The Enugu State Government has approved the sum of over One hundred and eighty-seven million naira (N187,855,341.00) for the execution of projects and sports development in the state.

The State Commissioner for Information, Mr. Chuks Ugwoke announced this while briefing the Press at the end of the State Executive Council Meeting chaired by the State Acting Governor, Mr. Sunday Onyebuchi in Enugu.

The Commissioner who was accompanied by his Ministry of Works counterpart, Mr. Goddy Madueke and SPA on Project Development, Prince Abel Nwobodo (Jnr) said that council gave the approval to ensure a steady implementation of the administration prorammes in the state.

According to Mr. Ugwoke of the total amount, the sum of Fifty million and eighty-five thousand naira is for the execution of the contract awarded to Orion Elevator Limited for the installation of three number eight passenger elevator and 500 KVA Power Generating Set at the State Liaison Office, Abuja.

The Commissioner told the press that the installation of the elevator and power generating set became very necessary in the five storey building to enhance its social and economic status and attract more prospective tenants.

Mr. Ugwoke also disclosed that over forty million, five hundred and sixty-nine thousand naira (N40,569,770.00 is allocated for the fencing of the State Motor Mechanic Village at Akagbe Ugwu to facilitate movement of the mechanics to the village while more than forty-seven million naira (N47,200,571.00) is for the renovation of the Old Eastern Nigeria Housing of Assembly.

He stated that the renovation work which will be through direct labour will not distort the original structure/outlook of the historical monument but will include renovation of the main building, fencing of the entire premises, renovation of the plant house and procurement of 60 KVA electric power generating plant.

Mr. Ugwoke stated that fifty million naira is for the 2013 annual inter-house sports competition in public secondary and technical schools in the state in keeping with Governor Chime’s administration to promote grass root sports.

He said that successes recorded during last years school sports competition whose products formed the nucleus of the team that represented the state at the last national sports festival in Lagos necessitated the huge investment in sports development.

Syria is threatening to retaliate for an Israeli airstrike and its ally Iran says there will be repercussions for the Jewish state over the attack.

On Thursday Syria sent a letter to UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon stressing the country’s “right to defend itself, its territory and sovereignty” and holding Israel and its supporters accountable.

• Syria      says Israeli warplanes hit military site

“Israel and those who protect it at the Security Council are fully responsible for the repercussions of this aggression,” the letter from Syria’s Foreign Ministry said.

U.S. officials said Israel launched a rare airstrike inside Syria on Wednesday. The target was a convoy believed to be carrying anti-aircraft weapons bound for Hezbollah, the powerful Lebanese militant group allied with Syria and Iran.

In Israel, a legislator close to hardline Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu stopped short of confirming involvement in the strike. But he hinted that Israel could carry out similar missions in the future.

International condemnation The attack has inflamed regional tensions already running high over Syria’s 22-month-old civil war.

http://www.cbc.ca/news/interactives/syria-dashboard/                         SYRIA CIVIL WARKey facts, important players in Syria’s bloody conflict Israeli leaders in the days leading up to the airstrike had been publicly expressing concern that Syrian President Bashar al-Assad may be losing his grip on the country and its arsenal of conventional and non-conventional weapons.

Regional security officials said Wednesday that the targeted shipment included sophisticated Russian-made SA-17 anti-aircraft missiles, which if acquired by Hezbollah would enhance its military capabilities by enabling the militants to shoot down Israeli jets, helicopters and surveillance drones.

‘The secretary general calls on all concerned to prevent tensions or their escalation in the region, and to strictly abide by international law.’—UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon’s office

The officials spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to brief the media.

The Syrian military denied there was any weapons convoy and said low-flying Israeli jets had crossed into their country over the Israeli-occupied Golan Heights to bomb a scientific research centre near Damascus.

It said the target was in the area of Jamraya, northwest of Damascus and about 15 kilometres from the Lebanese border.

‘Well-known’ centre for making weapons Maj.-Gen. Abdul-Aziz Jassem al-Shallal, who in December became one of the most senior Syrian army officers to defect, told The Associated Press by telephone from Turkey that the site they said was targeted is a “major and well-known” centre to develop weapons, a complex known as the Scientific Research Centre.

Al-Shallal, who until his defection was commander of the military police, said no chemical or non-conventional weapons are at the site. He added that foreign experts, including Russians and Iranians, are usually present at such centres.

• 1 of 14 The Syrian ambassador to Lebanon, Ali Abdul-Karim Ali, threatened retribution for the Israeli airstrike, saying Damascus “has the option and the capacity to surprise in retaliation.”
• ·He told Hezbollah’s al-Ahd news website that it was up to the relevant authorities to prepare the retaliation and choose the time and place.
• ·The Syrian Foreign Ministry summoned Maj.-Gen. Iqbal Singh Singha, the head of mission and force commander for United Nations Disengagement Observer Force (UNDOF) on the Golan Heights, to complain about the Israeli violation.
• ·UN chief watching reports with ‘grave concern’ The force was established in 1974 following the disengagement of Israeli and Syrian forces in the area and has remained there since to maintain the cease-fire. Israel captured the Golan, a strategic plateau, from Syria in the 1967 Middle East war.
• ·At UN headquarters in New York, deputy UN spokesman Eduardo del Buey said: “UNDOF did not observe any planes flying over the area of separation, and therefore was not able to confirm the incident.” UNDOF also reported bad weather conditions, he said.
• ·http://www.cbc.ca/news/interactives/map-syria-refugees/ SYRIAN REFUGEESMap: Thousands flee Syria’s bloody internal conflict A statement from UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon’s office noted “with grave concern” the reports of the Israeli airstrikes in Syria, and called for cooler heads to prevail.
• ·”The secretary general calls on all concerned to prevent tensions or their escalation in the region, and to strictly abide by international law, in particular in respect of territorial integrity and sovereignty of all countries in the region,” the statement said.
• ·Hezbollah condemned the attack as “barbaric aggression” and said it “expresses full solidarity with Syria’s command, army and people.”
• ·The group did not mention any weapons convoy in the statement but said the strike aimed to prevent Arab and Muslim forces from developing their military capabilities.
• ·In Iran, the semi-official Fars news agency quoted Deputy Foreign Minister Hossein Amir Abdollahian as saying the raid will have significant implications for Israel.
• ·’Unprovoked attack’ Iranian Foreign Minister Ali Akbar Salehi condemned the airstrike on state television, calling it a clear violation of Syrian sovereignty. Iran is Syria’s strongest ally in the Middle East, and has provided Assad’s government with military and political backing for years.
• ·Russia, Syria’s most important international ally, said this appeared to be an unprovoked attack on a sovereign nation. Moscow said it was taking urgent measures to clarify the situation in all its details.
• ·”If this information is confirmed, we have a case of unprovoked attacks on targets in the territory of a sovereign state, which grossly violates the UN Charter and is unacceptable,” Russia’s Foreign Ministry said in a statement. “Whatever the motives, this is not justified.”
• ·Israeli legislator Tzachi Hanegbi, who is close to Prime Minister Netanyahu, said pinpoint strikes are not enough to counter the threat of Hezbollah obtaining sophisticated weaponry from Syria.
• ·”Israel’s preference would be if a Western entity would control these weapons systems,” Hanegbi said. “But because it appears the world is not prepared to do what was done in Libya or other places, then Israel finds itself like it has many times in the past facing a dilemma that only it knows how to respond to,” he added.
• ·He was referring to NATO’s 2011 military intervention in Libya that helped oust dictator Moammar Gadhafi.
• 1 of 9 “Even if there are reports about pinpoint operations, these are not significant solutions to the threat itself because we are talking about very substantial capabilities that could reach Hezbollah,” he said.
• ·Israel relocates missile defence Syria’s civil war has sapped Assad’s power and threatens to deprive Hezbollah of a key supporter. Syria and Iran provide Hezbollah with the bulk of its funding and arms.
• ·Earlier this week, Netanyahu warned of the dangers of Syria’s “deadly weapons,” saying the country is “increasingly coming apart.”
• ·The same day, Israel moved a battery of its new “Iron Dome” rocket defence system to the northern city of Haifa, which was battered by Hezbollah rocket fire in the 2006 war. The Israeli army called that move “routine.”
• ·The Israeli army won’t say whether Iron Dome was sent north in connection to this operation. It does note that it has deployed the system in the north before.

Bayelsa State Government said on Friday that it has recovered the sum of N18.6bn Derivation Funds from the Federation Account Allocation Commission, (FAAC) and refunded the sum of N7.4bn to neighbouring States.

Also, the government has refunded the sum of N7.4bn being over payment of Excess Crude/Augmentation 2006 to 2010 and Okori and Ndah Fields to other states.

Raising a poser over the refund made on Okori and Ndah Fields while briefing newsmen on the financial status of the state as part of the activities marking the Governor Seriake Dickson led administration’s one year in office, the State Commissioner of Finance, Mr. Duate Iyabi said, , ‘we are however, disputing the N2bn refund because Bayelsa State had never benefitted from any revenue generated from Okori and Ndah Fields. Clearly we cannot refund what we never received.”

He said the development has deprived the state of its rights of income, adding, we are in the process of recovering over N100bn Derivation funds due to Bayelsa state but wrongly credited to other states, because oil wells in the state were wrongly assigned to other states.

In its efforts to shore up its Revenue base, Mr Iyabi said the government has proposed monthly Internally Generated Revenue of between N1bn and N2bn, adding that this will assist the present administration in its bid to transform the state.

According to him, the current Internally Generated Revenue of between N400 to N600m a month is low. Government is taking concrete steps to shore up the IGR. First, a new Board made up of seasoned professionals has been appointed.

Already, Government has set up a target for Internally Generated Revenue generation per month at N1bn which is expected to increase to about N2bn in two years.

On Investment profile, the Commissioner disclosed that the Ministry of Finance Incorporated holds share with a nominal value of N12.34bn and market value of N9.442bn while the dividend collection for the year ended 31^st December was N126.401m.

The Commissioner added that the present administration has acquired additional 35.18% of the Ordinary shares of Linkage Assurance Plc at a cost of 50k per share giving an aggregate purchase consideration of N1,686,900,418.82bn.

Also, during the 2012 fiscal year, the Government through legislative approval spent N1.5bn out of N3.1bn it is having in its Strategic Savings Account on flood related matters.

On the pay-roll fraud, the Commissioner disclosed that the present administration inherited a monthly payroll bill of N5.4bn but has been able to reduce it to N4.1bn.

His words, ‘ the present administration on assumption of office in February met a monthly payroll bill of N5.4bn. Government took definite steps to reduce this amount including promulgation of a law. We are succeeding as the figure has since dropped to N4.1bn.

The Nigeria Police Force hereby declares wanted, this 1^st day of February, 2013, Alhaji Abdulrasheed Maina of the Customs, Immigration and Prisons Pension Office (CIPPO), for failing to appear before the Senate Joint Committee on the Investigation of Pension Funds.

It will be recalled that the Senate of the Federal Republic of Nigeria had on 13^th December, 2012, issued a Warrant of Arrest, mandating the Inspector-General of Police to arrest and produce Alhaji Maina before the Senate Joint Committee on the Investigation of Pension Fund.  Since then, the subject has gone into hiding, making it difficult for the Police to execute the warrant.

Consequently, the Inspector-General of Police has directed all AIGs in-charge of Zonal Commands and State Commands Commissioners of Police to spread their drag-nets to all nooks-and-crannies of their respective areas of jurisdiction, in search of Alhaji Maina. He has also directed all operatives of Federal Intelligence Bureau (FIB), Force and State CID to join the man-hunt.

The IGP wishes to appeal to well meaning citizens and the general public with useful information on the where-about of Alhaji Abdulrasheed Maina, to kindly volunteer such information to the nearest Police Station, Formation or email policemonitor@npf.gov.ng, for necessary action.

In fulfillment of a promise made early this week, Governor Seriake Dickson of Bayelsa State has presented a cheque for 500 million naira for the payment of pensions and gratuity obligations owed retired civil servants in the State.

Presenting the cheque to the State Head of Civil Service, Sir Frazer Okuoru, who is also the Chairman of the Pensions and Gratuity Verification Committee in Government House, Yenagoa, Hon Dickson urged the committee to ensure that the funds were disbursed to only genuine retirees.

The Governor, who also charged the Committee to furnish his office with monthly reports bordering on the performance of their job, noted that the release of the N500 million naira signals the first installment payment of the funds government intends to disburse in tranches to clear the arrears.

His words, “I charge the Committee chaired by our Head of Service with members who are all very senior and experienced people in this respect to painstakingly verify the names of all the supposed retirees and do it in such a way that only genuine and verified persons benefit. I say so because of the problem of ghost workers that we have, which is still so much around with us, although we are trying to address it”.

Describing the backlog of pensions and gratuities owed by the state as unfortunate, Governor Dickson pointed out that the problem predates his administration.

The State Chief Executive assured retirees and civil servants that the present administration would not play politics with their welfare, saying that government will soon provide affordable accommodation as well as an insurance policy to take away the burden of medical bills from them.

He however, warned erring civil servants to turn a new leaf, stressing that his administration will not hesitate to discipline whoever that is found wanting in the performance of his or her statutory duties.

Emphasising the need for workers to remain non-partisan and obedient to constituted authority, Hon Dickson said Government would soon publish a list of truant workers and take appropriate disciplinary actions against them in accordance with the civil service rules.

“ And let me announce that I have just directed the Staff Verification Team to compile the list of those absentee workers; Unknown to a lot of them, we have been investigating them for some time and we are getting set to release the first list of people, who have been found wanting.

“I have directed the Head of Service to act accordingly…. I don’t care to know whoever that is in that list. I’m not going to interfere and nobody should interfere. If there is any interference, then I will like to know because we want a civil service that is professional”, he said.

In his response, the Head of Service, Sir Frazer Okuoru assured the Governor that the Committee would diligently carry out its responsibilities.

Sir Okuoru appealed to pensioners to show understanding and patience to enable the committee clear the cheque and fine-tune modalities for actual payments to commence.

The wise saying that someone who leaves in a glass house should not throw stone, aptly describes the situation that Congress For Progressive Change [CPC] candidate, Musa Dikko may face as the Council election approaches in FCT. Bwari Area Council, with Ten [10] electoral wards could be described as a cosmopolitan setting by all standards. In this council, Kubwa, Dutse Alhaji and Bwari towns with dense population, is made up of original inhabitants, as well as what is known in Nigerian parlance as non-indigenes people. These towns may be Musa Dikko’s albatross as non-indigenes there will largely determine who will be the next Chairman of Bwari Area Council. Musa Dikko may be in dilemma as he will confront many non-indigenous populations who may not be in a hurry to forget his predisposition to them during the so-called demolition exercise, which they alleged, was targeted at them.

It could be recalled that around 2006, Musa Dikko in collaboration with some youths in Maitaama area in Kubwa allegedly took law into their hands when they embarked on demolition of houses and shops belonging to Nigerians leaving in Kubwa.  Report had it that when the impunity became unbearable, Musa Dikko and his gang were arrested and taken to Kubwa police station, where he was accused of taking laws into his hand. Eventually, the matter was taken to FCT Police Headquarters, where the authorities allegedly issued a strong warning against him, that he should stop taking laws into his hand. Now that the two strong contenders to the Chairmanship position are Indigenous inhabitants; certainly, the votes from the Indigenous population in the Council will split between the two, leaving the duo at the mercy of the Non-Indigenes.

When the current Chairman of Bwari Area Council, Honorable Peter Yohanna Ushafa (Obama) and Musa Dikko met in electoral contest in 2009, the Chairman defeated him in the primary election to become the flag bearer of PDP in the Area Council election. Dikko fought relentlessly albeit through the court to be declared winner of the Council but failed. Now Musa Dikko will have the opportunity of facing Honorable Peter Yohanna in the main election, with Yohanna coming into the contest of March 16, 2013, armed with impressive track record of first term achievement in office. The election itself promises to be an interesting one because it will settle, once and for all, the issue of who is acceptable in Bwari Area Council.

When INEC finally lifts ban on campaign activity in the Area Council, both candidates will file out to canvass for the votes of the electorates using their track records as bait. While the Chairman will use his achievement in office to get votes from the electorates, his opponent, Musa Dikko will be battling to explain to non-indigenes in the area council while he had to destroy their property in Kubwa and elsewhere in the name of beautifying the areas. It could be recall that about four [4] years ago, Musa Dikko, then the youth leader was alleged to have led youths in Kubwa to destroy houses and shops belonging to those they refer as visitors.

According to information, the exercise was so wickedly done that most of the shops and houses owned by the indigenes were left out in the demolition exercise. Questions were asked as to the real intention of Musa Dikko then. Observers of political event in the council are already speculating that the reason he did not print an independent poster like the Chairman, Peter Yohanna had done is because he wants to use General Buhari’s personality to launder his image and then sell himself. The prominence Musa Dikko gave to General Buhari in all his campaign posters pasted in many areas in Bwari Area Council has made many to ask if Buhari is the one contesting the election.

The implication of Buhari/ Musa Dikko poster is that Musa may not have anything to sell to the people for their votes. When the demolition of the property of the so-called visitors were been destroyed in Kubwa, the exercise resonated in many wards that make-up Bwari Area Council. Divine intervention that stopped the whole activity is believed to be the saving grace of other towns that would have been affected.  Already, political pundits are saying that the only track record associated with his era as youth leader cannot sell him to anybody including indigenous inhabitants of Bwari town and Kubwa.

Surely, the upcoming Bwari Council Election will be a battle between two political giants, but it will be highly issue based, this is where the current Chairman, Peter Yohanna Ushafa has a clear edge over Musa Dikko. While the current Chairman will be displaying his first term credential in office for continuity, his main opponent will have his hands full, as he will attempt to diffuse the fears and assure non-indigenes in the council that they will not be victimized in any way, if he gets elected. This is certainly an uphill task, if not an impossible one.

A Court of Appeal sitting in Lagos has affirmed the conviction and death sentence of Chukwuemeka Ezeugo, a.k.a Rev. King on charges of attempted murder and murder.

He was arraigned on September 26, 2006 on a six-count charge of attempted murder and murder before Justice Joseph Oyewole of the Ikeja High Court.

Ezeugo was convicted and sentenced to death by hanging on January 11, 2007 , for the alleged murder of a church member, Ann Uzoh.

Ezeugo, however pleaded with the Court of Appeal, Lagos to quash the death sentence passed on him by Justice Joseph Oyewole of an Ikeja High Court in November 2012.

He committed the offence as the General-Overseer of the Christian Praying Assembly.

Source: Channels