Nasarawa to create cattle routes to stem farmers/herdsmen clashes

Governor Tanko Almakura of Nasarawa State has said that his government is uncomfortable with with the protracted communal violence in Udeni Gida, Udeni Magaji and other neighborhood villages in Nasarawa local government area of the state.

To this end, Almakura warned that henceforth, government will hold traditional rulers responsible for further outbreaks of violence in their respective communities.

In a statement issued by his media aide, Ahmed Tukur, the governor said that ; “Government will continue to ensure inclusiveness in its approach in ensuring peace in communities across the state, which will involve all traditional rulers and stakeholders who will be held responsible in the event of breakdown of law and order in their respective areas.”

Almakura warned farmers to desist from taking the law into their hands, even as he promised to relocate cattle from areas not belonging to the local communities.

He also said that government had concluded plans to create cattle routes across the state to prevent further clashes between farmers and herdsmen. He warned that anybody caught poisoning cows or killing them would be dealt with.

He pledged government assistance to help communities affected by the recent fighting in Udeni Gida, Udeni Magaji, Kpana and the neighboring villages to return to their homes.

Photo credit: Premium Times 

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CBN Governor to explain fall of Naira to Senate on Tuesday.

The Governor of Central Bank of Nigeria, CBN, Godwin Emefiele will appear before the Senate on Tuesday to explain the continuous fall of the naira against the major foreign currencies.

According to Senate Leader, Ali Ndume, the CBN Governor was summoned in furtherance of the Senate's investigation into the constant fall of the naira at the parallel market.

Although the Central Bank of Nigeria has pegged the naira at 197 - 199 to the dollar since March 2015, the local currency has continued to fall at the unofficial market, reaching an all time low of N305 to $1 USD last week.

Said Ndume, “In view of this worrisome situation and the fact that we all know that this country depends so much on imported materials and even food, there is a need for this senate to, as a matter of urgency, invite or summon the governor of CBN to explain this situation and to provide the necessary solution.”

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Jonathan left me with N180m bad debt - Anenih

Elder statesman and former Chairman of the Board of Trustees of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, Chief Tony Anenih has said that he is not in the position to refund the N260m he received from the Office of the National Security Adviser in pursuance of former President Goodluck Jonathan's second term ambition.

THE NATION reports that Anenih said on the contrary that the former president left him with “a balance of over N180 million as bad debt”, which he (Anenih) incurred to have him returned to office in last year's presidential election.

In a letter to the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, the veteran politician said that he spent over N440m of his personal funds on Jonathan’s reelection campaigns and can therefore not be expected to return any money to government.

Anenih's list of “some out-of-pocket disbursements made on the instructions of the former president” includes N25 million to former Deputy Governor of Sokoto State, Alhaji Muktari Shagari, and N35 million to a delegation of Local Government leaders from Katsina State.

“On the instruction of the former president, the BoT embarked on a nationwide tour to reconcile aggrieved and feuding members of the PDP,” he said.

He also said that monies he “spent on hiring small jets during the tour” were not refunded to him.

Anenih said that most of the expenditures were on the instructions of Jonathan for special political assignments, adding that only N260 million was refunded to him by the former president, “leaving a balance of over N180 million as bad debt.

In his letter to the EFCC, Anenih said that he “only provided his account details to the former president on request for a refund of the money spent.

“I was not in a position to ask the former president how he was going to source the fund or through which office the refund was going to be made.

“I was not a direct beneficiary of the sum of N260 million that was a part refund of the money I spent on the president’s instructions.

“N63 million was disbursed to a northern group led by elder statesman, Alhaji Tanko Yakassai, for mobilisation and post election peace advocacy in that part of the country.

“N100 million was given to the National Chairman of the Social Democratic Party (SDP), Chief Olu Falae, to enable the party mobilise support and votes for the PDP presidential candidate since the SDP did not have a candidate for the election.

“N100 million was disbursed to the Leader of ACCORD party, Senator Rashidi Ladoja, to also enable the party to support and mobilize voters for the PDP candidate.

” Yakassai, Falae and Ladoja have all confirmed that they received the stated amounts from Anenih.

“The total of these three disbursements is already N3m more that the N260 million refund.”

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Buhari Visits United Arab Emirates

President Muhammadu Buhari will on Sunday, January 17, 2016 begin a 3-day official visit to the United Arab Emirates.

Senior Special Assistant to the President on Media and Publicity, Mallam Garba Shehu, said that Buhari will in the course of the visit, join the Secretary General of the United Nations, Mr. Ban Ki Moon, Crown Prince Mohammed Bin Zayed Al-Nahyan of Abu Dhabi and other participants as a special guest of honour at the 2016 edition of the World Future Energy Summit.

To signal Nigeria’s reengagement with the Middle-East region, President Buhari will lead a team of his ministers to bilateral talks with the government of the UAE.

Apart from trade agreements which are expected to be signed, Buhari will be seeking the Arab country's support in the fight against corruption and the recovery of looted funds.

The president will also be meeting leading UAE investors in the oil and gas, agricultural and power sectors.

Buhari will be accompanied on the trip by the ministers of Power, Works and Housing, Petroleum, Environment, Justice, Trade and Investment, Finance and Foreign Affairs, as well as the National Security Adviser.

He is expected to meet with the Nigerian community in the UAE before flying back to Abuja on Tuesday, January 19.

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Lassa Fever: Rat killers selling like hot cake in Abuja

Vendors of mouse traps and poisons in Abuja are now doing brisk business following the outbreak of lassa fever in several states across the country.

News Agency of Nigeria, NAN's survey in Abuja indicated that residents of Nigeria's capital city are buying up rat poisons and mouse traps like never before.

Rat killer vendors in Wuse, Garki and Utako markets confirmed that they are now smiling to the bank unlike the period before the outbreak of lassa fever when no one paid attention to them.

For Mallam Usman Abdullahi who deals on rat poisons at Garki market, sales has witnessed an upsurge since the last two weeks that lassa fever has been in the news.

“The demand rose immediately one person was reported killed by the fever in Abuja.

“People now patronise us; the most expensive rat poison that used to go for N600 is now sold for N700, but people still buy without complaining.

“Most of the time, customers ask for the strongest poison that will kill rats instantly; the poison that kills and dries up the rats are really in demand.

“Although the Lassa disease is a bad thing, for us it is good business since we are making our profit,” he told NAN.

Since the current outbreak of lassa fever, more and more people are paying attention to the elimination of rodents around their homes.

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9 year-old girl raped to death

Photo: 9 year old girl raped to death in Rivers state http://www.lindaikejisblog.com/2016/01/photo-9-year-old-girl-raped-to-death-in.html

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Customs officers get 14 days to declare assets.

Officers and men of the Nigeria Customs Service, NCS have been given 14 days to make full disclosure of their assets.

The Comptroller-General of Customs, Col. Hammed Ali (Rtd) said that the measure was to show transparency and compliance with the rule of law.

The Public Relations Officer of the NCS, Mr Wale Adeniyi disclosed this in a statement in Abuja on Friday.

According to the statement, the directive was contained in a circular signed by the Comptroller-General and addressed to all Deputy Comptrollers-General, Zonal Coordinators and Customs Area Controllers.

” All officers and men of the Nigeria Customs Service are to make full disclosure of their assets in a new measure put in place to push transparency and compliance with the rule of law.

“All officers are to comply with the directive within 14 days,” the circular said.

According to the statement, the directive is in compliance with The Bank Employees Declaration of Assets Act Cap B1 Laws of the Federation of Nigeria, 2004. 

The Act provides for assets declaration by all bank employees, and empowers the President to extend its application to other categories of persons.

The statement also cited Section 12 (1) which states that the provision of this Act should apply to the Comptroller-General, Deputy Comptroller-General, Assistant Comptroller-General, Chief Collector, Principal Collector and other officers , staff or employees of customs as apply to a chief executive or an employee of a bank.

NAN reports that the Comptroller-General observed that many officers had not complied with the provisions of the Act over the years, adding that the 14-day ultimatum for compliance would be strictly enforced.

NAN

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