In Sign Of Grave Illness, President Buhari Extends Vacation

In a clear sign of his serious illness, President Muhammadu Buhari has extended his medical vacation in the United Kingdom. This is the second such extension since Mr. Buhari left Nigeria a fortnight ago to travel to London in what his spokesmen described as a vacation cum medical checkup. 

In a short statement released today, presidential spokesman Femi Adesina disclosed that Mr. Buhari had sent a letter today to the National Assembly indicating “his desire to extend his leave in order to complete and receive the results of a series of tests recommended by his doctors.”

However, two sources at the Presidency told SaharaReporters that the President may need to be absent from Nigeria for as long as four months in order to undergo surgical procedures to address myriads of medical issues confronting the aged leader. 

One of our sources said President Buhari requires a major surgery. “The surgery will entail him staying away from work for at least four months, but members of his kitchen cabinet, afraid of losing their influence and power, have been advising him against staying abroad for such a prolonged treatment,” said one of the sources.

The statement issued by Mr. Adesina was silent on the exact date of the President's return.

Even as a presidential candidate, Mr. Buhari was dogged by questions of his health status, but he and his handlers always insisted that he had no significant illnesses. However, his frequent trips abroad for medical treatment or evaluations suggest that he may be facing more critical health crises than he and his handlers have admitted. 

Mr. Adesina stated that Mr. Buhari “had planned to return to Abuja this evening, but was advised to complete the test cycle before returning. The notice has since been dispatched to the Senate President, and Speaker, House of Representatives.”

The spokesman added that the president “expresses his sincere gratitude to Nigerians for their concern, prayers and kind wishes.”

President Buhari’s emaciated look and apparent lapses of memory, evident in misattribution of the meaning of his party’s acronym as well as a misstatement of Vice Present Yemi Osinbajo’s name, have raised questions about his physical and mental preparedness to bear the burden of his office.

Source:  SAHARA REPORTERS

Nigerian Customs Confiscates 661 Firearms In Lagos

A large cache of arms enough to arm a battalion of soldiers has been confiscated by the Nigerian Customs Service in Lagos.

The Comptroller General, Colonel Hameed Ali, (rtd) on Monday, told newsmen at Ikeja, that despite the Federal Government’s ban on pump action and other firearms, 661 pieces of the rifle were found in 49 boxes.

According to him, they were concealed in steel doors and other merchandise goods in a 40-feet container conveyed in a Mack truck with registration number BDG 265 XG in Apapa axis of Lagos.

Colonel Ali said that three suspects have been arrested in connection with the illegal importation.

SOURCE: Channels Television

Trump order barring refugees, migrants from Muslim countries triggers chaos, outrage

President Trump’s executive order barring refugees and migrants from predominantly Muslim countries from entry into the United States rippled across the world on Saturday, causing widespread confusion, triggering outrage among immigrant advocates and leading to the detention at U.S. airports of people flying into the country.

In addition to blocking all entries from seven countries, including business people, students and others, the ban is also being applied to U.S. legal residents from those nations — so-called green card holders — who were traveling abroad at the time the order was signed, federal officials said Saturday.

Those familiar with the order, who spoke on condition of anonymity because they said its rollout had been chaotic, said green card holders currently in the United States will not be affected. They noted that the Department of Homeland Security is allowed to grant waivers to those individuals and others deemed to not pose a threat to national security.

“If you’ve been living in the United States for 15 years and you own a business and your family is here, will you be granted a waiver? I’m assuming yes, but we are working that out,’’ said one official, who could not be more specific because details of the possible waivers remained cloudy, as did many other details of how the ban will be enforced.

President Trump signed an executive order halting all refugees from entering the U.S. for 120 days, among other provisions. Here's what the order says.

But officials made clear that the federal officers detaining refugees and migrants holding valid U.S. visas and restricting them from entering the country were following orders handed down by top DHS officials. Those orders, the officials said, reflect the desires of Trump’s White House.

The president’s order, signed Friday, suspends admission to the United States of all refugees for 120 days and bars for 90 days the entry of any citizens from Iraq, Iran, Syria, Yemen, Sudan, Libya and Somalia. Trump said that the goal is to screen out “radical Islamic terrorists” and that priority for admission would be given to Christians.

The executive action has caused “complete chaos” and torn apart families, said Abed Ayoub, legal and policy director of the American-Arab Anti-Discrimination Committee. “It’s causing a negative and destructive impact on the Arab-American community,” Ayoub said.

The White House on Saturday rushed to explain and defend its action, saying it strengthens national security and denying that it targeted Muslims. “The notion that this is a Muslim ban is ludicrous,” one senior administration official said. A second official noted that many majority-Muslim countries, including Afghanistan, Pakistan and Turkey, were excluded from the measure.

And House Speaker Paul D. Ryan (R-Wis.), who frequently clashed with Trump during the presidential campaign, strongly backed the president’s executive order. “This is not a religious test and it is not a ban on people of any religion,’’ he said. “This order does not affect the vast majority of Muslims in the world. It does not affect a large number of nations that are Muslim-majority.’’

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SOURCE: The WASHINGTON POST

BREAKING: Pastor Adeboye retires as General Overseer of RCCG

The General Overseer of the Redeemed Christian Church of God, Pastor Enoch Adeboye, on Saturday appointed a new General Overseer for the RCCG Nigeria as he retires, ahead of his 75th birthday on 2 March.

The new GO is Pastor Joshua Obayemi. Adeboye was born on March 2, 1942, in Ifewara, Osun State.

Pastor Adeboye had his B.Sc. in Mathematics at University of Nigeria Nsukka, and subsequently got his PhD in applied mathematics from the University of Lagos, and worked as a lecturer in Mathematics at the universities of Lagos and Ilorin, before going into full time priesthood in 1984.

After joining the RCCG in 1973, he began working to translate the sermons of its then Pastor and founder, Rev. Josiah Olufemi Akindayomi, from Yoruba into English.

In 1981, Adeboye was appointed General Overseer of the church. He took over from Papa Akindayomi, who had died the previous year. For three years he performed the role part-time, still lecturing at Ilorin.

He finally gave up his university position to preach full-time. The church, which was not well known prior to Adeboye’s ascendance has grown phenomenally, to become Nigeria’s biggest, with branches globally in about 190 countries, including more than 14,000 in Nigeria.

Adeboye has stated that his aim is to put a church within five minutes of every person on Earth. He married Adenike, now 68 in 1967. She was born on 13th July 1948.

Obayemi was appointed the new GO at the Annual Ministers Thanksgiving at Shimawa, in Ogun State.

The newly appointed GO was the former Special Assistant to the General Overseer on Finance. Adeboye also appointed Pastor Johnson Odesola, who was the Special Assistant on Administration and Personnel, as the church Secretary.

Source: PUNCH NEWSPAPER

BREAKING: Police dismiss six personnel attached to Gov. Nyesom Wike

The police have dismissed an Inspector and five sergeants attached to the Rivers State Governor, Nyesom Wike, over alleged misuse of firearms during the legislative rerun in the state in December last year.

They are ex-Inspct. Eyong Victor, ex-Sgts. Peter Ekpo, Oguni Goodluck, Orji Nwoke, Okpe Ezekiel and Tanko Akor.

The errant operatives were said to have stormed the Port Harcourt City Council Secretariat and prevented the movement of election results of Emouha polling unit to the appropriate collation centre designated by the Independent National Electoral Commission in disobedience to senior officers present.

Their actions were said to be contrary to the provisions of Force Order 237.

Parading the former policemen on Friday in Abuja, the Force Public Relations Officer, Donald Awunah stated that despite strict warnings from the Inspector-General of Police that all personnel on election duty should be of good conduct and desist from escorting their principals to polling units throughout the period of the election, the recalcitrant operatives were found blatantly breaching the directive.

This, he added, was unacceptable by all standards in the Force, noting that in the course of discreet investigations, the dismissed personnel were found to have in total disrespect to orders and directives, compromised, engaged in unprofessional acts and other unbecoming conduct.

Awunah said, “These aforementioned police personnel while in the convoy of the Governor of Rivers State, Nyesom Wike on the date of election on December 10, 2016 misused the firearms in their possession contrary to the provisions of Force Order 237.

“The personnel became overzealous, took laws into their hands and opened fire, causing panic in the crowd.

“They joined in storming the Port Harcourt City Council Secretariat and prevented the movement of election results of Emouha polling unit to the appropriate collation centre designated by INEC, in flagrant disregard and disobedience to senior police officers present at the venue.”

The spokesman stated that the operatives, after the conclusion of investigation into the public mischief, were subjected to internal disciplinary measures, found guilty and consequently dismissed from the Force.

“They will be prosecuted under the Electoral Act to serve as a deterrent to others,” he stressed, noting that the personnel’s misconduct, if not checked could be inimical to discipline and proper administration of the Force.

Awunah added, “Their actions are capable of bringing the entire Nigeria Police Force to disrepute and portray the Force in a very bad light as a lawless organization not guided by the rule of law.”

The former policemen protested loudly against their dismissal as they were taken away in handcuffs.

Source: PUNCH NEWSPAPER

Police Raid Patience Jonathan's House In Abuja

It was reported that some men of the Nigeria Police Force on Wednesday in Abuja, raided the home of the wife of former President Goodluck Jonathan, Patience.

The building is located along Igbeti Rock Street, Maitama. It was gathered that, apart from the private security guards, no other person was within the premises when the policemen arrived.

More than 20 policemen, who came in three Hilux vans and another Toyota Hiace bus, were said to have forced themselves into the building.

They were said to have broken into the building and went away with a brown envelope.

A source, who witnessed the incident, told a correspondent of Sahara Reporters that the heavily armed policemen were brief in their operation.

The source said, "Men of the Nigerian Police Force raided the home of the former First Lady, Patience, today. A reporter from one of the television stations who witnessed the event was harassed by security officers and her phone was seized.

"The operation, which took place at Igbeti Rock Street, started at about 5pm. The policemen came in four vehicles and they also took away one hefty brown envelope. They didn't speak to us on why they came or on the contents of the envelope."

Source: SAHARA REPORTERS

Ex-NIMASA Director General, Omatseye Sentenced to 5-year Jail Term

Federal High Court sitting in Lagos on Friday sentenced a former Director-General of the Nigerian Maritime Administration Safety Agency, Mr. Raymond Temisan Omatseye, to five years in prison over a N1.5bn contract scam.
Omatseye was arraigned before the court on a 27-count charge bordering on alleged contract variation, bid rigging and awarding contract above his approval limit. At the resumed hearing of the matter on Monday, 14 March, the prosecution counsel, Godwin Obla, SAN, and defence counsel, E. D Onyeke made their final addresses and adopted them before the court.

Onyeke filed and served the court and prosecution a written address and adopted it.

He urged the court to dismiss the case against the former NIMASA boss on the grounds that, the prosecution has not been able to prove its case beyond reasonable doubt.

Obla also adopted his written address and expressed confidence that the 27-count charge against the defendant has been proved beyond all reasonable doubt and prayed the court to find the defendant guilty of all the charges.

According to Obla, 25 counts of the charges preferred against Omatseye dwelt on the approval of contract above the threshold level and the other two counts dealt with bid rigging. He also said that, contrary to existing regulations, contract was awarded to a company that was the highest bidder and which was not even pre-qualified for the contract.

Source - SAHARA REPORTERS