– MASSOB tells Catholic
priest, Reverend Father
Ejike Mbaka, to stay away
from Nigerian politics – The group says the type
of dirty politics in Nigeria
is not for men of God like
Mbaka – MASSOB advises Mbaka
to join those clergies who
are agitating for the
liberation of millions of
Biafrans from Nigeria’s
enslavement The Movement for the
Actualisation of Sovereign State
of Biafra (MASSOB) has warned
Catholic priest, Reverend Father
Ejike Mbaka, to stay away from
Nigerian politics and face his spiritual calling. This comes even as the group
noted that the type of dirty
politics in Nigeria is not for men
of God like Mbaka, The Sun
reports. The warning to Mbaka is sequel
to a message by the fiery
preacher during one of his
church programmes, where he
told his congregation to refrain from cursing President
Muhammadu Buhari so as not to be cursed by God. READ ALSO: Fast all in one — UC Browser MASSOB has warned Catholic
priest, Reverend Father Ejike
Mbaka, to stay away from
Nigerian politics and face his
spiritual calling. MASSOB has warned Catholic
priest, Reverend Father Ejike
Mbaka, to stay away from
Nigerian politics and face his
spiritual calling. Reacting to the message,
MASSOB advised Mbaka to join
those it described as freedom
fighters clergies who are
agitating for the liberation of
millions of Biafrans from Nigeria’s enslavement, and not
to soil his white rob in the
murky waters of Nigerian
politics. Also, David Chinedu Eboson, the
director general, Organisation of
Biafra Music and Film Authority
(OBMFA), warned Rev Mbaka to
stay away from Nigerian politics
because “Nigeria politics is beyond your understanding.” He added: “God forbid that we
will be among the party that
will be clapping for you while
you are going wrong. He should
stay clear of the Nigerian
politics before it drags his spirituality to the dust. We are
not saying he should not give
prophecy of what God has
revealed to him concerning
Nigeria and as an anointed man
of God, but his today’s (Sunday) Adoration preaching
are far away from what is
happening in the country, as if
the anointing is not with him
again. “People now see him as a
Priest who is always going to
Aso Villa for selfish interest. He
can never serve two masters
at a time, if he wants to be a
politician, he should forget about priesthood.” READ ALSO: Father Mbaka under fire for praising President
Buhari On Sunday, August 21, Rev
Mbaka advised his congregation
to dissuade from cursing
President Muhammadu Buhari as
the president is a blessing from
God to the people of Nigeria. He said: “So I want to tell you
that so far, God is happy with
Buhari. And him whom God has
blessed, may you not try to
accurse, because God will curse
you.” He also claimed that a group of
people have sinister motives of
assassinating the president in
order to continue with their
corrupt practices. Mbaka said Jonathan and his
team were responsible for
Nigeria’s problems, and not the
current president. However, this did not go down
well with some Nigerians who
have called him a fake prophet
for heaping praises on the
Buhari administration just weeks after he castigated the same
regime. http://davesblog.over-blog.com/2016/08/massob-warns-mbaka-to-stay-away-from-politics.html

– Former president
Olusegun Obasanjo says
nobody can claim the glory
of President Muhammadu
Buhari’s victory in last
year presidential election – Obasanjo denies making
claim that he and few
other persons brought
President Buhari to power – He says the emergence
of Buhari as President was
an overwhelming decision
of Nigerians as
demonstrated at the polls Former president Olusegun
Obasanjo has denied media
reports claiming he and a few
Nigerians brought President
Muhammadu Buhari to power. According to him, no individual
or group including himself can
lay claim to bringing to power. The former president made this
known in Jalingo, Taraba state
capital, on Tuesday, August 23,
when he paid a courtesy visit
to Governor Darius Ishaku. READ ALSO: Fast all in one — UC Browser Buhari hosts obasanjo Buhari hosts Obasanjo Speaking to newsmen, Obasanjo
said Nigerians overwhelmingly
voted for Buhari, hence, no one
could claim to have brought him
to power, This Day reports. He said: “I was astounded by
media reports quoting me to
have said that I and a few
other persons brought
President Buhari to power to
save Nigeria. I never said that because it is not true. Nigerians
voted overwhelmingly for the
president and we are all
witnesses to that fact. No single
person or group can claim that
glory.” Obasanjo who is on a five-day
working visit to inspect some of
the key projects he initiated
while in office particularly the
Mambilla Hydro power project,
said he spent most of his life trying to better the lot of
humanity generally and Nigeria
specifically. Speaking on the on-going
projects in the state, Obasanjo
said: “Taraba state is a blessing
to Nigeria. The potentials in the
state can turn the fortunes of
the country for good. The Mambila Hydro Power project
alone has the capacity to
generate more than half of our
present power capacity in the
country. “The livestock potential in the
state spans all known livestock
in the country including cattle
rearing and poultry all in
commercial quantities. The tea
factory is a symbol of national greatness, while the tourism
potentials can attract global
tourists and earn the nation
good foreign exchange “Since I have spent most of my
life doing good for humanity and
Nigeria, I am motivated to do
even more now that I am
approaching my evening. I will
therefore do everything to ensure that the potentials in
Taraba generally and the
Mambila Plateau specifically are
optimally explored to make the
nation great.” Recently, Obasanjo expressed
confidence that President
Muhammadu Buhari will surmount
the present challenges
confronting the country. He said: “So far Buhari has not
disappointed us. I trust him
(Buhari), he will not fail
Nigerians. I know he will
overcome the challenges the
country is currently facing.” http://davesblog.over-blog.com/2016/08/obasanjo-reveals-those-who-influenced-buhari-s-victory-over-jonathan.html

The Ijaw Youth Council
has said some politicians
are eager to blackmail
Jonathan – The group said the
politicians wanted to rope
GEJ as one of the founders
of NDA – Mr Eric Omare the
spokesman of the group,
said the desperation has
now reached its peak Members of the Niger Delta
Avengers Ijaw Youth Council Worldwide
(IYC), which is an umbrella body
for Ijaw youths has said some
politicians are desperate to
rope former president Goodluck
Jonathan as one of those responsible the formation of the
Niger Delta Avengers (NDA). Mr Eric Omare the spokesman of
the group, said the desperation
has now reached its peak after
a media report surfaced that
there was an intelligence report
indicating that Jonathan was one of the persons behind the
formation of the NDA. READ ALSO: The plan is to imprison Jonathan and kill him –
Niger Delta group raises
allegation The IYC gave the following
statement explaining the
reasons: “The characters behind this
desperate plan are politicians of
Niger Delta extraction who are
in the present government and
do not want a peaceful
resolution of the renewed militancy in the region. They prefer a military option
that would result in the killing
of innocent Niger Deltans. The
genesis of these frivolous
accusations against former
President Jonathan started after he visited President
Buhari few weeks ago. And after the meeting and while
speaking with the media,
Jonathan said that everybody
desired peace and that the
leaders of the Ijaw nation were
working hard to achieve peace in the Niger Delta region
including himself. This did not go down well with
these party chieftains and
political office holders in the
Federal Government from the
Niger Delta region because they
did not want a peaceful resolution of the crisis. Secondly, they don’t also want
Jonathan’s intervention to
resolve the crisis for obvious
political reasons. So, this is the
reason why they have
orchestrated all sorts of lies to drag Jonathan into the
formation of the NDA. It is
deliberate and we are sure the
top hierarchy of government
knows this fact.” READ ALSO: Fast all in one — UC Browser The group strongly condemned
the maligning of Jonathan,
advising him to explore legal
options to bring such
irresponsible publications and
blackmail to a stop. Meanwhile, who is the president
of the Niger Delta justice group
said on Friday, August 19 that
there was a scheme to implicate Jonathan so as to finally kill him in detention. He said: “Laughable as the
allegations against him
(Jonathan) in the campaign of
calumny already in the open
are, it cannot be taken for
granted and waved aside as it is serious because they are
desperate and anxious to
accomplish their clandestine
mission to malign, frame up and
eliminate an innocent man.” http://davesblog.over-blog.com/2016/08/shocking-avengers-reveal-politicians-who-are-blackmailing-jonathan.html

The National Assembly is
facing serious financial
crunch as a result of huge
debt – Sources say the debt
run into billions of naira – The debts are owed
contractors for the supply
of office facilities,
lawmakers’ vehicles, and
maintenance costs These are hard times for
Nigeria’s federal legislature as
the dwindling economy has
affected the finances of the
National Assembly. According to a report by Daily
Trust, contractors and suppliers
are grumbling over the inability
of the management of the
National Assembly to liquidate
the accumulated debts. These are not smiling times
for the leadership of the
National Asssembly These are not smiling times for
the leadership of the National
Asssembly The report stated that the
situation has forced the
management to take cost
cutting measures including
slashing of salaries of legislative
aides by about 70 percent. A source who within the
National Assembly squealed that
the management is now taking
inventory of the debt stock,
while adding that some of the
debts incurred through contracts might not have been
executed. READ ALSO: Exclusive: Buhari’s SSA opens up on rift between
executive and Senate (video) The source said: “It is a yearly
occurrence. There are huge
debts, no doubt. They’re still in
the process of compiling.” Another source said the new
clerk to the National Assembly,
Alhaji Mohammed Sani-Omolori
has demanded for the
comprehensive details of the
debts profile in order to address the situation. “You’ll be shocked if you know
the monumental corruption
taking place in the management
of the National Assembly. They
change office equipment every
year on paper, but you don’t get to see anything. “You can imagine even the
maintenance being carried out
by Julius Berger at the time
was done on credit. It was
because of the way they were
going about the whole thing that Berger backed out from
the contract of maintaining the
NASS complex. “There are a lot of things my
brother. Some of them would
raise fake vouchers just to
divert the money. Somebody
would say he has travelled to
somewhere, whereas he was in his house. “They also have ghost workers
among the NASS staff, but
because nobody probes them,
people don’t get to know. With
this kind of things, how do you
expect the country to change?” said the source. A management staff of the
National Assembly blamed the
situation on what he described
as, “irregular release of funds
by the executive arm of
government.” According to the staff who
spoke under the condition of
anonymity, unlike before when
the funds were released
quarterly, the funds are now
being released by the executive arm monthly. “Until this administration, the
National Assembly funds were
released quarterly but now the
present administration has
adopted a new style. We are
now getting our money monthly. “This is negatively affecting us
because after paying salaries of
lawmakers, their aides and
National Assembly staff, the
remaining money is hardly
enough for the day-to-day running of our operations,” he
said. READ ALSO: Revealed: How Nigeria survived before oil Confirming the situation, a top
management staff said the debt
was also affecting the
lawmakers whom he added were
not getting what they used to
get before. His words: “We are not the
only ones owing, the executive
and Judiciary owe too. Ours was
worsened by the slashing down
of our budget from N150billion
to N115 billion.” When contacted, the
spokesperson of the Senate,
Aliyu Sabi Abdullahi said he was
not aware of the huge debt. His words: “I don’t know
anything about the debt and
it’s shouldn’t be an issue.
After all, what is the total debt
stock of Nigeria? There is no
how an institution or country will not owe. The United States
is the most heavily indebted
nation. You should please
concentrate on issues that
would contribute in the
development of the country.” The submission by Nigeria’s
minister of finance, Mrs Kemi
Adeosun three weeks ago that Nigeria is “technically in
recession” came at a time the economic
indices were quite clear that
the nation’s economy was in
tatters. Two months ago, three Nigerian banks cut down on the number
of their employees. READ ALSO: FG set to borrow to fund 2016 budget, as
economist predicts long
recession Meanwhile, Fourteen (14) airlines recently withdrew their services
from Nigeria due to low patronage and the
bad economy being experienced
in the country. In a related development, four major blue-chip Nigerian
companies recently lost as much
as N51.86 billion in the first half
of 2016 as the economy continues to
take a dip. Similarly, South Africa has overtaken Nigeria as Africa’s
biggest economy in dollar terms. The change in status of both
countries was attributed to the
appreciation of the rand, South
Africa’s currency, and the
devaluation of the Nigerian
naira. http://davesblog.over-blog.com/2016/08/disquiet-as-serious-financial-crunch-hits-national-assembly.html

Federal Government is
set to probe Senators and
House of Representative
members over non
executed constituency
projects earmarked for them in the 2014 and 2015
budgets – The sum of constituency
projects totalled N200bn
for the two years- N100bn
each year NASS-and-the-defections-saga-By-Anietie-Adams Many nigerians have accused
the National Assembly of wanton
corruption The Muhammadu Buhari led
Federal Government is set to
probe Senators and House of
Representative members over
non executed constituency
projects earmarked for them in the 2014 and 2015 budgets. Recall that recently, former
chairman, House committee on
appropriation, Mr Abdulmumin
Jibrin had petitioned the EFCC,
ICPC, the police and the
Department of State Services, alleging that the Speaker of
the House of Representatives,
Mr Yakubu Dogara, and three
other principal officers had
requested the inclusion of
N40bn projects in the 2016 budget, besides other projects
in sums ranging from N20bn to
N30bn. READ ALSO: Read why Senator Shehu Sani lacks the gift of
inward assessment According to the attorney
general of the federation and
minister of justice, Mr Abubakar
Malami (SAN) who revealed this
to Punch newspaper, the sum
of constituency projects totalled N200bn for the two years, that
is, N100bn each year. He revealed that the
compilation was being done by
the police, the Economic and
Financial Crimes Commission and
the Independent Corrupt
Practices and other related offences Commission. “The money for constituency
projects had been taken, but
certain allegations prevailed
that some constituency projects
were not executed after the
money had been paid 100 per cent. “If money is appropriated in
the budget, paid and the
projects the funds were meant
for were not executed, it is
only natural to take steps to
find out what happened. If neither the money nor the
project can be produced, then
you must take steps in
accordance with the law. “There are cases that are
specific; we are compiling them. I
will not want to pre-empt
investigation, we have to allow
investigation to be concluded
before we go public,” the AGF was quoted. But both the Senate and House
of Reps have denied pocketing
funds for constituency projects
stating that ministries,
departments and agencies
under the executive were responsible for the execution of
constituency projects. The chairman, House committee
on media and public affairs, Mr
Abdulrazak Namdas, said;
“Members do not execute
constituency projects, and they
don’t receive money for the projects. “For example, a health centre
will naturally be done by the
Ministry of Health or any
agency so designated by the
executive to handle the project.
It is not the member who implements the project or
appoints the contractors.” READ ALSO: Scandals in legislature: Kill all Senators, Reps
found guilty? On his part, Senator Adesoji
Akanbi who represents Oyo
South senatorial district at the
Senate said any probe into the
constituency projects should
start from the executive. “There is a certain amount set
aside for constituency projects.
Each lawmaker is allocated a
certain amount of money and
they will identify the projects of
their choice. But the execution by contractors has nothing to
do with lawmakers. The main
role we play is to name the
project and make sure that the
project is executed.” Akanbi, however, said lawmakers
could be culpable in the
manipulation because they had
to certify that the job had
been done before the
contractor could be paid. Meanwhile, there have been a
lot of drama at the National
Assembly these few months
which in some cases has
generated backlash from
Nigerians.. Get more news at http://davesblog.over-blog.com/2016/08/buhari-set-to-probe-senators-reps-over-n200-billion.html

get more fresh news at http://davesblog.over-blog.com. Abuja - Factional National
Chairman of the Peoples
Democratic Party (PDP), Ali
Modu Sheriff has rejected a
court judgment sacking him
as party Chairman. A Federal Capital Territory
(FCT) High Court sitting in
Kubwa, Abuja, had on
Wednesday nullified his hold
on the party’s chairmanship
and declared his appointment as party Chairman null and
void. Justice Nwamaka Ogbonnaya,
who presided over the court
reaffirmed the sack on the
ground that the judgment of
Justice Valentine Ashi, which
nullified his appointment on June 29 has not been set
aside or vacated and is
therefore subsisting. The court according to News 24 held that all actions taken by Sheriff are null,
void and of no effect since
the earlier order of Justice
Ashi remains binding. The court also restrained
Sheriff from further parading
himself as the National
Chairman of the PDP. Also read: Court sacks Sheriff as PDP Chairman Reacting to the judgement,
Sheriff in a statement on
Thursday, said the judgment
did not affect him in any
way. He noted that he was not a
party in the suit. He, however ,said he had
already appealed the
judgment and filed for a stay
of execution of judgement. http://davesblog.over-blog.com.

go to www.davesblog.over-blog.com for more news. No fewer than 100 ex-
militants were said to have
stormed the Akwa Ibom
state government house
on Tuesday – The agitators were
protesting the non-
payment of their monthly
allowances by the
government – The state government
said report that the ex-
militants invaded the
government house was
false The Akwa Ibom state
government has denied recent
media reports of ex-militants invading the state government
house in Uyo. The state Commissioner for
Information and Social
Reorientation, Aniekan Umana,
said some ex-militants claiming
non payment of their amnesty
entitlements took to Wellington Bassey road leading to the
government house. They were seeking the
intervention of the state
government over the non
payment of their outstanding
allowances by the amnesty
office of the federal government, Leadership reports. Police in Akwa Ibom engage ex-militants Police in Akwa Ibom engage ex-
militants According to him, some hoodlums
infiltrated the peaceful emissary
of the ex-militants but they
were promptly brought under
control by law enforcement
agencies, who arrived at the scene. READ ALSO: Panic: Hoodlums attack protesting workers,
journalists “To maintain law and order,
the unruly behavior of the
infiltrators was met with
necessary and adequate control
by the State Command of the
Nigeria Police, who ensured the hoodlums beat a retreat,”
Umana said. He assured the people that
Governor Udom Emmanuel was
committed to ensuring the
safety of lives and property. The commissioner noted that
every part of the state was
calm and peaceful, while calling
on the people to go about their
lawful businesses without fear
of molestation from any quarters. On Tuesday, August 16, report
surfaced that former militants
numbering about 100, invaded the Akwa Ibom state
government house over non payment of allowances
and entitlements. They were said to have been
dispersed by security operatives
comprising men of the Nigerian
army, mobile police, anti-riot
squad and Civil Defence Corps
who were on hand to contend the ex-agitators with canisters
of tear gas which were freely
deployed.

For more news visit http://davesblog.over-blog.com. The national chairman of
the All Progressives
Congress (APC), Chief John
Oyegun, made some
revelations about the true
state of Nigeria under President Buhari – He detailed some of the
financial impropriety
allegedly perpetrated
under the Peoples
Democratic Party (PDP)
administration – He warned that the
party would no longer fold
its arms to watch the PDP
and its agents churn out
lies against the Buhari
government The national chairman of the All
Progressives Congress (APC),
Chief John Oyegun, on Thursday, August 18, 2016,
mocked the Peoples Democratic
Party (PDP), saying the
opposition party lacked the
moral right to speak on the
state of the nation. John Oyegun, APC chairman,
with President Muhammadu
Buhari Oyegun said the party also
lacked the moral justification to
criticise President Muhammadu
Buhari as he struggles to
redeem Nigeria from the
dungeon the PDP had thrown the country into. The national chairman said this
in a statement issued by his
media office in Abuja on
Thursday, August 18 and made
available to NAIJ.com. According to him, “it is
stomach-churning and downright
immoral for the ruinous PDP,
which has yet to show remorse
or exhibit any form of
penitence for presiding over the mindless looting of the nation’s
treasury, to now put itself up
as the saviour of Nigerians.” Oyegun who noted that even
among thieves, there must be
honour, said Nigerians, who are
now bearing the brunt of the
economy that was mindlessly
mismanaged by the PDP, cannot forget in a hurry that some $
15 billion – which is about half
of the nation’s foreign
reserves at the end of the
tenure of the PDP-led federal
government – was mismanaged under the guise of the
equipping the military, when in
reality the funds were largely
salted away by PDP fat cats. READ ALSO: President Muhammadu Buhari
congratulates Oyegun at 77 According to him, Nigerians are
not unaware that just before
the last general elections, some
$2.1 billion was shared out to
just a few PDP faithful, either
to be used for praying against Boko Haram or for phantom
communication purposes, when
in reality the soldiers whom the
money was meant to equip
were dying in droves. He listed other instances of the
massive looting of the national
till under the PDP to include: 1. The $20 billion in oil proceeds
that was never paid into the
Federation Account 2. The N33 trillion in national oil
revenue that was not
accounted for, considering that
while the nation earned in
excess of N56 trillion over five
years under the last Administration, the total budget
for those years amounted to
about N23 trillion 3. The $47 million that was
distributed to a few individuals
just to oil the election process
before the last polls. He said while indeed it was
glaring that the PDP-led
administration was profligate
and rapacious, nothing prepared
Nigerians for the mind-boggling
discoveries that have emerged in the past one year, including
the fact that just a handful of
people could have plundered far
more than half of what
belonged to a country of over
170 million people. READ ALSO: You’ll be ‘Heavily’ punished, House of
Reps tells Jibrin “What is happening now is
clear: Just because the farmer
has not checkmated the thief,
he (thief) has become so
emboldened that he is now
making a move to even cage the farmer from whom he has
been stealing. “How else can one characterize
the most annoying statement
by the PDP that it is on a
mission to rescue Nigeria, the
tale of a killer presenting
himself as a life saver! “Are these people jokers? Do
they think Nigerians do not
realize that the stage for
today’s tough economic
situation was set by the same
PDP that is now masquerading as a saviour? “Worse still, is this PDP’s bold
face not a ploy to distract the
Administration that is on a
rescue mission? “Nigeria is currently in ICU
(intensive care unit), after it
was rescued from PDP. Yet, the
same PDP has the audacity to
constantly pillory the ‘doctors’
trying to save the ‘patient’,” he said. The Chairman appealed to
Nigerians not to succumb to the
antics of the PDP but to
continue to support the efforts
of the present Administration,
which is working day and night to ease the impact of the
tough economic situation on the
citizens. He added: “Yes, we knew the
situation was bad, but we
never imagined that it was this
bad. READ ALSO: Nigeria’s restructuring important for its
prosperity – Atiku “Yes, we knew that the vast
majority of our national
patrimony had been stolen and
converted by PDP and their
cronies, but we clearly under-
estimated the scope of the stealing. “The fact that our country and
people survived the PDP and
the last administration is
perhaps the 8th wonder of the
world. “But we have long moved
beyond bothering about this
mindless party to seeking to
bring the nation back to its
feet. What we cannot fathom is
for the same PDP to now be heckling us and pretending to
be the new saviour of Nigerians. “Engaging in a campaign of
calumny by claiming that the
country’s economy under
President Muhammadu Buhari
was deteriorating is so
unconscionable on the part of the PDP, which frittered away
the huge windfall that the
nation earned during the years
that oil sold for over $100. “Even with the number of PDP
operatives and officials who
have confessed or admitted
their complicity in the looting of
the treasury, the party has
continued to try to pull the wool over the face of Nigerians. READ ALSO: Fast all in one — UC Browser “This shameless distraction
must stop forthwith, and here
is serving notice that
henceforth, the PDP will no
longer have a field day in trying
to twist facts and present the Buhari administration, which is
on an urgent rescue mission, as
the villain.”

check out http://davesblog.over-blog.com for more news. – A Niger Delta group,
United Niger Delta Energy
Development Security
Strategy, says it has
tabled a proposal to
President Buhari on how to end the crisis in the
region – The group says Buhari
has the wherewithal to
end the Niger Delta crisis – But according to the
group, the president has
allowed his administration
to be beset with too many
petty rivalries A group, United Niger Delta
Energy Development Security
Strategy (UNDEDSS), has said
President Muhammadu Buhari
knows what to do to end the
crisis in the Niger Delta region. According to the group, the
president has allowed his
administration to be beset with
too many petty rivalries, which
has affected his decisions, The
Nation reports. READ ALSO: Fast all in one — UC Browser A group, United Niger Delta
Energy Development Security
Strategy has said President
Buhari knows what to do to
end the crisis in Niger Delta. In a statement in Warri, Delta
state, by its General Secretary
Tony Uranta, UNDEDSS said it
was assisting the federal
government to draw up a
proposal that should be help to end the crisis in Niger Delta. READ ALSO: Stop playing with Nigeria’s future – Niger Delta
group to Buhari The statement read: “President
Buhari knows what exactly he
needs to do to end the crisis
today, if he so desires. He
probably has not because he
has allowed his administration to be beset with too many petty
rivalries, too many individuals
jockeying for putative relevance
and too many party chieftains
from Niger Delta who don’t
have the interests of the region at heart. “We worked with other well-
meaning Niger Delta indigenes,
interfaced with patriotic
members of the President’s
inner cabinet and intelligence
chieftains on the proposal, which has been submitted to
the president. “Armed agitators in the creeks,
the international community,
including the United Kingdom
(UK) and the United States of
America (USA) as well as other
interested Nigerians, like Nobel Laureate Professor Wole
Soyinka, are privy to the
proposal. “The proposal is hinged on four
vital prerequisites: the
affirmation by Mr. President
that there is no change in
policy on the need to begin the
matriculation of students this year in the National Maritime
University at Okerenkoko, Delta
State; the rebirth of the Niger
Delta Council, with its five
relevant sub-committees of the
late President Umaru Musa Yar’Adua’s 2009 template; the
guarantee of safe passage for
delegates to any dialogue
location, after all armed parties
publicly agree to a 60-day
Armistice to be proposed by the federal government and the
attendance of foreign
observers, including diplomats
from the European Union (EU),
UK and USA, to be invited by
the government to any such dialogue.” UNDEDSS had last month proffer
a list of solutions to the crisis plaguing the Niger Delta region. According to the group, the
crisis in the Niger Delta could be
brought to a quick resolution,
the moment President
Muhammadu Buhari personally
chair the dialogue team and also appoint credible Special
Adviser from the region. The group in its statement also
urged the federal government
to re-establish the Niger Delta
Committee/Council that operated
five sub-Committees with the
aim of addressing arms agitation in the region. Militants in the Niger Delta
region especially the Niger Delta
Avengers have been blowing up
pipelines in the region and have
vowed to continue with this
destruction until zero oil is produced in the region.

get more news at http://davesblog.over-blog.com An Appeal Court in
Abuja, has ruled that the
removal of the Governor
Okezie Ikpeazu is null and
void – The five-member panel
of judges set aside the
judgement of Justice Okon
Abang The Appeal Court in Abuja has
ruled in favour of Governor
Okezie Ikpeazu of Abia state,
nullifying his sack by a Federal
High Court in Abuja. The five-member panel of
judges led by Morenikeji
Ogunwumiju on Thursday, August
18, unanimously agreed that
the tax documents of the
governor are not false, Daily Trust reports. Why Ogah lacks locus standi to appear in court - PDP Embattled governor of Abia
state Okezie Ikpeazu (L) and
Uche Ogah, who is also laying
claim to be the governor as a
result of court judgement (R) The judgment which was
delivered by Philomena Ekpe, set
aside the judgment of Justice
Okon Abang of the Federal High
Court, which sacked Ikpeazu
over allegations of poor documentation. READ ALSO: BREAKING: Court reserves judgment on Governor
Ikpeazu’s sack According to her, the lower
court made a “summersault”
when it entertained matters
that had already been
transmitted to the appellate
court. She added that the lower court
had no business entertaining
further applications on the
matter and did not have right
to adjourn the matter. “From the above submission the
said issue hereby resolved in
view of the appellant against
the first respondent.
Consequently this appeal is
deemed meritorious and it is hereby allowed. “The decision of the lower
court delivered 28th July 2016
is hereby set aside and the
cost of N100,000 is hereby
awarded in favour of the
appellant,” Ekpe said. READ ALSO: Governorship battle: Ikpeazu lays embargo on
supporters The Appeal Court also faulted
Justice Abanag for refusing to
hands-off the suit that led to
the removal of Ikpeazu as Abia
state governor. The five-man panel equally
faulted him for “over reaching
his powers”, by wrongly
interpreting the Appeal Court
Rules. On Monday, June 27, a Federal
High Court in Abuja sacked Ikpeazu as governor for allegedly submitting false
information to his party, the
Peoples Democratic Party, ahead
of the party’s governorship
primary in December 2014. Abang ordered the Independent
National Electoral Commission
(INEC) to immediately issue a certificate of return to the
plaintiff, Uche Ogah , who polled the second highest
number of votes in the primary
election.

get more news at davesblog.over-blog.com Sa’ad Abubakar III, the
Sultan of Sokoto has
defended the act of
putting on hijab – The Sultan says wearing
hijab is a privilege for all
Muslims – Sa’ad Abubakar III said
Christians commit more
wicked crimes than
terrorists The Sultan of Sokoto, Sa’ad
Abubakar III has said that
though Christians were not
believed to be terrorists but
they commit wicked crimes
against humanity. Sultan of Sokoto with
Governor Adams Oshiomhole of
Edo state Sultan of Sokoto with Governor
Adams Oshiomhole of Edo state Sa’ad Abubakar III spoke in
Benin City at the General
Assembly and Executive National
Council Meeting of the Nigeria
Supreme Council for Islamic
Affairs (NSCIA). Abubakar, however, hailed the
Pope for making a very strong
statement defending Islam as a
religion of peace. On the hijab controversy, he
stated that putting on hijab is
a right and not a privilege for
Muslims across the nation. The Sultan said: “Hijab is our
right not a privilege. It is not a
favour to us. It is our right. READ ALSO: Momodu writes on job creation – ”I do not envy
Buhari” “And we hold on to the
Constitution of the Federal
Republic of Nigeria that
guarantees freedom of worship. “That is why we don’t disturb
anybody who wants to go and
worship the way he wants.” He added: “Nigeria is a multi
religious state, not a singular
state. And being a multi-
religious state, we must allow
the various religions to go on
but we must not trample on each other’s right, which
means I must be allowed to
practice my religion the way I
believe as ordered me by the
Holy Quran and nothing else. “So when we get this done,
the issue of hijab and so many
other things affecting Islam, I
believe is our right, not a
privilege, unless the Constitution
is changed.” On bad elements in Islam, he
said: “Those bad people among
us, like in other religions, we
should pick them out and teach
them the tenets of Islam. “If they refuse to change, that
is their own problem. We will
meet with the creator on the
judgement day. “In any society, there are
many terribly bad people. So
many, who are not Muslims but
carry out criminal activities with
some Muslim organisations in
America, France and even in Nigeria. “Those people doing negative
things should be called criminals
or terrorists but not Muslims. “I’ve never heard of Christian
terrorists but we have heard
of so many Christians or
followers of other religions who
committed heinous crimes
against humanity. “But they didn’t claim to do it
for their religions and we did
not hold them against their
religions.” In the same vein, the Sultan of
Sokoto, Alhaji Sa’ad Abubakar
III, has called on political parties
and their candidates in the
September 10 gubernatorial
election in Edo state to place the interest of the voters
above all other
considerations as they campaign
for votes. Alhaji Abubakar, who is in Benin
to attend the annual general
meeting of the Nigeria Supreme
Council for Islamic Affairs, made
the call during a courtesy visit
to Governor Adams Oshiomhole at the government house. Though 18 candidates and
political parties are in the race,
the election is believed to be
majorly between Osagie Ize-
Iyamu of the Peoples Democratic
Party (PDP) and Godwin Obaseki of the All Progressives Congress
(APC). He also cautioned them to avoid
any act that could lead to
violence before, during and
after the election, noting that
campaigns are supposed to be
issue-based, and not opportunity to confuse the
people .

get more live news at davesblog.over-blog.com. – Various groups
continue to spring up
with calls for the
Nigerian government
to restructure the
country – The CDHR has
added a voice to the
call warning President
Muhammadu Buhari to
help Nigeria avoid war The Committee for the
Defence of Human Rights
(CDHR) in Ebonyi state has
warned President
Muhammadu Buhari to
avoid a situation where the country is plunged
into war. Members of CDHR in one
of their rallies The group, which monitors
human rights issues in
Nigeria, said the various
challenges and agitations
in the country should
make the president favour the call for
restructuring. The presidency had
vehemently kicked against
the call from different
segments of the Nigerian
society that the country
should be restructured. Professor Yemi Osinbajo,
the vice president, had
recently said
restructuring was not the
solution to these challenges. He believes
what matters is true
governance. But Atiku Abubakar, Nigeria’s former vice
president, and other groups in the country do
not believe this. The Niger Delta Avengers,
the Indigenous People of
Biafra and such other
organisations are all
fighting for either
restructuring or full secession from Nigeria. CDHR said obedience to
the calls for restructuring
is the major solution to
insecurity in the country. Daily Times reports that
the group made the call
at a one-day seminar and
swearing-in ceremony of
new executives of the
CDHR in Abakaliki, Ebonyi state. It argued, in a lecture
delivered by its state
chairman, Reverend
Frather John Odeye, that
the six geopolitical zones
of the country would be strengthened with
restructuring. READ ALSO: Mbaka blames Jonathan, says
there was no attack on
Buhari CDHR urged President
Buhari to think twice and
learn from former
President Goodluck
Jonathan, who sacrificed a
lot to ensure that the country remained united
through the national
conference his
government organised,
but which is yet to be
implemented. On his part, another
lecturer, Jerry
Chikwuokoro, accused the
current administration of
aiding corruption. He said one of the ways
the administration has
aided corruption was
through ignoring the
constitution in his
appointments. Apart from this, he said
the administration was
arresting and prosecuting
particular groups of
people and allowing the
Fulani herdsmen to continue killing innocent
citizens without any
concrete solution. READ ALSO: Fast all in one — UC Browser He said the Economic and
Financial Crimes Commission
(EFCC) and other anti-
corruption agencies would
continue to be
unsuccessful until the foundation of the country
is made strong.

find further info at http://davesblog.over-
blog.com/2016/08/just-in-
nigerian-army-shocks-man-it-
declared-wanted-by-doing-
this.html. Nigeria Army reportedly
told Ahmed Bolori that it
declared wanted to go
back home after he
reported at a military
facility in Borno on Sunday – Bolori waited for two
hours without being
arrested, detained or
interrogated before he
was told to go back home – Bolori’s associate,
Farouk Kperoogi said it
was not right for the
military to make it look as
if his arrest was urgent
when it wasn’t Bolori Ahmed Bolori, who was declared
wanted by military Hours after he was declared
wanted by the military, the
Nigeria Army on Sunday, August
14, reportedly sent back home
Ahmed Bolori when he reported
at one of its facilities in Borno. Bolori, the coordinator of the
Fa’ash Foundation and the
Partnership Against Violent
Extremism was declared wanted
alongside two others on Sunday
but was told to go back home and report the next day after
he surrendered himself to
military authorities. READ ALSO: Boko Haram video: See the sad thing that
happened to Chibok girls’
parents (photos) Premium Times quotes a close
associate of Bolori’s, Farook
Kperoogi, a U.S.-based Nigerian
journalism professor, as saying
in a message he posted on his
Facebook page after a conversation with Bolori, said he
reported at “the top military
barracks in Maiduguri, waited
for more than two hours, but
there was no one to
interrogate or arrest him.” Kperoogi was highly disappointed
that the military went to such
great extent of declaring Bolori
and the others wanted when
apparently it was not as urgent
as they made it seem. Kperoogi’s statement read: “It
is now self-evident that no one
in the highest reaches of
governance and security
enforcement in Nigeria is
thinking. How can you declare people “wanted” when you
haven’t even invited them for
questioning–and they haven’t
resisted your invitation? I just
got off the phone with
Ambassador Ahmed Umar Bolori, one of the people declared
“wanted” by the Nigerian
military. “He told me he called the Chief
of Army Staff, the
spokesperson of the Nigerian
military, who announced him
“wanted,” and other top
military officers and said he was at their beck and call and
didn’t need to be declared
“wanted” since he wasn’t in
hiding. “He then went ahead and
turned himself in at the top
military barracks in Maiduguri,
waited for more than two
hours, but there was no one to
interrogate or arrest him. READ ALSO: Fast all in one — UC Browser “He called and texted the chief
of army staff and the military
spokesperson again and pleaded
with them to send someone to
detain, arrest, interrogate, or
do whatever they wanted to do to him because he wanted
to clear his name. “He was later told to go home
and return the following day!
They told a “wanted” man to
go home and come back the
next day! Can you believe that?
First, he is personally known to the chief of army staff and to
the military spokesman. These
people also know his home in
Maiduguri. “They know where to get him
if they want to. Yet they
declared him “wanted.” Is
there any parallel to this level
of puzzling incompetence in the
world? Who declares people “wanted” without any interest
in seeing, much less
interrogating, them?” NAIJ.com recalls on Saturday,
August 13, Boko Haram released a video showing some of the
Chibok girls who were abducted from their
school in April 2014. As the video got to the public
domain, some of the Chibok
girls’ parents after seeing the
video of their daughters were
left in pain and uncontrollable
tears.

get more at http://davesblog.over-blog.com/2016/08/rio-olympics-usain-bolts-creates-history-with-100m-win.html. Usain Bolt has win a
third consecutive 100m
Olympics medals – USA’s Justin Gatlin came
second ahead of Canada’s
Andre de Grasse Jamaica’s Usain Bolt has won
the 100m title at the ongoing
Rio Olympics hence becoming the
first athlete to win three
Olympic 100m titles. Usain Bolt won the 100m at the Rio Olympics Usain Bolt won the 100m at the
Rio Olympics Bolt, 29, ran 9.81 seconds in his
final Olympics to replicate his
success at Beijing 2008 and
London 2012. American Justin Gatlinfinished
0.08 seconds behind Bolt to
take silver. “Somebody said I can become
immortal. Two more medals to
go and I can sign off. Immortal,”
said Bolt. GET for FREE: Get the latest sports news on Naij Sport Canada’s Andre de Grasse took
bronze in a personal best of
9.91, ahead of Bolt’s Jamaican
team-mate Yohan Blake who
finished fourth. Bolt remains on target to leave
Rio with a third successive
Olympic treble, and a ninth gold,
having won the 100m, 200m and
4x100m relay titles in 2008 and
2012. The world record holder, who
said in February he would retire
from athletics after the 2017
World Championships, competes
in qualifying for the men’s 200
on Tuesday, with the 4x100m relay beginning on Friday.

visit http://davesblog.over-blog.com/2016/08/ali-modu-sheriff-a-mole-spy-evil-vessel-of-destruction-femi-fani-kayode.html for more info Femi Fani-Kayode has
lashed out at the
fractional chairman of the
Peoples Democratic Party
(PDP) describing him as a
mole, spy and agent of destruction – FFK said Sheriff
pretends to be a friend
and a loyalist when his
real plan is to stab you in
the back and kill you in
the night Fani-Kayode Femi Fani-Kayode Former minister of Aviation and
spokesman to the Goodluck
Jonathan campaign organization,
Femi Fani-Kayode has lashed out
at the fractional chairman of
the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) describing him as a mole,
spy and agent of destruction. Fani-Kayode was responding to Sheriff’s statements made
when he appeared on Channels
TV on Sunday, August 14 where he
gave his term and condition for
peace to return to the PDP. “Lying Ali Modu Sheriff has
changed political parties no less
than five times in the last few
years. Each time he goes to a
new party that is not in power
at the center he assumes the role of a government mole and
spy and tries to destroy it
from within on behalf of the
government of the day,” he
said in a statement made
available to our reporter. READ ALSO: National convention: More cracks in PDP
as governors move against
Jonathan’s man He added further; “That is his
modus operandi. On return he
gets protection from the state
for all the many atrocities he
has committed over the years.
He has betrayed everyone and every political party he has
ever worked with or for. Go
and ask around. We used him to
spy on and destroy the APP
when Obasanjo was in power
and now Buhari is using him to destroy the PDP. “Luckily he has failed because
99 per cent of PDP members
have rejected him and now he
is on his own. He failed in his
evil mission and now he is
making noise like a chicken or snake whose head has been cut
off. Unlike him I am consistent in
my views and I am as constant
as the northern star. “It is a matter of good
breeding. With me you will
always know where you stand
and I will always speak my mind
no matter whose ox is gored.
He is the opposite. He pretends to be a friend and a loyalist
when his real plan is to stab
you in the back and kill you on
the night. READ ALSO: More crisis: Confusion as 4 PDP chairmen
emerge, APC jubilates “He does not have the courage
to be loyal to any cause, any
person or any political party. He
is more of a gangster than a
politucian and everyone knows
it. He comes into another mans house or political party and
tries to pull it down by deceit
and guile. “He is a vessel of destruction.
That is the man who some
misguided people believe can be
trusted. He was in APP, then
ANPP, then APC and now he is
in PDP all in a matter of a few years and everywhere he goes
he fights everyone until they
get tired of him and push him
out. If anyone wants to talk
about “changing goal posts” it
should certainly not be him.” Recall that Ali Modu Sheriff had
said the party lost Borno and Yobe states because former
President Goodluck Jonathan
failed to listen. “Yobe and Borno are one and
they will remain forever. I am
following the trend of events in
Yobe very well and I believe
that PDP should never have lost
Yobe at all,” he said.

get more at http://davesblog.over-blog.com. – Bode George says he
feels betrayed by Jimi
Agbaje insistence to
contest the PDP national
chairman position with him – George says he
expected Agbaje to step
down for him as he
supported the former
Lagos state gubernatorial
candidate during the 2015 election – Agbaje says he has
great respect for George
but decided to contest the
election in the national
interest Chief Bode George, a former
deputy national chairman of the
Peoples Democratic Party (PDP)
has expressed his
disappointment over the
insistence of the Lagos state governorship candidate of the
PDP in the 2015 election, Jimi
Agbaje, to contest the national
chairmanship of the party
against him. According to George, he
expected Agbaje to step down
for him as he supported the
former Lagos state
gubernatorial candidate during
the election. READ ALSO: PDP chairmanship: Dokpesi, Bode George pick forms Bode George says he feels
betrayed by Jimi Agbaje
insistence to contest the PDP
national chairman position with
him Speaking in an interview with
our The Punch on Friday,
August 12, George said the
support he gave to Agbaje
during the governorship election
was one of the causes of the crisis in the Lagos state
chapter of the PDP. George said: “I am very
disappointed but not angry.
Vengeance is not mine, it is
God’s. I want to quote the
book of Ecclesiastics, which says
that there is a season for everything. Whatever you sow
in your lifetime, you will reap. “Our Lord Jesus Christ said
that one of his disciples would
betray him. The disciples started
looking round. Judas Iscariot,
the traitor, has been around
from time immemorial. It’s a shame. That is his (Agbaje’s)
choice. I just pray that God
would continue to direct this
country. God has told us that it
is only Him we can trust, not
human beings. “Agbaje knows what is right.
My advice is that he should
step down. He should obey his
elders. As a Christian, we should
have the fear of God. If he
insists on contesting, I cannot stop him. Let the decision be
made by the delegates at the
convention.” However in a swift response to
George’s statement, Agbaje
said he had great respect for
George. Agbaje, who spoke through his
spokesperson, Felix Oboagwina,
said he was not a betrayer as
being claimed, adding that he
decided to contest the election
in the national interest. READ ALSO: Fast all in one — UC Browser He said: “For Jimi Agbaje, the
national chairmanship position
was never his ambition. He
never aspired to it. The
stakeholders decided that they
needed someone who would not have to deal with a reputation
crisis and they chose Agbaje. “Agbaje never betrayed Chief
Bode George. He is not a
betrayer. He has all the respect
for George but this is beyond
true allies; this is beyond Lagos
state. He is contesting in the national interest. The party has
created a level playing field. Let
the best man win.” Meanwhile, the PDP has set
aside Monday, August 15 for
the screening of all aspirants to
various positions in the party
ahead of its national convention. It has also fixed Tuesday,
August 16, for the screening
appeal. This was contained in a
statement by a member of the
National Caretaker Committee,
Abdul Ningi​,​ on Thursday,
August 11. The convention holds on August
17 in Port Harcourt, the Rivers
state capital. Among the aspirants for the
chairmanship position of the
party are a former Deputy
National Chairman (South), Bode
George, owner of the African Independent Television, Raymond
Dokpesi, a former Minister of
Education, Tunde Adeniran​,​
and the party’s governorship
candidate in the April 11, 2015
governorship election in Lagos state, Jimi Agbaje.

The emir of Kano, Muhammadu Sanusi II, has come under attack from Fani Kayode for blaming the immediate past president, Goodluck Jonathan, for not supporting the independence of a Palestinian state during his administration.

Emir Muhammad Sanusi II, had on Wednesday, August 10 urged the federal government under the leadership of President Muhammadu Buhari to back the need for a free Palestinian state.

Speaking at a one-day international conference on Palestine with the theme, “Palestine question; Issues, Challenges and Actions, the former governor of the CBN said the immediate past president was to be held responsible for the failure of Palestinian state, which ought to have put an end to the Israeli occupation of Palestinian territories at the UN security council. However, former minister of aviation, Fani Kayode, reacting to Emir Sanusi’s comments via his twitter handle called on the emir to shut up, insisting that the land in contention belongs to Israel and not Palestine.

See tweet by Fani Kayode attacking Emir Sanusi below:

"Would someone pl tell this man to just shut up. The land belongs to Israel and not Palestine. God bless Israel."
https://twitter.com/realFFK/status/763685234260971520


In another development, Fani Kayode alleged that President Muhammadu Buhari plans to break up Nigeria if crude oil is found in the north. Recall that the president recently directed the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC) to begin the search for oil in the north-east. However, Fani Kayode reacting to Buhari’s directive via his twitter handle on Thursday, August 11, said if the president finds oil, he and the north will be the first to call for a breakup of the country.

https://www.naij.com/926198-tension-fani-kayode-tells-emir-sanusi-shut.html

The budget scandal rocking
the National Assembly is
still generating heated
debate, and Nigerians are
yet to hear the last of it. Budget padding: Why Dogara,
Jibrin won’t be sanctioned -
APC Speaker of the House of Reps,
Yakubu Dogara has spoken out
regarding the budget padding
scandal. At a time when Nigeria is
battling recession, the headlines
of some of the national dailies
focuses on the budget padding
issue, while others tend to
other pressing matters. We begin with the Daily Sun which has it front page headline
as “I am not guilty –Dogara” According to the report,
Speaker of the house of
Representatives, Yakubu
Dogara, in an apparent fight
back on the budget padding
controversy yesterday said that no member of the National
Assembly can be investigated or
charged to court for performing
their constitutional responsibility
of lawmaking including the
budget process. READ ALSO: Fast all in one — UC Browser AUGUST 12 - S But former chairman of the
appropriation committee of the
house, Abdulmumin Jibrin
dismissed the speaker’s
position and challenged him to a
public debate on the matter. He said Dogara’s comment that
lawmakers cannot be tried for
doing their duty is diversionary
and meant to mislead the public. ‘I challenge speaker Dogara
and his cabal to a public debate
on their claim that the
fraudulent insertions they made
in the budget is not an offence
that can be prosecuted under the laws of Nigeria rather than
continue in their futile efforts
to blackmail the entire country
or continue their begging
mission to the party, they
should submit themselves to anti-corruption agencies and
answer thousands of questions
waiting for them’ But Dogara, who spoke in Abuja
at the Civil Society Dialogue
Session on one year of the
Legislative Agenda organised by
Policy and Legal Advocacy
Centre (PLAC), noted that the 2016 budget had been
controversial from the beginning
and that it took dialogue,
compromise and consensus to
produce a workable document. The Speaker argued that by
virture of the provisions of the
Legislative Houses Powers and
Priviledges Act, no member of
the parliament can be charged
to court or investigated for exercising their powers of law
making. Find out how at http://davesblog.over-blog.com/2016/08/trouble-in-national-assembly-dogara-forced-to-spill-secrets.html

Niger Delta militants are
expected to undermine
governorship election in
Edo state – The state officials
believe the insurgents will
invade major cities through
the waterways The Edo state government has
raised the alarm about the
oncoming attacks planned by
the Niger Delta Volunteer Force
(NDVF) militant group to take
place during governorship election on September 10. A statement released by Mr
Musa Ebomhiana, the senior
special assistant on media to
Governor Adams Oshiomhole,
reads in part: “The militants
are expected to invade the state through the waterways in
Ologbo, Ikpoba Okha Local
Government Area and
Agenebode, Etsako East Local
Government Area. READ ALSO: BREAKING! Less than 48 hours after threat;
Militants carry out deadly
attack The other entry points are said
to be Epkeri and Anegbete in
Etsako Central Local
Government Area and Siloko in
the Ovia North East Local
Government. About 4, 000 of these militants are said to have
been hired to carry out this
dirty job. One of the leaders of the group
and an indigene of Edo State,
who simply gave his name as J.
C. Goddon otherwise known as
Rambo, said he was duty-bound
to expose this evil plan of his colleagues-in-arms because ‘we
are for free, fair and peaceful
election in Edo State and the
entire Niger Delta, nothing less. READ ALSO: Buhari’s boys beg Niger Delta Avengers and Biafra
agitators; read what they want Goddon also revealed that ‘I
have advised some of my
colleagues in other groups not
to be used to destabilise the
election in Edo. I also want to
advise the youths here (Edo) not to allow themselves to be
used to foment trouble before,
during and after the election.” Meanwhile, the Reformed Niger
Delta Avengers (RNDA), a
splinter group of the Niger
Delta Avengers has accused former President Goodluck
Jonathan of being the grand
patron of the NDA . More at Niger Delta militants are
expected to undermine
governorship election in
Edo state – The state officials
believe the insurgents will
invade major cities through
the waterways The Edo state government has
raised the alarm about the
oncoming attacks planned by
the Niger Delta Volunteer Force
(NDVF) militant group to take
place during governorship election on September 10. A statement released by Mr
Musa Ebomhiana, the senior
special assistant on media to
Governor Adams Oshiomhole,
reads in part: “The militants
are expected to invade the state through the waterways in
Ologbo, Ikpoba Okha Local
Government Area and
Agenebode, Etsako East Local
Government Area. READ ALSO: BREAKING! Less than 48 hours after threat;
Militants carry out deadly
attack The other entry points are said
to be Epkeri and Anegbete in
Etsako Central Local
Government Area and Siloko in
the Ovia North East Local
Government. About 4, 000 of these militants are said to have
been hired to carry out this
dirty job. One of the leaders of the group
and an indigene of Edo State,
who simply gave his name as J.
C. Goddon otherwise known as
Rambo, said he was duty-bound
to expose this evil plan of his colleagues-in-arms because ‘we
are for free, fair and peaceful
election in Edo State and the
entire Niger Delta, nothing less. READ ALSO: Buhari’s boys beg Niger Delta Avengers and Biafra
agitators; read what they want Goddon also revealed that ‘I
have advised some of my
colleagues in other groups not
to be used to destabilise the
election in Edo. I also want to
advise the youths here (Edo) not to allow themselves to be
used to foment trouble before,
during and after the election.” Meanwhile, the Reformed Niger
Delta Avengers (RNDA), a
splinter group of the Niger
Delta Avengers has accused former President Goodluck
Jonathan of being the grand
patron of the NDA . Http://davesblog.over-blog.com

In a bid to further their operation, militants that have been terrorising the Niger Delta region brought their violence to Lagos through the water ways to vandalise pipelines and attack residents. However, a military operation was carried out to stop the progress of the militant sand this has yielded success as while some vandals were killed, others fled. In this analysis, the writer recognises the importance of Lagos to the country and applauds the military for taking swift action to stop the activities of militants. Lagos is not home for militancy Ongoing combined military and police action against pipeline vandals in the creeks of Arepo, Ogun State and parts of Ikorodu in Lagos State is another demonstration of the Federal Government’s determination to crack down on criminals wherever they congregate. In an offensive coded ‘Operation Awathe’, Arepo axis came under bombardment penultimate weekend, with casualties recorded. Air Force helicopters were deployed in the onslaught while the Navy, Army and Police boarded combat boats and combed the creeks. The objective is to flush out the criminals terrorising riverine communities in Ikorodu and its environs from their hideouts through sustained aerial and amphibious assaults. The joint military action appears to be yielding results. There are reports that some of the criminals had fled the area to other riverine locations. Pockets of others are still hiding in the deep recesses of the creeks. Residents have continued to flee the affected communities for fear of further attacks. READ ALSO: Ground force recovers register of Niger Delta militants The military response came a little late but it is welcome. Many innocent lives have been lost since the criminals became active in those areas. Several families were displaced with their property abandoned while their owners vowed never to return. Those who managed to secure theirs before the situation escalated hurriedly sold them off cheaply. It needs to be reiterated that the government has the duty and responsibility to protect the people as enshrined in the constitution. The military authorities are, therefore, right to defend the people without waiting for them to resort to self help. The intervention also prevented the situation from assuming an ethnic coloration. Parts of the affected communities are areas inhabited by riverine people who depend on the creeks for their survival. The right of such people to earn a living should be respected while fishing out the criminal elements among them. Care should be taken to avoid civilian casualties and collateral damage. Conscious efforts should be made to avoid a repeat of the Gbaramatu community incident in Delta State where local people were harassed by soldiers during the hunt for Niger Delta Avengers. READ ALSO: Lagos government to take over houses used by criminals We commend the military efforts so far but urge them to exercise restraint in enforcing their rules of engagement to forestall avoidable casualties. Local residents should partner in the effort by providing intelligence reports on suspicious characters and identified criminals operating in their areas. The identities of such people should not be shielded. We commend Governor Akinwunmi Ambode and the Lagos State Government for their efforts to ensure the return of calm to the troubled areas, and hope the Federal Government will deploy the same vigour and fire power to curtail the excesses of rampaging herdsmen and armed bandits across the country. This opinion first appeared in Vanguard. Find out more at http://davesblog.over-blog.com/

The senior special
assistant to the president
on National Assembly
Matters (Senate), Ita Enang has distanced the
President Buhari from the
budget padding scandal
rocking the National
Assembly. According to Premium Times,
Enang on Tuesday, August 9, at
the national secretariat of APC
after a closed - door meeting
with the party leadership said
the presidency did not know anything about the scandal. The budget scandal surfaced
after the former c hairman of the House of Representatives
committee on appropriation,
Abdulmumini J i brin, alleged
that the speaker, Yakubu
Dogara, his deputy, Yusuf
Lasun , and two other principal officers “padded”
the budget with N40 billion. But Dogara has since denied the
allegation, even going as far as
saying budget padding was not
an offence He has also refused to resign
from office as demanded by
some members of the lower
legislative chamber. However, Ita Enang has absolved the presidency of
complicity in the scandal saying
the Appropriation Act being
implemented was the one
passed by the lawmakers in
March. “We are here on the invitation
of the party leadership of the
APC with my colleague to bring
answers to issues raised by the
party from the 2016
Appropriation and we have been with the party for a little over
three hours and we have given
explanation on every issue that
there was nothing, to our
knowledge, no padding of the
budget,” he said. “The budget as assented to by
Mr. President is the budget as
passed by the National Assembly
and that is the budget be
ing executed. “But as at now the party is
handling it as a domestic issue,
and all of us are enjoined not
to make public comment on the
details of it because the matter
is still under consideration. “So that is what we will want
to say for now, we will not
want to go into the details of
it so that we will not breach
the ethics of the party, the
directives of the party or pre- empt everything, any outcome
by the party.” When asked if Mr Dogara was
guilty of the allegation leveled
against him, Enang, was
however evasive saying it was
not appropriate to draw any
conclusion on the matter. According to him, “I will want to
say that we came here as
persons who work as liaison
officers on the budget and the
party had questions for us to
make clarifications and we have made those clarifications to the
party. “We would not want to draw
any conclusion. Please let us not
go too far and mentioning any
office. Let it be that two of us
have appeared before the
party. Find out more at http://davesblog.over-blog.com/2016/08/budget-padding-scandal-president-buhari-implicated.html

The former minister of aviation Femi Fani-
Kayode in this new piece
addresses the various issues
that made headline in the
Nigerian media this past week. Fani-Kayode in the first part of
this opinion piece writes on the
challenges the nation is
currently facing including the
crossfire between the new
leader of the dreaded Boko Haram terrorists and the Niger
Delta youth over threats made
on Christians by the terrorist. The new leader of Boko Haram, Abu Musab al-Barnawi The new leader of Boko Haram,
Abu Musab al-Barnawi “If Boko Haram kills Christians
and burns down churches, we
will slay Muslims and raze down
mosques. We want to warn
them that we, the Niger Delta
youths, in this 21st century will not accept the killing of
innocent Christians or the
burning of churches. That if
they try it in the north or any
part of Nigeria, we the Niger
Delta youths will not see any Muslim or mosque in the Niger
Delta”– Niger Delta
Revolutionary Crusaders,
Vanguard Newspaper, August 5,
2016. It is no longer news that the
new leader of Boko Haram, Mr.
Abu Musa Al Barnawi, who
apparently has the backing of
ISIS, has said that he will target
only Christians and burn down all the Churches in the country. He has also said that Muslims
and mosques will no longer be
targeted and that Mr. Abubakar
Shekau, the erstwhile leader
and principal voice of the terror
group, is no longer the leader. Mr. Shekau has responded by
saying that he will continue to
slaughter whoever he pleases
and that he remains the
authentic leader. There appears
to be a very serious rift in the ranks of Boko Haram which is
good news. As far as I am concerned the
two factions can do us all a
favour by destroying one
another and burning in hell. Anyone that targets Christians
and Churches, or indeed any
innocent civilians for slaughter,
is not worthy of life. They are
nothing but vermin and, like the
cockroaches that they are, they must be crushed. READ ALSO: Fani Kayode writes open letter: Shame on you
Christians; Islamisation agenda
has been achieved! Mr. Shekau is evil but Mr. Al
Barnawi is even worse: he is
the devil incarnate. He
represents ISIS and we all know
what that means. Whichever way we look at it
and whatever is going on within
the ranks of Boko Haram we
must not loose sight of the
bigger picture. And that bigger
picture points to one thing: Nigeria is in a mess. Quite apart from the poverty
and hardship that has afflicted
the land coupled with the total
destruction of the economy and
quite apart from the shattering
of peoples dreams and the drastic reduction in their
standard of living by the
ineffectual and barren fiscal and
economic policies of an inept
and incompetent government,
our President did not stop there. He also went as far as to
appoint as his minister of sports
a man who is clearly (to use
Donald Trump’s words about
Hilary Clinton)“unbalanced and unhinged”. This is a man that can barely
speak English and who, during
the week of the Olympics,
publicly referred to our country
as “the United States Of
Nigeria” whilst reprimanding our Olympic football team for
getting stuck in America and
arriving late in Brazil. Someone should tell Honorable
Minister Solomon Dalung that it
was HIS job to get our boys to
Rio De Janeiro on time and that
it was something of a scandal
and a national embarrasment that it took the last minute
intervention and assistance of
Delta Air, a private American
airline, to get them there in
time for their match with Japan. The Sports minister Solomon Dalung The Sports minister, Solomon
Dalung Whilst our boys did us proud by
going on to defeat Japan and
later Sweden, the video of the
Minister disparaging them and
spouting nonsense about some
fictitious and imaginary country called ‘the United States of
Nigeria’ whilst wearing his
ridiculous red beret went viral
on the internet. A fool goes by
no other name. In normal climes the Minister
would have been forced to
resign the following day and he
would have been compelled to
apologise to the nation that he
is purportedly serving for forgetting its name. Sadly
though there is nothing that is
“normal” about Nigeria or the
Buhari administration. Equally abysmal was the recent
outing of Governor Babatunde
Raji Fashola, President Buhari’s
“super Minister” of Power,
Works and Housing, on BBC
TV’s Hardtalk. Before millions of viewers from
all over the world, the Minister
told his host Mr. Stephen
Sackhur a shameless and
pernicious lie by claiming that he
never promised Nigerians an increase in power generation
and supply. Get more news at http://davesblog.over-blog.com/2016/08/the-niger-delta-crusaders-the-muslim-pilgrims-and-the-united-states-of-nigeria-part-1-ffk.html

Nigerian teenager,
Serena Omo-Lamai has set
a pace academically – The 17-year-old has
been granted admission in
13 universities – Serena will be studying
Bio-Medical Engineering in
the United states Serena Omo-Lamai has been
granted admission to study in
13 universities in America and
Canada, she has opted for
Syracuse University, United
States.Serena-Omo-Lamai Serena Omo-Lamai Omo-Lamai, who graduated from
Dowen College, Lekki, Lagos, last
year, would be going to the
states to study Bio-Medical
Engineering. The Punch reports that some of
the universities where she was
offered admission include Emory
University, Georgia Institute of
Technology, New York
University, among others. Speaking in a telephone
interview with newsmen on
Monday, Omo-Lamai said she
settled for Syracuse University
because of the institution’s
world-class research laboratory and a $51,000 scholarship offer. READ ALSO: Enjoy surfing with the fastest browser The teenager, who aspires to
be a medical engineer, disclosed
that she would study medicine
as a second degree. “I feel very honoured and I feel
it is an opportunity to work
harder. I know that I have to
justify the offer. I chose
Syracuse University because it
has a very good research lab and the offer came with $
51,000 scholarship. I have
always loved Biology, Chemistry,
Physics and Geography. “My hope is to study medicine
for a second degree, but I
would love to be a medical
engineer. Most of the medical
equipment in the country are
imported and I would like a situation where medical
equipment is manufactured here
in Nigeria. “My parents are my role
models, but I am also inspired
by anyone who is hard working,
anyone who puts so much
efforts into what they do,” she
said. Serena Omo-Lamai is not the
first of Nigerian teenagers to
achieve an educational feat of
such magnitude, it would be
recalled that High school senior
Harold Ekeh didn’t just get into one Ivy League university. He
was accepted into all eight. Ekeh got into all 13 schools he
applied to, including MIT and
Johns Hopkins. “I am leaning toward Yale,” he
told CNNMoney. “I competed at
Yale for Model UN, and I like the
passion people at Yale had.” Some of the Yale students he
met became his friends and
mentors, offering advice on the
college application process. Now
Ekeh is trying to do the same
thing. READ ALSO: Revealed: How Nigerian parents plan to crumble
FG’s tuition hike for schools Ekeh, 17, founded a college
mentoring program at his
school, Elmont Memorial High
School on Long Island in the
New York city suburbs. His goal
is to get more students into top universities. The Nigeria born teenager came
to the United states when he
was eight. He wrote his main
college essay about the
struggle to adjust, including
being clueless in US history classes at school. He said he
would ask his parents
repeatedly why they moved. “We had a fairly comfortable
life in Nigeria, but they told me
we moved to America for the
opportunities like the
educational opportunities,” he
recalled. CNNMoney reports that the
salutatorian is quick to credit
his parents, school and
community for his success. “I am very humbled by this,”
Ekeh said in an interview. “It’s
not just for me, but for my
school and community. We can
accomplish great things here.” visit http://davesblog.over-blog.com/2016/08/nigerian-girl-gets-admission-to-13-universities.html

– Former Speaker of
House of Representatives
now Sokoto state
Governor, Alhaji Aminu
Tambuwal has thrown his
weight behind embattled Speaker of the House of
Representatives, Yakubu
Dogara – Also, the senior special
assistant to the President
on National Assembly
matters, Abdulrahman
Kawu-Sumaila, is said to
have thrown his weight behind Dogara. Aminu Tambuwal, governor of
Sokoto state Former Speaker of House of
Representatives now Sokoto
state Governor, Alhaji Aminu
Tambuwal is believed to have
thrown his weight behind
embattled Speaker of the House of Representatives, Yakubu
Dogara as he battles accusation
of padding the 2016 budget. Tambuwal who is the immediate
ex-Speaker of the House
remains one of the Speakers in
Nigeria without any corruption
scandal. According to Punch, governor
Tambuwal had had been
mobilising some members of the
House from the North-West to
support the Speaker. Find out more by clicking this link. http://davesblog.over-blog.com/2016/08/budget-padding-former-speaker-backs-dogara-as-jibrin-meets-police.html we got you covered

Governor Nyesom
Wike of Rivers state,
who was one of those
reportedly linked with
sponsoring militants,
has defended himself – Olisa Metuh, the
former national
publicity secretary of
the Peoples
Democratic Party
(PDP) had also denied having any links with
militants Governor Nyesom Wike of
Rivers state has said they
are not involved with the
Niger Delta Avengers
(NDA) or any other
militant groups as alleged in earlier reports. File photo of militants
operating in the Niger
Delta region of Nigeria In a statement by Simon
Nwakudu, his media aide,
Wike said the mention of
his name was a
distraction as he had
been working to develop his state. The statement said:
“Governor Nyesom
Ezenwo Wike is a patriotic
leader, committed to the
sustenance and
improvement of the nation’s democracy and
economy. “He is a promoter of
security and good
governance. He cannot be
disparaged by concocted
publications.” find out more on http://davesblog.over-blog.com/2016/08/governor-wike-gives-own-version-concerning-alleged-links-with-militants.html.

There is still unending
drama regarding the Abia
governorship battle – Governor Ikpeazu tells
supporters to stay off him
for now – No more solidarity visits The fear caused by the Abia
state governorship battle is
dying down gradually. It seems
the nation’s courts will provide
a solution to the political
brouhaha. Abia state governor Okezie
Ikpeazu has put a stop on all
forms of solidarity visits by his
fervent supporters. Ikpeazu
made this known when he
appreciated some groups who gathered people for the
different solidarity visits which
the governor said had even
affected his administration. The governor urged “all Abians
to please return to their usual
daily pursuits and end further
solidarity visits associated with
the last attempted coup.” find out more at http://davesblog.over-blog.com/2016/08/abia-governorship-battle-ikpeazu-surprises-his-supporters-read-what-he-did.html

follow http://davesblog.over-blog.com/2016/08/budget-padding-jibrin-returns-gives-dogara-a-hard-blow.html and get loads of Nigerian news and freebies.

Metuh says he
would not have
responded to the
allegations leveled
against him – Describes
allegations against
him as sheer
wickedness – Appeals to
President Buhari to
ensure the truth is
unraveled Chief Olisa Metuh, the
former national publicity
secretary of the Peoples
Democratic Party (PDP)
has addressed allegations
that he is the sponsor of the Niger Delta Avengers. The ex-PDP strongman
whose health is not
steady at the moment is
also embroiled in the
Dasukigate scandal, denied
ever sponsoring the militants and asked those
involving him in the
allegations to leave him
alone. Metuh made this
clarification on Sunday,
August 7, via a press
statement obtained by
Vanguard, where he also
appealed to President Muhammadu Buhari’s
government to get to the
root of the matter and
bring the culprits to book. Chief Olisa Metuh says he
has nothing to do with
sponsorship of Niger Delta
Avengers. “My attention has been
drawn to a false and
misleading report
circulating in a section of
the media, heinously listing
my name as one of the sympathizers of the
Niger-Delta Avengers. “Ordinarily, I would not
have responded to this
given that I have since
chosen to conduct my
affairs with the decency
and comportment of someone involved in a
well-celebrated trial and
with a severe spinal
problem. “I am also not unaware
of the series of false
reports against my
person in the past few
months. However, on this
occasion I have chosen to respond, as this
particularly borders on
matters affecting national
security. “Indeed, I believe this is a
wicked, cruel and devilish
plot to link me with such
activities and at this very
time, especially as the
claim is outrightly false. READ ALSO: Why Olisa Metuh is offering to
refund N400 million –
Counsel “For the avoidance of
doubt, I hereby state
categorically that I do not
have any relationship or
association whatsoever
either as a sympathizer or sponsor of any militant
group, including the
Avengers,” the statement
reads in part. The statement further
read: “I therefore find it
very cruel that any
person would in any
manner whatsoever
attempt to associate my name with anything to do
with this group or its
operations and I still
wonder what the motive
behind this sinister plot is. “While I restate my
decision not to be drawn
into any controversy at
this time, it is pertinent
that I reiterate that my
only preoccupation now remains matters
concerning my health and
extant court trial as I
continue to conduct my
affairs with dignity and
single-mindedness. “Finally, I call on the
Federal Government and
security agencies to
immediately investigate
and arrest Cynthia Whyte,
who purportedly circulated the report and
ensure that they get to
the root of this matter.
This is a security issue
and nobody should be
allowed to play politics with it.” Meanwhile, Metuh has also denied knowledge of a
injunction filed before a
Federal High Court in
Abuja. Speaking to NAIJ.com on
Wednesday, July 27,
Metuh’s special assistant
Richard Ihediwa said his
principal was not aware
of any attempt by the Ali Modu-Sheriff led group to
stop the forthcoming
national convention. “My principal is not even
aware of any suit to stop
the convention,” Ihediwa
said. The Modu-Sheriff’s
faction of the PDP will
today, July 28, appear
before Justice Okon Abang
over an application for an
interlocutory injunction to stop the party’s national
convention on August 17. Visit http://davesblog.over-blog.com/ for more nigerian news.

The former Speaker
reveals that Obasanjo
had nothing when he
assumed office as
Nigeria’s president – Says the ex-
president has no
integrity to describe
the lawmakers as
corrupt people – Explains when
budget padding could
be an offence Ex Nigerian president,
Chief Olusegun Obasanjo
has been described as the
most corrupt Nigerian. This assertion was made
by Ghali Na’Abba, a
former Speaker of the
House of Representatives
who stated during an
interview on Saturday, August 6, that the former
president lacks the
integrity to call members
of the National Assembly
as corrupt people. The ex-speaker said the
Ogun high chief had
nothing before president
but engaged in
questionable and
undefendable expenditures during his two-term reign. Ghali Na’Abba, the former
Speaker who described
ex-president Olusegun
Obasanjo as the most
corrupt Nigerian. Leadership quoted him to
have said: “Well, I don’t
think there is anybody
more corrupt in this
country like the former
President. I believe you are talking about the
former President Olusegun
Obasanjo. “As the Speaker, I took
Obasanjo on several issues
of expenditure offences
which he committed and
could not show remorse.
So, I don’t think he has the integrity to call
anybody in the NASS
corrupt. This is the man
who became President
with nothing and today
he is one of the richest Nigerians, let him explain
to Nigerians how he
acquired the money. “On his planned
elongation, am aware that
some monies was given to
the national assembly
members both the House
of Representatives and the Senate. It was alleged
that the Senators got 50
million each while 40 million
was given to the house
of representative
members, some collected and some did not collect.
But I am aware that
money was distributed by
Obasanjo.” Na’Abba also spoke on
the budget padding
scandal, saying “I expect
that for 16 years of
return to democracy,
Nigerians would have understood the
responsibilities of the
National Assembly. “For some weeks now,
there has been
controversy over what is
called padding. As far as I
am concerned, the
National Assembly has the responsibility to pass the
budget, approve it and
allow the executive arm
to execute it. “According to my
understanding, where the
issue being referred to as
padding comes into play is
a situation where some
members go behind and add items of expenditure
to what has already been
agreed upon, for either
stealing the funds or
doing whatever they feel
like doing with it. “But, this stealing of fund
cannot be possible
without the active
connivance with some
members of the executive
arm. “So far, accusations are
being traded amongst
members of the houses.
No investigation has been
conducted. On the call for
the resignation of the Speaker, the question is,
what has the Speaker
done to warrant his
resignation?” On whether or not it is
an offence to pad the
budget, the former
Speaker said: “It all
depends from what angle
you look at it, I just told you that the responsibility
of appropriation belongs
to the national assembly. “If padding is seen as an
offence, then it is when
some members of the
national assembly decide
to add items of
expenditure through the back door after the
budget has been passed
by both houses. It
therefore behoves on
Nigerians to decide who
represent them in the national assembly.” The ex-president had
stunned Nigerians and observers on Friday,
August 5, when he
stormed the Abuja venue
of the Peoples Democratic
Party (PDP) convention
committee inauguration. After initially refusing to
speak with journalists, the
elder statesman denied
ever attending
the event as widely
reported, stating in a text message to Premium
Times, that the PDP wanted cheap political
gains adding that the reports were planned to
embarrass him and get
him angry. He said he was at the
Shehu Musa Yar’Adua
centre as guest of
Senator Abdullahi Adamu,
the chairman, Senate
committee on agriculture, when the PDP leaders
came to greet him. He
added that his resignation
from party politics is final. Get more news on davesblog.over-blog.comSo far, accusations are
being traded amongst
members of the houses.
No investigation has been
conducted. On the call for
the resignation of the Speaker, the question is,
what has the Speaker
done to warrant his
resignation?. Visit http://davesblog.over-blog.com/