SDP adopts Jonathan

Abuja - Ahead of the February presidential election, the Social Democratic Party (SDP), on Tuesday, adopted the presidential candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), President Goodluck Jonathan, as its candidate in the election.

Addressing newsmen in Abuja on Tuesday, the National Publicity Secretary of SDP, Dr Abdul Ahmed Isiaq, who is also the chairman of the seven-man Committee set up by the party to look among the 14 presidential candidates to decide the one to adopt and support in the election, declared that the SDP had finally settled for the candidature of President Jonathan in the race.

Dr Isiaq disclosed that, “the committee has unanimously recommended that SDP should endorse and support the President Jonathan to enable him complete the restructuring of the polity, based on the Report of the National Conference of 2014.

“The party has accepted this recommendation and hereby directs all its supporters and members, throughout the country, to vote for President Goodluck Jonathan in the presidential election of the February 14.”

He, however, pointed out that “this support is limited, strictly, to the presidential election and does not extend to any other election as the SDP is determined to contest and win all the elections for which it has sponsored candidates throughout the Federation and hereby become the credible alternative, which it aspires to be.”

-   NAN

Missing N30trn: Ribadu defends Okonjo-Iweala

2015-02-04 11:59
Abuja - Nuhu Ribadu, former Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) on Tuesday said alleged missing N30 trillion under the watch of Minister of Finance, Dr Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, was not possible.

Ribadu made this known in an interview in Abuja.

"I was baffled and got deluded for anyone to say that N30 trillion got lost. I think we just have to look at what we earn as a country and what our budget had been in these few years and see how possible it is.

"If everything we earned is not up to that within the period she has been the minister, which is about three to four years, then we need to be careful.

"We need to be careful to avoid more damage to our nation, because there are certain things that when it comes out, it will never go back again,’’ he said

He said that while working under former president, Olusegun Obasanjo, Okonjo-Iweala was the economic team leader and she coordinated the economic policy of the administration effectively.

"I challenge anybody to say that she stole N1 at that time; we were all there, I was in charge of EFCC and I want to hear anybody say that she did this and that.

"And, I followed her up till now. I think it is somehow uncharitable for someone to come out to say that such an amount of money was missing under her watch,’’ he said.

Ribadu, who is the governorship candidate of Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in Adamawa, said that controversies being raised about the nation’s economy was unfortunate, adding that Okonjo-Iweala was of impeccable integrity and well respected.

According to him, when I worked with her, she exhibited a nationalistic attitude that was not questionable and believed in any policy that could take Nigeria and its people high.

"I am a little disturbed with what I have been hearing in the last couple of days where many things are being said and some are totally out of placed with some of the result we have achieved in the economy.

"I believe that even if people are not together working as a team, we still exhibit honour. In our team, she did well,’’ he said.

The former EFCC boss advised that people must advocate for things that were geared towards the unity of the country and avoid controversies that would cause more harm to the system.

According to him, the volatility in the price of oil in the global market is beyond anybody’s control in Nigeria.

He urged Nigerians to help preserve the country’s models who were globally respected, adding that Okonjo-Iweala remained one Nigerian with global recognition of high integrity.

NAN

Asari Dokubo issues fresh threat to attack Buhari

Yenogoa - Ex Niger- Delta militant and leader of the Niger Delta Volunteers Force, Asari Dokubo, has issued a fresh threat to attack the presidential candidate of the All Progressives Congress, Muhammadu Buhari.

In a new video obtained by Sahara Reporters, Dokubo also threatened Governor Rotimi Amaechi of Rivers and former governor of Bayelsa State Timi Sylva.

Dokubo, who issued the fresh threat in Bayelsa state while mobilizing voters for President Jonathan in the upcoming February 14 presidential election, also warned voters from the Niger Delta region against voting for anybody except Jonathan.

200 Boko Haram fighters, nine Chadian soldiers killed in clashes: military

2015-02-04 12:41
N'Djamena - Clashes between Chadian troops and Boko Haram fighters during a raid in Gamboru have killed 200 Islamists and nine soldiers, Chad's military said Wednesday.

"We regret nine dead and 21 wounded. On the enemy side: more than 200 deaths...," a statement said in reference to clashes on Tuesday, adding that the toll could rise since clean-up operations were continuing.

- AFP

Buhari commences town hall meetings as an alternative to TV debate

Abuja - The presidential candidate of the All Progressive Congress, Muhammadu Buhari has opted to interact with Nigerians directly by organizing town hall meetings across the country, reports Premium Times.

The strategy would enable him and his running mate, Yemi Osinbajo explain directly to citizens the policy thrust of their envisaged administration and how the set objectives will be achieved.

Buhari in statement by the Director of Media and Publicity of his campaign organisation, Garba Shehu, said he was compelled to chart this course because of the compelling need to have a person-to-person interactive sessions during which pertinent questions will be posed to him and Osinbajo and responses provided.

The first of such town hall meetings started on Monday in Lagos with a public interaction between Buhari and representatives of Organised Private Sector.

On Tuesday, the town hall meeting will hold in Kano with traders and market associations.

Thereafter, the meeting will hold in Benin with labour and civil society leaders.

Read more at Premium Times.

Over 100 drugged and raped in Japan fake clinical study

2015-02-03 13:12 Tokyo - Japanese police have arrested a man for allegedly drugging and sexually assaulting more than 100 women who believed they were taking part in a medical study, detectives and local media said Tuesday.
Detectives say scores of women responded to adverts seeking volunteers for "clinical research measuring blood pressure during sleep" over two years to November 2013.

They believe Hideyuki Noguchi, 54, gave the women sedatives after luring them to hotels and hot spring resorts.

Once the women were unconscious, he raped them and filmed each assault, police said.
Footage of the attacks was posted on the Internet or sold to producers of porn films, allegedly netting Noguchi more than 10 million yen ($85,000), TBS and other broadcasters said.
Noguchi is not know to have any medical training or expertise.

A spokesman for police in Chiba, east of Tokyo, said officers had confirmed at least 39 victims, aged from their teens to their 40s in Tokyo, Chiba, Osaka, Tochigi and Shizuoka.
Detectives believe they are just a fraction of the total number of women whom Noguchi attacked, thought to number well over 100, media reports said.

- AFP

Over 100 drugged and raped in Japan fake clinical study

2015-02-03 13:12 Tokyo - Japanese police have arrested a man for allegedly drugging and sexually assaulting more than 100 women who believed they were taking part in a medical study, detectives and local media said Tuesday.
Detectives say scores of women responded to adverts seeking volunteers for "clinical research measuring blood pressure during sleep" over two years to November 2013.

They believe Hideyuki Noguchi, 54, gave the women sedatives after luring them to hotels and hot spring resorts.

Once the women were unconscious, he raped them and filmed each assault, police said.
Footage of the attacks was posted on the Internet or sold to producers of porn films, allegedly netting Noguchi more than 10 million yen ($85,000), TBS and other broadcasters said.
Noguchi is not know to have any medical training or expertise.

A spokesman for police in Chiba, east of Tokyo, said officers had confirmed at least 39 victims, aged from their teens to their 40s in Tokyo, Chiba, Osaka, Tochigi and Shizuoka.
Detectives believe they are just a fraction of the total number of women whom Noguchi attacked, thought to number well over 100, media reports said.

- AFP