Eleven cases of Ebola (hemorrhagic fever) in Congo including 1 death

Eleven new cases of hemorrhagic fever, including one death, have been reported since Tuesday in the Democratic Republic of Congo, Minister of Health Dr. Oly Ilunga said yesterday(Thursday) in Kinshasa. 

Two of those cases are confirmed to be Ebola. Lab results are pending on the other nine cases which are suspected to be Ebola. 

Ebola virus disease, which most commonly affects people and nonhuman primates such as monkeys, gorillas and chimpanzees, is caused by one of five Ebola viruses. 

On average, about 50% of people who become ill with Ebola die. 

The new outbreak was announced Tuesday. 

Sickness is occurring in the Bikoro health zone, 400 kilometers (about 250 miles) from Mbandaka, the capital of Equator province.  

The World Health Organization reported Thursday that 27 total cases of fever with hemorrhagic symptoms were recorded in the Bikoro region between April 4 and May 5, including 17 deaths. 

Of these total cases, two tested positive for Ebola virus disease, according to the WHO.

The risk to public health is assessed as high at the local level, moderate at the regional level and low at the global level, according to the WHO. 

The virus is transmitted to people from wild animals and spreads in the human population through human-to-human transmission.

 The affected area in Bikoro is remote, with limited communication and poor transportation infrastructure, the WHO said. 

Bikoro has a population of about 163,000 spread over an area of approximately 1,075 square kilometers (415 square miles).

On Tuesday, Ilunga requested support to strengthen the response to this outbreak. The ministry and the WHO have developed a plan to respond to the outbreak over the next three months. 

The full extent of the outbreak is not known, according to the WHO, and the location poses significant logistical challenges. 

Three health care professionals are among the confirmed cases, Ilunga said: "As health professionals are the first actors in the government's response to Ebola, this situation is of concern to us and requires a response that is all the more immediate and energetic." 

Ebola is endemic to the Democratic Republic of Congo, and this is the nation's ninth outbreak of Ebola virus disease since the discovery of the virus in the country in 1976.

 The last outbreak occurred there in 2017 in the northern Bas Uele province. 

That outbreak was quickly contained due to joint efforts by the government, the WHO and other partners.

West Africa experienced the largest recorded outbreak of Ebola over a two-year period beginning in March 2014; a total of 28,616 confirmed, probable and suspected cases were reported in Guinea, Liberia and Sierra Leone, with 11,310 deaths, according to the WHO.

source:CNN

Israel bombs Iranian targets in Syria aftermath of attacks

Israel said it attacked nearly all of Iran's military infrastructure in Syria on Thursday after Iranian forces fired rockets at Israeli-held territory for the first time.

It was the heaviest Israeli barrage in Syria since the start in 2011 of its civil war, in which Iranians, allied Shi'ite militias and Russian soldiers have deployed in support of President Bashar al-Assad.

Syria's Army Command said three people were killed and two injured. A war monitor, the Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, said the strikes killed at least 23 military personnel, including Syrians and non-Syrians. 

Israeli Defense Minister Avigdor Lieberman said the Iranian rockets either fell short of their targets, military bases in the Israeli-occupied Golan Heights, or were intercepted.

Expectations of a regional flare-up, amid warnings from Israel it was determined to prevent Iranian military entrenchment in Syria, were stoked by U.S. President Donald Trump's announcement on Tuesday that he was withdrawing from the 2015 Iranian nuclear deal.

The Trump administration portrayed its position against that agreement as a response, in part, to Tehran's military interventions in the region - underpinning Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's tough line towards Iran.

The Golan attack was "just further demonstration that the Iranian regime cannot be trusted and another good reminder that the president made the right decision to get out of the Iran deal," White House press secretary Sarah Sanders told Fox News.

Israel said 20 Iranian Grad and Fajr rockets were shot down by its Iron Dome air defense system or did not reach targets in the Golan, territory Israel captured from Syria in a 1967 war.

The Quds Force, an external arm of Iran's Revolutionary Guards, carried out the launch, Israel said.

Syrian state media said Israel launched dozens of missiles and hit a radar station, Syrian air defense positions and an ammunition dump, underscoring the risks of a wider escalation involving Iran and its regional allies. 

GARGANTUAN CORRUPTION IN JONATHAN's PDP LED ADMINISTRATION.

............. Osinbajo releases details

Vice President Yemi Osinbajo’s office has disclosed details of mind-boggling corruption during the Jonathan era.

The details were published last night in a reaction to the accusations by spin doctors of former President Goodluck Jonathan, who claimed Osinbajo made unsubstantiated allegations about grand corruption during the Jonathan era.

The statement by senior special assistant on media, Laolu Akande, said the Vice President did not at anytime accuse Jonathan in person, but only said the blatant corruption cases were committed during his presidency.

The full statement:

WE have read reports attributed to “a media office of former President Goodluck Jonathan”. It is clear from the foul language of the authors that the statement could not have come from the former President, but from the motley group of loud and rude characters whose brief seems to be to deny all and anything said against the former PDP government and to do so in the crassest possible language.

The alleged spokespersons of the former President say that facts long in the public domain, some even being used to prosecute several corruption cases are lies and that those of us in government restating these well known facts are liars.

They accuse Vice President Yemi Osinbajo, SAN, of lying against the former President or his government citing their involvement in the stealing of three billion dollars, while speaking recently at The Platform event on the 1st of May.

Just for clarity, I quote the Vice President “Grand corruption remains the most enduring threat to our economy. Three Billion US dollars was stolen in what was called the strategic alliance contacts in 2013, three Nigerians were responsible, today three billion dollars is one trillion Naira and our budget is 7trillion! ….”

Two issues emerge. First, no mention is made of the former President.

Second, the story is not only true, it has been in the public domain for almost three years and it is the subject of criminal investigation and trials both here and in the UK.

The spokespersons also say that the allegations of corruption against the PDP government are mere lies. For clarity, the facts are laid out as follows:

As the Vice President said, $3B was stolen in the so- called NNPC Strategic Alliance Contracts. The three persons involved are Jide Omokore, Kola Aluko and the former Petroleum Resources Minister Diezani Alison- Maduekwe. The companies of both Jide Omokore and Kola Aluko lifted Nigerian crude oil and kept the proceeds. The total sums converted is in excess of three billion dollars including royalties, taxes and fees unpaid for the asset from which the crude was taken. The case is the subject of a trial in Nigeria, and criminal investigation in the US and UK, and the assets of all three individuals have been forfeited in Nigeria, the US and the UK.

The criminal diversion and theft of sums in excess of $2.5 billion meant for purchase of arms to prosecute the war against Boko Haram: The first phase of the investigations revealed several sordid details, many of the assets of culprits have been seized from them and they are facing trial.

The release of the sum of $289m in cash on February 25, 2015: Documents including cash vouchers indicate that the the sum of $289,202,382 was taken from the Joint Venture (JV) Cash Call Account No. 000-0000-11658-366 of the NNPC/NAPIMS with JP Morgan Chase Bank, New York, USA.

N70 billion was released in parts from the national treasury between January 8 and February 25, 2015

In another illegal disbursement, 25th August 2014, N60B in cash in tranches of N40billion and N20billion: The sum was not tied to any project or procurement and was then shared between two security agencies under the supervision of the then NSA. Most of these sums ended up in the hands of senior PDP members some of whom have returned parts of the loot. Some are standing trial for these offenses. These facts are in the public domain.

There was yet another set of illegal fund withdrawals under one week between January 8and 16, 2015, where the sum of N1.5 billion was released in three tranches of N300m, N400m and N800m respectively. This money was released from the MEA Research Library Account

Another document showed that N10 billion was released to the Office of the National Security Adviser by the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) on September 15, 2014. The money was released in tranches of foreign exchange of $47 million, $5 million, 4 million Euros and 1.6 million Euros. A letter from the Office of the NSA in November 2014 further showed that the monies were released as ‘funds for special services’. This particular release of N10B was sourced in November 2014 from a N40 Billion CBN released funds meant for Corporate Social Responsibility, CSR. Investigators showed that this money was released for the PDP Presidential Primaries.

Lamido Sanusi, then CBN Governor was sacked for speaking up about the over $20billion missing from oil proceeds.

These cases of grand corruption and open looting of public resources pauperized Nigeria and left us with little or no savings in the years when oil was selling at 100 to 114 dollars a barrel and we were producing 2.1 million barrels a day. When in 2015 oil prices went even as low as between 28 and 35 dollars a barrel and oil production fell to less than one million barrels a day we had no buffer, no savings, to tide us through.

The amount released from CBN in cash on a single day, ie the US$289M ( N88.1Bn) is enough to fund 244,000 N-Power graduates for a year, or pay for 1.2Billion school meals or complete half of Lagos -Ibadan or half of Abuja -Kaduna -Kano roads.

The Vice President also made the point that in 2014 with oil prices as high as 120 dollars per barrel, the total capital released for Power, Works, Housing, Defence, Transport, Agriculture and Defence were just N152Billion for the whole year.

By contrast, the Buhari administration committed N578Bn to the same Ministries in 2016 with oil prices as low as US$28 per barrel as part of the strategy to end the recession. The government was able to do more with less by stopping grand corruption and impunity.

Recently, the Minister Coordinating the economy in that administration has written a revealing book : Fighting Corruption is Dangerous: The Story Behind the Headlines. Who knows, perhaps her stories too are all lies!

    

Lebanese vote in first general election in 9years

BEIRUT (Reuters) - Voters queued outside polling stations across Lebanon today (Sunday) for the chance to take part in its first general election in nine years - an event seen as important for economic stability but unlikely to upset the overall balance of power.

Cars and mopeds were decked out with the flags of the main parties, loudspeakers blared songs in support of candidates near their electoral strongholds and young people wore T-shirts bearing the faces of political leaders.

The election is being held under a new proportional system that has confused some voters and made the contest unpredictable in formerly safe seats, but still preserves the country’s sectarian power sharing system.

Whatever the result, another coalition government including most of the major parties, like that which has governed since 2016, is likely to be formed after the election, analysts have said.

Getting the new government in place quickly would reassure investors of Lebanon’s economic stability. It has one of the world’s highest debt-to-GDP ratios and the International Monetary Fund has warned its fiscal trajectory is unsustainable.

“We hope we will open a new era,” said Mahmoud Daouk, voting in Beirut.

But some other voters were sceptical the election signalled an improvement in Lebanon’s political climate.

“The situation is actually worse now, not better... we lost the chance to hold them accountable nine years ago,” said Fatima Kibbi, 33, a pharmacist.

Voting is scheduled to end at 7 p.m. (1600 GMT). Unofficial results are expected to start coming in overnight. Election law makes it illegal on Sunday to publish forecasts of how the parties will perform before polls close.

However, analysts are closely watching the performance of Sunni Muslim Prime Minister Saad al-Hariri’s Future Movement party and that of the Iran-backed, Shi’ite Hezbollah group and its allies.

Lebanon has periodically been an arena for the intense regional competition between Iran and Saudi Arabia.

However, in recent years, Riyadh has pulled back from its previous support for Hariri, backing that helped Future in 2009 when it was part of the ‘March 14’ coalition focused on making Hezbollah give up its massive arsenal.

That issue has been quietly shelved as the main parties have focused on getting the economy back on track and grappling with the Syrian refugee crisis.

Donors pledged $11 billion in soft loans for a capital investment programme last month, in return for fiscal and other reforms, and they hope to hold the first follow-up meeting with the new government in the coming weeks.

Debt ratings agencies had stressed the importance of Lebanon going ahead with the election after parliament had extended its term several times.

SECURITY PRESENCE

After the last election in 2009, the onset of Syria’s civil war, the arrival of over a million refugees and a series of militant attacks aggravated internal political rifts.

Rival blocs in parliament could not agree on a new president between 2014-16 and repeatedly decided to delay elections, partly because of disagreement over moving from a winner-takes-all to a proportional voting system.

The new rules are seen as unlikely to undermine the long-entrenched political elite, a group that includes local dynasties and former warlords.

Mustapha Muzawwaq, 65, was sitting with neighbours in a side street drinking coffee. “We want the situation to stay as it is... At least we know the current MPs,” he said.

In municipal elections two years ago, independent candidates did well against established political parties by drawing on public anger at poor government services, including a crisis in which mountains of garbage piled in the streets.

Parliament seats are divided evenly between Muslims and Christians, and further subdivided among their various sects. Lebanon’s president must always be Maronite Christian, the prime minister Sunni Muslim and the parliament speaker Shi’ite.

Voters are registered not where they live, but in the district their ancestors came from, meaning large numbers of voters have to travel from the capital Beirut to villages across the country.

“Voting should be made as easy as possible,” said Raja Riachi, the founder of a gaming start-up, who drove for an hour from his home in Beirut to vote in the village of Khenchara in the mountainous Metn district.

Despite some acts of violence and intimidation connected to the election in recent weeks, no major incidents were reported in the immediate run-up to voting or during the first hours after polls opened.

However, there was a security presence in Beirut on Sunday and a Reuters witness saw a long military column of armoured vehicles and other troop carriers driving slowly into the capital. Security forces stood sentry on street corners and near the polling booths.

Observers from the European Union and other international bodies are monitoring the poll.

Abu Sami, 40, a civil servant, said he was tired of the established politicians. “Today I will choose new faces,” he said.

Reporting by Angus McDowall and Dahlia Nehme; Editing by Nick Macfie and Elaine Hardcastle

“AMCON’s intervention in Transport and Allied Sector; Achievements, Challenges and Prospects.”

This is the full text of a paper presented by Mr. Ahmed Kuru, Managing Director/Chief Executive Officer, Asset Management Corporation Of Nigeria (Amcon) at the 6th Nigeria Transport Awards And Lecture On Thursday April 26, 2018 At Sheraton Hotel Ikeja, Lagos

I will not bore you with the long story that led to the creation of AMCON because we are all familiar with the history of the economic downturn that brought about AMCON. However, I must state that for us at AMCON, we believe that forums like this should be encouraged and supported because our country needs all the developmental discussions, financial and technological wisdom in the world to enable us steer the economy of Nigeria to the very top where it belongs. 

In doing so, we cannot overemphasize the critical role of transportation. We are also convinced that there is no better vehicle to deliver this messages of hope to the doorstep of every Nigerian than the media, which is the fourth estate of the realm; mirror of the society and the voice of the voiceless.  

It is on that note that I commend the Management and Staff of TransportDay Newspaper for coming up with this lecture series, which they have sustained for six years.  

AMCON’s intervention in Transport and Allied Sector; Achievements, Challenges and Prospects.

Having said that, I want to let you know that the transport sector is perhaps one of Nigeria’s most challenging sectors; especially in the light of the massive need for infrastructure in rail, road, sea and air transport to ensure seamless movement of people and cargo. 

The transport sector is a known catalyst for the economic development of nations. It is the wheel that drives economic activities. 

Particularly, the air transport sector facilitates trade, tourism, boosts productivity in the economy, improves efficiency in the supply chain, it is an enabler for investments, can spur innovation, facilitate commerce and provide fast and reliable delivery of cargoes and services. 

A look at major airport hubs in the world like New York, Tokyo, Beijing, Rio de Janeiro, London, Delhi, Frankfurt, Dubai, Bangkok, Singapore reveals that air transport has been a major driving force in those economies. 

 Nigeria seats at a strategic geographic position in Africa. It is like the pipe stand of a gushing fountain. It is perfect for a hub. It is large and has a growing, mobile population potentially making it comparable to New York, Dubai, etc. 

It is therefore gratifying to note that various governments, at state and the Federal levels are investing massively in rail, airport infrastructure, roads and bridges. 

Some of these include the Airport road to the MMIA, Lagos; the new terminal and upgraded runway at the Nnamdi Azikwe International Airport, Abuja; Upgrading of the Asaba Airport and various ongoing rail projects. 

Towards realizing the potentials of our great nation, the FGN has announced plans to concession some airport facilities. As a people, we should reject backwardness by supporting the policy thrust. 

Let companies with systems and capital come into the transport sector. 

 AMCON was created to be a stabilizing and revitalizing tool in the Nigerian economy. Towards achieving our mandate, we purchased non-performing loans of about N181 billion from various banks. Over 90% of this was in the aviation sector. 

To place the companies in a position to recover and generate adequate cash flow, we gave additional un-lending facilities (in collaboration with CBN and BOI) of almost N40billion on very good terms. 

Unfortunately, notwithstanding this support, the companies could neither pay the old nor new loans. 

We have therefore been compelled to appoint Receiver Managers over a lot of the companies, the biggest being Arik and Aero.

AMCON’s intervention through the instrumentality of Receiver Management was first to stabilize the operations of the airlines, put them in a position to generate positive cash flow, then resolve their debt situation through either the owners paying the debts or the sale of the companies/underlining assets.  

Specifically, our intervention in Arik and Aero were intended to be value adding and non-destructive. 

It is noteworthy that the Corporation has adopted a similar approach to the revitalization of Peugeot Automobile of Nigeria (PAN), which today is back to operation and assembling vehicles for the road transport sector.  

Achievements

At the point of intervening in Arik, the company was witnessing  a high spate of flight cancellations of up to 40% , on-time performance (OTP), which measures the promptness of schedule flights had fallen to as low as 15%. Staff, including pilots were owed salaries, in some cases for up to six months. 

Staff morale was therefore understandably low. Several service providers including fuel marketers, maintenance and spare part companies were withdrawing services or were unwilling to extend credits. 

There were indeed significant concerns at various governmental cycles for safety and the possible impact of the collapse of the company on the economy. We are glad to report that this position has been largely arrested. 

Cancellations are down to 4%, OTP is over 60%, all owed salaries of current staff are fully paid, suppliers are now  being paid as at when due. 

This of course has come at a cost to AMCON and not without with the unparalleled support of the Central Bank of Nigeria and local banks. 

At Aero, we succeeded in ensuring that the airline remains a going concern. And with the strengthening of its management, we have seen a refocus on the strengths and capabilities of the airline. 

The Maintenance Repair and Overhaul (MRO) licence has been made active. 

The airline in February succeeded in completing a c-check on a Boeing 737; a huge feat with a potential for savings in foreign exchange demands by local airlines.  

The intervention in the sector has ensured that Nigerians are offered choices, there is an enhanced positive competition leading to improved service offering for the flying public,  

As a major policy drive of this government, we were able to save over 3,000 direct jobs, and hundreds of indirect jobs in the airline industry. We are indeed proud to have played this important role. 

Challenges  

Expectedly, the intervention has not come without its challenges. These include shareholder actions, lack of support by some trade creditors, some foreign lenders, and increased union demands. These were not unexpected and have been professionally and transparently handled. 

The new management in Arik had to take bold decisions to downsize its operations, especially cutting down all the long haul flights, due to the losses being sustained on those operations, and the lack of equity capital to absorb the losses. 

Generally there was the need to reassure the traveling public. AMCON is an asset management company, not a consultancy firm to run airlines. So we got professionals to do the job. They are the ones running the airlines. 

There were scepticism in some quarters earlier on but the narrative has changed. Nigerians are happy with our intervention in the transport sector. However, a lot still needs to be done. 

 Prospects 

With a population currently estimated to be 180 million and with the abundant human and natural resources of Nigeria, the prospects in the transport sector of Nigeria is huge. 

Nigeria is naturally endowed geographically to be a global hub. And with the abundance of water and land mass we are able to create a harmonious rail, sea, road and air transport sector to the benefit of our people and economy. 

In 2017, in nominal terms, the transport sector contributed N1.787 trillion to GDP accounting for 1.57% of total GDP; while the aviation sector contributed N105.86 billion of this number representing 5.92% of the sector. 

According to the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS) the storage and transport sector controls 3.21% of the labour force. We can build on this.

The aviation and transport sector requires solid capital to make it deliver for the good of the Nigerian people. It will require a measure of policy consistency and governmental support to thrive. 

However, from our experience, no matter the capital thrown at the sector, if corporate governance is not strengthened, it will still fail. 

The absence of governance or quality governance and sound financial risk management systems is at the heart of the failures that are common in the sector. I urge regulators to act with courage by insisting on proper governance in airlines. 

I recommend they look at the work being done by CBN and Financial Reporting Council to improve the practice in airlines. 

I will not end this paper without reiterating the fact that AMCON does not wish to be in the airline business or indeed any business apart from its legal mandate. So, AMCON will be willing to exit the firms if the owners of the companies pay the debts owed. 

Where this does not happen, the Corporation will seek to strengthen the intervened companies and undertake a responsible exit in a manner that reinforces the sector. 

Ahmed Kuru, FIoD, FCIB.

U.N. agency urges mandatory training to combat human trafficking on flights

Airlines should offer mandatory training to prevent human trafficking, the United Nations’ aviation agency said in a new document that could further empower cabin crew on the front lines of global efforts to combat such trafficking.

Civil aviation authorities should “require” carriers to teach staff to identify and respond to trafficking, the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) said in new training guidelines for cabin crew co-published on Monday with the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights.

Montreal-based ICAO cannot impose rules on governments, but wields clout in civil aviation through standards that are followed by its 192-member countries.

While the United States already requires mandatory training for flight attendants, it was not known whether other countries that don’t have similar rules would follow suit.

Combating human trafficking, estimated as the world’s second most profitable trans-national crime according to the document, has emerged as a growing concern for global aviation. 

Airline trade group International Air Transport Association is eying ways to strengthen the training efforts its members are already doing “which should be announced later this year,” an IATA spokeswoman said.

“It (airline involvement) is starting to spread,” said Martin Maurino, safety, efficiency and operations officer with ICAO’s air navigation bureau. However, training programs offered by airlines like Emirates [EMIRA.UL] and budget carrier AirAsia are done voluntarily.

Canada’s Sky Regional is the first airline globally to train its pilots and flight attendants using the new UN guidelines on the identification and response to trafficking, Maurino and the carrier’s in-flight director, Mikaela Dontu, said.

Training advocates argue that countries should make such programs mandatory for airline flight attendants, pilots and ticket agents. 

“It’s excellent if they can do it voluntarily but the airlines weren’t doing that,” said Nancy Rivard, a former flight attendant and president of the non-profit Airline Ambassadors International. 

Flight attendants, who can spend hours with suspected traffickers and their victims in the air, have been credited with multiple rescues. While the guidelines apply to cabin crew, ICAO also recommends training pilots and ticket agents. 

“The issue of trafficking and combating this issue involves several stakeholders,” the guidelines say. The UN guidelines advise flight attendants not to confront traffickers or try to rescue the victim themselves. 

More than 70,000 U.S. airline staff have been trained to spot smugglers and their victims under the Blue Lightning initiative, launched in 2013 with the support of JetBlue, Delta Air Lines and others.

@reuters

BREAKING NEWS: BUHARI TO RUN FOR SECOND TERM

Nigeria’s President Muhammadu Buhari has officially declared his intention to run for second term in office.

The President made his intention known at a closed door meeting of the National Executive Committee of Nigeria’s governing party, the All Progressives Congress, APC.

The Governor of Plateau State, Simon Lalong revealed this while speaking to journalists on the proceedings of the meeting at the party’s Headquarters in Abuja.

He also said the party has resolved to hold congresses and elections to elect new party executives at both the national, state and local levels.

F.G RELEASES UPDATE ON TREASURY LOOTERS

The Minister of Information and Culture, Lai Mohammed on Easter Sunday released more names of alleged treasury looters.

Mohammed said the previous names announced a few days ago were based on verifiable facts.

Those in Mohammed’s fresh list are:

Former NSA Sambo Dasuki: Based on EFCC investigations and findings alone (this is beside the ongoing $2.1 billion military equipment scandal), a total of N126 billion, over $1.5 billion and 5.5 million British Pounds was embezzled through his office. A good number of these monies were simply shared to persons and companies without any formal contract awards.

“Former Petroleum Resources Minister Dieziani Alison-Madukwe: In just one of the cases the EFCC is investigating involving her, about N23 billion is alleged to have been embezzled. She is also involved in the Strategic Alliance Contracts of the NNPC, where the firms of Jide Omokore and Kola Aluko got oil blocks but never paid government taxes and royalty. About $3 billion was involved. The Federal Government is charging Omokore and Aluko and will use all legal instruments local and international to ensure justice.

“Rtd. Lt.-Gen. Kenneth Minimah: N13.9 billion. N4.8 billion recovered by EFCC in cash and property.

“Lt.-Gen. Azubuike Ihejirika: N4.5 billion. N29m recovered by the EFCC so far.

“Alex Barde, former Chief of Defence Staff: N8 billion, and EFCC recovered almost N4 billion in cash and property already.

“Inde Dikko: former CG Customs: N40 billion, and N1.1 billion in cash recovered in cash and choice properties.

“Air Marshal Adesola Amosun: N21.4 billion. N2.8 billion recovered in cash. 28 properties and 3 vehicles also recovered.

“Senator Bala Abdulkadir, former FCT Minister: N5 billion. Interim forfeiture order on some property secured.

“Senator Stella Oduah: N9.8 billion. Interim forfeiture order on some property secured.

“Former Niger State Governor Babangida Aliyu: N1.6 billion – from NSA.

“Senator Jonah Jang, former Plateau State Governor: N12.5 billion.

“Bashir Yuguda, former Minister of State for Finance: N1.5 billion. $829,800 recovered.

“Senator Peter Nwaboshi: N1.5 billion.

“Aliyu Usman: Former NSA Dasuki’s aide: N512 million.

“Ahmad Idris: Former NSA Dasuki’s PA: N1.5 billion.

“Rasheed Ladoja: Former Oyo Governor: N500 million.

“Tom Ikimi: N300 million. Femi Fani-Kayode: N866 million.

“Hassan Tukur, former PPS to President Goodluck: $1.7 million.

“Nenadi Usman: N1.5 billion.

“Benedicta Iroha: N1.7 billion.

“Aliyu Usman Jawaz: Close ally of former NSA Dasuki: N882 million.

“Jonah Jang, former Plateau State Governor: N12.5 billion.
“Godknows Igali: Over N7bn

Mohammed, also said those complaining that the first list was too short apparently did not understand that it was strategically released as a teaser.

“What was the PDP expecting when it challenged the FG to name the looters of the public treasury under the party’s watch? Did the PDP actually believe that the massive looting under its watch was a joke? Did they think it is April Fool?” he said.

The Minister said the PDP’s reaction to the looters’ list has shown that its recent apology is an election-induced act, contrived to deceive unsuspecting Nigerians to vote for the party in the 2019 general election, even when it has not come clean on its looting spree during its time in office.

“The hysterical and panicky reaction from the PDP has shown that the party is not at all sincere about its choreographed apology. Were it not the case, the party would have followed in the footsteps of one of its leaders, Senator Ibrahim Mantu, who simply owned up to his role in the party’s rigging in the past elections and said he had turned a new leaf. ”It is said that a true confession is done in humility with an attitude of repentance. It is clear that the PDP does not know this, hence its resort to hubris instead of humility and genuine penitence,” he said.

Alhaji Mohammed said the Federal Government will neither be intimidated nor blackmailed into silence, adding that it will also not rest until all those who looted the public treasury have been brought to justice.

 

Bill Gates says Nigeria has potentials for growt

CNN) - Bill Gates traveled to Nigeria to publicly give its leaders some tough talk. It was a highly unusual move but the tech billionaire believes the country is facing a critical moment.

"While it may be easier to be polite, it's more important to face facts so that you can make progress," the philanthropist told a room of Nigeria's government elite that included the president.

In an exclusive television interview with CNN, Gates said he wanted to speak out to implore Nigerian politicians to focus on human capital and its large youth population.

"The current quality and quantity of investment in this young generation in health and education just isn't good enough. So I was very direct."

The tech billionaire and founder of the Bill and Melinda Gates foundation feels that he has earned the right to speak.

Gates says he has traveled to Nigeria for more than a decade and the foundation is spending $1.6 billion on programs here -- most of it his own money.

Their primary focus is health and their work has been incredibly successful in mitigating the threat of polio, particularly in the crisis-hit northeast of the country.

Gates feels, along with many others, that it is time for Nigeria's government to do better. The continent's largest economy is moving out of a recession caused by a tanking oil price and moving towards a closely watched presidential election in 2019.

In many ways, the country is transforming, with gleaming hotel towers on Lagos Island competing for real estate and the wealthy fighting in the notorious traffic in ubiquitous black SUVs.

But dig a little bit deeper and the statistics are alarming. As Gates points out, Nigeria is still one of the most dangerous places to give birth and the country's very young face chronic malnutrition.

University of Washington modeling, commissioned by Gates, estimates that if investment isn't increased in health and education, then the per-capita GDP, rising steadily for decades, will flatline.

Gates says he wanted to spark action and debate and he certainly has.

Predictably, some see the tough talk as a rebuke of Muhammadu Buhari, Nigeria's president, who has been struggling to get the economy on its feet and stamp out the persistent threat of Islamist group Boko Haram in the northeast.

On the street, many just want support from their government -- whoever is in charge -- because right now there often isn't much.

"These people are just trying to survive, they aren't being helped," said banker Moses Uchendu, while grabbing lunch at the popular Obalende market in Lagos.

It's a bustling market where vendors sell delicacies such as efo riro, a spicy Yoruba stew. Power outages are frequent and the only contact with officials is when they visit for bribes, say residents and traders.

Nigeria is routinely rated as one of the most corrupt nations on the globe. Although the country recently moved up 14 places on the World Bank's ease of doing business ranking, most of its businesses remain in the informal sector where there is little help and loans are hard to come by.

Few businesses pay their taxes and all these factors have hindered Nigeria from meeting its true potential, says Gates.

Uchendu hopes Nigerians are listening.

"I told my friends... that Bill Gates is saying the truth. It is better we are told the truth about Nigeria's economy. It is better we say the truth."

But Gate's message isn't a new one. Activists say they have been making frequent calls to invest in people, and end rampant corruption, all which have been ignored.

"These are not new topics. These are the issues that we have been discussing with the government. We have been engaging with them for so many years now," says Timothy Adewale, a human rights lawyer with one of Nigeria's largest NGOs.

"Nobody will listen. You know, actually, if they are sincere about the best interest of the people, they should listen. It has always been said that the greatest test of your commitment is your actions."

But Gates believes, together with Aliko Dangote, Africa's richest man and a close partner of the Gates Foundation, that if the Nigerian government does a few things differently, then the country is poised for liftoff.

"I really think that of all the countries I have seen, it really hangs in the balance. If they can get health and education right, they can be an engine of growth, not just for themselves but for all of Africa," said Gates.

Shell Suspects Ex-Executive Committed Crime in Nigeria

Royal Dutch Shell Plc referred a former vice president for sub-Saharan Africa Peter Robinson to the Dutch authorities, suspecting he may have committed crimes related to an asset sale in Nigeria.

The allegations of criminal misconduct by one of its employees come at a difficult time for Shell. 

Europe’s largest energy company and several former executives, including Robinson, are already facing a criminal trial in Milan over an alleged bribery scheme related to the separate purchase of a Nigerian oil block called OPL 245.

Shell denies any wrongdoing in that case. However, while investigating those charges Shell began to suspect that accounts in Switzerland and a company in the Seychelles in Robinson’s name were used to take kickbacks from the sale of another block called OML 42, said a person with direct knowledge of the matter, who asked not to be identified because the information isn’t public.

“Based on what we know now from an internal investigation, we suspect a crime may have been committed by our former employee,” Shell said in an emailed statement. “We were stunned and disappointed when we learned about this.”

Robinson worked in Nigeria for Shell from 2008 to 2011 as vice president for commercial in the sub-Saharan Africa region, part of a more-than-30-year tenure with the company. 

His lawyer in the Milan case, Chiara Padovani, wasn’t immediately able to respond to a request for comment. 

She said last week that her client denies accusations of corruption made by Italian prosecutors.

Nigerian Deals

Oil block OML 42, located in the Niger Delta, was sold by Shell in 2011. It produces about 100,000 barrels a day according to Neconde Energy Ltd., now the operator of the block. The deal came into focus after prosecutors in Milan alleged that in the same year Shell and Italian oil company Eni SpA paid more than $1 billion for OPL 245, knowing that much of the money would go to pay bribes to Nigerian officials.

The criminal trial in Milan also involves Shell’s former upstream director Malcolm Brinded and Eni’s current Chief Executive Officer Claudio Descalzi. Both men deny any wrongdoing.

The criminal referral against Robinson was filed last week, said the person with direct knowledge of the matter. It appears he acted alone and took strong measures to avoid detection within Shell by failing to report companies and accounts registered in his name that fell outside the company’s protocols on eliminating conflicts of interest, the person said. Some of the emails Shell is scrutinizing are encrypted, the person said.

Swiss Account

Prosecutors in Milan, as part of their investigations into whether part of Shell and Eni’s payment to the Nigerian government for OPL 245 was funneled to other individuals, have been looking at links between Robinson and a Seychelles-based company called Energy Venture Partners Ltd., court documents show.

A bank account linked to Robinson was frozen by the Attorney-General in Switzerland after requests for legal assistance from the Dutch and Italian authorities, people familiar with the matter said last week. Several hundred million Swiss francs were in the account, the Tages-Anzeiger newspaper reported, citing people it didn’t name.

Shell’s own investigation has so far concluded those accounts weren’t linked to the OPL 245 transaction, but instead may have been used for kickbacks from the sale of OML 42, the person said.

“On OPL 245, we continue to believe, from our review of the prosecutor of Milan’s file and all of the information and facts currently available to us, there is no case to convict Shell or its former employees,” Shell said by email.

source: Blomberg

DEFENCE: Nigeria to manufacture Polish Assault Rifle

Nigerian soldiers armed with Beryl M762 rifles. Source: Fabryka Broni

The Polish Armaments Group (PGZ) holding company and Defence Industries Corporation of Nigeria (DICON) signed a letter of intent on 26 March covering the production of Beryl M762 assault rifles in Nigeria, the rifle’s manufacturer Fabryka Broni announced.

Signed by PGZ president Jakub Skiba and DICON director general Major General Bamidele Ogunkale, the memorandum determines three phases of technology transfer: initial assembling, partial manufacturing, and finally full production of the assault rifles at the Ordnance Factory Complex in Kaduna.

It was not announced how many rifles will be produced in Nigeria.

Nigeria’s 2017 federal budget proposal allocated NGN364 million (USD1 million) and NGN390 million respectively to establish production lines for the Beryl M762 and AK-47 assault rifles, the latter possibly being a reference to the OBJ-006, a Kalashnikov derivative unveiled by DICON in 2006.

The Beryl M762 is an export variant of the Polish military’s 5.56 mm Beryl wz. 96C service rifle that is chambered in 7.62×39 mm. It has accessory rails, uses standard AK-47 magazines, and has a fire selector with single shot, three-round burst, and full-automatic modes.