DOMINGO REPORT

Tuesday, 17 November 2015

France stages 128 raids overnight after attacks

French police staged 128 raids in the early hours of Tuesday, Interior Minister Bernard Cazeneuve said, as authorities stepped up their investigation into the country’s worst-ever terror attacks.
Authorities had made 23 arrests and seized 31 weapons including a rocket launcher in a broad sweep of raids across the country the previous day.

LASG calls for calm as water scarcity bites harder

Ambode

As the scarcity of water in Lagos State worsens, the state government has urged residents to remain calm as it is working hard to ensure that it delivers 773 million gallons of water a day by 2020.
The call comes just as several communities including the state capital, Ikeja, have been without water for over a week.
It was learnt that the cost of water being sold by vendors had risen.
According to a report by New York-based media company, Bloomberg, the Lagos State Water Corporation’s current capacity is 210 million gallons of water a day compared with the 540 million gallons needed by Lagosians.
The 210 million gallons of water can only meet the demand of seven million Lagosians out of the over 20 million residents.
However, the Commissioner for the Environment, Mr. Babatunde Adejare, said in a statement on Monday that the challenges would soon come to an end.
He said the government understood the hardship Lagosians face every day over the scarcity of water.
Adejare attributed the challenge to technical hitches and explained that efforts were being made to address them.
“The state government is on top of the situation and I can assure residents of the state that before the week runs out, they will begin to enjoy regular water supply. The Lagos Water Corporation is working round the clock to address the technical hitches and we need to get it right once and for all,” Adejare said.
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Monday, 16 November 2015

Army warns against pro-Biafra protests in Lagos

Tukur Buratai

The Nigerian Army 81 Division has warned residents of Lagos State against joining the agitation for the creation of Biafra, adding that the military is prepared to quash any violent protest.
The General Officer Commanding, 81 Division, Maj. Gen. Isidore Edet, gave the warning while speaking with journalists in Lagos on Monday.
He also assured residents of security against Boko Haram and any other terrorist group.
While warning the Biafra agitators to desist from acts of violence, he said the army would do anything to protect the integrity and unity of Nigeria.
He said, “For those committing treasonable felony and arson, as well as wanton destruction of lives and property, we shall apply the Rules of Engagement to the letter.
“It is, however, hoped that such circumstances would not arise that we should be deployed in such operations, because let nobody make any mistake, within the ambit of the law, we shall apply the ROE to the letter.
“The Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, 1999 (as amended) vide Section 217 (2) (c) provides that the Armed Forces of Nigeria shall suppress insurrection and act in aid of civil authority to restore order when called upon to do so by the President, Commander-in-Chief.
“This provision is reinforced by Section (8) (1) and (3) of the Armed Forces Act, Laws of the Federation of Nigeria, (LFN) 2004.
“This presupposes that troops have to use necessary force to quell crisis resulting in deaths, injury and damage to property.”
Edet also said that officers and soldiers had been warned not to take sides in any conflict, adding that those found wanting would face the consequences of their actions.
“Any officer or soldier found aiding or abetting any act of arson, vandalism or unprofessional conduct, will be severely dealt with according to extant laws,’’ he said.
Edet assured Lagos residents that the army was working hard to ensure that terrorists did not succeed in Lagos.
“We cannot disclose the details yet but we are working round the clock to ensure that Boko Haram does not find a safe haven in Lagos, the South-West or any part of the country.
“There is no cause for alarm and there is no need for alarm.”
While noting that several Boko Haram suspects had been arrested in the last one month, Edet said most of them had lost the will to fight and were fleeing the North-East.
He said, “People should not worry about the influx of terrorists into Lagos or the South-West. With the heat in the North-East, most of them have lost the will to fight and are relocating to other parts of the country where they take up jobs as construction workers.
“But we have been arresting suspected Boko Haram leaders and their foot soldiers. We have been working with other security agencies and a lot of them have been arrested this past month.”

We’ll stop Biafra agitators – Army

Ihuoma Chiedozie, Enugu
The Nigerian Army, on Monday, warned pro-Biafra agitators that it was ready to suppress insurrection, whenever the need arises.
The army made it clear that it was prepared to check the activities of the secessionists, which it described as its “legally mandated role”, should it be required to do so.
The 82 Division of the Nigerian Army, Enugu, gave the warning in an address ‘on the activities of pro-Biafran demonstrators across cities in the South-South and South-East geo-political zones’.
Deputy Director, Army Public Relations, 82 Division Enugu, Col. Hamza Gambo, who read a statement on behalf of the General Officer Commanding, Brig. Gen. Ibrahim Attahiru, during a press conference at the Division’s headquarters in Enugu, noted that the ongoing protests has led to an increased sense of insecurity in the South-East and South-South.
The army spokesman further noted that although the pro-Biafra activists, like other Nigerians, have the right to freedom of expression and peaceful assembly, such rights should not undermine other peoples’ freedom and safety.
Gambo said the army would not shy away from its constitutional mandate to suppress insurrection, and aid civil authority, if called upon to do so as a result of the ongoing pro-Biafra agitation.
“The truism of freedom of expression and peaceful assembly is not contestable particularly as it is guaranteed by sections 39 (1) and 40 of the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, 1999 (as amended).
“Instructively, this constitutional guarantee does not allow for abuse of other persons’ freedom and safety.
“It is however pertinent to note that same Constitution vide section 217 (2) mandates the Armed Forces of Nigeria to suppress insurrection and act in aid of civil authority to restore order when called upon to do so.”
pparently in order to allay fears of possible civilian casualties and other abuses, Gambo assured that the army would act within it rules of engagement, should it be required to check the activities of the pro-Biafra activists.
He said, “To this end, if and when the Nigerian Army is called upon to play its legally mandated role, it shall do so with utmost sense of duty and responsibility to the nation.
“In such instance, the Nigerian Army shall act within its rules of engagement accordingly.

“It is also important to reassure all law abiding citizens that they have nothing to fear.”

10 Nigeria’s highways in a state of disrepair

Gridlock caused by an accident on Lagos-Ibadan Expressway ...recently

Gridlock, vehicular breakdown, fatal accidents and highway robberies are some of the sad tales from the nation’s roads lately,
Compiled by: RASHEED BISIRIYU.

Major roads linking different parts of the country are in a sorry state and this has continued to expose the citizens to all kinds of hazards and trauma.
Investigations conducted by our correspondent show that the situation is the same on many roads leading to major cities such as Lagos, Abeokuta, Ibadan, Port Harcourt, Kaduna, Onitsha, Benin, Asaba and Aba.
Persistent rains have worsened the road condition as motorists and other road users helplessly watch potholes gradually become craters, increasing the failed sections of many highways.
Government agencies saddled with road repair works are hardly on duty, and when they come around, often belatedly, the situation would have deteriorated almost beyond their capacities. At best, they provide palliatives, which the next major rain will wash away.
For instance, a number of points on the Apapa-Oshodi Expressway in Lagos have become impassable and only motorists who know no alternative routes use the road. The situation is worse after a downpour with predictable breakdown of trucks, the attendant traffic jam and accidents on the bad spots.
Motorists and commuters also waste precious man-hours in tormenting gridlock on the Lagos-Abeokuta Expressway, for instance, due to difficulties in movement around a number of the road’s failed sections.
Specifically, road users spend agonising hours moving from Ifo to Sango, a journey that should ordinarily not exceed 15 minutes.
The failed portions are at Joju U-turn in the Sango-Ota area and at the Owode Junction, all in the Ado Odo/Ota Local Government Area of Ogun State.
Remedial measures are sometimes undertaken by the Federal Roads Maintenance Agency on these bad spots but they usually fail the next torrential rain test.
Motorists, passengers and residents, who pass through this route almost on daily basis tell stories of hardship and suffering.
A commercial bus driver, plying the Sango-Abeokuta end of the road, gave an account of what people recently went through: “The traffic jam started around 5.30am just after the rains and it continued up until the evening. The main cause of the traffic jam is the bad portions of the road at Joju U-turn near Ota.
“After Joju, the next dreaded area is the Owode junction, a stretch of about 200 metres, which has failed completely due to flooding. There is no drainage to free the floods.”
Travellers on the Lagos-Ibadan Expressway, arguably the busiest road in Nigeria, have had to daily brace for hours of gridlock at several failed sections. Recently, the situation became critical after the Long Bridge that some of the people trapped in the traffic were forced to sleep on the road.
A pregnant woman fainted. Many missed their appointments. And this was due to some bad portions on both sides of the road around Wawa/Arepo.
After sustained public outcry, the Redeemed Christian Church of God and the Ogun State Government came in to do a remedial work. The situation has merely abated.
While this is going on, the reconstruction of the road, which began in 2009, appears to have been suspended. The contractors, Julius Berger Plc and Reynolds Construction Company Nigeria Limited, have moved their men and equipment out of the road. There is still a problem with the funding of the project, according to The Infrastructure Bank.
The Association of Luxury Bus Owners of Nigeria, which recently expressed worry over the deplorable state of the highways, identified 10 major roads in dire need of rehabilitation or reconstruction to include the Lussada/Igbesa Free Trade Zone road in Ogun State; Omotosho to Ijebu Ode (in Ondo and Ogun states); Agbara/Atan road (Ogun State); Papalanato/Sagamu road (Ogun); Ubiaja-Uromi road (Edo) leading to Abuja; and Oyigbo/Aba-Port Harcourt road.
Others are Ikot-Ekpene/Itu/Odukpani/Uyo-Calabar road; Ikwuano/Ikot-Ekpene road connecting Abia and Akwa Ibom states; Umuapu/Ohaji road connecting Owerri to Port Harcourt; Umagwu road in Imo State connecting Ihiala (Anambra State); and the Enugu-Onitsha Expressway.
The transporters, in a statement by their Chairman, Dan Okemuo, lamented the heavy toll that the bad roads was taking on vehicles and their owners, including high maintenance costs, loss of man-hours and endangering the lives of road users.
These, it said, had resulted in many transporters dropping out of the business, while new investors were scared of coming in.
They called on the new Minister of Power, Works and Housing, Mr. Babatunde Fashola, to urgently fix the roads.
Faiz Abdul, a businessman, spoke on the deplorable state of the Jebba/Bodesadu Road, a major road in the northern part of the country linking the South-West, and mostly plied by heavy duty vehicles.
“The road, which is not more than 90 kilometres, is riddled with potholes. As a result, a vehicle can be on a bad spot for three hours,” he said.
Abdul said the bad state of the road had also made criminal activities to be on the rise in the area.
On roads in the South-South, a lecturer at the Department of Mass Communication, Cross River State University, said the state of the Itu/Calabar and Akpabio/Bakasi roads had become appalling, describing them deathtraps.
Travelling on the Akpabio/Bakasi Road, according to him, has become a nightmare.
The Agbara/Atan-Igbesa road in Ogun State is another road not befitting of a rapidly developing industrial area.
The route, according Mr. Ayo Nasir, a businessman and resident of Igbesa, is known for heavy traffic and frequent accidents as a result of its bad state.
“Heavy duty vehicles, which are fully loaded, hardly find it easy to move; they sometime fall off, block the road and cause accidents in the area. Commercial motorcycle (Okada) has become a major form of transportation in the area,” he said.
The Ogun State Governor, Ibikunle Amosun, recently appealed to President Muhammadu Buhari to intervene in the rehabilitation of the 25km Sagamu/Ogijo/Mosimi/Ikorodu road mostly used by tanker drivers loading petroleum products from the Mosimi depot to different parts of the country.
A civil engineer, Afolabi Adedeji, said many of the roads had the challenge of longevity because the contractors hardly took into consideration the fact that Nigeria has a tropical climate characterised by heavy rainfall.
He noted that flash flooding, a regular occurrence in many areas, could do a lot of damage to any road if not controlled.
Adedeji, a fellow of the Nigerian Society of Engineers, who recalled that as a young graduate from the university, he took part in the construction of the Lagos-Ibadan Expressway, said, “During supervision of work, certain post construction maintenance like clearing the bridge’s silt is ignored. This makes the bridge to overflow and the frequency of this may eventually damage the road.”
A former Managing Director, Federal Roads Maintenance Agency, Mr. Olubunmi Peters, said some of the roads had overstayed their time and were due for reconstruction.
This, he explained, was responsible for their quick deterioration after rehabilitation; and called for an assessment of all the nation’s roads.
To reduce the cost of building and rehabilitating roads, Adedeji stressed the need to build local capacity by encouraging Nigerian graduates to go into highway engineering.

MTN gets respite over $5.2bn fine

South African telecoms giant MTN has won a respite on the payment of a massive $5.2 billion fine imposed on the company in Nigeria to allow for negotiations, the mobile phone operator said Monday.
The Nigerian Communications Commission slapped the penalty on Africa’s largest telecoms firm for failing to deactivate 5.1 million unregistered SIM cards, sending its share price plummeting and leading to the resignation of chief executive Sifiso Dabengwa.
The deadline for the fine to be paid was November 16, but the company announced that the NCC had agreed that it will not be payable until the end of negotiations entered into by acting executive chairman Phuthuma Nhleko, who has taken on Dabengwa’s role for six months.
“Shareholders are advised that the executive chairman of the company, Mr Phuthuma Nhleko, has personally met with the Nigerian authorities to continue the ongoing discussions with them regarding the fine,” the statement said.
“These discussions include matters of non-compliance and the remedial measures that may have to be adopted to address this.
“Shareholders are advised that the Nigerian authorities have, without prejudice, agreed that the imposed fine will not be payable until the negotiations have been concluded.”
Nigeria, Africa’s most populous country, is MTN group’s largest market where it had over 62.8 million subscribers by the second quarter of this year.
The Johannesburg Stock Exchange (JSE) has launched an investigation into MTN for “possible insider trading” before the company announced it had been hit by the fine.

The probe could result in South Africa’s bourse operator slapping MTN with another hefty penalty or result in criminal charges.

Robbers attack Lagos police station, sink gunboat

Lagos State Commissioner of Police, Fatai Owoseni

Domingo report
Armed robbers on Sunday stormed the Marine Police Post of the Lagos State Police Command in the Epe area, exchanging gunfire with the policemen.
During the attack, the robbers attempted to steal the station’s gunboat and other ammunition.
It was learnt that the robbers, said to number about 20, came in a speedboat to the Marine beach at about 12.30am.
It was gathered that policemen from the Epe division, the Rapid Response Squad and the Counter-Terrorism Unit, were mobilised to the scene to repel the attack.
A police source told the media that the robbers, who escaped in their boat, riddled the station with bullets. The gunboat, which they attempted to steal, sank in the water.
He said, “It was at about 12am that the militants invaded the Marine Police Post, Epe. Their mission was to kill the policemen and dismantle the security structures around the place so that they could embark on a bank robbery maybe on Monday.
“The gunfire lasted for several minutes, and the whole area was riddled with bullets. Eventually, they succeeded in sinking the gunboat. No policeman was killed but some might have been injured by the bullets.”
Our correspondent learnt that the state Commissioner of Police, Fatai Owoseni, went to the station on Sunday and assessed the damage.
The Police Public Relations Officer, DSP Joe Offor, who confirmed the attack, said the CP had directed that the area be electrified and the gunboat replaced.
Offor added that the police had increased surveillance in the area and normalcy had been restored.
He said, “The Epe Divisional Police Officer, the Rapid Response Squad and the CTU repelled the gunmen. The CP visited the place and ordered that the beach be electrified.
“The area commander, the DPO and other officers have made efforts to recover the gunboat. We are still working on it and we have fortified the area. Banks have been asked to go on with their usual activities, and there is no cause for alarm.
“No arrests have been made so far. Efforts are on to replace the gunboat.”

Friday, 13 November 2015

Traffic robberies: Police increase presence on Lagos roads

NAN
Amid the hue and cry of the residents of Lagos State over the increasing spate of crime, especially gridlock robberies, the Police have increased their patrols on major roads to curb the menace.
It is known that the criminals who rob motorists and commuters in traffic jams are most times people who pretend to be hawkers of assorted wares.
The News Agency of Nigeria reports that it is important to note that some causes of traffic robberies are the ripple effects of motorists’ indiscipline, impatience and selfishness.
Investigations by the police have revealed how traffic hawkers turn to robbers at night and connive with commercial motorcycle operators as get-away after forcefully dispossessing their victims of valuables.
The investigations according to the Lagos State Commissioner of Police, Mr Fatai Owoseni, showed that some of the arrested traffic robbers had an organised group.
They have a place where they assemble to get their briefings from their gang leaders before they are distributed to various locations in the state to commit the heinous act, the commissioner disclosed.
The police have also enumerated some of the tactics the robbers employed during their operations to include, tapping at motorists’ side windows and showing them their guns to instill fear in them.
Then they demand that motorists or his passengers hand over their valuables which they make away with.
The latest of their tricks is to disguise as policemen on duty and flag down vehicles and demand for its particulars.
Whether they find anything wrong with the vehicle’s documents or not, they order you to go with them to the police station only to divert their victim to an unknown destination to kidnap him.
Afterwards, they ask the victim to call any of his or relation and they will demand for ransom.

In a move to checkmate these ugly developments and fight crime generally, the police have increased their patrols, especially with the recently introduced ‘Safer Highways Patrol’.

Supreme Court halts Saraki’s trial at CCT

Senator saraki

The Supreme Court on Thursday ordered a stay of proceedings in the false asset declaration trial of the Senate President, Dr Bukola Saraki, before the Code of Conduct Tribunal.
Saraki is being tried at the CCT for a 13 counts of false asset declaration.
The order for a stay of execution by the Justice John Fabiyi-led five-man panel of the Supreme Court followed a concession given by the Federal Government’s counsel, Mr. Rotimi Jacobs (SAN), for the proceedings of the tribunal to be halted if Saraki’s main appeal would be given an accelerated hearing.
It came after Saraki’s lead counsel, Mr. Joseph Daudu (SAN), had argued his client’s motion for a stay of the CCT’s proceedings and while Jacobs had made his counter-submissions.
In a unanimous decision read by Justice Fabiyi, the apex court ordered the tribunal, which had fixed November 19 for the commencement of Saraki’s trial, “to tarry awhile” pending the hearing and determination of the Senate president’s appeal.
The apex court ordered Jacobs to file his response to Saraki’s appellant’s brief served on him in court on Thursday within seven days.
It also ordered Daudu to file further response to Jacobs’ brief within seven days thereafter, if he so desired.
Justice Fabiyi said the disposition of the lawyers to the parties was a pointer to the fact that they were committed to the expeditious hearing of the main appeal.
He said the date for the hearing of the appeal would be communicated to all the parties in due course.
The judge, in his ruling, said, “All these point to the fact that both parties are interested in the expeditious hearing of the appeal. Learned senior counsel for the respondent has given an undertaking that no unusual step shall be taken on behalf of the respondents. It is imperative to say that parties as well as the trial Code of Conduct Tribunal tarry awhile.
“In effect, further proceedings before the Code of Conduct Tribunal should be stayed pending the hearing of the main appeal. Hearing date shall be communicated to parties in due course.”
With the Thursday’s order, the tribunal can no longer sit on the case on adjourned November 19 date.
Meanwhile, all the three Senior Advocates of Nigeria – Saka Issau, Ahmed Raji and Mahmud Magaji – who walked out of the tribunal for refusing to stay proceedings on November 5, 2015, and who had said they would withdraw their legal services for Saraki, announced their appearance for the Senate President before the Supreme Court on Thursday.
Earlier, while arguing the motion for stay of proceedings, which was later abandoned, Daudu said the issues which his clients had raised in his appeal bordered on the jurisdiction of the CCT.
He argued that it was a settled principle of law in various previous decisions of the Supreme Court that once a case had been brought before the apex court, the lower court, which in this case was the CCT, had to suspend hearing “to await the decision of the highest court of the land”.
But in countering Daudu’s submission, Jacobs argued that the decisions cited by the appellant were no longer applicable since they preceded the coming into force of the Administration of Criminal Justice Act 2015, which in its section 306 prohibits granting of stay of proceedings in criminal cases.
Saraki had appealed to the Supreme Court against the October 30, 2015 judgment of the Court of Appeal, which affirmed the competence of the charges instituted against him and the jurisdiction of the CCT to try him.
Some lawyers who appeared for Saraki at the tribunal on November 5 had stormed out of the courtroom in protest against a ruling of the CCT, led by Danladi Umar, which rejected their request to adjourn the trial indefinitely because of the pending appeal before the Supreme Court.
The tribunal chairman had adjourned till November 19 to enable Saraki to engage new lawyers.
A two-to-one split decision of the Court of Appeal in Abuja had on October 30 dismissed Saraki’s appeal against the competence of the tribunal and the charges against him comprising 13 counts of false declaration of assets while he was Kwara State Governor in 2003.
In his substantive appeal to the Supreme Court against the appeal court judgment, Saraki maintained that the panel of the CCT was not well constituted because it comprised two members instead of three provided for by law.
He also argued that the charges against him were incompetent since they were filed in the absence of the Attorney General of the Federation.

No regrets, says gay priest sacked by Vatican

AFP
More than a month after the Vatican fired high-ranking priest Krzysztof Charamsa for his very public coming-out, he says he has no regrets and is planning a book about his experience.
The Polish priest made waves last month when he announced his homosexuality — and said he had a Spanish boyfriend — on the eve of a bishops’ synod on the family at the Vatican.
Charamsa was sacked from his post working for the Vatican office for protecting Catholic doctrine, and the 43-year-old is now unemployed.
“I now feel better gay and more of a priest than before,” he told AFP at a hotel in the heart of Barcelona, where he now lives in the gay district.
Smiling, he said he felt “liberated” and “at peace”, but still had a lot to say about the Church, which he accuses of persecuting homosexuals.
“It’s not like the Islamic State (group) that hounds homosexuals by killing them. The Catholic Church doesn’t actually kill people, but it kills them psychologically,” he said.
“It kills them with its backward stance, with its reject, contempt and constant preaching against homosexuals.”
Sporting a black suit and blue shirt, Charamsa detailed his “New manifesto for gay liberation”, which he plans to hand over to the Vatican in the hope of changing the Church’s stance on homosexuality.
“A form of new Ten Commandments to apply in this field”, it asks the Vatican to discard Church documents that are hostile towards homosexuals, such as Benedict XVI’s 2005 edict banning bishops from ordaining homosexuals into the priesthood.
As such, the manifesto calls on the Vatican to allow gays to become priests, and also to revise its interpretation of Biblical texts on this issue.

It also suggests kickstarting dialogue with Evangelists and Anglicans, whom Charamsa says are more open on gay rights, and asks for apologies from the Vatican “for its omissions and silences, persecutions and crimes against homosexuals throughout the centuries.”

Wednesday, 11 November 2015

Adeosun promises transparency in finance ministry

The Minister of Finance, Mrs. Kemi Adeosun, on Wednesday formally assumed duty at the headquarters of the ministry of finance in Abuja.

Adeosun, who arrived at the ministry at about 3:30pm, was warmly received by directors and other top officials in the ministry.

The minister, as soon as she entered the ministry, left no one in doubt that she was out for business as she immediately went into a closed door meeting with directors in the ministry.

It was learnt that the meeting, which lasted for about an hour, was held to familiarise herself with the workings of the ministry.

Shortly after the meeting, the minister received the handing over note from the Director, International Economic Relations Department, Haruna Mohammed, at about 4:45pm.

In a brief chat with journalist shortly after she received the handover note, the minister said she would work with everyone to ensure that the promises made by President Muhammadu Buhari to Nigerians were achieved.

She said, “Thank you for welcoming me and I appreciate it. I look forward to working with you and getting to know all of you and am sure that over the next few months, we are going to be working closely together.”

Meanwhile, the Minister of Budget and National Planning, Udo Udoma, did not report to the ministry on Wednesday.

Top officials had waited for several hours to welcome the minister.

But while Udoma did not resume for work, the newly appointed Permanent Secretary for the ministry, Mrs. Fatimah Mede, was said to have reported for work.

We’ll fight unemployment – Ngige

The newly appointed Minister of Labour and Productivity, Senator Chris Ngige, has said the ministry under his leadership would ensure that the menace of employment in Nigeria was effectively tackled.
Ngige urged the members of staff of the ministry to think creatively to generate employment opportunities in the country.
The Assistant Director in charge of Media at the Ministry of Labour, Mr. Samuel Olowookere, said the Minister made the comment while addressing workers of the ministry on his assumption of office in Abuja on Wednesday.
He said, “We will be at the fore-front of the battle to stop the scourge of unemployment in the country.
“We must, as a people, put on our thinking caps so that we can chart the way forward for employment generation.”
Ngige said while it would not be possible for the Federal Government to provide everybody with employment opportunities, it could provide the enabling environment for all the sectors to thrive.
The minister said efforts would be made to block leakages so that the resources would be committed into development.

“We are the catalyst, the change agent of the change era; if we block leakages in our system, the country will be better for it’s resources will be made available for economic growth,” he added.

Blatter in hospital after suffering a ‘small breakdown’

Guardian UK
Sepp Blatter is in hospital after suffering what has been described as a “small emotional breakdown.”
The suspended Fifa president was last week ordered by doctors to take five days off work after having a medical evaluation for stress.
The 79-year-old had consulted a doctor after feeling unwell and, although no underlying problem was discovered, he was then told to rest. He has since suffered what has been described as “a nervous shock” and is likely to be supervised by doctors for several days.
“My brain and my heart are always fine, my body is letting me down,” he reportedly said.
Blatter’s spokesman, Klaus Stoehlker, told AFP by phone: “He is now, at this moment in hospital. He is preparing to leave on Monday and will be back on the job on Tuesday.”
He had been forced to cancel an interview with Swiss television that was planned for this week.

Amaechi pledges to complete ongoing rail projects

The new Minister of Transport, Rotimi Amaechi, on Wednesday pledged to complete all ongoing rail projects across the country.
He made the pledge during his first day in office as minister, shortly after his inauguration by President Muhammadu Buhari in Abuja.
He, however, noted that he would resume work fully on November 17 when the new Permanent Secretary, Mr. Sabiu Zakari, would equally assume duty at the ministry.
The former Rivers State governor added that his meeting with the permanent secretary and the directors on November 17 would begin by looking at the budget and its level of implementation.
Amaechi called for cooperation from all parastatals and agencies of the ministry and the aviation sector.
He said, “We are interested in completing all ongoing rail projects around the country because we don’t want to disappoint Nigerians. It is important that we realise that we have a mandate to deliver on our promises and there is competition among the ministers to deliver and we don’t want to take last.”
In his address, the Minister of State for Aviation, Mr. Hadi Sirika, said it was an era of new thinking for the actualisation of the change agenda of the Federal Government.
He said the era of talking tough without acting was over, stressing that whatever was said would be done.

Sirika gave assurance that Buhari’s administration would deliver on its promises, adding that the government was aware of the high hope and expectation of Nigerians.

Kidnappers free RCCG pastor after three weeks

The abducted pastor of Redeemed Christian Church, New Anointing Chapel Arena, Yenagoa, Bayelsa State, Mr. Mark Christmas, has been released by his captors.
Christmas and two church members – Amos Ezetu and ThankGod Geregere – were kidnapped on October 19 in his hometown, Bisangbene community in Ekeremor Local Government Area of Bayelsa State.
Christmas, who spoke with journalists on Thursday in Yenagoa, said his release was by the “mercy of God” and that no ransom was paid.
He stated, “I was released on November 5 after spending three weeks in the den of the abductors. It was an awkward experience.
“I was kidnapped on October 19 in my hometown, Bisangbene with two other people from my community. They are the community Chairman, Mr. Amos Ezetu and Mr. ThankGod Geregere.
“We were kidnapped between Bisangbene and Bilabiri River, Ekeremor Local Government Area of Bayelsa; thank God we are free.
“Like I said, it was a horrible experience. When they kidnapped us, they took us to an unknown creek in Southern Ijaw LGA of Bayelsa. On the way to their den, our boat capsized; I was able to swim in the big river; I tried to escape after I managed to come out from the river but they captured me again.
“We were beaten up mercilessly but I am happy I am freed and I can see my family again.”
He described the act as “wicked,” urging federal and state governments to step up plan in checking the menace of kidnapping in the country.
Meanwhile, the Bayelsa State Police Command said on Thursday that it arrested two suspected armed robbers and recovered arms and amunnition from them.
The Police Public Relations Officer of the command, Mr. Asinim Butswat, gave the names of the suspects as Sunday Akpan and Emmanuel Monday.

Eaglets arrive to heroes welcome in Abuja

Golden Eaglets, the 2015 FIFA U-17 World Cup winners, arrive in Abuja to a colourful airport reception which precedes other ceremonies at the National Stadium.
Details later…

Trailer crushes boy to death in Edo

A teenager has been crushed to death by a trailer on Sapele road, Oredo Local Government Area of Edo State.
‎It was gathered that the late boy was a beverage seller, who sold assorted drinks and snacks along with his brother on the busy road.
An eyewitness said the victim was on the verge of collecting payment after attending to a commuter, before he was knocked down by the vehicle at Adesuwa junction on Tuesday.
‎He was said to have writhed in pain but died before he could get any assistance.
“As the boy sold the drink to the passenger, he had to run to collect his money. As he was running, the trailer hit him and he fell down, before the back tyre crushed his head.
It was learnt that the death of the boy irked other hawkers, who reportedly seized the truck and were about to attack the driver before he was arrested by policemen from the Ugbor Police Division.
The pandemonium that followed grounded traffic for several hours before the arrival of officials of the Federal Road Safety Corps and the police.
It was, however, learnt that his remains was later removed from the scene and deposited in a mortuary.

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Nigeria's new Ministers and their portfolios

This present the list of ministers and their portfolios. Find full list below...

Abubakar Malami- Minister of Justice
Geoffrey Onyeama- Minister of Foreign Affairs
Mohammed Dan Ali- Minister f Defence
Adamu Adamu- Minister of Education
Anthony Anwuka- State minister of Education
Kemi Adeosun- Minister of Finance
Okechukwu Enelemah- Minister of Industry, Trade and Investment
Aisha Abubakar- State minister Industry, Trade and Investment
Chris Ngige- Minister of Labor and Employment

James Ocholi- State Minister of Labor and Employment
Mohammed Bello- FCT Minister
Abdulrahman Dambazzau- Interior Minister
Udoma Udo Udoma- Minister of Budget and National Planning
Zainab Ahmed- State Minister Budget and National Planning
Emmanuel Ibe Kachiukwu- State Minister Petroleum resources
Babatubde Fashola- Minister of Power, Works and Housing
Mustapha Shehuri- State minister Power, Works, and Housing
Audu Ogbeh- Minister of Agriculture and Rural development
Heineken Lokpobiri- State minister Agriculture and Rural Development
Chibuike Amaechi- Minister of Transportation
Hadi Sirika- State Minister Aviation
Isaac Folorunsho Adeoye- Minister of Health
Osagie Ehanire- State Minister Health
Aisha Alhassan- Minister of Women Affairs
Usani Uguru- Minister Niger Delta Affairs
Claudius Omoyele Daramola - State minister Niger Delta Affairs
Adebayo Shittu- Minister of Communication
Lai Mohammed- Minister of Information
Amina Mohammed - Minister of Environment
Ibrahim Jibrin- State Minister of Environment
Suleiman Adamu- Minister of Water Resources
Solomon Dalong- Minister of Youths and Sports
Kayode Fayemi- Minister of Solid Mineral
Abubakar Bwari- State Minister Solid Minerals
Ogbonnaya Onu- Minister of Science and Technology

Buhari inaugurates 36 ministers

The inauguration of President Muhammadu Buhari’s 36 ministers is ongoing inside the Presidential Villa, Abuja.
They are taking their oaths before the President in batches of four ministers.
Vice President Yemi Osinbajo; President of the Senate, Bukola Saraki; and the Speaker of the House of Representatives, Yakubu Dogara are attending.
Details later. . .
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Umahi not the worst performing gov’

‘Umahi not the worst performing gov’

Ebonyi State Governor, David Umahi

Ebonyi State Governor, David Umahi, has described a report which listed him among the worst performing governors in the country as an orchestrated falsehood aimed at tarnishing his image.
Umahi, who spoke through his Commissioner for Information and State Orientation, Senator Emmanuel Onwe, during a press briefing in Abakaliki , on Monday, also described the report as sheer blackmail.
A Lagos-based group, the Centre for International and Advance Professional Studies, purportedly sent the report which was published on Sunday to newspaper houses.
A statement by Umahi’s Chief Press Secretary, Emma Anya, quoted Onwe as saying that a member of the CIAPS, identified simply as Kunle, had on October 12, 2015 called him and requested a collaborative effort between Ebonyi State Government and the CIAPS on a research.
Kunle, according to Onwe, demanded gratification by the state government in order for Umahi to be given a favourable rating in the report.
Onwe said he turned down the offer.
The statement quoted Onwe as saying, “On October 12, a man who identified himself as Kunle approached me and demanded a collaborative effort between Ebonyi State and CIAPS – which he claimed to represent.
“He proposed that Ebonyi State and its governor would be given positive publicity by ranking him among the best governors in the federation in return for a bi-annual payment of money to the CIAPS.”
Onwe advised the CIAPS to stop publishing falsehood in the name of research against those who refuse to dance to their exploitative tendencies.
The commissioner said, “It is a sad when serious public commentary is hijacked by blackmailers and extortionists who seek to tarnish the image of those who refuse to grease their palms.”
Onwe called on the public to reject the CIAPS report against Umahi.
He said, “In less than six months, the Umahi administration had rehabilitated and constructed the old Ogoja Road, the Nkaliki Road, New Market Road, Echiegu/ Hosanna Road and the Isiuke Lane.
“Work is ongoing at Udemezue, Amagu,among other roads in the state capital. Contracts are being concluded for the construction of 15 kilometres of roads in each of the 13 Local Government Areas of the state.”