APC in Desperate move to Stop Defection of Sarski.Kwankwaso. Orton to PDP.

The All Progressives Congress (APC) is frantically working to stop the rumoured plans by Senate president Bukola Saraki, Governor Samuel Ortom of Benue state, Senator Rabiu Kwankwaso, and their loyalists from decamping to the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP).

A reliable source, reports that the rumoured defection of the party bigwigs necessitated the setting up of the APC reconciliation committee by President Buhari headed by Asiwaju Bola Tinubu, a national leader of the party and former governor of Lagos state.

The source said: “The president and the party feel there is an urgent need to move in and pacify the aggrieved members from leaving the party either for the PDP or the various coalitions springing up in the country.”

He said a recent poll by an online news medium where many respondents voted that both Saraki and Kwankwaso are on their way out of the APC also prompted the party to take serious steps to prevent such defections.

"Already the opposition is latching on to the face-off between Kwankwaso and Ganduje in Kano and daily they are telling the senator that he should dump the APC and return to the PDP. They keep telling him the APC is an ungrateful party that didn’t appreciate the massive votes he delivered in the 2015 election. We know all these and even though Kwankwaso himself has denied plans to join the PDP, we do not want to take things for granted,” the source stated.

“On the part of the Senate president, we are also aware that a lot of people are trying to drag him away from the APC. First, is his original party, the PDP. They have been on his neck since his ordeal began following his emergence in 2015. They later intensified their efforts after the Supreme Court judgment that settled the two years crisis within their party and they became emboldened that Saraki will join them after their national convention in December.

“While we believe the Senate president who has repeatedly said he will not dump the APC, we are, however, surprised reading the comment of one of his men, that is Governor Abdulfatah Ahmed of Kwara, who recently said they are ready to join the PDP once the people of the state give them the go-ahead.

“To us in the APC, we believe it is a clear signal that all the rumours about Saraki and his supporters rejoining the PDP may be real after all. Also, if you consider the protest by the youths and leaders of Kwara PDP that Saraki may hijack the party’s structures if he returns, then you will know that the plot is real and that is why the president and the party leadership decided to act fast by setting up the reconciliation committee. We believe all will be fine at the end of the day."

Meanwhile, opposition Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has assured its returning members that there is adequate room for them in the party,Nigerian Tribune reports.

The assurance was contained in a statement issued in Abuja by the national publicity secretary of the party, Kola Ologbondiyan. The assurance was given by the National Working Committee (NWC).

FG. Raises Alarm Over Social investment Programs Destroyed by Fraud.

The presidency has noticed corrupt activities by some state operatives in its social investment programmes.

Maryam Uwais, the special adviser to the president on social investment programmes, made this revelation to state house correspondents after her report to the National Economic Council (NEC).

Uwais admitted that the federal government was dull in watching over the implementation of the programmes, Daily Trust reports.

She enumerated the corrupt practices as including shortchanging, racketeering and harassment of beneficiaries as well as exploitation of those regarded as being vulnerable.

Uwais stated that the presidency had engaged the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), the Department of State Services (DSS), the Nigerian Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC), as well as traditional rulers for thorough surveillance.

She also revealed that the actual spending on the programmes in 2016 and 2017 was 15.8% of the N1 trn appropriated. She explained: "This is the amount that has been released out of the budget appropriated for Social Investment Programme."

"We identified seven challenges relating to corrupt practices by some state officials, racketeering, taking advantage of the level of illiteracy of the women who are poor and illiterate. Their vulnerability are exploited. We pleaded with state governors to take more interest in what is going on so they can be protected. We are weak in motoring.

"So, we also asked the state governors to support us with logistics. In some communities, we can only access them through bush paths and see how thee can support us with offices for their own staff and all that is required for us to operate seamlessly in the states.

"We mentioned that we are collaborating with certain organisations within the federal government which have presence in the states and are helping us with monitoring. We engaged traditional rulers. We engaged DSS.

"We engaged EFCC where fraud is involved because we really need to monitor and we also engaged the civil defence which has agreed to give us armed policemen and also armed civil defence to guard the women the day they are being paid. We ask for some assistance. For example where some of the state officials act as gate keepers. They charged the beneficiaries who apply for loans certain amount.

"So, we ask the states to take better interest and to stop those malpractices because they are actually cheating these people who are already poor.

"We ask states to facilitate the generation of BVN and opening of accounts for some of these people and also to form cooperative so that they can access our loans. For the school feeding, we ask them to fast track the commencement of the programmes in states where they haven't started.

"We ask them to assist us in screening the cooks and also training them and also strengthening the monitoring and evaluation because we keep seeing or hearing stories of what is happening and we are trying to curtail those, but because of the remoteness of some of these communities, the information doesn't come to us early enough.

"But we are encouraging everybody to give us feedback; to tell us what kind of food is being fed to the children because we have come to agreement to set menu of nutritional content required for children of that age."

She pointed out that the programmes required state governments to provide micro loans and to give their support in fraud detection and prevention by local officials.

1,185 Nigerians With Fake Visas-ltalian Embassy

The Police Special Fraud Unit, Ikoyi, Lagos state has disclosed that it has received over 1,185 applicants with fake documents from the Italian Embassy, and has charged many of them to court.

The disclosure was made by the public relations officer of the SFU, Lawal Addu, Guardian reports. Audu stated that the embassies which partner with the SFU are interested in issuing visas to credible Nigerians and have zero tolerance for forgery.

He stated: “The American consulate general for instance; every day we receive complaints of fake visa applicants. But the most disturbing is the fake visas, fake stamps, both arrival and departure stamps.

“Most of these applicants appear at the consulate with passports covered with fake travel history.”

Audu lamented over the fact that Nigerians who are desperate to travel abroad would rather go to a fake vendor who might eventually defraud them.

He said: “These visa vendors are everywhere. They will tell prospective customers or clients that they had assisted over hundred people to get the American visa. They will promise to help.

“And because these visa seekers are vulnerable or don’t care to know how they can apply for visa, they fall prey.

“If you want to know how to apply for visas, just go to the internet. You don’t need to pay anyone or give money to anyone.

“But rather, many Nigerians prefer to give money to touts, visa agents and visa vendors. Nobody is appointed to be a visa vendor by any embassy or high commission.”

 Previously the Police Special Fraud Unit expressed concern over the increasing number of Nigerians allegedly involved in using fake documents to seek for Italian visa.

Spokesman of the unit, ASP Lawal Audu noted that before now, Canada used to complain of such high numbers of fake documents, adding that attention had shifted to Italy now.

Fuel Price Hike Looms-FG May Review New Price

The federal government maybe considering an increase in fuel price as a solution to the lingering petrol scarcity in the country.

Leadership reports that the Bauchi state governor, Mohammed Abubakar, gave an indication of the impending increase in fuel price when he spoke with journalists after the National Economic Council (NEC) meeting presided over by Vice- President Yemi Osinbajo at the Presidential Villa on Thursday, February 15.

The governor was reported to have said that a NEC committee headed by the Gombe state governor, Ibrahim Dakwambo, will interface with NNPC with a view to determining the correct price for PMS considering the price of the product in countries bordering Nigeria.

Abubakar noted that the group managing director of the Nigeria National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC), Maikanti Baru, briefed council on the reason why the fuel scarcity still persists.

He said: "The second issue that was discussed was the issue of the scarcity of petroleum product. The problem was addressed by the Group Managing Director of the NNPC.

“The issue is of course caused by an inter-play of the change rate of the Naira and the Dollar and the price of crude oil at the international market which affects the landing cost of refined products in Nigeria.

“And in the process makes the operation of the current price regime almost impossible without some measure of nile return for whoever is in the process.

“As at today, most of not all independent marketers have stopped importing, refine products into Nigeria. It is only the NNPC that has been doing it. And the NNPC has been suffering a lot of set backs. The highest amount of under recovery.

“By under recovery it means the inter-play between the landing cost of a liter of the PMS in Nigeria and the pimp price of that product. If the product lands at N170 for example and you sell at N145, immediately you know that you have an under recovery of about N25 for each liter of fuel.

“So submitted his report and the National Economic Council has a committee that has been interfacing with all revenue generating agencies of the federal government under the chairmanship of the governor of Gombe State.

"That committee has been charged with the responsibility of interfacing with NNPC with a view to determining the correct price for PMS considering the price of the product in especially countries that are bordering Nigeria. Because that is one of the reasons that encourages smuggling of the products to these areas.”

Meanwhile, the minister of state for petroleum resources, Ibe Kachikwu, on Thursday, February 15, directed the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC) to ensure that petrol queues were cleared in Abuja before Sunday, February 18.

Daily Trust reports that Kachikwu gave the directive at a world news conference to intimate journalists on the upcoming international oil and gas conference and exhibition tagged the Nigerian International Petroleum Summit (NIPS).

Our source also gathered that Kachikwu said the queues have been persistent because logistics and policy issues that could end the scarcity are largely unaddressed.

Human trafficking: NAPTIP rescues 14 victims at Nnamdi Azikiwe Airport

The National Agency for the Prohibition of Trafficking in Persons (NAPTIP) has rescued 14 victims at the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport, Abuja.

The Head of Press and Public Relations of NAPTIP, Mr Josiah Emerole, told the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Abuja on Thursday, February 15, that the operation followed a tip off.

Emerole explained that the victims, who were rescued around the mosque at the airport, comprised of 14 women and two men.

“Officers of NAPTIP, following a tip-off, intercepted a group of 14 women between the ages of 15-60 years travelling to Saudi Arabia via the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport, Abuja.

“The two agents from Kano who accompanied them on the trip had been arrested and detained by the Nigeria Immigration Service and the Department of State Services as investigation is ongoing.

“The interception and arrest of two agents travelling with the women came as a result of a patriotic Nigerian’s observations of the women’s movement and activities at the airport.

“It is unclear yet as to the purpose of their trip to Saudi Arabia, though, in recent time, there have been increasing reports of exploitation being experienced by labour migrants in countries in the Middle East,” he said.

Emerole assured that NAPTIP would leave no stone unturned in ensuring that more Nigerians do not end up as victims of exploitative domestic servitude in foreign countries.

He said that the victims were being profiled at the NAPTIP headquarters to ascertain their proper and correct identities.

The suspects reportedly wanted to take the victims to their destination in Saudi Arabia through Abuja en-route Lagos before they were nabbed at the Abuja airport.

London City Airport closed due to WWII bomb 00:14, UK, Monday 12 February 2018

Image:A general view of London City AirportLondon City Airport has been closed after an unexploded Second World War bomb was found in the River Thames.

Police were called to the scene at the George V Dock, North Woolwich, just after 5am on Sunday.

The ordnance had been discovered as part of pre-planned work that was taking place at the airport.

At 10pm, the decision was taken to put an exclusion zone in place to allow the Royal Navy to deal with the explosive that meant flights would be affected.

The airport tweeted: "Following the discovery of a World War Two ordnance in King George V Dock as part of planned development works, a 214m exclusion zone has been implemented as a precaution by the Met Police.

"As a result, London City Airport is currently closed"All passengers due to travel from London City on Monday are advised to contact their airline for further information.

"Passengers are advised not to travel to the airport until further notice.

"The airport is cooperating fully with the Met Police, Royal Navy and London Borough of Newham."

Call Obasanjo to a round table - APC chieftain Baraje tells President Buhari

A chieftain of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Alhaji Abubakar Kawu Baraje, has asked President Muhammadu Buhari not to treat with levity the issues raised in the open letter written recently by Chief Oluegun Obasanjo.

Baraje, in an interview with The Punch, asked President Buhari not to listen to sycophants and boot lickers who may want to give him contrary opinion concerning Obasanjo’s criticisms.

Noting that Obasanjo, as an elderstatesman, is entitled to his reasons, Baraje said: “He might see what we do not see. It is not possible for all of us to see what Obasanjo saw and he is still seeing.

“To me, the executive should have listened to and discuss with someone like him, whose views are respected not only in Nigeria but internationally.

READ ALSO: Breaking: Northern Nigeria mourns again as Senator Shagaya dies in ghastly accident

“If you look at the trend of the contributions of Chief Obasanjo to the polity in the country, this is not the first, second or third time he would write letters.

“He wrote letters even in 1983 when (Shehu) Shagari was in power. He also wrote to President (Goodluck) Jonathan when he was in power.

“If he is coming around with another letter, it is his own way of sending some signals to a government in power, negative or positive.”

Baraje described Obasanjo as highly experienced and that, judging from events, some of the issues he raised have come to pass.

“President Buhari should take it seriously. He should not take the words of sycophants and praise singers, who want to lick boots or gain by whatever criticism they have taken into consideration.

“President Buhari should look very vividly into that letter and call Obasanjo to a roundtable and say, ‘What have you seen?

“You supported me before I got here’ because I know Obasanjo gave him a lot of support. He should call him and discuss with him. That is politics. It is not about segregation.

“This country belongs to all of us. So, if anybody has anything to do or to contribute to the progress and positive change, I think he should bring him. If I have an opportunity to write a letter too, maybe, I will write one,” he said.
 Alhaji Abubakar Kawu Baraje has earlier warned his current party, the All Progressives Congress (APC), to find solutions to the complaints of Nigerians or face the consequences.

Baraje, who led a faction of the PDP into the APC just before the 2015 election, confirmed in an interview with The Punch that Nigerians are not comfortable and have been complaining.

No survivors after Russian plane carrying 71 people crashes near Moscow

Image:All possible reasons for the crash are being explored. Pic: LIFE.RU By Rebecca Taylor, News Reporter

All 71 people travelling on a Russian plane which crashed near Moscow have been killed, according to Russian authorities.

The AN-148 aircraft had disappeared from radars within two minutes of taking off from Domodedovo Airport in Moscow.

Two bodies have been found at the site, according to an official at Russia's Emergency Situations Ministry.

An emergency services source told Tass news agency there are no survivors.

Video:Crash debris strewn over snowy area

The Emergencies Ministry said it had sent crews to the crash site, in Stepanovskoye.

Russian media reports the crews could not get to the site by vehicle and had to go by foot.

Image:Playback of the domestic flight which was going from Moscow to Orsk

Tass news agency added that Russian authorities have confirmed fragments of the plane have been found, around 25 miles (40km) from the airport in Moscow.

:: Moscow Correspondent Diana Magnay - Desperate recovery operation for crashed plane

Vladimir Putin's spokesman Dmitry Peskov said: "The president offers his profound condolences to those who lost their relatives in the crash."

Image:Some of the wreckage of the plane. Pic: LIFE.RU

The domestic plane was being operated by Saratov airlines, and had 65 passengers on board - including three children - along with six crew members.

It was flying to Orsk, a city in the Urals. Officials said all of the passengers aboard are believed to have been residents of the Urals.

Image:There were 71 people on board when it crashed. Pic: LIFE.RU

According to Flight Radar it took off at 11.22am (local time) and five minutes later it was tracked descending at 3,300 ft per minute before the signal was lost.

Witnesses in the village told local media they saw a burning plane falling from the sky.A woman from a nearby village said: "I felt a shock wave... the windows shook."

Image:Rescue workers combing the crash site

The Emergencies Ministry said more than 400 people and 70 vehicles had been deployed to the crash site.

The area, which is covered in snow, has been hard to access leaving some rescue workers to get to the wreckage by foot. Some used snowmobiles and drones to assess the area.

Russian Transport Minister Maksim Sokolov said it could take "two or three months" to identify all of the victims.

Image:The wreckage was found around 25 miles away from the airport

It is not immediately clear what caused the crash, with weather conditions and pilot error said to be among the possible reasons.

Images from Orsk airport show distressed relatives after learning the plane had crashed.

Andrei Odintsov, the mayor of Orsk, said six psychologists and four ambulances were working with relatives in the small airport.

Image:A Saratov Airlines Antonov AN-148 plane taking off. File pic

The Russian-made AN-148 was seven-years-old and was bought by the airline one year ago.

According to Tass, the aircraft was taken out of service between 2015 and 2017 because of a shortage of parts.

The Emergencies Ministry has opened a telephone hotline after the crash.

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Image:The plane took off from Domodedovo airport at around 11.22am local time

A regional official confirmed the plane's black box has been retrieved.

An investigation has been opened.

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Dickson Plans for New Yenagoa City

The Bayelsa state government on Sunday, February 11 disclosed that it would start the construction of a New Yenagoa City between March and April, 201

The state governor Seriake Dickson made this known at an interdenominational thanksgiving service at the Glory Land Chapel at the Government House in Yenagoa to celebrate the sixth anniversary of his administration, Independent reports.
The governor said that the foundation laying ceremony of the New Yenagoa City would attract the leadership of the country and other eminent dignitaries.

Adding“In one or two months, we will assemble the best in our country, and I have received assurances that the leadership of our country will be here because here we are talking development.

“They all know that Bayelsa is for development, stability and security, not for politics. They will be here and we will unveil the most ambitious development any state has ever undertaken, that is the New Yenagoa City.

“I want to assure you, our dear people, that with the foundation God has helped us to lay, the future of our dear state is bright and it can only get better.”

The governor stated that the government was also working to establish an industrial estate, an industrial park and a power hub in order to transform the state into a manufacturing, energy and tourism destination.

The governor, who thanked the people of the state for the support and solidarity he has enjoyed from them in the last six years, said that his administration has made progress in the areas of health, education and other sectors.

Dickson urged the people to keep praying for him and the government of the state to keep the vision and sustain the momentum.
 Governor Seriake Dickson of Bayelsa state however warned politicians in the country to stop playing politics with funds and equipment allocated to the military and other security agencies.

Dickson said that the support and provision of necessary equipment for military and security services was very important, adding that such gestures should be devoid of politics.

The governor said that it was the responsibility of government to prioritise security to be able to develop the society.

2019 Presidential Election: Nothern Political leaders Forum met in Abuja

Ahead of the 2019 presidential election, elders and top political figured in the northern part of Nigeria have met in Abuja with the sole target of brainstorming and coming up with strategies for the selection of a consensus candidate.

Under the aegis of the Northern Elders and Stakeholders, the northern leaders met explaining that the meeting was aimed at seeking ways for an acceptable person who would fly the zone’s presidential flag.

The report said the meeting was convened by a former national chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Dr Bello Mohammed; a former deputy Senate president, Ibrahim Mantu, and Senator Paul Zannan

A former governor of Niger state, Babangida Aliyu; Senator Bala Mande and Senator Solomon Ewuga; Professor Ango Abdullahi, a former vice-chancellor of the Ahmadu Bello University, Zaria; a former governor of Sokoto state, Alhaji Attahiru Bafarawa; a prominent lawyer, Awwal Yadudu, and Alhaji Bala Mohammed were at the meeting.

The report said the meeting, chaired by Tanko Yakassai, a chieftain of the Northern Elders Forum, was also connected with the widespread complaint about the government of President Muhammadu Buhari as well as his health status.

Yakassai reportedly said the group was non-partisan, adding: “The purpose of our meeting is not to form a political party. Our meeting was not to support any candidate; we don’t even know the candidates yet. The purpose is to see how to bring about unity of purpose in the north.

“Our main preoccupation is how to unite the North to relate better with the rest of Nigeria on a common ground.

“We are a political group but non-partisan (almost) all political parties were here, we are fighting for unity of the country we are not having anybody in mind, we want to have a common purpose.”

Explaining the reason the meeting was convened, Bello Mohammed said: “After due consideration of the current political situation in the country, it becomes highly expedient to convene a conversation of critical Northern Elders and Stakeholders to deliberate on the best way forward for the region.

“The conversation was necessitated by the need for us to deliberate and reach an acceptable choice for representation, given that the 2019 presidency has been zoned to the North.

“From what is apparent in the political arena today, it is clear that the major political operators have agreed that in the forthcoming 2019 general elections, it is the turn of the north to produce the president.

“From what we have seen earlier, it has always been zoned to the north but the decision on what to do and who to present has never been a northern decision.

“What we want is that this time round, let us have the opportunity to come together so that whatever is decided for the north, it is the northern leaders who decide it and then we get support from other regions.

“If we are able to do that, then we should be able to produce a leadership for this country that would be just, equitable and lead us to nation’s development which is eluding us. That is the reason why we are here.”

A communique released by the elders after the gathering also read: “This meeting is hereby established as a standing forum for the Northern Region to be known as Northern Political Leaders Forum.

“Five sub-committees are hereby set up to address the various issues challenging the northern region. The sub-committee during the summit are security sub-committee; political sub-committee; northern unity sub-committee; the 2019 election sub-committee and the restructuring of Nigeria sub-committee.

“The details of the members will be announced in due course.

“The meeting has approved the holding of a northern political submit on March 15, 2018 to commemorate the attainment of self-government of the Northern Region in 1959.

“The reports of the committees will be delivered and deliberated on at the said northern political summit.”