UK speaks on partnership with Nigeria, Boko Haram

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UK speaks on partnership with Nigeria, Boko Haram

The United Kingdom Foreign Secretary, Jeremy Hunt, who is on a visit to Nigeria, on Thursday, expressed his home government’s commitment to ensuring successes in Nigeria.

Hunt gave the assurance to Nigerians in his response to questions sent to him by the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Lagos.

“Nigeria’s success really matters to the U.K. As we leave the European Union, now is the time to redouble our efforts and commit to the partnerships we have with our African friends.

“The opportunities we see right now in Africa are tremendous, with enormous potential to grow.

“We must see African nations as partners and destinations for investment and trade,’’ he said.

According to him, a free press is the first secure basis for prosperity in a world where innovation and technological advance are the central conditions for progress.

The foreign secretary, who visited the North-East region of the country on Wednesday, also reaffirmed the U.K. government’s commitment to fighting Boko Haram terrorists and the Islamic State in West Africa.

“The conflict here involving Boko Haram and Islamic State has displaced two million people.

“U.K. support for World Food Programme has helped feed 1.5 million but we are also focusing on the long term solutions to improving livelihoods and opportunity,’’ he said.

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Gov. Obaseki reacts to rumoured rift with Oshiomhole

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Gov. Obaseki reacts to rumoured rift with Oshiomhole

Governor Godwin Obaseki of Edo State said on Wednesday that there was no rift between him and his predecessor in office, Adams Oshiomhole, current National Chairman of the All Progressives Congress, APC.

Obaseki made the clarification at the Benin airport upon his arrival in the state following a one-month vacation.

The governor described it as fake news, the reported rift with Oshiomhole over his second term ambition.

Obaseki said that people of the state should be engaging themselves with how the government could provide good governance to them and not petty issues.

He said that Edo people should expect more “wait and see” as he had returned refreshed, feeling good and ready to continue to deliver good governance to the people of the state.

Obaseki, who was accompanied by his wife, Betsy, arrived the Benin airport at exactly 11.30am.

NAN reports that combined security operatives from the 4th brigade, DSS, and the police had a hectic time controlling the mammoth crowd that thronged the airport to welcome the governor.

Deputy Governor Phillip Shaibu, Secretary to the state government, Osarodion Ogie, Edo State House of Assembly Speaker, Kabiru Adjoto and Chief of staff to the governor, Taiwo Akerele, and some APC leader were among officials who received the governor.

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Senate Stolen Mace Saga, An Attempted Coup - Senator Waku

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Senate Stolen Mace Saga, An Attempted Coup - Senator Waku

Elder statesman and former Senator representing Benue North-West District between 1999 and 2003, Joseph Waku, has described the snatching of the mace from the chamber as an attempted coup.

Waku, who likened the Wednesday’s incident to the days of Chuba Okadigbo as the Senate President, said the person behind the drama should be brought to book

He told Premium Times that, “It is not just our democracy but also our security. The person behind this should be brought to book. That (National Assembly) is an institution. It is an attempted coup. He should be tried for treason. The mace is the symbol of authority of the Senate and the Senate President is the chairman of the National Assembly. So it is an attempted coup and should be treated as such.

“In that case, there was no breakage. We took it, it was not stolen. It was during our vacation. We were on vacation. It was during Obj’s (President Olusegun Obasanjo) time and it was during a crisis.

“There was a plan to remove Okadigbo and we got wind of it and adjourned and took the mace. But the then deputy senate president, Haruna Abubakar, attempted to reconvene the Senate. They went and arranged for a fake mace but we intercepted it. Haruna wanted to preside as acting senate president.”

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Missing Mace: FG Orders Immediate Probe Of Senate Invasion

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Missing Mace: FG Orders Immediate Probe Of Senate Invasion

The Federal Government has ordered a probe of the invasion of the Senate on Wednesday, during which the mace was taken away.

Minister of Information, Lai Mohammed, disclosed this in a statement issued in Abuja.

The statement said the government received the report of the theft of the Senate’s mace with shock.

We reported that thugs suspected to be loyal to the suspended Senator representing Delta Central Senatorial district, Ovie Omo-Agege had invaded the red chambers and forcefully taken away the mace.

They broke into the chambers when plenary was going on, creating serious confusion and tension.

Few minutes later, the mace was reportedly recovered and the hallowed chamber resumed sitting.

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Salkida Reveals 30 Not 15 Chibok Girls Are Still Alive

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Salkida Reveals 30 Not 15 Chibok Girls Are Still Alive

Ahmad Salkida, a journalist and close ally of the Boko Haram sect has reversed his statement behind the abduction of Chibok girls from Borno State in 2014.

Salkida, on Saturday had revealed that only 15, out of the 113 schoolgirls remaining in Boko Haram captivity were alive.

However, in new tweets, yesterday, Salkida said new information available to him, from two other cells within the sect, indicated that apart from the original 15 he knew were alive, there were 15 other girls still alive.

He wrote: “A leading member of the Jama’atu Ahlis-Sunna Lidda’Awati Wal-Jihad or BH has now clarified the earlier information about 15 girls.

“Indeed, the 15 #Chibokgirls are available, but known to a particular cell that spoke to me emphatically days leading to the fourth anniversary.

“However, two other cells within the larger group have brought additional information, clarifying the earlier information; that there are another 10 girls available to another cell.

“Outside of the 15 and 10, another 5, amongst the girls, are also alive; as at early hours of today. (yesterday).

“With the new information, the total number of the girls, reportedly, alive are 30.”

Salkida said the objective of his tweets on Saturday was to compel government and Boko Haram to speak but that government was unnecessarily defensive.

“It is most disappointing that the federal government, in its might and given the machinery available to it, peremptorily declared to the public that it lacks institutional memory regarding the processes of the #Chibokgirls,” he added.

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Nigerian Health Workers Embark On Indefinite Strike

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Nigerian Health Workers Embark On Indefinite Strike

The Joint Health Sector Unions, JOHESU, has announced an indefinite strike.

The union said the latest industrial action would paralyse activities in all health institutions across the country.

“All federal government health institutions in Nigeria including federal medical centres, specialists’ hospitals, orthopedic hospitals, psychiatric hospitals among others will be the first to shut down.

If the government allows the strike to continue after two weeks, all the states and local government health institutions will now join,” the National Vice Chairman of JOHESU, Ogbonna Chimela, told newsmen on Monday.

The members of JOHESU are hospital workers, including nurses and pharmacists, but excluding medical doctors and dentists.

Chimela said the strike will commence from midnight on Tuesday.

“Before now we gave the government 21 working days as an ultimatum. Last month, we so threatened to go on strike after 30 working days, whixh expires today (Tuesday) and government have not really done anything tangible.

“They only invited us on April 5 and told us that our issues are being looked into as usual without any concrete effort on how they are planning to meet our demand.

“So our National Executive Council (NEC) met in Abuja and appraised the situation and we resolved to continue with the strike, no going back”, the union leader said.

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