wednesday in Akure after a meeting held at the home of its leader, Reuben Fasoranti, Afenifere admitted that corruption was pervasive and systemic in the country’s polity and therefore required a decisive approach if the country must move forward.

The communique stated, “In our view, devolution of power is the panacea to issues of corruption, generation of electricity, qualitative education, issues of security and other policies that will ensure a fair society.”

While commending President Goodluck Jonathan’s acceptance of results of the last polls, Afenifere described his gesture as a patriotic action that saved the country from possible crisis.

The group, which said it was fully aware of the misunderstanding of its position in supporting President Jonathan in the 2015 election, ?added that the position was taken in the overall interest of the Yoruba race and the country. “For the avoidance of doubt, the ?President-elect, General Buhari (Rtd) himself would attest to our not being induced in supporting him in 2007. We were certainly not induced to support President Goodluck Jonathan.

“Our decision was based on our age-long commitment to support a presidential candidate committed to restructuring of Nigeria.

“?Afenifere supported Buhari in 2007 when he agreed with Afenifere that he would restructure Nigeria and President Jonathan in 2015 because of his support for the National Conference and devolution of power.

“We will continued to make representation to the President-elect to ?implement the 2014 Conference resolutions, particularly with regards to restructuring and reduction of recurrent expenditure.

“We call on Yoruba people irrespective of their ?political leanings to continue to pursue the implementation of the report,” the Afenifere stated.

It restated its support for the Social Democratic Party, (SDP) as its own platform for political power attainment and called on its members to continue with its principled philosophy of being the conscience of the nation. The group congratulated all SDP members who won legislative seats ?in the various states of the federation, but admonished those who lost not to despair.

Credit: premiumtimesng

Turn In Your Illegal Weapons- Aregbesola Warns Osun People

Posted on April 15, 2015 by Staff Reporter

Osun State governor, Ogbeni Rauf Aregbesola, has warned the people of the state to submit all illegal weapons in their possession.

Aregbesola handed down the warning while receiving the report of the Judicial Commission of Inquiry set up by his government to look into the crises between Ipetumodu and Ashipa communities in Ife-North Local Government Area of the state at the Government House in Osogbo.

The governor also ordered that those in possession of such should voluntarily surrender them to the relevant authorities. Sounding tough, Aregbesola said such people should prepare themselves to hand over the weapons by May 29 after which he said they would enjoy one week of grace to do so.

Read More: dailypost

Stop The Unbecoming Comments Against The Oba Of Lagos- OPC Warns Nigerians

Posted on April 8, 2015 by Staff Reporter

Nigerians have been warned by the Oodua Peoples Congress (OPC) to stop the unbecoming comments against the Oba of Lagos, Rilwan Akiolu. This was disclosed in a statement issued by the National Coordinating Council of OPC, Comrade Monsuru Akande.

Akiolu has been under fire since Monday, when he reportedly threatened the Igbos living in Lagos to either vote for the APC governorship candidate, Mr. Akinwunmi Ambode, or perish in the lagoon.

Akande said the Yoruba institutions should not be trampled upon and all those involved in the unbecoming comments against the Oba should desist from doing so.

“The institution of the oba is one the Yoruba race hold in high esteem, and the OPC as irredentist defenders of Yoruba culture and heritage would therefore not tolerate anybody -irrespective of their places of birth of conviction- to denigrate what their hosts (Yorubas) hold sacred.

Read More: naij

Jonathan Warns Politicians Against Instigating Crisis

Posted on April 8, 2015 by Staff Reporter

President Goodluck Jonathan on Tuesday warned politicians against instigating crisis in the country, saying that the Federal Government will not condone any attempt to foment trouble while pursuing their personal ambitions.

The president issued the warning through his Special Adviser on Media and Publicity, Reuben Abati, at a news briefing with State House correspondents in Abuja.

Mr. Jonathan also called on all those who, through their actions and utterances, had been promoting divisiveness, sectionalism and ethnic hatred in the country following the outcome of the March 28 elections, to cease and desist from such actions.

According to him, such acts detract from the true spirit and culture of democracy envisioned by patriotic men and women of goodwill in Nigeria.

“The Federal Government will not condone any attempt to instigate a crisis in any part of the country in furtherance of personal political ambitions.

“President Jonathan assures all Nigerians that his administration remains fully committed to national progress and the entrenchment of the best values of democracy for the good of all Nigerians.

Read More: premiumtimesng

Police IG Warns Potential Trouble Makers Ahead Of Result Declaration

Posted on March 30, 2015 by Staff Reporter

The Inspector-General of Police, Suleiman Abba, on Monday warned would-be “trouble makers to have a think” ahead of the declaration of results of the Presidential and National Assembly (NASS) elections.

Abba gave the warning in a statement issued by the Force Spokesman, Emmanuel Ojukwu in Abuja. The I-G, therefore, charged officers and men of the force to “remain vigilant, steadfast and firm.’’

He advised citizens to about their lawful businesses without fear and assured that the police was ready to provide round-the-clock security beyond the election. The police boss commended personnel involved in the election for their professional conduct during the exercise.

He also commended the electorate for their orderly conduct and commitment to peace throughout the election, as well as their unalloyed cooperation with law enforcement officers.

Credit: NAN

ISIS No ‘Romantic Adventure’, Australia Warns Girls

Posted on February 26, 2015 by Staff Reporter

A worrying number of Australian women are heading to Iraq and Syria to become so-called Islamic State group “jihadi brides”, Foreign Minister Julie Bishop said Thursday, warning against notions of a “romantic adventure”.

At least 110 Australians have left to fight alongside militants in the Middle East and security officials said between 30 and 40 women were among them or were actively supporting the group in Australia.

“Sadly we are seeing a younger cohort seeking to join the conflict in Syria and Iraq and an increasing number of young females,” Bishop said, responding to the high-profile case this week of three British teenage girls heading to Syria.

“This defies logic. Family and friends need to reach out to young people at risk before it’s too late.”

She cited the case of 22-year-old Amira Karroum who left her Sydney home just before Christmas and died in fighting in Syria.

“Her death was not martyrdom, it was a tragic senseless loss,” said Bishop.

She added that many women heading to conflict zones were either attracted to male foreign terrorist fighters, were accompanying their partner, or actually looking for a husband and being told online they could find one in Syria and Iraq.

Bishop warned they faced a brutal regime that treated women appallingly.

“This is a terrorist organisation that has an appalling track record when it comes to women,” she told ABC radio.

“They actually have online instructions on how to treat a sex slave. They encourage sexual assault on children who haven’t even reached puberty.

“So their attitude towards women is utterly appalling and so young women shouldn’t be led to believe that there’s some romantic adventure attached to supporting Daesh (Islamic State) and similar terrorist organisations.”

An estimated 550 women from across Europe have also travelled to join the jihadists and Bishop said Australia was working with Muslim communities to highlight the risks.

“We have a number of community initiatives and programmes, working with local communities, working with schools, working with families,” she said.

“Our initiatives in tackling the spread of online extremist content on websites is also part of that, working with local mosques, working with community groups.”

Her comments came as an Australian man who travelled to Syria to battle militants was reportedly killed — the first Westerner to die fighting alongside the Kurds.

“An Australian man was killed in an assault on Tuesday by the Islamic State against a position of the Kurdish People’s Protection Units (YPG) near Tal Hamis in Hasakeh province,” said Syrian Observatory for Human Rights director Rami Abdel Rahman.

Australia’s foreign affairs department said it was aware of the reports but its “capacity to confirm reports of deaths in either Syria or Iraq is extremely limited”.

“Australians who become involved in overseas conflicts are putting their own lives in mortal danger,” it added.

Credit: AFP

…Nigeria “Remains Fluid and Unpredictable”- US Warns Citizens

Posted on February 5, 2015 by Staff Reporter

The United States’ Department of State yesterday, January 3, issued a warning to its citizens to avoid visiting Nigeria during the February elections.

The warning which was issued through the Mission’s website according to Punch, warned against all but essential travels to 17 states due to the risk of kidnappings, robberies, and other armed attacks.

It noted that the security situation in North-East Nigeria “remains fluid and unpredictable.” The Department also explained that the ability of the Mission to provide assistance to US citizens in Adamawa, Borno, and Yobe states remained severely limited because the security situation in northeast.

The high risk states according to U.S. include: Adamawa, Bauchi, Bayelsa, Borno, Delta, Gombe, Jigawa, Kaduna, Kano, Katsina, Kebbi, Niger, Plateau, Rivers, Sokoto, Yobe, and Zamfara.

Read More: naij.com

Jonathan is not Ijaw President – PDP warns Tompolo, Asari

Posted on January 31, 2015 by Staff Reporter

The Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, has warned some ex-militants to note that President Goodluck Jonathan is not for the Ijaw nation alone but for the entire country.

The militants have been threatening rain and fire if President Goodluck Jonathan loses the February 14 presidential election.

However, the national Publicity Secretary of the party, Chief Olisa Metuh, in an interview with selected group of journalists in Abuja on Friday, said, “We are not in agreement with their statements and we are cautioning them to mind what they say.

Read More: dailypost.ng