Nigeria Property

Friday, May 22, 2015

China tried to electronically jam US drone flights over the disputed South China Sea in order to prevent surveillance on man-made islands Beijing is constructing as a part of an aggressive land reclamation initiative, US officials said.

Global Hawk long-range surveillance drones were targeted by jamming in at least one incident near the Spratly Islands, where China is building military facilities on Fiery Cross Reef, the Washington Free Beacon reported.

China’s alleged on-going reclamation of Mischief Reef in the Spratly Islands.

That statement follows Thursday reports that the Chinese navy warned a US surveillance plane to leave the same area eight times in an apparent effort to establish and enforce a no-fly zone, a demand Washington rejected.

“This is the Chinese navy … This is the Chinese navy … Please go away … to avoid misunderstanding,” a radio call in English from an installation on Fiery Cross said. The warnings were reported by CNN, which had a crew on the aircraft.

Pentagon spokesman Colonel Steve Warren said the United States does not recognize China’s sovereignty claims over the new islands. He added that flights and Navy ships will continue their routine patrols, but will maintain a distance of at least 12 miles from the island.

Details of the drone interference are classified, but last week, David Shear, the assistant defense secretary for Asian and Pacific security affairs, said Global Hawks are deployed in Asia as one element of a buildup of forces near the South China Sea.

“We’re engaged in a long-term effort to bolster our capabilities in the region,” Shear told the Senate Foreign Relations Committee. “Just a few examples of the increases in our capabilities in the region include the deployment of Global Hawks and F-35s. Soon we will be adding to the stock of V-22s in Japan as well.”

Shear said the Pentagon estimates that China will complete construction of an airfield on Fiery Cross Reef by 2017 or 2018. Meanwhile, rapid militarization has security experts worried about the potential for a conflict.

Rick Fisher, a China military affairs analyst, said China could increase pressure on the United States to halt surveillance flights in Asia by first attacking one of the unmanned aircraft flights.

“Though UAVs like the Global Hawk are rather expensive, they are also regarded as more expendable because they are unmanned,” Fisher, a senior fellow at the International Assessment and Strategy Center, told the Washington Free Beacon.

“But failing to defend these UAVs runs the risk of China viewing them as ‘fair game’ to shoot down whenever they please.”

Beijing also might attempt to capture a Global Hawk by causing one to crash in shallow water, or by attempting to snatch one in flight using a manned aircraft, Fisher said.

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50 shops, two residential buildings, razed as Ekiti violence escalates

No fewer than 50 shops and two residential buildings, located within the Oja Oba market in Ado Ekiti, Ekiti State, were razed as the crisis between drivers and Hausa traders escalated on Friday. The arson took place in the early hours of Friday despite the dusk to dawn curfew imposed by Governor Ayodele Fayose on Thursday. The market, situated directly opposite the king’s palace, and populated by people of different ethnic groups, majorly the Yorubas, was razed at about 2am on Friday. As of press time, the Police had yet to announce any arrest made in connection with the arson. Traders cried uncontrollably on Friday lamenting the loss of goods worth several millions of Naira.

Security agencies had taken over the scene on Wednesday as the fight was getting out of hand. Residents and workers living along Odo Ado, Ajilosun-Ikere road, woke up to see thick fumes of flames coming from the market. Most schools in the city shut their gate to pupils while those that opened before getting to know the situation in town had to hurriedly send pupils back home. The panic message also got to banks and other commercial offices who also shut their door to customers. Men of the state fire service had difficulty curtailing the inferno. All major streets in the capital city were deserted as the news spread. Trucks-load of mobile and regular policemen as well as soldiers were immediately deployed on the orders of the state government to prevent escalation of the crisis and prevent massive looting.

The state governor, Mr. Ayo Fayose, who personally led security team that included the newly posted Commissioner of Police, Mr. Etop James, to the scene, expressed worry at the turn of events. Fayose ordered that four luxurious buses belonging to government be immediately mobilised to evacuate all Hausa residents (including women and children) in the city to a neutral ground called ‘shasha’ situated along Ado-Ekiti-Ikere, Ekiti road. Many of the Hausas that had been moved to the Mobile Police unit near the old Governor’s office were still being evacuated as of press time. The governor, who, for more than three hours, stood and monitored the evacuation, said the Hausa community would be at the new place for the time being, and would be heavily guarded by both soldiers and mobile policemen.

The new CP told journalists in a separate interview that the police were on top of the situation, saying his men had been working tirelessly since the incident happened. He said he was challenged by the character of the state governor who abandoned the luxury of the government house to team up with the police in checking the crisis from getting out of hands when called about 1am. The police boss warned trouble makers to steer clear of the state while law abiding residents should conduct their daily businesses without any fear. The crisis started on Tuesday night when a bag belonging to the wife of a Chieftain of transport workers was snatched by unknown persons along the ever busy Ijigbo old garage area of the city. It was learnt that the victim was allegedly raped by the assailants after dispossessing her of her belongings, a development that irked the drivers. An eyewitness said the victim’s husband reported the matter to his members after efforts to know the identities of the perpetrators proved futile.

Over 50 world leaders to attend Buhari’s inauguration

No fewer than 50 world leaders are expected to attend the inauguration of the President-elect, Muhammadu Buhari, on Friday next week. The Chairman of the Media and Publicity Sub-Committee of the Presidential Inauguration Planning Committee and Minister of Culture and Tourism, Chief Edem Duke, stated this at a news conference in Abuja on Friday.

Activities for the inauguration began on Friday with a Jumaat prayer at the National Central Mosque, Abuja. Duke said invitation cards had been sent to all the 54 countries in the Africa and other countries of the world.

He stated,
“As we speak, the 54 countries of the continent of Africa have been invited. Very many of the heads of state will be coming. There has been a huge interest, especially from heads of countries in Europe to attend this inauguration. “At the last count, I think we must have in excess of about 50 Heads of State and delegation expected at this inauguration.”

According to him, a high security strategy is being put in place for a hitch-free exercise. Duke stated that all invitees for the various segments of the inauguration would be thoroughly screened to avoid what happened during the 50th independence anniversary of Nigeria in 2010, when there was a bomb blast near Eagle Square. The minister said some roads in the Federal Capital Territory would be blocked on the inauguration day to ensure smooth movement to and from the Eagle Square, venue of the inauguration.

Duke said,
“The security agencies are working in close concert to ensure that there is absolutely no threat to the security of this inauguration. Arrangements are being made to screen all the invitees long before they access the perimeters of the location.”

He also stated that television screens would be placed in strategic places in the Federal Capital Territory for uninvited people to watch the inauguration.

“There is also a plan that in some locations within the city there might be big screens for members of the public to follow the activities of the swearing-in, especially. So people don’t need to come to the Eagle Square if they don’t have invitation cards,” the minister added.

He also denied a media report claiming that the inauguration would gulp N3bn.

According to him, less than N2bn will be spent for a befitting inauguration.

He said,
“If we tell you the amount we are spending, you will be shocked. We are not even spending N3bn, not even up to N2bn. In any case, if we tell you, what are you going to do with it?”

When asked to disclose the exact amount, the minister declined.

Pentagon’s Newest Aircraft Carrier Already $370M Over Budget

The estimated cost to the US Navy’s second Ford-class aircraft carrier is already $370 million above a Congressionally mandated cap set for its construction after the USS Ford ran $2 billion over budget.

The cost of the USS John F. Kennedy was capped at $11.498 billion, but a new estimate from the Pentagon’s Cost Assessment and Program Evaluation office (CAPE) on Wednesday revised the numbers up to $11.868. That figure is a working estimate and the office is still waiting for more information from the Navy about particular costs to be confirmed.

The USS Kennedy — also known as CVN-79, using the Navy’s designation for a nuclear powered aircraft carrier — is the second of three Ford-class carriers included in a program whose budget is supposed to be $42.8 billion.

Currently, Virginia-based Huntington Ingalls Industries Inc. has been building the carriers in the Ford-class program, and the Kennedy is supposed to be completed by 2023.

Since the USS Ford — slated for delivery in March 2016 — ran $2 billion over budget to a final cost of $12.8 billion, current cost overruns are likely to encounter extra scrutiny.

Sen John McCain (R-Ariz.) — a longtime critic of wasteful, bloated military spending — responded that cost overruns on this project could put the entire Ford-class project at risk.

Concerned by new cost overruns on Ford-class aircraft carrier- #NDAA2016 proposes strong oversight of costly program: http://t.co/WF3hLEomd9

— John McCain (@SenJohnMcCain) May 19, 2015

“Accountability must be restored to the Ford-class aircraft carrier program,” McCain, who is the head of the Senate Armed Services Committee, said in a statement in response to the revised estimate. “Our nation simply cannot afford these kinds of cost overruns amid rising global threats and fiscal challenges.”

McCain asserted that he expects the Pentagon to tell his committee “who is responsible for this cost overrun and what will be done to hold those individuals accountable.”

It does not bode well that just the day before, McCain was also issuing statements of condemnation over the Pentagon’s inability to do exactly that — find someone accountable — for the waste of $36 million on a Marine facility in Afghanistan that military personnel never even used.

The Navy declined to respond to the latest estimates from CAPE.

“We do not discuss pending legislation, however controlling and improving CVN 79’s cost is of highest priority to the Navy. The Navy is committed to maintaining the cost of CVN 79 within the Congressional cost cap of $11.498 billion,” Navy leaders said in a statement.

Broken Promises

The cost increases come after many Navy officials had asserted that lessons from the USS Ford were being applied to the Kennedy to reduce costs.

“I fully expect we will build Kennedy for a billion [dollars] less than we built Ford,” Rear Adm. Tom Moore told Military.com in July 2013 as the first pieces of the Kennedy were being constructed, an expectation that is now almost certainly out of reach.

The USS Ford – seen here under construction in 2012 – ran $2 billion over budget but the Navy promised most of those costs were due to its being the first of its class and would not recur with the USS Kennedy.

The possible cost overruns — estimated at 3.2% of the original budget — are being evaluated while the Defense Department’s chief weapons buyer, Frank Kendall, considers the approval of a $4 billion construction contract for the Kennedy.

Beci Brenton, a spokeswoman for Huntington Ingalls, told Bloomberg in an e-mail that the company expects a contract by June 30.

The Senate Armed Services Committee’s version of the 2016 defense authorization bill, S. 1118, includes provisions to review costs for the Ford-class program and to limit some funds for the Kennedy and the third carrier in the program — the USS Enterprise.

New Class, New Costs, New Concerns

The Ford-class carriers feature larger deck space, with an electromagnetic catapult to launch jets into the air at sea, as well as more computer automation to reduce manpower needs compared to the Nimitz class.

The new carriers are also designed to generate three times the electrical energy of their predecessors, with four 26-megawatt generators supplying 104 megawatts to the ship.

One of the reasons the Navy said the Ford cost more, and the subsequent ships will not, is that it was the first of its class, and some of the engineering that had to be completed for it will not recur with the next two ships using the same model.

For example, there were problems with the Ford’s new advanced arresting gear which catches the jets as they land on deck. That particular component underwent a two year delay due to redesign needs.

However, the Ford is not entirely complete, while work has already begun on the Kennedy, and it is still being equipped with some of the new advanced technology unique to the class.

McCain has pushed to have certain “shock tests” moved up to be performed on the Ford, which the Navy would prefer to have wait to test on the Kennedy. But McCain has had concerns about the stability of the new systems.

“These issues with CVN-78 raise questions about whether now is the time to award this contract for CVN-79, ” McCain said. “This latest news report does not give me confidence that the Department of Defense understands the risk and cost of CVN-79, which they will be passing along to American taxpayers.”
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Oby Ezekwesili, BBOG Replies Gen. Olukolade Allegation.

Former Minister of Education, Dr Oby Ezekwesili and other key members of the Bring Back Our Girls Group have responded to the letter by Defence Spokesperson, Gen Chris Olukolade in which he accused them of engaging in hate campaign against him and the military.

In its response dated May 19th, the group stressed that it was only demanding the military to find the missing Chibok girls and is in no way engaging in any hate campaign against them. The group stated that no single individual determines the direction of the group as their decisions is based on a collective ideology. The letter reads in part…see it below…

“We acknowledge receipt of your correspondence dated 14 May 2015 and noted your concerns about our advocacy movement #BringBackOurGirls which has since April 30, 2014 been advocating for rescue of the 219 #ChibokGirls abducted 400 days ago at their school on April 14, 2014. We especially noted the following four key messages in your letter to our Movement. We wish to respond to the four key issues raised in your letter as follows: Our #BringBackOurGirls movement is a Citizens- led movement with open membership of all citizens who choose to identify with the cause of our 219 #ChibokGirls. No one individual or group of persons within the Movement can determine the direction or position of our Movement on the issues we advocate.

This is because, the basis of all our decisions is Collectivism. Moreover, both our Movement and our members are guided by a set of Core Values of Hope, Unity, Motivation, Affability, Nationalism, Integrity, Transparency, Empathy, Equity, Discipline and Sacrifice (HUMANITEEDS) in our advocacy. In our public and private communication, we are also guided by our rule of highest respect for adherence to the sanctity of facts or empirical evidence rather than anecdotes. Our communications- statements, briefs, member representations – all pass through one of the strongest internal quality control process to ensure accuracy in our messages.

Therefore, we wish to strongly assure you that #BringBackOurGirls has never and will never be susceptible to the kind of influence of any one or group of individual(s) engaging in a “hate campaign against you or our military”. Such act would contradict our Core Values and our strictly empirical advocacy for the Government and military to deliver on their duty. Thus, our singularity of purpose remains the rescue of our #ChibokGirls and all other abducted victims of the North East terrorist scourge. We shall continue to be civil and professional in our advocacy as we have widely been acclaimed to be since it commenced more than a year ago.

As a Citizens’ movement, #BringBackOurGirls is a demand for accountability from especially our Federal Government which has the constitutional duty for security of all citizens. In shaping our demand, we rely on publicly available news from your Directorate as well as all known credible media platforms. In furtherance of our civic duty to be eternally vigilant we launched our Accountability Tools for rigorously monitoring, organizing and analyzing all news reports on the counter insurgency war in order to draw out key issues on which we could engage as citizens with our Government to help improve the prospects of success of the military efforts.

As earlier stated be reassured that all our statements and posts on social media conveying the results of our Monitoring/Accountability Initiatives have to undergo stringent quality control processes. It is after these that they are released with utmost sense of responsibility and a readiness to defend our position with evidence. We therefore stand by all our analyses and assessments as conveyed in our statements. This explains why, so far, we have never had to recant, deny, or apologize for any statements we have made in the more than one year of our advocacy. Nevertheless, we are open to receiving any specific instances or episodes of factual inaccuracy resulting from our monitoring, analysis, assessment, questions, scrutiny and statements.

We also recall our meeting of the 6th May 2014 with you and the Chief of Defense Staff team at the Defense Head Quarters. We had at that meeting agreed that the military will act in ways consistent with civil-military relations and democratic accountability by hosting us to a regular meetings to discuss the progress of your rescue mission for our girls and more broadly, the prosecution of the counter-insurgency war. It is regrettable that subsequently following that agreement, none of such meetings ever happened again and that instead, our attempt to participate in your National Information Center briefings was frustrated and then prohibited.”the letter read.