INEC Says December 5th Mistakes In Bayelsa Won’t Reoccur

The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) assured the public that it was ready to prevent a repeat of incidents that occurred during the Bayelsa State rerun election on December 5th, 2015, according to the Public Relations Officer for INEC speaking yesterday in Yenagoa, the State capital.

 
Mahmood Yakubu, INEC Chairman 
 
The spokesperson, Mr. Timidi Wariowei, whose comments came three days before the supplementary elections in the State also announced that the distribution of election materials has already commenced for the January 9th poll.

His statements come in the midst of accusations by both the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and the All Progressives Congress (APC) that they are sponsoring militant groups to commit violent acts.

Mr. Wariowei said INEC received the sensitive election materials on Wednesday and distribution had commenced beginning with the Ekeremor LGA on Thursday.

“Of course, all the material area now in our custody; the materials are ballot papers, result sheets among others,” he said.

Due to the widespread concerns about electoral malfeasance the distribution of materials will begin for “Southern Ijaw Local Government Area early morning of Saturday,” he disclosed.

Describing the situation in more detail Mr. Wariowei stated “you know that the real focus is the Southern Ijaw and we do not want what happened on December 5, 2015 to repeat itself again in the area; INEC is prepared to conduct free, fair and credible election for the betterment of the people.”

Mr. Wariowei also stated that INEC has more than 100 polling units ready to conduct the election and that some changes to the adhoc staff have been made “to ensure that the election is conducted freely.”
On security matters he stated "we have been collaborating with the Police and Army to ensure peaceful election in Bayelsa."

NIMASA Collected Revenue In Dollars, Remitted Naira – FG

The Minister of Finance, Mrs. Kemi Adeosun, on Wednesday, said the Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency had not been remitting the revenues generated to the government’s coffers.

   
Kemi Adeosun, Minister of Finance 
 
The immediate past Director-General of NIMASA, Patrick Akpobolkemi, is currently facing 40 counts of fraud and money laundering to the tune of N34.5bn.

Adeosun specifically stated that in some instances, NIMASA collected revenue in dollars but paid naira into the government’s account.

The minister said this while addressing journalists after the first Federal Executive Council meeting of the year inside the Presidential Villa, Abuja.

She explained that the requirement was that such money should go to the Central Bank of Nigeria which would convert the money to naira.

Adeosun said while the government had stopped NIMASA from doing so, an audit was being carried out to identify other agencies.

This, she explained, was why the government was doing a full audit of all those accounts and to ensure that all those revenues were converted in accordance with the extant procedures and guidelines.

The minister added that it was also discovered that some of the agencies spent government money without control.

When asked what would be the fate of the heads of the MDAs under whose purview government funds were diverted in the past, the minister said she would not want to pre-empt the outcome of an audit that would be commissioned by the government.

She, however, said that in a situation where it is clear that financial procedures had been breached, there was a process for dealing with the culprits.

Adeosun said, “The principal discussion in our meeting today was the initiative by this administration to plug revenue leakages in our MDAs that generate revenue. The presentation to FEC was to remind ministers who supervise these revenue-generating boards of their responsibilities under the Fiscal Responsibility Act.

“Let me remind you that under the FRA, these boards and corporations who generate revenue are supposed to generate and operate surplus, 80 per cent of which is to be credited to the Consolidated Revenue Fund.
“But we have discovered that many agencies have never credited anything and never generated any operating surplus including some whose salaries, overheads and capital are paid by the Federal Government.
“In addition to that, they generate revenue which they spend without any form of control.”

Adeosun said one of the initiatives adopted by the government was the directive to all the agencies that they must all submit a budget that must be subject to approval and they must operate within that budget so that the surplus that is meant to come to the Federal Government could be seen to be used appropriately.
Adeosun ruled out the possibility of any ministry inflating its budget when there was no revenue
She said, “There can be no inflation of budget when revenues are so thin and one of the things that I think that the budgeting process is doing is pruning down unnecessary expenditure.

“Let me also mention that we have set up the efficiency unit that is going to look into how we spend money and look at how we make savings because the money just isn’t there.”

Adeosun said the Federal Government had discovered that many revenue-generating agencies had not been remitting the revenues generated to the government’s coffers.

She explained that these are revenues of government in non-oil economies but the government had not been looking in the direction of the MDAs in the past because the country had a lot of oil money
She disclosed that a circular had been issued to the agencies in their hundreds in December 2015 requesting that they send their budgets.

“What we discussed today (Wednesday) was the responsibility of the ministers to ensure that whether those agencies have boards or not, those budgets are prepared and that the Ministry of Finance is going to sit down with the supervising ministers and the boards concerned where necessary, to go through their budgets and make sure that they are reasonable and that the costs are not inflated.

“We also discussed that in some cases, because some agencies have a track record and history of making sure that every naira they earned was spent, we will go in and audit agencies under Section 107 (8) of the Financial Regulations.

“The Accountant-General, who is under the Ministry of Finance, has the power to go in and make inquiries about how public money is spent, so we will be sending in auditors to some agencies where we believe their cost is simply excessive and not in tandem with our expectations.

“The expected outcome of this is that the Internally Generated Revenue which the new budget is banking on will actually become a reality. So, that was the principal discussion and everybody in the cabinet endorsed the initiative.”

Sylva Accuses PDP Of Plotting Violence During Bayelsa Elections As Tensions Continue To Rise

On Wednesday, the former Governor of Bayelsa State and the candidate of the All Progressive Party (APC), Timipre Sylva mocked Governor Seriake Dickson, the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) candidate, over the alleged plot to disrupt the January 9th supplementary election in Southern Ijaw Local Government Area (LGA) and the other 101 units.

 
Seriake Dickson And Timipre Sylva 
 
Mr. Sylva’s accusations come amidst fears that tensions are rising in Bayelsa State as the supplementary election approaches. A war of words has emerged between the two candidates with both accusing the other of fomenting violence ahead of the supplementary polls.

Earlier this month SaharaReporters published a story regarding Governor Dickson’s claims that the APC was attempting to use the security services to rig the supplementary elections.

As tensions continued escalating on Tuesday, the PDP reported that several gunboats of armed men stormed the Peremabiri Community in Southern Ijaw LGA which were claimed to be sponsored by the APC.

Speaking to the media on Wednesday in Yenagoa, the capital of Bayelsa State, Mr. Sylva stated that intelligence reports gathered by the APC noted that there were indications of the stockpiling of dangerous arms. The purpose of this weapon stockpiling, according to Mr. Sylva, is the disruption of the Southern Ijaw LGA supplementary elections.  

“Therefore, the PDP government knows it is on its way out and are plotting to perpetuate violence in Southern Ijaw LGA.

“Governor Dickson has shown that his desperate accusations against the APC are actually plots set in motion by the PDP,” Mr. Sylva explained.

However, Mr. Sylva has yet to provide copies of these intelligence reports to the media with specifics about the threats APC agents found.

Continuing his attacks upon Governor Dickson, Mr. Sylva accused the governor of fabricating reports about APC-led violence in Southern Ijaw LGA.

“All the problems that Mr. Dickson is crying about ahead of Saturday poll are in his head, hence, he needs to have his head examined, ” Mr. Sylva stated.

The former Governor expressed misgivings about the redeployment of State Resident Electoral Commissioner (REC), Baritor Kpagih, claiming that local representatives of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) are corrupted by the PDP.

“The manner in which INEC in Bayelsa State was constituted by the outgoing President [Goodluck Jonathan], was designed to deliver the State to the PDP,” he stated.

These accusations have raised fears that the violence witnessed in Southern Ijaw LGA during the December 5th elections will be repeated this Saturday.

Fresh Violence Hits Peremabiri Community In Bayelsa

Tensions are mounting in the Peremabiri Community of Bayelsa State following reports that armed men attempted to attack ex-militant Eris Paul (AKA Ogunboss). Community youths were able to arrest one of the attackers, Mr. Attitude Ebi, after a hot pursuit.

 
Eris Paul, ex-militant leader of MEND (Movement for the Emancipation of the Niger Delta) 
 
The suspect was subsequently turned over to Naval officers who delivered a brutal beating to the man.
Following his beating, Mr. Ebi was formally arrested for attempting to cause mayhem in the Peremabiri Community. He confessed that he was told by a friend that he would be paid N50,000 if he came to the community to cause trouble and vote.

Numerous community youths are now said to be patrolling the area armed with sticks, cutlasses, and clubs.

EFCC Arrests Buhari’s Associate, APC Chieftain, Jafaru Isa

The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission on Wednesday night arrested a former military governor of Kaduna State and chieftain of the ruling All Progressives Congress, Lawal Jafaru Isa.  

Jafaru Isa 

Mr. Isa is the first chieftain of the APC arrested by the EFCC since the beginning of a sweeping probe into the alleged diversion of $2.1 billion meant for arms purchase by officials of the immediate past administration.
Mr. Isa, Military Administrator of Kaduna State from December 1993 to August 1996 during the military regime of General Sani Abacha and one-time governorship candidate of the defunct CPC in Kano State, is a close friend of the embattled former National Security Adviser, Sambo Dasuki.

Mr. Isa, also a close political associate of President Muhammadu Buhari, was arrested at his Abuja residence located at Ajayi Crowther Street, Asokoro.

A witness told PREMIUM TIMES that operatives of the anti-graft commission invaded his residence around 9 pm, and then whisked him away a few minutes later.

PREMIUM TIMES gathered that Mr. Isa, a retired brigadier general, was invited last week to appear before the commission on Wednesday (yesterday) to clear the air on “some questionable receipts” from the former NSA.

Investigators believe the retired soldier received over N100million from Mr. Dasuki.
Rather than honoring the invitation, sources said, Mr. Isa wrote a letter to the EFCC through his lawyer, seeking a postponement of his appearance date on the grounds of the death of a relative.

Apparently dissatisfied with his excuse, the EFCC, however, arrested him to clarify the “questionable receipts”.

The spokesperson of the EFCC, Wilson Ujuwaren, could not be reached Thursday morning for‎ comments on the arrest.

But a top official of the commission confirmed the development.
”He has been wasting our time, and we just have to pick him up for our investigation to continue,” the official said.

 

Anenih Undergoes Heart Surgery

A member of the family, who confirmed the development, said it was “only God” that saved the life of the 82-year-old politician.

 
BOT CHAIRMAN, ANTHONY ANENIH State House PHOTO 
 
The heart condition was accidentally discovered, TheCable learnt, when the former minister of works and housing was preparing to return to Nigeria after a visit to the UK.

He was said to have complained of “irregular heartbeat”, prompting a family member to make an emergency call for an ambulance.

“The ambulance arrived within five minutes and he was taken out on a stretcher, with paramedics giving him oxygen support. It was at the hospital that it was discovered that he had some heart issues which he had not experienced before,” the source said.

Anenih was immediately booked in for a surgery, which was successful. He returned to Nigeria shortly before Christmas but he is “looking pale”, another family source told TheCable.

Anenih is regarded as one of the most powerful politicians in Nigeria between 1999 and 2015 when the PDP controlled power.

He was very close to Presidents Olusegun Obasanjo, Umaru Musa Yar’Adua and Goodluck Jonathan while they were in power.

In 2007, he fell out with Obasanjo following a tussle for the chairmanship of the board of trustees – a position Obasanjo coveted but which Anenih eventually got.

The PDP constitution, amended to pave the way for only Obasanjo to assume the position, was re-amended to allow others to have a go.
Anenih marked his 82nd birthday on August 4, 2015.

Kerry says implementation of Iran nuclear deal 'days away'

U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry said on Thursday the implementation of a nuclear deal agreed between Iran and six world powers was only days away, allowing tens of billions of dollars in sanctions against Iran to be lifted.

There is no date set yet for "implementation day" of the so-called Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action agreed on July 14 in which Tehran agreed to shrink its nuclear program in exchange for some sanctions relief.

Outlining foreign policy milestones of the past year, Kerry pointed to the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action "from which we are days away from implementation, if all goes well."

He said he discussed implementation of the nuclear deal with Iranian Foreign Minister Javad Zarif during a phone call on Thursday. They also talked about tensions between Iran and Saudi Arabia triggered by the execution by the Saudis of a Shi'ite cleric, he said.

"The foreign minister made it clear to me they intend to complete their obligations with respect to implementation day as rapidly as possible," said Kerry told reporters.

"We are currently engaged ourselves in making certain that we're prepared to move on that day. And I think it could come -- without being specific -- sooner rather than later."

Kerry said the United States would continue to ensure that Iran lives up to its commitments under the nuclear deal and press for the release of American prisoners "that have been unjustly detained" by Iran.

Senior Iranian officials have dismissed speculation that Iran is considering a prisoner exchange with the United States. Among Americans held by Iran is Washington Post correspondent, Jason Rezaian, who was arrested in July 2014.

Others include Christian pastor Saeed Abedini and Amir Hekmati, a former sergeant in the U.S. Marine Corps. Robert Levinson, a private investigator, disappeared in Iran in 2007. Iran has claimed that the United States holds some 16 Iranians for bypassing sanctions and around 60 prisoners for other crimes.

Rupture with Iran may not have been Saudi aim, but Riyadh has no regrets

The diplomatic rupture with Iran triggered by the execution of a Shi'ite cleric was probably a side effect of a decision taken by Saudi Arabia for domestic reasons, rather than the outcome of a deliberate ploy to enrage its regional opponent.

But whether or not they intended to raise the heat in a tense rivalry that already underpins wars across the Middle East, Saudi Arabia's new rulers have shown no sign of regret.

Deputy Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, who is also defense minister, reassured the world on Thursday the crisis would stop short of an all-out war between the Gulf region's main powers.

"A war between Saudi Arabia and Iran is the beginning of a major catastrophe in the region, and it will reflect very strongly on the rest of the world. For sure we will not allow any such thing," he told the Economist.

But in the days since the execution, Riyadh has done nothing to halt an escalation in confrontation, demonstrating a level of comfort with brinkmanship unheard of in the typically cautious kingdom before King Abdullah died a year ago and was replaced by his brother King Salman.

The night after a Saudi executioner put Shi'ite Muslim cleric Nimr al-Nimr to death in a high-security prison, Iranian protesters stormed Riyadh's Tehran embassy and Mashhad consulate. Riyadh responded by cutting off diplomatic ties.

"I do not think this would have happened under King Abdullah. Either the executions or the cutting of relations," said a Saudi political analyst, who spoke on condition of anonymity in an absolute monarchy where publicly questioning rulers' decisions is taboo.

"I personally wish they had only withdrawn the ambassador. It makes it less difficult to change later," the analyst said of the decision to cut diplomatic ties.

Salman, the sixth brother to rule as king since 1953, has set in motion the first transfer of power to a new generation for six decades, appointing his nephew Mohammed bin Nayef as crown prince and his own son Mohammed bin Salman as deputy.

Saudis say the rupture with Iran is the latest evidence that the new rulers are less hesitant to act than their predecessors.

Sources close to the Riyadh authorities say the stormings of the diplomatic buildings in Iran came as a surprise, even though such attacks are hardly unprecedented: the British embassy in Tehran was torched in 2011 and one Saudi diplomat was killed in a similar attack in 1988.

Nevertheless, one well-connected Saudi said that while he did not believe the Saudi rulers expected the embassy attack, they would have been willing to risk Iranian reprisals to carry out an execution they believed was fully justified.

"The mood with the government is to push back against Iranian encroachment. So if Iran tries to intervene in a domestic matter, it's complete anathema," the Saudi said. He added that Iranian threats may even have made Riyadh more determined to go ahead with Nimr's execution.

"It's a Saudi citizen convicted of crimes in Saudi Arabia. They think 'we will not take international, and especially Iranian, opinion into consideration.'"

RUPTURE FOLLOWS STEPS TOWARDS THAW
King Salman and the two princes have taken aggressive steps over the past year to confront what they see as growing Iranian influence in the Middle East - going to war in neighboring Yemen to halt a takeover by Shi'ite rebels they consider Iranian pawns, and increasing support for rebel groups fighting against Iran's ally Bashar al-Assad in Syria.

Nevertheless, many in Riyadh insist the government was not trying to pick a new fight with Iran by executing Nimr, a cleric Riyadh had long accused of stirring up unrest, and who was executed along with dozens of Sunni Muslims also accused of terrorism.

They point to a series of steps Riyadh had taken in recent months towards a thaw with Tehran, including working hard to get a new ambassador approved in Iran after a months-long hiatus, opening a new embassy in Shi'ite-ruled Iraq, and sitting opposite Iran at Syria peace talks last month in New York.

Saudi officials say that by taking offense at the execution of Nimr, Tehran has demonstrated its claim of dominion over all Shi'ites regardless of national borders, which Riyadh in turn calls a fundamental threat to the international system.

Foreign Minister Adel al-Jubeir this week told Reuters Iran needed to decide if it was a normal nation state or "a revolution".

End 'business as usual' with North Korea, U.S. tells China

The United States called on China on Thursday to end "business as usual" with its ally North Korea after Pyongyang defied world powers by announcing it had tested a hydrogen bomb.

U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry said he made clear in a phone call with Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi that China's approach to North Korea had failed.

"China had a particular approach that it wanted to make, that we agreed and respected to give them space to implement that," Kerry told reporters. "Today in my conversation with the Chinese I made it very clear that has not worked and we cannot continue business as usual."

China is the North's main economic and diplomatic backer although relations between the two Cold War allies have cooled in recent years.

The vast majority of North Korea's business dealings are with China, which bought 90 percent of the isolated country's exports in 2013, according to data compiled by South Korea's International Trade Association.

North Korea carried out a nuclear test on Wednesday, although the U.S. government and weapons experts doubt Pyongyang's assertion that the device it exploded was a powerful hydrogen bomb.

The test angered both the United States and China, which was not given prior notice.

As of Thursday morning, "sniffer" planes and other sensors had yet to detect any evidence, such as particles in the air, that would substantiate the North Korean assertion that it had set off an H-Bomb, a U.S. government source said.

North Korea also said it was capable of miniaturizing the hydrogen bomb, in theory allowing it to be placed on a missile and threatening the U.S. West Coast, South Korea and Japan.


U.S. CONGRESS TO ACT
U.S. Republicans and Democrats in the House of Representatives could join forces in a rare display of unity to further tighten sanctions on North Korea. 

Nancy Pelosi, the House Democratic leader, told reporters that Democrats would support a North Korea bill likely to be brought for a vote by Republicans next week. A congressional source said it was expected as soon as Monday.

The legislation was passed by the House Foreign Affairs Committee last February but it was stalled until Pyongyang jolted the world by setting off an underground nuclear bomb test. 

The House measure would target banks facilitating North Korea's nuclear program and authorize freezing of U.S. assets of those directly linked to illicit North Korean activities. It would also penalize those involved in business providing North Korea with hard currency. 

"We understand Republican leadership plans to move a bill strengthening U.S. sanctions on North Korea. That will have strong bipartisan support," Pelosi said, adding that "we will support it." 

It was unclear how more sanctions would deter North Korea, which has conducted four nuclear tests since 2006 while paying little heed to international pressure. 

The United States and its ally South Korea are limited in their military response. After North Korea last tested a nuclear device, in 2013, Washington sent a pair of nuclear-capable B-2 stealth bombers on a sortie over South Korea in a show of force. At the time, North Korea responded by threatening a nuclear strike on the United States. 

The test also alarmed Japan. Its prime minister, Shinzo Abe, agreed with U.S. President Barack Obama in a telephone call that a firm global response was needed, the White House said.

Obama also discussed options with President Park Geun-hye of South Korea.
A South Korean military official told Reuters that Seoul and 

Washington had discussed the deployment of U.S. strategic assets on the divided Korean peninsula, but declined to give further details. 

A White House spokesman said there had been no talk with South Korea about any introduction of the so-called Terminal High Altitude Area Defense (THAAD) system, a move opposed by China. 

"There have been no discussions or consultations with the South Koreans" about the deployment of anti-ballistic missile capability," the spokesman, Josh Earnest, said.

The system has radars that can track multiple ballistic missiles up to 2,000 km (1,200 miles) away, a range which would reach deep into China.

In response to the latest test, South Korea said it would resume propaganda broadcasts by loudspeaker into North Korea from Friday, which is likely to infuriate its isolated rival.

The South raised its military alert to the highest level in areas along the border near its propaganda loudspeakers, the South's Yonhap news agency reported on Thursday.

"Our military is at a state of full readiness, and if North Korea wages provocation, there will be firm punishment," a South Korean national security official, Cho Tae-yong, said in a statement

Dow off to worst January start ever as China fears grow

U.S. stocks sold off further on Thursday, giving the Dow its worst start to a year since the 30-stock index was created in 1928, dragged down by another drop in Chinese equities and oil prices at 12-year lows.
China allowed the biggest fall in the yuan currency in five months, adding to investor fears about the health of its economy, while Shanghai stocks .SSEC were halted for the second time this week after another steep selloff.

Oil prices fell to 12-year lows and copper prices touched their lowest since 2009, weighing on energy and materials shares. Shares of Freeport McMoran (FCX.N) dropped 9.1 percent to $5.61. All 10 S&P 500 sectors ended in the red, though, and the Nasdaq Biotech index .NBI fell 4.1 percent.

"People see the weakness in China and in the overall equity market and think there's going to be an impact on corporations here in the United States," said Robert Pavlik, chief market strategist at Boston Private Wealth in New York.

"When you have a market that begins a year with weakness, people are sort of suspect anyway. The economy isn't moving all that well, the outlook is modest at best, and they don't want to wait for the long term. China creates more uncertainty."

The Dow Jones industrial average .DJI closed down 392.41 points, or 2.32 percent, to 16,514.1, the S&P 500 .SPX had lost 47.17 points, or 2.37 percent, to 1,943.09 and the Nasdaq Composite .IXIC had dropped 146.34 points, or 3.03 percent, to 4,689.43.


The Dow has lost 5.2 percent since the end of 2015 in the worst first four trading days since the 30-stock index's creation.

Stocks extended declines late in the session, and the CBOE Volatility Index .VIX, the market's favored gauge of Wall Street anxiety, ended up 21.4 percent at 24.99, its highest since Sept. 29.

Investors also braced for Friday's U.S. government jobs report, which could show how well-insulated the U.S. economy is from international stresses. 


Billionaire investor George Soros, speaking at an economic forum in Sri Lanka, drew similarities between the present environment and the financial crash of 2008. He said global markets were facing a crisis and investors needed to be very cautious, Bloomberg reported.

Apple, which generates a lot of its business in China and is still the most valuable U.S. company, fell 4.2 percent to its lowest level since the August market swoon.

Yahoo (YHOO.O) fell 6.2 percent to $30.16 after Business Insider reported the company was working on a plan to cut its workforce by at least 10 percent. Alibaba (BABA.N), in which Yahoo has a stake, was down 6 percent at $72.72.


Volume has been heavy this week. About 9.9 billion shares changed hands on U.S. exchanges Thursday, well above the 7.2 billion daily average for the past 20 trading days, according to Thomson Reuters data.
Declining issues outnumbered advancing ones on the NYSE by 2,704 to 415, for a 6.52-to-1 ratio on the downside; on the Nasdaq, 2,492 issues fell and 390 advanced for a 6.39-to-1 ratio favoring decliners.
The S&P 500 posted 1 new 52-week highs and 82 new lows; the Nasdaq recorded 16 new highs and 302 new lows.

(Additional reporting by Tanya Agrawal and Saqib Iqbal Ahmed; Editing by Saumyadeb Chakrabarty and Nick Zieminski).

Traders work on the main trading floor of the New York Stock Exchange shortly after the opening bell of the trading session in the Manhattan borough of New York City, January 7, 2016. 

 

Reuters/Brendan McDermid

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Tech executives, U.S. officials to confer on militants' social media use

T

he White House Chief of Staff Denis McDonough attends a ceremony to light the U.S. National Chanukah (Hanukkah) Menorah on the Ellipse in Washington, December 6, 2015.

 

Reuters/Sait Serkan Gurbuz

Senior White House officials and U.S. intelligence and law enforcement figures will meet with Silicon Valley executives on Friday to discuss the use of social media by militant groups, sources familiar with the meeting said on Thursday.
In an escalation of pressure on technology firms to do more to combat online Islamic militant propaganda from groups like Islamic State, the meeting follows attacks in Paris and San Bernardino, California that focused increased attention on the role played by social media sites such as Twitter(TWTR.N), YouTube and Facebook(FB.O).

Invited participants include White House Chief of Staff Denis McDonough, presidential counterterrorism adviser Lisa Monaco, Attorney General Loretta Lynch, FBI Director James Comey, National Intelligence Director James Clapper and National Security Agency Director Mike Rogers, one of the sources said.
A source familiar with the meeting said it would focus on social media content, not encrypted communications, another topic of discussion between Silicon Valley and the White House.

Twitter last week updated its policies for policing its content to explicitly prohibit "hateful conduct." Other websites have similarly updated and clarified their abuse policies within the past 18 months.

The meeting's priorities, outlined by an agenda circulated with participants, include how to make it harder for militants to recruit and mobilize followers on social media as well as helping ordinary users create, publish and amplify content that can undercut groups like Islamic State.

According to the agenda, the meeting also will touch on how technology can be used to disrupt paths to violent radicalization and identify recruitment patterns, and how to make it easier for law enforcement and intelligence agencies to identify militant operatives.

Twitter Inc confirmed that it will have at least one representative attending the meeting but said its CEO Jack Dorsey will not be participating.

The White House and Justice Department did not immediately respond to requests for comment.

Reuters

Arms scandal: No $2.1bn is missing, FG’s lying, says Dokpesi

John Alechenu, Olusola Fabiyi, Fidelis Soriwei, Adelani Adepegba and and Ike Mowete

Former Chairman of DAAR Communications Plc, Chief Raymond Dokpesi has described the alleged missing $2.1bn arms fund as a hoax, saying the charges were meant to decimate the leadership and membership of the opposition party.

Dokpesi said this Abuja when members of the PDP Youth Vanguard named him as the group’s patron.
He said, “Our party is indeed experiencing a massive persecution, political repression and vendetta of the kind never before seen on our shores, targeted at the leadership, membership and indeed sympathisers of the PDP by the All Progressives Congress government of the day.

“I speak with regard to several matters before the law courts of our country concerning the PDP members and especially my humble self on charges filed against us by the Federal Government.

“I must hasten to assure you that there is nothing like the much-flaunted $2.1b arms gate. The competent courts of our land would sooner or later prove this coinage, aimed at decimating the leadership and membership of our great party, to be nothing but a hoax.”

Dokpesi told the youths group that the PDP had not and would not die.

The EFCC had arrested Dokpesi following an investigation into the interim report of a presidential committee on the procurement of arms and equipment for the Armed Forces and the defence sector from 2007 to date.
The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission has preferred six counts of money laundering and procurement-related charges involving N2.1bn against him.

Dokpesi had, however, in a statement, said the money he collected from the NSA’s office was meant for publicity and media campaigns during the 2015 general elections, describing it as a contractual transaction.
The prosecution said Dokpesi and his company had, by the deal, violated the provisions of the EFCC Act, Public Procurement Act and Money Laundering (Prohibition) Act.

He was granted bail in the sum of N400m on December 14.

EXPOSED! How Amaechi Diverted Over N40 Billion Into Buhari’s Presidential Campaign

The immediate past governor of Rivers State and current Minister of Transport, Chibuike Rotimi Amaechi illegally acquired and diverted not less than N40 billion of Rivers State funds into the presidential campaign of the All Progressives Congress (APC) which saw the emergence of Muhammadu Buhari as President, emerging details are revealing.

Funds running into billions of naira were unaccounted for in sleazy misappropriations allegedly facilitated and presided over by the former Rivers State governor. Sources informed about the shady deals under Amaechi availed IGBERETV, details that show how Rivers State’s treasury was emptied into private concerns of the former governor as well as the APC presidential campaign.

In October 2015, a Judicial Commission of Inquiry, set up to investigate the sale of state assets in Rivers State under Amaechi demanded the immediate prosecution of Amaechi and all his cronies involved in the illegal sale of Rivers State assets. According to the panel report, Amaechi misappropriated over N97 billion in the sale of the state valued assets.

“The commission recommends that the former governor of Rivers State, Rt. Hon. Rotimi Amaechi, along with his former commissioners for Finance and Power, Dr. Chamberlain Peterside and Augustine Nwokocha, respectively, should be held to account for their roles in the sales of the power generation assets of First Independent Power Limited and the disbursement of the proceeds therefrom.

“Government accepts this recommendation and directs the office of the Honorable Attorney-General and commissioner for Justice, to promptly set in motion the appropriate machinery for the recovery of the proceeds of the sale of the gas turbines from the former governor, Rotimi Amaechi, and every other persons implicated in the commission’s report,” the Commissioner of Housing in Rivers State, Emma Okah, who spoke on behalf of the State Government, said.

In August 2015, reports in the Nigerian media were awash with Amaechi’s ownership of several foreign accounts. In one of the reports, it was alleged that “the sum of over 757 million U.S. dollars was stacked by Amaechi in a foreign U.S. Bancorp/Minnesota account.”

In swift reaction, the Integrity Group, a non-governmental organization, sent a petition to President Buhari as well as the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission chairman to investigate Amaechi for the over N70 billion allegedly stolen from the Rivers State government.

According to investigative reports, backed with several documents attached to the Rivers State Judicial Commission of Inquiry report, this amount is separate from the N21 billion which the PDP claims Amaechi transferred from the Power Assets proceeds account of Access bank to the accounts of three private companies with a 25 Trans-Amadi Road, Port Harcourt address. Those companies are Advante Consulting and Management Company, Result Imports Experts Company, and Capital Ltd.

The PDP in Rivers State claim that there are many more instances of fraud and theft perpetrated by the former Governor, which is why they are asking President Buhari to probe Rotimi Amaechi’s past. But instead of probing Amaechi, his role as the benefactor of President Buhari’s campaign was fatly rewarded with a government appointment as Minister of Transport under Buhari.

A source who did not want to be named disclosed to IGBERETV that the sum of N6 billion was single-handedly provided by Amaechi to support President Buhari for the APC presidential primaries alone. “The N6 billion largesse Amaechi donated to Buhari just for the primaries alone is what was partly spent settling over 8,000 APC delegates. Buhari outspent Atiku, Kwankwaso and the other aspirants. Delegates were settled in hard currency before and on the grounds of the primaries. Seven bullion vans brought Amaechi’s money into the arena of the APC presidential primaries. How do you think Buhari got the ticket? It was Amaechi’s money that did the job”, the source said.

Amaechi also allegedly funneled over N30 billion into the overall presidential campaign of the APC across the thirty-six states of Nigeria. “Amaechi was the one spending most of the money for media, for the US consultant David Axelrod and most of the private jets and vehicles used by APC during the campaign were provided by him. That’s why he became known even within his party’s circles as the ‘ATM’”, an informed source who pleaded anonymity told this newspaper.

As fresh facts continue to emerge, Amaechi is alleged to have drained Rivers state reserves from N55 billion to N1.24 billion within the time frame of a single year. Out of the amount allegedly withdrawn by Amaechi, N53.93 billion was said to be without a list of expenditure. BudgIT, a civic startup that disseminates budgets and public data, made the revelation via its Twitter handle. BudgIT stated that it obtained the information from FBN trustees, while disclosing the figures.

“Amaechi had access to over N3 trillion during his eight years as Rivers State governor, but failed to leave funds for the development of the state. His only ambition was the wastage of Rivers State money like a prodigal son on his political ambitions”, a senior Rivers State government official who did not want to be named told our correspondent.

More sleazy revelations on how Ameachi ran Rivers State into penury have continued to filter into the public space, the recent being how he allegedly lavished the sum of N82 million on the 80th birthday dinner of Nobel Laureate, Prof. Wole Soyinka.

Despite the deluge of allegations, the former governor has continued to deny the reports. In one report, he denied ownership of bank accounts in the United States and Switzerland. In a statement, Mr Amaechi said the stories were concocted to ridicule his person and achievements. Efforts by IGBERETV to get Amaechi’s side of the story have proved abortive.

Meanwhile, the All Progressives Congress (APC), President Buhari’s ruling party has risen in stout defence of Amaechi insisting that officials of anti-graft agencies cannot probe Amaechi without evidence. The party said that the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) would not touch leaders of the ruling party except it has solid evidence.

FULFILL YOUR AGREEMENT WITH BOKO HARAM, DECLARE NIGERIA FULL ISLAMIC STATE, SEN. SHEHU TELLS BUHARI

FULFILL YOUR AGREEMENT WITH BOKO HARAM, DECLARE NIGERIA FULL ISLAMIC STATE, SEN. SHEHU TELLS BUHARI

S-H-O-C-K-I-N-G!!!
 
Buhari Must Fulfil His Agreement With Boko Haram Leaders – Sen Shehu Sani.
**declare Nigeria a full Islamic state and Implement Sharia law across Nigeria.

“President Buhari should keep his own part of the bargain if he wants Boko Haram to stop the terror. He should stop the begging, and keep his part of the deal;

1] declare Nigeria an Islamic state,
2] free the captives,
3] implement Sharia across Nigeria
4] abolish Western education.

That was the promise Buhari made to Boko Haram leaders, to get their support. Buhari can afford to renege on his electioneering promise to Nigerians but not Boko Haram.” – Senator Shehu Sani, Kaduna state Central.

ABIA CHARTER OF EQUITY: A MIX-UP IN THE ISSUE OF THE UPCOMING SUPREME COURT JUDGEMENT- BY CHUKS DIGITS

ABIA CHARTER OF EQUITY: A MIX-UP IN THE ISSUE OF THE UPCOMING SUPREME COURT JUDGEMENT- BY CHUKS DIGITS


Anybody that is bringing up Abia Charter of Equity or Charter of Unity (Peace accord) as precedence to the upcoming Supreme Court judgement is bias, naive, lopsided and not been fair to Abia People. As far as this contest and the awaiting Supreme Court judgement is concern, the so called charter of equity and unity has no place in it and anybody that wants the supreme court to observe it as precedence of ruling the final judgement is talking shit. Talking about charter of Equity when Isuikwuato people were denied their slot is raising more uproar in the means of ongoing argue baggy. By right it was even the turn of Isuikwuato to produce the governor base on the charter as the name ABIA goes which stands for A for Afikpo, B for Bende, I for Isuikwuato and A for Aba. One will even be surprise that Obingwa people are not been fair to other part of Ngwa let alone the entire state. We have to recall that this same local government alone that is shouting marginalization has produced two deputy governors Senator Enyinnaya Abaribe now 3 times senator and Hon Eric Acho Nwakamma. Though their senatorial zone (Abia South) have also produce all the deputy governors Abia ever had and also the highest political office in Abia state represented by former senate president Aldophus Nwagbara from Ugwa but Obigwa is dominating other Local Governments that made up of Abia South. The same overriding attitude which they have been exhibiting is what they want to use to intimidate the entire state but it might not work. From above assertion, anybody who wants call spade a spade should let Obingwa people know that they are been greedy, domineering and call them to order. It is the same greedy that is causing the problems we are facing today in Abia State. It will be illogical to use Abia Charter of Equity or Unity as a tool to toy other part of Ngwa or the entire state and anybody that is asking for the Supreme Court to use any form of Charter for their Judgement is bias and agent of destabilization. If we must expose what was said during election, some of the statement we heard during election alleged that Okezie and clique have mission of seizing power for 16 years, it was an agenda they intend doing because they said that today’s Abia was originally divided into Ngwa and Old Bende. Old Bende which included Umuahia and they were of opinion that Old Bende have produced governors for 16 years and will make sure power did not reach them again until next 16 years. But because Dr. Ikpeazu who might be willing to dance to the tune of some selfish politicians from the zone, they now want to be silent over the fact that Ngwa people are one and allow Dr. Otti to enjoy his mandate but the rhetorical question is; who is fooling who? One article was made by Kodilinye Obiagwu of South East Bureau Chief and published in guardian with caption APGA, PDP, Supreme Court and questions for Abia’s charter of unity. Having read the article, the article itself is a malapropism which lost focus, dangling and digressing. The issue at stake was not fully address but it is rather a systematic call for Supreme Court judges to tamper justice with mercy and have sympathy with Obingwa people and the entire Abia South. Is that what a rational mind should tell a respectful arm of government that shouldn’t be biased? One of the names he mentioned in his article for example Dr. Uche Ogah who comes from Isuikwuato, a local government that was denied their slot in the stance of the equity decided to keep quite not because he cannot fight but because he sees politics as not do or die affairs. It is not that Dr. Ogah cannot arrange boys to cause pandemonium in the state BUT because he did not want to destroy the state he loved and his only state BUT today’s do or die politicians are willing to burn down the State as far as it will enable them intimidate others to take over the power. As far as this issue has gone beyond Abia State settlement, we must not be bias in action and reasoning. We must not resurrect buried hatches because it will create more problems in the state. We should rather allow the Supreme Court to decide and not putting words into them in order to sympathize with any set of people. In fact if the court should have sympathy, it should be for the suffering poor masses of Abia State that voted for Alex Otti so that they will experience the needed positive changes in Abia State. If the Court should tamper justice with mercy, it should be mercy to the common man in Abia State that has been suffering because of poor leaderships going on in the state. Nobody is disenfranchising Obi Ngwa or others but if we must be sincere we must accept the fact the figure they are presenting is like false and overwhelming even when the entire local government could produce 50,000 votes during the presidential election. It is obvious that such figure has been there as tools for election rigging even before the time of Okezie and they still want it to be applicable in this era of card reading which might not work.

Chuks Digits- From Abia State, a Preacher and a Software Specialist.

FG Starts Direct Payment To Niger Delta Ex-Militants

President Muhammadu Buhari-led Federal Government has commenced the direct payment of salaries into the account of former militants of the Niger Delta region.

The Niger Delta ex-militants were paid the sum of N65, 000 monthly stipends including the three months arrears owed them.

Leadership reports that the chief of staff in the Office of the Special Adviser to the President on Niger Delta Affairs and Coordinator of the Presidential Amnesty Programme, Colonel Dedis Abel (Rtd), launched the direct payment exercise in Port Harcourt, the Rivers Stare capital, on Wednesday, January 6.
The ex-militants were paid the sum of N65, 000 monthly stipends including the three months arrears owed them.

Colonel Abel hinted that the federal government has stopped making payments through leaders of the ex-militants.

“The Amnesty Office took the decision to pay the ex-agitators directly following reports of complicity and short-changing of some of them by the leaders. Reports revealed that some of the ex-agitators were paid as low as N20, 000 out of the N65, 000 which does not conform with the mandate of the Presidential Amnesty Programme.

“Henceforth, payment of the monthly stipend would be made directly to each beneficiary with focus to eliminate cases of fraud and short-changing by their leaders. Similarly, this exercise will enable us to collect biometrics of beneficiaries and to create Bank Verification Numbers to enable government to make future payments through their individual bank accounts,” Abel said.
The chief of staff said further explained that the week-long direct payment was to clear October, November and December salaries owed to over 2,000 former militants, drawn from different camps in the state and its environ.
He also disclosed that out of the 30,000 beneficiaries under the Amnesty Programme, only 13,000 had gotten either vocational training or formal education before this new administration.

“However, the number of those trained increased by 5,000 since Retired Brig.-Gen. Paul Boroh was appointed by President Muhammadu Buhari to head the Presidential Amnesty Programme five months ago. The 5,000 newly trained beneficiaries were sent to both local and foreign institutions and vocational centres to acquire knowledge and skills that would allow them become self-reliant,” he said.

Colonel Abel said the remaining 12,000 former militants that are yet to undergo the programme would be trained in the coming months, and thanked Heritage Bank for its collaboration and support towards the Amnesty Programme.

The Federal Government-led by late President Umaru Musa Yar’Adua granted amnesty to the Niger Delta Militants as part of a desperate effort to curb the restiveness in the oil rich region in 2009. The programme has reportedly gulped $1 billion.

But, Chief Edwin Clark recently urged President Muhammadu Buhari to take the Niger-Delta amnesty programme seriously as it has a way of affecting the nation.

Meanwhile, former militants of the Niger Delta have threatened war if the detained leader of the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB) and director of radio Biafra, Nnamdi Kanu is not released by the Federal Government.

I won’t return the Millions I collected – Northern Leader Yakasai

I won’t return the Millions I collected – Northern Leader Yakasai

 Controversial politician and Northern leader, Tanko Yakasai has stated why he would not return the money he collected from the former PDP Board of Trustees chairman, Chief Tony Anenih.

Yakasai, an octogenarian, was reportedly implicated by Chief Anenih for receiving N63million out of the N250million he had received from the former National Security Adviser, Sambo Dasuki.Yakasai, who said the question of asking him to return the money does not arise, however said he collected only N53m from Anenih and not N63m as the PDP strongman had claimed.
He told Premium Times on telephone that he had not committed any crime as the money given to him was not meant for his personal use.

“I think your questions of whether I will return the money is like jumping the gun, because at the first instance nobody gave me money on my personal capacity. As I told you, the money is for that group.

“And we had, as part of the assignment, visited Borno and Yobe and even met with two traditional leaders. So we have carried out our assignment diligently.

“I am ready at any given time to respond to invitation by EFCC. I am ready to clear my name,” he said.

The EFCC is handling cases of the diversion of funds by the office of the NSA into PDP campaigns.

Faleke’s constituents at House of Reps vow to make INEC declare seat vacant

James FalekeThose being represented by the Deputy Governor-elect of Kogi state, Hon. James Faleke, in the House of Representatives have come under the umbrella of Ikeja Stakeholders’ Forum, ISF, to demand that the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, declare his seat vacant.

Faleke was the running mate to the late candidate of the All Progressives Congress, APC, Prince Abubakar Audu. Audu was already leading in the votes cast in an earlier inconclusive election. His death led the party to nominate Yahaya Bello as his replacement for the supplementary election in Kogi State that was ordered by INEC. This did not go down well with Faleke who is already challenging the decision at the tribunal.

But in a statement issued yesterday by its coordinator, Mr. Olanrewaju Osundairo, the group warned that should INEC fail to declare Faleke’s House of Reps seat vacant, the group would resort to legal action.
They argued that, “By virtue of the fact that Faleke had transferred his franchise away from Lagos to Kogi State, he ceases to be a member of the constituency. He lacks the moral and legal rights to speak for us in Ikeja at the lower legislative chambers.”

ISF maintained that the decision of the lawmaker to contest the governorship has impacted negatively on the representation of the area in the lower chambers, saying the trend must be reversed in the interest of the people of the area.

“You don’t need anyone to tell you that Hon. Faleke has been distracted from representing us at the House of Representatives, all that concerns him now is how to become the governor of Kogi State and not to represent us.”

The statement then threatened that should the electoral body fail to act, “we will compel them to do the needful using the judiciary.”

EXPLOSIVE! IPOB RE-STRATEGIZE AS BUHARI PLOT TO MURDER IGBO DSS THEN MURDER KANU (SHARE)

Information getting to us now is that the director of DSS and Buhari are planning to kill some Igbos working for the DSS in other to secretly execute Nnamdi Kanu. For months now reports have been coming to us on how Nnamdi Kanu is been tortured in the Dungeon of the DSS. Nnamdi Kanu is reported to be very ill and needs urgent care and treatment but the DSS on the order of Buhari have refused to grant him any treatment.

Some Igbos who are members of the DSS have expressed their displeasure towards the treatment of Nnamdi Kanu, this resulting to Buhari and the Director of DSS secretly plotting way to murder them. This information got to us is from a very reliable source and our advice to Buhari is to release Nnamdi Kanu and also to stop torturing him because any harm done to him, will result to a war Nigeria can’t handle. We are calling on all IPOB members to get ready for actions as instructions will be given by our deputy.

Biafra: CD Gives Buhari 7-day Ultimatum to Release Kanu, Metuh

Campaign for Democracy, CD, South East Zone, yesterday, joined other human rights bodies in the call for the immediate release of the leader of Indigenous People of Biafra, IPOB, Nnamdi Kanu, the Publicity Secretary of Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, Chief Olisah Metuh and the former National Security Adviser to President Goodluck Jonathan, Col. Sambo Dasuki (retd).

In a statement in Onitsha, Anambra State, CD also expressed concern that Buhari had formed the habit of cracking down on Igbo leaders at any slight provocation.

In the statement by its chairman in the zone, Dede A. Uzor, CD recalled that Kanu was arrested on October 17, 2015 and a court of competent jurisdiction granted him bail, yet Buhari refused to release him, just as he also refused to obey the court order which granted Dasuki bail to travel abroad for his medical check-up.

CD regretted that up till date, the duo are still languishing in the dungeons of the Department of Security Services, DSS, adding that Tuesday’s arrest of Metuh was viewed as a clandestine move to silence opposition.

The statement, therefore, gave Buhari a seven-day ultimatum within which to release the above named individuals from detention or else CD would mobilize more than 70 million Ndigbo, both home and in the Diaspora, to carry out a mass protest against their continued detention.
The statement noted that CD was not against arresting any corrupt public officers, but reminded Buhari of the need to obey the sanctity of court orders or rulings, which he swore to uphold, adding that it was very dangerous when such leaders like Buhari disobey court orders.

“Buhari should tell us how many All Progressives Congress, APC, members he has arrested for corrupt practices or does it mean that APC members are all clean, including the former President, Olusegun Obasanjo, who allegedly spent over $16 billion on power sector reform without anything to show for it?”