CHIBOK GIRLS LIVING IN BUNKERS — GOV SHETTIMA

Borno State governor, Kassim Shettima, said yesterday that there was every tendency that the female students of Government Girls Secondary School, Chibok, abducted by members of the Boko Haram sect, in April 2014, were being held in bunkers, inside Sambisa Forest.
To this end, he has asked the military, which is currently combing the forest not only to fish out members of the sect but to also liberate the over 200 girls.
Shettima, spoke in Abuja, while presenting a paper at a two-day post election conference on security and governance, organized by the Savanna Centre, a Non Governmental Organisation, NGO, established by former Permanent Representative to the United Nations, Prof. Ibrahim Gambari.
The governor, who was represented at the occasion by the Secretary, Borno Elders Forum, Dr Bulama Mala Gubio, said the sect, having operated in the large expanse of the forest for so many years unchallenged, were able to build a bunker, large enough to accommodate many people in the area.
He said, “We are suspecting that Chibok girls are living with the insurgents in bunkers, I think the military must carry out their operations beyond the surface earth. They (Boko Haram) were also known to have dug tunnels to enable them move from house to house. So, having been left unchallenged for such a long time, such possibility cannot be ruled out which poses serious obstacles within the forest, “the governor added.

DON'T PAY MORE THAN N6,350 FOR DRIVER'S LICENCE, FRSC BOSS TELLS NIGERIANS

Mr Boboye Oyeyemi, Corps Marshal, Federal Road Safety Corps (FRSC), said original Driver's Licence (DL) in the country IS N6,350 and applicants must go to any DL office of their choice for biometric capturing.
Oyeyemi said this in Abuja on Tuesday at a one-day workshop organised by the commission for members of security agencies in the country on verification procedure of DL and number plates.
According to him, authentic licence is produced in all the licensing offices in the country and that the process is thorough and saves costs for applicants that follow it up.
"Members of the public who give money and passport size photograph to anybody in order to collect driver’s licence are doing disservice to themselves.
"Going through third party costs more money and produces fake licence to unsuspecting applicants, which is an offence. Cost of original driver’s licence is N6,350 and the applicant must go for biometrics at any licensing office across the country to obtain the licence.

LAWYER THREATENS TO SUE BUHARI FOR DROPPING GENERAL TITLE FROM NAME

Lagos lawyer, Ebun-Olu Adegoruwa has threatened to drag president-elect, Muhammadu Buhari to court, for asking Nigerians to stop calling him “General” from May 29.
A statement by his Media Director, Mallam Garba Shehu, had stated that: “From May 29, 2015, the President-elect and Vice-President-elect are to be respectively known and addressed as Muhammadu Buhari, President, Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces, Federal Republic of Nigeria and Prof. Yemi Osinbajo, SAN, Vice President, Federal Republic of Nigeria”.
Reacting, the lawyer described the statement as shocking and unacceptable.
He argues that by virtue of Buhari’s membership of the Nigerian Army, he became Head of State, and earned salaries and benefits even when he contested elections in 2003, 2007, 2011 and 2015.
Adegboruwa warned that should Buhari ignore his appeal, by insisting on denying his past, whilst he continues to earn salaries and benefits through the same rank that he seeks to jettison, “I shall file a suit before the Federal High Court, to seek an injunction to restrain the President-elect from denying his official and legal titles, or alternatively, to give up, pay back and restore, all the pensions, salaries and benefits that he has so far earned, either as a commissioned officer of the Nigerian Army, or as a former military Head of State.”
The letter reads:

COURT DISMISSES AMAECHI’S SUIT AGAINST WIKE’S INAUGURATION

Efforts by the All Progressives Congress (APC) and Rivers State Governor, Chibuike Amaechi, to stop the inauguration of the State governor-elect, Chief Nyesom Wike, as the state governor on May 29 suffered a set-back yesterday as the Federal High Court sitting in Owerri Imo State, struck out a suit instituted by the governor.
The state Attorney General and Commissioner for Justice, Mr. Worgu Boms, and the APC had in suit number FHC/OW/CS/100/2015 asked the court to stop the inauguration of Wike and the deputy governor-elect, Dr. Ipalibo Harry-Banigo, on May 29.
But at the sitting of the court yesterday, the presiding judge, Justice S. M. Shuaibu, struck out the matter on the grounds that his court lacked jurisdiction to entertain the matter.
Counsel to Amaechi and the APC, Beluolisa Nwofor (SAN), had argued that the court could hear the suit as the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) that was listed as the third defendant, the police (listed as the eighth defendant) and the Department of State Security (DSS), listed as the 10th defendant, all had offices in Owerri.

OKONJO-IWEALA BAGS HONORARY DOCTORATE DEGREE FROM YALE

Minister of Finance and Coordinating Minister for the Economy, Dr. Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala has received an honorary Doctorate degree from Yale University, one of the United State of America’s most prestigious institutions of higher learning.
The Minister was awarded a Doctor of Humane Letters at Yale’s 2015 Commencement Ceremony in New Haven, Connecticut Monday.
She will be only the second Nigerian in the university’s 314-year history to receive its highest honour after Nobel Laureate Wole Soyinka who received an honorary Doctor of Letters in 1980.
Giving out the award, the President of the University, Professor Peter Salovey described Okonjo-Iweala as “a brilliant reformer and dedicated public servant.”

PDP CRISIS DEEPENS AS FANI-KAYODE CALLS NWC MEMBERS COWARDS, TRAITORS

The crisis rocking the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) yesterday took a new dimension as the Director of Media and Publicity of the party’s presidential campaign organisation, Chief Femi Fani-Kayode, described some members of the National Working Committee (NWC) of the party as traitors, ingrate and cowards not deserving of their offices.
Fani-Kayode dismissed the allegations of hate campaigns allegedly orchestrated by the campaign directorate as one of the reasons why President Goodluck Jonathan lost the presidential election and indeed PDP losing the general election.
He called on the NWC members to resign if they have any modicum of dignity as some Labour leaders did after losing elections in the United Kingdom.
Fani-Kayode also accused the NWC of using hate campaigns against the All Progressives Congress (APC) as it described APC as a ‘Janjaweed’ and Taliban party.
The National Publicity Secretary of PDP, Olisa Metuh, had last week said President Jonathan lost the presidential election because of the hate campaigns introduced by the presidential campaign organisation of the party.

I’M STILL IN PDP, ORUBEBE

 Erstwhile Minister of Niger Delta Affairs, Elder Godsday Orubebe Tuesday dscribed media reports that he was leaving the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, to All Progressive Congress, APC, as the handiwork of mischief makers.
Elder Orubebe was alleged to have purportedly posted on his twitter handle @EderGOrubebe, “I have concluded plans to join my folks in the APC to champion and sustain the movement for a better Niger Delta in the new administration.”
But in a statement through his media Aide, Mr. Ekenwan Akwagbe, a copy of which was made available to Vanguard in Abuja, Orubebe described the reports as false and malicious propaganda aimed at tarnishing his image.
According to him, “News making the rounds and going virile in the internet and published by an online newspaper that Elder Godsday Orubebe, former Minister of Niger Delta Affairs has defected to the All Progressives Congress is not only mischievous but malicious and intended to tarnish the good image of Elder Orubebe.

PDP House of Assembly Candidates withdraw Cases at Tribunal Against APGA Memeber Elects

The towering stature of the governor of Anambra State, Chief Willie Obiano has continued to grow in the state as twenty one PDP candidates who contested for seats in the recent House of Assembly elections have decided to either withdraw their petitions from the Election Petitions Tribunal or stay action on any further challenge of their electoral losses in courts.

In a Communiqué issued in Amawbia after holding fruitful deliberations with the Deputy Governor of Anambra State, Dr. Nkem Okeke, the group declared that their decision to desist from any acrimonious legal battles to wrestle victory from their APGA counterparts who emerged victories at the polls was in a bid to enable them to “cooperate with the Executive Governor, Chief Willie Obiano to move Anambra State forward in view of the good works which he is presently doing in the state.”

BUHARI APPOINTS FEMI ADESINA SPECIAL ADVISER ON MEDIA AND PUBLICITY

Less than 10 days to the inauguration of his administration, the President-elect, Muhammadu Buhari, may have made his first official appointment by naming the Managing Director and Editor-in-Chief of The Sun newspapers, Mr. Femi Adesina, as his Special Adviser (SA) on Media and Publicity.

Adesina's appointment, though yet to be formally announced, is said to have been concluded but merely waiting for some formality before the official announcement.

Already, the management of The Sun Newspaper, it was gathered, is concluding plans to re-organise its management structure following Adesina's impending departure.

Adesina was recently re-elected as the President of the Nigerian Guild of Editors (NGE) for another term of two years.
The NGE president was returned unopposed at the 2015 bi-ennial convention of the Guild which held in Lagos by his colleagues, most of whom described his tenure as the “best the Guild has ever had.”

With his new appointment, Adesina also becomes the second person to be so appointed while serving as the president of the Guild of Editors. The first person was the late Mrs. Remi Oyo, who was the SA, Media and Publicity to former President Olusegun Obasanjo.

Armed Robbers Invade Silverbird Awka, Cart Away Valuables Worth Millions of Naira

The emergence of the Governor Willie Obiano led administration has no doubt brought succor and hope to the people and residents of Anambra state, while the giant stride recorded in combating insecurity challenges in the state is on assumable, but some unscrupulous element vowed to make sure the perceived peace recorded would not be maintained.

The unfortunate incident that left many question unanswered was the invasion by some yet to be identified armed robbers that invaded Silverbird Communications Office Awka, carting away equipment and damaging offices keys and locks left many resident bewildered that the sudden attacks on Media houses in the country need a call to enhance security in the media houses by all relevant authorities.