Sunday 7 February 2016

APC Senator Berates Buhari, Says Boko Haram Controls Half Of Borno

APC Senator Berates Buhari, Says Boko Haram Controls Half Of Borno

President Muhammadu Buhari 
 
 
Senator Baba Kaka Garbai, representing Borno Central, has faulted President Muhammadu Buhari over the degrading of Boko Haram terrorists, stating that the terror group still controls about 50 percent of Borno State.

The angry senator, who spoke to journalists on Saturday evening during a condolence visit to Dalori village where 85 persons were reported killed with many of them burnt in their homes by the terrorists, said the truth about the accomplishment of the military in Borno State was half true as Boko Haram and the Nigerian military are presently administering about the same territories in the state.

He said both the military and Boko Haram have full control of three separate local governments and share control in all the 21 other local governments.
Garbai, who was in Dalori with financial and material assistance to the people of the village, said: “I feel highly demoralized, devastated in the sense that this is the village we came during the election and they were going about their normal business. The activities that were ongoing was like confidence building.

“They actually got the signal a few days before the attack that the insurgents were likely to attack them, they reported to the constituted authorities but nothing was done.

“I will like to appeal to the military to intensify their effort in ensuring they beef up security around the villages and communities that share borders with Maiduguri metropolis. It is very important and more so that this place is porous, there could be attack from any direction.”

He said it was a lie and misconception that the insurgents have largely been overpowered by the military, insisting that: “It is a wrong assumption that most of the local governments in Borno are recaptured from the Boko Haram. In reality this is not true in the sense that apart from Maiduguri Metropolis, Bayo and Kwaya Kusar, these are the three local governments that are under the occupation of the Nigerian government where the military and police are maintaining law and order.

“Mobbar, Abadam and Kala Balge are 100 percent occupied by the insurgents. There are some local governments that are partially occupied by the insurgents especially as the local government secretariats have been liberated but their hither-lands are still controlled by the insurgents.”

Garbai gave an instance of Konduga which was liberated but still has many communities in the local government area under the insurgents.

He also said “though Gwoza town has been liberated there still remain six wards in Gwoza local government area still occupied by the insurgents.”

He said: “From my count, only three local governments are fully liberated, 21 local governments partially occupied by insurgents, that is there is still some level of Boko Haram occupation side by side the military or any other constituted authority. The local government fully occupied by Boko Haram are Abadam, Mobbar and Kala Balge.”

He advised that: “We should not live under the illusion that Boko Haram are decimated or weaken, these are not reality and neither a true reflection of the reality. The reality is that most of the local government in Borno is partially occupied by Boko Haram.”



President Buhari replies Gov Fayose: My Trips Are Not Frivolous

President Buhari replies Gov Fayose: My Trips Are Not Frivolous

Source: http://www.thewhistler.ng/story/buhari-tells-fayose-my-trips-are-not-frivolou


Buhari Tells Fayose: My Trips Are Not Frivolous 
 
 
President Buhari has replied Governor Ayo Fayose of Ekiti that his frequent foreign trips were not frivolous rather have political and economic justifications.

The governor had asked Buhari to stay at home and govern the country instead of junketing from one country to the other, stressing that the president’s foreign trips were already bleeding the economy with about $1m being spent per trip.

Reacting to the allegation in an interview with journalists in London just before he embarked on a six day vacation, Buhari said he did not know how Fayose arrived at the figure of $1m per trip.

He said, “Every one of my trips can be politically or economically assessed. I recall that the first trip I had was to go to Chad and Niger. The trip was mainly because of Nigeria’s security.

“We campaigned based on three issues -security, economy (employment) and corruption. And then the G-7 invited me to Germany. After that, I went to Cameroon. I then went to the United Nations General Assembly.

“I have not seen any frivolous journey that I undertook. I understand that the governor of Ekiti State said that every trip I make costs Nigeria at least $1m. I do not know how he worked that out but every trip that I have made, there must be economic and political reasons that justified them.

“Those who do not see it the way the government sees it have the right not to agree and say whatever they like. But we will try and give them the appropriate reply.”

On the anti-corruption war, the president identified the need for firm evidences against corrupt persons as one of the main challenges facing the war.
“The challenge mainly is to affirm evidence. If you just hear our story that somebody built 12 houses in Abuja, houses do not move. Do they?

“It is for us to do verification. We need to verify and quantify before the man is invited to justify how he acquired those properties while he is a public officer,” Buhari explained.

He promised to make a representation to the Chief Justice of Nigeria, Justice Mahmud Muhammed, on the various complaints being made against judges in the country.

He recalled that a lot of allegations had been levelled against some of the judges who served on election tribunals.

On Boko Haram, he claimed that, “We are winning the war. I have said that Boko Haram used to effectively control 14 local governments, they hoisted their flag and declared a caliphate of some sort.

“But now, Boko Haram is not holding any local government. They have been dispersed. They have reverted to technology.

“They use Improvised Explosive Devices. They use cooking gas, some wires and metals, put them together and get girls from the age of 15 downwards and explode them in churches, mosques, markets or motor parks and kill people en masse.”



Source: http://www.thewhistler.ng/story/buhari-tells-fayose-my-trips-are-not-frivolous

Concerned APC Senators call for Saraki's resignation as he faces CCT

Concerned APC Senators call for Saraki's resignation as he faces CCT 

 
 
A group called Unity Forum of the APC Senators have called on Senate President, Bukola Saraki, to resign from office as he faces trial at the Code of Conduct Tribunal. Unity Forum is made of APC Senators like Sen. Ahmed Lawan, APC's choice for Senate President & Suleiman Hunkunyi.

Saraki is facing a 1-count charge of asset falsification filed against him by the Federal government. The Supreme Court last Friday, struck out an appeal filed by Saraki, challenging the constitution of the tribunal and also asking the apex court to quash all the charges.

In a telephone interview with Premium Times, Senator Kabiru Marafa, the most vocal of the Unity Forum, said that although Saraki had the right to be presumed innocent until proven guilty, he should resign now “before he is disgraced out”.
 "The Senate should have understanding with Senator Saraki. What’s happening at the Code of Conduct Tribunal has nothing to do with the Unity Forum; it’s between him and the State. And country’s law says he’s presumed innocent until proven to otherwise. By reason of omission or commission, Saraki has pushed himself to a position of disadvantage. By moving from one court to the other up to the Supreme and got himself knocked out, what it portrays is that the Senate under Senator Saraki is fast losing credibility. The most honourable thing for Saraki is to resign and face his prosecution. If he wins, the seat is always there and he can be re-elected again if those that supported him truly believe he is the best person for the position. And if not, he will remain a senator like he was in the 7th Assembly. Is it a must that he become Senate President?”he said Reacting to Marafa's position, Senator Dino Melaye who is one of Saraki's loyalist in the Senate, said Marafa appears to be living on cheap drugs and that he is a clown "Marafa is a clown and perhaps lives on cheap drugs. The case at the CCT is not about Saraki; rather, it’s about the Senate. And we will not fold our arms to mess up with the Senate. The Senate is stable and Saraki has the support of most of the Senators.”he said

Coach Louis Van Gaal scales through as match ended Chelsea 1-1 Man U

Coach Louis Van Gaal scales through as match ended Chelsea 1-1 Man U

 
 


Chelsea started the match with Eden Hazard on the bench while Diego Costa led the line alongside Oscars and Willian. Louis Van Gaal started the match with the same line up he used in the last two matches against Derby County and Stoke City,starting with youngsters Borthwick-Jackson, Jesse Lingard and Anthony Martial with other experienced stars like Rooney and Carrick complimenting the line up.

Manchester United had the first 20 minutes of the half, Chelsea what remained. Another corner from Willian, this time from the right was met by Nemanja Matic and forced an excellent save from David De Gea. Soon after, he was flat footed after Willian and then Oscar combined to put Costa in, only for his shot to fly across the face of goal. 
 
 
 
 
 
United had the first thirty minutes of the first half to themselves, but Guus Hiddink's men combined perfectly to attack United in the last 15mins test of the first half.
Chelsea captain John Terry felt his side should have had a penalty on the stroke of half-time after his shot struck Daley Blind on the arm but the referee was having none of it.
 
 
 
Youngster Borthwick-Jackson crossed from the left wing which was placed on the path of Jesse Lingard  through Martial,which resulted in a wonderful acrobatic effort from Jesse Lingard resulting in the team's first goal. Lingard celebrated the goal with his trademark salute much to the delight of the United fans on the away section. But it didn't end there. Chelsea were  in for some real action.
 
 
 
DE Gea showed why many see him as the world's best Goalkeeper by making two stunning saves first from Ivanovic and secondly from Cesc Fabregas.
United started playing defensively, giving Chelsea more and more time on the ball.
Chelsea brought in Eden Hazard and Pedro while Man Utd replaced Lingard, Mata, and Fellaini with Depay and Morgan Schneiderlin. 

Six minutes of extra time was given because of the serious injury sustained by defender Kurt Zouma and the time wasted and Chelsea capitalized on that. 
 
 
 
With five minutes of extra time left, Diego Costa made a mazy run through the United defence and after rounding off David De Gea slotted into the net to equalize for the home team.
Rooney tried to rally the away team and after dribbling through Ivanovic at the left hand side made a chip shot that hit top of the bar. 
 
 
 

Both teams tried to snatch three points at the end but will be both happy to have grabbed a point just like they did in the first leg this season.

Such was the battle between this two wealthy clubs. While in previous seasons this clash could be seen as a title decider, this game was merely seen as an entertainment epistle, a drag for the upper echelons of glory, name and power tussle, and at the end but teams could have a smile about the result, especially the blues!!
 
 
 

Nigerians need to know the truth about President Buhari’s sudden vacation - Gov Fayose

Nigerians need to know the truth about President Buhari’s sudden vacation - Gov Fayose

 
 

Governor Ayodele Fayose of Ekiti State has said that the statement issued by the Presidency on Buhari’s sudden vacation was vague, saying; “Nigerians deserve to know the truth about their President because the President is an open book that every Nigerians should be free to read.”
The governor, who said he was aware of the high-wire plot to use the Supreme Court to upturn his electoral victory, insisted that nothing will stop him from speaking the truth concerning issues in the country.

 He said it was suspicious that a president, who told Nigerians that he was embarking on official visit to France and Britain, last Tuesday, would suddenly commence a five-day vacation while still in the United Kingdom.

According to a statement issued by his Special Assistant on Public Communications and New Media, Lere Olayinka, the governor, who prayed for safe return of the President, said “Nigerians deserve to know where exactly their president is spending his vacation.”

He however commended the President for handing over to the Vice President as stipulated by the Constitution of the country.

He said; “We were told last Tuesday, that Mr President was travelling to France and from there to London to attend the Syria Donor Conference, and that he would return to Nigeria this weekend.
“All of a sudden, we were told that the President was embarking on a five-day vacation. Where and why? We were not told.
“Curiously, it was at this same period, last year that President Buhari, who was at that time the All Progressives Congress (APC) presidential candidate, disappeared from public, with lies told about him granting interviews in London.
“It is therefore important that in future, the presidency should be more explicit in communicating with Nigerians on issues regarding the President because a nation’s president is an open book that can be read by anyone.”