Federal Government Begins The Proposed Recruitment Of The 500,000 Teachers

The recruitment of the 500,000 teachers promised by President Muhammadu Buhari in his Democracy Day speech starts on Sunday.

According to a statement on Wednesday by the Senior Special Assistant to the Vice-President on Media and Publicity, Mr. Laolu Akande, the recruitment would be done online.

Akande said the 500,000 Teacher Corps, nicknamed N-Power Teach on the portal, was one of the three direct job creation and training schemes Nigerians could start applying for from Sunday.

Others, according to him, are N-Power Knowledge which will train 25,000 Nigerians in technology, and N-Power Build, which will train another 75,000 in building services, construction, utilities, hospitality and catering, automotive vocations, aluminium and gas services.

He added, “The N-Power Teacher Corps initiative which will engage and train 500,000 young unemployed graduates, is a paid volunteer programme of a two-year duration.

“Unemployed Nigerians selected and trained will play teaching, instructional, and advisory roles in primary, and secondary schools, agricultural extension systems across the country, public health and community education-covering civic and adult education.

“Besides their monthly take home pay estimated at about N23,000, the selected 500,000 graduates will also get computer devices that will contain information necessary for their specific engagement, as well as information for their continuous training and development.

“They get to keep the devices even after exiting from the programme.”

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Lagos community boils after man rapes, kills Ghanaian

Residents of Oke Ota community in the Ibeshe, Ikorodu, Lagos State, on Thursday blocked the Ibeshe Road to protest against the rape and killing of a Ghanaian resident, Grace Obinna, by a man identified simply asBadoo.

PUNCH Metro learnt that apart from 27-year-old Obinna, Badoo had raped two other women in the area, cutting them with knives afterwards.

Our correspondent learnt that Badoo, who sneaked into women’s apartments only at night, had also struck in Ilemeren, Abule, Oluwoye, Ibeshe Titun, and other communities around Oke Ota.

It was gathered that the attack on Obinna, a mother of one, which occurred around 1am on Sunday, was Badoo’s latest, which had forced other women to relocate to houses outside the community.

PUNCH Metro gathered that on Sunday, Badoo broke the window into Obinna’s apartment and went into the room of the victim while her husband was away.

The assailant was said to have raped Obinna and hit her head with weapons.

It was learnt that when neighbours and local vigilance group members, who heard the victim’s cries, got to the room, the man had fled, while Obinna and her baby were in a pool of blood.

Our correspondent gathered that the Ghanaian was rushed to two hospitals, but was rejected.

She was confirmed dead at the Lagos State University Teaching Hospital, Ikeja.

Our correspondent learnt that the matter was reported at the Ipakodo Police Division and the residents added that the suspect had threatened to wreak more havoc in the community.

PUNCH Metro learnt that the panic prompted the Thursday’s protest, as residents blocked the Ibeshe Road and demanded that security agencies mobilise to the area to arrest the suspect.

When our correspondent arrived at the scene, the residents, including about 200 women, were seen holding leaves and singing solidarity songs.

The Chairman of the landlords’ association, Pastor Abayomi Adelakun, told PUNCH Metro that the man attempted to rape an 86-year-old woman in the community a week before the Ghanaian fell victim.

He said, “Two weeks ago, he came to Oke Ota and attacked an 86-year-old grandma. He attempted to rape her, but when she resisted, he injured her in the nose. The woman was rushed to a hospital. She survived the attack.

“On Sunday, around 1am, I was called by a security man that Badoo had raped and brutalised Grace (Obinna), who was a teacher with a nine-month-old baby. When we got to the scene, I could not recognise the lady again. All her teeth had been removed; she was in a pool of blood. She was rejected at two hospitals, but confirmed dead at LASUTH.

“Badoo forces himself into women’s rooms, rapes and brutalises them if they resist. He was doing that in neighbouring communities and has now come to Oke Ota.”

A resident, who gave her name only as Adenike, said Badoo usually sneaked into women’s apartments naked.

She said, “We do not know the power this man is using. He does not steal; he only sneaks into women’s rooms and rapes them. After the act, he uses a handkerchief to rub the victim’s private parts. Women, who have seen him at night, said he also rubbed oil on his body and walked naked so that no one could easily hold him. All of us can no longer sleep in our houses.”

The Baale of Oke Ota community, Chief Awoyemi Tijani, told PUNCH Metro that his wife also could not sleep at home because of the attacks.

He said, “Nobody has seen him in the daytime. I don’t know what he looks like. We call on the government to guarantee our security and safety. Since the day we heard about this, my wife no longer sleeps at home. I am wondering if Badoo is a spirit.”

The Lagos State Police Public Relations Officer, SP Dolapo Badmos, said the command had commenced investigation into the incident.

She said, “The command learnt about the protest, although the incident of rape and murder was never reported at the division. All necessary mercenaries have been set in motion to arrest the culprit and to forestall a recurrence.”

SOURCE:PUNCHNG

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Ogun militants kill residents after missing targe

Residents of Banku Estate, Wawa, in the Obafemi Owode Local Government Area, Ogun State, have deserted the community after suspected militants killed no fewer than five residents and injured three others.

It was learnt that the gunmen had invaded the community around 9pm on Wednesday in search of a community leader, identified only as Bashorun.

When they did not meet Bashorun, the gang leader was said to have ordered them to open fire on everyone in the area.

Workers in a block-moulding factory and other residents were said to have been shot dead, as the assailants moved from house to house.

Although residents claimed that no fewer than five people were killed, the police said four corpses were recovered from the scene of the incident.

The deceased were identified as Saheed Olanure (21), Alfa Daniel (36), Lekan Nojeemu (24), and Emeka Chiasung (28).

Three others were said to have sustained gunshot injuries and were rushed to a hospital.

When PUNCH Metro visited the area on Thursday, it was observed that the road to the community was deserted, while most houses and shops were locked.

A few families were seen packing their loads.

A resident, who did not identify himself for security reason, said the gunmen entered the community under the cover of darkness.

He said, “They came in through a swamp and left through the same way. I was in the toilet when they came. I just heard gunshots and the sound of people running.

“They entered the house beside ours. They were saying, ‘Kill everybody,’ ‘Anybody that comes outside, kill’. People ran inside and shut themselves in.

“They started knocking on doors. They were shouting at a man to come outside, but he refused. The next thing I heard was a gunshot and a scream. They went to more houses.

“They started the operation around 9pm and finished around 9.44pm. More than five people were killed, and they didn’t take any money. We picked some corpses from the bush. We later picked one inside a house. We found the dead workers as well. Three people were injured.”

He added that some of the corpses were taken away by the victims’ families.

The resident said the workers, who were killed, came from Lagos and Ijebu-Ode, Ogun State, adding that they always slept in the factory.

Another resident explained that the gunmen came for a community leader, Bashorun, saying the target had visited the area three days earlier to repair his building that was damaged during an earlier attack.

He said, “Four months ago, some hoodlums invaded the community. They claimed to be Omo Onile. The police intervened and some of them were arrested. Because of that incident, the leadership erected a security gate at the entrance into the community.

“But three weeks ago, they came again. They abducted Bashorun’s brother. They attempted to get him as well, but they couldn’t because his house was fortified. They, however, shot and injured him.

“Three days ago, the man came to the community to repair his building that was damaged during that attack. An informant working for the hoodlums probably informed them that he was around and that was why they came yesterday night (Wednesday).

“When they didn’t find him, they decided to vent their aggression on people within the community.’”

PUNCH Metro learnt that policemen from the Warewa Police Post, who were joined by cops from surrounding divisions, got an alert shortly after the hoodlums left.

A police source said the entrance into the community was blocked with cars parked by frightened residents.

The source said, “The patrol vans could not access the community because many cars were parked at the gate by people who were too scared to go in.

“The police team had to trek for about three kilometres before they could get to the area. When they got there, they could not locate the scene on time because there was confusion among the residents.

“When the police got there, they found only one injured person, who was taken to a hospital. But four corpses were later found at different spots on  Thursday.”

The source said the killings were not unconnected with a dispute over land between Bashorun’s gang and a rival group.

A landlord said she was leaving the community till sanity was restored.

She said, “Help us beg the government to do something about our case. We are helpless. Most landlords and tenants have started leaving. For the past five years that I have been here, it has been peaceful until now. The gunmen killed one of my tenants, Saheed, and another man we call Manager.”

The Ogun State Police Public Relations Officer, Muyiwa Adejobi, confirmed the incident, saying four people were killed.

He said, “There was an invasion of the area through the waterways by suspected militants. The militants attacked and killed four people and injured three others. The state Commissioner of Police is trying to work with the government, other stakeholders and sister agencies. We are making efforts to fortify security in that area.”

SOURCE:PUNCHNG

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Three die as cults clash over ticketing

No fewer than three people have died following bloody clashes between two rival cults, identified as Maphite and Vikings.

The groups were reportedly fighting over the control of ticket issuance to tricycle operators in Calabar, Cross River State.

PUNCH Metro learnt on Thursday that trouble started at about 1pm on Wednesday when a key figure in the Vikings, Emmanuel Actor, was trailed and murdered by the rivalMaphite group on Palm Street in the Calabar South area.

It was learnt that Actor, who allegedly controlled the issuance of tickets to commercial tricycle operators along Nelson Mandela Street, went to an area controlled by the rival group on Egerton Street and stabbed a key opponent in an attempt to expand his territory.

The Maphite group was said to have immediately regrouped and trailed Actor to Palm Street where he was brought out from his tricycle and hacked to death.

The group reportedly started shooting sporadically along major business routes in Calabar South, which forced traders to shut down business activities.

It was gathered that another Vikings member was killed on Etta-Agbor Road, while the clash, which continued on Thursday, also claimed the life of another unidentified cultist on Richard Henshaw Street by Edibe-Edibe Road.

An eyewitness, Mr. Okereke Mong, said the cultists on Wednesday terrorised Calabar-South for more than four hours without interference from any security agencies.

He said, “They started the fight on Egerton Street. I learnt that Emmanuel Actor, who was the immediate past leader of Vikings group attempted to take over the issuance of tickets to tricycle operators on Egerton Street. In the process of trying to assert control, he stabbed one of the Maphite members with a broken bottle.

“Hours later, the group trailed him to Palm Street and intercepted his tricycle. They brought him out and shot him. They also used axes to break open his skull. He bled to death. They waited till he breathed his last before leaving the place. The incident lasted for over one hour and there was no police intervention.

“The police arrived after the incident. The same group proceeded to Etta-Agbor to kill another Vikingsmember.”

However, the Special Adviser to the Governor on Department of Public Transport, Mr. Gabriel Okulaja, said the agencies involved in issuance of tickets to tricycle riders did not have anything to do with cultism.

While denying knowledge of the existence of groups issuing tickets to commercial tricycle operators, Okulaja pointed out that touts had constituted themselves as collection agents in Calabar-South without remitting any funds to the approved agents.

When contacted, the Police Public Relations Officer for the state, Mr. John Eluu, confirmed the incident, adding that one of the suspects had been arrested.

He explained that the mutilated corpse of Actor had been deposited in a mortuary while efforts were on to arrest other cult members.

SOURCE:PUNCHNG

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Outrage trails Kaduna youths attack on carpenter during Ramadan

Some eminent Nigerians and groups on Thursday condemned the attack on a carpenter, Francis Emmanuel, by some Muslim youths in the Kakuri area of Kaduna on Wednesday for eating during Ramadan.

The Catholic Bishop of Sokoto Diocese, Rev. Matthew Kukah; the Christian Association of Nigeria and a human rights lawyer, Mr. Femi Falana, said the attack on Emmanuel was the height of growing intolerance in the land.

They demanded that the perpetrators of the dastardly act be apprehended and severely punished to serve as a deterrent to others.

Kukah, who is the Founder of the Kukah Centre for Faith, Leadership and Public Policy, said the perpetrators should be tried and punished in line with the laws of the country.

The cleric spoke with journalists on Thursday evening ahead of his forthcoming event entitled ‘Fixing Nigeria Initiative’.

He also decried the high level of extremism in the country occasioned by the brutal killing of 74-year-old Mrs Bridget Agbahime in Kano, calling on the government to expedite action in bringing the criminals to book.

Kukah added, “The ugly things we have seen in the last one week are ungodly and totally unacceptable. Somebody goes out to buy food and you attack him and say, ‘why are you not fasting?’ It is totally unacceptable. The culprits must be arrested, tried and punished. There is no other way you can end this impunity.”

In his reaction, the Director of National Issues in the Christian Association of Nigeria, Mr. Sunny Oibe, described those who attacked the Kaduna carpenter and the perpetrators of the Kano killing as enemies of the people, who should be brought to book.

Oibe added, “The people who kill and go into violence and their sponsors are enemies of Nigerians and they are not supposed to live. They are animals, beasts and should be confined to where they belong.

“The attack on the carpenter for allegedly eating when Muslims were fasting goes to show the level of intolerance of some people, particularly some of our Muslims.

“Even if somebody refuses to fast, nobody has the right to embark on such animalistic behaviour of attempting murder.

“We, in CAN, will ask the security agencies to ensure that this matter is not swept under the carpet. The perpetrators should be brought to book to serve as a deterrent to others because the laws of this country forbid taking the lives of another.

“The government should therefore live up to its bidding and bring the perpetrators and their sponsors to book.”

Also, human rights lawyer, Mr. Femi Falana (SAN), said government acted too late to arrest and arraign those who stabbed Emmanuel, the carpenter, for eating during the Ramadan in Kaduna.

He said had government acted promptly, the perpetrators should have been arrested and arraigned to serve as a deterrent to others.

“It is already too late now. The perpetrators should have been immediately arrested and arraigned to serve as a deterrent to others,” Falana said.

He said the incident was part of the growing wave of religious intolerance in the country which he blamed on both the federal and state governments as well as political leaders for their failure to separate the affairs of government from religion.

According to him, if Nigeria must address the issue of religious intolerance, government at all levels must strictly adhere to the provisions of Section 10 of the constitution which declare the nation as a secular state.

He said, “The Federal Government and all the state governments or rather the ruling elite should be blamed for the religious intolerance in the country.

“Some members of the ruling class have, for political reasons, adopted two religions contrary to the provisions of the constitution that the state shall not promote any religion.

“During Christmas and Sallah, government officials buy rice, rams and vegetable oil for the rich people. Government sponsors Muslims to Mecca and Christians to Jerusalem. All these are illegal.

“Some of the religious leaders who are now condemning this kind of violence have also discouraged the state from separating the affairs of the state from religion.

“This is why the people supporting them are becoming extremists. Any political leader, any religious leader that wants us to address this problem must encourage the separation of religion from the affairs of the state.”

Curiously, the Secretary-General of the Nigerian Supreme Council for Islamic Affairs, Prof. Ishaq Oloyede, in a telephone interview with one of our correspondents said he was not aware of the carpenter who was attacked in Kaduna by some Muslim youths because he ate in the afternoon while they were fasting.

Oloyede, a former vice-chancellor, added that he was not aware of the killing of Agbahime by irate Muslims for alleged blasphemy.

He said, “I am in the mosque. I have not heard about the matter of the carpenter. I have not also heard of the woman that was killed.”

Kukah argued that the report of the 2014 National Conference could not be thrown away as indicated by President Muhammadu Buhari.

He stated, “President Muhammadu Buhari cannot throw it (report) away; archives are archives. Thank God the President did not say he will throw it to the dustbin. We are not in a military regime. The President cannot wake up and say the National Assembly should be closed. A lot of the powers have been taken (away) from the President,”

He added, “I do not think the problems of the Niger Delta or the South-East or of Nigeria can be resolved by the kind of people who present themselves as Boko Haram or those who claimed to be Avengers; it is a measure of irresponsibility, the extent to which the intellectual class have relinquished their responsibilities.

“I don’t think Avengers are speaking for anybody, other than themselves, I don’t think IPOB is speaking for anybody other than themselves. But we have created them. Somebody left the window opened. Their agitations are legitimate, but not through violence. We are in a democracy, people should be free to express themselves.”

The cleric believed that instead of politicising Buhari’s medical trip to London, Nigerians should rather pray for the President.

He said, “All I can say as a priest is that I have done what I have to do: to pray. Any health of Nigerian should not be a subject of politics or speculations. It’s something I found troubling. The responsibility we have is to pray for the President.”

Kukah also bemoaned the poor performance of the National Assembly, saying that in the last one year, “it is unfortunate that the only thing we have been concerned with the National Assembly is the fate of the Senate President, Bukola Saraki.”

On the ‘Fixing Nigeria Initiative’, Kukah stated, “A major challenge of Nigeria’s democracy is the abject lack of citizens’ engagement in debating, and more importantly, in shaping public policies that often have dramatic impact on their lives.

“The importance of robust debates can never be overemphasised in a democracy. If free and fair elections mark the basic validation of democratic mandates, citizens’ involvement in public policy-making is the oxygen for democratic governance.

“It is in part to address this problem that the Kukah Centre was established to serve as a platform for mediation between the government and the people. The importance of such a mediating platform is underscored by the great deal of public cynicism towards government and the mutual distrust between public officials and citizens.”

Source:PunchNg

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Banker jailed 39 years for stealing N30m from dead customer

A Lagos State High Court on Thursday sentenced a banker, Mr. Olawale Garuba, to 39 years imprisonment for stealing from the dead. He will, however, spend only three years in jail.

The convict was arraigned before Justice Oluwatoyin Ipaye alongside six others in July 2015 for conspiring among themselves to steal over N30m from the bank account of a deceased customer of a bank where the convict works.

The fraud was uncovered by the bank when they discovered that some of their employees, including the convict had connived with proxies to steal from a dormant account of one of the bank’s customers.

Upon the discovery of the fraud, the bank apprehended the employees and handed them over to the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission for investigation and prosecution.

Upon their arraignment, they pleaded not guilty to 18 counts of fraud. Subsequently, Justice Ipaye refused their bail application and remanded them in prison custody.

However, on June 2, 2016, the convict changed his plea from ‘not guilty’ to ‘guilty’. He was immediately convicted by Justice Ipaye, who adjourned the case till Wednesday for sentencing. Counsel representing the convict, Olanrewaju Ajanaku, pleaded with the court to tamper justice with mercy in sentencing his client. He told the court that his client was a remorseful first time offender with a young wife and two little children.

However, prosecution counsel, Abba Mohammed, urged the court to consider the three-way traffic while tampering justice with mercy. That is the interests of the court, the victim and the convict.

After listening to the prayers of counsel, Justice Ipaye said despite the remorse shown by the convict, she has no sympathy for him as he compromised his position as a banker to steal from a deceased customer whose money would have been used by the family she left behind.

She added that the convict allowed his greed to overcome him and risk losing the job that thousands of job seekers were craving. She found the convict guilty on 13 of the 18 counts, and sentenced him to three years imprisonment on each count. The sentences are to run concurrently from the date of his first detention, which is July 24, 2015.

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Workers block Mimiko, reject gov’s plea to end strike

Striking civil servants in Ondo State on Thursday blocked the main gate to Government House in Akure, preventing Governor Olusegun Mimiko from entering.

The workers commenced the industrial action last week Wednesday to protest the non-payment of their five-month salaries.

The governor, who was forced to come down from his vehicle to address the protesters, pleaded with them to suspend the strike, saying the state did not have enough money to pay the accumulated salary arrears.

The protesting workers, led by the State Joint Negotiation Council chairman, Sunday Adeleye; the state Chairman of the Nigeria Labour Congress, Bosede Daramola; and her Trade Union Congress counterpart, Soladoye Ekundayo, rejected the governor’s plea.

Mimiko said the government was ready to pay health and local government workers and teachers, to enable it to inject some money into the state economy, adding that when health workers resumed work, they would be able to meet the medical challenges of the people.

The governor noted that his administration was considerate and not insensitive to the plight of the workers.

Mimiko appealed to them to call off the one-week old strike and considered his commitment not to retrench any worker in spite of the dwindling resources.

While saying the continuation of the strike would only retard the economic growth of the state, the governor charged the people of the state “to see the present situation in the country as a collective challenge that we must face and proffer solutions to.”

He added, “We are in a very difficult time in Nigeria and I have absolutely nothing against your protest. I can’t imagine somebody working diligently or not too diligently but worked for five months without pay, especially in an economy that depends mainly on salary.

“Your protest has been peaceful and that is what democracy is all about. People must be able to ventilate their feelings just like you are ventilating yours. But it is important for us to know the truth because it is the truth that can set us free.”

But the governor effort to convince the workers fell into deaf ears as some of them continued to shout “no salary, no work”, intermittently.

Responding to the governor’s address, the state chairman of JNC, Adeleye, declared that if the workers had no signal that the state government was ready to pay their salary arrears, the indefinite strike would continue.

Apart from the Government House, the workers also stormed major roads in Akure, the state capital, to continue the protest.

During the protest that lasted for over four hours, the workers carried placards with different inscriptions such as ‘Mimiko, pay our salary’, ‘We can’t feed our families’, ‘Workers are dying of hunger’, and ‘Ise pupo, iya repete’ (much work, endless suffering).

It was learnt that the Ondo State Council of Obas, led by the Osemawe of Ondo, Oba Victor Kiladejo, had intervened in the industrial dispute as the traditional rulers were meeting with the leadership of the workers’ unions as of the time of filing this report.

Government offices, schools and hospitals were still under lock and key on Thursday as a result of the strike while the leadership of the labour unions in the state were moving from one office to the other to monitor the compliance with the stay-at-home order.

Meanwhile, following the failure of the workers to suspend the strike, the state governor and some members of the state executive council moved to the streets of Akure on Thursday to evacuate refuse by the roadside.

The governor said his action was to prevent an outbreak of disease in the town.

SOURCE:PunchNg

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Outrage trails Kaduna youths attack on carpenter during Ramadan

Some eminent Nigerians and groups on Thursday condemned the attack on a carpenter, Francis Emmanuel, by some Muslim youths in the Kakuri area of Kaduna on Wednesday for eating during Ramadan.

The Catholic Bishop of Sokoto Diocese, Rev. Matthew Kukah; the Christian Association of Nigeria and a human rights lawyer, Mr. Femi Falana, said the attack on Emmanuel was the height of growing intolerance in the land.

They demanded that the perpetrators of the dastardly act be apprehended and severely punished to serve as a deterrent to others.

Kukah, who is the Founder of the Kukah Centre for Faith, Leadership and Public Policy, said the perpetrators should be tried and punished in line with the laws of the country.

The cleric spoke with journalists on Thursday evening ahead of his forthcoming event entitled ‘Fixing Nigeria Initiative’.

He also decried the high level of extremism in the country occasioned by the brutal killing of 74-year-old Mrs Bridget Agbahime in Kano, calling on the government to expedite action in bringing the criminals to book.

Kukah added, “The ugly things we have seen in the last one week are ungodly and totally unacceptable. Somebody goes out to buy food and you attack him and say, ‘why are you not fasting?’ It is totally unacceptable. The culprits must be arrested, tried and punished. There is no other way you can end this impunity.”

In his reaction, the Director of National Issues in the Christian Association of Nigeria, Mr. Sunny Oibe, described those who attacked the Kaduna carpenter and the perpetrators of the Kano killing as enemies of the people, who should be brought to book.

Oibe added, “The people who kill and go into violence and their sponsors are enemies of Nigerians and they are not supposed to live. They are animals, beasts and should be confined to where they belong.

“The attack on the carpenter for allegedly eating when Muslims were fasting goes to show the level of intolerance of some people, particularly some of our Muslims.

“Even if somebody refuses to fast, nobody has the right to embark on such animalistic behaviour of attempting murder.

“We, in CAN, will ask the security agencies to ensure that this matter is not swept under the carpet. The perpetrators should be brought to book to serve as a deterrent to others because the laws of this country forbid taking the lives of another.

“The government should therefore live up to its bidding and bring the perpetrators and their sponsors to book.”

Also, human rights lawyer, Mr. Femi Falana (SAN), said government acted too late to arrest and arraign those who stabbed Emannuel, the carpenter, for eating during the Ramadan in Kaduna.

He said had government acted promptly, the perpetrators should have been arrested and arraigned to serve as a deterrent to others.

“It is already too late now. The perpetrators should have been immediately arrested and arraigned to serve as a deterrent to others,” Falana said.

He said the incident was part of the growing wave of religious intolerance in the country which he blamed on both the federal and state governments as well as political leaders for their failure to separate the affairs of government from religion.

According to him, if Nigeria must address the issue of religious intolerance, government at all levels must strictly adhere to the provisions of Section 10 of the constitution which declare the nation as a secular state.

He said, “The Federal Government and all the state governments or rather the ruling elite should be blamed for the religious intolerance in the country.

“Some members of the ruling class have, for political reasons, adopted two religions contrary to the provisions of the constitution that the state shall not promote any religion.

“During Christmas and Sallah, government officials buy rice, rams and vegetable oil for the rich people. Government sponsors Muslims to Mecca and Christians to Jerusalem. All these are illegal.

“Some of the religious leaders who are now condemning this kind of violence have also discouraged the state from separating the affairs of the state from religion.

“This is why the people supporting them are becoming extremists. Any political leader, any religious leader that wants us to address this problem must encourage the separation of religion from the affairs of the state.”

Curiously, the Secretary-General of the Nigerian Supreme Council for Islamic Affairs, Prof. Ishaq Oloyede, in a telephone interview with one of our correspondents said he was not aware of the carpenter who was attacked in Kaduna by some Muslim youths because he ate in the afternoon while they were fasting.

Oloyede, a former vice-chancellor, added that he was not aware of the killing of Agbahime by irate Muslims for alleged blasphemy.

He said, “I am in the mosque. I have not heard about the matter of the carpenter. I have not also heard of the woman that was killed.”

Kukah argued that the report of the 2014 National Conference could not be thrown away as indicated by President Muhammadu Buhari.

He stated, “President Muhammadu Buhari cannot throw it (report) away; archives are archives. Thank God the President did not say he will throw it to the dustbin. We are not in a military regime. The President cannot wake up and say the National Assembly should be closed. A lot of the powers have been taken (away) from the President,”

He added, “I do not think the problems of the Niger Delta or the South-East or of Nigeria can be resolved by the kind of people who present themselves as Boko Haram or those who claimed to be Avengers; it is a measure of irresponsibility, the extent to which the intellectual class have relinquished their responsibilities.

“I don’t think Avengers are speaking for anybody, other than themselves, I don’t think IPOB is speaking for anybody other than themselves. But we have created them. Somebody left the window opened. Their agitations are legitimate, but not through violence. We are in a democracy, people should be free to express themselves.”

The cleric believed that instead of politicising Buhari’s medical trip to London, Nigerians should rather pray for the President.

He said, “All I can say as a priest is that I have done what I have to do: to pray. Any health of Nigerian should not be a subject of politics or speculations. It’s something I found troubling. The responsibility we have is to pray for the President.”

Kukah also bemoaned the poor performance of the National Assembly, saying that in the last one year, “it is unfortunate that the only thing we have been concerned with the National Assembly is the fate of the Senate President, Bukola Saraki.”

On the ‘Fixing Nigeria Initiative’, Kukah stated, “A major challenge of Nigeria’s democracy is the abject lack of citizens’ engagement in debating, and more importantly, in shaping public policies that often have dramatic impact on their lives.

“The importance of robust debates can never be overemphasised in a democracy. If free and fair elections mark the basic validation of democratic mandates, citizens’ involvement in public policy-making is the oxygen for democratic governance.

“It is in part to address this problem that the Kukah Centre was established to serve as a platform for mediation between the government and the people. The importance of such a mediating platform is underscored by the great deal of public cynicism towards government and the mutual distrust between public officials and citizen.

SOURCE;PUNCHNG

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Buhari asks Senate to approve 47 ambassadors

President Muhammadu Buhari on Thursday sent to the Senate 47 names of Nigerians to be screened and confirmed as career diplomats.

The President of the Senate, Bukola Saraki, who read the letter containing their names on the floor at plenary in Abuja, explained that their Curricula Vitae were attached to the document.

Buhari, in the letter personally signed by him and dated June 6, 2016, requested the Senate, to approve the list at the shortest possible time.

The President said his decision was in accordance with Section 171 (1) (c) subsection 4 of the 1999 Constitution as amended.

He said, “I have the honour to forward the attached list of 47 career foreign service officers as ambassadorial nominees for consideration and confirmation by the Senate of the Federal Republic of Nigeria.

“Copies of their Curriculum Vitae are attached. It is my hope that this would receive the usual prompt attention of the distinguished members of the Senate of the Federal Republic of Nigeria.”

The list was made up of only career civil servants in the foreign service as Ambassadors-designate.

SOURCE:PUNCHNG

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Avengers threaten secession as militants bomb NPDC facilities

The attacks on oil and gas facilities in the Niger Delta continued Thursday evening with the bombing of a pipeline belonging to the Nigerian Petroleum Development Company, a subsidiary of the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation.

Sources told one of our correspondents that the incident happened at 7:40pm around the Shalomi Creek in Warri South-West Local Government Area of Delta State.

Multiple security sources in the area confirmed the incident to one of our correspondents at about 8:50pm.

No group, including the Niger Delta Avengers, which has claimed responsibility for series of attacks on oil facilities in the past, has claimed responsibility for Thursday’s incident.

The commander, Nigerian Navy Ship (NNS) Delta, Commodore Riami Mohammed, when contacted at about 9:09pm, denied knowledge of the incident. He promised to investigate and get back to our correspondent but had yet to do so as of the time of filing this report.

But a senior military officer, who spoke on condition anonymity because he was not authorised to speak on the issue, confirmed the development.

The source said details of the incident were still sketchy due to the time it took place.

The Niger Delta Avengers had earlier on Thursday threatened to secede from the country, saying that successive governments had been unfair to the people of the Niger Delta region.

It said that what the people of the Niger Delta had been asking for from successive governments in Nigeria was the provision of basic amenities and inclusiveness.

The group called on the international community, especially Britain, France, United States, Russia and China not to allow the region to go the way of Sudan.

In a statement issued by its spokesperson, Murdoch Agbinibo, the NDA maintained that all that successive governments wanted was the flow of crude oil from the region and not its development.

It vowed to remedy the age-long devastation against the region with every means necessary.

It said in the statement, “Since the amalgamation of Nigeria in 1914 to date, our resources have been used to sustain the political administrative livewire of Nigeria to the exclusion of the Niger Delta.

“Finally, we are calling on the international community to come and support the restoration of our right to peaceful self-determination from this tragedy of 1914 that has expired since 2014.

 “We want our resources back to restore the essence of human life in our region for generations to come because Nigeria has failed to do that. The world should not wait until we go the Sudan way. Enough is enough.

“This history of terror, we the Niger Delta Avengers will resist and correct with every means necessary. We have nothing to lose in the battle ahead.”

It added, “Justice, they say, is only found within the structure of a nation state; rather than provide justice, the Nigerian government has decided to mobilise her military might to intimidate, torture, maim, victimise and bombard a section of the nation and her citizenry to allow the free flow of our oil.

“Since the day crude oil was discovered in commercial quantity and quality in Oloibiri in the present day Bayelsa State, what we have being asking from successive governments in Nigeria is potable drinking water, electricity, roads, employment, quality education, resource control and inclusive governance.”

The threat of secession came just as crude oil production in the country suffered further threats with the Trans Niger Pipeline, one of two major pipelines transporting the Bonny Light crude grade for export, being shut.

The TNP, which is operated by Shell Petroleum Development Company of Nigeria Limited, was shut on Wednesday after a leak was found, a Shell spokesperson told one of our correspondents on Thursday.

“We are conducting a joint investigation visit comprising officials of the SPDC, the regulators and the communities to determine the cause of the leak and the volume affected,” he said.

One source referring to a memo sent out to participants in the TNP said it was expected to be down for at least a week and would see around 130,000 barrels per day of production shut-in, according to Reuters.

The shutdown comes just as repairs were completed on the Nembe Creek Trunk Line that also moves the major export grade.

In early May, force majeure, a legal clause that allows companies to cancel or delay deliveries due to unforeseen circumstances, was declared by Royal Dutch Shell on Bonny Light exports after the NCTL was closed.

The TNP transports around 180,000 barrels of crude oil per day to the Bonny Export Terminal and is part of the gas liquids evacuation infrastructure, critical for continued domestic power generation at the Afam VI power plant, and liquefied gas exports, Shell said on its website.

The United States’ Energy Information Administration on Thursday said the massive wildfire in Canada, militant attacks on oil facilities in Nigeria, political strife in Libya and power outages complicated by bad weather in Iraq cut an average of 3.6 million barrels of oil a day from the global crude supply in May.

The EIA said May’s unplanned disruptions were the largest since the agency began tracking the date in 2011.

The wildfire in Canada’s oil sands region knocked an average of 800,000 bpd out of production, with a peak disruption of 1.1 million barrels. Production began coming back online earlier this month.

Nigeria’s production averaged a drop of 800,000 bpd in May as militant attacks increased on oil and natural gas facilities. Production from the country fell to its lowest level since the 1980s, according to the EIA.

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14 things you didn’t know about Stephen Keshi

  1. His full name was Stephen Okechukwu Chinedu Keshi.

2. He was born on January 23, 1962.

3. He hails from Oshimili North Local Government Area of Delta State.

4. He played as a defender for Super Eagles of Nigerian and several football clubs.

5. Apart from the Nigerian national team, Keshi coached the Togolese and Malian national teams.

6. He is the only coach to have taken the Togolese team to the World cup championship till date.

7. The first football club he ever played for in Nigeria was ACB Football Club, before joining New Nigeria Bank, Stade d’Abidjan, Africa Sports, Lokeren, Anderlecht, RC Strasbourg among other clubs.

8. From 1981 to 1995 when he stopped playing international football for Nigeria, Keshi appeared 64 times in the Eagles colour and scored a total of nine goals.

9. He served as head coach for the Junior Eagles at the 2001 African Youth Championship.

10. He spoke French and English fluently.

11. Keshi was one of the only two soccer stars, along with Egypt’s Mahmoud El-Gohary, to have won the Africa Cup of Nations both as a player and a coach.

12. He won the African Nations Cup in 1994 as a captain and as a coach in 2013.

13. His wife of 33 years, Kate died on December 9, 2015 after losing a long battle with cancer.

14. Keshi is survived by four children and his mother.

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