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D8 /<strong>Independent</strong>ngr @independentngr www.independent.ng INDEPENDENT WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 16, 2017 WorldPolitics Oyeniran Apata +2348057514433 oyeniran.apata@independentnig.com US Decries Islamic State ‘Genocide’ Of Christians, Others The Trump administration denounced the Islamic State group on Tuesday for carrying out "genocide" against Christians and other religious minorities in areas under its control. Secretary of State Rex Tillerson said the group is "clearly responsible for genocide" against Christians and Yazidis in Iraq and Shiite Muslims in Syria and elsewhere. His comments were made as the State Department released its annual report on international religious freedom. Tillerson said he was making the pronouncement to "remove any ambiguity" about previous genocide assertions made by his predecessor, John Kerry, who in March 2016, determined that genocide was occurring in Islamic State-held areas but was criticized by lawmakers and religious groups for not declaring genocide was taking place earlier. Neither administration's genocide determination carries with it any legal obligation for the U.S. or others. "ISIS has and continues to target members of multiple religions and ethnicities for rape, kidnapping, enslavement and death," Tillerson told reporters in presenting the report. "ISIS is clearly responsible for Secretary of State, Rex Tillerson leaves after speaking on the release of the 2016 annual report on International Religious Freedom on Tuesday at the State Department in Washington. genocide against Yazidis, Christians and Shia Muslims in areas it controlled. ISIS is also responsible for crimes against humanity and ethnic cleansing directed at these same groups, and in some cases against Sunni Muslims, Kurds and other minorities," Tillerson said. "The protection of these groups - and others who are targets of violent extremism - remains a human-rights priority for the Trump administration." The wife of Zimbabwe's president has been accused of assaulting a young woman at an upscale hotel in South Africa, though she did not show up for court Tuesday as police had indicated. It was not immediately clear where Grace Mugabe was. Minister of Police Fikile Mbalula said in a video posted by local broadcaster eNCA that she had handed herself over to police. But a police spokesman, Vishnu Naidoo, later said no arrest had been made and police were talking with the suspect's lawyers. The case draws yet more attention to the increasingly outspoken wife of the world's oldest head of state, 93-yearold President Robert Mugabe. Last month she challenged her husband publicly for the first time to name a successor, positioning herself as a possibility as his advanced age takes a toll ahead of next year's election. Twenty-year-old model Gabriella Engels has accused Grace Mugabe of assaulting her Sunday night while she was visiting mutual friends of Mugabe's sons in a hotel room in an upscale Johannesburg suburb. She claims the first lady's bodyguards stood by and watched as Mugabe attacked her. Engels posted several photos on social media showing a gash in her forehead, which she called a result of the alleged encounter. "She flipped and just kept beating me with the plug. Over and over," Engels told local news channel News24. "I had no idea what was going on. I was surprised. I needed to crawl out of the room before I The religious freedom report, which is mandated by Congress, covers 2016 and does not address the Trump administration's decision to temporarily halt the admission of all refugees, many of whom are fleeing religious persecution. The administration has appealed challenges to the suspension of those admissions to the Supreme Court. An appendix to the report covering refugees said admissions are "a vital tool" in addressing could run away." Police confirmed that a 20-year-old woman registered "a case of assault with intent to do grievous bodily harm" on Monday, but said the suspect could not be named as she had not yet appeared in court. "The investigation into this case has already reached an advanced stage," a police statement on Tuesday said. It was unclear whether Mugabe would qualify for diplomatic immunity if charges are brought against her. religious persecution and other human rights abuses. It said more than 70 per cent of the nearly 85,000 refugees admitted to the U.S. in 2016 came from five nations - Congo, Syria, Burma, Iraq and Somalia - where the report itself said that freedom to worship is under threat. Syria and Somalia are among the six mainly Muslim nations that are also included in the administration's visa ban that is also before the Supreme Court. Zimbabwe’s First Lady Accused Of Assault In South Africa Mugabe. Gabriella Engels forehead with a gash allegedly inflicted by Mugabe in Johannesburg, South Africa. There was no immediate comment by Zimbabwe's government or ruling party. Zimbabwean press reported earlier this week that Mugabe, 52, was in South Africa seeking medical attention. It was not clear Tuesday night whether Mugabe was still in South Africa or had returned to Zimbabwe. "If she went back, I just hope the police can do something to get her back," Engels told The Associated Press. "I don't want her to get away with this." Maduro Orders Military Exercises After Threat By Trump Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro, on Monday, ordered the military to conduct exercises after US President Donald Trump’s threat of a possible armed intervention in the crisis-stricken country. Maduro told a crowd of supporters in Caracas that he had organized a round of military drills for August 26-27 in response to the threat. “I have given the order to the armed forces’ joint chiefs of staff to start preparations for a national civil-military exercise for the integrated armed defense of the Venezuelan nation,” he said. He vowed to defend his country “with tanks, planes and missiles” as the crowd chanted “Yankee go home!” Trump said on Friday that the US was mulling a range of options against Venezuela, “including a possible military option if necessary.” His words have bolstered Caracas’s oft-repeated claim that Washington has designs to grab control of its proven oil reserves, the largest in the world. Defense Minister General Vladimir Padrino called Trump’s comments “crazy,” saying it showed America had “dropped its mask” in terms of wanting to attack his country. In a speech, he warned that Washington wanted to steal the OPEC nation’s oil reserves. Algeria's PM Sacked Three Months In Office Algerian President Abdelaziz Bouteflika sacked Prime Minister Abdelmadjid Tebboune on Tuesday, less than three months after appointing him, the presidency said, according to state media. "President Abdelaziz Bouteflika on Tuesday relieved Prime Minister Abdelmadjid Tebboune of his duties and appointed Ahmed Ouyahia", the president's chief of staff, in his place, the presidency said in a statement carried by the official APS news agency. Bouteflika's National Liberation Front (FLN) and the Rally for National Democracy (RND) led by Ouyahia together enjoy an absolute majority in parliament after winning re-election on May 4. In a surprise move three weeks after the vote, the president named Tebboune, who had been housing minister, to the post of prime minister in place of Bouteflika's ally Abdelmalek Sellal. According to a government source who spoke to AFP on condition of anonymity, 71-yearold Tebboune was dismissed because his "vision was not in line" with the president.
INDEPENDENT WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 16, 2017 /<strong>Independent</strong>ngr @independentngr www.independent.ng A9 News Lagos To Transform Oworonshoki To Transport, Entertainment Hub Bayelsa Community Protests Neglect By Shell IGONIKO ODUMA YENAGOA There was tension in Bayelsa State on Tuesday as the aggrieved people of Akenfa community in Yenagoa Local Government Area protested neglect by Shell Petroleum Development Company of Nigeria. They blocked the road leading to some oil wells operated by Shell in the area, demanding justice as a host community. They also vowed to continue with the agitation until the management of the oil major sits at a roundtable with them to address years of neglect. They told a team of Shell personnel that came to pacify them to ensure a meeting involving both FRANCIS ONOIRIBHOLO BENIN Twenty five beneficiaries of the presidential amnesty programme on Tuesday graduated from the Ogbebor Leadership and Skills Acquisition Academy. The training programme is part of efforts to empower ex-agitators from the Niger Delta region. Drawn from Rivers, Bayelsa and Delta states, the trainees were taken on rubber technology, products manufacturing techniques and other sociological and communication skills and the programme lasted for six months. Col. Paul Ogbebor (rtd), The Lagos State government on Monday outlined plans to transform the blighted areas of Oworonshoki Waterfront into one of the biggest transportation, tourism and entertainment hubs in Nigeria. Ade Akinsanya, Commissioner for Waterfront Infrastructure Development, in a statement, said that the project will improve the aesthetics and security of the environment, while attracting investments in water transportation and boosting socio-economic activities in the axis, with the provision of shopping malls and related infrastructures. According to the commissioner, the proposed entertainment and mega ferry terminal site, already under reclamation, would divert a lot of human and vehicular traffic gridlocks away from the Lagos Island and take advantage of the central location and accessibility of the proposed Oworonshoki terminal to the Apapa Port, Ikeja Airport and other parts of the state. “Youths and residents will enjoy quality sports, recreational, entertainment and emergency response facilities at the terminal. “Commuters transiting through the terminal will not only enjoy state-of the arts infrastructure, they will also be able to park and ride and park and cruise from the state-ofthe-art jetty, thus reducing the carbon emission level and travel time within the city,” Akinsanya said. parties was convened without delay or they would disrupt oil production. Mr. Chima Jackson, the youth president of Akenfa community, insisted that the road would remain closed until they hear directly from Shell. He said they decided to take action because Shell has refused to fulfill its part of the agreement it entered into with the community. Jackson said the community has nothing to show since 1972 when Shell started drilling crude oil from their environment. In his response, a member of the Shell’s team promised to convey the community’s grievance to the higher authorities, saying he would report back to them in three days. 25 Amnesty Beneficiaries Graduate From Ogbebor Academy president and chairman board of directors of the academy said the training was most rewarding to the trainees adding that the on the job training of the youths in rubber technology would qualify them for the National Business and Technical Examination Board (NABTEB) Modular Trade Certificate on rubber technology. He commended the Federal Government’s agriculture initiative which is targeted at reviving erstwhile abandoned rubber plantations and businesses which are currently yielding Malaysia, Vietnam, Thailand and India annually about 50 billion US dollars and 1.5 million jobs created in the affected countries. Clem Ugorji, Public Affairs and Communications Director, Coca- Cola, West Africa Business Unit (left); Sade Morgan, Legal, Public Affairs and Communications Director, Nigerian Bottling Company Ltd (NBC) (second left); Hamish Banks, Vice President, Public Affairs and Communications, The Coca-Cola Company, Eurasia and Africa (middle); Klaske de Jonge, Public Affairs and Communications Director, Coca-Cola Hellenic Bottling Company (CCHBC) (second right), and Adenike Shobowale, Assistant General Manager, Human Resources and Administration, Lagos Waste Management Authority (LAWMA), during a visit to LAWMA in Ijora, Lagos. Omokri To Garba Shehu: Jonathan Built Only Federal Varsity In Katsina As the brickbats between ex-President Goodluck Jonathan and ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) led government of President Muhammadu Buhari, continues unabated, Reno Omokri, a former aide of Jonathan, has told Garba Shehu, senior special assistant to President Buhari on media and publicity, that the only federal university in Katsina State was built by the last administration. Nyesom Ezenwo Wike, the governor of Rivers State, has said that if Nigeria is to experience rapid development, it must invest heavily in science and technology. Wike spoke at the Government House in Port Harcourt on Tuesday when he granted audience to the National Executive Council of the Science Teachers Association of Nigeria (STAN), regretting that the Federal Government was yet to FELIX IGBEKOYI ASABA Federal University Dutsin, Katsina, is one of the nine universities which Jonathan founded in February 2011. In a statement on Tuesday, Omokri said Shehu’s claim that there was no capital project completed under Jonathan “further exposes his intellectual laziness and failing memory”. “It is quite sad that Garba Shehu does not know that oil constitutes only 15 percent of Nigeria’s GDP and thus a fall in the price of oil should not lead to a collapse of the Nigerian economy as has been experienced under President Buhari,” the statement read. “If Garba and his boss are willing to learn, the Jonathan Foundation and the Peoples Democratic Party can arrange a course for them to be tutored on the subject-how to grow your economy to be the largest in Africa. We make bold that we are experienced in that area. “Obviously Garba Shehu has forgotten that when his boss was commissioning the Abuja-Kaduna 187KM fast railway that enables Nigerians work in Abuja and live in Kaduna, he was forced to admit that the project was conceived, built and completed by the Jonathan administration. “At that event, President Muhammadu Buhari said about the $1.5 billion project and I quote ‘This project was conceived by a previous administration, started by the last government.’ My question to Mr. Shehu is this-who is a liar between him and his boss? Wike Calls For Increased Investments In Science, Technology give science the priority attention it deserves. He said that science teachers should be encouraged with necessary incentives to carry out their responsibilities of preparing the children for the future. “Nigeria cannot develop unless the nation invests in the teaching of MASSOB Leaders in Delta South and Central Senatorial district have described Nnamdi Kanu, the leader of Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB) , as an enemy of Biafra. They said Biafra referendum has since been conducted before the United Nations (UN) in 2004 while the call for referendum is a belated issue. In a statement signed by MASSOB leaders Joseph Odikpo and Pastor Francis Chigbo, Elder In-Council and Director of Religious Affairs respectively, the body said they have gone far in this struggle and anybody trying to draw them back science and mathematics at all levels. That is the way to go. “We cannot talk of development without science and mathematics. There must be the needed encouragement and incentives for teachers of mathematics,” Wike said. The governor commended STAN for their should be regarded as enemy of Biafra. Actualisation of the struggle is already a business done without further stress and that the call to boycott Anambra election in November this year is Anti-Igbo which should be condemned by well-meaning Igbo sons and daughters. “When Biafra leaders contributions to the development of science education in the country over the last six decades. He informed his visitors that his administration had invested in equipping science laboratories in select schools in order to ensure that students have practical knowledge. Nnamdi Kanu, Enemy Of Biafra - MASSOB Leaders submitted their bill of right to the UN, Nigerian government was summoned by the UN where they were told that a section of the country wants to go away and, it was then the news was broken to the whole world,” adding that, during the period, Chief Olusegun Obasanjo was the President in 2004,” they said in the statement.
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