President Buhari 2-Week Ultimatum to End Fuel Scarcity.

The Nigerian Senate has stepped in to intervene as the fuel scarcity continues to rage across Nigeria.

 

The Senate Committee on Petroleum (Downstream), has directed the Minister of Petroleum Resources, President Muhammadu Buhari, to end the ongoing fuel scarcity in the country within two weeks from now.
According to Vanguard, the Chairman of the committee, Senator Uche Ekwunife, who gave the directive on Thursday in Abuja during the committee’s meeting with top officials of Ministry of Petroleum Resources, insisted that the petroleum minister must not only end the scarcity but ensure ensure that fuel was sold to the public at government’s controlled price of N87.00 per litre.
Senator Ekwunife, representing Anambra South, on the platform of the opposition Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), frowend at the ongoing fuel crisis, saying Nigerians were suffering untold hardship following the development.
Fuming over what she described as unnecessary fuel crisis, Ekwenife, said: "We are mandating the Minister of Petroleum Resources, the Permanent Secretary and heads of agencies to stop this fuel scarcity in two weeks.
"We are giving a target now, we don’t wan’t to know how you would achieve it. Nigerians want to see an end to this fuel scarcity."

 Source: tori.ng

When News Breaks Out, We Break In. (The 2014 Bloggies Finalist)

South Africa Threatens to Jail Pastor Chris

South Africa has issued a threat to throw revered founder of Believers' Loveworld Inc, Pastor Chris Oyakhilome into jail if he does not comply with some instructions.

 

Pastor Chris Oyakhilome

The South African government has threatened a jail term for Chris Oyakhilome if his church, Christ Embassy, fails to release its financial records, the South African based News24 is reporting.
According to Premium Times, that the Commission for the Promotion and Protection of Cultural, Religious and Linguistic Communities said several religious leaders in the country, including Oyakhilome, could be jailed if they fail to comply with the demands of the commission.
‎The commission said it was investigating the commercialization of religion and abuse of people’s beliefs and had summoned several churches to appear before it with their ordination certificate, registration certificate, bank statements, and annual financial statements from 2012.
A Commission official, Thoko Mkhwanazi-Xaluva said the commission had been forced to take a legal route because some of the church leaders had failed to comply with their directive.
He told News24 that: “Some of these religious leaders will face prison if they do not comply and we have been clear about our course of action.”
“Some religious leaders have also threatened the commission, which is leading us towards the legal route.”
However, Mr. Oyakhilome, the founder of Christ Embassy, had indicated he would take a legal action to stop the commission from forcing it to open his books, according to Mkhwanazi-Xaluva.
Christ Embassy had earlier sought for an extension of time to enable it review its financial records.
Ms. Mkhwanazi-Xaluva said they were also considering filing charges of intimidation against religious leaders who had publicly threatened the commission.
She wondered why some pastors would take money from their followers and, yet, refuse to provide their financial records.
She said: “These people take money from people.
“What are they doing with that money? We want to know. We will not back down.

“‎If he (Mr. Oyakhilome) intends on that route, we are ready‎. He will have ‎to face the same fate as the others who refuse to hand over their financial records.”

When News Breaks Out, We Break In. (The 2014 Bloggies Finalist)

Donald Trump Misfires Again, Mocks Disable Reporter

Billionaire and business mogul, Donald Trump has come under heavy criticisms for mocking a reporters who is physically challenged due to a rare illness that affects the body structure.

Donald Trump in the act of the mockery

 

Republican presidential contender Donald Trump has been criticised for mocking a disabled New York Times reporter.

The highly criticised mockery took place during his presidential campaign rally in North Carolina, United States of America yesterday, 25th of November.
Mr Trump performed an impression of Serge Kovaleski, who suffers from a congenital joint condition, at a rally. He has used a 2001 article by Mr Kovaleski to back up widely disputed claims that "thousands" of Muslims in New Jersey celebrated the 9/11 attacks.
The New York Times called Mr Trump's actions "outrageous". Referring to the 2001 article (published by the Washington Post) at a South Carolina rally on Tuesday night, Mr Trump called Mr Kovaleski "a nice reporter".
"Now the poor guy, you gotta see this guy," he continued, before launching into an apparent impression of Mr Kovaleski, waving his arms around with his hands at an odd angle.
"Uhh I don't know what I said. Uhh I don't remember. He's going like 'I don't remember. Maybe that's what I said.'"
Mr Kovaleski has arthrogryposis, a condition that affects the movement of joints and is noticeable in his right arm and hand.

A New York Times spokeswoman told news site Politico: "We think it's outrageous that he would ridicule the appearance of one of our reporters,"

When News Breaks Out, We Break In. (The 2014 Bloggies Finalist)

Buhari Extends Loot Recovery to Yar'adua and Obasanjo's Regimes, Vows to Get All Looted Funds Back

The President of Nigeria has vowed to recover stolen funds from Yar'adua and Obasanjo's regime as he intensifies action against corruption.

President Muhammadu Buhari

 

The Senior Special Assistant to the President on Media and Publicity, Mallam Garba Shehu, in a statement, quoted Buhari as saying that he will recover all the looted money during PDP's 16 years in government, reports Dailytrust.

President Buhari says his administration is poised to recover all the funds stolen by past government officials in the last 16 years.

“We want to have everything back--all that they took by force in 16 years,”  the president was quoted to have vowed.

The 16 years PDP controlled the country was under former Presidents Olusegun Obasanjo (1999-2007), Umaru Yar’Adua (2007-2010) and Goodluck Jonathan (2010-2015) all on the platform of the People’s Democratic Party (PDP).

 He decried the slow pace at which looters are returning looted funds.

The presidential spokesman however stated that Buhari revealed that a number of past officials had begun the voluntary return of stolen funds. Shehu also quoted Buhari as saying that the necessity for compliance with due process and rule of law was responsible for the delay in the prosecution of the looters, but that the “the day of reckoning is gradually coming.”

He said Buhari also stated that the sabotage and theft of gas were undermining the efforts of his government towards increasing power supply in Nigeria. The president was said to have announced that existing military task-forces would be reorganized to ensure a successful protection of the network of gas pipelines.

President Buhari was also said to have blamed the problem in power supply on the reduced role of the government in the sector due to the privatisation of the institutions under the Power Handling Company of Nigeria (PHCN) in the process of which, he said the facilities “have been sold to a number of interest groups.”

Shehu said Buhari assured that the military task-forces with representation from the Army, Navy, Air Force, the Police and the secret services would be reconstituted to secure the pipelines.

When News Breaks Out, We Break In. (The 2014 Bloggies Finalist)

Trying moments: Wake Up Call From "Ta Nformi Cameroon" Dr. Christopher Fomunyoh to Cameroon and Africa

 In these trying times when violence and barbarism seek to dominate our humanity -- from France to Mali, from the Central Africa Republic to Nigeria, from Libya to Egypt, from Niger Republic to north Cameroon, from Syria to Iraq, from Burundi to Congo, and else where in today's globalized world -- one can only conclude that mankind in his/her inner self is being tested on the one thing that we share in common, which is life and the sense of being.

It is therefore crucial for us to draw inspiration by projecting into the future and imagining the best that life can have for us; to reflect on the contributions of each and everyone of us to the upkeep of this humanity that we share together; and, at the same time, to look for ways to inspire others, especially our youth -- the youth of the world -- on what the future holds, on life and not on death and fatalism.

Today, I would like to invite all of us, each and everyone in his / her capacity to contribute to the accomplishment of a mission which is both individual and collective. The mission of sharing inspirational education that will arm our youth -- these youth for which the future holds so much -- of real knowledge that will transform these youth into fighters for knowledge, for the rule of law, social justice and equity, for democracy and humanity, and for a true spirit of conviviality that will surpass religious, ethnic, tribal, and/or racial extremism.

To conclude this short message of hope in the face of troubling events around the globe I invite you all -- each and everyone of you -- to act positively, and to remember this saying of Martin Luther King Jr: "Our lives begin to end the day we become silent about the things that matter." Our collective survival depends on this introspection and this line of action.

 **********************************************************************************

En ces moments difficiles, au moment où la violence et la barbarie tentent de gagner sur notre humanité -- de la France au Mali, de la République Centrafricaine au Nigéria, de la Libye à l’Égypte, du Niger au nord Cameroun, de la Syrie à l’Irak, du Burundi au Congo, et ailleurs dans notre monde globalisé – on ne peut se passer du constat que c’est l’Homme en lui même, pour ne pas dire l’Être humain, qui est mis à l’épreuve dans ce qu’il partage fondamentalement, à savoir la Vie et le sens de l’être.

Il devient donc crucial de nous inspirer de ce que la vie peut nous réserver dans la meilleure des hypothèses; de réfléchir sur la contribution de chacun de nous au bien être de cette humanité que nous partageons ensemble; et simultanément, de chercher à inspirer les autres, notamment notre jeunesse -- la jeunesse du monde -- sur les perspectives d’avenir, sur la Vie et non sur la mort et la fatalité.

Aujourd'hui, j'aimerai nous inviter, chacun et chacune de nous, à contribuer à la réalisation d'une mission à la fois individuelle et collective, d’une éducation inspirante, laquelle armera notre jeunesse -- cette jeunesse d'avenir -- d’un savoir inéluctable, d’un savoir qui fera d’elle un combattant farouche de la connaissance, du droit et de l’équité, de la démocratie et d’un vivre ensemble qui dépassera l’extrémisme religieux, ethnique, tribal, et / ou racial.

Je ne saurais terminer ce court message d’espoir devant ces soubresauts troublants sans nous inviter, tous et toutes, à agir positivement et à contempler cette pensée de Martin Luther King Jr. : « Notre existence se termine le jour où nous devenons silencieux devant les choses qui comptent vraiment. » Notre survie collective passera par cette introspection et par cette ligne de conduite.

When News Breaks Out, We Break In. (The 2014 Bloggies Finalist)

Ndu Council ECCUFORUM/ TRADE FAIR 2015( Not-to-Miss Event of the Year)

 Information and Interim Program

To:

The Administration of Donga Mantung;

The Economic Operators in and outside Donga Mantung

Traditional Rulers in and around Donga Mantung

Traders, Farmers, Livestock breeders

Citizens of Ndu and its environs

The General Public

The Ndu Council hereby announces that there will effectively be an Economic and Cultural Forum (ECCUFORUM) 2015 that shall run from Friday December 11, 2015 to Saturday December 19, 2015.

The Ndu Council will take a giant step with the organization of a Trade Fair during this period involving economic operators, the formal and informal sectors of the area and beyond. Expected to animate and promote their goods and services will be those from various sectors like Telecommunications; Construction; textile; Food processing firms; gastronomical institutions; tradi-practitioners; Educational Institutions both at the Secondary and Higher Education levels; Brewery companies as well as whisky companies ( with products from ADIC Company etc)

There will be games of chance; raffle draws and lots and lots of entertainment from artists and musicians from Ndu, Donga Mantung, Bui and other areas of Cameroon. There will be musical concerts and film shows on giant screens.

The Ndu Council is thus inviting business operators to come and register at the Council office in Ndu or go to the Vanguard Documentation office, City Chemist round about, Bamenda  and register there. Thereafter, they will identify the appropriate site at the Old market to erect their stand for their exhibitions, sales or displays.

It should be noted that the commercial activities at the Old Market adjacent the Council Hall will be very hot, and thick and traders will be busy throughout the week, selling and buying.

In order not to regret that others have come from elsewhere to occupy the best stands, those in Ndu and its environs are advised to rush to the office and register before the 7^th of December 2015.

Here is the detailed program of the ECCUFORUM/ Trade fair Ndu Council 2015 Dec. 11-19

Day/Date	Activities	Concerned	Venue	Time
Friday Mruh Dec. 11, 2015	General juju Displays	Socio-cultural Committee	Ndu and other palaces	12 noon -6p.m
Saturday Ndvung Dec. 12, 2015	Agro-Pastoral Show	MINADER/ MINEPIA/ Ndu Council/ SDO	New market	8 a.m.- 12 noon
Saturday, Ndvung Dec. 12, 2015	Official Launch of Renaissance Community Radio Programs	SDO D/M; Div. Dele. MINCOM D/M; Ndu Council	Renaissance Radio Premises	1p.m- 3p.m.
Sunday, Ngang Dec. 13, 2015	Prayers in Churches for the Municipality	Rev. Fathers; Pastors; Citizens	Various Churches in the Municipality	7a.m-11 a.m.
Sunday Ngang Dec. 13, 2015	Assembly of citizens and dignitaries	Population; Ndu Council; Invitees; Groups; Traditional rulers	Ndu Municipal Grand stand;	11 a.m- 6p.m.
Sunday Ngang Dec. 13, 2015	Display of services, goods and arts products	Traders, artists, economic operators etc/	Various stands at Old market Square	8 a.m- 6 p.m.
Sunday Ngang, Dec. 13, 2015	Speeches; Manifestations, Exhibitions/ Reading Competitions	Ndu Council; Socio-Cultural Committee; Groups; Leaders/ Knowledge for Children	Municipal Grand stand/ Ndu Council Hall	12 noon – 5 p.m.
Monday Ntala Dec. 14, 2015	Trade fair cont./ Musical and artistic displays	Ndu Council; Economic Operators etc/ Artists	Old market Square/ Municipal Grand stand	7 a.m- 11 p.m. ( night)
Tuesday Seng Dec. 15, 2015	Trade fair cont./ Usual Trading	Economic Operators	New market and Old market	6 a.m.-7 p.m.
Dec. 16-18, 2015	Trade fair cont./	Economic Operators	Old market	6 a.m.-7 p.m.
Dec. Mru’ Sat. 19, 2015	End of Trade fair Forum Discussions	Ndu Council/	Ndu Council Hall	10 a.m- 3p.m.

N/B. This program is subject to modifications and alterations.

When News Breaks Out, We Break In. (The 2014 Bloggies Finalist)

CPDM Reorganization: Outrage in Jakiri as Prof. Uphie Melo Declares Elections Results in Police Station

Militants of Bui IV Section of the CPDM, Jakiri have decried the high level rigging machinery at last Monday’s elections. Though Hon. Wirngo Buba was declared winner with (51.19%) over Gamsi, both candidates decried that the elections were massively rigged. Voters cards were gathered were being shared like bonbon while children below 15 years were also spotted casting votes.  

Matters came to a head when the Divisional Committee members headed by Prof. Uphie Melo Chinje transferred to the nearby police station to declare the election results. Some recalcitrant militants stormed the police station threatening to set it ablaze. Sensing the danger, Uphie Melo ordered her driver to take off her car. While some CPDM militants were chanting SDF slogans in disapproval and declaring the end of the CPDM in Jakiri, Madame Uphie seized the opportunity to declare election results after over 3 hours of waiting. Tongues are still waging in Jakiri to the fact that SDF militants infiltrated the CPDM party to support a weaker candidate. Yet Gamsi’s supporters had promised that CPDM a meager 2% at the 2018 local elections while Wirngo’s supporters say they will take over the Parliamentary seat and the council.From all indications, the reorganization process has put the CPDM in Jakiri in serious difficulties, It is even reported that in some localities, voters cards were seized from fraudsters who were paid. At one point, it was rumoured that poll agents were each promised 150.000 FCFA to rig elections. 

Apparently, the CPDM is suffering from the monster it has nursed over the years. 

Hon. Wirngo Buba

 



When News Breaks Out, We Break In. (The 2014 Bloggies Finalist)

U.S billionaire, Robert F. Smith Offers to pay for schooling of Chibok girls

Robert F. Smith, investment tycoon and the second richest African American has offered to sponsor the education of the girls who escaped from Boko Haram in Nigeria. Some of the girls could not go back to school because there were no funds to pay for their education.

U.S. billionaire, Robert F. Smith, businessman and the second richest African-American has pledged to pay for educational expenses of the girls who escaped from Boko Haram in Nigeria. The 21 girls have taken a risky step by going back to school and attending the American University of Nigeria (AUN).
It has been 588 days since the school girls were abducted in April last year by Boko Haram terrorists who stormed their secondary school in the town of Chibok in Borno state, kidnapping 276 girls.
The plight of the abducted girls and the fifty-seven who managed to escape appears to have been largely forgotten.
Struck by the plight of the girls the founder, chairman and chief executive of Vista Equity Partners resolved to play his part. The billionaire pledged to “cover their expenses for as long as they needed it”.Reports suggest that the girls who managed to escape have been left “traumatised and ostracised, they had then been largely left to their own devices, bar a handful sought out by aid workers”.
 According to Dr. Margee Ensign, vice chancellor of AUN, in April this year about 46 Chibok girls who escaped wanted to attend the school, but there were no funds to pay for their education, Atlanta BlackStar reported.

When News Breaks Out, We Break In. (The 2014 Bloggies Finalist)

Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) to Sanction MTN, Airtel, Globacom Over Auto Data Service Migration

The Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) is set to sanction a couple of telecommunication companies in the country over the violation of some set rules and regulations.

The Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) yesterday  said it would sanction MTN, Airtel and Globacom for defying its directive on automatic migration to Pay-As-You-Go data bundle.
The Commission made this known in its ‘2015 third quarter Compliance Monitoring and Enforcement Report’ obtained pasted on its website. NCC said it had continued to receive complaints from subscribers on automatic migration of data bundle package to Pay-As-You-Go Billing on depletion of their data bundle.
Consequently and pursuant to section 53(1) of the NCC Act, 2003. The commission on 3rd August 2015 directed all mobile service operators to comply with the data bundle directions.
According to News Agency of Nigeria (NAN), NCC said "where a subscriber’s data bundle account is fully depleted before the due date, service providers should notify the subscriber via SMS, giving information regarding the tariff/ billing rate for automatic migration.

"That all service providers should henceforth stop auto-migration of subscriber’s data service to the Pay-As-You-Go (PAYG) account upon depletion of the data bundle account, except with the express consent and authorisation of the subscriber via SMS."

When News Breaks Out, We Break In. (The 2014 Bloggies Finalist)

Transfer Me to Prison Custody - Radio Biafra Boss, Nnamdi Kanu Begs Court

 Source: Vanguard

On resumption in court yesterday, the prosecution counsel, told the court that Nnamdi Kanu was yet to fully meet the requirement for his bail and asked the Abuja court to discontinue its case against the IPOB leader.

Nnamdi Kanu raising his hands to applaud his supporters after he left the court in Abuja

 

We reported it here yesterday that the State Security Service asked an Abuja magistrate court to discontinue its case against the leader of the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB), Nnamdi Kanu.

At the resumed hearing on the matter yesterday, Kanu, who the government accused of engaging in criminal conspiracy, managing and belonging to an unlawful society, as well as indulging in criminal intimidation, contrary  to section 97 (a)&(b) and section 397 of the Penal Code, begged to be transferred to prison custody.

His lawyer, Vincent Egechukwu Obeta, insisted that transferring his client to prison would enable him to have easy access to his legal team.

He made the application shortly after the DSS urged the Magistrate Court to hands-off Kanu’s trial. The DSS, through its lawyer, Moses Idakwo, told the court that it has already secured an order of the Federal High Court in Abuja to further detain Kanu for another 90 days.

It said that the order which was granted by Justice Ademola Adeniyi, was to enable the government to conclude investigation into an allegation that Kanu was involved in terrorism financing.

Consequently, the DSS, applied to withdraw the initial First Information Report (FIR), it lodged against Kanu before the Chief Magistrate Court, maintaining that the government would file a fresh charge against Kanu before a higher court, once its ongoing investigation is concluded.

Idakwo therefore asked Magistrate Usman to step down from the trial on the ground that his court lacks the power and jurisdiction to prosecute terrorism charges.

The application was vehemently opposed by Kanu’s lawyer Obeta, who  insisted that the bail earlier granted the accused person must firstly be complied with before any application for transfer of the case to a federal high court could be entertained.

After listening to both parties, Magistrate Usman adjourned the case till December 1 for ruling.

 

When News Breaks Out, We Break In. (The 2014 Bloggies Finalist)

Biafra Agitations: Sultan of Sokoto Speaks Out

 The Sultan of Sokoto has aired his view on the increasing spate of agitation by the Biafra supporters.

Sultan of Sokoto, Alhaji Sa’ad Abubakar

 

The Sultan of Sokoto, Alhaji Sa’ad Abubakar, has expressed worry over the growing agitation for an independent Biafra state championed by some Igbo people and promised that a delegation from the northern traditional council will be sent to Igbo leaders to meet on the issue.
The Nation reports that the sultan raised this concern at the second general assembly of the Northern Traditional Rulers’ Council which held in Kaduna on Monday, November 23.
The Sultan who is the chairman of the council noted that there were millions of Igbo people living and doing business in their states peacefully and helping the economy to grow. He said millions of Igbo people were against the agitation for an independent state and that a delegation would be sent so that peace would reign.
“We are very much concerned about this issue because we know we have millions of millions of Igbos residing with us in our homes, in our towns, in our states, very peacefully, very industrious, helping our communities and our economy to grow and so many of them as we know, keep telling us that they have nowhere else to live than where they are presently living.
“Since we have this coordination with millions and millions of them, what is happening now is a thing of concern to us and we believe we should look at this issue and most likely set up a small committee of senior traditional rulers to go to South-East and engage our brothers there (traditional rulers) so that we will know how we can come in to stop this agitation.”

He applauded Igbo leaders who were against the separation and that the agitation must be totally condemned.
He said: “We believe in dialogue, whatever the problem is with anybody, we believe we should sit down and discuss and a solution will be found.”

When News Breaks Out, We Break In. (The 2014 Bloggies Finalist)