Two ISIS-Bound Nigerians Arrested In India

Two young Nigerians suspected to be on their way to joining the
Islamic State (ISIS) terror gang were yesterday arrested at the
volatile India-Pakistan border after scaling a barbed wire fence
near the border .

Alert Border Security Force (BSF) troopers apprehended Imran Kabeer
and Sani Jamiliu both from Kano and later handed them over to Punjab
Police.

The suspects aged around 24-25 told BSF officials they wanted to go
to Pakistan and later to Iraq.

They carried no valid travel documents to enter Pakistan.

Both youths arrived in the Sikh holy city of Amritsar, 30 km from
Punjab , on Thursday from Delhi in a hired taxi. They argued with the
taxi driver on Thursday night, hoodwinked him and drove away his Swift
Dzire car. They arrived at the integrated checkpoint at Attari
yesterday morning.

"On finding the border gates closed, the youths moved towards a barbed
wire fence along the Attari-Wagah rail track (on which the Samjhauta
Express peace train between both countries plies) and jumped over the
high barbed wire fence, thinking they had entered Pakistan. BSF
personnel immediately nabbed them," a BSF official said.

BSF Amritsar sector deputy inspector general M.F. Farooqui confirmed the arrest.

The entire 553-km international border between India and Pakistan in
Punjab is on high alert following the July 27 terror attack on
Dinanagar town in Punjab's Gurdaspur district by Pakistani terrorists.
Security is also tight in view of the coming Independence Day on
August 15.

Since the youths claimed their final destination was Iraq, security
officials said they could be headed to join the Islamic State terror
outfit.

Both youths came to India on student visas about a year ago. While
Imran is doing BBA from the Mysuru-based Karnataka State Open
University, Sani is a BSc third semester student of the Kerala-based
Mahatama Gandhi University. Both were residing in Delhi.

Nigerian-born Umar Farouk Abdulmutalab was arrested on Christmas
Day,2009 aboard North West Airlines Flight 253 from Amsterdam to
Detroit,Michigan following his attempt to blow up the plane.

He was found to be carrying plastic explosives in his underwear.

He was subsequently tried and convicted by a US Federal Court on an
eight count charge including attempted use of a weapon of mass
destruction.

Farouk was sentenced on February 16,2012 to four life terms plus 50
years without parole.

Al Qaeda in the Arabian peninsula claimed,as the trial got underway,
that it trained the convict and supplied him with the explosives.
-TheNation

Jubilation Greets Introduction Of Paternity Leave For Enugu Male Civil Servants

THE introduction of paternity leave for male civil servants in Enugu
State whose wives put to bed has been overwhelming commended.
There was wild jubilation in the coal city as the news spread. Both
civil servants and non civil servants hailed the new policy.

The government of Enugu State led by Mr. Ifeanyi Ugwuanyi had last
week Wednesday, announced the granting of three weeks paternity leave
to male civil servants whose wives put to bed.

Before now, female workers who gave birth were entitled to only three
months maternity leave while their husbands were left out; but with
the present directive, nursing mothers who are civil servants would
now be enjoying additional three months, bringing the number of period
they will observe their maternity leave to six months.
State Commissioner for Health, Dr. Sam Ngwu who announced this said
that the new policy would meant "to strengthen the family as a social
unit and also promote mother and child welfare".

He stated this while unveiling plans to mark this year's Breast
Feeding Week in the State in Enugu last week.
Ngwu explained that the extension of the maternity leave would
encourage nursing mothers in the state to engage in the
internationally recommended four to six months exclusive breast
feeding of newborn babies.

Represented by the Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Health, Dr.
Moses Otiji, the Commissioner said nursing mothers should be allowed
to continuously breast feed their babies anywhere they work, whether
in the private or public sector.

He added that "The week is dedicated to draw the attention of the
public on the need for exclusive breast feeding which contains yellow
milk that contains most of the vital ingredients for healthy growth of
the baby".
Coordinator of Baby Friendly Initiative, Enugu State Ministry of
Health, Mrs. Pauline Enenwali few days ago lamented that no fewer than
15 children die in Enugu daily due to poor nutrition, noting that it
was not an excuse for nursing mothers not to feed their babies
exclusively on breast milk.
Enenwali further told reporters that "the health indices on exclusive
breastfeeding in the State were so poor that not less than 5,000
babies died annually arising from malnutrition while the prevalence of
malnutrition stood at 30.6 per cent".
South East Voice went to town sample opinions of the people and the
result was a resounding commendation. It was unanimously accepted
although some persons spoke against the decision but were not in
majority.

One of the residents who spoke against, who simply gave his name as
Johnbull said, "this is laughable. I have never heard about paternity
leave anywhere in the world before now. After all, in Igboland, when a
woman delivers, the husband sends for his mother in-law to assist her
daughter nurse the baby.

"I don't know where governor Ugwuanyi got this idea but surely it will
reduce the productive capacity for the State", he stated.
On his part, Mr. Nwobodo Onyekwere, a media consultant based in Enugu
said "it is a family-friendly policy and Enugu is setting the pace in
this regard.

The long term effect would include multiplication of smarter kids who
would have been breast fed exclusively while in short term, working
parents can have the opportunity to grapple with post-natal challenges
with minimum distraction.
"It shows the Gburugburu (governor) government is sensitive, generous
and pro-family".

Also lending her voice, a seasoned labour Editor with Vanguard stable,
Mrs. Funmi Komolafe in her reaction said "it is quite commendable .
Fashola started it. Lagos hubby two weeks and it is for only first and
second babies in the marriage".

Also commenting, a human rights group, Centre for the Vulnerable and
the Underprivileged, (Centrep) led by Mr. Oghenejabor Ikimi told South
East Voice that "sincerely speaking the 3 weeks paternity leave for
husbands in the Enugu State Civil Service whose wives put to birth,
and the six months maternity leave for nursing mother civil servants
instead of the
Enugu State Civil Service whose wives put to birth, and the six months
maternity leave for nursing mother civil servants instead of the
initial three months leave, is a welcome development.
"Enugu State is no doubt following the footsteps of Lagos State in the
above regard. I am not oblivious of the fact that the Lagos State
Government had approved similar leave to husbands and nursing mothers
employed in her State Civil Service some two years back, and I use
this opportunity to renew my earlier call to the Federal Government
including other State Governments and Local Governments in the
Federation to emulate the above examples already laid by Lagos and
Enugu States.
"The above directive", he went on, "no doubt would help in the short
run to cement family bond and in the long run to enhance productivity
and service delivery as you know, every Nation requires strong
families ties to build a strong and vibrant Civil Service for her
growth and development".

"It is in the light of the above that we call on Civil Servants
employed in the Enugu State Civil Service not to abuse the said
gesture, as it would take a governor with a sound parental background
to introduce same".
-Vanguard

Woman Confesses To Selling 19 Kids To Ritualists In Imo

A woman named Chioma Anoruo has been arrested by the Owerri, Imo state
Criminal Investigation Department (SCID), after she confessed to
selling about 19 children to ritualists.

According to a report by The Guardian, Mrs. Anoruo was arrested by the
Orlu community local vigilante group. She was subsequently handed over
to the police.

During the raid, five children, including a new-born baby, already
kidnapped for sale, were rescued from her house, while a Sports
Utility Vehicle (SUV) belonging to her husband, Emeka, who is now on
the run, was recovered along with an undisclosed large sum of money.

According to The Heat Nigeria, an online media, residents had
complained of incessant disappearance of children in the area, which
was of serious concern to the community leaders.
"This year alone, the community has recorded a large number of missing
children," says a vigilance group member of the community who wanted
his name off-print.

On March 30, Master Dominion Obasi, a pupil of Ezioha Community
School, Okporo was kidnapped in the school premises and since then,
has not been found.

While the community was searching for him, a son of a Deeper Life
Church pastor was also kidnapped and is still missing.

However, two sons of the same parents, identified as Chukwuemeka and
Chigozie, pupils of Holy Trinity Anglican School, Amazu in Okporo were
abducted while returning home after their school had closed for the
day.

As the abductors were trying to escape with them on their motorcycle,
a palm wine tapper, who saw the two men while on top of a palm tree,
raised the alarm, which attracted the attention of vigilance group
members, who pursued them and apprehended one of the suspects
identified as Ebuka.
The arrest of Anorue followed Ebuka's confession that she and her
husband were his sponsors, who buy each child from his gang for
N100,000.

According to the vigilance group member, when Chioma's husband, Emeka
sighted them, he escaped through the back door while his wife was
apprehended and forced to open their doors where the victims were
found inside a room in captivity.

During her confession, she revealed that human merchandise had been
their family business for years.She confessed that her major work in
the business was to keep the victims while her husband would contact
buyers and sell them.

She also confessed that they had sold more than 19 children and the
remaining five were waiting to be sold to their customers before her
arrest.

Meanwhile, the vigilance group has transferred the suspect and the
rescued victims to SCID Owerri under a department led by one Supol Obi
for further investigation.

Buhari Begins Total Probe Of Jonathan’s Govt

A total probe of the administration run by immediate past president,
Dr Goodluck Ebele Jonathan is underway as the National Economic
Council, NEC, Ad-hoc Committee on the Management of Excess Crude
Account Proceeds and Accruals into the Federation Account, headed by
the Governor of Edo State, Mr. Adams Oshiomhole, is to hire two
international forensic audit firms to probe revenue that accrued into
the Federation Account and how it was spent under former Dr Goodluck
Jonathan as President.

Mr. Oshiomhole told journalists at the end of the first meeting of the
committee in Abuja, yesterday that the auditors would cover the period
January 1, 2010 to June 1, 2015.

It put paid to calls by the opposition Peoples' Democratic Party, PDP,
that Buhari should extend his probe to the administrations of
Jonathan's predecessors, Alh. Umaru Yar' Adua.and Chief Olusegun
Obasanjo.

Already, some revenue generating agencies have been invited to brief
the committee which will take detailed briefings from all Ministries,
Departments and Agencies, MDAs of the Federal Government that deal
directly with revenue.

The focus will be on the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation,
NNPC, the Nigeria Customs Service, the Central bank of Nigeria, the
Nigeria Extractive Industries Transparency Initiative, NEITI, among
others.
Other members of the committee included Gov. Nasir Ahmed El-Rufai of
Kaduna State, Ibrahim Dankwambo of Gombe, and Udom Emmanuel of Akwa
Ibom.

He said that the committee did not want its actions to be bogged down
by political interpretations and that the members were not
professionals. Even if they were professionals, he said that their
duties as governors would not allow them the time to do a thorough
work.

His words, "We held our first primary session today here with some of
the revenue generating agencies that are supposed to remit funds to
the federation account. We had a successful session with Customs, NPA,
NEITI, SEC, FIRS, and quite a number of others and next week we will
also hear from CBN, Ministry of Finance, Office of the
Accountant-General of the Federation.

For the remaining ones, we agree we are going to meet on Thursday next
week, NNPC, NPDC, DPR, NIMASA and other remaining agencies.

We have started the work, with the idea to hear them out, what they
have been doing, with particular emphasis on revenue accruing from
these organizations and whether or not these have been remitted to the
Federation Account for judicious distribution.

His words: "We realised that this is a task and given our mandate,
even if we were professional accountants because we are sitting
governors, we would not have the time to do a forensic audit which
this assignment entails.

"Therefore, we have agreed in line with our mandate to appoint two
reputable international audit firms to carry out a thorough forensic
audit, not only of NNPC, which is more of excess crude, but other
monies that accrued to the Federation Accounts. We have other revenues
like bonuses, royalties, taxes, VAT that flow into the Federation
Account.
"We are taking a holistic review of the entire process, looking at all
the agencies that make contribution of funds to the federation
account.

We are convinced that by appointing audit firms, we will allow
professionals to carry out this exercise, so that it will be free of
any political colouration and also we will ensure the outcome of the
investigation will.
"We have learned, we have listened and asked questions. I think we all
have a clear picture of what is happening in those organizations
before now. Some have information to supply and we have drawn
attention to those areas, they are willing to oblige. We believe in
the end, we will be able to not just establish what had happened over
the period but much more important, going forward with the changes the
President has promised the country.

"It is not going to be business as usual. He started on a clean slate
and everybody knows the new rules of the game and in particular as the
laws apply to the various institutions are implemented in full. So I
think we started very well. We are very confident that we are going to
come out with something that is going to be of immense benefits to the
Nigerian people".

On the rationale for embarking on another audit report with regards to
the alleged missing funds, he said "Some reports were produced by PWC
but in that report the PWC expressed their frustration and pointed to
the fact that they were not able to access all the information they
needed and that what they were able to produce was to the extent of
information that was made available to them."

He added: "Audit can only be credible as much as information that was
made available to auditors. The good news now is that with President
Buhari, all the books will be open, no agency has any protection. Any
agency that refuses to open the books then is ready to go on
confrontation with the authority.

"The forensic audit will act on the whole truth and nothing but the
truth so that all stakeholders will have basis to formulate good
policies and that Nigeria will never find itself in this circle where
huge sums of money are allegedly diverted and unaccounted for. Audit
has become a way of life for all public institutions."
On the duration of the audit exercise, Oshiomhole explained that the
committee had looked at it professionally.

"We are focusing on a five year circle. What we have agreed is that we
are going to carry out an audit for five years from 1st January 2010
to 30th June 2015.

"If the audit report reveals that we need to go backward, then we can
do that. But for the first instance, this is the period that we
consider good.
"We can't impose a time frame on them but will engage them and by
Thursday we will be able to make it public. We need to listen to them
and agreed with them on how much time will be okay for them. We are
all in a hurry to ensure that the right thing is done. The emphasis is
not on time but doing thorough job.

"By next week we will meet with the big ones and we will then be able
to tell you the audit firms that we have appointed. They are firms I
am sure Nigerians will have confidence in.

"At the end of the audit we will hear them out and reconcile them with
what the laws says and arrive at a position. Given the volume of work
and complicated nature of issues, we agreed we need professionals to
carry out the audit. It is only the professionals that can handle it.
It is not good to compromise".
-Vanguard

How Hippopotamus Meat Was Shared In Gombe

Head of Forestry unit of Yamaltu/Deba Local Governmen Council in
Gombe, Thursday, confirmed the killing of a notorious Hippopotamus in
Dadinkowa dam that had been terrorizing the community for the past two
years.
He said that the bulky animal, apart from terrorizing people, had also
been destroying crops and fishing facilities of fishermen in the area.
"We discovered it about two and half years ago, but unfortunately, it
has become very notorious and dangerous to people.
"The community wrote to the local government council, complaining
about the threat of the animal and we forwarded same to the Ministry
of Environment, seeking the approval of the Governor to take action.
"We received the approval last week, and decided to go hunting for it,
an exercise that took us one week before the animal was finally
spotted yesterday night.

The notorious Hippo's head…
"We were lucky to trap it outside; we used military men to shoot it,
with the help of the local hunters.
"We shot it yesterday night around 10:30 pm when it came out to eat
grasses, and today we butchered it in to pieces.
According to him, there are about 100 of them in the water, but the
one that was killed had been crossing to the lower side of the dam and
causing havoc.

The Hippo on display…
NAN also reports that after killing the animal, its meat was shared
among those that actively participated in hunting it down. (NAN)
Speaking, Mr Adamu Pukuma, Permanent Secretary, Gombe State Ministry
of Environment and Forest Resources, said hippopotamuses are among the
animals that were endangered and going instinct. "We have been
protecting them but the particular one that was killed was notorious.
"It killed people around the area, as well as destroyed crops and
fishing equipment.

We can now exhale…the hunters
"There were complaints from the people and that was why we sought for
the approval of the Governor to protect lives and property.
Leader of Fishermen in Dadinkowa, Malam Sa'adu Sarkinruwa, told NAN
that the hippopotamus killed no fewer than five persons in the
community in the past two and half years.
-Vanguard

Man United Loses £15m On Angel Di Maria: ‘A Catastrophic Piece Of Business’

Bebe, Massimo Taibi, Juan Seba Veron, Kleberson, Eric Djemba-Djemba,
William Prunier, Mark 'Bozza' Bosnich and Radamel Falcao. And now
Angel Di Maria. Argentina winger Di Maria can be added to the list of
legendary United underachievers for doing next to nothing for the
club.

Former Sky Sports presenter Richard Keys seemed to sum up the general
mood on Twitter towards Di Maria.


Di Maria is part of United ignominy, a list full of flops who arrived
at Old Trafford amid great fanfare but ended up departing the club
under the cloud of underachievement. Di Maria was hailed as one of the
great United signings in history when he signed from Real Madrid from
a record £59million last summer, but a year on the Argentina winger
finds himself bundled off to Paris Saint-Germain for £44.3m. Almost
£15m less than he signed for.

Fresh from helping Real Madrid claim 'La Decima' and a tenth European
Cup, Di Maria was expected to excel in a red shirt, but instead proved
the old adage that reputations count for nothing in football. Plenty
of United fans were out in force to lament Di Maria's passing, but
most weren't weeping.

Dasuki Releases Images Of Sophisticated Weapons Acquired Under Jonathan [PHOTOS]

The immediate past National Security Adviser, Col. Sambo Dasuki (rtd),
has spoken of how the administration of President Goodluck Jonathan
facilitated the acquisition of hitherto elusive weaponry in the last
one year and recovered many local governments that had been occupied
by Boko Haram terrorists.

Sambo, who has been a subject of media focus since his homes in Abuja
and Sokoto were invaded by operatives of the Department of State
Security Services (DSS) the same week he left office on the eve of Eid
-Fitri 2015, named some of the deciding acquisitions to include Alpha
jets, APCs, MRAP vehicles, advanced artillery pieces, assorted arms
and ammunitions, highly sophisticated surveillance drones, T72 and
carried out modification of F7 supersonic jet fighters.

Dasuki told PRNigeria that "The armored tanks have comprehensive NBC
protection system, just as we deployed Mine-Resistant Ambush Protected
(MRAP) vehicles that we bought and could withstand improvised
explosive device (IED) attacks and ambushes. The vehicles had
protected our troops from the land mine threats.

"We are glad that we also provided assorted Armoured Personnel
Carriers to transport troops to the battlefield. They are armed for
self-defence and to provide protection from attacks from shrapnel and
small arms fire.

"All these were acquired in the last one year after years of
frustration by Western powers who denied us of the equipment and
sabotage our efforts to acquire same from other sources which are
reasons for some delay in delivery."

According to him, some other arms already paid for by the previous
administration are due to be delivered soon. "It was unfortunate that
some elements are frustrating the efforts as we even had to query some
suppliers for delay in delivery of arms and ammunitions," he added.

The former NSA disclosed "we utilised some of these equipment to
recover more than 22 local governments under Boko Haram terrorists and
ensured that Shekau did not disrupt the 2015 election as he had
threatened. Not only did we ensure that the elections were peaceful,
Shekau has never spoken to threaten anyone again since then."

Responding to critics of past administration on security issues, he
said: "In attempt to rubbish individuals for whatever reasons,
political or otherwise, we should be careful not to rubbish sensitive
institutions and their personnel that might still be in active
service.

"It is unfortunate that some elements hide under the cover of
anonymity in the media to rubbish some of the sacrifices we made. They
should the take the courage to come out publicly by identifying
themselves with their baseless allegations. "
-DailyPost

MTN Nigeria Loses High-End Users To Etisalat, Airtel And Glo Due To Poor Network Quality

Africa's top mobile phone operator, MTN Group, has expressed worry
over the dullness it has been recording in recent time in its Nigerian
operations.

The telecoms firm, which currently operates in 21 countries on the
continent, yesterday gave a downbeat outlook for Nigeria, its biggest
market, after losing high-end users to Gulf rival, Etisalat.

According to Reuters, the South Africa-based MTN, which reported a 10
per cent decline in firsthalf earnings, is fighting to maintain its
lead in Nigeria ahead of competitors such as Etisalat and India's
Bharti Airtel. But poor network quality in vital areas of the Federal
Capital Territory (FCT) and Lagos has prompted its more affluent
clients to switch to Etisalat.

MTN's Chief Executive, Sifiso Dabengwa, was frank about the network
superiority of the Gulf's second-biggest mobile phone operator. "The
key issue really for us has been to improve the data quality and
speeds," Dabengwa told reporters and analysts at the company's results
presentation in South Africa. "Clearly, Etisalat's network, from a
data point view, has been better than ours."
He said MTN would use the bulk of a $1.5 billion spending package for
the rest of this year to expand high-speed networks in Nigeria and
South Africa, where rivals such as Vodacom Group and Cell C have
slashed voice tariffs to gain market share.
However, analysts said spending on a network in Nigeria, Africa's most
populous country, was unlikely to deliver a strong enough performance
to offset the impact of a sharp economic slowdown, which is curbing
consumers' disposable income. "We expect the balance of the year to
remain challenging for MTN Nigeria," the company said in its results
announcement.

New Telegraph gathered that since the mobile number portability scheme
was launched in Nigeria in 2013, Etisalat has been the highest gainer
on a month-on-month basis on the porting table as released by the
Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC).

Of the total 18, 135 lines that ported (incoming) in the latest report
for the month of May, Etisalat topped the table with 12, 252 lines,
and the highest monthly gains so far by any operator since the NCC
launched the MNP scheme in 2013. Next to Etisalat is Airtel, which
gained 4,161 incoming ported lines while Globacom came third with
1,065 ported lines and MTN with the lowest gained numbers of 657.

Also in June, of the 21, 060 numbers that ported from one network to
another, Etisalat had 13, 382, followed by Airtel with 6, 290 ported
lines with Globacom and MTN coming third and fourth with 880 and 526
ported lines respectively.
In spite of this development, MTN remains the largest telecoms
networks with 62.8 million active subscribers, representing 43 per
cent. Globacom is the second largest with a total of 31.2
million-subscriber base (21 per cent). Glo is followed by Airtel,
which came third with 29.5-million subscriber base (20 per cent) and
Etisalat with 22.8 million subscribers, equivalent to 16 per cent.

According to Reuters, MTN reported a 10.3 per cent fall in headline
earnings per share (EPS) from a year earlier to 654 cents for
January-June. Its shares, down six per cent this year, slipped just
0.3 per cent after the results as the company had warned that headline
EPS would fall by between 10 per cent and 15 per cent.

Headline is the main profit measure in South Africa and it strips out
certain one-off items.
Handset supply disruptions in South Africa, due to a seven-week strike
by about 2,000 entry-level staff over pay, also hurt earnings. It
prompted MTN to slash its full-year forecast for subscriber growth in
South Africa, its secondbiggest market, by 25 per cent.

Globally, its subscribers rose by just over three per cent to 231
million during the first half.

"MTN's third-largest market is Iran and it hopes to repatriate about
$1.1 billion rand in accumulated dividends frozen by international
sanctions once Iran's nuclear deal with world powers is finalised,"
said MTN's Chief Financial Officer, Brett Goschen, said.

CBN Bans Foreign Currency Cash Deposits In Nigeria

The Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) has officially barred banks in the
country from accepting foreign currency cash deposits into customers'
domiciliary accounts.


The directive was contained in a circular issued by the CBN on
Wednesday and signed by the director of trade and exchange, Olakanmi
Gbadamosi.
The CBN, in the circular, the central bank explained that its action
is in tandem with have decision of banks that have notified their
customers that they would no longer accept foreign exchange cash
deposits from them.
The apex bank also advised those who have deposited foreign currencies
into their accounts before the directive to either withdraw the cash
as they will not be allowed to transfer the funds.
The circular reads in part: "The Central Bank of Nigeria has
considered the recent statements by Deposit Money Banks (DMBs)
concerning the large volume of foreign currencies in their vaults and
the decision to stop accepting foreign currency cash deposits into
customers' domiciliary accounts as a welcome development.

"Therefore, in its continued efforts to stop illicit financial flows
in the Nigerian banking system which aligns with the anti-money
Laundering stance of the Federal Government, the CBN hereby prohibits
from the date of this circular the acceptance of foreign currency
cash deposits by DMBs.
"For foreign currency cash lodgments made prior to the date of this
circular, the account holder has the option to either withdraw his or
her foreign currency cash or the Naira equivalent. For the avoidance
of doubt, only wire transfers to and from Domiciliary Accounts are
henceforth permissible.
"The CBN advises individuals that wish to source foreign currency for
eligible and legitimate purposes such as BTA, PTA medical, mortgage,
school fees, goods etc. to do so through recognized channels with the
use of Form 'A' for "invisible" and Form 'M' for "visible"
transactions."
Before now, some banks including Fidelity Bank Plc, Guaranty Trust
Bank Plc and Standard Chartered Bank, have already informed their
customers they were going to stop receiving foreign currency cash
deposit due to "lack of available foreign exchange cash outlets."
The naira had appreciated against the dollar signifcantly after banks
started denying their customers opportunity to make cash deposits of
dollar, pound and euro into their domiciliary accounts.
It was also anticipated that the US dollar will further tumble against
the naira at the parallel market this week as Deposit Money Banks
continue to reject cash deposit of foreign currencies into customers'
domiciliary accounts.
However, the naira fell N235 to US$1 in the parallel market on August
4, despite appreciating to N209 barely 24 hours earlier.

Reacting to this development, foreign exchange dealers were hopeful
that the naira would still appreciate again against the dollar at the
black market.

--Daily Independent

APC Is A ‘North-West Party’ -- Alamieyeseigha

Diepreye Alamieyeseigha, former Bayelsa state governor, has come under
attack on Wednesday, August 5, for calling All Progressives Congress a
Northern and Western party.



Alamieyesigha had reportedly said this in different fora that, Peoples
Democratic Party belong to the Ijaws noting that allowing the APC win
the December 5, governorship election would amount to conquering the
Ijaw nation.

Reacting to the ex-governor's assertion, an APC chieftain, Preye
Aganaba, told Bayelsa to disregard Alamieyeseigha statement, stressing
that his party is a national party.

Aganaba said: "The APC is a national party that cuts across all
geopolitical zones. The party has been widely received and Bayelsans
have demonstrated their readiness to embrace the change mantra."

According to The Nation, the APC stalwart reminded the ex-governor
that the people of the state will no longer identify with the failures
of the past, reminding him that the language of change knows no
barriers and tribes.

Aganaba, who contested for the Bayelsa central senatorial election in
the last general polls said the likes of Alamieyeseigha is no longer
in reckoning in the state.

He urged the people of the state to support his party's candidate who
will soon emerged after primary election.

Aganaba wondered why it took the PDP such a long time to come up with
the reconciliatory strategy when it is visible to the blind and
audible to the deaf that the umbrella is torn beyond repair in Bayelsa
State.

He said: "It is ironic that the party that failed to bring the warring
factions together before the last National Assembly and House of
Assembly elections could be doing so now that the majority of the
party members have decided to join the moving train of the unstoppable
APC in the state.

"Persons who have decided to move to APC should not be fooled by the
antics of the PDP which is to use and dump them. They should actualise
the dreams of identifying with the change revolution that is blowing
across the country."

-Naij

Pastor Dumps Christianity For Islam, Converts Church To Mosque

The founder and leader of Apata Adu­ra Cherubim and Seraphim Church,
Ekute, Ado-Ekiti, Ekiti State, former Pastor Adekunle Afolabi has
converted to Islam.

Afolabi accepted the teachings of Prophet Muhammadu (SAW) after
practicing Christianity for over 25 years where he even rose to become
the General Overseer of his church.

Explaining the reason behind his conversion, the 45-year-old man now
addressed as Alfa Abubakar Afolabi, said he had a divine encounter
with a stranger in his dreams.

He said the man showed him certain flaws in Christianity and convinced
him that indeed Islam is the only religion that leads to heaven.

Speaking to The Sun, he said had not regrets swapping to the other religion.

On his foray into Islamic region, the cleric said, "I was preparing
for the anniversary when I started hav­ing dreams that eventually led
to my conversion. At first in the dreams, I noticed my members were
sitting on the floor in the church and some of them were covering
their heads. I also saw that people were washing their hands and feet
before entering the church just like it is done in Islam".

Asked if he still engaged in some spiritual activities like he did
while in Christianity, Afolabi said, "rendering spiritual help is
given to all men by God for their own use, so the wisdom of it is
given to me by God, he didn't take it away from me because that is
different from religion. It is a way of livelihood; so, if any one
falls sick, wants to give birth, is having stillbirth, stagnation at
work, that is all what we use that for. He showed me places in the
Bible where many prayed to God in Islamic way. By this praying, I mean
to kneel down and bow down your head and face down".

On how his church members reacted when he decided to dump
Christianity, he said, "They all left me the day I invited an Imam to
come and preach in my church, the day of our anniversary. I have also
been stri*ped of my position as president of our association. The only
thing the pastors do once in a while is to call to ask me if indeed I
still want to continue in the new faith and I usually confirm it. As
for friends, some have stayed, while others have left".

-DailyPost

See Church Where All Members Worship God Naked | Photos

A Virginia-based church, White Tail Chapel, has caused a stir.

The church got everyone's attention when it introduced a kind of
worship where the members have to praise God unclad. Although the rule
was not made compulsory for the members of the church a year ago when
the idea was introduced, on Sunday, August 2nd, 2015, the head pastor
announced to his congregants that indecency is now mandatory in the
church.

Daily Mail reports that the church, which is located in Ivor in the
southern state of Virginia, has since then asked members and
worshippers alike to leave behind their material concerns including
clothing anytime they come to worship. The church now describes itself
as a family nudist community where visitors can enjoy all manner of
activities, including spiritual worship in a completely natural
(unclad) way.



In justifying the church's ridiculous way of worship, Pastor Allen
Parker said that many of Jesus' most important moments happened while
he was unclad. Recently, the church even conducted a marriage in the
unclad with couple Katie and Robert.

Pastor Parker said: "When Jesus was born he was unclad, when he was
crucified he was unclad and when he arose he left his clothes in the
tomb and he was unclad. If God made us that way, how can that be
wrong? I consider this a gift and a privilege God has given me as our
members are caring, understanding and they're community and family
oriented. We have one of the most involved chapels anyplace around.
I'll put our church up against others around."

Robert Church also justified getting married unclad, saying that White
Tail Chapel lacks the pretense sometimes found at other places of
worship. He added that indecency is a great equalizer as it becomes
impossible to judge someone based on their expensive or shabby clothes
if they are not wearing any.

-Naij

See Church Where All Members Worship God Naked | Photos

A Virginia-based church, White Tail Chapel, has caused a stir.

The church got everyone's attention when it introduced a kind of
worship where the members have to praise God unclad. Although the rule
was not made compulsory for the members of the church a year ago when
the idea was introduced, on Sunday, August 2nd, 2015, the head pastor
announced to his congregants that indecency is now mandatory in the
church.

Daily Mail reports that the church, which is located in Ivor in the
southern state of Virginia, has since then asked members and
worshippers alike to leave behind their material concerns including
clothing anytime they come to worship. The church now describes itself
as a family nudist community where visitors can enjoy all manner of
activities, including spiritual worship in a completely natural
(unclad) way.



In justifying the church's ridiculous way of worship, Pastor Allen
Parker said that many of Jesus' most important moments happened while
he was unclad. Recently, the church even conducted a marriage in the
unclad with couple Katie and Robert.

Pastor Parker said: "When Jesus was born he was unclad, when he was
crucified he was unclad and when he arose he left his clothes in the
tomb and he was unclad. If God made us that way, how can that be
wrong? I consider this a gift and a privilege God has given me as our
members are caring, understanding and they're community and family
oriented. We have one of the most involved chapels anyplace around.
I'll put our church up against others around."

Robert Church also justified getting married unclad, saying that White
Tail Chapel lacks the pretense sometimes found at other places of
worship. He added that indecency is a great equalizer as it becomes
impossible to judge someone based on their expensive or shabby clothes
if they are not wearing any.

-Naij

UNILAG Lecturer Rapes 18-Year Old Girl

On Monday, August 3, the Lagos state police arrested a part-time
lecturer of the University of Lagos (UNILAG), Afeez Baruwa for
allegedly defiling an 18-year old girl in Yaba.



According to Punch, it was reported that the victim identified as
Caroline was defiled inside a study room, as she was seeking admission
into the UNILAG, Akoka.

The lecturer, who was arrested by the Surulere Police Division,
disclosed that the s*xual intercourse was by mutual consent, insisting
that he did not r*pe the victim.

It was reported that the victims father, belonged to the same
landlords' association in Abesan, Ipaja area, had allowed his daughter
to follow the lecturer to school on Thursday, July 23 for her
admission process.

On that same day, Baruwa allegedly took the girl inside one of the
study halls, bolted the door and defiled her.

However, after the incident, Caroline reported the situation to her
parents who immediately taken to a non-governmental organisation,
Mirabel Centre where the test result confirmed that, the teenager was
violated.

Meanwhile, Baruwa confessed to the act, but his claim is that the s*x
was by mutual consent.

-Naij

Desmond Elliot And His Co-Legislators At US Congress For Legislators Conference (Photos)

Desmond Elliot and some other Lagos state House Of Assembly Members
Visited the US congress today.

They are currently on a Lagos state all-expense paid trip for a
certain Legislators conference at the Capitol Hill in Washington DC.

The actor looks right at home in this his new environment- That is he
just started acting in official capacity for what he was elected for.

See the pictures.

-GistReel

Read Why NYSC May Soon Be Voluntary

President Muhammadu Buhari has pledged that his administration will
take all necessary actions to maintain and improve the National Youth
Service Corps scheme as a functional vehicle for the promotion of
national unity and integration.

The Director-General of NYSC, Brig.-Gen. Johnson Olawumi, told the
President that there are plans to make the scheme voluntary so as to
reduce the corps population and sustain it.

The president affirmed his confidence and trust in the scheme, saying
that the objective for which the scheme was established in 1973 was
still very relevant for national development.

He said:

I firmly believe in NYSC and I think it should remain a national
programme to promote integration.

Whenever I go home to Daura, I look out for corps members from Lagos,
Aba and other parts of the country.

I am always thrilled to learn that except for the NYSC, some of them
have never left their states of origin to visit other cities in the
country.

Ms. Jimeta had informed the president that the increasing number of
NYSC members was a challenge to the scheme due to dwindling revenue
from the national budget to cater for their needs.

She also told the president that the annual enrollment of corps
participants had increased from 2,364 at inception in 1974 to 229,016
in 2014.

She added that "given the increasing number of tertiary institutions,
our projection is that the number of participants may rise to 300,000
by year 2020″.

-Premium Times

Kachikwu Sacks 8 NNPC’s Group Executive Directors

The eight Group Executive Directors (GED) of the Nigerian National
Petroleum Corporation, NNPC, have been relieved of their appointment
in the corporation.

New NNPC Boss, Dr. Ibe Kachikwu
A source in the NNPC said the GEDs of the corporation have been
replaced with new GEDs.

The GEDs who were relieved of their duties are: Mr. Ian Udoh, Group
Executive Director, Refining & Petrochemicals, Mr. Adebayo Ibirogba,
Group Executive Director, Engineering and Technical; Dr David Ige,
Group Executive Director, Gas& Power and Dr. Attahir Yusuf, Group
Executive Director, Business Development.
Others are: Dr.Dan Efebo, Group Executive Director, Corporate
Services; Mr. Bernard Otti, Group, Executive Director, Finance &
Accounts.

-Vanguard

Lagos State Government Seals Nwankwo Kanu’s Hotel

The Lagos State Environmental Protection Agency has sealed a hotel
owned by former Super Eagles player, Kanu Nwankwo on Victoria Island.
The hotel named 'Hardley Apartments' was among other hotels, churches
and mosques sealed in Lagos yesterday, August 3, 2015, over alleged
air and noise pollution.

Report has it that 30 facilities were shut in other areas including
Ketu, Ikorodu, Ibeju-Lekki, Victoria Island and Surulere.

-GistReel

Read Michelle Obama’s Birthday Message To Barack Obama!

First lady, Michelle sent President Obama a loving Birthday message
via Twitter on Tuesday.

"Happy birthday to a loving husband, wonderful father and my favourite
dance partner." she wrote. "54 looks good on you."



President Obama Turned 54 On Tuesday, 04 2015.

Buhari Orders Education Ministry To Include Islamic Books In Federal Schools’ Curriculum

President Muhammadu Buhari has urged the Federal Ministry of Education
to include two Islamic Studies books written by the late Justice
Muhammad Bashir Sambo in the secondary school curriculum for all
Federal Government Colleges.

The president, gave the directive, weekend, in Kaduna while launching
the reviewed editions of the books which were first published in 1974.

Represented by Governor Nasir el-Rufai of Kaduna State, the President
noted that such books had become essential in the face of declining
moral and religious values in the country.

The Islamic Studies for Secondary Schools, co-sponsored by the Bashir
Sambo Centre for Islamic Da'awah and Jaiz Charity and Development
Foundation in memory of late Justice Bashir Sambo, former Judge of
Sharia Court of Appeal and the Code of Conduct Tribunal, were reviewed
by Mallam Mukhtar Lere to conform with the current 6-3-3-4 educational
system in the country.

Buhari thanked the co-authors for updating and structuring the books
to match the new secondary school curriculum. He urged the Ministry of
Education to look at the books with a view to adopting them in all
government colleges.

The chairman, Board of Trustees of Jaiz Charity and Development
Foundation, Alhaji Umar A. Mutallab, said the Bashir Sambo Centre for
Islamic Da'awah was established by disciples and associates of late
Justice Sambo in order to immortalise and inspire the legacy of the
late sage.
-Vanguard

Unemployment Cases Worsen As 1.3m Lost Jobs In Q2

There are indications that the country's labour market has taken a
major hit with worsening unemployment recorded in the second quarter
(Q2) of 2015. About 1, 317,700 Nigerians lost their jobs within the
period.

On the other hand, the number of underemployed increased significantly
with new hire of about 1,362,274 citizens in this category of
employment during the period.

Within the same period, the number of unemployed in the labour force
increased to 6,063,500, a significant 9.6 per cent from 5,533,600
recorded in first quarter (Q1), resulting in an increase in
unemployment rate to 8.2 per cent in Q2, 2015 from 7.5 per cent in Q1.
This represents a third consecutive rise in the unemployment rate
since third quarter 2014.


Accordingly, there were a total of 19.6 million people between ages 15
and 65 either unemployed or underemployed in the labour force in Q2,
2015, compared to 17.7 million in Q1 2015.

Amidst this development, National Bureau of Statistics (NBS), in its
latest labour market report, said economically active population or
working age population (persons within ages 15-64) increased to 103.5
million in Q2, 2015 from 102.8 million in Q1.

Also, the report shows that in Q2, 2015, the labour force population
(those within the working age population willing, able and actively
looking for work) increased to 74 million from 73.4 million in Q1
2015, representing an increase of 0.81per cent. This means 574,498
economically active persons within ages 15 and 64 entered the labour
force within the period.

According to NBS, the drop in the number of full employment (those
working less than 40 hours per week) despite a rise in the labour
force can be attributed more to job losses or previously fully
employed persons choosing or being forced to work part time or in
underemployment.

The NBS report also indicated that unemployment and underemployment
was higher for women than men in Q2 2015.

While 9.6 per cent of women in the labour force (those between 15 65
willing, able and actively working or searching for work) were
unemployed in Q2 2015, another 21.6 per cent of them in the labour
force were underemployed during the period under review. On the other
hand, 6.9 per cent of males were unemployed in Q2 2015, while another
15.4 per cent of males in the labour force were underemployed.

Employment, underemployment and unemployment, according to NBS, are
treated as a function of a person's involvement or otherwise in
economic activity even if that activity is aimed at making ends meet.
The suitability of wages is covered under other quality of living
standards indicators such as poverty etc and not in determining
whether one is employed, unemployed or underemployed which is a
function of economic engagement..
-Vanguard

Bouncer Shot Dead At Orange Room Nite Club In Owerri [Graphic Photo]

A popular bouncer known as Mr Incredible was unfortunately shot dead
by an angry customer at Orange Room nite club in the early hours of
Saturday August 1st. A source who spoke with LIB said an argument
ensued when the gunman and two of his friends allegedly refused to pay
for drinks they had and Mr Incredible came to challenge them. He was
shot four times during the fight that broke out. Two of the men were
arrested while one is still at large. I have the exclusive photos of
the dead bouncer…but please be warned *it's graphic*
-LIB

Hoodlums Set Abia INEC Office Ablaze

Office of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) in
Obingwa Local Government Area of Abia State was on Sundayset on fire
by yet to be identified hoodlums.

Sources within the area that confirmed the incident expressed fear
that sensitive materials used in the conduct of 2015 general
elections, including the ones used for the governorship elections may
have been burnt by the fire.

But another source told our correspondent that although the level of
damage was yet to be ascertained, the fire had already been put off.

Another account has it that the whole structure was engulfed, but the
Abia State Fire Service is yet to comment on the incident.

Enabor Godwin, the state INEC Public Relations Officer when contacted
by our correspondent said he was not aware of the incident, but the
state Police Public Relations Officer, Onyeke Udeviotu Ezekiel
confirmed the inferno.

Onyeke said he was yet to be briefed on the extent of damage to the
INEC office in Obingwa, adding that investigation into the matter
would soon comence.
-TheNation

U.S. Considers Lifting Arms Ban On Nigeria

The United States is considering lifting restrictions on sales of arms
to Nigeria, officials of the U.S. Congress have said.

A delegation from the U.S. Congress told military authorities in
Abuja, Nigeria's capital on Monday, that the decision was part of
efforts by the U.S. to enhance cooperation between both countries in
tackling the Boko Haram insurgents in Nigeria's north-east.

The delegation, which was led by Issah Darrel, who is also part of the
Judicial Committee of the U.S. Congress, met with the Chiefs of Army,
Naval, Defence and Air Staff in a closed door meeting.

The Leahy Law

The U.S. Congress deligation's visit is coming almost two weeks after
President Muhammadu Buhari's visited the U.S. and had talks with
President Barack Obama on the war on terror ongoing in north-eastern
Nigeria, economic development and other issues of interest to both
countries.

Addressing a gathering at the United States Institute of Peace during
his visit, President Buhari stressed the need for the U.S. Congress to
examine how the U.S. Government could provide Nigeria with far more
substantial counter-terrorism assistance with minimal strings.

At that meeting, President Buhari said: "Regrettably, the blanket
application of the Leahy law by the United States on the grounds of
unproven allegations of human rights violations levelled against our
forces has denied us access to appropriate strategic weapons to
prosecute the war against the insurgents. In the face of abduction of
innocent school girls from their hostels, indiscriminate bombings of
civilians in markets and places of worship, our forces have remained
largely impotent because they do not possess the appropriate weapons
and technology which they could have had, had the so called human
rights violations not been an obstacle.

"Unwittingly, and I dare say, unintentionally, the application of the
Leahy law amendment by the U. S. Government has aided and abated the
Boko Haram terrorist group in the prosecution of its extremist
ideology and hate, the indiscriminate killings and maiming of
civilians, in raping of women and girls, and in their other heinous
crimes. I believe this is not the spirit of the Leahy Laws. I know the
American people cannot support any group engaged in these crimes.

"I therefore strongly appeal to both the Executive Arm and the U.S.
Congress to examine how the U.S. Government can provide us with far
more substantial counter-terrorism assistance with minimal strings.
The longer we delay, the deadlier the Boko Haram gets. At all events,
we have re-written the rules of engagement protecting the rights of
combatants and in particular safeguarding civilians in theatres of
conflict".

The Nigerian military had maintained that it had put into
consideration the rights of citizens in its counter-terrorism
operations, stressing that it would continue to uphold that
commitment.

The restrictions on sales of arms by the U.S. to Nigeria is embedded
in the Leahy law which prohibited the U.S. Department of State and
Department of Defence from providing military assistance to foreign
countries that violate human rights with impunity.

NAFDAC DG, Orhi Arrested By EFCC Over Alleged Graft

The Director-General of the National Agency for Food, Drugs
Administration And Control, NAFDAC, Dr. Paul Orhi, has been summoned
by operatives of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission over
allegations bordering on abuse of office.

Dr. Orhi is currently being questioned by a crack team of detectives
for allegedly awarding huge contracts to companies in which he has
interests.
An EFCC top source confirmed to Vanguard that the DG, who arrived the
commission's headquarters around 10am Monday had been making useful
statement to its agents.

The source said: "It is true that the NAFDAC head was summoned by us
and he is currently being quizzed in relation to allegations that he
has been awarding contracts running into millions of Naira to
companies close to him.
Asked if the man would be released today on self recognition, the
source said he had no idea but that doing so might depend on whether
the operatives were satisfied with his answers to issues raised
against him.

Details shortly….
-Vanguard

Abubakar Shekau Absent In Boko Haram’s Latest Video

The Boko Haram sect has released a new video with Boko Haram leader,
Abubakar Shekau, again failing to appear in it.

His continued absence from the sect's videos has increased speculation
about his fate.

He was last heard from in March, 2015, when he released an audio
message pledging allegiance to the Islamic State group.

Soon thereafter, the military said it had recaptured all towns and
cities from Boko Haram.

The military said on Sunday that it had freed 178 people held captive
by Boko Haram in Borno State.

It had also killed militants and captured a commander following
airstrikes on the group's bases, it added.

In the eight-minute video, an unidentified young man speaks in the
name of the Islamic State in West Africa, saying, "We are still
present everywhere we had been before."

The video shows the militants attacking a security checkpoint, seizing
weapons, and slitting the throat of a policeman.

Shekau also failed to appear in a Boko Haram video released earlier in June.
-PUNCH

How Jonathan Transformed The Refineries - Setting The Record Straight

This subject has been generating unnecessary controversy powered by
supporters of the ruling party, APC. To cut the story short, this
article is to set the record straight and counter the distortion of
facts by a pro-Buhari writers who disturt fact to favour the new
government.

1. The Situation/Capacity of Our 4 Refineries Before Jonathan:
To appreciate where we are we need to cast our mind where we were.
Let's see the refining capacities between of our 4 Refineries between
2001 and 2010.

PORTHARCOURT REFINERIES:
In 2001, it operated at 60.73 percent, 52.17 (2002), 41.88% (2003),
31.04 percent (2004), 42.18 percent (2005), 50.26 percent (2006),
24.87 percent (2007), 17.84 percent (2008), 9.08 percent (2009), and
9.17 percent (2010), averaging 34 percent in ten years.

***Jonathan Inherited PHCR at 9.17% capacity***

KADUNA REFINERY:
Kaduna refinery operated at 31.39 percent capacity utilisation in
2001, 34.95 percent (2002), 15.96 percent (2003), 26 percent (2004),
33.08 percent
(2005), 8.34 percent (2006), 0.00 percent (2007), 19.56 percent
(2008); 20.02 percent (2009), and 20.46 percent (2010). On average, in
the ten years, the
Kaduna Refining and Petrochemical complex attained capacity
utilisation of 20.97 percent.

***Jonathan Inherited KDRPC at 20.46% capacity***

WARRI REFINERY (WARPC)
Warri refinery operated at 48.29 percent in 2001, 55.53 percent
(2002), 14.27 percent (2003), 9.10 percent (2004), 54.85 percent
(2005), 3.85 percent (2006), 0.00 percent (2007), 38.52 percent
(2008), 43.01 percent (2009), and 43.36 percent (2010), averaging 31
percent between 2001 and 2010.

***Jonathan Inherited WARPC at 43.36% capacity***
www.thisdaylive.com/articles/the-case-for-increasing-refining-capacity/105378/

Nigeria's Refining Capacity During GEJ Era:
May 2013: Portharcourt Refinery (66%)Kaduna Refinery (65%), and Warri (63%)
The Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation, NNPC, Thursday, announced
an improvement in Nigeria's refining capacity, declaring that domestic
refining of Premium Motor Spirits, PMS, at the country's three
refineries has increased to 10.23 million litres per day.

He disclosed that the Kaduna Refining and Petrochemical Company is
currently running at 65 percent installed capacity, while the Warri
Refining and Petrochemical Company is producing at 63 per cent and the
Port Harcourt Refining and Petrochemical Company at 66 per cent of
installed capacity.

"Infact, these refineries have been running consistently for over
three months now."
www.vanguardngr.com/2013/05/nigerias-refineries-now-producing-10m-litresday-of-fuel-nnpc/

Before that statement was made, the then Minister of Petroleum Mrs
Alison Madueke had stated in March that early turn around maintenance
was already ongoing while the MAIN TAM that was expected to yield the
90% projected capacity was expected to commence later that year.

"Our early turnaround maintenance work has commenced at the
Port-Harcourt refinery while the main work is expected to commence in
April and may of this year. The TAM and rehabilitation work for Kaduna
and Warri refineries are intended to follow in quarter four of this
year and quarter one of next year respectively,"

"Our early turnaround maintenance work has commenced at the
Port-Harcourt refinery while the main work is expected to commence in
April and may of this year.
www.sunnewsonline.com/new/tam-fg-begins-work-on-port-harcourt-refinery-next-month/

Nobody or Group disputed the position of the NNPC. So who was
responsible for the improvement to 64% working capacity of our
combined refineries in May 2013? JONATHAN of course

October 2014: Turn Around Maintenance Began For The Optiman Performace
of Our Refineries (80%):
While the Port Harcourt and Kaduna refineries were built by two
Japanese firms - Chioda and JGC, the Warri Refinery was built by
Snapcogetti of Italy.

According to The Coordinator, Corporate Planning and Strategy, of the
NNPC, Dr. Tim Okon when SAIPEM eventually came, it offered to
maintain Port Harcourt Refineries at $550 million, Kaduna Refineries
at $600 million and Warri Refinery at $180 million.

Okon said the bills were unacceptable to them because they were too
high despite the fact that the figures were eventually reviewed
downwards. He said the high bills prompted NNPC to send some of their
engineers to the builders abroad to learn the repair processes with a
view to saving costs.

Following this move, Okon said NNPC began to spend as low as N10
million to maintain the refineries every month as from October 2014.
Following this
development, he said the four refineries would roar back to life and
produce in optimum capacity from the first quarter of 2016.
www.thisdaylive.com/articles/exxonmobil-ceo-crude-oil-prices-to-remain-low/203419/

***The Testimony/revelation was made on March 05, 2015***

The Transformational Result By GEJ's Effort
On the 10th of June, the GMD NNPC came out to make the following statements..

"We are taking the refineries unit by unit and carrying out turnaround
maintenance on them. So in other words, the maintenance are being
carried out on the run and we started a couple of months ago.

"Most of the refineries have advanced to a certain stage where they
will be able to operate very soon.
For example, the Port Harcourt refinery, which has reached an advanced
stage, will start receiving crude by end of this month and then of
course will start contributing to the available products in the
country."
www.punchng.com/news/pharcourt-refinery-to-commence-operations-in-july-nnpc-gmd/

I hope this is satisfactory enough? I hope the APC fans will emulate
Buhari by giving credit to whom it is due?

-Culled from Niaraland

One Killed, Others Injured As Robbers Attack Couple On Way To Their Wedding Reception In Owerri

A gang of masked dare devil armed robbers at the weekend, unleashed
terror on a bridal train at Mgbuishii, Ohaji/Egbema local government
area of Imo State, killing the video camera man and badly wounded
others, including the photographer in the process.

Vanguard gathered that the newly wed couple (names withheld) were in
Chimezie Catholic Parish, Mgbuishii, for the solemnization of their
wedding and were on their way back to Owerri for the reception, when
masked men suddenly jumped out of the nearby bush and attacked the
bridal train.
A villager, who spoke on strict grounds of anonymity, identified the
dead video camera man as Mr. Isaac Ezirim, while the wounded
photographer was Mr. Julius Ashigbu.
"The hoodlums first attacked the vehicle conveying the bride and
groom. Although the bullets hit the video camera man and the
photographer, the driver of the vehicle sped off", the villager
recounted.

It was also gathered that having missed their target, the masked
hoodlums descended on all the vehicles coming behind the couple.

"The hoodlums robbed the friends and relations of the couple of cash
and other personal valuables, including telephone handsets", the
villager said.
A close friend of the couple told Vanguard that the wedding, which was
taken to the home of the groom, was eventful until the bridal train
started moving to Owerri for the reception.

"This ugly incident took place at the outskirts of Mgbuishii, a sleepy
rural community that is now getting notorious for all manner of
serious crimes", a female villager lamented.
It would be recalled that about a year ago, Vanguard exclusively
reported how scores of women from this community, demonstrated at
Maria Assumpta Cathedral, Owerri, to not only complain about the lack
of security in the area, but also how their children mindlessly raped
them.

The fear-stricken women equally refused to go home after the protest
until their host, Archbishop Anthony J. V. Obinna, arranged police
escort that helped them home.
-Vanguard

Body Of Late Ooni Of Ife Secretly Flown To Nigeria From London

The remains of the Ooni of Ife, Okunade Sijuwade, has arrived his
palace in Ile Ife, knowledgeable and reliable palace sources have told
PREMIUM TIMES.
The remains of the Ooni of Ife, Okunade Sijuwade, has arrived his
palace in Ile Ife, knowledgeable and reliable palace sources have told
PREMIUM TIMES.

This website became aware of the development even as palace
authorities and notable Ile-Ife personalities insist the Oba is alive,
and is hale and hearty.

Late Ooni of Ife, Oba Okunade Sijuwade
Reliable palace insiders said on Saturday that the body of the
paramount ruler left London in a chartered air ambulance on Friday and
was taken to the palace under the cover of darkness.

The body, our sources said, is now lying in a secluded part of the
palace called Ilegbo, a sacred place where all Oonis commune with
their ancestors.

Ilegbo, we understand, is the place where highly-prized rituals take
place within the confinement of the palace.

It is also the place where the Are beaded crown, worn annually by the
Ooni, is kept.

The Are crown is usually worn through the back because it is forbidden
for the Ooni to see the inside of the beaded crown. And when it is
worn, the rain must not touch it.

Our sources said only the monarch's male children and highly ranked
priests and chiefs are allowed to access that innermost recess of the
palace and sight the Ooni's remains.

"Even the Oba's female children can't come here, tradition does not
allow them to sight the Oba at this time," one of our sources said.

Those who should know said the traditional chiefs had to declare the
annual Oro festival on Friday in expectation of the arrival of the
corpse.

The commencement of the Oro festival, our sources said, signalled the
beginning of the final rites of passage for the departed Ooni.

The Oro is expected to last seven days after which the Ooni would be
committed to mother earth at a private ceremony within the palace.

Palace sources said the announcement of the Oba's passing had to be
delayed to allow his wives and family members move their personal
belongings from the palace, and for the traditional priests to perform
some "compulsory rituals".

"Members of his family who were with him in London had to hurry back
home to remove their personal effects because once his death is
declared all their property will belong to the people. They won't be
able to take anything from the palace anymore," one of our sources
said.

Palace chiefs and notable personalities from Ile-Ife have consistently
denied reports that the revered monarch had passed on, a news item
that first broke on Tuesday.

Their visit to the Osun State Governor, Rauf Aregbesola, on Thursday
and a closed-door meeting with the governor heightened anxiety that
the Ooni might have actually passed away.

They however emerged from the meeting insisting that the Ooni was in
good health. On its part, the Osun state government is yet to make any
comment on the matter.

Oba Sijuwade's predecessor, Oba Adesoji Aderemi died on July 3, 1980.

Mr. Sijuwade, crowned Oba on December 6, 1980 is widely believed to
have passed away since July 28, 2015.
-SaharaReporters