Nigeria’s last survivor of Hajj Stampede returns

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The last Nigerian pilgrim who survived last year’s Hajj stampede in Saudi Arabia has returned to the country.
The National Hajj Commission of Nigeria, NAHCON, confirmed Fatima Isa’s return in a statement on Thursday signed by the Head, Media and Publicity of the commission, Uba Mana.
The stampede occurred during Hajj rites in Mina in September 2015.

According to the statement, the pilgrim was admitted to East Jeddah Hospital for treatment.

“The pilgrim arrived at Malam Aminu Kano International Airport (MAKIA) on Friday Jan. 22, 2016, on board a Med-View Airline Flight VL0202, accompanied by staff of the Nigerian Consulate in Jeddah.
The statement said she was received on arrival by staff of the NAHCON and leadership of the Sokoto State Pilgrims Welfare Agency (SSPWA).
It added that the pilgrim, who appeared hale and hearty, had since been conveyed to Sokoto State.

PDP governors ask Secondus to step down-Report

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Governors elected on the platform of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) have asked the party’s Acting National Chairman, Prince Uche Secondus to step down.
According to reports, He was asked to handover the running of the party’s secretariat to the National Secretary, Prof. Wale Oladipo, and return to his position as the deputy national chairman.
In a statement issued at the end of a meeting in Abuja on Wednesday, the governors criticized a former presidential adviser, Ahmed Gulak for what they described as his unacceptable conduct.
The governors frowned at the refusal of Secondus to respect the judgment of an Abuja high court ordering him to vacate the office for a member from the Northeast zone to take the position.
Secondus was last month sacked from his position as the Party’s Acting National Chairman by a Federal High Court in Abuja.
The Court’s decision followed a suit filed by the former Special Adviser to former President Goodluck Jonathan on Political Matters, Ahmed Gulak, who argued that Secondus assumed the headship of the party through an illegitimate process.

Thisday Publisher, Obaigbena released from EFCC custody

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The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, has granted the Publisher of This Day Newspapers, Nduka Obaigbena, an administrative bail.
The commission is investigating the publisher over the N670m he allegedly collected from the office of a former National Security Adviser, Col. Sambo Dasuki (retd.).
Obaigbena was said to have been released Wednesday evening after he reportedly agreed to refund the money he collected from Dasuki.
He was said to have reported to one of the two EFCC teams involved in the ongoing arms probe at the Idiagbon House headquarters of the commission on Tuesday. .
A source in the EFCC said that investigations so far by the commission reveal that Obaigbena allegedly deployed part of the money he got from Dasuki to finance his United Kingdom-based television station, Arise TV.
The EFCC’s operative disclosed that N568, 360, 000 was allegedly given to the Arise Global Media Limited, the promoters of Arise TV.
Obaigbena has reportedly now signed an undertaking that he would refund the money he collected from the ONSA in two weeks.
The source said that the undertaking was a pre-condition for an administrative bail granted him on Wednesday.

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President Muhammadu Buhari is billed to address the European Parliament in Strasbourg on Wednesday, Feb. 3, 2016, the Head of the EU Delegation to Nigeria,Michel Arrion, has said.
Arrion, who disclosed this in Abuja on Wednesday at a news conference, said the President’s visit to the Parliament was at the invitation of the EU.
He explained that Buhari would deliver his speech to the over 750-member parliament from the 28 EU member countries. According to him, Buhari will afterwards, have personal sessions with the President of the European Commission.
He said the visit would centre on the President’s agenda of security, anti-corruption and economy development, among others. On security, he said the EU commended Buhari’s visit to Nigeria’s neighbours on regional collaboration against Boko Haram insurgency. He said the meeting would also discuss how the EU could cooperate with Nigeria to fight corruption and return stolen funds to Nigeria.
Arrion said the Common Agenda on Migration and Mobility signed between Nigeria and the EU on March 12, 2015, would be fine-tuned during Buhari’s visit.
He said the EU would further put the Economic Partnership Agreement (EPA), with Nigeria on the front burner during Buhari’s visit.
The EU envoy declared that the signing of EPA would not be an invasion of the European products into the Nigerian markets.
He said EU had signed the EPA agreement with ECOWAS while most African countries had ratified it but wondered why Nigeria had not. (NAN)