Robbi's Blog

In spite of the controversy over the N60 billion Lagos-Calabar coastal rail project, the Nigerian Senate has vowed not to revisit the 2016 budget. The Senate, on Tuesday, advised President Muhammadu Buhari to draft a detailed supplementary budget capturing the project and submit it for consideration. This decision was arrived at, during a closed-door session of the Senate, during plenary. Speaking with journalists after the meeting, Chairman, Senate Committee on Media and Public Affairs, Abdullahi Sabi, said the Senate resolved that the President should assent to the budget as passed and subsequently include things left out in the main budget in a supplementary budget. He maintained that the project was not included in the budget sent to the National Assembly while stating that the matter was far from controversial. “I know very well that the last one week has been full of the language you guys have already crafted ‘controversy’, even though for us, there is no

The herdsmen invaded four villages in the Gashaka Local Government Area of the state and caused many villagers to flee. 15 people have been confirmed dead in Taraba State after attacks by Fulani herdsmen. The herdsmen invaded four villages in the Gashaka Local Government Area of the state and caused many villagers to flee. The casualty figure was given by Taraba State Police Commissioner, Shaba Alkali on Tuesday, April 12, 2016. “A group of people numbering about twenty, suspected to be Fulani herdsmen, invaded and attacked Dori and Mesuma villages via Garbabi ward, Gashaka LGA, and burnt some thatch-houses, forcing the villagers to flee into the villages of Mayo-Selbe and Sabon Gida for safety,” Alkali said according to Daily Post. “Eight people were killed in Dori village while seven were also killed in Mesuma. My detectives are around Bali area to make sure that those that

British High Commissioner to Nigeria, Paul Arkwright made the comment while receiving members of the Bring Back Our Girls (BBOG) group at the UK Embassy in Abuja. The British government has not forgotten the abducted Chibok Girls , the High Commissioner to Nigeria, Paul Arkwright has said. Arkwright made the comment while receiving members of the Bring Back Our Girls (BBOG) group at the UK Embassy in Abuja. “My heart goes to the parents of the abducted girls. Two years is too long for the families to be suffering. The UK, the British government have not abandoned the Chibok girls,” he said. “What I can say is that we are doing everything we can, including in the area of intelligence in their effort with the Nigerian government to rescue the girls. Two years on, that is not an easy tasks but what we are doing and we will continue to do is to work with Nigerian government to help to find and locate the girls. “We will look for other ways we can provide them h

Human rights organization, Amnesty International (AI) has urged the Nigerian military to confess its role in the December 2015 massacre of Shiite Muslims after the Kaduna State Government revealed that 347 corpses were buried in a mass grave after a battle between the army and the group in Zaria. AI made the call on Tuesday, April 12, 2016, through its Country Director in Nigeria, M.K. Ibrahim . “The horrific revelation by the Kaduna State government that hundreds of Shi’ites were gunned down and dumped in mass graves is an important first step to bringing all those suspected of criminal responsibility for this atrocity to trial,” Ibrahim said. “It is now imperative that the mass grave sites are protected in order that a full independent forensic investigation can begin. The bodies must be exhumed and Nigerian authorities should immediately reveal the whereabouts of those held in unacknowledged detention and either charge or release them,” he added. Details o

The Nigerian Airforce (NAF) said its Fighter Aircraft had struck insurgents’ logistics base at Kangarawa in Northern part of Borno. This is contained in a statement issued by its Director of Public Relations and Information, Group Capt. Ayodele Famuyiwa , in Abuja. “The NAF, in continuation of its employment of airpower to decimate the capability of the insurgents, has successfully taken off another logistics belonging to the insurgents. The latest air strike was carried out on April 11 by NAF F7-NI Fighter Aircraft against the insurgents,” it said. According to the statement, the scale of accompanying inferno and multi explosions as can be seen from the footage of the air strike, suggests that the location possibly houses fuel or ammunition. It said that the strike constituted another major setback for the insurgents, while providing tangible evidence of many of the recent successes recorded by the Air component of Operation Lafia Dole.

According to the state government, Sokoto has signed a memorandum of understanding with Henan Province of China for the establishment of a demonstration farm and boosting of agriculture in the state. Sokoto has become one of the beneficiaries of the 100 agricultural projects to be sited in developing countries which was announced by the Chinese President, Ji Xinping during the South-South Cooperation meeting held in September 2015. It would involve the application of new technology for cultivation of crops such as corn, wheat, tomatoes and onions, it was gathered. In a statement issued from China by Imam Imam , the spokesman to Governor Aminu Waziri Tambuwal , said the agreement also provides room for experts from Sokoto and Henan Province to carry out joint analysis and study of climatic conditions, soil moisture status, crop cultivation techniques and plant protection and quarantine. " This will also promote lease investment and promotion of agricul

Abrini is also wanted in connection with November's attacks in Paris, which killed 130 people. Belgium has charged a further two men with terrorist offences over alleged links with the rental of a property thought to have been used as a safe house ahead of the Brussels attacks, federal prosecutors said on Tuesday. Four other suspects were picked up on Friday, including Mohamed Abrini , who investigators say has confessed to depositing a bomb at Brussels airport, and Osama Krayem , suspected of buying bags used by the bombers. Abrini is also wanted in connection with November's attacks in Paris , which killed 130 people. The March 22 attacks in Brussels killed 32. Prosecutors identified the two men, who were charged on Monday, only as Smail F., born in 1984, and Ibrahim F., born in 1988. They did not say when the two were detained. Under Belgian law, suspects usually need to appear before an examining judge within 24 hours. " They are charged w

Twenty-one people have died of yellow fever in Democratic Republic of Congo , some of them from infections contracted in neighbouring Angola , the World Health Organization said on Tuesday. An outbreak has already killed 225 people and infected 1,600 in Angola. There was now a high risk of further spread in Congo, given the number of people who regularly travel between the two countries, the WHO said. A WHO official on March 18 said an outbreak, which broke out late last year, had killed 158 people in Angola.

Reps spokesperson, Abdulrazak Namdas said Amaechi tried to smuggle in the Lagos-Calabar railway project after Buhari had presented the budget. The House of Representatives have accused the minister of transportation, Rotimi Amaechi of attempting to pad the budget. Premium Times reports that the Reps spokesperson, Abdulrazak Namdas said Amaechi tried to smuggle in the Lagos-Calabar railway project after Buhari had presented the budget. Namdas said “The item was brought for inclusion in the budget by Minister of Transportation, Rotimi Amaechi, but was not included in the budget because only the president is allowed to present the budget before the National Assembly. “The media is awash with story that the National Assembly has removed the Calabar- Lagos railway project from the budget. “I want to make it very clear that we don’t have that in the presentation made by the President to the National Assembly, so we couldn’t have removed what was not even insert

Following revelations  by Premium Times that Prophet TB Joshua of the Synagogue Church of all Nations registered an offshore company, he has released an official statement. Read the Official Statement; “I was shocked to find a report written in Premium Times (http://www.premiumtimesng.com/news/headlines/201600-panamapapers-reveal-t-b-joshuas-shell-company-in-offshore-tax-haven.html) claiming that the Panama Papers revealed a shell company called Chillon Consultancy Limited in the British Virgin Islands, allegedly owned by me. Whoever is involved in this malicious write-up and propaganda with an obvious intent to defame my person and the ministry, remember what the Bible says in Luke 2:34 – “This child is destined to cause the falling and rising of many… and to be a sign that will be spoken against.” “I am not a businessman and have no business whatsoever. What God has given me is more than enough. I have nothing to do with the Panama Papers. As for me and my fam

The Federal High Court sitting in Abuja has granted the Economic & Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, permission to arraign former Governor of Abia State, Orji Uzor Kalu on May 16 over allegations of misappropriation of N5.6 billion while he was governor of the state. According to Vanguard, EFCC in its charges filed against Kalu in 2008, alleged that he was involved in money laundering and illegal diversion of public funds to the tune of N5.6billion. The fraud was allegedly perpetuated while Kalu was governor of Abia State between 1999 and 2007. Kalu was first arraigned in 2007 but his trial has been stalled over the years following court cases instituted by him, challenging the charges leveled against him by EFCC. The Supreme court on March 18th dismissed Kalu's appeal challenging the EFCC. On May 16th, he will enter fresh plea to an amended 112-count charge dated ‎February 11, 2008.

A peaceful demonstration by students from the University of Port Harcourt against the hike in the University’s fees and other levies had reportedly turned fatal. According to reports, a student involved in the ongoing protest at the University has been shot to death by an officer of the Nigeria Police Force. The victim of the shooting identified as the Faculty president of Management Science was allegedly shot three times in the chest by the police officer. The protest began as early as 5.00am on Monday, April 11 as the students shut down all access roads to the university including the major East-West road and the Choba-Uniport road. The University authorities had earlier hiked the fees of the institution at the begining of the academic session and further given a deadline for all payment which apparently irked the frustrated students. Speaking on the purpose of the protest, one of the students said “we pay the highest amount of school fees in Nigeria. Among al

Speaking on Channels Television’s Sunday Politics Nigeria’s Minister of Information and Culture, Lai Mohammed empathized with Niger ians over the pains they have gone through in the past one month over the fuel scarcity. He said that the government is aware of the hardship, and that the government is working round the clock to ensure the realization of the change that Nigerians voted for. Buhari also reassured Nigerians that the change they voted for is real, via Lai Mohammed two days earlier, on Friday April 8 2016 at the Vanguard Awards  He said: I have said it on many fora that the government is keenly aware of the hardship and difficulties Nigerians have gone through in the last couple of weeks and we do empathize with them. Not only do we empathize with them but we appreciate their perseverance and we have also been working round the clock to ensure that we are able to bring the situation back to normal. As from tomorrow we are going to deploy 1,300 tru

The controversy around the 2016 budget appears to have deepened as the Chairman Senate Committee on Land Transport, Senator Gbenga Ashafa (Lagos East), on Monday, stated that the executive actually included the Lagos-Calabar railway projects in the document. Ashafa’s position on the controversy matter runs contrary to earlier assertion by the Speaker of the House of Representatives, Yakubu Dogara and the Chairman of the House of Representatives Appropriation Committee, Abdulmunin Jibrin. The senator stated that the projects were not in the initial budget submitted to the National Assembly but that the Minister of Transportation, Rotimi Amaechi, later submitted an amended copy of the budget to the legislators. While noting that N54 billion was found floating in the budget of the Ministry of Transport, the senator stated that senate committee had decided to assign funds meant for the Lagos-Calabar project to other projects. The statement reads that: “I have car

A 60-year-old ice cream hawker identified as Ekpe , said to be a serial child rapist , has been arrested after it emerged he has been using the cream to lure little girl into defiling them. Read: "Paedophile: 45-yr-old man in trouble for raping 12-yr-old girl" According to an Twitter user with the name @highjay02, Ekpe who is from Akwa Ibom State, was caught very early in the morning while he was trying to rape a seven-year-old girl after luring her with ice cream. Read: "Do Unto Others...": Father of 3 in soup for raping 9 children in Ebonyi "This paedophile is a man of about 60-years named Ekpe from Akwa Ibom. He was caught in my street this morning at about 11:15am, when he lured a 7-year-old girl with the ice cream he sells. He had brought out his phallus to penetrate before he was caught. Had to take the case up and ensured he was taken to the nearest police station. I don't mind the cost but he has to bear the consequences by bein

Mr. President also frowned at the lawmakers for removing the money meant for the Calabar-Lagos Coastal Railway, describing it as a slap to his change agenda. President Buhari is not happy with the 2016 budget detail that was presented to him by the National Assembly on Thursday. April 7, 2016, reports say. Buhari reportedly made his feelings known in a meeting with the Senate President, Bukola Saraki, House of Reps Speaker, Yakubu Dogara, Vice President Yemi Osinbajo and ministers, at the Presidential Villa in Abuja. Vanguard reports that the President did not like some of the changes which the lawmakers made to the 2016 budget, with regards to the removal of funds meant for major national projects. He asked the National Assembly to take back the 2016 budget and add the important projects which they removed. A source who spoke to Vanguard said Buhari reviewed the 2016 budget with the leadership of the National Assembly and expressed his concern about some ma

The Abuja Municipal Area Council (AMAC) elections in the Federal Capital Territory have been declared inconclusive. This followed evidence raised over 15,360 disfranchised voters in some polling units by the collation officer, Prof. Sunday Ododo of the University of Maiduguri, who declared the chairmanship election inconclusive.   The affected areas that led to the declaration of the election inconclusive includes: Karu-8,044 voters, Garki -2,243 voters, Guyi-2,628, Gwarinpa -1,628 voters, Karshi-653, and  Nyanya 17 voters. Prof. Ododo while declaring the result said among the two conditions to be satisfied before a candidate can be declared winner was that the winner must score the majority of votes cast. He said the margin between the two leading parties, All Progressives Congress (APC) and Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) was 5,372 votes.  The APC had scored 26,602 votes while the PDP polled 21, 230 votes.  Ododo said 15,360 votes in 14 polling units which were c

But Adegboruwa had on March 3, appealed Buba’s ruling and sought a change of the trial judge, who had renewed his order for Tompolo's arrest. Ex- Niger Delta militant, Government Ekpemupolo , alias ` Tompolo ’’, has filed an application asking a Federal High Court in Lagos to stop the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) from charging him with an alleged N12 billion fraud. The EFCC had instituted before Justice Ibrahim Buba of the Federal High Court a 40-count charge of alleged fraud against Tompolo. Charged along with him are Patrick Akpobolokemi, Global West Vessel, Odimiri Electrical Ltd, Kime Engozu. Boloboere Ltd, Rex Elem, Destre Ltd, Gregory Mbonu and Capt Warrendi Enisuoh. While the trial judge, on Jan. 14, issued a warrant for Tompolo’s arrest for his failure to appear in court to answer to the criminal charges, the defendant, however, on Jan. 27, filed an application to set aside the said warrant of arrest. Buba on Feb. 8 dismissed Tompolo’s

Appiah, who resides at No.7, Okeyomi St., Iyana-Ilogbo near Ota, is facing a two-count charge of stealing and burglary. An Ota Magistrates' Court in Ogun has slammed a N100, 000 bail on a 23-year-old man, Adebisi Appiah , for allegedly breaking into a house and stealing a purse containing N78,000. The accused was also granted two sureties who should his parent or guardian and a civil servant of not less than Grade Level 08 in the Ogun State Civil Service. Appiah, who resides at No.7, Okeyomi St., Iyana-Ilogbo near Ota, is facing a two-count charge of stealing and burglary. Earlier, the prosecutor, Cpl. Abdulkareem Mustapha, told the court that the accused committed the offences on March 9 at about 2.09 p.m. at Oko-Ewe, Jacross, Iyana-Iyesi, Ota. Mustapha alleged that the accused broke into a house and stole a purse containing N78, 000. " The accused removed the money and threw away the purse .'' The offences contravened Sections 390, 411, 412 and

Bakare spoke on Sunday, April 10, 2016, during a special sit-out of the Bring Back Our Girls group in Abuja. he Senior Pastor of the Latter Rain Gospel Assembly, Pastor Tunde Bakare has lamented the continuous captivity of the over 200 Chibok Girls who were abducted on April 14, 2014. Bakare spoke on Sunday, April 10, 2016, during a special sit-out of the Bring Back Our Girls group in Abuja, Vanguard reports. “The whole nation has failed these children. Parents, families and friends of our dear daughters, I am here today not just to speak to you, but to speak to the nation and to the world as one of you," he said. “I'm here as a father burdened by the captivity of our daughters, and I am here as a friend. I am here to express our frustrations and to speak of our undying hope as we wait expectantly for the return of our dear Chibok girls. “We are not unmindful that the Nigerian state failed to provide security for our daughters as they gathered to write

The couple is also considering starring in their own reality series which would see them paid between '$150-$200 thousand' each per episode, as well as '$500 thousand' each for the wedding day episode. Rob Kardashian and Blac Chyna are reportedly about to sign up a one million dollar dear to air their forthcoming wedding in a TV special. According to TMZ, the couple is also considering starring in their own reality series which would see them paid between '$150-$200 thousand' each per episode, as well as '$500 thousand' each for the wedding day episode. However, plans to start their own series could prove problematic as Kris Jenner has the family tied in to their contract with the E! network As we previously reported, Jenner signed an $80 million contract with the American network in 2015; which gave them four more seasons of their hit reality show, 'Keeping Up With The Kardashians '. Although Rob's health has been a frequent topi