Read the Niger Delta Avengers latest warning to President Buhari

Apparently apprehensive that the planned dialogue on the Niger Delta crisis is under threat of being hijacked by the political class, the Niger Delta Avengers have issued a fresh warning to President Muhammadu Buhari and the oil firms operating in the region.

In a statement issued on Monday by spokesman Brig-Gen Mudoch Aginibo, the NDA warned that they could go back on their promise not to take lives if their demands were not met.

“The issues of the Niger delta are as old and as new as the days of Pa. Dappa Biriye, Major Jasper Isaac Adaka Boro, to Ken Saro Wiwa and the government of President Musa Yar’ Adua.

“We are warning this government of President Muhammadu Buhari, not to turn the essence of genuine peace talk and dialogue to political jamboree that is prevailing now where all manner of social media agitators and criminals have being sponsored by the job seeking corrupt political class to save faces before the government of the day.

“If need be we may review our earlier stance of not taking lives. We are going to redirect and reactivate all our activities if the government, oil companies and their services firms don’t heed to these modest warnings of not carrying out any repairs works and suspend the buying of crude oil from our region as we await the right atmosphere that will engender genuine dialogue “ We Want a peace with Honour not a Peace of our time.”

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Borno IDPs to get 106 trucks of foodstuff from Dangote

The Dangote Foundation confirmed in Maiduguri on Monday that Internally Displaced Persons, IDPs in Borno State will get 106 trucks of foodstuff during the Ramadan fast.

Hajiya Zouwaira Yousif said at the launching of the distribution of the items to the IDPs in Maiduguri that about 30,000 IDPs are expected to benefit from the programme which is aimed at providing succour to the displaced persons who are victims of terrorism.

“The whole exercise is aimed at providing food to Borno IDPs to enable them observe the Ramadan fast with ease.

“The idea was conceived by Alhaji Aliko Dangote after he visited the IDPs camps in Maiduguri and was touched by their situation,” she said.

According to Yousif, each IDP will receive a 50 kg bag of rice, a carton of noodles, a packet of sugar, salt and  seasonings under the programme.

Already, 43 of the trucks have arrived Maiduguri for the official flag off of the program and distribution to the beneficiaries.

“We are expecting the remaining consignment in Maiduguri as soon as possible.

“After the official flag-off, the remaining items will be distributed to the IDPs by a team comprising members of Non-Governmental Organisations (NGOs), and other emergency agencies to ensure that only those in need are given,” she said.

Yousif explained that the food items were in addition to a pledge of N2 billion cash donation made by Dangote to the Borno State Government.

Gov. Kashim Shettima thanked the foundation for the gesture and called on other well to do individuals to emulate it.

NAN

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PDP crisis: Sheriff stages dramatic comeback

Ali Modu Sheriff, the ousted National Chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP made an unexpected but dramatic comeback to the Wadata Plaza National Headquarters of the party on Monday.

Accompanying Sheriff on the triumphant entry were a former National Secretary of the PDP, Prof. Wale Oladipo, ousted National Auditor, Alhaji Adewole Adeyanju and a former President Goodluck Jonathan aide, Ahmed Gulak and a host of other supporters.

Sheriff and his team had first attempted to storm the building at about 9 am but found the policemen there unyielding.

It was only after they had gone to confer with the Inspector General of Police, Mr Solomon Arase that they had their way.

Sheriff described the caretaker committee appointed by PDP governors and Board of Trustees, BoT as an illegality.  He noted that his tenure as National Chairman of the PDP would only expire in December 2018.

“After due consultations with serious minded stakeholders of the party and my lawyers, against the background that I have remained committed to lawful procedures, I have come, fully armed with all the necessary court orders to resume as national chairman, as directed by a court of competent jurisdiction.

“As we settle down to move the party forward, we wish to call on all party members within and outside the country to come around so that we can together reposition the PDP for future challenges.

“We have to this end, served the necessary court orders on the Independent National Electoral Commission which is the impartial arbiter in matters like this, the police as custodians of the law and we will make same available to you gentlemen of the press, so that you can make informed analysis of the issues involved. We hereby seek your own cooperation as we continue the task of re-engineering the PDP.

“I wish to use this opportunity to thank all those who stood on the side of the truth and the law, and wish to place on record that never again shall the PDP return to wallow in lawlessness and impunity,” he said.

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Senior military officers sacked at the right time - Buratai

The Chief of Army Staff, Lt Gen Tukur Buratai has said that the sacking of 38 senior Army officers last week followed due process and was done at the right time.

“There is no better time than now because everything has been taken into consideration and procedures have been followed to ensure that we don’t pick the innocent ones. You can see it started with the enquiries first of all, then legal review and after the legal review, we forwarded the report and recommendations to the authority for consideration.

“So it takes time, it is just like a court process, so we follow our own process, our administrative process and legal review as well. It is the right time and no any other time than now,” he said.

On the crisis in the Niger Delta, Buratai said that the military high command will wait for the outcome of the dialogue between the Federal Government and  other stakeholders on one hand and the militants on the other hand.

“The Niger Delta issue did not come up yesterday or today, we are already deployed to the Niger Delta for a very long time. The operations there comprise the armed forces and other security agencies. It entails operations where you have the Army, Navy and Airforce, the Police, Civil Defence and other security agencies, so I don’t think it is overwhelming, it cannot overwhelm the armed forces and we are responding appropriately to ensure that things take shape.

“We are instruments of the political class so whatever decision that the government passes out to us, we want to assure you that we are waiting for whatever decision that will come out from their discussion, but our role is very clear. We must ensure that the security of that place is attained, even as we await the directive of the authorities," he said.

Buratai spoke to newsmen in Abuja on Monday when he paid a courtesy call on the Minister of Communications, Mr Adebayo Shittu.

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Buhari receives Archbishop of Canterbury in London (Photo)

President Muhammadu Buhari received the Archbishop of Canterbury, Justin Welby at
the Nigerian High Commission, in London on Monday.

See photo.

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See MEND's 7-man team that'll dialogue with FG

The Movement for the Emancipation of the Niger Delta, MEND has announced a seven-member team to dialogue with the Federal Government over the Niger Delta crisis.

MEND's spokesman, Jomo Gbomo said in a statement issued online on Monday that the team tagged Aaron Team 2 will be led by a former Minister of Petroleum, Odein Ajumogobia.

Other members of the team are;
Bismark Rewane (Delta);
Sen. Florence Ita-Giwa (Cross River);
Timipa Jenkins Okponipere (Bayelsa);
Ibanga Isine (Akwa Ibom); Ledum Mitee (Rivers); 
Lawson Omokhodion (Edo state).

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LMC seals sponsorship deal iPro Sport

The Nigeria Professional Football League, NPFL has secured a slice of the international sports sponsorship market with the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding between the League Manage-ment Company, LMC and United Kingdom’s leading  sport drinks maker, iPro Sport International Limited.

The 5 year deal was signed in London on Wednesday, June 7 with the LMC represented by its Chairman, Shehu Dikko and iProsport by its Managing Director, Mr. Thomas Garrad.

The MoU which details have not been made public is said to be one of the biggest football sponsorship deals on the African continent.

The NPFL is also said to be the first league in Africa to be associated with iProsport all natural ingredients Sports drink.

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