The Association of Nigerian Female Students (ANFS) has today conferred the status of Grand Patron on Distinguished Toastmaster Sonye Allanah. The conferment took place today Tuesday 7th January 2020 at her Abuja residence.
Leader of the group, Comrade Sylvia Sarki Yemi described Mrs Sonye as a distinguished personality who has displayed exceptional qualities in leadership and mentorship among Nigerian Youths and women.
She is a certified Etiquette and Image Consultant is a former career diplomat with vast experience in diplomatic protocol and etiquette practical at the highest level. She is closely associated with Organizations of State and Official visits, including that of Queen Elizabeth (II), the King and Queen of Spain, Margaret Thatcher and President Bush just to mention a few.
Considering her exposure and wealth of experience, Distinguished Toastmaster Sonye is a regular guest of National and International media house where she has selflessly featured on programs.
Comrade Sylvia, in company of a high powered delegation described the recipient as a mentor and role model worthy of emulation by Nigerian women and youths. Sylvia further stated that their choice of Distinguished Toastmaster Sonye came following a unanimous decision by congress to confer the status of Grand Patron considering her track records coloured by honesty, dedication and hard work spanning over many years. To them, her experience will change the fortune of female students in coming days.
As at the time of filing this report, it was gathered by our correspondent that Mrs Sonye is the first Grand Patron of the organization.
DIRECTORATE OF PRESS & PUBLIC AFFAIRS, OFFICE OF THE EXECUTIVE GOVERNOR, PLATEAU STATE
PRESS RELEASE
GOVERNOR LALONG GREETS DAME PAULINE TALLEN AT 61 Plateau State Governor Rt. Hon. Simon Bako Lalong felicitates with the Minister of Women Affairs and Social Development, Dame Pauline Tallen at 61. Governor Lalong in a message congratulates Dame Tallen for attaining the age of 61 and contributing immensely to humanity. “Dame Tallen’s achievements over the years are enormous and characterized by selfless service, dedication and determination to impact positively on others while carrying out every assignment with diligence and excellence” the Governor adds. Lalong thanks Dame Tallen for making impactful contributions to the lives of the people of Plateau in particular, and Nigeria in general throughout her political career and service in other sectors spanning many decades. He says her present position as the Minister of Women Affairs and Social Development again gives her the opportunity to make the best of her new age in addressing issues relating to the girl-child, womenfolk, and the less privileged in Nigeria. The Governor wishes her well and prays that God will grant her more years of good health, wisdom and abundance to continue impacting positively on society.
Dr. Makut Simon Macham ANIPR Director of Press & Public Affairs 7th January 2020.
The Nigerian Army has confirmed an ambush by the Boko Haram terrorists on the convoy of the Theatre Commander of Operation Lafiya Dole, OPLD, Maj.-Gen. Olusegun Adeniyi, on Monday.
The Nigerian Army Operations Media Coordinator, Col. Aminu Iliyasu, in a statement on Tuesday, disclosed that the attack took place about two Kilometers to Auno in Kaga Local Government Area of Borno.
Mr Iliyasu said the Commander was returning from Jakana, where he visited troops’ location, following his earlier meeting at Auno with the Governor Babagana Zulum of Borno.
He said the ambush was a clear display of misguided desperation to stage a reprisal following the recent neutralisation of several of their top commanders by troops on December 6.
According to him, the Theatre Commander led the gallant troops of his convoy to engage the insurgents with superior firepower, subduing them and thereafter assaulting the ambush site with his men.
“This caused the criminal insurgents to flee the location in disarray.
“Other senior military officers in the Theatre Commanders’ convoy at the time of the ambush include the Deputy Theatre Commander, Maj.-Gen. M.G Ali, Brig.-Gen. E.I Eze, Brig.-Gen. S.I Igbinomwanya and Lt. A.A Tejuoso.
“In the aftermath of the encounter, several Boko Haram criminal insurgents were decimated.
“Additionally, 20 rounds of 7.62mm Special ammunition, 2 rounds of 7.62mm NATO ammunition, one camouflage trouser, one Nigeria Police Force fragmental jacket, 2 AK 47 Rifles, and 3 AK 47 Rifle magazines were captured from the fleeing insurgents.
“Thereafter, the Commander and his convoy continued their trip and have since returned safely to the Headquarters Theatre Command Operation LAFIYA DOLE in Maiduguri,” he said.
Mr Iliyasu disclosed that two soldiers, who were wounded in the encounter, were currently receiving treatment at a military medical facility and in stable condition.
According to him, the theatre commander, on behalf of the Chief of Army Staff, Lt.-Gen. Tukur Buratai, congratulates the troops for their resilience and courage.
“He urges them not to relent in their efforts until all the remnants of the Boko Haram and ISWAP criminal insurgents are completely defeated,” the statement added.
It was learnt that the incident which took place on January 4 along Kenyatta Street, Uwani, Enugu attracted the attention of the Inspector General of Police who ordered the identification and prosecution of the erring officers.
Commissioner of Police in Enugu, Mr Ahmed Abdurahman, while addressing journalists in his office on Monday revealed that the command had constituted a panel of inquiry whose report would be used as a base for the orderly room trial of the affected officers.
He said the panel had been given three days to conclude its work and report back to the command through his office.
“After the panel’s three days’ work, we will look into the panel’s findings and recommendation. Then, they will definitely face orderly room trial and after all these we know what level of punishment will be meted on them,’’ he said.
The commissioner said that the Inspector General of Police, Mr Mohammed Adamu, who had seen the video clip and was quite disturbed.
“The members of the public should know that the Nigeria Police under the present IG cannot condone and shield such uncivilized characters.
“Nigerians should know that the negative action of the erring personnel is unprofessional and does not in any way reflect the image and attitude of the Nigeria Police. We are here to police with human face and some level of decorum and civility,’’ he said.
The officers included two Non-Commissioned Officers (NCO) and one police constable.
The 52 F-35A aircrafts took off from the Hill Air Force Base in Utah, US, in an exercise carried out by the active duty 388th and Reserve 419th Fighter Wings
The US Air Force has today launched more than 50 fully-armed Lightning II stealth fighters in a single wave.
The 52 F-35A aircrafts, worth a whopping $4.2 billion (£3.19bn), took off in quick succession from the Hill Air Force Base in Utah.
The exercise carried out by the active duty 388th and Reserve 419th Fighter Wings displayed the Air Force’s huge strength and sends a warning to Iran.
The US continues to brace for Iran to respond to the drone strike killing of its most powerful general – Qassem Soleimani.
“We’re ready to fly, fight, and win,” the 419th Fighter Wings tweeted after the exercise.
They added the exercise “pushed the boundaries and tested our Airmen’s ability to deploy the F-35As en masse”.
The 388th Fight Wingers said: “The exercise, which was planned for months, demonstrated their ability to employ a large force of F-35As – testing readiness in the areas of personnel accountability, aircraft generation, ground operations, flight operations, and combat capability against air and ground targets.
“A little more than four years after receiving their first combat-coded F-35A Lightning II aircraft, Hill’s fighter wings have achieved full warfighting capability.”
Each F-35A fighter is worth about $89.2 million (£67 million).
The US received its first F-35A at the Hill Air Force Base four years ago.
Since then, the Fighter Wings have been training pilots, engaging in multiple large combat exercises and supporting two Middle East combat deployments.
Col. Steven Behmer, 388th Fighter Wing commander, said: “Every training opportunity, exercise and deployment we’ve completed over the past four years has been a key stepping stone in reaching full warfighting capability.
“This is just the beginning of sustained F-35A combat operations and we will remain focused on staying ready to deploy whenever, wherever we’re needed.”
LATE COCIN PRESIDENT ALEXANDER NANMIAP LAR: WE HAVE LOST A GREAT MAN – GOVERNOR LALONG
Plateau State Governor Rt. Hon. Simon Bako Lalong says he received the news of the death of Rev. Dr. Alexander Mamdip Lar, former COCIN President and Chairman, Board of Trustees with shock and sadness. Governor Lalong in a condolence message described the death of the reverred clergyman as a great loss not only to his immediate family, COCIN Church and the Christian Community, but the entire Plateau State and the nation. He said “The late Rev. Dr. Lar lived a life full of love, honesty, compassion and justice. He fought the good fight of faith by preaching the gospel of Christ fearlessly and living in tandem with the faith he professed. He left behind enduring legacies that will continue to resound for a long time”. Lalong while consoling the family of the deceased, urged them to take solace in the fact that the Late Rev. Dr. Lar fulfilled his mission on earth and contributed to building the Church on the Plateau and Nigeria as a whole. He said Plateau State will miss his wealth of wisdom, experience and Godly counsel which he had offered relentlessly over the years.
Dr. Makut Simon Macham ANIPR Director of Press & Public Affairs to the Governor of Plateau State 6th January 2020.
The National Universities Commission (NUC) says it has unbundled Mass Communication into seven separate degree programmes to meet present demand. The Commission also said that degree programmes in Agriculture, Architecture and Creative Art have also been split into different ones, with the changes expected to take effect in this year in all universities in the country. NUC’s Executive Secretary, Prof. Abubakar Rasheed, who made this known to newsmen in Abuja, said Mass Communication has been unbundled into Media Studies, Public Relation Studies, Cinematography, among others. He said the present Agriculture degree programme in the universities is now broken into Forestry, Soil Science, Plant Science and others. Prof. Rasheed, who dismissed news making round in some quarters that the Federal Government has abolished catchment area as part of criteria for admission into Nigerian universities, said peddlers of such information probably misconstrued the government decision to ensure more national spread of students in all federal universities. The NUC boss lamented the behaviour of some communities who always want to flood institutions located in their area with their kith and kin, “saying our universities are being dangerously localized”. On the reports of over 100 fake professors in Nigerian universities, the NUC boss confirmed that there were fake professors in the system but said he was yet to get the real figure. Speaking further, the NUC boss revealed that there are about 61,000 lecturers teaching in Nigerian universities while only about 10,000 of them are professors. Rasheed said institutions like polytechnics, colleges of education, inter-university centre as well as research institutes cannot produce professors as only the University’s Senate has the power to promote academic staff to the professorial position. He expressed worry over the upsurge of illegal degree-awarding institutions, saying the Commission is compiling a comprehensive list of such illegal universities and working with the National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) to ensure that graduates of such institutions and other fake universities from nearby countries are not mobilised for the one-year mandatory service.
Six B-52 bombers are being deployed to the US military base on Diego Garcia
Diego Garcia is an atoll located in the Chagos Archipelago in the Indian Ocean
Pentagon says deployment does not mean US has decided to attack Iran
Tensions have been high since US strike killed a top Iranian general on Friday
Qassem Soleimani, commander of the Quds Force, was killed in Baghdad
The Defense Department is sending six B-52 bombers to the Diego Garcia military base in the northern Indian Ocean as preparations for possible military action against Iran move forward.ADVERTISEMENT
Pentagon officials told CNN on Monday that the B-52 will be available for operations against the Islamic Republic if ordered into action, though the deployment does not signal a decision has been made about any attack plans.
The United States maintains several military bases in a number of Middle Eastern countries in close proximity to Iran, but it chose to deploy its bombers to Diego Garcia because it is out of reach of Iran’s longest range missiles, according to the Pentagon.
This is the second time in the last year that the American military has deployed B-52 bomber aircraft to the region due to rising tensions with Iran.
In May, the White House ordered six B-52s to deploy to an American military base in Qatar as well as other bases in ‘southwest Asia’ after it received reports of alleged threats from Iran.
The Pentagon is deploying six B-52 Stratofortress bombers (like the ones seen in the above stock image) to a military base in the northern Indian Ocean, according to a CNN report from MondayThe strategic bombers were on their way Monday to Diego Garcia, an atoll that is home to a vital US military baseDiego Garcia, which is located about 1,000 miles off the southern tip of India, is more than 3,000 miles from Iran. The Pentagon says the base was chosen as the site where the aircraft will be deployed because it is out of range of Iranian missilesUnlike US military bases in the Middle East, Diego Garcia is out of range of Iran’s most advanced missiles. The map above shows Iranian missile capabilities
Diego Garcia: America’s most vital military base in the Indian Ocean
Diego Garcia is a British Indian Ocean Territory and the largest of the islands in the Chagos Archipelago about 1,000 miles south off the coast of India
The Chagos Islands were colonized by France in the 18th century and African slaves were shipped in to cultivate coconuts.
In 1814, France ceded the islands to Britain, which in 1903 merged them with Mauritius, its colony about 1,200 miles to the south-west.
In 1965, Britain separated the Chagos Islands from Mauritius, paying £3million for them.
When Mauritius became independent in 1968, the islands remained under British control, and were renamed the British Indian Ocean Territory.
In 1966, Britain leased the islands to the United States for 50 years.
Between 1968 and 1973, about 2,000 Chagos islanders were evicted.
Most were shipped to Mauritius and the Seychelles.
Evicted islanders enlisted the help of human rights lawyer Amal Clooney when they took their fight to the Supreme Court in 2015, but the court ruled against them.
The secretive military base on Diego Garcia, the largest island, has been dubbed ‘the Guantanamo of the East’ amid suspicions it was a key staging post in the US rendition and torture program.
In 2016, the US lease was extended to 2036.
The American presence there can be attributed to the fact that Diego Garcia’s location is strategically vital.
Diego Garcia has been a launching point for US military actions in the Middle East – including the 2001 campaign against Afghanistan following the September 11 attacks and the 2003 invasion of Iraq.
Britain must hand back control of the archipelago to Mauritius within six months, the UN says
It is also a refueling station for Air Force jets that patrol the South China Sea.
Diego Garcia was also designated an emergency landing spot for space missions by NASA.
The future of the American presence on the atoll was thrown into doubt earlier this year when a United Nations court ruled that the British illegally seized control of the island.
The court, in a nonbinding ruling, said that control over the territory should be returned to Mauritius.
Diego Garcia is home to between an estimated 3,000-5,000 American military personnel.
There is also believed to be a small number of British soldiers stationed at the site as well as civilian contractors mostly from Mauritius.
This satellite image taken in 2006 shows B-52s and KC-135s on the ramp at Diego Garcia
These contractors are believed to cook and clean for the soldiers and sailors.
The horseshoe-shaped atoll measures about 17 square miles. It is surrounded by about 60 other atolls.
The coastline of Diego Garcia form a natural harbor, making it ideal to station a naval base there.
Diego Garcia is also a tropical paradise that is home to a significant population of turtles, giant migrating birds, and coconut crab.
The US military has long been tight-lipped about Diego Garcia.
Unlike the base in Guam, spouses of military personnel are not allowed on the atoll.
It was also reported that Diego Garcia was used as one of the CIA’s ‘black sites’ – the secret rendition program in which the Americans interrogated and tortured suspected Islamic extremists.
But its most important function for the American military is the airstrip.
The runways at Diego Garcia allow US warplanes to freely operate in the skies above Africa to the southwest; the Middle East and Central Asia to the north and west; and the Far East and Asia to its east.
Diego Garcia is a large atoll that hosts a US military base. The atoll is located about 1,000 miles off the southern tip of India.
A Pentagon official told CNN on Monday that aircraft is being deployed to Diego Garcia this time in order to keep the planes out of the range of Iranian missiles.
The Diego Garcia base is part of the British-held territory of Chagos Islands, which legally falls under the rule of Mauritius.
Mauritius is an east African island country in the Indian Ocean located about 700 miles from the coast of Madagascar.
The Chagos base was constructed after the UK ousted more than 2,000 island natives from their homes and leased the grounds to the US.
The Americans have been using the base for more than 50 years.
Iran, which has vowed revenge against the US for the drone strike which killed the commander of the elite Quds Force, Qassem Soleimani, has the capability to reach several American bases, ports, and other installations in the region.US soldiers deploy from Fort Bragg to the Middle East
On Twitter, flight trackers noticed that two US Air Force B-52 bombers were over the Atlantic Ocean after departing Barksdale Air Force Base in Louisiana on Monday
The American military footprint in the Middle East and central Asia includes approximately 14,000 troops in Afghanistan; 13,000 soldiers in Kuwait; 13,000 more in Qatar; 7,000 in Bahrain; 6,000 in Iraq; 5,000 in the United Arab Emirates; 3,000 in Saudi Arabia; 3,000 in Jordan; and 2,500 in Turkey.
There are much smaller troop levels in Syria and Oman, according to The Washington Post.
In total, Iran could conceivably strike at areas that would place more than 55,000 American soldiers at risk.
Its ballistic missile arsenal includes weapons that are very difficult to target because they are either road-mobile or hidden inside highly fortified mountain fortresses, according to The War Zone.
In the event of war between Iran and either the United States or its Sunni Arab allies, the Iranians would only need a few minutes to launch ballistic missiles from subterranean strongholds.
Any conflict with Iran would most likely include a US deployment of its B-2 stealth bomber, though there are no reports indicating that the Pentagon has forward deployed these planes to the region. A B-2 bomber is seen above dropping a GBU-57 Massive Ordnance Penetrator
Iran could hit American bases, airfields, and other key sites.
That is why the Pentagon would most likely rely on its fleet of strategic bombers based in Diego Garcia.
If war did break out with Iran, the US has at its disposal machines of war like the B-52 and the B-2 Spirit bombers that can unleash devastating blows.
The Americans would most likely deploy the B-2s to drop precision-guided 40,000-pound ‘bunker buster’ GBU-57 Massive Ordnance Penetrators (MOPs), which are specially designed to pierce through Iran’s mountain complexes.
There has been no indication from the Pentagon that it has forward deployed B-2s with Iran in mind.
The deployment of the B-52s comes amid tensions in the region stoked by the killing of Soleimani in Baghdad on Friday.
‘Iraq’s parliament called on Sunday for US and other foreign troops to leave as a backlash grows against the strike.
The B-52 Stratofortress: America’s long-range strategic bomber
A US Air Force B-52 Stratofortress heavy bomber drops bombs in this undated file photo
The United States Air Force currently has 76 B-52 Stratofortress bombers in service today.
Designed and built by the Seattle-based Boeing Company, the B-52 is a long-range strategic bomber that has been used by the Air Force since the 1950s.
It is capable of carrying up to 70,000 pounds of weapons while flying at a combat range of more than 8,800 miles without aerial refueling.
This heavy bomber is powered by 8 turbofan engines manufactured by Pratt & Whitney.
Each engine is capable of producing 17,000 pounds of thrust to propel the plane forward in the air.
The B-52 also boasts a wingspan of 185ft. Each aircraft has a length measuring 159ft4in.
The plane stands at a height of 40ft8in.
The aircraft weighs approximately 185,000 pounds. It can take off at a maximum weight of 488,000 pounds.
To fly its long-range bombing missions, it needs fuel – a lot of it.
Each B-52 has a fuel capacity of 312,197 pounds.
The plane is a subsonic aircraft that can reach speeds of 650mph.
President Donald Trump responded on Sunday by doubling down on threats to target Iranian cultural sites if Tehran retaliates.
Deepening a crisis that has heightened fears of a major Middle East conflagration, Iran said it was taking another step back from commitments under a 2015 nuclear deal with six major powers.
Iran’s most prominent general, Soleimani, was killed on Friday in a US drone strike on his convoy at Baghdad airport, an attack that carried US-Iranian hostilities into uncharted waters.Top Iranian general calls for removal of US from Middle EastLoaded: 0%Progress: 0%0:00PlayCurrent Time0:00/Duration Time0:29Fullscreen
Tensions in the Middle East have soard since a top Iranian general, Qassem Soleimani (pictured), was killed in a US drone strike near Baghdad airport on Friday, shocking the Islamic RepublicIranian state media said ‘millions’ of people had gathered in Tehran to mourn Soleimani’s death in scenes not witnessed since the death of revolutionary leader Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini in 1989
An Iranian government minister denounced Trump as a ‘terrorist in a suit’ after the US president sent a series of Twitter posts on Saturday threatening to hit 52 Iranian sites, including targets important to Iranian culture, if Tehran attacks Americans or US assets to avenge Soleimani’s death.ADVERTISEMENT
Talking to reporters aboard Air Force One on the way to Washington from Florida on Sunday evening, Trump stood by those comments.
‘They’re allowed to kill our people. They’re allowed to torture and maim our people. They’re allowed to use roadside bombs and blow up our people. And we’re not allowed to touch their cultural sites? It doesn’t work that way,’ he said.
Democratic critics of the Republican president have said Trump was reckless in authorizing the strike, and some said his comments about targeting cultural sites amounted to threats to commit war crimes.
Many asked why Soleimani, long seen as a threat by US authorities, had to be killed now.
Republicans in Congress have generally backed Trump’s move.
Trump also threatened sanctions against Iraq and said that if US troops were required to leave the country, Iraq’s government would have to pay Washington for the cost of a ‘very extraordinarily expensive’ air base there.
He said if Iraq asked US forces to leave on an unfriendly basis, ‘we will charge them sanctions like they’ve never seen before ever. It’ll make Iranian sanctions look somewhat tame.’Dems want legislation to prevent Trump from ramping up against IranLoaded: 0%Progress: 0%0:00PlayCurrent Time0:00/Duration Time2:05Fullscreen
Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei (center) leading a prayer as President Hassan Rouhani (fifth right) perform the prayer over the caskets of slain Iranian military commander Qassem Soleimani and Iraqi paramilitary chief Abu Mahdi al-Muhandis at Tehran University on Monday
The Iraqi parliament passed a resolution calling for an end to all foreign troop presence, reflecting the fears of many in Iraq that Friday’s strike could engulf them in another war between two bigger powers long at odds in Iraq and across the region.
While such resolutions are not binding on the government, this one is likely to be heeded: Prime Minister Adel Abdul Mahdi had earlier called on parliament to end foreign troop presence as soon as possible.
Iran and the United States have been competing for clout in Iraq since the US-led invasion in 2003 that toppled dictator Saddam Hussein.
Plateau state Government has said it generated over 13 billion naira as internally Generated Revenue( IGR )in 2019. Chairman of the Plateau State Internal Revenue Service (PSIRS), Dashe Arlat, made this known at a news conference in Jos the state capital. According to him, the service has expanded its tax net on the formal sector, especially those situated in the 17 local government areas of the state. He said in the past, emphasis was on the informal sector and formal sector within the Jos- Bukuru town. In his words “As much as we advocate for voluntary tax payment in Plateau state, we would not tolerate citizens deliberately evading tax. Citizens must pay tax to enable government to deliver on its promises to them.” “Plateau state is set, and the path of progress has been made clear for the activation and sustenance of an effective, efficient and performance-driven tax administration system in the state, and in all local governments. “We are set to meet our target this year 2020 .” He further said the state government is determined to boost its Internal Generated Revenue ( IGR ) by tackling revenue theft and leakages. Arlat described the collection for 2019 as encouraging and attributed the development to the renewed vigour of Ministries Departments and Agencies ( MDAs ) and staff of PSIRS . Arlat called on the citizens of the state to continue to support the Simon Lalong led administration because it is determined to better the lives of citizens of the state .
Members of the Islamic Movement in Nigeria (IMN) popularly known as Shi’ites on Monday led a procession against the US government over the killing of Iran’s Military General, Qassem Soleimani, in Banex, Wuse Area of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Abuja.
MiddleBelt Reporters 