President Jonathan Mourns Oronto Douglas

President Goodluck Jonathan is deeply saddened by the death this morning, of his Special Adviser on Research, Documentation and Strategy, Mr. Oronto Douglas.

President Jonathan extends his heartfelt condolences to the Douglas family and the government and people of Bayelsa State on the death of one of their most distinguished sons who served his country, state and the Niger Delta region, passionately and diligently, during his very impactful years on earth.

Oronto Douglas, who passed away after a protracted battle with cancer, was President Jonathan’s personal aide for close to a decade. The President will always remember him for his passion for work, excellence, inspiring creativity and outstanding commitment to his duties.

The President remains thankful to God Almighty for the brilliance and resourcefulness that Oronto brought to bear on every assignment as a loyal and dutiful aide during his tenure as Governor of Bayelsa State and as Vice President, Acting President and President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria.

President Jonathan believes that Oronto will remain a shining and worthy example for every young Nigerian who seeks a life of service and achievement.

He prays that Almighty God will grant Oronto's soul eternal rest, and the Douglas family and everyone who knew him, the fortitude to bear the pain of his death.

Formal funeral arrangements will be announced by the Douglas family.

Reuben Abati

Special Adviser to the President

(Media & Publicity)

April 9, 2015

UN In $174m Appeal For Nigeria’s Boko Haram Refugees

“Displaced people in north-eastern Nigeria and across borders are in a very dramatic situation,” Liz Ahua, west Africa representative for the UNHCR, the UN refugee agency, said at the launch in Dakar.

The United Nations launched an appeal on Thursday for $174 million in what it called “life-saving aid” for almost 200,000 Nigerians who have fled brutal attacks by Boko Haram jihadists.

The insurgents, who are seeking to create an Islamic state in the country’s predominantly Muslim north, have killed more than 13,000 people since 2009.

“Displaced people in north-eastern Nigeria and across borders are in a very dramatic situation,” Liz Ahua, west Africa representative for the UNHCR, the UN refugee agency, said at the launch in Dakar.

“They continue to fear for their lives, and are at this point unable to return to their homes.”

Some 192,000 people have fled over Nigeria’s borders into Cameroon, Chad and Niger seeking refuge from relentless violence, according to the UNHCR.

A further 1.2 million have been displaced within Nigeria as a direct result of the bloodshed, the agency said at the launch of the Nigeria Inter-Agency Regional Refugee Response Plan.

Staff and volunteers in 23 aid organisations and UN agencies say they are struggling to provide shelter, food, education and sanitation for the refugees.

“Adequate funding is crucial to make sure aid agencies can improve living conditions for refugees in asylum countries and respond to their protection need,” Ahua said.

“We need to continue to relocate refugees away from the conflict border areas, and establish additional refugee camps where needed.”

Largely peaceful presidential elections on March 28 saw Goodluck Jonathan lose to challenger Muhammadu Buhari in Nigeria’s first ever democratic transfer of power.

But security fears remain high ahead of this weekend’s regional elections.

Nigeria, Chad, Niger and Cameroon last month launched an unprecedented joint campaign against Boko Haram after the militants widened their offensive with attacks in the neighbouring countries.

Chadian President Idriss Deby vowed on Wednesday to “wipe out” the organisation and called on its commander Abubakar Shekau to give himself up, warning that he knew where the militant leader was hiding.

Fayose's Impeachment: Ekiti House of Assembly Directs Chief Judge To Set up Panel

The impeachment proceedings against Governor Ayodele Fayose of Ekiti State moved one step forward today with a resolution by the House of Assembly, under the leadership of Speaker Wale Omirin to authorize the Chief Judge to set up an impeachment panel to look into the allegations of gross misconduct against the governor.

The resolution, obtained exclusively by SaharaReporters, was signed by the speaker and two other members of the "G19", the 19 majority members of the All Progressives Congress who want the two-time governor removed from office.

Our sources said the House membership met at an undisclosed location in Ado-Ekiti to discuss the way forward following the notice of impeachment they served against Fayose on March 3rd 2015.

Appearing on a live radio and television show on Tuesday, Governor Fayose bragged, “I’m like Israel that is in the midst of enemies but will always prevail. Whoever wants to remove me will first have to impeach God.”

In October 2006, Fayose and his first term deputy, Mrs. Biodun Olujimi, were impeached on corruption charges. If impeached in the ongoing drama, he would become the first man in Nigerian history to be impeached twice from the same elected position.

SaharaReporters has published evidence as to how the Peoples Democratic Party, in collusion with the security services, rigged him back to power in June 2014.

Court refuses to stop impeachment proceedings against Fayose, deputy

Ekiti State Governor, Ayodele Fayose, and his deputy, Kolapo Olusola, on Wednesday failed in their legal bid to stop the impeachment moves being made against them by the All Progressives Congress members of the state House of Assembly.

A Federal High Court in Abuja on Wednesday rejected their prayers contained in an ex parte application seeking interim injunction to set aside the impeachment notice served on them and halt further moves to remove them from office.

The court only granted prayers contained in the ex parte application relating to service of the court processes on the defendants.

Rather than granting the prayers for interim injunction, Justice Ahmed Mohammed ordered the defendants in the suit, including the APC factional.

Speaker of the House of ‎Assembly, Adewale Omirin, and the Chief Judge of the state, Justice Ayodeji Daramola, to appear in court on April 16.The court ordered the defendants to appear in court to show cause why the order of interim injunction being sought by the plaintiffs halting the impeachment proceedings should not be granted.‎

Apart from Omirin and Justice Daramola, other defendants in the suit are the Inspector General of Police, Mr. Suleiman Abba, and the Independent National Electoral Commission.The plaintiffs in the suit are the Speaker of the House of Assembly (described as being occupied by the Peoples Democratic Party factional Speaker, Olugbemi Joseph Dele); Ekiti State House of Assembly, Fayose and Olusola.

Counsel for the plaintiffs, Mr. Ahmed Raji, had sought ‎the interim injunctions halting the impeachment moves through an ex parte application dated and filed on April 7, 2015.He had urged the court to grant the interim injunction setting aside the impeachment notice already served on the governor and the deputy and also restraining the defendants from taking any further steps in the impeachment. moves.

The lawyer argued that the act by Omirin to issue an impeachment notice and serve same on the governor and the deputy governor as Speaker of the House of Assembly amounted to ‎impersonating the incumbent Speaker.“The gravamen of our complaint is that a former Speaker of the parliament, the Ekiti State House of Assembly, in theperson of the 1st respondent (Omirin) is trying to impersonate the 1st plaintiff (Dele) who is the current Speaker of the parliament,” Raji said.

Part of the orders sought in the ex parte application are “An order of injunction restraining the 1st defendant (Dele)and other errant members of the 2nd plaintiff (Ekiti State House of Assembly) from further taking any step or engaging in unlawful activities relating to the impeachment of Peter Ayodele Fayose and Dr. Kolapo Olusola as governor and deputy governor of Ekiti State.

“An interim order of injunction restraining the Chief Judge of Ekiti State from taking any step or action in relation to the request of the 1st defendant (Omirin) for the purpose of appointing a panel of seven persons to investigate the purported allegations of gross misconduct against Peter Ayodele Fayose and Dr. Kolapo Olusola.“An interim order of injunction restraining the police from continuing to abet, give cover, protection or lend credence to the activities of the 1st defendant and other errant members of the 2nd plaintiff for self-help in disruption of legislative proceedings in the Ekiti State House of Assembly.“An interim order of injunction setting aside the purported notice of impeachment and all the steps taken by the 1st defendant and other errant members of the 2nd plaintiff in relation to the purported issuance and service of the notice of impeachment for the purpose of commencing.

And concluding impeachment proceedings against Peter Ayodele Fayose. And Dr. Kolapo Olusola.”The plaintiffs had urged the court to grant the prayers and make the interim injunctions to subsist pending the determination of their motion on notice for interlocutory injunctions seeking the same set of prayers.

Raji urged the court to grant the prayers “in the interest of justice, public order, peace and safety of the people of the state”.‎But the judge in his ruling rather than granting the interimin junctions ordered the parties to appear in court to convince the court why the plaintiffs’ prayers for interim injunction should not be granted.

Justice Mohammed ruled, “The order is hereby made directing the 1st to 4th defendants (Omirin, IGP, INEC and Ekiti CJ), ‎to appear before this court on April 16, 2015 and show cause why the interim order sought by the plaintiffs via an ex parte motion dated April 7, 2015 should not be made by this court.”But the court granted other prayers contained in the ex parte motion relating to service of the court processes, including the main suit) on the defendants.

The court granted leave to serve Omirin and Justice Daramola, who reside in Ekiti State, outside jurisdiction.It also ordered that Omirin and the Ekiti State Chief Judge be served through advertisement in a national newspaper.

It also made a separate order that the Chief Judge be served with processes of court through the office of the Chief Registrar of of the Ekiti State High Court.In their main suit, FHC/ABJ/CS/302/2015, ‎the plaintiffs are seeking nine prayers among which is “an order setting aside the purported notice of impeachment and all steps taken by the 1st defendant (Omirin) with other errant members of the 2nd plaintiff (Ekiti State House of Assembly) in relation to the purported issuance and service of the said notice of impeachment for the purpose of commencing and concluding the impeachment proceedings against Peter Ayodele Fayose and Dr. Olusola Kolapo, except and until there is absolute compliance with provisions of section 36(1) and section 188(1), (2), (3) and (4) of the 1999 Constitution (as amended).”

Other prayers being sought by the plaintiffs include, “An order prohibiting the 1st defendant (Omirin) and other errant members of the 2nd plaintiff (Ekiti State House of Assembly) from further taking any step, or engaging in unlawful activities relating to the impeachment of Peter Ayodele Fayose and Dr. Olusola Kolapo, except and until there is absolute compliance with provisions of section 36(1) and section 188(1), (2), (3) and (4) of the 1999 Constitution (as amended).“An order prohibiting the Chief Judge of Ekiti State from taking any step or action in relation to the request of the 1st defendant (Omirin) for the purpose of appointing a panel of seven persons to investigate and purported allegations of gros misconduct against Peter Ayodele Fayose and Dr. Olusola Kolapo, except and until there is absolute compliance with provisions of section 36(1) and section 188(1), (2), (3) and (4) of the 1999 Constitution (asamended).‎”Justice Mohammed on Wednesday ordered that hearing notices be served on all the defendants and adjourned the matter till April 16.

Welcome to Smart Blaze: Kenyan govt freezes accounts of suspected financiers of Al-Shabaab

Welcome to Smart Blaze: Kenyan govt freezes accounts of suspected financiers of Al-Shabaab

Kenyan govt freezes accounts of suspected financiers of Al-Shabaab

The Kenya Government has frozen the bank accounts of 86 entities and individuals suspected to be financiers of terror group, Al-Shabaab following the killing of 147 people in Garissa on April 2nd.

According to the spokesperson of Kenya's Interior Ministry, Mwenda Njoka, the move is designed to choke the flow of money to the Islamist terror group Al Shabab. Owners of the 86 accounts have.   also been put on a government watch list.
Al-Shabab has carried out multiple attacks in Kenya in recent years, and has warned that more will come unless Kenya withdraws its troops from Somalia.

by smartblaze.....