Se x misconduct: US Ambassador to Nigeria, James Entwistle, will tender video evidence to House of Rep members on Thursda

US Ambassador to Nigeria, James Entwistle, will on Thursday July 14th, tender a video evidence of the alleged sexual misconduct of three Nigerian lawmakers in Cleveland, USA last month. Entwistle has been summoned by the House of Representatives joint committees on Ethics and Privileges and foreign affairs investigating the alleged sexual misconduct.
Also to appear before the committee is the Minister of Foreign Affairs, Geoffrey Onyeama.
The US Ambassador had in a letter sent to the Speaker of the House of Representatives, Yakubu Dogara, accused three members of the House, Samuel Ikon (PDP, Akwa Ibom), Mohammed Gololo (APC, Bauchi) and Mark Gbillah (APC, Benue), of sexual misconduct while they were attending a conference in Cleveland, USA .

We’ll start going after lawyers who help ‘looters’ escape justice’- EFCC acting chairman says

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The acting chairman of the EFCC, Ibrahim Magu, says that the antigraft agency will soon start going after lawyers who aid and abet financial and economic crimes. Magu said this at the opening of a one-day workshop organised by the Nigeria Bar Association (NBA) in collaboration with the Presidential Advisory Committee against Corruption (PACC) at the Rockview hotel in Abuja yesterday Tuesday July 12th.
A statement issued by EFCC spokesperson, Wilson Uwujaren states that Magu said at the workshop that the EFCC could not stamp out corruption in the country without the support of all stakeholders.
“We consider everybody a stakeholder, as the EFCC does not have monopoly of knowledge to defeat all shades of graft. We will not stop going after people who are involved in laundering money. It doesn’t matter who you are, the law is a respecter of nobody especially those who commit crime. Whether you are EFCC, SAN or whatever, sooner or later we will start going after people who buy properties with stolen funds as well as people who help others to escape justice”he said

Benue attacks: It is unfortunate that up till today, no herdsman has been arrested- state gov, Samuel Ortom says

Benue state governor, Samuel Ortom, says it is unfortunate that no herdsman has been arrested by security operatives since they started carrying out attacks on residents of the state. Governor Ortom said this in an interview with Channels TV;
“We have been appealing to the security agencies. We have been supporting them to ensure that they restore peace and order. It is unfortunate that up till today, there is no time that the security men came back to tell me that one arrest has been made against the herdsmen and their militia”.

11 local government areas in Benue state have come under sustained attacks by the herdsmen.

Rowdy session at House of Representatives following debate on bill to introduce immunity for National Assembly leaders

It was a rowdy session at the House of Representatives today after a bill seeking to provide immunity for the leadership of the National Assembly while in office, was introduced. The bill which is being sponsored by Leo Ogor, the minority leader of the house, is proposing an amendment to section 308 of the Nigerian constitution to allow the national assembly leadership enjoy immunity while in office. Presenting the bill to members of the house, Ogor said;
“The amendment is straight forward but it needs some clear explanation. The amendment seeks to strengthen the national assembly. The leadership should be protected in the period they are in office.”
His opinion was immediately countered by the majority leader of the house, Femi Gbajabiamila, who argued that since the Senate was presently having some issues, discussing a bill on immunity clause for National Assembly members is ill timed.
“We must feel the pulse of the people. There is something about timing, timing in any piece of legislation is important. There are issues in the senate and I pray it’s resolved.”he said
At this point the house became rowdy. After calm was restored, the speaker of the House, Yakubu Dogara, said the bill would be sent to the special committee on constitutional review for proper scrutiny. He however passed the bill for second reading.

US Say They Have No Fraud Information Against Aisha Buhari

Governor Ayo Fayose of Ekiti had alleged a little while ago while reacting to the freezing of his Zenith Bank accounts by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission that the wife of President Muhammadu Buhari’s wife Aisha was involved in the $185m Halliburton scandal in the United States.

However, recent reports by PUNCH claim that the The United States government has refuted such claims. The news agency reports that the acting Public Affairs Officer, US Consulate General, Lagos, Frank Sellin, said this in an email sent them on Tuesday.

 Sellin said this in response to an enquiry made by our correspondent regarding allegations that the President’s wife was wanted in the US and was avoiding travelling to the country.

In a message, Sellin said, “Thank you for the inquiry. We have no information to provide on this matter.”
The Ekiti State Governor, Ayodele Fayose, had, last month, alleged that Mrs. Buhari was involved in the $185m Halliburton scandal.

Dino Melaye denies instigating impeachment proceedings against Pres. Buhari

Dino Melaye has released a statement denying media reports that he is instigating impeachment proceedings against President Buhari. Read the statement below.
Senator Representing Kogi West Senatorial District in the Red Chambers of the National Assembly and Chairman of the Senate Committee on Federal Capital Territory, Senator Dino Melaye has debunked rumours doing the round about his involvement in some moves to impeach the President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria.
It is pertinent to note that the incredulously machinated misinformation was orchestrated by forces bent on destabilizing the upper chambers of the Nigerian Parliament for selfish reasons. One of the mushroom and faceless online platform used to promote the ill-fated, calumnious write-up has been notorious for serving as the propagandist machinery of political commercialists who are pushing for the extension of their fiefdom to the National Assembly.
While I remain unimpeachably committed to the leadership of the Senate, I believe the respected arm of government charged with the onerous responsibility of law making should be given the independence to conduct its business.
It is untrue and malicious ; the narrative of the attack dogs of demagogues who have decided to turn Nigeria upside down for failing to choose leaders for Senators. I am a responsible Nigerian, role model and a champion of anti-corruption and equity which my party stands for . I therefore urge the general public to discountenance the libellous publication as I will continue to respect the history, culture and excellence of my Kogi West people on the floor of the Senate. The true threat to the current Republic are those who believe a Nigeria not led by them must not exist. Thanks and God bless.
Signed Sen. Dino Melaye

8-year-old Girl Uses Kung Fu To Fight Off Home Invader

A young girl іn Southern California managed tо fight оff а potential kidnapper іn hеr home bу uѕіng а Kung Fu move. Police told Fox 2 thаt thе man broke thrоugh thе window аt thе 8-year-old girl’s home іn El Cajon.

Hе thеn wеnt upstairs tо grab hеr аnd attempted tо drag hеr dоwn thе stairs bеfоrе ѕhе managed tо uѕе а Kung Fu pressure move оn hіѕ neck tо escape. “I didn’t еvеn know. I laid asleep whіlе аll thіѕ wаѕ happening,” thе girl’s mother told NBC San Diego оf thе incident.
Thе ѕаіd ѕhе rесеntlу learned thе move, whісh ѕhе called “the Cheetah Paw” аt hеr Kung Fu class аnd decided tо uѕе it, “Because іt hurt him.” Police uѕеd а K-9 tо search fоr thе home invader, whо thе girl ѕаіd “smelled lіkе garbage,” but wеrе unable tо find him.

David Cameron Receives Standing Ovation As He Bows Out As PM

David Cameron addressed the British Parliament today for the last time as Prime Minister as his resignation becomes official today.

In his final address, he said

“The last thing I’d say is that you can achieve a lot of things in politics — you can get a lot of things done. And that in the end — the public service, the national interest — that is what it’s all about. Nothing is really impossible if you put your mind to it. After all as I once said, I was the Future once.”

He received a standing ovation from the Parliament immediately after his speech. He will be replaced by by former Home Secretary, Theresa May.

Reps Direct IG To Probe Murder Of Abuja Female Preacher

The House of Representatives on Tuesday passed a resolution mandating the Acting Inspector General of Police, Ibrahim Idris, to ensure a thorough investigation of the killing of a preacher, Mrs. Eunice Elisha Olawale.
Mrs. Olawale was murdered early hours of Saturday while carrying out her routine morning preaching around Gbazango-West area of Kubwa in the Bwari Area Council of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT).

The Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN) and Kubwa zone of the Pentecostal Fellowship of Nigeria (PFN) in separate statements, condemned the killing of the female preacher, who was said to be the wife of an Assistant Pastor of the Redeemed Christian Church of God, RCCG, Elisha Olawale and called on the relevant authorities to fish out those responsible for the mother of seven’s murder.
While the FCT Police Command said on Sunday that six suspects were arrested in the murder, the House of Representatives urged Mr. Idris to ensure that perpetrators of the heinous crime are not allowed to go scot-free.
The resolution of the House followed a motion of urgent national importance by a member, Hon. Babatunde Gabriel Kolawole (APC Ondo).
Moving the motion with the title: “Gruesome murder of Mrs. Eunice Olawale in Kubwa, Abuja and the need to protect other citizens in the FCT”, the lawmaker said the woman was hacked to death in the early hours of Saturday, while preaching the gospel a few meters from her house in Kubwa, by unidentified miscreants.
“The late Mrs. Eunice Olawale is from Ilawe (Ekiti State) while her husband, Pastor Elisha Olawale is from Ikare-Akoko in Ondo state, and that she was allegedly murdered by miscreants who were said to be annoyed by her early morning preaching in the area”.
Rep. Kolawole, who pointed out that the incident had caused ethnic tension to build in the nation’s capital because some people are claiming she was murdered by extremists while others attributed the killing to miscreants, called on the House “to be proactive to prevent the breakdown of law and order and further loss of lives”.
When Speaker Yakubu Dogara called for a vote on the motion, it was overwhelmingly supported by members.
The lawmakers thereafter observed a minute-silence for the late Mrs. Olawale.

Gallant Nigerian Troops Repel Boko Haram Attack In Kangarwa – Army

An attack by suspected Boko Haram gunmen on Tuesday evening was successfully repelled by troops of 119 Task Force Battalion stationed in Kangarwa, northern Borno State, the Nigerian Army has said.
A statement on Wednesday from army spokesman, Colonel Sani Usman, said the attack, which started at about 6.30pm, was successfully repelled after about 3 hours of exchange of heavy gunfire.

Col. Usman noted that as a result of the heavy gun battle, the insurgents were inflicted tremendous casualty.
The army spokesman, however, regretted to announce that two gallant soldiers paid the supreme price, while seven were wounded in action.
He, however, said due to poor visibility, the number of Boko Haram fighters killed during the battle could not be ascertained for now.
He also said the bodies of the gallant soldiers and those wounded in action are being evacuated while the unit is carrying out mop up operation.
“It should be noted that the successful repelling of the attack was made possible by support from the Nigerian and Chadian Air Force fighter jets”, the army statement said.

Constituency Projects: Senate Summons SGF

The Senate is set to clash with the Executive again over a comment attributed to Secretary to the Government of the Federation (SGF), Babachir David Lawal that the constituency project for the National Assembly in the 2016 budget may not be implemented.
Following the comment, the Senate yesterday summoned Lawal to explain what he meant when he said Ministries, Departments and Agencies might not find constituency projects as critical to the execution of their mandates, especially in light of dwindling resources.

The invitation followed the adoption of a motion by Senator Matthew Urhoghide (PDP/Edo South).
Urhoghide, in his lead debate, said his representation as a senator was being threatened by the SGF.
According to the Edo South lawmaker, it was unbecoming of the SGF to declare that N60 billion constituency projects in a budget of N6.08 trillion, would not be implemented.
Deputy Senate Leader, Senator Bala Ibn Na’Allah, who seconded the motion, however, said the Senate should not dignify a statement from “improper authority”.
According to Na’Allah, what the SGF was reported to have said could not be the position of President Muhammadu Buhari.
He said: “I wish to state that this Senate will be doing a lot of good to democratic process. It is precise to recognise some certain issues that are fundamental.
“This Senate is aware that SGF is not the Finance minister, this Senate is equally aware that he is not a minister of Budget, this Senate is equally aware that the SGF is not a spokesperson of the Federal Government. I want to say that what was alleged to have been said by the SGF cannot be the position of Mr. President.
“We should not dignify comments from improper authority. The SGF does not have the authority to speak for the Federal Government”.
His position was however, countered by the Deputy Minority Whip, Biodun Olujimi (PDP/Ekiti South), who said whatever comes from the SGF as the highest nominee of the Federal Government, should not be taken lightly.
Olujimi said:  “The SGF is the highest administrative nominee of this government and whatever comes out of his mouth must be a policy statement that has to do with government.
“I have a secretary to the government in my state; when she speaks, she speaks responsibly because she knows whatever comes out of her mouth will be taken as important.
“In the last few months, we have had an SGF that has been speaking carelessly and has being meddling with affairs of the other tiers of government and that is not right.
“The SGF himself called the conference of such eminent Nigerians, a conference that was put together to see how we can take care of the problems of Nigeria and people came together to talk about Nigeria, to talk about our existence and talk about moving forward, he called it a job for the boys.
“The next thing he will do was to say constituency projects that have been approved by this red chamber will not be properly implemented”.
Chairman, Appropriation Committee, Mohammed Danjuma Goje (APC/Gombe Central) said: “I was surprised and shocked when I read the statement credited to the SGF. I felt embarrassed.
“He shouldn’t have made that statement. Without prejudice to the motion, let the SGF come and explain.
“In addition, we in Appropriations have sent an invitation to the minister of Finance and minister of Budget to come and clarify and give us an update on the budget implementation as a whole”.
Goje said because the budget was passed as an Act of the National Assembly and assented to by Mr. President, “if that law is not going to be implemented, we have to know why”.
Another senator, Adamu Aliero (APC/Kebbi Central), told his colleagues that it would be unfair for the Senate to expect that the 2016 budget would be implemented 100 per cent.
Senate President Bukola Saraki said the proper thing should be to invite the SGF to explain what he said.
The Senate president, therefore, mandated the joint committees on Ethics, Privileges and Public Petitions, Finance and Appropriation to grill the SGF on what he said.
Saraki urged the joint committees to report back to the Senate in plenary within the week.