Recognise Sheriff and end this mess, Cairo Ojougboh tells PDP

By Kolapo Olapoju

Factional chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Ali Modu Sheriff, speaking through his deputy, Dr. Cairo Ojougboh, has asked the opposition party to recognise him as substantive chairman to put an end to its lingering internal strife.

Ojougboh’s comment was in reaction to a statement put out on Saturday by the national working committee of the PDP headed by Ahmed Makarfi.

Dr. Cairo Ojougbo

Speaking to The Punch, Ojougboh on behalf of the Sheriff faction said, “Adeyeye would put the party in further mess with his utterances.

“If that’s true (the allegation against Sheriff), Adeyeye should also blame the PDP governors who invited him to come and head the party. What he’s saying won’t help the party at all. In any case, the earlier the party gives full recognition to Sheriff, the earlier we will be out of this mess.”

Sheriff was accused of being sponsored by the All Progressives Congress (APC) to destroy the party – by creating division and ill-feeling within the ranks.

The interim spokesman of the group, Dayo Adeyeye, had said Sheriff was “on a designed mission to kill and destroy the party and all its gains in nurturing and sustaining democracy in the country.

“Sheriff and his group have been shopping and approaching law courts with dubious information for interlocutory orders to keep them afloat, until it frustrates governorship elections in Edo and Ondo states as designed by their sponsors. Legitimacy in politics is not given through a procured interlocutory injunction but through the mandate of the people, and Sheriff and his cohorts will soon realise this.

“We are aware that Sheriff’s sponsors have urged him to sustain his illicit role for a while and create a semblance of a faction in the party to give way for some elected PDP members to take the advantage to defect, but unknown to them, members of our great party are aware of their game and have vowed to resist them.”

Source: thecableng

Jonathan, Patience receive ‘heroic welcome’ on return to Nigeria

It was a carnival-like atmosphere at the Port Harcourt international airport on Sunday evening, as former President Goodluck Jonathan returned to the country after an international tour.

Jonathan, acknowledging the crowd on his return.

Accompanied by his wife,  Patience, Jonathan who wore a black suit with his usual Niger Delta hat to match waved with smiles to the jubilant crowd who received him.

The atmosphere was similar to the days when he was in power.

Nyesom Wike, governor of Rivers state, led top government officials to welcome the immediate past president.

 Security personnel were also on ground to control the crowd of supporters who thronged the airport to welcome the former first family.

After exchanging pleasantries with some associates, Jonathan interacted with Wike and some of his aides before departing to his hometown of Otuoke in neighbouring Bayelsa state.

Jonathan left Nigeria on June 4 after spending only 48 hours in the country.

Within that period, he met with President Muhammadu Buhari, and both men were believed to have discussed about the resurgence of militancy.

While in England, he delivered a speech at a session organised by Bloomberg, and later granted an interview where he said he was being investigated for corruption.

The comment sparked reactions, particularly on social media.

Source: thecableng

Avengers blow up oil pipelines in Delta state

Niger Delta Avengers (NDA) have blown up no fewer than three oil installations located at various points in Delta state. Observers see the resumed attacks on oil installation as evidence of the collapse of the cease fire pact between the group and the federal government

Initially, the militants denied having any agreement with the government in spite of the withdrawal of troops from the Niger Delta region to give room for dialogue.

When they eventually accepted dialogue, the group gave their demands, warning that failure to meet the conditions would lead to a new round of violence.

“We want a peace with honour not a peace of our time,” Mudoch Agbinibo, spokesman of the group, had said.

However, in a new messages posted on its Twitter account, the NDA said it damaged five oil pipelines between Friday and Sunday.

The group usually announces its attacks through its website and social media accounts.

The pipelines said to be affected in the fresh attacks are:

§  Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC) Crude Oil Trunk Line to Warri Refinery.

§  Two Nigerian Petroleum Development Company (NPDC) crude trunk lines in Delta state.

§  WELL 7 and WELL 8 close to Abiteye flow station in Delta state.

All the attacks happened after the Department of State Services (DSS) announced that it had arrested two members of the group.

Avengers had denied the arrest of its members, claiming that those in DSS custody were “sleeper agents” of the secret police.

Ibrahim Idris, acting inspector-general of police, paid a visit to some communities in the stronghold of militancy, seeking the support of stakeholders to end hostilities.

President Muhammadu Buhari has also appealed to the militants to stop sabotaging government’s efforts, with Ibe Kachikwu, minister of state for state for petroleum, touring some places in Gbaramatu kingdom in Delta state, also a hotbed of militant attacks.

Nigeria’s oil production level soared during the two weeks that the militants suspended their attacks.

Source: thecableng

Governors can be arrested, the era of absolute immunity gone, says Falana

By News Agency

Femi Falana, a senior advocate of Nigeria (SAN), says any president or governor who commits criminal act could be arrested while in office.

He said the Supreme Court had ruled out absolute immunity, therefore governors involved in criminal charges, including the leadership of the national assembly, must face the law.

Femi Falana, SAN

Falana said this in Benin on Saturday while speaking on: ‘Limit of executive immunity’ at a ceremony to mark the 60th birthday of Julius Ihonvebere, secretary to the state government (SSG) of Edo.

Faulting the invitation extended to Abubakar Malami, attorney-general of the federation, by the leadership of the senate, Falana urged Senate President Bukola Saraki and Ike Ekweremadu, his deputy, to face the forgery charges against them.

He accused the senate of politicising the issue, saying: “they have no immunity to dodge the charges against them.

“The senate is now politicising the issue, saying it is political victimisation but not that the offence was not committed.

“As leaders of the national assembly, you are supposed to be above board and that is even the more reason you must be careful.”

The lawyer said Malami is not answerable to the senate, insisting that: “Any issue that is criminal in nature must be treated as such.

“The attorney-general of the federation is only answerable to his boss, who is the president and nobody else.

“The same thing applies to the states, so there is no longer absolute immunity in this country.

“And that is why what is happening in Ekiti today about money found in a bank and the governor is saying it is illegal to freeze his account, that is not true.”

Source: thecableng

Boko Haram insurgents come to Lagos every day, says army

By News Agency

Isidore Edet, general officer commanding (GOC) 81 Div. of the Nigerian army in Lagos, on Sunday said the division arrests Boko Haram insurgents on a daily basis.

Edet said members of the sect who flee the superior power of the military in the north-east come to Lagos.

He made the assertion at the inter-denominational service organised to commemorate the Nigerian army celebration day at Saint Charles Lwanga Catholic Church, Ikeja cantonment.

“Almost on a daily basis, we arrest Boko Haram members that flee into Lagos just like they flee to other places,” he said.

“They have seen that the war is being won so they are running, so the army in conjunction with other security agencies arrest them almost on a daily basis.

“Initially they deny when we ask them questions, but when we probe further, they start revealing where they fought, how they killed soldiers, how they detonated bombs in post office, Maiduguri and so on.

“By this, we do what we need to do by sending them to the higher authorities to do what the laws and the constitution of Nigeria says it will do with them.”

Edet said the officers and soldiers in the army should be thankful to God for witnessing another army celebration day, adding that many colleagues had died during the fight against Boko Haram insurgents.

“Many of our colleagues have died in this war against Boko Haram insurgents. Some of them, we have seen their graves and some, we did not see,” he said.

“So, we have every reason for those that are still alive to thank God for giving us victory against Boko Haram insurgents.

“So many others are amputated; some are even using crutches because they fought against Boko Haram insurgents so that we would have one country.

“About a year ago, we were object of public ridicule, those of us in uniforms, if we talk, the public will say go and fight Boko Haram insurgents and stop making noise.

“But we thank today that the Almighty God who trained our hands for war has taken the shame away.

“And now Nigerians are proud of us again as their soldiers saying we are at the front line.”

Source: thecableng

Minimum wage committee begins deliberations

The 15-man committee inaugurated by the Federal Government on the implementation of the new minimum wage for workers has started sitting.

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) gathered from some members of the committee at the weekend that it had met once.

Mr Chris Onyedika, Acting General Secretary of a faction of the NLC and a member of the 15-man committee, also confirmed that it had started deliberations on the agreement reached between the Federal Government and factions of the Nigerian Labour Congress (NLC) in May, this year.

``The 15-man committee will review the Federal Government’s liberalisation of the downstream sector of the petroleum industry, leading to the new fuel pump price of N145 per litre.

``The committees will discuss and recommend a new national minimum wage, the N500 billion palliatives being proposed by the Federal Government and the re-constitution of the Petroleum Products Pricing and Regulatory Agency Board, among other issues, before presenting their recommendations to government,’’ Onyedika said.

NAN recalls that the government in May increased the price of Petrol from N97.00 to N145 per litre, which led to some agitation and a warning strike by Organised Labour.

The Joint Negotiation Council had also started to agitate for an increase in national minimum wage for workers, which was last reviewed five years ago.

Meanwhile, at this year’s International Labour Organisation (ILO) conference in Geneva , Switzerland, participants encouraged the ILO to promote the ratification and implementation of the Minimum Wage Fixing Convention, 1970.
The NLC and the Trade Union Congress (TUC), the two central labour organizations in the country have proposed N56, 000 as the new national minimum wage to the Federal Government, as against the current N18, 000.
The current national minimum wage law which prescribed N18, 000 was enacted in 2011. (NAN)

NCC wades into problems of unsolicited text messages

     

The Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) has waded into the problems of unsolicited text messages that customers of service providers receive on their phones.

Vulnerable subscribers have been inundated with messages which service providers send often unsolicited, and the providers charge subscribers by making deductions from them as the providers steal from them to be rich.

NCC directed all service providers to, from July 1, 2016, activate the “DO NOT DISTURB” facility which gives subscribers the freedom to choose what messages to receive from the various networks.

With this direction the operators have been mandated to dedicate a common short code (2442) which will enable subscribers take informed decisions.

In a statement by Tony Ojobo, director of public affairs, Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC), the action was taken in order to protect subscribers from the nuisance of unsolicited texts, and therefore a direct regulatory response to the yearnings of the subscribers.

By this action, he explained, the commission has invoked a regulatory provision which had hitherto been overlooked by the operators.

“Taking cognizance of the broad range of services which include: banking/insurance/ financial products, real estate, education, health, consumer goods and automobiles, communication/ broadcasting/ entertainment/ it, tourism and leisure, sports, religion (Christianity, Islam, others), the commission directed the operators to give the necessary instructions and clarifications that will enable subscribers subscribe to a particular service/services /none at all,” Ojobo said.

“In fact, a Full DND which is SMS “STOP” to 2442 does not allow the subscriber to receive any unsolicited message from the operators at all.”

Below are the various options:

§  “SMS 1” for receiving SMS relating to Banking? Insurance/ Financial products to 2442

§  “SMS 2” for receiving |SMS relating to real Estate to 2442

§  “SMS 3” for receiving SMS relating to Education to 2442

§  “SMS 4” for receiving SMS relating to Health to 2442

§  “SMS 5” for receiving SMS relating to Consumer goods and Automobiles to 2442”

§  “SMS 6” for receiving SMS relating to Communication/ Broadcasting Entertainment/IT to 2442

§  “SMS 7” for receiving SMS relating to Tourism and leisure to 2442

§  “SMS 8” for receiving SMS relating to Sports to 2442

§  “SMS 9” for receiving SMS relating to Religion to 2442

Ojobo added that the decision of the commission does not affect personal messages or person to person messages which are private communication by individuals.

He urged the operators to comply immediately with the direction issued by the commission and never again harass subscribers with unwanted messages.

Source: thecableng