2021 budget: Reps to raise Air Force budget, hail CAS over fight against insecurity

By

-

November 4, 2020

The House of Representatives Committee on Airforce on Tuesday promised to raise the budget of the Nigeria Airforce, as the panel commended efforts of the Chief of Air Staff in the battle against terrorism in the country.

The lawmakers gave the commendation at the headquarters of the Nigeria Airforce in Abuja when the House Committee paid an oversight visit on the Chief of Air Staff, Air Vice Marshal, Sadiq Abubakar. The Committee led byRep. Shehu Koko (APC- Kebbi) expressed satisfaction with the airforce for doing so much in the areas of capacity building, weapon development and research, adding that it will do everything possible to give muzzle to the Airforce to enable it to succeed in fighting crime.

According to the chairman of the Committee, Mr Koko, “we are here on an assessment visit just to ascertain the level of work done by the force and to commend the Nigeria Airforce for judiciously utilizing the funds available to them. We have visited Borno, Makurdi, Kaduna etc and we have seen what you have done. “Therefore, the Committee promise to give you all the muzzle that you need to make you succeed”. Speaking, the Spokesperson of the House of Representatives, Rep. Benjamin Kalu (APC-Abia) who is also a member of the Committee corroborated the same position as the chairman as he expressed confidence in the ability of the Chief of Air Staff based on the committee’s assessment of some of its projects executed so far as observed during oversight in various States of the federation. ” I’m here today because I have been in the field, if I was not I would not say what I’m about to say. First and foremost, Nigerians might not see what you are doing but you have done a lot. We commend you for your capacity building. That is walking the talk. Some of your men that I had cause to interview personally, told me in confidence that there’s job satisfaction. He continued: “Thanks for making sure that you have enough equipment. Though you might not be a hundred per cent you are doing very well. You have also anchored the research and development very well. Your civil-military collaboration is also commendable. And lastly, we in the House of Representatives commend you for training female pilots although we lost one of them and may her soul rest in peace”, Kalu acknowledged.

Speaking on the area of capacity building and gender balance in the force, Abubakar revealed that the force has trained 7 female pilots while 14 females were still undergoing training, adding that a total of 118 pilots have been trained in the last five years. He also disclosed that the airforce before now had just 3 aircraft but currently under him, the force could boast of 15 aircraft.

TRENDING: Senate, FG disagree over N5bn bailout for airline operators, others

By

Itohan Olomu-Agbodo

-

November 4, 2020

0

THE Senate and the Federal Government disagreed sharply Tuesday over the N5 billion bailout approved for airline operators and other businesses in the aviation sector to mitigate the impact of COVID-19 pandemic on their operations. While the Senate asked the Federal Government to raise the bailout fund, saying it was too small, the Federal Government said it could not go beyond such amount, as it had other challenges to contend with.

Speaking at the beginning of a three-day public hearing on six aviation executive bills in Abuja yesterday, Chairman, Senate Committee on Aviation, Senator Smart Adeyemi, All Progressives Congress, APC, Kogi West, who stressed the need for an upward review of the bailout funds for airline operators, said what the government was offering as bailout was too little to make any meaningful impact.

The three-day public hearing on six executive bills is aimed at fine-tuning regulatory issues as well as effective management of agencies in the aviation industry, especially the twin bills for an Act to repeal and enact the Civil Aviation Act, 2006 and the Nigerian College of Aviation Technology Act 2010. Adeyemi, who maintained that the bailout for the airline operators was a far cry from what would be required to finance aircraft maintenance and retain workers, said: “ I do not think that N4 billion is what we are talking about. I think the FG should give the industry all the attention it deserves.

JUST IN: 20-Foot Container Of Suspected Toxic Waste Abandoned In Lagos

By

Itohan Olomu-Agbodo

-

November 4, 2020

0

A 20 foot container suspected to contain toxic waste has been abandoned at Berger Suya bus stop, along the Cocoanut – Mile2 end (close to the pedestrian bridge) of the Oshodi/Apapa expressway. The specialised container with number TLLU 2813171is loaded with already rusting drums stacked six drums wide and five drums high.

According to reports,the truck’s head has been removed leaving the body laden with the consignment. Findings revealed that the truck, whose plate number has also been removed, may have been parked there for a long time.

An Executive member of the National Council of Managing Directors of Licensed Customs Agents, said he saw chemical-like substance dropping from the consignment and he remembered the famous Koko incident. According to the source, some people around there to help open the door which was ajar at the time.

Public Relations Officer of Tin-can Island Command, Uche Ejesieme and his counterpart at Apapa Area1 Command, Abubakar Usman, of the Nigerian Customs Service, NCS, were contacted to ascertain which port the consignment was cleared from.

#ENDSARS: FG reportedly attempts to suppress #EndSARS promoters by freezing their accounts

By

Chris Ottah

-

November 4, 2020

0

According to reports, the Federal Government has allegedly begun an attempt to suppress promoters of #EndSARS protests by freezing their bank accounts.

As reported by The PUNCH, some #EndSARS promoters reported that their banks informed them that the Central Bank of Nigeria had directed that their accounts be frozen. Some even claim that their accounts had been frozen for the past two weeks.

Recall that youths, last month, protested for 2 weeks in major cities around the country, calling for the disbanding of the Special Anti-Robbery Squad of the Nigeria Police Force.

It was gathered that CBN reportedly instructed banks to place a ‘Post No Debit’ restriction on the accounts.

The banks then implemented the directive by tracking the ‘narration’ of transactions.

Bank transactions that included the narration #EndSARS or End SARS were immediately flagged while such accounts receiving funds were frozen.

Just In: Trump set to challenge election results

By

Chris Ottah

-

November 4, 2020

0

Though the final results haven’t been given, President Donald Trump claims that he had won the US election.

He went on to say that he would go the Supreme Court to dispute the counting of votes.

“We did win this election,” Trump said in a speech from the ceremonial East Room of the White House.

See Also: American people will declare winner, not Trump —Biden

“For the good of this nation, this is a very big moment. This is a major fraud on our nation. We want the law to be used in a proper manner. So, we will be going to the US Supreme Court,” Trump stated.

The Republican, who according to initial results is in a neck-and-neck race with Democrat Joe Biden, said he would go to court and “we want all voting to stop.”

He appeared to mean stopping the counting of mail-in ballots which can be legally accepted by state election boards after Tuesday’s election, provided they were sent in time.

More details later…

American people will declare winner, not Trump —Biden

By

Chris Ottah

-

November 4, 2020

0

President Donald Trump’s opponent, Joe Biden, has said that neither he nor Trump is in the position to declare the winner of Tuesday election.

Speaking live from Wilmington, Delaware on Tuesday night, Biden said it is the place of the American people to declare their next president through the ballots.

He said, “We know this is gonna go long but who knows if it is gonna go longer. But we feel good about where we are. We believe we are on track to win this election.

“We know because beyond president’s early votes, the mailing votes is going to take a while. We gonna have to be patient until the hard work of counting votes is finished, until every vote is counted. But we’re feeling good about where we are.

“It’s not my place or Donald Trump’s place to declare the winner of this election. That’s the decision of the American people. But I am optimistic about this outcome.”

So far, Biden has 126 electoral votes and Trump has 89.

They’re trying to steal the election – Trump accuses opponents

By

Chris Ottah

-

November 4, 2020

0

President Donald Trump has accused his opponents of trying to steal the elections. Trump claims they were casting votes after polls are closed.

“We are up BIG, but they are trying to STEAL the election. We will never let them do it. Votes cannot be cast after the Polls are closed!” he tweeted.

“I will be making a statement tonight. A big WIN!”

See Also: US Election 2020: US records highest election turnout as Americans choose between Trump and Biden

Twitter immediately tagged his first tweet as misleading, stating that “some or all of the content shared in this Tweet is disputed and might be misleading about an election or other civic process”.

The first results are trickling in, with US media projecting wins for the Republican incumbent so far in 13 states including Indiana, Kentucky, Oklahoma, Tennessee and West Virginia — all states he won in 2016.

Democratic challenger Joe Biden has captured 11 states including his home state Delaware and big prize New York, plus the US capital Washington. As with Trump, so far, all states claimed by Biden were won by Democrat Hillary Clinton in 2016.

So far, that gives Biden 126 electoral votes and Trump 89. The magic number is 270.

US Election 2020: US records highest election turnout as Americans choose between Trump and Biden

By

Chris Ottah

-

November 3, 2020

0

Americans are voting in what could be referred to one of the most controversial presidential elections in decades, pitting incumbent Republican Donald Trump against his Democratic challenger Joe Biden.

The first polls opened from in Vermont.

Nearly 100 million people have already cast their ballots in early voting, putting the country on course for its highest turnout in a century.

Both rivals spent the final hours of the race rallying in key swing states.

National polls give a firm lead to Mr Biden, but it is a closer race in the states that could decide the outcome.

In the US election, voters decide state-level contests rather than an overall single national one.

Please return to your duty post – Obaseki begs Policemen

By

Chris Ottah

-

November 3, 2020

0

Governor Godwin Obaseki of Edo State has pleaded with the state Commissioner of Police, Johnson Babatunde Kokumo to allow officers and men of his command to return to their duty posts and help secure lives and property of the citizens of the state.

Obaseki made the appeal yesterday, when he paid a solidarity visit to the command in the aftermath of the #EndSARS protest that led to the destruction of lives and property, including the burning down of the police stations in the state.

h Obaseki said their absence on the roads and some conspicuous places in the state could easily be interpreted by the hoodlums who hijacked the good intentions of the #EndSARS protest as weakness and cowardice on the part of the police, adding that the police should do everything within their powers to quickly correct that wrong impression.

He said the government and people of Edo State are solidly behind the police command and to give them the needed support and encouragement that they needed to move on and get rid of all the criminal elements in the state.

The governor said as part of his concern and sharing in their plights, he has ordered for patrol vans to be supplied and given to the police to aid their operations in the state, while the medical bills of the injured officers would also be taken care of by the government just as he said he would rebuild the burnt police stations.

“Edo State government will now proceed immediately to begin to rebuild your destroyed building. We have already ordered for some patrol vehicles and we hope it will be delivered in the next few weeks. We will be responsible for the hospital bills of officers who have been hurt in the last few weeks,” he said.

SEE ALSO: #EndSARS: Hoodlums wearing military uniforms may be responsible for shooting Lekki protesters – AGF

The governor however, vowed that the inmates who escaped will not celebrate the Christmas with other citizens of the state and that they will certainly be rearrested while those who saw the prison gates flung opened and chose to stay back, will have their cases reviewed.

Earlier, the Commissioner of Police, Kokumo, said the presence of the state governor in their midst has boosted their morale to resume and reclaim the state from the hoodlums after the #EndSARS protest.

Kokumo said about 11 of his officers were injured by the protesters and that out of the 11 injured, 10 of them have been discharged from the hospital while one other is still at the University of Benin Teaching Hospital, (UBTH) for treatment.

He said after the #EndSARS protest, the command arrested 126 criminal suspects and that out of the said number, 10 of them were the inmates who escaped from the Correctional Centres in the state.

The Commissioner of Police disclosed that seven police stations, 10 police vans and several personal and exhibit vehicles were burnt, adding that seven AK47 riffles carted away have been recovered.

He, therefore, appealed to the governor to help foot the hospital bills of the injured policemen and render other financial assistance to men of the command to boost their morale so that they can regain all that they have lost to the #EndSARS protest.

#EndSARS: Hoodlums wearing military uniforms may be responsible for shooting Lekki protesters – AGF

By

Chris Ottah

-

November 3, 2020

0

There is a possibility that “hoodlums” wearing military uniforms are responsible for shooting Nigerian protesters campaigning against police brutality in Lagos says the Attorney General of the Federation and the Minister of Justice, Mr. Abubakar Malami, adding that it was too soon to tell if soldiers were involved.

Recall that some weeks ago, protesters took to the streets across the country to call for the disbandment of the special anti-robbery squad (SARS). A group the people have come to know for brutalizing and extorting its citizens.

After about 12 days, the demonstrations across the country turned violent on October 20 when witnesses in Lagos said the military opened fire on peaceful protesters in the Lekki district shortly after local authorities imposed a 24-hour curfew, drawing international condemnation.

Speaking with journalists on Monday in Abuja, Malami said investigation is underway to ascertain what truly happened at the Lekki tollgate. He said it was “pre-emptive” to conclude that there had even been shootings, adding that “hoodlums” may have been hired to create a scene.

“You cannot rule out the possibility of perhaps hoodlums that set in to create a scene… could equally partake in the process,” the AGF said.

Lagos state governor, Babajide Sanwo-Olu, blamed the incident on “forces beyond his control”.

But the acting director, army public relations, Osoba Olaniyi, said the Lagos government invited the army to restore order.

He, however, denied that soldiers shot protesters, describing reports on the attack by the military as fake.

The army also said it will not disclose the identity of its men who were sent to Lekki tollgate on October 20.

The judicial panel set up by the Lagos state government to probe alleged brutality by the disbanded SARS has already commenced sitting.

***The state government has denied giving the order, the federal government has also denied being involved, so who shot at Lekki protesters?