Tuesday 21 June 2016
Kashamu To Fayose: Leave Buhari's Wife Out Of Your Woes; Face The Issues
The statement reads in part, “It is interesting that Mr. Fayose is talking about the rule of law and the need to do things within the ambit of the law. I never knew that he has ever heard of the concept of the Rule of Law. When he trampled on other people’s rights in a bid to abrogate their tenure in office where was the Rule of Law? Now he is crying out because he is afraid he might have to get a taste of his own medicine because a man must certainly reap whatever he sows.
“Mr. Fayose is talking about the fact that he enjoys immunity under the law. If I may ask: can a governor who disobeys the law with reckless abandon seek protection under the law? You cannot say because immunity covers you, you should not be investigated if you are suspected to have benefitted from the funds that were meant to buy arms for the protection of Nigerians. I think it is high time that we, as a people and government, address the issue of people committing crimes and hiding under the immunity clause.”
The statement further added, “Fayose must stop chasing shadows and address the allegations against him. It is preposterous that he suddenly remembered that someone was involved in the Halliburton scandal at exactly the same time that he is being investigated over the funds he allegedly collected from the Office of the National Security Adviser (ONSA).
“The questions are: Was he a beneficiary of the ONSA funds? Is it true that over N300million was frozen in three accounts traced to him? Were suspicious cash deposits made into the accounts in 2014, in clear violation of the Money Laundering Act and other enabling laws?
“It is said that you can fool some people all of the time but you cannot fool all the people all of the time. Nigerians can now see that what is playing out is a confirmation of my earlier position that the loudest among us are not necessarily the most pious. If he is being asked questions about his campaign funds, he should be bold enough to give explanations without necessarily casting aspersion on anyone. He should allow necessary investigations to go on unimpeded.
That will not only help to prove his innocence or otherwise but could possibly boost his rating. He could even choose to waive his immunity to aid the investigation if he does not have anything to hide. Immunity does not preclude any public officer even a governor from explaining how he funded his election campaign or the source (s) of deposits made into his account (s).
“The reality that Mr. Fayose must come to terms with is that the allegations against him are too grave to be sidelined for a seemingly spurious allegation against the wife of the president. Months of workers’ salaries are yet to be paid in Ekiti State; development partners have abandoned state, just as families are languishing as a result of his ill-advised political scheming.
“This current campaign of calumny and juvenile tantrums cannot sweep the issue of corruption under the carpet; neither can it kick enough dirt to make any right-thinking Nigerian to shut his or her eyes to the truth. This is not about party affiliation or dog eating dog. It is about the plundering of our commonwealth and there should be no sacred cows in the fight against corruption. This is a fight that all patriotic Nigerians should lend their weight without any primordial sentiments or prejudice.”
Twitter Launches “Engage” A Safer Space For Celebrities & Power Influencers To Interact With Their Followers Better
In a blog announcement, they said “gives creators, celebrities, and public figures a better way to connect with fans and influencers. It’s the perfect tool for the people that make and share new video content every day and want to understand and grow their audience on Twitter”.
Engage highlights the most important interactions you’ve had on Twitter and includes mentions from users who are verified, followed by a lot of your followers, or interact with you a lot. It also has an “understand” tab shows you high-level analytics for your posts, showing you how many impressions you’re getting over time. And the “posts” tab shows you detailed performance numbers for individual posts.
What makes Engage different from the regular Twitter app is: it doesn’t have a timeline. It is for the person who sees the value in tweeting, but would rather not pay attention to the broader conversation in the global town square.
For now the app is only available in the iOS App Store.
Photo Credit: iTunes
Nigerians View Court Order Served On Saraki & Ekweremadu Pasted On Noticeboard Of National Assembly
Former DR Congo Vice President Jean-Pierre Bemba Jailed Over War Crimes
The verdicts announced today Tuesday, June 21, focused on the actions of his troops, as Bemba commanded a private army of 1,500 men who intervened in the neighbouring Central African Republic's civil war.
"The chamber sentences Mr Jean-Pierre Bemba Gombo to a total of 18 years of imprisonment," said judge Sylvia Steiner, ruling that the former militia leader had failed to exercise control over his private army sent into the Central African Republic in late October 2002 where they carried out "sadistic" rapes, murders and pillaging of "particular cruelty".
Fadi El Abdullah, a spokesman for the ICC told Al Jazeera the ruling was "important for the victims" and "the first time they would see justice for the crimes they suffered from".
Prosecutors at the ICC had called for a minimum 25-year jail term in the landmark case, the first to focus on rape as a weapon of war by the ICC, which was set up in 2002 to try the world's worst crimes.
Bemba was convicted in March on two counts of crimes against humanity as well as three counts of war crimes. His arrest in 2008 came as a surprise both to Bemba and his supporters and opponents at home.
He had been living in semi-exile in Europe for several years when prosecutors sprung a trap by issuing an arrest warrant during a visit to Belgium, Congo's former colonial master.
His forces the Movement for the Liberation of Congo militia (MLC) had deliberately targeted civilians as part of a "modus operandi" as they sought to halt the coup bid against the Central African Republic's then-president Ange-Felix Patasse.
Men, women and children were all raped - in one case three generations of the same family were gang-raped by MLC soldiers who held them at gunpoint and forced relatives to watch.
Bemba's lawyer have already said they will appeal against his conviction. Geraldine Mattioli-Zeltner, international justice advocacy director at Human Rights Watch, said the sentence offered "a measure of justice" for the victims.
"Other commanders should take notice that they, too, can be held accountable for rapes and other serious abuses committed by troops under their control," she said.
Source: BBC/Al Jazeera
Air-Vice Marshall Arraigned For Collecting N5.9m Bribe
The EFCC today arraigned Air Vice Marshal Alkali Mohammed Mamu, a former Air Officer Training Command and a member of the Committee for Procurement, Ministry of Defence, before Justice Salisu Garba of the FCT High Court sitting in Maitama, Abuja on a 3-count charge of bribery.
Mamu, allegedly collected a cash gift in the sum of N5.9million (five million, nine hundred thousand naira) for the purchase of a Range Rover Evoque, $300,000 (three hundred thousand US dollars) and two vehicles (Ford Expedition SUV and Jaguar XF Saloon) valued at N15million and N12million respectively from Societe D’ Equipments Internationaux Nigeria Limited, a contractor with the Nigerian Air Force. The offence is contrary to Section 17 (a) of the Independent Corrupt Practices and other Related Offences Act, 2000 and punishable under Section 17(c) of the same Act.
Justice Garba, after listening to both counsel adjourned to July 1, 2016 for ruling on the bail application and commencement of trial. The defendant is to be remanded in prison custody
Buhari Appoints Ibrahim Kpotum Idris As Acting IGP
President Buhari has appointed Assistant Inspector-General of Police, Ibrahim Kpotum Idris, as the Acting Inspector-General of Police. Immediate past Inspector General of Police, Solomon Arase, retired from office today after he reached the mandatory 60 years retirement age. Arase and Idris are currently in a closed- door meeting with president Buhari at Aso Rock, Abuja.
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