CBN withdraws N197 pilgrimage exchange rate circular

Central Bank of Nigeria on Friday reacted to the outrage over its N197 exchange rate subsidy for pilgrimage by deleting the controversial circular from its website.
The apex bank had issued the directive in an August 8, 2016 circular addressed to all authorised dealers and the general public.
In the circular titled, ‘2016 Hajj Operations: Purchase of Pilgrims’ Travelling Allowance.’
It said pilgrims would be entitled to a minimum of $750 and a maximum of $1000 at a “concessionary exchange rate” of N197 to a dollar.

 It also said no commission should be charged on the sale of the PTA.
However, the circular generated widespread outrage among Nigerians.
Many wondered why the same administration that cancelled sponsorship of religious pilgrimages could turn around to subsidise what they described as a personal affair.
In the heat if the outrage, the bank took down the circular although it did not issue any statement indicating whether the new policy had been cancelled or not.

Credit; Today

The militants group, Forest Soldiers, FF, aka Isaac Boro Last Born, which on Monday gave the federal government two weeks ultimatum to enlist it in the amnesty programme or risk the severe bombings of government and oil facility in the South South zone, Friay reiterated its warning to the federal government and the international community that it was going ahead with the attacks at the expiry of the ultimatum. A statement by its leader, ‘General’ O. C. Ibori, aka, Baba Were 1 of Niger Delta, says, “The damage that we will wreak in the South South region shall take the federal government over two decades to correct, if at all there would still be the entity to be called Nigeria again, when we start our bombings.” “Before now, we employed a civilized way to make our demands, we entered into various dialogues with the federal government through Brig. Gen. Paul Boro (retd), Dr Ibe Kachikwu and Lai mohammed. On Feb. 18th, 2016, they agreed to us, the Arepo militants 1,500 amnesty slots because we were excluded in the first and second phase of the programme, but till now they have failed to do so. It added that “We are the most dreaded militants group in Arepo. The Avengers group is like a child’s play. We the militants in Arepo are not members of the avengers and we have no affiliation with them. We do not have the same ideology with them. We have been a peace loving group before now and we have been living in the Arepo neighbourhood peacefully since 2001 without causing any havoc to the Nigerian resources.” “Instead of the government given us amnesty, it brought in the military to attack us. We will use all our arsenals which we positioned in Delta, Edo, Rivers,Bayelsa,Ondo, Cross Rivers, Imo, Ebonyi, Lagos and Ogun to destabilise Nigeria and destroy all pipelines in these states. “The government does not understand the language of peace and negotiation but violence. When we start the international community will feel the impact as all the U.N machinery in Nigeria will be touched. Foreign investors in the country will suffer irretrievable lost as oil pipelines in Edo,Imo, Rivers, Ondo, Cross River, Ogun, Bayelsa, Lagos, Ebonyi and Delta states, will be gone.”

Read more at: http://www.vanguardngr.com/2016/08/damage-will-wreak-south-south-shall-take-fg-decades-correct-militants/?utm_source=dlvr.it&utm_medium=twitter

The militants group, Forest Soldiers, FF, aka Isaac Boro Last Born, which on Monday gave the federal government two weeks ultimatum to enlist it in the amnesty programme or risk the severe bombings of government and oil facility in the South South zone, Friay reiterated its warning to the federal government and the international community that it was going ahead with the attacks at the expiry of the ultimatum. A statement by its leader, ‘General’ O. C. Ibori, aka, Baba Were 1 of Niger Delta, says, “The damage that we will wreak in the South South region shall take the federal government over two decades to correct, if at all there would still be the entity to be called Nigeria again, when we start our bombings.” “Before now, we employed a civilized way to make our demands, we entered into various dialogues with the federal government through Brig. Gen. Paul Boro (retd), Dr Ibe Kachikwu and Lai mohammed. On Feb. 18th, 2016, they agreed to us, the Arepo militants 1,500 amnesty slots because we were excluded in the first and second phase of the programme, but till now they have failed to do so. It added that “We are the most dreaded militants group in Arepo. The Avengers group is like a child’s play. We the militants in Arepo are not members of the avengers and we have no affiliation with them. We do not have the same ideology with them. We have been a peace loving group before now and we have been living in the Arepo neighbourhood peacefully since 2001 without causing any havoc to the Nigerian resources.” “Instead of the government given us amnesty, it brought in the military to attack us. We will use all our arsenals which we positioned in Delta, Edo, Rivers,Bayelsa,Ondo, Cross Rivers, Imo, Ebonyi, Lagos and Ogun to destabilise Nigeria and destroy all pipelines in these states. “The government does not understand the language of peace and negotiation but violence. When we start the international community will feel the impact as all the U.N machinery in Nigeria will be touched. Foreign investors in the country will suffer irretrievable lost as oil pipelines in Edo,Imo, Rivers, Ondo, Cross River, Ogun, Bayelsa, Lagos, Ebonyi and Delta states, will be gone.”

Read more at: http://www.vanguardngr.com/2016/08/damage-will-wreak-south-south-shall-take-fg-decades-correct-militants/?utm_source=dlvr.it&utm_medium=twitter