UN ignores Buhari, seeks record $2.7 billion aid for 7 million Nigerians affected by Boko Haram, others

Poverty, conflict and climate change will leave 15 million people across Africa’s Sahel belt in need of life-saving aid next year, the UN said as it launched a record $2.7 billion humanitarian appeal for the region in 2017.
Around 40 per cent of the money (about $1 billion) will be used to help some seven million people in Nigeria affected by the jihadist group Boko Haram’s seven-year insurgency, according to the U.N. Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA).
The UN’s statement of about 7 million Nigerians needing help in the aftermath of the Boko Haram insurgency comes days after the Nigerian government accused the global body and other international organisations working in the north-east of exaggerating the crisis for financial reasons.
“We are concerned about the blatant attempts to whip up a non-existent fear of mass starvation by some aid agencies, a type of hype that does not provide a solution to the situation on the ground but more to do with calculations for operations financing locally and abroad,” Nigeria’s President Muhammadu Buhari said in a statement by his spokesperson.
The president highlighted what he said were contradictions in some of the claims made by different humanitarian groups about the crisis.
“In a recent instance, one arm of the United Nations screamed that 100,000 people will die due to starvation next year. A different group says a million will die,” he said.
Mr. Buhari was reacting to statements made by officials of international organisations including the UN highlighting the humanitarian crisis in north-east Nigeria.
The U.N. Deputy Humanitarian Coordinator, Peter Lundberg, had said in a statement last Friday that “A projected 5.1 million people will face serious food shortages as the (Boko Haram) conflict and risk of unexploded improvised devices prevented farmers planting for the third year in a row, causing a major food crisis.”

$1.6 billion oil scam: Former NNPC boss testifies against Jide Omokore

The trial of the embattled chairman of Atlantic Energy Brass Development Limited and Atlantic Energy Drilling Concept Limited, Jide Omokore, by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, got underway Thursday.
The case, heard by Justice Nnamdi Dimgba of the Federal High Court sitting in Maitama, Abuja, opened with the prosecutor presenting its first witness, Andrew Yakubu, a former General Managing Director, GMD, of the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation, NNPC.
Mr. Yakubu, formerly a co-defendant prior to the amended charge, shed light on the nature of his engagement with the NNPC, which involved the strategic direction of NNPC and all its subsidiaries, including the Port Harcourt refinery, Warri refinery, Kaduna refinery, Pipelines and Products Marketing Company Limited (PPMC), Nigerian Petroleum Development Company (NPDC), Integrated Data Services Limited (IDSL) and National Petroleum Investment Management Services (NAPIMS).
According to him, “in 2013 to 2014, the MD of NPDC, Mr. Victor Briggs (the fourth defendant) came to me and raised some concerns in relation to assets OML 60 series in relation to the strategic alliance agreement between Atlantic Energy Drilling Concepts Limited and NPDC, citing inability of Atlantic Drilling to meet payment obligations. He told me that he was already looking into the issue and will get back to me. I told him to stop further lifting until the issue is reconciled. I called the Group General Manager of Crude Oil Marketing Department (COMD) and told him to stop further lifting until the issue had been resolved”.
He added that, “the Minister of Petroleum Resources wrote a letter to the Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Petroleum Resources and I, and set up a committee to investigate the issue. The fourth defendant (Briggs) was removed from NPDC and reassigned to IDSL. Mr. Membere, who was the Director-General, Exploration and Production; Tony Madichie, the Company Secretary in charge; Acting EG, Dr. Dawa and Company Secretary, Mr. Ike, were also part of the committee that compiled the report. Before they completed, however, I was also retired from service.”
Regarding the complicity of NAPIMS in meeting the funding requirements of the assets, Mr. Yakubu stated that, “We got to know later that NAPIMS made a cash call but I also issued instructions for them to stop. I also made sure that whatever fund that NAPIMS had paid was refunded to the federation account by the NNPC”.
At this point, the defense counsel, Rafiu Lawal-Rabana, applied for an adjournment for cross-examination and he was obliged.
The matter was consequently adjourned to January 20, 2017 and February 3, 2017 for continuation of trial.

MOURINHO THRILLED FOR MKHITARYAN

Jose Mourinho admits he is "very pleased" that Henrikh Mkhitaryan is off the mark for Manchester United after the Armenian scored his first goal for the club on his return to Ukraine.

The former Shakhtar Donetsk star dribbled through the Zorya Luhansk defence to open the scoring on an icy pitch in the second half in Odessa and Zlatan Ibrahimovic's late clincher set the seal on a victory that takes the Reds through to the knockout stages of the Europa League.

"It was a strong mentality," said the boss when asked about Mkhitaryan's attitude. "He was determined to fight against his difficult adaptation.

"He worked hard physically and tactically - the talent was there, we knew that when we bought him. Now he's playing good - in the Premier League, Europa League and EFL Cup, and now the goal means a little more happiness for him, so I'm very pleased."

United qualified in second spot behind Fenerbahce after the Turkish side won 1-0 at Feyenoord and approach the visit of Tottenham on Sunday in good heart.