UK Troops in Rescue Mission as Nigeria MIlitary Locate Abducted School Girls

Even at the rising of global outrage over the kidnapping of more than 200 female students from the dormitories of the Government Girls Secondary School in Chibok, Borno State, the United Kingdom are sending specialist teams and soldiers to Nigeria.
READ MORE:  http://news.naij.com/67186.html

Nigeria's Chief of Defence Staff, Air Marshal Alex Badeh, claims that the country's military had found the location of more than 200 missing Chibok schoolgirls

Earlier at least 7 countries agreed to send experts and troops to Nigeria to assist in the search for the students, among them are USA, UK, France, China, Canada, Iran and Israel.

Following claims by Nigeria's Chief of Defence Staff, Air Marshal Alex Badeh, that the country's military had found the location of more than 200 missing schoolgirls, the British soldiers were send to join the local forces in Nigeria to help rescue the girls. 

According to British media, the UK government said they are determined to give President Goodluck Jonathan all the help his country needs at this time. Although Badeh claims that they know the girl's whereabouts no military attack is planned as they don't want to provoke the girls' killing.

He said: "The good news for the girls is that we know where they are but we cannot tell you, we cannot come and tell you military secrets here. Just leave us alone, we are working, we would get the girls back."

British forces are looking at sending more troops to Western Nigeria to assist and train Nigerian forces. Nevertheless the number of troops was not specified.
READ MORE:  http://news.naij.com/67186.html

Read More

Michael Adebolajo appeals life imprisonment sentence

He took someone's life but doesn't want to spend the rest of his life in prison. Michael Adebolajo, one of the two British men who butchered English soldier, Lee Rugby last year, today launched an appeal against his sentence. Adebolajo was sentenced to life in prison in February 2014 without the possibility of parole, while his accomplice, Michael Adebowale was given life with a minimum term of 45 years.

While handing out the sentence, the judge said Michael was condemned to life imprisonment without any minimum years because he led the attack on the soldier and "had no prospects of rehabilitation".

Adebolajo and Adebowale killed the father of one in broad daylight near Woolwich Barracks in south east London on May 22nd 2013.

Read More

World Leaders Felicitate with Nigeria On her Centenary Anniversary

Inspite of the insurgencies threatening the nation World leaders on Thursday took turns to felicitate with Nigeria on her centenary anniversary celebrations. They urged her to take her prime place in the comity of nations.

  Meanwhile, free movement of Nigerians and foreign dignitaries in Abuja as the nation celebrated its centenary yesterday was hampered by fuel scarcity.

  Some of the leaders who sent congratulatory messages to Nigerian leader included;

the British Monarch, Queen Elizabeth II; President Francois Hollande of France, who personally attended the International Conference on Human Security, Peace and Development: Agenda for 21st Century Africa.”

Other leaders who were present at the celebration included the Presidents of The Gambia, Yahya Jammeh; Burkina Faso, Blaise Compaore; Ali Bongo Odimba of Gabon; Idriss Deby of Chad; Yaya Boni of Benin Republic; Dr. Salim Ahmed Salim, former Secretary-General of Organisation of African Unity (OAU) Location ; Hailemariam Desalegn, Prime Minister of Ethiopia.

  Others included Mrs. Ellen Johnson-Sirleaf, President of Liberia; Jose Manuel Baroso, President of the European Commission; Mrs. Joyce Banda of Malawi; Mohamed Ould Abdel Aziz of Mauritania; Ibrahim Boubacar Keita of Mali; Hifikepunye Pohamba of Namibia as well as Mohamadou Issoufou of Niger Republic.

  The leaders spoke extensively on the warmth relationship between Nigeria and their respective countries.

  In a written message delivered to President Jonathan yesterday by Britain’s Minister for Africa, Mr. Mark Simmonds, Queen Elizabeth II conveyed her best wishes for the happiness and prosperity of the people of Nigeria.

  “On the occasion of the Republic of Nigeria celebrating 100 years since the amalgamation of Northern and Southern Nigeria, I send the people of Nigeria my warmest congratulations.

 “I have fond memories of my first visit to Nigeria in 1956 and again in 2003 as Head of the Commonwealth.

  “The links between our two countries have deepened over the past 100 years and I hope they will continue to do so.

  “I would like to convey my best wishes for the happiness and prosperity of the people of Nigeria,” she wrote.

  The Ethiopian premier, in his presentations, stressed the need for African leaders to address the root cause of some of the problems confronting the continent, more especially in addressing the needs of the youths.

  According to him, “ensuring security means we as leaders have to address the issues that cause the untold human suffering which our countries have been noted for, failure of which have been series of conflicts.

  “The only way Africa can break the cycle of violence is through the promotion of good governance evolving policies that would guarantee sustainable development of the continent.”

  The Liberian President, who spoke on her country’s experience, noted that the future of the continent would be guaranteed if strong continental leaders like Nigeria showed clear example.

  Johnson, who recalled the great role Nigeria played in restoring law and order to her country during its almost decade-long civil war, noted, however, that the country was yet to shed the toga of the conflict as has been seen from her unstable economy.

  Baroso, who commended Nigerian leadership both at regional and international affairs, called for co-operation from other African countries with Nigeria in order to ensure secured continent free of crisis.

  Simmonds, who read the speech of the British Prime Minister, David Cameron, said Nigeria, despite her initial challenges, had the prospect of leading other African countries, but noted that only Nigerians hold the key to its development.

  His words: “Nigeria has a great future of prosperity; the choice that Nigerians make in determining their future is entirely theirs, but the UK will continue to assist Nigeria in tackling extremism and terrorism.”

  He used the opportunity to challenge African leaders present at the occasion to work towards producing leaders who will leave strong legacy behind after they might have gone, citing the example of the late South African President, Nelson Mandela who the world celebrated because of his selflessness and spirit of reconciliation.

  Banda, in her intervention, called on Nigeria not to shirk in its responsibility of leading the continent to its destiny. She deplored the recent attack on a college in Yobe State, noting: “As a mother and grandmother, I see the killings in some parts of Nigeria as shocking and saddening. But I can assure you that Malawi will continue to lend its voice on matters that will help in restoring peace in Nigeria.

  Among former Nigerian leaders that graced the conference yesterday included Gen. Yakubu Gowon, former President Shehu Shagari, Chief Ernest Shonekan, former Vice President Alex Ekwueme and ex-Chief of General Staff (CGS), Lt.-Gen. Oladipo Diya. There was also former Secretary-General of the Commonwealth, Chief Emeka Anyaoku, as well as former Minister of External Affairs, Ambassador Ibrahim Gambari. 

  Though the situation abated later in the afternoon, fuel shortage in Abuja caused gridlock as queues blocked most of the access roads within the city.

  Commercial taxi operators also took the advantage of the situation by increasing fares which resulted in some dignitaries’ late arrival at the International Conference Centre, venue of the event.

  The Guardian gathered that the inability of the country to meet its domestic fuel consumption has been linked to non-granting of autonomy to the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC).

  It was gathered that government’s bureaucratic bottlenecks that have been embedded in the operations of the national oil company often resulted in operational delays, especially in the process of award of contracts for the maintenance of critical infrastructure such as refineries, pipelines, strategic reserves, among others.

  Some of the reasons deduced for the consistently non-performing of refineries is the lack of power to award contracts for the refurbishment of the refineries and many layer of approving authorities that the NNPC has to go through before core maintenance work can be executed.

Read More

SANUSI COULD RETURN TODAY OR TOMORROW IF..."President Goodluck Jonathan

Secretary to the Government to the Federation Anyim Pius Anyim has asked the Financial Reporting Council of Nigeria (FRCN) to audit the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN).

Acting on President Goodluck Jonathan’s directive, Anyim gave the FRCN six weeks to do job.

The audit is to examine the books showing how suspended CBN Governor Sanusi Lamido Sanusi has run the apex bank.

The President said Sanusi remained the CBN governor and would be allowed back to the office “today or tomorrow”, if he was cleared at the end of investigation.

Sanusi was suspended last Thursday for alleged “misconduct” and “financial recklessness”. He denied any wrongdoing, challenging his accusers to open the books.

The presidential directive to the FRCN is believed to be a response to Sanusi’s stand on the row between him and the authorities.

The fresh audit is a follow-up to an earlier on by auditing giants Coopers and Lybrand.

Sanusi has accused the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC) of being unable to account for $20 billion oil revenue. The argument was still raging when he was suddenly suspended – an action the President defended last night.

Dr Jonathan said he has “absolute power” to suspend Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) Governor Sanusi Lamido Sanusi from office.

According to him, it would have been inappropriate to have allowed Sanusi to remain in office while the report of the FRCN, which indicted the CBN 2012 audit report, was being considered. He said because Sanusi is the chairman of the CBN board of directors, it was mandatory for him to be out of office during investigation.

Dr Sarah Alade, the most senior deputy governor was appointed to act for Sanusi. Zenith Bank Managing Director Godwin Emefiele has been nominated as CBN governor, to take office on June 2 when Sanusi’s tenure is due to end. The Senate is yet to confirm the appointment.

Read More

Nelson Mandela funeral: Former South African leader is laid to rest

Thousand of guests, some singing and dancing, gathered earlier in a huge tent at the family compound of the anti-apartheid leader.

Following a state service the former South African leader Nelson Mandela has been put to rest following a state funeral service at his home village of Qunu.

In the early hours the country paid tribute to its former leader with speeches, songs and a traditional Xhosa ceremony.

Around 4,000 guests attended the proceedings, where family and friends spoke of their time with the Nobel Peace Prize laureate, who died on 5 December aged 95.

A smaller service for clan members, current and former heads of state, officials and clergymen followed on the hillside above the main marquee, where Mandela's body was lowered into the ground.

“Yours was truly a long walk to freedom and now you have achieved the ultimate freedom in the bosom of your maker, God almighty,” said Bishop Ziphozihle Siwa in the graveside sermon.

“A great tree has fallen,” said tribal chief Ngangomhlaba Matanzima, a representative of Mandela's family. “He is now going home to rest with his forefathers – we thank them for lending us such an icon.”

Earlier today the former leaders’s casket was carried by gun carriage to a marquee outside his family home. It came to rest, draped in the South African flag, below the lectern where guests delivered their eulogies.

Overlooked by a portrait of Mandela and a backdrop of 95 candles, Ahmed Kathrada, an anti-apartheid activist who was jailed alongside him on Robben Island, remembered his old friend's “abundant reserves” of love, patience and tolerance.

Some mourners wiped away tears as Mr Kathrada spoke of his final meeting with Mandela in hospital, his voice trembling with emotion.

“Farewell my dear brother, my mentor, my leader,” he said.

Nandi Mandela said her grandfather went barefoot to school in Qunu when he was boy but went on became president and a global icon.

“It is to each of us to achieve anything you want in life,” she said, recalling kind gestures by Mandela “that made all those around him also want to do good.”

In the Xhosa language, she referred to her grandfather by his clan name: “Go well, Madiba. go well to the land of our ancestors, you have run your race.”

Mandela's widow, Grace Machel, and his second wife, Winnie Madikizela-Mandela, were dressed in black and sat on either side of South African President Jacob Zuma.

Guests included veterans of the military wing of the African National Congress, the liberation movement that became the dominant political force after the end of apartheid, as well as US Ambassador Patrick Gaspard and other foreign envoys.

Prince Charles, Monaco's Prince Albert II, US television personality Oprah Winfrey, billionaire businessman Richard Branson and former Zimbabwean Prime Minister Morgan Tsvangirai were also there.

The service was not without its hitches, overrunning by more than an hour. It meant the tradition of burial at midday “when the sun is at its highest” could not be met - which experts said would be a cause for concern with tribal chiefs.

More than an hour into the service, people were still filling empty seats in parts of the marquee. Soldiers moved in at one point to occupy some chairs.

Earlier, South African honour guards from the army, navy and air force marched in formation amid rolling green hills dotted with small dwellings and neatly demarcated plots of farmland. Clouds cast shadows over the landscape.

After the funeral ceremony, a smaller group of guests moved away to attend Mandela's burial at a family grave site on the estate in Qunu, a rural village in Eastern Cape province. A 21-gun salute and a flyover by planes were among the final acts planned before the casket was put into the earth.

The burial will end 10 days of mourning ceremonies that included a massive stadium memorial in Johannesburg and three days during which Mandela's body lay in state in the capital, Pretoria.

Mandela spent 27 years in jail as a prisoner from apartheid, then emerged to lead a delicate transition to democracy when many South Africans feared that the country would sink into all-out racial conflict. He became president in the first all-race elections in 1994.

While South Africa faces many problems, including crime, unemployment and economic inequality, Mandela is seen by many compatriots as the father of their nation and around the world as an example of the healing power of reconciliation.

Read More