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.

Exposing the lies of politically controlled EFCC chairman who claimed that no petition has been written against corrupt APC leaders

Exposing the lies of politically controlled EFCC chairman who claimed that no petition has been written against corrupt APC leaders

Behold the petition  against the APC Presidential sponsor, Rotimi Amaechi:
THE INTEGRITY GROUP
KM 11 ELEME JUNCTION INTERCHANGE
PORT HARCOURT – ABA EXPRESS WAY
ELELENWO – RIVERS STATE

#BIAFRA : IS GENEVIEVE NNAJI’S ABUJA ESTATE DEVELOPMENT A WISE CHOICE?

Currently we came across a picture shared on Genevieve Nnaji’s wall of an estate she’s currently developing in Abuja, do you think it’s important to do this in a hinterland far away from her land? You can see her inspect the development of the estate. At this critical time the people of Biafra are talking of their own sovereign country Biafra. We want to know what you think.

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.

Why we cannot arrest corrupt APC big weight – EFCC

At the wake of the ongoing war against corruption, which many view as being selective, the Chairman of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, Ibrahim Magu, has said that the commission is unable to prosecute perceived corrupt members of the All Progressives Congress, APC, because it is yet to receive any petition against them.

Magu, who made the disclosure on Wednesday, January 6, 2016 in Abuja at a forum with online and broadcast media managers, said more influential Nigerians would soon be arrested to face prosecution as the EFCC under him has reinvigorated the fight against corruption in Nigeria.

The EFCC boss made this revelation at the backdrop of series of allegations against the anti-graft agency of being selective in the prosecution on the war against corruption.

Magu while responding to comments from participants at the forum said, a lot of Nigerians have a feeling that the ongoing war against corruption appears targeted at members of the opposition, but maintained that by his orientation, he has nothing to do with politics, hence he is not doing the bidding of any political party.

“Such accusations have come up a lot, but, we work with petitions before us, in fact, I am eager and waiting for something from the other side, but nothing has come so far,” Magu said.

Magu also said he had never been a fan of plea bargaining, adding however, he would act according to the law of the land.

“The effect of this, which is obvious for all to see, is the investigation, arrest and prosecution of some of the most powerful forces in Nigeria, who have questions to answer on their stewardship whilst in office.

“A former National Security Adviser, former ministers, former governors, serving and retired military men, a media mogul and several others, are among those we have called to answer critical questions concerning the management of our commonwealth.
“As we speak, many more influential Nigerians are on the radar of the EFCC, and in the coming weeks, they would have their days in court and Nigerians will be kept fully abreast of the results of our investigations”, Magu said.

The Opposition PDP had earlier noted that while former PDP governors and ministers were being arrested over orchestrated petitions, their APC counterparts, with more damaging petitions were being shielded by the presidency and given “juicy” ministerial positions.

“Instead of the anti-graft agency, EFCC, to act on the petitions against Messrs. Fashola and Amaechi, they were being “rewarded” with ministerial appointments,” PDP had stated.

Speaking further, The EFCC boss said in carrying out the mandate of the commission, he has been guided by the “fear of God, national interest and the rule of law”.

Magu said Buhari’s resolve to fight corruption in Nigeria can be found in his comments during his maiden media chat last year where he swore not to spare anyone found to be corrupt.

He added that the president’s resolve is complemented by that of the Chief Justice of Nigeria, CJN, Mahmud Mohammed, who, during the last All Nigerian Judges Conference, declared unwavering support of the judiciary under him, for the war on corruption.