ORTOM PROMISED TO STEP UP PAYMENT OF SALARIES AS FEDERAL ALLOCATION IMPROVES.

ORTOM PROMISED TO STEP UP PAYMENT OF SALARIES AS FEDERAL ALLOCATION IMPROVES. story by Rose Ameh.

Civil servants in Benue have been assured of prompt payment of salaries now that a considerable improvement has been effected in the Federal allocation. The governor who made the assertion in a thanksgiving service at Yaikyor, Makurdi yesterday also announced a cancellation of his planned foreign trip to Europe and America which he attributed to paucity of funds in the states' treasury and has also assured of a refund of the N21 million already paid to him for the said trip. Governor Ortom particularly disclosed that those owed February and March salaries will be paid shortly and reiterated his resolve to maintain a style of leadership hinged on transparency and accountability.

Nigeria: Boko Haram Split in Leadership Crisis

Culled from allafrica

chief Abubakar Shekau has resurfaced for the first time in months, rejecting reports that the west African jihadi group has a new leader and insisting he's still in charge. Analysts say the group is divided. A interview published Wednesday in an Arabic-language magazine said to be linked to IS introduced Nigerian militant Abu Musab al-Barnawi as BOKO HARAM leader This prompted the group's elusive long time chief, Abubakar Shekau, to break his silence for the first time in months. He released an audio message on Thursday insisting he was still in charge. "We are still in the cause of Allah and will never depart in the struggle to establish an Islamic caliphate," Shekau said in the 10 minute recording. Experts have confirmed the voice is Shekau's. Sahara Reporters published a full translation of the message. Different loyalties A split within the group has been developing for the past few months, says DW's northern Nigeria correspondent Muhammad Al Amin. But the interview with al-Banarwi and Shekau's audio message have brought the division out in the open. Unconfirmed local reports suggest that fighting has already broken out between militants loyal to al-Banarwi and those allied to Shekau, says Al Amin. Shehu Umar, a security analyst from northern Nigeria, told DW that the leadership crisis could be a chance for the Nigerian government to further curtail the terrorist group. "This is a golden opportunity for Nigerian intelligence," he said. Counterterrorism operations, set in motion by President Muhamadu Buhari, have succeded in reducing the number of Boko Haram attacks in the country. Pledge of allegiance Shekau, who has led Boko Haram since 2009, declared the Nigerian militant group's allegiance to IS in March 2015. At that time, Shekau announced that Boko Haram should be known as the Islamic State's West Africa Province. South African security analyst Ryan Cummings told DW that co-operation between the jihadi groups could be purely nominal. "We have no evidence that Islamic State has been providing any form of logistical or operational patronage to Boko Haram," he said. Shekau led the group in an insurgency that has left 20,000 people dead and forced 2.6 million people to flee their homes. A Nigerian security analyst told the news agency AFP on Wednesday that Shekau was seen as disorganised and unreliable, and that IS's announcement of a new leader may be an attempt to clean up Boko Haram's reputation among jihadists. Conflicting ideologies The group's barbaric actions under Shekau's leadership sparked a breakaway faction, Ansaru. Al-Barnawi is said to be allied to Ansaru, which split from Boko Haram in 2012 because it disagrees with the indiscriminate killing of civilians, especially Muslims. In Wednesday's interview, Al Barnawi said he would end attacks on mosques and markets used by ordinary Muslims, instead threatening to kill Christians and bomb churches. Varying concern That's no reassurance to people living in the areas affected by Boko Haram's insurgency, which has spread from Northern Nigeria to parts of Cameroon, Chad and Niger. "Even if they say they will not be attacking mosques, people are not going to believe it, because they know how dangerous this group is," says DW correspondent Al-Amin. But for many Nigerians, Boko Haram's leadership battle is not hugely worrying. The crackdown by the Nigerian government and military has made significant progress in weakening the group. Most citizens believe the group no longer has the power to attack on the same scale as it has in the past. Weaker than ever The Nigerian military, which has retaken most of the land captured by Boko Haram in 2014, told the Nigerian news agency that the news of the group's new leader was just a cry for attention from a severely weakened organization. "We are seeing a group that has lost a lot of territory, they have seen a number of their key figures arrested, they are also facing a more coordinated war effort against their positions," said analyst Cummings. Unpredictable evolution Still, the current developments are a reminder of the unpredictability of the jihadist group which has spread terror across West Africa in recent years. "With Boko Haram, even when the group appears to be on the decline, they have often just evolved in terms of the prevailing circumstances and shown that they are still able to provide quite a significant threat in the theatre in which they operate," Cummings said.

MEND insists Jonathan responsible for Avengers.

Culled from Sahara reporter.

– MEND has stand by its allegation that Goodluck Jonathan is responsible for the Avengers – The group accused the former president of failing to act when necessary – It exonerated President Buhari of any wrong-doing. The Movement for the Movement for the Emancipation of the Niger Delta (MEND) has replied Goodluck Jonathan and insisted he is responsible for the activities of the Niger Delta Avengers. The Avengers has claimed responsibility for series of bombing of oil and gas pipelines in the region but during the weekend, a splinter group, Reformed Niger Delta Avengers released a list of its alleged sponsors and named the former president as one of them. According to Sahara Reporters MEND in a reply to Jonathan insisted that he was responsible for the formation of the infamous group by failing to deal with them when he had the opportunity. MEND exonerated President Muhammadu Buhari of any wrong doing. The attention of the Movement for the Emancipation of the Niger Delta (MEND) has been drawn to a statement issued by one Ikechukwu Eze, on behalf of former President Goodluck Jonathan purporting to dissociate the former President from the allegation leveled against him by the Reformed Niger Delta Avengers (RNDA) that, the former President was the Grand Patron of the Niger Delta Avengers (NDA). With all due respect, the entire statement was deeply provocative and embarrassingly misconceived as it woefully failed to address the core the issue of whether or not; the former President was indeed, the Grand Patron of the NDA. Rather, the statement employed diversionary Tactics which dwelt extensively on sour grapes! Any follower of events in Nigeria and the Niger Delta who was privileged to read the statement released by Mr. Jonathan would immediately observe that the former President had a score to settle with the Okah brothers as well as with MEND who have since May 30, 2014, stopped attacks on Nigeria’s oil and gas assets; and are currently engaged in dialogue with the Federal Government to find sustainable ways and means of ending the festering Niger Delta crises which were exacerbated by the former President’s ineptitude, incompetence and corruption during the 6years he governed the country.: Niger Delta group confirms Jonathan’s meeting with militants Indeed, the problem in the Niger Delta today has nothing to do with the current Administration of President Muhammadu Buhari. Far from it! The problem is simply, the failure of Mr. Jonathan to address the root issues confronting the region when he was at the helm. Even though he was from the impoverished region; and had, by his own admission in numerous electioneering campaigns, experienced the utter poverty and abject neglect of the region foisted by successive Nigerian Governments and the International Oil Companies since the discovery of oil in 1958 at Oloibiri (a few meters away from his native Otuoke) in Bayelsa state, Mr. Jonathan disappointingly frittered away the opportunity to rescue his people when the Nigerian Presidency fortuitously landed on his laps, virtually on a platter of gold. For 6 whole years, Mr. Jonathan was busy drinking, making merry and generally chasing shadows at the State House. Such a fellow deserves to be ostracized from the assembly of reasonable men; because the Nigerian Presidency might never come back to the Niger Delta region as cheap as it came to Mr. Jonathan; perhaps, in the next 100 years. Lest we forget, MEND was at the forefront of the armed struggle back in 2006/2007 which forced the then Government of President Olusegun Obasanjo to consider the option of drafting an Ijaw into the mainstream of Nigerian politics. That was how the perpetually timid and naïve Dr. Goodluck Ebele Jonathan became Vice President and later, President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria. When he assumed the reins as President, he did the unthinkable; he tracked down perceived MEND leaders and promptly got them imprisoned on a trumped-up charge of attempt to assassinate him. Up until today, Mr. Jonathan is still suffering from an assassination paranoia complex (APC). Secondly, a substantial portion of Mr. Jonathan’s statement, unfortunately, dwelt on judicial matters which are pending in various courts in Nigeria and South Africa. For instance ,Mr. Henry Okah’s Appeal in South Africa’s Supreme Court is due for Hearing this August; while his brother, Charles’ ongoing trial in Nigeria is pending before Hon. Justice Gabriel Kolawole of the Federal High Court in Abuja. The former President’s statement was therefore, most highly contemptuous, injurious to the credit of MEND and the Okah brothers; and, above all, prejudicial to the eventual outcome of the ongoing trials in South African and Nigerian courts, respectively. Consequently, both brothers shall, on account of the former President’s prejudicial statement, institute legal action against him in South Africa and Nigeria within 60 days, commencing from today, August 9, 2016. Accordingly, they have briefed their respective Solicitors to formally engage the former President in litigation. READ ALSO: Jonathan denies sponsoring Niger Delta Avengers Back to the core issue. MEND cannot hold brief for the RNDA who pointedly accused Mr. Jonathan of complicity in fueling the ongoing Niger Delta crisis ;and patronizing the NDA, apparently for political reasons. We are however ,quick to point out the fact that, the RNDA has merely vindicated MEND’s belief and conviction that, the former President and his cronies who lost the 2015 Presidential election were using the illegal and treasonable NDA platform to destabilize President Buhari’s Government. 9. Finally, MEND is committed to working with the current Administration to bring peace, stability and development to the Niger Delta region. The process has since commenced with the constitution of the FEDERAL GOVERNMENT-MEND AARON TEAM 2, Dialogue, Peace and Development Initiative. Between August 22, 2016 and October 7, 2016 the AaronTeam shall embark on a tour of the Niger Delta region. The proposed tour is code-named “OPERATION MOSES.” The key focus of the tour is to persuade militants to ceasefire and support President Muhammadu Buhari in his determined and sincere effort to develop the region. The tour shall also help to boost Nigeria’s oil production capacity as well as improve host community relations with oil and gas companies in the country. Meanwhile, Chief Ayiri Emami has urged President Buhari to critically investigate Goodluck Jonathan and other persons named as sponsors of Niger Delta Avengers. He said: “The revelation by the splinter group of Niger Delta Avengers about the sponsors of Niger Delta Avengers has vindicated my earlier position that some corrupt politicians running away from justice are the brains behind the criminal group.” “Nigerians should not take the report by Sahara reporters with a pinch of salt and President Muhammadu Buhari should ensure that the fresh revelation is properly investigated with a view to bringing all those behind the economic and political sabotage to book. “I say so emphatically because these failed and corrupt politicians are determined to bring down the economy of Nigeria and rubbish the President Buhari’s administration before gullible Nigerians.”

LAGOS INVASION

Militants regroup, engage soldiers, police in gun battle On July 28, Sounds of sporadic shots by gunmen suspected to be Niger Delta militants, continued yesterday at the Ewedogbon end of Totowu. Police confirmed that they were said to have fired for several hours without coming out of the creeks. But no life was lost. Unconfirmed report had it that the militants engaged a joint military and police team in another gun battle at the riverine community in Ishuti, Igando, old Alimosho Local Government Area of Lagos State for a second day running. However, police sources claimed there was no confrontation. Rather, a joint military and police team, according to sources, were stationed at the river banks to confront the militants who were said to have remained inside the canal, from where they fired continuously. Reports of attack OUR sources was reliably informed that the gunmen staged a comeback shortly after the Lagos State Commissioner of Police, who visited the scene, left. Rumours went round that the command’s boss had been attacked with some of the policemen shot. It was learned that leader of the gunmen, who attacked the community, lives within the Ewedogbon/Akesan axis. Sources said that the home of the kingpin had been razed by the residents to avoid its use as attack base. The militants, in its latest onslaught, invaded Ewedogbon community, early Tuesday, shooting sporadically, an action that set the entire community into pandemonium. It took the efforts of the the security team to repel the aggression of the militants, though some people from both sides were said to have sustained injuries. Retreat, regroup Men of the Rapid Response Squad, RRS, of Lagos State Command, had to deploy and place two Armoured Personnel Carriers, APCs, and combat helicopter, on patrol to finally repel the gunmen from advancing. The militants were said to have retreated into the creeks only to return yesterday evening. According to an eyewitness, Mr. Seyi Aiyetoro, there was confusion again at about 4p.m., as the militants engaged the joint military/police team in a gun battle, sending residents scampering for safety. RRS source confirms attack An official of the RRS, who confirmed the report on condition of anonymity, said: “We received a distress call that the militants regrouped in an attempt to seize the community again. “They were said to have engaged the joint military/police team stationed there in a gun battle. “As I speak, (at about 6p.m. yesterday), the gun battle is still on, but report said the militants had started retreating into the creeks again.” The suspected Niger Delta militants stormed the riverine community attacking and harassing the residents, who are mainly Aworis, inhabitants of Ogun suburb. The community was said to have been deserted. The militants, who came in two speed boats, were said to be the same group that likely kidnapped the traditional ruler, Oniba of Iba, Oba Yushau Oseni. At press time, police helicopters were sighted hovering above the waterways, apparently with a view to ascertain the militants location. Police assurance Meanwhile, Lagos State Commissioner of Police, Mr. Fatai Owoseni, visited Ewedogbon/Akesan commu-nity yesterday, assuring residents that the command would do everything within its reach to ensure their safety. In an interview with Vanguard, the Police Public Relation Officer, SP Dolapo Badmus, explained that the CP’s visit was aimed at getting a firsthand information about developments in the area. Her words: “Police have dominated the area. We are going to sustain that for a long time, while the Marine Police Command is stepping up its operations. We are not leaving anything to chance.

A CARETAKER CHAIRMAN AND HIS CARELESS PRESS STATEMENT.

Attention has been drawn to a press statement purportedly released by caretaker chairman of Agatu LG, condemning and calling Bar Paul Edeh (Convener 1 Idoma Initiative) names. According to Enenche Comedian, he said the caretaker chairman of Agatu Local Government accused Bar Paul to be a "non Agatu", that goes about collecting money for Agatu course. Let us keep the records straight, the idea for the March 2nd protest that brought Agatu genocide to limelights was conceived in Bar Paul's sitting room on the 27th of Feb., 2016 by Paul and i. Bar Paul is not a hungry man, God has blessed him and I personally know how much of his personal money that have gone into this struggle. They are more than 30 persons I know of, that Bar Paul is putting roof over their heads in Abuja for free. The Agatu struggle was born out of love and passion for homeland, but today Bar Paul is been tagged "a non-Agatu". Where was Joseph Ngbede, when Bar Paul "a non-Agatu" was running from Force HQtrs. to National Assembly, from Ministry of Justice to Media Houses crying and telling them the Agatu story? Where was Joseph Ngbede when Bar Paul "a non-Agatu" led a protest in Abuja to end the killings of our people back home? Bar Paul is not a hungry man, calling him names at this time is very unfortunate and ignorant. When Bar Paul "a non-Agatu", escorted trailer loads of relief materials, he didn't channel any to his non-Agatu village in Ogbadibo, but he channelled all to Agatu. When Bar Paul (a non-Agatu) at one time paid his hard earn 2 Million naira to Media Houses to sustain the hype of Agatu genocide, where was Joseph Ngbede? The just concluded Agatu Peace Concert cost money, Bar Paul Edeh sank 1 Million Naira during preparation, where was Joseph Ngbede? The venue of the concert was 840, 000 Naira, go to Sheraton Abuja and inquire, the stage, sound and light cost slightly less than 500,000. We didn't pay any artiste, we booked their flights, hotels and logistics. Sales from tickets was less than 600,000 Naira. We have records of every Kobo spent and we are making it public before the end of the week. The next phase of the concert is the DVD, we played two documentaries on Agatu genocide during the concert. We are trying to explore ways to massively distribute the videos and keep the media nerves of the genocide alive. If we must make money, it can never be with the blood of our people back home. God and humanity would never forgive us. So, if anyone is expecting anything in any form or guise, he is wasting his time. The proceeds from the concert is strictly going into sending Agricultural inputs to our people in Agatu... what they need now is empowerment to move on. If Joseph Ngbede thinks Bar Paul made a statement that he shouldn't have made, why didn't he approach him to talk to him, instead of bombarding him with names? We are aware that some elements are not happy with our rising profile and are doing everything to sabotage our efforts, but if Joseph Ngbede must do the biddings of his employers, then he must do it with utmost sense of decorum and posterity. Our revived and holistic zeal to to add value and life to our people back home must never be sacrificed on the altar of personal political fireworks..

The N750bn agriculture intervention fund

food5 — 24th May 2016 The Federal Government recently underscored its commitment to the diversification of the economy with the approval of a N750 billion Agriculture Intervention Fund to be managed by the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN). The cheering news was broken by Heineken Lokpobiri, Minister of State for Agriculture, at the 2016 National Summit of the Poultry Association of Nigeria (PAN). Agriculture is a veritable route out of the present economic quagmire precipitated by our unwise over-dependence on oil. It is one of our strongest areas of economic strength and government is right to focus on it in a bid to diversify the economy. We welcome this new commitment to agriculture. It is a sector which served the nation very well in the past, especially in the years before and immediately after our independence. As government re-traces its steps, and learns from the experiences of nations where food security promotes national security and development, we urge it to move forward with good planning and disciplined execution of identified programmes. Let government take necessary steps to make the N750bn intervention fund available for disbursement. We are not unaware that similar plans made by some of our past governments were never executed. We urge the government to ensure that this fund and others still in the pipeline such as Jaiz Bank’s $2.5 million and another undisclosed amount from the African Development Bank (ADB) are made available to our farmers. We recall that the former President Goodluck Jonathan administration similarly focused on agriculture in its bid to diversify the economy, and it recorded modest successes, especially in cassava and rice production. The proposed N750bn is a lot of money. It has to be properly managed if it is to have the desired impact on the lives of the citizenry and the national economy. What this will require is for government and relevant stakeholders to painstakingly determine the special intervention areas the new fund will be deployed into and the expected outcomes. Just how much of the money should go into crop farming, for example? Which are the crops we are prioritizing and for what purpose? As Dr. Ayoola Oduntan, President of PAN, disclosed at the event, the government does not often consult widely enough before taking such decisions. This is wrong and should be quickly corrected, especially at this time that synergy is required to achieve the desired results in this critical sector of the economy. It is good that government is making efforts to make this fund accessible and attractive to the people who really need it. One reason farmers find it difficult to obtain credit facilities in commercial banks is the high interest on loans which is unrealistic for agricultural purposes. The plan, therefore, to make the present fund available to farmers at less than six per cent interest rate is commendable. We hope that in subsequent years, efforts will be made to further lower the rate below three per cent as presently obtains in the most developed agricultural societies. Having secured the fund, government must work hard to ensure that it does not go the way of other intervention funds in our recent history. We recall with pains, the good intentions of government in the establishment of special intervention funds, some of which later became slush funds for unconscionable public officers. It is, therefore, no surprise that they did not make the desired impact. As a corollary, government must put in place workable modalities to secure this intervention fund. All benefiting farmers must know from the outset that the loans must be paid back. The inability of government to recover agricultural loans in the past made financial institutions to list such loans as high risk. The time has come to correct this poor perception of agricultural credit. The ability to secure and grow this fund for sustained intervention in the agricultural value chain is key to our breakthrough in the sector. Government should be reminded about rural development as a cardinal policy to open up our vast rural areas to the huge potentials of agriculture. Necessary infrastructure such as good access roads, electricity, water and irrigation as well as transportation should be provided to support rural farmers. For agriculture to be truly attractive to our teeming unemployed youths, it must be mechanized and brought completely in tune with modern trends. Again, the examples from successful agricultural nations like the USA and Israel should serve us well in this regard. To ensure total and integrated development of agriculture, all the states are advised to key into this Federal Government initiative. We are encouraged by the recent outing of the North-West Governors Forum on agriculture. In the South-West, a template for collaboration already exists from the Western Region days when agriculture was the mainstay of the economy of the region and that of the entire country. With effective use of the Agriculture Intervention Fund and other such initiatives, the country should be able to go back to the days when agriculture was the pillar of the economy. Nigeria can be financially strong again and enjoy food security if we give agriculture the pride of place it deserves.

Fayose: kill erring herdsmen, cows

Ekiti State Governor Ayo Fayose yesterday declared a war on herdsmen, who are unleashing terror in communities in the state. The governor urged the people to rise against the herdsmen and kill them to defend their lives, families and farmlands. Fayose visited Oke-Ako community in Ikole Local Government Area, where suspected herdsmen killed two residents and injured four others in a night attack on Friday. He was accompanied by Commissioner of Police, Etop James; Director of Department of State Services (DSS) Andrew Iorkay; Commandant of Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps John Ikemefuna and traditional rulers led by the Elekole of Ikole-Ekiti, Oba Adewumi Fasiku. The community has become a ghost town as many residents have fled.