The seven biggest threats to Donald Trump's presidency

New York, United States - US President Barack Obama's inauguration shows featured the likes of Beyonce and Bruce Springsteen. Country singer Toby Keith, who is perhaps the top name at Donald Trump's welcome bash, does not come with quite the same stardust.
But, sadly for Trump, his kudos among pop stars is not his biggest problem. The president-elect will take the oath of office on January 20 amid widespread scepticism from the public and with ready-made enemies in US spy agencies, the business community and even his own Republican Party.
On the surface, Trump's feisty use of Twitter and his bullish handling of reporters at a recent press conference make him look the alpha male. But his bravado masks vulnerabilities seldom seen by those about to enter the Oval Office.
Before the billionaire property magnate is sworn in on the steps of the US Capitol on Friday, Al Jazeera spoke to Washington insiders about the headaches Trump is likely to suffer during his first 100 days of rolling out plans to make America great again.
1. Public opinion
Trump lost the popular vote on November 8 by 2.9 million votes, only winning the election via a superior tally in the Electoral College. The latest CBS News poll showed only 32 percent of respondents had a favourable view of him, lower than George W Bush (44 percent) and Obama (60 percent) when they were first sworn in.
Donald Trump's election win triggered protests across the US [Jonathan Ernst/Reuters]
According to Pew Research Center , most Americans want Trump to publish his tax returns, worry about him using the Oval Office to line his pockets and think he has explained his policy goals poorly. Others fret about his impulsive behaviour, which was on show again with recent Twitter tirades against the actress Meryl Streep, and John Lewis, a civil rights icon.
Trump's efforts to reopen factories on US soil are popular in mostly white rust-belt zones, but his appeal in these areas may ebb as he cuts healthcare plans for the poor. "Those who voted for him will soon see that his policies will impact them negatively as well," Susan Smith, from the Muslim Peace Fellowship, a think-tank, told Al Jazeera.
2. Protesters
Not everyone heading to Washington on Friday will cheer the 45th president's oath-taking. Officials have struggled to find enough space for protesters to stage some 25 rallies over the weekend. The biggest is the Women's March on Washington, which will draw some 200,000 people decrying threats to abortion laws, affordable healthcare and equal pay.
OPINION: The prospect of the US as a 'banana republic'
Other groups will spotlight everything from ending war to legalising marijuana. Environmentalists are irked by Trump's claim that climate change is a Chinese hoax . Big rallies will also take place in Los Angeles, Chicago and other major cities in the US and globally.
Veteran protester Paul Kawika Martin, from the anti-war group Peace Action, was sceptical about the impact of rallies, which are not likely to match the scale of those against the Iraq War of 2003. "Big street protests are slowly going the way of dinosaurs," Martin told Al Jazeera.
Donald Trump's threats to abortion laws have angered many [Kamil Krzaczynski/Reuters]
Others activists, such as Khury Petersen-Smith, praise recent gains made by the Black Lives Matter race justice movement and the Standing Rock oil pipeline protests .
"We cannot only put our faith in elected officials," Petersen-Smith told Al Jazeera. "We need to harness grassroots power, keep immigration police out, turn college campuses into sanctuaries and work locally to create pockets of resistance."
Of course, hundreds of thousands of others will head to the capital to root for the next commander-in-chief, including the motorcycle cavalcade Bikers for Trump and the attendees of the Deploraball shindig.
3. Republicans
Trump's fans were always the grassroots folk who turned out in droves to his campaign rallies, not well-heeled apparatchiks in Washington. The latter would have preferred Jeb Bush, Marco Rubio or another established Republican candidate to lead the party.
US: Political art artists making noise against Trump [2:09]
That said, members are broadly falling into line behind Trump in pursuit of nixing Obamacare and other bullet points on the right's agenda. But troubles persist. Rubio and John McCain, an Arizona senator,
kicked up a fuss during hearings for Trump's appointees.
They worry about Kremlin-backed hackers swinging the election and Trump's admiration of Russian President Vladimir Putin . Others fear Trump's antipathy to trade deals and his sniping at European and
Asian allies. Pundits question whether members will tire of his excesses and pro-Moscow outlook, and point to soon-to-be Vice President Mike Pence as a potential successor.
"Trump gives the far-right most of the policies that it wants, but he's also deeply problematic," Jonathan Cristol, a fellow at the World Policy Institute think-tank, told Al Jazeera. "Pence will also deliver what they want, while also being a typical, bland, mid-western, far-right-leaning Republican."
4. Democrats
The election effectively handed Republicans dominance of the White House, Congress and Supreme Court. Many Democrats are now second-guessing the choice of Hillary Clinton to run against Trump over the affable leftist Bernie Sanders, and wondering whether the party should swing left.
Dozens of Democrat politicians will boycott the inauguration as the Trump backlash begins.
"The Democrats went into post-election shock, but that will wear off as they retreat, strategise, get re-energised and return," said Martin. "They won the popular vote in November and will look to make significant gains in the House of Representatives in the 2018 mid-term elections."
5. Liberal mayors
Democrats lost big in the election, but still hold sway in New York, Los Angeles, San Francisco and other US metropolises. These hubs have track records for blocking federal government immigration crackdowns and have earned monikers as "sanctuary cities" .
Trump, meanwhile, has talked of deporting "bad hombres" among the US' 11 million undocumented migrants, creating Muslim registries and re-introducing the "stop-and-frisk" policing tactic that can single out blacks and Latinos.
New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio rejected Trump's controversial immigration policies and said he will refuse to let the president-elect 'tear families apart' [Brendan McDermid/Reuters]
New York Mayor Bill de Blasio rejected such policies and said he would refuse to let Trump "tear families apart". Other Democrat mayors agreed, and can limit cooperation with the US Department of Immigration and Customs Enforcement and other deportation agencies.
"If mayors stand up, like so many have, we can block deportation forces from entering our cities, looking for undocumented people, kicking down doors and breaking up families," Cathy Schneider, an urban politics scholar at American University, told Al Jazeera.
"Our cities must become bastions of protection for our citizens and immigrants."
Washington can retaliate by freezing funds to defiant mayors, but the outcome would be unpredictable and messy. "It's hard to say who would win, but the administration must pick its battles carefully," added Martin.
6. Spymasters
Intelligence chiefs are doubtless bad people to irk.
Inside Story - Will conflicts of interest drag down President Donald Trump? [25:14]
Trump did just this when he said he was a "smart person" who did not need the daily intelligence digests that his predecessors received. This month, US spooks said Russia tried to sway the election outcome in Trump's favour by hacking and other means.
Trump rejected their conclusion and slammed them for the bogus reports of mass-casualty weapons that led to the Iraq war. His links to Moscow faced renewed scrutiny after an unsubstantiated report that Russia had compromising evidence against Trump.
"We will see more leaks to the press about the ineptitude of the Trump administration and about Trump's ties to Russia as time goes by," said Cristol.
Washington bureaucrats are not likely to confront Trump directly, but have other weapons, said Martin. "They know the system and how to resist what they don't like. We see this happening in the intelligence community already; and there's more pushback to come."
7. Corporations
So far, businesses are dancing to Trump's beat. General Motors, Wal-Mart and others have announced
plans for job-creation or re-locating factories to US soil . This is in line with Trump's plans to create US jobs and build home-grown manufacturing by taxing imports.
They also fear his wrath: Trump's criticism that drug firms were over-charging for medicines saw their stock tumble. It works for now, but executives may turn on Trump should his mooted trade war with China go awry, disrupt the global supply chains that enable much US business and ultimately hurt US workers.
"If Trump messes up the world economy, there'll be lots of rich, powerful corporations with legions of lobbyists to resist him," said Martin.

Source: Al Jazeera News

Gambia: Breaking News: Gambia’s Newest President Says “The New Era Of Gambia Is Here At Last.”

“My dearest Gambians the presidency of Yahya Jammeh is officially over. The new era of Gambia is here at last,” said President elect Adama Barrow in a twitter posting shortly past midnight after the expiration of Jammeh’s...
January 19, 2017
Letters To The Editor
“My dearest Gambians the presidency of Yahya Jammeh is officially over. The new era of Gambia is here at last,” said President elect Adama Barrow in a twitter posting shortly past midnight after the expiration of Jammeh’s presidential term mandate.
Mr. Barrow, will be sworn in today as Gambia’s third president since independence from Great Britain. He has backing of the West African bloc ECOWAS, the AU, EU, and the United Nations.
Meanwhile, African troops are moving towards The Gambia to help oversee the inauguration of president elect Barrow. Senegal, is leading the military operation. A Senegalese Colonel, who goes with the last name Ndiaye was quoted as saying that: “ We are ready and are awaiting the deadline at midnight. If no political solution is found, we will step in.”
The Gambian military will likely not put up any resistance to the foreign troops, said a source close to the corridor of power. The majority of the personnel of the army believe that Barrow is the legitimate president elect, and they would not shed blood and tears for Jammeh, our source added.
Banjul is calm as we file this report. It is a virtual ghost city. There are military checkpoints mounted around the city centre.
Thousands of Gambians have fled to neighboring Senegal, in search of safety. Western tourists have also been evacuated from the country, ahead of the possible military showdown in Banjul on Thursday.

Italy earthquake: 'Many dead' in avalanche-hit hotel Bodies were found inside the hotel in the central Abruzzo region, media reports say.

Several people have died after a ski hotel was buried by an avalanche in earthquake-hit central Italy, according to Italian media.
"There are many dead," Antonio Crocetta, the head of a group of Alpine police that was trying to reach the cut-off hotel, was quoted as saying on Thursday.
SkyTG24 television said some dead were found inside the Hotel Rigopiano in the town of Farindola on the Gran Sasso mountain in the province of Pescara in the Abruzzo region.
Media reports said there had been at least 20 guests and seven staff at the Hotel Rigopiano on the lower slopes of the Gran Sasso mountain when the first of four powerful quakes hit the region on Wednesday morning.
The rescuers at the hotel were reported to have a snow mobile capable of transporting up to eight people.
Ambulances were blocked by two metres of snow some nine kilometres away, according to the civil protection agency.
Antonio Di Marco, president of the province of Pescara, which includes the mountain village of Farindola, close to where the hotel is located, said two people had been found alive.
"We don't know yet how many people are unaccounted for or dead," he wrote on his Facebook page.
"What is certain is that the building took a direct hit from the avalanche, to the point that it was moved by 10 metres."
Seismic shocks
It was not clear if the two confirmed survivours had been at the hotel or had been out skiing when the avalanche occurred.
One of them was helicoptered to a hospital in Pescara suffering from hypothermia but was not in a life-threatening condition.
The region was hit by four seismic shocks measuring above five magnitude in the space of four hours on Wednesday, when at least one person was confirmed to have died.
The hotel is located around 90 kilometres from the epicentre of the earthquakes at Montereale , a small village south of Amatrice, the town devasted in an August earthquake in which nearly 300 people died.
Avalanche warnings were issued across the region which is dominated by Gran Sasso, a majestic 2,912 metres peak. The area has numerous small ski resorts popular with day-trippers from Rome and urban centres on Italy's east coast.
Source: News agencies

(Photo)Gov Akinwunmi Ambode's first Quarter Year 2017 Town hall meeting

The first Quarter Y2017 Town hall meeting, 6th in the series is ongoing at Akanimodo, Ketu. #KetuTownHallMeeting

Osinbajo to Become Acting President as Buhari Seeks Senate Permission For Leave

President Muhammadu Buhari has written to the Nigerian Senate seeking a ten days leave between 23rd January to 6th February 2017.
Vice President Yemi Osinbajo will serve as Acting President in Buhari's absence.

Gambia’s Official Website Removes Jammeh’s Profile, Features Barrow as President [PHOTO]

Photo of President-elect, Adama Barrow, has already replaced that of Jammeh on the Gambia government website, accompanied with a notice announcing January 19, 2017 as the inauguration date.
According to reports from Banjul, which are yet to be independently confirmed, Jammeh agreed to step down in the interest of peace and stability of the Gambia, after a tense closed-door meeting with the visiting Mauritanian president.
The change of photo on the website was done referring to Barrow as President, even before he is inaugurated.
SEE PHOTO BELOW:

Zimbabwean Pastor in Court over Death Prophecy Against Robert Mugabe

A Zimbabwean activist cum pastor appeared in court on Wednesday after police arrested him for predicting that President Robert Mugabe would die in October this year.
Patrick Mugadza , a preacher in the tourist resort town of Victoria Falls, told journalists last week that he had received a prophecy from God that Mugabe would die on October 17.
Mugadza was arrested on Monday after appearing at the magistrate court on a separate charge of abusing the national flag.
He also faces another charge of public nuisance after holding a one-man anti-government protest last year.
Prosecutors could not formally lay charges of criminal nuisance on Mugadza because his lawyers objected to an additional charge of “offences to persons of particular religion or race’’.
He will return to court on Thursday.
Zimbabwean police often arrest political activists for insulting or undermining Mugabe’s office, but most of the cases have been dismissed by the courts.
Mugabe has since December, been in Singapore on his annual holiday.
He has traveled to China and Mali in between.

Barbaric:She cut off her husband thing because of another woman(Photo)

This woman is handcuffed for cutting off her husband's manhood simply because of another woman. It was posted on Tawfiq Akinwale's Facebook page. See photo below:

IPOB to hold solidarity rally for Donald Trump on his inauguration day

A pro-Biafra group, the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB) movement, on Wednesday announced that they would hold a rally in Nigeria on Friday in support of Donald Trump, which is the day of his inauguration as the 45th president of the United States.
IPOB released a statement inviting people to participate in a “peaceful solidarity rally for the United States president-elect Donald J Trump,” adding that they “welcome civil and pragmatic democracy anywhere we find it”. The statement announced that the rally will take place in Port Harcourt.
Source: Vanguard

Painfully Sad... Two female corp members die in a road accident in Akwa Ibom state

Two female corp members, Chidinma Sandra Ewelike and Lika serving in Akwa Ibom state have lost their lives in a road accident. which occured while they were on their way to Uyo from Etinan to use the ATM. According to Sandra's friend, Chukwukadibia who wrote a tribute to her on Facebook, said they were inside a tricycle also known as keke NAPEP when the accident happened, the other three passengers and the driver died on the spot while Sandra who was unconscious was rushed to the hospital. Sandra was 21 years old and an only daughter. Read what Chukwukadibia wrote below:
#Chi_ewerelanu_ehihe_jieoo
Chimma, ever since we met on the day of my matric, u became my friend & my sister. While on earth, u were my role model. With your good behaviour,charming smile, burning desire to serve God, ur humility and kind nature,u were able to maintain good relationship with everybody who came in contact with you.
Dede and I visited u on the 22nd of Dec 2016 during ur short break from NYSC, and u were full of life.
It's really painful to believe u are gone.
We spoke on the 3rd Jan 2017 and u told me on phone that u have gone back to Akwa-Ibom to complete ur NYSC.
Is this d completion of your NYSC?
When Chief called by 4am , informing us of your sudden demise, i really did not believe the terrible news until i got to your home.
I saw how people gathered in silence with hands folded. Chief was weeping for his only daughter, i saw how grief tore Lolo apart. Obinna and Dozie were speechless.
 I gazed at your picture, what came to my mind was "Enyia isi ebee?" as u would always ask me weneva u see me.
Now, i am asking you "Enyia ebee ka i hapuru anyi gawa?"
Chief said u survived the accident that claimed the lives of the other 4 persons who were in the same keke with u. U were still unconcious even when he drove all the way from Umuahia to Akwa-Ibom, u did not give up. U hung on even wen all the govt hospitals they took you to were on strike. U struggled with death from 2pm to 12 am ,until you finally........
I know we have lost a rare gem bt i will not shed tears for someone who had gone to be with the Lord. I pray God to give us the fortitude to bear this irraplaceable loss.
You lived a very short but a fulfilled life and since it is the will of God to call back home, we shall not question him maka na Chineke wetara, Chineke ewerekwala, mana
#Ozo_emekwala.
Rest in peace Sandra Chidimma Ewelike ( 1995-2017)

Rapist who molested teenage girl for years wins restraining order against her after she punched him in the face

Sometimes the legal system put in place to protect victims can turn around to protect criminals and this is one of such cases. A rapist who attacked a girl no fewer than 22 times over a five year period and got her pregnant has been granted a restraining order against the girl after she punched him in the face.
47-year-old Wayne Pickering from Hull, East Yorkshire UK continuously molested the teenager in spite of pleas by her for him to stop on a number of occasions. To deal with the unavoidable abuse, the girl revealed that she covered her face with a pillow while he raped her and was powerless to resist him. She also revealed that she terminated the pregnancy resulting from the rape.
During a chance encounter with her abuser, the victim punched Pickering in the face and he was granted a restraining order against her. Another judge has labeled this decision as 'a grotesque subversion of reality.'
The restraining order notwithstanding, Wayne Pickering has been jailed for 15 years after being convicted at the Hull Crown Court by a jury on a three-counts charge of rape and indecent assault. Pickering initially tried to deny the allegations against him but the court ruling went in favour of the victim.

In a victim statement released by the prosecutor, the victim revealed that she did not tell anyone of the abuse because she felt no one would believe her.
"I often feel sick to the stomach that I allowed that to happen but did not tell anyone. I feel that I'm broken and can't be fixed. I wish I could erase my brain and start again." She revealed in the statement.
Pickering, even after serving his term, must sign the sex offenders register for life.

Gambia's VP, Njie-Saidy Steps Down Amid Pressure On Yahya Jammeh

Gambia's Vice President, Isatou Njie-Saidy, has also resigned amid mounting pressure for outgoing President Yahya Jammeh to step down ahead of tomorrow's inauguration of Adama Barrow.
His resignation is coming as Yahya Jammeh got nod from The Gambia's parliament to extend his 22-years ruling in the small tiny west African nation.
Njie Saidy's stepped down will leave Jammeh with only 3 ministers left.
The country's Minister for Justice and Minister for Higher Education also resigned.

Nigerian Air Force deployed to Dakar For Yahya Jammeh 's Removal

The Nigerian Air Force HQ deployed 200 men and air assets comprising fighter jets, transport aircraft, Light Utility Helicopter as well as Intelligence, Surveillance and Reconnaissance aircraft to Dakar from where it is expected to operate into Gambia. See photos below :

Photos :AIG Zone 5 Travelers Stranded As Delta Women Barricade East-West Road Over Fulani Herdsmen Killings

Aggrieved women, numbering over 100, besieged and barricaded the road during the early hours of Wednesday with planks of wood, leaves, tires and chairs.See photos below :

Photos:Victor Chukwueke, born with face tumour, who was ostracized and treated as an outcast, now a 4th year medical student in the University of Toledo, USA.

A Nigerian University of Toledo medical student has overcome more than just a serious medical condition, thanks to the kindness of strangers.
Victor Chukwueke who is headed down a path to help others, says he was treated as an outcast in Nigeria because of a condition causing large tumors to grow on his face.
"I was ostracized," he said. "I was afraid to go out in public."
Chukwueke's parents sought medical help, but there was nothing the doctors in Nigeria could do for him. So his parents asked missionary nuns for help, and at 15 years old, they brought him to Michigan.
He underwent nine surgeries, done pro-bono by a Michigan doctor, and from there, Chukwueke realized he wanted to do the same for others. He's now months away from becoming a doctor.
But something major had to happen for him to go to medical school.
"I couldn't start medical school, because I'm not a U.S. citizen," said Chukwueke.
So Chukwueke worked with Michigan Senator Carl Levin on a private bill, granting him permanent residency. Private bills are rare to pass Congress. In fact, it hadn't happened in two years, but on the last day of the legislative session, Congress passed the bill. President Obama signed it into law in 2012.
"Tears of joy," said Chukwueke. "And now I say, 'Now, I can go to medical school."
Now, Chukwueke awaits residency match day on March 17 to see if and where he will get his training. From there, Chukwueke plans to use the skills he learned to help others in Nigeria.
"I experienced firsthand how a lack of medical care can affect life," he said.
Chukwueke considers his tumor a blessing in disguise, because he wouldn't be where he is today without it.
See more photos below:

Dangote Group Partners Sinotruck to Roll Out Assembled-in-Nigeria Trucks.

Aliko Dangote

Africa’s richest man Aliko Dangote , in partnership with China’s heavy duty truck group, Sinotruck , is to roll out first assembled-in-Nigeria trucks next week, the Dangote Group said on Wednesday.
The Executive Director of Dangote Group, Edwin Devakumar , told Reuters in Lagos that the $100 million plant would assemble cars soon.
“It aims to meet an expected increased demand for transport in the country as the government focuses on boosting agriculture and farmers need to move goods across the vast country. [The Dangote Group] has a fleet size of 12,000 trucks and large users. One of the biggest challenges in the market today is logistics because we do not have a proper transport network. The joint venture, which is 65 per cent owned by Dangote and 35 per cent by Sinotruck, will assemble components and knocked down parts imported from Sinotruck to the Nigerian plant,” Devakumar said.
He said the plant had the capacity to assemble 16 trucks a day and would export to West Africa, adding that the facility would expand into vehicle manufacturing.
Last March, Dangote bid for a majority stake in Peugeot Automobile Nigeria . The results of the sale have not yet been released.
Turning to Dangote’s other interests, Devakumar said the group was on track to launch its $17 billion oil refinery plant with the first crude for processing going into the plant in October 2019.
“It will handle 650,000 barrels per day. The company will scale down operations in its flour milling, sugar refinery and tomato processing businesses however, due to dollar shortages to fund the import of raw materials. Where the foreign exchange is not available we are cutting down our operations. For example, we had a vegetable oil refinery we have shut down; we had a tomato based processing plant we have shut down,” he said
Dangote’s cement business was continuing as its main raw material – limestone – could be sourced at home.
He added the firm commissioned a new cement plant in Sierra Leone last week and expected a plant in Congo to begin production this year.
Photo Credit: Michael Nagle/Bloomberg/ Getty Images

Professor Yemi Osinbajo's visit To Gbaramatu Kingdom (Photos)

On Monday, the 16th of January, 2017, I visited the Gbaramatu Kingdom on behalf od President Muhammadu Buhari. I had the privilege of meeting with his royal majesty, the Pere of the Gbaramatu Kingdom and his chiefs. It was such a warm reception

 The message for the people of the Gbaramatu Kingdom and the people of the Niger Delta was short. It was about preparation for the future.

In 2014 alone, there were over 3,700 incidents of pipeline vandalization, from January to June 2016, there were over 1,447 incidents of vandalization. Between 1998 – 2015, over 20,000 persons have died from fire incidents arising from breaching pipelines. These figures do not even take into account the environmental degradation.

Around the Niger Delta, there are signboards of proposed infrastructural projects many of which are uncompleted and some others that are simply abandoned.   The city is poor, poor infrastructure, few schools and thousands with health challenges as a result of severe environmental pollution.

From the Niger Delta Development Board in the 60’s to OMPADEC to NDDC, & the Amnesty Programme, many of these projects have not been able to meet the objectives for which they were established.

My message in simple terms is it is time to prepare for the future.
Unfortunately, there is no time because the future is already here, every citizen should  ensure that  the future is not worse than today.

We understand that for things to change, three things must happen and l want you to follow the points below closely:

1. We must recognise that the Niger Delta is a special place , a special economic zone for this nation and so must be treated as a special development zone .
2. We must recognise the unique environmental and daring challenges of Niger Delta.
3. The future is full of challenges for the oil industry.

SPECIAL DEVELOPMENT ZONE
Long ago, the Willinks Commission recommended that because of the peculiar environment of the Niger Delta, and the profound challenges, it should be treated as a special development zone. And I agree entirely that this zone has to be treated as a special development zone,  but what does this mean in practical terms ?

It means that the Federal Government, State Government and the National Assembly  representatives alongside NDDC and the Civil Society representatives of the  Niger Delta  people must sit together and develop a plan and concrete arrangements for  development of the Niger Delta.

There is no excuse for not planning together. The State Government should also be prepared to devote substantial portions of their budgets to this special projects.

 The PANDEF has submitted a concise list of 16 dialogue issues that will be extremely helpful in ascertaining the key development priorities for the future of the Niger Delta region.

We must also hold some of the international oil companies accountable to the agreement made with host communities as it relates to development of those areas. We must ensure that in commercial  opportunities rising from oil exploration  activities, pipelines supervision, contracts should  favour host communities.

The critical issue is infrastructure, roads, rails, hospitals  and schools .

In the 2017 budget, we have provided for the commencement of the Lagos-Calabar rail way, the coastal railway which  will go through  the Niger Delta . We are doing  this with the Chinese.  We will also be visiting Kurutie, the site of the Maritime University.

The President has directed the Ministry of Petroleum to work  quickly to see the  realization of all of the objectives  in implementing this crucial  educational institutions. The Bill of  the Maritime  University have just passed the second reading in the National Assembly and l know we have the commitment  of the members of the National Assembly to fast-track this to ensure that the Maritime University  can come to fruition as soon as possible
.
All of these are listed  in the 16 dialogue document, projects that will benefit not just  the Gbaramatu Kingdom but  the  entire Niger Delta.

But the issue is how to finance, there must be resources and revenue and if the revenue does not come we merely deceive ourselves.  Revenue can only come when we are sure that there is peace and I do believe that this must come with justice, legal justice itself is needed for these to be effected.

ENVIRONMENTAL CLEAN-UP
The second thing that must happen in order to ensure that we prepare adequately for the future is the clean- up of environmental  degradation  of the entire  Delta. The Ogoni clean-up has already been  flagged off and an implementation  committee is in place. For the clean-up not to be a waste of  money,  we must enforce strict  environmental  standard for the oil producing companies including  regulatory  commitments  on gas  glaring and all our communities  must prevent vandalization  which is also a major source  of environmental degradation.

FUTURE OF OIL

Finally, in preparation for the future, we must understand that the future is full of challenges  for the oil industry. And we must recognize that  in another 20 to 30 years our oil will not be as precious as it is today  and that is reality.
America has stopped  buying oil from us. All the countries in the Asia that buy oil now are developing alternative sources of power, China and Japan are developing  electric cars. Infact Japan now has more charging stations than petrol stations. Solar power & other various sources of energy are getting cheaper.
We must be smart, we must act intelligently, intentionally and on time. We have a window of opportuniy, we must use our oil to develop  our people.

If we don’t take that window of opportunity  we will spend that window toying with  ourselves. I earnestly hope that we will work together to  make sure that we are able to  deliver for the future, & for all of our people.
I informed the Youth Councils , that I would take their messages back to Mr. President.

But let me say to all of the young men and women here, the future belongs to you. You are not the leaders of tomorrow, you are the leaders of today because the future  is already here, it has come but it comes with  tremendous  responsibility.

The first responsibility is to ensure peace beacause development  cannot rise without  peace, the world is moving quickly, we must not waste time.

 For President Muhammadu Buhari, every part of this nation is important to him and he is completely  committed to ensuring that  there is justice  in Gbaramatu Kingdom, justice  in the Niger Delta , peace and progress  in the Niger Delta region.
Source : Prof Yemi Osinbanjo.

4 injured as herdsmen, farmers clash in Anambra

NO fewer than four persons were, yesterday, hospitalized following injuries they sustained when some Fulani herdsmen and farmers clashed in a farmland at Okoti-Odekpe community in Ogbaru Local Government Area of Anambra State.
This came as some communities in Nimbo, Uzo Uwani Local Government Area of Enugu State donated over 350 hectares of land to enable the African Nations Development Programme, ANDP, build a home for Internally Displaced Persons, IDPs, in the area.
According to the source, the clash started at about 10 a.m. when the herdsmen invaded the farmland with their cattle and destroyed a large farmland which resulted in a clash as a farmer from Okoti-Odekpe and three herdsmen were injured.
Eyewitnesses told newsmen that it was the herdsmen that first launched the attack against the farmers with cutlasses and injured one Dubem Ononuju. This led the farmers to launch a reprisal attack and they injured three herdsmen.
The incident attracted the attention of soldiers, navy and policemen, who rushed to the scene and rescued the herdsmen from the youths of the community and took the injured to a nearby hospital.
Confirming the incident, the Police Area Commander for Onitsha, Yahaya Abubakar, an Assistant Commissioner of Police, said some arrests were made.
Communities donate 350 hectares of land for IDPs
Under the African Nations Development Programme in Nimbo, the agency is to build 5,000 housing units for displaced persons in the area, following the attack on them by some Fulani herdsmen April last year, which left over 40 persons dead and several families displaced.
Sources told Vanguard that “after the attack by herdsmen on Nimbo, the ANDP came up with a programme to rehabilitate the IDPs. They are building 5,000 housing units for displaced persons, a secondary school, a university, hospital and a shopping mall.”
A statement signed by the President General of Nimbo Town Union, Chief Christian Nwodi, stated that the 350 hectares of land were donated freely, adding that the promises made by ANDP to build the social amenities for displaced people in the area formed the basis for the donation of the land.

How we raided Justice Ademola’s house, recovered bags of cash –DSS

DOCKED: Justice Adeniyi Ademola of the Abuja Division of the Federal High Court (left) with his associate (right) and Chief Robert Clark (middle) at the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) High Court in Maitama, yesterday. Photo: NAN

The Department of State Service, DSS, on Tuesday, narrated before an Abuja High Court at Maitama, how Justice Adeniyi Ademola who is facing corruption charges, stashed foreign and local currencies inside Ghana-must-go bags at his official residence at the Apo Legislative Quarters Abuja.
Justice Ademola was among seven superior court Judges that were arrested after a sting operation the DSS conducted between October 7 and 8, 2016.
He is answering to a 16-count criminal charge alongside his wife, Olabowale and a Senior Advocate of Nigeria, Mr. Joe Agi.
At the resumed hearing on the matter on Tuesday, coordinator of the DSS sting operation, Mr. Ike Onuoha, who testified as the second prosecution witness, PW-2, told the court that the Judge attempted to deceive operatives that went to search his home by lying that he was out of town.
Led in evidence by government lawyer, Mr. Shegu Jegede, the witness, said the operatives later found the Judge where he hid inside his bedroom.
Onuoha said his team was briefed to search the judge’s residence based on petitions and information alleging that he was in possession incriminating materials.
He told the trial court that when his team arrived at Ademola’s residence with a duly signed search warrant, the security guard told them that only the cook who was simply identified as Ken, had keys into the building.
According to the witness, “Ken eventually came and told us the judge was out of town. We then asked him to call the judge on his phone. We did so because we had reasons to believe that the judge was in fact at home.

DOCKED: Justice Adeniyi Ademola of the Abuja Division of the Federal High Court
“When we entered the premises, we called on Ken to call the judge with his mobile phone. Ken called the judge severally but he refused to pick.
“Much later, the judge sent a text message that he was not in town. After repeated calls, he switched off his phone. At that point, we had no option than to force open the main door.
“When we entered, we saw Justice Ademola in the master’s bedroom upstairs in his night wears. That was few minutes after 12 midnight.”
He said following a request by the Judge, waited for the arrival of his lawyer, Mr. Agi, SAN (3rd defendant), who after a brief discussion with Justice Ademola, gave them the nod to search the house.
He said: “As we continued our search on the ground floor, we encountered a locked bedroom. We requested for the keys, but we were not given.
“We then had no option but to force open the door. Inside the bedroom, we saw a locked wardrobe which we also had to force open when the keys were not made available to us.
“Inside the wardrobe, we found a Ghana-must-go bag containing various N1,000 denomination notes to the tune of N39.5million after counting it on the spot.
“We also found two black pump action rifles and 35 live cartridges of ammunition. We also found a silver-coloured flash drive”.
The PW-2 further told the court that they found another locked room where they recovered the sum of N8.5m in N1,000 denomination inside a black and white medium sized bag locked up in a wardrobe.
He said thereafter they found “in the master’s bedroom, in an open wardrobe, a black bag where we found the sum of N6m, 121,179 US dollars, 4,400 Euros, 80 pounds, 1,010 Indian Rupees. We also recovered six ATM cards, eight cheque books, eight deposit slips for various banks, two firearm licence – one for Honourable Justice A.R. Muhammed, the other for Honourable Justice Adeniyi Ademola. We also recovered two Apple ipads.”
Meantime, under cross-examination, the witness stressed that licenses for such Fmfirearms are renewable, saying the Nigerian Police Force has the responsibility of both issuance and renewal of firearms.
He said his investigation did not extend to interviewing Hon. Justice A.R. Muhammed to ascertain the reason why a gun is licensed in his name and found in the residence of Justice Ademola.
Onuoha said he was not aware that ordering the release of detained leader of the Indigenous People of Biafra, IPOB, Mr. Nnamdi Kanu from DSS’ custody by Justice Ademola, was the major reason that prompted his arrest and trial.
He insisted that the operation was as a result of petitions, intelligence and information gathered by the security agency.
The witness however declined to disclose the source of the said intelligence report, saying “sources of our information are classified.”
Trial Justice Jude Okeke subsequently adjourned the matter till Wednesday at the instance of the prosecution who informed the court that some of the witnesses were being threatened.
The prosecution counsel said the development made it difficult for him to reach most of the proposed witnesses.
Aside bank officials, among those scheduled to mount the witness box include the Secretary of the National Judicial Council, NJC, and the Chief Registrar of the Federal High Court were Justice Ademola was serving before his ordeal commenced.
FG alleged that Ademola who is a grandson to a former Chief Justice of Nigeria, had in the discharge of his official duties, received bribe from Agi to the tune of N38.5million and perverted the course of Justice.
Ademola was alleged to have received the bribe money from the SAN through a Guarantee Trust Bank, GTB, account number 201/110160/1/1/0, operated by his wife who was the former Head of Service in Lagos State.
FG said its investigations revealed that the illicit deal occurred between March 11 and 26, 2015, in Abuja within the jurisdiction of the FCT High Court.
The court earlier admitted into evidence, invoice and receipt of a BMW Saloon 320i valued at N8.5 Million, which Agi, SAN, purchased from Coscharis Motors Limited on January 5, 2015 and handed over to Justice Ademola’s son, Ademide.
The NJC had since asked the embattled Judge to step down from the bench pending conclusion of his trial.

Photos: Delta State lawmaker visits James Ibori in the UK to show his "unflinching support, unsolicited loyalty and forebearance''

Hon. Chief Evance Ochuko Ivwurie, Member representing Ethiope East State Constituency at Delta State House of Assembly, travelled to London with friends to reaffirm their "loyalty, support, obedience and commitment to the charismatic and visionary leadership" of former governor James Ibori, who was released from prison late last year after completing half of his 13 year jail term.
Ibori was jailed for money laundering and stealing over $200m from the Delta State government while he served as governor. In a post published on his Facebook page yesterday, January 16th, the Chairman House Committee on Agriculture and National Resources, wrote:
Your Excellency,
On behalf of the wonderful people of Ethiope East State Constituency and my colleagues here with me, I will like to seize this opportunity to renew to Your Excellency the assurances of the unflinching loyalty, love and support of the wonderful people of Ethiope East to Your Excellency, our revered leader.
We have come to London, UK to reaffirm our obedience and commitment to your charismatic and visionary leadership"., he declared. See more photos below :

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MMM Nigeria participants Panic as their “GH” (Get Help) Orders are Removed or Still Unfulfilled

Mavrodians (participants of MMM) Nigeria are panicking because they cannot retrieve money from the scheme. Many people woke up this morning to find out their GH requests were removed.
Over 92 hours since the ponzi scheme, Mavrodi Mundial Moneybox, MMM, announced its return and unfreezing of Mavros after a month’s freezing of access to requesting financial help (GH), it has again begun removing the Get Help (GH) access of some of the participants, otherwise called Mavrodians. The reason given is that the measure is to ensure a balance between Get Help (GH) and Provide Help (PH) .
Although a few participants have claimed they had been paired with who would pay them their returns, otherwise known as Provide Help (PH), no one has been paid so far.
Many have even begun lamenting the inability to get help despite the scheme’s announcement that the Mavros had been unfrozen.
However, more anxiety has begun looming as most of the participants woke up today again to discover that their requests for help have been removed, a situation that has further heightened the fears of the ponzi scheme really coming back to normal.
Some of the participants in a WhatsApp group have these complaints:
One participant with the name, Abisoye said, “Have gh since Friday but yet to be match.”
Another, Fola said, “I was merged ystd but not yet paid.”
Another, Chinwenwe said, “And I can’t see my Gh money in the dashboard. Have refresh it severally, am not seeing it.”
Another participant, perhaps a promoter, known as Guider, said, “I refused to sleep last night. I was able to GH for almost all my downliners.”
Other promoters of the scheme wrote to allay the fears of the participants, saying the removal of the GH is a further measure taken to moderate those requesting for help and hence, have a balance between (GH) and (PH).
One of them, Olaarowolo wrote, “Please be informed that some GH are temporary removed because measures to ensure that there are balances between PH-GH, GH-PH. Please do not panic. As matched orders are cleared, relief with spread. Thank you.”
Other promoters say the website is currently undergoing an upgrade, but many are skeptical.

Putin says Barack Obama’s Administration has Been Trying to Delegitimize President-Elect Donald Trump

Russian President Vladimir Putin on Tuesday said the outgoing U.S. presidential administration of Barack Obama has been trying to delegitimize president-elect Donald Trump.
“Such actions are harming the interests of the United States, and that harm is enormous’’ Putin told a press conference, according to comments carried by state media.
Putin denounced as “fake” a report recently published by U.S. media that Russian authorities supposedly had compromising information about Trump with prostitutes on a visit to Moscow several years ago.
Putin said those behind the report were “worse than prostitutes”.
He also expressed doubt that Trump would hire prostitutes while in Moscow as an organizer of a beauty contest who “associated with the world’s most beautiful girls”.
Trump has repeatedly expressed intentions to rebuild U.S.-Russian relations, which are currently at their frostiest point since the Cold War amid disputes over Syria and Ukraine.

Gambia: 6th Minister Resigns From Yahya Jammeh's Cabinet

Gambia’s tourism and culture minister, Benjamin Roberts has become the sixth cabinet member to resign his position.

Observers believe the resignations showed that Yahya Jammeh, who ruled Gambia for 22 years with an iron fist, is increasingly politically isolated.

Jammeh's tenure expires this Thursday, it is still unclear whether or not he'll step down.

Less than 24 hours after Osinbajo’s visit: NPDC crude oil pipeline set ablaze in Delta

UGHELLI- LESS than 24 hours after the Vice President, Prof Yemi Osinbanjo, visited Delta State, unknown persons set fire on a crude oil pipeline at Ughelli, in the state, sparking fears of attacks by suspected oil rebels.

The pipeline belonging to the Niger Petroleum Development Company, NPDC, located behind the SETRACO construction yard, along the East/West express road, was seen raging with fire at about 4:30p.m, sending huge balls of flame into the atmosphere, which could be seen from different parts of Ughelli metropolis.

Though the flame had subsided at about 7:12p.m, Vanguard could not immediately reach the spot reason, as the terrain could not be easily accessed

As at press time, it was not certain if the cause of the fire was as a result of an attack or environmental impact, as no group has claimed responsibility.

However, confirming the incident, a security source, operating in the area, debunked insinuation that the inferno was as a result of an attack by suspected militants.

He said: “The cause of the incident is as a result of bush burning. Someone set fire on the area and the pipeline, which had some crude oil spill on it and the surrounding environment went up in flames, sending huge balls of flame into the air.”.

Speaking further, the source said: “We are ensuring the maximum protection of oil and gas facilities in the area and I can assure you that there would be no form of attacks on oil facilities in the area like time past.”

BREAKING News: Many Feared Killed As Nigerian Military Jet Mistakenly Drops Bomb On IDP Camp

A Nigerian military airplane has mistakenly dropped a bomb inside the Rann IDP camp in in Kala-balge Local Government Area of Borno State as several people are feared killed.

The source said According to a source who disclosed exclusively to Premium Times, two people are feared dead from the incident, while at least a hundred people were injured – including officials of the Doctors without Borders, MSF – and needed to be evacuated to hospitals.

A brigadier general, Rabe Abubakar, who is the Nigerian military spokesperson, confirmed the incident but explained that it was an error that the military deeply regretted.

He explained that soldiers got information of movement of Boko Haram members and deployed ground troops and air cover to tackle the terrorists, adding that it was the air support that mistakenly dropped the bomb.

The Theatre Commander of Nigerian forces in Borno, Lucky Irabor, a major general, also confirmed the attack at a press statement.

“This morning today, we received reports about gathering of Boko Haram terrorists somewhere in Kala Balge Local Government area of Borno State. We got a coordinate and I directed that the air should go to address the problem.

“Unfortunately the strike was conducted but it turned out that the locals somewhere in Rann were affected.

“We are yet to get the details of the casualties. But we have some civilians that have been killed, others are wounded and we also have two of our soldiers that were also wounded. Among some that are wounded are local staffs of the Medicine Sans Frontiers as well as ICRC,” he said.

Unemployed man in court for stealing fridge.

A 22-year-old unemployed man, Qudus Bakare was on Tuesday arraigned before a Badagry Chief Magistrate’s’ court, Lagos State for alleged theft of fridge worth N45,000.
The accused whose address is unknown is facing a one count charge of stealing.
The Police Prosecutor, Insp. Innocent Uko, told the court that the accused committed the offence on Jan. 14, at Deborah Shopping Complex located at Ajara area of Badagry.
He said the fridge belonged to the complainant, Mr Grillo Adebanji.
“The complainant was taking the fridge for repairs when he dropped it by the roadside in order to look for a car that will carry it.
“Within the twinkle of an eye, the accused came out of nowhere and took the fridge and started walking away like nothing happened.
“When he was caught, he claimed that he carried the fridge to carry out test on it,” the prosecutor said.
Uko said the offence contravened Section 285 of the Criminal Law of Lagos State, Nigeria 2011.
The accused however pleaded not guilty to the charge.
The defence counsel, Mr Obinna Nwachukwu, pleaded with the court to grant the accused bail on liberal terms.
The Magistrate, Mr Abiodun Etti, granted the accused N100, 000 bail and a surety who must provide evidence of tax payment to Lagos State Government and adjourned the case till Feb. 10 for further hearing.

CCT chairman offers to give Saraki water

Jan 17, 2017 code of conduct bureau FCT Litigations 0 7
Senate President, Dr. Bukola Saraki
Danladi Umar, chairman of the Code of Conduct Tribunal (CCT), on Tuesday asked Senate President Bukola Saraki if he wanted water.
Saraki, who is facing charges of false asset declaration at the tribunal, was in the dock when Umar made the gesture.
CCT chairman: Do you want some water?

How Saraki transferred millions of dollars to own foreign accounts while serving as Kwara Governor – GTBank Official

A witness in the ongoing trial of Senate President Bukola Saraki has told the Code of Conduct Tribunal that Mr. Saraki made foreign funds transfer of over $3 million while he was governor of Kwara State.
The Nigerian code of conduct bars public officials including state governors from operating foreign bank accounts.
The witness, Nwachukwu Amazu, a banker with the GTBank said Mr. Saraki made several transactions, including a transfer of over $73,000 from his dollar account, maintained with the GTBank to his foreign account in the American Express Service Europe Ltd.
He said the purpose of the transfer was to fund a foreign credit card, belonging to the American Express Bank and owned by the defendant.
“He has a domiciliary account, with the GTB in US dollars and in pounds sterling. The domiciliary account is domiciled in Ilorin,” he said.
When asked to explain the mode of operation of Mr. Saraki’s foreign credit card, the witness said he did not know how the card operates.
“I don’t know anything about the card, except if I explain with my knowledge of the GTB credit card in the Nigerian perspective,” he said.
Mr. Amazu who worked with the funds transfer unit of the GTB, between 2006 and 2009 before he was transferred; then returned to the unit in 2011, as its head, said Mr. Saraki made other transfers including the transfer of £761, 904. 76 in February 2010.
He also said another sum of £632, 411.7 was also transferred for the defendant to Fortis Bank in London.
He made several other testimonies of funds transferred through Mr. Saraki’s domiciliary accounts to foreign accounts belonging to the Senate President abroad.
Earlier, the Tribunal chairman asked the defendant if he needed water and gestured to offer water to Mr. Saraki, inside the dock.