Nigeria Today: March 2014

Monday, March 31, 2014

Sambisa: Hundreds of terrorists killed, 20 soldiers missing

No fewer than an estimated 2,000 insurgents were killed in a combined operation by Special Forces and the men of the Air Force on Friday and Saturday in the volatile Sambisa Forest of Borno State, which has become a prominent hideout of the violent Islamic sect, Boko Haram.

What would have been a great victory for the Special Forces was, however, marred by an operational misunderstanding between the ground troops and the officers in the Air Force Alpha Jet.

21 dead in attack on SSS, two officers injured

The Department of State Security (DSS) has confirmed 21 casualties in Sunday's attack on its headquarters by suspected Boko Haram insurgents.
A statement on Sunday by the spokesman of the DSS, Ms. Marilyn Ogar stated: "Following our earlier releases, it has been established that eighteen (18) casualties were recorded, while two (2) Service personnel sustained serious injuries. Three (3) other detainees who sustained gun shot injuries during the incident have also died.

World number one, Serena Williams, cruised to 7-5 6-1 victory over Li Na to win the Sony Open and secure a seventh Miami title.

In a battle between the world's two top players, the 32-year old continued her domination over the second ranked Li, needing two hours on centre court to run her record to 11-1 against the Australian Open champion.

With this victory, the American retained the crown she won last year and also her second title of the season.

"It was really important victory, especially against Li Na," said Williams. "She started so well and if it hadn't have been for the fans I don't think I could have pulled through.

"At 5-2 down in the first set, I felt I had nothing to lose. I started to relax and, when I relax, I play my best tennis."

China's Li, the world number two, has not beaten Williams in six years and has lost 11 out of 12 matches overall.

This win in Miami is also her 59th career WTA triumph and extended her winning streak against top-10 ranked opponents to 15 matches.

President Jonathan is safe and well – Presidency assures

Presidential spokesman, Reuben Abati has denied speculations that the Aso Rock Presidential Villa was under attack early Sunday morning after prolonged gunshots were heard.

The usual quiet and heavily militarised area was a picture of confusion after elements suspected to be affiliated with the dreaded Islamic militant sect, Boko Haram reportedly launched an attack against the Headquarters of the State Secutity Service (SSS) in close proximity to the Presidential Villa.

Abati tweeted that President Jonathan is "safe and well".

"What happened at the SSS HQ this morning was an attempted jailbreak which has been effectively foiled. There is no cause for alarm.

"What happened at the SSS HQs has nothing to do with the Villa. President Jonathan is safe & well. Thank you for your concern & support," he tweeted.

We shall bring you more details as the story unfolds.

Gun fire exchange rocks presidential villa, SSS quarters

Heavy gunfire exchanges rocks the vicinity of Nigeria's presidential palace and the headquarters of the Department of State Services in the Asokoro District of Abuja as reported by Premium Times in the past one hour.
According to the reports, residents of the nearby Aso Drive Area said the gunshots were either coming out of the SSS headquarters or the presidential villa.
One of the resident said, "We don't know what's going on here. Heavy gunfire has been coming from the direction of the villa. The entire area has been barricaded. SSS operatives are scampering out of their headquarters as the gunshots get louder.

President Jonathan's Remarks at the 2014 Joint AU/UNECA Conference of African Ministers of Finance, Planning and Economic Development

Remarks by
His Excellency, President Goodluck Ebele Jonathan, GCFR
At the
2014 Joint AU/UNECA Conference of African Ministers of Finance, Planning and Economic Development
Saturday, March 29, 2014
PROTOCOLS
1. Let me warmly welcome you all to Abuja, our capital city, for this Joint Annual Meeting of Finance and Planning Ministers organized by the African Union and the United Nations Economic Commission for Africa (UNECA). I am pleased that we were able to oblige the request of the AU and UNECA to step in and host this important conference.
2. I therefore, thank my Co-ordinating Minister for the Economy, the Ministry of Finance, the Central Bank of Nigeria, and the Inter-Ministerial team that worked with UNECA and AU to prepare this important conference.

Nigeria is now the most exciting place for music in Africa, with artists such as WizKid, Ice Prince, D'Banj, 2Face Idibia and P-Square, dominating continental music awards.
They attract huge crowds across Africa, as well as Europe and the US. Kanye West and Tinie Tempah, whose family comes from Nigeria, follow the scene closely and have signed Afrobeats stars to their labels.
The new generation draws on Nigeria's rich musical heritage - such as Fela Kuti - but they have taken his charisma and showmanship and added their own swag to make it more relevant to young people.
Here are some of Nigeria's biggest and newest talents, who took part in a special week of programmes on Radio 1Xtra and Focus on Africa TV:

Abandoned 27 years ago, 'Burger King Baby' finds mother

PHILADELPHIA (Reuters) - A woman abandoned as a newborn 27 years ago in an Allentown, Pennsylvania, fast-food restaurant bathroom has been reunited with her birth mother after a social media blitz, local media reported on Wednesday.

Katheryn Deprill, left in the Burger King bathroom only hours after she was born, met her birth mother on Monday in a lawyer's office, she told WFMZ television in an interview.

Deprill said her birth mother, who she did not identify, recounted getting pregnant after being raped while on a trip abroad and giving birth in her childhood bedroom at the age of 17. Her parents did not know she was pregnant and she was afraid to tell them, she said.

"She left me somewhere she knew I'd be found. She did not want to throw me away," Deprill told the station.

Deprill took the baby to the Burger King because it was crowded, and she knew the newborn would be found quickly.

Deprill, a mother of three who works as an emergency medical technician, launched a Facebook campaign on March 2 in an effort to find her mother. A photo of Deprill, holding a handwritten sign describing the circumstances of her birth, has been shared more than 32,000 times on the social media site.

"Looking for my birth mother," the sign read. "Please help me find her by sharing this post. Maybe she will see this."

Deprill was adopted by Brenda and Carl Hollis, and remained in the Allentown area.

John Waldron, an attorney who facilitated the meeting told WFMZ that the birth mother had also stayed in the area, and saw the campaign within a few days of its launch.

"It's a starting point for them because now they've started a relationship, and they're going to stay in contact," Waldron said. He did not respond to requests for comment on Wednesday.

Ex-Magistrate beheaded by domestic aide

Abeokuta, capital of Ogun state in western Nigeria has witnessed yet another horror: the beheading of a 65- year old retired magistrate, Mrs Olufunmilayo Timeyin by her domestic aide, simply identified as David.

The tragedy happened at the Laderin Housing Estate, Kobape Road, barely 48 hours after an insane police corporal killed seven people and subsequently committed suicide in the same Abeokuta.

A witness told journalists at the scene of the incident that it happened at about 4:00. p.m. in the deceased's house.

According to the News Agency of Nigeria, Timeyin, who retired as a senior magistrate in the Ogun state judiciary, employed the domestic aide about two months ago.

David who hails from Benue, was said to have been sacked and arrested by the police after he allegedly stole jewellery, mobile phones and some electronic gadgets, from his boss.

He however, returned to the house Friday afternoon shortly after regaining freedom from police custody and jumped the fence.

He was alleged to have deactivated the security alarm system in the house and lurked in one corner, while an unsuspecting Timeyin returned from an outing.

The witness said Timeyin packed her blue Toyota Camry car– marked Lagos KIA 141 BU– outside the house, apparently planning to go out again.

The source said that the domestic aide attacked Timeyin with a machete immediately she opened her gate.

Timeyin's son, identified as Olumide, who arrived the house with his mother, raised an alarm that a thief was inside his mother's house.

But, by the time neighbours came round, the retired magistrate had been beheaded and his assailant and househelp had escaped into the bush.

The suspect was, however, arrested by residents of the area and handed over to the police.

The Chief Judge of Ogun state, Justice Olatokunbo Olopade, and the Commissioner for Local Government and Chieftain Affairs, Chief Muyiwa Oladipo, were part of important dignitaries who had visited the home of the deceased as at 8:00 p.m. on Friday.

Though the state Police Public Relations Officer, Muyiwa Adejobi, could not be reached for comments, policemen from Kemta division of Abeokuta were at the scene as the body was being moved to the morgue at about 8:00 p.m.
PM News

Friday, March 28, 2014

World Cup will be bonus —Osaze

Stoke City striker Osaze Odemwingie would welcome the chance to experience a World Cup ‘bonus’ with Nigeria in June.

The 32-year-old has, after a couple of difficult years, got his career back on track at the Britannia Stadium.

A swap deal involving Cardiff City and Kenwyne Jones took him to the Potteries in January, and he has responded with four goals in eight appearances for his new employers.

Spain’s Under 17 girls have ended the World cup campaign of Nigeria’s Flamingoes, thrashing them 3-0 to book a semi final match on Monday with Italy, who had edged out another African team, Ghana 4-3 on penalties.
With a Patri Guijarro’s double, Spain dominated the quarter-final encounter with Nigeria, in the last quarter final played at Liberia’s Estadio Edgardo Baltodano Briceño, Costa Rica early today, FIFA.com reported.
The result ended a seven-match unbeaten run for Nigeria at the tournament dating back to 2012, and fell one match short of the record sequence established by Japan between 2010 and 2012.

Army kills 11 B’Haram members, arrests 31

The Special Forces have arrested 31 fighters of the Boko Haram Sect who were attempting to flee the country through Taraba State and Gumti in Adamawa State into Cameroon.

The Director of Defence Information, Maj.-Gen. Chris Olukolade, said in an electronic mail on Thursday that one of those arrested was a mercenary claiming to be a citizen of Chad and Burkinafaso.

Olukolade also said that 11 insurgents were also killed during shootouts with troops in the border communities.

He said that the terrorists who were involved in the encounter with the Special Forces were trapped and were forced out of their hideout by hunger.

The Financial Reporting Council of Nigeria on Thursday alleged that the Central Bank of Nigeria under the leadership of the suspended governor, Mr. Lamido Sanusi, spent N500bn as intervention fund in various sectors without obtaining the approval of its Board or the Federal Executive Council.

It also alleged at a sitting in Lagos in which the suspended governor was scheduled to appear that the bank under his watch spent N10bn to renovate five palaces of traditional rulers in the country under its education intervention projects.

Police Corporal Said To Have Run Amok Before Killing Wife, Others

The policeman that killed his wife and five members of a family, including an auto-cyclist, in Abeokuta today, has been described as mentally deranged.
Information gathered was that the killer cop, identified as Corporal Sunkanmi Ogunbiyi, ran amok early this morning while still in the office and had to hurriedly leave for his house and carry out the killings.
The policeman early today at Akingbala area of Eleweran, Abeokuta, Ogun State shot dead his wife, Corporal Oluwatosin Faremi, a commercial motorcycle rider,identified as Kunle and five members of a family.
After killing his wife who was also a policewoman attached to the Obantoko Police Station and the seven other victims, the rampaging police corporal shot himself dead immediately.

UK soldier faces terror and explosives charges

A British soldier is to be charged with explosives and terrorism offences, the Crown Prosecution Service has said.

It is alleged Ryan Adam McGee, who was serving with 5th Battalion The Rifles at the time of his arrest in December, made an improvised bomb and had a copy of The Anarchist Cookbook.

He was detained last year at an Army base in Germany after the discovery of a suspicious device at a Salford house.

The solider will appear at Westminster Magistrates' Court on 2 April.

Jane Stansfield of the CPS counter terrorism division said: "This decision to prosecute was taken in accordance with the Code for Crown Prosecutors.

"We have determined that there is sufficient evidence for a realistic prospect of conviction and that a prosecution is in the public interest."

A New York Jail Let A Homeless Man 'Bake To Death'

NEW YORK (AP) — Jerome Murdough was just looking for a warm place to sleep on a chilly night last month when he curled up in an enclosed stairwell on the roof of a Harlem public housing project where he was arrested for trespassing.

A week later, the mentally ill homeless man was found dead in a Rikers Island jail cell that four city officials say had overheated to at least 100 degrees, apparently because of malfunctioning equipment.

The officials told The Associated Press that the 56-year-old former Marine was on anti-psychotic and anti-seizure medication, which may have made him more vulnerable to heat. He also apparently did not open a small vent in his cell, as other inmates did, to let in cool air.

MISSOULA, Mont. (AP) — A Montana woman who was to be sentenced Thursday for pushing her new husband to his death in Glacier National Park wants to withdraw her guilty plea to a second-degree murder charge, her lawyer said Tuesday.

Jordan Linn Graham wants the change because prosecutors are still recommending life in prison, even though second-degree murder would normally carry a lesser sentence, defense attorney Michael Donahoe said in a motion.

Lagos State is expected to witness 263 days of rainfall with severe thunderstorms and strong winds this year, says the Lagos State Government.
Commissioner for the Environment, Mr. Tunji Bello disclosed this Wednesday at a news conference where he presented the 2014 Seasonal Rainfall Prediction and Socio-Economic implication for Lagos State, southwest Nigeria.
At the event held at the Conference Room of the Ministry of the Environment, Bello disclosed that the total length of rainy season for 2014 in Lagos has been predicted to be 263 days with a marginal error of nine days.
“The Seasonal Rainfall Prediction, SRP, rainfall onset date for this year began in the first week of March in the southernmost part of the country and late June in the far northern parts. However, rainfall onset in Lagos Stare commenced from 14 March, 2014 in Ikeja, with a three-day marginal error given,” he explained.
He said the rainy season had been predicted to end between the first week of October and fourth week of December in most parts of the country, noting that the rainfall cessation was predicted to be earlier than normal in most parts of the country, saying that in Lagos, the cessation date was predicted to be 21 December, 2014 with a marginal error of three days.

The Nigerian police says it has arrested in Abuja seven members of a fraud syndicate, specialising in the forgery of certificates and other documents.According to Frank Mba, chief superintendent of police and spokesman of the Police High Command, the suspects were arrested by a team of operatives attached to International Police Organization (INTERPOL) section, Force Criminal Investigation Department (FCID), Abuja.The team nabbed the suspects following a tip-off and accompanying discreet investigation, with the police team presenting themselves as prospective clients.Police logo

(Newser) – Houston police last Wednesday uncovered a grim building covered in human waste and packed with 115 people held hostage inside. Court papers filed in the case against five alleged human smugglers provide more insight into how the "stash house" came to be, and how police uncovered it. The Houston Chronicle reports that the tip came from a worried grandmother, who reached out to local police after being contacted by a smuggler who demanded $13,000 in order to transport her daughter and two young grandchildren to Chicago—a trip the woman said her daughter had paid the smugglers $15,000 to facilitate. Pay the ransom, the grandmother was told, or the smugglers would "make her family disappear." KPRC previously reported the 24-year-old and her children didn't show up at a prescribed meeting place last Tuesday night.

Tyler Deutsch

(Reuters) - A Washington state man who prosecutors said beat his crying infant daughter and put her in a freezer for 90 minutes so he could take a nap was sentenced on Friday to 16 years in prison, authorities said.
Tyler Deutsch, 26, wanted to take a nap in May, but his daughter was crying, so he put her in the freezer before going to his bedroom and falling asleep, Pierce County Prosecutor Mark Lindquist said in a statement.

A Federal High Court in Lagos on Wednesday held that it was unconstitutional for the Federal Road Safety Commission to impose new number plates on motorists in the country.

The judge, Justice James Tsoho, delivered the judgment following a suit by a lawyer, Emmanuel Ofoegbu, challenging the powers of FRSC to issue the new number plates.

Ofoegbu had challenged the power of the commission to impound vehicles of motorists who failed to acquire the new number plates.

Tsho held that it was unlawful for the respondent to impose the new number plates on motorists, where there was no existing law permitting same.

Aggrieved former shareholders of the defunct Intercontinental Bank Plc, led by Abdullahi Sani, Adaeze Onwuegbusi and Chijioke Ezeikpe, have dragged the suspended Governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria, CBN, Sanusi Lamido Sanusi, before a Federal High Court sitting in Abuja over the sale of the bank to Access Bank Plc.Sued alongside Sanusi are the Security and Exchange Commission, SEC, and the Central Bank of Nigeria, CBN. The shareholders want the court to compel, direct and mandate the SEC, as the official and apex regulator of the Nigerian Capital Market acting under her powers pursuant to Section 13 of the Investments and Securities Act 2007, to conduct a detailed public investigation into the circumstances relating to and connected with the sale/acquisition/take over/ transfer of the shares, assets and securities of Intercontinental Bank Plc to Access Bank Plc, in order to protect shareholders and investors of Intercontinental Bank Plc and the maintain a fair and orderly securities exchange market so as to protect the integrity of the securities market against all forms of abuse as occasioned by the Sanusi and his friends/associates/cronies, and order appropriate sanctions against parties involved in Intercontinental Bank takeover fraud.

A landlord was horrified when he saw the state in which a penthouse flat leased in the name of ex-Everton player Joseph Yobo had been left.There were burn marks on the carpet, a dirty kitchen and bathroom, and holes in the wall left from a flat-screen television.But the former Everton star says he has never lived in the apartment in South Ferry Quay, close to Liverpool Marina, nor even been there. According to him, his younger brother, Gideon, paid the rent.The keys to the flat were handed back to the letting agent over the weekend, Liverpool Echo reports. Landlord Ray Smith says he was shocked by what he found when he went to inspect it.

He said, “The state it’s been left in is just unbelievable.

Tears of joy were shed on Tuesday at the Adeoyo State Hospital, Ibadan , where eight victims of the Ibadan horror forest were being treated.

The relatives of one of the victims, Wale Atoyebi, came to identify him.

Atoyebi, who could only say his name, was recognised by his uncle.

The senior Atoyebi said his nephew left home many years ago, adding that there had been no hint about his whereabouts.

He said, “He was living with his paternal grandmother in Ada, Osun State, but his father, who died eight years ago, lived in Ibadan.

BEFUDDLEMENT douses the recent police raid of Soka area of Oyo State on Lagos-Ibadan Expressway where, by police’s account a den of kidnappers was uncovered. The graphic images of the discoveries are causes for concern.Whose decaying body parts littered the place? Can the 20 decomposing bodies be identified? Who are the 23 people – 18 men and five women – found in the place? The poor state of their health and the fact that their legs were manacled suggests that they could have been held captive.

Neighbours have testified of possible unwholesome activities in the area, including child trafficking, sale of human parts, and newly born babies. They said their complaints to the police were untreated.
Among the women rescued was one who was said to have had a baby on the day of the arrest, the baby was missing. Skeletons were found in nearby bushes.

Diezani jet scandal: Reps uncover second aircraft

Fresh revelations indicated on Tuesday that Petroleum Minister, Mrs. Diezani Alison-Madueke, maintained a second jet.

The jet, a Global Express XRS plane, is allegedly chartered specifically for her private and official trips overseas.

A return trip on the XRS plane is said to cost taxpayers €600,000.

The jet is different from the Challenger 850, which the House of Representatives said gulped N10bn in the last two years to fly the minister.

Investigation by The PUNCH showed that the House Committee on Public Accounts stumbled on the second jet in the course of the ongoing probe into the N10bn expenditure on Challenger 850.

Lafia — The Nasarawa Police Command, Tuesday, arrested the Nasarawa State Attorney General and Commissioner for Justice, Mr. Innocent Lagi, for scaling the fence of the State House of Assembly to serve a court order.
Lagi was at the Assembly to serve the officials with a court injunction restraining the House from summoning the chairman of Nasarawa State Independent Electoral Commission, NASIEC, and his commissioners to appear before them.
However, the News Agency of Nigeria, reported that he was not allowed to enter the premises by the security officers.
The Attorney-General, after being denied access to the complex, decided to jump over the fence, which prompted the legislators to order security officials to arrest him.
It was also reported that before Lagi arrived at the Assembly complex, the Chairman of the commission, Dr. Abdullahi Modibo, and five other commissioners had already responded to questions raised by members on the conduct of the exercise.
Vanguard Ngr

Photo Of Emaciated Dora Akunyili Sparks Internet Frenzy

A photo showing an emaciated former Minister of Information, Professor Dora Akunyili, today sparked a major frenzy on social media platforms, forcing her to issue a statement on her Facebook page to rebut reports she is seriously sick, out of the country and needing prayers.

“This story is baseless, unfounded and the handiwork of mischief makers,” the outspoken ex-Director General of the National Agency for Foods and Drug Administration wrote, calling for it to be disregarded and discarded in its entirety. “As every informed Nigerian knows, I am a Delegate to the National Conference currently holding in Abuja. I was duly accredited as a Delegate and I am currently in attendance at the National Judicial Institute, Abuja, venue of the conference.”

PRESIDENT JONATHAN NEVER CONFIRMED WITHHOLDING OF $10 BILLION FROM FEDERATION ACCOUNT

Reports in some domestic media today which quoted President Goodluck Jonathan as "confirming" in Amsterdam that the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC) wrongly withheld $10 Billion from the federation account are completely false and a total distortion of the President's comments during his meeting with the Nigerian community in the Netherlands.

Two women abducted by Boko Haram insurgents in the North-East have given a rare account of life as captives.

While one who was held captive for 15 days, said she had a marriage proposal from one of the Islamist militants, the other said she was almost turned into a killer.

“They asked me if I am Christian or Muslim. I said I am a Christian,” said 23-year-old Liatu, as she recounted her ordeal in the hands of Boko Haram members to theBritish Broadcasting Corporation.

“On the 11th day (in captivity), they brought a man to me and said that he liked me and that I should convert to Islam so that he can marry me,” she added in the report published by the BBC on Monday.

Photos: President Jonathan in Netherlands for Nuclear Summit

President Jonathan in Netherlands for Nuclear Security Summit

PRESIDENT GOODLUCK JONATHAN WITH OTHER HEADS OF STATE
AND GOVERNMENT AFTER THE 2014 PLENARY SESSION OF
THE NUCLEAR SECURITY SUMMIT AT THE HAGUE, NETHERLANDS 25/3/2014

Some of the victims rescued from kidnappers’ den at the Soka area of Ibadan, Oyo State, are gradually regaining fitness and mental ability. Although they have yet to give the accounts of activities in the forest, they could remember events leading to their departure from their normal life. One of them, Nafiu Shittu, told our correspondent at the Adeoyo State Hospital, Yemetu, Ibadan, that he was a native pile medicine seller with customers in the business districts of Gate and Iwo Road.

Speaking in an almost inaudible whisper and intermittently pausing for breath, he explained that he was at work when he was kidnapped and taken to the forest.

Soka community in Ibadan, Oyo State turned to a Mecca of a sort on Saturday, when an abandoned property at Idi Mangoro area was discovered with about 15 chained people suspected to have been kidnapped.

About six guns and several cutlasses were also recovered from the house beside it said to belong to Black Horse Plastic factory.

NIGERIA WILL CONTINUE TO PURSUE EFFORTS TO HARNESS NUCLEAR ENERGY

NIGERIA WILL CONTINUE TO PURSUE EFFORTS TO HARNESS NUCLEAR ENERGY FOR DEVELOPMENT, PRESIDENT JONATHAN SAYS AT NUCLEAR SECURITY SUMMIT

President Goodluck Jonathan Monday at the Hague in the Netherlands reaffirmed Nigeria's full commitment to the global fight against the threat of nuclear terrorism, but said that Nigeria, under his leadership will continue to pursue efforts to harness nuclear energy and technology for socio-economic development.
In his statement to the third global security summit which opened in the city today, President Jonathan said that while Nigeria will continue to support all efforts against the proliferation of weapons of mass destruction, including nuclear weapons, the world must respect the right of countries to the peaceful use of nuclear energy for development purposes.

FG TO LAUNCH COMPREHENSIVE PROGRAMME TO DRASTICALLY CURB CRUDE OIL THEFT

PRESIDENT GOODLUCK JONATHAN (L) IN A HANDSHAKE
WITH THE CEO OF SHELL PETROLEUM INTERNATIONAL, MR
BEN VAN BEURDEN DURING A MEETING IN AMSTERDAM
NETHERLANDS ON SUNDAY (23/3/14)

President Goodluck Ebele Jonathan said Sunday at The Hague that the Federal Government has earmarked one billion U.S Dollars for the implementation of a comprehensive programme to check crude oil theft, the vandalism of oil and gas infrastructure, and the apprehension and prosecution of crude oil thieves.

Speaking at separate meetings with the Prime Minister of the Netherlands, Mr. Mark Rutte and the Chief Executive Officer of Shell International, Mr. Ben van Beurden, President Jonathan said that a technical committee has already been set up to look into all aspects of the implementation of the programme.

PRESIDENT JONATHAN CONFERS WITH POPE FRANCIS ON INTER-FAITH DIALOGUE AND POVERTY ALLEVIATION, POPE TO VISIT NIGERIA

PRESIDENT JONATHAN CONFERS WITH POPE FRANCIS ON INTER FAITH DIALOGUE AND POVERTY ALLEVIATION, POPE TO VISIT NIGERIA

President Goodluck Jonathan Saturday at the Vatican conferred with Pope Francis on the promotion of inter-faith dialogue in Nigeria and other parts of the world to foster greater global peace and security.

Speaking to journalists after his private meeting with Pope Francis, President Jonathan noted that the promotion of inter-faith dialogue was a cause to which the Pontiff was very committed.

The President who said that his administration was already working in close collaboration with Cardinal John Onaiyekan who was "the team leader" for the effort to strengthen inter-faith dialogue in Nigeria, assured the Pope of his administration's continued commitment to the promotion of religious harmony and the peaceful co-existence of people of all faiths.

PRESIDENT GOODLUCK JONATHAN WITH THE FIRST LADY,
DAME PATIENCE JONATHAN DURING THEIR ARRIVAL AT THE
ROME-FLUMICINO INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT VATICAN
ON FRIDAY (21/3/14) WITH THEM IS THE CHIEF OF
PROTOCOL, HOLY SEE, MONSG, JOSE BETTANCOURT
Saturday, 22/3/14

FROM LEFT: PRESIDENT GOODLUCK JONATHAN; EXECUTIVE

SECRETARY, NIGERIAN CHRISTIAN PILGRIMS COMMISSION,

MR JOHNKENNEDY OPARA; NIGERIA AMBASSADOR TO THE

VATICAN, DR FRANCIS OKEKE; MINISTER OF FOREIGN

AFFAIRS1, PROF VIOLA ONWULIRI AND THE CHIEF OF

PROTOCOL, HOLY SEE, MONSG, JOSE BETTANCOURT

Saturday, 22/3/14

CONFERMENT OF THE GRAND COMMANDER OF THE ORDER OF THE WELWITSCHIA ON PRESIDENT JONATHAN

CONFERMENT OF THE GRAND COMMANDER OF THE ORDER OF THE WELWITSCHIA ON PRESIDENT GOODLUCK JONATHAN DURING THE 24TH INDEPENDENCE ANNIVERSARY OF NAMIBIA IN WINDHOEK

PRESIDENT GOODLUCK JONATHAN (L) SHAKING HANDS WITH PRESIDENT HIFIKEPUNYE POHAMBA OF NAMIBIA AT 24TH INDEPENDENCE ANNIVERSARY OF NAMIBIA IN WINDHOEK ON FRIDAY (21/3/14). WITH THEM IS THE FIRST LADY, DAME PATIENCE JONATHAN

MATCH PAST BY THE NAMIBIAN DEFENCE FORCE AT 24TH INDEPENDENCE ANNIVERSARY OF NAMIBIAN IN WINDHOEK ON FRIDAY (21/3/14)

CULTURAL PERFORMANCE AT 24TH INDEPENDENCE ANNIVERSARY OF NAMIBIA IN WINDHOEK ON FRIDAY (21/3/14)

FG TO LAUNCH COMPREHENSIVE PROGRAMME TO DRASTICALLY CURB CRUDE OIL THEFT

President Goodluck Ebele Jonathan said Sunday at The Hague that the Federal Government has earmarked one billion U.S Dollars for the implementation of a comprehensive programme to check crude oil theft, the vandalism of oil and gas infrastructure, and the apprehension and prosecution of crude oil thieves.

Speaking at separate meetings with the Prime Minister of the Netherlands, Mr. Mark Rutte and the Chief Executive Officer of Shell International, Mr. Ben van Beurden, President Jonathan said that a technical committee has already been set up to look into all aspects of the implementation of the programme.
This, the President said, will include further action to enhance the security of pipelines and other oil industry infrastructure, resolve community-related issues, boost youth empowerment in oil-producing areas and enhance the commitment of oil companies to the discharge of their corporate social responsibilities.

PHOTOS: STATE VISIT OF PRESIDENT GOODLUCK JONATHAN TO THE REPUBLIC OF NAMIBIA

FROM LEFT; CHAIRMAN NATIONAL COUNCIL OF NAMIBIA, ASSER KAPERE; WIFE OF THE

FORMER PRESIDENT OF NAMIBIA, MRS KOVAMBO NUJOMA; FIRST LADY OF NAMIBIA, MADAM

PENEHUPIFO POHAMBA; PRESIDENT GOODLUCK JONATHAN; PRESIDENT HIFIKEPUNYE POHAMBA OF NAMIBIA; FIRST LADY, DAME PATIENCE JONATHAN; FORMER PRESIDENT OF NAMIBIA DR SAM NUJOMA AND PRIME MIINISTER OF NAMIBIA, MR HAGE GEINGOB DURING A STATE BANQUET IN HONOUR OF PRESIDENT JONATHAN IN WINDHOEK ON THURSDAY (20/3/14)

FROM LEFT; CHAIRMAN NATIONAL COUNCIL OF NAMIBIA, ASSER KAPERE; WIFE OF THE

FORMER PRESIDENT OF NAMIBIA, MRS KOVAMBO NUJOMA; FIRST LADY OF NAMIBIA, MADAM

PENEHUPIFO POHAMBA; PRESIDENT GOODLUCK JONATHAN; PRESIDENT HIFIKEPUNYE POHAMBA OF NAMIBIA; FIRST LADY, DAME PATIENCE JONATHAN DURING A STATE BANQUET IN

HONOUR OF PRESIDENT JONATHAN IN WINDHOEK ON THURSDAY (20/3/14)

BILATERAL MEETING BETWEEN NIGERIA AND NAMIBIA IN WINDHOEK ON THURSDAY

(20/3/14).

Monday, March 31, 2014

Sunday, March 30, 2014

Saturday, March 29, 2014

Friday, March 28, 2014

Thursday, March 27, 2014

Wednesday, March 26, 2014

Tuesday, March 25, 2014

Monday, March 24, 2014

Sunday, March 23, 2014

Friday, March 21, 2014