War in the Niger Delta will be Disastrous - Col. Umar

A Former Military Governor of Kaduna State, Col. Abubakar Umar(retd), has warned President Muhammadu Buhari to shelve all plans of deploying troops and military hardware to the Niger Delta, adding that dialogue remains the best option.

The former governor in a statement entitled, ‘War in the Niger Delta: A most dangerous option,’ opined that the militants could not be treated like Boko Haram terrorists.

“I am really frightened by the sudden escalation in the Niger Delta Region from where there are some reports of skirmishes between our security forces and the Niger Delta militants. This is happening after the President was quoted as vowing to deal with the militants as he did to Boko Haram.
“All factors considered, the use of military force in an attempt to resolve the lingering crisis is not a good option and must therefore be discarded.

“As a retired general, Mr. President is well aware of the serious and daunting challenges any military will face in its operations in the most difficult and densely populated Niger Delta region.

“The creeks are so heavily polluted with oil, rendering them highly inflammable. It will take the firing of a few high explosive shells to set the whole area on fire, resulting in the inestimable collateral damage among innocent civilians.

“It is also difficult to see how an armed conflict can secure our oil and gas assets in the region. Instead, it will aid the destructive activities of the militants and lead to the total shutdown of all oil and gas operations in the area.”

“Besides, the Niger Delta militants cannot be said to be terrorists in the real sense of the word. I believe they are amenable to meaningful dialogue.

“I need not to remind the President that a war in the Niger Delta will be opposed by most objective Nigerians and the international community as unjust and merely aimed at the control and exploitation of the region’s oil and gas resources.

“I therefore beseech you, Mr. President, in the name of all that is good, to continue to explore peaceful means of resolving the Niger Delta crisis as painful as you may find this. May God direct and guide you on the path of justice.”

Anambra community cries out to FG, Obiano, World Bank due to "Erosion, flood menace"

The members of Ihuaku kindred in Ebenato Okpala community, Amichi in Nnewi South Local Government Area of Anambra State have been sacked by flood and erosion, which destroyed their economic trees, farm lands, as well as killing their domestic animals.
Members of the community who are already relocating to other safe neighbourhoods raised the alarm with an appeal to Anambra State and Federal governments to come to their rescue before the ecological problem removes them from the map of the state.
Heavy rains this year, according to the residents, continued to aggravate the situation to the extent that all the roads leading to the community are now waterlogged, making it impossible for people to pass even on foot.
Lamenting on the deplorable condition of the community’s environment, Chairman of the Ihuaku kindred, Ebenato, Mr Chinedu Muonago, said the community had spent millions of naira on their own to check the menace to no avail.
He explained that the more the community made efforts to stop the surging erosion caused by flood, the more the situation became worse.
He regretted that whatever materials used to wage the flood were always swept away by the uncontrollable heavy flooding that gather from the adjoining communities, including Igbo-Ukwu, Isuofia and some other parts of Aguata Local Government Area.
Muonago told Oriental News that his community had in the past appealed to individuals and corporate organizations for help, but could not get any hence the decision to run to governments and international agencies to intervene in order to save their souls.
He said that children from the community could not go to school each time it rained, adding that “even adults are always incapacitated in terms of movement whenever there is a rainfall.
“Efforts have been made on several occasions to see if we can control it and members of the community have tasked themselves heavily, contributing huge amounts of money.
“But we can now see that the size of the problem is beyond our control. We have been battling this flood and erosion menace here for the past 10 years. If we can articulate our losses since then, it runs into millions of naira even though no life has been lost. And that is why we are crying before it degenerates to loss of lives which we fear will soon happen, if nothing is done urgently.”
Also the Secretary to the community’s town union, Chief Michael Obiekezie said the ecological problem could only be solved, if the floods from neighbourhoods could be properly channelled so that the erosion there would not continue to deepen.
He said that since the community members could not do it by themselves because of the level the menace had reached, an international agency like the World Bank in addition to Federal and State governments could please respond to their distress call to avert imminent loss of lives and property in the community.
He said that from the look of things, many houses in the community would soon be eroded by the flood and others swallowed by erosion.

12 injured in U.S plane emergency landing

At least 12 people, including three children, have been injured on a transatlantic flight after it encountered “severe and unexpected turbulence.”

The incident prompted the United Airlines flight to make an emergency landing in the Republic of Ireland, the BBC reports.

10 passengers and two crew members were taken to hospital from Shannon Airport shortly before 06:00 BST.

All have now been discharged with the exception of one flight attendant.

The United Airlines flight was travelling from Houston, Texas, to London Heathrow when it diverted to the airport in County Clare.

The injured were taken to University Hospital, Limerick, with cuts, bruises and minor head injuries.

“As of 10:30, one patient was still being assessed and the remaining 11 were discharged,” said the hospital.

Buhari signs N241.5b FCT budget

President Muhammadu Buhari has signed the 2016 Federal Capital Territory (FCT) Abuja Appropriation Act, the Senior Special Assistant to the President on National Assembly Matters, Senator Ita Enang, has said.

Enang said President Buhari assented to N241.5 billion 2016 FCT budget as passed by the National Assembly.

A statement issued by the presidential aide did not however say when the fiscal document was signed.

Enang said “The legal implantation of the budget, therefore comes into effect, which will result in employment in the formal sectors and informal sectors through projects implementation and employment there from arising.”

On budget of statutory corporations and agencies, Enang said some Nigerians have asked questions on the legal and legislative grounds for laying of the budget of statutory corporations before the National Assembly for consideration and passage.