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The Transmission Company of Nigeria (TCN), has lifted the suspension  and disconnection order on Port-Harcourt Electricity Distribution Company (PHEDC).

The lifting order was posted on TCN’s twitter handle @TCN _Nigeria on Tuesday.

TCN said that lifting of the suspension order took effect from Monday.

According to TCN, lifting of the  suspension followed the DisCo’s compliance with the market conditions/participation agreement.

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that PHEDC was suspended on July 28 for failing to comply with the Market Conditions /Market Participation Agreements.

Kano Electricity Distribution Company (KEDCO) is presently on suspension and has also been disconnected from the electricity market.

The KEDCO was  first suspended on July 21, and a second suspension order was also issued to the DisCo on Aug 6 for not paying May 2O19 Invoice in full.

In the last few weeks, similar suspension and disconnection orders had been issued against Enugu, Eko and Ikeja DISCOs over the same allegations of infraction of market rules.

TCN lifted the suspension on Enugu, Eko and Ikeja DISCOs after they complied with the market conditions/participation agreement.

NAN

South African journalist seized in Syria begs for help

(FLOWERBUD NEWS) South African photojournalist being held captive in Darkoush, Syria made a desperate appeal to the South African government and international community late Monday to help secure his release from gunmen who are demanding 1.5 million dollars in ransom.

Shiraaz Mohamed, who was kidnapped in early 2017 while documenting the suffering of Syrian refugees, pleaded for assistance in a new video released by his captors.

In the video, a masked gunman wearing a military uniform is seen walking into an underground prison where he finds Mohamed sleeping on the floor. Dressed in torn clothes, Mohamed is seen being blindfolded by the gunman and later handcuffed.

He is taken to another room where his blindfold is removed and the gunman starts shaving his beard.

The kidnappers are seen throwing an orange overall at Mohamed, which he catches and later wears. He kneels down and starts speaking in the video, which surfaced on social media.

“My name is Shiraaz Mohamed, a South African photographer. My government, my friends, Dr. Fekri Shabaan and anyone watching this video who can help me, please help me,” he said.

Shabaan has been involved in negotiations with Mohamed’s captors to free him.

“My life is still in danger. I’ve been living in captivity for almost three years now. I need your help. Please free me,” Mohamed said.

He also appealed to Shabaan to cooperate with his captors, or else they will harm him.

“Dr. Fekri Shabaan — these people are very angry with the way you are speaking with them. With the way you are doing the negotiations.

“My living conditions up until the last time you spoke with them were OK. My life has become very difficult. Please — I beg you Dr. Fekri Shaban — change the way you are speaking or negotiating with them.

“Listen to them and give them what they want. Please! My life is very difficult.”

Mohamed also said he fears that his captors might put a bullet in his head if his negotiators don’t cooperate.

“They are very angry at the moment. I’m not eating properly, and they say if I’m killed, you (Dr. Fekri) will be responsible for it. Help me, please! End this nightmare please!” he said.

Ransom

In May, Mohamed’s captors sent a message demanding a ransom of 1.5 million dollars for his release, said relief agency Gift of the Givers, which is brokering his release.

Dr. Imtiaz Sooliman, the founder of the relief agency, said the captors called his organization that month to commence negotiations for the journalist’s release after sending an initial video in April showing that Mohamed was still alive.

“I live in fear of my life. I am scared. The area that I am in has been bombed by the Russian air force; bombs are getting closer and closer. I need your help. Please help me,” he pleaded in the video.

(FLOWERBUD NEWS)  The Supreme Court on Tuesday dismissed an appeal filed by Alhaji Atiku Abubakar, challenging the Presidential Election Petition Tribunal’s decision to dismiss an application to allow him access to the central server of INEC used in the last presidential poll.

Justice C C Nweze, while delivering the ruling of the five-member panel of the apex court said “the appeal has no merit”, and dismissed it.

Atiku, the Presidential candidate of the PDP in the February presidential election appealed the tribunal’s rejection of their request to access the “central server” which they alleged housed the results of the poll electronically transmitted by the Independent National Electoral Commission during the exercise.

He had approached the apex court to set aside the June 24, decision of the tribunal, and also grant all their prayers contained in the motion on notice.Atiku’s counsel, Eyitayo Jegede SAN had pleaded with the court to set aside the decision of the presidential election petition tribunal which refused to compel INEC to allow him access to the central server alleged used in the conduct of the presidential poll.He said  that access to the INEC’s central server is germain to the joint petition of Atiku and PDP and urged the court to grant the request of the appellants by ordering the electoral body to allow access to the database.However, Chief Wole Olanipekun

SAN, counsel to President Muhammadu Buhari, asked the court to turn down the request and to dismiss the appeal on the grounds that the appeal has become academic.Olanipekun drew the attention of the court to the fact that the life of the appeal will expire on Aug. 21 and even if the request is granted it will serve no purpose to the two petitioners since they have long closed their cases.He further told the court that the parties will on Aug. 21 adopt their final written addresses at the tribunal after which a judgment date will be fixed.The position of Olanipekun was however adopted by counsel to INEC, Yunus Usman SAN and that of the All Progressives Congress (APC) Charles Edosamwam.

Atiku, had in their motion, which was dismissed by the tribunal, claimed that INEC electronically transmitted the results of the disputed poll to the said central server.

INEC had denied the claim, insisting that it never transmitted the results of the polls to any server whatsoever, but that the results were collated and declared manually.

President Muhammadu Buhari and his All Progressives Congress, whose victory at the polls is being challenged by the petitioners at the tribunal, also opposed the petitioners’ request for access to the said INEC’s server.

But the petitioners have insisted in their notice of appeal that INEC electronically transmitted the results to the central server, adding that the tribunal denied them fair hearing by preventing them from accessing the “relevant and material evidence” to which they were entitled to under the provisions of Section 151(1) of the Electoral Act 2010 (as amended).

They alleged that the tribunal’s denial of fair hearing undermined their petition.

According to them, the tribunal, in dismissing their application, failed to consider their uncontroverted evidence contained in their further affidavit in support of their application for access and inspection of information.

They maintained that the tribunal failed to exercise its discretion judiciously and judicially.

They maintained that they supported their further affidavit accompanying the motion at the tribunal with enough documentary proof to the effect that the results were actually transmitted electronically and stored in its (INEC’s) central server with respect to the presidential election conducted on February 23, 2019. (NAN)

(FLOWERBUD NEWS) Bello Matawalle of Zamfara says the state is now peaceful as the peace initiative of the state government with the efforts and cooperation of the Nigerian Army is yielding positive result.

Matawalle disclosed this when he received the Chief of Army Staff, Lt.-Gen. Tukur Buratai, in his office on Tuesday in Gusau.

He said that the state had not witnessed any form of kidnapping, bandit attack and other forms of insecurity in the last 59 days.

The governor said that the people of Zamfara were currently enjoying peace, adding that the citizens could now go about their normal businesses without fear of insecurity.

According to him, the bandits themselves are now helping the army and security agencies to end insecurity in the state.

“I want to appreciate the effort of the Nigerian army for the support to solve the issues of insecurity in Zamfara because without the support of the army we could not have reached where we are today.

“When I assumed duty as the executive Governor of this state, my first call was to consult the army commander to dialogue and sort out the strategy that we shall follow to tackle the issues.

“It was after all these consultations that we came out with the modalities of engaging these people in a heavy dialogue which we did.

“So, it is on the basis of that action that we have achieved the successes recorded as at today.

“For about 59 days, we have not recorded any issue of insecurity in this state,” he said.

Matawalle also disclosed that the bandits have been helping security agencies and the army to pursue the so-called bandits in the villages.

He assured Buratai that the government would continue to support the army in its initiative to end insecurity in the state, adding that government would purchase some vehicles for the army soon.

Earlier, the Chief of Army Staff, Buratai, assured the governor that the army would continue to support the government’s peace initiative towards addressing security issues in the state.

Buratai said: “In addressing every crisis situation, dialogue is the best way to start; force is the last resort after dialogue had failed.

He commended the governor for his leadership style in ensuring the restoration of peace in the state.

He said that the army was committed to ensuring that all forms of insecurity in the state and the country at large were addressed. (NAN)

(FLOWERBUD NEWS)  Mrs Regina Adie, the State Nutrition Officer, Cross River Primary Healthcare Development Agency (CRSPHDA), on Tuesday said that only 7.8 per cent of mothers in Cross River exclusively breastfed their babies.

Adie told the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Calabar that the figure was too low for a state like Cross River, adding that residents and the state government were not happy about it.The official said that CRSPHDA wanted all mothers in the state to not only know the benefits of exclusive breastfeeding, but the fact that breast milk was a natural food created by God to enhance good health in babies.According to her, the state is trying to eliminate the cultural practice of given babies water along with breast milk in the first few months of delivery to ensure healthy babies.She noted that exclusive breastfeeding was for the benefit of babies, mothers and the nation at large.

“Mothers should ensure that in the first 1,000 days of their babies’ lives, breast milk should be given exclusively and regularly because we discovered that most of our mothers lacked awareness.

“When a baby is delivered, its intestines are very tender; it is breast milk that helps the child eliminate every impurity in the baby, as it serves as antibiotics.“Also, the yellowish milk from the mother contains Vitamin A, which is very good for the child’s sight; in fact, the importance of breast milk cannot be over-emphasised.

“When you start introducing artificial milk or water early, you introduce foreign bodies into the baby, especially the water, because the sources are often suspect and may lead to diarrhea,” the nutrition officer said.NAN reports that World Breastfeeding Week was held in Calabar from Aug. 1 to Aug. 7 with a rally, symposium and a round-table discussion with journalists. (NAN)

(FLOWERBUD NEWS) The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC has denied raiding the residence of the immediate past Governor of Lagos State, Akinwunmi Ambode, in spite a trending video signifying their presence at his house.

The EFCC, in a statement on its Instagram page on Tuesday said it had been inundated with calls that operatives of the Commission raided the residence of the former governor of Lagos State, Akinwunmi Ambode.

“We need to state for the records that the EFCC did not raid Ambode’s house. It is instructive that his administration, like other former governors is under investigation, since they no longer constitutionally enjoy immunity against prosecution.

“The Commission hereby states with high sense of responsibility that the operatives did not raid Ambode’s residence.

“Whatever the Commission is presently doing with regards to the investigation is in line with its mandate and the rule of law.

“We wish to inform the social media to be circumspect in the reportage of any news with regards to investigation activities of the Commission,” the statement said.

“Our operations are always covert until at a time when we file charges in court.

“Therefore, the attempt to cast the Commission in a bad light is unacceptable as the EFCC will never engage in illegal act. We remain committed to the war against corruption.

Meanwhile, a trending video on a twitter handle @iamsegmartins, however, showed some angry residence of Epe community speaking on the raid.

A voice in the background of the video could be heard saying that youths of the area prevented EFCC personnel from gaining access to the former governor’s residence.

Watch the videos below:

https://twitter.com/iamsegmartins/status/1163775364688162816

https://twitter.com/iamsegmartins/status/1163759731602800641