Rivers State Governor, Nyesom Ezenwo Wike receives Vice President
Yemi Osinbajo at the Port Harcourt International Airport during his
visit to the state to flag off the implementation of the UNEP Report for
the clean-up of Ogoni land , see more photos as the VP Yemi Osinbajo
Leaves Ogoniland below.
The Police Service Commission (PSC) on Thursday said it shortlisted
338,227 applicants out of the 911,438 that applied for recruitment into
the Nigeria Police Force.
The Chairman of the Commission, Mike Okiro, who disclosed this at a
news conference in Abuja, said screening of successful applicants would
begin on June 6 in the 36 states of the federation and the Federal
Capital Territory.
Mr. Okiro explained that 44,661 were shortlisted for cadet Assistant
Superintendent of Police (ASP) , 87,736 for cadet Inspector and 205,830
for Police Constables.
He said “I would like to emphasise that the initial shortlisting of applicants was done electronically.
“Invitation letters were also sent to successful applicants through SMS and to their personal email addresses.”
He warned applicants against fake letters from criminal elements,
stressing that “the invitation states the date for each person’s
screening and venue of the screening.
“Applicants will be grouped according to their local government areas and a date fixed for their screening.”
The chairman said this was to avoid overcrowding the venue and also for meticulous exercise.
He warned that no applicant would be admitted into any venue or appear on any date other than those allocated to him or her.
Mr. Okiro added that after the screening, successful candidates would
be invited to a zonal screening to be held in the 12 police zonal
headquarters in the country.
He said the national interview would be held in Abuja, where those
who were successful at the zonal screening would be interviewed.
He noted that the Commission had been transparent since the filling
and submission of forms started, saying “I want to re-emphasis that the
Commission will be guided by the rules and will be fair, transparent and
ensure that the process is merit-driven.
“As a commission, we have collectively and individually swore to make this project a huge success.
“The Nigeria Police needs the best, especially now that the nation is engaged in several battles.”
Femi Adenaike, the Assistant Inspector-General of Police in charge of
training, said all training schools and colleges were rehabilitated.
The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that 262,426 applicants
applied for cadet Assistant Superintendent of Police (ASP), 211,832
applied for Cadet Inspector and 437,144 for Police Constables.
President Muhammadu Buhari approved the recruitment of 10,000
policemen into the nation’s Police Force to reinforce the police for
better service.
Sound Sultan seems to have set the trend for showing off award racks!
The Kokomaster a.k.a Bangalee followed the trend when he shared a picture of himself next to his numerous plaques.
D’banj is undoubtedly one of the most celebrated Nigerian musicians as evidenced by his haul of awards. Koko Master D’banj
Newly
appointed Comptroller General of Nigeria Immigration Service (NIS),
Mohammad Babandede, has ordered the immediate arrest of former political
office holders including governors, ministers, senators and retired
public servants who are still in possession of Official/Diplomatic
passports. Babandede gave the order while addressing senior officers of
the Service at the Service headquarters in Abuja today May 31st.
According to him, President Buhari had on September 7th 2015,
directed the NIS to retrieve the official/diplomatic passports from all
illegal holders noting that most of them were yet to comply with the
directive. “Charges will be pressed against unauthorized holders of such
documents because such persons are no longer in the eligibility list and
are, therefore, in contravention of Sec. 10 of the Extant Immigration
Act, 2015. I am hereby directing that unauthorised holders of such
passports be arrested at the airports and other points of
entry/departure. Efforts will be made to trace such unauthorized holders
in their given addresses.”he said
The National Secretariat of the Peoples Democratic Party has reopened for business.
The secretariat, which was sealed off by armed policemen, on May 22
after the leadership tussle in the party worsened was reopened today,
with workers returning gradually.
A statement by the Head of Publicity Division at the party’s
secretariat, Chinwe Nnorom, in Abuja, earlier today had said the
Secretary of the PDP’s Board of Trustees, Chief Ojo Maduekwe would
address workers at 1pm.
The statement read, “Please be informed that the PDP National
Secretariat re-opens today being Tuesday May 31, 2016 for members of
establishment staff only.
Armed
soldiers on Tuesday stormed the Kogi State House of Assembly, where they
turned back legislators from entering the parliament.
Last Thursday, a group of legislators operating on the platform of
the G15, who had secured an Abuja court ruling, stormed the parliament
and held a plenary session.
The soldiers numbering 15 got to the Assembly complex in a truck as early as 6am.
They took over the gate and the road leading to the parliament.
The G15 is led by the embattled Speaker, Mr. Momoh-Jimoh Lawal.
A group of five lawmakers, who operated on the platform of the G5,
had announced the impeachment of Lawal, who had the backing of 14
lawmakers.
The court had ruled that the impeachment of Lawal as the speaker was null and void.
Journalists, who arrived at the Assembly to cover proceedings, were turned back by the soldiers.
The soldiers dislodged the riot policemen, who had manned the Assembly’s gate since last week.
Spokesperson for the G15, Matthew Kolawole, expressed shock at the turn of events.
He said the group was shocked to discover that soldiers from the Army Records Unit, Kogi, had barricaded the Assembly’s gate.
Kolawole said the soldiers prevented them from entering the parliament.
He said gunmen in two vans had stormed the Kogi legislative quarters
in the midnight of Monday and shot repeatedly into the air in order to
intimidate the members of the G15.
But the Special Adviser to the state governor on Media and Strategy,
Alhaji Abdulkareem Abdulmalik, denied government’s involvement in the
crisis besetting the Assembly.
According to him, the security men were there to prevent a breakdown of law and other.
Also, the Kogi State Commissioner of Police, Yakubu Usman, said he
withdrew his men in order to prevent a clash that might result in the
loss of lives.
Meanwhile, the Kogi State Independent Electoral Commission has been
called upon to conduct a supplementary election in Idah and Ofu local
government areas, where election had been declared inconclusive.
Former
Chief Security Officer to late Head of State, Gen. Sani Abacha, Major
Hamza Al-Mustapha, yesterday May 30th, said he would soon reveal how his
former boss and the acclaimed winner of June 12, 1993 presidential
election, Chief MKO Abiola, died.
Speaking at a press briefing in Lagos, Al-Mustapha alleged that Abacha and Abiola’s deaths were from same source.
According to him, he would be telling all he knows about the death of
the two famous Nigerians in his new book, Mustapha’s Memoirs, which he
is still writing and would soon publish. Al-Mustapha accused some Yoruba
personalities of being insincere with Abiola while he was alive and in
detention. “For instance, when Chief MKO Abiola was in prison, many notable
Nigerians visited him. They will visit him in the morning, and when they
come back to the Villa in the evening to see Abacha, they would say a
different thing entirely. On video “Unknown to these notable Nigerians,
particularly notable Yoruba personalities, who visited Abiola, their
visits were recorded on video. I did the video recording without their
knowledge. These people would visit Abiola and come back to tell
government a different thing about him. These same people would still go
and tell Abiola a different thing about government. They are on video.
The agencies of government have these videos evidence. These same people
told MKO Abiola never to accept any compromise or negotiations. They
advised him never to come back home without his mandate. All these
things are on video. Of all the Yoruba leaders, only Oba Tejuosho told
MKO Abiola the truth: to accept the conditional bail and go home. Only
Oba Tejuosho told MKO Abiola that Abacha was his friend, urging him to
reconcile with Abacha who was ready for reconciliation. It was Oba
Tejuosho who told MKO Abiola that he still had the goodwill and would
win if he re-contests after Abacha. What killed Abacha is what killed
MKO Abiola. But I would reveal that after my court case, still at the
Supreme Court. I would publish a book which has three volumes the
Mustapha’s Memoirs, which will tell what happened under Abacha and how
he died” he said
Read the press statement…
Ekiti State Governor, Mr Ayodele Fayose has dared the Federal Government
to carry out the alleged plot of preventing him from travelling out of
the country , saying; “under the federal system of government, State
governors are not appendages of the President and as a leading
opposition figure in Nigeria, he cannot be cowed by President Mohammadu
Buhari and his agents.”
The governor, who reacted to reports that two governors, one from the
Southwest and another from the South South have been placed on travel
restriction on President Buhari’s order, in a press conference addressed
by his Special Assistant on Public Communications and New Media, Lere
Olayinka, said; whenever he wished to travel out Nigeria, he will do so
in the full glare of the public.
He said; “I am not surprised or disappointed by this latest plot of
the Buhari’s government because the President Buhari that we know is a
man without any atom of respect for the rights of Nigerians as enshrined
in the 1999 Constitution of Nigeria, the Universal Declaration of Human
Rights and the African Charter on Human and Peoples’ Rights and this he
demonstrated as a military dictator and now demonstrating as a
democratically elected president.”
The governor said he was however amazed that “this dangerous
dimension of compelling a sitting governor that enjoys Constitutional
Immunity like the President to obtain clearance from the Director
General of the Department of State Service (DSS) before travelling out
of Nigeria can ever be contemplated.”
He said President Buhari and his agents should be mindful of the fact
that under a federal system of government, the states and national
government both enjoy some autonomy, with sovereign power formally
divided between the national government and the States such that each
State retains some degree of control over its internal affairs.
Olayinka, who was flanked by the Chief Press Secretary to the
Governor, Mr Idowu Adelusi said; “Few days ago, when Governor Ayodele
Fayose was reliably informed that President Mohammadu Buhari had
directed that he should be banned from traveling outside Nigeria, he
simply took the information as mere rumour, concluding that disrespect
for the constitution of Nigeria and Buhari’s dictatorship would not be
extended to the most ridiculous level of preventing a governor elected
just as the president from traveling out of the country.
“The thinking of Governor Fayose was that even though the Buhari’s
presidency was capable of even attempting to prevent those opposed to
the President from breathing the air, it must still be sane enough to be
conscious of the consequences of placing any Nigerian under travel ban
without an order of the court, not to talk of a sitting governor that
enjoys constitutional immunity like the President. “However, when we
read the story titled; “2 govs under watch, face travel ban” published
on Sunday by two major national dailies, we have no option than to once
again alert the public on President Buhari’s new dictatorial plot to
infringe on the constitutional rights of Governor Fayose just because of
his critical position on the President’s dictatorial tendencies.
“The question is; if Governor Fayose has become a threat to the
security of Nigeria just because he criticises President Buhari and says
the truth about his mis-governance of the country, is this not a
confirmation that the President hates dissenting views? “Section 35 (1)
of the 1999 Constitution (as amended) provides that; “Every person shall
be entitled to his personal liberty and no person shall be deprived of
such liberty,” while Section 41 (1) provides that “Every citizen of
Nigeria is entitled to move freely throughout Nigeria and to reside in
any part thereof, and no citizen of Nigeria shall be expelled from
Nigeria or refused entry thereto or exit therefrom.” “Article 13 (1) of
the Universal Declaration of Human Rights to which Nigeria is a
signatory provides that ‘Everyone has the right to freedom of movement
and residence within the border of each State’ while Article 13 (2)
provides that ‘Everyone has the right to leave any country, including
his own, and return to his country,’ ditto Article 12 (2) of the African
Charter on Human and Peoples’ Rights. “President Buhari and his agents
should also be mindful of the fact that under a federal system of
government, the states and national government both enjoy some autonomy,
with sovereign power formally divided between the national government
and the States such that each State retains some degree of control over
its internal affairs. “Therefore, the President of Nigeria cannot lord
himself over any State governor and President Buhari and his agents
should accept this basic reality and stop behaving as if they own
Nigeria in totality. “President Buhari and his agents, especially his
kinsman; Alhaji Lawal Daura of the DSS need to purge themselves of this
blood of dictatorship running in their veins and be guided by the
Constitution of Nigeria. “Even ordinary Nigerians do not require
clearance from the DSS or any security agency to travel outside Nigeria
unless travel restriction is placed by an order of the court, not to
talk of State Governors that enjoy immunity just like the President and
are not under the control of the President. “The president and his
agents should know that this is not 1984 when General Buhari, as a
military dictator prevented late Chief Obafemi Awolowo from travelling
outside Nigeria for medical treatment, thereby leading to his (Awolowo)
untimely death in 1987! “They should also be reminded that the same way
Buhari humiliated the late Ooni of Ife, Oba Okunade Sijuwade; late Emir
of Kano Alhaji Ado Bayero and late Obi of Onitsha, Ofala Akulalia
Alphonsus Ogugua in 1984 by seizing their passports and restricting them
to their palaces just because they travelled to Israel for business, he
cannot restrict State governors from travelling outside Nigeria under
whatever guise. “I therefore wish to state on behalf of Governor Ayodele
Fayose that as an opposition figure, he cannot be cowed by this
pettiness from the presidency. Governor Fayose, by this press conference
is daring President Buhari and his anti-democratic agents to carry out
this evil and shameful plot and let us all see how far it will take
them.
“Anytime Governor Fayose wishes to travel out of Nigeria, he will do
so in the full glare of the public and we await how he will be prevented
from exercising his rights as enshrined in the 1999 Constitution (as
amended) as well as the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and the
African Charter on Human and Peoples’ Rights. “We also wish to inform
the President and his DSS men that as they were disgraced when they
invaded Ekiti State House of Assembly, arresting members of the House
indiscriminately, they will be put to shame this time too.
“Also, the National Assembly is being alerted of this new threat to
the Constitution of Nigeria by those who swore to protect it. Members of
the National Assembly should by now begin to imagine what will be their
fate if attempt is now being made to place travel restriction on State
Governors.
“It is our considered view that President Buhari should rather
concern himself with the growing insecurity in the country and charge
the security agencies, especially the DSS to perform their functions as
enshrined in the constitution instead of running after petty issues.
“The President should focus his attention on the economy of Nigeria
that is almost collapsing and stop using his position to oppress other
Nigerians. He should know that Nigerians are only interested in having
food on their tables, not the number of people their President hounds
into detention or oppress with his powers.”
President
Buhari says one of the ministers he feels pity for is the Minister of
information and culture, Lai Mohammed who is saddled with the
responsibility of explaining the progress or lack of it of this
administration to people. President Buhari said this when he hosted
state house Press Corps members at the presidential villa in Abuja.
“One of the men I pity is Lai Mohammed. Everyday he is on TV
explaining our performance or lack of it. The ministers sit down day and
night to work. Some of them have literarily lost weight because they
were sleeping less and eating less (while working on the budget). They
were working on every kobo to be spent. We recently just found out that
we are poor because we don’t have anything to fall back to. This is the
condition we found ourselves and this change mantra had to go through
hell up till yesterday. And for you to talk to whoever came to visit us
throughout that year, I wonder how each of your diaries would be,
because people were expecting this change mantra in their own way. How
do you define change? Luckily our party identified three major items,
security, economy and corruption.”he said
Annie
Idibia took to her IG page to share her thoughts on how child abuse
could result from situations where separated parents & exes stress
one another over seeing their biological chidren. She also gave a
shout-out to Sumbo Adeoye, the mother of two of 2baba’s sons, for being a
great woman. What she wrote after the cut….
Former
President Goodluck Jonathan’s son in-law, Godswill Edwards, was
inaugurated as the Special Adviser on Youth Affairs to the governor of
Cross River state, Ben Ayade last Friday May 27th. Godswill is married
to Faith Sakwe who is Jonathan’s daughter..