Leaders of Ebola-hit countries in west Africa will attend an international conference in Brussels Tuesday to mobilise a final push to end the outbreak and ensure the delivery of nearly $5 billion in aid pledges.
Liberian President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf, Sierra Leone President Ernest Bai Koroma and Alpha Conde of Guinea, the three countries hardest hit by the epidemic, will be joined by top officials from around the world for the EU-backed meeting.
The conference comes as Sierra Leone’s vice president remains in self-imposed quarantine after one of his bodyguards died from Ebola amid a recent spike in cases following a long decline.
“It will be a very difficult and painstaking task,” UN Ebola envoy David Nabarro told a briefing on the eve of the conference.
More than 9,500 people have died of the disease since the west African epidemic emerged in southern Guinea in December 2013.
Nabarro said the number of new cases had declined from around 900 a week to 100, but that cases appeared to be climbing back up in the coastal regions of Sierra Leone and Guinea.
Officials from the European Union, China, the United States, Cuba and Australia will be in Brussels alongside the United Nations, the World Bank and other international organisations trying to wipe out the disease in west Africa.
“The purpose of this conference is getting to zero” in terms of human cases, an EU official involved in the talks said separately, but added: “The curve is flattening out, but definitely it is not at zero.”
– Rebuilding economies –
Nonetheless, officials acknowledged there was less alarm about Ebola this year than a few months ago when people feared it could spread to Europe or other parts of Africa.
In fact, another EU official said, Nigeria, Senegal and Mali have all managed to show that Ebola cases can be reduced to zero after they too were hit by the virus.
Officials said countries around the world have so far pledged $4.9 billion to fight Ebola, with $2.4 billion disbursed until now.
“This conference is not really a pledging conference but rather an occasion to take stock to urge countries that have not yet disbursed to disburse what they have actually already pledged,” one official said.
The International Monetary Fund and the World Bank will then host a conference in April in Washington to see if there are still financial gaps, followed by another called by the UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon in May, Nabarro said.
EU officials organising the Brussels event said the conference will also focus on how to revive economic development in west Africa.
According to World Bank estimates, the countries at the centre of the Ebola epidemic are forecast to lose 12 percent of their combined gross domestic product this year.
In addition, their health sectors have been partially wiped out by the epidemic or forced to divert resources to fighting Ebola at the expense of other diseases like measles, malaria and AIDS.
Ebola, one of the deadliest pathogens known to man, is spread through direct contact with the bodily fluids of an infected person showing symptoms such as fever or vomiting.
EU officials said a total of 60 delegations will be attending the conference, including one led by Togolese President Faure Gnassingbe.
Anthony-Claret is a software Engineer, entrepreneur and the founder of Codewit INC. Mr. Claret publishes and manages the content on Codewit Word News website and associated websites. He's a writer, IT Expert, great administrator, technology enthusiast, social media lover and all around digital guy.
The Islamic State group said Tuesday a US citizen carried out a suicide attack against Iraqi forces involved in an operation to retake the jihadist-held city of Tikrit. “The brother Abu Dawud al-Amriki (may Allah accept him) launched himself with his explosives-laden truck against a gathering” of Iraqi forces and militiamen, an IS radio bulletin said.
The report gave no details on the man’s identity. It claimed that dozens of Iraqi forces were killed and wounded in the blast, but did not provide further details, such as pictures or footage. There was no immediate confirmation of the attack from other sources. Pro-IS social media accounts said the attack was carried out Monday near Samarra, the other main city in Salaheddin province.
Samarra is controlled by the government and has been launchpad for a broad military operation officially launched Monday to wrest back Tikrit — further north up the Tigris River — from the jihadists.Army commanders say the jihadists have been hampering the advance by resorting to guerrilla tactics, such as car bombs, booby traps and sniper fire. The jihadist group, which took control of swathes of Iraq last year and also holds parts of Syria, frequently uses foreign fighters for suicide missions.
Anthony-Claret is a software Engineer, entrepreneur and the founder of Codewit INC. Mr. Claret publishes and manages the content on Codewit Word News website and associated websites. He's a writer, IT Expert, great administrator, technology enthusiast, social media lover and all around digital guy.
MY presidential ambition is not worth the blood of any Nigerian.”So said President Goodluck Jonathan before the 2011 presidential ballot. To this day, he has continued to reiterate his pacifist message.
But entrenched in an antipodal zone is General Muhammadu Buhari who made the following incendiary statement in the Vanguard of May 15, 2012: “If what happened in 2011 should again happen in 2015, by the grace of God, the dog and the baboon would be soaked in blood.” So, where is the basis for comparison between the Nigerian President and the presidential candidate of the APC? Wetin concern centre rank with open order?
The opposition is daily on television, advertising General Obasanjo – a man who traitorously tried but woefully failed to wangle himself into a third, unconstitutional term of presidential office –peering into a script and croakily announcing that Dr. Jonathan had committed himself to a single term of office as President of Nigeria. The opposition’s intention is to portray President Jonathan as untrustworthy. But, all the money thrown into that dubious political advert achieved nothing. This is because, had there been a commitment to a single term, it would have had to come from the mouth of the one expected to live the commitment. But, there sat Dr. Jonathan, astonished, as Obasanjo read a script of his own and his cohorts’ composition, aimed at scoring points that can only be devious. Of course, President Jonathan couldn’t possibly be tied to a questionable pact whose enunciation he knew next to nothing about.
Contrast this to General Buhari, who upon his third successive thrashing at the presidential ballot, addressed a press conference, telling Nigerians on live television that he was through with further participation in partisan politics, including presidential elections. Who,then has taken Nigerians for a ride? The one on whose account various schemes were devised to impose a single presidential tenure, or the one who said “No more” only to renege?
In the first half of this submission, it was demonstrated that there existed a stark difference between day and night. Buhari had torn the Nigerian Constitution by shooting himself to power, whereas President Jonathan assumed the highest office in the land on the basis of the people’s mandate. Not only that, the democratic credentials of President Jonathan are self-evident. For instance, despite unprecedented media calumniation, he presented Nigeria with the glittering democratic dividend of the Freedom of Information (FOI) Act.This cannot be said for General Buhari who, as military Head of State, handcuffed and imprisoned the Nigerian media.
In discussing Nigeria’s economy, the best person to speak for the Jonathan administration is Dr. Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, the Coordinating Minister for the Economy and Minister of Finance:”We are improving infrastructure across the country. For example, 22 airport terminals are being refurbished, and five new international airport terminals under construction in Lagos, Port Harcourt, Kano, Abuja, and Enugu…
“Various road and bridge projects have either been completed or are under construction. Those completed include the Enugu – Abaliki road in Enugu/Ebonyi States, the Oturkpo–Oweto road in Benue State, the Benin–Ore–Shagamu highway, and the Abuja–Abaji–Lokojadualization, and the Kano–Maiduguri dualization. The Lagos – Ibadan expressway and the Second Niger Bridge are under construction.
“Rail from Lagos to Kano is now functional, as are parts of the rail link between Port Harcourt and Maiduguri. All these have brought transport costs down. We recognize that more needs to be done in the power sector, but bold steps (like the privatization of the GENCOs and DISCOs) have been taken, and our gas infrastructure is being developed to power electricity generation
“In Agriculture, over 6 million farmers now have access to inputs like fertilizers and seeds through an e-wallet system, which is more than the 403,222 that had access in 2011. Rice paddy production took off for the first time in our history, adding about 7 million MT to rice supply. An additional 1.3 million MT of Cassava has also been produced and as a result, the rate of food price increase has slowed considerably, according to the NBS.
“In Housing, we have put in place a new wholesale mortgage provider – the Nigerian Mortgage Refinance Corporation (NMRC) – to provide affordable mortgages to ordinary Nigerians, starting with those in the low-middle income bracket. This sector will help the economy grow as we tap it as an economic driver for the first time. Mortgage applications from 66,000 people are currently being processed and 23,000 have already received mortgage offers
“Our Manufacturing sector is reviving with new automobile plants by Nissan, Toyota, etc. This is in addition to the backward integration policy in key sectors like petrochemical, sugar, textiles, agro processing and cement, which Nigeria is now producing 39,000 MT and exporting to the region.
“The Creative sector is now a factor in our GDP, with Nollywood alone accounting for 1.4 percent, creating over 200,000 direct jobs and nearly 1 million indirect jobs. This is the first Administration to recognize its importance and support its further development with a grant program.”
What is General Buhari going to do about the Nigerian economy?An answer can be found in APC’s manifesto on whichEconomics professor Charles Soludo, an ardent sympathizer of the party, has the following adverse commentary: “Buhari and his team must realize that they do not yet have a coherent, credible agenda that is consistent with the fundamentals of the economy currently. The APC manifesto contains some good principles and wish-lists, but as a blue print for Nigeria’s security and prosperity, it is largely hollow. The numbers do not add up.” Buhari, a former military Head of State,has thrice tried to be elected president and is currently a presidential candidate. How does one explain that he has but only a “largely hollow” manifesto regarding the country’s future?
While this is pondered, attention should be turned to national security. Alhaji ShehuShagari is alive and well, thanks to God’s abiding mercies. The ex-President can confirm that, after Maitatsine insurgents were crushed under his watch, he told an interviewer that he was grateful to God that the insurgency had happened in his home region because, had it taken place elsewhere, opposition politicians would have accused him of killing civilians who were not his kith and kin. President Jonathan has been in this dilemma. He ordered troops fighting Boko Haram terrorists to be wary of collateral damage. It was one reason the initial sightings of the kidnapped Chibok girls did not lead to military offensive, given that such an action could have endangered the lives of the young girls everybody wants returned alive. Yet, every military move against the terrorists is followed by strident opposition threats to head to The Hague and file suits against “human rights” abuses.
The fact is that President Jonathan’s best efforts and commendable achievements have, at every turn, been vitiated by negative press contrived by the opposition and promoted by international lobbyists who religiously collect their dollars by the millions but care not a hoot whether Nigeria burns or drowns. There is one consolation though: no one can bury the truth.
Anthony-Claret is a software Engineer, entrepreneur and the founder of Codewit INC. Mr. Claret publishes and manages the content on Codewit Word News website and associated websites. He's a writer, IT Expert, great administrator, technology enthusiast, social media lover and all around digital guy.
Saudi Arabia beheaded Tuesday a rapist and two murderers, bringing to 38 the number of death sentences carried out in the kingdom this year. Saudi Mohammed bin Ali bin Mohammed al-Bishi was convicted of raping his victim at gunpoint, the interior ministry said in a statement carried by the official Saudi Press Agency.
“He also committed a number of armed robberies causing panic amongst the society. He had entered a number of homes by force and tried to kidnap and rape women and children,” the statement said. Bishi was sentenced to death “as punishment and to serve as a deterrent to others”. Authorities carried out the sentence in the southwestern region of Asir.
In a separate case, Hamoud bin Salih bin Falih al-Zubi was executed in Riyadh for gunning down a fellow Saudi during a brawl. And another native of the kingdom, Falih bin Misnad bin Rabea al-Inzi, was beheaded in Qassim region for a fatal stabbing. Drug trafficking, rape, murder, apostasy and armed robbery are all punishable by death under the Gulf kingdom’s strict version of Islamic sharia law.
Amnesty International said in its annual report last week that death sentences are often imposed “after unfair trials”. The London-based watchdog said some defendants claimed to have been tortured or “otherwise coerced or misled into making false confessions” before trial. The kingdom executed 87 people last year, up from 78 in 2013, according to an AFP count.
Anthony-Claret is a software Engineer, entrepreneur and the founder of Codewit INC. Mr. Claret publishes and manages the content on Codewit Word News website and associated websites. He's a writer, IT Expert, great administrator, technology enthusiast, social media lover and all around digital guy.
ABUJA – AHEAD of the presidential and general elections slated for March 28 and April 11 respectively, the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP Presidential Campaign Organisation, PDPPCO , Monday urged the leadership of the All Progressives Congress, APC to pray for the fortune of its presidential candidate, General Muhammadu Buhari, rtd, because he was in trouble and surrounded by those he termed, snakes and vampires.
Fani-Kayode and Tinubu
In a statement Monday by the Director, Media and Publicity, PDP Presidential Campaign Organisation, Chief Femi Fani- Kayode said that the national leader of APC, Asiwaju Bola Tinubu and his aides were not God, just as he asked them to pray for late Funsho Williams’ soul.
According to Fani- Kayode, if Nigerians do not have short memories, the former Lagos State Governor ought to be in jail.
He said, “Whether the APC wishes me well or not, I shall live long and prosper. What they think about me is neither here nor there and I lose no sleep over it. It is only what God thinks about me that matters and they are not God. They do not like me and I do not like them and that is fine by me. We do not need to like each other and all we need to do is to meet in the field.
“I do not need their good wishes and neither do I crave their goodwill. Rather than continuously talking about me and making infantile and primitive statements, they should spend their time praying for the soul of the late and great PDP leader, Chief Funso Williams, who would have been the governor of Lagos state, who was mysteriously murdered a few years ago by a group of evil, power-hungry and callous men… We pray every day that God should avenge Funso Williams and bring those that killed him to justice.
“We suggest that the APC purge themselves of their obvious obsession with me and instead pray for the fortunes of their candidate, General Muhammadu Buhari because he is in trouble and he is surrounded by snakes and vampires. They should pray that God will keep General Buhari safe from the enemy within. The problem with the Tinubu’s wing of the APC is that they are so used to dishing out rubbish about other people that it has affected their minds and their ability to say anything reasonable or rational.
“The truth is that their leader, Tinubu belongs in a sanatorium for the mentally unbalanced and a maximum security prison for the power obsessed rather than in any political party. As for the quisling and minion called Lai Mohammed, I refuse to respond to him unless and until he starts talking sense, cures himself of his chronic bad breath and desists from wearing pampers.
“The only people that are caving in under pressure here are the APC, their presidential candidate, General Buhari and their de facto leader Tinubu. The closer we get to March 28, the more they panic and the more falsehood and rubbish that they spew out. As I have said before, they have become prisoners of their own delusions and fantasies and victims of their own hallucinations.
“Tinubu should count himself lucky that Nigerians have short memories and that he is not in jail because that is where he deserves to be. He should also prepare himself for the greatest humiliation and defeat of his political career because after March 28, his ambition of becoming de facto president of Nigeria will crumble before his very eyes and would have gone with the wind.”
– See more at: http://www.vanguardngr.com/2015/03/tinubu-would-have-been-in-an-american-jail-by-now-fani-kayode/#sthash.68XJ0grJ.dpuf
Anthony-Claret is a software Engineer, entrepreneur and the founder of Codewit INC. Mr. Claret publishes and manages the content on Codewit Word News website and associated websites. He's a writer, IT Expert, great administrator, technology enthusiast, social media lover and all around digital guy.
ABUJA — PEOPLES Democratic Party, PDP, Presidential Campaign Organisation, PDPPCO, yesterday accused the All Progressives Congress, APC, of being behind the present fuel scarcity in the country, just as it accused the opposition of sabotaging Federal Government’s effort at ensuring that there was supply of Petroleum products.
The APC has, however, described the accusation as totally unconscionable, and indeed an admission of failure for a sitting government and ruling party to blame the opposition for their failings.
A statement yesterday by the Director, Media and Publicity, PDP Presidential Campaign Organisation, Chief Femi Fani- Kayode said the sudden fuel scarcity in many parts of the country was because the APC has infiltrated the ranks of the fuel marketers.
Fani-Kayode, who noted that fuel marketers had taken a sub-contract from the opposition to frustrate supplies of petrol to fuel stations as part of a grand plan to create tension in the polity, said: “We know who the fuel marketers are. We know the relationship that exists between one of the biggest fuel marketers and a national leader of the APC.
“These unconscionable opposition elements infiltrated the ranks of the fuel marketers, whom they have contracted, in a calculated attempt to frustrate the good efforts of government.
APC reacts
In its response, the APC said the ruling party had simply abdicated its responsibility to the people andshould throw in the towel.
In a statement by its National Publicity Secretary, Alhaji Lai Mohammed, the party said: “The questions to ask are: who runs the NNPC? Who pays subsidy to fuel marketers? Who has used federal resources to bribe individuals and groups to such a level that there is no money to run the government, not to talk of paying subsidies?”
Anthony-Claret is a software Engineer, entrepreneur and the founder of Codewit INC. Mr. Claret publishes and manages the content on Codewit Word News website and associated websites. He's a writer, IT Expert, great administrator, technology enthusiast, social media lover and all around digital guy.
If I were the All Progressives Congress (APC), I would not lie about the health of General Muhammadu Buhari. If the man is actually ill and has gone abroad to seek medical attention, the party, through its national publicity secretary, Lai Mohammed, or any other spokesman, should simply say so, and not lie about it. To posture and make it seem as if Buhari cannot fall ill because there is a presidential election to contest and win is to make the man appear superhuman.
All human beings must cave in to ill health and ultimate death at some point. Everybody, including the politicians of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), knows this. That was why the party tried to disconnect itself from Governor Ayodele Fayose’s ‘death wish’ advertisement on Buhari.
Whether in Christian or Islamic theology, others are required to show sympathy through prayers to people who are ill. Even animists and atheists do same. But nobody has said Buhari is ill and has gone to London for medical attention. What the APC said was that its presidential candidate left for UK last week to continue his campaign to become Nigeria’s president by way of interaction with Nigerians living in UK. It was only Governor Fayose, who has been all over the old man like a gadfly that said Buhari was admitted to Cavendish Hospital in London.
Because people say Fayose is always shouting wolves when there are even no sheep in sight, nobody took him seriously when he said that the APC was on a mission to misinform Nigeria about Buhari’s visit to London. Soon, pictures were floated in the air to support the APC position that Buhari was in London for a different purpose, which included speaking at the Royal Institute of International Affairs, otherwise known as Chatham House, on his presidential ambition.
There was apparent desperation to create a scenario that never existed regarding Buhari’s visit to the United Kingdom. And this was where the publicity machinery of the APC got it all wrong. Dummies were sold to newspapers as photos of Buhari in London. One showed him with former British Prime Minister, Mr. Tony Blair, Ogun State Governor, Ibikunle Amosun and former governor of Kwara State, now a senator, Bukola Saraki. That was confirmed real by some people. But another captioned: Presidential Candidate of the All Progressives Congress (APC), General Muhammadu Buhari (right) with the Chief Executive Officer, All Eyes TV Show, Kemi Fadojutimi (left), during Buhari’s working visit to United Kingdom also came.
Coming from Mallam Shehu Garba, media director of the Buhari Campaign Organisation and a fine professional and Alhaji Lai Mohammed, the national publicity secretary of the APC, I did not probe to uncover any hidden motives. And I am sure most editors did not, which was why either of the photos made prime news pages last Sunday. When my Executive Director, Mr. Toke Ibru, first mentioned it that I had put a fake photo on the front page, I urged caution so that we did not hastily contradict ourselves on the right point.
But before the end of day, my phone had been inundated with messages from readers, analysing the graphics of the photo and saying why the shot was taken at the Transcorp Hilton Abuja, and not a location in the UK as claimed in the photo caption. I tried to piece together the puzzle, but nothing was adding up to anything meaningful. I mean, Alhaji Lai Mohammed, Mallam Sehu Garba and then fake photographs of General Buhari in London coming from both of them. What could be the purpose behind that piece of propaganda? To prove that they could do better than a Joseph Goebbels in the art of misinformation when there was no Second World War to prosecute and win?
Ever before Ayo Fayose left for Hilton Abuja to conduct a ‘forensic’ investigation of the photograph of Buhari’s media interview in London, Pat Enechukwu, who follows this column every Sunday, had done his and sent to me his findings: “My brother good afternoon. Please look at that front page photograph of Buhari critically and watch issues I am raising. That bottled water on the table (Aquafina) is a Nigerian product. The newspapers are Nigerian papers with the one on top looking like The Guardian and I mean our own The Guardian and not London Guardian that I have bought and read severally in London. The magazine on top is DSTV Magazine. What’s DSTV in London and who uses DSTV in London?”
Governor Fayose did something far more comprehensive and after watching him debunk the controversial photo with striking facts, I was convinced that I had been used to push forth a lie to Nigerians. I was conned by the APC to put it lightly. I called Shehu Garba to reconfirm the photos. He did, dismissing the people raising issues, and I guess that should include my Executive Director, as Buhari detractors. We went ahead to correct the error in our Monday, February 23 edition, in spite of Mr. Garba and the APC. He has not called me to straighten issues one way or the other.
I cannot understand the point the APC media machinery was trying to make. Till date, nobody has explained anything to whatever effect. At least, let something, just anything, no matter how improbable, be said. For instance, something like the devil or more precisely the PDP, had hacked into the APC’s works to send the lying photograph to media houses to cause the recalcitrant APC this huge corporate embarrassment. They just kept quiet as if nothing was amiss. In their deafening silence, they seem to be saying ‘we are APC; we equate truth and positive change and nothing false comes from us.’ Or could the aloofness and lack of remorse, even when guilt is established, be flowing from the APC’s belief that it has converted all newspapers in the country to its official newsletters, where anything can be off-loaded and no questions will be asked?
Whichever, I am still not able to figure out what the APC was trying to hide. That Buhari wasn’t in London for medical checks? And if I may ask, what is wrong if Buhari falls ill and goes to London to seek medical attention? People far less than him in status do so even more frequently. This man we are talking about was a head of state 30 years ago. In case we are confusing issues, let me state clearly that in Nigeria, no former director in the civil service, not to talk of permanent secretary, state commissioner, state and national legislator, minister and governor treats even malaria at home. I mean malaria, which is strictly a tropical disease that does not attract good medical space in the operations of hospitals in Europe and America. They go abroad, even to India, to be given the same anti-malaria combination drugs that are readily available and more effective in Nigeria.
And so, I don’t understand the fuss about a whole Buhari at 72 going abroad for medicals. Is he not human? Or is it because people say he is the messiah God has sent to save Nigeria, he has now become a deity that does not fall ill? Buhari had withstood the rigours of about 60 days of intensive campaigns across the country to convince voters to give him the mandate to be president and just when he thought it was all over, ‘enemies’ conspired to shift the presidential election by six weeks, which means, more campaigns and jetting around. Not all young men can stand straight under such intense pressure.
Therefore, if the man ran to London to catch some breathe after the long stretch and also used the opportunity to run checks on his state of health while equally squeezing in some time to talk at Chatham House, in order to remain politically fashionable, nothing spoil at all. The APC should have simply said so and nobody would be hurt. Instead, the party embarked on a deliberate mission of misinformation to imbue Buhari with transcendental attributes of never-sick and never-die.
The APC can still make good points without intrigues. Not long ago, the intrigues were of a different colouration when news came that the Lagos Home of the APC’s national leader, Ahmed Bola Tinubu, was under surveillance by military men, apparently put there by the PDP controlled Federal Government. And then another piece of propaganda, saying General Buhari had braved all the odds to visit Chibok and had useful dialogues with the folks up there. This is not the way to represent change in Nigeria. All said, I am still waiting for someone in the APC camp to mount the podium and explain with good reasons what caused the translocation that turned Hilton Abuja to some spot in London. Garba was to later send what he conceived to be an explanation of the blunder yesterday, through a third party. It still does not add up and cannot vitiate my argument here. – This Best Outside Opinion was written by Abraham Ogbodo/Guardian
Anthony-Claret is a software Engineer, entrepreneur and the founder of Codewit INC. Mr. Claret publishes and manages the content on Codewit Word News website and associated websites. He's a writer, IT Expert, great administrator, technology enthusiast, social media lover and all around digital guy.
The verbal assaults between Femi Fani-Kayode, director of media and publicity for the PDP presidential campaign organisation, and members of the All Progressives Congress (APC) took a new turn on Monday. Reacting to the criticisms directed at him for insinuating that Yemi osibanjo, the running mate to APC’s presidential candidate, was planning to step down for Bola Tinubu, Fani-Kayode pointed accusing fingers at Tinubu over the death of Funsho Williams. Williams, a gubernatorial candidate in Lagos, was murdered under controversial circumstances on July 27, 2006. “I do not believe in violence and I do not threaten people neither do any of my boys or any of those behind me,” Fani-Kayode wrote on Facebook. “Tinubu should not start this. I am not Funso Williams.
I cannot be killed like a chicken. I cannot be destroyed. I cannot be taken before my time. My name is Femi Fani-Kayode, and nobody can kill me before my time. Nobody can cut me short. “I harbor no fear of violence but I do not take threats lightly. Neither do I fear for my life; because I have never shed innocent blood and because I do not believe in violence or worship the devil, the angel of the Lord will strike dead any person or any group of persons that seek to take my life or the life of any of my loved ones.” Earlier, Tinubu accused the PDP campaign spokesman of being deranged and Lai Mohammed, APC’s publicity secretary, also said: “Fani-Kayode may have unhinged, perhaps as a result of a relapse into an unhealthy lifestyle of substance abuse.” But he would have none of that so he hit back at the APC stalwarts. “It is not Femi Fani-Kayode but rather Bola Tinubu that slurs when he speaks,” he said. “It is not Femi Fani-Kayode but rather Bola Tinubu that has to take 20 pills before he can go out. It is not Femi Fani-Kayode but Bola Tinubu that his hands shake when he tries to lift his fork and knife and eat. “It is not Femi Fani-Kayode but rather the spokesman of the APC, Lai Mohammed, that is rotting from inside and that has the chronically bad breath of a rabid poll cat. “Lai’s breath is so bad that it is enough to knock out a polar bear from across the street.
It is not Femi Fani-Kayode but rather Lai Mohammed who is suffering from loose bowel movements and who defecates every other minute to the point that he often has to wear pampers when he goes on long journeys. So, if anybody wants to talk about ill-health, they should talk about themselves and not about me.”
Anthony-Claret is a software Engineer, entrepreneur and the founder of Codewit INC. Mr. Claret publishes and manages the content on Codewit Word News website and associated websites. He's a writer, IT Expert, great administrator, technology enthusiast, social media lover and all around digital guy.
ILORIN—A notorious hoodlum, who has been terrorising Ilorin and environ was killed yesterday at Pakata area of the city, while an army officer sustained severe injury in a fierce battle that lasted nine hours.
Eye witness account told Codewit that Anifowoshe community in Pakata, Ilorin, Kwara State capital, was a theatre of war in the battle between the hoodlum and a combined team of Army, Airforce and Police.
Residents of the area were held hostage for hours, while the main road around Government Girls Day Secondary School was blocked by the security team, thus preventing vehicular movement from both sides.
The suspect, believed to be in his thirties, suspected to be a policeman from Okene, Kogi State, reportedly rented an apartment in the area for his wife and aged mother from where he had been carrying out his nefarious activities.
The source said: “In the ensuing crossfire, the suspect was said to have been gunned down,while an unidentified man of Nigeria Army among the security team sustained wound on his arm as a result of bullet fired at him by the suspect.
“The area became tension soaked while the gun duel, which started around 2am of yesterday’s morning lasted till around 11am.”
Another eyewitness account said the security operatives had been on the trail of the suspect for the past three days.
Anthony-Claret is a software Engineer, entrepreneur and the founder of Codewit INC. Mr. Claret publishes and manages the content on Codewit Word News website and associated websites. He's a writer, IT Expert, great administrator, technology enthusiast, social media lover and all around digital guy.
SEVERAL reactions have trailed the report of the Pricewater house Coopers forensic audit of the Nigeria National Petroleum Corporation, NNPC, which resulted from the allegation of unremitted $49.8bn that former Governor of Central Bank of Nigeria, Mallam Sanusi Lamido Sanusi made. Mallam Sanusi at various points reviewed the figure to $10.8bn, $12bn and $20bn. The Federal Government was accused of delaying the audit. Some had concluded the report would never be made public.
The Auditor-General of the Federation has published highlights of the report. The main point was that NNPC should pay $1.48bn representing the balance of the signature bonus for the oil assets Shell divested. NNPC’s upstream subsidiary, Nigerian Petroleum Development Company, NPDC, was assigned the assets. A more appealing interest appears to remain in the billions Mallam Sanusi declared missing.
Was the signature bonus part of the missing billions of dollars? if it was, what happened to the rest of the money? The politicisation of the report would not be helpful to the cause of the accusers and the longer term interest of NNPC and the industry.
Even the National Assembly appears split on the matter. The Senate Committee on Finance conducted an independent report that absolved NNPC of the allegation of the missing money. The House of Representatives had then stood down its own motion to investigate the allegation on discovering the Senate Committee on Finance was investigating the same matter.
We support the House of Representatives demand that the full report should be published. It is part of the House’s oversight functions. Issues of probity should get adequate attention and one of the numerous duties of the House is to protect the public and its interests, the NNPC being one such interest.
However, the House’s piecemeal interest in NNPC is not sustainable. One of the best ways of establishing a long lasting watch on the affairs of NNPC is the passage of the Petroleum Industry Bill, PIB, which has been stalled in the National Assembly since 2000. The PIB would provide the legal basis for the long-awaited wholesome transformation of the NNPC which the PwC report also recommended.
Indictment of NNPC and establishment of the thresholds, which the House craves, are challenging with an extant law, the NNPC Act, which empowers the corporation to defray its operation costs and expenditures from proceeds of crude oil sales. The Senate and PwC, in their separate reports, noted that the NNPC Act formed the legal basis of expenditures the NNPC made.
Until the law is changed, neither the House of Representatives, nor anyone, can do much to transform the NNPC or getting it to stop using crude oil proceeds in financing its operations.
Anthony-Claret is a software Engineer, entrepreneur and the founder of Codewit INC. Mr. Claret publishes and manages the content on Codewit Word News website and associated websites. He's a writer, IT Expert, great administrator, technology enthusiast, social media lover and all around digital guy.
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