Netanyahu: Saudi Arabia sees Tel Aviv as an ally

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu says Saudi Arabia now sees Tel Aviv "as an ally rather as an enemy" as he claims "a great shift taking place" in the Arab policy toward the Palestinian issue.

“Saudi Arabia recognizes that Israel is an ally rather than an enemy because of the two principle threats that threaten them, Iran and Daesh," he told CNN’s Fareed Zakaria on the sidelines of the World Economic Forum in Davos Friday.

Both Saudi Arabia and Israel are fiercely opposed to a nuclear accord between Iran and the West which came into force recently. They are worried the agreement could boost Iran's role in the region.

Last week, The Wall Street Journal reported that Israel was actively seeking to strengthen ties with Arab powers in the wake of the nuclear deal with Iran.

Daesh ideology is rooted in Wahhabism which is widely promoted by Saudi clerics and tolerated by the kingdom's rulers. Both Saudi Arabia and Israel support Takfiri groups fighting in Syria. Meanwhile, there is no known case of a Daesh attack on either Saudi or Israeli targets.

Netanyahu also said "there is a great shift taking place" in the Saudi-led policy toward the Palestinian issue, citing Israel's "relationships" with unknown Arab states.

"By nurturing these relationships that are taking place now with the Arab world, that could actually help us resolve the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, and we’re actually working towards that end,” he said.

Netanyahu’s overtures to Saudi Arabia and its allies come in the midst of international outcry after Tel Aviv declared 154 hectares (380 acres) of Palestinian territory in the Jordan Valley as “state lands.”

Yuval Steinitz, Israel’s minister for national infrastructure, energy, and water, returned recently from an energy conference in the UAE, where Tel Aviv recently established a diplomatic mission. Israel’s Channel 2 suggested that the real aim of the trip may have been for the two sides to covertly conduct strategy meetings.

In recent months, Egypt returned its ambassador to Tel Aviv while a group of Jordanian pilots paid a “working visit” to Israel and trained closely with their Israeli counterparts during US-sponsored military exercises.

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan also recently expressed an interest in easing up tensions with Israel after reaching an agreement to restore relations last month. Sudan is also said to be considering normalizing ties with Israel.

400 ISIS fighters killed recently in outskirts of Mosul

On Saturday, Kurdistan Democratic Party in Nineveh Province announced, that 400 fighters of the ISIS were killed in the outskirts of Mosul during the past few days, while pointed out that Peshmerga forces become stronger and has the ability to liberate any area.”

The Kurdistan Democratic Party’s Spokesman in Mosul Saeed Mamouzini said in a statement that “ISIS terrorist gangs attack the Peshmerga forces in the outskirts of Mosul from time to time, but they are not able to control the land,” noting that, “400 ISIS fighters were killed during the last few days.”

Mamouzini added, “Peshmerga forces have become stronger and more capable to fight ISIS,” pointing out that, “The Peshmerga forces have all the needed weapons and equipment, as well as the ability to liberate any area.”

“ISIS in Mosul suffered a major collapse in its ranks that led its leaders to execute dozens of ISIS members who retreated from the combat axes,” Mamouzini continued.

Fayose’s Airport Project: Protest Rocks Ekiti

Governor Ayodele Fayose’s airport project is not going down well with the people of Ekiti state who have been displaced from their lands.

Land owners and farmers displaced by the airport project took

to the streets in protest yesterday, January 20, over what they called “illegal acquisition of their farmlands and unlawful destruction of economic trees and crops,” The Nation reports.

The farmers, from Igbemo, Igbogun, Aso, Iwajo and Ijan spanning three local governments -Ado, Gbonyin and Irepodun/Ifelodun said the acquisition of their land was “fraudulent, wicked, callous and illegal.”
The protesters had placards with inscriptions such as: “Gov Fayose, please relocate your airport to government forest”; “We all say no to illegal airport project”; “Please leave us alone, Don’t damage our life”; “This land is the major cocoa plantation, Please no trespass”; “Igbogun cries over illegal destruction of our property” and “Iwajo, Aso say no to illegal airport”.

Speaking on behalf of the protesters, their leader, Ojo Awe said: “This step is illegal although they may say the land belongs to them but if you want to take over my land you must tell me because my ancestors owned the land before government came.

“The other area where government also erred was when we heard the rumour that the land might be acquired, we went to court and court papers were duly served.

When the process was going on, government invited the monarchs of the affected communities and served them papers, indicating that the land had been taken over, despite the pending court action. This is illegal and unacceptable.”

They urged Governor Fayose to stop work on the project because of the suit they had filed in court
They claimed the government did not give them any valid notice before moving to destroy their farms, adding that they didn’t want compensation from the government but the restoration of their land.

“This government wants to defraud us. Nobody was contacted before our land was bulldozed. The government in Ekiti does not respect the rule of law and when officials come to our farms, they steal our cocoa, cocoyam, yam and banana,” Awe said.

According to the protesters, 10 farmers, including three women, have died of shock from the destruction of their farms.

The farmers called on the federal government through the Ministry of Agriculture to save them from being thrown into the labour market.

However, Lanre Ogunsuyi, the commissioner for Information insisted the land belonged to the government and the farmers should channel their grievances to the right quarters rather than protesting.

“We have a tradition of paying compensation and we would do that. But there is no way government would surrender its power to some people. The land belongs to government,” he said.

About three months back, the Ekiti state government commenced works at the proposed airport site at Aso Ayegunle village in Ado local government area.

In October last year, the governor summoned a meeting with the farmers following the tension generated by commencement of work on the site without prior notice and compensation.

SEE WHY APC SCREENED OUT EKWUNIFE FOR ANAMBRA CENTRAL SENATORIAL RACE

The screening report published by the part described Ekwunife as a ‘fair-weather person’ who ‘dumps political parties at will’. 
See full report below:
pics

Monarch asks Buhari to watch Amaechi closely

Monarch asks Buhari to watch Amaechi closely

Mackson Oromoni, the AMA-OKOSU of Ogbe-Ijoh Warri Kingdom, has advised President Muhammadu Buhari to pay close attention to Rotimi Amaechi, the minister of transportation. Reacting to Amaechi’s recent utterances over the maritime university project proposed by the Nigerian Maritime Safety Agency (NIMASA), Oromoni alleged that the minister was attempting to create problems in the country.
He said the establishment of a university in Okerenkoko community in Warri South-West local government, would bring development to the area. The traditional ruler said rather than scrap the university as suggested by Amaechi, the federal government should investigate allegations of corruption levelled by the minister. During his appearance before the senate committee on Tuesday, Amaechi described the project as a waste of money, a statement that the monarch disagreed with. “Amaechi’s statement is not encouraging. He’s trying to create problem in this country. President Buhari must watch him very well,” Oromoni told journalists on Wednesday.

“There is no reason for the federal government to scrap the school. Assuming President Buhari set up a university in the north and his tenure elapsed, does that warrant scrapping the institution? “Amaechi, who is saying no one will go there to school, is Port-Harcourt safer than Delta State? Are there no security problems where the minister comes from? Security wise, Port is more porous than Delta.
With all the security problems in Port Harcourt, has it stopped people from schooling there? “We are not asking Amaechi to send his children there to school, but there are parents who are very much interested to send their children there to school. “Scrapping the school will not help the current under development of the Niger Delta region. The Maritime University at Okerenkoko is synonymous with peace and development of the region.
Our children will go there to school. “We say the region is not developed and someone brought school to develop the area, now they are saying should be scrapped? That’s unacceptable to our people! If there is a school in the riverine area, those who cannot go to the far north will come here to school. I appeal to Mr President to continue with the school because it is a good initiative.”

2019: Dangote Speaks About Race for Presidency

Africa’s richest man Alhaji Aliko Dangote is synonymous with business and wealth. It is not uncommon that men of his status run for political office or openly veto their support for certain politicians. For the billionaire businessman who turns 59 in April 2016, politics has never been of interest to him. When asked about political ambition and race for Presidency in an interview sometime back, Dangote said.

“I have a very simple life. Never, never. I don’t want to go beyond my life ambition … Most of the presidents, I’ve been giving them advice, whether they solicit it or not. So far they always listen to me. If I have an idea, I can actualize it through our political leaders.”

Though Aliko Dangote is not interested in politics, he is higly-influential in the corridors of power and it is not surprising that past and present presidents in Africa court him. One of the biggest projects he has embarked on is the 650,000 barrel-per-day oil refinery and petrochemical plant in Lagos, scheduled for completion by early 2018. On completion, the facility, with capacity to produce 55.2 million liters of gasoline daily, will produce other fuels as well as fertilizer and polymers.

Abia North Rerun: More Groups Back Kalu

Abia North Rerun: More Groups Back Kalu

The Senate election bid of former governor of Abia State and business mogul, Dr. Orji Uzor Kalu received further boost yesterday when a coalition of pressure groups in the state resolved to back his candidacy for Abia North senatorial rerun.

In a release, Coordinating Secretary of the group, Mba C. I. Kalu, said the coalition, after its meeting held in Aba yesterday which was attended by over 240 of their members from Old Bende zone resolved to give Kalu full support.

Kalu said the decision was taken after members x-rayed the contemporary political situation in Nigeria as it affects the Igbo man and were convinced that no effort would be spared to see that only men who have the will power and determination to face challenges affecting Igbo interests in Nigeria are allowed to represent them.

“Having x-rayed the contemporary political situation in Nigeria as it effects the Igbo man, we are convinced that no effort will be spared to see that the people we project as leaders or representatives are men who have the will-power, determination and the capacity to face the challenges affecting Igbo interest in Nigeria.

“We are convinced that Kalu is one man who has the quality we need at the Senate now, hence, we have resolved to give him our unwavering support.”

The release further stated that the coalition’s choice of Kalu over and above other contestants was predicated on his “outspoken nature and parameters of thought which places public good over personal interest. Ndigbo needs a man with such quality in the Senate,” the groups stated.