Fire consumed my Bachelor, Master’s degrees – Sambo tells INEC

Vice President Mohammed Namadi Sambo has told the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) that his Bachelors and Masters degrees certificates in Architecture from the Ahmadu Bello University, Zaria, were consumed by fire.

The incumbent deputy to President Goodluck Jonathan and well as vice presidential candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) for the 2015 general elections, made the declaration in the documents he filed with INEC. The documents, among others, are displayed at the commission’s office in Abuja. Sambo’s papers were received and stamped in INEC headquarters between December 10 and 18, 2014.

SERAP asks UN to stop execution of 54 soldiers

The Socio-Economic Rights and Accountability Project has called on the United Nations to help stop the execution of 54 soldiers sentenced to death by the Nigerian Army on December 17.

A General Court Martial set up by the Army authorities had sentenced the 54 soldiers to death by firing squad for alleged offences of mutiny and conspiracy to commit mutiny.

But SERAP, in a petition dated December 23 and addressed to a group of five UN special human rights rapporteurs, and the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, Mr. Zeid Ra’ad Al Hussein, described the mass death sentences imposed on the soldiers as “unjust and incompatible with fundamental human rights.”

I Need Your Prayers To Be Able To Choose Rightly- President Jonathan Tells Nigerians

President Jonathan today at the 2014 Christmas Carol organized by the Aso Villa Chapel at the old Banquet Hall of the Presidential Villa has said he needs the prayers of Nigerians to be able to make right decisions on matters brought before him. According to him, for every issue he had to take a decision on, multiple suggestions that were most times contradictory, were always made available to him which mostly makes it difficult to choose. He also prayed that God will give them the grace to have his fear in mind.

Why I picked Osinbajo as my running mate– Buhari

The Presidential candidate of the All Progressives Congress, APC, Muhammadu Buhari, has given reasons why he picked Yemi Osinbajo as his running mate as he bids again become Nigeria’s president.

While presenting Mr. Osinbajo to the media at the national secretariat of the APC in Abuja, Mr. Buhari said his running mate was chosen because of his impeccable integrity and excellent background.

“He is an excellent professional, a man of faith, a devoted family man and a role model to our fellow countrymen and women,” he said.

News In Brief On Thursday Morning

1. Boko Haram leader, Abubakar Shekau, has threatened in a new video that the group will kill the Emir of Kano, Muhammadu Sanusi II. The threat is a response to the Emir’s call on Kano people to arm themselves and unite against the sect. The 19-minute video tagged Sanusi and other Muslim leaders as pagans.

Facts About Buhari's Running Mate, Prof. Osinbajo

1. He is a pastor at Olive Tree House of Prayer for All Nations in Banana Island, which is a Redeemed Christian Church of God Parish
2. Professor Osinbajo is the Ethics Adviser to the Advisory Board of the African Development Bank
   
3. He is also a director of Citibank (non-executive)
4. He has served in various capacities in the United Nations.
5. He is also a Senior Advocate of Nigeria (SAN)

We are wining war against corruption under Jonathan – Presidency

The presidency has once again affirmed that it is winning the war on corruption under President Goodluck Jonathan’s administration.

It noted that although it might not be immediately known to many at the moment, President Jonathan and his team were working tirelessly to crush corruption.

The Senior Special Assistant to the President on Public Affairs, Dr. Doyin Okupe, made this known in a statement in Abuja.

Boko Haram Plans To Bomb Apapa Seaport- Police

Western Ports Command of the Nigeria Police has raised the alarm over threat by the Boko Haram sect to bomb Lagos, with the nation’s seaport in Apapa as its likely target, Tribune reports. Commissioner of Police in charge of the Western Ports Command, Mrs Hilda Ibifuro-Harrison stated this at the inauguration of new executives of the Maritime Reporters’ Association of Nigeria (MARAN) in Apapa, Lagos.

 She stated that based on intelligence report it received three months ago, the deadly Islamic sect could be planning to bomb Lagos and possibly target the seaport. “We are not taking the threat lightly at all and we encourage all stakeholders who visit the port to keep their eyes and ears open in case of the activity of the sect,” said Ibifuro-Harisson who was represented by the Assistant Commissioner in charge of administration, Salem Machree.

 She said as part of measures put in place to check the threat, the Police had beefed up security within and around Lagos including the port environment, just as she disclosed that Police would remain alert and vigilant at ensuring that the violent sect did not hit the ports.

 It will be recalled that at least four persons were confirmed dead, when two explosions suspected to have emanated from an Improvised Explosive Device (IED) went off near the Folawiyo Energy Depot on Creek Road, Apapa on June 25 this year.

If I'm Elected As The President, I Will End Boko Haram - Atiku

Atiku Abubakar, former Vice President and a leading presidential aspirant on the platform of the All Progressives Congress (APC), has promised to end insurgency if elected president of the country in 2015.

Abubakar said this on Tuesday in Jos while addressing newsmen on the political situation in the country.

The presidential aspirant was in Jos to woo delegates for the forthcoming presidential primaries of the party.

He promised to re-organise the armed forces through adequate training and funding.

‘’Once I am elected the president of this great country, I shall increase the numerical strength of the military, and will also equip them with modern and sophisticated weapons.

‘’I shall as well increase their pay and ensure they are given adequate training that will make them contain any form of attack from insurgents’’ he promised.

Abubakar further said he wanted to become Nigerian president not for his selfish interest, but that he was determined at enthroning rule of law, internal democracy and progress in the country. (NAN)

culled

Fashola Has Been Ruled Out As APC Vice Presidential Candidate

The Lagos State Governor, Babatunde Fashola, has been ruled out as a running mate to whoever emerges as the presidential candidate of the All Progressives Congress at the convention in December.

A highly placed source in the party, who spoke with Punch on the matter, said that Fashola’s religion, even though he is considered a performer, had ruled him out of the race for the vice presidential slot.

Imagine Toolz in waist cincher

omg

US Withdraws Nigeria's military training

The animosity between the Nigerian government and its American counterpart has deepened with the Nigerian government cancelling a plan to have the United States military train a battalion of the Nigerian army to confront the extremist Boko Haram sect.

Nigerian officials did not provide reasons for the decision Monday, but the United States government said it regretted the move.

“At the request of the Nigerian government, the United States will discontinue its training of a Nigerian Army battalion,” the U.S. government, through its embassy in Abuja, said in a statement.

Keshi Is Still Nigeria's Coach

From all indications, it appears Stephen Keshi will continue as coach of the Nigerian national team, after officials confirmed he will get a new deal.

There have been calls for Keshi to be sacked as Super Eagles boss, after the team failed to qualify for the 2015 Africa Cup of Nations tournament in Equatorial Guinea.

Breaking News!!! Bomb blast at bus station in Yola

YOLA, Nigeria, Nov 27 (Reuters) - A roadside bomb tore through a bus station near a busy junction in northeast Nigeria on today, killing 40 people including five soldiers, witnesses and a security source on the scene said.

The security source and witness Abubakar Adamu, a mechanic who narrowly avoided being blown up himself, said the blast set several buses on fire at the Marabi-Mubi junction, in a part of the country plagued by violence linked to the Boko Haram Islamist insurgency

More details soon

FG To Give Out N9.2bn Worth Of Stoves

wonderbag

The Federal Government has announced that it has approved the purchase of N9.2bn worth of cooking stoves and ‘wonder bags’ for rural women under the National Clean Cooking Scheme.

The council also awarded a contract of N60.9bn to an indigenous firm, KaKatar CE Limited, for the provision of engineering infrastructure for Kyami District, Zone C, in Abuja.

This was made known by the Supervising Minister of Information, Dr. Nurudeen Muhammed, and his counterparts in the environment ministry and the Federal Capital Territory, Mrs. Lawrecia Mallam and Bala Muhammed while briefing State House correspondents at the end of FEC, which was presided over by Vice President Namadi Sambo.

Muhammed said the N9.2bn, inclusive of Value Added Tax, was approved for the procurement of 750,000 units of clean cooking stoves and 18,000 wonder bags.

Two Suicide Bombers Hit Maiduguri Market

Two suicide bombers – a male and female – attacked a heavily populated Maiduguri market, killing scores of people, an eyewitness, Yusuf Ahmed, said on Tuesday.

An unconfirmed source said 65 corpses had been evacuated while others claimed 30 people were killed in the explosion.

Ahmed said on the telephone, “As I am talking to you, people are still trying to rescue the injured and evacuate the corpses. It is difficult to know the number of casualties.”

He said the place had been condoned off by security agencies making it difficult to assist in the rescue operations.

A youth vigilante source confirmed that the female attacker kept a parcel in one of the shops on One-way, a commercial area beside the popular Monday Market, telling the traders that she had something to pick from the market,

“The package detonated few minutes later. And as people were still wondering what happened and trying to rescue the injured, a bomber in the same area detonated a bomb planted on her; this claimed so many lives,” the source said.

source; punch

Fake Suicide Bomber Arrested.

A fake female suicide bomber was taken into custody by the police in Kano yesterday, following a bomb scare.

An eyewitness told Vanguard that the incident occurred around 12.30p.m. when the police guard on duty at Kwali Police Division suspected a strange middle-aged woman in Burqa (veil) heading to the station.

The account had it that “the strange woman refused to stop for scrutiny, when ordered by the police guard at the security post.”

The encounter at the security post drew the attention of armed personnel, who mobilized themselves and surrounded the strange woman for failing to comply with police order.

The account added that the strange woman said: “I am ready to die. But mark you, there are two others at large in the city.”

A security source, who corroborated the eyewitness account, said: “We acted fast and got her sleeping with a substance fired at her.

“To our surprise, the woman had covered herself with used pomade containers and sundry harmless objects.”

The security source told Vanguard that “preliminary investigation revealed that the strange women is mentally deranged, but would be confirmed by expert”

Contacted for confirmation, Kano State Police imagemaker, ASP Magaji Majia, sent an SMS saying, “I am sorry, I am out of the country.”

News In Brief.

1. Latest reports on Boko Haram attacks say the insurgents reportedly ambushed and slaughtered 48 fish vendors around Nigeria’s border with Chad. Detailed account of the attack shows that the fighters blocked a path linking Nigeria with Chad, close to Doron Baga on Thursday and killed 48 of the fish vendors.

2. Following last week’s invasion of the National Assembly by the Police, former PDP National Chairman, Bamanga Tukur has called for an immediate investigation into the chaos, saying that Nigeria’s democracy was presently being threatened. He called on the need for politicians to uphold national interest instead of personal interest.

3. There was chaos in Oka-Akoko in Akoko South-West Local Government Area of Ondo state during the weekend when a truck belonging to a manufacturing company crushed two residents of the town. Out of anger, youths of the community allegedly razed 10 houses, motorcycles and cars as well as the truck that killed the two victims.

4. Despite that the Super Eagles crashed out of the Nations cup, Nigerian coach, Stephen Keshi has said that he remains the best man to lead the Super Eagles. He said the best solution to Eagles trouble was not to fire him as he has all it takes to lead the Eagles to victory in future.

5. Department of State Security, DSS has given reason for its invasion of APC data office, saying it got information that the APC was duplicating INEC’s Permanent Voter Cards. Spokesperson of the DSS, Ms. Marilyn Ogar disclosed this on Sunday.

Fuel Subsidy To Be Slashed By Half In 2015

The Federal Government has said it plans to cut subsidies on petroleum products by half next year after sharp falls in global crude prices, spurred a reversal of its 2015 budget downwards. President Goodluck Jonathan submitted the revised budget figures to lawmakers last week, proposing to spend 458.68 billion naira ($2.59 bln) on petrol subsidy in 2015, down from 971.14 billion naira presented for 2014. It also assumed further cuts to petrol subsidies in 2016 to 408.68 billion naira and 371.18 billion naira for 2017.

Pat Utomi leads campaign to have many Nigerian leaders jailed

According to Dailypost Former presidential candidate and renowned economist, Professor Pat Utomi, has dismissed most of those occupying leadership positions in Nigeria as worthy of being in jail, noting that “I’m carrying an international campaign to make sure many of them (the leaders) end up in jail in The Hague.” He called on youths to use the technology at their disposal to network and create a new nation instead of complaining on the side of the street.

The erudite academic, who disclosed this in an interview with Saturday Sun, wondered why Nigerians will collect 200 naira or 1000 naira to deliberately cast their ballot for somebody every normal thinking person knows would damage their future. He identified the attitude as what discourages him from fighting for the impoverished masses of the country.

Expressing lack of confidence in those who have so far indicated interest to run for president in next year’s poll, the former presidential candidate said, “If we continue to vote for people who don’t have knowledge and care about the people, then Nigeria’s progress would continue to be short changed. If the nation continues to be short-changed, it won’t be long before we become Somalia.

“If we want to move away from Somalia, we must start asking ourselves who are the people offering themselves for public office? How much sacrifice have we seen in the history of their lives for the good of other people? How much knowledge do they have about how a modern state runs? So, the tragedy of now is that Nigeria still continues like an experiment in the hands of political jobbers, thugs and other people that can bully others to corner power. If we want to stop this path, we can,” he noted.