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Author: Day Break

Political Leaders converge on Abuja tomorrow for Jonathan’s book launch
The ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) and main opposition, Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), as well as the All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA), are to converge on Abuja on Tuesday for the public presentation of a book with the title,
“Dear President Goodluck Jonathan (An Open Letter),”
written by a Nigerian journalist and former Managing Editor of the Daily Times Newspaper, Bonaventure Phillips Melah.
According to a statement issued on Sunday by Dr. Solomon Arase, a former Inspector General of Police and Chairman of the book presentation organizing committee
Dr. Reuben Abati, a former Presidential spokesman would review the book while Alhaji Bala Muhammed, Governor of Bauchi State would the chairman of the programme.
He added that other special invitees expected at the event which is taking place at the Executive Hall of the International Conference Centre, Abuja, include the leadership of the executive, legislative and judicial arms of government.
The statement said that Rivers State Governor, Nyesom Wike would serve as Chief Book Presenter, supported by Kano State Governor, Dr. Abdullahi Umar Ganduje and Bayelsa State Governor, Sen. Duoye Diri, among many others.
Arase stated that former President Goodluck Jonathan and his wife Dame Patience Jonathan would be physically present at the occasion and that governors, senators, House of Representative members, serving and former ministers, political and religious leaders, among others are expected at the event.
The statement had it that, His Eminence, Alhaji Muhammadu Sa’ad Abubakar 111, Sultan of Sokoto and President, Supreme Council for Islamic Affairs alongside His Royal Majesty, King Amalate Johnnie Turner, MFR, JP, the Obigbo Mikimiki 1 of Obanema, Opume Kingdom, Ogbia, Bayelsa State are to be royal father of the day.
Arase said- “The book is an open letter written to the former President, Dr. Goodluck Jonathan by a concerned Nigerian.
The programme provides the platform for the writer to present the letter to Dr, Jonathan. It is after the presentation of the letter that we can begin to talk about the letter’s content.
” According to Arase, former President Goodluck Jonathan is a national and international figure which is the reason leaders of all the leading political parties as well as members of the diplomatic community, were invited to witness the presentation of the letter to him without consideration to whatever political coloration.
December 14, 2020
United States has formally removes Sudan from terrorism blacklist
The United States has formally removed Sudan from its state sponsors of terrorism blacklist, its Khartoum embassy said Monday.
Sudan Celebrates ‘New Era’ as US Drops It From Terrorism
Less than two months after the East African nation pledged to normalise ties with Israel.
The move opens the way for aid, debt relief and investment to a country going though a rocky political transition and struggling under a severe economic crisis exacerbated by the Covid-19 pandemic.
US President Donald Trump had announced in October that he was delisting Sudan, 27 years after Washington first put the country on its blacklist for harbouring Islamist militants.
“The congressional notification period of 45 days has lapsed and the Secretary of State has signed a notification stating rescission of Sudan’s State Sponsor of Terrorism designation,”
The US embassy said on Facebook, adding that the measure “is effective as of today”.
In response to the move, Sudan’s army chief General Abdel Fattah al-Burhan — who doubles as the head of the Sovereign Council, the country’s highest executive authority — offered his “congratulations to the Sudanese people”.
“It was a task accomplished… in the spirit of the December revolution”, he said on Twitter, referring to a landmark month in 2018 when protests erupted against dictator Omar al-Bashir.
Bashir was deposed by the military in April 2019, four months into the demonstrations against his iron-fisted rule and 30 years after an Islamist backed coup had brought him to power.
Sudan’s Prime Minister Abdalla Hamdok also welcomed Washington’s move in a post on Facebook, noting that it means “our beloved country… (is) relieved from the international and global siege” provoked by Bashir’s behaviour.
The removal of the designation “contributes to reforming the economy, attracting investments and remittances of our citizens abroad through official channels” and creates new job opportunities for youth, the premier said.
As part of a deal, Sudan agreed to pay $335 million to compensate survivors and victims’ families from the twin 1998 al-Qaeda attacks on US embassies in Kenya and Tanzania, and a 2000 attack by the jihadist group on the USS Cole off Yemen’s coast.
Those attacks were carried out after Bashir had allowed then al-Qaeda leader Osama Bin Laden sanctuary in Sudan.
Sudan in October became the third Arab country in as many months to pledge that it would normalise relations with Israel, after the United Arab Emirates and Bahrain.
The transitional government’s pledge came amid a concerted campaign by the Trump administration to persuade Arab nations to recognise the Jewish state, and it has been widely perceived as a quid pro quo for Washington removing Sudan from its terror blacklist.
But unlike the UAE and Bahrain, Sudan has yet to agree a formal deal with Israel, amid wrangling within the fractious transitional power structure over the move.
The first major evidence of engagement between Sudan’s interim authorities and Israel came in February, when Burhan met Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in Uganda.
In late November, a spokesman for the Sovereign Council, comprised of military and civilian figures, confirmed that an Israeli delegation had visited Khartoum earlier in the month.
Seeking to downplay the visit, council spokesman Mohamed al-Faki Suleiman had said “we did not announce it at the time because it was not a major visit or of a political nature”.
Sudan’s transition has lately displayed signs of internal strain. Burhan last week blasted the transitional institutions, formed in August 2019 after months of further street protests demanding the post-Bashir military share power with civilians.
“The transitional council has failed to respond to the aspirations of the people and of the revolution,” Burhan charged while also lauding the integrity of the military.
Trump sent his notice to remove Sudan from the terror blacklist to Congress on October 26. Under US law, a country exits the list after 45 days unless Congress objects, which it has not.
Families of victims of the September 11, 2001 attacks had called on lawmakers to reject the State Department’s proposal, saying they want to pursue legal action against Sudan.
December 14, 2020
18-year-old Katsina student narrate how he escape from bandits
Osama Aminu Maale, an 18-year-old student of Government Science School, Kankara, in Katsina State, has narrated how he escaped from bandits who kidnapped hundreds of his colleagues last Friday.
According to Maale, 520 students were abducted when the armed bandits stormed the school on Friday night.
“There were a total of 520 of us that were taken by the gunmen from the school,” he told AFP on the phone.
“After they took us away we stopped inside the bus where they made the older students take a headcount. We counted 520,” he said.
The hostages were split into groups before Maale and four others escaped.
“One of the gunmen hit me repeatedly when I failed to keep up with the rest of the group due to my failing health before he let me trail behind, giving me the chance to escape,” Maale added.
The Federal Government has said efforts were on to rescue students abducted by armed men who raided their hostels.
UN children’s agency UNICEF condemned the assault on the school in Katsina, the home state of the President Muhammadu Buhari
State governor, Aminu Masari, who visited the school on Saturday, said soldiers were working to locate and free the hostages.
“Soldiers are currently in the bushes fighting the bandits. We will do all we can to ensure all the abducted children are reclaimed,” he said.
December 14, 2020
More than 400,000 flee militant attacks in northern Mozambique -UN
At least 400,000 people have fled militant attacks in northern Mozambique, the United Nations refugee agency said, warning that the crisis could quickly spread beyond the country’s borders if regional neighbors did not help tackle the insurgency.
Mozambique’s northernmost province of Cabo Delgado, home to gas developments worth some $60 billion (£44.7 billion), is grappling with an insurgency linked to Isis that has gathered pace this year, with insurgents regularly taking on the army and seizing entire towns.
Valentin Tapsoba, the southern African head of the United Nations High Commission for Refugees (UNHCR), said families who were rebuilding their lives after the destruction caused by Cyclone Kenneth in 2019 have had to flee from militant attacks.
“This is a situation starting in one country but if all the countries don’t get their act together to tackle it and wait too long, it could spread within the sub-region,” Mr Tapsoba told Reuters by phone from Pempa in Mozambique.
Zimbabwe presidential spokesman George Charamba said leaders from Mozambique, Zimbabwe, South Africa, Botswana and Tanzania were set to meet in Maputo on Monday over the insurgency.
Mr Tapsoba said 424,000 people have fled the insurgency to Niassa, Nampula and Pempa and that the number could rise. He said Mozambican authorities put the figure at 570,000.
On Friday the Mozambican government, together with UN agencies and other local non governmental groups, will launch an international appeal for funding to help those fleeing Cabo Delgado, Mr Tapsoba said.
UNHCR had raised a third of the $19.2 million (£14 million) it requires for shelter, water and sanitation and food next year, said Mr Tapsola.
“The numbers are still growing … so it is a very big concern,” he said.
The onset of the rainy season could make it difficult to reach the camps where thousands are living, which would be “a nightmare for these people,” he added.
December 14, 2020
UN chief urged security agencies to arrest, bring those responsible to Justice
UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres has condemned the attack by suspected bandits at Government Science Secondary School, Kankara in Katsina State on Dec. 11.
Guterres’ reaction came in a statement by UN spokesman Stephane Dujarric on Monday in New York.
He called for the “immediate and unconditional” release of no fewer than 300 male students, the attackers reportedly abducted from the school.
“The secretary-general strongly condemns the Dec. 11 attack on a secondary school in Katsina State, Nigeria and the reported abduction of hundreds of boys by suspected armed bandits.
“He calls for the immediate and unconditional release of the abducted children and for their safe return to their families.
“The secretary-general reiterates that attacks on schools and other educational facilities constitute a grave violation of human rights.”
The UN chief urged security agencies to arrest and bring those responsible for the heinous act to justice.
He reaffirmed the “solidarity and support” of the organisation to the Federal Government and Nigerians in their fight “against terror, violent extremism and organised crime”.
The UN Children’s Fund (UNICEF) has also flayed the abduction and called for the boys’ immediate release.
In a statement, the agency said it is “deeply concerned about these acts of violence”, describing attacks on schools as a violation of children’s rights.
“UNICEF condemns in the strongest possible terms this brutal attack and calls for the immediate and unconditional release of all children and their return to their families.”
Its Regional Director for West and Central Africa, Marie-Pierre Poirier, issued a separate statement expressing solidarity with the families of the students and their communities.
Poitier said that the violence was a “grim reminder” that abductions of children and widespread grave violations of children’s rights continue to take place in the northern part of Nigeria.
“Children should feel safe at home, in schools, and in their playgrounds at all times.
“We stand with the families of the missing children and the community affected by this horrifying event,” she said.
December 14, 2020
Bandits kill 1, injure another in Adamawa community
Armed bandits have attacked a community in Adamawa State and left one resident dead.
It was gathered Monday morning that the bandits launched the attack Saturday evening on Humbutudi, a ward in Maiha Local Government Area, north of the state capital, Yola.
The bandits, local sources said, killed one person and injured another after shooting randomly, to scare residents away.
The sources said the attackers took away valuable items as if they invaded the community primarily to steal.
“They looted the biggest provision shop in the community,” one of the sources said.
December 14, 2020
Liquid Telecom appoints CEO for Nigeria business
Pan-African telecoms group Liquid Telecom has appointed Wole Abu CEO for Liquid Telecom Nigeria and its new Africa Data Centre (ADC) in Nigeria, effective January 2021.
“Abu [has] over 14 years of experience in the telecommunications industry, which will be integral as we continue to expand our fibre network reach on the African continent.ADVERTISEMENT
“With our East to West link going live, it is integral that we start working with businesses in Nigeria to develop the local telecom and technology ecosystem and also establish ourselves as the go to data centre provider,” says Liquid Middle East and West Africa regional CEO Mohamed Abdel Bassit.
Before joining Liquid, Abu was CEO of Pan African Towers, and before that, he served as the VP of sales at Airtel Nigeria. He has also held several senior management roles in the human resources, engineering, operations, finance, legal and marketing departments.
Meanwhile, Liquid recently acquired land in Lagos to build the ADC, which the company says will be the single largest data centre in Africa outside of South Africa.
The new data centre, once completed, will address the growing demand for cloud storage and digital services on the continent and Abu will be responsible for overseeing the strategic growth of ADC’s operations in this new market.
“Since the launch of the first Africa Data Centre in 2018, I have seen the data centre team grow their operations by leaps and bounds to cater to the rapidly developing cloud ecosystem on the African continent.
“I am excited to bring my polyfocal blend of functional skills to the team as the ADC makes it possible for Nigerians to get access to cloud services at affordable rates and allowing them to meet local data regulatory requirements”.
“I also look forward to showcasing Liquid’s commitment to Nigeria’s digital transformation journey, which is linked to staying true to our belief that every individual has the right to be connected,” Abu comments.
December 14, 2020
Senate Appropriation Committee to Table 2021 Budget Tomorrow
Barring any last minute change, the Senate Appropriation Committee will tomorrow table the 2021 budget for passage, ‘because the National Assembly may likely go on a Christmas break on December 17’.
According to a source in the Senate Committee on Appropriation, the budget bill would be laid in the Senate on Tuesday because of the likelihood of passage on Tuesday or Wednesday.
However, the source said if there were any differences in the Senate budget bill with the House of Representatives version, then it will go for harmonization between the Senate and House Appropriation Committees.
But the Senate Appropriation Committee source said: “We don’t envisage if there would be any difference because both appropriation committees in the Senate and the House worked together with even the finance committee on the budget estimates.
“So, all thing being equal, it will be laid in the Senate on Tuesday, and possibly passed on Wednesday as we envisage that the National Assembly will go on break next Thursday,” he said.
It was gathered that with the Gross Domestic Product (GDP) growth being negative from the third quarter of this year, President Muhammadu Buhari has predicted that the country’s economy may lapse into the second recession in four years, with significant adverse consequences.
The president, who disclosed this when he presented a N13.08 trillion budget proposal for 2021 fiscal year to the joint session of the National Assembly, however, assured Nigerians that his government would do everything possible to get the country out of the recession in 2021.
He stressed that Nigeria’s economy is currently facing serious challenges, with the macroeconomic environment being significantly disrupted by the COVID-19 pandemic.
Buhari explained that GDP growth declined by 6.1 percent in the second quarter of 2020, adding that this ended the three-year trend of positive, but modest GDP growth recorded since the second quarter of 2017.
According to him, “The Nigerian economy is currently facing serious challenges, with the macroeconomic environment being significantly disrupted by the COVID-19 pandemic. The real GDP growth declined by 6.1 percent in the second quarter of 2020, and this ended the three-year trend of positive but modest real GDP growth recorded since the second quarter of 2017. I am glad to note that through our collective efforts, our economy performed relatively better than that of many other developed and emerging economies.
“GDP growth is projected to be negative in the third quarter of this year. As such, our economy may lapse into the second recession in four years, with significant adverse consequences. However, we are working assiduously to ensure a rapid recovery in 2021. We remain committed to implementing programmes to lift 100 million Nigerians out of poverty over the next 10 years.”Close
The president noted further that the 2021 Appropriation with the theme: ‘Budget of Economic Recovery and Resilience’, was designed to further deliver on the goals of Economic Sustainability Plan.
He said the exchange rate has been fixed at N379 per dollar, while the GDP growth is projected at 3.0 per cent and inflation closing at 11.95 per cent.
Buhari said: “An aggregate expenditure of N13.08 trillion is proposed for the federal government in 2021. This includes N1.35 trillion spending by government owned enterprises and grants and aid funded expenditures of N354.85 billion.
“The 2021 budget deficit (inclusive of government owned enterprises and project-tied loans) is projected at N5.20 trillion. This represents 3.64 per cent of estimated GDP, slightly above the 3 per cent threshold set by the Fiscal Responsibility Act, 2007.”
The president explained that the budget deficit would be financed mainly by new borrowings totaling N4.28 trillion-N205.15 billion from privatisation proceeds and N709.69 billion in drawdowns on multilateral and bilateral loans secured for specific projects and programmes.
On statutory transfers, he stressed further that the sum of N484.49 billion provided for statutory transfers in the 2021 budget represents an increase of N56.46 billion (or 13 per cent) over the revised 2020 provision.
President Buhari, however, urged the National Assembly to expedite action on the passage of the budget.
December 14, 2020
Oyo Deputy Governor, complain bitterly of unfair treatment by his boss
The Deputy Governor of Oyo State, Rauf Olaniyan, has cried out over what he described as unfair treatment by his boss, Governor Seyi Makinde.
Olaniyan complained bitterly of not being carried along in the government.
Rauf Olaniyan (left) and Governor Seyi Makinde (right).
The deputy governor, in a PDP Elders Steering Committee report submitted to the governor, a copy of which was made available to SaharaReporters, said the governor had completely forgotten about the promises he made to him during the election.
The Oke-Ogun born deputy governor lamented that the governor only gave him few portfolios since he assumed office.
He wondered why a former senator, Agboola Halleluyah, is more relevant in the government than himself who is constitutionally number two citizen of the state.
The report partly reads, “Olaniyan complained bitterly about being oblivious about the running of the government. He said the governor has completely forgotten about the promises he made to him during the election.
“He said that the governor had treated him in the most unfair, unjust and the most unkind manner. He complained that the governor only gave him a few portfolios and he has not given him more since then. He also feels that Senator Agboola Halleluyah is more relevant than him in the government.”
December 14, 2020
Nigeria: 20 Army Generals Test Positive for Covid-19
At least 20 Nigerian Army Generals have tested positive for COVID-19, military sources said yesterday.
The infected military officers, according to Channels Television, were said to have had contact with the late Maj. Gen. Olu Irefin who died from COVID-19 complications last week.
According to the sources, the affected senior army officers were attendees of the 2020 Chief of Army Staff Annual Conference in Abuja, from where they were suspected of contracting the virus.
Besides, Irefin was said to have visited some of his colleagues at home before he attended the conference.
December 14, 2020