Obama’s grandmother to cook for president on Kenya trip

President Barack Obama’s Kenyan grandmother, known as Mama Sarah, vowed Friday to cook a traditional meal for her grandson when he visits the East African nation, the birthplace of his father, later this month.

“With regards to what food I will prepare for Barack on his visit, I will prepare all the traditional food available,” she said, speaking her Luo language through a translator on a visit to Nairobi.

She tempted him with the offer of dishes including fish, chicken and maize porridge.

“It does not matter whether Barack is a senator or a president,” she added. “He will have what I have prepared for him.”

Mama Sarah was the third wife of US president’s paternal grandfather, Hussein Onyango Obama, and lives in the small village of Kogelo in western Kenya which is home to a number of the president’s relatives.

She said she had asked him to travel to Kogelo “to pay respect to his father’s grave”, but it was not clear if Obama was scheduled to travel outside the capital Nairobi.

Obama’s late father was born in Kogelo and grew up there before travelling abroad to study, where he met Obama’s American mother in Hawaii.

Although Mama Sarah is not a blood relative, Obama calls her “granny” and has visited her in the past.

It will be Obama’s fourth visit to Africa since becoming US president, but his first to Kenya since taking office in 2009.

A presidential visit to Kenya had been put on ice while President Uhuru Kenyatta faced charges of crimes against humanity for his role in 2007-2008 post-election violence.

The International CriminalCourt has since suspended that prosecution, citing a lack of evidence and Kenya’s failure to cooperate.

After Kenya, Obama then travels on to neighbouring Ethiopia, where he will become the first sitting American leader to visit. Ethiopia’s capital Addis Ababa also hosts the headquarters of the African Union, the 54-nation continental bloc.

Africa’s second most populous nation held a vote in May that was described by many independent observers as flawed.

Ethiopia and Kenya have both been on the frontline of the fight against Somalia’s Al-Qaeda-allied militia Shebab, and have been important security partners to Washington.

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Police arraign 3 farmers for raping 10-year-old girl

Katsina—The police yesterday arraigned three farmers in a senior magistrates’ court in Katsina for raping a 10-year-old girl.

The accused are Yahuza Musa, 20; Tasiu Abubakar, 20; and Sadiq Isyaku, 20.

The trio, who reside at Dakiya village in Safana Local Government Area of Katsina State, appeared before Senior Magistrate Nafisa Bagiwa on one-count charge of rape.

The prosecutor, Insp. Hashimu Musa, told the court that the accused committed the offence on June 11 at about 11.30 a.m.

He said the matter was reported by one Isa Ali of Kitaki village in Safana Local Government Area at Safana police division at noon on June 12.

He added that the complainant informed the police that his daughter, in company of her three sisters went to purchase mango at Dakiya village.

The prosecutor said the three accused accosted the sisters in the bush, where they held the hand of the victim and pushed her to the ground.

He pointed out that Musa held the hand of the victim, while Abubakar and Isyaku tore her skirt and pant and had carnal knowledge of her one after the other.

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No to handouts

I AM tempted to dance naked for the new regime in Nigeria under the leadership of the venerable Muhammadu Buhari. Why? I am inebriated by the grandiose social safety net programmes that are about to be rolled out in the near future for the betterment of the ordinary Nigerian!

However, the one that gives me the greatest pleasure this moment is the news that some 25 million suffering Nigerians may each soon begin receiving N5000 monthly from the Federal Government of Nigeria. Isn’t this thoughtful of the thinking, concerned administration currently housed in Aso Rock?

Of course, it is! After all, if America can dedicate 11 per cent of her 2014 budget to programmes that, according to the Washington DC-based Center on Budget and Policy Priorities, “provide aid (other than health insurance or social security benefits) to individuals and families facing hardship,” then why not Nigeria? By the way, that percentage in actual green back was $370 billion! Call it a humongous bill and no one will look at you askance because it is for a worthy cause for a needy citizenry: government catering for the well being of the people who are the very foundation of democracy through the following social safety nets as outlined by the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities: “The refundable portions of the Earned Income Tax Credit and Child Tax Credit, which assist low- and moderate-income working families through the tax code; programmes that provide cash payments to eligible individuals or households, including supplemental security income for the elderly or disabled poor and unemployment insurance; various forms of in-kind assistance for low-income families and individuals, including SNAP (food stamps), school meals, low-income housing assistance, child care assistance, and assistance in meeting home energy bills; and various other programmes such as those that aid abused and neglected children.”

Beside these safety net programmes, another 24 per cent of the US 2014 federal budget, which translated to $836 billion, was used to “provide health coverage to around 54 million people who are over the age of 65 or have disabilities” and a separate set of “about 70 million low-income children, parents, elderly people, and people with disabilities.” In total, the US picked up the hospital tab for 124 million Americans last year! Mind you, according to the United States Census Bureau, the US population as at July 4, 2014 was 318, 881, 992 people. In other words, when you do the maths: America took care of the hospital bill of almost half of its population!

Apart from America, other developed countries have programmes that are designed to ameliorate the social conditions of their poor citizens. However, according to Stanford University’s The Poverty and Inequality Report 2015, which is a report on the state of the states as it pertains to the impact of safety net programmes in the US, the poor in America are not yet out of the woods since “the economic well-being of low-income households may be especially precarious;” that is, in spite of government sustenance.  Now, does this bleak study mean that the state should not cater for the people in economic distress? Not really! Any help from anywhere will cushion the pain of poverty and give hope to the miserable in society: a people whose plight isn’t their fault.

So, why am I against government handouts in Nigeria? My crystal ball tells me that the 25 million Nigerians will add some N125 billion to monthly state expenditure. And, what else do I see? My crystal ball tells me, also, that the N5000 will be used to buy some 57 litres of fuel to power generators in those households while the people remain famished! Isn’t this robbing Peter to pay Paul? The Pauls are those who may be denied easy illegal access to government coffers should the Buhari administration wave “good bye” to fuel subsidy.

For now, I do believe that there are immeasurable problems besetting Nigeria that need immediate attention of the men in Aso Rock and those in the National Assembly, and these problems – if given priority – will pave the way for a better appreciation and profitable use by the poor of the monthly stipend from the Federal Government. As things are presently, in my view, Nigeria’s poor and majority of the denizens are in greater need in every nook and cranny of roads that are not deplorable, electricity that is constant and security that is guaranteed. To achieve these, it means that every tier of government in Nigeria, without regard for political affiliation, must embrace its responsibility in the provision of basic amenities that will make life in Nigeria worth living because, according to Henry R. Nau,  intervention protects “people from arbitrary violence and starvation [without imposing] a specific political regime on the country.”

This is the time for the current breed of Nigerian leaders to make sacrifices because every ordinary Nigerian has heeded this call for many decades without any positive measurable result accruable. In this state, hope has diminished for many and, for others, hope has transmogrified.  However, hope can still spring if the men in charge of Nigeria’s fate will shun what Plato calls “bodily pleasure” in all its guises.

According to the Greek Philosopher in The Republic, “such a one is sure to be temperate and the reverse of covetous; for the motives which make another man desirous of having and spending, have no place in his character.”

The task ahead for Nigeria’s leaders should be motivated by national pride.

*Dr. Jamin Ohwovoriole is a professor of Communication Studies in the US. Twitter handle: @jariole

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Contractor abandons N42bn NILS project – DG

By Johnbosco Agbakwuru
ABUJA – THE Director-General of the National Institute of Legislative Studies, NILS, Ladi Hamalai, yesterday disclosed that the contractor handling construction of the N42 billion permanent site project of the Institute has abandoned the project due to paucity of fund.

The DG who stated this when the institute paid visit to the Speaker of the House of Assembly, Yakubu Dogara explained that the institute had paid about N17 billion to Julius Berger which is the firm handling the project before the company decided to stop work.

According to Hamalai, NILS was owing N25 billion balance to complete the project even as she said that all efforts to ensure continuity of the project proved abortive following backlog of unpaid debt to the contractor.

She further stated that the delay in the completion of the project could frustrate the Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with John Hopkins University, adding that the cost of the project which was initially put at N52 billion was reduced to N42 billion.

The Director General said that the institute had recorded remarkable success since its inception among which was its affiliation with University of Benin and the commencement of post graduate diploma and Master’s degree programme in Legislative drafting, Parliamentary Administration and Legislative Studies.

Hamalai said NILS drafted 161 bills and scrutinize 95 bills between 2012 and 2014 and organised 349 training programmes for legislators and legislative aides during the period under review.

She said, “The Institute has also published several manuals and guides for the legislature on the areas of legislative oversight, practice and procedure, gender mainstreaming, induction of new legislators and code of ethics.

“Others include important research and policy analysis reports, annual reviews of government’s revenue and expenditure plans and budget analysis.”

Meanwhile In a related development, Adamu Fika, Chairman of National Assembly Service Commission (NASC), Adamu Fika, has expressed concern over the challenges facing the commission including finance and policy issues.

Fika who alongside some members of the commission paid a visit to the Speaker said paucity of fund may jeopardise the statutory functions of the commission.

Some of the duties of the Commission he explained include appointment, promotion and discipline of all staff of the National Assembly as well as the appointment of the legislative aides.

Responding, the Speaker Yakubu Dogara commended the leadership of the commission for providing exemplary leadership and efficiency.

He urged the commission to ensure transparency and eliminate all forms of discrimination between the Senate and House of Representatives.

Dogara who noted that NASC Act promotes the policy of non-interference in the legislative functions, promised full cooperation of the National Assembly in ensuring that legislature does not suffer.

On the issue of fund, Hon. Dogara expressed concern over the reduction in the annual budgetary allocation to the National Assembly from N150 Ben to N120 billion which takes care of the 469 members, their aides and all other organs including National Assembly Service Commission and NILS.

He advised them to tighten their belts by ensuring transparency in the utilization of budget allocation.

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Russian rocket takes off to resupply ISS after 2 previous missions failed

(CNN)Resupply missions to the International Space Station rarely fail -- let alone twice in row, like the last two did.

That may make the arrival of the Russian cargo spacecraft that launched Friday all the more welcome -- even if the ISS does keep a large backlog of supplies on board.

The crewless ProgressM-28M lifted from the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan just before 8:00 a.m. local time (12:00 a.m. ET / 5:00 a.m. GMT) and cut a clean path through a clear blue sky en route to a low-Earth orbit.

Minutes later, the Soyuz-U cargo vehicle successfully separated from the rest of the rocket, according to the Russian Federal Space Agency, also called Roscosmos.

And it was on course to deliver 5,249 pounds (2,381 kilograms) of supplies to the ISS on Sunday. They include food, water, oxygen, fuel and scientific apparatuses.

Mission fails

Missions like this are fairly routine, but three spacecraft bound for the ISS with tons of supplies have been lost since last October -- including the two most recent.

This past Sunday, one blew to pieces shortly after liftoff.

The SpaceX Falcon9 rocket was boosting a Dragon supply capsule stocked with a spacesuit, water filtration equipment, food, water, and experiments submitted by students. It also carried a docking adapter which was to allow people to arrive aboard America's first crewed spacecraft since the space shuttle.

All was lost.

On April 28, the last Russian rocket that launched on a resupply mission went out of control and ended up in an orbit incompatible with that of the ISS. It eventually burned up in Earth's atmosphere along with clothing, spacewalk hardware, propellant, oxygen, water, spare parts, supplies and experiments.

And in October 2014, a rocket on a resupply mission had to be detonated, when its launch went awry right after liftoff. The Antares, made by the Orbital Space Sciences Corporation, was carrying provisions, experiments and equipment.

"We've always assumed we would lose a vehicle every so often," said Michael Suffredini, manager of the International Space Station Program for NASA. "Having three this close together is not what we'd hoped for."

But the ISS was prepared. Even after the SpaceX Falcon9 exploded on Sunday, it had enough supplies to last the crew until October, at least.

Life on the ISS

The station orbits about 248 miles (400 kilometers) above Earth. It circles the planet every 90 minutes.

NASA says more than 200 people from 15 countries have visited it since November 2000.

The ISS measures 357 feet end-to-end and has more space than a six-bedroom house.

What do the astronauts do up there? Mostly, they conduct experiments. But they also exercise to offset the effects of near-zero gravity.

If you want to see it with your own eyes, NASA can tell you when it will be flying right over your hometown. It looks like a high-flying airplane tracing a beeline across the sky.

CNN's Radina Gigova contributed to this report.

42 dead, 11 missing after ferry capsizes in the Philippines

(CNN)Searchers recovered more bodies Friday, a day after a passenger ferry capsized shortly after leaving port in the Philippines, killing 42 people, authorities said.

Eleven others remain missing, CNN Philippines reported, citing local police.

The Philippine coast guard said the boat, the MB Nirvana, tipped over Thursday, roughly 200 meters (220 yards) from shore only minutes after it set off from Ormoc City, in Leyte province. It was bound for the town of Pilar on Camotes Island, in Cebu province.

It was carrying 173 passengers and 14 crew members, according to the coast guard. A total of 134 people have been rescued, it said.

Three Americans are among the survivors. They are Rhome and Chip Nuttall, and Larry Drake, according to Philippine Red Cross Chairman Richard Gordon.

Rhome Nuttall, who helps run a medical mission in the Philippines, told CNN that the boat was "very crowded."

"There was a little wave, which is normal, but yesterday that caused the boat to flip to the right," she said Friday. "I ran to the left hoping we could help to balance the boat. When we flipped, I said: 'OK, this is it. OK, this is it.'"

Water came in and washed her out of the boat. Nuttall said she couldn't find her husband for about five minutes, and that everyone panicked.

She remembered hearing a loud noise before the vessel capsized.

"I think it was that big thud. I think that was cargo that shifted and that caused the boat to flip," Nuttall said.

Cause of disaster under investigation
Investigators will examine what caused the boat to overturn.

A CNN Philippines reporter quoted the coast guard as saying the boat had left port too quickly and people stood up, throwing the boat off balance. Gordon said he understood the boat overturned because of high winds.

The coast guard is leading the search effort for those still unaccounted for, with divers from the Red Cross and the military also involved.

Poor weather conditions hampered the initial rescue effort on Thursday.

Video footage from the scene showed people of all ages, including a small child, being brought ashore in small inflatable craft. Some survivors were laid on the concrete waterfront, while others were wheeled away on stretchers.

Passengers described as 'common folks'
Gwendolyn Pang, secretary-general of the Philippine Red Cross, described the vessel as a commercial "pump boat" or banka, which is essentially a canoe-style craft with outriggers powered by a small engine.

They're widely used across the Philippines for transporting people and goods as well as for fishing.

Gordon said the boat operates three times a day on the route from Ormoc to Camotes Island.

"The passengers would have been farmers or fishermen, or ordinary businessmen -- common folks," he said.

Rhome Nuttall told CNN that one of the other boats that work the route was broken Thursday, so the MB Nirvana was extra crowded.

"They are not very well off, otherwise they would be on better vessels or take the plane," Gordon said. "But obviously, these are poor folks, simple folks who are trying to eke out an existence."

This style of outrigger boat has no cabins, he said, which should make it easier for divers to find anyone trapped under the canopy or keel of the vessel.

CNN's Chieu Luu, Brian Walker, Alisha Hardiasani, Laura Smith-Spark, Elizabeth Joseph and Paul Armstrong contributed to this report.

Propeller wasn't working on crashed Indonesian military plane, official says

Jakarta, Indonesia (CNN)The propeller wasn't working on one of the engines of the Indonesian military transport plane that crashed this week, killing at least 135 people, authorities said Thursday.

The "initial finding" suggests the crash may have been caused by problems in the engine, said Air Marshal Agus Supriatna, the chief of the Indonesian air force.

The C-130 Hercules smashed into the city of Medan, on the Indonesian island of Sumatra, minutes after taking off Tuesday. Authorities say it was carrying 122 people, including military personnel and their family members.

Supriatna has said that the pilot asked the control tower for permission to return to base shortly before the four-engine turboprop plane went down. One witness reported that the plane appeared to lose power before it started to descend.

The disaster left piles of burning wreckage among broken buildings in Medan. In addition to the those aboard the plane, at least 13 people on the ground were killed, based on the death toll reported by officials.

Questions over nation's air fleet

The crash, the sixth involving an Indonesian Air Force plane in the past decade, is still being investigated. But it has raised concerns about the condition of the nation's military aircraft.

Following the latest disaster, Indonesian President Joko Widodo called for a review of military equipment, suggesting older planes should be modernized. The C-130 that crashed Tuesday was 50 years old, according to the air force.

One squadron of Hercules aircraft has been temporarily banned from flying pending the result of the crash investigation, said Indonesian Air Force spokesman Dwi Badarminto. He said he was unable to specify exactly how many planes were affected.

Remains of the dead recovered from the crash site are still being identified in Medan. Some bodies have been flown to Jakarta, the national capital, to be turned over to next of kin.

The plane was carrying people and logistical supplies bound for bases on other Indonesian islands.

It began its multistop journey Tuesday in Jakarta and had made two stops along the way to Medan, in Pekanbaru and Dumai.

CNN's Kathy Quiano and journalist Rudy Madanir reported from Jakarta, and CNN's Jethro Mullen wrote from Hong Kong.

Incase you don't know where the Indonesia plan crash started,

Click the link http://jahelastic.blogspot.com/2015/07/as-death-toll-rises-to-135-indonesia.html?m=1