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Friday, 23 January 2015

Irked by the increasing manouvres of the terrorists laying claim to Nigeria’s territories, the Nigerian military has finalized plans to conduct a “once and for all comprehensive operations” towards the elimination of Boko Haram terrorists in the parts of North East to the boarders of neighbouring countries. International media and satellite images suggest that areas presently under Boko Haram occupation could already be as large as Belgium.
 

BBC Nigeria Boko HaramNigerian soldiers Competent sources disclosed to PRNigeria in Abuja that political authorities which now feels so disturbed by the activities of the terrorists especially after viewing the latest video release from the terror group which claimed that it already has enough weapons to take on Nigeria and its neighbours, have endorsed the military plan and expressed full support for it.

According to the source, the determined onslaught has also received the assurance of cooperation and support of Cameroun, Niger and Chad, which have now realised the danger posed by continuing to allow terrorists free movement across the borders.

The source disclosed that, “Nigerian military is reviewing strategy in the combat against terrorists to accommodate joint and combined operations with neighbouring military organisations. Massive deployment of air and amphibious assets are expected to feature in the operation. Preparatory to this mission, the Defence Headquarters has changed the General Officer Commanding the 7 Division which is the leading formation in the counter-terrorism campaign.

“The deployment for the mission is expected to facilitate the elimination of safe havens and escape routes of terrorists in or out of Nigeria.  The arrangement has enlisted the support of the military forces of neighbouring countries towards ensuring that the plan to effectively block the terrorists for elimination while they are being pounded in the ongoing counter terrorism campaign is effectively attained,” the source elaborated.

PRNigeria can reliably report that the operation will commence very soon and is expected to terminate well before the February 14 elections so that Nigerians living in every part of the country can vote in their towns and villages.

However, it is expected that innocent citizens living in the areas where the terrorists presently operate are expected to have temporarily vacated any area infested by terrorists for safe towns away from the theatre of operations.

When contacted for confirmation of this story, the Director of Defence Information, Major General Chris Olukolade, declined to give details. In a terse response, he simply declared that the military would not relent in its efforts to restore peace to every part of the country as quickly as possible but that details of such efforts would not be disclosed now.

He however admitted that all the countries bordering Nigeria are willing to compliment the efforts in Nigeria as terrorism has remained a menace or threat to all in the region.

Saudi Arabia buries its king: Thousands gather in Mecca as King Abdullah is laid to rest in Riyadh after losing battle with pneumonia 

  • Saudi King Abdullah bin Abdulaziz, 90, died last night in hospital after losing his battle with pneumonia
  • Tens of thousands of people gathered in Mecca and Riyadh today to mourn just hours after King's death
  • The late King's body was wrapped in a plain cloth as it was carried into his funeral in a grand mosque in the capital
  • Family and dignitaries crowded round as he was buried in an unmarked grave, in keeping with tradition
  • The new King Salman, 79, has inherited the throne and led the prayers to the late Abdullah - his half-brother
  • Buckingham Palace lowers Union Jack to half-mast, with Prince Charles set to visit Saudi Arabia to pay respects
The body of King Abdullah has been buried in an unmarked grave in Riyadh less than 24 hours after his death plunged Saudi Arabia into mourning.
Family, friends and dignitaries from the Arab world crowded around the grave to pay their final respects following the monarch's funeral this afternoon. 
Abdullah's body was shrouded in a simple cloth as he was carried into the Imam Turki Bin Abdullah Grand Mosque in Riyadh on a stretcher.
The royal died last night aged 90 after losing his battle with pneumonia and was buried in an unmarked grave, in keeping with Muslim traditions.
Tens of thousands gathered in the capital and Mecca to pay their respects, with Prince Charles set to visit the oil-rich Kingdom on behalf of the Queen to offer his condolences.  
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Saudi King Abdullah was buried in an unmarked grave in Riyadh following his funeral this afternoon, less than a day after he died
Saudi King Abdullah was buried in an unmarked grave in Riyadh following his funeral this afternoon, less than a day after he died
 Thousands gathered in Mecca as King Abdullah was laid to rest in Riyadh after losing battle with pneumonia at the age of 90
 Thousands gathered in Mecca as King Abdullah was laid to rest in Riyadh after losing battle with pneumonia at the age of 90
Family, friends and dignitaries from the Arab world crowded around the grave to pay their final respects following the monarch's funeral
Family, friends and dignitaries from the Arab world crowded around the grave to pay their final respects following the monarch's funeral
Tens of thousands gathered in Riyadh and Mecca to pay their respects, while foreign leaders congregated in the Saudi capital for the funeral
Tens of thousands gathered in Riyadh and Mecca to pay their respects, while foreign leaders congregated in the Saudi capital for the funeral
Mourners crowd around the grave of Saudi Arabia's King Abdullah, with some taking pictures on mobile phones, at the Al-Od cemetary
Mourners crowd around the grave of Saudi Arabia's King Abdullah, with some taking pictures on mobile phones, at the Al-Od cemetary
A member of the Saudi security forces stands guard as mourners pray at the grave of Saudi Arabia's King Abdullah at the Al-Od cemetary
A member of the Saudi security forces stands guard as mourners pray at the grave of Saudi Arabia's King Abdullah at the Al-Od cemetary
Saudi King Salman pledged on Friday to maintain existing energy and foreign policies then quickly moved to appoint younger men as his heirs 
Saudi King Salman pledged on Friday to maintain existing energy and foreign policies then quickly moved to appoint younger men as his heirs 
The body of Saudi King Abdullah, laid on a prayer mat, is carried into the Imam Turki Bin Abdullah Grand Mosque in Riyadh during his funeral
The body of Saudi King Abdullah, laid on a prayer mat, is carried into the Imam Turki Bin Abdullah Grand Mosque in Riyadh during his funeral
The body of King Abdullah was carried into the mosque as his funeral began, less than 24 hours after Saudi Arabia was plunged into mourning 
The body of King Abdullah was carried into the mosque as his funeral began, less than 24 hours after Saudi Arabia was plunged into mourning 
Mourners carrying the body of King Abdullah, wrapped in a shroud, during his funeral at Riyadh's Imam Turki bin Abdullah mosque today
Mourners carrying the body of King Abdullah, wrapped in a shroud, during his funeral at Riyadh's Imam Turki bin Abdullah mosque today
The body of King Abdullah was shrouded in a simple cloth after being carried in to the Imam Turki Bin Abdullah Grand Mosque in Riyadh
The body of King Abdullah was shrouded in a simple cloth after being carried in to the Imam Turki Bin Abdullah Grand Mosque in Riyadh
Dozens of mourners attended the funeral prayer of Saudi King Abdullah bin Abdulaziz in Riyadh, Saudi Arabiam on January 23
Dozens of mourners attended the funeral prayer of Saudi King Abdullah bin Abdulaziz in Riyadh, Saudi Arabiam on January 23
His body was shrouded in a simple cloth as he was carried into the Imam Turki Bin Abdullah Grand Mosque in Riyadh on a stretcher
His body was shrouded in a simple cloth as he was carried into the Imam Turki Bin Abdullah Grand Mosque in Riyadh on a stretcher
Abdullah's death was confirmed on state television yesterday with channels cutting to Koranic verses - only used following the death of a senior royal
Abdullah's death was confirmed on state television yesterday with channels cutting to Koranic verses - only used following the death of a senior royal
Death: Saudi Arabia's King Abdullah bin Abdulaziz died last night aged 90 following a battle with pneumonia
Death: Saudi Arabia's King Abdullah bin Abdulaziz died last night aged 90 following a battle with pneumonia
High alert: Armed Saudi troops were on heavy guard as dignitaries arrived at the ceremony in Riyadh this afernoon
High alert: Armed Saudi troops were on heavy guard as dignitaries arrived at the ceremony in Riyadh this afernoon
Abdullah's death was confirmed on state television yesterday with channels cutting to Koranic verses - only used following the death of a senior royal. 
His funeral took place in Riyadh, where, in keeping with Muslim traditions, Abdullah's body was shrouded in a simple cloth as he was carried in by men wearing red-and-white checked headgear.
He was then buried in an unmarked grave, believed to show humility and a respect for Allah.
Abdullah's predecessors and other half brothers have also been interred in unmarked graves in the al-Aoud cemetery where he will be buried later, as well as in other simple graveyards in other cities.
Prayers were led by King Salman, 79, who has succeeded his half-brother as King of Saudi Arabia.
The funeral was attended by Muslim heads of state and other senior figures, including Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and Pakistani Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif.

'The year I lost my limbs was the most brilliant of my life'

Alex in hospital with Lucy and his son
In a few weeks Alex Lewis went from being the owner of a pub, to becoming critically ill and a quadruple amputee. Yet he still describes the past year as the best he's ever had.
"There are days when I wake up and I think gosh my shoulder hurts, or wow my stumps are sore, but I just keep on pushing forward," Alex Lewis explains.
He's on speakerphone as he is unable to hold a phone now he has no hands.
As well as losing his limbs, Lewis also lost his lips and nose. Surgeons have since grafted skin from his shoulder into lips leaving him, he jokes, looking like a Simpsons character and with a nose that constantly runs.
The positivity 34-year-old Lewis, from Stockbridge, Hampshire, has found over the past year has been remarkable for those close to him, and he says he feels happier now than before his illness. Many would find it hard to believe, but he says that great things have come of it.

Start Quote

It is incredible what the human body is able to overcome”
"It's made me think differently about being a dad, a partner, a human being," he says, and a new charity set up in his name has given him a huge impetus to help others. Despite this positive attitude, he can't do a lot of the things he once loved, like cooking and playing golf. He and his partner Lucy have lost the pub they once ran.
'Survival chance of 5%' It was in November 2013 when Lewis thought he had "man flu", but when he spotted blood in his urine, followed by blotchy, bruised looking skin he knew something more serious was happening.
It turned out to be a streptococcal infection (type A) and he was rushed into hospital in Winchester on 17 November 2013. The infection penetrated deep into his tissues and organs, and triggered blood poisoning, or sepsis, a life-threatening condition that causes multiple organ failure.
Alex in hospital with a green gauze over his lips Alex Lewis's lips were completely destroyed by the infection
The skin on his arms and legs, and part of his face had quickly turned black and gangrenous. For his family and friends, at his bedside every day while he was on a life support machine, it was shocking to see.
But for his son Sam, just three at the time, it looked merely as though Daddy was covered in chocolate.
Lewis's infected limbs were starting to poison his body and, as soon as he was off life support, he was told he would have to have his left arm amputated above the elbow.
He says he felt no sadness or emotion at the news because the doctors were incredibly matter-of-fact. "It was a case of 'this arm is killing me so it has to go,'" he says.
Alex with Lucy and his son before he got ill Lewis with his family before his illness
It was the second week of December and although he had lost an arm, he wasn't yet out of danger. His damaged legs were beginning to poison his body and, in quick succession he had two more operations to amputate first one leg, then the other, leaving him with just one limb - his right arm.
"I processed every amputation individually," he says. "Part of me thought let's just get this process done so I can get out of hospital and home." But ultimately he says he didn't have much time to think.
His right arm had been damaged too, but doctors thought there was a chance of saving it. It took 17-and-a-half hours in an operating theatre on Christmas Eve 2013 to rebuild it. Surgeons stripped the arm to scrape the dead tissue away. Then they took 16.5ins (42cm) of his left shoulder blade, along with the skin, muscle, nerves and tissue and grafted it on to his right arm.
Having lost three limbs already, use of that remaining hand was seen as crucial by doctors and Lewis was desperate to do what he could to keep it.
Alex wearing his four prosthetics Lewis says his grafted lips make him look like a Simpsons character
"I learned along the way that all the quadruple amputees I've met say the one thing they'd kill for is a hand," Lewis says. "It means you can still do your daily stuff, get a drink, write."
But the damage proved to be too severe and, one night, while he was asleep, Lewis rolled over and snapped the arm in two.
"My hand was dangling down by my elbow," he says. His partner Lucy was devastated, and imagined a far harder life for him now he had no limbs - but Lewis says he didn't care.
"There is no point waiting for five years trying to get an arm working again," he says. "I think psychologically it would have been much more damaging to wait all that time and then lose it."

Find out more

  • Alex Lewis was interviewed on the BBC World Service programme Outlook
  • Outlook airs Mon-Thurs
  • Tells personal stories from around the world
With all four limbs amputated, Lewis had to learn how to go about his new life. He could no longer get himself up and washed and dressed in the morning, so had to get used to a carer coming in once a day - but first on his to-do list was learning to walk.
He began a 10-week walking course at Queen Mary's Hospital in Roehampton but after just two weeks he surprised everyone by successfully walking on devices called "rocker pylons" - prosthetics on a short pole, with a large rocking foot.
He's been walking on them for almost three months now and says he is making great progress but still finds them awkward. "Going up stairs is difficult because of the shortness of them," he says, "and different terrains are hard."
He has chosen to use prosthetic arms and currently uses ones with hooks. His attitude is: "I might as well try what is best and then make my mind up."
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Jonathan
Jonathan

Jonathan okays N26bn for 2015 dry season farming

President Goodluck Jonathan on Friday announced the release of N26 billion for the 2015 dry season farming.
Jonathan, who spoke at the 2015 Agrifest held at the Eagle Square, Abuja, pledged the support of his administration to farmers.
The President used the event to highlight his administration’s successes in Agriculture.
Nigeria, he said, will not be held hostage by rice importers, adding that the country is working to attain self – sufficiency in rice production.
Jonathan said: “To further boost your efforts to produce more food for our nation, I am pleased to announce here today the release of N26billion naira towards the 2015 Dry Season Farming Programme.
“Nigeria our dear country will not be held hostage by rice importers. There will be no sacred cows under my watch. All those owing Nigeria on rice import duties must pay.”
The President said the private sector have put over N45 billion private investment in new oil palm plantation.
The investment, he said will allow farmers to cultivate 70,000 hectares of new plantations to allow Nigeria to become self-sufficient in palm oil production by 2016.
He said: “I am excited that today, Okomu, Presco, PZ – Wilmar and medium size oil palm estate operators such as Wilbahi are taking the lead in revamping our vast oil palm plantations.
”We will continue to support the revamping of our oil palm industry and support the private sector to build new refineries to process crude palm oil produced in Nigeria.”
Earlier, the Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development, Dr. Akinwumi Adesina, said that government was supporting 27 Nagropreneur with N122 million take off grant to do their business.
The youths were given N5 million each under the Youth Empowerment in Agriculture Programme.
The minister added that the ministry will work closely with all states government to in other to ensure capacity building for youths.
Also, Minister of Finance and the Coordinating Minister for the Economy, Dr. Okonjo – Iweala, said that many of the 1.2 million jobs created in 2014 were in the agriculture sector.
Dr. Iweala explained that without agriculture Nigeria cannot make much progress.
“Because of agriculture, inflation has reduced. We are showing that we can feed ourselves,” she said.

Thursday, 22 January 2015


Home » News Update » Buhari’s certificate a forgery – PDP
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Buhari

Buhari’s certificate a forgery – PDP

The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) campaign organisation has described the West African School Certificate result of the presidential candidate of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Gen. Muhammadu Buhari, as a “forgery.”
At a news conference in Abuja, the Director of Media and Publicity of the organisation, Chief Femi Fani-Kayode, said the result sheet issued by the Cambridge examination body was superimposed on another document
Asked if the PDP had contacted the authorities in Buhari’s old secondary school to verify the authenticity of the document, Fani-Kayode answered in the negative and maintained that the party was not interested in such exercise.
Fani-Kayode said: “The column lines on the part where names are printed do not align with the blank columns, while there is an introduction of extraneous lines on some other columns.
“The document contains an obvious alteration on the Mathematics column of the candidate, Mohamed Buhari, who was assumed to have scored an “F” in the subject.
“This raises a very fundamental issue of validity in view of the fact that the accompanying result sheet states that “any alteration or erasure renders this statement of Results invalid.
“This is the standard practice in all interpretation of documents especially academic records. The question we put to Gen. Buhari and his party is whether this alteration was done by the University of Cambridge.
“One of the footnotes on the document purportedly issued by the University of Cambridge said “the results of this candidate in all subjects except English Language have been carried forward from the 1960 examination.
“The question arising from this is: When exactly did Buhari sit for all the other subjects claimed to have been passed in the Secondary School Examination?
“Our conclusion from all these is that the documents purportedly released by Government College (Pilot) Katsina, upon which the APC Presidential candidates hopes to bury the doubt about his eligibility for next month’s election are forged, manipulated and fraudulently procured. They are therefore untenable in fact and in law.
“We do not know who the authors and masterminds of this forgery are but whoever they are, we urge them to come forward and be identified.
“If they fail to come forward voluntarily, we hereby call on the police and other security agencies to seek them out, find them, arrest them, interrogate them and prosecute them in accordance with the laws of the land.
“We reiterate our call on Gen. Buhari to submit himself to the police to answer charges of perjury, having lied on oath about his academic qualifications. This is what a man who claims to represent integrity and due process ought to do in this situation.”
The question of whether or not the 1956 discovery of oil by Shell D’Archy in Nigeria’s Niger-Delta region has been a blessing or a curse remains a relevant topic in contemporary Nigeria, although most environmentalists believe that the discovery and exploration of oil in the region has been more of a curse than a blessing. The argument of these eco-activists is that oil exploration, which has led to oil spillage, has caused the region and its people environmental degradation, extinction and death of their sea animals and loss of their economic source of income (fishing and farming).
Nnimmo Bassey

In order to have a better understanding of this highly topical issue, HEDA, through its weekly #MondayTango tweet chat session, hosted Mr. Nnimmo Bassey to discuss the topic, ‘Oil Spillage, State Response and Implications for the Environment’.

Bassey is a Nigerian architect, environmental activist, author and poet. He was the Chairman of Friends of the Earth International from 2008 to 2012, and, is currently the director of the Health of Mother Earth Foundation. Bassey is also a 2010 co-winner of the Right Livelihood Award.

Bassey stated that although the discovery of oil is ‘neither a curse nor a blessing’, but the major problem with oil activities ‘starts when men decide not to leave it (oil) underground’. He further explained that due to the country’s sole reliance on oil, its exploration has greatly affected the ‘politics and socio-economic progress’ of the country. He listed the oil companies, the Nigerian government, oil contractors, oil subsidy scammers and oil thieves as the major groups that have benefitted from oil exploration activities in the Niger-Delta, overtime. According to him, "without security breaches no one can successfully steal and transport crude in the creeks."

Given this background, Bassey defined oil spillage as ‘the release of crude oil into the environment from compromised pipelines or related facilities.’ He proceeded to explain the effects of oil spills, and stated that oil spillage is highly ‘damaging to the eco-systems,’ and poses great hazard to ‘water, land and even air.’

On the question of the major perpetrators of oil spill cases in Nigeria, Bassey stated that the oil companies are mostly responsible for the number of oil spillages in the Niger-Delta region. He explained that the problems of poor standards, poor maintenance and expired pipes used by the oil companies are also responsible for the cases of oil spills in the region. He added that although, there is a connection between oil theft and oil spillage, but the connection is not as major as that of the oil companies. Bassey mentioned that Shell’s recent admittance of responsibilities in the Bodo oil spill was a step in the right direction and that the oil company still has to admit other major oil spills that it was responsible for. He charged the oil companies to also ensure they clean up the affected areas. According to him, military presence is an intimate part of the problem. They bomb crude laden boats, burn bush refineries.

He explained that in order to ensure that compensations paid by oil companies get to the affected communities and individuals, proper documentation of the compensation payments must be made. He added that ‘compensations can never pay for environmental harm,' as he believes that the effects of oil spillage are not limited to humans, but also extended to the entire eco-system as well.

On the question of how effective the Nigerian government has been in prosecuting perpetrators of environmental injustice caused by oil spills, Bassey said he is yet to see any prosecution by the federal government, and he added that, ‘the government and the oil companies are joint venture partners.’ He also said, "The Niger Delta is an occupied territory. Citizens raise their hands in the creeks each time they see the military."

On his stance on the recent reduction of the fuel price to N87, as announced by the federal government, Bassey stated that the reduction should also be extended to other petroleum products, and should not be limited to only fuel.

The chat session ended with Bassey explaining that he, like other eco-activists, isare actively clamoring to save the Niger Delta region from further degradation. He stated that part of their strategies include restrategising, exposing the spills and demanding cleanups of areas affected by oil spills.

Firdaws P-IBRAHIM
Communication Officer, HEDA