innosreport

Syrian President Bashar al-Assad said Russian airstrikes in Syria have curbed the activities of terrorist groups in the war-torn country, a media report said on Wednesday. Assad's remarks were made during his meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin in Moscow, marking Assad's first overseas visit since the start of the Syrian conflict in 2011, reports Xinhua. The Syrian leader highlighted the need for countries supportive of the insurgency in his country to stop backing terrorist groups in order to enable Syrians to define their country's future. He said that military operations in Syria aimed to eliminate terrorism which hindered political solutions, adding that any military operation must be followed by political steps. As for Putin, he expressed his administration's readiness to assist Syria both militarily and politically. ``Certainly Syria as a country is considered our friend, and we are prepared to help, not just militarily against terrorism, but also p

Two Chinese diplomats were killed and another wounded on Wednesday in a shooting allegedly perpetrated by the husband of another embassy official in the Philippines, Police said. Tom Banas, a regional police director, said that the victims and the suspect were inside a restaurant in Cebu City, 571 kilometres south of Manila, when the incident happened, reports dpa. Initial investigation showed that Li Qing Liang, 60, opened fire at Chinese Deputy Consul, Sun Shan, finance officer Hui Li and Chinese Consul Genera,l Song Rong Hua inside the restaurant. Sun and Hui were declared dead on arrival at a nearby hospital, while Song was wounded and in critical condition, Banas said. Banas said that the Police were investigating the crime to determine the motive for the shooting, adding that Li and his wife Gou jing, a cousul at the Chinese embassy had been taken into custody.

(Nigeria) The Ijaw Youth Council, IYC, has accused President Mohammadu Buhari led Federal Government and the British government on complicity in the death of the first civilian governor of Bayelsa State, Chief Diepreye Alamieyeseigha. The Ijaw youths also expressed concern over what they described as the rising cases of political persecution, threats of arrest and selective anti-corruption drive of the Buhari government against leaders of the South South. The youths said though the Ijaw people from the South-South region had expressed total support for the anti-graft disposition of the Buhari administration, they were becoming worried over its selective approach. The Ijaw youths said that they wee putting together a legal team to file a suit against the Federal Government and the government of the United Kingdom over the perceived political genocide against the people of the region. President of the IYC, Udengs Eradiri, alleged that the planned extradition of Alamieyeseigha to the

(Nigeria) President Muhammadu Buhari has approved the pre-retirement leave for the Head of Civil Service of the Federation, Mr Danladi kifasi with effect from October 20,  2015. Mr Haruna Imrana, Director Communications in Office of the Head of Civil Service of the Federation in a statement in Abuja on Wednesday, said that "The letter conveying the President’s approval signed by the Secretary to the Government of the Federation , Eng. Babachir Lawal , also stated  Mr Presidents “appreciation for the meritorious Service to the nation during his tenure as Head of the Civil Service of the Federation. "The President wishes Mr Kifasi Gods guidance and best of luck in his future endeavours," the statement added .

(Nigeria) The Police in Lagos have refuted reports attributed to the leaders of Okunraye Community in Ibeju-Lekki, alleging that the police killed the Lekki Free Trade Zone Managing Director, Alhaji Tajudeen Disu. The Lagos State Police Command’s spokesman, Mr Joseph Offor, faulted the allegation, describing the report as cheap blackmail and diversionary. The reports making the rounds has it that stray bullet from the police killed Disu on October 12. ``They are not serious, who inflicted machete injury on retired Col. Usman, the Chief Security Officer of Dangote Refinery? Was it the police that inflicted the injury on him? ``Their allegation is diversionary, it’s a cheap blackmail. ``Is it the police that asked the villagers to gang up in their numbers to stage a violent protest? Is it the police that asked them to come from their homes with charms and ammunition? ``All those things they are trying to say is simply a cheap blackmail and diversionary. ``It is not true and invest

(Nigeria) Former Governor of Akwa Ibom State, Sen. Godswill Akpabio, has said that the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, invited him and he honoured the invitation over alleged siphoning of N108.1 billion from the state’s treasury. Akpabio at a news conference on Tuesday in Abuja denied media reports that he was arrested by the commission. `` I was invited by the EFCC but that was a long time ago, just before my accident and I said okay that when I am fit that I Will go to see them to respond to the allegation that they said a young lawyer wrote petition against me. ``So, when I was chanced on Friday, I went there on my own to listen to them, go through the petitions and make my response. ``And thereafter I was allowed to go and I was admitted on bail, I think that is in line with their procedure, so it wasn’t a function of an arrest. ``It was a voluntary decision on my part as a law abiding citizen to go there. That is why when I heard that some youths were very dis

(Nigeria) President Muhammadu Buhari on Tuesday lauched the 260-kilometre Calabar-Kastina-Ala Super Highway road project, a six lane road at Obung, Cross River State. The President expressed the hope that the road would create a new vista of business opportunities for Cross River and the nation at large while launching the project. Buhari commended Governor Ben Ayade for his vision and foresight in conceptualising the project. ``So, I must at this juncture commend the state governor, Sen. Ben Ayade and his team for their foresight in conceptualising this project. ``Given the multiplier effect these two laudable projects are expected to generate, in terms of aggregate spinoffs, I want to assure you of my determination and as well as the commitment of the Federal Government to ensuring that this road and indeed the seaport runs to a quick completion. ``Let me commend our young Governor, Professor Ben Ayade who globe-trotted to get these core foreign investors to invest in these huge

(Nigeria) The Federal Government on Tuesday asked Justice Gabriel Kolawole of the Federal High Court sitting in Abuja, to put the alleged mastermind of Independence Day bombing, Charles Okah, in chains. Okah, who is standing trial on charges of terrorism alongside Obi Nwabueze, had on October 6 attempted to jump out of the court located at the third floor of the five storey building. At the resumed hearing, the prosecution, Dr Alex Iziyon (SAN), made an oral application requesting that Okah be chained to avoid a possible abortion of justice. Iziyon, who referred the court to Section 269 of the Administration of Criminal Justice Act, 2015, urged it to grant the application to save the life of the accused person henceforth during proceedings. ``Where a defendant or an accused person misbehaves or displays misconduct in the course of proceedings in such magnitude, he or she should be placed under fetters. I urge the court to take judicial notice of the proceedings of October 6 and gra

(Nigeria) The Nigerian Army on Tuesday gave Boko Haram terrorists what it called, the final warning. A statement by Col. Sani Usman, acting Director Army Public Relations in Abuja, said "This is to finally warn all Boko Haram terrorists wherever they are, to desist from all acts of terrorism, surrender themselves and face the law now. ``We wish to inform them that we are aware of all their hideouts, camps and enclaves. They should follow their colleagues who have so far surrendered. ``Failure to surrender will result in serious consequences as our troops have closed up on them. ``We equally appeal to members of the international community and the world at large ,to kindly persuade the Boko Haram terrorists and their international collaborators to desist from acts of terrorism,’’ the statement said. The statement also said that the Nigerian Army had also urged the terrorists to renounce their membership of the terrorist organisation, forthwith. "They should also immediat

(Nigeria) Members of the Indigenous People of Biafra, IPOB, have called on the Inspector-General of Police, IG, Mr Solomon Arase to urgently direct Anambra State police command to release all its members arrested in Awka, Anambra State during their Tuesday protest against the arrest and detention of its Director, Mr Nnamdi Kanu. State Coordinator of IPOB, Mr Ikechukwu Okoye in a telephone chat with newsmen shortly after they were dispersed by security agencies on Enugu/Onitsha expressway, said they were only protesting the illegal detention of their Director,  Kanu when the policemen swooped on them and arrested more than 20 of their members, mostly women. Okoye said that while trying to effect the arrests, the policemen shot and injured about five women, including a nursing mother with about six month old baby who were also detained in the police custody. Another prominent member of IPOB, Mr Emma Powerful, called on the international community to come to their rescue before the Nig

(Nigeria) Proceedings in the trial of former Imo State governor, Ikedi Ohakim, before a Federal High Court sitting in  Abuja, resumed Tuesday, with the prosecution witness giving a detailed account of how the former governor allegedly made a cash payment of $2, 290,000 for a piece of land at Plot No. 1098 Cadastral Zone A04, Asokoro District, otherwise known as No.60, Kwame Nkurumah Street, Asokoro, Abuja. Trail judge, Justice Adeniyi Ademola had admitted Ohakim to bail on July 9, 2015, following his arraignment on July 8, 2015 by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, on a three-count charge bordering on money laundering. At Tuesday's hearing, prosecution witness,  Ishaya Dauda, said investigation into the alleged offence began in 2010, after the Commission received petitions coupled with intelligence reports. Led in evidence by the prosecution counsel, Dauda, a Senior Detective Superintendent, SDS, with the EFCC, said the accused person, who served as Imo State go

(Nigeria) Over 3,000 members of Movement for the Survival of the Sovereign State of Biafra, MASSOB  on Tuesday marched through major streets in Port Harcourt, Rivers State, denouncing the arrest of Director of Radio Biafra , Mr Nnamdi Kalu in Lagos by men of the Department of State Service, DSS. The protesters who waved Biafra flags chanting Biafra solidarity songs, noting that they were not satisfied with the bail conditions granted Mr Kalu, demanding that he should be released unconditionally. They expressed anger over the alleged unfair treatment of the Igbo by the Nigerian state, stressing that Biafra of their dream was a reality, One of their spokesperson, said  "We are hopeful that Biafra will come to be. We are not satisfied with the bail conditions granted Kalu." "During the elections, they had stranged radio stations blaring hate speeches and threats in some parts of the north but nobody harassed them. This unfairness against the Igbos must stop," one o

(Nigeria) Governor Adams Oshiomhole of Edo State has given further explanations on what led to the suspension of four local government chairmen, saying their suspension had nothing to do with the political calculations leading to the 2016 gubernatorial elections in the state. Speaking Tuesday at the swearing-in of Prince Joe Okojie as a Commissioner in the state Executive Council and Mr. Busari Yesufu as Chairman, Etsako West Local Government Area of the state, Oshiomhole said: “Today, we have ensured that with all the crisis in Nigeria, when many State Governments are unable to pay salaries, I am proud to say that in Edo we are paying. However, some of these local governments, for some reasons were not able to pay salaries as and when due and we have looked at some of their books, we have received some petitions, it is true that finances are low but even if your finances are low, you also need to cut your wastages. “We looked at the locally generated revenue, in many cases, these lo

Oscar Pistorius will be released on house arrest  Tuesday after spending one year in prison for shooting dead his girlfriend, but the paralympic athlete may not taste freedom for long. On November 3, South Africa's Supreme Court of Appeals will hear arguments from the State on whether the verdict against Pistorius, 28, should be changed from culpable homicide to murder, reports dpa . Prosecutors will argue that judge Thokozile Masipa misinterpreted the law when she found that Pistorius, a double amputee who competed in the 2012 Olympic Games, had not deliberately shot dead Reeva Steenkamp. If the supreme court of appeal rules in their favour, Pistorius could be sent back to his cell at Kgosi Mampuru II prison for a minimum of 15 years. "The judges will have studied all of the arguments and court papers before this hearing on November 3," criminal lawyer Karen van Eck told dpa. "They will be well versed in the case. The State and defence will be allowed to make o

(Nigeria) The Wife of the President, Mrs Aisha Buhari, on Monday in Abuja called on Nigerian students to use education as a tool for national development. Aisha, who was represented by the Wife of the Senate President, Mrs Toyin Saraki, said this when the Chairman, Advisory Board, President’s School Debate Nigeria, PSDN, paid her courtesy visit at the Presidential Villa. ``I am exceedingly proud of the young citizens that have taken education as a way forward for the national development,’’ Aisha said. She said the students, through education, were empowered and had enabled them to represent Nigeria in Singapore for a debate. '' You have done so well and made Nigeria proud. I am proud of you and hope that other young Nigerians will look at your achievement and emulate,’’ she said. She urged other students in the country to emulate the example, to make the country a great nation. The president’s wife commended the organisers and students for doing well at the Singapore deb

(Nigeria) The All Progressives Grand Alliance, APGA, Anambra State chapter, has rejected the election petitions tribunal judgments involving their candidates in the last general elections in the state. Mr Tony Ifeanya, APGA’s Secretary in the state, said at a news conference in Awka on Monday that the party would contest the judgments at the Appeal Court. He said that the party was dissatisfied with the tribunal judgments. ``We are surprised that the prayers of all our candidates at the tribunal were not granted on mere technical grounds.’’ Ifeanya claimed that the party won all the National Assembly elections on March 28, adding that it had resolved to seek redress at the Appeal Court. ``We are proceeding to the appellate court to defend the mandate given to us by the people with the confidence that the Nigerian judicial system can still protect us. "We cannot reconcile the outcome of the National Assembly elections with the 27 out of the 3 0 state constituency seats in the

(Nigeria) A Makurdi Magistrates Court in Benue State on Monday remanded four suspects arraigned in connection with the rape of a married woman. The accused persons, Aondona Ibiam, Terungwa Iorkyaan, Tersoo Tume and Aondonyerga Tyav, were alleged to have committed the offence in September. They were charged by the police for criminal conspiracy, administering obnoxious substance and having carnal knowledge without consent. The plea of the accused persons was not taken. The Magistrate, Mrs Theresa Wergba, ordered them to be remanded at the Federal Prisons, Makurdi and adjourned the case to November 18, for further mention. Earlier, the Prosecutor, Insp Imo Edward told the court that the case was reported at Ukum Divisional Police Station on September 21, by one Dr Daniel Iorkaa of Yam Market area in Zaki-Biam. The complainant had reported that he discovered his younger brother's wife, who lived in the same address, behaving in an abnormal manner. The prosecutor said that when

(Nigeria) The Abia State Governorship Election Petition Tribunal, sitting in Umuahia, on Monday, reserved ruling in the petition filed by the candidate of the All Progressives Grand Alliance , APGA, Dr Alex Otti. Otti and APGA are, in their petition, challenging the declaration of Dr Okezie Ikpeazu as the governor of Abia and urged the tribunal to declare him the rightful winner of the poll. Parties in the petition adopted their final written addresses during the tribunal’s sitting on Monday. In his oral application before adopting his final written address, Counsel to Ikpeazu, Chief Wole Olanipekun (SAN), raised objections regarding the filing of three separate addresses of 40 pages each by the petitioners. Olanipekun said that the Electoral Act allowed parties in election petitions to file only one address of 40 pages, adding that the petitioners’ counsel could only adopt one out of the 120-page written addresses. The objection was supported by the Counsel to the PDP, Chief Onye

Russia's Air Force on Monday said it had conducted almost 700 airstrikes in Syria since it began a bombing campaign against rebels in the country three weeks ago. According to a report made available to newsmen, the airstrikes which have destroyed rebels command post, bunkers and artillery, were conducted in the provinces of Aleppo, Damascus, Idlib, Latakia and Hama, reports dpa . The Syrian government, which has been battling rebel forces including the Islamic State since 2011, is one of Russia's closest allies in the Middle East. As a result of the conflict, more than half of Syria's pre-war population of 22.4 million has been internally displaced or fled abroad, and a quarter of a million have been killed, according to the United Nation.

(Nigeria) Sen. Sam Anyanwu, the Chairman, Senate Committee on Ethics, Privileges and Public Petitions, had said that Rotimi Amaechi may be screened on Tuesday. Anyanwu made this known on Monday in Abuja, while speaking with newsmen at the end of the committee’s meeting. According to him, the committee will also submit its report on the petition against the nomination of Amaechi at plenary on Tuesday. Amaechi was billed to be screened last week, but the Senate could not proceed with his screening as the committee could not submit its report. The committee's report was also expected last Thursday, but the Senate did not continue with the screening of nominees. Anyanwu also disclosed that the report on the petition against Aisha Abubakar, another ministerial nominee, would equally be submitted at plenary. ``We have heard Amaechi’s petition and all these reports will be ready tomorrow. Except there are further petitions, the reports on all the petitions so far received, will be s

(Nigeria) The All Progressives Congress, APC, has said that the Muhammadu Buhari administration will not micro-manage the anti-corruption agencies, hence it was wrong for the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP to accuse the APC-led Federal Government of unleashing the agencies against the opposition. APC in a statement in Lagos on Monday by its National Publicity Secretary, Alhaji Lai Mohammed, also dismissed the allegation by the PDP that the anti-corruption war of the Buhari administration was selective, calling it a worn-out argument. ''The ceaseless cry of selective anti-corruption battle is a bogey invented by the PDP to intimidate the anti-corruption agencies, and it will not work. It is the PDP's strategy to stifle the fight against corruption. ''How can the PDP claim to support the anti-graft battle when every time any of its members is called in for questioning, it runs to the media to shout that the battle is 'selective'? Is it possible that anyone w

(Nigeria) “Chief Deipreye Alamieyeseigha  - a true man of peace, but, he didn’t just live for himself, or go to sleep, to let ill-power – the perpetrators of injustice in  Nigeria find sleep,” says the President of Ogoni Central Indigenous Authority, Dr. Goodluck Diigbo. Diigbo said his wisdom, love, and power of understanding of “right” or “wrong”, distinguished Alamieyeigha as a firm, but, silent companion of the Ogoni people. In a statement, expressing condolence to his immediate family, and the Izon People, he stated that the Ogoni people are deeply pained by the sudden death of Alamieyeseigha. “It is with great disbelief that we waited for a different news since his death became public knowledge on Saturday, October 10, 2015,” he said “He was with us in our struggle to restore the glory of our destroyed homeland.  Not, because he saw the earth as our permanent home, but, wanted to give the powerless, and voiceless a chance to develop themselves to the close of physical life. H

(Nigeria) International Society for Civil Liberties and the Rule of Law, Intersociety, has condemned the arrest and custodial detention on October 17,2015 by Department of State Security, DSS (Nigeria’s secret police) operatives of Mr. Nnamdi Kanu of a self determination group-called the Indigenous People of Biafra, IPOB and director of the UK based Radio Biafra. It described same as unreservedly questionable and condemnable. The organisation also faulted tge dismissal from the Nigerian Army and sentencing to six months jail term, of Brig-Gen E.A. Ransome-Kuti by the Army General Court Martial (GCM). Intersociety in a statement by its board chairman, Mr Emeka Umeagbalasi, said "Mr. Nnamdi Kanu was on in the country in exercise of his citizenship and statehood provided in the 1999 Constitution;  having been born and bred in Igbo ethnic nationality of Nigeria. "He was arrested hours after he landed in the country from his UK base. His arrest has since been confirmed by his

(Nigeria) Ijaw youth, under the aegis of Egbema Youth Front, EYF, has accused the  President Muhammadu Buhari led Federal Government of scornfully having a grudge against former governor of Bayelsa State, Chief Diepreye Alamieyeseigha even at death . The youth group expressed dismay over the body language of the presidency for failing to commiserated with the family, the state , Ijaw nation over the death of the former Bayelsa State governor describing same as unbecoming  of the Presidency. Mr Daniel Sapele, leader of EYF who spoke after an enlarge meeting of the group at Ogbotobo community, Ekeremor Local Government Area of the Bayelsa State, said that the group, in spite of the insinuationabout Alamieyeseigha, they would  rejuvenate his spirit  during the December 5 governorships election by returning Governor Dickson Seriake back to the state Government House. "We see the body language of the presidency as an ethnic hatred, if not so the death of important political figure i

(Nigeria) The Federal Government on Sunday said it would sanction any distribution company that engaged in installation of sub-standard electricity equipment in its operations. Mr Peter Ewesor, the Chairman of the Federal Government Investigative Panel on the death of Miss Oluchi Anekwe, a 300-level student of the University of Lagos, said this in Lagos. Anekwe was on September 8,electrocuted by a high voltage cable that snapped off the pole on the campus. Ewesor, who spoke with newsmen, is also the Chief Electrical Inspector of the Federation and Chief Executive Officer of the Nigerian Electricity Management Services Agency, NEMSA . ``Appropriate enforcement orders and possible sanctions will be meted out for non-compliance with the recommendations of all previous and future monitoring reports sent to them (distribution companies) by NEMSA field electrical inspectors nationwide,” he said. Ewesor accused the utility companies of using substandard materials, unprofessional practice

(Nigeria)The Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, said on Sunday that the investigation of Godswill Akpabio, the Senate Minority Leader, by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, was politically motivated. The PDP National Publicity Secretary, Chief Olisa Metuh, in Abuja at a press conference, noted that the investigation was also aimed at weakening PDP ahead of 2019 elections. Metuh said that verifiable reports from PDP key members revealed that agents of the All Progressives Congress, APC,  had approached them to join the APC with threats to victimise them with EFCC should they refuse. He said that this clearly explained why the fight against corruption had been selective and focused against PDP members, ``in spite counsels by stakeholders that it should be holistic and with due process.’’ Metuh noted that while former PDP’s governors and ministers were been arrested over orchestrated petitions, their APC counterparts, with more damaging petitions were been nominated for m

(Nigeria) The Central Naval Command in Bayelsa State has destroyed 1, 500 drums of diesel and one illegal oil refining camp in Ekpemu Community, Warri South-West Local Government Area of Delta State . Real Admiral Apochi Suleiman, Flag Officer Commanding (FOC) of the Command, who disclosed this on Sunday in Warri, said the operation was in collaboration with the Nigerian Navy Ship. Suleiman said that a 30-year-old lady and two men, suspected to be oil thieves, were also arrest during the operation. “The illegal petroleum refining camp destroyed is one of the major camps in the Niger-Delta region basically for illegal oil business. “In the camp, we also discovered 15 containers filled with oil products, 10 locally made boats and stolen crude oil. "The Nigerian Navy is ready to flush oil thieves out of the Niger-Delta region; there is no room for criminals in the waterways this season,'' he said. Suleiman advised youths in the area to engage in legitimate business as t

German Chancellor Angela Merkel arrived in Turkey on Sunday to meet President Recep Tayyip Erdogan for the first time since February 2013, for talks on how to deal with the refugee crisis in Europe. European leaders have rarely visited Turkey since the 2013 crackdown on Gezi park protesters, pointing to the European Union's long-simmering frustrations with Erdogan, reports dpa. Some observers regard the visit to be a boost for Erdogan as it comes ahead of Turkey's general election on November 1, when voters will decide his own political fate. Many in the Turkish opposition have criticized the Merkel visit, with the largest party, the Republican People's Party (CHP), unhappy that no meeting with the opposition was planned. "That she did not request a meeting with the CHP or with the opposition at all" raises the impression that she is participating in the election campaign, said Erdal Aksunger, chief advisor to CHP leader Kemal Kilicdaroglu. The pro-Kurdish Pe

Pope Francis led a canonization mass on Sunday that added four new saints to the Catholic Church's pantheon, including the parents of another saint, in a pause from a divisive Vatican summit on family affairs. The October 4-25 meeting, known as the synod, is exposing deep rifts among top prelates on the approach to take towards people who stray from Catholic teaching on family life, such as divorcees, homosexuals and couples living out of wedlock, reports dpa. "The men and women canonized today unfailingly served their brothers and sisters with outstanding humility and charity, in imitation of the divine Master," Francis said during the mass homily in a crowded St Peter's Square. For the Catholic Church, saints are model Christians who, after death, live in paradise and can make miracles happen by summoning God's intervention when prayers are addressed to them. Ludovico Martin and Maria Azelia Guerin, who lived in 19th century France, had several children, inc

Typhoon Koppu triggered flash floods and landslides in the northern Philippines Sunday, killing at least four people and forcing thousands of people to flee their homes, officials said. Two people drowned in the province of Nueva Ecija, according to Governor Aurelio Umali, while one person was electrocuted in Tarlac province and a 14-year-old boy was hit by a falling tree in Manila, disaster relief officials said, reports dpa. Koppu weakened slightly after it made landfall over Casiguran town in Aurora province, 215 kilometres north of Manila, the weather bureau said. The typhoon was packing maximum winds of 150 kilometres per hour (kph) with gusts of up to 185 kph, and was moving west-northwest, at 5 kph, it added. The bureau raised storm signal warnings over 26 provinces and Manila. "There is still danger so we should not put our guard down," chief weather forecaster Esperanza Cayanan said. "We should still be careful. Coastal areas are still dangerous and it is n

(Nigeria) Following a request by the Socio-Economic Rights and Accountability Project, SERAP, for information on the spending of recovered assets stolen by Late General Sani Abacha, the World Bank has said that it needed “additional time to provide [SERAP] with a more comprehensive response.”  In a letter dated October 15, 2015 by Ann May of the Access to Information Team, the Bank said that “In response to your request under AI3982, we would like to inform you that we are still considering your request and need additional time to provide you with a more comprehensive response.”  The letter reads “In most cases, we will be able to respond within 20 working days from receipt of a request for information. However, we may need additional time in special circumstances, for example, if the request is complex or voluminous or if it requires further review by or consultation with internal World Bank units, external parties, the Access to Information Committee, or the World Bank’s Board of E

(Nigeria) The Rivers State Chapter of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, has described as baseless, laughable, childish and mere ranting the defense of former Governor Rotimi Amaech’s ministerial nomination by the All Progressives Congress, APC. The PDP State Chairman, Mr Felix Obuah in a statement said the APC’s indefensible, laughable, and recourse to tendentious gossip in an attempt to protect the embattled former governor amounts to glorifying corruption. According to Obuah, with the historic woeful defeat of the APC in the state, which it ran to total bankruptcy and near collapse notwithstanding the huge internally generated revenue and accruements from the federal allocations, it was commonsense to fathom why they insist in remaining in office to cover up their loots. "Failure to do so explains why the APC in the state and those strangers who assisted in the looting spree, are wrapped in total confusion that is ravaging the party, leaving their members disorientated as be

(Nigeria) The Rivers State Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, has said that the letter by the embattled former governor of the state, Mr Rotimi Amaechi, asking the Senate President, Bukola Saraki to disregard the Rivers State Government White Paper on the report of the Judicial Commission of Inquiry for the investigation of his administration on the sale of valued assets and other related matters, which indicted him, (Amaechi), lacks merit and logic. State Chairman of the PDP, Mr Felix Obuah in a statement in Port Harcourt on Sunday, while reacting to the letter by Mr Amaechi to the Senate President, Saraki, noted Amaechi’s letter to the Senate President was an attempt to ignore the White Paper report, undermine the crusade against corruption and expose President Muhammadu Buhari’s fight against corruption as partisan and targeted at only members of the opposition and perceived enemies. “The invitation and interrogation of the Senate Minority Leader, former governor of Akwa Ibom State, a