CBN will no longer sell forex to BDCs - Emefiele

The Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) says it has discontinued the sale of foreign exchange (forex) to Bureau De Change (BDCs) operators in the country.
The CBN Governor, Mr Godwin Emefiele, announced this at a news conference on Monday in Abuja.

He said that the apex bank's decision was due to the dishonest activities of some of the operators of the BDC such activities as financing of unauthorised transactions with foreign exchange procured from the CBN.

"Whereas the bank has continued to sell U.S. Dollars at about N197 per dollar to these operators, they have in turn become greedy in their sales to ordinary Nigerians, with selling rates of as high as N250 per dollar.

"In view of the above, the Management of the CBN has reached the decision that the Bank will henceforth discontinue its sale of foreign exchange to BDCs.

"Operators in this segment of the market will now need to source their foreign exchange from autonomous sources.

"They must however note that the CBN would deploy more resources to monitor these sources to ensure that no operator is in violation of our anti-money laundering laws,'' he said.

Emefiele said that the decision was to reduce pressure on the country's foreign reserve.

He explained that making forex available for the BDCs, importation of petroleum products, critical raw materials and school fees, was taking its toll on the nation's reserve.

Emfiele said due to this, the Foreign Exchange Reserves had depleted to 28 billion dollars today from 37.3 billion dollars in June 2014.

"More disturbing, though, is the financial burden being placed on the bank and our limited foreign exchange.

"The CBN sells 60,000 dollars to each BDC per week; this amount translates to 167 million dollars per week and about 8.6 billion dollars per year.

"To curtail this reserve depletion, we have reduced the amount of weekly sales to 10,000 dollars per BDC.

"This translates to 28.4 million dollars depletion of the foreign reserve per week and 1.476 billion dollars per annum.

"This is a huge haemorrhage on our scarce foreign exchange reserves and cannot continue; we are also concerned that BDCs have become a conduit for illicit trade and financial flows,'' he said.

According to Emefiele, the new policy aims to ensure that the country's financial system remains stable and not intended to inconvenience ordinary Nigerians.

He announced that the apex Bank would now permit commercial banks in the country to begin accepting cash deposits of foreign exchange from their customers.

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Nigeria Cashew Export Is Worth N49.7 Billion

Nigeria  cashew exports are  worth $250 million (about N49.7 billion) yearly, according to the National  Cashew Association of Nigeria (NCAN).

Speaking at a logistics meeting in Lagos, yesterday, its President, Pastor Tola Faseru said the average export price goes up  year ly with increased demand coming from consuming  nations.

He said Vietnam and India remained Nigeria's largest buyers.

Globally, stocks of nuts, including cashew, in North America and Europe had been low, while global demand had increased. This offers good prospects for the Nigeria's cashew industry this year, he said.

The industry, according to him,  is expected to earn $250 million from export of 180,000 tonnes of cashew nut.

He said global demand for its nut has been forecast to go up. He urged exporters to pay more attention to improve product quality and ensure hygiene and food safety to enable exports.

He  said the cashew industry has developed in recent years and focused on improving technologies.

Faseru  said the industry  wants to increase cashew cultivation area, nationwide and produce 500,000 tonnes by 2020.

He said the association was working with farmers and the government to develop cashew growing areas and giving technical support to farmers to help them increase profits.

To enable Nigeria improve its position as a major  cashew exporter, he said the association decided to hold a meeting with operators across the port value chain in order to reduce the transit time for cashew exports.

He told exporters and farmers that forging a united front can help revamp the cocoa sector, which has over the years, sustained the economy, adding that the collaboration of stakeholders was crucial in global cashew sustainability.

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Aliko Dangote, three other directors resigns from Dangote Flour Mill

Aliko Dangote and three other directors have resigned from the board of Dangote Flour Mills after majority shareholder of Flour Mill, Tiger Brands, cut funding support to its struggling Nigerian division today November 16th.

According to Reuters, South Africa's Tiger Brands said it was 'currently exploring various alternatives with regard to its investment in Dangote Flour Mills". Aliko Dangote holds 10 percent of the company's equity through Dangote Industries. The other directors who resigned along with Dangote are Olakunle Alake, Asue Ighodalo and Arnold Ekpe.

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Bank accounts of some Nigerians frozen despite BVN registration

Many Nigerians have been complaining since yesterday about their accounts being frozen by their banks despite the fact that they have done their BVN registration. CBN spokesperson, Ibrahim Muazu, had on Sunday November 1st said despite the expiration of the October 31st deadline for BVN registration, customers will still be allowed to do their registration but however their accounts will be made inaccessible until they do their registration.

However reports from many Nigerians show that even after doing their registration many months ago, some banks have gone ahead to deactivate their accounts. Many say they could not withdraw from their accounts yesterday, leaving them cash trapped.

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Bishop Kukah and Jonathanians' logic - Olalekan Adigun

It appears to me that a set of Nigerians are yet to get used to the fact that Goodluck Jonathan is no longer Nigerian president. We recall before the March 28 election, in their bid to show him their “love” they threaten to make the country ungovernable should their benefactor get sacked from his job.



Watching closely, some Jonathanians (incorrigible supporters of the former president), still carried on even after he has been defeated. These are the most loyal supporters you will find anywhere in the world. After he had “conceded” defeat to his arch-rival, General (now President)

Muhammadu Buhari, this class of Jonathanians made him their “worshipful master” or hero who is infallible and untouchable. As far as this writer is concerned, these are nothing but tribal pirates, religious buccaneers, and ethnic bigots. This class was created thanks to Jonathan leading “our son’s” government. Since PresidentBuhari has not or yet to appoint “our son” into his government, Jonathan is regarded as “the best President Nigeria has ever produced”. This is logic, as far as Jonathanians are concerned!

Bishop Matthew Hassan Kukah needs no introduction. His credentials has a social critic is quite glittering, though he cannot fall into the class of giants like Desmond Tutu. His role as a member of the National Peace Committee during the tensed moments of the March 28 election is also not to be swept away with the wave of the hand. These are his exclusive privilege which no one can take away from him! The question I asked myself only recently when I heard of Bishop Kukah’s recent widely-reported interviewis: “What went wrong?”

Just recently, the National Peace Committee led by former Head of State, General Abdulsalam Abubakar sometimes last week paid a courtesy visit to the President. There were several rumours as regards the intents of the visit. The issues became clearer some days ago when Bishop Kukah, who incidentally is the spokesman of the Committee, gave a shocking interview. Before I wrote this piece, I had to read the Bishop’s statements severally. Please permit me to quote him (on the on-going probe by Buhari’s government): “There is no such thing as probe in a democratic setting like ours. What obtains is investigation, and once people lead and things are not right, investigation becomes necessary.

“However, in doing that we must never be distracted from spectacular actions undertaken by former President Jonathan. He is an individual.”(Italics mine). In the same interview contains an unsolicited advice to President Buhari to “face his work”. If I had not known Bishop Kukah well enough, I would have sworn he is an incorrigible Jonathanian or GEJite as they are sometimes called. If not a Jonathanian, who will argue this way?

For Kukah’s records, part of Buhari’s job on which platform he was elected, as contained in Section 15(5) of the 1999 Constitution and I quote, “The State shall abolish all corrupt practices and abuse of power.” This is a bold political objective which any sane President will be willing to pursue. So, we agree with the Clergyman on this: Buhari is busy with his work and he is not distracted at all. Again, with due respect to the “spectacular actions undertaken by former President Jonathan” this writer insists he is not insulated from taking responsibility for the administration he presided over. So President Buhari has a constitutional responsibility, and it must be carried out!

In my search for what the Clergyman meant by “spectacular actions undertaken by former President Jonathan”, an insight came when I read the transcript of another interview he recently granted. Many watchedChannels Television’s breakfast show, Sunrise, where he appeared as a gueston Saturday August 13, 2015 where he spoke really like the Jonathanians I know. Among other things, he criticised the Buhari administration and called Jonathan a hero. How faithful a Jonathanian can one be?

Let us bring the Clergyman’s interview with on Saturday into clearer perspective. On the said interview, he echoed two traditional pro-Jonathan arguments. First, he criticised Buhari for being too slow. Need we need to remind the Bishop about Aesop’s fable The Hare and the Tortoise? The moral of that story is very simple: Thoroughness and quality counts for more in the long run than speed. The race is usually not to the swift as there is no sense in starting fast and ending poorly. How often has the Bishop heard this told?

His second point, perhaps the Jonathanians’ strongest, is that Jonathan is a hero. He is a hero because conceded defeat in an election he clearly lost. This perhaps was what he meant by “spectacular actions” he took. He is a hero therefore should not be investigated. He is immune from been called to account for his stewardship just because he accepted he lost an election. Apart from this argument being jejune, I find it even more ridiculous coming from a clergyman.

For the purpose of clarifications, former President Jonathan did Nigeria no special favour. If there was any favour done, it was Nigerians that did him a great favour. Nigeriansgave him to privilege to lead them for about 6 years; they gave him shoes he once does not have; if the same Nigerians that gave him shoes say they don’t want him anymore, does he have any other choice but vacate that office?

Maybe the clergyman meant that Jonathan did himself a favour by choosing to leave peacefully. In any case since he lost the presidential election, he is duty-bound to leave. All those who have lost elections in Africa have left office, so Jonathan did nothing special. Laurent Gbagbo is facing the International Criminal Court(ICC) for refusing to vacate office peacefully in Ivory Coast in 2012. Maybe Jonathan is only trying to avoid that embarrassment. If heaven did not fall in Gbagbo’s case, it will not fall in Jonathan. In any case, we thank him a lot for his contributions, but he must be called to account for his stewardship. This alone is beyond emotions!

In fighting corruption, as a new saying in Nigeria, corruption fights back. You have to get your footings right in dealing with the systemic corruption that has brought us this backward. We need to know how many jobs can be created with $20 billion missing from the NNPC coffers. We are interested in the number of industries that could have been created with that amount. We want to be in the comity of responsible nations so that we can have investors’ confidence. We are interested in preventing goats from finishing our hard-harvested yams. My unsolicited advice to President Buhari at these trying times is to vet the advice he listens to. As far as I am concerned, Bishop Kukah is only playing Jonathan’s cards with the likes of Ayo Oritsejafor in the self-appointed National Peace Committee. Maybe he has a genuine intentions one may not be too sure. This is only a personal opinion!


OlalekanWaheed ADIGUN is a political risk analyst and an independent political strategist for wide range of individuals, organisations and campaigns. He is based in Lagos, Nigeria.

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“President Buhari’s Jobs Search” By Garba Shehu

The ongoing ministerial briefing of the President at the State House, Abuja, put a spotlight on an important sector long neglected by previous administrations, yet one that can create millions of jobs.



The first briefing of a President by the Ministry of Science and Technology and its parastatal organization, the National Agency for Science and Engineering Infrastructure, NASENI, over a period of many years showcased opportunities and the enormous achievements made in the invention, fabrication and assembly of capital products for the sustainable industrialization of the country.

A matter for serious concern for President Muhammadu Buhari, who campaigned on a promise to create jobs is the paucity of investments in industry, without which there can be no new jobs or incomes.

Experts have warned a long time ago that Nigeria has been frittering away its demographic dividend.
Sixty-five per cent (65%) of the country’s population is made up of youth, and a majority of whom are said to be jobless. The President has been quick to see the danger which he describes as the next most potent for the nation after Boko Haram.

In fairness to them, it is not as if past governments hadn’t seen this problem coming.
The difference President Buahari wants to make can only succeed by moving away from past measures with only palliative effect on youth unemployment.

President Buhari has often spoken about agriculture, public works, IT, industry and mining as capable of delivering the quick wins.

Past agricultural practices have had the effect of constricting the definition of farming.
For agriculture to deliver jobs on the scale the President is looking at, it has to go beyond cropping and cereal production. The whole concept has to change.

It is for this reason that the new administration is seeking to boost livestock, fisheries, horticulture; geese, duck and bee farming and all that. In the neighboring Cameroon, export of fresh flowers is a key flank of their foreign exchange earnings.

Those who patronize Chinese restaurants know the value of ducks. It is so high in export value that the few who have tried taking it abroad say it is a money spinner.

In addition, there is also what they call medical agriculture. Organic plants are grown and exported such as the moringa that have herbal and medicinal value with ready markets everywhere. After listening to the presentation on this sector, the President’s parting shot, having realized the challenges was “I’m going to give you a tough Minister.”

The President has also been speaking about public works projects, subject to improvement in the earnings of the government. But he is not oblivious of the limitations of this line of job-creation. Its absorptive capacity is limited largely to labour and low in capacity in dealing with skilled manpower.
When NASENI and the Ministry of Science and Technology came calling, they broached an important issue dear to the President.

They made presentations to him on home-initiated and home-sustained industrialization processes through the development of relevant processes, appropriate local machine designs and machine-building capacities for capital goods and equipment manufacture that can lead to job-creation, economic well-being and national development.

The President was much excited seeing this. He wondered aloud why the industry was not lapping up these local inventions. It was equally clear that the problems on the part of these important agencies of government is the lack of capital infusion to move prototypes to capital and industrial goods. He asked for a one-on-one meeting with the NASENI Executive Vice Chairman for further briefing.

Successful economies such as the United Kingdom, Japan and the United States got to where they are today because they did just this. They encouraged inventions and adaptations through business incubation and the availability of venture capital.

The President spoke about his enthusiasm for energizing local manufacturing of goods using indigenous technology as against the wholesale importation of goods and services as is the current practice.

In response to this concern came the overwhelming as well as disturbing impression that Nigeria’s industrialization and growth are being held back by an industrial sector dominated by foreign interests that are keener on maintaining home ties than in keying into local patent. For this reason, private investment using the local patent has remained in the doldrums.

To change the unwanted situation, government, according to some experts, has to put its own house in order and look at policies that will drive up the capacity of industry to employ enmasse. Some even argue for trade barriers and subsidies since everyone is doing the same.

Government at the center may consider a national industrial plan in accordance with national plan objectives and party principles or manifesto. Many think this is necessary to define priorities and give budget benchmarks because state government are not always run in a serious or objective manner.
When he saw what NASENI and the other agencies in the science and tech sector were doing, the President’s question, obviously was of interest and concern: have you ever made this type of presentation to the states? The answer was that only Bauchi and Nassarawa have so far shown a measure of seriousness.

For such a central plan to succeed, it must take into account the peculiarities and endowment of the states.

In addition, it should be a “must-implement” for APC states and optional for those in the hands of the opposition. By this, APC states can become model states in job creation through innovation and industrial production. In addition to giving the party relevance, this plan imposition may have the effect of synergism in national development efforts.

With his expressed commitment to supporting the science and technology sector, along with agriculture, mining, IT and industry through invention and local manufacture, the President has taken a major step towards fulfilling a key campaign promise, which is to address the failure of the economy to create jobs.

By Malam Garba Shehu, SSA Media & Publicity to President Muhammadu Buhari

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Attempt by a suicide bomber to attack market Borno market foiled

An attempt by a suicide bomber to attack and wreak havoc at Rumirgo Market in Askira Uba Local Government Area of Borno State on Monday was thwarted by a gallant vigilante group member.

Colonel Sani Usman spokesperson for the Nigerian Army said the suspected suicide bomber heading to Rumirgo market was accosted by the ever vigilant and security conscious vigilante.



He added that in the process of interrogation, the suspected terrorist blew himself off and died on the spot while the vigilante member who intercepted him sustained injuries and has been rushed to hospital for medical treatment by troops.

Col. Usman added that the situation is under control as people go about their normal businesses while troops have has been placed on maximum alert to forestall further attack.

The Army spokesperson appealed to the public to continue to be more vigilant and security conscious.

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Buhari should send all corrupt persons to jail – Sultan of Sokoto

The Sultan of Sokoto, Alhaji Sa’ad Abubakar has advised President Muhammadu Buhari of Nigeria to prosecute all those found guilty of corruption.

He said this at National Security Conference on: Community Partnership Approach to Internal Security and Crime Management organised by Police and Sun newspapers, in Abuja.



“All found culpable of corruption should not only forfeit their assets but should go to jail. We are 100 per cent in support of your fight against corruption in the country,” he said.

He called on the police and other security agencies to join in the crusade against corruption.

Abubakar said the police needed to be repositioned for the 21st-century and to have their welfare reviewed.

According to him, the traditional rulers had played vital roles in maintaining security in their various communities.

He urged all Nigerians to close ranks with the police to ensure adequate security in the country.

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Pastor seeks dissolution of marriage over nagging

A pastor, Tunde Adekunle, on Monday urged an Akure Customary Court to dissolve his 15 year-old marriage to his wife, Agbeke for alleged frequent nagging.

Adekunle, founder of Christ Living Church, Owo, Ondo State, said that his wife was hell-bent in making life unbearable for him.



The cleric also told the court that some of the scars on his body were caused by the constant fisticuffs between them, adding that there was no more affection existing in the marriage.

He said that the respondent was a “disgrace to his pastoral calling’’, noting that she had once torn his cloth in front of his congregation when he was preaching.

Agbeke, in her response, denied the allegations, but said that she was ready to part with the petitioner.

He said that the union had produced four children.

She accused her husband of being promiscuous, night crawling, failure to carrying out marital responsibilities of providing for the house and the upkeep and education of the children.

The President of the court, Mrs Olayinka Falodun, in her ruling urged the petitioner to take care of the welfare of the children.

Falodun also advised the respondent to intensify efforts in ensuring the bright future of her children.

He, therefore, ordered the parties to come to court with two witnesses each at the next adjourned date.

The president adjourned the case till Aug. 31, for continuation.

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South African prosecutors file Pistorius appeal

South African state prosecutors filed an appeal on Monday against the verdict of culpable homicide passed on Oscar Pistorius for killing his girlfriend, arguing the athlete should have been convicted of murder.

The Paralympic gold medalist admitted to killing 29-year-old Reeva Steenkamp in February 2013 by firing four shots into the locked door of a toilet cubicle in what he said was the mistaken belief that an intruder was hiding behind it.

Pistorius, whose lower legs were amputated as a baby, is due to be released on Friday after serving 10 months of a five-year sentence, in line with South Africa’s custodial guidelines for non-dangerous prisoners, Reuters says.


During sentencing, Judge Thokozile Masipa said the state had failed to prove Pistorius’ intent to kill when he fired.

Prosecutors want the verdict, equivalent to manslaughter, changed to murder because they argue that if Pistorius knew someone was behind the toilet door when he fired, he had the intention to kill, one of the prosecution team said.

“We filed the appeal today,” National Prosecuting Authority spokesman, Luvuyo Mfaku, said.

Pistorius’ legal team has a month to file its response to the appeal, which the Supreme Court is expected to hear in November, Mfaku added.

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We took $75m loan because PDP stole so much money – Oshiomhole

Edo State Governor, Adams Oshiomhole, said the state was forced to take a World Bank Development loan because the Peoples Democratic Party-led Federal Government in 16 years looted the nation’s treasury and pauperized the states.

He, however, said it was a good thing that President Muhammadu Buhari came at the right time to stop the liquidation of the country.

The World Bank had approved a $225 million loan for Edo State Government in 2012, to be implemented in three tranches of $75 million per annum.



The first tranche of the loan was approved by the National Assembly in the 2012-2014 Federal Government External Rolling Borrowing Plan, while the second tranche was approved by the National Assembly last week.

Speaking with reporters at the Government House on Monday, Oshiomhole said, “If the PDP did not steal the money, we would not need to borrow. What we lost from the NLNG under the PDP led Federal Government was about $11.6 billion. Edo State’s share of that money was more than N30 billion. If you realise that from every one billion dollars, we get more than N2.7 billion. So if PDP did not steal and bleed the economy dry, our legitimate revenue stolen by the past PDP government and its men is more than that.

“PDP is simply not in a position to blame the victims of their own looting which is unprecedented in the history of the country. My hope is that they would be brought to justice.

“You heard President Buhari saying last week that after they finished looting the treasury, they even borrowed to loot. You heard the President say that they took a loan from China and they already had taken $600 million from the loan. By now if they were still there, there would have finished the rest.

“In the South-South zone, look at the debt profile, Edo is the least borrowed. The only major loan we have taken since I assumed office was a N25 billion bond out of which we have paid over N20 billion because we are paying N530 million every month.

“As we speak, we have only about N5 billion left of that loan which will be liquidated before the end of this tenure. You heard of bailout, find out what PDP states are borrowing under the bailout plan, not for development but to pay salaries. But Edo State Government is up-to-date with salaries without bail out. You need to interrogate facts and not report these people as if they are responsible people because when you do that, people don’t know the difference between mischief makers and responsible people.

“PDP should simply shut up because they destroyed everything. Carry out your own investigations. You read in the papers how much our neighboring states are borrowing. You heard of N20billion, N30 billion under two months. To do what, to settle the invisibles? You hear them talking about N14.5 billion. We are not borrowing to pay salaries, we are able to do that in spite of the massive looting by the PDP. I appeal to the media because you are victims and you must interrogate these thieves when they break the highway rules and want to divert you. When you ask questions, they say you want to witch hunt. Why won’t you witch hunt when the witches are killing people in the village?”

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Buhari accepts resignation of the Comptroller-General of the Nigeria Customs Service, Alhaji Dikko Abdullahi.

President Muhammadu Buhari has accepted the resignation of the Comptroller-General of the Nigeria Customs Service, Alhaji Dikko Abdullahi.

With the acceptance, Abdullahi is expected to proceed on his voluntary retirement from Tuesday, August 18.

He had earlier written a letter dated August 3 to the President in which he notified Buhari of his desire to proceed on voluntary retirement from Tuesday.



Buhari’s approval of Abdullahi’s request was dated August 14 and personally signed by the President.

He thanked the NCS boss for his services to the county in the last six years.

The President’s letter was titled “Voluntary retirement from the Nigeria Customs Service.”

The approval read, “Dear, Alhaji D.I. Abdullahi. I write to acknowledge the receipt of your letter Ref. No. NCS/ADM/HQ/P. 35802 of 3rd August, 2015 conveying your decision to voluntarily retire from the Nigeria Customs Service with effect from Tuesday, 18th August, 2015.

“I note with appreciation your services to this nation, especially as the Comptroller-General of the Nigeria Customs Service in the last six (6) years.

“Accordingly, I hereby approve your voluntary retirement from the Nigeria Customs Service with effect from 18th August 2015.

“I wish you the very best in your future endeavours.

“Yours sincerely, Muhammadu Buhari.”

Abdullahi had, in his letter to the President, thanked him for the confidence and trust reposed on him since he (Buhari) was inaugurated on May 29.

He said by August 18, he would be six years in office as the Comptroller-General of the NCS.

He recalled that on assumption of office, he articulated six-point agenda which he vigorously pursued.

He said the agenda had positively impacted on the efficiency and performance of officers of the service and had drastically changed the negative perception of the service.

He listed the six-point agenda to include capacity building, introduction of e-Customs, enhancing productivity through improved welfare package, moral rebirth for discipline and integrity in service, collaboration and partnering with stakeholders and international organisations, as well as fostering understanding of the Service in the eye of the general public using an intensified and a well-coordinated public relations platform.

The NCS boss said under his watch, the revenue collection into various coffers of government increased drastically.

He said the Service’s average monthly collection in 2009 when he took over was about N29billion, adding that the average monthly collection is currently between N90billion and N100billion.

He hinged his decision to embark on voluntary resignation on the need to allow young bloods to takeover the mantle of leadership of the Service in order to sustain and improve on his legacy.

Abdullahi concluded, “While thanking Your Excellency and indeed Nigerians for the opportunity to serve and contribute my quota to the development of our fatherland, I wish to seek approval of Your Excellency to be allowed to retire voluntarily on 18th August 2015.

“This decision is taken with a view to allowing young bloods takeover the mantle of leadership of the Service in order to sustain and improve on my legacy.”

The President has yet to name Abdullahi’s successor at the time of filing this report.

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Buhari set to employ extra 100,000 Police officers

Nigeria's president, President Muhammadu Buhari has said that the federal government is emplacing appropriate framework that will facilitate the employment of an extra 100, 000 Police officers.

Additionally, he said government is to establish properly trained and equipped federal anti- terrorism, multi-agency task force that will effectively address the challenge of Boko Haram and any form of insurgency in a sustainable manner.



Speaking at the one day National Security Summit organized by the Nigerian Police force and Sun Newspapers in Abuja with the theme ‘Community partnership approach to internal security and crime management’ yesterday, Buhari said, “In order to further strengthen the security of the public space, consideration is being given to the expansion of the CCTV Monitoring System across major cities and towns in the country while police accountability mechanism will be strengthened”.

According to the President, “The need for community input to policing and crime management in Nigeria has even become more imperative considering our current national security challenges in which kidnapping, armed robbery, murder, transnational crimes, terrorism and other organized crimes have evolved to threaten our national values and developmental strides”.

“While it is understandable that unemployment, illiteracy, radicalization, negative peer group influence, substance abuse and erosion of family and moral values are social factors that underline criminal tendency, the reality remains that the task of addressing these challenges is that of parents, community and the state”.

Disclosing that efforts are being made to enhance the operational capacity of officers of the Nigeria Police force through tailor made training programme that will give them the right civil orientation in their roles as guardians of the constitution, the President said his administration will encourage the development of state-level community policing under a model that will integrate members of the community to policing functions at the grassroots level.

Commending the leadership of the police force for appreciating the yearning of members of the public by ordering the dismantling of police road blocks which have consistently constituted a dark side of policing and object of discord between the police and the citizenry, Buhari said the initiative of the IGP to introduce the ‘Safer Highway Motorized Patrol Scheme’ and deploy 555 patrol vehicles along all major highways to fill the void created has reassured the citizens of their safety and security”.

In his remarks, Sultan of Sokoto, Alhaji Muhammad Sa’ad Abubakar called on the federal and state governments to face the task of reforming and re-positioning our national institutions; including the Nigeria Police force and related agencies.

“It is imperative, to ensure that our security agencies truly become 21st century organizations able to discharge their mandates effectively and efficiently.

We should be able to cater to their operational needs and to the welfare of their members. When we state that they serve and protect, we should mean it by word and deed”.

“Secondly, our national security agencies must join the crusade against corruption, with commitment and determination. Regardless of how well trained and equipped an organization is, it cannot attain its full potential if it allows corruption and corrupt elements to grace its corridors.

Those who conspire to corrupt our national institutions from the outside must face the same consequences as those who do it from within”, the Sultan said.

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Rivers poll: Tribunal declines to dismiss APC’s petition against Wike

The Rivers State Governorship Election Petitions Tribunal sitting in Abuja, has declined to dismiss the petition seeking to sack Governor Nyesom Wike from office. ‎In a ruling this afternoon, the Justice Muazu Pindiga-led tribunal held that the All Progressives Congress, APC, and its governorship candidate in the state, Dr. Dakuku Peterside, properly convoked a pre-hearing session on their case against Wike.

The tribunal said it was not persuaded by contention of both the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, and Wike that the failure of the petitioners to pay a mandatory ‎N100 fee for the convocation of the pre-hearing session, rendered their substantive petition liable for dismissal.



INEC had through its lawyer Mr. K.O.C. Njemanze, SAN, sought the dismissal of the petition as having been abandoned in consequence of non compliance with the provision of paragraph 18(1) of the First Schedule to the Electoral Act.

INEC’s motion dated July 27, was filed pursuant to section ‎6(6) (a) of the 1999 constitution, as amended, and paragraphs 18(1) (3) and (47) of the First Schedule to the Electoral Act.

The electoral body insisted that there was no evidence that the petitioners paid the necessary fees before they applied to the Secretary of the tribunal to issue them Form TF007, which will okay pre-hearing on the petition.

Similarly, Wike, through his lawyer Mr. Emmanuel Ukala, SAN, relied on the case of Ihedioha vs Okorocha and argued that the failure of the petitioners to properly apply for the pre-hearing session rendered the case before the tribunal liable to be dismissed.

Wike noted that the Imo State Governorship Elections Petition Tribunal had in a ruling it delivered on July 22, held that the failure of Ihedioha to pay the N100 filing fee in respect of an application for pre-hearing was fatal to his petition against Okorocha. The PDP which is the 3rd Respondent in the matter also aligned with INEC and Wike in asking the tribunal to dismiss the petition.

However, in its ruling, the tribunal upheld the argument of counsel to the petitioners, Chief Akinlolu Olujunmi, SAN, ‎who had urged the panel not to allow the Respondents to rely on technicalities to defeat the essence of justice in the electoral dispute.

Besides, the panel stressed that the letter the petitioners served on the Secretary to the tribunal on June 23, which requested for the issuance of Form TF007, did not qualify as a filed document as envisaged by paragraph 37 of the Electoral Act.

“It is clear that there is no imposition of any fee for the kick-starting ‎of a pre-hearing session and the application for issuance of pre-hearing form does not involve any filing fee. “Form TF007 and TF008 are not documents filed as envisaged by paragraph 37 of the First Schedule to the Electoral Act.

“If a pre-hearing session has began as in the instant case, the way it was kick-started‎ is no longer of any moment whatsoever. We hold that there was no defect in the pre-hearing kick-started by the petitioners. The applications by the Respondents are hereby discountenanced and dismissed”, the tribunal ruled.

‎Meantime, the tribunal is currently entertaining arguments from all the parties on the propriety or otherwise of allowing the petitioners to inspect all the materials that were used for the April 11governorship election in Rivers State, considering that the issue is already pending before the Appeal Court.

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Man Utd make Champions League return

The Champions League theme music will boom out over Old Trafford again on Tuesday when Manchester United return to the competition against Belgian side Club Brugge in the play-off round.



After a first season out of the competition in 19 years, United have been led back by Louis van Gaal, who won the Champions League with a brilliant, young Ajax team in 1995 and took Bayern Munich to the final in 2010.

Fourth in the Premier League last season, United have opened the new campaign with 1-0 wins over Tottenham Hotspur and Aston Villa, and Juan Mata believes Friday’s victory at Villa Park showed the team’s readiness.

“I think we can improve, but six points from six points is a very good start for us and now we have a lot of confidence ahead of the Champions League play-off,” the Spanish midfielder told MUTV.
“The clean sheet is a very positive factor. We’re talking about having new players at the back and they’re doing great as well.”

It is a year and four months since United last played in the Champions League, losing to Bayern in the quarter-finals in April 2014, and it says much about the profound change the club has undergone since then that only four of the players who played in the 3-1 second-leg defeat in Munich are likely to line up against Club Brugge.

Patrice Evra, Nemanja Vidic, Darren Fletcher, Shinji Kagawa and Danny Welbeck have left the club, while David Moyes is no longer in the dug-out, having been sacked 13 days later.

Of those who made it onto the pitch against Bayern that remain, Phil Jones is currently sidelined with thrombosis, Antonio Valencia and Javier Hernandez are out of favour and goalkeeper David de Gea has been removed from the team after becoming unsettled by Real Madrid’s interest.

That leaves Wayne Rooney, Chris Smalling, Michael Carrick and Adnan Januzaj, a late substitute at the Allianz Arena, who came in from the cold to score the winner at Villa after disappearing from view in Van Gaal’s first season.

Januzaj is one of two Belgian players in Van Gaal’s squad alongside Marouane Fellaini, who is serving a three-match domestic suspension but could feature on Tuesday.

– De Sutter swansong –
Having marked his return with a goal, Januzaj will hope to hold onto his place at number 10 in support of Rooney, although Van Gaal expressed reservations about his use of the ball against Tim Sherwood’s side.

Memphis Depay, the £25 million ($39.1 million, 35.2 million euros) signing from PSV Eindhoven, was also singled out for criticism by the manager, but Mata has backed the Dutch international, who squandered an excellent late chance against Villa, to come good.

“The good thing is that he is having the chances,” said Mata, a European champion with Chelsea in 2012.

“He’s getting in the position to have the chances, but the goals will come for him. I think he will score for us very soon.”

While United contested three Champions League finals between 2008 and 2011, winning one, Club Brugge are the only Belgian club to have reached the final, losing 1-0 to Liverpool at Wembley in 1978.

Michel Preud’homme’s side finished top of the table in Belgium last season, but lost out to Gent in the ensuing championship play-off.

For former Belgium striker Tom De Sutter, the tie against United, which concludes on August 26, will serve as a swansong prior to his departure for Turkish side Bursaspor.

Club Brugge, who last played in the group phase in 2005, have made a modest start to the season, winning twice, drawing once and losing once, and Preud’homme is concerned that his team have been playing too much sideways football.

“There’s not enough tempo or depth,” said the former Belgium goalkeeper, whose team beat Panathinaikos 4-2 on aggregate in the third qualifying round.

“Playing like this, it will be impossible to trouble Manchester.”

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Five issues that will be troubling Chelsea’s fans

Chelsea’s one-sided 3-0 loss away to Manchester City on Sunday left the defending champions five points below their opponents in 16th place in the nascent Premier League standings.



The season may be only two games old, but Chelsea already appear to be in difficulty, having failed to record a win in their opening two league games for the first time since 1998.

Here, AFP Sports lists five issues that will be troubling Chelsea’s fans ahead of this weekend’s trip to West Bromwich Albion, where they lost 3-0 on their last visit:

1. Mourinho’s mood
Chelsea manager Jose Mourinho wrote the book on diversionary tactics, but the spikiness with which he has attacked the new season suggests that all is not well behind the scenes at Stamford Bridge. It is only mid-August and he has already launched barbs at Everton manager Roberto Martinez, his old Arsenal adversary Arsene Wenger and City manager Manuel Pellegrini, made a cruel jibe about Rafael Benitez and demoted two of his medics, Eva Carneiro and Jon Fearn, after they angered him by running on to treat Eden Hazard during the 2-2 draw with Swansea City. He may have signed a new contract on the eve of the season, but Chelsea fans who remembered how Mourinho’s first spell at the club unravelled acrimoniously in 2007 will hope that his mood improves quickly.

2. Defensive frailties
Chelsea boasted the league’s stingiest defence in the first two seasons following Mourinho’s return from Real Madrid, but the sight of Sergio Aguero repeatedly strolling through their back line at the Etihad Stadium showed the extent to which it has become an area of concern. “I’ve never seen them so disorganised,” said Sky Sports pundit Gary Neville. Mourinho said that John Terry’s unceremonious half-time withdrawal had merely been a means by which to add more pace — in the form of Kurt Zouma — to his floundering back four, but it may also have been intended as a message to Chelsea’s directors to step up their pursuit of Everton’s John Stones.

3. Ivanovic struggles
No player has symbolised Chelsea’s problems more in their opening two league games than right-back Branislav Ivanovic. A Stamford Bridge stalwart for the last six seasons, the Serbian was left chasing shadows by Swansea’s Jefferson Montero and was at fault for City’s second and third goals, being out-jumped by Vincent Kompany at a corner and then presenting the ball straight to Fernandinho. The arrival of Ghana left-back Abdul Rahman Baba from Augsburg may offer a chance to take the 31-year-old out of the spotlight, as it would give Mourinho the possibility of switching Cesar Azpilicueta to his preferred position of right-back.

4. Hazard warning
It says much that Hazard’s most notable contribution to Chelsea’s campaign so far has been the injury he sustained in the latter stages of the game against Swansea that launched the Carneiro/Fearn polemic. Last season’s multiple Player of the Year, the Belgian winger has looked off the pace in the campaign to date, sleep-walking through pre-season and failing to make an impression against either Swansea or City. He squandered Chelsea’s best chance of an equaliser at the Etihad, shooting too close to Joe Hart.

5. Recruitment hiccups
Chelsea’s close-season transfer dealings in 2014 were masterful, with Cesc Fabregas, Diego Costa, Filipe Luis and Didier Drogba all arriving before the end of July, giving Mourinho time to shape his new-look team. This year, Chelsea have not materially strengthened, having merely replaced the outgoing Petr Cech, Luis and Drogba with Asmir Begovic, Rahman and Radamel Falcao. A new centre-back is a priority, but Chelsea also look light in attack, where the champions are unhealthily reliant on Costa and his troublesome hamstrings. Falcao and Loic Remy do not pose anything like the same goal threat and Juan Cuadrado, a £23.3 million ($36.4 million, 32.9 million euros) signing from Fiorentina in January, has been a major disappointment.

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80-year-old bungee jumps off one of Europe’s highest bridges

A Bulgarian octogenarian has made a lifelong dream come true by bungee jumping from one of Europe’s highest bridges, the woman told AFP on Monday.

Penka Baleva leapt from the 190-metre (620-foot) Europe Bridge, near the Austrian city of Innsbruck, on Saturday.

“It was quite scary but I kept my head together and did it,” Baleva, who turned 80 in June, told AFP over the phone.



“It was beautiful, with these spectacular natural views all around. And I always take pleasure in jumping!”

The retired midwife from the Black Sea city of Varna discovered parachute jumping 13 years ago, and has accomplished 14 tandem skydives and 39 bungee jumps so far.

After giving up her hopes to make it to South Africa and jump from the 216-metre-high Bloukrans Bridge, Baleva set her sights on Innsbruck.

Baleva explained she had picked August 15 as the day for her jump because it marks the Assumption of the Virgin Mary — the feast day celebrating Mary’s rise to heaven — which she believed would bring her good luck.

“I told myself: ‘I must go there and do it, whether I will live or die’,” she said.

“I never dream too much about things that I cannot accomplish. But I always keep dreaming.”

(AFP)

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IG urges adequate funding of police

Inspector-General of Police, Mr Solomon Arase, on Monday called for adequate funding of the Nigeria Police to ensure operational efficiency.

Arase made the call at National Security Conference on, Community Partnership Approach to Internal Security and Crime Management organised by Police and Sun newspapers, in Abuja.

He said it was only through adequate funding that the huge logistic demand of the police can be met.

Arase noted that modern policing was a cost-intensive venture of which the benefits far outweigh the value of budgetary investment.


“Through effective funding, the welfare needs of police personnel will be met and the challenge of corruption that has eroded professionalism and public respect for police will be addressed,” he said.

He called for the resuscitation and passage of the Bill on Police Trust Fund pending before the National Assembly to give effect to public-police partnership.

The bill seeks to tax corporate entities to complement the Federal Government in funding the police.

Arase maintained that if passed, the funding challenges of the police would have been addressed on a sustainable basis.

He said the security challenges in the country and inadequate manpower would be best addressed through citizens-driven policing model.

“This model will address the manpower deficiency challenge in the Nigeria Police as every citizen plays the role of a police officer,” he said.

In a key note address, the Sultan of Sokoto, Alhaji Sa’ad Abubakar, advised President Muhammadu Buhari to prosecute all those found guilty of corruption.

(NAN)

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Bomb blast kills 12 in Bangkok

At least 12 people have been killed and 20 wounded by a bomb blast that hit the commercial centre of the Thai capital Bangkok, police have said.



The blast, which was said to have taken place near the Erawan Shrine, occurred about 7.10pm local time (1:10pm Nigerian time), according to the Bangkok Post.

Nearby offices have reportedly been evacuated, according to reports on social media.

(Al Jazeera)

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Kogi PDP endorses Wada for second term

The Kogi Peoples Democratic Party Elders Advisory Council has endorsed the State Governor, Idris Wada, for a second term in office.

Alhaji Ibrahim Idris, Chairman of the council, announced the decision at a news briefing on Monday in Lokoja.


Idris, who is also the immediate past governor of the state, said the elders have also resolved to allow Kogi West or Kogi Central to produce the next governorship candidate of the party in 2019.

According to him, the elders and some critical stakeholders in the party from across the state, took the decision at a meeting held in Lokoja on Aug. 16.

According to him, the elders supported Wada’s candidature because of his good performance and quality leadership.

He also said that the adoption of power rotation from 2019 was to end perceived marginalization and ensure justice, fairness and equity in the distribution of political positions in the party.

Idris said that the elders have resolved to mobilize the people of the state to vote for the PDP in the governorship election slated for Nov. 21.

Among those on the attendance list of the Lokoja meeting were the state party Chairman, Mr Sam Ohuotu, Chief Shola Akanmode, retired Lt.-Gen. Salihu Ibrahim, Chief Moses Okino, Chief Shola Ojo, Alhaji Musa Amodu, Chief Patrick Adaba among others.

(NAN)

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