PRESIDENCY REPLIES ADAMAWA STATE GOV., MURITALA NYAKO

The Presidency has reacted to a letter credited to Adamawa State Governor, Murtala Nyako, describing it as an unmitigated leadership disaster and a sad betrayal of trust by a major beneficiary of the Nigerian Nation.

DR. DOYIN OKUPE

Governor Nyako’s letter was reportedly sent to his colleague northern governors.

A statement by the Senior Special Assistant to the President on Public Affairs, Dr Doyin Okupe, said the the letter exposed Nyako as lacking a sense of history as well as incapable of rising above parochial sentiments and possessing a morbid hatred for facts and truth in public discourse.  

According to Dr Okupe, aside being divisive and intentionally aimed at inciting a section of the country against the other, Governor Nyako’s

GOV. MURITALA NYAKO

claims are a pathetic embarrassment to the Nigerian Military from where Nyako derives his career antecedents. He noted Nyako’s reference to Boko Haram as a "phantom organization", adding that in a bid to demonise the Federal Government, Governor Nyako linked the military operations against insurgents to the activities of German dictator, Adolf Hitler.

He urged Governor Nyako to suggest alternative to his frequent call for the withdrawal of military from Borno, Yobe and Adamawa.

BOMB BLAST KILLS SCORES DURING MORNING RUSH HOUR IN NYANYA, ABUJA

Over a hundred people are feared dead in Nyanya a suburb of the Federal Capital Territory, following a bomb blast.

Our correspondents report that the blast occurred at about 7.10am today, during the morning rush hour.

Over fifteen buses of the Urban City Mass Transit and other vehicles were affected.

A lone bomber was reported to have driven a bomb laden car close to where the Abuja Mass Transit Buseswere  loading, and disappeared into thin air.  Shortly after, he detonated the blast leaving several casualties.

Emergency teams and security operatives are currently evacuation mangled bodies from the scene of the attack. We will relay more detains in subsequent bulletins.

NIGERIA'S HOUSE OF REPS PASSES 2014 BUDGET, ADJOURNS FOR 2 WEEKS.

The House of Representatives today passed the 2014 budget of N4.695 trillion. 
The approved budget is N53 billion more than the estimate presented by the executive to the National Assembly. 

It can be recalled that the budget earlier presented to the National Assembly by President Goodluck Jonathan through the Minister of Finance, Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, was N4.642 trillion. 
The House approved the budget after considering the report of the John Owan Enoh-led committee on Appropriation and Finance. 
The budget was based on a benchmark of 77 Dollars per barrel of crude and oil production of 2.39 million barrels per day.
 The highlights of the approved budget are statutory transfer, N408.6 billion; debt service, N712 billion; recurrent expenditure, N2.4 trillion, and capital expenditure, N1.1 trillion. Speaking on the passage of the budget, Chairman House Committee on Media and Public Affairs, Zakari Mohammed said the House decided to pass the budget so as to enable ministries, departments and agencies of government to function.     The House has gone on recess to resume after two weeks.

The Senate had equally passed the 2014 budget  of 4.695 trillion naira, also raising the figure by 53 billion naira.

This followed the adoption of the report of the Joint Committee on Appropriation and Finance. Chairman, of the Committee, Senator Ahmad Maccido, said the budget was predicated on $77.50 per barrel crude oil benchmark with an exchange rate of 160 naira to a dollar at 6.75 per cent growth rate of Gross Domestic Product (GDP) as well as 9.5 per cent inflation rate.

Education, Defence and Police got the highest allocation. It equally contained 408.6 billion naira for statutory transfers as well as N712 billion for debt service.

Out of that sum, 3.54 trillion was slated for recurrent expenditure, while the remaining N1.1 trillion was billed for capital projects.

The original budget sum presented to the lawmakers by the finance minister, Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, on behalf of the president, in December 2013, was N 4.642 trillion.

FULANI HERDSMEN MENACE: DELTA RAISES TASKFORCE ON CATTLE MOVEMENT

The Delta State Government on Wednesday took pre-emptive measures aimed at curtailing the menace of cattle rearers ravaging parts of the country by constituting a high-powered security committee to control the movement of cattle in the state.
Governor Emmanuel Uduaghan disclosed this to newsmen after an expanded Security Council meeting, comprising principal officers of he State House of Assembly, heads of security agencies in the state, traditional rulers, council chairmen and religious leaders that held at the Government House Annex in Warri.

Dr. Uduaghan , who raised alarm about the influx of strange persons into the state, stated that while the State Government welcome genuine strangers, it would not fold its hands and allow the state to be over ran by people with criminal intentions.
According to the Governor, the State Commissioner of Police is to head the task force with two members of the state assembly, two commissioners, representatives of  security agencies, traditional rulers, council chairmen and the Northern Community as members, while the Office of the Secretary to the State Government is to serve as secretariat.
Dr. Uduaghan explained that the taskforce  would among other things control the movement of castles into and within the state with a view to nipping in the bud any attempt by herdsmen to cause a breach of the peace.

He added that the taskforce would also move into suspected locations, identify persons inhabiting such places and where it is established that the people are illegal immigrants, the immigration chief in the state would ensure they were evacuated.
The Governor explained that the measure was not to completely stop cattle rearing in the state, noting, " they can come but their movement has to be controlled by the task force.If they are coming to stay peacefully we will allow them to stay."
Governor Uduaghan observed that the state has had peculiar security challenge between cattle rearers and farmers, but added that the situation in recent times had taken a new dimension with the influx of herdsmen carrying  arms which they have been using in terrorising farmers, snowballing into killing and raping of women.
He noted that the problem of cattle rearers was a national issue and that he was ready to work with the Federal Government, other governors  and respected traditional rulers from the North in finding a lasting solution to the menace, "It is a challenge we are ready to face squarely," he stressed.
Uduaghan urged chairman of transition committee to hold monthly expanded security council meetings that would involve traditional rulers as part of measures to deal with the problem.
He also implored traditional rulers to join hands with government in its bid to arrest the situation while challenging them to work out local solutions in their respective domains to complement government's effort. (GOVT. P.R.)