PDP crisis worsens!

The battle between the leadership of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and the secretariat staff deepened, yesterday, as the workers alleged that the National Working Committee (NWC) was “morally repugnant and obsessively corrupt”.
The staff  also  accused the leadership of the former opposition party of contributing to the defeat of erstwhile President Goodluck Jonathan in the March 28 presidential election.
They had, on Friday, levelled some allegations against the PDP NWC which they asked the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) to investigate.  The party’s National Publicity Secretary, Chief Olisa Metuh, described the allegations as baseless.
But the workers launched a fresh attack, yesterday, in which they accused the PDP leadership of corrupt practices and helping to defeat Jonathan in the general elections.
The face-off between the main opposition party and the workers started after the latter said it would reduce its staff strength by 50 percent while cutting the salaries and allowances of the remaining workers by half.
In a letter from the PDP National Secretary, Professor Wale Oladipo, and addressed to all directors and administrative staff of the party, the leadership, while asking the workers to return to their respective states and prove their membership, also said, “Furthermore, establishment staff, who would remain, are required to obtain  individual letters of revalidation from their state party chapters within one month of this circular as to their suitability for service at the national secretariat”.
Analyst said the staff rationalisation measures taken by the PDP leadership stemmed from the reality of a party that was once in government with access to large funds but now in opposition and cash strapped.
The embattled workers, under the aegis of the PDP Staff Welfare Association, yesterday, dismissed Metuh’s allegation that the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) was using them to destabilise the PDP.
“We are not surprised that the allegation will become the most fashionable means of covering tracks.   The allegation is a wide window into the impressionable   character of the man who has been in saddle as the party’s image-maker and an ominous signpost into the shallow   manner the publicity of the party has been run”, the staff said in a statement signed by their Chairman, Ngozi Nzeh, and Secretary. Dan Ochu-Baiye.
“ We therefore place   on record that the majority of the establishment staff of the PDP are not just unrepentant members of the party who have spent over 16 years in service; who have assimilated the PDP ethos as a way of political life, but are also the repository of the party’s institutional memory whose spirit can hardly succumb to the ephemerality of power loss”, they said.
“Who plays anti-party activities, you may ask? Staff members who are genuinely resisting the morally repugnant and obsessively corrupt NWC so that the PDP will survive or some NWC members who have the  track record of anti-party activities  especially the one who openly endorsed the  APGA candidate in the  2013 Anambra governorship election, the subsequent denigration of PDP candidate and his chances on live television program less than 24hours after the election, even as the result was being awaited?
“Again, we have incontrovertible evidence that some of the NWC members worked  assiduously against the presidential candidate of the PDP, former President Goodluck Jonathan, in the last election in order to get back  at the ex-President for rejecting them in strategic campaign offices,  a development which came after they had squandered  450 million naira  earlier approved by President Jonathan.
“We wish to therefore advise  the NWC to respond to issues raised in our Friday press briefing without which the fortunes of the party will continue to dwindle.”

We will defeat Boko Haram by end of this year

Cotonou – President Muhammadu Buhari has said that Boko Haram will be defeated hopeful by end of this year.
Buhari spoke in Cotonou on Saturday during a gala lunch held in honour by the President of Benin Republic, Boni Yayi.
 He expressed optimism that the Multi-national Joint Task Force, MNJTF launched in Cameroon on Thursday would start yielding fruits soon.
This is as Yayi who described his country as the 37th State of Nigeria assured president Buhari that 800 troops would be contributed to the Joint Task Force by his country in the all-out-assault on insurgents.
While commending the gesture by Yayi, Buhari said “and I assure you that we will defeat Boko Haram by the end of this year”.
President Buhari who was on a one-day official visit to Cotonou as the special guest of honour at the 55th independence anniversary of Benin Republic was bestowed with the national honor of the Republic of Benin.
Nigeria’s president recalled that both countries have maintained peace over the years even when he was a military Head of State.
He said: “I am impressed by your concern and critical approaches by increasing your contributions to the multinational task force of the Lake Chad Commission. This is a great sacrifice on the part of the Benin Republic….
“Even in my first coming into office under a different arrangement, we have learnt to live in peace with our neighbours. Within the week I was sworn in, I went to Niger, Chad. I was supposed to go to Cameroon but I was summoned by the G7 leaders to brief them about the security situation in Nigeria concerning Boko Haram which declared allegiance to ISIS which gives it international dimension”

Send Jonathan’s aides to prison if they are guilty of looting our treasury- Ogbemudia tells Buhari

TWO-TIME former Governor of old Bendel State, Dr Samuel Ogbemudia has described as unbelievable the amount of money being reported to have been carted away by some aides and Ministers of the administration of President Goodluck Jonathan, therefore called on President Muhammadu Buhari to jail those found guilty. On the war on terror, the former military tactician urged the President to fish out those supplying arms and ammunition to the Boko Haram sect, warning that the war on terror can only be won when the insurgents are deprived of weapons, adding that this could be achieved through intelligence. He stated this during an interview with Vanguard in Benin City. While reacting to the ongoing probe of the administration of President Jonathan, Dr Ogbemudia urged the Presidency to be cautious of their facts before pronouncing people guilty, adding however that those found wanting should be dealt with accordingly. According to him, “If it is correct that some people looted the national treasury during Jonathan, then they should be brought to book. They should spend time to investigate the looting but they should not announce first that this man is a thief then later they will find out that he is not. Jonathan once described bribery and corruption as petty thief, if that is the new definition we shall see (laughter). “My believe is that this is the first time APC is in government therefore all the theories that they have been propounding along the line, this is the time to test them, and it will take time to assemble sufficient evidence of their genuine readiness to govern. I gave them one year to prepare and three years to execute. If at the end of four years they encourage PDP to come back that will be good. “The way every society behave is evidenced by the type of leadership that society has, it is a reflection of the quality of leadership. If during the last government EFCC did not have sufficient urge to arrest people, now no body is stopping them they are working. So I think that they will continue to do so until somebody stop them. We are waiting for the evidence of what we have heard so far about some persons. We are still waiting to hear that so so person who stole N10billion has returned N9billion or has been sentenced to jail” he asserted. On the war against terror, Dr Ogbemudia stated “the sequence of events that have taken place since they (Presidency) started is the right step in the right direction. But our prayers is that the officers assigned to the fighting should have sufficient pressure and sufficient understanding to be able to pursue the objective. Fighting Boko Haram is not a war, if it were war all you need to do is to run bombs all over the state but that is not allowed. So you have to go in and fetch the individual out. “But what is more important in all this is the job of the intelligence unit, they should go and identify the man who is supplying arms to Boko Haram. Boko Haram people are using weapons and ammunitions. They waste the ammunitions and they replace them, it means they must be buying it somewhere. Which bank is opening the letter of credit for them or the LPO, or which Port are they discharging it or which Airport is the plane bringing the ammunition landing. “So the intelligence unit should be able to find all these, and once they grab the man who is paying the boys, who is supplying the arms then the war is over. But if they allow the man supplying the arms to be hiding then the war will continue. There is also information that when the Boko Haram boys have worked till the end of the month, they organize them to be killed by passing information to the opponents, so that the boys cannot collect their money. “The person is a human being, he is a Nigerian he must be found. If the person is not found the source of the money will be located. And for the abducted girls, I do not believe that they will be found but if they are found they will never be the same again. A lot of transformation may have taken place”.

S.Africa’s Tutu to remain in hospital for ‘another few days’

South African archbishop Desmond Tutu will remain in hospital in Cape Town “for another few days” despite making good progress, his foundation announced Saturday, four days after he was hospitalised with a recurring infection. The 83-year-old Nobel peace laureate underwent a “small investigative procedure” on Friday night to determine the status of the infection that “he has battled to shake off for several weeks,” the Desmond & Leah Tutu Legacy Foundation said in a statement. While his doctors were “satisfied” with the progress of his antibiotic treatment, he will “remain in hospital for further observation and treatment for another few days”, the foundation said. Tutu was diagnosed with prostrate cancer 15 years ago. The foundation had previously insisted his ailment was unrelated to his cancer but on Saturday the foundation revealed the two were linked. “Although the cancer, itself, was under control, the infection was a consequence of past treatment that the archbishop had received for prostate cancer,” his daughter, Reverend Mpho Tutu, said in the statement. Tutu was first hospitalised for the infection on July 14. The name of the hospital where he is being treated has not been divulged. A picture released by the foundation this week showed the veteran rights campaigner in his hospital bed, sharing a joke with former president Thabo Mbeki who visited the renowned cleric. Tutu shot to worldwide fame during the apartheid era, leading demonstrations against white supremacist rule in a purple cassock while Nelson Mandela was in prison. Tutu received the Nobel Peace Prize in 1984. He is still seen as the moral conscience of the country which he nicknamed the Rainbow Nation and continues to speak out about injustice, in South Africa and around the world.

Firefighter dies as thousands battle California wildfires

A firefighter died while battling one of the 18 large wildfires raging in California, its governor said Friday, declaring a state of emergency. About 8,000 firefighters have been deployed across the state, said the California National Guard, which has been called into action. “California’s severe drought and extreme weather have turned much of the state into a tinderbox,” California Governor Edmund Brown said in a statement. “Our courageous firefighters are on the front lines and we’ll do everything we can to help them.” The dead firefighter was named as Dave Ruhl, 38, from South Dakota, who was killed Thursday while fighting the Frog Fire in the Modoc National Forest outside Alturas. “Firefighter Ruhl will be remembered for his service and bravery and we extend our deepest condolences to his family, friends and colleagues with the US Forest Service,” Brown said in a separate statement. Wildfires are a fact of life in much of California, but they have been exacerbated by bone-dry conditions as the western US state is gripped by a fourth year of record drought

This man killed 7 including girlfriend in one day

On Saturday, February 16, 2013, Henry Chibueze, a notorious kidnapper terrorizing South East and South South parts of the country, stormed the home of his girlfriend, Sandra Ijedinma, at Igando area of Lagos State, with an AK47 assault rifle and opened fire on everyone present in the apartment, killing his girlfriend, her elder sister   Praise Ozor,   and her two children.
Not satisfied, Henry proceeded to a nearby street where one of Sandra’s elder sisters resided and killed the woman and three of her children, before fleeing.
His anger was said to have been that Sandra, who was an optician with Madonna University, had called off their relationship, when she learnt that   he was a kidnapper.       Sandra’s twin sister, Katherine who sustained a bullet would during the attack had told vanguard in 2013 that the assailant was   familiar with everyone in their family but nobody knew he was a kidnapper . She explained that her late sister used to visit Henry at his base in Delta State and in one of such visits, some heavily armed men stormed Henry’s apartment, manhandling Sandra in the process.
She added that the armed men reportedly told Sandra that her lover absconded with their share of a ransom paid to them for one of their  kidnapping exploits, threatening to wipe out all his (Henry’s) family members if he did not pay them. Thereafter, Sandra informed her family members in Lagos of what had happened and they rushed to Delta State to bring her to Lagos for proper treatment. But while she was receiving the treatment, she called off the relationship and Henry; feeling betrayed, stormed their Lagos home and killed people while Katherine narrowly escaped death.
The police in Lagos went all out in search of Henry. Vanguard gathered that operatives of the Special Anti-Robbery Squad, SARS, who were then headed by Sp Abba Kyari, trailed him to Abia, Delta and Rivers State, where they rounded up some of his close friends, relatives and seven members of his gang who were behind the kidnap of a British national, Diction Lee, few minutes after the Briton arrived at the country. They kidnapped him on Airport Road, Ikeja.   At that point, it was established that Henry had escaped from the country and was based in Ivory Coast.
But while the search for him went cold in Lagos, Henry, was said to have regrouped with his gang in Imo State and they coordinated several kidnappings in the South East and South South, where he kidnapped over 200 persons, killing most of his victims, including the wife of a royal father in Imo State and an official of the Imo State Environmental Transformation Commission which yielded him N50m ransom.
However, luck ran out on him, last weekend, when he attempted to kidnap the tribunal Judges, handling Election Petition in Imo State, at their lodge, in Disney Hotels, along Onitsha -Owerri Road. Operatives of the Department of State Security, DSS, acting On a tip-off swooped on him, but he managed to escape with bullet wounds which he had gone to treat in the house of his elder brother’s wife, in Ohafia, Abia State, where men of the secret police eventually apprehended him.

Some of the victims during shooting spree

He   was arrested along side an army deserter, Akeem Bello, from Kwara State, who abandoned his duty post at Maiduguiri where he was posted. Fear of the activities of the Boko Haram sect probably informed his action. A native doctor, Dan Elengi, who is said to be the proprietor of a popular hotel at Ohii in Owerri Local Government Area,   of Imo State was also among those nabbed.
The 28-year-old man, who is an indigene of Nwangele Local Government Area of Imo State, confessed when he was paraded before the Imo State Governor Rochas Okorocha, that he operated from Abidjan, Cote d’ Ivoire and he killed his girl friend and members of her family because she stole his N45million, after he had opened a shop for her in Aba.
Meanwhile, relatives of his victims have been thrown into celebration following news of his arrest. They called on the Imo State Government to ensure that Henry who is also known as Vampire is prosecuted judiciously.   Ekene Ozor, the husband of one of   Sandra’s sisters who was killed on the day of the attack wants Henry to pay for his crimes. “That man is evil. He robbed me of my wife and two children and robbed my in-laws of eight members of their family.

Henry Chibueze

But my God told me that he would not escape judgment. I am grateful to God for his arrest and I commend the efforts of the Nigeria police especially, the Special Anti Robbery Squad SARS, Lagos State Police Command, who first handled my case, the DSS operatives for their continued efforts to apprehend this heartless criminal. I wish to commend also the governor of Imo State Rochas Okorocha, for his efforts in the arrest of the deadly gang of killers. Days after the attack on my home were highly traumatic. I had seven corpses to deal with at a time and they were all in the mortuary. I was the only one taking care of my remaining children and
I passionately wish to appeal to governors Rochas Okorocha, Ifeanyi Okowa, Akinwumi Ambode and other governors in the federation and well meaning Nigerians to come to my aid as I feel very concerned about the education of my remaining children and their welfare.
Things have tough for me, my little children.   We are still having the psychological pain of the attack of Henry. We have been haunted by the fear of another attack by the serial killer. There have been fears of going out freely because of the horrifying threats from the serial killer and his cohorts. Consequently, I’m indebted to the tune of N7.2 million excluding properties sold to meet up with bills, drugs, surgery of my wife’s younger sister who survived gun shots.   It is by grace of God that I am still alive because it made me hypertensive since then.”
 

Nigerian man arrested in Iceland for infecting women with HIV

A Nigerian asylum seeker who arrived Iceland in August has been arrested for infecting unsuspecting young women with HIV. The capital area police are investigating the case against the man, in partnership with the office of the Directorate of Health.
The man was arrested on Monday and will be remanded in custody while the initial investigation continues, according to a police press release.

The police statement says that part of the investigation includes finding out if any more women have been in contact with the man, and whether they might also be infected.

The statement talks only of a serious infectious disease, but chief epidemiologist Haraldur Briem confirmed with reporters that the man is suspected of having transmitted HIV. Neither Haraldur nor Alda Hrönn Jóhannsdóttir, deputy police chief, would discuss the case in further detail at this stage.

The HIV virus is spread through bodily fluids, including through sex and through blood for example by sharing needles. The only protection against sexually-transmitted HIV is the use of condoms, according to the Directorate of Health.

HIV is a life-threatening illness if allowed to develop without treatment. It can develop into AIDS, which causes the immune system to shut down and lead to death; often years after initial infection. There is not yet a cure for HIV, but it is controllable with medication and infection is detected through blood tests.

Details of the man’s suspected crimes have not been released. One likely explanation for his arrest could be engaging in unprotected sex with the women without telling them he has HIV—an act which would be against the law.

His name has not been released yet.

Osama Bin Laden's stepmother and sister among 4 killed after their private jet crashed into a car auction

Osama Bin Laden's stepmother and sister are thought to be among 4 people killed after a private jet owned by the family crashed into a fireball after overshooting a runway while trying to land outside London.

The £7million Embraer Phenom 300 was owned by Salem Aviation in Jeddah, which is controlled by the dead terrorist’s family.

 

The Brazilian-built aircraft exploded after ploughing into a carpark killing the pilot and three passengers. Saudi Arabian media reported that Bin Laden's stepmother and sister were among the 4 people killed, as well as their Jordanian pilot.

The jet was completely destroyed after it overshot the runway while trying to land at the Blackbushe Airport on the Hampshire-Surrey border. 

UK-based lawyer fights for Mahama gunman

The case in which an assassination attempt was made on President John Mahama has assumed international dimension, as a UK-trained Ghanaian international lawyer Godwin Adjei-Gyamfi has petitioned Amnesty International-UK over the matter.

In the plea, Adjei-Gymafi described the sentencing of Charles Antwi, the 36-year-old man who was caught with a fully loaded gun at the church of President John Mahama as diabolical and absurd. .

Below are details of the petition to Amnesty International

Details Amnesty International UK Human Rights Action Centre 17-25 New Inn Yard London 3EA Dear Sir, Re: Convict Charles Antwi.

It does not give me pleasure to have to bring to your attention diabolical, gross abuse of process, miscarriage of justice and breach of fundamental human rights of the above-named person.

The detail is that the above named, on the 26th July 2015 entered a church attended by the President of the Republic of Ghana with a locally manufactured gun. The above named was arrested and appeared in Accra court on Tuesday 28th July 2015 without a lawyer.

According to and judging from what the convict was saying in court that he, “wanted to kill the president and take over,” suggest the above named was severely mentally challenged, ought to have been granted a lawyer and immediately referred for psychiatric evaluation. He was instead sentenced on the spot to 10 years imprisonment.

This is most absurd and diabolical as he is mentally unwell, was unrepresented by a lawyer and the maximum sentence on the statute books of the Republic of Ghana is 5 years.

I would be most grateful if you would please look in to the above absurdity as The Republic of Ghana has become a land where the strong and rich enjoy justice and the poor is forgotten.

Godwin Adjei-Gyamfi Solicitor & Barrister-at-Law.

Colombian military plane crash kills 11

A Colombian military plane has crashed, killing all 11 people on board, according to the nation's air force.

Mother, baby survive 4 days in the jungle after plane crash

The CASA-235 reported an engine failure before crashing in Agustin Codazzi, about 370 miles (600 km) north of Bogota, officials said.

President Juan Manuel Santos wrote in a tweet, "We are sorry for this terrible accident . . . Our condolences to their families."

Jet breaks apart during landing in Colombia

The Colombian Air Force said it joins the defense minister and chief of the armed forces in expressing sorrow to families and friends of the "heroes of the homeland."

The commander of the air force, Gen. Carlos Bueno, said that a team is being sent to investigate.

Cameroon deports 2,000 Nigerians in fight against Boko Haram

Cameroon has deported more than 2,000 Nigerians who were living in the country illegally as part of new security measures intended to prevent suicide attacks by Boko Haram jihadists, sources said Friday.
Regional newspaper L’Oeil du Sahel reported that about 2,500 Nigerians had been “rounded up” in Kousseri, in the far north of Cameroon, and sent back to their country on Thursday.
The weekly posted a photo on its Facebook page showing several departing trucks crammed with hundreds of passengers.
A source close to regional authorities confirmed that “more than 2,000 ‘irregular’ Nigerians have been expelled from Kousseri”.
Mey Aly, an official from a local NGO, said that most of the Nigerians “had fled the atrocities of Boko Haram” to take refuge in Cameroon.
Thursday’s deportations came just a day after Nigerian President Muhammadu Buhari visited Cameroon for talks on how to combat the escalating regional threat from Boko Haram.
Buhari and Cameroonian counterpart Paul Biya pledged to strengthen cooperation between their two countries in the fight against the insurgents.
Between July 12 and July 25, Cameroon’s far north, on the border with Boko Haram’s Nigerian strongholds, suffered three suicide attacks — two in the regional capital, Maroua — leaving at least 44 people dead.
The Cameroonian border post at Kousseri — which has been hit by two suicide attacks since June — occupies a strategic position, with just a bridge separating it from Chad’s capital N’Djamena.
Authorities in Cameroon’s far north have taken significant steps to boost security, including banning women from wearing the full face-veil amid fears that suicide bombers could use the garment to conceal explosives.
“With these attacks, the tone of the authorities has changed,” said a security source in Maroua. “They have asked that foreigners (notably Nigerians) and displaced people in the border areas go home.”
Some 300 Cameroonian children were removed from their Koranic schools in Maroua and taken back to their villages on Friday, according to a source close to local authorities, as the schools’ managers feared that insurgents could try to use them for suicide attacks.
Boko Haram’s bloody insurgency in Nigeria has left more than 15,000 people dead since 2009 and has increasingly spread across the country’s borders, with Chad and Cameroon suffering deadly suicide bombings in recent months

HIV flushed out by cancer drug

HIV can be flushed out of its hiding places in the body using a cancer drug, researchers show.

The cornerstone of treatment, anti-retroviral therapy, kills the virus in the bloodstream but leaves "HIV reservoirs" untouched.

The study, published in PLoS Pathogens, showed the drug was "highly potent" at reactivating hidden HIV.

Experts said the findings were interesting, but it was important to know if the drug was safe in patients.

The power of the HIV reservoir was shown with the case of the Mississippi baby.

She was given antiretroviral drugs at birth. Despite appearing to be free of HIV for nearly two years after stopping treatment, she was found to be harbouring the virus.

'Kick and kill'

A strategy known as "kick and kill" is thought to be key to curing HIV - the kick would wake up the dormant HIV allowing the drugs to kill it.

The team at the UC Davis School of Medicine investigated PEP005 - one of the ingredients in a treatment to prevent cancer in sun-damaged skin.

They tested the drug in cells grown in the laboratory and in parts of the immune system taken from 13 people with HIV.

The report said "PEP005 is highly potent in reactivating latent HIV" and that the chemical represents "a new group of lead compounds for combating HIV".

One of the researchers, Dr Satya Dandekar, said: "We are excited to have identified an outstanding candidate for HIV reactivation and eradication that is already approved and is being used in patients.

"This molecule has great potential to advance into translational and clinical studies."

However, the drug has still not been tested in people who are HIV-positive.

Prof Sharon Lewin, from the University of Melbourne, said the results were "interesting" and marked an "important advance in finding new compounds that can activate latent HIV".

She told the BBC: "This study adds another family of drugs to test to potentially eliminate long-lived forms of HIV although much more work needs to be done to see if this works in patients.

"Although PEP005 is part of an FDA approved drug, it will first take some time to work out if it is safe to use in the setting of HIV."

 

Palestinian toddler killed in 'Jewish settler' arson attack

The attackers left graffiti in Hebrew near the burned house

A Palestinian toddler has been burned to death in an arson attack by suspected Jewish settlers in the West Bank, Israeli police say.

The home where the 18-month-old boy and his family were sleeping was set on fire in the village of Douma near Nablus, local officials say.

The parents and the child's older brother were severely injured.

The attackers apparently left graffiti near the house reading "revenge" in Hebrew.

Eyewitnesses say the house was firebombed. The father was able to rescue his wife and the older son, but not the toddler.

Another house was also damaged by the fire.

Pictures released by the Rabbis for Human Rights NGO showed the arson damage

Pictures released by the Rabbis for Human Rights NGO showed the arson damage

This is a suspected attack with nationalist motives," Israeli police spokeswoman Luba Samri said.

In a statement, the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) said: "The preliminary investigation suggests that suspects entered the village in the early hours of the morning, set the homes ablaze and sprayed graffiti in Hebrew on the homes."

"IDF forces are currently operating in order to locate the suspects of this attack."

China's Communist Party axes top general for taking bribes

In the latest sign of the Chinese leadership's determination to eradicate official corruption, the ruling Communist Party has expelled a former top military leader for taking bribes and sent his case to prosecutors.

General Guo Boxiong, who served as a vice chairman of the powerful Central Military Commission for over a decade, was found to "have taken advantage of his post to seek promotion and other benefits for others, and accepted bribes personally or through his family," the state-run Xinhua news agency reported, quoting a Party statement.

The military commission runs the two-million strong People's Liberation Army -- the world's largest standing army.

Guo, 73, retired in early 2013 and Xinhua said the Party's disciplinary arm launched a formal investigation over him in April.

"His acts seriously violated Party discipline and left a vile impact," the Politburo statement said.

Second military tiger

Guo became the second former military leader caught in President Xi Jinping's anti-graft dragnet. Since he came to power in late 2012, Xi has vowed to eradicate corruption, long a lightning rod for mass discontent in this country of 1.3 billion people.

With a stated goal of targeting both "tigers and flies" -- high- and low-ranking officials -- Xi's massive campaign has led to thousands of arrests and convictions on graft charges.

Until Thursday's announcement, the biggest "military tiger" to fall had been General Xu Caihou, another former vice chairman of the Central Military Commission who served alongside Guo.

Xu was expelled from the party in mid-2014 for taking bribes and abuse of power.

Narrowly escaping prosecution due to illness, Xu died of bladder cancer in March at the age of 71.

Power transmission hits 4662MW

ABUJA: The Federal Government said, Wednesday that power transmission from the national grid has increased to 4662 megawatts.

  Transmission Company of Nigeria, TCN, which disclosed this in a state signed by the General Manager, Public Affairs, Seun Olagunju, noted the new peak was attained at 08.00pm on Tuesday, 28th July, 2015.

It would be recalled that TCN Management had announced the attainment of the previous peak transmission of 4656MW on Wednesday, 15th July, 2015.

Power generation and transmission have been recording new peaks above 4500MW following improvements in gas supply to the generating stations as well as equipment/infra-structure upgrade and enhanced human capacity of system operators.

TCN assures that it would continue to work at enhancing the capacity to transmit more quality power to the electricity distribution companies.

 

6 dead, several hospitalised as cholera ravages Delta community

WARRI—A cholera outbreak in Aladja, a community in Udu Local Government Area of Delta State has reportedly killed six persons, while several others have been hospitalised. File photo: Children collect stagnant water for use at home Vanguard learned that the health situation was noticed last week with few persons affected, but that by last weekend, the death toll had risen to six as the disease gained wider spread. Some of those affected, it was gathered, are receiving medical attention in different hospitals and health centres within Udu, while those with severe cases are hospitalised at the Central Hospital, Warri. Chairman of Udu Local Government Area, Solomon Kpomah, who confirmed the outbreak, said his administration had deployed medical personnel to the community to curtail further spread. He said: “The state government has also sent its medical team to test and treat those affected. We will continue to carry out sensitisation campaign. “There is need for a holistic approach by all parties towards curtailing the disease.” He urged residents to maintain high level of hygiene by disposing wastes properly, warning them also to be cautious of the water they drank and the food they ate. Local residents had passed initial cases of the disease as a spiritual attack resulting from some grave evil committed in the community, until tests conducted by medical experts revealed that it was cholera.

CBN’s Monetary Policy Challenges

THE Monetary Policy Committee (MPC) of the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) sat last week to review developments in the global and domestic economic environments since its last meeting of 18th and 19th May, 2015 to address emerging challenges in the economic landscape.
Amongst these was the battering pressure on the Naira exchange rate against the world’s major currencies which had forced the local currency to depreciate to an all-time low of N243/ USD1.0 as at the time of the MPC meeting.
Also key was the GDP growth rate which slowed to 3.8 per cent in the first quarter of 2015 as against 6.2 per cent in the corresponding period of last year. This was a fall-out of weaker consumer spending power, tighter monetary policy of the CBN/MPC, and the political uncertainty that slowed down consumption spending in the first quarter of this year.
Inflation also accelerated for the seventh consecutive month to 9.2 per cent in June 2015. This was as a result of the pressure from petroleum products scarcity and weaker Naira/Dollar exchange rate.
The MPC is the highest public/private sector policy making body in Nigeria’s economy, more so now that the country is without a functional federal economy ministry/team at cabinet level. Hence the MPC decisions on these matters which are crucial to the stability of the economy and well-being of the citizens of this country cannot be over-emphasised.
The decision of the MPC to maintain status quo in spite of growing inflationary pressures and increasing volatility in the parallel segment of the foreign exchange market underscores the fact that the apex bank may have gotten to the limits of monetary policy options it can deploy. It means they are now forced to wait on President Muhammadu Buhari to settle down and unfold his economic vision and direction.
The implication is that the CBN may remain incapacitated in this way until there are clear policy directions from the fiscal policy side (the federal government)  particularly on issues bordering on fuel subsidy and general economic administration.
It is not likely there will be any significant change in the course of the financial markets and the economy in general as all indices in the economic challenges highlighted above will continue to head in the negative direction.
We therefore advise that CBN should use its independent policy window to address these urgent challenges and not to wait for the next MPC which will come belatedly in the fourth quarter. The Federal Government must hasten to appoint its economic managers in order to give direction and a sense of mission to the economy. The delay and uncertainty are hurting the economy, and this must be arrested immediately.
 

How Mexican drug lord Guzman fled through tunnel in prison cell

Drug kingpin Joaquin “El Chapo” Guzman escaped through a 1.5-kilometer (one-mile) long tunnel that was dug under the shower space of his prison cell in central Mexico, authorities said Sunday. After security cameras lost sight of Guzman late Saturday, guards went into the cell and found a hole 10 meters (33 feet) deep with a ladder, said National Security Commissioner Monte Alejandro Rubido.

Handout picture released by the Attorney General of Mexico (PGR) showing Mexico’s Attorney General, Arely Gomez (2-R) looking at the alleged end of the tunnel through which Mexican drug lord Joaquin “El Chapo” Guzman could have escaped from the Altiplano prison, at a house in Almoloya de Juarez, Mexico, on July 12, 2015. Guzman has escaped from a maximum-security prison, the government said Sunday, his second jail break in 14 years. The kingpin was last seen in the shower area of the Altiplano prison in central Mexico late Saturday before disappearing. “The escape of Guzman was confirmed”, the National Security Commission said in a statement. AFP PHOTO 

The hole led to the huge tunnel with a ventilation and light system, Rubido said, adding that its exit was in a building that was under construction. A motorcycle on a rail system was found in the tunnel and is believed to have been used to transport tools and remove earth from the space, which was 1.7 meters high and around 80 centimeters (2.6 feet) wide.
Rubido said 18 prison guards will be interrogated by prosecutors in Mexico City. Until Guzman escaped, Rubido said, “the day had gone on normally and at around 8:00 pm he was given his daily dose of medicine.”
The maximum-security prison is located 90 kilometers (55 miles) west of the capital in Mexico State. Guzman had been jailed there since February 2014.
It is the second time in 14 years that Guzman has broken out of prison. The last time, in 2001, he hid in a laundry basket to escape from a prison in western Jalisco state.
 

Understanding Ikpeazu’s pace in Abia

Two months after Dr. Okezie Ikpeazu commenced his four-year mandate as the governor of Abia State, the direction of governance in the state appears amazing.
With a policy thrust that is occasioned by distinct departure from previous approaches to governance, the administration is boldly making impressions in the hearts of many.
Having optimistically pledged to commence the business of governance by avoiding peculiar distractions that had derailed past administrations in Nigeria, only a few expected less from Ikpeazu.
Be it size of government, attitude to governance or financial prudency, the present administration in Abia seems to be on the path of redefining governance at the state level in the country.
At the risk of sounding patronising, the various governmental policy actions that had taken place across the state since May 29 could cautiously be termed as remarkable. And as such, it becomes easy to say that things are looking up in Abia.

Staff audit in the civil service
Early in the life of the administration, the governor in a pace setting move, halved his salary in line with the stifling financial realities in the country.
Also in that light, his official trips are often done with less aides thereby  reducing significantly, the cost of such trips and by extension setting an example for the members of his cabinet.
Another pragmatic step towards cushioning the effects of Abia’s dwindling revenue, was the staff audit in the civil service.
Purposely to put an end to the state’s bloated civil service, the auditing was embarked upon.
It is envisaged that the programme would eventually determine the  actual staff strength and  weed out the ghost workers through an Integrated Payroll Verification System.
With this in place, the promised prompt payment of salaries on the 24 of each is likely to be realistic.
Observers also see the establishment of  Abia State Economic Advancement Team, as a testimony to his commitment towards upping the Internally Generated Revenue of the state.
Headed by Ikpeazu, the agency which is expected to drive the state’s economic growth, has a mandate of increasing the IGR from  N350 million to N1.5billion within the first year in office.

IGR benchmark
The government intends leveraging on some existing structures to realise the IGR benchmark.
The new Umuahia City which was designed to include modern malls, recreational parks, housing estates, and an International Conference Centre, ICC, is in this category.
For instance, the Conference Centre with capacity of about 9,000 persons would soon be hosting some of the biggest events in the country.
The centre is digital, with advanced information technology such that events can be recorded and the signal beamed live for people to watch anywhere in the world.
There is also the stoppage of  tax collection in order to give way to an automated and harmonised tax regime by the Economic Advancement Team.
Recognising the economic potentialities of Aba, all that are needed to reposition the city as a truly commercial city had commenced in line with the maxim that if the government gets Aba right, Abia will be good.

Interest of international agencies
One of such is the clean up of the silted Aba drainage.  A working Aba with its number of small and medium scale industries, would surely boost the state’s IGR.
The envisaged gains of resuscitating the commercial hub,  is an acknowledged fact  by local financial organisations, and international organisations like the United Nations Industrial Development Organisation (UNIDO), World Bank and  International Monetary Fund (IMF).
To ensure that achieving the administration’s objectives regarding Aba, are realised,  the Office of Aba Urban Renewal was established.
Interestingly, the rationale for this is to develop every part of Abia by making Aba the spring board.
Ikpeazu also envisions Aba to become the SME Capital of Nigeria in accordance with his campaign pledges.
Findings also showed that contracts for  the construction of seven roads in Aba, have been awarded with the intention of commissioning the projects within the first 100 days in office.
Another area of interest in Abia is security and the administration has not hidden its intention of ensuring that Abia is safe for everyone.
A demonstration of such determination, was witnessed in Enyimba Hotel where the government has ensured adequate security.  The hotel was reportedly bought  20 years ago by the Aba Chambers of Commerce but later became a haven for criminals in the state.
Indeed,  these laudable programmes are believed to have prompted the interest of international agencies in the affairs of the state.
For instance, the African Development Bank (AfDB) granted approval of a $200 million facility for the state to be used in tackling the challenges of water, sanitation and road construction.
 

Convicted of murder at 12, Curtis Jones leaves Florida prison at 29

Convicted of first-degree murder when he was only 12, Curtis Jones is a free man at 29.

Jones left a Florida prison on Tuesday, according toCNN affiliate WFTV, which also noted he has never had the chance to learn how to drive a car or use social media.

The newspaper Florida Today reported that Jones was released at 7 a.m. from the South Bay Correctional Facility, which is south of Lake Okeechobee.

Jones and his sister, Catherine Jones, were found guilty of killing their father's girlfriend, 29-year-old Sonya Speights, in 1999 in Cocoa Beach.

At the time, their lawyer alleged that the siblings were being sexually abused by a relative and turned to extreme measures after they felt that their father and his girlfriend were not protecting them. But prosecutors argued that they were jealous of the victim because they were not getting their father's attention.

Jones' sister, who is now 30, is also scheduled to be freed this week. Catherine went to prison at 13.

The brother and sister, who lived in Brevard County at the time of killing, took a plea deal and were sentenced to 18 years in prison.

While incarcerated, Jones became an ordained minister. Catherine became a married woman to a pen pal.