NewWorld

Sunday, 25 October 2015

President Muhammadu Buhari has been accused of gunning after Ijaws, a minority group from the Niger Delta geo political region in Nigeria with his anti corruption war.

President Buhari and Diezani Alison-Madueke

Making the accusation today, Sunday October 25, the president of the Ijaw Youth Council (IYC) Udengs Eradiri who spoke with news men in Yenagoa, the Bayelsa State capital, said president should leave operators of illegal refineries and oil bunkers alone unless he has alternative job for them.
“Much as we support the war against oil theft, it must come with an economic plan as an alternative so that as you are going in to stop them from their way of life, provide an alternative,” he said.
“Engage, employ the youths who engage in illegal refining of crude in the creeks. But when you do otherwise, there will be effects. That’s why you are seeing the increase in crime rate, robbery is going up, kidnapping is on the increase, they are kidnapping even ice fish sellers now.
“It is because when you destroy their means of livelihood and you don’t create any alternative, it is a deliberate ploy to destabilize the Niger Delta so that businesses would not come here.”
“Today even the institution that was set, such a special institution to build capacity of Nigerians, not only Ijaw people, just as they have police academy in the north, a special institute was set in the south, this vindictive administration have come and cancelled that university.
“Nigerians should calculate how much we have spent in capital flight sending our people abroad for special courses in the maritime sector.
“A university and programme were set up by Patrick Akpobolokemi (ex-NIMASA boss who is being investigated for graft).
Kingsley (Kuku, ex-presidential aide on Amnesty who is being investigated for corruption) brought peace to Niger Delta, stabilized this region, but today what are they paying him with?
“These individuals (Messrs Kuku and Akpobolokemi) should be people that would have been rewarded by Nigerians for their service to Nigeria,” Mr. Eradiri said.
The council also asked the president to stop the investigation of ex-petroleum minister, Diezani Alison-Madueke, by British authorities for money laundering.
“The UK government should stay away from Diezani,” he said “This was how they muscled up and now (Diepreiye) Alamieyeseigha is dead.”
“Now they have started with Diezani. They should leave Ijaw People alone. Are there no other governors that have stolen?
“Go to UK, almost all the streets are owned by northerners who stole Nigeria money. So why are they just on Goodluck Jonathan’s men, just to demonise Goodluck.”
The Ijaw leader alleged that the anti-corruption efforts of President Muhammadu Buhari was targeted at associates of his predecessor especially Ijaws.
“As far as we are concerned, the anti-corruption fight is a fight against the Ijaw people,” he said.
“Goodluck should have won Nobel Prize for peace. Goodluck deserves a Nobel peace prize, Goodluck deserves respect from Nigerians,” he said in reference to Mr. Jonathan’s decision to peacefully hand over power to Mr. Buhari after the former lost the March 2015 presidential election.
On the newly introduced Single Treasury Account (TSA), IYC said the projects of the Amnesty Office and the Niger Delta Development Commission NDDC are already feeling the pain.
“We call on the President to exempt the NDDC from the Single Treasury Account,” he said.
“My own understanding is that institutions that are revenue generating organizations, like NNPC,NIMASA,NPA should generate the monies and inject them to a common purse.
“Not institutions that are set up particularly for special purposes, like the development of the Niger Delta.”
The youth group also demanded for the release of the Radio Biafra broadcaster, Nnamdi Kanu.
Meanwhile, as part of his anti-corruption war and block leakages in government, President Muhammadu Buhari is set to reverse the pension laws for governors enacted in some states across Nigeria.

Meet Woman Who Gave Birth To Seven Children In 5 Years

For 28-year-old Jummai Musa, life as a mother is a story which can be written and sold for an interesting price.

Family picture: Musa Kanti, his wife Jummai and their seven children

Jummai became a mother of seven in the space of five years and when recounting her experience during the five years, it is really worth the while. She opened up to Daily Trust on how she achieved the feat and her experience will lift your spirit!
Read excerpts below:
Did you plan to have so many children within the space of five years?
(Laughter) It was not that I planned to have seven children within that period or to have so many children in the first place. It so happened that I was married for three years and didn’t have a child. I didn’t even get pregnant. My husband and I are farmers and didn’t have money to do tests to confirm if there was anything wrong with either of us. All we had were our prayers, God and support of our families and friends. God answered us after three years and I had a baby girl. Two years after I had her, I was pregnant again and so excited about it. It was even more exciting to everyone who knew us when we discovered in my second trimester that they were twins. I danced, and my husband was so happy and especially happy when he was later told that one of the twins was a boy.
But beneath our joy, we were a little worried about how we would take care of them on our very low income. But God was kind and people helped and have been helping. Then three years after, I was pregnant again. I got worried because of our finances but had belief in God. When I went for scan, I was told I was expecting triplets. At this point, joy overwhelmed me as I began to wonder about God and how He does things.
Was it a difficult pregnancy?
Yes, especially towards the end. I had morning sickness but not for long. Then as it progressed and the babies grew, I became more and more exhausted and had to stop a lot of activities. I went for check up. My neighbours were very helpful and would take me or help me get things I needed. But I was tired a lot, too much that sometimes I would wonder if I had the energy to push the baby. All this while I imagined how the triplets would look. I wasn’t very keen about their gender because I already male and female, though.
On May 27, which was Children’s Day, at about 2am I went into labour. Luckily, there is a midwife not very far from my house who someone went to call and let her know I was in labour. We couldn’t go to hospital because of the pain and we really didn’t have the means to do so at that time of the day. The babies started coming out. Each one took two hours after the previous one before it came out. For six hours they were coming out. I was thoroughly exhausted and had just enough strength to push out the third before I collapsed. After she came out, the midwife said, ‘wait it seems there is still another one inside.’ At that point I passed out. I was so exhausted and didn’t know what to do with myself.
By this time it was day time. I was immediately rushed to Gwarinpa Hospital where they admitted me and delivered the last baby four hours after the third. I was afraid.
What was the feeling when you first saw all of them together?
I said to myself, ‘na me born all these pikin [sic]?’ My small body carried four human beings? I exclaimed ‘God you are great’. I couldn’t believe it, especially because I was expecting three babies.
Was it the thought of a fourth one, when the midwife told you, that made you pass out?
(Laughter) All of the above! The surprise that I am such a small-statured person and from my own understanding couldn’t carry four babies and also the fear that the fourth one might be too sickly, plus the excitement in my heart, all terrified me. In all, I truly was happy and decided to stay optimistic. Thankfully, they are all healthy, asides the third who is a little sickly.
My plan was to have three children, at the most four. I was not very particular about whether they were all boys or all girls. I was just looking forward to being a mother.
What is it like looking after quadruplets?
Wow, the joys are as numerous as the challenges. Challenges, in terms of attending to their immediate needs and you have come at a time when it is the toughest for me with two or more of them crying at the same time for food. Sometimes, it feels like my head would explode. But as the months go by I have learnt to deal with the situations two at a time or one at a time. You can see I am breastfeeding two at the same time and a third one is crying. In such situations, the older children in the compound are eager to help me. I don’t know what I would have done without them. My neighbour also comes immediately to my aid. I don’t even have to ask her.
The one thing I am so grateful to God for is that they sleep well at night, except one who keeps me awake sometimes when he wants to play. Then sometimes they feel irritable, especially times when I take them for vaccines. When they come home they are so irritable and don’t want anyone to touch them except me. As I have learnt, I can only do two at a time. So the ones I can breastfeed and sing to sleep I do so and then take on the rest until they too calm down. Times like this, my entire day goes to them.
Somebody else has to help me with the other children, cook the food and do other things I would have planned to do.

Tuesday, 20 October 2015

FIFA confirms Feb. 26, 2016 for presidency election 20 October 2015, 17:15

Zurich — FIFA decided Tuesday to keep its presidential election date in February as uncertainty surrounded Michel Platini's candidacy.
The governing body held its first executive committee meeting since FIFA President Sepp Blatter was provisionally suspended two weeks ago.
Blatter had already announced plans to resign before being banned for 90 days amid a FIFA ethics investigation over a 2011 payment to Platini, the UEFA president who was also suspended.
FIFA's ethics committee has been prevented from speaking publicly on the details of the case. But FIFA said its ruling body agreed Tuesday to "more transparency for ethics proceedings."
The meeting confirmed that FIFA will go ahead with the election on Feb. 26 after an update from election monitor Domenico Scala, whose committee rules on the eligibility of candidates.
Platini submitted his candidacy ahead of the Oct. 26 deadline but he could be declared ineligible as he being investigated over the payment of 2 million Swiss francs (about $2 million) from FIFA for work he says was carried out at least nine years earlier.
Platini has challenged his suspension and is awaiting the verdict of the FIFA appeals committee. UEFA is pushing for a swift decision.
The European governing body, which continues to pay Platini and has not suspended its president, has spent the buildup to the FIFA meeting discussing election strategy, including whether to back another candidate in the race if the former France captain cannot run.
The FIFA crisis, which was sparked by the arrest of soccer officials in Zurich ahead of Blatter's re-election in May, led to a reform process being instigated to overhaul how the organization is run.

Buhari sacks Head of Service of the Federation 20 October 2015, 18:17

President Muhammadu Buhari has approved the removal of the head of service of the federation, Danladi Kifasi with immediate effect. Kifasi has been asked to proceed on terminal leave. No replacement announced yet.

Senate receives petition against Imo ministerial nominee

Imo - Anthony Anwuka, the ministerial nominee from the Imo State, has suffered a setback in his ambitions to serve in President Muhammadu Buhari's cabinet.

The setback comes after ten petitions were presented against him.

The House has received the petitions from Senator Athan Nneji Achonu, representing Imo North at the upper chamber of the National Assembly, who presented them at the plenary on Tuesday.
In his reaction on the matter, the Senate President, Bukola Saraki referred the petition to the Ethics, Privileges and Public Petitions Committee.

He directed the committee to submit their report on Thursday.

The contents of the petitions could not be ascertained nor comment obtained from Achonu at the time of going to press.

However, it recently emerged in the media he had an alleged case of fraud following his indictment by a government white paper on his tenure as Vice Chancellor of the Imo State University in Owerri.

Buhari meets Tambuwal over Sokoto ministerial nominee

Abuja - President Muhammadu Buhari has met with Gov. Aminu Tawbuwal of Sokoto State over the ministerial nominee from the state, Aisha Abubakar, reports
The meeting follows the rejection of Abubakar by some leaders of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in the state.
Also in attendance at the meeting was the immediate past governor of the state and now a senator, Aliyu Magatakarda Wamakko.

The Sokoto state chapter of the APC had written to President Buhari, urging to replace Abubakar because she is not a member of the party.
The party also noted that Abubakar is from the same constituency with Tambuwal.

Nigeria: Senate Removes Amaechi's Name From Screening

For the third time in one week, the senate has refused to list Rotimi Amaechi in its order paper for screening for a ministerial appointment. A new order paper of the senate on Tuesday morning listed only three ministerial nominees with the former governor of Rivers state missing.

The three nominees slated for screening are Adebayo Shittu, Claudius Omoleye Daramola and Khadija Bukar Abba Ibrahim.

Earlier on Tuesday, the order paper of the senate listed eight nominees for screening, Amaechi inclusive.

Others were Barrister Adebayo Shittu, Heineken Lokpobiri, Hon Bawa Bwari, Khadija Bukar Abba Ibrahim, Barrister James E. Ocholi, Zainab Shamsuna Ahmed and Brigadier General Muhammad Dan-Ali (Rtd).

The senators went into a closed-door session and later came out with a new order paper with only three nominees. No reason has yet been offered officially by the senate.