KAFFY WELCOMES BABY GIRL

Kaffy and her husband Joseph Ameh on Saturday, January 11, welcomed a daughter. Her excited husband broke the news via Instagram where he shared photos of the bundle of joy named Eliana.
Kaffy and Joseph also have a 2 year old son,
Sean.
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Presidential Panel Indicts Stella Oduah In The N255m Car Scandal

The committee set up by President Goodluck Jonathan to probe the N255m bulletproof car scandal in the aviation ministry has indicted the Minister, Ms. Stella Oduah.

It was gathered in Abuja on Sunday that the report of the presidential committee tallied with some findings of the House of Representatives Committee on Aviation on the scandal.

In October, there were reports that with the approval of the minister, the Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority purchased two bulletproof BMW cars at an allegedly inflated rate of N255m.

The development sparked a countrywide controversy with many Nigerians and groups calling for her sacking.

The House subsequently mandated its Committee on Aviation to probe the allegation against the minister.

On December 19, 2013, the House endorsed the report of its committee and agreed that the minister breached the 2013 Appropriation Act.

It therefore asked Jonathan to review Oduah's appointment for approving expenditure of over N643m for the NCAA to procure 54 vehicles last year.

The spokesperson for the House, Mr. Zackary Mohammed, had explained that the lawmakers wanted the minister sacked.

He said, "The word 'review' here means a change in status. It is a mild way of saying that Mr. President should sack the minister."

A major recommendation of the Aviation committee, which was adopted, reads, "The House urges the President to review the continued engagement of the Minister of Aviation, Stella Oduah, for having contravened the Appropriation Act, 2013 and the approved, revised thresholds by exceeding the Ministry of Aviation's approval limit of N100m by the purchase of 54 vehicles valued at N643m."

Although Jonathan confirmed the receipt of the report of the presidential committee chaired by a former Head of Service of the Federation, Alhaji Sali Bello, he had yet to make a pronouncement on it.

Other members of the presidential panel included the National Security Adviser, Col Sambo Dasuki and Vice-Marshal Dick Iruenabhere.

It was learnt on Sunday that the panel, like that of the House, also discovered that the minister's approval for the cars exceeded the N100m limit.

A top government source, who disclosed this to The PUNCH on Sunday, said although the committee indicted Oduah , it did not say whether she should be sacked or not.

But sources told The PUNCH that there was every likelihood of the President using the cabinet shake -up that would follow the presentation of his ministerial list to the National Assembly to relieve himself of the moral burden of Oduah's continued presence in his government.

One of the sources said Jonathan did not take any action on the matter when the issue was raging last year because it was not in his character to be seen as being stampeded into taking any decision.

He said, "Those who know oga knows that he is not the kind of person that can be stampeded into taking a decision. That was why he remained calm in the face of the public calls for the minister's sacking last year.

"As it is now, since he is planning a cabinet shake-up, he may use the opportunity to ease the woman out. After all, during shake-up like the one being planned, he owes no one any explanation. He has the power to hire and fire."

Another official was more categorical in his claim that Oduah might not escape the imminent shake-up.

The minister's issue,according to him, came up when the President was preparing his response to an 18-page letter written to him by former President Olusegun Obasanjo.

He said, "The consensus then was that Mr. President could explain all the issues raised in Obasanjo's letter convincingly except the area that bordered on corruption.

"The observation people made that time was that it would be difficult to claim that the President did not harbour corruption with the continuous stay of Oduah in the cabinet at the time of replying the letter considering the calls by members of the public."

Efforts to get the Presidency's position on the presidential committee's report did not yield positive result as the Special Adviser to the President on Media and Publicity, Dr. Reuben Abati, did not respond to the calls made to his mobile telephone lines.

Source: http://www.punchng.com/news/n255m-car-scandal-presidential-panel-indicts-oduah/
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16 Nigerian States Declared Unsafe For Travel By UNITED STATES!!

The US state dept has just recently on the 8 January 2014 updated its "NO-GO AREA" list of Nigerian states to 16. The list was created to ward of it's citizens from unsafe parts of Nigeria where they must avoid going if possible.

They are Adamawa, Bauchi, Bayelsa, Borno, Delta, Gombe, Jigawa, Kaduna, Kano, Katsina, Kebbi, Niger, Plateau, Sokoto, Yobe,Zamfara .

"The Department of State warns U.S. citizens of the risks of travel to Nigeria and recommends that U.S. citizens avoid all travel to Adamawa, Borno, and Yobe states because of the May 14, 2013 state of emergency proclamation for those three states by the Government of the Federal Republic of Nigeria. The security situation in the country remains fluid and unpredictable. The U.S. Department of State strongly urges U.S. citizens in Nigeria to consider their own personal security and to keep personal safety in the forefront of their planning. This Travel Warning replaces the Travel Warning for Nigeria dated June 3, 2013.

The declaration of a state of emergency gives the government sweeping powers to search and arrest without warrants. On November 20, 2013, the national assembly approved the President of Nigeria's request for a six-month extension of the state of emergency in Adamawa, Borno, and Yobe states. The ability of the Mission to provide assistance to U.S. citizens in those states remains severely limited. The Department continues to recommend against all but essential travel to the following states due to the risk of kidnappings, robberies, and other armed attacks: Adamawa, Bauchi, Bayelsa, Borno, Delta, Gombe, Jigawa, Kaduna, Kano, Katsina, Kebbi, Niger, Plateau, Sokoto, Yobe, and Zamfara. The Department also warns against travel in the Gulf of Guinea because of the threat of piracy. Based on safety and security risk assessments, the Embassy maintains restrictions for travel by U.S. officials to those states listed above; officials must receive advance clearance by the U.S. Mission for any travel deemed as mission-essential. U.S. citizens should be aware that extremists could expand their operations beyond northern Nigeria to other areas of the country.

The U.S. Mission advises all U.S. citizens to be particularly vigilant around government security facilities; churches, mosques, and other places of worship; locations where large crowds may gather, such as hotels, clubs, beer parlors, restaurants, markets, shopping malls; and other areas frequented by expatriates and foreign travelers. Security measures in Nigeria remain heightened due to threats posed by extremist groups, and U.S. citizens may encounter police and military checkpoints, additional security, and possible road blocks throughout the country.

Boko Haram, an extremist group based in northeast Nigeria designated as a Foreign Terrorist Organization by the Department of State, has claimed responsibility for many attacks, mainly in northern Nigeria. Its members have killed or wounded thousands of people during the past four years. Boko Haram has targeted churches, schools, mosques, government installations, educational institutions, and entertainment venues in Adamawa, Bauchi, Borno, Gombe, Kaduna, Kano, Plateau, Taraba, the Federal Capital Territory, and Yobe states. Tens of thousands of Nigerians have been displaced as a result of violence in the north.

Late 2013 saw an increase in Boko Haram attacks and clashes with Nigerian government security forces in northern Nigeria. Boko Haram has also targeted women and children for kidnapping, reportedly kidnapping women in northern states for marriage as "slave brides." Boko Haram is known to descend on whole towns, robbing banks and businesses, attacking police and military installations, and setting fire to private homes.

Various curfews are intermittently in effect in several states in the North. All U.S. citizens should remain aware of current situations including curfews, travel restrictions, and states of emergency in the areas they are in or plan to visit. This information is commonly announced via the news media, but at times it can change with very little notice. Please take the time to find out this information for your area.

Cell phone service has, at times, been disrupted in Nigeria, particularly in areas where a State of Emergency has been declared, and when extremists have attacked cellular telephone towers. U.S. citizens should attempt to arrange for multiple means of communication in case of need during emergencies.

The Ansaru group, an offshoot of Boko Haram, has carried out several kidnappings targeting foreigners in Nigeria. The Ansaru Group has also claimed responsibility for other violent acts in the past year.

Kidnappings remain a security concern throughout the country. Since the beginning of 2013, several high-profile kidnappings have occurred involving U.S. citizens. Kidnappings of foreign nationals and attacks against Nigerian police forces in Lagos State and the Niger Delta region continued to affect personal security for those traveling in these areas. Criminals or militants have abducted foreign nationals, including U.S. citizens, from off-shore and land-based oil facilities, residential compounds, and public roadways. Nine foreign nationals have died in connection with these abductions, including three killed by their captors during military-led rescue raids. Local authorities and international corporations operating in Nigeria assert that the number of kidnapping incidents throughout Nigeria remains under-reported. Attacks by pirates off the coast of Nigeria in the Gulf of Guinea have increased substantially in recent years. Armed gangs have boarded both commercial and private vessels to rob travelers. The Nigerian Navy has limited capacity to respond to criminal acts at sea.

In 2013, extremists targeted both Nigerians and foreign nationals involved in polio eradication efforts in northern Nigeria. Several U.S. government partner agencies working on public health development activities in northern Nigeria have curtailed their activities in response to these threats. Furthermore, U.S. citizen missionaries in northern Nigeria have received specific written threats to their safety and well-being, typically in the form of anonymously-distributed "night letters" (covertly-distributed anonymous threat letters intended to frighten intended victims).

Violent crimes occur throughout the country. U.S. citizen visitors and residents have experienced armed muggings, assaults, burglaries, armed robberies, car-jackings, Molests, kidnappings, and extortion. Home invasions also remain a serious threat, with armed robbers accessing even guarded compounds by scaling perimeter walls, accessing waterfront compounds by boat, following residents or visitors, or subduing guards to gain entry to homes or apartments. Law enforcement authorities usually respond slowly or not at all and provide little or no investigative support to victims. U.S. citizens, other foreign nationals, and Nigerians have experienced harassment and shakedowns at checkpoints and during encounters with Nigerian law enforcement officials.

The Department advises against traveling outside of major cities after dark because of crime and road safety concerns. While Nigeria is undertaking a comprehensive power sector reform, the nation's erratic electricity grid does not meet the country's power needs, with frequent power outages that sometimes occur even in highly-sensitive locations. In March 2013, the international airport in Lagos suffered multiple nighttime power outages that lasted several minutes each, leaving the runways in total darkness and forcing at least one inbound flight to abort a landing attempt while on final approach.

The Department strongly advises U.S. citizens who travel to or reside in Nigeria to enroll in the State Department's Smart Traveler Enrollment Program (STEP). U.S. citizens without internet access may enroll directly with the nearest U.S. embassy or consulate. The U.S. Embassy in Abuja is located at: Plot 1075 Diplomatic Drive, Central District Area. The Embassy is open Monday - Thursday 7:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. and Friday 7:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. The U.S. Consulate General in Lagos is located at: 2 Walter Carrington Crescent, Victoria Island. The Consulate is open Monday-Thursday from 7:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. and Friday 7:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m.

U.S. citizens should contact the U.S. Embassy in Abuja or the U.S. Consulate General in Lagos for up-to-date information on any restrictions. The U.S. Embassy in Abuja can be reached by telephone, including after-hours emergencies, at 234(9) 461-4000. The U.S. Consulate General in Lagos can be reached by telephone, including after-hours emergencies, at 234(1) 460-3600 or 234 (1) 460-3400.

Current information on safety and security can also be obtained by calling 1-888-407-4747 toll-free in the United States and Canada, or a regular toll line at 1-202-501-4444 for callers from other countries. These numbers are available from 8:00 a.m. to 8:00 p.m. Eastern Time, Monday through Friday (except U.S. federal holidays). You can also stay up to date by bookmarking our Bureau of Consular Affairs website, which contains the current Travel Warnings and Travel Alerts as well as the Worldwide Caution. Follow us on Twitter and the Bureau of Consular Affairs page on Facebook as well."

http://travel.state.gov/content/passports/english/alertswarnings/nigeria-travel-warning.html
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