ABUJA the quest for a minister

Abuja the capital of Nigeria is nothing but a beautiful city owing to huge infrastructural investment made by previous government in the city. It is now right for a government to think with focus on appointing a visionary minister who will actualise the vision of the Abuja master plan, I strongly suggest that a former governor who is sound, focused and innovative in the area of infrastructural development should be appointed Minister

Gambia Expensive Election

Gambia: presidential candidates face US$25,000 electoral registration fee Gambian leader Yahya Jammeh wants to increase the fee for would-be electoral opponents by a factor of about 10,000 times Agence France-Presse Friday 26 June 201502.56 BSTLast modified on Friday 26 June 201503.48 BST Pro-democracy activists have accused Gambian leader Yahya Jammeh of trying to price potential opponents out of the market through astronomical rises in registration fees for presidential elections. The government has announced plans to charge candidates one million dalasi (US$25,000) to run in any future campaigns – 10,000 times the current cost. The sum would differ from a conventional election deposit in that it would be non-refundable, even upon victory, under a bill being put before parliament. The government is proposing the same charge for political parties, as well as smaller, but still significant, increases for candidates for parliamentary and mayoral elections. “The proposed amendments are retrogressive and are designed to scuttle the growth of multiparty democracy in the Gambia,” said Ousainou Darboe, secretary general of the main opposition United Democratic Party. About two-thirds of the population of the west African nation live on less than US$1.25 a day and would have to spend nothing for more than half a century to be able to afford to run for president. The Gambia, mainland Africa’s smallest country with a population of about 1.7 million, has been ruled with an iron fist by Jammeh since he came to power in a bloodless coup in 1994. One of the poorest countries in the world, it survives mostly on agriculture and tourism, luring sun-worshipping Europeans to its sweeping, palm-fringed coastline. Jammeh has woven an aura of mysticism around himself, dressing in billowing white robes, never letting go of his Qur’an and brooking no dissent. The former wrestler, who claims he can cure AIDS, is often pilloried for rights abuses and the muzzling of journalists. He has threatened to cut off the heads of homosexuals and heaps derision on any criticism from the west. He won a landslide re-election to serve a fourth term in 2011 presidential polls slammed by the opposition as bogus and fraudulent. The next vote is expected in 2016. Due to high levels of illiteracy, voting is through a unique system using glass marbles instead of ballot papers. The marbles are dropped into drums, which are coloured to represent each candidate. As the marbles fall they hit a bell that sounds loudly, preventing multiple voting.

Gambia and Death penalty

"It's very perplexing," said Amadou Scattred Janneh, an exiled former information minister who is now with the opposition Coalition for Change. "We don't know why [President Yahya Jammeh] is broadening the death penalty except to find the means to punish his political rivals and to sow greater fear in the population." Janneh, who was in 2012 sentenced to life in prison for treason after distributing t-shirts with the slogan "End Dictatorship Now", fears that he would have been executed had the new law been in place. "[The judge] cited the fact that his hands were tied, that he could not give me a death sentence because there was no violence in my activity," Janneh remembered. "So this type of change would give President Jammeh and his judges leeway to pass death sentences on people who are involved in purely political matters." Some observers believe President Jammeh is cracking down on civil liberties and on the opposition to assert his authority in light of a failed coup that exposed weaknesses in the presidential retinue last year. In Banjul, the Gambian capital, opposition leader Halifa Salla believes a victory for the "yes" side - 75 per cent on a turnout of at least 50 per cent is required to carry the motion - would give the regime immense latitude. "It means the government would be able to [impose] the death penalty for any crime it deems fit, by just passing a bill at the national assembly," Salla told AFP. Sallah said his People's Democratic Organisation for Independence and Socialism would "leave no stone unturned" in organising people to vote "no" in the referendum, for which a date has yet to be set. Although the government has cast the extension of the death penalty as a law-and-order issue, capital punishment is unpopular in The Gambia, according to the opposition United Democratic Party (UDP). The UDP is not only convinced that the "no" side will win but that voters may use the referendum as an opportunity to register their discontent with the government. "The death penalty as an instrument of justice is not something that enjoys popular support," said an exiled UDP spokesperson Karamba Touray. "It's a deeply unpopular regime because of its record of abuse and violence and terror." There are doubts that the referendum will allow citizens - all Gambians aged over 18 are entitled to take part - to express themselves freely. "For the last 20 years no vote conducted in that country has been nor free nor fair," remarked Touray. There are also fears that the constitutional change could also affect business. Opposition activist Janneh noted: "With this change the Jammeh regime would have the final say in terms of who's eligible to be executed - even people convicted of economic crimes." In 2012 the execution of nine convicts by firing squad triggered international outrage, especially in neighbouring Senegal, which had two citizens among those put to death. Lawyers lamented that the men were shot before they were able to appeal against their sentences. Rights groups estimate that about 30 people are on death row in Gambia but no executions have been announced since 2012. Jammeh, an outspoken military officer and former wrestler, has ruled Gambia with an iron fist since seizing power in a coup in 1994. According to the Gambian State House website, he must now be formally addressed as "His Excellency Sheikh Professor Alhaji Dr. Yahya A.J.J. Jammeh Babili Mansa".

Breaking News: Buhari dissolves NNPC board

President Buhari has dissolved the board of the Nigeria National Petroleum Corporation, NNPC. The directive to dissolve the board was conveyed in a letter signed by the Head of Civil Service, Danladi Kifasi dated today June 26th. Though this is not supposed to come as a surprise to many who have carefully followed the Buhari administration and management team of the NNPC is also presently under scrutiny. Remember change is a gradual process it don't happen over night even if it dose not in a country like Nigeria

CNG: Nigerians must wake up

The quest for change has just begun though a gradual process, but we must not sit and wait for government to do every thing. The potentials in the Nigerian economy are very much and we must harness them to our benefit, as you all know Nigeria is the largest black nation in the world with a population of more than 150 million people which makes Nigeria a global market place. Many people say that the oil will soon finish but I tell you with all sincerity we are blessed with not only oil but oil and gas. About 80% gas in Nigeria is been flared thereby causing environmental issues, the consumption of gas in Nigeria is still low but can be activated by government through adequate policies The gas market is sleeping in Nigeria because of lack of awareness of its advantages over other types of fuel, but those who are aware have keyed into it and regard it as the best because its cheaper and cleaner, The investment opportunity in Compressed Natural Gas (CNG)is very wide which includes 1. Gas Conversion only with the use of Oxygen 2. Engine Conversion which can be done on any type of engine ranging from small cars to trucks and small generators to large industrial generators and will be the largest employer of labour both skilled and unskilled 3. Gas Distribution and Marketing, this can be done through the use of gas distribution tankers or special gas pipelines Nigerians should consider investing in CNG so as to create more jobs and grow our economy

The Queen to visit the site of the greatest Jewish masacre in Germany

The Queen will visit the site of the World War Two concentration camp at Bergen-Belsen, in Germany, later. The camp, where teenage diarist Anne Frank was among thousands to die, was liberated by British soldiers in 1945. The UK monarch, accompanied by the Duke of Edinburgh, will lay a wreath there on the final day of her four-day state visit to Germany. The Queen will also view Berlin's Brandenburg Gate before travelling to the site of the camp near Hanover. Tens of thousands of prisoners from all over Europe were killed at Bergen-Belsen or died later as a result of their treatment in the camp. The Queen and Prince Philip will visit a memorial to Anne Frank and her sister Margot, and meet a small group of survivors and liberators, as well as representatives of Jewish and Christian communities. Millions of copies of Anne Frank's Diary, written during the two years the teenager and her family hid from the Nazis in occupied Amsterdam, have been sold across the world. On Thursday, the Queen and Prince Philip enjoyed a traditional British garden party at the official residence of Britain's ambassador to Germany, Sir Simon McDonald, in Berlin. The royal couple have already attended a state banquet with UK and German leaders, held a private meeting with German Chancellor Angela Merkel and visited Berlin and Frankfurt. After their visit to the former concentration camp, they will return to the UK.

How many countries are in Africa

Africa is the second biggest and most populous continent of the world. It is also one of the very popular and rich continents of the world. With about 30.2 million sq km, Africa covers about 20.4% of the earths land area and 6% of the earth’s total surface. There are many countries that are claiming to be independent and full fledged African states but the fact is that not all met the criteria that qualifies them to be recognized as an African country. Africa is made up of 54 fully recognized sovereign states (countries), ten (10) territories and two (2) de facto independent states with limited or no recognition. The 54 are referred to as “recognized states” because they are member states of the African Union (AU). The next 2 are called “de facto states” because by structure and government, they can be called a country but they are not recognized as they do not belong to the AU. The remaining 10 are just territories or regions that are either owned or governed by other non-African countries. Names of the 54 Independent African Countries in Alphabetical Order:
1. Algeria
2. Angola
3. Benin
4. Botswana
5. Burkina Faso
6. Burundi
7. Cameroon
8. Cape Verde
9. Central African Republic
10. Chad
11. Comoros
12. Democratic Republic of the Congo
13. Republic of the Congo
14. Cote d’Ivoire (Ivory Coast)
15. Djibouti
16. Egypt
17. Equatorial Guinea
18. Eritrea
19. Ethiopia
20. Gabon
21. Gambia
22. Ghana
23. Guinea
24. Guinea-Bissau
25. Kenya
26. Lesotho
27. Liberia
28. Libya
29. Madagascar
30. Malawi
31. Mali
32. Mauritania
33. Mauritius
34. Morocco
35. Mozambique
36. Namibia
37. Niger
38. Nigeria
39. Rwanda
40. São Tomé and Principe
41. Senegal
42. Seychelles
43. Sierra Leone
44. Somalia
45. South Africa
46. Sudan (North)
47. South Sudan (Rep.)
48. Swaziland
49. Tanzania
50. Togo
51. Tunisia
52. Uganda
53. Zambia
54. Zimbabwe
The Sahwari Arab Democratic Republic and the Republic of Somaliland claim to be and are recognized in a few neighboring countries as sovereign states but they are actually de facto states. Territories politically administered as external dependencies or as incorporated parts of a primarily non-African state:
1. French Southern Antartica Land.
2. Saint Helena, Ascension and Tristan de Cuhna, (governed by the UK).
3. Canary Islands.
4. Melila.
5. Autonomous city of Ceuta, (nos 3-5 owned by Spain).
6. Autonomous Region of Madeira, (owned by the Portuguese).
7. The Islands of Mayotte. 8. Réunion, (7&8 owned by the French).
9. Plaza de Soberanía.
10. Lampedusa and Lampione.
if you go by the criterion of being member states of the AU, Africa has 54 countries. If the De Facto states are included, our figure becomes 56, then if we are to include all the territories, we’ll say that the African continent is made up of 66 countries.

I have supported Arsenal for 30 years -Dangote

Africa’s richest man Aliko Dangote has insisted his interest in buying Arsenal is not ‘overnight stuff’ and revealed he has been a fan of the club for more than 30 years thanks to former vice-chairman David Dein. Dangote, who is the 67th wealthiest person in the world with a fortune of £12billion, has explained his interest in The Gunners by explaining he was first taken to the club’s former Highbury ground by Dein, a close friend and associate. Dein, a former sugar trader, helped Dangote start his business in 1980. Dangote Sugar Refinery Plc now accounts for 90 per cent of the product sold in Nigeria.

 

‘I have been a supporter of the team since the Eighties,’ confirmed Dangote after publicly declaring his wish to be the club’s next owner.
‘My love for Arsenal dates back to when I went to watch them play with the-then largest shareholder David Dein. I developed a likeness for the team and I have been a supporter of the team since then. So it is not overnight stuff.’
Using Dein’s name leaves the fascinating prospect of whether the former vice-chairman will return to Arsenal if Dangote becomes the club’s new owner.
Dein was regarded as Mr Arsenal and key to the appointment of Arsene Wenger as manager until he left in 2007 when the board chose to sell to American Stan Kroenke rather than his ally Alisher Usmanov. Kroenke, 67, is now the majority stakeholder at the club with a 67 per cent share.
Dangote believes his background won’t be an obstacle to buying Arsenal.
‘What I always say is that money doesn’t have colour. It doesn’t matter whether you are from Africa or anywhere in the world. The colour of money is the same. Once I put money on the table, they will not think if I am an African.
‘It might be a policy that they don’t want an African to own it, that is another matter altogether, which I don’t really believe.’
Dangote tried to buy a 15 per cent stake in Arsenal in 2010 but claims the price was too high. ‘The people who were interested in were actually trying to go for the kill,’ he said.
‘Obviously I am not going to lose money. Arsenal are doing well but they need another strategic direction. They need more direction than the current ownership who just develop players and sell them.’
Dangote caused international headlines last week when he said in an interview with BBC Hausa that he would be in a position to buy Arsenal because of revenues from a private oil refinery he was building in Nigeria.”
- See more at: http://www.vanguardngr.com

IMF grants $918M loan to resolve Ghana economic crisis

 

The IMF Executive Board has approved a USD$918 million loan to resolve the Ghana economic crisis with a reform programme aimed at faster growth and job creation while protecting social spending.

The financing package extends over three years under the IMF’s Extended Credit Facility.
The reform programme seeks to boost growth and help cut poverty by restoring macroeconomic stability through tighter fiscal discipline, strengthened public finances, and slowing inflation. The reform measures are expected to dampen non-oil growth initially in 2015 ahead of a projected growth rebound in subsequent years.
The government’s programme projects an economic growth pick-up to start in 2016, driven by expected large increases in Ghana’s hydrocarbon production. The West African country started oil production from offshore wells in 2010.
Lower inflation and interest rates, combined with a more stable exchange rate, would help support private sector activity. Increased oil exports and lower oil imports on the back of domestic gas production would help improve the current account and support reserves over the medium term.
Ghana is one of Africa’s frontier emerging markets, having entered the global capital market for the first time in September 2007. Its past wealth lay in gold and cocoa―commodities that have remained in high demand, and which have helped the country weather the recent global recession.
Imbalances, power shortages
Ghana’s economic growth rate topped 9 % in 2011, but three difficult years followed that were characterised by slowing activity, accelerating inflation, and rising debt levels and financial vulnerabilities. The country’s economic prospects were put at risk by the emergence of large fiscal and external imbalances, as well as by electricity shortages
Growth decelerated markedly in 2014, to an estimated 4.2 %, driven by a sharp contraction in the industrial and service sectors. This was due to the negative impact of the currency depreciation on input costs, declining domestic demand, and increasing power outages.
Inflationary pressures rose on the back of a large depreciation of the cedi and the financing of the fiscal deficit by the Bank of Ghana. Despite several hikes in policy interest rates in 2014, which brought them to 21 %, headline inflation reached 17 % at end-2014.
The main pillars of the reform programme are:

• A sizeable and frontloaded fiscal adjustment to restore debt sustainability, focusing on containing expenditures through wage restraint and limited net hiring, as well as on measures to mobilize additional revenues;
• Structural reforms to strengthen public finances and fiscal discipline by improving budget transparency, cleaning up and controlling the payroll, right-sizing the civil service, and improving revenue collection;
• Restoring the effectiveness of the inflation targeting framework to help bring inflation back into single digit territory; and
• Preserving financial sector stability

Sierra Leone After Ebola

       

                 

In Sierra Leone an amusing assortment of greetings has evolved to replace ‘pressing of the flesh’ that could give rise to Ebola contagion. From elbow jabs to clasped-hand bows, a gallows humour has derived.
The reality of Ebola is hidden from visitors: the main reminder the hand-held, infra-red thermometers that assail passers-by at checkpoints that have been set up at regular intervals along most highways. Statements such as “Ebola Stops With Me” are also emblazoned along roadsides, and posters showing symptoms are widely dispersed.
After an estimated 10,000 cases, the steady flow has reduced to a trickle and the country is ready to move on. But stoical Sierra Leoneans are accustomed to other epidemics such as AIDS and ubiquitous malaria, and endured a frightening decade-long civil war (1991-2002) that witnessed limb-severing among other horrific punishments.
Inhabiting temperate north-west Europe it is hard to grasp the challenge of this region’s climate. Throughout the year daytimes are stiflingly hot, rarely dipping below 30 degrees while during the wet season the force and duration of rain is such that at times one marvels at how much moisture the clouds contain.
The territory of Sierra Leone, like the rest of Africa, was framed by European colonisers without regard to its tribal constituents. But well before the ‘Scramble for Africa’ those societies had been destabilised by the arrival of European weapons and extensive raiding for the horrific trans-Atlantic slave trade. Freetown, the capital of Sierra Leone, like Monrovia in neighbouring Liberia, was established by the British as a colony for freed slaves and the national lingua franca Kreo comes from those first settlers. Sierra Leone became a British protectorate in 1896.
Today the human indicators in Sierra Leone are among the worst in Africa. Up to 40% of the population’s growth has been stunted due to poor nutrition in the womb and infancy. Rates of literacy are low. Above all it is poverty that makes the task of containing Ebola difficult.

deforestation

Throughout the country electricity is intermittent and internet available only to aprivileged few, albeit many of the poorest seem to carry mobile phones. There are some decent roads but heavy rains make light work of others. The undulating surfaces are ruinous to vehicles; any driver must be a mechanic.
Commerce is everywhere in Sierra Leone, at any road stop a line of individuals, mostly women and children, greet vehicles usually with luscious fruits and vegetables. In Freetown and other cities market stalls and small shops line every artery. Money changes hands constantly, transactions are negotiated at every turn. As the state provides little or nothing, individuals must carve out niches to survive.
Donor countries and NGOs, including Ireland Aid, are assisting development. It is said that the Chinese are building a new airport outside Freetown and a road through the north of the country to Liberia. Some of this aid may be driven by commercial interest, but its continued flow is crucial to raising human wellbeing.
But, unfortunately, environmental considerations rarely register in the face of human intransigence. In time this may prove a grave mistake as Sierra Leone is reckoned to be the third most vulnerable country in the world to climate change.

mining

Only a tiny proportion of Sierra Leone’s once abundant forests – part of the wider Upper Guinea belt – survives. Local wisdom has it that a meal is not complete without rice, which originated in Asia but whose impact is apparent here in the expanses of charred tree stumps everywhere. This slash and burn agriculture requires a twenty-year fallow period. Indeed a shift in dietary preferences towards other carbohydrate staples such as native cassava, plantains and yams that do not exert such a toll would be of great benefit, and would improve nutrition. The country’s future food security might depend on this as more land is degraded by demographic pressures. At least the presence of pests such as the tsetse fly deters large-scale ranching, though the goat, the main domesticated ruminant in Sierra Leone, often adversely affects recovering forests.
The multinational timber trade is also a leading cause of deforestation. Moreover, scaffolding for building works mainly comes in the form of bamboo derived from vulnerable forests. A simple measure would at least require development agencies to import steel scaffolding for their construction projects.
Then there is mining, including of fabled ‘Blood Diamonds’, competition for whose extraction was an underlying cause of the Sierra Leonean civil war. Both rebels and government troops collaborated in their extraction and the associated deforestation. Today as well as artisanal operations, bigger players including Western companies have moved to extract iron-ore, bauxite and diamonds.
The consequences of centuries of exploitation are everywhere apparent. With hillsides denuded of forest cover, top soil turns to suffocating dust in the dry season which is drained away when the rains arrive. The sea around Freetown acquires a brownish hue that stretches for miles. Millennia of accumulated humus cannot easily be regained.

beach erosion

The economic value of biodiversity, or natural capital, is increasingly recognised, especially as manifest in clean water, food and climate. But only more slowly are we recognising its value as a good in and of itself. Unfortunately most Sierra Leoneans are too impoverished to be able to see beyond immediate material considerations but there is a growing appreciation of nature in a region which exhibits extraordinary diversity.
A trip to Tiawa island, along the River Moa, brought to mind Joseph Conrad’s description of a similar profusion of life along another African river: “Going up that river was like travelling back to the earliest beginnings of the world, when vegetation rioted on the earth and the big trees were kings. An empty stream, a great silence, an impenetrable forest”.
Maintaining the integrity of the biodiversity on the island depends on a delicate balancing that has required extensive consultation with local villages. An EU project has brought solar power to many nearby. In turn, village elders deter their tribesmen from hunting for the array of primates that populate the site. So-called bush meat is not highly prized by the local communities but poverty and ignorance impels some to seek it out.

Stopping hunting is not merely a sentimental concern. Diseases such as Ebola and Aids are zoonotic; that is they spread from one species to another, often through the consumption of flesh. A species of fruit bat has been identified as a potential reservoir host for Ebola while diseased monkey were responsible for AIDS. Curbing the consumption of bush meat is an important component in ending further zoonotic outbreaks.
The challenges involved with instigating projects are considerable here. Even purchasing property is tricky as the state’s registry may issue more than one deed for the same land. Corruption and nepotism are endemic. This gives rise to a certain despondency as even the highly educated and energetic find advancement difficult. Career frustrations make the option of leaving the country appealing.
Almost anything is available at the right price. Dramatic luxury co-exists with withering poverty. On the roads, the latest US car models mingle with men dragging large wheelbarrows and women with heavy loads on their heads. With both actual and comparative poverty, it is hardly surprising that individuals should aspire to great wealth should circumstances permit. Inculcating a common interest between people is a serious challenge, and an understanding of the limitations of their natural environment is crucial.
Hope lies with the increased literacy of children, improved education and access to information. A gap in the onslaught of disease and conflict can spur the next generation to re-build the country based on principles of fairness and sustainability.

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Written by Frank Armstrong, published at www.villagemagazine.ie

Nigeria LNG generates $85 Billion in 15 years

Nigeria Liquefied Natural Gas Company Limited (NLNG), a joint venture between the government and foreign oil majors, has generated some 85 billion dollars from exports since its inception 15 years ago, the company announced late Friday. “For us, it has been a success story. Between 1999 when we came on stream and now, we have realised some 85 billion dollars from exports of liquefied natural gas to buyers in Europe, America and Asia,” chief executive Babs Omotowa told reporters in Lagos. He said the company, which was set up to harness Nigeria’s vast natural gas resources and produce liquefied natural gas for export, has also paid billions of dollars to the state in tax. “Just a few days ago, we paid 1.6 billion dollars to the government as tax and this will go a long way to assist the new government in solving some of its problems,” he said. The new administration of President Mohammadu Buhari, who became the first Nigerian to oust a sitting president in democratic elections in March, is facing a severe economic crunch. About 20 of the country’s 36 states are unable to pay workers salaries. Omotowa said the company had paid 30 billion dollars in dividends to its shareholders over the years, including the government, which owns a 49-per-cent stake through the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC). NLNG’s other shareholders are Anglo-Dutch oil major Shell, which owns 25.6 percent, Total LNG Nigeria, a subsidiary of French oil giant Total which owns 15 percent, and Italy’s Eni, which has 10.4 percent.
Omotowa said plans were afoot to expand the NLNG plant in Finima on Bonny island, in the oil and gas-rich southern Rivers state, by 2017. “With six trains (production units) currently operational, plans for building Train 7 that will lift the total production capacity to 30 million metric tons per annum of LNG are currently progressing,” he said. He said Train 7 would cost an estimated 12 billion dollars, create 18,000 construction jobs and bring in an additional three billion dollars in exports when operational. Nigeria currently exports 22 million metric tons of LNG, making it the world’s fourth largest LNG exporter. Liquefied natural gas, which is created by cooling natural gas and transforming into liquid for transport on tankers, represents around nine percent of global gas demand.

Chad to arrest foreigners following Boko Haram attacks

N’Djamena – Chadian Prime Minister, Kalzeube Deubet, said that following the recent Boko Haram attack in two suicide blasts in the capital, N’Djamena, which killed 37 people, government would commence rounding up of foreigners in that country. The premier did not give details on whom the raids would target and where. He said those detained would be placed at centres in Baga Sola on the shores of Lake Chad. Deubet said the North-Central African country wanted to get rid of terrorists “once and for all.’’ He said Chadian government had earlier announced other security measures, such as bans on the burqa, an article of clothing that covers the entire body, and on public gatherings.

5 Filipinos, 4 Bangladesh docked for unlawful possession of crude oil

 

 

 

Lagos – The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) on Thursday arraigned nine foreigners and a vessel before a Federal High sitting in Lagos, over unlawful possession of petroleum products.
The accused are five Filipinos — Axel Joseph Gibo Jabone, Juanito Camireno Infantado, Suarin Fernado Alave, Gatila Jaypee Gadayan and Rolando Jose Commendador.
Others are Bangladesh — Md Zahirul Islam, Islam Shahinul, Islam Rafiqul and Shaikn Shibli Nomany.
The name of the vessel docked along with the accused is MT Asteris.
They are standing trial on a four-count charge bordering on illegal dealing and storage of petroleum product without appropriate licence.
The Counsel to the EFCC, Mr Rotimi Oyedepo, said that the accused committed the offences on March 27 in Lagos within the jurisdiction of the Federal High Court.
He said that the accused conspired among themselves and dealt in 3,423 metric tonnes of petroleum products without lawful authority or appropriate licence.
Oyedepo also alleged that the accused on the same day and time stored 3,423 metric tonnes of petroleum products in MT Asteris’ cargo tanks.
He said that the offences contravened Section 4 of the Petroleum Act, Cap P10, Laws of the Federation of Nigeria, 2004.
He also said the offences contravened Section 1(19)(6) of the Miscellaneous Offence Act, Cap M17, Laws of the Federation of Nigeria, 2004 and punishable under Section 17 of the same Act.
The accused pleaded not guilty.
The Counsel to the accused, Mr Femi Adegbite, however, applied for the bail of the accused which was not opposed by the prosecutor.
The Judge, Justice Ibrahim Buba, granted each of the accused N50 million-bail with one surety each in like sum.
Buba said that each of the sureties must be a Nigerian, must provide evidence of means and should also deposit their International passports with the court.
He adjourned the case till June 23, for trial. (NAN)

Breaking News: 38 civilians killed in Boko Haram attack in Niger

 

Boko Haram militants killed 38 people in an attack in southeast Niger which occurred overnight Wednesday, with most of the victims women and children, the country’s interior minister said.
“Members of the Boko Haram terrorist group have attacked the villages of Lamana and Ngoumao… The initial death toll is 38 civilians, among them 14 men, 14 women and 10 children,” minister Hassoumi Massaoudou told public radio on Thursday.

The villages attacked by the jihadists are located in the Gueskerou area of Diffa province near Nigeria, parts of whose northeast are under Boko Haram control.
The latest attack is the deadliest in Niger by the jihadist group since a raid in April on an island in the West African country’s side of Lake Chad killed 74 people, 46 of them soldiers.
Massaoudou said three people had been wounded, and hospitalised in Diffa’s provincial capital. He said Boko Haram had also set fire to more than 100 homes in its latest raid.
Niger’s security forces were seeking to “capture and neutralize” the attackers, he said.
“Air and ground operations are currently underway,” he added, saying the government was “doing all it can” to stop Boko Haram from carrying out more attacks.
A double suicide attack blamed on the jihadists caused carnage in Chad’s capital N’Djamena, killing 33 people and wounding more than 100 others.

Dangote to buy Arsenal FC at 'whatever price'

Nigerian billionaire Aliko Dangote insists that soon he will have ‘enough time and enough resources’ to buy Arsenal football club, whatever the price. Dangote, 58, is Africa’s richest man having amassed a fortune in the region of $18.4 billion (£12.2 billion). He is currently the 67th richest man in the world. He first spoke of his interest in purchasing the Gunners last month when he admitted that ‘one day’ he hoped to buy the club, adding that he ‘already knew’ his strategy to take them forward. That day may arrive sooner than first expected, with Dangote telling the BBC yesterday that completion of his proposed oil refinery in Nigeria will provide the funds necessary to launch a takeover of the club. “When we get this refinery on track, I will have enough time and enough resources to pay what they are asking for,” he told BBC Hausa. “There were a couple of us who were rushing to buy, and we thought with the prices then, the people who were interested in selling were trying to go for a kill,” Dangote continued. “We backtracked, because we were very busy doing other things, especially our industrialisation.” “They are doing well, but they need another strategic direction,” he added. “They need more direction than the current situation, where they just develop players and sell them.” Stan Kroenke is Arsenal’s majority shareholder, with the American owning 66.64% of the club’s parent company, Arsenal Holdings plc. With this move made by Dangote, the faith of Nigerian Football Clubs hoping for a private takeover have been deemed as most of them are not financially upright due to poor government funding and league standard

President Buhari now uses more expensive cars compared to former president Jonathan

In terms of presidential cars, While GEJ was riding an ordinary Mercedes-Benz S 350, Muhammadu Buhari prefers much more expensive and luxury model – Mercedes-Maybach S600. Mercedes-Maybach S600 described as “an extra highlight in the luxury segment.”While both Goodluck Jonathan and Muhammadu Buhari prefer Mercedes-Benz, it seems that Jonathan’s taste in cars is much more simplistic than Buhari’s. Jonathan attended the ceremony of Buhari’s presidential inauguration inside an ordinary Mercedes-Benz S 350. GEJ arrives to the ceremony of Buhari’s inauguration. Muhammadu Buhari enjoys rides in much more comfortable and luxury Mercedes model after stepping into the presidential office – Mercedes-Maybach S600. This car represents the top notch in the latest sixth generation of luxury Mercedes-Benz special class cars, labelled by company as the W222, while GEJ’s car belongs to the previous fifth generation –the W221. Buhari’s Mercedes-Maybach S600Mercedes-Benz representatives describe Mercedes-Maybach S600 as “an extra highlight in the luxury segment.” Inside Mercedes-Maybach S600Available luxury appointments over and above what was offered in the W221 include a choice of massage type for each seat occupant, while the W221 offered various intensities of a single massage type. Mercedes-Maybach S600 in base-line configuration costs around $258,000 or N51,6 million, while the price for the new Mercedes-Benz S 350 is only $135,000 or N27 million. Upgraded versions of these cars for world leaders cost tens of thousands dollars more than their base-line configuration, but include the capability to withstand small arms fire and explosive devices, and a self-sealing fuel tank. There have been huge scandals related to expensive car purchases under Jonathan’s rule. Members of a committee handpicked by President Goodluck Jonathan to investigate the purchase of two BMW armored cars at a whopping cost of $1.6 million were intensely pressured by the former president to deliver a watery recommendation that exonerates Aviation Minister, Stella Oduah. The committee set up to probe the N255m bulletproof car scandal in the aviation ministry has indicted the Minister, Ms. Stella Oduah.

US Baltic defence policy angers Russia

MOSCOW/WARSAW (Reuters) - A plan by Washington to station tanks and heavy weapons in NATO states on Russia's border would be the most aggressive U.S. act since the Cold War, and Moscow would retaliate by beefing up its own forces, a Russian defense official said on Monday. The United States is offering to store military equipment on allies' territory in eastern Europe, a proposal aimed at reassuring governments worried that after the conflict in Ukraine, they could be the Kremlin's next target. Poland and the Baltic states, where officials say privately they have been frustrated the NATO alliance has not taken more decisive steps to deter Russia, welcomed the decision by Washington to take the lead. But others in the region were more cautious, fearing their countries could be caught in the middle of a new arms race between Russia and the United States. "If heavy U.S. military equipment, including tanks, artillery batteries and other equipment really does turn up in countries in eastern Europe and the Baltics, that will be the most aggressive step by the Pentagon and NATO since the Cold War," Russian defense ministry official General Yuri Yakubov said. "Russia will have no option but to build up its forces and resources on the Western strategic front," Interfax news agency quoted him as saying. He said the Russian response was likely to include speeding up the deployment of Iskander missiles to Kaliningrad, a Russian exclave bordered by Poland and Lithuania, and beefing up Russian forces in ex-Soviet Belarus. "Our hands are completely free to organize retaliatory steps to strengthen our Western frontiers," Yakubov said. The Russian Foreign Ministry said: "We hope that reason will prevail and the situation in Europe will be prevented from sliding into a new military confrontation which may have dangerous consequences." ALLIED ARMY The Pentagon said on Monday the U.S. military was in the process of deciding where to store a battalion's worth of military equipment in Europe. The decision is part of a long-term effort to maintain equipment for a heavy brigade in the region to facilitate U.S. rotational training with NATO allies. "This is purely positioning of equipment to better facilitate our ability to conduct training," said Army Colonel Steve Warren, a Pentagon spokesman, noting that two battalions of equipment already was stored there. Lieutenant General Ben Hodges, commander of the U.S. Army in Europe, told Reuters in December the equipment set for the full brigade would be about 160 M-1 tanks plus M-2 Bradley fighting vehicles and self-propelled howitzers. A Pentagon official said on Monday the total number of vehicles would be about 220. U.S. officials said a proposal under review envisages storing a company's worth of equipment, enough for 150 soldiers, in each of the three Baltic nations: Lithuania, Latvia and Estonia. Enough equipment for a company or possibly a battalion, or about 750 soldiers, would also be located in Poland, Romania, Bulgaria and possibly Hungary. The idea was that, in the event of an attack on NATO's eastern border, the United States could quickly fly in troops who would use the equipment, cutting out the weeks or months it would take to transport convoys of gear overland across Europe. However, the U.S. proposal could cause tensions within NATO, an alliance that often struggles to accommodate more hawkish members such as Poland or Lithuania alongside other states that want to avoid a military stand-off with Russia at any cost. Speaking after talks in Warsaw with the U.S. Secretary of the Navy, Ray Mabus, Polish Defence Minister Tomasz Siemoniak said he expected a final U.S. decision on the equipment within a few weeks. "They know how important this is to us, because we want to build a permanent U.S. presence, the allied army here on the Polish territory," Siemoniak told reporters. "It seems to me that such enterprises, that is equipment warehouses, are a very crucial step when it comes to building such a presence." A spokesman for Lithuania's foreign ministry, Kestutis Vaskelevicius, said any increased NATO presence was intended to improve the security of the Baltic states. "(It) is not directed against anyone, and it does not threaten anyone," he said. TWO-SPEED NATO Since Russia's annexation of Ukraine's Crimea Peninsula and a rebellion by Moscow-backed separatists in eastern Ukraine, Poland and the Baltic states - countries with a history of Russian occupation - have pushed NATO for a muscular response. But proposals for a permanent NATO combat presence in eastern Europe were blocked by Germany and some other alliance members. Instead, NATO intensified exercises, rotating troops through the region and set up a command headquarters for a rapid reaction force in north-west Poland. Sources close to the government in Poland, and other states in the region, said that response persuaded them they could not fully rely on NATO, and that their best bet in the event of an attack was that the U.S. military would come to their aid. At a NATO summit in Wales last year, agreement was reached on "pre-positioning" military equipment in eastern Europe, but the Pentagon's plan appeared to go further and faster than measures envisaged by the alliance. The initiative could force some former Warsaw Pact countries now in NATO to make uncomfortable choices. Bulgaria and Hungary both say they are committed members of the alliance, but they have maintained close cultural and commercial ties to Moscow, and may not want to jeopardize those links by storing U.S. military equipment on their soil. Rosen Plevneliev, the Bulgarian President, said it was too early to say if his country would join the Pentagon's initiative. "At the current moment there is no proposal whatsoever to the Bulgarian government upon which we can start discussions," he said.

Two US Catholic bishops resign

VATICAN CITY (Reuters) - Pope Francis on Monday accepted the resignation of two U.S. bishops on Monday, 10 days after a Minnesota prosecutor filed criminal charges against their diocese for failing to protect children from a sexually abusive priest. Archbishop John Nienstedt of Saint Paul and Minneapolis and one of his deputies, auxiliary Bishop Lee Piche, resigned over their links to Curtis Wehmeyer. Wehmeyer, who has been dismissed from the priesthood, is serving a five-year prison sentence after pleading guilty in 2012 to criminal sexual conduct with two minors and possessing child pornography. The pontiff accepted the resignations the week after approving an unprecedented Vatican tribunal intended to judge bishops for covering up or failing to report sexual abuse, which has caused worldwide scandal for more than a decade. Minnesota prosecutor John Choi brought the charges against the archdiocese on June 5. Hundreds of civil cases have already been filed against it for allegedly failing to supervise priests or ignoring sexual abuse by the clergy. Anne Barrett Doyle of Bisho pAccountability.org, an independent group that helps tackle the issue in the Catholic Church, said the resignations were "disgracefully overdue." "Today's news from Minnesota is a sobering reminder that the real source of accountability in the Catholic abuse crisis continues to reside outside the church," Doyle said. "Nienstedt and Piche would still be in power if not for (Choi's) recent indictment of the archdiocese." Nienstedt said he was leaving because his leadership had "drawn attention away from the good works (of the Church)." "I leave with a clear conscience knowing that my team and I have put in place solid protocols to ensure the protection of minors and vulnerable adults," he said in a statement. Piche said people of the archdiocese needed healing and hope. "I was getting in the way of that and so I had to resign," he said in a statement. The Survivors Network of those Abused by Priests (SNAP), called for a detailed investigation of the alleged cover-up. "There were dozens of Church staff who could and should have stopped many of these abusers' crimes by simply calling 911. But they protected themselves and their jobs by staying silent. They too should be ousted by the Vatican," SNAP said. Choi described "a disturbing institutional and systemic pattern of behavior" stretching back decades at the highest level of leadership in the archdiocese, which has 187 parishes and 90 schools. On Monday, Choi said in a statement that while the resignations were an affirmative step, the criminal investigation continues. "As we have said, the goals of our actions are to hold the archdiocese accountable, seek justice for the victims and our community, and to take appropriate steps to ensure that what we have alleged and intend to prove about the past conduct of church officials will never be repeated," Choi said. Victims told investigators that Wehmeyer gave them beer and marijuana or cigarettes, showed them pornographic images and touched their genitals in a camper parked on parish grounds or while camping, according to the complaint. He is also awaiting trial on charges of assaulting a third child. The archdiocese was charged with three misdemeanor counts of contributing to the need for protection or services for the minors who were the victims of sexual abuse and three misdemeanor counts of contributing to the minors' delinquency or status as juvenile petty offenders. The archdiocese also faces a related civil complaint. Pope Francis has appointed Bishop Bernard Anthony Hebda of Newark as apostolic administrator to run the archdiocese until a new archbishop is appointed.

Buhari urges African leaders to place country above self

President Muhammadu Buhari on Sunday urged African leaders to place the interests of their countries above narrow personal interests. He gave the charge while chairing the African Union (AU) Peace and Security Council (PSC) meeting at the on-going AU summit in Johannesburg, South Africa. The President noted that as the meeting of PSC focused on the situations of South Sudan and Burundi, it required the leaders to put the situations in both countries in proper context. “The people of these countries are suffering while their political leaders are bickering among themselves. “I believe that is incumbent upon us as leaders to always place the interest of our countries above narrow and personal interests. “It is therefore my expectation that at the end of this summit, the PSC will come out with a united message to call on all parties to act in the interest of their people and the entire continent,’’ Buhari charged. The Nigerian President added that the leaders must make deliberate efforts to “save the face of Africa, we must give hope to the hopeless. “The time to do so is now as we look forward on the march toward 2063 to deliver a continent that is at peace with itself, prosperous, a global partner and a democratic show case’’. Buhari noted that the continent was inundated with conflicts of diverse forms including the crises in Burkina Faso, Mali, Libya, Central Africa Republic, South Sudan, and more recently in Burundi. “As you are aware in 2013 during our 50th anniversary celebration of our union, we as African leaders committed ourselves to the objective of silencing the local guns in Africa by 2020. “With just five years remaining, the prospect of realising this objective looks doubtful,’’ Buhari noted. (NAN)

Refineries to start working soon

The Group Managing Director of NNPC, Dr Joseph Dawha today said the refinery in Port Harcourt will start refining petroleum products by the end of this month. Dr Dawha made the announcement while inspecting some petrol stations in Abuja today. He said; "Presently, the refineries are undergoing rehabilitation and we are undertaking what we call a new strategy to carry out the turn around maintenance on them. Basically, what this means is that we are carrying out phased implementation of rehabilitation of the refineries. We are taking the refineries unit by unit and carrying out turnaround maintenance on them. So in other words, if the maintenance are being carried out on the run and we started a couple of months ago. Most of the refineries have advanced to a certain stage where they will be able to operate very soon. For example, the Port Harcourt refinery, which has reached an advanced stage, will start receiving crude by end of this month and then of course will start contributing to the available products in the country.”he said Dr Dawha denied claims that the oil corporation abandoned the four refineries in Nigeria - 2 in port harcourt, one in Kaduna and one in Warri “I’ve heard some people say we have neglected the refineries, no, farther from that. We hope that at the end of the exercise, these refineries will be fully back into operation and we will minimise some of the problems we have with importation. We decided that if the refineries were not in good state to process crude for maximum gain, then there was no point sending crude to the refineries. Therefore what you do is to try and fix it so that by the time you start processing the crude, you will get real value for the crude you are sending to the refineries. We are satisfied with the level of work that has been carried out so far in the Port Harcourt refinery, so that if you start processing crude now you will get real value."

Tinubu rejects Saraki

The Senate President, Bukola Saraki, Wednesday, administered the oath of office and allegiance on his closed rival in the contest for the Senate President for the 8th senate, Senator Ahmad Lawan and 27 other Senators that missed their oath taking on Tuesday. But the oath-taking and allegiance witnessed a mild drama as Senator Oluremi Tinubu Representing Lagos Central on the platform of the All Progressives Congress, APC, held back her hands when the Senate President in line with the tradition after administering the oath stretched out his hands to shake her. However, other APC Senators who participated in the exercise including Senator Lawan who was adopted by the leadership of the APC for the Senate President position had the hand shake with Senator Saraki. The Senate after the oath taking entered into closed door session.

Nigerian offline library opens access to all

More than 110 million people in Nigeria are still not connected to the internet largely because of poor infrastructure and a lack of fibre and mobile networks make it expensive and unreliable. But now an ambitious project aims to give millions of students in the country access to a vast library of digital content. But rather than depending on an internet connection to access it, the project has developed the resource for offline viewing. The eGranary Digital Library - also known as The Internet in a Box - has been developed by a US-based NGO called the WiderNet Project. "It gives me up-to-date information unlike the normal library, where textbooks sometimes are outdated," Abubakar Mohammed, a final year law student atAhmadu Bello University, told Al Jazeera. "It gives me an opportunity to access libraries not only in Nigeria but libraries outside." The project puts millions of digital documents, including websites, multimedia and academic texts, onto a server in a school or university. This information is then available to local users at no cost, even when the internet goes down. For Zainab Ismail, an Islamic law student, the project means she no longer needs to visit the university book library. "[I find] anything I search for," says Ismail. "It is fast and works even without a connection. It helps me a lot before and after classes." Students are not the only ones to use the service, which is viewed as especially cost-effective at a time when funding for education has been cut. "Lecturers use it to update themselves, to conduct research, writing journals and their projects," says Ibrahim Barkindo, a teacher at Ahmadu Bello University. "Sometimes we read onscreen; sometimes we save some of the pages and print them for later use." Other academics are proving slow to adopt the new technology, preferring the traditional library for their research. "There are some categories of scholars that are really not too comfortable or not technology-savvy," Abdullahi Musa Ibrahim, the university librarian, says. "Those scholars would rather touch the books, flip the pages and they feel much more comfortable." The eGranary project also lets readers upload and edit local material, allowing them to create and edit their own websites, which are stored locally. The founders are also working in expanding access by putting the library onto a small chip. This will allow it to be taken anywhere and is likely to further boost its popularity.

Breaking news: Saraki emerges unopposed as Senate President

Former governor of Kwara State, Senator Bukola Saraki, has been elected the president of the eighth Senate. Mr. Saraki of the All Progressives Congress, APC, defeated his party’s preferred candidate, Ahmed Lawan, to emerge the Senate president. He was nominated by Sani Yerima and seconded by Dino Melaye. He was returned unopposed by 57 Senators who attended the inauguration of the 8th Senate today. He was the only candidate that was nominated on the floor of the senate as his contender, Senator Ahmad Lawan and some of his supporters were absent with all the People’s Democratic Party Senators intact. Meanwhile, Ike Ekweremadu of Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), was elected Deputy Senate President. Details soon.

The Line of Succession to the throne British throne

The Act of Settlement (1701) laid down that only Protestant heirs of Princess Sophia, granddaughter of James I, may succeed to the British throne. Neither Roman Catholics, nor those who marry a Roman Catholic, nor those born out of wedlock, may remain in the line of succession. Under common law the crown was passed on by male primogeniture under which younger sons succeed before their elder sisters. This changed on the 26 March 2015 with the introduction of the Succession to the Crown Bill 2013 which changed the succession laws so that the right of male primogeniture no longer applies. Males born after 20 October 2011 no longer precede their elder sisters in the line of succession. The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge's first child born on 22 July 2013 was a boy Prince George. Their second child Princess Charlotte was born on 2 May 2015. She is 4th in line and will not lose her position even if she has a younger brother. The Bill removed the disqualification of those who marry Roman Catholics so that George Windsor, Earl of St Andrews, who married a Catholic in 1988 was restored in 35th place after the Duke of Kent. It also repealed the Royal Marriages Act 1772 so that only the first 6 persons in line to the throne require the Sovereign's approval to marry. This means that Princess Beatrice and Princess Eugenie no longer require permission from the Queen to marry. The British monarch is head of the Protestant Church of England so the requirement remains that only Protestants can be in the line of succession. The current line of succession to the British Throne is given below. 1. HRH Prince Charles, The Prince of Wales (b. 1948) 2. HRH Prince William of Wales, The Duke of Cambridge (b. 1982) 3. HRH Prince George of Cambridge (b. 2013) 4. HRH Princess Charlotte of Cambridge (b. 2015) 5 . HRH Prince Henry of Wales (Harry) (b. 1984) 6. HRH Prince Andrew, The Duke of York (b. 1960) 7. HRH Princess Beatrice of York (b. 1988) 8. HRH Princess Eugenie of York (b. 1990) 9. HRH Prince Edward (b. 1964) 10. James, Viscount Severn (b. 2007) 11. Lady Louise Windsor (b. 2003) 12. HRH Princess Anne, Princess Royal (b. 1950) 13. Peter Phillips (b. 1977) 14. Savannah Phillips (b. 2010) 15. Isla Phillips (b. 2012) 16. Zara Tindall (Phillips) (b. 1981) 17. Mia Grace Tindall (b. 2014) 18. David Armstrong-Jones, Viscount Linley (b. 1961) 19. Hon. Charles Armstrong Jones (b. 1999) 20 . Margarita Armstrong-Jones (b. 2002) 21. Lady Sarah Chatto (b. 1964) 22 . Samuel Chatto (b. 1996) 23. Arthur Chatto (b. 1999) 24. HRH Prince Richard, Duke of Gloucester (b. 1944) 25. Alexander Windsor, Earl of Ulster (b. 1974) 26. Xan Windsor, Lord Culloden (b. 2007) 27. Lady Cosima Windsor (b. 2010) 28. Lady Davina Lewis (b. 1977) 29. Senna Lewis (b. 2010) 30. Tane Mahuta Lewis (b. 2012) 31. Lady Rose Gilman (b. 1980) 32. Rufus Gilman (b. 2012) 33. Lyla Gilman (b. 2010) 34. HRH Prince Edward, Duke of Kent (b. 1935) 35. George Windsor, Earl of St. Andrews (b. 1962) Edward Windsor, Baron Downpatrick (excluded by becoming a Roman Catholic) Lady Marina Charlotte Windsor (excluded by becoming a Roman Catholic) 36. Lady Amelia Windsor (b. 1995) Lord Nicholas Windsor (excluded by becoming a Roman Catholic) Albert Windsor (excluded by being Roman Catholic) Leopold Windsor (excluded by being Roman Catholic) Louis Windsor (excluded by being Roman Catholic) 37. Lady Helen Taylor (b. 1964) 38. Columbus Taylor (b. 1994) 39. Cassius Taylor (b. 1996) 40 . Eloise Taylor (b. 2003) 41. Estella Taylor (b 2004) 42. Prince Michael of Kent (b. 1942) 43. Lord Frederick Windsor (b 1979) 44. Maud Windsor (b. 2013) 45. Lady Gabriella Windsor (b. 1981) 46. HRH Princess Alexandra the Hon. Lady Ogilvy (b. 1936) 47. James Ogilvy (b. 1964) 48. Alexander Ogilvy (b. 1996) 49. Flora Ogilvy (b. 1994) 50 . Marina Ogilvy, Mrs Paul Mowatt (b. 1966) 51 . Christian Mowatt (b. 1993) 52 . Miss Zenouska Mowatt (b. 1990) 53. David Lascelles, 8th Earl of Harewood (b. 1950) 54. Hon. Alexander Lascelles (b. 1980) 55. Hon. Edward Lascelles (b. 1982) 56. Hon. James Lascelles (b. 1953) 57. Rowan Lascelles (b. 1977) 58. Tewa Lascelles (b. 1985) 59. Sophie Lascelles (b. 1973) 60. Hon. Jeremy Lascelles (b. 1955) 61. Thomas Lascelles (b. 1982) 62. Ellen Lascelles (b. 1984) 63. Amy Lascelles (b. 1986) 64. Tallulah Lascelles (b. 2005) 65. Henry Lascelles (b. 1953) 66. Maximilian Lascelles (b. 1991) 67. James Carnegie, 3rd Duke of Fife (b. 1929) 68. David Carnegie, Earl of Southesk (b. 1961) 69. Lord Charles Duff Carnegie (b. 1989) 70. Hon. George William Carnegie (b. 1991) 71. Hon. Hugh Alexander Carnegie (b. 1993) 72. Lady Alexandra Etherington (b. 1959) 73. Amelia Mary Carnegie Etherington (b. 2001) 74. HM King Harald V of Norway (b. 1937) 75. HRH Crown Prince Haakon of Norway (b. 1973) 76. HH Prince Sverre Magnus of Norway (b. 2005) 77. HRH Princess Ingrid Alexandra of Norway (b. 2004) 78. Princess Martha Louise of Norway (b.. 1971) 79. Maud Angelica Behn (b. 2003) 80. Leah Isadora Behn (b. 2005) 81. Emma Talullah Behn (b. 2008) 82. Haakon Lorentzen (b. 1954)) 83. Olav Lorentzen (b. 1985) 84. Christian Lorentzen (1988) 85. Sophia Lorentzen (b. 1994) 86. Ingeborg Ribeiro (b. 1957) 87. Victoria Ribeiro (b. 1988) 88. Ragnhild Lorentzen Long (b. 1968)) 89. Alexandra Lorentzen Long (b. 2007) 90. Elizabeth Lorentzen Long (b. 2011) 91. HH Princess Astrid of Norway (b. 1932) 92. Alexander Ferner (b. 1965) 93. Stella Ferner (b. 1998) 94. Carl-Christian Ferner (b. 1972) 95. Cathrine Johansen (b. 1962) 96. Sebastian Johansen (b. 1990) 97. Madeleine Johansen (b. 1993) 98. Benedikte Ferner (b. 1963) 99. Elisabeth Ferner Beckman(b. 1969) 100. Benjamin Ferner Beckman (b. 1999)

Tension as Gambia expels EU envoy

EU anger over expulsion of top diplomat from The European Union (EU) has summoned the Gambian ambassador for an explanation after its representative to the country was expelled. The EU is astonished by the move, which appeared to have no justification, a spokeswoman said. Agnes Guillaud has 72 hours to leave the country, without getting a reason. The EU has been critical of The Gambia's human rights record, particularly regarding its laws penalising homosexuality. Last year the EU blocked nearly $15m in aid to The Gambia. President Jammeh has made no secret of his intense dislike of homosexuality President Yahya Jammeh, 50, has governed the small west African nation with a firm hand since he came to power in a coup 20 years ago. He has crushed dissent and faces mounting international criticism over issues ranging from human rights to his stated belief that he can cure Aids. The president has also implemented tough measures against Gambia's lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender community. He has called gay people "vermin" and has threatened to slit their throats. Homosexual acts are illegal in The Gambia. MPs passed a bill last August imposing life sentences for "aggravated homosexuality". Apart from its Atlantic coastline, The Gambia is entirely surrounded by Senegal The EU summoned the Gambian ambassador on Saturday to seek an explanation for the expulsion, officials said. "There appears to be no justification for the decision by the Gambian authorities. We are astonished by this announcement which came with no explanations," a spokeswoman said. The Gambia has accused both the US and the EU of conducting a campaign to besmirch the image of the country because of its position against homosexuality. "The government reminds all that homosexuality is totally against the religious, cultural and traditional values of The Gambia and would thus not be tolerated," a statement from President Jammeh's office said on Friday.

Profile: Alhaji Abdulrazaq Isah Kutepa

Abdulrazaq Isa Kutepa has put in 28 years of his life into diverse professional and entrepreneurial activities both in the private and public sectors in Nigeria, United States, Canada, and the United Kingdom, covering oil and gas, commercial and mortgage banking, financial services, telecommunication, manufacturing, water transport, research, and science and technology. He has co-founded, managed and still serving on the board of several successful companies both locally and internationally. Abdulrazaq is the co-founder, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of Walter Smith Petroman Oil Limited, the Operator of Ibigwe marginal oil field in Oil Mining Lease (OML) 16 in the Niger Delta area of Nigeria. Earlier in his professional life, Abdulrazaq had been a Banker where he built a solid banking career with Bank of Credit and Commerce, Chartered Bank Ltd and ultimately co-founder/Director, Safetrust Savings and Loans Limited now a subsidiary of Sterling bank. He had also served on the Boards of; the National Inland Waterways Authority, Arewa Metal Containers (ARMECO), and Governing Council of the Cocoa Research Institute, amongst others. He is a member of several local and international professional Organizations such as the Society of Petroleum Engineers (SPE), National Association of Petroleum Explorationists (NAPE) (Corporate Member), Marginal Oil Field Operators Group (MFOG), The Petroleum Club, Institute of Directors (IOD) Nigerian American Chamber of Commerce etc. Alhaji Abdulrazak Isa Kutepa is a graduate of Sociology from the renowned Ahmadu Bello University, Zaria and has attended several Management development programs in both Banking and Oil & Gas locally and internationally. He is happily married to Kate Isa with a lovely daughter Amina.

Pope visits Bosnia

Sarajevo, Bosnia. Pope Francis brought a message of peace and reconciliation as he visited the Bosnian capital of Sarajevo on Saturday, in his latest trip to a country with a large Muslim population. The daylong visit included a meeting with the Bosnia-Herzegovina presidency at the presidential palace, and an open-air Mass at a stadium which tens of thousands of joyful supporters attended. Bosnia has faced past tensions among Muslims, Catholics and Orthodox Christians. Two decades ago, ethnic and religious hatred raged during the nearly four-year siege of Sarajevo in the 1990s. Up to 150,000 are estimated to have died in the war, many of them in ethnic cleansing, a term first coined in the Bosnian conflict. The pope was greeted with cheers and applause as he moved through the crowds at the stadium in an open-sided "Popemobile" ahead of the Mass. In his homily, he spoke of the suffering, misery and destruction brought by war -- and urged all those there to work toward peace, despite the efforts of those who seek to foster conflict for their own gains. "Even in our time, the desire for peace and the commitment to build peace collide against the reality of many armed conflicts presently affecting our world," he said. "They are a kind of third world war being fought piecemeal and, in the context of global communications, we sense an atmosphere of war." The people of Sarajevo know well what pain war can bring, he said. "Today, dear brothers and sisters, the cry of God's people goes up once again from this city, the cry of all men and women of good will: war never again!" Addressing political leaders at the presidential palace ahead of the Mass, Francis recognized the capital's difficult journey toward peace. "I am pleased to be in this city which, although it has suffered so much in the bloody conflicts of the past century, has once again become a place of dialogue and peaceful coexistence," he said. "Sarajevo and Bosnia and Herzegovina have a special significance for Europe and for the whole world." He highlighted the mix of distinct religious, ethnic and cultural groups that have led some to call Sarajevo "The Jerusalem of Europe," saying it "represents a crossroads of cultures, nations and religions, a status which requires the building of new bridges, while maintaining and restoring older ones." And he said steps to extend peace and good relations among Croats, Serbs and Bosnians, as well as Muslims, Hebrews and Christians, took on a significance beyond the country's borders. "These initiatives offer a witness to the entire world that such cooperation among varying ethnic groups and religions in view of the common good is possible; that a plurality of cultures and traditions can coexist and give rise to original and effective solutions to problems; that even the deepest wounds can be healed by purifying memories and firmly anchoring hopes in the future," he said. During his visit, the pope will drive through a historic center that includes cemeteries for some of the victims of the conflict. He'll also meet youth from across all religions and leaders of Muslim, Christian Orthodox and Catholic faiths. Many will hope that in his meeting with political leaders, Francis was able to send the message that for the country to move forward, issues of corruption and high unemployment must be tackled. Security was tight in Sarajevo ahead of his arrival, with a heightened police presence. Roads were closed and cars cleared from the streets along the pope's route. The estimated tens of thousands who gathered for the Mass at the Kosevo Stadium also went through security screening including bag checks. Security concerns have been heightened since a police officer was killed in April in the town of Zvornik, in what authorities said was a suspected terrorist attack. This is not the first time a head of the Roman Catholic Church has made a stop in Bosnia. Pope John Paul II visited Sarajevo in 1997 in a trip that made headlines long before his plane landed. Shortly before the pope arrived, police found mines, plastic explosives and detonators under a bridge on which John Paul's motorcade was to pass on its way from the airport. Authorities removed them before his arrival. In September, Pope Francis visited the mostly Muslim nation of Albania. He also traveled just over a year ago to Jerusalem, Tel Aviv and the West Bank city of Bethlehem, where he met with Israeli and Palestinian political leaders, as well as top religious figures.

G8 Summit: Gen. Buhari to attend

The G8 summit holding in Germany will feature a special presentation from Nigerian President Muhammadu Buhari, as he is expected to come along with a 'wish list' of the group of 8 developed economies should do for Nigeria, this was sequel to an earlier meeting between President Buhari and the British Prime Minister. Let us see what his wishes would look like, given his inheritance of a malfunctional government.

Things you should know

1. Being alone does not mean you are lonely, and being lonely does not mean you are alone. 2. Love is not about sex, going on fancy dates, or showing off. It’s about being with a person who makes you happy in a way nobody else can. 3. Anyone can come into your life and say how much they love you. It takes someone really special to stay in your life and show how much they love you. 4. Burn the candles, use the nice sheets, wear the fancy clothes. Don’t save it for a special occasion; today is special. 5. Love and appreciate your parents. We are often so busy growing up, we forget they are also growing old. 6. When you have to start compromising yourself and your morals for the people around you, it’s probably time to change the people around you. 7. Learn to love yourself first, instead of loving the idea of other people loving you. 8. When someone tells you, “You’ve changed,” it might simply be because you’ve stopped living your life their way. 9. Someone else doesn’t have to be wrong for you to be right. 10. Be happy. Be yourself. If others don’t like it, then let them be. Happiness is a choice. Life isn’t about pleasing everybody.

OPEC concludes meeting

OPEC 167th Meeting concludes No 3/2015 Vienna, Austria 05 Jun 2015 The 167th Meeting of the Conference of the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) was held in Vienna, Austria, on Friday, 5th June 2015 under the Chairmanship of its Alternate President, HE Dr. Mohammed Bin Saleh Al Sada, Minister of Energy and Industry of Qatar and Head of its Delegation. The Conference congratulated HE Dr. Salah Khebri on his appointment as Algeria’s Minister of Energy and HE Asdrbal Chvez as the People’s Minister of Petroleum and Mining of Venezuela, and thanked their predecessors in office, HE Dr. Youcef Yousfi and HE Rafael Ramirez, for their dedicated and valuable contribution to the work of the Organization. A welcome was also extended to Dr. Jamila Shu’ara, Permanent Secretary of Nigeria’s Ministry of Special Duties and Inter-Governmental Affairs, who was heading Nigeria’s Delegation for this Conference by appointment of Nigeria’s newly inaugurated President, HE Muhammadu Buhari, Head of State and Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces. The Conference considered the Secretary General’s report and the report of the Economic Commission Board. It also exchanged views on other issues, in particular, preparations for the COP21/CMP 11 in Paris; the status of the UN post-2015 development agenda; the Organization’s ongoing cooperation with the International Energy Forum and the International Energy Agency; the ongoing collaboration with various international organizations within the G-20; as well as OPEC’s ongoing energy dialogue with the European Union, the Russian Federation, and others. Agreeing on the importance of maintaining dialogue with other oil-producing countries, the Conference affirmed the technical meeting of oil and economic experts from both OPEC and Non-OPEC countries, held on 12th May 2015, in Vienna. The meeting had discussed, inter alia, oil market fundamentals and the global economy, with participants concluding that market stability remains a common objective for all producers, attainable through cooperative effort. Participants agreed to convene again before the end of the year. The Conference reviewed the oil market outlook, as presented by the Secretary General, in particular the demand and supply projections, and the outlook for the second half of 2015. The Conference noted that the global economic recovery had stabilized, albeit with growth at moderate levels. In the current year, GDP growth is projected at 3.3%, with this expected to be at a slightly higher level of 3.5% for 2016. Recording its continued concern over market volatility and the challenges faced by the global oil industry as a whole, the Conference observed, further, that the sharp decline in oil prices witnessed at the end of last year and the start of this year – caused by oversupply and speculation – had now abated, with prices moving slightly higher in recent months. The Conference noted that world oil demand is forecast to increase in the second half of 2015 and in 2016, with growth driven by non-OECD countries. On the supply side, non-OPEC growth in 2015 is expected to be just below 700,000 barrels per day, which is only around one-third of the growth witnessed in 2014. The Conference also observed the recent build in stocks and the surplus of oil in both OECD and non-OECD countries, which has resulted in stock levels that lie well above the five-year average in terms of absolute volumes, indicating that the market is comfortably supplied. In view of the foregoing, the Conference resolved to maintain the 30 mb/d ceiling and urged Member Countries to adhere to it. Member Countries, in agreeing to this decision, confirmed their commitment to a stable and balanced oil market, with prices at levels that are suitable for both producers and consumers. Nonetheless, the Conference stressed that, given the current market uncertainties, the Secretariat should continue to closely monitor developments in the coming months. The Conference was briefed by the Head of Delegation of Ecuador on the ongoing arbitration process brought against the Republic of Ecuador by Chevron Corporation and Texaco Petroleum Company. The Conference expressed its support to the Republic of Ecuador in the exercise of its sovereign rights over its natural resources, in accordance with international law, a right documented in the Algiers, Caracas and Riyadh Summit Declarations of OPEC Heads of State and Government. Furthermore, the Conference called for amicable negotiations and a good faith resolution for the dispute, within a framework of utmost respect for the sovereignty of the Republic of Ecuador, and without resorting to ex parte pre-judgement measures that would make impartial solutions more difficult. The Conference appointed Eng. Ivn Orellana, Venezuelan Governor for OPEC, as Chairman of the Board of Governors until 31st December 2015, and Eng. Mohamed Hamel, Algerian Governor for OPEC, as Alternate Chairman for the same period. The Conference decided that its next Ordinary Meeting will convene on Friday, 4th December, 2015, in Vienna, Austria. Finally, the Conference again expressed its appreciation to the Government and to the people of the Republic of Austria, as well as the authorities of the City of Vienna, for their warm hospitality and the excellent arrangements made for the Conference Meeting and for the 6th OPEC International Seminar.

NNPC Scam

The Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation and the Nigerian Petroleum Development Company were on Thursday indicted by the investigative forensic audit done by PriceWaterHouse Coopers into the allegations of unremitted funds to the Federation Accounts. The highlights of the report was released by the Auditor General for the Federation, Mr. Samuel Ukura, in Abuja. In the report, the accounting firm asked both organisations to refund to the federation account “a minimum of $1.48bn.” PriceWaterHouse, was last year hired to carry out the exercise following an allegation by the former Governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria, Lamido Sanusi, that $20bn was not remitted to the Federation Account by the NNPC. Sanusi, who is now the Emir of Kano, had written a letter to President Goodluck Jonathan that $49bn was not remitted to the Federation Account by the NNPC. But following the controversy which the letter generated, a committee was set up to reconcile the account. Sanusi later recanted and said the unremitted fund was $12bn which he later changed to $20bn.