Bayelsa State Governor's Office To Cost N33.8b

Seriake Dickson, Bayelsa Governor
Segun James in Yenagoa
Following the collapse and the subsequent demolition of the Bayelsa State governor’s office, the state government has disclosed that the new office project under construction would gulp about N33.8 billion.
The Commissioner for Works and Infrastructure, Lawrence Ewhrudjakpo, disclosed this to journalists during his
inspection of the ongoing projects executed by the Governor Seriake Dickson administration.
Ewhrudjakpo said the office complex, when completed, was expected to be the best not only in the country but in the West Africa sub-region.
He stressed that the project would be equipped with the latest state-of-the-art facility.
“The contract sum for the new governor’s office is N33.8 billion As you saw the work done at the site, so far, you will know that the sum is worth the while,” he said.
Ewhrudjakpo expressed optimism that the governor would celebrate this year’s Christmas in the new office.
He said about 50-60 per cent of the contract sum had been sunk into the project so far and that had brought it to near completion.
The commissioner enumerated some of the challenges in erecting the building to include sand-filling of the site to two feet above the ground before the commencement of
construction work.
“If you ask me how much we have sunk into it, I won’t be able to tell you. But I can say that about 50-60 per cent of the contract sum has so far gone into it and that’s why the work is at the stage it is.
“When we got there, you saw that they were doing the finishings, fixing electrical and plumbing fittings. Inside the executive chambers, you saw that the air conditioners
are already there.
“I can tell you that as soon as we give them (A and K Construction Limited) some additional money, which we have promised to do in the next one or two weeks, the job would have gone very far.
“We are targeting December. We are thinking that his excellency will celebrate the Christmas in his new office all things being equal,” the commissioner said.

Dr Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, bagged the African Finance Minister of the year award

The Minister of Finance, Dr Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, on Friday bagged the African Finance Minister of the year award for her outstanding performance as a finance
minister.
The award was presented to her by the African Investor Magazine on the sideline of the ongoing annual meetings of the World Bank and the International Monetary Fund (IMF) in Washington DC.
She thanked the organisers for the award and described it as an absolute honour and auspicious.
She called on all investors in Africa to join the fight against the deadly Ebola virus disease that is ravaging some countries in West Africa.
“What is happening in Liberia, Guinea and Sierra-Leone and the success we had in Nigeria and Senegal in containing this virus should not be allowed to set Africa back.
“You as private sector and friends of Africa need to send the message that we should not be so afraid of Ebola that we stigmatise the whole continent.
“I think that it is only with your own leadership, as African investors, that the rest of the world can see which way they should pass. So, I am really urging you to be ambassadors to the continent,” she said.
Okonjo-Iweala said that in spite of the challenges facing the continent, African leaders should sustain the successes recorded in the past.
These challenges, she said, include infrastructure, governance, poor education system, employment, corruption, among others.
“We are not shying away from these challenges but the turning point now is that we are in the continent where we have the political will and confidence to tackle these challenges.
“I think that we as Africans must always take
the lead because if we don’t solve our problems, nobody can do it for us.” Okonjo-Iweala called for continuous
partnership with the private sector, donor agencies and non-governmental organisations. (NAN)

I am a lion who has tamed every leopard –Mbu

The outgoing Commissioner of Police in the FCT, Mr Joseph Mbu, has advised his successor, Mr Wilson Inalegu, to be firm and sustain the current low crime rate in the territory.

Two Nigerians,One Isreali Arrested in S. A.

South African police are investigating two Nigerians and an Israeli citizen who tried to bring $9.3 million in cash into the country illegally.

According to Reuters, there are suspicions that the money could be meant for arms.

The Nigerians, coming from Abuja, were not identified.

Amaechi Accuses New CP of Plot To Install PDP Governor in 2015

Over the weekend the media was awash with reports of a fresh sinister plot to throw Rivers State into avoidable crisis. According to the reports as they concern Rivers State, the new commissioner of police Dan Bature, has been directed by the Presidency to install a certain Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) gubernatorial aspirant as governor in the 2015 elections.

Stephen Davis Acting Obasanjo's Script-Asari

Leader of the defunct Niger Delta Volunteers Force, Alhaji Mujahid Asari-Dokubo has declared that the Australian negotiator, Stephen Davis is acting a script written by former Olusegun President Obasanjo by his recent disclosure on the sponsors of Boko Haram.
Asari-Dokubo in an interview with newsmen insisted that Davis was being economical with the truth.
He said it was laughable that the negotiator fingered former Chief of Army Staff, General Azubuike Ihejirika and former governor Ali Modu Sheriff as sponsors of Boko Haram, when the sect had made statements against the duo.
His words: “I know Stephen Davis very well. I know him to his family. I think he is economical with the truth. As somebody I know, I was disappointed. I was the first person Stephen Davis negotiated with. I am totally disappointed in the politics he is playing.
“He negotiated with me when I was in the creek on behalf of the European Embassies in Nigeria.
He negotiated with me to cease fire and come out to meet with the then President Olusegun Obasanjo. He negotiated with me without paying anything. We only agreed because we thought Obasanjo would be sincere, but it did not happen.
“How can he say opposition is sponsoring Boko Haram and then the first name he would mention is Azubuike Ihejirika. When did Ihejirika start to sponsor Boko Haram, was it when it was formed in 2002 when he was never Chief of Army Staff or when their leader Mohammed Yusuf was extra-judicially murdered in 2009; when did he start
sponsoring if not that someone is playing politics.
“When you bring pepper soup joint talk to national issues, it is sad. He has diminished himself as an International negotiator. I hold him in very high regard but I am disappointed.
“He said former governor Ali Modu Sheriff is sponsoring Boko Haram, and I ask, when? Was it when they accused him of allegedly murdering Yusuf’s father-in law who was his former Commissioner? Lest we forget, one of the demands of Boko Haram in 2009 was that Sheriff should be put on trial, so when did he start the sponsorship?
“Now, all of a sudden, Sherrif who was a chieftain of the All Progressive Congress (APC) was not a sponsor of Boko Haram until he defected to the PDP.
“Now, APC are now shouting. So, when they were hobnobbing with him he was not a Boko Haram sponsor until now? APC is evil and they are hiding the truth from people. As far as I am concerned, my friend Stephen Davis has totally reduced himself.
“All his comments are pepper soup joint talk. He did not name other members of the opposition but mentioned Ihejirika. The same Ihejirika, El Rufai and others said should be taken to International Court for War Crimes, now he said he is a sponsor of Boko Haram.
“Davis is Obasanjo’s friend. Obasanjo brought him to Nigeria and he is playing Obasanjo‘s script. He is playing Obasanjo’s agenda. Whoever introduced him to the government should have done a background check on him”.
On Chibok girls, he reiterated his comment that Boko Haram did not kidnap any teenage girl.
“Just like I read that the #BringBackGoodluck Jonathan signpost should be removed. Why is the government pretending that some girls are missing? No girls are missing. They should not
play politics with this thing. Nobody is missing. It is a scam “There is nothing like that; I still want to believe.
There was no time girls were kidnapped”.
Reminded that even the international community were helping out in the search of the girls, Dokubo said that notwithstanding, he maintains his position.
“Which international community? The international community that went to Iraq and said there were weapons of mass destruction, till today, they have not seen any. The International community that went to Libya to kill Ghadaffi and today have totally destroyed Libya.
“Which International community are you talking about; the international community with vested interests? They came since with goggle map and co, so why have they not located the girls? It is a disgrace. Why have American soldiers not rescue the girls?”
Source: http://dailypost.ng/2014/09/14/boko-haram-davis-acting-obasanjos-script-chibok-girls-episode-scam-asari-dokubo/

Nigerian Army kill over 200 Boko Haram fighters In Konduga

Security sources have revealed that men of the Nigerian Armed Forces yesterday repelled an early morning attack on Konduga town, killing at least 200 of them.
An insider source in Maiduguri said the terrorists were led by one notorious Amir, a top leader of the sect, who later died hours after he was picked alive with serious injuries.
The officer said the insurgents, in their determination to invade Maiduguri, were ambushed by the Nigerian soldiers in Konduga, 35km away from Maiduguri, and a no-mercy onslaught followed.
According to him “this has been the most successful outing of the Nigerian side in recent times, because we left no stone unturned.
“We were earlier told, in the last two days, that they would be attacking Konduga with the intention of taking and using the town to launch a major attack on Maiduguri; we waited patiently for the day and, as God would have it, they showed up as expected.
“Unfortunately for them, our soldiers were fully mobilized for the battle and we’re able to hold them for hours until every one of them dropped dead.
“We counted up to 200 of them, including one that was attempting suicide bombings. We also killed their cameraman and recovered his camera; there were no fewer than 200 of their corpses littering everywhere.”
The source further informed that six of the vehicles used by the terrorists were recovered and brought to the barracks in Maiduguri, the Borno State capital.
Corroborating the source, a top military officer also confirmed the Konduga feat, saying “it is a major victory and our soldiers showcased discipline and gallantry all through the operation”.
According to the officer, “It amounts to ‘operation totality’, since we didn’t record a single casualty on our part, yet we made sure that not one of them escaped.”
Continuing, the officer said the Boko Haram kingpin who led the operation was recognized as one that fits the description given by one escaped retired soldier that was abducted by the Boko Haram terrorists sometime last year.
The source speaks further, “the Amir was alive for some hours before he later died as a result of the serious wound he got. He was heavily bearded and huge, just like that escaped old soldier described to the security intelligence operatives while he was being debriefed. But the big news is that he is dead. We were made to understand he was one of the deadliest leaders in the sect.”