Troops clear out Boko Haram militants from Borno villages

… Rescue 998 persons

Troops from 3 Battalion, 22 Brigade Nigerian Army, on Friday flushed out Boko Haram insurgents from some villages in Ngala local government area of Borno State.

The Director of Army Public Relations, Brig. Gen. Sani Kukasheka Usman, said in a statement that troops also rescued 998 people held hostage by the terrorists.

Usman said the civilian joint task force joined the troops in raiding the terrorists’ hideouts.

The statement read: “Following confirmed information about the presence of remnants of Boko Haram terrorists in some villages around Ngala, troops of 3 Battalion, 22 Brigade Nigerian Army, on Friday, 19th May 2017, along with some civilian JTF embarked on fighting patrol to the area.

“The patrol team had a fierce encounter with the terrorists at Ndufu which they decisively dealt with before proceeding to clear Muktu, Muzuri and nearby communities within the area.

“Although some of the terrorists fled to various directions on sighting the troops, the patrol team was able to neutralize nine terrorists, destroyed their Improvised Explosive Device (IED) making factory and rescued 998 persons.

“125 people were rescued at Ndufu, 802 at Muktu and 71 persons at Muzuri. Interestingly, despite the heat of the battle, the troops also vaccinated all children under the age of five with polio vaccinations.

“In addition, the troops recovered one AK-47 Rifle with registration number 565231515, an AK-47 Rifle Magazine, two Boko Haram terrorists’ flags, four motorcycles, two solar panels, two already prepared IEDs, detonating cords and other explosive making components.”

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CHELSEA star John Terry has admitted he is contemplating retirement after Sunday’s game against Sunderland.

Terry scored as Chelsea beat Watford 4-3 at Stamford Bridge.The 36-year-old is leaving the Blues at the end of the season with moves to China and America being mooted.

He will get a chance to bow out on a high by lifting the Premier League trophy on Sunday.

John Terry goes from hero to zero for Chelsea against Watford

And the former England international has not ruled out calling time on his career despite interest from overseas and within the country.

“I never wanted to be that player just hanging about that people can’t wait to get rid of or stopping the progress of a younger player coming through,” he said.”The transition for me being on the bench and seeing it from a different aspect this year has served me well and will do if I go into management in the future.

John Terry could retire at the end of the season

John Terry scored as Chelsea battled their way past Watford

“I know I said I wanted to play regular football, but I have not ruled out Sunday being my last game and retiring.

“It depends if the right offer comes along I will sit and consider it with my family, whether it’s here or abroad, but I haven’t made any decisions yet and I am just evaluating my options.”

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Am disappointed Nigerians can't read and write in their mother tongue - Culture minister says

Minister of Information and Culture Alhaji Lai Mohammed has decried dwindling ability of most Nigerian children to write and read in their mother tongues.

He spoke yesterday in Kaduna at the 2017 edition of the Annual Round Table on Cultural Orientation (ARTCO), organised by National Institute for Cultural Orientation (NICO), in collaboration with the Federal Ministry of Information and Culture.

Mohammed said there was urgent need to curtail the trend of indigenous language extinction.

The minister said the language should go digital on various Internet platforms, where youths and children are familiar with, so that they could begin to pick up their mother tongue from such electronic devices.

He, however, hailed NICO for its work in promoting Nigerian languages over the years and particularly for working tirelessly to ensure that the programme became a reality.

He reiterated the commitment of the President Muhammadu Buhari Administration to accord Nigerian culture its pride of place in developmental agenda.

The minister said: “We will leave no stone unturned to ensure that our cherished cultural legacies and values are transmitted from one generation to another.”

“The importance of indigenous language to national development cannot be over-emphasised. Language is the soul of culture; it is an indispensable tool for the promotion and preservation of culture. We cannot be genuinely committed to the promotion of our culture without addressing the serious issue of language endangerment and extinction.

“There is no gainsaying the fact that our indigenous languages are endangered and if urgent steps are not taken, they will go into extinction in no distant future…

“It has been my desire since I assumed duties as honourable minister to convene a strategic stakeholders’ meeting to underscore the relevance of the indigenous language newspapers and to engineer a road map for their sustenance in the face of formidable challenges. This explains why one of my first assignments in office was to visit identifiable indigenous newspapers like Alaroye, Iroyin Owuro, Rariya, Aminiya and Leadership Hausa.

“The visits convinced me, more than ever, that indigenous language newspapers have a vital role to play in reviving the fortunes of our endangered languages, if their potentials are maximised.”

He said the way forward is to fashion out strategies to address the problem.

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Fayose removes every sign of PDP in his state capital "Ado -Ekiti

Ekiti State Governor Ayo Fayose has adjusted his campaign strategies ahead of next year’s governorship election.
SPLENSIZY learnt yesterday Fayose removed the logo and name of Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) from his campaign office at Olora junction, Adebayo, Ado- Ekiti.
It was gathered the one storey building was repainted white, with every insignia of PDP removed.
Before repainting, the building had Fayose’s picture embossed on PDP logo with the inscription: “Fayose Our Leader, Architect of Modern Ekiti.”
The governor installed a billboard close to the gate of Ekiti State University Teaching Hospital (EKSUTH), without the PDP name and logo.
The billboard, with Fayose’s portrait, reads: “Ekiti 2018: Support Continuity, Fayose Leads, We Follow. Again, It’s Going To Be 16-0.”
The Nation observed that the mini signposts mounted on Ado-Ikere Road, bearing the logo and name of PDP alongside Fayose’s name, have been removed.
They were replaced with ones without PDP name and logo, but with Fayose’s pictures, and the statement: “Ni 2018, E Standby”, meaning “My People Be on Standby in 2018.”
Posters with the above inscription, which have no PDP logo, were pasted in Ado-Ekiti.
A source said the uncertainty hanging over PDP was responsible for the governor’s action.
“Fayose does not want to be caught unawares. Nobody knows how the PDP factional crisis will end. It will be suicidal for him to wait till the end of litigation at the Supreme Court,” the source said.
Fayose is believed to be heading for the Alliance for Democracy (AD), the platform on which he is expected to anoint a successor for the 2018 governorship election.
His tenure will end on October 15, 2018, while the governorship poll will hold in about a year from now.
The battle for the soul of the PDP at the national level has shifted to the Supreme Court, which adjourned the case till May 25.
National Chairman Ali Modu Sheriff heads one faction, while the other, which Fayose belongs, is led by the National Caretaker Committee Chairman, Ahmed Makarfi.
The suit between the William Ajayi faction recognised by an Ado-Ekiti Federal High Court and the Gboyega Oguntuase-led faction loyal to Fayose is before the Court of Appeal, Ado-Ekiti.

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