The United States Ambassador to Nigeria, James Entwistle, has commended the anti-corruption drive of President Muhammadu Buhari, saying it is a positive sign for Nigeria’s economic future.
The envoy challenged the nation to unite with the US to fight endemic corruption in Nigeria.
Speaking during the commemoration of the 2015 International Anti-Corruption Day on Tuesday in Abuja, Entwistle stated that corruption must be addressed by governments, civil society organisations and the private sector, through “top-down and bottom-up efforts.”
He said, “According to the recent Transparency International report on corruption in Africa, Nigerians were among the most likely to believe that corruption was getting worse in their country.
“President Buhari’s focus on addressing corruption is a positive indication for a secure and bright, economic future for this country. Corruption must be addressed by governments, civil society and the private sector, through both top-down and bottom-up efforts.
“The success of this fight depends on continuing efforts to ensure that citizens everywhere, as individuals, journalists, and as organised civil society, are able to expose corruption and participate in holding their governments accountable.”
UYO—As the ’ember’ months get under way, the Federal Road Safety Corps, FRSC, in Akwa Ibom State has warned that motorists who overload their vehicles would be apprehended and sentenced instantly after trial in the corps’ mobile court.
Information Officer of Akwa Ibom State Command of the FRSC, Mr. Godsgift Owen, disclosed this, yesterday, during an interaction withVanguard in his office in Uyo, noting that during Yuletide, commercial motorists were in the habit of overloading their vehicles thereby endangering the lives of commuters.
To curb the excesses of motorists in this season, Owen said the Command of had commenced aggressive enlightenment campaigns and as such would demand maximum cooperation and compliance with road-safety regulations.
The 66-year-old father of California jihadist Syed Rizwan Farook was placed on the FBI’s terrorist watch list as investigators expanded their probe to include the killer’s family members and friends, federal law enforcement sources said Monday.
Farook’s dad, who is also named Syed, is being monitored by the FBI because of his son’s terrorist status and his own trips to Pakistan.
The elder Farook came to the United States in 1972 and became a US citizen in 1999.
“Farook, although he is dead, is now officially listed by the FBI as a terrorist,” a federal law enforcement source told The Post. “His father is watch-listed because of his close association to Farook and his extensive ties to Pakistan.”
After the massacre, the elder Farook tried to distance himself from his son, telling reporters, “His views were conservative. My views were liberal.”
Authorities also are investigating whether Farook’s mom, Rafia, knew about her son’s plot and stockpile of weapons before he and his wife, Tashfeen Malik, killed 14 people in San Bernardino.
“The mom definitely has exposure as a potential co-conspirator,” a law enforcement source said. “We are trying to uncover any evidence of her possible involvement which could lead to charges.”
Another US official briefed on the matter said that people who knew Farook and Malik observed the couple change — but never reported their suspicions to law enforcement.
“There were people within their circle who saw them change — Farook especially — and no one said a word to the authorities,” the source said.
“This is of great concern to us. We need people to come forward and tell us when there is a change like this so we can do something.”
Meanwhile, Farook’s family issued an apology for his evil deeds, just a few days after their lawyers insisted Malik was nothing but a “caring housewife.”
“The Farook family would like to extend their deepest sympathies and condolences to the families, friends, and colleagues of the victims in Wednesday afternoon’s horrific event at the Inland Regional Center in San Bernardino, California,” the statement reads.
“We have cooperated with law enforcement and will continue to do so,” the statement continues.
“We understand there are many questions that need to be answered but right now, our hope and prayer is for peace and healing for the victims, their families, friends, and colleague, the entire community of San Bernardino, and those touched by these events throughout the state of California and our nation.”
Three years ago, arms experts spotted a single advanced Belgian rifle in the hands of militants in Gaza. But how had a group listed by the EU and the US as a terrorist organisation obtained the weapon? Arms expert Nic Jenzen-Jones and the BBC's Thomas Martienssen have tracked its journey.
On 2 October 2012, the al-Quds Brigade, the armed wing of Palestinian Islamic Jihad, took to the streets of Rafah in southern Gaza to mark the 17th anniversary of a comrade's assassination in Malta by the Israeli intelligence agency, Mossad.
It's an annual event - a military parade where the militants often display their latest arms and munitions acquisitions. And in the 2012 parade, they certainly had something new.
Among the usual assortment of AK-type rifles, general-purpose machine guns from the former Warsaw Pact countries, Chinese self-loading rifles, heavy machine guns and rocket-propelled grenade launchers, were two self-loading rifles far less common in these parts - the Belgian F2000 and the Russian AK-103.
Hitherto, the F2000 and the AK-103 had rarely been seen in the hands of the same fighting force. But in the Libyan Civil War, a year earlier, the F2000 Standard with LG1 under-barrel grenade launcher had been documented in the hands of both pro-Gaddafi and, later, rebel fighters - and so had a variant of the AK-103, the AK-103-2 with three-round burst capability.
So how did these guns arrive in Libya, and how did they travel from there to Gaza? A former rebel fighter in Libya, whom we will call Ahmed, can tell part of the story.
After the fall of Tripoli to anti-Gaddafi forces in August 2011, most rebel factions turned their eyes south, towards the cities of Sirte and Sabha. One of the last few cities under loyalist control, Sabha was the next target for Ahmed and his militia unit.
But they arrived too late. Sabha was liberated on 20 September and they only made it two days later. They had missed most of the excitement but they heard plenty of stories from a former student of about Ahmed's age, Ali. One of these was about an incident that had taken place on the southern outskirts of Sabha the previous day.
"We had a checkpoint just outside Sabha. A car came up and the window rolled down," said Ali. "The man told us he was an officer from the 32nd Brigade and we were to let them past. We didn't have any revolutionary flags at the time, so maybe they thought we were with Gaddafi's forces."
Ali captured the officer and his staff, together with his personal weapons - two modern AK-type rifles, a gold-plated handgun and two large, strange-looking rifles they referred to, mistakenly, as "the French FN".
Image captionAli's unit and their two F2000 rifles (left and centre)Image captionAn F2000 in the hands of one of Ali's fighters
The sale of the Belgian guns to the Gaddafi government had been agreed in May 2008. The manufacturer, FN Herstal, based on the outskirts of Liege, had pledged to supply 367 F2000 rifles, each fitted with an LG1 under-barrel grenade launcher, plus 367 P90 submachine guns, 367 Five-seven handguns, 50 Browning Hi-Power "Renaissance" handguns, 30 Minimi light machine guns, 2,000 FN 303 less-lethal launchers, and more than a million rounds of differing ammunition types. They would be paid more than 12m euros.
For many years the UN had banned the sale of arms to Libya, but when the country promised to destroy its chemical weapons and give up efforts to obtain other weapons of mass destruction it began to regain some standing in the international community. The UN arms embargo was lifted in 2003, and a separate EU arms embargo came to an end in 2004.
The Belgian arms were needed, according to the Libyan government, to escort an aid convoy to Sudan's troubled Darfur region. FN Herstal, Europe's largest exporter of military small arms, emphasises that the sale was entirely legal and it was far from the only European company selling arms to Libya at this time. Within five years of the European embargo being lifted the EU granted licences for sales of weapons to Libya worth about 834m euros. Companies in the UK and Italy were among those who got in on the act.
By November 2009, the weapons from the Belgian deal had all arrived in Libya, and went to equip the 32nd Reinforced Brigade, popularly known as the "Khamis" Brigade after its commanding officer, Khamis Gaddafi, the president's youngest son.
According to evidence gathered by Human Rights Watch, the brigade went on to commit a number of human rights violations, including the summary execution of some 45 detainees in Salahaddin, near Tripoli, on 23 August 2011.
A 30-year-old advert representative, Happiness Uwah, on Tuesday at the Igando Customary Court, Lagos called for the dissolution of her six months union to Martins Uwah over alleged battery. According to Happiness, her estranged husband was in the habit of beating her at the slightest provocation. The couple had dated each other for about two years before the traditional wedding was consummated six months ago.
Happiness added that her now estranged husband smokes, the habit he did not exhibit during courtship, saying that she does not love him anymore. “The first day the beating started, I was sick, so he asked me not to take any drugs that we should get to the hospital first and do all the necessary tests. “He told me to wind down and ask for the turning to Subol Hospital, but I told him I was familiar with the turning; but he suddenly stopped and asked a passerby.
“The man said we had passed the turning, he hit my head and started beating me, I had to go home,’’ she said. Martins in response to the allegations told the court that he still loves his wife and said that Happiness behaviour towards him only depict “someone who does not want to stay married.“
“It is true that I beat her, but I have apologised. She flares up at almost anything, there was a day we wanted to have our morning devotion, I told her to off her phone she refused. “She got angry and went to the living room, I went to talk to her, and held her, she told me not to touch her, I left her, then l went back and beat her severely.
“She still receives phone calls from men. I always tell her that we were married by tradition, even though we were still preparing for our church wedding. “I think this whole thing is more of tribal, I’m from Akwa Ibom and she is from Imo. Her mum was against our union, she says things that are derogatory to my family, I still love her,’’ Martins said.
President of the court, A. L Omilola, ordered the couple to come for Alternative Dispute Resolution (ADR) with three members of their family each on Jan. 20. The case was adjourned till Jan. 29 for mention.
Kia Motors Nigeria was the cynosure of all at the yearly NAJA Awards at Eko Hotels and Suites, Victoria Island, Lagos, when its Rio brand defeated other automobiles’ brands to win the Car of the Year Award, reports TAJUDEEN ADEBANJO
THE Kia Rio automobile in a keenly contested competition, has beat other brands to earn the prestigious 2015 Car of the Year (COTY) Award. It got the highest number of votes across the country to top the competition.
The event, which was the annual Nigerian Automobile Journalists Association (NAJA) awards, saw the Kia Rio conquering some high-performance challengers to take the victory. The brand was adjudged to have ticked all the boxes in terms of value for money, safety, innovation, technology and dynamics.
The third generation Kia Rio’s fantastic engines, great handling, and lighter platform were adjudged the best amongst other competing brands.
In October this year, NAJA started conducting annual assessment of all selected cars that are eligible to be included in the car of the year category. All the cars went through rigorous testing, which also included driving on various Nigerian roads.
At the ceremony, which held at the Eko Hotels and Suites, NAJA’s judges revealed that the Kia Rio won because of its sophistication and fuel efficiency. Other factors considered were its handling and drivers’ involvement.
“Kia will continue to build cars that brighten people’s lives and exceed their expectations. The Kia Rio has just upped the ante once again. We aim to become a “one-and-only” brand for our customers; a brand they will choose again and again,” said Chief Commercial Officer, Kia Motors Nigeria, Sandeep Malhotra.
Intelligently designed and expertly engineered, every single detail of both the Kia Rio’s exterior and interior seems meticulously thought-out.
The Kia Rio, also dubbed as the People’s Car, is a top-of-the-segment sub-compact car featuring the engineering prowess, future-proofed safety technologies and classic design elements that ensure that they will remain remarkable for years to come.
The Rio is a solid pick for a small sedan or hatchback. It’s not quite as refined as some class-leading rivals, but it might still win you over with its inviting cabin, strong engine performance and excellent value.
It is stylish inside and out; ample standard and optional features; high-quality interior materials on EX and SX; long warranty; strong acceleration; feels bigger than it is.
“Grown-up” really would be the optimum expression to describe the Rio. Its exterior is notably European in appearance, with the sedan in particular, avoiding the awkward proportions of its competitors. And although the base LX trim is rather bare-bones, the EX and SX step things up considerably with higher-quality interior materials and near-luxury levels of equipment that are sure to make one forget that he’s in such a small car.
It comes with standard four-wheel antilock disc brakes, stability control, hill start assist, front side airbags and full-length side curtain airbags.
Overall, the Rio stays very composed when driven either gently or at whatever the engine can deliver. It handles remarkably well for a small, inexpensive hatchback with a basic strut and torsion-beam suspension and a short wheelbase, although one would appreciate some more feedback from the steering.
The interior is a little tighter on space than other subcompacts, but pleasing trims and materials and reasonably good cabin refinement keep it more cheerful than the other choices.
Earlier in the day, the Grammy's released this year's nominations, shocking everyone with "Back to Back" listed in the "Best Rap Performance" category.
Following the diss from rapper, Meek Mill,Drake released "Back to Back" as his second diss song, and now has become the first diss track to be nominated for a Grammy award. Knowing the intention behind the track, it was quite unexpected when it turned into a hit, and even more shocking as it gets nominated for the prestigious Grammy Awards.
Earlier in the day, the Grammy's released this year's nominations, shocking everyone with "Back to Back" listed in the"Best Rap Performance" category.
Most people, fans alike, have spoken up about the fact that Drake and OVO decided to submit the diss song rather than "Hotline Bling," for the nomination, especially since Drake actually released it before "Back to Back."
Ebro speculated via a tweet that Drake had wanted to focus on"Hotline Bling," but that it the label had submitted "Back to Back" instead, even as he went on to make some sense of the nominations choices.
The "Best Rap Performance" category that Drake is nominated for has been around since 1989 and even then notable diss tracks of the past like Tupac's "Hit Em Up,or Jay Z's "Takeover" were never recognized back then.
