Oscar ‘had a normal jail experience’

Johannesburg - Oscar Pistorius didn't receive preferential treatment while in jail at the Kgosi Mampuru II Correctional Centre in Pretoria.

And the authorities plan to open the facility to prove their case.

“We will start opening the doors of our facilities to allow the media to see that we did not give him preferential treatment,” said Correctional Services acting regional commissioner Mandla Mkabela.

He was speaking at the Gauteng regional 30-year service recognition ceremony on Wednesday morning. Warders from various Correctional Services facilities across the country were given awards.

Mkabela said the department had been on the receiving end of negative publicity from the media, and opening the facility would change the public's perceptions of what prisons did.

“We want people to see what we are doing. People think that Oscar was in a fancy cell while he was here, but he wasn’t; it was a normal cell.

“There are perceptions and myths about the department. Those are just myths,” Mkabela said.

There were numerous claims about the former Paralympian who was serving a five-year sentence after being convicted of culpable homicide for killing his girlfriend Reeva Steenkamp in February 2013.

He is serving the remainder of his term under house arrest.

Beeld newspaper showed a picture of him enjoying his 29th birthday at the weekend with a group of young children, relatives of his aunt and uncle, and their friends.

The State has appealed Pistorius’s conviction, and the outcome of the appeal will be revealed in the next few weeks.

Mkabela said being a prison warder was a difficult calling that went unappreciated and attracted a great deal of negative publicity, and that was one of the reasons it was important for the department to honour its long-serving members.

“What you do is not a simple feat,” Mkabela told the warders. “One has to overlook the challenges that come with being a warder, especially for as long as 30 years.

“Being responsible for convicts and overseeing their rehabilitation to make sure that they go back into society as better people is not an easy task,” Mkabela said.

He added that the department was embarking on a project which would focus on nurturing scarce skills in order for it to improve its services. These skills were attributed to the medical profession, nursing and social workers.

“What you are doing is a scarce skill in itself; what you need is skill, experience and knowledge that cannot be found anywhere else,” he told the warders.

His sentiments were echoed by one of the recipients of the awards, Richard Malebane, who served at a number of Correctional Services centres across the country and is now in a senior position at Kgosi Mampuru.

“The most challenging thing about Correctional Services is that it is dynamic, and one does not stop learning. It has all the professions in one,” Malebane said.

He added that one of the most challenging aspects of his profession was the unpredictability of convicts. “These are humans. We have to deal with them, their families and normal civilians on a daily basis. You have to switch characters between all three of them. But it’s part of the job,” he said.

SOURCE: MSN news

Thieves steal $250m of Nigerian oil

Thieves have stolen nearly $250m (£165m) of petrol from a single pipeline this year, Nigeria's state oil company says. 

The Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC) said half a billion litres were taken from the pipeline that runs north-east from Lagos.

Long queues have formed at petrol stations across Nigeria in recent days.

Governments blame pipeline vandalism and theft in the oil sector for fuel shortages and damaging the economy.

An NNPC subsidiary told a Senate committee that "incessant hacking" of the System 2B pipeline had "made the task of providing seamless flow of petroleum products to retail outlets more burdensome".

The pipeline stretches 250km from the financial hub Lagos to the city of Ilorin.

The company said it was working to resolve the issue.

"We have been pushing 35 million litres every day to the market and there's no reason why there shouldn't be fuel," said Esther Nnamdi Ogbue, managing director of the Pipelines and Product Marketing Company, a subsidiary.

She blamed "sharp practices" such as hoarding in some areas.

Nigeria is Africa's biggest oil exporter, but a lack of refining capacity means drivers rely on imports and fuel shortages happen regularly.

In May the country was brought to a virtual standstill after importers shut depots over subsidy payments.

President Muhammadu Buhari has been urged to scrap the subsidy scheme, which critics say is rife with corruption, but a previous attempt to stop the payments led to violent mass protests in 2012.

However, in August NNPC managing director Emmanuel Kachikwu said the subsidies were an unsustainable drain on the economy, which has suffered as global oil prices have fallen.

SOURCE: BBC news

Roli Bode George becomes Acting Chairman of NDLEA

MRS Roli Bode George has been appointed as the first woman acting Chairman of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency, NDLEA, following the retirement of Alhaji Ahmadu Giade who has bowed out after serving 10 years in the agency.

MRS Bode George’s appointment is considered by observers as a significant gender balancing at a period when the Buhari administration is being leaned upon to appoint more women in the position of public relevance and reckoning.

The Chairman of Women Initiative Group (WING) Mrs Tinuade Joseph described the appointment as a good step in “redressing the gender imbalance in the recent appointments made by President Muhammadu Buhari.”

George is generally perceived as an unobtrusive goal- getter and a quiet but formidable achiever, who has the requisite field training and solid academic credentials to give the NDLEA the cutting edge leadership in the crucial war against drug trafficking and substance abuse.

SOURCE: Vanguardngr

Former Kogi Gov, Abubakar Audu laid to rest at Ogbonicha

The remains of former Kogi governor, Prince Abubakar Audu was this afternoon laid to rest at Ogbonicha, Ofu Local Government Area.

The burial took place at his residence.
The burial rites were conducted by a team of Imams from across Igalaland.

Controversy had trailed the burial of the former governor when rumour filtered into town that he had resurrected. A prophet had earlier promised to revive Audu to life.

There was mild drama between the prophet and members of the Audu family refused to let him in. The youths of Ogbonicha broke the door to the room where Audu was laid.

The prophet however failed to resurrect Audu, prompting the youths to go berserk in search of the prophet”s head.

The burial was well attended as scores of the who-is-who in Nigerian politics as well as members of the business community were in Ogbonicha to give their last respect to the departed hero.

Many residents of Ogbonicha paid tribute to arguably their most illustrious son.

Hajia Mariam said the death of Audu is an irreparable loss not only to Igala Kingdom, but Nigeria as a whole. She said the late Audu will be greatly missed by the people of Ogbonicha.

There was an ocean of tears when his body was lowered into the grave.

SOURCE: Vanaguardngr

Tambuwal sets up committee on N50 billion food processing company

Sokoto State governor, Aminu Tambuwal, has set up a technical committee for the actualisation of a $250 million food processing factory in the state.

The committee, according to a statement by the governor’s spokesperson, Imam Imam, would work with the company setting up the project, Erisco Foods Ltd, to ensure its realisation early next year.

Speaking when he received the management team of Erisco Foods in his office in Sokoto, on Thursday, Mr. Tambuwal said Sokoto was open to business for all investors willing to invest in the state.

He said his policy of looking for Nigerian investors would continue because the country had capable businessmen that would make necessary difference in key areas.

“Establishment of the agro-based company will bring about development of the agricultural sector and provide job opportunities for our people.

“On our part, we will provide necessary incentives to encourage both local and international investors that want to invest in the state.

“Today’s visit shows the resolve of the government to accelerate growth of the economy to improving the living standards of the citizens,” Mr. Tambuwal said.

In his remark, Chairman of Erisco Foods, Eric Umeofia, said apart from the food processing factory, his company was working with foreign partners to see to the possibility of setting up a tractor manufacturing company with the capacity of producing 30,000 tractors annually.

The technical committee is to be headed by the former deputy governor of Sokoto, Chiso Dattijo, with commissioners of Commerce and Industries, Agriculture, Environment and Works as members, while Lawal Maidoki would serve as the secretary.

SOURCE: Premiumtimesng

We can no longer pay N18,000 Minimun Wage - Nigerian Governors Forum

The Nigerian Governors Forum said they have not seen prospects in the oil industry in the near future. 

Chairman of the Governors Forum and governor of Zamfara state, Abdulaziz Yari Read the communique issued at the end of the meeting

He said: “We resolved that we must look at ways to enhance revenue generation and at the same time look at ways to cut our overhead costs more especially the political office holders’ salaries and other overhead expenses.

“The situation is no longer the same when we were asked to pay N18,000 minimum wage, when oil price was $126 (per barrel) and continued paying N18,000 minimum wage when the oil is $41 and the source of government expenditure is from oil, and we have not seen prospects in the oil industry in the near future.

“We will diversify our economy in the area of agriculture and mining. But at the same time, we should understand our situation where some of us (states) today are taking N100million take home  (monthly allocation) and then have salaries in particular of over N2billion to pay.

“We therefore agreed here to take this suggestion to NEC in our meeting tomorrow (Thursday) so that we can be able to find ways to tackle this problem.

“And we are looking at coming together to discussing with Mr. President and his team, with governors, technocrats and experts in the economy to see how we can tackle our troubled situation. We are working harder to deal with it.

“Hence the MTN has accepted that they committed the offense and has apologised, and they are looking for leniency, we the governors forum decided to support the NCC to abide by the laws of the land and the laws of our land do not not give leniency to deliberate offense to our nation.”

SOURCE:infotime24

105 soldiers reportedly go missing after Boko Haram attack

105 soldiers of the 157 Battalion are reportedly missing, following an attack from Boko Haram insurgents at Gudunbali, Borno State, on Wednesday, November 18.

Premium Times reports that military sources revealed that the soldiers and their commanding officer went missing after the onslaught.

The report further stated that the insurgents captured a T-72 tank and several artillery weapons from the unit.

Eight vehicles and a truck loaded with 60,000 rounds of AA ammunition and three artillery pieces, were also stolen by the insurgents.

A military source was quoted to have said: “Gudunbali was attacked this morning and some weapons were captured from the battalion. Two officers and 105 soldiers are still missing.”

“They captured a T-72 tank from the unit and some artillery weapons were also captured. The commanding Officer (CO) of the battalion is yet to be seen but no one has been confirmed dead yet.”