Obama To Meet With Buhari At The UN General Assembly

WASHINGTON (AP) -- President Barack Obama will review military strategy against the Islamic State group, press nations to admit more refugees and review progress around the world, despite new challenges, when he makes his final appearance at the U.N. General Assembly session in New York next week, the White House said Friday.

On the sidelines of the session, Obama has scheduled meetings with the leaders of Iraq, Nigeria and Colombia and plans to promote trade between the U.S. and Africa.

Obama heads to New York on Sunday for the General Assembly session that opens Monday, his eighth and final as president.

He plans to sit down Monday with Iraqi Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi to discuss progress the country has made countering the Islamic State group, a coming Iraqi military operation to take back the city of Mosul from IS militants, and a brewing humanitarian crisis inside Iraq, said Ben Rhodes, Obama's deputy national security adviser.

Deputy Secretary of State Antony Blinken said this week while visiting Baghdad that Iraqi forces aided by the U.S.-led coalition against IS had retaken half the territory that militants once held in the country. He also announced more than $181 million in aid to address a humanitarian crisis that has festered in Iraq as a result of the insurgency.

Despite a series of major defeats in recent months, IS has maintained its grip on Mosul, Iraq's second largest city. Iraq hopes to launch an operation this year to retake Mosul.

Obama delivers his final address to the yearly gathering of world leaders on Tuesday, and will use the opportunity to "step back" and review some of the progress over the past eight years along with "some of the trends that have been shaping our international order," said Rhodes, previewing the trip for reporters.

The Syrian conflict continues to confound world leaders, although a recent cease-fire agreement appears to be holding, but Syria has not yet allowed humanitarian aid to flow to the city of Aleppo and other affected areas. Meanwhile, North Korea continues to defy the international community with its recent nuclear and ballistic missile tests.

Obama also plans to meet Tuesday with Nigerian President Muhammadu Buhari, who has held office for just over a year, to talk about continued U.S. support for security and economic changes in the country, as well the government's efforts to counter the Islamic extremist group Boko Haram.

At a summit on refugees that the president is hosting, Obama is expected to press more nations to open their borders and help double the number of refugees who are resettled around the world. Mexico, Sweden, Canada, Germany, Jordan and Ethiopia are co-hosting the summit along with U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon.

Europe has shouldered a large portion of the Syrian refugee crisis. Canada welcomed 25,000 Syrian refugees, and the U.S. recently met its goal of resettling 10,000 Syrian refugees this year.

Obama will devote a portion of Wednesday, the final day of the General Assembly session, to promoting trade between the U.S. and Africa. He was attending a summit with some 200 American and African CEOs, and African heads of state.

The president also plans to meet with Colombian President Juan Manuel Santos, mainly to discuss a historic peace agreement recently struck between Santos' government and the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia rebel group to end 52 years of hostilities, the Western Hemisphere's longest-running war.

The U.S. supported the peace effort, and the people of Colombia will vote on it a nationwide referendum in early October.

On Sunday evening in New York, Obama was headlining a Democratic Party fundraiser.

Source:

http://hosted.ap.org/dynamic/stories/U/US_OBAMA?SITE=AP&SECTION=HOME&TEMPLATE=DEFAULT&CTIME=2016-09-16-17-10-41

Buhari To Demand Recovery Of Looted Funds At UN Assembly

Adelani Adepegba, Abuja

President Muhammadu Buhari will next week lead the Federal Government delegation to New York, the United States, where he will address the 71st regular session of the United Nations General Assembly on September 21, 2016.

The Minister of Foreign Affairs, Geoffrey Onyeama, who stated this on Friday in Abuja, explained that the President would use the opportunity to build on his relationship with other world leaders and demand the recovery of looted funds stashed away in foreign countries.

According to him, the Federal Government will canvass the election of an Afro-centric UN Secretary-General, who will be pro-developing countries.

He stated that Buhari would also push for the candidature of Nigerians into various international agencies which he said had influence on UN policy and programmes globally.

Onyeama said it was absolutely important that Nigeria engaged in multilateral relations, noting that it had candidates for positions in International Civil Aviation Authority and the United Nations Human Rights Council.

He said the President would also engage the world leaders and seek their support in the areas of security, anti-corruption, governance and the economy where Nigeria is currently facing challenges.

The minister said, “It is an opportunity for the President to push for the reform of the UN, a UN that is more inclusive of more countries. It is another opportunity to engage world leaders and push for recovery of illicit and looted funds, address poverty, refugee issues and irregular migrants; this is an issue that is affecting our relationship with European countries.” Buhari, the minister added, would also sign the Paris Agreement on Climate Change which the United States and China, had earlier signed.

Onyeama added that during the trip, the President would also lead his delegation to the US-Africa Business Forum, where Nigeria would be the focus.

He said, “There will also be a high-level meeting on the humanitarian crisis in the Lake Chad region, the President is keen on addressing the problem of the Lake Chad which would cost $15bn and we would need to mobilize funding for the project.”

Source:

http://punchng.com/buhari-demand-recovery-looted-funds-un-assembly/

Buhari To Travel To New York On Tuesday For 71st UN General Assembly

President Muhammadu Buhari will lead Nigeria’s delegation to the 71st UN General Assembly (UNGA) scheduled to begin at the UN headquarters in New York on Tuesday, Foreign Affairs Minister Geoffrey Onyeama, has said.

Mr. Onyeama, who made the fact known in Abuja on Friday at a news conference, said the president would be discussing series of issues which had direct impact on Nigeria.

He said the president would, among others, set the record straight on the issue of human rights violation and sign the Paris Agreement on Climate.

The News Agency of Nigeria recalls that at the Paris Climate Conference (COP21) held in December 2015, 195 countries adopted the first-ever universal, legally binding global climate deal.

The agreement sets out a global action plan to put the world on track to avoid dangerous climate change by limiting global warming to 2°C.

The agreement is due to enter into force in 2020.

Mr. Onyeama said the president signing the agreement would send a signal to the world that Nigeria was serious with it. He noted that China and the U.S. had already signed it.

He said the UNGA conference was a unique one where the Nigerian leader had opportunity to meet world leaders and build on the country’s reputation.

“It is one unique conference where world leaders assemble and address issues pre-occupying their minds; it is a wonderful opportunity for the president to build on his reputation.

“President Buhari is well regarded by the world leaders and it will give him opportunity to reconnect and engage them on various issues.

“He needs world leaders’ support in the areas of economy, security, anti-corruption and governance. He will use the opportunity to push for Nigeria’s interest at the UN,” the minister said.

He said the president would also use the opportunity to look for foreign markets for Nigerian’s products and garner support for the economy.

Mr. Onyeama said that the president would also use the opportunity to canvass for the repatriation of Nigeria’s stolen money in foreign banks.

“Mr. President will use the opportunity to canvass for support for the recharge of Lake Chad.

“There will be a discussion on Lake Chad Basin and how to recharge the lake through Central Africa which will cost about $15 billion.

“Mr President will engage and push for investors on the project. He will be looking at Public, Private Partnership to mobilise that kind of funding for Lake Chad.

“Such investment will have direct impact on at least five million people,” he said.

According to Mr. Onyeama, there will also be a discussion on one vision, one Africa where all African nations can have a voice on issues that have direct impact on the continent.

He said the EU would be putting €31 billion on the table to address certain issues affecting Middle East and part of Africa.

He said Nigeria was the only one invited for the meeting to look into how to spend the money, adding that the forum would give Nigeria opportunity to access the fund.

(NAN)

Source:

http://www.premiumtimesng.com/news/more-news/210159-buhari-lead-nigerias-delegation-71st-un-general-assembly.html

UK House Of Commons Debate On Chibok Girls, Vows To Keep Up The Pressure

Members of the United Kingdom's House of Commons, today held a debate centered on the missing Chibok school girls. According to some of the parliamentarians, they were moved to tears during the debate and vowed that the House would keep up its pressure to see that the girls that have been in Boko Haram captivity for over 2 years now are rescued. 


Watch the debate video:

 http://parliamentlive.tv/event/index/3f80ee36-45ac-4ef5-89d9-b03b26b47183?in=13:30:40&out=13:45:53 

See more tweets

See How A US Based Nigerian Reacted To The Postponement Of Edo Elections

Amb Dion Osagie, a Nigerian entrepreneur and humanitarian activist who is based in the United States has reacted to the postponement of the governorship elections in Edo state. The Independent National Electoral Commission agreed to shift the Edo State governorship election by two weeks. The election had earlier been scheduled for Saturday September 10, 2016.

The Edo state indigene (Amb Dion Osagie) who has always lambasted politicians for their policies -took to his Facebook page to post the below;

I decided to eat ISIEWU and cold Heineken for lunch when I heard Edo election has been postponed base on matter on ground. I think this will be an advantage to the PDP! I have said it before and over and over again. They don't really care about us!!

Let me finish my Isiewu before they postpone it. Like they postpone Edo election without considering people who have already made plans to come home to vote.

It is a shame that INEC Nigeria can not do the needful with all the time had for planning. What a shameless leaders and citizens who continue to let them have their way. Letting them treat us the way they want. Let's stop being a fool because power belong to the people.

Source;

 http://www.nationalhelm.net/2016/09/amb-dion-osagie-reacts-to-postponement.html

Son Of Nigerian Immigrants Fulfills Dream Of Flying In The US

Son Of Nigerian Immigrants Fulfills Dream Of Flying

TEMECULA, CALIF. — 

Anthony Oshinuga, the son of Nigerian immigrants, arrives early most days at a California airport to check his vintage Cessna aircraft, ready to shuttle passengers over Temecula Valley, the booming wine country north of San Diego. Later, he'll fly loops and rolls in his Pitts Special, an aerobatic aircraft, as he lives his childhood dream of being an aviator.

“It's the fact that you're free in the three dimensions, up down, left, right – yawing left and right – so you're pretty much free. You can do anything you want to do,” he said, “and you can't get that freedom walking on the planet.”

His parents left Lagos, Nigeria, and moved to Austin, Texas, in 1980. Oshinuga was born the following year.

He set his sights on flying at the age of 5, when visiting an airport. “I was taken by what was going on,” he recalls. “I told my father, that's exactly what I want to do.”

With his small tour company called Air Oshinuga, he flies over the wine country of Temecula in his second aircraft, a 1940s-era Cessna buffed and polished so it looks brand new. He has partnered with two of the many wineries in this valley, the largest wine-producing region in southern California.

“We provide clients with 30-minute aerial scenic flights over Temecula, and then we land and they go down there and do wine tasting,” he explained.

Oshinuga started training as a pilot eight years ago and earned his commercial flying license in 2013. He first entered national flying competitions in 2014.

“That's when I went to the US National Aerobatic Championships (in Denison, Texas), and placed fourth out of 25 competitors,” he recalls. “Since then, things have been really blossoming in the arena of aerobatics and air shows and air racing.”

In 2015, he flew as a rookie in the Reno National Championship Air Race in Nevada, placing second in the biplane category.

Oshinuga studied engineering at the University of California, Riverside, and says that engineering helps to pay the bills, but his passion is aviation, and he plans to stay aloft as long as he can.

Source:

http://www.voanews.com/a/son-of-nigerian-immigrants-fulfills-dream-of-flying/3498494.html

http://www.anthonyoshinuga.com/

US Congressman Writes Kerry, Accuses Buhari Of Autocratic Tendencies

US Congressman Writes Kerry, Accuses Buhari of Autocratic Tendencies, Selective Anti-Graft War

*Wants security assistance to Nigeria withheld

A member of the United States Congress, Tom Marino, has written a letter to Secretary of State, John Kerry, asking the US government to withhold security assistance to Nigeria until President Muhammadu Buhari demonstrates a “commitment to inclusive government and the most basic tenets of democracy: freedom to assemble and freedom of speech”.

He also asked the State Department to refrain from selling warplanes and other military equipment to Nigeria until President Buhari establishes a track record of working towards inclusion.

In a two-page letter dated September 1, 2016 and addressed to Kerry, a copy of which was exclusively obtained by THISDAY yesterday, Marino, a Republican from Pennsylvania who assumed office on January 3, 2011, said there were a number of warning signs emerging in the Buhari administration that signal “the man who once led Nigeria as a military dictator might be sliding towards former autocratic tendencies”.

The Congressman, who is a member of the Committees on the Judiciary, Homeland Security and Foreign Affairs, and the Chairman, Sub-committee on Regulatory Reform, Commercial and Antitrust Law, said Nigerian government must “hold accountable those members of the Nigerian Police Force and the Nigerian Military complicit in extra-judicial killings and war crimes”.

In the six-paragraph letter to Kerry, Marino also expressed concern over Nigeria’s anti-corruption war, saying “of additional concern is President Buhari’s selective anti-corruption drive, which has focused almost exclusively on members of the opposition party, over-looking corruption amongst some of Buhari’s closest advisors. Politicizing his anti-corruption efforts has only reinforced hostility among southerners”.

His letter to Kerry reads: “Dear Secretary Kerry, I am encouraged by the personal interest you have taken in aiding Nigeria and its administration as it takes on endemic corruption, multiple insurgent movements, and a faltering economy. However, I believe there are a number of warning signs emerging in the Buhari administration that signal “the man who once led Nigeria as a military dictator might be sliding towards former autocratic tendencies.”

“I would urge the U.S. to withhold its security assistance to the nation until President Buhari demonstrates a commitment to inclusive government and the most basic tenets of democracy: freedom to assemble and freedom of speech. A logical start towards this commitment is for the Nigerian government to hold accountable those members of the Nigerian Police Force and the Nigerian Military complicit in extra-judicial killings and war crimes”.

“Human rights groups like Amnesty International have widely documented torture, inhumane treatment, and extra-judicial killings of defenseless Nigerians since President Buhari took office.”

Quoting Amnesty International Report, he wrote, “in the last six months, Nigeria’s military has unlawfully killed at least 350 people and allowed more than 168 people, including babies and children, to die in military detention.”

He further wrote: “The Secretary to the Government of Kaduna State even admitted to burying 347 of those killed in a mass grave. And while President Buhari promised swift condemnation, his words rang empty. Instead of swift reforms, Buhari chose to reinstate Major General Ahmadu Mohammed, who Amnesty International revealed was in charge of the Nigerian military unit that executed more than 640 unarmed, former detainees.

“Also, in separate incidents concerning the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB), the Nigerian Army has killed at least 36 – the real number is likely higher – people since December 2015 in an attempt to silence opposition and quell attempts by the group to gather publicly.”

Describing President Buhari as a former military dictator whose reign (as military head of state) was cut short by a coup, he stated that the President has continually shunned inclusivity in favour of surrounding himself with advisors and ministers from the north of the country and the region he considers home.

“Of President Buhari’s 122 appointees, 77 are from the north and control many of the key ministries and positions of power. Distrust is already high in Nigeria and favouring Northerners for key appointments has only antagonized the issue. These appointments are also primarily Muslim in the north and Christian in the south, adding a religious aspect to long-held regional biases.

“Of additional concern is President Buhari’s selective anti-corruption drive, which has focused almost exclusively on members of the opposition party, over-looking corruption amongst some of Buhari’s closest advisors. Politicizing his anti-corruption efforts has only reinforced hostility among southerners,” he claimed in the letter.

He said the Obama Administration would advance justice by urging the Buhari Administration to act decisively to hold accountable members of the police and military.

The congressman said, “This is a logical first step in making a demonstrable, sustained commitment to inclusive democracy, with distributed power in Nigeria. Until President Buhari establishes a track record of working towards inclusion, we ask the State Department to refrain from selling warplanes and other military equipment to the country.

“The State Department should urge President Buhari to form a government that represents the diversity of its citizens and allows dissenting voices to be heard. Democracy can thrive only if people are free to assemble, to express their beliefs, and voice their concerns.”

Source:

http://www.thisdaylive.com/index.php/2016/09/04/us-congressman-writes-kerry-accuses-buhari-of-autocratic-tendencies-selective-anti-graft-war/?utm_source=twitterfeed&utm_medium=facebook