President Vacation: My doctors are in the UK - Buhari

President Muhammadu Buhari on Friday started a six-day vacation.

He is expected back on duty on February 10.

President Muhammadu Buhari departs on a 3-day official visit to Kenya

According to a statement by his Special Adviser on Media and Publicity, Mr. Femi Adesina, while the President is away, Vice President Yemi Osinbajo will perform the functions of the President.

Adesina said Buhari had already transmitted a letter to that effect to the President of the Senate, Bukola Saraki; and the Speaker of the House of Representatives, Yakubu Dogara.

The statement read, “President Muhammadu Buhari has begun a short vacation from today, February 5 to February 10, 2016.

“While President Buhari is on vacation, the Vice President, Prof. Yemi Osinbajo will perform the functions of the President.

“In compliance with Section 145 (1) of the Nigerian Constitution, President Buhari has dispatched a formal notice of his vacation to the Senate President and the Speaker of the House of Representatives.”

Our correspondent however learnt on Friday that Buhari may use the opportunity of the short holiday to undergo medical check-up in London, United Kingdom.

The President is currently in London where he attended Supporting Syria and the Region conference on Thursday.

He had left Nigeria on Tuesday for France where he addressed the parliament of the European Union.

According to his itinerary released earlier in the week, Buhari was scheduled back in the country over the weekend.

But our correspondent learnt on Friday that some members of his delegation were already on their way back to the country while the President stayed back in the city.

“Some of the President’s close aides are already on their way back to the country,” the source said.

Buhari had told some Nigerians resident in United Kingdom earlier in the day that his doctors who he has been using since 1978 are based in London.

He said this while telling them the reason why he missed three court sittings when he was contesting the result of the 2003 presidential election in court.

Our correspondent obtained the transcript of his interaction with the Nigerians.

He had said, “The court process during my first attempt at the Presidency lasted 30 months. I only missed four sittings.

“One, when we went to bury late Chuba Okadigbo, my vice presidential candidate.

“The other three times, I came here (London) to see my doctors who I have been using since 1978 when I was in Petroleum.”

Meanwhile, as of the time the Presidency issued a statement on Buhari’s vacation, Osinbajo was not in Abuja.

He was said to be in Lagos where he was expected to attend the monthly vigil of The Redeemed Christian Church of God among other engagements.

President Vacation: My doctors are in the UK - Buhari

Chevening Scholarship removes Alison-Madueke from honours list

The United Kingdom-based Chevening Scholarship has removed the embattled former Minister of Petroleum Resources, Diezani Alison-Madueke, from its list of female achievers, according to a report by Sahara Reporters.

Alison Madueke

Chevening is an international scholarship scheme which enables students with leadership qualities from 144 countries and territories to undertake postgraduate study or courses in universities in the UK.

After receiving a Chevening scholarship in 2002, Diezani attended Cambridge University for her MBA and then returned to Nigeria where she became the first female Executive Director of Shell Petroleum Development Company.

After emerging as the first woman to hold the position of Minister of Petroleum Resources in Nigeria and the first female President of the Organisation of Petroleum Exporting Countries, Chevening on its website, listed her as one of its best female alumni in commemoration of the March 8 International Women’s Day.

Diezani was listed among other international and accomplished women like the Vice President, Industrial and Commercial Bank of China, Wang li; a former Minister for Social Development in Jordan, Hala Bsaisu Lattouf; and a Deputy Minister of Civil Affairs of Bosnia and Hertzegovina, Denisa Sarajlic-Maglic.

After recognising Diezani as one of its best alumni, Chevening had stated on its website that “We are proud of all our alumni who carry Chevening values with them through their careers, and on this day, we take special delight in recognising and applauding just some of the many women associated with Chevening across the world who work tirelessly to bring about positive change.

“We hope that the trail they are blazing will empower the next generation of young female leaders to ‘make it happen’ on an even bigger scale in the years to come.”

Besides, the UK Independent in a report on Wednesday had made references to Chevening’s high rating of the embattled minister.

However, following Diezani’s arrest by the UK’s National Crime Agency along with five other people on allegation of bribery and corruption offences, Chevening delisted her name from its website but retained the names of its other ‘celebrated women.’

Checks by one of our correspondents on Thursday showed that Diezani’s name had indeed been removed from its website.

Meanwhile, the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission may have arrested a special assistant to the embattled minister.

It was gathered that the Diezani’s aide was ýpicked up by operatives of the commission at Banana Island in Lagos.

The source said the aide had been with operatives of the EFCC for a few days and had made some statements.

Diezani has four personal assistants and it is not clear if more of them will be quizzed in relation with the ongoing probe.

“You know that the EFCC operatives are really going after Diezani’s aides. One of them was picked up at Banana Island on Tuesday. He has been singing like a bird. The man has made useful information,” the source said.

When one of our correspondents contacted the Head of Media and Publicity of the EFCC, Mr. Wilson Uwujaren, for his comment, he said that he did not know anything about the investigation.

Since the UK police started collaborating with the EFCC in the ongoing investigation into the oil deals under Diezani, the EFCC has come up with a policy not to comment on it.

It was gathered that it was in line with the official policy of the UK agency to keep everything secret about those being probed.

Chevening Scholarship removes Alison-Madueke from honours list

Releasing Chibok girls information"ll damage ties with Nigeria - UK

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There is a strong indication that the United Kingdom is withholding intelligence information as regard the more than 200 Chibok schoolgirls kidnapped by Boko Haram since April 14, 2014.

Chibok girls

The girls, until their abduction, were pupils of the Government Secondary School, Chibok, Borno State.

The British government claimed that revealing details of what it found about the whereabouts of the abducted girls would clearly damage its relationship with Nigeria and other allies.

This revelation came after a UK-based group, Security in Africa, through its founder, Ben Oguntala, wrote the British Ministry of Defence to request for information on the Chibok girls.

“The information was sent on January 30 this year and the UK government has 20 days to comply. They do have a defence of national security and that would prevent them from disclosing the information. Let’s hope they don’t. If they rely on national security defence, we can raise the matter with the Information Commissioner’s office to determine if their claim of national security is reasonable,” Oguntala told our correspondent while requesting for the information.

The SIA founder, who had earlier in January this year said it was setting up a taskforce to go to Sambisa Forest to secure the release of the abducted schoolgirls, requested from the UK government to know the “results and reports of the British Armed Forces, the details of where they searched and the results of their findings.

“We also seek to have the details of the technology, technique or methodology used in the search and the consequential results,” he wrote in his request letter.

But, in a letter from the MOD’s Permanent Joint Headquarters in Middlesex, dated February 25, a copy of which was made available to our correspondent, the British government said some of the information requested by Oguntala “falls entirely within the scope of the qualified exemption provided for at section 27 (International Relations) of the FOIA and has been withheld.”

It said, “Section 27 is a qualified exemption and is subject to public interest testing which means that the information requested can only be withheld if the public interest in doing so outweighs the public interest in disclosure.

“Section 27(1)(a), (1)(c) and (2) have been applied because some of the information has the potential to adversely affect relations with our allies. The Public Interest Test concluded that whilst release would increase public understanding and confidence in the relation the United Kingdom has with other international states in its assistance with operations, the balance of the public interest lay in withholding the information you desire.

“We have considered it necessary to apply the higher level of prejudice against release of the exempted information at the higher level of ‘would’ rather than ‘would be likely to’ adversely affect relations with our allies.”

The British defence ministry stated that it would not release the details of where the UK soldiers searched and the results of their findings.

It however shared details of the “technology, technique or methodology” used in the search.

According to the MOD, the RAF Sentinel R1 and Tornado aircraft were used to “provide imagery and other data as part of a combined effort with Nigeria and other nations.”

The Sentinel R1 is the UK Royal Air Force’s only long-range wide area battlefield surveillance asset, providing critical intelligence and target tracking information to British and Coalition forces.

“After the 1990 Gulf War, it was identified by the allies that Intelligence, Surveillance and Reconnaissance had played a key role in the success of this operation. In particular, the use of Synthetic Aperture Radar and Ground Moving Target Indicator had proved invaluable in the tracking and prosecution of enemy ground forces. This galvanised the UK to acquire its own capability and in 1993 the requirement was endorsed by the MOD,” the RAF said on its website.

Not deterred by the response of the MOD, Oguntala said his group would also approach the British Prime Minister to “reveal what he can about the Chibok girls.”

“I have had several persons suggesting that I drop the matter and claiming Boko Haram is being used by political players. This information request approach means if the British government declares what it knows, there will be no place for Nigerian political players to hide,” he said.

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Releasing Chibok girls information"ll damage ties with Nigeria - UK