Dangote Group To Build Power Plants In Abuja, Kano.

As part of the its $5 billion joint venture agreement with Black Rhino Group, a subsidiary of the Black Stone Group to develop  power infrastructure in Africa, Dangote Group plans to establish power plants in Abuja and Kano.

Chairman of the group, Alhaji Aliko Dangote disclosed the plan on Friday at the 38th Convocation lecture of the Ahmadu Bello Univer­sity, ABU, Zaria.

He said that the plan is intended to boost power generation in the country.

“We are also furthering a new ground by investing in two 554 Km, 3 billion square cubic meter feet of gas offshore pipeline project, the first indigenous owned undersea gas pipeline that will supply gas to industries and power plants and it would be run from Bonny through gas fields,’’ he said.

Dangote also revealed plans by his company to cultivate 260,000 hectares of sugarcane plantation as well as invest $1 billion in the cultivation of rice.

He said that Nigeria's socio- economic problems could best be tackled by strengthening small and medium entrepreneurship and eliminating the problems of power supply, lack of access to finance and a good regulatory environ­ment.

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Lassa Fever Kills Two In Nasarawa

Following the outbreak of lassa fever in Nasarawa State, two people have been confirmed dead at the Dalhatu Specialist Hospital, DASH, in Lafia, the state capital while one person is under observation at the same institution.

The state commissioner for health, Dr Daniel Iya made the disclosure in Lafia at a public hearing organised by the Nasarawa State House of Assembly committee on health.

Dr Iya told the committee that the state had no isolation unit for the treatment of lassa fever, even though Governor Tanko Almakura had promised to provide one.

He said that the state government has released 5.9 million naira for the control of lassa virus across the state.

“We have already bought 2000 injections of Ribavirin, 1000 tablets of Ribavirin and we are tracking about 130 persons in the state,” he said.

He also said that his ministry has concluded plans to sensitize the people of the state at the grassroots beginning from February.

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Armsgate: Why serving military officers under probe are still in office.

It has been revealed that some of the serving military officers being investigated for their roles in the arms procurement scandal have been allowed to continue to perform their official duties for strategic reasons.

Abujacitynews learnt that the affected officers have been kept in charge of their respective formations in the interest of their rights to fair hearing and innocence until proven guilty.

A military source also said that the decision is a strategic plan to keep the said officers from leaving the country.

“They are no doubt distracted by the allegations against them but it is tactical to leave them in their positions until it is ripe to invite, arrest or detain them.

“As long as they remain in service, it will help the assignment of the Special Investigative Committee.

“We want them to be in the system and answer all the allegations against them. It is like putting them in a tight corner,” he said.

Some of the affected officers are ;
AVM A. M. Mamu (the Chief of Administration); AVM O.T. Oguntoyinbo (former Director of Production, Defence Headquarters);  AVM R.A. Ojuawo (Air Officer Tactical Air Command, Makurdi;  AVM J.B. Adigun (former Chief of Accounts and Budgeting in NAF); and AVM J A Kayode-Beckley (Director, Armament Research in Air Force Research and Development Centre); AVM T Omenyi (MD, NAF Holdings);four top officers at the Defence Headquarters, DHQ, Air Cdre A O Ogunjobi; Air Cdre G M D Gwani; Air Cdre S O Makinde; Air Cdre AY Lassa and Col. N. Ashinze.

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Damaturu-Biu Road Now Safe For Civilian Use (Photo)

An army checkpoint at the now liberated 130 kilometers Damaturu-Biu Road, Northeast Nigeria.

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Boko Haram: Military Hands Over Liberated 130 km Road

The military has handed over liberated communities in the Northeast of Nigeria, including the 130 kilometers Damaturu /Biu road which it says are now safe for commercial activities and civilian use.

The General Officer Commanding, GOC of 3 Division of Nigeria Army, Brig-Gen. Mohammed Aliyu said that the
liberated communities have been handed over to the Nigerian Security and Civil Defense Corps, NSCDC and other security agencies for their routine duties, ahead of the return of displaced persons currently living in IDP camps.

The hand over exercise was a prelude to the stakeholder’s meeting convened by the Theatre Commander of Operation Lafiya Dole, Maj-Gen Umaru Hassan in Maiduguri on Thursday.

At the meeting which was attended by the Police, Nigerian Security And Civil Defense Corps,NSCDC, Department of State Services, DSS, Nigerian Immigration Service , Nigerian Customs Service, Civilian Joint Task Force, Civilian-JTF, Federal Road Safety Corps, FRSC, Nigerian Prisons Service, and the Nigerian Labour Congress, NLC, the Theater Commander said that the military was now ready to bring operations to an end, having made significant gains in counter insurgency operations in the last six years.

On the strategic Damaturu/Biu road, the theater commander had this to say :

“This road is one of the strategic entry points to Yobe and Borno states from other parts of the North-East states and the country as a whole, which was under the control of Boko Haram terrorists; but the military reclaimed it last year to open this strategic road linking so many communities.

“Opening up commercial activities along this road is significant to our current military operations in the North-east geopolitical zone of the country, considering the strategic nature of the road and its economic significance to the people of Yobe and Borno States."

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Catholic Church Transfers Fr Mbaka To New Parish

Emotions flowed freely on Saturday as thousands of Catholic faithful converged at the Christ the King Church, Enugu to watch fiery priest Rev Fr. Ejike Mbaka move to his new parish at Emene, a satellite town of Enugu.

Thousands of followers of the Adoration Ministries watched in tears as trucks, cars and buses lined up to evacuate the belongings of their beloved priest and ministry out of the premises of the Christ the King Church at Enugu GRA.

Mbaka who spoke briefly to the wailing crowd recounted how he had built up the Christ the King Parish from 1997 when he was posted there.

He said that he had accepted his transfer as the will of God even though those behind it intended to use it to suffer him.

“I know I am going there to suffer within now and few months. I am going to suffer because I have no place to put my head. I am going to suffer because I have no place to keep the ministry’s assets. I know I am going to suffer and fortunately it is going to happen in the month of lent. Although, I have accepted it as the will of God, it is a mega suffering. All these while, we have been keeping the vineyard and building the Christ the King Parish. All the money I got from my cassettes and crusades were spent on the church, the school and parsonage.

“I am giving God the glory and I welcome the church’s choice and action with absolute acceptance and obedience.
So, there is no negation to what God has approved and what the church suggested. Nobody should see me as a recalcitrant priest. I am not. I have taken an oath of obedience and I stand on it,” he said.

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Army Warns Against "Mad" People Suicide Bombers

The army has issued an alert to the general public that Boko Haram has now resorted to dressing their suicide bombers like lunatics in order to gain easy access to unsuspecting public areas.

Acting director of defence information, Brig. Gen. Rabe Abubakar, issued the warning on Saturday in the aftermath of Friday’s twin bomb blasts at Gombi market, Adamawa state, in which about 15 persons lost their lives.

He said that investigation revealed that the two male suicide bombers who carried out the Gombi grains market attacks were dressed like mad women.

“The Defence Headquarters therefore urges our fellow good citizens across the country to be wary of mad persons approaching markets, public places or crowded areas so as to nip this ugly trend in the bud. Nigerians are also enjoined to be security-conscious at all times and should endeavour to report any suspicious person or object to security agencies for prompt action,” he said.

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