EFCC ARRESTS PPMC MD, MRS ESTHER OGBUE-NNAMDI OVER FUEL SCARCITY.

The dragnet of the Economics and Financial Crimes Commission yesterday picked up one of the culprits in the ongoing fuel scarcity scam, Mrs Esther Ogbue-Nnamdi.

Mrs Ogbue Nnamdi was until the recent reforms in the oil industry, the Managing Director of the Petroleum Products Pricing and Marketing Company (PPMC), a subsidiary of the NNPC where it was alleged that she enriched herself and amassed stupendous wealth from sales of IPOs to desperate oil cabal, collection of kick backs through proxies and other underhand dealings to have seen to the ongoing fuel scarcity being experienced by Nigerians.

According to our source who was privy to the ongoing drilling of Mrs Nnamdi, the commission has been trailing over the acquisition of choice properties in the nation’s capital particularly a house at Maitama valued at N1.2 billion built and furnished within 2months after her resumption of office.

Our source confirmed that the EFCC Chairman was said to have collapsed after seeing the property located at off no 4, Amazon Street Maitama that he had exclaimed that Diezani must be a student in this Professor’s school.

It has been identified that Nnamdi and other top oil cabal are desperately fighting hard to stop every reform at the NNPC especially this rare kind that exposes such a monumental fraud without any waste of time.

Every attempt to reach the former PPMC boss for a reaction as failed as the detectives handling her case have switched off her phone, while our source has confirmed that senior members of the cabal are making sure that she returns to her cozy apartment in Maitama to return home tomorrow for bail.

GARRICK BRAIDE

The Story of an Unsung Hero: History and Legacy of Garrick Sokari Braide (1882-1918)
Posted on January 15, 2012 by israelolofinjana
African Church history is rich with stories of renewals across the continent. Garrick Braide is one of the pioneers of revival in Africa. Braide was born ca. 1882 in Obonoma, a small Kalabari pagan village in the Niger Delta (now Bayelsa, Delta and River State in the South of Nigeria). This village was noted as one of the leading places of pagan worship and pilgrimage in Nigeria. His parents were servants of the Ogu cult which was a titular deity of Obonoma. His parents were very poor; therefore Braide did not have the opportunity of being educated.  He later became a Christian and was baptized on January 23rd 1910 at St Andrews Anglican Church in Bakana. Garrick Braide was an Ijaw man by tribe, but he had to learn the Church catechism in Igbo language, as this was the language of instruction in all the Niger-Delta Pastorate. Braide had to learn the Ten Commandments, The Lord’s Prayer and the Creeds in Igbo before he was baptised. After his baptism, he was confirmed by Rev. James Johnson. Around 1912 Braide was beginning to be noted for his enthusiasm and religious exercises. He later felt called by the Lord into ministry and was accepted as a lay preacher in the Anglican Church of the Niger-Delta pastorate.

Braide’s method of teaching and ministry was very different from that of the Mission Churches. While they introduce Christianity through the teaching of the Creeds, The Lord’s Prayer and catechism, Braide adopted a more practical approach and contextualized the Gospel among the Delta people. He taught the people to renounce their gods, destroy their fetishes and to simply believe in the Lord Jesus. This approach is Biblical, as reflected in 1 Thessalonians 1: 9-10. Braide was convinced that the approach of the Mission Churches did not deal with the root problems of the Delta people; namely idol worshipping. He knew that until the Delta people lost faith in their witch doctors, idols and fetishes there could be no true conversion. To this end he organized a crusade against charms, idol worshipping and the use of fetish objects. The following are some of his teachings:

(1)  He emphasized absolute dependence on God and explained sin and suffering as cause and effect. He taught the people to depend on God for physical and spiritual healing. He encouraged his hearers not to seek traditional medicine nor seek the help of medical doctors.

(2)  He also preached that people should abstain from alcoholic beverages and refrain from dealing in magical practices.

(3) Braide demanded a strict observance of Sunday, because in the traditional religion the day of rest was every eighth day, Fenibene, ceremonially observed for the gods. Sunday was the Lord’s Day; therefore no normal activities should take place.

(4) He recommended a liturgy in which the indigenes should praise God in their local songs, prayers and worship. Braide taught Africans how to worship God in an African way. He castigated the missionaries for not taking the world-view of the Africans into consideration in presenting the Gospel. The Mission Churches made Christianity too remote and intellectual to meet the ritualistic needs of the Delta people’s traditional religion.

Braide’s methods of ministry redefined Christianity as a practical religion for the people of the Niger-Delta, and the result was a large number of conversions to the Anglican Church. Braide, using and encouraging the native language of the Ijaw people and not Igbo, made Christianity available to the average person. He reasoned from his own personal experience of learning the Church doctrines in Igbo that it took a long time, making it burdensome to become a Christian. Aided also by his ability to demonstrate the gift of healing through prayer, he was accepted by his people as a Prophet commissioned by God. The effect of Braide’s preaching was evident in the number of those coming to the enquirers’ class (a modern day equivalent of The Alpha Course). At the Anglican Church the number of people enquirering about Christianity ca. 1909 was 300, but by 1912 (when Braide was already involved in evangelistic activities) the number increased to 2,933.  Another influence Braide’s preaching had on the Ijaw people was to convict them to set on fire their fetishes and charms. Like the Biblical Gideon he stopped people from offering sacrifices to the great divinity of Kalabari.  Visitations to witch doctors also dramatically decreased as the people relied on God for healing. Another change that occurred was the fall in the sales of alcohol and beverages. As a result, the British administration faced a deficit of £576,000 in 1916, a loss which was ascribed to Garrick Braide’s movement. Braide moved from one village to another preaching the Gospel and telling the people to renounce their fetishes. His ministry spread from Bonny to Urhoboland, Benin and Yorubaland. Some Anglican ministers who supported Braide’s ministry noticed that the statistical figures of those becoming Christians had risen steeply. The cross of Christ was erected in the place of idols, revival meetings were held with thousands of people attending and people were healed faster at Braide’s meetings than in the care of the traditional or European doctors.

Garrick Braide achieved in three months what the Church Missionary Society (CMS) had not attained in half a century. Bishop James Johnson, the supervisor of the Niger-Delta, believed that Braide was gifted by God, but only as long as Braide acknowledged that he was endowed by God. Braide used his gift to win thousands of converts into the Anglican Church under James Johnson for a period of seven years.  Braide’s ministry was a success in that there was an awakening in Nigeria which had never occurred before. Initially, several Anglican clergy declared their approval of Braides’s evangelistic crusades because of the obvious increase in Church membership which resulted in mass baptisms, especially in the Anglican Churches.

Later the Anglican Church authorities became suspicious and ultimately very critical of Braide’s activities because he did not apply the discipline of the Anglican Church. He was accused of tolerating polygyny and calling himself ‘the second Elijah’ (Elijah redivivus). Braide had inevitably become the object of adoration because he was popular among his people.  It was even reported that people wanted to drink his bathwater in order to be healed. Personality worship, something common in Pentecostal circles today, took the place of true worship as people regarded disobeying Garrick Braide as disobeying God. The final straw came in February 1916, when chiefs from all over the Delta assembled to meet with Bishop James Johnson. The purpose of the gathering was to persuade the Bishop to give Braide an officially recognized place in the Delta Church. The request was tantamount to asking Johnson to institute the office of the Prophet in the Anglican orders. His rejection of this request led to a great schism. From this time on Braide’s followers rejected the leadership of Bishop James Johnson and the Anglican Church. Later on, as the situation deteriorated, James Johnson appealed to the Colonial administration to intervene. This intervention was welcomed by the Colonial Authorities for obvious reasons. Firstly as mentioned earlier the reduction of the sales of alcohol as a result of Braide’s preaching caused a huge deficit for the Colonial government. The Government had largely depended on the sale of alcohol for its revenue, hence their willingness to intervene. A second reason for intervention, was the prophetic movement of William Wade Harris (1865-1929) which was contemporaneous with the Braide movement and which the Colonial administration in Ivory Coast (now Cote d Ivoire) had claimed was associated with political matters. In 1915 the French government in Ivory Coast had thought it expedient to arrest and expel Harris, so the British government thought it wise to follow suit. It must also be reasoned that the Colonial powers felt threatened by a strong local man with a large following.

In March 1916 Braide was finally arrested and accused of insurrection, blasphemy and schism. He was pronounced guilty by the Colonial Authorities and was sentenced to six months imprisonment with hard labour. Shortly before he was to be released in November, eight further charges were brought against Braide and his followers. He remained in prison until January 1918. His activities after release from prison are unknown, and he was said to have survived only eleven months. He died on 15 November 1918 following an illness.

After his death his followers founded the Christ Army Church and flourished under the leadership of Rev S.A. Coker. Braide himself had never intended to start a Church of his own; he had always insisted that his mission was that of a Prophet. The Christ Army Church constituted a rival Church to the Anglican Church in the Niger Delta Pastorate, with Christ Army Church in control of Delta Christianity. However, by 1939 Christ Army Church began to decline as a result of poor funding and weak organizational structures. There was also a split in the Church because of power struggles amongst the leaders. Later, S.A. Coker was able to bring together the various strands in the Church. The Braide Movement continues today with its prophetic distinction, although they are not very prominent. In conclusion, Briade was the first revivalist and Prophet Nigeria ever witnessed to pioneer mass gatherings, which have become typical of African Christianity today. He will be remembered for his contextual approach to ministry which resulted in the Niger-Delta revival.

FEMALE STAFF OF POPULAR EATERY, SWEET SENSATION, WAS ON WEDNESDAY CONVICTED AND SENTENCED TO 266 YEARS

female staff of popular eatery, SWEET SENSATION, Oluremi Olayinka was on Wednesday convicted and sentenced to 266 years imprisonment by Justice A.A Akinyemi of Ogun State High Court, Abeokuta, for stealing N8million belonging to her employer.

The offence is contrary to sections 390(6)(7)(8), 467 and 468 respectively of the Criminal Code Law Cap 29, Laws of Ogun State.

The court found the convict guilty on all the 34-count charges. She was sentenced to seven years on each of 30 counts and 14 years on the remaining four charges. The sentences are to run concurrently.

Additionally, Justice Akinyemi ordered her to return the money she stole in restitution to her victim.

Ms. Olayinka was arraigned before Justice Akinyemi on May 13, 2014 following a petition, alleging that she stole the sum of N8,000,000 (Eight Million Naira), which she received on behalf of her employer.

When the convict was confronted with the allegation, she admitted the crime only for her to dramatically pleaded not guilty upon arraignment.

In the course of trial, the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission presented four witnesses and tendered 16 exhibits to prove its case against the convict.

Nigeria Can Generate N5trn Annually From Solid Minerals – Group

Nigeria can generate at least N5 trillion annually from mining and exporting of its vast solid mineral deposits, with several multiplier effects of job creation, state development and social infrastructure that could make the solid minerals sector as the main catalyst for the national development, Association of Metals Exporters of Nigeria stated yesterday.

At a press briefing at the weekend in Lagos, the association called on the federal government to provide the enabling environment for the development of the Nigerian solid minerals sector. Metallic solid minerals are the most exported solid minerals from Nigeria.

The Association, which comprises of various companies in the business of metal export, commended the focus of the minister of Solid Minerals, Dr. Kayode Fayemi, and expressed its readiness to partner with the government in the development of the Nigerian solid minerals sector.

President, Association of Metal Exporters of Nigeria, Mr. Seun Olatunji, said there is need for synergy between government agencies and private operators to unlock the values in solid minerals sector.

He noted that with not less than 38 viable solid mineral deposits in sustainable export quantity in Nigeria, the solid minerals sector has the potential to generate not less than N5 trillion annually once the government put in place necessary frameworks.

He pointed out that the solid minerals industry could serve as the much-needed solution to unemployment as the development of the value chain from mining to export can create more than five million jobs.

According to him, there is need for government regulatory agencies such as Standard Organisation of Nigeria (SON) to work with established private sector companies under the auspices of Association of Metal Exporters of Nigeria to develop globally acceptable regulatory standards for Nigerian metallic exports.

He noted that Nigeria has been losing considerable value due to the absence of efficient regulations and standards for metal exports.

Vice president, Association of Metal Exporters of Nigeria, Mr. Bamidele Ayemibo, underscored the need for government to consider viable public private partnership (PPP) option to develop basic infrastructure such as crushing plant and standardized weighing bay among others.

PDP LADY WHO WISHED PRESIDENT BUHARI DEAD DURING THE 2015 CAMPAIGN DIES pdp-lady-who-wishelllead-during-2015-campaign-dies-see-her-hate-posts

Esther Okono, a diehard Akwa Ibom supporter of the former President, Goodluck Jonathan and the Peoples Democratic party, PDP, who during the 2015 campaign among others wished President Muhammadu Buhari dead, reportedly died last Friday, January 22 according to posts on her facebook page.

She had been reportedly recently taken ill.

Esther joins a list of PDP big personalities and politicians who have died mysteriously since the campaigns.

Esther Okono was the former S.A. Media and Publicity to Former Governor of Akwa Ibom Akpabio and The National Coordinator of PDP National Youth Congress.

Esther is remembered for her vitriolic posts against Buhari.

See some of her posts:

Read more: http://newsrescue.com/pdp-lady-who-wished-buhari-dead-during-2015-campaign-dies-see-her-hate-posts/#ixzz3yL0BaF3r

NIGERIAN AIR FORCE OPENS APPLICATION FOR RECRUITMENT

The Nigerian Air Force has announcement the commencement of recruitment of Airmen and Airwomen.
The Service in a statement signed by Air Vice Marshal C. N. Chukwu on behalf of the Chief of Air Staff, Air Marshal Sadique Abubakar, gave the details of the procedures for applying.
The statement by Chukwu reads in full:
APPLICATION FOR NIGERIAN AIRFORCE AIRMEN/AIRWOMEN RECRUITMENT EXERCISE (BMTC 2016).

GUIDELINES:
1.All applicants must be Nigerians not less than 1.68m tall for male and not less than 1.65m for female.
2. Interested applicants are to apply free of charge online at www.careers.nigerianairforce.gov.ng.
3. Applicants are to print out the underlisted documents after completion of application online:
a. Local Government Attestation Form.
b. Parents/Guardian Consent Form.
c. Acknowledgement Form.

QUALIFICATIONS
4. Non Tradesmen/Women.
a. Applicants must be between the ages of 17 and 22 years by 31 December 2016.
b. Applicants must possess a minimum of 3 credits including Maths and English in SSCE/NECO/GCE.

5. Tradesmen/Women: a. Applicants applying as tradesmen and women must be between 17 and 24 years by 31 December 2016.

b. Applicants must possess a minimum of 3 pasess including English in SSCE/NECO/GCE and must possess at least a lower credit in ND/NCE or any relevant trade certificate from reputable and approved government institutions/organisations.
NOTE
6. Online registration starts on 8 February 2016 and closes on 25 March 2016.

7. Zonal recruitment exercise will start from 11 – 29 April 2016.

8. NAF Online registration and all other recruitment processes are free of charge and no payment should be made.

9. The Local Government Attestation/Indigeneship certificate must be accompanied by the passport photograph and photocopy of the signees drivers licence or international passport. The signee is also to authenticate the passport photograph of the applicant behind.

10. For further information see the instruction page on the website as from 8 February 2016 or e-mail: airforce.support@swglobal.com

LASSA FEVER PATIENT ESCAPES FROM HOSPITAL

EBONYI: A male patient who tested positive to LASSA FEVER was reported to have escaped from a hospital in Ebonyi state to an unknown destination.

The minister of health, Prof Isaac Adewole who expressed dismay concerning the situation stated that the patient could not have absconded on his own without the help of some of the healthcare givers in the hospital and has so far directed‎ that the patient must be looked for and treated immediately.

“He should be traced and taken back to the facility. He should be reassured that he will live if the treatment is done promptly as he could not have absconded on his own without the support of the health officers.

He lamented that so much is been expected from the Ebonyi state government as it has not done enough. He said there was no need for patients to be transferred to‎ Irrua in Edo state when the state has a functional healthcare centre

In curbing the wide spread of the dreaded Lassa fever‎, the federal government has cleared the air concerning the handling of dead bodies by relatives of the deceased by stating that they would be allowed to do so as religious and cultural beliefs must be respected. 

The Chief Executive Officer of the National Centre for Disease Control (NCDC), Dr Abdusalam Nasidi, made the views and observations on Tuesday at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs during the emergency National Council on Health on Lassa fever outbreak. He said relatives of the deceased must oblige to disinfect dead bodies which should be carried before and after in double body bags as well as ensuring that graves are dug very deep. “Families will not be denied the bodies of their deceased relatines because there must be respect for religious and cultural beliefs. 

The real problem is that the culture of some people to wash dead bodies before burial. However, we warn against contact with the bodies as a bid towards curtailing the virus. “Relatives will have to ensure that the bodies of the deceased are disinfected with chlorine and it is recommend that the bodies should be packaged in double body bags. We also advise that graves must be dug very deep.”

NNPC: CRUDE FLOWS TO TWO NIGERIAN REFINERIES SHUT AFTER ATTACKS

Report reaching our news desk indicates that the NNPC may have ordered a shut down of crude oil flows to two of its four refineries after  the weekend's attacks on pipelines, a company spokesman said on Monday, frustrating government hopes to start weaning the country from expensive imports.

The refineries in the northern city of Kaduna and Warri, in the southern Niger Delta, were affected, said Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation spokesman Ohi Alegbe.

"We have shut down flows for now, the military are on top of the matter," he said, without offering details of the attacks.

Nigeria is plagued by violence, corruption and poor infrastructure. Despite being Africa's largest crude exporter, it imports almost all its gasoline but officials had hoped national refineries would produce up to 30 percent of its gasoline needs in the first quarter of 2016.

The 125,000 barrel per day (bpd) Warri refinery and the 110,000 bpd Kaduna refinery had resumed output in December after several months of maintenance. The Kaduna refinery receives its feedstock oil via the Warri refinery.

Nigeria also has a third refining complex with two plants in the southern oil hub of Port Harcourt, although only the newer of the two plants is currently functioning.

No group claimed responsibility for the weekend attacks, which follow last week's arrest warrant for former militant leader turned businessman Government Ekpemupolo, known as Tompolo, as part of a crackdown on corruption. Several former top government officials have been charged with fraud.

A statement issued by the military's operation Pulo Shield in the oil-rich Niger Delta region vowed to hold "community leaders responsible for any act of sabotage".

"This warning is coming as a result of recent, multiple attacks on oil facilities and platforms by suspected militants in the Niger Delta region," the statement issued on Sunday said, without offering further details.

The attacks follow years of relative calm in the country's oil-producing region after an 2009 amnesty halted frequent attacks on oil installations and kidnappings of expatriate workers.

OPEC member Nigeria is facing an economic crisis and dwindling foreign reserves as a result of the sharp drop in global oil prices.

President Muhammadu Buhari, elected last year, wants to revamp the country's long-neglected refining system and produce enough fuel, particularly gasoline, to reduce expensive imports.

PDP IN FRESH CRISIS AS NATIONAL OFFICERS ASK MESSRS MOHAMMED , METUH, SECONDUS TO STEP DOWN.

There appears to be a fresh round of crisis in Nigeria’s major opposition party, the Peoples Democratic Party, with some elected national officers calling on the acting chairman of the board of trustees, Bello Mohammed and the national publicity secretary, Olisa Metuh, to step down from their offices.

The call, which was made in a statement signed by four of the national officers, which they also said represented the views of all deputy national officers and some members of the National Executive Committee of the party, was sequel to the ongoing trial of Messrs. Mohammed and Metuh over corruption allegations.

Messrs Metuh and Mohammed are being tried for receiving monies from the embattled former National Security Adviser, Sambo Dasuki, out of the $2.1 billion meant for arms procurement but which was diverted to political spending.

The statement, made available to the press on Monday, was signed by Dennis Alonge-Niyi, the deputy national youth leader; Bashir Maidugu, the deputy national legal adviser; Okey Nnaedozie, the deputy national organizing secretary and Abdullahi Jalo, the deputy national publicity secretary.

The national officers called on all relevant members and organs of the party to rescue it “from fortune hunters who have hijacked its very soul.”
They said, “We hereby strongly dissociate the Peoples Democratic Party from the ongoing trials of Dr. Bello Halliru Mohammed ( Acting Chairman of Board of Trustees) and Chief Olisa Metuh ( National Publicity Secretary) on various charges anti graft agencies.

“They are said to have received funds using accounts of their private companies without the knowledge and instructions of any organ of the party. All those mentioned in the ongoing corruption trial are, therefore, on their own and the party was not involved financially or in anyway with the office of the National Security Adviser, ONSA, or any organ of the federal government in the last regime.
“They must bear full responsibility for their actions and must henceforth refrain from dragging the name of the party into the mud.”

STEP DOWN PLEASE 

The national officers also said that sequel to the wide public interest the trial of Messrs. Mohammed and Metuh has generated, they would call on the national caucus of the PDP, the BoT and the PDP Governors’ Forum “to prevail on the two accused persons to honorably step down until they clear their names thereby saving the party from further damage.”

They said their call was not a pronouncement of guilt on the two officers of the PDP, but a “passionate appeal to halt the erroneous concept that the party tolerates corruption.”

They also called on the NEC of the party to convene a meeting immediately to formalize the appointment of a new spokesperson in line with the party’s constitution.

The officers also called on the NEC not to continue with the reign of impunity, which they said characterized the PDP in the past and led it to its current position, to respect the Abuja High Court ruling of December 15 last year.
The Court had in a ruling delivered in a suit filed by a former political adviser to former President Goodluck Jonathan, Ahmed Gulak, directed the PDP acting national chairman, Uche Secondus, to step down and allow either Mr. Gulak or any qualified person from the north east to take over.
Mr. Secondus became acting chairman after Ahmadu Muazu resigned his position following the defeat of the party in the last general election.

“This is a declaratory ruling where no order of stay of execution from any other court has been granted. The NEC must do the needful by selecting a suitable national chairman from the north east to complete their tenure in accordance with our tradition and the party’s constitution.
“In pursuance of this therefore, Prince Uche Secondus should revert back to his constitutional position of Deputy National Chairman of the party as a matter of urgency,” they said.
The national officers also argued that in the light of the court ruling and other matters related to it, the timetable recently released by the National Working Committee, without recourse to the NEC, for the forthcoming national convention of the party should be considered null and void.

They said aside from the offices of the National Chairman, National Secretary, National Financial Secretary and the National Auditor, the national convention that produced the other national officers was held on August 30, 2013.
They said based on the four-year tenure envisaged by the constitution of the party, all the remaining officers’ tenure of office would terminate on August 30, 2017.

They also called on the NEC to order a proper audit of the finances of the PDP by certified external auditors. They said the audit period should be from March 2012 to date.
“All committees set up by the irregularly constituted national working committee should be dissolved and new committees constituted by NEC in good faith and the general interest of the party.
“Finally, we urge the National Caucus and the Board of Trustees as a matter of urgency to convene a meeting of NEC to address all these burning issues. Any further delay will exacerbate the situation,” they said.

BIZARRE! COCKS GANG RAPED AND KILLED HEN!

https://youtu.be/HlvXK1xygJs

GOVERNOR WIKE'S FORMER SPECIAL ADVISER ON MEDIA AND PUBLICITY DEFECTS TO APC.

PORT HARCOURT:  The former Special Adviser on Media and Publicity to the incumbent governor of Rivers State,  Mr. Opunabo Inko-Tariah, has defected to the All Progressives Congress.

Inko-Tariah expressed his support for the governorship candidate of the APC in the 2015 general elections, Dr. Dakuku Peterside, adding that it was natural for him to reciprocate gestures.

Speaking through a statement he signed and issued on Thursday, Inko-Tariah also commended the immediate past governor of the state and Minister of Transport, Mr. Rotimi Amaechi, for coming to his aide when he took ill.

Inko-Tariah said that although he had criticised Amaechi in the past, he pointed out that it was reinvigorating to note that the same Amaechi called to sympathise with him.

Inko-Tariah added that to reciprocate the former governor’s gesture, he would do his best to ensure that Peterside emerge as the governor of the state should there be a rerun.

He said, “It was surprising that a man I censured, His Excellency, Rt. Hon. Rotimi Chibuike Amaechi, CON, the Hon. Minister of Transport, was the same person who showed unsolicited love and care.

“It was reinvigorating when he called to sympathise and also gave his widow’s mite while I was already in the United States for medical treatment after reading my resignation letter. How compassionate can a man be!

“On my support for Hon. (Dr.) Dakuku Peterside, it is only natural that one reciprocates gestures. Therefore, I state my support for Rt. Hon. Amaechi and Dr. Peterside for the love they have shown.

“More so, Dr. Peterside is a man whose refreshing initiatives and articulated policy options will help refuel the ethos of good governance in Rivers State.” On why he resigned as the special adviser to the governor, Inko-Tariah recalled how he sustained head injuries after falling in a bathroom and how he escaped assassination, adding that the governor did not show concern over his plight.

He said, “As the special adviser to the governor, I fell in the bathroom and sustained serious head injuries. Two days later, I went to the office with the injury and all that the governor said was ‘thank God, you are alive’. Nothing after that.

“I had a close shave with death as my car was riddled with bullets. The governor did not bother to, at least, ask what happened. Even when I puked blood and he was informed, he showed no concern.”

He, however, stated that contrary to the insinuation that he was sacked by the Wike’s administration, he resigned as the special adviser to the governor.

GOV. WIKE'S EX AIDE, OPUNABO INKO-TARIAH, DUMPS PDP FOR APC

PORT HARCOURT: Mr. Opunabo Inko-Tariah, the erstwhile Special Adviser on Media and Publicity to Governor Nyesom Wike has defected to the All Progressives Congress

Inko-Tariah , who issued a statement on Thursday expressed his appreciation to the immediate past governor of the state and Minister of Transport, Mr. Rotimi Amaechi, who was there for him when he was sick.

Inko-Tariah noted that although he had condemned Amaechi previously but he did something that really took him by surprise by calling to check on him when he had challenges with his health. He added that he would give his support to Peterside and ensure that he wins should there be any rerun.

In his words, “It was surprising that a man I censured, His Excellency, Rt. Hon. Rotimi Chibuike Amaechi, CON, the Hon. Minister of Transport, was the same person who showed unsolicited love and care.

“It was reinvigorating when he called to sympathise and also gave his widow’s mite while I was already in the United States for medical treatment after reading my resignation letter. How compassionate can a man be!

“On my support for Hon. (Dr.) Dakuku Peterside, it is only natural that one reciprocates gestures. Therefore, I state my support for Rt. Hon. Amaechi and Dr. Peterside for the love they have shown.

“More so, Dr. Peterside is a man whose refreshing initiatives and articulated policy options will help refuel the ethos of good governance in Rivers State.”

Speaking on why he resigned as the special adviser to the governor,he said that when he fell in the bathroom and sustained a head injury and when he escaped assasination attack, the governor did not show any atom of care.

DASUKIGATE: IMPLICATED PDP MEMBERS ACTED ON THEIR OWN – PDP'S DEPUTY SPOKESMAN

The Deputy National Publicity Secretary of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Alhaji Abdullahi Jalo, has exonerated the party from the arms gate scandal, challenging party chieftains implicated in the scandal to declare whether or not they collected those monies for the party.

Briefing newsmen at the party headquarters in Abuja yesterday, Jalo admitted that the scandal has been damaging to the PDP even though it also implicated chieftains of other political parties.

He said: “Now darkness has now come to light that some people who received the money are not only in the PDP, let us not particularize it. APGA has collected, highly respected Olu Falae collected it, Tanko Yakassai collected. We are not talking of the PDP alone, we are talking of all those that collected money meant for buying arms and this monies were taken away, collected under the guise of campaigning for Goodluck Jonathan.”

Jalo wondered whether there was any directive from the former President which asked former NSA, Col Sambo Dasuki (rtd) to distribute money meant for fighting insurgency for his campaign noting that the practice is to give campaign funds via party chairmen.

He said, “Is there any time Jonathan asked Dasuki to go and distribute money meant for fighting Boko Haram for his campaign? It is known to us that money meant for campaigns are given to the National Chairmen of various political parties.”

Jalo stated that those who collected monies through their registered private companies, including Haliru Bello and Olisa Metuh who received N600 million and N400 million respectively, but did not pay it into the party’s account, should be allowed to answer the questioned put to them without causing additional burden on the party.

He also called for inquiry into the contracts awarded to the companies to establish whether they carried out the contracts awarded to them or not.

“So let me ask: what has that got to do with PDP? When Olisa was acusing Lai Mohammed that he collected a contract from one of the South West states, even Lai Mohammed took him to court. It is not PDP. Now the hunter has become the hunted. Lai’s case is not over, Olisa is under investigation.

“So let us put the records straight; we want any one of these people that has being accused whether in PDP or in APC or APGA to come out and tell us that this money he has collected was given to PDP or any other party. Let them come and tell us that when he was given this money, was he given to go and campaign for Jonathan? If yes, then let him present the paper and evidence. But they should know that this money was not meant for that (campaign). It’s meant for arms purchase,” he said.

CBN GOVERNOR, GODWIN EMEFIELE, EXPLAINS WHY CBN STOPPED SALE OF FOREX TO BDC's

As part of measures to reduce pressures on the nation’s foreign reserves, the Central Bank of Nigeria has stopped the sale of foreign exchange to all Bureaux De Change in the nation.

The reserves, which closed last year at $28.364 billion, dropped last weekend to $28.193 billion.

The Governor of the CBN, Mr. Godwin Emefiele, who announced the policy change in Abuja said “The bank (CBN) would henceforth discontinue its sales of foreign exchange to BDCs. Operators in this segment of the market would now need to source their foreign exchange from autonomous source. They must, however, note that the CBN would deploy more resources to monitoring these sources to ensure that no operator is in violation of our anti-money laundering laws.

“Despite the fact that Nigeria is the only country in the world where the central bank sells dollars directly to BDCs, operators in this segment have not reciprocated the bank’s gesture to help maintain stability in the market. Whereas the bank has continued to sell Dollars at about N197 per dollar to these operators, they have in turned become greedy in their sales to ordinary Nigerians, with selling rates as high as N250 per dollar.

“Given this rent-seeking behaviour, it is not surprising that since the CBN began to sell foreign exchange to BDCs, the number of operators have risen from a mere 74 in 2005 to 2,786 today. In addition, the CBN receives close to 150 new applications for BDC licences every month.

“Rather than help to achieve the laudable objectives for which they were licensed, the bank has noted the following unintended outcomes:

“Avalanche of rent-seeking operators only interested in widening margins and profits from the foreign exchange market, regardless of prevailing official and inter-bank rates;

“Potential financing of unauthorized transactions with foreign exchange procured from the CBN;

“Gradual dollarization of the Nigerian economy with attendant adverse consequences on the conduct of monetary policy and subtle subversion of cashless policy initiative; and prevailing ownership of several BDCs by the same promoters in order to illegally buy foreign currencies multiple times from the CBN.”

Read more at http://www.theheraldng.com/the-bank-cbn-would-henceforth-discontinue-its-sales-of-foreign-exchange-to-bdcs-operators-in-this-segment-of-the-market-would-now-need-to-source-their-foreign-exchange-from-autonomous-sour/#8vMZIMsf4lOdxGyu.99

SHOCKING! SEE OLISA METUH'S NEW LOOK IN DETENTION

It was reported that the National Publicity Secretary of PDP, Olisa Metuh went on hunger strike, and has refused to disclose how much he collected from Dasuki until Monday... See his shocking new look below;

BOOST YOUR PUBLIC HEALTH PROFESSIONAL CAREER

IMPORTANT READ

LASSA FEVER KILLS MOTHER, 2-WEEK-OLD BABY IN RIVERS STATE.

      

  

PORT HARCOURT—A mother and her two- week-old baby have been confirmed dead following a recent outbreak of Lassa fever in Rivers State.

Reports have it that the woman lost her life December 30, 2015 after successfully giving birth through caesarean while the baby later died January 1, having contracted the deadly Viral Hemorrhagic Disease from her late mother.

Confirming the deaths, the Rivers State Commissioner of Health, Dr. Theophilus Odagme, said when the symptoms of Lassa Fever were noticed in the dead woman that experts in the Department of Microbiology, University of Port Harcourt were consulted and samples from her were also sent to a Specialist Centre in Lagos where it was confirmed that it was the dreaded ailment.

Odegma disclosed that contact tracing of the people who are infected with the disease has begun, adding that the state government has geared up efforts to stop the spread and further death.

Odegma said: “The public is hereby assured that the government is on top of the matter and is doing everything to address the situation as the state government, World Health Organization and other partners and stakeholders are working tirelessly to address the outbreak adequately.

“The public is encouraged not to panic but report to the nearest hospital or Health Centre if they experience symptoms such as persistent high fever, stooling, vomiting and bleeding from the nose, mouth and anus.

He warned: “Lassa fever is highly contagious and easily transmitted by rodents and direct contact with infected blood, urine or faeces, so people are advised to improve on the sanitation of their environment to prevent contact with the rat.”

Truth hurts!

Love and Respect means NOTHING unless it is reciprocated