INEC RELEASES 2019 ELECTIONS TIMETABLES

Gentlemen of the press

You are all welcome to yet another briefing, which is in fulfillment of our pledge to regularly brief the public on the Commission’s activities.
1. Our democracy is maturing and the Commission believes that there should be certainty with regard to the timetable for elections. For instance, in the United States, general elections always hold on the second PRESS Tuesday of November in the election year. In Ghana, it’s the 7th of December of the election year, while in other places like Mexico, Norway, Sweden, Costa Rica and Switzerland, the dates are also known in advance.

Ukrainian crisis: America will hold Russia accountable while searching for common ground – Pence

US President Donald Trump believes common ground can be found with Russia, but Moscow must still be held accountable for the Ukrainian crisis, Vice President Mike Pence has said. Speaking at the Munich Security Conference, He said, “The United States will continue to hold Russia accountable, even as we search for new common ground, which as you know, President Trump believes can be found.”

In his first major foreign policy address for the Trump administration, Pence issued a hardline statement, saying the US would demand that Moscow “honors the Minsk agreement, beginning by deescalating the violence in eastern Ukraine.” The US and its European allies have been claiming that Moscow is backing the rebel movement in eastern Ukraine against the post-coup Kiev government.

The White House publishes a readout of President Trump's telephone call with President Buhari

FULL TEXT: Readout of the President’s Call with President Muhammadu Buhari of Nigeria

US Trump and Nigerian Buhari

President Donald J. Trump spoke this week with President Muhammadu Buhari of Nigeria to discuss the strong cooperation between the United States and Nigeria, including on shared security, economic, and governance priorities.

President Trump underscored the importance the United States places on its relationship with Nigeria, and he expressed interest in working with President Buhari to expand the strong partnership.

The leaders agreed to continue close coordination and cooperation in the fight against terrorism in Nigeria and worldwide. 

US Donald Trump is Likely to Discuss with Nigerian President Via Phone Today

The US President Donald Trump may have a telephone conversation with Nigeria’s President Mohammadu Buhari, who is still on vacation in London. According to reports on Monday, the telephone conversation is slated to hold at 3.45 pm. The Special Adviser to the President on Media and Publicity Mr Femi Adesina, has confirmed the story.

This is the first time Mr Trump would be speaking to any African leader since assumption of office. It is not clear what the conversation will center on, but the two leaders may be taking a look at the travel ban contained in Trump’s executive order and how it may affect Nigeria and the United States who have enjoyed good relations over the years.

VICTORY FOR DEMOCRACY... THE US PRESIDENT IS NOT AN EMPEROR... THE US CONSTITUTION IS SUPREME!

Appeals Court Shoots Down DOJ Request To Immediately Restore Travel Ban

By Yeganeh Torbati and Tom Perry

(Reuters) - A U.S. appeals court late on Saturday denied a request from the U.S. Department of Justice to immediately restore a immigration order from President Donald Trump barring citizens from seven mainly Muslim countries and temporarily banning refugees.

The court ruling dealt a further setback to Trump, who has denounced the judge in the state of Washington who blocked his executive order on Friday. In tweets and comments to reporters, the president has insisted he will get the ban reinstated.

Russian President Putin announces ceasefire in Syria from midnight

Russian President Vladimir Putin announced a ceasefire between Syrian opposition groups and the Syrian government starting at midnight on Thursday.

The parties were also prepared to start peace talks, Putin said, after Moscow, Iran and Turkey expressed readiness to broker a deal to settle the nearly six-year-old Syrian war.

The Syrian army announced a nationwide halt to fighting but said Islamic State and ex-Nusra Front militants and all groups linked to them would be excluded from the deal. It did not say which unnamed groups would be excluded.

BOKO HARAM: GOVERNORS, POLITICAL LEADERS CONGRATULATE PRESIDENT BUHARI, MILITARY ON THE TAKEOVER OF SAMBISA FOREST

Leaders across the political spectrum have been calling President Muhammadu Buhari, to congratulate him and the leadership of the armed forces following the takeover of the Sambisa Forest from the Boko Haram terrorists.

In the latest series of calls received by the President, the Governors of Jigawa, Kano, Yobe, Adamawa, Borno, Katsina, Kaduna and Sokoto have joined some of their colleagues from South-East, South-South, South-West and North Central states who made earlier calls to commend the President on the achievement of this feat which, they said, “has pleased the Nigerian people and is also being celebrated all over the world.”

Political Statements That Seemed Harmless But Proved Costly

"My hands are tied" - Justice Sodeinde Sowemimo

"Money is not Nigeria's problem, but how to spend it" - General Yakubu Gowon


"The worth of a child born and bred in Nigeria cannot be compared to that in the United States." – Yakubu Gowon

"If you Tarka me, I will Daboh you" - Godwin Daboh

"Until I see someone eating out of the gutters before I believe there is poverty in Nigeria"– Umaru Dikko

Trump's transition team studying new sanctions to implement on Iran

Trump Names General James Mattis as Secretary of Defense Nominee

(Reuters) - Donald Trump's transition team is examining proposals for new non-nuclear sanctions on Iran, the Financial Times reported on Friday, citing congressional sources who have been in contact with the president-elect's team.

Officials with Trump's team have been in touch with fellow Republicans in Congress, where they hold the majority, to discuss possible sanctions separate from last year's Iran nuclear deal that could focus on its ballistic missile program or human rights, the sources told the FT.

"They (Trump team members) are already looking closely at their options - and that very much includes non-nuclear sanctions," a congressional official told the media outlet.

Fidel Castro, Leader of the Cuban Revolution rest in peace

Fidel Castro, the fiery apostle of revolution who brought the Cold War to the Western Hemisphere in 1959 and then defied the United States for nearly half a century as Cuba’s maximum leader, bedeviling 11 American presidents and setting Cuban people free from Neo-colonial and imperial dominion of the Amenrican power, died Friday. He was 90.

His death was announced by Cuban state television.

Can anyone explain how Corbyn's praise of Castro is different from Thatcher's praise of Pinochet? Thought not.https://t.co/VGR7Q4BpoS

— Nick Cohen (@NickCohen4) November 26, 2016

Attempted Rape; United States cancels visas of Nigerians lawmakers who patronized prostitutes

The US embassy has reportedly cancelled the visas of three members of the House of Representatives to the country. The affected were accused of attempted rape and soliciting for sex from prostitutes while on a trip to the United States.

The three representatives were among 10 lawmakers invited by the US government for the programme held between April 7 and 13, 2016 in Cleveland, Ohio.

The legislators, according to report, include: Mohammed Garba Gololo (APC, Bauchi), Samuel Ikon (PDP, Akwa Ibom) and Mark Gbillah (APC, Benue).

Reacting, however, Gbillah expressed surprise that within some hours of bringing the matter to the attention of the House, the US Government had gone ahead to cancel their visas.

PRESIDENT BUHARI, HOLLANDE, BIYA, USA, BRITAIN, EU, ECOWAS, OTHERS FOR SECURITY SUMMIT IN ABUJA

In furtherance of ongoing efforts by his administration to enhance the security of lives, properties and investments in Nigeria and neighbouring countries, President Muhammadu will host the second Regional Security Summit in Abuja on Saturday, May 14, 2016.

Participants in the summit will include President Francois Hollande of France who hosted the first Regional Security Summit in Paris on May 17, 2014.

President Buhari and the French President who is scheduled to arrive Abuja on Friday on an official visit to Nigeria will be joined at the summit by the Presidents of Cameroon, Niger Republic, Chad and Benin Republic.

Ibrahim Uwais, Son Of Former CJN Uwais Who Joined ISIS Is Killed In Syrian Airstrike

Ibrahim Uwais,  Son of the former Chief Justice of Nigeria has been reportedly killed in Alepo in Syria as the the United state Airstrikes aimed at the IS terrorists group in the region.

 SaharaReporters reports that young Uwais, a son of former Chief Justice Mohammed Uwais, died today near Aleppo, Syria as the United States targeted members of the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS) in fierce airstrikes.

According to the reports, a source confirmed that the late Ibrahim Uwais, who secretly traveled to Syria in February 2015 to join ISIS, was one of numerous Islamist terrorists who perished as US military aircraft bombarded known ISIS camps near the besieged Syrian city of Aleppo.

President Obama itches for Trump fight

President Barack Obama

Obama can’t wait to take on Donald Trump.

President Barack Obama has been largely sidelined in the presidential contest, a last-year officeholder with high approval ratings who has repeatedly shown he likes to spar with political foes.

With Bernie Sanders continuing to slug it out with likely Democratic nominee Hillary Clinton, Obama largely has to choose his openings to talk 2016.

So on Friday, when the White House announced Obama would make a statement about the economy, the president knew he’d get asked about Trump, the presumptive GOP presidential nominee.

And when he did, Obama was ready.

EXPEDITE REPATRIATION OF OUR STOLEN FUNDS, PRESIDENT BUHARI TELLS INTERNATIONAL COMMUNITY

President Buhari and Executive Secretary of
UNODC, Mr. Yury Fedotov

President Muhammadu Buhari Thursday in Abuja urged the United Nations Office for Drugs and Crime (UNODC) to facilitate the faster recovery of Nigeria’s stolen wealth stashed abroad.

Receiving the Executive Secretary of UNODC, Mr Yury Fedotov, President Buhari said that the process of recovering the stolen assets had “become tedious’’ to the consternation of many Nigerians.

“We are looking for more cooperation from the EU, United States, other countries and international institutions to recover the nation’s stolen assets, particularly proceeds from the stolen crude oil.

“It is taking very long and Nigerians are becoming impatient,” the President said.

Dino Melaye’s kinsmen petition CCB, EFCC, ICPC, OTHERS

MEMBERS of the Kogi West People’s Assembly have urged the Code of Conduct Bureau (CCB) to investigate an alleged breach of paragraph 3, Part I of the 5th Schedule to the 1999 Constitution as amended and Section 7 of the Code of Conduct Bureau and Tribunal Act by Senator Dino Melaye. The lawmaker represents Kogi West in the upper chamber of the National Assembly.

In a petition through their solicitors – Messrs A.Y. Mohammed & Co – to the CCB Chairman, Mr. Sam Saba, the group accused the senator of violating the laws of the land, which bar public office holders from maintaining and operating foreign bank accounts, alleging that the lawmaker has two accounts in the United States (U.S.).

Maritime Security: PIRACY IN GULF OF GUINEA INCREASING AT ALARMING RATE -- US

*UN Security Council urges stronger regional approach on eradicating piracy

UNITED NATIONS -- The United States says piracy and armed robbery are increasing at an alarming rate in the Gulf of Guinea, pointing to two reports by industry experts of at least 32 attacks off the coast of Nigeria alone so far this year.

U.S. Ambassador Michele Sison singled out two pirate attacks off the Nigerian coast on April 11 that led to the apparent kidnapping of a total of eight crew members including the captain of one vessel, a Turkish cargo ship.

She told a U.N. Security Council meeting on Monday that "the economic consequences for the people of the region are devastating," pointing to a report by the London think-tank Chatham House saying as much as 400,000 barrels of crude oil are stolen every day in the Gulf of Guinea.

However, United Nations officials call for a comprehensive regional framework to eradicate piracy and armed robbery at sea in the Gulf of Guinea, with the Security Council stressing the importance of addressing underlying causes and strengthening justice systems and judicial cooperation in the region.

Supreme Court Judgement: Iran Threatens Legal Action Against US Over Diverted Funds

Iran has threatened legal action against the United States if $2 billion in frozen funds are diverted to compensate American families of people killed by Tehran-sponsored terrorism.

"We hold the U.S. government responsible for protecting our (frozen) funds," said Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif. "If our funds are illegally accessed, we will surely claim damages from the American government at an appropriate time."

Last week, the U.S. Supreme Court upheld a 2012 law concerning the distribution of the funds. The court's ruling directly affects more than 1,300 relatives of victims, some who have been seeking compensation for more than 30 years.

Turkish town hit by Syria rocket fire, 16 Died!

Ankara - Two rockets fired into Turkey from an area of Syria controlled by the Islamic State group (ISIS) hit the border town of Kilis on Sunday, leaving 16 people injured, media reports said.

One of the rockets hit the roof of a house in the Okcular neighbourhood while the other hit a backyard. Six of the wounded were Syrian.

Residents marched on the governor's office in Kilis in protest, only to be dispersed by police, the Hurriyet Daily said, adding that marches and protests had been banned for a month by the city's officials.

Nigeria: Confronting The Curse Of Oil By Reuben Abati

The monthly Federation Accounts Allocation Committee, FAAC, meeting was held the other day in Abuja, with the representatives of state governments again cap in hand, asking for their share of federal revenue – read: oil revenue, or better still, national cake, or our money.

A paragraph in the report by the online newspaper, Premium Times, caught my attention and here it is: “But at the Federation Accounts Allocation Committee, FAAC, meeting, representatives of the 36 state governments went home SAD (emphasis mine), as they were handed parlous shares from a total N299.75 billion statutory allocation for the month, the lowest allocations in more than five years.” For the month of March 2016, the states shared N55.34 billion, compared to N64.52 billion in February 2016. I have deliberately emphasized the word sad,because the day may well come when after the sharing of national revenue, we may be told that some Commissioners of Finance left the meeting crying, or wailing.

To prevent that happening this time, the Federal Government chose to suspend deductions of salary repayment loans owed by the states. When such deductions were made in February 2016, at least one state, Osun, went back home with a paltry N6 million only. The truth is that most of the 36 states are in dire straits, worst hit by the economic crisis that the country faces. About 27 out of the 36 states of the Federation are effectively insolvent, if not bankrupt. In July 2015, the Federal Government not only bailed out the states financially, the Central Bank of Nigeria further extended the repayment period for bank loans taken by the states from a period of seven years to 20 years. So far the affected states have collected salary assistance loans from the CBN to the tune of N689.5 billion, with an additional N310 billion as loans backed by the Excess Crude Account.