N9.2BN COOK STOVES: CONTRACTOR SUES FG

Festering controversies trailing Federal Government’s N9.2 billion cook stoves programme has taken a twist as Integral Renewable Energy Service Limited, the company handling the project, has secured an ex-parte injunction against revocation of the contract.
It would be recalled that no sooner had Goodluck Jonathan’s administration approved N9.2 billion for the National Cook Stoves Scheme, than Nigerians started expressing outrage over the deal, describing the project as not only bizarre, but also a leeway to divert public fund.
The amount was approved in 2014 for procurement of 750,000 units of clean cookstoves and 18,000 wonder bags. The Federal Government, however, consistently defended the project, insisting it would help reduce the number of death and illnesses associated with cooking with firewood.
However, Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Environment, Mrs. Fatima Mede, blew the lead open on the project while responding to inquires in Abuja last week. Mede said the company failed to stay true to the project delivery deadline, even as she also noted that there was nothing on ground to show the contractor had supplied to the tune of 15 per cent payment made to it.
According to her, the ministry has paid N1.3 billion, being 15 per cent of the contract sum.
She explained that the contractor had consistently spurned letters written to it demanding physical counting of the number of stoves so far supplied.

Stakeholders Call For Improve Primary Health Care Services For Pregnant Women In Anambra

As the international Day of the African Child is being celebrated today a woman has given birth to triplets in her hometown at Urum, Awka North local govt area of Anambra.state Nigeria
The woman Mrs Oluchukwu Madubuko delivered two girls and a boy at about three o'clock today with the assistance of some concern neighbours who aided her safe delivery before residents were woken up to share in the great news. 
Speaking with Ashiwaju.org, Two eye witnesses Mrs Patients Umegbolu and Mrs Helen Nwafor who assisted the woman in her delivering ,said they had  invited the services of a  midwife in the area who they were still trying to find a means of rushing her to the hospital., the first child came out which made them to take her back to the room where she completed the delivery.
The villages seized the opportunity to call on Anambra state Government to recruit more nurses and doctors in the rural areas as the health centers in the community lacks qualified health-care professionals.The father of the the triplets Mr. Asiegbu Madubuko who was full of praise to God for serving his wife and children called for urgent government intervention saying he is an ordinary farmer without a reasonable income.
Also speaking one of the elders in the community Mr Martin Nwanna urged the state government  occasion to pay more attention on how to sustain the lives of pregnant women and children especially in the rural areas of the country

IG ASKS NIGERIANS TO REPORT CORRUPT POLICEMEN

The Inspector – General of Police, Solomon Arase, has urged Nigerians to assist the police to become better by reporting corruption, bribery and bad conduct in the force.
Arase said this in Abeokuta, the Ogun State capital, on Monday during a sensitisation workshop on Reporting Corruption in the Police, using thestopthebribes Platform.
The workshop was organised by the CLEEN Foundation in partnership with the stopthebribes Platform, a forum created by the IG to instil discipline and professionalism in the force.
The IG said many of the officers and men of the Nigeria Police Force were currently undergoing punishment for cases of proven corruption and unwholesome conduct.
He, however, did not give details about the officers affected or the type of sanctions apportioned to them. He said the details of the offending policemen had been published in the police gazzette.
Arase, who was represented by an Assistant Superintendent of Police, Mr. Toye Jolaoye, said not all policemen were corrupt, adding that he was “committed to seeing a transformed, disciplined and professional police force” in the country.
He appealed to members of the public to avail themselves of the use of smart phones and android phones to report any erring police officer or station or command to the stopthebribes Platform for action.

Kwankwaso to Saraki: Don’t destroy APC with your ambition

                                                                   Saraki

Former Governor of Kano State and Senator representing Kano Central, Rabiu Musa Kwankwaso, yesterday, warned the Senate President, Bukola Sarki, against using his ambition to destroy the party they laboured to build and betray the confidence which Nigerians reposed in them by voting them for change.
In an interview with newsmen in Abuja, the former Defence Minister regretted that the Senate President had used his ambition to destroy party discipline and should be punished for it.
Kwankwaso also said the position of Deputy Senate President, currently being held by Ike Ekweremadu, did not belong to Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, and must be returned to All Progressives Congress, APC, adding that for the 16 years that PDP ruled the country, at no time did the opposition get the benefit of having such a position.
According to the APC chieftain, Saraki’s ambition has given the defeated PDP an opportunity to reap where they did not sow because they were rejected in the polls by Nigerians.
‘I’m most qualified’

Kashamu backs down, withdraws N20bn libel suit against Obasanjo

                                                       Obasanjo and Kashamu
Determined to wriggle out of the extradition net ‎that is threatening to envelope him,‎ Senator Buruji Kashamu has withdrawn the N20billion libel suit he filed against former President Olusegun Obasanjo.
Kashamu who is representing Ogun-East Senatorial ‎District, persuaded Justice Valentine Ashi of the Federal Capital Territory High Court sitting at Wuse Zone 2, to terminate further hearing on his case against Obasanjo.
This is even as Justice Gabriel Kolawole of the Abuja Division o‎f the Federal High Court has slated June 25 to commence hearing on the extradition application that was entered against him by the Federal Government.
Vanguard gathered that Kashamu, who is currently battling with the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency, NDLEA, over moves to extradite him to the US, premised his decision to withdraw the libel suit on an ongoing settlement talks between him and Obasanjo.
Consequent upon a notice of discontinuance he filed before the court Justice Ashi struck out the matter on May 26.
Kashamu had dragged Obasanjo to court for defamation and character assassination, immediately the content of his letter to President Jonathan ‎was made public.

Buhari’s presidency is a ‘Made in Bourdillon’ product

This morning, I woke up to a post with the title “Anxiety mounts as Buhari keeps Tinubu, Atiku, Fashola in the dark over new cabinet”; and I could only think to myself – “St. Bourdillon and Others continue to hold the nation hostage!”

I really do find it very laughable when the same folks that were urging Tinubu on to push for the emergence of Buhari as President now begin to suggest “Tinubu has done enough; he should retire!” The question is “Retire to what exactly?”

I was shocked further when even OBJ made similar comments during the week – coming from a Man that has refused to retire – making sure he had a hand [and a leg] in the next three Presidents that came after him, I find such a position to not only be hypocritical but tending towards senility! Remember how “Tinubu was visiting Obasanjo” every other week prostrating to him saying “You are the Father of our Party; lead us?” How can the same OBJ come back after a few weeks telling “Buhari to ignore Tinubu” after he collected several prostrations from Tinubu on behalf of Buhari?

How do you tell a Man to retire from reaping his investments on the day the dividends are to be shared? Who does that? Why do folks preach to others what they won’t practice? You can say what you want but even though everyone knows that I am not a Bourdillonist, the History Books already have it on record that Buhari’s Presidency has boldly written on it the Made in Bourdillon tag and no amount of blackmail; counter-theories can erase that from the history books.

”Buhari’s Number 1 Problem : APC Leaders” – Alkali

The former Special Adviser on Political Affairs, Prof. Rufai Ahmed Alkali to the former President of Nigeria, Dr. Goodluck Ebele Jonathan, GCFR, has said that the recent problems encountered by the All Progressive Congress, (APC) in the election of leaders of the National Assembly was a vindication of his position that the party was not prepared to govern a complex nation like Nigeria.

Speaking with state House Correspondents in Abuja, Prof. Alkali said from the reactions of some leaders of the Party to the events at the national Assembly, President Buhari’s greatest problem is the people in the leadership of APC and not the Peoples Democratic Party.

According to him, “I have observed with keen interest the scenario in the National Assembly that resulted in the election of Sen. Bukola Saraki and Rt. Hon. Yakubu Dogara and other leaders of NASS and what attracted my attention more, though not surprising, were the incoherent and contraditory responses from the leaders of the APC, especially the faction led by the former Governor of Lagos, Sen. Ahmed Bola Tinubu who outrightly rejected the outcome of the election and without decorum blamed President Muhammadu Buhari as being responsible for the debacle in the National Assembly.

See Passenger Who Specialises In Stealing On Local Flights

There was mild drama aboard a 6:45a.m. Aero flight from Lagos to Abuja yesterday, as one of the  passengers (names withheld) stole about N350,000 from a luggage belonging to an Austrian, Novotny Anton, also a passenger on the flight.
The 31-year-old suspect, seating on seat number 23C, was said to have been spotted by one of the airline’s cabin crew when he removed the Austrian’s bag from the locker where it was kept as he was planning to change his seat.
An eyewitness, who was aboard the aircraft, said the suspect removed the bag from the locker where the Austrian sat, took it to his own seat, giving the impression that he was changing seat and stole N150,000 and 500 Euros belonging to the Austrian.

SAD NOTE: NNPC TERMINATES EX-MILITANTS, OPC’S PIPELINE SECURITY CONTRACTS

The Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC) has terminated the N9.3 billion surveillance contracts offered to some former Niger Delta militants and self-determination groups.
New Telegraph learnt that President Muhammadu Buhari embargoed the renewal of the multimillion dollars pipeline surveillance contracts which expired yesterday. In March, the Federal Government under erstwhile President Goodluck Jonathan through the NNPC had handed over the job of protecting the nation’s oil and gas pipelines and waterways to former militants and selfdetermination groups.
Among the beneficiaries of the contracts are Government Ekpemupolo (aka Tompolo), Mujaheed Asari-Dokubo and Chief Bipobiri Ajube (aka Gen. Shoot-At-Sight) alongside Fasehun and Gani Adams of OPC.
The terms of the contracts detailed seven companies to operate in allocated “regions” or operational areas: Egbe Security River One (Bayelsa), Gallery Security (Mosinmi-Ore), Close Body Protection (Edo State), Adex Energy Security (Rivers), Donyx Global Concept (Lagos and Ogun), Oil Facilities Surveillance (Delta) and New Age Global Security (Mosinmi-Ibadan). Checks by New Telegraph revealed that the President decided to wait till the expiration of the three-month contracts.
“He has embargoed the renewal of the contracts to these groups. They are just three-month contracts and it is best to allow them to expire than to terminate them. He was advised not to rock the boat and he followed that advice,” a source at the Presidency told this newspaper. The Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC) confirmed that the contracts have not been renewed.

Nkpor – Amawbia Road: How not to Defend a Legacy By Obiora Aghadinuno

Ever since the Governor of Anambra State, Chief Willie Obiano commissioned the Nkpor – Amawbia Old Road that links the commercial city of Onitsha to neighbouring Enugu, the idle opposition camp in the
state has risen in a loud defence of what it considers a wrongful appropriation of the legacy of Obiano’s predecessor. Some opposition megaphones saw it as an attempt to take away an honour that rightly
belongs to former governor Peter Obi and said so without losing their heads. But for Obi’s media aide, Valentine Obienyem and his Facebook fans, it was yet another opportunity to take a stab at the object of
their pet-peeve.