Indications have emerged that the Nigerian authorities purportedly plan to negotiate with the South African government for the release of Henry Okah, the imprisoned leader of the Movement for the Emancipation of the Niger Delta (MEND).

source: http://tradot.com/blog/post?BrightMekaBlog_Nigeria-Allegedly-Negotiating-With-SA-On-Henry-Okahs-Release-e7b9

Addressing reporters in the capital N'Djamena on the 55th anniversary of Chad's independence from France, Deby said: "Boko Haram is decapitated. There are little groups (of Boko Haram members) scattered throughout east Nigeria, on the border with Cameroon. It is within our power to definitively overcome Boko Haram."

"The war will be short, with the setting up of the regional force, it will be over by the end of the year," Deby added, referring to a new five-country force aimed at ending Boko Haram's bloody six-year Islamist insurgency that he said would be "operational in a few days".

Benin, Cameroon, Chad, Niger and Nigeria have all pledged troops towards the new force.

Deby further claimed that Boko Haram was no longer led by the fearsome Abubakar Shekau and that his successor was open to talks.

"There is someone apparently called Mahamat Daoud who is said to have replaced Abubakar Shekau and he wants to negotiate with the Nigerian government.

"For my part, I would advise not to negotiate with a terrorist," Deby, whose country has been spearheading the regional fightback against Boko Haram, said.

While claiming progress in the fight against the jihadists, who have repeatedly hit border areas of Cameroon, Chad and Niger, and wrought havoc in northeast Nigeria, Deby admitted that suicide bombers still posed a threat.

In the past few week, suicide bombers, many of them women, have staged several attacks in Nigeria, Cameroon and Chad.

The challenge, Deby said, was to "avoid terrorist acts and that's why we must organise at the regional level to prevent bomb-making materials and other explosives entering our countries."

source: http://news.yahoo.com/boko-haram-decapitated-chadian-leader-000405864.html

President Muhammadu Buhari said Tuesday in Abuja that the prosecution of persons who stole national resources will begin in a matter of weeks.

Speaking at a meeting with members of the National Peace Committee led by Gen. Abdulsalami Abubakar in the Presidential Villa, President Buhari declared that his administration was irrevocably committed to doing all within its powers to break the vicious cycle of corruption, unemployment and insecurity in Nigeria.

“Nigeria has to break this vicious cycle before we can make progress,” Femi Adesina, special adviser on media and publicity, quoted the President as saying.

He added that his administration was diligently getting facts and figures pertaining to the nation’s stolen funds, before proceeding to the prosecution of identified culprits.

President Buhari told Mr. Abdulsalami and members of his committee that the Federal Government, under his leadership, would not only ask for the return of stolen funds stashed in foreign banks, but will also ensure that those who stole the funds are put on trial in Nigeria.

The President also said that as part of its actions to address the national problems it inherited, his administration was reorganising Nigeria’s revenue generating institutions.

The President explained that a single treasury account had been established for all Federal revenue to ensure greater probity, transparency and accountability in the collection, disbursement and utilisation of national funds.

“We have really degenerated as a country. Our national institutions, including the military, which did wonderfully on foreign missions in the past, have been compromised. But we are doing something about it. The military is now retraining and morale has been resuscitated.

“As Petroleum Minister under Gen. Olusegun Obasanjo in the 1970s, I could not travel abroad until I had taken a memo to the Federal Executive Council asking for estacode. Now, everybody does what he wants.

“That is why security-wise and economically, we’re in trouble,” President Buhari told his guests, adding that those who have stolen the national wealth “will be in court in a matter of weeks and Nigerians will know those who have short-changed them.”

Mr. Abubakar and members of his committee urged the Federal Government to be guided by the rule of law in its fight against corruption.

Members of the National Peace Committee who accompanied Gen Abubakar on the visit were Matthew Hassan Kukah, a Catholic bishop; Sa’ad Abubakar, the Sultan of Sokoto; Cardinal John Onaiyekan; Ayo Oritsejafor, President of the Christian Association of Nigeria and Nicholas Okoh, an archbishop and primate of the Anglican Church of Nigeria.

Others were Justice Rose Ukeje (rtd); Prof Ameze Guobadia; Vanguard Newspaper Publisher, Sam Amuka; Priscilla Kuye, Senator Ben Obi; Yunusa Tanko, and Arthur-Martin Aginam.

The National Peace Committee, formed before the 2015 general elections, was granted permission by the President to transform to a National Peace Council.

source: http://www.premiumtimesng.com/news/headlines/188199-buhari-serves-notice-says-trial-of-those-who-stole-public-funds-set-to-begin.html

mikolo80:
chei God please make me a governor or governors close confidant

Concerned youths under the aegis of Youth Alliance for Better Nigeria (YABN) in Agege area of Lagos state, on Monday, August 10, staged a peaceful protest at the Lagos House in Alausa area of the state over epileptic power supply, crazy bills and prepaid metres.

Source: http://tradot.com/blog/post?BrightMekaBlog_Lagos-Residents-Protest-Over-Outrageous-Bills-e0c8

Reports has it that the All Progressive Congress (APC) may have garnered more than N137 million from the sales of expression of interest and nomination forms to aspirants seeking the party’s ticket in the November 21 governorship election in Kogi state.

source: http://tradot.com/blog/post?BrightMekaBlog_Kogi-Elections-APC-Makes-N1375M-From-Aspirants-a104

Fresh allegations have been levelled against Gabriel Suswam, the former governor of Benue state.

source: http://tradot.com/blog/post?BrightMekaBlog_Suswam-Allegedly-Siphon-N48B-Meant-For-Local-Council-a724

The West African School Certificate, WAEC, has just released the result of the May/June 2015 Senior School Certificate Examination, SSCE, withholding 118,101 candidates’ results out of the 1.5 million students that participated in the examination.

source: http://tradot.com/blog/post?BrightMekaBlog_BREAKING-WAEC-releases-SSCE-withholds-118101-candidates-results-f489

The adhoc committee set up to review the salaries and allowances of lawmakers has recommended that 30 percent be slashed from the lawmakers pay.

If this is implemented, the sum of N66, 485,462 would be removed from all the 109 senators’ salary. They will now earn N1, 418,480 as basic annual salary against the previous N2, 026,400 as contained in the reviewed remuneration package for the legislature at the federal, state and local government levels, Daily Trust reports.

The Senate president, Bukola Saraki who earns higher than his colleagues will now earn N1,738,969 as against his present N2,484,242.50 while the deputy Senate president, Ike Ekweremadu, will now get an annual basic salary of N1, 616,416 against N2, 309,166.

Saraki had inaugurated the adhoc committee following the outcry that trailed the N150billion budgeted for the National Assembly in this year’s budget, which was later reduced to N120billion.

The senators allowances which include accommodation (N4m), vehicle loan (N8m), furniture (N6m), severance gratuity (N6m), car maintenance (N1.52m), and personal assistant (N506, 640) will be affected by the 30% slash.

Other allowances of the senators to be affected are entertainment N202,640, recess N202,640, utility N607,926, newspapers N303,960, house maintenance N101,320 and wardrobe allowance N405,280.

The committee had on Thursday submitted the report during plenary.

Though the report was not read at the floor, it was gathered that it would be debated at the plenary this week and after resolution, the senators would start receiving their salaries and allowances which have been hanging since their inauguration on June 9.

Reacting to the pay cut, a senator from Kano state said it was a welcome idea. “No sacrifice is too much for the electorate that trooped out despite scorching sun and rain to vote for us. Most of us are into many private businesses and we spend daily more than what we are earning here at the senate. So the slash is a welcome development in as much it will benefit the masses,” he said.

Reportedly, senators get more money from their numerous allowances than their annual basic salaries.

Last week, the chairman of the Senate adhoc committee on information, Senator Dino Melaye, had disclosed that a progressive reduction has been made in the salaries of senators in response to the directive of Saraki who insisted that they must all make sacrifices with the existing economic realities facing the nation.

source: http://tradot.com/blog/post?BrightMekaBlog_109-Senators-Salaries-To-Be-Slashed-By-30-67a1