Europe migrant crisis: Heartbreaking photo of dead baby should shock the world

A HEARTBREAKING photograph of a drowned migrant baby in the arms of a charity worker has been released following a week in which 700 migrants were killed trying to cross the Mediterranean.

The baby, who appears to be no more than a year old, was pulled from the sea off the coast of Italy on Friday after a wooden boat capsized, The Sun reported.

Forty-five bodies arrived in the southern Italian port of Reggio Calabria on Sunday aboard an Italian navy ship, which picked up 135 survivors from the same incident.

German rescue organisation Sea-Watch, operating a rescue boat in the sea between Libya and Italy, released the picture taken by a media production company on board, in a bid to convince European authorities to ensure the safe passage of migrants.

In an email, the rescuer, who gave his name as Martin, said he had spotted the baby in the water “like a doll, arms outstretched”.

He said: “I took hold of the forearm of the baby and pulled the light body protectively into my arms at once, as if it were still alive ... It held out its arms with tiny fingers into the air, the sun shone into its bright, friendly but motionless eyes.”

The rescuer, a father of three and by profession a music therapist, added: “I began to sing to comfort myself and to give some kind of expression to this incomprehensible, heart-rending moment. Just six hours ago this child was alive.”

Like the photograph of the three-year-old Syrian boy Aylan laying lifeless on a Turkish beach last year, the image puts a human face on the more than 8000 people who have died in the Mediterranean since the start of 2014.

Little is known about the child who, according to Sea-Watch, was immediately handed over to the Italian navy.

Rescuers could not confirm whether the partially clothed tot was a boy or a girl and it is not known whether the child’s mother or father are among the survivors.

Sea-Watch collected around 25 other bodies, including another child, according to claims from the crew seen by Reuters.

The Sea-Watch team said it unanimously decided to publish the photo.

They said: “In the wake of the disastrous events it becomes obvious to the organisations on the ground that the calls by EU politicians to avoid further death at sea sum up to nothing more than lip service.

“If we do not want to see such pictures we have to stop producing them.”

The organisation called for Europe to allow migrants safe and legal passage as a way of shutting down people smuggling and further tragedies.

At least 700 migrants are believed to have died at sea during the past week — the busiest week of migrant crossings from Libya towards Italy this year, the UN Refugee agency said on Sunday.

The boat carrying the baby left the shores of Libya near Sabratha late on Thursday, and then began to take on water, according to accounts by survivors collected by Save the Children on Sunday. Hundreds were on board when it capsized, the survivors said.

The baby’s tragic death comes after it emerged that a woman migrant was decapitated in a horrific accident as a boat carrying 500 people started to sink in the Med on Thursday.

The vessel, which had no engine, was being towed by another smuggling boat — also with hundreds on board — when it started to take on water.

Survivors of the disaster claim refugees started to panic and jumped into the sea.

Others told how the Sudanese captain of the first boat then cut the tow rope which snapped back and decapitated a woman — though it is not clear which of the two boats she was on.

Hundreds drowned between Wednesday and Friday when their boats all overturned off southern Italy, according to the UN refugee agency.

Giovanna Di Benedetto, Save the Children’s spokeswoman in Sicily, told AFP it was impossible to verify the numbers involved but survivors of Thursday’s wreck spoke of around 1100 people setting out from Libya on Wednesday in two fishing boats and a dinghy.

She said: “The first boat, carrying some 500 people, was reportedly towing the second, which was carrying another 500. But the second boat began to sink. Some people tried to swim to the first boat, others held onto the rope linking the vessels.”

The Sudanese captain was arrested on his arrival in Pozzallo along with three other suspected people traffickers, Italian media reports said.

source thesun

Tourist films incredible moment three lions in Botswana lick water off her tent

A SHOCKED tourist could only watch in awe as three lionesses started to lick the water from her tent.

According to The Sun, Francie Lubbe and her husband were sitting inside her tent in Kgalagadi Transfrontier Park in Botswana during the incredible moment.

The nature lover managed to stay calm as the three lions padded up to the tent to take a drink.

She captured the whole thing on camera and posted the incredible scene on Facebook.

Lubbe said that it had been raining in the National Park overnight, leaving a large amount of rain water on their tent.

The front flap of the tent was open, leaving only a thin strip of material between her and the fearsome predators.

The tourists’ sun cream and drinks are visible in the amazing video.

In the hair-raising clip, the big cats calmly lick the gauze to drink the water.

The awe-inspiring beasts seem to have no idea that two humans were filming them from behind the gauze.

Lubbe wrote on Facebook: “What a privilege.

“It rained during the night and three lionesses are licking the water from the tent. It was special.”

She uploaded her other holiday snaps to Facebook on the group Kgalagadi Sightings.

The incredible clip was taken on 9 May.

The Kgalagadi Transfrontier Park straddles South Africa and Botswana.

On the South African side, it is called the Kalahari Gemsbok National Park.

To the Botswanan side, the park is called the Gemsbok National Park.

The entire reserve covers 3.6 million hectares.

the sun

Fraud suspect dies in EFCC custody

Desmond Nunugwo, a suspect under investigation by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, passed away Friday few hours after he was taken into custody, the EFCC said in a statement.
Mr. Nunugwo’s death was confirmed at the hospital where he was rushed after he suddenly took ill.
The EFCC said he fraudulently obtained N91 million from an acquaintance after he tricked her into believing that he had high net worth business associates in Dubai, United Arab Emirates, who were at the verge of buying Nicon Insurance and convinced her of their disposition to help her stock fish business.
Consequently, the acquaintance wired N91 million into Mr. Nunugwo’s nominated account (Mainagge General Merchants) in Diamond Bank.
After the transfer of the funds, Mr. Nunugwo became evasive forcing the complainant to report the transaction to the EFCC.
“Mr. Nunugwo was arrested in Utako, Abuja, at about 5.33pm on Thursday, June 9, 2016,” a statement signed by EFCC spokesperson, Wilson Uwujaren, said.
“His statement was taken, where he admitted receiving the money from the complainant, with the additional information that he transferred N30m of the said money to Norway. But he could not explain the whereabouts of the balance of N61m.
“The suspect was detained at about 7.30pm, in the absence of anybody to take him on bail.

“Six hours later, he suddenly complained of discomfort and was rushed to the hospital where he was pronounced dead,” the statement said.
The commission said the incident had already been reported at the Wuse Police Station, where investigation into the cause of the sudden death has commenced.

dailypost

Jonathan pays tribute to Stephen Keshi

Immediate past president of Nigeria, Goodluck Ebele Jonathan, on Friday paid tribute to former Super Eagles Coach and defender, Stephen Okechukwu Keshi.

Keshi passed on early hours of Wednesday, citing heart related diseases.

Recall that Keshi won the 2013 edition of the African Cup of Nations, AFCON, when Jonathan was the president of the Country.

Jonathan paid his tribute via his twitter handle @GEJonathan on Friday.

He said, “I was Nigeria’s leader when Stephen Keshi led our team to win AFCON and I testify that we couldn’t have done it without him. Adieu Keshi.”

The former President has now joined other leaders and sports-loving people all over the world to pay tribute to the football legend who was among the few that achieved the feat of winning the AFCON as a player and a coach.

Mohammed Idiagbon: "Envious Colleagues Set Me Up" - UNILORIN Lecturer Says

A former Head of English Department, University of Ilorin, Dr Muhammed Idiagbon, who was accused of sexually harassing a female student of the school, says his ordeal is a set-up by his colleagues.

He said his co-workers, who were envious of his success and achievements, were behind the incident.

Idiagbon, who said this in a text message to our correspondent on Thursday, promised to give a detailed account of what happened in a press conference.

He said, “The allegation is harassment and not rape. It is a conspiracy; a set-up by my colleagues over my rise to stardom. I will address the media at the appropriate time.”

Efforts by our correspondent to get additional comments proved abortive, as his telephone line indicated that it had been switched off.

Meanwhile, the management of the university has promised that justice will be done in the case.

A statement on Thursday by the UNILORIN’s Deputy Director, Corporate Affairs, Mr. Kunle Akogun, said the matter was receiving serious attention from the authorities.

According to the statement, the school management had directed the dean of the faculty where the incident allegedly occurred to conduct proper investigation into the case.

It added that the faculty had concluded its investigation and submitted a report to the university’s disciplinary committee.

It said the report of the committee would soon be released, assuring all parties concerned that justice would be done.

The statement also confirmed PUNCH Metro’s Tuesday report that Idiagbon had been removed as the head of the Department of English.

It said, “For the avoidance of doubt, the University of Ilorin will not allow anybody that violates its rules and regulations to go scot-free

“However, in meting out appropriate sanctions against any offender, we always ensure that due process is strictly followed.

“In the meantime, the lecturer in question has been removed from his position as acting head of department pending the conclusion of investigations.”

source :punchng

I’m paying the price for talking too much before 2015 elections – Lai Mohammed

Minister of Information, Lai Mohammed has said that the only sin he committed against Nigerians was that he talked too much during the All Progressives Congress, APC, campaigns before the 2015 general elections.

This was part of his speech on Thursday at the ongoing inaugural town hall meeting of the holding in Abuja .

He said, “I believe that my only sin is talking too much before the elections and I now have to pay the price.”

“The first one was held in Lagos. Any meaningful assessment must be situated within the right context.

“We campaigned on three broad areas, corruption, revamp the economy and security. Have we met our targets? If you ask me, I will say we are on track.

“When we came in, many local governments in the north-east were under the control of Boko Haram. They hoisted their flags, they were even collecting taxes, but today not even a single local government is under the control of Boko Haram.

“We have been able to liberate 16,000 captors from the enclave of Boko Haram.”

The event, termed “Buharimeter” was organized by Centre for Democracy and Development and aimed at assessing the one year in office of President Buhari and his administration.

Other ministers at the event included Ministers of Power, Works and Housing, Babatunde Fashola, Agriculture and Rural Development, Audu Ogbeh, Environment, Amina Mohammed and Budget and National Planning, Udo Udoma .

source :http://dailypost.ng/

Wike begs militants to embrace dialogue.

The Rivers State Governor, Nyesom Ezenwo Wike has called on Niger-Delta militants to embrace dialogue as the blowing up of oil facilities is negatively affecting the nation’s economy.

According to a statement by Simeon Nwakaudu, Special Assistant to the Rivers State Governor, Electronic MediaHe the governor also accused Nigerian Agip Oil Company of being responsible for some of the conflicts in the area, stating that should Agip continue to act against the security of the state, the state government will revoke the certificate of occupancy of the oil company.

The governor also stated that the destruction of oil installations also damage the environment which will negatively impact host communities.

He spoke at the Government House, Port Harcourt on Friday when he received the Ogba, Ndoni, Egbema Local Area (ONELGA ) Youths Consultative Council (OYCC). 

He said that should the oil production continue to drop, the nation will face crisis, hence the need for the restoration of peace through negotiation and dialogue. 

He said : “If the oil production continues to drop, this country will be in crisis. Blowing up oil facilities also has negative effect on our environment. There is need for the dialogue to go on.

“I believe in one united Nigeria and it is in our interest to have peace for development “.

Governor Wike added that the Niger Delta State Governors should be involved in the the process for the award of pipeline contracts for the identification of clean groups without links to cultists.

He commended the OYCC for promoting peace in ONELGA, which is the highest oil producing local government in the country. 

The governor assured the people of ONELGA that his administration will execute more development projects in the area. He added that the people also benefit from the the entrepreneurial loan scheme of his administration for small businesses.

Earlier, President of OYCC, Mr Kingsley Ogumike praised Governor Wike for executing developmental projects in the area and appointing indigenes of the area into key positions.

They appealed to the governor to always invest in the security of the local government area. He assured the governor of the support of the youths in the area.

source vanguard news

N-Delta wants to control its resources —AVENGERS.

Seeks support of Britain, France, US, China and EU Stakeholders sue for peace, insist on dialogue 

Tompolo has not fled anywhere—Akpodoro

 WARRI—THE Niger Delta Avengers, NDA, yesterday, said that the people of Niger Delta want to assume ownership of their resources, and urged the international community to support the quest. 

In the last two weeks, the Avengers had bombed pipelines in both Delta and Bayelsa states, forcing Shell Petroleum Development Company, SPDC, Chevron Nigeria Limited, CNL, Nigerian Agip Oil Company, NAOC, and others to shut down operations.

 However, a member of the Delta State House of Assembly,  Daniel Yingi, national coordinator of  Centre for Peace and Environmental Justice, CEPEJ, Sheriff Mulade, and other stakeholders, cautioned the militants to embrace dialogue with government, while former chairman of Delta Waterways and Security Committee, DWSC, Warri, Chief Ayiri Emami, said criminality should be separated from agitation for resource control. 

Holding the country to ransom Meanwhile, National President of National Coalition of Niger Delta Ex-Agitators, NCNDE-A, Israel Akpodoro, yesterday, insisted that no group, including the Niger Delta Avengers, should hold the country to ransom. 

He also faulted the claim by Joint Niger Delta Liberation Force JNDLF, that ex-militant leader, Government Ekpemupolo, alias Tompolo, had fled the country to Libya, saying it was a red herring. 

NDA in a statement by its spokesperson, Brig.-General Mudoch Agbinibo, said: “Since the amalgamation of Nigeria in 1914 to date, our resources have been used to sustain the political administrative live wire of Nigeria to the exclusion of the Niger Delta. 

“We are calling on the international community to come and support the restoration of our right to peaceful self-determination from this tragedy of 1914 that has expired since 2014. We want our resources back to restore the essence of human life in our region for generations to come because Nigeria has failed to do that. The world should not wait until we go the Sudan ways.

 “Since the day crude oil was discovered in commercial quantity  in Oloibiri, present day Bayelsa State, what we have been asking successive governments in Nigeria is potable drinking water, electricity, roads, employment, quality education/educational facilities, resource control, participation in the oil business and inclusive government that will engender substantial freedom.

 “The reverse has been the case: from Oloibiri, Brass LNLG and export terminals in Bayelsa; Bonny LNLG and export terminals in Rivers State; ExxonMobil in Akwa Ibom; Escravos EGTL/ Tankfarm and export terminals; Forcados Tankfarm and export terminals in Delta State operated respectively by Anglo-Dutch Shell, Chevron/Texaco Overseas, Agip ENI, ExxonMobil. 

Communal life and terror of poverty

“The history of our communal lives is terror of poverty, inhumanity and desolate living conditions. However, when you move into these facilities operated by the multinational oil corporations, they are living like Kings and Presidents.

 “For over five decades, we had given multinational oil corporations and their collaborator, the Nigerian state peace, cooperation and love for the crude oil to flow unhindered from our land. 

“The continuous tranquility is only manifesting in the development of mountains, rock, valleys, deserts and lagoon,  but the Niger Delta territory continually alienated from all types of development and all essence of quality human life, while all successive governments worship the crude oil taken from the region. Our communities and the people are only good at securing the pipelines, oil and gas facilities. 

“We are calling on the international community, especially Britain, France, the United States of America, Russia, China and European Union to speak up against this ongoing terror and come to the aid of the Niger Delta, as witnesses to this grave inhumanity and history of terror perpetuated against the people of the Niger Delta daily.

 “This history of terror, we the Niger Delta Avengers will resist and correct with every means necessary. We have nothing to lose in the battles ahead; justice, they say is only found within the structure of a nation state. 

Military might

 “Rather than provide this justice the Nigerian government has decided to mobilize her military might to intimidate, torture, maim, victimize and bombard a section of the nation state and her citizenry to allow the free flow of our oil.

 “Some persons, groups, and commentators may ask what the people of Niger Delta want? We are not like some of these personalities who run champagne parties or turn Rivers State Government House into a house patrimony of godsons. They say the progress and success of a nation state is the reflection of her constitution that is not manufactured to favour some section and excludes the yearnings and aspirations of others; but the indwelling spiritual and historical development of its people.” 

Stakeholders insist on dialogue

 On its part, Mulade, said: “We commend the Federal Government for initiating the ceasefire in the creeks of Delta State after months of military onslaught against rampaging Niger Delta Avengers, NDA. “It is a welcome development, but government should not politicize the dialogue to be led by the National Security Advisers, critical stakeholders from the core oil producing communities should be included in the process, otherwise the impact would not trickle down to the grassroots,” the group said. 

Sensible decision— Okorotie Ex-Chief Whip in the Rivers State House of Assembly and chairman, Bayelsa Development Forum, Chief T.KO Okorotie, said:  “As far as I am concerned, it is a welcome development because the region has been under siege and it’s been a difficult situation. We have all been apprehensive for a long time now because we cannot afford any war at this time.” 

Dialogue with Avengers ’ll fail— Emami 

Chief Emami, however, said: “Dialogue will not work because the issue of criminality has not been separated, which is why they are emboldened to act the way they are acting. 

“Criminals must be treated like criminals, I hear the position of  governors of the South-South, excluding Adams Oshiomhole of Edo State  is that corruption charges be dropped across the region, particularly those on EFCC wanted list, if that is the case, how will the criminality stop.?” 

Avengers threatm empty— Akpodoro 

National President of the National Coalition of Niger Delta Ex-Agitators, Israel Akpodoro, who the Niger Delta Avengers had threatened to kill, some days ago, maintained, yesterday, that no group could hold him to ransom. Tompolo has not fled anywhere On the report by the Joint Niger Delta Liberation Force, JNDLF, that former militant leader, Government Ekpemupolo, a.k.a Tompolo,  has fled the country, the Urhobo-born ex-war lord, said:  “Such deliberate falsehood is meant to mislead the Nigerian people and for the law enforcement agencies to divert attention from the Gbaramatu -born militant. “Tompolo is still in the country. This kind of falsehood was circulated when the former President Olusegun Obasanjo led government declared him wanted whereas Tompolo was in Agbarho all through that time while a section of the Nigerian media was used to spread falsehood on his whereabouts.”

NDLEA Discovers Drugs In Vegetables, Shoes

Officials of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA ) have discovered drugs concealed in vegetables and shoes soles. The drugs, compressed cannabis in vegetables and cocaine inside shoes soles, were said to have been discovered by narcotic agents at the Akanu Ibiam International Airport (AIIA ), Enugu State. The suspects, in their statements, owned up to the crime . They claimed they needed money to take care of basic needs like house rents, school fees and feeding.

The NDLEA Commander at the Enugu airport , Mr . Adeofe Adeyemi , said the agency was working very hard to prevent all cases of illicit drug trafficking. He said: “The command arrested six suspected drug traffickers with 62 . 663 kg of narcotic drugs .

One of the suspects, Ibeh Nonso, 46 , who was going to China, swallowed 67 wraps of cocaine weighing 1.131 kg , while Izukanne Ikenna, 33 , going to Hong Kong, hid 982 grammes of cocaine inside the sole of his shoes.

The only female among them, Kenechukwu Uchenna , 27 , was arrested on her way to Dubai with 11.7 kg of cannabis in dried bitter leaf vegetables . ” The commander mentioned other suspects as Agwu Kalu , 30 , who was found with 25 kg of cannabis in cartons and Okpara Chigozie , 43 , caught with 7.500 kg of cannabis in his bag. Kalu and Chigozie were both arrested on their way to China. Another suspect , Onyia Clinton , 26 , had 16 . 350 kg of cannabis in his luggage during screening of passengers to Doha.

According to NDLEA spokesman , Mitchel Ofoyeju , two of the suspects were found in possession of substances that tested positive for cocaine, while four others were caught with dried weeds of cannabis sativa . He said: “Three of the suspects going to China where drug trafficking is punishable by death were also saved from execution.

A total of 62 . 663 kg of drugs comprising 60 . 55 kg of cannabis and 2 . 113 kg of cocaine were seized. ” NDLEA Chairman, Col . Muhammad Abdallah (rtd . ), warned that those who seek to enrich themselves through drug trafficking shall be apprehended and prosecuted.

Abdallah called on members of the public to appreciate their dignity by taking qualitative drug- free decisions. He said: “NDLEA will continue to invest in public enlightenment to guide people in taking sound drug-free decisions. Life is precious and I urge you to shun drug trafficking

My father almost killed me with sex, 10-yr-old cries.

It’s the devil – SUSPECT LAGOS – Justice Kudirat Jose of Lagos State High Court sitting in Ikeja was, yesterday, told how a commercial driver, Ajayi Gbadegesin, 40, had sexual intercourse with his daughter for 18 months. Led in evidence by the state prosecutor, Mr. Babatunde Oguntemowo, an importer of laboratory and scientific equipment, Babatope Adamolekun, said: “On May 12, 2014, at about 8a.m, on my way to work at Bello Bus Stop, Iju, Lagos, I saw a 10-year-old girl (name withheld) begging a woman for money. “I asked her why she was not in school and the victim narrated to me that she lost her mother, was staying with her step-mother in Agege, a suburb of Lagos and needed money to go back.

“She added that her father had been having sex with her for more than one and half years and that she almost died from the previous night’s experience, as her father had sex with her more than three times.” The witness further told the court that when he asked the girl of her father’s whereabouts, she told him that her father’s commercial bus was parked a few meters away from the bus stop and that he had gone to get fuel. Adamolekun told the court that with the help of four other people, they forced the victim’s father to the police station in a tricycle. He added: “On getting to Red House Police Station at Iju Ishaga in Agege, I told the police what happened and they assigned a female officer to take the girl to hospital for test and treatment. “I assisted them with N7,500 that evening when I was showed the result from the hospital that confirmed that her father had sex with her. The DPO, Ajimote, directed them to charge the matter to court immediately after seeing the report.” The next morning, Gbadegesin admitted having sex with his daughter, saying it was the devil’s work. The witness continued: “Then we chartered a vehicle to Abule-Egba Magistrate’s Court, where I was called as a witness, and the Magistrate ordered that the girl be taken to Idi-Araba for rehabilitation, while her father was remanded in Kirikiri Prison.” Justice Jose adjourned the matter till October 6 for continuation of trial.

Look beyond APC for solutions to economy, Senate tells Buhari

ABUJA—THE Senate, yesterday, vowed to hold accountable, every appointee chosen by President Muhammadu Buhari to help him address the nation’s myriad of economic problems.

President of the Senate, Bukola Saraki, who made the declaration at the celebration of one year of the 8th Senate, sought the support and co-operation of the President to discharge this oversight task.

Lambasting his colleagues for failing to take steps to come up with the necessary policy and legislation to put the economy on the right track, Saraki implored the President to look beyond his party, All Progressives Party, APC, to get the best brains to help him run the economy.

He said: “We are confident that one year after, the President must by now have better clarity on the capacity of his appointees. The Senate would not hesitate to hold any appointee accountable for the work he has accepted to do.

“We would like to seek Mr. President’s support and co-operation to enable us discharge this oversight task.

“We have failed to take the necessary steps in policy and legislation that would set us on the path to developing the kind of economy we desire.’’

Senate worries over worsening economy, unemployment, militancy, others

Saraki expressed concern about the worsening economic situation in the country, which had culminated in retrenchment, rising cost of living, unemployment, insurgency and renewed militancy in the Niger Delta.

He said further in his address to his colleagues in the chamber: “These are serious challenges that require all hands to be on deck. There is no other time in our history than now, when the business of government needs to be conducted with great inclusiveness.

“We must find a way to bring the best brains in our country on board wherever they may be found. Even those who did not vote for us but believe in the change that we all believe is necessary to move our country forward should be given a seat at the table.

“If we are able to mobilize the best human resources that God has bountifully blessed our country with, I have no doubt that with God on our side, we shall overcome.

“We note the Federal Government’s plan to invest N500 billion in social protection programmes in the current budget. We want to urge the government to ensure that appropriate mechanism is devised to ensure that the benefits of these programmes get to those who are genuinely in need.

“It is important that, as we move forward in this fight, considerable attention is paid to strengthening the anti-corruption agencies to enable them discharge their functions with greater efficiency and fairness.

“We want to assure Mr. President that the Senate will continue to play its part in the fight against corruption, which we believe is cardinal in our desire to improve governance in our country. We will also continue to broaden the scope for increased openness and accountability that we have promised at the legislative level.

Tasks FG on fight against mass poverty

“While government has made progress in the fight against Boko Haram and in the fight against corruption, the fight against mass poverty remains a daunting challenge. Rising cost of living, increased cases of retrenchment and corresponding rise in unemployment, inability of state governors to pay salaries and upsurge in ethnic-based agitation potentially deny government the full credit of the great strides it has made in other areas.

“The same energy that has been invested in fighting corruption and Boko Haram must be invested in taking care of the people, in making life easier and better for them. We need to begin to assure Nigerians that the sacrifice that they make today will not be in vain. We need to begin to show them that there would be light at the end of the dark tunnel. So, we must not relent in our efforts in this area over the next years ahead.

On Niger-Delta militants

“I cannot end this address without a note on the on-going security challenges we are beginning to witness in the Niger Delta area of our country.

“We urge the warring militants to embrace our democratic institutions and channel their grievances through appropriate quarters as we can ill-afford further damage to the ecosystem of this all important region and any more disruptions in the system.

“In the same vein, we also encourage government to adopt dialogue and engagement as a more lasting option towards resolving this challenge. We also call on the leaders in the area to play their part and ensure through mediation that this menace is comprehensively quelled.

“The collapse in oil price has, without doubt, brought huge shock to our economy on a scale that perhaps, has neverbeen experienced before. This requires us to develop creative strategies that would stimulate business and investments into other sectors.

“For decades, we have talked about the need to diversify our economy. But we have failed to take the necessary steps in policy and legislation that would set us on the path to developing the kind of economy that we desire.

“The Ease of Doing Business Report that ranks our country 167 out of 189 countries is not likely to attract business into our economy. This Senate understands this. With the support from our international development partners, the organized private sector, we commissioned an expert report which identified 54 extant laws that must be reviewed and brought in line with international best practices in order to open up our economy for private investments and business.

“For too long, Nigerians have challenged us to justify our presence in this chamber. Many have wondered what exactly we do here or why we should be entitled to certain privileges. I believe that the best answer we can provide to all these is to continue to seek ways that would enable the ordinary citizen feel the impact of the Senate in their lives.

“I dream of a day when the poor woman sitting in her house in rural Awka would be able to see the benefit of our work on her life. I dream of a day when a child going to school in Gusau would feel the benefit of the laws that we make.

“I dream of a day when a young lady in Osogbo would be able to say how the Senate has helped her small business. I dream of a day when a farmer in Ogoja would see how those of us gathered in this chamber have helped to improve his life. I am confident that if we continue on the path that we have walked in the past year, that day will come soon"

vanguardnews

Blast hits NPDC pipeline in Nigeria's Delta region

An explosion rocked a pipeline operated by a subsidiary of Nigeria's state oil company in the West African country's restive Delta region late on Thursday, a security official and a community leader both said on Friday.

Oil output by OPEC member Nigeria has fallen to a 20-year low due to a series of attacks on oil pipelines in the southern Niger Delta, home to much of the country's oil and gas wealth, in the last few months.

The Nigerian Petroleum Development Company (NPDC) pipeline at Sanomi Creek, around the Ogidigben area of Warri South West, exploded around 8 p.m. local time (1900 GMT), said the source who said that people nearby heard "a loud explosion".

"There is fire burning," said Chief Godspower Gbenekama, a local community leader.

Nobody has claimed responsibility for the blast.

On Wednesday, the Niger Delta Avengers, a militant group that has claimed responsibility for most of the recent attacks, rejected an offer to start talks with the government.

reuters

‘Iran, Russia, Syria resolute in fighting terror’

Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu (L) and Secretary of Iran's Supreme National Security Council Ali Shamkhani shake hands during a meeting in Tehran, June 10, 2016.

Iran’s top security chief says a trilateral meeting of defense ministers in Tehran indicates that Russia, Syria and Iran are determined in countering Takfiri terrorists. 

Secretary of Supreme National Security Council Ali Shamkhani met separately with Russian and Syrian Defense Ministers Sergei Shoigu and Fahad Jassim Freij in Tehran on Thursday.

Shamkhani thanked “the courageous actions and policies of Russian President (Vladimir Putin) and his effective support in the comprehensive fight against terrorism in Syria.”

The Iranian official said the way the US and its Western allies are dealing with the Syria conflict demonstrates their deep commitment to Israel's security and interests in the region.

Shoigu said fighting terrorism is an international duty which all countries should work together to fulfill in order to have a more secure world.

The Russia and Syrian defense ministers traveled to Tehran for meeting with their Iranian counterpart Hossein Dehqan in order to fine-tune their measures in the fight on Takfiri terrorists in Syria. 

Syrian Defense Minister Fahad Jassim Freij (L) and Iranian Secretary of Supreme National Security Council Ali Shamkhani shake hands before a meeting in Tehran, June 10, 2016.

A Russian Defense ministry statement said talking points were "priority measures in reinforcing the cooperation" between the defense ministries of the three countries.

Moscow has sent warplanes and special forces in support of Syrian troops, while Tehran has deployed military advisers and trained and equipped pro-government militias.

Syria has been the scene of a conflict since March 2011. According to a February report by the Syrian Center for Policy Research, the conflict has claimed the lives of over 470,000 people in total since March 2011.

The United Nations has stopped counting the death toll in Syria, citing widespread violence across the country as well as complexities in checking the credibility of the statistics provided by the government and other sources.

culled from presstv