News Update Headlines:
* Amnesty - President Buhari Directs CBN to Pay Tuition Money of Ex-Militants
* Nigeria Air Force Helicopter Crash; Many Feared Dead
* Bomb Making Factory Destroyed by Military in Borno
* Nimasa Introduces New Medical Certification
On the Foreign Scene
* Obama Defends Shell Arctic Drilling Decision
Amnesty - President Buhari Directs CBN to Pay Tuition Money of Ex-Militants
President Buhari has directed the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) Governor, Godwin Emefiele to pay all outstanding entitlement to ex-militants without further delay.
The directive came shortly after the European Union (EU) has strengthened its partnership with the Office of the Special Adviser to the President on Niger Delta, which happens to be in charge of the Presidential Amnesty Programme (PAP) in making sure the purpose of establishing the programme is realized. The Head of Communications, Amnesty Office, Mr. Daniel Alabra, confirmed this in a statement yesterday.
Following the directive, Alabra said, the CBN has successfully
credited the accounts of students in the following 10 institutions:
Nilai University, Malaysia, universities of Strathclyde, Westminster and
Dundee in UK, Liberty University, Virginia, USA, New York Institute of
Technology, University of Arizona, Lynn University, USA, Edinburgh
University, UK, and University of Essex.
He said that the process is ongoing and should be completed in a few days.
He also said that the Special Adviser and Coordinator of the
Presidential Amnesty Programme, Brig-Gen. Paul Boroh (rtd), expressed
appreciation to President Buhari for offering to step in and resolve the
logjam in the payment of the outstanding allowances.
The PAP coordinator said the President's directive is a further
demonstration of his commitment to a peaceful Niger Delta and the
empowerment of youths of the region through the PAP's vocational and
educational training schemes.
Nigeria Air Force Helicopter Crash; Many Feared Dead
Another air tragedy stroke, shortly after the Lagos lagoon helipcopter crash, which killed six people including the pilot and co-pilot, when an helicopter belonging to the Nigerian Air Force crashed on Saturday.
A military insider said the helicopter took off at the Nigeria Air Force base in Kaduna and crashed into the nearby Ribadu cantonment shortly after take-off.
All passengers which includes and crew are feared dead.
The helicopter, officials said, was on a training flight and was heading to Abuja before it crashed. However the cause of the crash is yet unknown.
Bomb Making Factory Destroyed by Military in Borno
A bomb making factory was discovered at Miyati and Nyaleri villages in Damboa Local Government Area of Borno and destroyed by the troops of 25 Task Force Brigade, Nigerian Army in Borno.
This was revealed in a statement signed by the Acting Director Army Public Relations, Col. Sani Usman and given to the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN), in Abuja on Friday.
Nimasa Introduces New Medical Certification
A new Seafarer’s Medical Certification Documents has been introduced by the Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency (NIMASA) which is to be in compliance with extant requirements of the Maritime Labour Convention (MLC) 2006 and Standards of Training, Certification and Watch keeping (STCW) 1998 as amended.
The Acting Director General of NIMASA, Mr. Haruna Baba Jauro, represented by the Director, Maritime Safety and Seafarers Standards Department, Mr. Vincent Udoye recently presented the documents to stakeholders in Lagos, stating that; the new documents on the certification were more secured as they were printed with better security features in collaboration with the Nigerian Security Printing and Minting Cooperation (NSPMC) to ensure that Medical Certificates of fitness for seafarers in Nigeria are authentic and in line with international standards.
On the Foreign Scene
Obama Defends Shell Arctic Drilling Decision
Two days before heading to Alaska to raise climate change awareness, US President Barack Obama on Saturday defended his controversial decision to allow Shell to drill in the Arctic's Chukchi Sea.
The Obama administration's green light for the Anglo-Dutch oil giant angered environmental groups which have decried the "hypocrisy" of the president, who in recent months has stressed the need for aggressive actions against climate change
Opponents note how the decision comes in the run-up to the UN climate conference in Paris in December. The meeting is seen as crucial in efforts to forge an agreement to curb international emissions.
"I know there are Americans who are concerned about oil companies drilling in environmentally sensitive waters," Obama said in his weekly address, noting that the drilling leases had been purchased before he took office.
"I share people's concerns about offshore drilling," he added. "I remember the BP spill in the Gulf of Mexico all too well. That's precisely why my administration has worked to make sure that our oil exploration conducted under these leases is done at the highest standards possible ... We don't rubber-stamp permits."
Obama on Monday begins a three-day trip to Alaska, the largest state in America which is already seeing the effects of climate change, including melting glaciers and the thawing of permafrost.
"Alaskans are already living with (climate change's) effects. More frequent and extensive wildfires. Bigger storm surges as sea ice melts faster. Some of the swiftest shoreline erosion in the world," he said.
After landing in Anchorage on Monday, Obama's visit will include a meeting with fishermen in the town of Dillingham, a tour of the Northwest Arctic city of Kotzebue, a visit to glaciers and the GLACIER international conference on the Arctic in Anchorage.
Source: Washington (AFP)
No comments:
Post a Comment