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Thursday, 29 December 2016

Obama Expels Russian Diplomats

U.S. President Barack Obama has ordered the expulsion of 35 Russian diplomats including shutting down of two Russian compounds in the U.S. in a number of actions announced on Thursday as reprisal for Russia’s meddling in US election.

Obama’s speech obtained by correspondent of the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in New York, stated that the actions were “in response to Russia’s malicious cyber activity and harassment.

“Today, I have ordered a number of actions in response to the Russian government’s aggressive harassment of U.S. officials and cyber operations aimed at U.S. election.

“These actions follow repeated private and public warnings that we have issued to the Russian government, and are a necessary and appropriate response to efforts to harm U.S. interests in violation of established international norms of behaviour.

“The U.S State Department is also shutting down two Russian compounds, in Maryland and New York, used by Russian personnel for intelligence-related purposes, and is declaring ‘persona non grata’ on 35 Russian intelligence operatives.

“Finally, the Department of Homeland Security and the Federal Bureau of Investigation are releasing declassified technical information on Russian civilian and military intelligence service cyber activity.

“This is to help network defenders in the U.S. and abroad to identify, detect, and disrupt Russia’s global campaign of malicious cyber activities.”

According to him, all Americans should be alarmed by Russia’s actions.

Obama added that “in October, my Administration publicised our assessment that Russia took actions intended to interfere with the U.S. election process.

“These data theft and disclosure activities could only have been directed by the highest levels of the Russian government.

“Moreover, our diplomats have experienced unacceptable level of harassment in Moscow by Russian security services and police over the last year. Such activities have consequences.”

He explained that he had issued an executive order that provided additional authority for responding to certain cyber activity aimed at interfering with or undermining America’s election processes and institutions, or those of its allies or partners.

“Using this new authority, I have sanctioned nine entities and individuals: the GRU and the FSB, two Russian intelligence services; four individual officers of the GRU; and three companies that provided material support to the GRU’s cyber operations.

“In addition, the Secretary of the Treasury is designating two Russian individuals for using cyber-enabled means to cause misappropriation of funds and personal identifying information.”

The U.S. president explained that “these actions are not the sum total of our response to Russia’s aggressive activities.

“We will continue to take actions at a time and place of our choosing, some of which will not be publicised.

“In addition to holding Russia accountable for what it has done, the United States and friends and allies around the world must work together to oppose Russia’s efforts to undermine established international norms of behaviour, and interfere with democratic governance.

“To that end, my Administration will be providing a report to Congress in the coming days about Russia’s efforts to interfere in our election, as well as malicious cyber activity related to our election cycle in previous elections.”

Ghost workers: N143bn saved in 2016, says FG

The Presidency on Tuesday said a black American billionaire, Mr. Robert Smith, had offered to foot the education bill of the 21 freed Chibok schoolgirls.

The Presidency also said that 11 persons believed to be members of a syndicate responsible for the presence of 50,000 ghost workers on the Federal Government’s payroll had been handed over to the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission for further investigation and prosecution.

The Senior Special Assistant to the President on Media and Publicity, Garba Shehu, disclosed this in a statement made available to journalists.

Shehu said although the 21 Chibok girls released recently by the Boko Haram sect had been adopted by the Federal Government, many local and international interests had expressed the desire to educate them for free.

“He is offering to take responsibility for all the others who will hopefully be eventually set free. The Murtala Muhammed Foundation in the country is equally interested,” he said.He said, “A black American billionaire, Mr. Robert Smith, who is currently sponsoring the education of 24 girls from Chibok, among them the first set of escapees from Boko Haram at the American University of Nigeria, Yola has offered to pay for the education of the 21 released through negotiations.

Shehu added that some of the suspects involved in the ghost workers scam were already undergoing trial.

He explained that the Efficiency Unit of the Federal Ministry of Finance created by the present administration was able to uncover the 50,000 ghost workers and saved the nation of N13bn monthly during the year.

Shehu said the amount was taken off the government’s payroll from February to December.

The presidential spokesman said, “The flagship programme of the Muhammadu Buhari administration to rid the system of fraud and instill good governance is on course.

“Through a notable initiative, the Efficiency Unit of the Federal Ministry of Finance, the government has embarked on the continuous auditing of the salaries and wages of government departments.

“When the committee was constituted in February 2016, the Federal Government’s monthly salary bill was N151bn excluding pensions.

“Now, the monthly salary warrant is N138bn, excluding pensions, which means that the government is making a monthly saving of about N13bn. That is from February 2016 to date.”

Shehu added that the pension bill which was N15.5bn monthly as of February had been reduced to N14.4bn.

He said the government was making an average monthly saving of about N1.1bn on the pension bill.

Responding to complaints by some of the parents of the 21 Chibok girls that they did not have enough room for interaction with their daughters brought home for Christmas by the Department of state Services, Shehu admitted that there were some hitches arising from a lack of understanding of the objective of the trip by some security operatives.

He explained that following the complaints, a directive had been given from the headquarters of the DSS for the access by the parents to be eased.

“If the situation persists, please let us know so that the higher authorities will make a further intercession,” he said.

Shehu also allayed the fears of many members of the ruling All Progressives Congress concerning board appointments.

He assured the agitated members that the process would be fully back on track at the beginning of 2017.

He said, “You know that the reconstitution began methodically, from sector to sector. You should expect that to resume at the beginning of the New Year. The President has given directions on what to do.”

On the agricultural programmes of the administration, Shehu said the President’s persistent call for a return to farming was yielding good results.

He added, “The talk about agriculture has driven people to the farm. This year, there is a huge boom in the rural economy. We have witnessed an excellent harvest. Farmers are getting value for their output.

“What has encouraged the farmers the more is the increasing availability of extension services. New farming techniques are helping farmers to do their occupation better.”

Delta may lose out on $250m Ibori loot

The Delta State Government may not get anything from the about $250m worth of assets and money which the United Kingdom claims a former governor, Chief James Ibori, stole from the state, The PUNCH has learnt.

Ibori is currently facing a confiscation hearing which may lead to the permanent forfeiture of all his assets purchased with the proceeds of crime.

The British Government had accused Ibori of stealing about $250m from the Delta State Government part of which was used in buying six houses and luxury vehicles in the UK, the United States and South Africa.

While giving his ruling on the case of the EFCC vs the Delta State Government regarding the ownership of the $15m which Ibori allegedly used in bribing a former Chairman of the EFCC, Mallam Nuhu Ribadu, Justice Gabriel Kolawole had accused the state government of protecting Ibori.Already the Delta State Government has permanently forfeited $15m of the Ibori loot to the Federal Government for failing to cooperate with the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission to bring Ibori to justice. The state government had even challenged the EFCC’s right to probe Ibori in 2008, insisting that Ibori never stole.

The judge ruled that money recovered from Ibori must be paid into the Federation Account and not the Delta State coffers.

The judge said, “With utmost sense of responsibility as a judicial officer, I view the stiff resistance mounted by the Delta State Government and its official as one which borders on the state’s acquiesce in the looting of its own fund or at best, as that of collaborators with its erstwhile governor on the issue of $15m allegedly offered to former EFCC chairman, Nuhu Ribadu as bribe.”

According to AFP news agency, before Ibori returns to Nigeria, he must face a deportation hearing and then also pay £18m to the UK government as the “proceeds of crime.”

Sources within the EFCC told our correspondent that Delta State had done nothing to assist in the investigation and prosecution of Ibori and should thus not be entitled to any money.

A senior detective told our correspondent that the body language of the Governor Ifeanyi Okowa-led government suggested that the state government was still in support of Ibori.

A source at the EFCC said, “The state government has not shown any seriousness in helping to recover Ibori’s loot. Back in 2009, the state government did everything possible to frustrate the Federal Government’s efforts and even went to court to challenge the EFCC. They claimed Ibori never stole.

“Much has not changed today because the state government last week issued a statement celebrating the release of Ibori. The Attorney General of the state, Mr. Peter Mrakpor, celebrated Ibori’s release and even called on the Federal Government to pardon him.”

Lagos trains auditors in best practices

The Chairman, Lagos State Audit Service Commission, Mr. Waliu Onibon, has called on auditors within the public service to interrogate the business process and activities of the state’s ministries and agencies.

He said this during a two-day training organised by the commission for auditors in Alausa, Ikeja.

According to Onibon, the training with the theme, ‘Enhancing the Internal Auditors Role in Business Process Improvement and Risk Management,’ was designed to ensure that auditors in the employ of the state government attain efficacy in the performance of their duties.

“The commission is committed to the continuous upgrading of skills and qualities of auditors in order to be on top of the daunting tasks and in line with the international standards and best practices.” He said, “The Chartered Institute of Internal Auditors has stated that auditors must align with the strategies, objectives and risks of organisations and work towards the promotion of organisational improvement. These can only be possible if internal auditors understand and properly evaluate the MDAs’ business processes and internal risk.

The Permanent Secretary of the PSC, Mrs. Elizabeth Oduwole, urged the participants to assert themselves in the performance of their duties.

Jibrin lashes at Buhari, says President taken hostage

Suspended member of the House of Representatives, Mr. Abdulmumin Jibrin, has lashed at President Muhammadu Buhari, saying that he has allowed himself to be taken hostage.

The former Chairman House Committee on Appropriation, did not say who took the President hostage, but in a series of tweets on his twitter handle, @AbdulAbmJ, on Monday, the lawmaker asked Buhari to either fight those blackmailing him or give up the presidency.

In one of the tweets, he wrote, “A President must repel blackmail with all his arsenals or give up the presidency.

“You cannot be an effective president while in hostage!”

Jibrin, a member of the All Progressives Congress from Kano State, tweeted, “Mr. President, you are playing into the hands of people who do not believe in you and your our government.He accused Buhari of playing into the hands of people he (Jibrin) claimed did not believe in him.

“You will come back to these tweets in 18 months.”

He further alleged that Buhari had turned his back on a lot of issues in the name of achieving political stability and harmony.

Jibrin noted that the President’s decision would later come to haunt him.

He added, “Mr. President, such ‘political stability’ and ‘harmony’ that compels you to turn away your face where you shouldn’t is useless to our country!”

It was not clear whom Jibrin was referring to, but observers said coming on the day the Speaker of the House, Mr. Yakubu Dogara, turned 49 years old, Jibrin might have become frustrated in his bid to have Dogara prosecuted.

Buhari, had in a birthday message to Dogara, praised the speaker, saying that he (Dogara) inspired his trust in the youths of the country to deliver Nigeria out of challenges.

Jibrin had been suspended by the House in September after lawmakers dismissed his N40billion budget padding allegations against Dogara and three other principal officers.

The three others are the Deputy Speaker, Mr. Yussuff Lasun ; Chief Whip, Mr. Alhassan Ado-Doguwa; and the Minority Leader, Mr. Leo Ogor.

Jibrin had petitioned the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, the Independent Corrupt Practices and other Related Offences Commission, the Police and the Department of State Services, seeking the prosecution of Dogara.

None of the agencies has acted so far by inviting any of the officers for questioning.

Jibrin later left the country for the United Kingdom on the excuse that his security was no longer guaranteed in Nigeria.

Sony announces Britney Spears’s death in tweets, blames hackers

No, Britney Spears is not dead.

Yet her fans’ hearts may have skipped a beat today when tweets purportedly from Sony Music Entertainment said “RIP @britneyspears #RIPBritney 1981-2016” and “Britney spears is dead by accident! We will tell you more soon #RIPBritney.”

The real Sony Music Entertainment quickly deleted those tweets and issued a terse clarification:

“Sony Music Entertainment’s Twitter account was compromised. This has been rectified,” it said. “Sony Music apologizes to Britney Spears and her fans for any confusion.”

She had posted photos on Sunday of her children in camouflage gear during an outdoors excursion.Spears’s manager, Adam Leber, told CNN that “Britney is fine and well.”

“There have been a few Internet clowns over the years who have made similar claims about her death,” Leber said, “but never from the official Sony Music Twitter account.”

In 2001, a Texas radio station reported that Spears and then-boyfriend Justin Timberlake had died in a car crash. Two on-air personalities were later fired for repeating bogus Internet reports.

In addition to Sony’s Twitter account, the official account of Bob Dylan may have been hacked on Monday: It tweeted: “Rest in peace @britneyspears” about the same time as the fake Sony tweets were going out.

While the origin of the erroneous tweets was not certain, the hacker group OurMine was a prime suspect. One tweet from Dylan’s account included the OurMine hashtag.

The group has hacked the accounts of other celebrities — including Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg — as well as those of Netflix, Marvel and Variety magazine.

It has then offered to provide its own security services to prevent future attacks.

Buzzfeed News reported in October that OurMine is a Saudi teenager who goes by the name “Ahmad Makki” on social media.

OurMine, however, said “Makki” was simply a fan. But Buzzfeed’s website was then compromised and several posts were altered to read “Hacked by OurMine.”

The latest episode was reminiscent of the massive cyberattack against Sony in November 2014.

A hacking group known as GOP had penetrated the Japanese company’s computer system and seized personal data about thousands of its employees, including stars.

GOP then demanded that the studio cancel all showings of “The Interview,” a satirical movie about North Korean leader Kim Jong-un. Some US officials said the Pyongyang government might be behind the hacks.

Sony eventually issued the film, but only in limited release.

The deaths of many other celebrities — from Beyonce to Michael Jordan to Jackie Chan and Sylvester Stallone — have been erroneously reported over the years, often in hacked internet postings.

AFP

Kaduna Killings: Death toll rises to 11

The death toll in the Goska attack carried out by suspected Fulani herdsmen between Saturday and Sunday has risen from 5 to 11, a source told our correspondent.

The source, who is a community leader in Goska, some few kilometres away from Kafanchan, Jema’ah Local Government Area of Kaduna State, said four boys and two women, all natives, were still missing after the raid on the village.

However, troops from the One-Mechanized Division of the Nigerian Army, Kaduna, intercepted and arrested two men carrying ‎live ammunitions in Kagoma Chiefdom, Jaba Local Government Area in Southern Kaduna on Monday.

The GOC, Maj-Gen. Adeniyi Oyebade, has ordered immediate deployment of troops in Ninte, a Southern Kaduna community the root of the renewed attacks in the region.

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