Pope Francis makes it easier for Catholics to remarry

Pope Francis has unveiled reforms intended to make it
easier for Roman Catholics to get annulments and remarry
within the Church.
Catholicism does not recognise divorce and teaches
marriage is a lifelong commitment.
In order to separate, Catholics must have their marriage
annulled by showing it was flawed from the outset.
The radical reforms allow access to procedures free of
charge and fast-track decisions.
Until now the procedures have been seen as arcane,
expensive and bureaucratic.
Catholics seeking an annulment previously needed approval
from two Church tribunals. The reforms will reduce this to
one and remove the requirement of automatic appeal. An
appeal will still be possible if one of the parties requests it.
The new fast-track procedure will allow bishops to grant
annulments directly if both spouses request it.
Because annulment procedures are complicated, couples
normally require experts to guide them through, meaning
that gaining one can be expensive.
Without an annulment, Catholics who divorce and marry
again are considered adulterers and are not allowed to
receive communion.
Last year, the Pope set up a commission of church lawyers
and clerical experts to look at how to streamline the
procedure.
Writing about the changes, Pope Francis said it was unfair
that spouses should be "long oppressed by darkness of
doubt" over whether their marriages could be annulled.
Caroline Wyatt, BBC Religious Affairs Correspondent
It was a pope's refusal to grant King Henry VIII an
annulment of his marriage to Catherine of Aragon in the
16th Century that led to England's break with Rome and the
creation of the Church of England, with the monarch as
defender of the faith.
In the intervening centuries, the process of obtaining an
annulment for ordinary Catholics has remained a lengthy
and costly one.
The move by Pope Francis to simplify and streamline the
process has come to fruition unusually quickly for the
Vatican.
It's only a year since he set up a commission of Church
lawyers to look at reforms to the process.
While they're not expected to change Catholic teaching on
divorce, they are likely to make it easier for estranged
couples to prove that their marriage was invalid from the
beginning.

Bayelsa Group Lauds DSS Raid On Akwa Ibom Govt House. In a statement issued by signed by its National Coordinator, Mike Olomu, said the raid and discovery were part of the legitimate functions of the DSS.

Bayelsa-based socio-political group, the Niger Delta
Leadership Forum, Monday rose in support of the
operatives of the Department of State Security
(DSS) raid of the Akwa Ibom State government
House, which discovered stockpiled foreign currencies.

The group said the response by some politicians and
members of the Akwa Ibom State House of Assembly
against the search, and claims that it was an act of
Impunity, are unfounded and misplaced.
In a statement issued by signed by its National Coordinator,
Mike Olomu, said the raid and discovery were part of the
legitimate functions of the DSS.
According to the group, "the Akwa Ibom raid and discovery
should not be termed an invasion or acts of impunity. It is a
legitimate function of the DSS. If it is an ordinary man's
house that was searched, it would not have been termed an
invasion. But for politicians from the State to describe such
raid and discovery of such criminal stock pile of hard
currencies as acts of impunity is in itself admittance of
complicity in the crime."
"The PDP should know that the DSS action is in order and
the PDP should stop maligning the Director General of the
DSS, Lawan Daura. Daura is a professional to the core," the
statement also said.

BY SAHARA REPORTERS, NEW YORK

N369Million Fraud: AG Denies Involvement As Delta Government Gives FCMB Two Weeks Ultimatum Or Face Legal Actions

The Accountant General (AG) for Delta State Mr. Cyril
Agbele has denied involvement in a N369 million
fraud with his deputy, Mrs. Joy Enwa, and the First
City Monument Bank (FCMB) branch manager in
Asaba, Mrs. Mabel Asaije.

The AG confirmed that a fraud took place to a
SaharaReporters correspondent, however he claims that he
discovered and investigated the illegal actions. He also
alleges that his name is being tarnished by those he
investigated because he is demanding the return of the
stolen money.
In a press statement released by Mr. Agbele’s media
assistant it was learned that the N369 million transfer was
not authorized by the Accountant General’s office, which
raised an alarm and caused an investigation into FCMB
bank in Asaba.
After finding discrepancies Mr. Agbele filed a petition to the
Commissioner of Police for Delta State, according to this
same statement.
A police officer in the Office of the State Commissioner of
Police, who pleaded anonymity, confirmed that a petition
was submitted by the Accountant General to the police
requesting the arrest of the FCMB manager and others who
perpetrated the fraud.
"I was privileged to see the content of the letter when it was
brought to the CP's office. We read the letter immediately,
and it was dispatched before even sending it to the CP's
office for treatment and actions," our police source stated.
Police sources at the Delta State Criminal Investigation
Department (CID), Asaba, confided in SaharaReporters that
the fraud was traced to an account in a bank in Bayelsa
state while the sum of N70million was traced to an account
belonging to the son of the Asaba branch manager of FCMB
who is based in Canada.
SaharaReporters gathered from police sources that the
investigation into this fraud is still ongoing, and that the
Accountant General Cyril Agbele has not been ruled out of
any wrongdoing.

Source : SAHARA REPORTERS, NEW YORK

Check out this blog "Falling Asleep In Public: Is Governor Nyeson Wike Of Rivers State Narcoleptic?" http://naijamedias.blogspot.com/2015/09/falling-asleep-in-public-is-governor.html

Falling Asleep In Public: Is Governor Nyeson Wike Of Rivers State Narcoleptic?

Screengrab of Governor Nyeson Wike sleeping during
a public event


Since coming to office on May 29th, 2015 as
the governor of oil-rich Rivers state, Nyeson
Wike has often fallen asleep during public
functions. Sometimes deeply asleep and
snoring such that aides have to wake him up
so he could catch up with the rest of the
events or hurriedly leave to continue
sleeping.

The governor has continued to engage in these
embarrassing behaviors in the office, churches and public
gatherings in the state. Whereas cat naps or power naps
could be excused for sleep deprivation for someone being
overworked, Mr. Wike's public sleeping fests might be a
symptom of a bigger health issue.




Governor Wike woken up after falling asleep during a
public event




Governor Wike asleep in public


Source: Sahara Reporters.

I Will Name My Cabinet This Month- President Buhari

President Muhammadu Buhari Monday in
Aburi, Ghana reassured Nigerians and the
international community that he will name
his cabinet before the end of the month.

President Buhari gave the assurance at a joint press
conference with President John Dramani Mahama of
Ghana.
“After I was sworn-in, I said I will have my cabinet in
September. I expect that Nigerians should ask me questions
after the 30th of September if I do not do so,” President
Buhari said while responding to a question on the
appointment of ministers.
President Buhari also told reporters that the Nigerian
military, in close collaboration with the Multi-National Joint
Task Force, has recorded remarkable progress in the fight
against Boko Haram since he assumed office as President.
“The first thing I did after I came into office was to
reorganize the military and clear orders were given to them
in terms of retraining, re-equipping and redeployment of
troops.
“In the northeast, the military is gaining ground and Boko
Haram has been limited to the Sambisa forest.
“Internally Displaced Persons are gradually moving back
home and they are being reintegrated into their respective
communities,” President Buhari said.
On the declaration of assets, the President affirmed that it
was a constitutional requirement that all public office
holders in Nigeria should declare their assets before and
after their term in office.
“I recall that in 1975 when late Murtala Mohammed became
the Head of State, we were lined up - governors, ministers,
members of the Supreme Military Council. Officials of
Ministry of Justice were brought and every individual was
made to declare his assets.
“All Heads of States and Government, governors, ministers,
permanent secretaries have to declare their assets because
it is a constitutional requirement.
“I have declared my assets four times. When I was
governor in 1975, I declared. After being Minister of
Petroleum and as a member of Supreme Military Council, I
declared. When I was Head of State and now as a
President, I have also declared.
Earlier, President Mahama said both leaders had fruitful
discussions on how to enhance bilateral relations and
improve regional security.
President Mahama said that Nigeria and Ghana will soon
begin the process of reviving their joint commission for
cooperation.
The Ghanaian President added that both leaders also
agreed to encourage closer cooperation between the
intelligence and anti-graft agencies of both countries.
He thanked President Buhari for his visit and assured him of
Ghana’s support and cooperation with Nigeria in the fight
against terrorism.

Nigeria Withdraws Diplomatic Passports From Unauthorized Former

Nigeria’s army of former diplomatic and
official passport holders on Monday found
the documents to be worthless pieces of
paper, the federal government announcing
they have been revoked.

Those affected by the order include former governors,
legislators, Ministers, Commissioners, Special Advisers/
Special Assistants, Chairmen/Deputy Chairmen of Local
Governments, Heads of parastatals, and civil servants.
A statement issued by the Comptroller-General of the
Immigration Service, MK Abeshi, said the revocation
followed a previous directive, and that the documents are to
be returned to the Nigeria Immigration Service
Headquarters in Abuja immediately.
“Failure to comply with this directive will amount to an
offence under the Immigration Act 2015,” he said, warning
that further unauthorized possession will be impounded at
Nigeria’s border control posts on arrival or departure.

Ex-church volunteer sentenced to 60 years to life for sexually abusing boys

A former Sunday school volunteer was
sentenced Friday to 60 years to life in prison for
sexually abusing young boys, including some he
met through churches in Newport Beach and
Costa Mesa.
Sending 51-year-old Christopher McKenzie to
prison presumably for the rest of his life
ensures he will not be able to hurt anyone else,
Orange County Superior Court Judge Patrick
Donahue said after handing down his decision.
Jurors convicted McKenzie in July of 20 felonies
related to molesting five boys and trying to lure
a sixth into sexual situations. The charges
included lewd acts with a child under 14,
possession of child pornography and using a
minor for sex acts.
During the trial, prosecutors laid out a pattern
of McKenzie grooming victims by inviting them
to help on his rounds as a pool cleaner,
watching movies, buying them fast food and
taking them on camping trips.
Prosecutors said McKenzie met three of his
victims at Rock Harbor Church in Costa Mesa,
where he volunteered from 2007 until he was
arrested in 2012. McKenzie met one of the
victims at Christ Church by the Sea in Newport
Beach, where he volunteered before Rock
Harbor, according to prosecutors.
According to prosecutors, McKenzie repeatedly
raped and molested one victim over the span of
eight years, starting in 1996, when the boy was
8 years old.
"Mr. McKenzie, through manipulation, gained
the trust and love of these young men,"
Donahue said.
After getting close to them, McKenzie often
would offer victims cash to pose for nude
photos, insisting he had an artist friend who
needed a new model for sculptures, according to
victims' testimony.
Prosecutors said McKenzie molested the boys
while he rubbed oil on their bodies for the
photo shoots or as they showered after helping
him work on pools.
The brother of one of the victims spoke in court
before the sentencing.
"I cannot put into words the feelings I felt when
my brother first told me what this monster did
to him," he said.
The Daily Pilot is not identifying the brother in
order to avoid identifying the victim as well.
Prison is not a severe enough punishment for
McKenzie, said the brother, who suggested
castration at the least.
"I hope Christopher McKenzie rots in hell," he
said.
However, an alleged victim who was unable to
testify at trial — leading prosecutors to drop
charges related to him — said he forgave
McKenzie.
The man was not in court Friday, but prosecutor
Heather Brown read a statement from him.
The abuse, the man wrote, drove him to drugs
and other self-destructive behavior, but he has
recovered.
"A door opened for me that has led me to
understand why this happened and how it was
not my fault," the man wrote. "This led me to
forgive the man that abused me, not for his own
benefit, but for mine."
McKenzie could have been sentenced to 135
years to life in prison if Donahue imposed the
maximum penalty.
Public defender Darren Thompson contended
that would be "disproportionately unfair"
compared with sentences for crimes like
murder.
He asked Donahue to impose a term that would
give McKenzie a legitimate opportunity to be
paroled.
But Brown argued that if McKenzie were ever
freed, he would immediately return to posing as
a devout man to snare unsuspecting victims.
"There's nothing but emotional wreckage lying
in the wake of Mr. McKenzie," she said.
Outside the courtroom after the hearing,
McKenzie's mother, Bonni Schumpert, called the
sentence "heartbreaking."
"He's my only son. He was the one to care for
me in my future," she said. "He's an honest,
decent, respectable man."

Africa:: Sierra Leone village in quarantine after Ebola death

Nearly 1,000 people in Sierra Leone have been put under
quarantine following the death of a 67-year-old woman who
tested positive for Ebola.
It comes five days into a six-week countdown for the
country to be officially declared Ebola-free.
The quarantine will last for three weeks, provided no new
cases are recorded.
More than 11,000 people have died since the start of the
Ebola outbreak in Sierra Leone, Guinea and Liberia.
BBC Africa Live: News updates
The BBC's Umaru Fofana in the capital, Freetown, says the
authorities had been optimistic after a long period without
any new Ebola cases and this caught them off-guard.
Our correspondent says the quarantine is stricter than
previous ones. It includes a curfew in which people will not
be allowed to move from one house to another.
Soldiers and police have been deployed to keep the
quarantine in Sellakaffta, a village in Kambia on the
northern border with Guinea.
The World Health Organization and Sierra Leone's health
ministry are planning a vaccination programme for those
who could have come into contact with the woman.
Guinea is still trying to contain its outbreak while the WHO
announced that the Ebola virus had stopped spreading in
Liberia for a second time on Thursday.
It had been declared free of Ebola transmission in May but
then more cases were found the following month.

A Female Saudi Reporter Showed Her Hair. You Can Probably Guess What Happened Next.

For most of us, it’s a sight we’d hardly
think twice about: a female anchor
reporting the news and sporting a lovely
hairdo.
To see it on Saudi Arabian state media
channel, however, is enough to cause a
big time uproar.
A yet-to-be identified female
journalist has found herself at the center
of a bitter cultural controversy for not
dressing like “modest” Muslim women
and covering her head during a
newscast.
While adherence to the tradition in the
Saudi Kingdom varies, women typically
wear the full veil known as the niqab in
the country’s capital of Riyadh.
Elsewhere in more liberal parts of the
country, women are expected to wear
the less concealing hijab.

Niqab vs. Hijab (Photos: AP)

The broadcast for Al Ekhbariya was
actually relayed from its London office,
making it something of a grey area for
a network that put the first female news
anchor on the pedestal in its inaugural
broadcast.
And though there are signs of progress
being made for Saudi women, that
hasn’t stopped a hostile backlash on
social media from flaring up. Like a
similar incident in Iran, threats of
lashing, hanging, and even beheading are
reportedly not uncommon.
Let’s just hope for her sake none of
that comes to fruition.

My administration had a good team –Jonathan

THREE months after leaving office and amid accusations of
misdeeds by his government, former President Goodluck
Jonathan has said he worked with a great team.
Jonathan’s appraisal of his cabinent was contained in
separate congratulatory letters to the new President of the
African Development Bank, Dr. Akinwunmi Adesina; and the
Vice-President of the World Bank, Ms Arunma Oteh.
Akinwunmi served as agriculture minister under the
Jonathan administration while Oteh served as the Director-
General of the Securities and Exchange Commission.
Jonathan said Adesina’s appointment “attests to the fact
that my administration had a good team that managed the
affairs of the country.”
But the National Leader of the All Progressives Congress,
Bola Tinubu, on Sunday, said it would have been disastrous
for Nigeria if Jonathan had been re-elected in the March 28,
2015 presidential poll won by President Muhammadu
Buhari.
Tinubu, in an article to mark Buhari’s 100 days in power,
said Nigeria would have collapsed if Jonathan had won re-
election.
In his letter to his former aides, Jonathan however
celebrated his time in government.
To Adesina, he wrote, “Given your exemplary record of
performance, while serving as the Honourable Minister for
Agriculture and Rural Development in my cabinet, I have no
doubt that you will deploy your energy and the bank’s
resources to ensure that Africa experiences a new era of
accelerated development.
“You were not only a critical voice in my economic team,
you also walked the talk and earned the praise of our
countrymen and women by ensuring that Nigeria’s quest for
self-sufficiency in food production became achievable
dream.”
The former President, in his letter to Oteh, praised the
former SEC boss’ knowledge of capital markets.
He described her as being conversant with the challenges of
the economies of emerging markets.
He stated, “I am delighted that you are going to your new
job, fresh from the experience of having led the recovery
and growth initiatives of the Nigerian Bourse in the wake of
the decline, occasioned by recent global economic recession
and financial crisis.
“This is a clear testimony to your capacity, high integrity,
and tenacity of purpose. It is also a vindication of the
decision of my administration to stand by you, believing in
your abilities and competence, even when questions were
being raised in some quarters over your choice.
“I am convinced that the experience you gathered as
Director-General of the Securities and Exchange
Commission of Nigeria gave you deep insights on how to
tackle the peculiar challenges of a developing nation.
“The World Bank can draw from this to ensure that its future
partnerships with emerging economies in Africa and other
parts of the world are anchored on policies that will lead to
sustained growth and development, which is a sine qua non
for lifting millions of people in the developing world out of
mass poverty.”
It will be recalled that the House of Representatives had in
July 2012 asked the Federal Government to remove Oteh.
The lawmakers made the call in their adoption of the report
of the House ad hoc committee, which probed the near-
collapse of the capital market.
The report was debated and adopted barely 24 hours after
the Federal Government recalled Oteh from the suspension
slammed on her on June 12 by the Board of the SEC, which
indicted her for mishandling the Project 50 of the
commission.
The report faulted Oteh’s appointment as DG on the grounds
that she was not qualified and that she lacked the
competence to manage human and material resources.
But the Jonathan Presidency had said that the
government’s decision to bring back Oteh was independent
of the House decision and that due process was followed in
her recall.
Tinubu, who is a former Governor of Lagos State, said the
banking system and the entire economy would have
collapsed due to the several acts of corruption perpetrated
by Jonathan’s men.
He said, “Change means fighting corruption in all of its
manifestations instead of consorting with it. No longer shall
the public treasury, meant for the wellbeing of the many, be
treated as the private reserve of the few. Nigeria is now 100
days into President Buhari’s leadership.
“I shudder to think where we might be had the prior
administration been allowed to govern even 100 days more,
let alone another four years.”
He said Jonathan’s refusal to intervene in the economic
crisis in different states showed a lack of understanding of
the economy.
He added, “By approving a package of emergency fiscal and
financial relief, he (Buhari) has stopped the slide of
numerous states into economic depression and imminent
bankruptcy. By enabling the payment of back salaries to
state government civil servants, he has saved millions of
Nigerians from sinking into hunger and poverty.
“The former government should have taken these step
months ago, even before the election. However, it let a bad
situation fester into impending calamity. Had that
government remained in office, it would have allowed the
states to slide into bankruptcy, triggering a financial crisis
that would have engulfed the banking system if not the
entire economy.”
But the Peoples Democratic Party has supported
Jonathan’s assessment of his administration, saying, “The
former President has hit the nail on the head.”
National Publicity Secretary of the party, Mr. Oliah Metuh,
said that Jonathan’s assessment of his team and
administration was based on evidence.
According to him, the international appointments given to
members of the Jonathan team are pointers to the fact that
those in the team are not only competent, but also capable.
He said that the achievements of the Jonathan
administration were practical and could not be politicised
and that they were evident in all sectors, including
agriculture, economy and communications.
In his reaction, the Executive Secretary, Anti-Corruption
Network , Ebenezer Oyetakin, said that Jonathan’s self-
assessment was meant to achieve image redemption.
He said, “We should however appreciate Jonathan for
conceding defeat. No doubt, someone like Adesina is an
exceptional person among the former President Jonathan’s
team. No doubt too, some others would be good persons in
his team. The Jonathan’s letter to them, while we can see it
as deserving and in good will to the duo, smacks of a
desperate attempt at cheap image redemption.”
On his part, a United States-based activist, Smart Ajaja,
described the assessment as an affront to Nigerians.
“Nigeria needs to be told the truth in very harsh and caustic
language. This statement from ex-President Jonathan is an
affront on the sensibility of Nigerians, taking cognizance of
the crass corruption that dogged his presidency,” Ajaja said.
But Kayode Ajulo, a legal practitioner and Executive Director
of the Egalitarian Mission Africa, said, Jonathan’s
administration “paraded some of the best brains in the land
as he also made some unfortunate appointments.”
“In fact, his team could be best described as a cacophony of
personalities, an amalgamation of the good, the bad and the
ugly appointees. Today, what should be of concern is the
review of the gains and the mistakes of the administration
and to use same to chart a new course for the Buhari’s new
administration to ensure a better Nigeria,” he added.

NNPC, security agents aid Arepo oil thieves – Investigation

The leadership of the Nigerian National Petroleum
Corporation and security agencies entrusted with the
responsibility of protecting the nation’s pipeline have been
accused of turning a blind eye as hoodlums help themselves
to the nation’s oil at Arepo, a community in Ogun State.
SUNDAY PUNCH gathered that for several years, a group of
criminals have vandalised the NNPC pipeline that pumps
imported petroleum products from the Atlas Cove in Lagos,
to Mosimi Depot, Sagamu, Ogun State
The depot in Mosimi plays the crucial responsibility of
distributing refined petroleum products to the cities of the
South-West.
It was gathered that the hoodlums had vandalised the
pipeline in the creeks of Arepo in such a way that whenever
the Petroleum Products Marketing Company, a subsidiary of
the NNPC pumped refined products, they (the hoodlums)
would also get it from the broken portions of the pipeline in
the creeks.
There are yet to be verified reports of complicity between
the criminals, some security operatives and even officials of
the PPMC in the thriving criminality against Nigeria.
It was gathered that PPMC officials aided the vandals with
privileged information regarding the time the products would
be pumped.
Investigations revealed that the PPMC pump fuel from the
Atlas Cove in Lagos to Mosimi twice every week.
It was also learnt that the NNPC could not stop the pumping
of the products even with a consciousness of the
perforations on the critical national asset because doing
such could lead to petroleum scarcity.
An oil worker, who confided in one of our correspondents,
said the NNPC might have been frustrated after the killing of
three of its workers at Arepo in 2012.
The source said the criminals, perpetrating the action, might
have become emboldened by the alleged connivance of the
security personnel.
Last week, the vandals shot and killed four policemen for
arresting four petroleum tankers that were used to
perpetrate the crime.
The source said, “You can’t imagine that this is happening
in Nigeria. This cannot be allowed to happen in any civilized
clime.
“We are in a country where the new government is talking
about recovering stolen funds yet we allow a set of
hoodlums to run riot against the country’s economy.
“You know what those vandals at Arepo are doing, they
went to the creek, vandalized the pipeline that pumps fuel
from Atlas cove to Mosimi so that whenever the PPMC
pumps fuel, they are also getting it. It would be pouring like
a running tap in such a way that whenever they are done
with collection, they simply allow the fuel to fall into the
creek.
“And because the level of fuel in the creek has become very
high, the fuel has risen to knee level. What some of them do
is to use plastic buckets to scoop the fuel which they supply
to buyers who get it from them at a ridiculously low price.
“In fact, if not for the issue of conspiracy, how come that
the security personnel have not tracked down the tankers,
the drivers and the owners to stop this crime? If the vandals
are hiding in the creeks, are they beyond the reach of
Nigeria and are the tankers also hiding in the creeks?”
However, the source could not put a figure to the amount of
money being lost by the country to the brazen criminality
being committed against the country by the hoodlums over
the years.
When contacted, the NNPC debunked statements that
products especially Premium Motor Spirit pumped from
Atlas Cove to Mosimi was leaking in Arepo, stressing that
PPMC officials had not been found culpable for the leaks.
The Group General Manager, Group Public Affairs Division,
NNPC, Mr. Ohi Alegbe, told one of our correspondents that
after extensive investigations, it was discovered that it was
not true.
In a text message to one of our correspondents, Alagbe
said, “It is not true. It was investigated extensively on
Thursday when you initially sent the text. PPMC personnel
that are on the ground in Arepo to Mosimi axis said there
was no truth to the claim.”
The Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps Public
Relations Officer, Emmanuel Okeh, also denied that the
corps personnel were colluding with saboteurs at Arepo,
noting that the operatives had come under attacks in the
area many times over their “uncompromising stand” against
vandalism.

Photo: pipeline vandals

Nigeria, one of most dangerous places to drive – Report

Nigeria has been listed as one of the most dangerous places
for drivers.
A report by the Telegraph UK , which was published on
Wednesday, says Nigeria records 33.7 per cent road
fatalities per 100,000 inhabitants per year.
According to the report titled, ‘Mapped: The world’s most
dangerous places to drive’, Libya records the highest road
fatalities in Africa with 40.5 per cent.
The report said, “Most of the bottom 10 — including Eritrea,
the deadliest driving destination, according to the World
Health Organisation’s figures, with 48.4 deaths per 100,000
residents; Libya, 40.5; and Iraq, 31.5 – are unlikely to
feature on the travel itineraries of most Britons.
“But a couple – Thailand, 38.1, and South Africa, 31.9 —
are popular holiday destinations.”
The report further said “relatively risky roads” could also be
found in Ecuador, Vietnam, Brazil, Paraguay, Kenya and
Laos.
“Other notable findings include the fact that Portugal is less
safe than the rest of Western Europe and the US is twice as
dangerous as Canada,” it added.
The report, however, said, the safest places to drive include
the Maldives, with 1.9 deaths, “though the lack of roads
probably helps.”
Others on the safest list are Norway, 2.9; Denmark, 3;
Sweden, 3; and Switzerland, 3.4.
It added, “Britain is just behind, with only 3.5 fatalities per
100,000 inhabitants per year. But they are all outshone by
San Marino, which recorded not a single death for the year
in question (2010).”
Other African countries considered to be unsafe for driving
include Mauritania, 28; Burkina Faso, 27.7; Chad, 29.7;
Sudan, 25.1; Democratic Republic of Congo, 20.9.

Source :punch.

FG freezes Jonathan’s associates’ accounts

The anti-corruption campaign of the President Muhammadu
Buhari-led administration appears to have taken a bigger
bite as the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission has
secretly frozen the bank accounts of former President
Goodluck Jonathan’s associates, SUNDAY PUNCH has
learnt.
One of our correspondents learnt that the move by the anti-
graft agency was aimed at scuttling the tranfer of the
alleged looted funds from the accounts for other reasons.
A member of a key transition committee of the All
Progressives Congress, who spoke to one of our
correspondents on condition of anonymity, on Friday, said
the need had become necessary in view of the magnitude of
the alleged theft of public resources by the affected
persons.
The APC chieftain spoke on the heels of the condemnation
of President Buhari’s ongoing probe of the last
administration of the Peoples Democratic Party and
recovery of funds looted by public officials.
The affected accounts, SUNDAY PUNCH learnt, belonged to
Keketobou Foundation, owned by former Special Adviser to
Jonathan on Niger Delta and Coordinator of the Amnesty
Programme, Mr. Kingsley Kuku, and Mieka Divers Limited
as well as Global West Vessels Limited reportedly owned by
ex-Niger Delta warlord, Mr. Government Ekpompolo, aka
Tompolo.
Further investigations by our correspondents also showed
that one of Jonathan’s close allies, Mr. Kime Engozi’s
accounts had also been flagged.
Engozi is the contractor handling the N30bn Maritime
University contract at Okerenkoko in the Gbaramatu area of
Delta State.
Besides, funds already approved for the commencement of
the university are said to have remained frozen in a
Yenagoa branch of the United Bank for Africa Plc.
The NIMASA Technical College at Okoloba, also in Delta
State, is also said to be facing an uncertain future as there
are fears that the institution might be scrapped.
Accounts linked to the former Director General of NIMASA,
Dr. Patrick Akpobolokemi, are also said to have been frozen
by the EFCC.
The source, who is now in the Presidency, said although he
could not confirm if Jonathan’s recent meeting with Buhari
discussed the issue, the action to ‘flag’ the said accounts
might have been for security reasons.
The source also said the opposition Peoples Democratic
Party was ignorant of the workings of the Federal
Government, especially on security.
The source added, “This is not a matter of lobby or any
politics that should be shoved aside; what is at stake is the
nation’s security and nothing more.
“When the PDP says the current anti-corruption drive is
selective, we continue to laugh at them because they do not
seem to know what is at stake at all. If only they know, all
the noise they have been making won’t be made at all.
“How many of these PDP elements know that just one
individual benefitted from a single NIMASA transaction to
the tune of N13bn, not to talk of about $57m he was said to
have benefitted from controversial contract deals?
“Are these the things they ask us to sweep under the
carpet? Certainly, we cannot because apart from the angle
of the impunity and financial recklessness, does it make any
sense if any responsible government allows such
individuals, who had threatened war in the event that
Jonathan did not win to have such huge sums in bank
vaults? Such accounts must be flagged, of course.”
However, the PDP has asked President Buhari to follow the
rule of law in his government’s determination to fight
corruption.
The National Publicity Secretary of the PDP, Mr. Olisa
Metuh, in an interview with one of our correspondents on
Saturday night, asked the President not to spare anyone,
including his friends and members of the ruling APC in the
crusade.
Metuh said, “We are not against the war against corruption,
but what we are saying is that the President must follow the
rule of law.
“The law says every accused person is innocent until proven
otherwise. Then, the President must also look at his party;
he shouldn’t spare his friends.
“If any of our members is found to be corrupt, let them face
the law of the land. But no one should be tagged as being
corrupt when the court has not said so.”
He also asked the President to fund the anti-corruption
agencies adequately, while saying that the agencies should
also conduct what he described as “water-tight
investigations” before rushing to the court.
Repeated calls to the mobile telephone set of the National
Publicity Secretary of the APC, Alhaji Lai Mohammed, were
neither picked nor returned.
Also he had yet to reply a text message sent to him at
8.52pm, asking for his comments on charges that the APC-
led administration was hounding members of the opposition
PDP and associates of Jonathan, as of the time of filing this
report.
Tompolo is not under any investigations by the EFCC, but
Kuku has a date to keep with the anti-graft agency in
September, having gone for a knee surgery in the United
States of America in July, while the former NIMASA boss
has been under investigation for over month.
However, Akpobolokemi’s interaction with the EFCC has
been linked to business deals by him while he held sway at
NIMASA and the ex-warlord.
SUNDAY PUNCH also learnt that EFCC’s seizure of
Akpobolokemi’s international passport and a N38m worth
bullet-proof Toyota Landcruiser was already heightening
speculations that he might be prosecuted if findings by the
investigators indict him.
At least three close aides and confidants of the ex-NIMASA
boss, including the current Executive Director in charge of
Maritime Safety and Shipping Development, Mr. Ezekiel Bala
Agaba, have been guests of the EFCC in the last ten days.

Source : punch newspaper

FG freezes Jonathan’s associates’ accounts

The anti-corruption campaign of the President Muhammadu
Buhari-led administration appears to have taken a bigger
bite as the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission has
secretly frozen the bank accounts of former President
Goodluck Jonathan’s associates, SUNDAY PUNCH has
learnt.
One of our correspondents learnt that the move by the anti-
graft agency was aimed at scuttling the tranfer of the
alleged looted funds from the accounts for other reasons.
A member of a key transition committee of the All
Progressives Congress, who spoke to one of our
correspondents on condition of anonymity, on Friday, said
the need had become necessary in view of the magnitude of
the alleged theft of public resources by the affected
persons.
The APC chieftain spoke on the heels of the condemnation
of President Buhari’s ongoing probe of the last
administration of the Peoples Democratic Party and
recovery of funds looted by public officials.
The affected accounts, SUNDAY PUNCH learnt, belonged to
Keketobou Foundation, owned by former Special Adviser to
Jonathan on Niger Delta and Coordinator of the Amnesty
Programme, Mr. Kingsley Kuku, and Mieka Divers Limited
as well as Global West Vessels Limited reportedly owned by
ex-Niger Delta warlord, Mr. Government Ekpompolo, aka
Tompolo.
Further investigations by our correspondents also showed
that one of Jonathan’s close allies, Mr. Kime Engozi’s
accounts had also been flagged.
Engozi is the contractor handling the N30bn Maritime
University contract at Okerenkoko in the Gbaramatu area of
Delta State.
Besides, funds already approved for the commencement of
the university are said to have remained frozen in a
Yenagoa branch of the United Bank for Africa Plc.
The NIMASA Technical College at Okoloba, also in Delta
State, is also said to be facing an uncertain future as there
are fears that the institution might be scrapped.
Accounts linked to the former Director General of NIMASA,
Dr. Patrick Akpobolokemi, are also said to have been frozen
by the EFCC.
The source, who is now in the Presidency, said although he
could not confirm if Jonathan’s recent meeting with Buhari
discussed the issue, the action to ‘flag’ the said accounts
might have been for security reasons.
The source also said the opposition Peoples Democratic
Party was ignorant of the workings of the Federal
Government, especially on security.
The source added, “This is not a matter of lobby or any
politics that should be shoved aside; what is at stake is the
nation’s security and nothing more.
“When the PDP says the current anti-corruption drive is
selective, we continue to laugh at them because they do not
seem to know what is at stake at all. If only they know, all
the noise they have been making won’t be made at all.
“How many of these PDP elements know that just one
individual benefitted from a single NIMASA transaction to
the tune of N13bn, not to talk of about $57m he was said to
have benefitted from controversial contract deals?
“Are these the things they ask us to sweep under the
carpet? Certainly, we cannot because apart from the angle
of the impunity and financial recklessness, does it make any
sense if any responsible government allows such
individuals, who had threatened war in the event that
Jonathan did not win to have such huge sums in bank
vaults? Such accounts must be flagged, of course.”
However, the PDP has asked President Buhari to follow the
rule of law in his government’s determination to fight
corruption.
The National Publicity Secretary of the PDP, Mr. Olisa
Metuh, in an interview with one of our correspondents on
Saturday night, asked the President not to spare anyone,
including his friends and members of the ruling APC in the
crusade.
Metuh said, “We are not against the war against corruption,
but what we are saying is that the President must follow the
rule of law.
“The law says every accused person is innocent until proven
otherwise. Then, the President must also look at his party;
he shouldn’t spare his friends.
“If any of our members is found to be corrupt, let them face
the law of the land. But no one should be tagged as being
corrupt when the court has not said so.”
He also asked the President to fund the anti-corruption
agencies adequately, while saying that the agencies should
also conduct what he described as “water-tight
investigations” before rushing to the court.
Repeated calls to the mobile telephone set of the National
Publicity Secretary of the APC, Alhaji Lai Mohammed, were
neither picked nor returned.
Also he had yet to reply a text message sent to him at
8.52pm, asking for his comments on charges that the APC-
led administration was hounding members of the opposition
PDP and associates of Jonathan, as of the time of filing this
report.
Tompolo is not under any investigations by the EFCC, but
Kuku has a date to keep with the anti-graft agency in
September, having gone for a knee surgery in the United
States of America in July, while the former NIMASA boss
has been under investigation for over month.
However, Akpobolokemi’s interaction with the EFCC has
been linked to business deals by him while he held sway at
NIMASA and the ex-warlord.
SUNDAY PUNCH also learnt that EFCC’s seizure of
Akpobolokemi’s international passport and a N38m worth
bullet-proof Toyota Landcruiser was already heightening
speculations that he might be prosecuted if findings by the
investigators indict him.
At least three close aides and confidants of the ex-NIMASA
boss, including the current Executive Director in charge of
Maritime Safety and Shipping Development, Mr. Ezekiel Bala
Agaba, have been guests of the EFCC in the last ten days.

Source : punch newspaper

Election:: Delta Governorship: How Okowa, PDP, INEC And Police Set Up Stealing Of INEC Materials

Facts have emerged of how last week’s news from the
Delta State Police Command that sensitive Independent
National Electoral Commission (INEC) documents were
allegedly stolen by an official of the state chapter of the
Labour Party (LP), as sources claim that Governor Ifeanyi
Okowa, the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), the police, and
INEC orchestrated the scene to discredit the current
electoral petition by LP against the PDP.
The State Police Command had on August 30th, 2015,
raised the alarm through a widely circulated statement of
arresting and detaining some officials of the Labour Party
for stealing sensitive documents from INEC in relation to
the state’s just-concluded governorship and House of
Assembly elections.
The police said they arrested and interrogated the state
chairman of the Labour Party, Tony Ezeagwu, and a man
named Onodawerho Esiri as the prime suspect, and sent a
police report from Asaba to the ongoing governorship
election petition tribunal against the Labour Party.
The police also said the document theft was carried out last
week.
But a certified true copy of the police report addressed to
the commissioner of police, signed by Deputy
Commissioner of Police (DCP) Hafiz M. Inuwa, and
obtained by SaharaReporters is dated June 25th of this
year.
The police report, with reference number CR3000/DTS/
SD3/VOL/3/230, said that a prima facie case of forgery and
falsification was established. It also noted that the police
acted on a tip-off swooped on a popular hotel located in the
metropolis of Asaba, the Delta State capital and found the
suspects in possession of INEC original copies of results
relating to the just concluded governorship election in the
state.
"The recovered and identified result sheets are sensitive
materials that should not be found outside the custody of
INEC or officials of INEC and that the person that stole the
result sheet is the person that stands to gain advantage at
the Electoral Petition Tribunal if INEC could not produce the
result sheets when the tribunal demands for it.
"Two staff of INEC staff connived with the agents of the
Labour Party were interrogated, following the discovery of
the exhibits, INEC did a stock taking of its strong room and
discovered that a total of 117 results sheets for
governorship election and 20 house of Assembly election
are missing  from their strong room,” the report stated.
Speaking to SaharaReporters under the condition of
anonymity, an employee of Dema Hotels, located at Ezenei
Avenue, Asaba, where prime suspect Mr. Esiri was said to
have been arrested by the police, corroborated the
document, and disclosed that the incident happened
sometime in June this year.
The hotel source said that the hotel owner is a kinsman of
Governor Okowa who was in on the plot. He also claimed
Mr. Esiri was set up. “Barely a few minutes [after arriving,
Mr. Esiri] locked up his room and went out,” the source
said. "After [Mr. Esiri left], the manager of the Hotel
immediately left and after few minutes he came back with a
team of some policemen from the state police headquarters
with a vehicle and sat in the hotel reception. Shortly, Mr.
Onodawerho Esiri returned and was accosted by the police
at the reception where he was asked what he was doing
with INEC sensitive electoral materials in his room.
"Immediately one of the officers just rushed to the vehicle
and brought a bag of 'Ghana Must Go' loaded with INEC
materials, and Mr. Onodawerho Esiri was [arrested] and
handcuffed at the reception by the police and taken straight
to the police headquarters and was charged to court.”
The source claims that the move was made to discredit the
LP petition against Governor Okowa, noting that Mr.
Ezeagwu was brought into the case when there is no
evidence that he was implicated. He also questioned why
the incident, which he claims occurred in June, is suddenly
being brought to light by the police within the last week.
The police said it has concluded plans to charge the
suspects to court for conspiracy to steal, forgery, and
receiving of stolen INEC property.
Reacting to the matter, Mr. Ezeagwu stated that the whole
issue was a high-level political conspiracy to indict him in
the stage managed crime and truncate his party's petition
before the election tribunal.
"The police report on the matter accusing me [of] ‘aiding
and abetting’ was all a plan by the ruling PDP in the state to
frustrate petitions at the tribunal,” Mr. Ezeagwu said. “I just
laughed when I saw a police report after my invitation,
indicting me for aiding and abetting crime. It is very
unfortunate that the police is allowing itself to be used for
political blackmail. They say my offense is that I once
provided a hotel accommodation for one Esiri who was
arrested by the police for allegedly stealing INEC materials
during last April elections in the state."
Mr. Ezeagwu said that the LP had never sent anybody to
steal electoral materials, as the PDP was making the world
believe, and said that the LP already has sufficient evidence
to back the petition at the tribunal.
“This a ploy to drag our party into crime and see how it can
help them at the tribunal, because they have a bad case,
and they know it," he said.
A statement released by the state government last Friday
had alleged that the State Police Command had uncovered
plot by some officials of the Labour Party in the state to
tender fake election results sheets at the tribunal.

Source : SAHARA REPORTERS, NEW YORK

Boko Haram Suicide Bomb Kills At Least 30 Market Traders. A suicide bomber suspected to be a Boko Haram terrorist stormed a weekly market at Linmakara village in Gwoza Local Government Area (LGA) of Borno State on Friday afternoon, killing not fewer than 30 traders while several others sustained critical injuries.

At least about 30 traders are reported to have been
killed in a deadly bomb explosion at a local market
in Borno State on Friday, according to a local
vigilante speaking to SaharaReporters.
Boko Haram militants
A suicide bomber suspected to be a Boko Haram terrorist
stormed a weekly market at Linmakara village in Gwoza
Local Government Area (LGA) of Borno State on Friday
afternoon, killing not fewer than 30 traders while several
others sustained critical injuries.
''A middle aged man pretended to push a cart and
detonated it at center of the market at noon when trading
was going on,'' he told SaharaReporters by phone from
Asikra/Uba.
He added “we are having network problems in this part of
the State, so it's becomes impossible for us to connect with
the rest of world. ''
Limakara is a remote village in southern part of Borno State
and 65 kilometers from Askira-Uba.
It would be recalled that in a recent months, after the
military had liberated Gwoza from the terrorists, people
from Gwoza have started returning back to the their
homes.
In June, Ali Ndume, who represents Borno Southern
Senatorial in the National Assembly visited Gwoza with
hundreds of residents welcoming him. Since then most of
the people who fled their homes have started to return.

Source : SAHARA REPORTERS, NEW YORK

The Olu Of Warri Is Dead The Olu of Warri, Olu of Warri, Ogiame Atuwatse II is dead.

The Olu of Warri, Olu of Warri, Ogiame Atuwatse II is
dead. Palace sources told SaharaReporters that the
traditional ruler of Itsekiri kingdom in Delta state
died at a private hospital in Lagos of an undisclosed
illness.

Source : 
SAHARAREPORTERS, NEW YORK.

SEP 05, 2015

Gunmen Kidnap Another Monarch In Bayelsa State

Meanwhile a source close to the family said
the abduction of the Bayelsa Monarch came
thirty-four days after he received a notice of
his likely kidnapping, which the abductors
are thought to have sent.

The Bayelsa State Police command spokesman,
Asinim Butswat, has confirmed the abduction of an
85 year old Paramount ruler of Gbarantoru
community in Yenagoa Local Government Area
(LGA) to a SaharaReporters correspondent. His Royal
Highness Chief Benjamin Weke was abducted by armed
bandits according to Mr. Buswat.
It was gathered that the octogenarian was abducted at his
residence in the State capital during the early hours
of Friday morning as there were no access to contact the
security operatives in the area, according to Mr. Buswat.
The spokesman said he regretted the incident because the
family could not make contact with the police until 5am
later that morning.
Meanwhile a source close to the family said the abduction
of the Bayelsa Monarch came thirty-four days after he
received a notice of his likely kidnapping, which the
abductors are thought to have sent.
A family member, Mrs. Blessing, confirmed that the
gunmen had on July 1 sent a letter to the Monarch.

Judicial Lynching Of Bloggers By The Rich: Infidelity Of Justice By Azuka Jebose

Few hours ago, Nigeria’s most widely read
newspaper, THE PUNCH, reported that a Lagos
Federal High court Judge ordered one of Nigeria’s
popular social media blogger/journalist, Chris
Kehinde Nwandu held without bail . The report states:
“Justice Mohammed Yunusa of a Federal High Court in
Lagos has ordered the prison remand of one Chris Nwandu
for allegedly aiding a blogger, Seun Oloketuyi, who is facing
charges of defamation and cybercrime.” “Oloketuyi was on
August 25, 2015 arraigned on two counts for allegedly
publishing defamatory story on his blog,
www.naijahottestgist.com , against the Chief Executive
Officer of Fidelity Bank Plc, Nnamdi Okonkwo.

Bloggers Seun Oloketuyi and Chris Kehinde Nwandu

He was accused of publishing on his blog that Okonkwo had
an extramarital affair with one Justina, a married woman
working in the Marketing Department of Fidelity Bank.
Oloketuyi was alleged to have added in the publication that
the affair between Okonkwo and Justina resulted in
Justina’s husband, Ben, sending her out.”
Mr Nwandu is currently in jail on the order of the judge, he
has not been tried and or found guilty of any crime. He has
been charged with being an accomplice to defamation.The
police accused him by alleging he is an accomplice to a
published story that brought Mr. Okonkwo to ridicule and
disrepute. But has Chris Kehinde Nwandu been tried and
found guilty or is Judge Yunusa bowing to loaded trucks of
money from the Fidelity Bank Boss?. If there is a libelous
intent, let Mr. Nnamdi Okonkwo prove this beyond
reasonable doubts in the court of law that his character has
been defamed by the publication..
Let the court try this case openly rather than submitting its
jurisdiction to the "Money Power" of Okonkwo... A trial has
not taken place, yet this young appealing popular blogger is
being locked up for allegations or charges by the Police
prosecutor. This is a vicious attempt by the rich to suppress
the journalist, using state apparatus such as the judiciary
and the Police to intimidate Mr. Nwandu and perhaps,
social media bloggers and reporters. Reporters, bloggers
must collectively rise against this new stupid tactics to
threaten our rights to free speech. If Mr Okonkwo feels he
has been maligned maliciously, he should seek legal
remedy the right way and not buy his way through a
corrupt, dirty and tainted judicial system.

Fidelity Bank MD, Nnamdi Okonkow has teamed up
with a federal judge to send bloggers to jail over
alleged defamatory publications on the internet

Judge Yunusa‘s order to detain Nwandu contradicts the
legal position that you are innocent until proven guilty. Let
Mr. Nwandu have his day in court, not in prison. Justice
delayed is justice denied. Judge Yunusa, Set Chris Kehinde
Nwandu Free Now!!!.
Journalism is not a Crime

Source: AZUKA JEBOSE
          Sahara reporters

100 Days in Office: 8 Key Achievements of President Muhammadu Buhari By Chinedu George Nnawetanma

Today, September 5, 2015 is an unusually
momentous day in Nigeria. Its build-up lasted for
several weeks, while its anticipation stretches back
as far as May. It’s neither a national holiday (it’s
a Saturday) nor a day of religious importance. Rather, it’s a
day when several state governors in the country mark their
100thday in office. More importantly though, it’s also the
day that the President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria,
Muhammadu Buhari, clocks 100 days in office.

All over the world, the anniversary of the first 100 days of
any administration is treated with much importance. It’s a
day of stocktaking; a day that affords the leaders and the
led an opportunity to measure the performance of their
government.
“The First 100 Days in Office” was coined by former US
president Franklin D. Roosevelt in a July 24, 1933 radio
address to his countrymen and it has since gained global
currency. Over here in Nigeria, it’s been consistently
marked since the country’s return to civilian leadership in
1999. The administrations of presidents Olusegun
Obasanjo, Umaru Musa Yar’Adua and Goodluck Ebele
Jonathan were all assessed during this milestone. Today,
it’s time for President Buhari’s administration to be
assessed.
The verdict, it seems, had already been passed several days
before the actual 100thday in office. Throughout last week,
hashtags by disappointed Nigerians, such as
#100WastedDays and #100FailedPromises, trended on
microblogging site Twitter and they are likely to reappear
today. Predictably, diehard supporters of President Buhari
will not take it lying down, they are expected to
counterattack with their own panegyric hashtags.
I’m neither a diehard supporter of the president nor a sworn
enemy; I like to be objective. My dispassionate personal
assessment of PMB’s first 100 days in office shows that he
has not performed as badly as we’ve been made to believe.
Bearing in mind the country we are in, he’s not expected to
perform wonders within 100 days. Not even a Harry Potter,
a Merlin or a Gandalf can turn around in 100 days a country
that has been enmeshed in a deep mess since the 1960s.
However, in spite of these difficulties, President
Muhammadu Buhari has been able to record some
successes in his first hundred days in office. Below are 8 of
the key achievements of President Muhammadu Buhari in
his maiden 100 days in office:
Renewed Vigour in the War against Boko Haram
One of the key achievements of the Muhammadu Buhari
administration thus far is the overhaul of the dysfunctional
topmost hierarchy of the Nigerian military. Since May 29,
new service chiefs have been brought in, the military
command centre has been moved to the heart of the war in
Maiduguri and the troops’ morale and confidence are on an
upswing. Furthermore, the United States government has
finally agreed to commit their resources to the fight against
the insurgents after previously backing out of negotiations
with the previous Nigerian government, citing alleged
human rights abuses by the Nigerian military. The Israeli
government has also indicated their interest in helping
Nigeria win the war,if the words of Speaker Yakubu Dogara
are anything to go by.
Waging a “Non-Negotiable” War against Corruption
On August 30, President Muhammadu Buhari, through his
Senior Special Assistant on Media and Publicity, Garba
Shehu, described the war his administration is currently
waging on corruption in the country as “non-negotiable.” In
his words: “It is sine qua non to the overall reconstruction of
the economy and social system which have suffered
destruction and severe denigration under the last
administration.” Be that as it may, the present government
must learn to go about its probe of the immediate-past
Goodluck Ebele Jonathan administration with more hush
and decorum, so that it looks less like a persecution and
more like an actual prosecution.
Appreciable Improvement in Power Supply in Various Parts
of the Country
Though some parts of the country are yet to witness it,
there’s been a marked upswing in power supply in many
parts of the federation since May 29. According to the
Transmission Company of Nigeria (TCN), power generation
in the country reached an all-time high of 4,810.7MW on
August 25, 2015. This represents a major departure from
what was obtainable in the past, when it usually hovered
around 2,000MW and sometimes dipped below that.
However, it should be noted that the power supply is still far
from stable and hardly is 4.8 thousand megawatts enough
for a country of over 175 million people.
Cleanup of the Messy NNPC
As the “juiciest” fragment of the national economy, the
Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC) has, for
decades, been the nexus of unchecked, gargantuan
corruption. Administration after administration either
abated the wild corruption going on in this organization or
simply failed to properly keep it in check. This, it seems, will
no longer be the case as concerted efforts are now being
made to declutter the cesspit.
Mending of Nigeria’s Fractured Relationship with the World
Powers
Nigeria’s relationship with the global powers, especially the
West, sank to its post-1990s nadir prior to the inauguration
of Muhammadu Buhari as the country’s president. The
assent of ex-president Goodluck Ebele Jonathan to the anti-
gay marriage bill that was passed by the National
Assembly, the confusion surrounding the abduction of the
Chibok Schoolgirls and the government’s slow response to
it, alleged human rights abuses perpetuated by the Nigerian
military, mounting allegations of unbridled widespread
corruption as well as some economic and political
disagreements with the West behind the scenes all
conspired to make Nigeria very unpopular in the
international community. At some point, Nigerians were
being treated with disdain and subjected to inhuman
treatments in foreign lands as a consequence. But, so far
under President Buhari, things are discernibly beginning to
look up.
Prioritizing Regional Cooperation
Following in the footsteps of his predecessor, Goodluck
Ebele Jonathan, President Muhammadu Buhari has made
regional integration within the West African subregion one
of the priorities of his administration. This policy direction is
not only economically vital, but it will also be critical if the
war against insurgency is to be won.
Returning Discipline to the Polity
Due to the president’s no-nonsense personality as against
his predecessor’s more laissez-faire disposition, some level
of discipline has been restored to various sectors of the
country, especially the public sector. A laissez-faire
approach may work in more civilized countries, but in an
unruly country such as ours, an uncompromising approach
is the only thing that can bring us back to sanity.
Reducing the Size and Cost of Governance
When – and if – implemented, President Muhammadu
Buhari’s vow to significantly cut down the number of
ministries, agencies and departments (MDAs) in the country
by merging the duplicates and jettisoning the non-
performers will inadvertently save Nigeria monies to the
tune of hundreds of billions of naira that are needlessly
spilled from the national treasury into their maintenance.
The successful blockage of these leakages does not only
make economic sense, but it will also be a giant leap in the
fight against corruption.

  Source : CHINEDU GEORGE NNAWETANMA

Police praise rape victim after CCTV footage released

Police have praised the "remarkable courage" of a rape
victim who agreed to the release of CCTV footage showing
her attacker carrying her across a Birmingham street.
The suspect can be seen carrying the semi-conscious 25-
year-old woman across Tennant Street, near Broad Street in
the city centre.
West Midlands Police said the woman hoped the new
images would jog someone's memory.
The attack happened at about 04:00 GMT on Sunday 19
October.

Africa South Africa's Johannesburg tops Africa millionaires list

South Africa has the highest number of dollar millionaires in
Africa, according to a new report.
According to a report by AfrAsia Bank and New World
Wealth, Johannesburg alone, known as the "city of gold", is
home to 23,400 millionaires. South Africa has 30% of the
total.
Egypt's Cairo comes second with 10,200, with Nigeria's
Lagos third with 9,100.
The study defines millionaires as people with net assets
worth at least $1m (£650,000).
It estimates there are close to 163,000 millionaires living in
Africa, with a combined wealth of $670bn (£440bn).
The number of millionaires is rising fastest in Ghana's
capital, Accra, the report said, even though at the moment,
with 2,300, it does not make the top five.
After Lagos, comes Cape Town with 8,900 and Nairobi with
6,200.
Analysis: Milton Nkosi, BBC News, Johannesburg
It may come as a surprise to many that Johannesburg has
more than twice the number of dollar millionaires as Lagos,
the economic hub of Nigeria, Africa's most populous nation
and its number one economy.
However, Nigeria became Africa's largest economy only
recently, whereas South Africa has been at the helm for as
long as I can remember and remains the most industrialised
economy in Africa.
Being a citizen of the "city of gold", as Johannesburg is
known in local languages, I can see the money every day.
South Africa's current economic problems has not
prevented the emergence of new black industrialists.
Economist Owen Nkomo and founder of Inkunzi
Investments, told me that old money from the Johannesburg
Stock Exchange companies, which is largely still in white
hands 21 years after the end of apartheid, has been wisely
re-invested.
But he also points to the government's Black Economic
Empowerment scheme, aimed at redressing the imbalances
of white minority rule, as a key driver of the growing number
of black millionaires.
I have seen for myself in places like Soweto when the new
black bourgeoisie flaunt their wealth on Vilakazi Street,
where Nelson Mandela once lived, over the weekend. But I
have also seen the vast properties in Cape Town owned by
white families.
All of this must not delude us, so we forget the plight of the
poor majority.
South Africa with all its wealth still faces huge problems of
unemployment, inequality and poverty. And that should give
all of us sleepless nights as we celebrate Africa's wealth
growth.

IN NORTHERN TANZANIA, WOMEN MARRY WOMEN FOR LAND, SAFETY & HEALTH

In northern Tanzania, women are continuing
the tradition of marrying other women in a
tradition called “ Nyumba Nthobu ” in order to
sidestep a society that often disenfranchises and
disempowers them.

In Mara region’s Tarime district, old and young
women say, “I do,” in order to create better lives
for both themselves and their offspring .
For example, 60-year-old Wegesa
Marwa (pictured right) has been married to wife
Nyanswi (pictured) for 15 years, because she had
no male children with her deceased husband,
which means she also had no heir to her land or
family name.
Wegesa explains, “In our culture, women
cannot inherit property, so I looked for a wife
to help, so when I die, they can inherit the
family property.”
Nyanswi, 35, has six children with the nephew
of Wegesa’s deceased husband. And while he
already has his own family and claims no
parental rights over his children, he agreed to
serve as the biological Father to Nyanswi’s
children in order to extend his late-uncle’s
name.
While it isn’t clear how far this tradition goes back,
other women have also been using the practice to
escape domestic violence, which is said to be
rampant in the community .
In fact, 60 percent of Tarime women say they
have been victims of domestic and/or emotional
abuse.
Seeking a way out of violent relationships,
women team up, helping to rear children;
complete house chores, such as fetching water,
farming, and grazing cattle; and provide each
other with support.

CHAD EXECUTES 10 BOKO HARAM MILITANTS FOR SUMMER ATTACKS

Ten Boko Haram militants (pictured) were
executed by the Chadian government, after they
were found guilty of attacking the capital earlier this year, reports the BBC .

In June, Nigerian Islamic militants Boko Haram
made good on their promise to attack
neighboring nation Chad for their partnership with the Nigerian military.

On Monday, alleged terrorists riding on the
backs of motorcycles entered N’Djamena,
reportedly blowing themselves up.
According to Al Jazeera, the attack took place as
police cadets were being trained at a nearby
academy.
The capital’s first attack resulted in 27 casualties
as well as more than 100 injured.
A month later, Boko Haram would strike again
with an explosion at a market also located in
the capital.
Fifteen people were killed.
At the time, Chadian Communications Minister
Hassan Sylla Bakara warned that Boko Haram
had “made a mistake targeting Chad,”
because the group would soon be “neutralized.”
Chad also made good on their promise Monday
morning.
The 10 were convicted of criminal conspiracy,
murders, willful destruction with explosives,
fraud, using psychotropic substances, and illegal
possession of arms and ammunition, according
to Chief Prosecutor Bruno Mahouli Louapambe .

Among the 10 was Mahamat Mustapha (pictured),
a.k.a. Bana Fanaye, who was known as the
“mastermind” of the first attack.
While the death penalty was initially not in use
in Chad, by July, it was reinstated for acts of
terror.
Consequently, the 10 were executed in Massaguet,
40 miles northeast of N’Djamena. About the
shooting, a source reportedly told Reuters, “They
were shot this morning at the Massaguet firing
range.”
Chad has been a strong partner of Nigeria’s
offensive against Boko Haram.
Since joining forces, the Chadian military has
helped recover the nearly 15 territories seized
by Boko Haram in northern Nigeria as well as
help weed them out of the Sambisa Forest.

America Taking Money From Its New Citizens?

According to various government
reports, there are literally trillions of
dollars being hidden in offshore
accounts by Americans who don’t
want to pay their fair share of taxes.
Of course, everyone should have to
pay his or her fair share to Uncle Sam,
but no one should be penalized for
income that he or she earned as a
citizen of another country before
coming to America. However, that is
exactly what is happening to many
new Americans as soon as they gain
citizenship. So why is this injustice
happening and can anything be done
about it?
The Problem
At face value, it sounds like the U.S.
government is basically stealing from
its newly Americanized citizens. In
sense, they are, but it really comes to
down to paperwork. Because of the
government’s efforts to crack down on
Americans who are hiding money in
overseas bank accounts, these new
citizens are getting caught up in the
web of justice. However, as it turns
out, for them it’s a web of injustice.
When a person becomes an American
citizen he or she needs to file the
proper tax forms. However, many
people have no idea that these forms
even exist, let alone that they need to
fill them out.
Have You Filed Your
FBAR?
The problem occurs because these new
citizens haven’t filled out a very
important document called a Foreign
Bank Account Report (FBAR). Basically
this means that upon becoming a
citizen, or entering the country on an
H1B work visa, they need to declare
their foreign assets to the IRS.
However, the U.S Government doesn’t
bother telling people this and it seems
that many accountants either don’t
know or don’t bother to tell these new
immigrants this extremely important
piece of information. Failing to make
such a declaration can be very costly.
The Consequences
In fact, if you’re a new citizen and you
fail to submit this form, you could be
fined up to $250,000 and you could
also be sentenced to as much as five
years in prison. That’s a hefty price to
pay because you forgot to fill out a
form, or worse yet, you were never
told you had to.
The Best of the Best
There is another major downside to
this problem. Many of the country’s
newest citizens are some of the
brightest minds from around the
world, who have come to work for
some of the biggest and most
innovative companies in the U.S.,
including many for companies in
Silicon Valley. By penalizing these
people, the government is giving them
good reason to pack up and go back to
their homelands. That means our
country is losing some of the smartest
minds in the world. In fact, according
to one report, the number of people
who renounced their American
citizenship between 2011 and 2013
almost doubled. It’s impossible to pin
that solely on tax related issues, but
the number is astounding.
The Remedy
So what can be done to fix this
problem? At the very least, the
government should provide a written
form to every new resident alien or
new citizen so he or she can disclose
all assets as part of their being
admitted into the U.S. It should clearly
state in each person’s own language
that he or she would have to pay tax
on his or her global income and not
just the money earned in the United
States.
GROCO Can Help
Although it’s obvious that some kind
of reform needs to be made, for now
anyone who comes to this country as
a newly Americanized citizen or on a
temporary work visa, needs to make
sure to fill out the proper forms. At
GROCO we serve some of Silicon
Valley’s biggest players, and we can
help you too. We’ll make sure that you
have all the proper forms filled out,
including the FBAR, which can help
you save thousands, or even hundreds
of thousands, of dollars that is
rightfully yours. You can click here to
read more about taxation of foreign
individuals living in the U.S., or
contact us and we’ll be happy to
answer all your tax and accounting
questions.

The Incredible Story of the Baddest Female Pirate to Ever Sail the Seas

When people talk about the most
successful pirate that ever lived, it better
be about one particular badass
that commanded a fleet of as many
as 80,000 sailors aboard 1,500
ships during the early 1800s.
This pirate’s name was Chang Shih,
who didn’t exactly look the part by our
Disneyfied standards for one fairly
obvious reason: she was a lady.
Plucked from a brothel in Canton by
invading pirates, she was married off to
a notorious pirate named Zheng Yi in
1801. But she didn’t resign to the idle
life of a house ship wife, opting instead
to help her husband be even better at
piracy than he already was.
Together, they patched together a
coalition of competing pirates groups into
the the Red Flag Fleet, which became an
incontestable naval force in the South
China Sea at its height. When Zheng Yi
died in 1807, there was no other choice
but for Chang Shih to take the reins.
As head of the Red Flag Fleet, she
imposed a strict code of conduct and
ensured those who broke the rules
received a punishment befitting her brutal
reign over the region’s seas. Shih was
notorious for pillaging seaside villages,
but maintained strict protection over
villagers who supported her cause,
beheading her own pirates if they defied
this rule.
Her side hustle was a lucrative string of
brothels, and all women, prostitute or
not, were protected from rape by her
sword during her reign. If a pirate took
a wife, he had to be faithful. Cheating,
raping and even consensual sex with
captive women was punishable by death.
But apart from plundering the Guandong
coast, she established elaborate spy
networks and even allied with farmers to
keep her fleet fed, employing her late
husband’s right-hand man (and new
lover) Chang Po Tsai.
Needless to say, besides the
nickname “The Terror of the South
China Sea,” she earned the unwanted
attention of the Qing dynasty’s navy. But
even they buckled after three years of
chasing her, and gave her amnesty in
1810 — letting the saltiest pirate to ever
roam the seas retire like a boss.

STUDY: Smoking Weed Might Make You Thin… But Why?

As momentum for marijuana reform
continues to build in the U.S., a new
study touting the health benefits of pot
emerges daily — or so it seems. The
latest? Smoking weed just might make
you thin.
Actually, it’s not the latest study by any
means; it’s a survey published in May’s
Journal of American Medicine that is
beginning to garner attention, and
it comes to this conclusion:
We found that marijuana use was
associated with lower levels of fasting
insulin and HOMA-IR, and smaller
waist circumference.
In non-lab-nerd speak, that means that in
addition to (possibly) making you thinner,
smoking marijuana could prevent
diabetes by helping to better regulate
blood sugar. It’s a conclusion that runs
contrary to the popular conception of
couch-locked stoners stuffing their faces
with Cheetos and Swedish Fish while
watching South Park marathons. In fact,
this study joins a long list of research
projects that have arrived at the same
conclusion . So what gives?
[sam id=”13″ codes=”true”]
Before you cancel your gym membership
and hit up your local drug dealer or
take a walk to the dispensary, you
might want to take a deep breath (of
air, not pot smoke) and chill out.
Remember, this is just a study (more
like a survey), not an experiment, which
means there is only a statistical
connection, but no scientific evidence
pointing to a correlation between
Cannabis use and svelte waistlines.
There are, however, theories. Here are
some of the most compelling.
THE UNPROVABLE (FOR NOW)
THEORY
Many scientists speculate that there is
“ a relationship between cannabinoids and
peripheral metabolic processes. ”
Unfortunately, this is likely to remain a
theory for the time being because as
Andrew Sullivan so astutely observes ,
laws banning the use of marijuana make
conducting laboratory experiments rather
difficult . That’s a major bummer when
you consider the fact that pot could
prove to be an effective tool for fighting
everything from diabetes to heart
disease.
THE RELIGION THEORY
God seems to have his hands in a
whole host of issues these days —
everything from abortion to stem cells to
gay marriage — but weed? It’s not as
crazy as it sounds. Recent studies have
shown that highly religious people who
tend to abstain from drug use balance
their good behavior with gluttony.
Essentially, they’re eating too much
instead of getting high, substituting one
vice (drug use) for the other
(overeating). As a result, pot smokers
tend to be thinner or more accurately,
less fat.
THE CANCER & AIDS THEORY
This one’s pretty simple and a little
dark. Basically, many of the people who
smoke marijuana, especially those who
do so legally, use the drug because their
already suffering from an affliction that
causes a reduced appetite, like eating
disorders, cancer or AIDS. They’re
thinner because of their disease, and
they just so happen to smoke weed.
Makes sense.
THE POTHEADS LEAD HEALTHIER
LIFESTYLES THEORY
Weed Smokers are strange, ethereal
folks. They love to frolic outdoors, swim
and go rock climbing. They enjoy
suckling the sweet juices of fresh fruits
and vegetables. They also tend to get
more sleep, which is great for
metabolism (you also can’t eat if you’re
passed out on your sofa or sleeping in
a deep haze of lucid dreams). As a
result, these lifestyle changes balance
out the extra calories from late-night
runs to Chipotle and Pinkberry.
THE WEED AS A SUBSTITUTE FOR
BOOZE THEORY
People who toke on a regular basis
often do so in place of drinking —
especially binge drinking — or so this
theory, introduced by Andrew Sullivan,
suggests. Therefore, smokers of the
wacky weed are trading one, unhealthy,
fattening drug (alcohol) for another less
sinister one (THC). Don’t believe us?
Why else would Beer and Alcohol
companies lobby so hard against the
legalization of marijuana?
RYOT NOTE: Look, not everyone
is on board with legalizing or
even using marijuana, but every
time we see a new study touting
its health benefits, or every time
we read about how the
government is spending millions
upon millions of dollars enforcing
antiquated laws, we can’t help but
think that legalization is the way
to go. If you agree, you’re going
to love the National Organization
for the Reform of Marijuana
Laws. You can probably guess
what they do based on their
name, even if you’ve smoked a
few joints. Click on the gray box
alongside this story to learn more,
donate and Become the