Nigerian Army Calls Back Retired Soldiers For Service

A number of its retired army officers have been brought in to serve as consultants and instructors at the Nigerian Army School of Artillery (NASA), Kachia, Kaduna state.

This was disclosed on Friday, July 31, by Major-Gen. Lawrence Jokotola (rtd) at a pulling out parade organised for him and 32 other retired generals of Nigerian Army Corps of Artillery (NACA) at the Kalapanzi barracks.

“This will no doubt greatly ensure the sharing of knowledge and expertise between serving and retired officers of the Nigerian Army Corps of Artillery (NACA).

“There is no gainsaying that the challenges the military is currently facing are not unsurmountable if the old ideals of training, good administration and discipline address are extolled,” he said.

According to Jokotola, they all started the journey to serve their fatherland as young men and have now grown to become the retired generals they are.

“We were privileged to get the best education and training while in active service and these opportunities moulded all of us into responsible citizens that we are today,” he added.

He therefore urged his colleagues to rise to the occasion and do Nigeria proud by offering timely, accurate and effective support for the Nigerian Army.

It would recalled that Major General Tukur Buratai, Chief of Army Staff, made new appointments in the hierarchy of the Nigerian Army. 

 He named new general officers commanding the divisions of the Nigerian Army as well as new principal staff officers to head the affairs of military headquarters.

Kaduna Refinery To Produce 2million Litres Of Petrol Daily - MD

The Kaduna Refining and Petrochemicals Company (KRPC), on Friday said it was currently releasing two million litres of petrol daily into the market, as it resumed partial production.

The Managing Director of the company, Saidu Muhammed said this in an interview with NAN in Kaduna.
　
He said that the company, which was undergoing rehabilitation, would raise its production output to five million litres of petrol daily by March 2016.
　
Muhammed disclosed that two of the company’s production lines had been rehabilitated, thereby facilitating the refining of about 60,000 barrels of crude per day.

He assured that the KRPC’s production level would hit 90 per cent by the second quarter of 2016.
　
NAN reports that the company has an installed production capacity of 110,000 barrels of crude per day.

The managing director said rehabilitation work on the remaining two production lines of the company would be completed by March 2016.

He, however, urged the Federal Government to safeguard the oil pipeline from Warri to Kaduna from activities of vandals in order to sustain production.
　
According to him, vandalism remained a major threat to smooth transportation of crude to the refinery.

Muhammed, therefore, advised the Federal Government to deploy military personnel to provide maximum security to pipelines in the area.

NAN reports that the facility upgrade of the refinery, started in October 2014, was to cover 18-months.

NAN gathered that the work entails phased and simultaneous rehabilitation of all refineries in the country using in-house and locally available resources and manpower in line with the Nigerian Content Law.

“It also involved the use of Original Equipment Manufacturer representatives to effect major equipment overhaul and rehabilitation.”

The Nigeria National Petroleum Corporation, on Wednesday announced that the Port Harcourt and Warri refineries had resumed full production after the phased rehabilitation.

Meanwhile, the KRPC boss said the resumption of production would open employment opportunities in both formal and the informal sectors as well as address the lingering fuel scarcity in the northern region.

Muhammed explained that thousands of transporters would resume lifting of the product, thereby providing employment to truck drivers and other stakeholders.

According to him, the development will also boost other businesses including the banking sector.

Rivers Election Tribunal Strikes Out Petition Filed By Labour Party

The River State governorship election petition tribunal has struck out the petition filed by the Labour Party in the state, challenging the emergence of Barrister Nyesom Wike as Governor in the April 11 governorship election.

Chairman of the tribunal, Justice Muazu Pindiga, in his ruling, agreed with the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and Governor Nyesom Wike that the petition did not follow laid down procedures.

According to him, the petition was not filed within the time frame stipulated by the Electoral Act.

The tribunal, however, deferred ruling in the suit filed by the Peoples Democratic Party, challenging the legality of the pre-trial hearing being carried out by the tribunal.

The Labour Party and its governorship candidate in the state, Tonye Princewill,had approached the Rivers State governorship election tribunal sitting in Abuja, challenging the victory of Governor Nyesom Wike at the polls.

The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) declared Nyesom Wike winner of the April 11 governorship election with a total of 1,029,102 votes.

Mr Wike defeated the candidate of the All Progressives Congress, Mr Dakuku Peterside, who polled 124,896 votes.

China Reiterates Commitment To Support Nigeria’s Military

China has reiterated its commitment to support Nigeria in its quest to safeguard peace and stability in the country and West Africa.

The Military Attaché to the Chinese mission in Nigeria, Snr. Col. Wang Runxu, reaffirmed the Chinese government’s commitment in Abuja on Thursday night at the 88th anniversary of the founding of the Chinese People’s Liberation Army (PLA).

Wang said Nigeria and China shared healthy relations military as shown in the training opportunities extended to Nigeria military by their Chinese
counterparts.

“In the military area, the friendship exchange and pragmatic cooperation between PLA and Nigerian Armed Forces are fruitful.

“For years PLA provided Nigerian military personnel with opportunities to participate in training courses at different levels in China.

“At the same time the military trade cooperation has been raised to a higher level,” he said.

He expressed hopes that the cooperation would help in the development of Nigeria’s security apparatus. “We believe that this growth in collaboration will help Nigeria’s military to strengthen its capacity and capability in safeguarding peace and maintaining stability in Nigerian and the West African region.

“This year marks the 10th anniversary of the establishment that strategic partnership. We are confident that the comprehensive cooperation between the two countries will be strengthened to new heights.”

Also speaking, the Chief of Army Staff, Major General Tukur Buratai, who was represented by Major General Edward Nze, reiterated the readiness of the Nigerian Army to work with and share experiences with PLA.

“The Nigerian Army will continue to work with the PLA because you have been a great pillar to our fight.

“We thank you for all of your assistance in fighting insurgency and we are willing to look at further areas of cooperation and what Nigeria can also offer to the PLA,” he noted.

Rivers State University Suspends Husband of VC Over Conspiracy To Kidnap Her

A new development has emerged over the kidnap and release of the Vice Chancellor of the Ignatius Ajuru University of Education, Prof Rosamund Osahagulu as the University management has slammed a three-month suspension on Prof. Joshua Osahagulu, who is also the husband of the Vice Chancellor for alleged conspiracy in the kidnap of his wife.

The university branch of Academic Staff Union Universities, ASUU, is kicking against the suspension of Prof.Joshua Osaghaulu as unfair and unjust and has called on the management to reverse the decision until a thorough investigation is carried out on the matter.

ASUU Chairman of the university, Dr. Ugochukwu Agey said the union is pissed with the way Prof. Joshua Osahagulu was hounded with suspension simply based on the statement he made over the abduction of his wife without thorough probe into the circumstances surrounding the abduction of his wife.

As at the time of filing this report, it is unclear what the evidence before the university management is before it suspended Professor Osahagulu.

“We are aware that he has been suspended without thorough investigation. We are calling on the university management to reverse the suspension,” ASUU said.

The ASUU Chairman pointed out that the hasty action of the University management was capable of bringing the image of the Ivory Tower to disrepute and called on the Rivers state, Governor Nyesom Wike, who is the Visitor of the University to intervene as a matter of urgency.

It would be recalled that the Vice Chancellor of Ignatius Ajuru University of Education,Port Harcourt, Professor Rosamund Green Osahagulu, was abducted by unknown gunmen on her way to her home in Port Harcourt after the closure of work but has since regained her freedom.

Court Stops Ladipo Market Demolition

A Lagos High Court judge, Justice Iyabo Akinkugbe on Friday ordered the Mushin Local Government Area authority to suspend its plan to demolish part of the popular Ladipo Auto Spare Parts Market for the purpose of re-development.

Akinkugbe said it would only be in the interest of justice that the LGA put its demolition plan on hold pending the determination of a suit challenging the project.

Some auto spare parts dealers, who own shops at the market, had headed for court claiming that the planned demolition would disturb the peaceful and quiet enjoyment of their tenancy at the market.

The trders, through their lawyer, Richard Nwankwo, sought an order of perpetual injunction restraining the LGA and its agents from going ahead with the demolition and ejection plan, which they claimed was coming at a time when their rents had not lapsed.

At today’s proceedings,  Nwankwo argued an ex parte application, urging the court to make an order for the parties to maintain the status quo pending when the issues in the main suit would be determined.

Nwanko told the court that since the first invasion of the market by agents of the defendant at about 4.30am on 30 June, 2015, the auto spare parts dealers had been living under the fear that the defendant would eject them.

The lawyer alleged that in spite of the intervention of the Lagos State Commissioner of Police, who met with the parties on 1 July and ordered that peace should be maintained, the Executive Secretary of Mushin LGA, Mr. Jide Bello, had not relented in his threat to eject the marketers.

Convincing the court to grant the application, Nwankwo argued that the LGA would not suffer any loss if the court stopped it from taking further steps in its demolition and ejection plan until a decision was made by the court in the main suit.

After hearing the lawyer’s argument, the judge said she was convinced that it would serve the interest of justice for the parties to maintain the status quo pending the determination of the main suit and so ordered.

The judge subsequently adjourned till 4 August, 2015 to hear the main application.

The plaintiffs in the suit are Nnamdi Chukwuka, Franco Offai, Vitus Okoyeagu, Felix Okafor, Peter Benson and Richard Olisakwe.

Others are Godwin Onyeka, Emeka Ikeh, Romanus Ezimora and Darlington Ugochukwu.

In the affidavit filed in support of their application, they alleged that without a prior notice, agents of the Mushin Local Government Area had invaded the market, and with the help of “hoodlums and rented armed policemen” commenced demolition of their shops.

They claimed that the respondent, after the invasion, had continued to threaten them with ejection and demolition.

Chukwuka, who deposed to the affidavit, said the demolition and ejection threat by Bello was coming while the plaintiffs had subsisting rents.

The deponent, who accused Bello of hiding under “the guise of redeveloping the market”, said “the respondent also deployed some equipment in the market and removed roofs of the applicants’ shops.

“The hoodlums went on a looting spree, carting away some of our expensive goods, cash and other valuables.”

Bomb Explosion Hits Maiduguri

8 people have been confirmed killed after a bomb strapped on a tricycle went off at the popular Gamboru Market junction this morning in Maiduguri.

photo credit: Kayode Akintemi

Senate Probes Alleged Plot By 22 Senators To Sabotage President Buhari

photo credit: Linda Ikeji

Following a publication in a newspaper, alleging that 22 northern senators of the APC, who took part in the vote of confidence on the Senate President and other leaders of the Senate, were plotting to frustrate the present administration, the Senate has directed its Committee on Ethics and Privilege to investigate the allegations.

The Guardian reports 

The alleged report reads: “Twenty-two northern senators elected on the All Progressives Congress (APC) platform have been identified as teaming up with the opposition to work against President Muhammadu Buhari and the ruling party. “The senators allegedly teamed up with 46 Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) senators in the Red Chamber to pass a confidence vote in the leadership of the Senate under Dr. Bukola Saraki and Ike Ekweremadu, a PDP senator. “Thirty-five APC senators were among the 81 who purportedly endorsed the vote of confidence in the principal officers of the Senate.”

The report added that 22 out of the senators were from the North and were consequently accused of working against the party on which platform they were elected into the National Assembly.

Australian Official Says Plane Debris Found In Indian Ocean Is From MH370

Australian officials have expressed continued confidence that the plane wreckage found on the shores of an Indian Ocean island this week is part of missing Malaysia Airlines Flight MH370.

The head of the Australian agency, Martin Dolan who is coordinating the underwater search for the plane, told CNN on today that he is "increasingly confident, but not yet certain" that the debris is from MH370.

Dolan further said they are "highly confident" that the object found Wednesday by people cleaning a beach on the French island of Reunion is from a Boeing 777, adding that the only 777 aircraft that they are aware of in the Indian Ocean that could have led to this part floating is MH370.

Aviation investigators have however launched an investigation to make a definitive judgment on whether the item, which appears to be a wing component, is from the Malaysian jetliner that disappeared nearly 17 months ago with 239 people aboard.

They added that If it is confirmed, the piece of debris would be the first bit of physical evidence recovered from MH370, noting that It could help resolve some questions about the deeply puzzling fate of the aircraft but

likely to leave many others still unanswered.

I Am Not Eager To Be Minister In President Buhari's Government Says Bakare

The General Overseer of the Latter Rain Assembly, Ogba, Lagos, Tunde Bakare, has said that he is not eager to be minister in administration President Muhammadu Buhari.

It would be recalled that Bakare was the running mate of Buhari on the platform of the Congress for Progressive Change in the 2011 presidential election.

Bakare went ahead to defended the President Buhari's style of governance as he strongly affirmed that, “slow and steady wins the race.”

In his words, “As far as I am concerned, I am not expecting to be named a minister. If I am offered an appointment, when I get to that bridge I will cross it. I am already a minister of the gospel. Ministry is my calling and my life. The word minister means servant. When you expect nothing, you cannot be disappointed. I keep on doing what I am doing, to be a solid supporter of the Buhari movement and what he stands for in public life. I have no regret on what I did in 2011. If an opportunity presents itself, I will do it again. I am not seeking anything.

“Let’s not count chickens before they are hatched. The bible says the expectation of the righteous will not be cut off. That is when the expectation of the righteous is in tandem with God’s expectation. If you are expecting from God, the flesh can fail. Who knows tomorrow? In the next two months, when the ministers would be named, what if nobody is here or alive? ”

Bakare however noted that he would continue to throw his weight behind the President in any capacity possible, adding that the president’s visit to the United States of America has improved the diplomatic tie between the two great nations.

Nigerian Army Had No Equipment In My Time As CDS Says Badeh

The just sacked Chief of Defence Staff, Air Chief Marshal Alex Badeh has said that the Nigerian Armed Forces he led had no equipment.

The former Chief of Defence Staff made the statement on Thursday in Abuja while delivering a valedictory speech at a pulling out parade organised in his honour at the Mogadishu Cantonment.

In his words “Permit me to also add here that the nation’s militaries are equipped and trained in peace time for the conflicts they expect to confront in the future. Unfortunately, that has not been our experience as a nation.

“Over the years, the military was neglected and under-equipped to ensure the survival of certain regimes, while other regimes, based on advice from some foreign nations, deliberately reduced the size of the military and underfunded it.

“Unfortunately, our past leaders accepted such recommendations without appreciating our peculiarities as a third world military, which does not have the technological advantage that could serve as force multipliers and compensate for reduced strength.

He noted that the Nigerian military was overstretched in the face of the insurgency confronting the nation such that it embarked on emergency recruitment and training, which were not sufficiently enough to prepare soldiers for the kind of situation the country has found her self in.

He alleged said some past leaders intentionally decided to weaken the military just for the survival of their administration.

Bedeh said that some of the regimes accepted the demands of foreign countries to reduce the size of the military and deprived the nation’s defence forces of the requisite funding and size.

He lamented that such leaders accepted the advice of such foreign countries without considering the nation’s peculiar characteristics as a third world country which lacked the advantages of modern technology to compensate for the costly reduction in size and strength.

Badeh however urged the Federal Government to embark on a comprehensive review of the country's military structure with emphasis on its size, capacity and the equipment that should be at its disposal to car

ry out its responsibility of defending the country.

APC Govs Gears Up For Bayelsa, Kogi Gubernatorial Elections

As the country looks forward to another gubernatorial elections, this time in just two states of Nigeria, Bayelsa and Kogi, Governors of the ruling All Progressives Congress, APC on Thursday assured their supporters that there were in full readiness for the forth-coming exercise.

Shortly after the meeting that ended at about 12 mid night at the Imo State Governor’s lodge in the Federal Capital Territory, FCT, the Governors said that the APC has now been more straightened for the exercise.

Governor Rochas Okorocha who spoke with press men at the end of the meeting on behalf of the Progressives Governors Forum, PGF, noted that the governors were equally happy that peace had finally returned to the lower chamber of the National Assembly as they  also expressed optimism that such lasting peace will extend to the Senate too.

He said: “We deliberated on a lot of issues. One is that we have resolved to strengthen our party and prepare for the forth coming especially the ones of Kogi and Bayelsa States.

“We are also very happy about the development in the National Assembly as peace is gradually returning to the national assembly. We are very happy that what has taken place in the federal house will soon take place in the senate and we resolved to make our party bigger and bigger than what it is now. So, we welcome interested parties to join us in building the Nigeria of our dream.”

Governors in attendance at the meeting included Adams Oshiomole of Edo State, Nasir El-Rufai of Kaduna State, Rauf Arebegsola of the State of Osun and Kashim Shettima of Borno State.

Others are Samuel Ortom of Benue State, Umar Ganduje of Kano State, Abdulaziz Yari of Zamfara State, Simon Lalong State Plateau, Aminu Tambuwal of Sokoto State, Senator Atiku Bagudu of Kebbi State, Tanko Al-Makura of Nassarawa State, Sani Bello of Niger State, the deputy governors of Lagos and Oyo States represented their governors.

Dino Melaye, Others Deny working against President Buhari

Nigeria's President

Some Northern senators have vehemently denied media reports that they were working against President Muhammadu Buhari’s interest in the red chambers of the National Assembly.

The senators led by Dino Melaye made their position known on Thursday while briefing Assembly correspondents in Abuja.

Melaye noted that it was unacceptable for anybody to infer that those who endorsed the leadership of the senate were working against the president.

In his words “There was a presentation by the Senate Leader, Ali Ndume, today, in plenary and he complained about a publication.

“He said that the report revealed that the 81 senators who appended their signatures to Saraki’s endorsement are enemies of Buhari.

“I want to state clearly that the report and those insinuating that 22 northern senators who signed that report are working against President Buhari are the ones that are actually working against him.

“There is nothing President Buhari has brought to the senate that has not received expeditious response. The president we know is upright and transparent and I call him the nemesis of corruption,” he said.

Senator Melaye however urged the media to always verify the veracity of any story before publishing sin order not to present the National Assembly in a negative light before the Nigerian public and the world.

He further said that the assembly would continue to focus on issues that would bring progress and development of the country, adding that the house will not compromise honesty, truth and integrity.”

Other Senators who expressed their disappointment include Binta Garba (Adamawa North) and David Umaru (APC-Niger East).

PDP Update: Evidence That DSS DG Is An APC Member (photos)

The Peoples Democratic Party sent these picture to the media. They stand their ground that the current DSS is an APC member.

Nigeria Chief of Army Staff Appoints New GOCs, Commanders

Chief of Army Staff, Tukue Buratai

The Chief of Army Staff, Major General Tukur Yusufu Buratai today approved the postings and appointments of 334 officers of the Nigerian Army officers with various effective dates. These include some Principal Staff Officers at Defence and Army Headquarters, Corps Commanders and General Officers Commanding as well as other commanders.

Colonel Sani Kukasheka Usman, Director of Army Public Relations said in a statement that officers affected in the new postings include 37 Major Generals, 57 Brigadier Generals, 128 Colonels, several Lieutenants Colonels and others.

Some of those affected were the General Officers Commanding 1, 2, 3, 81 and 82 Divisions, Operations Pulo Shield and Safe Haven of Niger Delta and Plateau States.

Also affected in the new posting are Major General MA Koleoso who is now Commander TRADOC, Major General SN Muazu who moved from 2 Division to the Headquarters Infantry Corps and appointed Commander, Major General MT Ibrahim, from Department of Army Standard and Evaluation to Nigerian Defence Academy and appointed Commandant. Major General LKJ Ogunewe is now the Chief of Policy and Plans, Major General FO Alli, is now Chief of Training and Operations and Major General AA Salihu, Chief of Logistics.

Others includes Major General AG Okunola, who now Commander of Operation PULO SHIELD (JTF) and Major General TC Ude, Commander, OPERATIONS SAFE HAVEN (STF Jos).

Also, Major General LW Wiwa is now Deputy Commandant of Nigerian Armed Forces Resettlement Centre. Major General A Oyebade is now the General Officer Commanding 1 Division, Major General LC Ilo, General Officer Commanding 2 Division, Major General H Umaru, General Officer Commanding 3 Division, Major General IH Edet, General Officer Commanding 81 Division and Brigadier General I Attahiru is now the Acting General Officer Commanding 82 Division.

While Brigadier General AT Hamman is now the Acting Provost Marshal, Brigadier General LF Abdullahi, Acting Commander, Nigerian Army Education Corps and Colonel R Abubakar, Acting Director Defence Information, amongst others.

Nigerian Army Clear Notorious Boko Haram Camps, Rescued 59 Captives

As part of efforts to rid Nigeria of Boko Haram terrorists, troops of 21 Brigade and elements of Nigerian Army Engineers on Wednesday cleared a notorious terrorists camp at Chuogori and Shantumari, Borno State, Colonel Sani Kukasheka Usman, Acting Director Army Public Relations said in a statement on Thursday.

According to him, during the offensive operations the fleeing terrorists left underground silos.

He added that in addition, troops of 151 Task Force Battalion conducted operations on Kashingeri, Wale and Kushingari Boko Haram terrorists camps today.

The Army Public Relations chief said during the raids, quite a number of the terrorists were killed, a Landrover vehicle and a Tipper were recovered.

The troops, he added, also rescued 59 civilians that were held captive by the terrorists and cleared the camps.

Nigerian Passport Ranked 57th In The World

Former President Jonathan

The Nigerian passport is ranked 57th in the world out of 199 indexed passports. This is according to Passport Index – the interactive tool recently unveiled by Arton Capital, a financial advisory firm which specialises in procuring multiple citizenships for its clients.

Commenting on the Index, Oluwakemi Ojo – Head of Communications for Travelstart Nigeria – said, “Arton Capital’s assessment bodes well for Nigerians who love to travel. Currently, Nigerian passport holders enjoy visa-free access to 61 countries in the world including Fiji, Dominican Republic, Madagascar, Mauritius, and Kenya. Visa-free travel is extremely important because it facilitates doing business in foreign territories, and for leisure travellers it reduces the costs and administrative hassles of international travel.”

In West Africa, Guinea has a leg up on the rest of the sub-region. The second most useful passport in the region belongs to Togo whose bearers can travel to a total of 67 countries without having to apply for a visa. Citizens of Sao Tome & Principles are less fortunate with visa-free access to just 28 countries.

The Passport Index filters passports by country, by region, by colour (of the passport cover), and by passport power rank – the ranking system allocates 1 point for each country the passport holder can enter without applying for a visa before departure.

The United Kingdom and United States share the highest passport power rank in the index with access to 147 countries, while Palestinian Territories, Myanmar among others have the lowest with visa free access to just 28 countries. Nigeria holds the same rank on the passport ranking as with Tunisia, Zambia, Mali, Namibia, Philippines, Saudi Arabia, Azerbaijan, Tanzania and Bahrain.

The Index’s visa-free count is based on data and consultations from IATA’s Timaticweb platform and other sources. Passports are ranked based on their Visa Free Score. The higher the Visa Free Score, the better the Passport Power Rank.

The country list is based on the 193 UN member countries and 6 territories (Macao, Kosovo, etc.) for a total of 199. Territories annexed to other countries such as Norfolk Island, French Polynesia, etc. are excluded. Data is based on research from publicly available sources, as well as information shared by government agencies.

Photos: Buhari Arrives Nigeria From Cameroon

President Buhari this afternoon arrived Nigeria from Cameroon after his one day state visit to the country. He was received by Vice President Yemi Osinbajo. More photos after the cut...

Shell To Axe 6,500 Jobs

Royal Dutch Shell (RDSa.L) says it will axe 6,500 jobs this year and step up spending cuts, to deal with an extended period of lower oil prices.

Besides, the company announced on Thursday in London the sale of a 33 per cent stake in the Showa Shell refinery in Japan to Idemitsu, for about $1.4 billion.

The Anglo-Dutch company also said it was planning more asset disposals, bringing total asset sales between 2014 and 2018 to $50 billion.

“We have to be resilient in a world where oil prices remain low for some time, whilst keeping an eye on recovery,’’ Chief Executive Officer Ben van Beurden said.

Shell said it anticipated 6,500 staff and direct contractor reductions in 2015 from a total of nearly 100,000 employees.

Lower oil prices have contributed to a 37 per cent drop in the oil and gas group’s second-quarter profits.

And the group said it would reduce 2015 capital investment for the second time this year to $30 billion by 20 per cent from a year ago.

Big oil companies have cut 2015 spending by 10 to 15 per cent from 2014, to cope with a halving of oil prices over the past year to below $55 a barrel LCOc1.

Rivals BP (BP.L) and Total (TOTF.PA) announced further cuts this week.

Shell said its operating costs were expected to fall by $4 billion, or around 10 per cent, in 2015 as part of a broad efficiency drive to boost its balance sheet.

It also expects $30 billion of asset sales between 2016 and 2018, on top of a total of $20 billion in disposals for 2014 and 2015 combined.

Shell, however, have planned to return to the line of profit by pushing ahead with its proposed $70 billion acquisition of BG Group (BG.L).

Shell hopes to complete its BG deal by early 2016 and is still awaiting key regulatory approvals from the European Union, China and Australia.

But Brazil, the United States and South Korea have formally cleared it.

The deal is expected to generate pre-tax benefits of around $2.5 billion per year, starting 2018.

The tie-up will turn Shell into the world’s leading liquefied natural gas company and one of the largest deep-water oil producers, with a focus on Brazil.

Shell maintained its quarterly dividend at 47 cents per share and is committed to rewarding shareholders with at least the same pay-out in 2016.

Buharism: Nigeria’s Power Supply Now At 4656mw

President Buhari

The Management of Transmission Company of Nigeria (TCN) on Wednesday stated that the National Grid Transmission has recorded another peak of 4662 megawatt (mw) of electricity.

In a statement by TCN General Manager, Public Affairs, Seun Olagunju, it said the new peak was attained at 08.00pm on Tuesday.

The statement recalled that TCN management had announced the attainment of the previous peak transmission of 4656mw on 15th July this year.

Power generation and transmission have been recording new peaks above 4500 mw following improvements in gas supply to the generating stations as well as equipment/infra-structure upgrade and enhanced human capacity of system operators.

TCN assures that it would continue to work at enhancing the capacity to transmit more power to the electricity distribution companies.

It would be recalled that during the immediate past administration, electricity output crashed to an all time, historic low of 727 mw.

El-Rufa’i Cuts Overhead By 60%, Cancels Pilgrims Sponsorship

Governor El-Rufai

Governor Nasir El-Rufa’i of Kaduna State, says his administration has cut down overhead costs by 60 per cent as part of measures to rescue the state from its precarious financial situation.

El-Rufa’i, in a broadcast to the people of the state on Wednesday night, said that the state was broke and had a debt burden of more than N74.297 billion, comprising N28.840 billion domestic and N45.44 billion foreign debts.

He said that the administration had also taken radical steps to reduce costs of governance, shore up its internal revenue and block all revenue leakages. “It was obvious that running Kaduna the old way is a recipe for disaster.

“One of the steps we took was to cut overheads spending by 60 per cent. I therefore directed the state accountant general to release only 40 per cent of budgeted overheads as we strive to improve liquidity and prioritise spending for public goods.

“However, our efforts in this regard are not on the expenditure side alone. As we cut costs, plug leakages and reduce wastes, we need to grow our revenues and have more realistic budgeting in the state.

“We are therefore focusing on strategies to rapidly increase our internally generated revenue.”

The governor said that the reduction of ministries from 19 to 13 and the 50 per cent salary cut for himself and the deputy governor were also targeted at reducing the cost of governance.

He emphasised that the administration would no longer spend money on gifts, feeding and pilgrimages. “In 2014, over 2,000 pilgrims were sponsored to the Hajj by the Kaduna State Government and the 23 local government areas. Out of the 810 Christian pilgrims, 800 were sponsored by the same governments.

“All these cost the governments nearly N1.5 billion in just one year. Our state simply cannot afford this expense any longer.”

El-Rufa’i said that N120 million was saved from salaries paid to ghost workers after the biometric verification of civil servants conducted by the administration, adding that those involved in the fraud would be prosecuted.

The governor said, henceforth, the administration would adopt the zero-based budgeting system. “This means that every expenditure item will have to be justified both in terms of its necessity, cost and availability of funds vis-à-vis other competing needs before it can be included in the state budget.

“There is no reason to legislate N200 billion as annual budget when the realistic revenue and expenditure capacity is less than N100 billion.”

On tax reforms, El-Rufa’i said that the government was studying all options to improve its internally generated revenue and reduce dependence on federal allocations.

He said that their target was to generate IGR exceeding what the government would receive monthly from the Federation Account.

Nigeria, Cameroon Vow Closer Tie Against Boko Haram

President Buhari

The leaders of Nigeria and Cameroon pledged on Thursday to improve the exchange of intelligence and security cooperation along their border in a bid to tackle Nigerian Islamist militant group Boko Haram, reports Reuters.

Concluding his first visit to Cameroon since he was elected in March, Nigerian President Muhammadu Buhari and his Cameroonian counterpart Paul Biya voiced support in a joint statement for a planned multinational task force to fight Boko Haram, which has sworn allegiance to Islamic State.

Buhari’s visit came after the Nigerian militant group launched a wave of attacks in Nigeria, Cameroon, Chad and Niger that has killed hundreds of people in the past two months.

The attacks follow a four-month military campaign by Nigeria, Chad and Niger that drove Boko Haram out of the towns of northeast Nigeria.

“The two heads of state note with satisfaction the weakening of the operational capabilities of Boko Haram,” read a joint statement in French. “They expressed their common determination to eradicate Boko Haram and in this respect agreed to intensify intelligence sharing between their security services.”

The 8,700-strong task force of five nations near Lake Chad – Nigeria, Cameroon, Chad, Niger and Benin – was due to start operations from July 31, but has been dogged by questions of funding, coordination and political will.

“As a result of the promises made by the G7 to help the region to defeat Boko Haram, we are expecting some input in terms of training, equipment,” Buhari told Cameroonian state television before his departure aboard a Nigerian air force plane. Biya took no questions.

Some observers say little can be expected in terms of military activity before the end of the rainy season in September or October.

The meeting was meant to soothe fractious relations between Cameroon and Nigeria, strained by a long-running border dispute that flared into conflict in 1993.

Biya, in power since 1982, did not attend Buhari’s inauguration and the Nigerian leader’s trip comes nearly two months after he visited Chad and Niger. The two leaders agreed to meet again in Nigeria at a date to be confirmed.

Credit to PM News.