ABATI DENIES PRIVATE MEETING BETWEEN JONATHAN, OBASANJO

The Special Adviser to the President on Media and Publicity, Dr.Reuben Abati, has denied that a private meeting took place today
(Sunday) between President Goodluck Jonathan and former President Olusegun Obasanjo on the crisis that has rocked the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), which culminated in the emergence of a splinter group on Saturday.

BREAKING TRADITION: POPE BOWS FOR MUSLIM QUEEN

The Pope has once again shown his willingness to break with tradition by bowing to Muslim royal Queen Rania of Jordan.

As leader of the world's 1.2billion-strong Catholic community, protocol usually dictates that visitors bow to him when they meet him at the Vatican.

But when Rania came to the Holy See with her husband King Abdullah II on Thursday, he inverted that formality by lowering his head to her.

MAN KIDNAPS SELF, DEMANDS N2MILLION RANSOM FROM BROTHERS

The police in Enugu State have arrested one Samuel Ani after he allegedly “kidnapped himself” and demanded N2 million ransom from his brothers.
Samuel saw his own kidnap as the quickest way of getting financial assistance from his brothers, who he labeled “stingy fellows”.

However, it has ended up badly for the coffin dealer, an indigene of Ugwuaji, Enugu South Local Government Area.

FAMILY PLEADS FOR THE RELEASE OF STOWAWAY TEENAGER

The family members of 13-year old Nigerian stowaway boy, who flew from Benin to Lagos inside the wheel compartment of an aircraft, has appealed for his release from custody.
Daniel Oikhena, a Junior Secondary School (JSS) II student attracted attention when he `flew’ on Arik aircraft on Saturday Aug. 24.
Miss Sonia Oikhena, elder sister of the stowaway boy, made the appeal at a news conference in Benin on Saturday.
Sonia said family members were worried that Daniel was still in detention eight days after the dramatic event
She urged the Federal Government to order the security agencies to release the youngster to his family.

9/11 ANNIVERSARY: US ASKS CITIZENS TO AVOID 14 NIGERIAN STATES

As the world remembers the terrorist attack of September 11, 2001 on the twin tower in the United States, the US government has enforced a restriction on its citizens from travelling to fourteen Nigerian states.
The US embassy in Nigeria in a message to its citizens posted on its website said because of safety and security concerns, the U.S. Mission in Nigeria is enforcing a restricted travel policy for U.S. Embassy personnel to the states of Adamawa, Bauchi, Borno, Gombe, Jigawa, Kaduna, Kano, Katsina, Kebbi, Niger, Plateau, Sokoto, Yobe, and Zamfara.
It said U.S. citizens should be mindful of this and consider taking similar steps when planning travel.

FIRST LADY CONVENES ONLINE YOUTH SUMMIT

The First Lady, Dame Patience Jonathan, and International Telecommunication Union (ITU) will on Tuesday, Sept. 3, host representatives of youths to an Online Protection Summit in Abuja.
This is contained in a statement released in Abuja on Saturday and signed by Mrs Ayo Adesugba, a Director of Information in the Presidency.
It said the summit, tagged: “The Internet: Emerging Threats and Solutions for the Youth’’, was being organised by ITU with Federal Ministries of Communication Technology and Youth Development
The statement said the summit was expected to underscore the importance of Internet as a modern day tool for excellence and a vehicle for exposing the vulnerability of youths.
The statement listed the objectives of the summit to include discussing cyber safety; enlightening youths on cyber security; and the need to stay safe while utilising online resources.

24 YOUTH VOLUNTEERS KILLED IN BOKO HARAM AMBUSH

No fewer than 24 youth volunteers popularly known as Civilian JTF were killed yesterday when Boko Haram insurgents ambushed the vigilance group in Monguno, northern Borno. Sources also said many of the volunteers are still missing.
A police source hinted that the tragic incident occurred following a counter insurgency mission embarked upon by the Civilian JTF in Boko Haram camps around Kaleri, Shuwari, Maganari and Nannari villages in the Monguno Local Government Area. But the mission took a sad turn when the insurgents in a military vehicle ambushed the youths.
“The vigilante youths numbering over 100 were on a mission to smoke out some Boko Haram men but they were ambushed by the insurgents. About 24 people may have died while about 36 were still missing.

CLARK SHOULD RETIRE FROM POLITICS, NOT ME — OBASANJO

Former President Olusegun Obsanjo on Saturday replied Ijaw leader, Edwin Clark’s comment on him, saying his utterances showed it was time for him (Clark) to retire from politics.
Obasanjo’s Chief of Staff, Mr. Victor Durodola, who responded to comments credited to Clark in a newspaper (notPUNCH) accusing Obasanjo of sowing seeds of discord in the Peoples Democratic Party, and urging him to retire, said it was Clark who needed to retire.
Among other things, Clark had said the former President caused the current crisis in PDP by instigating Governor Sule Lamido of Jigawa State and Governor Rotimi Amaechi of Rivers State to contest the Presidency in 2015.

BOKO HARAM: WE TOOK SECT LEADER ABUBAKAR SHEKAU FOR GRANTED – SENATOR NDUME

Senator Muhammed Ndume – Borno South – was the Minority Leader in the House of Reps as an ANPP lawmaker before he moved to the PDP and then became a senator. His political career took a twist when he was accused of sponsoring the Boko Haram Islamist group.
In this interview, he hails the onslaught against Boko Haram by the military forces but says the insurgency by the sect festered after government took it for granted that Boko Haram leader Abubakar Shekau died during a raid on his hideout in 2012.
Ndume warns that same mistake should not be made in the wake of the current claim that the sect leader has been killed. The senator also speaks on some other national issues.
Where were you and what was your reaction when you heard that the leader of Boko Haram, Abubakar Shekau, was dead?

HOW PDP HAS BLESSED NIGERIA – JONATHAN

President Goodluck Jonathan,yesterday, described the 14-year-rule of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, as a blessing to the country. In a speech to the Special National Convention of the ruling party, Jonathan noted the strides in various sectors of the polity including communication, power, education and transportation as progressive developments that only those in the critical segment of the opposition have refused to acknowledge. The President, in a speech covering 3,735 words, said the task before the party was “difficult, thankless but ultimately rewarding.”

DRUGS: SAUDI GOVT GETS TOUGH, WARNS NIGERIANS

THE Saudi Arabian authorities have read the riot act to intending pilgrims from Nigeria to the holy land that whoever is caught with drugs during this year’s Hajj exercise would be punished in accordance with the laws of the country.
The Saudi Arabian Consul-General in Kano, Majid Muhammad Algahthani, made this known during an interactive session with officials of pilgrims’ board in the North.
He disclosed that stiff penalty awaited any pilgrim found with drugs, saying the warning became necessary for intending pilgrims to Mecca, as the authority would not allow any act to dent the principle of pilgrimage.

JONATHAN WON’T INTERVENE IN TARABA CRISIS — PRESIDENCY • SUNTAI’S AIDES VOW TO RESIST TUKUR

The Presidency on Friday said President Goodluck Jonathan would not interfere in the crisis currently rocking Taraba State, which resulted from the attempt by Governor Danbaba Suntai to return to office.
Special Adviser to the President on Political Matters, Ahmed Gulak, said this in an exclusive interview with one of our correspondents.
The crisis in the state started when Suntai returned to the country after spending about 10 months abroad where he received treatment following his October 25, 2012, plane crash.
The move by those in his camp to take over from his deputy, Garba Umar, who served as acting governor in his absence, had so far been resisted by some members of the state House of Assembly. They insisted that the ailing governor must return to the United States to continue his treatment.

IGBOS DRAG BOKO HARAM TO UN

The World Igbo Congress, WIC, has dragged the leadership of Boko Haram to the United Nations.
This was disclosed at the 19th World Igbo Congress, WIC, in Dallas, United States of America on friday.
President of WIC, Nze Joe Eto told the convention that the step had to be taken to mitigate the killings and destruction of Igbo lives and property by Boko Haram.
He told the convention: “Regularly, Boko Haram visit the Igbo with death and destruction of property. Igbos are shipped in death bags and this must stop”
Eto said that the case before the UN would be heard in April, 2014, pointing out that Igbos across the globe must carefully work to stem the tide of violence against them across Nigeria.

PDP: OBJ DECLARES WAR OVER UBA’S SUSPENSION

President Olusegun Obasanjo is said to have returned to the trenches within the fold of the Peoples Democratic Party(PDP) following the outcome of the governorship primaries of the party in Anambra State.
Obasanjo had recently attempted to broker a truce between the PDP and the aggrieved governors of the party under the aegis of G5 in Abuja.
Though the meeting lasted for a week, nothing concrete came out of it at the end of the day.
Sources however told Sunday Tribune that Obasanjo was motivated into taking up the peacemaker role because of his belief that his candidate would be allowed to emerge as gubernatorial candidate in Anambra.

NIGERIA: GUNS EVERYWHERE

•Police, other security agencies harvesting arms, ammunition from wrong hands across Nigeria
To sleep and wake up everyday in Nigeria is a miracle. Nigerians are living dangerously under the proverbial keg of gunpowder, ready to explode. From Lagos to Maiduguri, Port Harcourt to Kafanchan, some unscrupulous citizens are stockpiling deadly arms and ammunition and are ready to use them at the slightest opportunity.Reports from the police and other security agencies across the country revealed the recovery of an avalanche of both light and heavy arms from Nigerians. The weapons of death are in the hands of ordinary citizens, petty thieves, armed robbers, thugs, religious extremists, militants and terrorists. These agents of death are putting the country in tethers, showing the danger signal that relevant government agencies have a lot more to do to rid the nation of illegal firearms.