PRESIDENT JONATHAN APPROVES CHANGES IN MILITARY HIGH COMMAND

President Goodluck Ebele Jonathan has in the exercise of the powers
conferred on him by the Constitution of the Federal Republic of
Nigeria approved the following changes in the nation's Military High
Command:

Air Marshal Alex Badeh takes over from Admiral Ola Sa'ad Ibrahim as
Chief of Defence Staff;

Major-General Kenneth Tobiah Jacob Minimah takes over from Lt.-General
Azubike O. Ihejirika as Chief of Army Staff;

Rear Admiral Usman O. Jibrin takes over from Vice Admiral Dele Joseph
Ezeoba as Chief of Naval Staff; and Air Vice Marshal Adesola Nunayon
Amosu takes over from Air Marshal Badeh as Chief of Air Staff.

All the changes are with immediate effect.

The new Chief of Defence Staff and former Chief of Air Staff, Air
Marshal Badeh was born on January 10, 1957 and joined the Air Force as
a member of the Nigerian Defence Academy's  21 Regular Course while
the new Chief of Army Staff, Major-General Minimah was born on July
27, 1959 and joined the Army as a member of the Nigerian Defence
Academy's  25 Regular Course. Until his new appointment, Major-General
Minimah was the Commander of the Nigerian Army Infantry Corps, Jaji.

The new Chief of Naval Staff, Rear Admiral Usman Jibrin was born on
September 16, 1959 and joined the Navy as a member of the Nigerian
Defence Academy's 24 Regular Course. Until his appointment as Chief of
Naval Staff, he was Director of Training at Defence Headquarters.

The new Chief of Air Staff and immediate past Commander of the
Presidential Air Fleet, Air Vice Marshal Amosu was born on August 1,
1958 and joined the Air Force as a member of the Nigerian Defence
Academy's 25 Regular Course. Until his new appointment, Air Vice
Marshal Amosu was the Air Officer Commanding, Tactical Air Command,
Makurdi.

President Jonathan has briefed the leadership of the National Assembly
on the appointment of the new service chiefs and will, in keeping with
the provisions of the law, request the National Assembly to formally
confirm the appointments when it reconvenes.


Source:
Reuben Abati

Special Adviser to the President

(Media & Publicity)

January 16, 2014

BREAKING NEWS: Jonathan confirms Tukur’s resignation, says new PDP Chairman to be announced Monday

The president said he will give Mr. Tukur a better appointment.
President Goodluck Jonathan has announced that Bamanga Tukur has
resigned his position as the National Chairman of the Peoples
Democratic Party, PDP.
The president handed over Mr. Tukur's resignation letter to the
National Secretary of the party, Wale Oladipo, at the ongoing National
Executive Committee, NEC, meeting in Abuja.
"He (Mr. Tukur) is not guilty of any offence and I am going to give
him an assignment that is tougher than PDP chairman," the president
said.
Mr. Jonathan also said the PDP will hold another NEC meeting next week
Monday to announce a new chairman.
Governor Liyel Imoke of Cross River moved the motion to accept Mr.
Tukur's resignation. The motion was seconded by the Deputy Senate
Leader, Abdul Ningi, and was accepted by the NEC.
Source: premiumtimesng.com

Maiduguri bombing death toll rises to 43

Maiduguri – The death toll from Tuesday's bomb blast in Maiduguri has
risen to 43, hospital sources and emergency workers say, according to
Information Nigeria.

Most of those killed were youth who sell recharge cards and handset
accessories at the GSM Market around the Post Office area, while their
dead bodies were deposited at the mortuary of the State Specialists
Hospital, survivors are receiving treatment at the General Mamman
Shuwa Memorial hospital.

A mortuary attendant  said he counted 43 bodies, many of them
decapitated and some with serious burns.

Read more at www.informationnigeria.com.ng

Jonathan’s administration creating jobs, building infrastructure, Okonjo Iweala replies Reps

reps vs okonjo-iweala

The Coordinating Minister for the Economy, Dr Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala has
responded to the 50 questions posed by the House of Representatives
Committee on Finance during the 2014 budget presentation.
In a 102-page document obtained by Vanguard, the Minister said, in
spite of the many challenges facing the government, the Nigerian
economy has shown real and measurable progress in many areas,
including increase in job creation, improvement in roads, rail and
other infrastructure.
She added that the country is also saving for the future and planning
better for the present.
On job creation, the minister said a total of 1.6 million jobs were
created in 2013, according to the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS)
of which 250,000 were seasonal jobs created in dry season farming in
10 northern states.
The document reads:
" In manufacturing, the Onne Oil and Gas Free zone created an
estimated 30,000 direct and indirect jobs. The government special
intervention programme YouWin supported young entrepreneurs, creating
over 18,000 jobs. The SURE-P Community Services prgramme has also
created 120,000 job opportunities.
"The improvement in federal highways has been confirmed by many Nigerians
who travelled over the Christmas and New Year holidays. Key highways
which have witnessed significant progress include Kano-Maiduguri road,
the Abuja-Lokoja road, the Apapa-Oshodi road, the
Onitsha-Enugu-Port-Harcourt road and the Benin-Ore-Shagamu road.
Preliminary work has commenced on Lagos-Ibadan road and the Second
Niger Bridge.
"The Railway Modernization Programme involving the construction of
standard gauge lines is underway. The 1,124 km Western line linking
Lagos and Kano is now functional while work on the Eastern line
linking Port Harcourt to Maiduguri is about 36% complete. The
Abuja-Kaduna Standard Gauge line has attained 68% completion, and the
Itakpe-Ajaokuta-Warri Line which is presently 77% completed, will be
completed next year. The annual passenger traffic on our railways has
increased steadily: rising from 1 million in 2011 to 5 million in
2013."
Source: vanguardngr.com

Automotive manufacturers await implementation of new auto policy

Nigerian Automotive Manufacturers Association, NAMA, said they are
anxiously waiting for the implementation of the new national
automobile industrial development policy by the Federal Government.
They warned that delay in implementation of the new auto policy will
afford importers time to undermine it and render it ineffective.
Chief Operating Officer of NAMA, Valentine Maduele, who led other 15
automotive manufacturers including David Valentine Chukwudi Obi of DVC
group, Senator Mohammed Sanusi Daggash, Ibrahim Bayero of National
Trust, to commend government for the policy, said: "We cannot
over-emphasize that the essence of giving immediate effect to the
policy is to ensure anticipatory, non-value-adding importers who have
amassed a fortune selling imported vehicles to integrate backwards and
invest a little percentage of their fortune in developing the local
industry"
Madueke said the association consists  of about 16 members now, made
up of companies such as PAN Nigeria in Kaduna, National Trucks
Manufacturers Limited (NTM) in Kano; Steyr Nigeria Limited in Bauchi;
ANAMMCO in Enugu; Innoson Vehicle Manufacturing Company in Nnewi;
Zahav Automobile in Lagos;Leyland in Ibadan; VON Automobile, Lagos;
Leventis in Lagos; Iron Products Industries Limited in Lagos; Gorgeous
Metals Limited in Kaduna; Autobahn Techniques in Lagos; Proforce
Limited (armoured vehicles) in Ode-Remo, Ogun State; Lasbag in Akure
etc.
He said automotive manufacturers have entered into contractual
commitment with Original Equipment Manufacturers, OEMs, to realise
this vision. "We have also assured our OEMs partners that the
government is determined to see this through and they can expect a
stable environment and consistence policy."
Madueke who was elated by the bold step of the Minister of Industry,
Trade & Investment, Dr Olusegun Aganga said the benefit derivable from
the new policy include foreign direct investment, strengthening local
manufacturers, development of auto components, skill acquisition,
creation of employment creation of wholesome industrial development.
Amplifying the support for government, Senator Sanusi Daggash said the
thrusts of the new auto policy are to encourage investments, enhance
technological development and revive production activities in the
industry.
He believed that the new policy has put auto manufacturers on their
toes to compete beyond the shores.
He said: "We do not only have the international market to contend with
but the African market as well. The thing that government has done is
to put us in a position to compete with any manufacturer or assembler
anywhere in the world.
"The fact is that we go to the same companies to get the Completely
Knocked Downs, CKDs. CKDs mean automobile that is imported or exported
in parts and not as one assembled unit.
"Such units are first sent to an assembly plant in the target country
where all these parts are assembled into one complete car. "This
policy is not exclusive to us as manufacturers but to everybody, the
consumers, traders who import and manufacturers. The essence is that
we are now trying to put a formal foundation in place where we can
enhance the industrial sector to grow the economy.
"The logistic of moving things from one place to the other is the
driver of any economy but we known the issue of health, safety,
infrastructure challenges, lost of lives. And now we are shifting from
the so called second hand to improving the quality of what we can
deliver to the average person in the country.
"We are not to boast that we can manufacture Rolls Royce but we are
looking at what kind of market Nigeria has, We have people who are
graduating from school, we have traders and we have people in the
informal sector, and if we have to grow the GDP of this country, we
have to increase the productivity of every aspect that enhance that
aspect of our economy and automotive sector is the key component in
driving the economy
Source: vanguardngr.com

European Union Condemns Nigeria’s Same-Sex Marriage Ban

Disgusting if you ask me...
European Union foreign policy chief Catherine Ashton on Wednesday
condemned Nigeria's ban on same-sex unions as discriminatory and in
contravention of fundamental human rights.

"I am concerned about the signing into law in Nigeria of the Same Sex
Marriage Prohibition Act," Ashton said in a statement. "The European
Union is opposed to discrimination on the grounds of sexual
orientation.
"It is firmly committed to fundamental human rights and the rule of
law in respect of those rights, including freedom of association,
conscience and speech and the equality of persons."

"I am therefore particularly concerned that some provisions of the Act
appear to be in contradiction with those fundamental rights, which are
themselves guaranteed by Nigeria's 1999 Constitution, and to be
inconsistent with the legal obligations enshrined in a number of
international agreements to which Nigeria is a party."

Gay activists have vowed to fight the Nigerian government over the
ban, warning that it legitimises homophobic violence.
The United Nations too has attacked the Same Sex Marriage
(Prohibition) Bill 2013, accusing President Goodluck Jonathan of
trampling over a raft of basic human rights and threatening vital
healthcare plans.
Source: nigerianmonitor.com

I have a $1million watch' - Oba Obateru Akinruntan

Billionaire Oba Obateru Akinruntan, the Olugbo of Ugboland in Ondo and
chairman of Obat Oil spoke recently of his love for the good things of
life and how he loves to be the first in acquiring these things. In a
recent interview with City People, the Oba described himself as a
stylish king


"First and foremost I am very creative and secondly, I emulate the
style of our forefathers, wearing royal beads as an old style. You
know these days, if you want to become a popular and flamboyant king,
you have to use diamonds. Diamond chains, diamond wrist watches,
diamond shoes, diamond ring and my muffler is also made of diamond or
gold. And that will make you unique among other Obas and that doesn't
make you proud. I like to be the first in everything. I have the
largest oil tank in West Africa today. Again my chain of cars, I use
the same type of automobile with the Queen of England, Queen
Elizerbeth, we use the same Rolls Royce and Bentley. Asides that, I
have 7 door limousine Mercedes, I want to be the first in everything.
The Oba who has an aquarium wristwatch that is worth $500,00 spoke of
his wristwatch collections

"I also have a wrist watch that cost $1 million. Aside that I am a car
freak and what I wear with the way I dress, my shoe, my royal diamond
cap, wrist watches, diamond ring, and my diamond Mofila is the new
thing I have added to it now. I do my shopping in London Jeweller, a
special store for top ranking personalities of the world. I wear
expensive wrist watches, shoes and chains all made of diamond". he
told City People
Source: gossipnigeria.com