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KANO FILLING STATION HIT AGAIN? : Suicide bomber hits Kano filling station, kills 6 ... PremiumTimes

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File Photo:  An explosion in Kano in May 2012 ... Over 120 people were feared dead in that explosion
A suspected suicide bomber struck at a filling station in Kano late Friday killing at least six people, police said.
Several other people were injured and rushed to undisclosed hospitals.
The Kano police declined to disclose the hospitals, saying they do not want to expose the victims to further danger.
The attack occurred at Magasiku Filling Station, opposite the NNPC mega filling station in the Hotoro area of Kano.
The station is along Maiduguri Road.
The Kano State police commissioner, Adenrele Shinaba, told PREMIUM TIMES the attacker detonated a bomb so powerful it left a deep crater on the station’s concrete floor.
He said the bomber arrived in a Toyota Sienna van and queued alongside other customers, pretending as though buying fuel, before detonating the apparently bomb-laden vehicle.
Mr. Shinaba said the filling station immediately caught fire after the bomb went off but that rescue officials were able to put out the fire.
Six people were confirmed dead, and five others injured, the police said.
The dead, according to police,  include the suicide bomber, the manager of the station, a pump attendant, and three police officers.
Security operatives have secured the scene of the attack, the police said.
Kano State has witnessed a series of attacks from suspected Boko Haram militants.
In September, armed men stormed a federal college in Kano, detonated bombs as students attended lectures, and shot at those who fled. At least 10 people were killed.

A COMEDY IN THE MAKING : Nigeria Police to screen vigilante groups ... IG gives Directive ... PremiumTimes

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Abba
The Inspector General of Police, Suleiman Abba, on Thursday, directed all commissioners of police to ensure the adequate screening of vigilante groups across Nigeria.
A statement by the police spokesperson, Emmanuel Ojukwu, said this was aimed at ensuring that the groups abide by relevant regulations and avoid any form of abuse.
He noted that Mr. Abba instructed that an officer be appointed in all the police state commands in Nigeria to oversee the activities of the vigilante groups and deliver regular reports on them.
The directive comes about 24 hours after over 70 Boko Haram members were killed by some local hunters in Maiha Local Government area of Adamawa State.
Maiha fell into the hands of Boko Haram insurgents after a fierce battle with the Nigerian troops on Monday.
However, the local hunters ambushed the insurgents and killed them in their dozens.
The insurgents have taken over many towns and villages in Adamawa State, including Madagali, Michika, Mubi North, Mubi South and many others.
Mr. Ojukwu said a warning was also issued by the IGP, against the use of thugs by politicians, stating that both thugs and sponsors would be arrested and prosecuted.
He said the directive became imperative to ensure a the forthcoming general elections were free of violence.

OK O! ITS ALRIGHT : MY HUSBAND UNDERSTANDS WHEN I KISS LIPS TO LIPS……..ACTRESS, OMONI OBOLI ... NigerianFilms.com

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Nollywood actress, producer, writer and director, Omoni Oboli, has advised that actors and fans needs to be educated about how kisses are being done in movies so as to erase that perception that some set of people likes kissing in movies.
Omoni while responding to a questions from popular TV programme, ‘Your Views’ monitored by Nigeriafilms.com, about her kissing ability in movies, the actress stated that she does romantic scenes but will never act in explicit movies, adding that she kisses in movies but not tongue kissing.
She explained that there are ways kisses can be done lips to lips without the tongue coming out and it will look like the best kiss in the world.
According to her, “I do romantic scenes and I kiss another man but not tongue kissing and my husband understands that part. This is what people need to learn that you can do that and it will look like the best kiss in the world.”
Speaking on how she has been able to sustain her home along with acting, the actress noted that it’s all about having a good support system in place. She explained that her husband has been very supportive which is why she does not have issues and she has been able to play her role as a wife when necessary.

TRAGEDY : Nigerian Military confirms three dead in helicopter crash ... PremiumTimes

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US military helicopter
Three people died in the helicopter crash which happened on Thursday night around the Federal University of Technology in Yola, the Adamawa State capital, the Nigerian military has said.
The military said in a  terse statement posted on Defence Headquarters blog  the victims were crew members aboard the helicopter.
“At about 2200hours yesterday 13 November 2014, a ground attack helicopter on an armed patrol crashed around the Federal University of Technology Yola, Adamawa State,” the military said in the statement.
“The crew of 3 was lost in the ill-fated accident.  Rescue party worked throughout the night to preserve the wreckage of the aircraft and scene of the accident for proper investigation to be carried out.  Further details would be made known later.”
The helicopter crashed less than three days after another one on surveillance mission went down in Damare, a suburb of Girei Local Government Area of Adamawa state. No life was lost in that incident.
The spokesperson of the Nigerian Air Force, Dele Alonge, an Air Commodore, had confirmed the Thursday night’s incident to PREMIUM TIMES.
He however stressed, “But one thing is clear, the helicopter did not come under enemy fire. It has nothing to do with the enemy.”
Another chopper on surveillance mission had on Monday crashed at Damare, also in Girei Local Government.
The defence Headquarters later said no one died in the incident.
News of the latest helicopter crash came about two months after a Nigerian Air Force fighter jet, went missing during routine operations in the northern part of Adamawa State.
The Nigerian Air Force aircraft went missing on September 12.
The aircraft, an Alpha Jet (NAF 466), was involved in the counter insurgency operation against the extremist Boko Haram sect.
The whereabouts of the missing Alpha Jet had become a subject of conjectures following the inability of the Nigeria Air Force to tell Nigerians what actually happened to the fighter jet.
Boko Haram insurgents later claimed shooting the aircraft down in a video in which they appeared to slaughter one of the pilots of the missing jet.
But last week, local fishermen claimed they found wreckages of the jet in the River Benue.
The fishermen said they found the aircraft at Kwa Ine Village, Demsa Local Government, about 50 kilometers away from Yola, the Adamawa state capital.
PRNigeria, an agency that distributes press statements for Nigerian security agencies, said Friday that “since the Boko Haram campaign of terror commenced in full scale in the North East states of Adamawa, Borno, and Yobe states, the Nigerian Air Force has flown at least 6,000 missions in efforts to rid the zone of insurgency”.
It added, “The missions, aiming to decimate, degrade, destabilise and demoralise the Boko Haram terrorists with a view to completely curtailing their freedom of actions, comprised ground attacks platforms, mission on ATR-42, Beechcraft air surveillance platform, airlift missions using the G-222 and the C-130H.
“Chief of Air Staff of the Nigerian Air Force, Air Marshal Adesola Amosu, said at a recent forum at the University of Ibadan that the scope of the operations included airlift of troops and equipment, rotation of forces, battlefield interdiction, casualty evacuation, air surveillance, and armed reconnaissance missions among other operations.”

AND THEY DIED A GALANT DEATH : Damare helicopter crash: All passengers are expatriates, witnesses say ... WeeklyTrust

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Questions continue to trail the recent crash of a helicopter conveying five expatriates, as well as a cache of arms and ammunition a few meters away from the main Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) camp in
Damare, near Yola, capital of Adamawa State on Monday 10th. Although the Defence Headquarters confirmed the crash, the identity of the occupants and their nationality remained unclear, sparking speculation.
The crash site in Damare, Girei Local Government Area is about 8 kilometers from Yola International Airport. Eyewitnesses who helped evacuate victims and the consignment told Weekly Trust that two of the people on board sustained fractures to their legs while three others, including a woman, were unhurt.
A resident said the helicopter hovered above his house for few minutes at about 10 o’clock on Monday morning with smoke billowing, before diving to the ground. Moments after the crash, he said, residents rushed to the scene to assist the injured, including the pilot who was initially trapped. He also added that a large quantity of ammunition and guns was stashed in the plane.
Several other witnesses interviewed at the crash site said they helped in evacuating twenty cartons of ammunition and guns from the chopper before the arrival of soldiers, who cordoned off the area, preventing journalists from accessing the area. Four other military helicopters landed near the crash site.
Another witness said he overheard one of the survivors mention that they came on a surveillance mission from the United States and had flown over Maraban Mubi, an area close to Mubi which was under the control of Boko Haram. The witness added that the aircraft was covered with thick fabric and loaded onto a truck after expatriate engineers dismantled it. A convoy escorted the truck that conveyed the aircraft from the crash site through the bridge across River Benue, along Mubi Road, towards the airport.
A security personnel who confirmed that five Americans were on board the chopper when it crashed, faulted the decision to allow foreign operatives to fly with arms and explosives without representatives of the Nigerian military on board.
However, another military source insisted that there were Nigerian personnel on the aircraft, adding that the expatriates were training some pilots and decided to use the opportunity to drop off arms and ammo to a nearby base. He however declined to comment on the nationalities of the expatriates.

SHOULDN'T WE BE ASKING JONATHAN THIS QUESTION? : IS ANYONE REALLY LOOKING FOR OUR MISSING GIRLS…….PUBLISHER, DELE MOMODU ASKS ... NigerianFilms.com

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Publisher of Ovation International Magazine, Dele Momodu, has taken to his social media page to question Nigerians especially the leaders about the missing Chibok girls.
The Magazine publisher posted a picture of a mother with placard with the inscription; “Day 214 of Abduction, 219 Chibok School Girls, 41 Days to Christmas, 48 Days to New Year #Bring Back Our Gils Now,” with the caption, is anyone really looking for our missing girls and do we truly care for their terrible plight!!!
After posting the question, fans of the publisher responded with some having a sound suggestion of what might have happened to the girls. Some asked if there are truly any missing girls, while some see it as suicidal for anyone wanting to bring them back.
Another suggestion says what if the missing girls have become suicide bombers, should the need of bringing them come up?
It would be recalled that on the night of 14–15 April 2014, about 276 female students were kidnapped from the Government Secondary School in the town of Chibok in Borno State, Nigeria. Responsibility for the kidnappings was claimed by Boko Haram, an Islamic Jihadist and terrorist organization based in northeast Nigeria.
On 17 October 2014, hopes were raised that the 219 remaining girls might soon be released after the Nigerian army announced a truce between Boko Haram and government forces. The announcement coincided with the six-month anniversary of the girls' capture and followed a month of negotiations mediated in Saudi Arabia by Chadian president, Idriss Deby.
The announcement was, however, met with doubts because it wasn't the first time the Nigerian government had claimed a breakthrough in negotiations with the Islamic militant group – it had to backtrack on a previous announcement in September after saying the girls had been released and were being held in military barracks.

WE SAY BRAVO TO THESE HUNTERS AND LOCAL VIGILANTE : Hunters kill over 75 Boko Haram men, recapture Maiha town in Adamawa ... InformationNigeria

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Capture1
According to reports, about 75 Boko Haram men were killed this week by local hunters in Maiha town, which is about 25km from Mubi town in Adamawa State.
The hunters also recaptured their town which was captured by the insurgents this past Monday. The local hunters, armed with rifles, machetes, bows & arrows, ambushed the insurgents as they came to fight with the Nigerian military in their town and killed as many of them as they could.
Following the attack, many residents of Maiha fled to Yola over fears of reprisal attacks from Boko Haram, who are known to re-group and take revenge when their members are slaughtered.
But the hunters and other vigilante groups say they are no longer running, that they have decided to stay and fight to keep their land and family safe. Thousands of youths have since signed up to confront Boko Haram insurgents in the state.

PDP'S SOLE CANDIDACY AND IT'S TWISTS AND TURNS : PDP Presidential Ticket: Clark Set Me UP, I’ve Not Stepped Down For Jonathan – Tafawa-Balewa ... InformationNigeria

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Abduljhalil-Tafabalewa
The son of Nigeria’s first Prime -Minister, Dr. Abdul-Jhalil Tafawa-Balewa, has vowed to challenge President Goodluck Jonathan for the presidential ticket of the Peoples Democratic Party.

He made this position known in a chat with journalists in Abuja on Friday when he returned his presidential nomination and expression of interest forms to the office of the National Organising Secretary of the party, Alhaji Abubakar Mustapha.
The Russian trained medical doctor turned politician said he had filled the forms and was confident of defeating President Jonathan, adding that the president has refused to do some basic things needed to uplift the living standards of ordinary Nigerians.
Speaking on his aspiration, Tafawa-Balewa confirmed that his widely-publicised visit to Ijaw national leader, Chief Edwin Clark, on November 6, where it was claimed that he had agreed to withdraw from the race for President Jonathan, was a set-up.
Claiming that he didn’t know that journalists had been planted in the house by the ex-federal commissioner for information, Tafawa-Balewa claimed the visit was supposed to be a private affair, adding that it was because of the utmost respect he had for Chief Clark that made him to concur with all he said concerning his alleged withdrawing from the race for Mr. Jonathan.
He said, “I’m here to submit my form for the presidential race. Did I ever tell anyone that I have withdrawn from the race? I went to the house of Clark for another thing and he said another thing during his press conference. It was Clark who said I was withdrawing. We need a change as too many people are suffering and are in poverty
“I never withdrew from the race. There was no agreement with anyone that I was doing so. But I said that I agree to everything Edwin Clark said. I never, ever said I was withdrawing.
“I didn’t know that there would be journalists waiting for me at Edwin Clark’s house. I only went there to see him. I’m not working for any tribe or individuals. I’m genuinely in the race”, he insisted.

FOR THE RECORDS : As Boko Haram intensifies attacks...Prominent Nigerians who can’t go home ... WeeklyTrust

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Most prominent people, including politicians, traditional rulers, businessmen and civil servants no longer stay in their hometowns or villages in Borno, Adamawa and Yobe states as a result of the ongoing occupation by Boko Haram.  
Though eight local government areas are under the firm grip of the sect in Borno State, almost all caretaker chairmen of the 27 local government areas, their deputies, secretaries, directors of finance and administration, councilors and other senior officials now operate from Maiduguri, the state capital.
They are now living in government quarters and hotels while those that have personal residences in the state capital are living there with their families. In some cases, you see dozens of extended family and even friends staying with them.
Most local government areas have been deserted and where there is partial security, only the indigent who have no alternative are staying in their homes. For instance, in Bama, the second biggest town in Borno which fell to the hands of Boko Haram on 1st September, 2014,the town remains inaccessible.
Bama’s emir, Alhaji Kyari Ibn Ibrahim El-Kanemi is now in Maiduguri with his family. Senator Ahmed Zanna, the Senator representing Borno Central in the National Assembly is from Bama. Also, the member representing the area in the House of Reps, Abdurrahman Terab, who is also from the area are all in Abuja.
It is the same with the two Members of the State House of Assembly representing Bama. These are Mohammed Abba Jato (Bama Central) and Rawa Goni (Gulumba/Woloji). Prominent businessmen from the area who have completely relocated to other places include Alhaji Rijya Bama, Alhaji Mustapha Kwali-Kwali, Alhaji Modu Musumbe, Alhaji Mogamus and Alhaji Zarami Banki.
Gwoza fell to the insurgents on 6th August, 2014 and the place has remained inaccessible since. The emir, Alhaji Muhammadu Mustapha Idrissa Timta and members of his family are now in Maiduguri. Senator Mohammed Ali Ndume, representing Borno South in the National Assembly, is from Gwoza as well.
Umar Hambagda, a former senator, Ambassador Mahmud Ahmed, Alhaji Lawan Buba, Alhaji Haruna Timta, a former head of service, Dr Asabe Vilita Bashir, a former commissioner are all living elsewhere.
Dikwa is one of the ancient towns of Borno State and it is also under the firm control of Boko Haram and the emir, Alhaji Muhammadu Ibn Shehu Masta II and members of his family have been displaced, as well as Hon. Mohammed Zakariya, the member representing the area in the State House of Assembly and Alhaji Mustapha Gajibo, among others.
Gamboru Ngala, a border town between Nigeria and Cameroon, is under the control of the insurgents. Ngala is the hometown of Galadima Modu Sheriff, father of former Governor Ali Modu Sheriff. Though they have not been staying there for decades, they cannot visit their ancestral home anymore.
The situation is the same with Idrissa Jidda, Member representing Ngala in the State House of Assembly and dozens of oil merchants now living in Maiduguri. Mobbar is another local government area in Borno which has been taken over by Boko Haram. Gashigar, a major town in the area, is the hometown of Brigadier-General Abba Kyari (Rtd) former governor of North Central State. Other people from the area are Umar Lawan Kareto, a former national treasurer of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and Alhaji Gambo Lawan, a former gubernatorial aspirant.
Marte, a border town between Nigeria and Cameroon is also under Boko Haram occupation and its prominent people can no longer go home. They include Alhaji Asheikh Jarma, a former governor of Borno State; Ambassador Baba Ahmed Jiddah, the secretary to the Borno State Government and Asheikh Kurso Bashir, a former member of the State House of Assembly, among others.
Prominent people from Monguno local government area who could not visit their homes include Dr. Shettima Ali Monguno, an elder statesman and Honorable Tahir Monguno, a Member of the House of Reps, among others.
In Yobe State, it’s the same. Take for instance Gujba Local Government Area, where the insurgents have taken over major towns, including Buni yadi, Buni Gari, Ambiya and Goneri. Among the prominent people in the area are former governor and a serving senator Bukar Abba Ibrahim, former FCT minister Alhaji Bunu Shariff,  Colonel Dala Aji Goniri who is one- time commander of 241 Reccce Batallion Nguru and Mai Kachalla Gujba, an Executive Director at First Bank.
Other people from the area are: Alhaji Mai Mala Buni, the National Secretary of the All Progessives Congress (APC); Member House of Reps, Hajia Khadija Bukar Abba Ibrahim; Commissioner of Justice, Barrister Ahmed Goneri; former commissioner and currently Special Adviser to Governor Gaidam, Alhaji Aji Yerima Bularafa and others.
In Gulani Local Government Area, the insurgents have sacked many places, including Bara, the headquarters of the council as well as Bularafa, Gumsa, and Dokshi. Prominent people from the area include the serving Minister of science and technology, Dr. Abdu Bulama, Managing Director, Chad Basin Development Authority, Dr. Garba Iliya and many others.
Then in Adamawa State where intense violence is currently unfolding, government officials  from Northern parts  especially can no longer visit their localities, as the areas remain under the grip of  Boko Haram. At present, Governor Bala Ngillari and the speaker of Adamawa State House of Assembly and erstwhile acting governor, Ahmadu Fintiri as well as other officials from Madagali Local Government Area cannot go home.
As the insurgents extend their control to Michika and Mubi, dozens of federal and state government officials have been affected with the insurgents razing or occupying their mansions. Apart from Ngillari and Fintiri, those affected include the Minister of Youths Development, Boni Haruna from Michika, the Minister of Women Affairs, Zainab Maina and the Chief of Defence Staff , Air Marshal Alex Badeh both from Mubi and the Senator representing Northern Senatorial Zone, Muhammad Jibrilla who hails from Maiha. Also affected are two members of the House of Representatives from Mubi North/Mubi South/Maiha as well as Michika/Madagali, Abubakar Mahmudu Wambai and Titsi Ganama respectively. Others are five state legislators  and five council chairmen of Madagali, Michika, Mubi North, Mubi South and Maiha as well as their councillors.
As the insurgents’ rampage continues seemingly unchecked, the question on the lips of Nigerians is: “Where’s next?

FUNNY GUYS TALKING. IN A COUNTRY WHERE WE ARE YET TO DEFINE STEALING AND CORRUPTION? : EFCC Press Release: N25bn Fraud: Igbinedion, Others Know Fate January 30 ... SaharaReporters

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A Federal High Court sitting in Benin, Edo State today reserved ruling in the N25billion money laundering and abuse of office charge brought against Micheal Igbinedion and Charles Eboigbodin by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, for January 30, 2015.
 
Justice J. Liman on Friday November 14, 2014, fixed the January 30 date for judgement after the adoption of written addresses by counsel: Rotimi Jacob SAN for the prosecution and Mike Ozekhome SAN, Ricky Tafa SAN and Barr. Richard O. Ahonaruogo for the accused persons
Lucky Igbinedion
The accused persons along with their companies: Gava Corporation Limited; Romrig Nigeria Limited; PML Securities Company Limited and PML Nigeria Limited, were arraigned by the anti- graft agency on a 81-count charge bothering on Money Laundering, Misappropriation of funds, conspiracy and Abuse of office.

While addressing the court, Jacobs hinged his submission on the testimonies of prosecution witnesses which, according to him, corroborated the charge, with emphasis on the several public funds deposited into private accounts, and how government funds were used to repay loans collected by former governor Lucky Igbinedion while he was in office.    

Jacobs then prayed the court to "accept the prosecution’s case as presented and convict the accused persons as charged".
But before closing his address, the prosecuting counsel called the attention of the court to the inability of the bailiff to serve the summon earlier issued by it on the former Edo State governor, who failed to present himself in court, after the Appeal Court decision in April, asking him to return to the High Court for trial.  
Jacobs disclosed that all efforts by the bailiff to serve Lucky Igbinedion with the summon, met a brick wall as  he was always turned back from the gate by security men who told him on all occasions that Igbinedion was out of town.

The EFCC counsel then prayed the court to permit a substituted service of the summon on the last known address of Igbinedion.
"May I apply that the first accused person be served by allowing the prosecution paste the notice at the known address,” he said.

But Justice Liman advised the prosecuting counsel to make an application. According to him, "the summon has expired, you can reapply or ask for a substituted service as there are other means of service. Prosecution must make another application."

Wilson Uwujaren
Head, Media & Publicity
14th November, 2014

OMINOUS SIGNS : Nigeria To Tighten Fiscal And Monetary Policy As Falling Oil Prices Puts Economy At Risk ... Naira faces devaluation as oil prices slide further ... Nigeria, others must adopt belt-tightening measures – Okonjo-Iweala ( BusinessNews)

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Falling global oil prices in the past couple of weeks put Nigeria’s economy at great risk, hence the need to adopt tighter fiscal and monetary policy, Minister of Finance and Coordinating Minister of the Economy, Dr. Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala has said.
With Nigeria’s economy dependent on oil, – crude oil export accounts for about 83 per cent of Nigeria’s total export – continued fall in global oil prices calls for action in order to ensure economic stability. She however said borrowing is not an option for the country.
“As external pressures mount in the face of falling commodity prices, the pressure to ‘go a-borrowing’ to maintain fiscal expansion will also increase. But we cannot afford to do this. We need to make necessary adjustments with tighter fiscal and monetary policy, and we need to build up economic buffers beyond the mere 5.4 months of imports the region is estimated to have,” the minister said at the Institute for International Finance’s 2014 Africa Financial Summit in Lagos, hosted by Access Bank Plc.
She also noted that countries across Africa must rise to the challenge the current global economic situation poses on their economies.
“Without a doubt, this slowdown in global economic activity, coupled with the end in the quantitative easing in the United States of America, will affect sub-Saharan Africa’s economy, in addition to other regions specific challenges we face at the moment,” said Okonjo-Iweala
“As we all know, many countries on the continent depend on commodity exports as the main source of revenue.
“Nigeria and other countries in the African continent must step back and learn the lessons of the ongoing economic transformation in the country. The Federal Government has put in place strong stabilization policy, but the most important thing is that we must be able to sustain it,” she noted.
She also advised that Nigeria and other countries across Africa should look for alternative revenue sources.
“Still on improving macroeconomic performance, countries in the region must aggressively look for alternative sources of revenues and stem leakages. It is now imperative to drive up domestic resource mobilization especially taxes,” Okonjo-Iweala said.
The sustained fall in crude oil prices may lead to the devaluation of the country’s currency, the naira, which will spark inflation and its attendant reduction in the purchasing power of Nigerians, analysts have said.
International benchmark Brent crude, against which Nigeria’s oil is priced, on Thursday plunged further and hovered around $79 and $80 per barrel.
The price of Organisation of Petroleum Exporting Countries’ basket of 12 crudes, which include Nigeria’s Bonny Light, stood at $76.96 per barrel on Wednesday, compared with $77.27 the previous day, according to OPEC Secretariat calculations.
The naira has been under some pressure this year, with key contributory factors being portfolio investment outflows in the context of global rebalancing, the abrupt suspension of the former Governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria in February, unaccounted capital outflows and lower oil revenue, FBN Capital noted in its Nigeria Macroeconomic Guide 2014.
A Partner, African Capital Alliance, Mr. Paul Kokoricha, said in a telephone interview with our correspondent that as oil prices continued to decline and the country’s production not increasing, it meant that the capacity to earn foreign exchange would reduce.
“It will result to difficulty in balancing the fiscals. When government finds it difficult to balance its fiscals, it has to do a number of things to make up for the shortfall. For example, it could be by borrowing money from the domestic market,” he noted.
Kokoricha said the second and most important impact was the reduced ability to defend the value of the naira, adding that the government would struggle to defend the currency and that was where its possible devaluation was likely to come in.
“If it (oil price slide) continues for a lengthy period of time, certainly one can foresee a devaluation of the naira. You need those dollars to finance your imports. So, as you run down your reserves and you continuously need dollars to finance your imports, the only way to make up for it is to let the naira fall against the dollar,” he said.
On the likely implications of the devaluation of the currency, Kokoricha said because of the high import dependent nature of the country’s economy, the immediate impact was inflation, which could run into double digits.
“Inflation has been in single digit for quite a long time now. So, we are likely going to see inflation going up to double digits. What that means, therefore, is that it erodes people’s consuming power. Of course, it is a challenge to the entire economy,” he added.
An energy specialist at Ecobank, Mr. Dolapo Oni, said, “I expect oil prices to now head for $73 per barrel, while we produce two million barrels per day. This could pressure the naira towards N180 per dollar.”
The Head, Macroeconomic and Fixed Income Research, FBN Capital, said in an emailed response to enquiries by our correspondent, “We are at or near the bottom in the fall in oil prices. The CBN will be able to maintain exchange rate stability at its auctions because of its cushion of reserves. It may well move the mid-point within the corridor.
“However, it is transferring demand by administrative measures to the interbank market, where the currency is depreciating. Everything changes if there is a sustained further fall in oil price. This is not our expectation. It will bring a sharp devaluation as in Q4 2008 and Q1 2009.”
A former Governor of Lagos State and National Leader of the opposition All Progressives Congress, Asiwaju Bola Tinubu, said in his suggestion on how best to shape economic policies during this period of falling oil prices, “There is no logical reason to peg the flow of naira into the economy to the flow of dollars received. The correct perspective is not to mechanistically restrict naira expenditure to dollar intake.
“The better methodology is to ascertain, then achieve, the level of naira expenditure needed to expand the economy and create jobs without causing inflation to rise to dangerous levels. This is how broadly-shared prosperity is generated in a sustainable manner.”
He said in the face of recessionary headwinds, the government should run countercyclical fiscal policy by using its naira sovereignty to fund fiscal deficits, adding that the deficit was not simply for the sake of running a deficit.
“The fund cannot be spent on non-productive matters. It must be used to fuel infrastructural and other projects that not only employ great numbers of people, but enhance the overall productivity of the economy. To accomplish this, the Federal Government needs to reverse the inimical, ‘dollarisation’ of the national economy,” he added.
The Coordinating Minister for the Economy and Minister of Finance, Dr. Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, on Thursday stressed the need for Nigeria and other countries on the continent to adopt belt-tightening measures in order to cushion the effects of the dwindling prices of crude oil on their economies.
The minister said this in a keynote address titled: ‘Positioning Africa in the Context of an Uncertain Global Environment,’ which she delivered at the third annual International Institute for Finance (IIF), African Financial Summit 2014, hosted by Access Bank Plc in Lagos.
She emphasised the need to plug leakages, increase the drive for revenue as well as develop the non-oil sectors in the continent.
The minister also urged policy makers in the continent to strive to ensure that economies in the continent continue to prosper, saying with the right policies, Nigeria and other nations in the continent would be able to sustain their growth path despite the economic headwinds.
Okonjo-Iweala however pointed out that “the central focus of these thoughts is that Africa must truly diversify its economic base to create jobs for young people and become more self-reliant and better integrated to position itself better in an uncertain global environment.
“First, I believe that whatever it is that Africa was doing right to get to this point, we must continue to do. And in this spirit, I believe we must continue with sound macroeconomic management.”
She revealed that Africa’s debt-to- Gross Domestic Product (GDP) ratio of about 30 per cent, fiscal deficit of about 3.3 per cent and inflation projected at 7.3 percent for the year 2014 are at reasonably low levels, saying that as a result of these, many countries in the region have been able to access the international credit markets at low interest rates.
However, she noted that external pressures mount, in the face of falling commodity prices, “the pressure to “go a-borrowing” to maintain fiscal expansion will also increase.”
She added: “But we cannot afford to do this. We need to make necessary adjustments with tighter fiscal and monetary policy, and we need to build up economic buffers beyond the mere 5.4 months of imports the region is estimated to have.
“However, these adjustments need not stifle growth. For instance, fiscal consolidation must be done in such a way that government expenditure will be refocused on quality items that will unlock growth and job creation in the continent. Such quality investment should focus largely on infrastructure and human capital development- the two strongest binding constraints on the continents progress.
“Still on improving macroeconomic performance, countries in the region must aggressively look for alternative sources of revenues and stem leakages. It is now imperative to drive up domestic resource mobilisation especially taxes.
Continuing, Okonjo-Iweala said: “In several African countries including Nigeria, tax revenue to GDP is below 15 per cent – the conventional International Monetary Fund threshold for satisfactory tax performance.
“There are many leakages and gaps to be plugged, and more effective tax administration could contribute to improving revenues. For instance the Washington-based think-tank Global Financial Integrity, finds that at least 60 per cent of the nearly $1 trillion in illicit flows from the continent is due to trade mispricing and international tax invasion.
“So one can only imagine the boost to revenues if this practice can be curbed. This is why we have asked GFI to carry out a study on Nigeria. This, together with the work being done by McKinsey to strengthen tax collection will go a long way to support our efforts to drive revenues up.”
In his presentation earlier, the Group Managing Director/Chief Executive Officer of Access Bank Plc, Mr. Herbert Wigwe,  noted that Africa is currently a hub of international economic evolution, a place of tremendous innovation in financial services, telecoms and natural resources; and, increasingly, as well, an important driver of global growth.
According to Wigwe, more wealth has been created in Africa in the last decade than at any other time in history.
“Across the continent we have seen a steady drumbeat of democratisation and political reform as governments are, with some exceptions, starting to provide the environment for businesses to thrive.
“They are creating greater feedback from and accountability to their citizens; ensuring that people’s needs are known and addressed. From Rwanda to Nigeria, we have seen a steady increase in security of title and the rule of law; investment in regulatory and physical infrastructure to ease the doing of business; and a low-debt, low-inflation, macro environment.
“All of these factors together help to build the first pillar of the African investment story – no longer is this the continent of coups and generals; instead it is a place of democraty as well as economic growth,” he added.

WHAT'S THE MATTER WITH MEN THESE DAYS? : ‘Uncle’ raped me for four years – 16-yr-old house help impregnated by master ... PunchNews

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No one could have imagined that 16-year-old Gloria (not real name) was just two weeks away from the delivery of a child on September 3, 2014.
“I noticed her neck was full and darker, those were the only signs I saw. So, I asked if she was pregnant. Her expression and answer showed she had no idea she was indeed pregnant,” a neighbour who unravelled the mystery of the pregnancy told Saturday PUNCH.
Gloria, a year one senior secondary school student, lives with his married brother unaware that she was about to become a mother. But buried deeply in the girl’s heart was a painful secret she had never told a soul.
The inquisitive neighbour was unconvinced. She approached Gloria’s sister-in-law, who also expressed the same concern that she was afraid the girl might be pregnant.
“The sister-in-law had even taken the girl to the hospital and had her urine tested for pregnancy. But the test was negative. But I insisted we take her back to hospital for a blood test instead. I even had to pay for that,” the neighbour, who pleaded anonymity, said. The test result was positive. Gloria was pregnant.
With threats, pleading and persuasion, Gloria’s brother, Obi, tried to get the truth about who was responsible out of Gloria, but the little girl was too afraid to tell the truth.
Saturday PUNCH decided to withhold the identity of the girl and those of her relations because she is still a minor according to provisions of the Lagos State Child Rights Law, 2007.
The same neighbour, who had been friends with the family for some years, eventually got the girl to tell the truth, which shocked the girl’s brother.
When our correspondent spoke with Gloria on Thursday, there was no sign that she could have been the mother of the child she held in her arms.
Timid and innocent, she looked at the floor as she spoke softly, delving into the account of a sexual abuse she had gone through in the last five years.
When Gloria’s brother brought her to Lagos seven years ago from their village in Abakaliki, Ebonyi State, it was to give her a semblance of a better life, different from the pathetic one she was said to be living in. Their mother had just died at the time, while their aged father back in the village was not doing too well financially.
“She was living with me along with some of my friends at the time. Things were still rough for me and I was single.” Obi said.
Not long after this, Obi’s good friend from Anambra State, a trader living in Mangoro area of Lagos named Ugochukwu Okparanta, said he would take over the care of the girl to ease the financial burden off his friend while the girl would help his wife with house chores.
“I was nine when I started living with Uncle (Okparanta). But two years after I got there, he started raping me,” Gloria began. “He started one day when I was washing plates and he started to touch me in the private part and breast.”
Okparanta
The girl became tearful. Her voice shook and trailed off. But our correspondent assured her that she was not going to be in trouble of any kind by telling her story. Then she continued.
“He started by petting me, telling me I would like it. I refused and became afraid. Then he threatened me. He would tell me that I would be in trouble if I did not do what he wanted,” Gloria said.
Asked why she could not report the problem to her brother, the girl said she thought nobody would believe her.
“If I told Madam (Okparanta’s wife), she would say I lied against her husband,” Gloria explained. Then came one night, while her boss’ wife slept in the couple’s room, Okparanta sneaked out to the room Gloria shared with his own daughter, an older girl.
She said, “He told me to follow him to the sitting room. I obeyed. He raped me and while he did it, I was about to scream, but he covered my mouth with his hand very tightly. I was bleeding when he finished and I became more scared but he smiled and said the blood was normal.
“After that, he would rape me almost every night. Madam did not know anything. Anytime I refused, Uncle would threaten to deal with me. There was a day I refused and when I greeted him the following day, he did not answer me.
“He reported me to his wife that I had become pompous in his house and that I no longer greeted him.”
This sexual abuse would continue for four years, according to the girl, until 2013 when his brother got married and brought her back to help around the house.
However, in January 2014, the sexual abuse the girl had kept secret and thought was over would come back to haunt her.
“His wife had just had a miscarriage and I was sent to go and help her for a few days. But in the afternoon, when his children had gone to school, he dragged me to his children’s room and raped me,” Gloria said.
Few days before that day, our correspondent learnt that Gloria’s brother had even gone to his ‘magnanimous’ friend, bearing a bottle of wine, to thank him for taking care of his sister over the years.
“I did not know in my wildest dream that the man I see as my friend would do such a terrible thing to my sister,” he said.
Nobody knew what damage had been done until September 2014 when the symptoms of pregnancy started to manifest in the girl’s body.
“She is one of those people who could be pregnant and her flat tummy would not make anyone suspicious. I thought that if she was pregnant, it would be in early stages and could be aborted. I had no idea that she would deliver in a few days,” the neighbour told our correspondent.
The day Gloria gave birth, the girl who knew nothing about motherhood was in labour for hours in her room and thought she was having a stomach ache.
She only screamed when her water broke, it was learnt. But she had a crisis-free delivery and gave birth to a healthy baby boy.
“I have never had sex with any other boy before. I can swear on my life,” she said.
When Gloria’s angry brother and other relations confronted Okparanta with the rape allegation, he denied initially.
“He later admitted that he slept with her only once,” Obi said.
When Saturday PUNCH spoke with Okparanta on the phone, he initially went from feigning ignorance to outright denial.
But when he was asked why he sent a cheque of N50,000, to the girl’s brother, he hesitated a little and admitted he raped the girl once.
“It is a lie that I started sleeping with her since she was 11. Even last year, I did not sleep with her,” Okparanta said.
“Yes, I gave her brother a cheque because they were accusing me that I was responsible,” he continued.
But did he think he could be responsible since he has admitted sleeping with the girl?
He said, “I only slept with her once in January and she was not a virgin at the time. That was the last time I did it. I was not the first person to sleep with her. I am not the one that deflowered her.
“I was sleeping in the sitting room at the time. I just felt someone touching me. I just did not know how I slept with her after that. I hated her since then.”
Our correspondent asked if it was true that he and his wife had accused the girl of being possessed, Okparanta said, “I did not know what came over me that made me sleep with her. I told his brother after the incident that he should take her to a church for deliverance.”
He told our correspondent that he did not tell his friend that he ever slept with his sister.
“No, I did not. I just hated the girl and felt she should not have made me to do such a bad thing. I am currently discussing with the family to see how we can take care of the baby if indeed I am responsible.”
Child rights activist, Esther Ogwu, who had taken up the case, said taking responsibility for the care of the child was just a first step.
Ogwu, who is the Executive Director of Esther Child Rights Foundation, said, “We are working to ensure that justice is done in this matter. But the welfare of the mother and child is paramount. We are taking the matter to the police, who will invite Okparanta for interrogation.
“But it is necessary for families to be wary of the environment where children they put children they bring to Lagos from their villages. Many of such children often times are abused by adults who take advantage of their ignorance and innocence.”

WHERE IS MANKIND HEADED ... READS LIKE FICTION : I Would Do Anything To Have Sex With My Father Again–By Kenechi Uzochukwu ... Ekekeee

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I didn’t cry. It was painful what he did, but I didn’t cry. He said it was okay.
I didn’t cry the second time either. I liked it. He was gentler. He told me it was our secret, our special thing, and no one should know about it.
I went to him the third time it happened, it was raining and the thunders scared me. We did it again, I enjoyed it. We began to do it more often, and each time I enjoyed it more.
I was twelve that first time, and a happy child, happier than any other child I knew. I doubt if any other child had so much love. I was my father’s lover and he was mine. Everything was perfect.
And then, on my twentieth birthday, the unthinkable happened.
My father broke up with me. Just like that. He said it wasn’t right, what we do, and that we must stop. End of matter. It felt like a full stop at the end of an epitaph. It was too sudden.
I had no warning, no premonition. The break up was like death. I had taken the week off from school just to be with the only man in my life, the best man I ever knew, or so I thought. I thought my birthday would have ended sensually, like all the others. It was usually the best birthday present he gave me, a passionate night of love making right out of a romance novel.
It had been a while. My higher education had taken me away. And I sorely missed my beloved father. I went home that day with thoughts of my father obscuring all other thoughts. I arrived late in the evening. He wasn’t home yet. I made myself as adorable as he liked. It was not hard. My allure had never needed much artificial furnishings; a touch here and a touch there, and I would be set to win any beauty contest. That evening I was at my best.
All my preparations and quivering anticipation was to have ended in bliss, the kind only my father could give me.
Instead, I got the shock of my life. That terrible day, I knew exactly how the Deer must feel when the hunter’s bullet crashes through its heart. I learnt how it must feel to be shot out of the sky.
I had hoped he didn’t mean it, that this was just another punishment, but the way he said it convinced me it was final. I knew my father; I knew the look on his face. It was the same look he had when he shot Dragon our Alsatian. This was not like before when he would refuse to touch me because I misbehaved. My father had never hit me or scolded me; his punishments were usually more severe and silent. He would simply refuse to touch me for days on end. Such days were hell for me. I could barely survive without him. When he was pleased with me, he really would take his time and give me much pleasure that I never knew was possible.
I was a very well behaved child; I had all the proper manners for a proper lady. Thanks to my father.
But this was no punishment. This was a cessation. This was my death. I tried to make him see reason, to convince him that we were to be forever. I told him of our joys, our laughs and how love couldn’t be any better. I begged him not to kill his beloved and only child.
The man was like a stone.
It is true what they say. Men are beasts; unfeeling beasts.
How could he end something so wonderful, something so perfect? He said he still loved me, but I didn’t believe him, I couldn’t believe that. He couldn’t even look me in the eye when he said it. There must have been a reason, but I didn’t care for whatever it was. I knew it wasn’t about right or wrong, there is no love that can be wrong, especially the kind we had. It was beautiful; we were one, my father and I. Our love transcended that of a father and his daughter. It was the stuff of heaven. No, His reason wasn’t religious, not at all, my father wasn’t that sentimental. I was his sole religion, he worshiped me.
There was no one else either, I knew that much. My mother died while birthing me. Ever since, I had been my father’s heartbeat. And he was my breath. I never missed my mother. I never knew her, never would meet her. I would, perhaps, have liked to know her, but somehow I thank God she wasn’t with us. It would have been awkward. I don’t think I could have shared my father with any one.
My father gave no reason for killing me. He couldn’t explain why we could no longer have what we had. There was nothing I didn’t think, there was no thought I didn’t wish to explain his decision by. Something, perhaps, must have happened to his hormones. I couldn’t believe this was my perfect father. I couldn’t believe my day could ever become so dark.
He only said he was doing it for me, that it was for the best, my best. How could I have ever believed the man loved me? He even looked sad that day, so sorrowful and tired. In better times and in our previous world, I would have taken him in my arms as I was wont, and work my magic on him. Over the years I had learnt his special recipe. I was the only one who knew his mix. I had never asked him, but I sensed that even my mother didn’t take him to the heights I took him.
But his words belied the sorrow on his features. He had said the break up words so casually, so matter of factly, as if he had thought it through and found it a simple matter. There should be a special kind of voice and words for pronouncements of that nature, something equal and suitably terrible. The normalcy and casualness of his words were a negation. It was like mockery. I didn’t know I could ever stop being what I was to him; I had never thought our relationship would end. But end it did, and in so shocking a manner. Good things shouldn’t end that abruptly. Relationships don’t die at once. Death is not a casual occurrence.
The most painful part of it was that I didn’t die. I felt like dying. I wanted to die. But I didn’t know how to go about it. I should have killed him too; I should have hurt him too. He looked like he was hurting, but I should have made sure. It is too painful to feel the pain of death and yet be alive. There is no pain worse than the pain of death.
And then, the man wanted us to be Father and Daughter, just father and daughter. I couldn’t understand why he would want to reduce our love to something merely biological and normal. Why on earth couldn’t he see that I could never be happy as just his daughter, and that I could never be remotely happy with any other arrangement? We were happy, I made him happy. Why do some people reject their own happiness?
For a long time I had believed my father loved me. On my twentiethbirthday, I knew the truth. That day was my awakening to the heartlessness of men, and the absurdity of love. That day, I grew up, I grew old and I died.
It was the last day I spoke or saw my father. He killed me, so I made sure I remained dead to him. I became a living dead, dead inside and alive only in looks.
As I left him that evening, I looked back a lot of times. He didn’t recant, he didn’t rethink. He watched me leave. The tears were streaming from both our eyelids. I could feel his sorrow; it was thick enough to touch. The feeling was apt; death had occurred.
The man came for me twice, later. But he came as a father coming for his daughter. He should have come for me as a soul for its soul mate, like breath for air, like the dying for life. That was what we were; romance and its love.
He came, just that twice. I waited for him too, but he never came again. I gave up.
I made a new resolve. Men would learn from me, the very hard way. I have what they want. My beauty is the glaring kind that every body agrees with. But my heart would be a different matter. I knew most men wouldn’t resist me; they can’t be as tough as my father, my looks were not enough for that man to change his mind and do the right thing, the best thing.
It wasn’t easy. It took a while before I could stand the touch of any other man, but vengeance helped me detach my body from myself.
I would forever be grateful for my looks; it was my ultimate shield. It helped me survive and helped my resolve. I set off on a mission, to hurt as I had been hurt. I soon became very successful. I brought both boys and men to their knees. I killed them and still left them alive. I remember the families that fought themselves over me, the brothers that would never forgive each other, the scandalized churches and governments, the suicides, the bankruptcies. There is a lot a body can do when it is rightly motivated.
My father didn’t know what he unleashed.
Payback is a beautiful side of nature. There is no payback as sweet and profound as when it’s total and final, like death. No man recovered that encountered me.
But vengeance was not so much fun. I didn’t feel any lasting relief. Hurting men didn’t make me feel much better; it was a constant reminder to my own heartbreak. But I couldn’t stop. Sometimes I wondered what the whole point was. I could never lose the pangs I had for my father’s touch. Payback did not completely fill the chasm that my father dug in me. I doubt if anything ever would.
I would have easily given everything up for things to get back to what it was.
I lived like someone on a mission, and I wanted to be free from the service, but I just couldn’t. In moments of weakness, I would always think about what my father and I had. Thinking about our perfect love brought me tears and gave me joy. At such moments, I would really try to feel and have fun, I would let my guard down to see if I would be alive again. It was no use. No other man was like my father. No one even came close. No one was able to get me right, something was always missing. With my dad it was perfect, he knew just what I wanted, and how. No two people were ever in sync as my father and I was. No other man could bring me alive.
The last time I had pleasure was with my father.
This many years have past, since I lost my beloved father. And more recently the world lost him too. I just left his grave side. I have never been able to understand why I keep visiting his grave, despite the distance, despite all. And each time, I always leave with an exhausting longing, a fiery desire, and an intense craving.
I would do anything; anything, just to have sex with my father again.
By kenechi Uzochukwu
www.kayceeuzor.wordpress.com
@kc2031uzor

DEADLY ADDICTION : 7-month pregnant woman dies after romp with lover ... VanguardNews

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ONITSHA—The police in Anambra State are interrogating a man to ascertain the circumstances surrounding the sudden death of a seven-month pregnant woman during a marathon sex bout with him in Onitsha.
The man (names withheld), according to a police source, had allegedly taken the deceased to an undisclosed hotel in Onitsha, only for the hotel staff to discover that the woman was dead in the morning.
The incident, the source said, occurred on Tuesday when the man allegedly checked into the hotel with the heavily pregnant woman, only to find out in the morning that his partner could not wake up on Wednesday morning.

A resident’s account
Though the police in Onitsha Area Command refused to give details on the incident, a resident of the area said the suspect and the deceased were just love birds.
He said the suspect had lodged into the hotel room and invited the deceased through a phone call.
The source further faulted rumours that the woman died as a result of charms made by her husband, adding that it was possible that the woman died of exhaustion from the marathon sex romp.
He urged the police to conduct a thorough investigation into the matter.
At press time, nobody from the suspect or deceased’s family had been identified, as the corpse was deposited in an undisclosed mortuary in Onitsha by the police.
At the Inland Town Police Division, Onitsha, the Divisional Police Officer, Mr. Cosmas Eze, refused to comment on the incident but referred Vanguard to the Area Commander, ACP Benjamin Wordu, for clarifications.
Confirming the incident, the Anambra State Police Public Relations Officer, PPRO, Mr. Uche Ezeh, said the command received the information concerning the incident, disclosing that the suspect had been arrested and case transferred to the State Criminal Investigations Department, SCID, Awka, for further investigations.

HOW TIME FLIES ... WITH A POPULARITY WANING INTO OBLIVION : Alleged Jonathan’s Election Killer Squad: Al-Mustapha replies Obasanjo ... PremiumTimes

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Hamza Al-Mustapha leaving Kirikiri prison
Hamza Al-Mustapha, an army major and former Chief Security Officer to the late Head of State, Sani Abacha, recently floated a non-governmental organisation, Al-Mustapha Unity and Development Initiative.
In this interview with PREMIUM TIMES, he speaks on the mission of the organisation and its source of funding as well as life after 15 years in detention, his plan to return to the military, and the allegation by former President Olusegun Obasanjo that Mr. Al-Mustapha was heading a killer squad for President Goodluck Jonathan ahead of the 2015 general elections.
PT: What have you been doing since you returned from detention?
Al-Mustapha: We were deliberately disconnected from the society that we have been with for many years before having served Nigeria, from my commission to my arrest in 1998. So from 1998 to 2013 is a long period. So, for 15 years that you’ve been kept out of the society you are desirous of serving and you believe you owe a lot. It is only normal that we continue to have a reconnect as a directive from within our own programmes from the north to the south. We have built a lot of goodwill in the years past and it is only normal that we see ourselves going around for a reconnect.
PT: What is your impression of the recent ceasefire agreement between the FG and the Boko Haram?
Al-Mustapha: Where there are any operations those who are deep into it are the ones that are actually aware of the nitty-gritty involved. So, if out of the surface or I don’t know about the conception to the present state, it will be foolish for me to be commenting on it. I prefer not to talk if I’m ignorant of some topics, rather I am confident to discuss or talk or contribute on any matter that I am familiar with and I am aware of.
PT: How would you respond to the allegation by former President Obasanjo that you are heading a killer squad for President Jonathan?
Al-Mustapha: I have replied him that it is most unfortunate. That is what I said. And for him to have come up with that I’m sure he has no fact, he has no figures, and he has nothing to say other than what he has done. If he’s angry that God has granted us freedom, that’s another thing entirely. But to give such an allegation, weighty as it is in the eyes of the law, certainly that is a fundamental issue that cannot be brushed aside. I challenge him to an open a debate as a direct reply.
When he made that allegation in writing to the president I was not in Nigeria. I was in India treating the injuries he infected on me courtesy of torture that he arranged on me since 15 years. And while I was on hospital bed the information came that a letter was written on such an allegation. It’s most unfortunate. I wish being a statesman, a former head of state (and) a former senior military officer he should be able to summon me, even to Otta. I’m ready to go anywhere he wishes to discuss such issues. But I was not and I am not to be counted among those who have ill feelings against Nigeria. Rather we are bridge builders; we are peace building machine and we believe in peaceful coexistence of Nigeria. It is the mission before us. So it was so it is. We will not deviate from that.
PT: You’ve forgiven him?
Al-Mustapha: Of course, I have. Every other person, even out of mischief, requires forgiveness. It is strength to he that has forgiven and it a lesson to he that initiated mischief. Mischief cannot and will not have a sustained result no matter who, where and when.
PT: What are your views about the presidential ambition of some prominent northerners like Muhammadu Buhari and Atiku Abubakar?
Al-Mustapha: I am not a political party card-carrying member. So I cannot comment on that. I’m watching the way you, as a citizen, is watching. We will keep watching. So, the interest and desire of whatsoever as provided by the law to provide leadership to Nigeria is therefore for anybody to exercise.
You can aspire to contest for presidency tomorrow and we look forward with delight where young men will take up a challenge. Give it a shot, try, if you can, as enshrined in the law. While they are contesting we are also looking particularly for younger ones to do so and to provide leadership to Nigerians.
PT: What is your take on the entry of late Head of State, Sani Abacha’s son into the governorship race in Kano State?
Al-Mustapha: He is desirous of becoming an aspirant. Mohammed Abacha is my younger brother and where he has an interest, surely I will also have an interest there. I don’t think he’s the one contesting I’m the one pushing him to contest.
PT: Are you supporting President Goodluck Jonathan?
Al-Mustapha: The president is the president and commander-in-chief and as a commander-in-chief, he is the commander-in-chief to the military and that is where I belong.
PT: Are you still in service?
Al-Mustapha: My matter will come up at the Supreme Court and once it finishes everything will be formally regularized and it will be one.  I’m in court.
PT: Right now you are not in the military?
Al-Mustapha: I’m in Supreme Court. You will hear the outcome because it will be made public.
PT: You have an NGO called Al-Mustapha Unity and Development Initiative. Who is funding it?
Al-Mustapha: Well-wishers and many of my friends in and out of Nigeria! We are committed to peace building assignment in our hands and we believe we will add colours and make the difference in Nigeria. We want a very peaceful Nigeria. For many things to come, it will.

ANOTHER ROUND OF PROMISES : I’ll bring an end to Boko Haram, says Jonathan ... PMNews

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President Goodluck Jonathan
President Goodluck Jonathan on Saturday said the Federal Government was determined to liberate all territories occupied by Boko Haram insurgents in the North-East.
Jonathan gave the assurance at the launch of the Presidential Initiative for the North-East (PINE) in Maiduguri.
Represented by Alhaji Mohammed Wakil, the Minister of State for Power, Jonathan said government was in the process of deploying more troops and resources to ensure quick liberation of the occupied territories.
He said government would unveil a Marshal Plan for the rehabilitation, reconstruction and redevelopment of the area soon after the insurgents had been dislodged.
The President added that government had introduced numerous intervention programmes to alleviate the sufferings of the people affected by the insurgency.
He named some of them to include the Presidential Initiative for the North-East headed by the National Security Adviser, Sambo Dasuki, and the Presidential Committee on Distribution of Relief Materials headed by NEMA Director-General, Malam Sani Sid.
Others are the Victims Support Fund chaired by former Defence Minister, Lt.- Gen. Theophilus Danjuma, and the Safe School Initiative coordinated by the Minister of the Finance, Dr Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala.
The Minister of Science and Technology, Dr Abdul Bulama, who attended the PINE launch, lamented the magnitude of destruction meted out to residents by the insurgents in the North-East.
He said “the Federal Government has for long realised that boots and guns alone cannot solve the problems in the North-East.
“The underlying factors causing the insurgency to thrive must ultimately be addressed holistically so as to stem the possibility of re-occurrence.”

ALL FOR THE MIRACLES : Pastor, Woman Arrested For Staging Fake Miracle In Church ... The suspect, Pastor Jonas Abedi was said to have performed the fake miracle at a church he was visiting for a 2-day revival ... PulseNg

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Fake pastor who allegedly hired a woman to pose as a cripple and ‘healed’ her during a church service has been arrested by the Odorkor Police.

The suspect, Jonas Abedi, 35, is being held together with the woman, Helena Donkor, 40, and three others. The others are Enoch Mortey, 29, who posed as a pastor; Divine Kwadwo Columbus, 36, a self-acclaimed prophet, and Christiana Quainoo, 36, who posed as a sister of the cripple who had brought her to the church for healing.

Abedi was said to have performed the ‘miracle’ at a church he was visiting for a two-day programme.
The Odorkor District Police Commander, Superintendent of Police Mr Abraham Acquaye, told the Daily Graphic that the incident happened on Tuesday, November 11, 2014.

He said Abedi had been invited by the Founder of Power Explosion Chapel at Tantra Hills in Accra, Rev Ewurama Annan, after the two had established contact through Facebook, a social media platform.

He said Abedi, who claimed to be a Ghanaian pastor based in New York in the United States of America (USA), and Rev Annan had been communicating through Facebook for a while.

“In one of their chats, Abedi told Rev Annan that he had been invited by a church in South Africa for a programme and was scheduled to visit Ghana for another programme with a church in Kumasi, after which he would want to pay her a visit,” Mr Acquaye said.

He said Rev Annan informed Abedi that her church had been holding services on Sundays and Tuesdays and wanted him to be the guest speaker on November 11.

About two weeks later, Rev Annan received a phone call from Abedi that he had arrived in Ghana and was done with the Kumasi-based church.

Mr Acquaye said Power Explosion Chapel hosted Abedi and his two pastor friends in a hotel for the programme, which was held on Sunday, November 9 and Tuesday, November 11, 2014.

“During the service on Tuesday, Abedi asked the congregation if there was any sick person in the church and Quainoo responded that she had brought her crippled sister,” he said.

The pastor, Mr Acquaye said, led the congregation to pray for the sick woman who had come to the church with crutches and was unable to stand on her legs.

After the church had prayed, the police commander said, the pastor asked her to walk, and instantly the woman was able to walk and even jumped without the crutches and support of her sister.
Other miracles

Earlier, the commander said, Abedi had called a young man from the congregation and told him that he was involved in the use of charms to seduce older women and that he was in the church because of a woman.

“To prove a point, Abedi said the young man was carrying the charm and a condom in his pocket and asked him to bring them out. The man brought out a substance and a condom,” he said.

Another man was also said to have been called to the front of the congregation, after which Abedi mentioned the name and the telephone number of the man and revealed other personal details, to the surprise of the congregation.

However, Mr Acquaye said, the founder of the church told the police that she became suspicious after the service, since all the people Abedi ministered to were not members of her church.

She, therefore, detailed some elders of the church to monitor those people and Abedi.

At the end of the service, the woman who had been healed carried her crutches and put them behind a waiting four-wheel drive vehicle at a filling station near the church where she waited with her supposed sister.

The other two men also joined them, while the church elders monitored and saw them making phone calls.

Shortly after, a man walked to them and gave them money, which the elders suspected to be payment for their services.

With the help of the Odorkor District Police night patrol team, the elders managed to apprehend the two women, while the two men bolted.

The pastor and his two friends were later arrested at their hotel.

Mr Acquaye said on interrogation, Helena and Christiana confessed that they had been contracted by a lady who gave them the crutches and asked them to put up the charade for a fee of GH¢50 each.

COULD THIS BE TRUE? : BREAKING: IG Police Orders Ibn Fadlallah Vigilante Army To Return To Yola For “Screening”, Allowing Boko Haram Advance To Yola ... NewsRescue

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We are receiving urgent reports from the people of Adamawa state that the Nigerian Inspector General of Police has ordered the hunter and vigilante forces who were en-route Gombi to battle Boko Haram to return to Yola, capital of Adamwa for the new so-called “screening.” This as Boko Haram terrorists have been reported advancing towards Yola through Song, the last stop before hitting the capital of Adamawa.
It is beyond denial that the Nigerian government and heads of security services of the nation are the sponsors and supporters of Boko Haram. We reported Thursday that as soon as the Ibn Fadlallah hunters and vigilante’s had scored significant victories against the terrorists, routing them out of occupied Maiha and Mubi, the Nigerian Jonathan government ordered the IGP Suleiman Abba to announce a so-called new screening of vigilantes in Nigeria [http://ends.ng/?p=1586]. This was deliberate and desperate attempt to hamper the brave patriotic volunteers who were bailing out the nation’s northeast from the hands of unrelenting terror.
Instead of the police to do what they are paid for and lead the fight against Boko Haram, they are obstructing those who are doing their job for them.
As we speak, Boko Haram is being allowed to regain grounds in Adamawa state as the Goodluck Jonathan government is directly inhibiting the People’s Resistance Forces.
We call on all Nigerians to rise up against this direct demonstration of terror against the people. We call on all Nigerians in leadership positions to utilize all means in their disposal to stop the Jonathan persecution of the brave young men, hunters, vigilantes, army soldiers and Civilian-JTF sacrificing their lives to rid the nation of terror. Nigerians must not sit back and watch their government terrorize and destroy the nation.
We call on all international rights organizations to witness the war for terror being orchestrated on Nigerians by the Jonathan administration. The same administration that declared a unilateral cessation of fire to enable Boko Haram terrorists regroup and launch successful attacks on the people, occupying dozens of local governments while the nation’s well financed army, headed by billions of dollars-corrupt army chiefs ordered the army to fold their arms and watch. Nigerians need all instruments of justice to be applied against this tyrant administration that is hell bent on destroying the nation’s northern farming capital.
Dr. Peregrino Brimah; http://ENDS.ng [Every Nigerian Do Something] Email: drbrimah@ends.ng Twitter: @EveryNigerian

MR PRESIDENT MUST HEAR THIS : Negotiation with boko haram is waste of time – Pastor Oritsejafor ... VanguardNews

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National President of the Christian Association of Nigeria, CAN, Pastor Ayo Oritsejafor, on Monday, celebrated his birthday by giving out cheques of N50,000 each to about 30 disabled individuals from different parts of Delta State. In this interview, he laments that for two years now, Nigeria Inter-religious Council, NIREC, has not seen the need to meet despite the growing menace of insurgency in parts of the country. When asked whether constant attacks on his person will deter him from speaking his mind, his answer was: “God forbid. It cannot!” Excerpts…
What’s your birthday wish for Nigeria?
My birthday wish for Nigeria is that we will have a nation where everyone is equal; not just by national anthem, not just in words, but in deeds. That Nigeria will be a nation where people are not judged by tribe or by religion, but purely on the quality of their character, their person. My wish is to have a nation where anybody can go from Sokoto to Calabar and be accepted as a Nigerian. I don’t have to change my religion to live in a certain part of the country.
To mark your birthday, you gave out cheques to disabled people in Warri. What inspired it?
That is my life. The major thing that gives me joy in life is to give joy to other people. When I have opportunity to do that, I jump at it because it does something to me. I feel fulfilled. Yes, I’m a Christian, I’m spiritual, but I feel like a human being when I touch other people. It reminds me of my own humanity. It reminds me that if not for God, I will not be who I am; I will not be where I am today. You saw a woman giving testimony and then she said she had stopped doing business. Whatever stopped her from business, obviously stopped her from a livelihood. It just occurred to me there, ‘why don’t you just help her?’ She is healed, she is happy, but why not just take it a step further and help her to have a livelihood? And you could see her reaction. That gives me fulfilment. December 26th is an incredible day for me here in Warri. I did not fully understand the word Boxing Day. I thought it was a feast thing, but then I began to understand that it is a day where many things are packaged; it’s a day of boxing things to give to people. So we do that here every December 26th. We give out cars, tricycles. That’s my joy. I’m a pastor. How much do I have? What can I do? Very little. But there are big businessmen, big companies; if we all try to do a little; everybody seems to be pushing it all to government but government can’t do everything. We can all do something. If I do a little something, and somebody else does, and everybody else does, you would be surprised how many people we can take out of poverty, how many people we can actually put on their feet so they can stand for themselves and fend for themselves. It will change this country.
In view of the growing insurgency in parts of the country, why has NIREC not held any meeting to address the challenge?
I am as puzzled as you are because the Sultan and I are co-chairs of that organisation. We’ve not had a meeting now for almost two years and I’m puzzled because at least three times I have been informed of a meeting. We were supposed to meet in Gombe, only for the Secretary/coordinator, Prof. Ishaq Oloyede, to call to tell me it won’t hold, something happened, the governor was going somewhere or something. We fixed another date, he came up with something again.
We fixed a third date; they came up with something again why it could not hold. At a point, they even said there was no money. But early this year, I was told that there was some money now, so I said let’s do it. I talked with the two very important people involved. I suggested some dates; they said those dates were not good. So I’m still waiting for a date.
So it has nothing to do with me. I would love that we sit and talk. And we should be able to put these issues on the table and put timeline and agree on how we want to solve some of the problems facing Nigeria today. The traditional rulers, the religious leaders and political leaders; these three groups of people are very crucial to solving the problems facing Nigeria today.
Recently we heard that there was a ceasefire, later we were told that there was no ceasefire whatsoever……
I think I’m the wrong person to ask this because, first of all, I was not part of it. I don’t know anything about any ceasefire. You people should ask the relevant authorities to explain what they meant by ceasefire because I have no idea. What I know from what some very devout Muslims have told me is that when a Jihad starts, they don’t stop. The Jihad has to be completed. They either die or they achieve their goal. And the goal is to Islamize Nigeria. The real war is a war between the ideology of Sharia and the ideology of democracy. This is the war that is going on, and it is a worldwide war.
In Nigeria, we are ostriches; we put our heads in the sand. The western world is doing the same. They think as long as they are hiding in the sand, their problems will vanish. It’s not going anywhere. We have to face reality. The problem is real. Boko Haram will not negotiate with anybody. It’s a waste of time, energy and effort. They may end up talking with some people. But the problem is there are people who are still killing people and raising up their flags every day in different places. This is the reality on ground. Let’s stop the deception. Let’s stop the games. What is happening is real. People are being killed on a daily basis. So what ceasefire? There’s nothing like that anywhere. Shekau himself has been coming out almost every day, saying he doesn’t know anything about any deal. What deal is anybody going to strike with you that is going to stop this trend now that is going on?

SO IT HAS COME TO THIS? : BREAKING: Hunters From Across Nigeria Travelling To Borno And Adamawa To Battle Boko Haram ... NewsRescue

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hunters guardian
We have received reports that thousands of hunters and other warrior volunteers from across Nigeria are travelling to Borno and Adamawa states to join the battle against Boko Haram and assist the Ibn Fadlallah forces regain all territories captured by Boko Haram.
The volunteers have so far scored great and unprecedented victories against the terrorists sending them fleeing from liberated towns. Pursued by the vigilante hunters and civilian warriors, Boko Haram terrorists fled Mubi Thursday south to Gombi and Hong from where they are advancing to Yola. The terrorists also fled Adamawa north through Chibok in Borno and holed up in a school in Manjakwa, Hawul local government.
Meanwhile the Jonathan government is doing all it can to hamper the progress of these patriotic volunteers by summoning them away from the battle lines to Yola for a fake screening process.

In retaliation the terrorists burned down the house of Sarkin Baka Gombi (King of the bow), a head-hunter of Gombi.
hunters
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