BURKINA FASO EXHUMES SANKARA’S REMAINS

Authorities in Burkina Faso yesterday began exhuming the remains of former president Thomas Sankara in a bid to establish responsibility for a murder that has dogged the West African country since 1987.
Sankara’s relatives have for years pressed for the remains to be tested, saying they suspect it may not be that of the former president, who died in a coup that brought his former ally Blaise Compaore to power.
Witnesses at the Daghnoen cemetery on the outskirts of the capital Ouagadougou said the exhumation of Sankara’s body and those of 12 colleagues had begun with the families of the victims and lawyers present.
“We are worried. What if these are not the bodies of the people who are supposed to be in these graves?” asked Arouna Sawadogo, president of a civil society organisation. “If we open the supposed grave of the president of Burkina Faso and it is not him, what will happen?”

CONSTITUTION AMENDMENT: SUPREME COURT ORDERS JONATHAN, NATIONAL ASSEMBLY TO SETTLE DIFFERENCES IN 48 HOURS

The Supreme Court Nigeria on Monday gave the Executive arm of Nigerian government and the National Assembly 48 hours to resolve their differences over the Fourth Alteration of 1999 Constitution Bill.
They are to return to the court after harmonising their respective positions and with the report of their out-of-court settlement on May 27, the apex court ordered.
President Goodluck Jonathan had vetoed the Bill passed by the National Assembly. The lawmakers threatened to override the President’s veto but were restrained by the Supreme Court.
The Supreme Court on May 7 fixed June 18 for hearing of the matter, but last week suddenly reversed the hearing date to May 25, today.
The decision was informed by an application filed by the National Assembly, through its counsel, Adegboyega Awomolo, seeking re-listing of the case before the expiration of the current National Assembly on June 5.
He had urged the court to discharge its order of interlocutory injunction made on May 7 for the maintenance of status by parties and restraining the NASS from overriding the president’s veto of the amendments.

I’LL PROBE AMAECHI, SAYS WIKE

THE Rivers State Governor-elect, Chief Nyesom Wike, has indicated his readiness to probe the Rotimi Amaechi administration after being sworn in as the chief executive of the state.
Wike, who gave this hint while receiving the interim report of the Transition Committee in Port Harcourt on Monday, declared that his administration would carry out a forensic audit of all government accounts.
He explained that the measure would enable him to recover funds that might have allegedly been stolen by top officials of the outgoing administration in the state.
Wike specifically said that those who participated in the use of N4.5bn to conduct a local government election by the Rivers State Independent Electoral Commission, even when the court had stopped the exercise, would be made to account for their actions.
The governor-elect maintained that RSIEC embarked on an illegal local government election despite the court’s position on the matter.
Explaining that the days of impunity and corruption were over, Wike noted that Rivers would be a test case in the fight against corruption.

NATIONWIDE BLACKOUT LOOMS AS NATIONAL GRID COLLAPSES •Jebba plant explains low output

The country’s poor power situation may have suffered another setback with the collapse of the national grid system.
But the Managing Director of Mainstream Energy Solutions Limited, the core investors of Jebba and Kainji Hydro power plants, Mr. Lamu Audu, in a telephone interview with Daily Sun yesterday, dispelled reports that Jebba Hydro Power plant is down as a result of system collapse.
Rather, Audu explained that it was the national grid that collapsed making it impossible for the Jebba power plant to evacuate its 400 megawatts of electricity generated into the national grid system.
Audu,an engineer explained that the national grid needs at least 1,500mw for it to come on stream and effectively function. Kainji and Jebba have an installed capacity of 705mw,which,he said was not enough for the national grid to function effectively.
Regretably, he said Ughelli and Egbin power plants that are supposed to provide additional generation capacity for the national grid system, suffered set back as a result of the strike action embarked upon by Petroleum and Natural Gas Senior Staff Association(PENGASSAN) branch of Nigerian Gas Company (NGC) that supplies gas to the thermal power plants.
‘‘The challenge is that, we do not have enough power in the national grid and that led to a system collapse. So it would be wrong for anyone to say that, Jebba Power Plant has collapsed. Power generation for onward transmission to the grid is a collaborative effort. Jebba alone cannot generate the 1,500mw needed by the grid system,’ ’he said.

NO EX-GOVT OFFICIAL SHOULD LEAVE NIGERIA AFTER MAY 29 – YAYALE

Former Secretary to the Government of the Federation, Mahmud Yayale Ahmed, has charged the incoming administration not to let anyone leave the country after May 29 with a case to answer.
Yayale, who is the pro-chancellor and chairman of council of the Bayero University, Kano (BUK) gave the advice after presenting a paper at the 31st convocation lecture of the university yesterday. 
His paper was titled; “The 2015 Transition: Realities, Expectations and the Challenges”.
He said when the Buhari administration takes over, it would discover many things and ask many questions.
“I want to inform you that whether there is proper briefing or not, the reality will become reality on May 29. After they have taken over they will see where to ask questions and in what we call public accountability, nobody should be allowed to go without accounting for what is not there.” Yayale said.
Yayale said Nigerians should not expect miracles from Buhari, but rather support him with prayers as the circumstances are not such that would admit miracles.

JONATHAN STARVED EFCC OF FUNDS –LAMORDE

Chairman of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), Mr. Ibrahim Lamorde, yesterday indicted the outgoing Jonathan administration, blaming it over the poor performance of the agency.
Speaking through the commission’s spokesman, Wilson Uwujaren, the EFCC boss, who is hoping the incoming government will increase funding for the agency, subtly blamed its inability to tackle corruption on poor funding from the outgoing government.
According to Uwujaren, “we are happy that the incoming government is making the fight against corruption one of its cardinal objectives. Every Nigerian is happy about that. EFCC has been doing this for more than 11 years. We are proud of what the incoming administration wants to do.
“We need an administration that will look at what we are doing and empower us sufficiently to enable us make more impact than we have ever done in the past. We welcome the focus and we believe Nigeria needs to tackle this fight more rigorously for us to make the needed impact.”
Meanwhile, the EFCC may have concluded plans to declare former Borno State Governor Ali-Modu Sheriff wanted.
The recent move by the EFCC is tied to his alleged refusal to appear before it to answer to some charges.

AKWA IBOM PEOPLE UNGRATEFUL —AKPABIO

Governor Godswill Akpabio of Akwa Ibom State has berated the people of the state for being ungrateful despite his efforts to develop and transform the state in his eight years tenure as governor, even as he prayed for their forgiveness.
Akpabio, at the Ibom Hall, Uyo, during the valedictory thanksgiving service organised in his honour by the state government as part of the transition activities to his successor, Mr. Udom Emmanuel, said he decided to forgive the people as he would be transiting to the Senate from May 29.
He said: “I forgive you of your many sins against me, for your betrayal, false reports, blackmail, and ingratitude towards my efforts at developing the state. I forgive you because I bear no grudge against anyone.

Aisha Buhari May Face Hubby's Sanction To Public Appearances

Once a photograph of Oando Plc’s head honcho, Wale Tinubu and the incoming First Lady Mrs. Aisha Buhari sitting next to each other onboard a helicopter on the way to the Oshiomhole wedding went viral, her husband Muhammadu Buhari could not help but show his displeasure.
Buhari, an austere disciplinarian and devout Muslim, Ashiwalu.org gathered, summoned his wife and read the riot act to her on her public comportment, especially as she prepares to mount the saddle as first lady, a post he never really wanted under his administration.
Once Tinubu learnt that he had rubbed Buhari off the wrong way by allowing the photograph to find its way to the social media, he was also said to have run to those close to the retired army general to plead for Buhari’s pardon.

PRESIDENT ELECT SNOOKERS APC LEADERS OVER UNANNOUNCED UK TRIP

Major-General Muhammadu Buhari’s unannounced trip to the United Kingdom last week has caused disquiet among several bigwigs in his All Progressives Congress (APC) as it is the first clear signal that the President- Elect is a man of independent thinking determined to govern the Buhari way.
Sources informed Ashiwalu.org that not only did the President-Elect choose not to inform the party’s leadership of his intending trip, he travelled to the UK with only 2 Personal Assistants, Seriki Abba and a Mr Tunde . He was received at the door of the aircraft by High Commissioner Sarki Tafida and rode in the embassy official car to his usual central London holiday flat booked by his brother having rejected the hotel booked by the High Commission.
His friend and backer of several decades, Mamman Daura was already waiting for him at the flat and they both drove in company of Seriki Abba to No 10 Downing Street to meet with British Prime Minister, David Cameron where they discussed issues ranging from security to corruption and the immigrant crises facing Europe. Unlike his Chatham House visit with several APC bid wigs, this was done without their knowledge and the President Elect clearly needed his Buhari time.
But once APC chieftains got wind of Buhari's departure, quite a few of them comprising the party’s National Leader, Bola Tinubu and Rivers State Governor Rotimi Amaechi scurried off to the UK in hot pursuit of Buhari.

PDP APPOINTS EX-MINISTER, HALIRU MOHAMMED, ACTING CHAIRMAN

The Board of Trustees of Nigeria’s ruling party, Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, has appointed a former acting national Chairman of the party, and ex-defence minister, Haliru Mohammed, as its acting Chairman.
However, President Goodluck Jonathan rejected the position of the Chairman, Board of Trustees (BoT) of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP).
Briefing State House correspondents at the end of the meeting held at the Banquet Hall, Presidential Villa, the board’s secretary, Senator Wali Jibrin, said Jonathan declined the offer.
Mr. Mohammed’s nomination was endorsed Monday night by the PDP’s BoT at a meeting at the Aso Rock presidential villa, Abuja.