africanusvu:
Solve one problem by creating ten more.History av it dat the worse criminals lives at swampy shanties along jetties and baracks.if u displace them .the mix up in the cities.crime rate go high by 120%

Forwetinnah:
Ehen!! Now the Afonjas are talking! Fayose led the way, others are following!! The Hausa/Fulanis think they own this country and can do whatever pleases them. Abuja here I come biko...i must catch one cow carry come back

Donald Trumphas hailed Britain’s decision to leave the EU as a “great victory”, attributing the result to immigration and drawing parallels with opposition to what he described as the “global elite” in the US and elsewhere around the world.

The presumptive Republican nominee for president said he had not only backed Brexit but successfully predicted the result, unlike Barack Obama, Hillary Clinton and even David Cameron.

Anger in response to high immigration was a worldwide phenomenon, he said, insisting this would not be the last upset as he claimed links between a Brexit vote and his candidacy for the White House.

Speaking on the first day of his two day-visit to Scotland, Trump said: “I think really people see a big parallel. A lot of people are talking about that. Not only the United States but other countries. People want to take their country back. They want to have independence in a sense.

“You see it all over Europeand many other cases where they want to take their borders back. They want to take their monetary [sic] back. They want to take a lot of things back. They want to have a country again. I think you are going to have this more and more. I really believe that. And it is happening in the United States.”

Trump, on his first trip overseas since he embarked on his White House bid, faced criticism in the US for making what was essentially a business trip at a time when his campaign has been faltering, falling behind Clinton in the polls and in fundraising.

Former Secretary General of the Commonwealth, and former foreign Affairs Minister, Chief Emeka Anyaoku, has advocated for the return of regional system of government in Nigeria.

He stressed that since independence, various sections and
individuals in the country had rather continued to clamour for an increase in the country’s state units.

Anyaoku made the call the call on Monday at the University of Ibadan International Conference Centre at the inaugural Conference of the Ibadan School of Government and Public Policy, ISGPP.
The conference theme is: “Getting Government to Work for Development and Democracy in Nigeria: Agenda for Change”.
.
He noted that the best solution to the problems of the country would be to have six regional units which will cater for unification of the various sections of the country and the relegation of the state system to the background.

He criticized the 1999 Constitution as not reflecting legitimacy or providing adequate basis for tackling effectively “our country’s two major challenges: socio-economic development and enduring political stability”, while urging the 8th National Assembly “to‎ convert the existing six geo-political zones, which have been recognised and are being used for a number of political decisions and actions, into a more viable federating units of a truly Federal Republic of Nigeria”.

“The 36 states can be retained as development zones within the regions but without full administrative paraphernalia. And it would be up to the six federating regions to consider and meet any demands for the creation of new development zones within them,” he said.

Anyaoku lauded the ISGPP imitative as a timely intervention in the process of promoting effective governance in the country, noting that the organizers of the initiative are credible Nigerians he believes will see the project through.

In his opening remarks, former Nigerian President, Chief
Olusegun Obasanjo said, “It is delightful that this initiative is coming at this moment when the country is in search of new ways of doing things given the crisis of governance that now manifests in vigorous ways. The drastic fall in the price of oil in the international market has unravelled the weakness of governance in Nigeria.

The Minister of Finance has recently announced that the 2016 Budget deficit may be increased from the current N2.2 trillion in the draft document before the National Assembly, to N3 trillion due to decline in the price of crude oil. If the current fiscal challenge is not creatively addressed Nigeria may be on its way to another episode of debt overhang which may not be good for the country.

“It will be recalled that a few years ago we rescued Nigeria from its creditors with the deal in which the Paris Club of sovereign creditors wrote off USD 18 billion of debt, Africa’s largest debt cancellation. Nigeria then used windfall earnings from oil export to pay off another USD 12 billion in debts and arrears.”

He continued, “In the rest of Sub-Saharan Africa continent the hope that followed the initiative of the New Partnership for Africa Development (NEPAD) and African renaissance initiatives are being threatened by developments in the global economy and governance. Falling commodity prices have put pressures on local currencies, and if caution is not taken, may lead to mounting debts.

It is indeed proper for us in Nigeria to ask the question is the government working? Is government positioned to deal with challenges arising from these new developments?”

Obasanjo noted that “These question are made apposite by the massive scale of poverty and unemployment, the decay in infrastructural facilities, the impoverished living standards of citizens with regard to food, housing, water supply, education and healthcare which have deepened in recent years.

This is complicated by the protracted experience of violence and brutality, the flow of internally displaced persons arising from the Boko Haram insurgency in large parts of northeastern Nigeria where many citizens have become distressed, live in fear and insecurity.

Recent developments in governance show the failure of systems, the disregard for institutional processes and the general decline of institutions that used to function to guarantee reasonable service delivery to citizens.”

According to him, “When I assumed office in 1999, though I had some sense that the bureaucracy of government that I left in 1979 had experienced significant decline, I only appreciated the extent of this decline after the Dr Christopher Kolade Panel that I setup submitted its report. I implemented remedial measures and a reorientation programme coordinated by Professor Adebayo Adedeji.

I got the Management Service office to undertake and evolve a National Strategy for Public Service Reform. The reform process commenced in 2003 and by 2007 significant progress had been made. Unfortunately, the evidence available today show that those gains have been reversed.

The problem today is that it is doubtful if the current administrative system is imbued with right mix of skills and values to successfully implement a well-articulated programme of change.”

He further stated that “many years ago I identified corruption as the greatest single bane of our society. Identifying it as one of the worst legacies of misrule and bad governance, we set up the ICPC and the EFCC to tackle it head on. Today, corruption drains billions of dollars from our economy that cannot afford to lose even a million dollars.

It seems we are just beginning the fight against corruption afresh. Until recently, it seems corruption had returned with a vengeance, taking seat at the very heart of government.

“I reiterate my statement in October last year during the 55th anniversary of Nigeria’s independence that “corruption must not have resting place within our society;

we must kick corruption out because it destroys almost everything and I am not talking about corruption of money; corruption of attitude, nepotism, favouritism, they are corruption in different forms and all aspects of corruption must be kicked out of our society.”

Proffering a solution to the nation’s myriad of problems, Obasanjo said, “Now, given these governance challenges and our experience with reform, it is clear that change doesn’t just happen, there must be a basis for change.

Leadership has to be committed to change. Beginning with the reality of the budget, there is need for sober reflection.

Rebuilding the foundations of governance involves paying attention to values, principles and practices that promote hard work, innovation and sacrifice.

“Leaders who call for sacrifice from the citizenry cannot be living in obscene opulence. We must address these foundational issues to make the economy work, to strengthen our institutions, build public confidence in government and deal with our peace and security challenges.

We must address the issue of employment for our teeming population particularly for our youths. Leadership must mentor the young, and provide them with hope about their future as part of a process of intergenerational conversation.”

He acknowledged the skills and experience of the people who are to man the new initiative, noting that the school has great promise and unlike similar institutions in the country, the school is neither essentially government focused or solely focused on private sector organisations. Rather it seeks to interface across the sectors, including civil society.

He noted that unlike the university, the school’s research and teaching are not going to be removed from the day-to-day operations of government because of the emphasis on ‘science’ and dependence on huge data sets for research work. It seeks to engage with the people that public policy affects.

Delivering his paper titled “State, Governance and Democratic Development: The Nigerian Challenge”, the guest speaker, Professor Richard Joseph, Professor of International History and Politics, North Western University, USA, noted that “we live in difficult times.

“Today, in schools and movie theatres in American cities, newsrooms and cafés in Paris, and virtually anywhere any group of persons convene in northern Nigeria, terror can strike. This is our global reality. With globalization has come global vulnerability. Information technologies are being harnessed to promote global terror.

Those living in countries with flimsy state structures, and with deep ethnic and religious fissures, can fall further behind with each atrocity.”

He therefore called for more thoughts and efforts to be geared towards investing in improving institutions especially those of government and generating better policy outcome adding, “Today, improving governance is universally recognized as a priority concern of all societies.

It has become even more so because of heightened economic competition and the increased risks posed by the mismanagement of government revenues.

A focus on governance includes crucially, government authorities, as well as those outside the state sphere. Governance concerns how public goals are established, how they are pursued, and how the power to accomplish them is acquired, utilized, and held accountable. The bundle of these practices, and the norms that frame them, we call institutions.”

He pointed out eight possible areas which he felt the ISGPP and collaborating institutions can focus on: state system and political orders; optimization and productive innovation, claiming democracy; social wealth; federalism and conglomerate governance; democratic developmental governance; religion and the public sphere; and collective security.

“I recommend to the Ibadan School the formal study of Social Wealth and how it can be expanded. There can be a paradigm shift in thinking about wealth as not just individual/familial but also social. In the latter case, W would stand for Water, E for Electricity and Education, A for Agriculture, L for Lawful Governance, T for Transport, and H for Health and Housing.

A country with high social wealth would be one whose citizens enjoy these attributes. Human progress is marked by steady increases and refinements in what are considered basic human rights. Nigeria should take the lead among nations in upholding the provision of social wealth,” he stated.

Concluding, he noted that no country in the world today can address its security challenges on its own, stressing that it is important to have a forum where representatives from all over the world could come together to discuss security issues.
Among the attendees are: ........

After polygamy was legalized in Kenya, another country has followed...

Mandatory polygamy by men in Eritrea is being received with a mix of bewilderment and excitement.

Activists have posted a memo by the Government of Eritrea asking men to marry at least two wives due to acute shortage of men occasioned by casualties during the civil war with Ethiopia.

The May 1998 to June 2000 Eritrean/Ethiopian war saw 150,000 soldiers killed from either sides but bigger impact on male population in the Eritrea nation who were then just 4 million people in total.

The statement assures of government support to the polygamous marriages.

The activists translate it thus, “Based on the law of God in polygamy, and given the circumstances in which the country is experiencing in terms of men shortage, the Eritrean department of Religious Affairs has decided on the following:

"First that every man shall marry at least two women and the man who refuses to do so shall be subjected to life imprisonment with hard labour . The woman who tries to prevent her husband from marrying another wife shall be punished to life imprisonment .”

A single lady praised their President, saying “He is so
considerate of women! That’s good of him.”

http://www.kemifilani.com/2016/01/marry-two-wives-or-be-arrested-eritrea.html?m=1

THE Arch-Bishop, Province of Niger Delta, Most Reverend Ignatius Kattey, has said that the struggle for Biafra was not for thugs and miscreants.

Kattey explained that it was necessary for people that mattered, including lawmakers, to come together and decide whether Biafra should be or not.

He stated that though he was neither in support not against Biafra, it was not time to begin such agitation.

The cleric was making a reference to the agitation for a sovereign state of Biafra by members and supporters of the Indigenous People of Biafra and the Movement for the Actualisation of the Sovereign State of Biafra.

Speaking while delivering his sermon on Sunday during an inter-denominational service to mark the Armed Forces Remembrance Day at the Saint Thomas Anglican Church in Port Harcourt, Kattey insisted that the necessary authorities should take a decision on the matter.

“Men that matter, including House of Assembly and Representatives, Senate, should come together and decide whether they want Biafra or not. I am not against Biafra, I am also not in support of it.

Biafra is not for thugs; it is not for miscreants,” he stressed.

The cleric charged the Federal Government to always obey court orders, even as he decried a situation where those released by the court were rearrested within court premises by security agents.

“We must obey court orders. If the court releases a man, don’t catch him at the gate. I don’t support them (suspects, but let us abide by what the court has said. We must fear God because He has the final say,” Kattey added.

Kaduna-based revered Islamic scholar, Sheikh (Dr.) Ahmad Abubakar Gumi has alleged Leader of the Islamic Movement of Nigeria, popularly known as Shi’ite, Sheikh Ibraheem El-Zakzaky has been running a parallel government in most parts of the north in the last 40 years.

Speaking to newsmen Tuesday, Dr Gumi said that ‘’the Shi’ites have been embarking on military training and producing cadets and soldiers.’’ The Islamic cleric further alleged that they were ‘’operating a state within a state.’’

According to Sheik Gumi, ‘’The Islamic Movement of Nigeria does not recognise the corporate entity of Nigeria. The group is not registered. They operate above the law and they get direct foreign aid,’’ he further alleged.

He stated further that, former President Umaru Yar’adua had told him of the massive importation of ammunitions and weapons to different parts of the country, adding that the president had mentioned Iran as supplying arms to the Shiites.

The Medical Doctor-turned Islamic scholar said that the recent clash between Shiites and soldiers was ‘’a divine intervention to prevent us from a catastrophe like that of Boko Haram. It came sudden and powerful to eradicate and uproot any plan that they must have been having to harm the society.’’

Gumi said that he had written Zakzaky about a year ago, warning him about the dangers of blocking roads during the annual Ar’baeen trek, where his follower travelled on foot from all over the country to Zaria.

He said that blocking road is an abomination in Islam.
The scholar warned that the north will continue to be under-developed if the twin evils of shia and Boko Haram are not eradicated, adding that ‘’the strife and unnecessary blocking of roads and shouting slogans on the way increases the tension in the north.’’

Governor Jibrilla Bindow of Adamawa state has provided reason on why he shifted his loyalty from former governor Murtala Nyako to former Vice President Atiku Abubakar.

Governor Jibrilla said the chieftain of the All Progressives Congress (APC) donated N500 million to his governorship campaign.

Speaking while receiving Jimeta community elders, the governor accused some powerful politicians of attempting to smear his image because he refused to do their bidding.

“Apart from the money from the headquarters, nobody gave me ten naira during the ca‎mpaign.

The former Vice President asked me if we had any financial problem.

So, I called the party secretary, Abdullahi Bakari, who put our demand at N300 million. Then, the former Vice President sent N500,000 million through Jauro,” he said.

Atiku, who was elected governor in 1999, was a key political figure in Adamawa State. He left his position as governor to become Vice President after former President Olusegun Obasanjo chose him as his running mate. His deputy, Boni Haruna became governor after his decision to run for the office of Vice President on Atiku-Obasanjo presidential joint ticket on the platform of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP).

A former Chairman of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, Mallam Nuhu Ribadu, on Sunday held a private meeting with a former Interim Chairman of the All Progressives Congress, Chief Bisi Akande.

Ribadu, who contested the 2011 presidential election on the platform of the defunct Action Congress of Nigeria, visited Akande at his residence in Ila-Orangun on Sunday evening and discussed with him for a few hours.

The visit had sparked rumour of the possibility of the defection of the former anti-graft boss to the ruling APC.

A highly-placed source in the APC in Osun State told our correspondent on Sunday that Ribadu visited Akande in company with the National Secretary of the APC, Mai Bala Buni.

The source, who preferred not to be mentioned because he was not authorised to speak for the party, said, “He was there on Sunday. I was told he (Ribadu) and the national secretary of the APC visited Chief Akande together.

“It is difficult to say if he is defecting to our party because I was not there but we won’t ask him not to come if he wants to come.”
The Director of Publicity and Strategy of the Peoples Democratic Party in Osun State, Mr. Diran Odeyemi, when contacted, said he heard that Ribadu visited Akande.

Odeyemi, however, berated the former anti-corruption agency boss for allegedly “going back and forth.”

He said, “I was told he visited Ila-Orangun but is Ila his local government, where he is supposed to announce his defection?

“Ribadu has never proved to be a loyal party man. He joined the PDP from the ACN and he is going back now. He is not somebody to be depended upon when it comes to politics.”

Ribadu was a governorship candidate of the PDP in Adamawa State in the April 11, 2015 election.

After the meeting, Ribadu said he was at Ila-Orangun to reconnect with Akande, who he described as a father and statesman.

“Baba Akande is a very important person to all of us. He is a father in the true sense of the word. From the day I decided to venture into politics, I have benefited from his guidance and wisdom.

“I have not seen Baba in a long time, so I feel this is a good time to come and greet him at home. Of course, I have never been far away from Baba’s fountain of wisdom. Party differences cannot
be a reason to abandon old ties,” Ribadu said.

He eulogised Akande, a former Osun State governor, and the people of the community while recalling the overwhelming support and affection he was shown by the people of Osun State during his 2011 presidential bid.

Akande said Ribadu’s visit was not political.
“As an extended member of this community, I said he should come and greet you,” he said.

Former Speaker of the House of Representatives, Hon. Ghali Umar Na’Abba has blamed the renewed agitation for the creation of Biafra on the failure of past governors of the South-East region to impact positively on the region.

In an exclusive interview with Vanguard in Abuja, Hon. Na’Abba said though majority of the people in the region do not support the renewed agitation for the creation of Biafra, the leadership of the agitating bodies have unfairly targeted some vulnerable class of people to oil their self serving agenda.

According to him, bearing in mind the economic milestone the Igbos have achieved in different parts of the country, it would be unfair to throw them into another crisis at the moment.

He noted that though there is the need for some form of dialogue ‘to douse tension’, there is no need for Biafra today, adding that the Nigerian authority should handle the agitation with care.

“I think there is a sort of conspiracy. Most of the former governors from the south east did not do much for their states and this has been a source of frustration for the people of the south east.

Let me add that it is not every body in the south east that is in support of this Biafra agitation. I think it is a misguided demand based on propaganda from people who are self serving.

“I don’t think there is any need for Biafra today. The Igbos are very hard working and enterprising. They are spread all over Africa.

In Nigeria, there are over 25 million Igbos outside Igboland, achieving economic success.

“They are very dominant in the economies of all the states they live in. I don’t think it is fair to throw Igbos into some kind of crisis. I believe there must be some dialogue in order to douse the tension.

The leadership of those agitators are just serving their interest. They target their propaganda towards a particular class of people who are ignorant. We have to handle it with much care,” he said.

There is an interesting twist in the outcome of the Rivers House of Assembly election Appeal judgements, which may compel the National Assembly to take over legislative functions and powers of the Rivers State House of Assembly.

The Appeal Court sitting in Abuja had in its various judgements ordered re-run in 22 Assembly constituencies out of the 32-member House that make up the Rivers State House of Assembly.

The PDP has maintained nine seats while the APC is left with just a seat, leaving the Assembly with a total of 10 legitimate members including the Speaker.

The law requires only 11 out 32 member house to be able to form a quorum necessary for any legislative seating. But so far, only 10 members left in the House can not form a quorum and therefore by law will not continue with their legislative functions at least for now.

Below is a breakdown of Rivers State constituency seats won, lost and where there will be rerun:

1. Abua/Odual – PDP
2. Ahoada East I – RERUN
3. Ahoada East II – RERUN
4. Ahoada West – PDP
5. Akuku-Toru I – RERUN
6. Akuku-Toru II – RERUN
7. Andoni – RERUN
8. Asari-Toru I – RERUN
9. Asari-Toru II – RERUN
10. Bonny – RERUN
11. Degema – RERUN
12. Eleme – RERUN
13. Emohua – RERUN
14. Etche I – PDP
15. Etche II – RERUN
16. Gokana – RERUN
17. Ikwerre – RERUN
18. Khana I – PDP
19. Khana II – RERUN
20. Obio/Akpor I – RERUN
21. Obio/Akpor II – RERUN
22. Ogba/Egbema/Ndoni I – RERUN
23. Ogba/Egbema/Ndoni II – PDP
24. Ogu/Bolo – PDP
25. Okrika – PDP
26. Omuma – RERUN
27. Opobo/Nkoro – RERUN
28. Oyigbo – PDP
29. Port Harcourt I – APC
30. Port Harcourt II – RERUN
31. Port Harcourt III – PDP
32. Tai – RERUN
So far: PDP = 9
APC = 1
Rerun: = 22

The forgoing turn of events makes the political calculations and permutations of both the PDP and the APC hazy and difficult, especially as it remains unclear what will be the fate of Governor Nyesom Wike at the Supreme Court.

Meanwhile, Rivers State does not have a representation at the Senate since the three Senators in the state have been sacked by the Court of Appeal, while only one seat is remaining at the House of Representatives.

Somalia’s government has banned the celebration of Christmas, warning that such Christian festivities could threaten the nation’s Muslim faith.

“Those celebrations are not in any way related to Islam,” an official at the religious affairs ministry said.

Security agencies have been directed to stay alert to stop any gatherings.

Foreigners are free to mark the Christian holiday in their own homes, but hotels and other public places have been prohibited from marking the day.

“Having Muslims celebrate Christmas in Somalia is not the right thing, such things are akin to the abandonment,” local media quote Mohamed Kheyrow, a top official at Somalia’s justice and religious affairs ministry, as saying.

Correspondents say as the country recovers from years of civil war, a growing number of Somalis who grew up in the diaspora are returning home, some of them bringing Western customs with them.

Christmas is not widely celebrated in Somalia, which officially adopted Sharia in 2009, but the odd event was held – especially as an excuse to hold a party.

Mogadishu’s mayor, Yusuf Hussein Jimale, told the BBC that such gatherings might also be a target for the Islamist al-Shabab group that has targeted hotels in the city in the past.

Celebrations will be allowed at UN compounds and bases for African Union peacekeepers, who are in the country to back the government’s fight against the al-Qaeda-linked militants.

The running-mate to Abubakar Audu, the late candidate of the All Progressives Congress, APC, in November 21 governorship poll in Kogi, James Faleke, has filed a petition at the Kogi State Governorship Election Petitions Tribunal.

Mr. Faleke, accompanied by Mohammed Audu, the son of late Audu, and lawyers, submitted the petition to the clerk of the tribunal at about 12.20pm in Lokoja on Monday.
Hundreds of party members and supporters converged on the state High Court premises, venue of the tribunal, to witness the event.

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the Secretary of the tribunal, Akanji Akinlabi, who received the petition, said the contents were yet to become public.

Mr. Faleke is challenging the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC’s decision which declared the election inconclusive.

He argues that the election had already been won and lost before the supplementary poll, saying he should be declared winner.

Mr. Faleke told journalists that he was confident justice would be done in the matter, pointing out that he did not join his party, the APC as a respondent in the suit.

He said he challenged INEC’s decision in declaring the election inconclusive when the result showed that by all standards the election was concluded and won by the APC ticket of Messrs. Audu and Faleke.

Mr. Mohammed told journalists that his support for Mr. Faleke’s decision to challenge INEC’S decision was in line with the decision of elders and family of his late father.
(NAN)

Young Nigerians – Opeoluwa Aiyegbusi, Lawrence Oye and others have developed and unveiled a new mobile app called Swap Naija– with the aim of bringing convenience into the use of mobile telecommunication in Nigeria.

Swap Naija is a mobile app, which makes airtime swap possible on the go in real-time. Before now, what was obtainable was a transfer between subscribers within a similar telecom network.

With Swap Naija, Nigerians can now send airtime to any telecom network.

The unveiling was done at the TEDxBodija Conference which was held on December 6, 2015 in Ibadan.

According to Opeoluwa Aiyegbusi, a co-founder of the app: “We at Swap Naija, have long been uncomfortable with the fact that telecom subscribers could only transfer airtime within the same network.

We set out to convert this constraint to convenience. We believe that when it gets difficult, that is the best time to start-up”.

Former Deputy-governor of Lagos State, Otunba Femi Pedro, who was a guest speaker at the event, advised the young innovators to look beyond the excitement of their technological breakthrough and prepare their projects for unforeseen technological disruptions.

He further advised young people to start business with their savings, and not loans.

The winner of Africa Award for Entrepreneurship, Munyaradzi Gwatidzo, who is also the C.E.O of Astro Mobile Zimbabwe, advised the young innovators to integrate their mobile app with the social media platforms.

Opeoluwa Aiyegbusi and Lawrence Oye were able to share the secret of their success with over 500 young people who attended the event.

TEDxBodija Conference, themed INNOVATION – THINKING UPSIDE DOWN, is a platform of sharing both local innovations and global trends. The event started in 2013 and has grown to be the biggest youth-gathering in Oyo State

“Did they send you your own share of the bush meat?”
“Bush meat?”
“The lion in the zoo that became bush meat in Jos”
“What’s my own inside? I don’t know any zoo worker in Jos and how could a lion that was allowed out of its cage and got shot end up in my stomach. The kind of things you say sometimes.”

“That means you have not been following the story.”
“It is an animal tale”
“Created, concocted and delivered by animals in human skin, working in animal kingdom, telling us animal tales. What surprises me is the fact that there has been no public uproar, no outrage.”

“People are too busy thinking of how to survive as human beings, how to fight the current nationwide epidemic of empty pockets and stomachs, and survive the change in their lives.”

“But when a similar incident occurred at the Hwange National Park in Zimbabwe, there was serious outrage all over the world. Dr. Palmer, the American who killed the lion was the target of abuse and attacks. He even had to shut down his dental office. There were calls for his prosecution.”

“I know. In our case, the international community is indifferent. It is as if nothing has happened. A lion was killed in Zimbabwe; there was protest. A few days ago in Kenya, two Maasai herdsmen were charged for poisoning a lion. A lion is killed in Nigeria, not a whimper.”

“The truth is that the rest of the world is convinced that Nigeria itself is a zoo. Boko Haram is slaughtering thousands of human beings, girls are being abducted in hundreds, women are being raped, voters are getting killed in Kogi and Bayelsa. With such evils against humanity, why should anyone worry about a Nigerian lion being shot and ending up in the zoo of stomachs?”

“The zoo of stomachs”

“Look, I can swear that if you open some people’s stomachs in this country, what you will find is a zoo: lions, grasshoppers, horses, cats, rats, snakes, dogs, rabbits, antelopes, crocodiles, birds, elephants, extinct animals, disappearing species, anything that can serve the gut, and ginger the taste buds. That is why we can never successfully run a zoo, or a Games Reserve.”

“See, the situation in Zimbabwe with Cecil, the lion is no different. In Zimbabwe, the zoo guides deliberately released the lion and Dr. Palmer laid siege and gunned down the lion, and beheaded it. In Jos, their explanation is that the lion slipped out of its cage when it was being fed breakfast.”

“Lying liars. Fibbing fibbers.”

“They made it sound as if the lion was living in a room and parlour and he just moved from the room to the parlour, to the verandah and to the streets. It is a zoo, for Heaven’s sake and there are standards and best practices!.”

“How will they know what the best practice is, when they don’t even know the age of the lion? The manager of the zoo says the lion has been there since 1972. A 43-year old lion, and yet there is no established protocol for managing it.”

“There is no 43-year old lion anywhere in the world. That is a lie. They don’t have records. They don’t keep records.”
“The lion doesn’t even have a name. In Zimbabwe, and Kenya, they name their lions.”

“That is not a problem. We can give the lion a name, right now. What is the name of the state Governor?”
“Simon Lalong. What about him?”

“Good. Simon, the lion. How about that?”
“Ha. The man is still alive oh. And of what use is a name to a lion that is dead, skinned, cut into bits and pieces, taken home to the cooking pots, eaten, digested, and washed down with whatever the animals eating animal meat deemed fit.”

“The very reason the Governor should order a serious investigation. Who released the lion? And why? Who killed it, skinned it? And who took part in the Feast of the Lion? For all you know, the zoo-keeper deliberately released the lion. He may have been commissioned to do so, by herbalists, who I hear value the body parts of a lion. In that kind of world, the teeth of a lion, the paws, the skin, the ears, all of this can be used by ritualists to give a human being, lion-like powers.”
“Blood of Jesus!”

“Did you not see how the killers posed with the lion for photograph, drooling from the mouth, salivating, looking hungry?

“They made it seem as if the lion was a jailbird who escaped, and resisting arrest, they shot it, instead of tranquilizing it. And they turned the zoo into an abattoir!”

“All the characters involved should be investigated and sacked. Otherwise, tomorrow, they will release a rabbit and gun it down, next tomorrow, an antelope will also break jail, and it will be shot, to be followed by a snake, all getting shot and ending up in people’s pots as bush meat.”

“That is why we can’t run a proper zoo, games reserve or a tourism programme. We talk about climate change and the environment but we don’t know that animals are important to the ecosystem. Sad.”

“Have you not heard of the lion that the Saraki Senate has also let loose?”

“A zoo in the Senate? I don’t get it.”
“They have just released one lion called Social Media Bill.”
“You mean the Frivolous Petitions Prohibition Bill”

“The law seeks to gag the social media. It says you can’t even complain on your what’s app, email, twitter, BB or blog and if you say something that is frivolous, you can go to jail or pay a fine.”

“That is an assault on the fundamental right to free speech; a dangerous lion that should be tranquilized!”

“They don’t have tranquilizer in Jos zoo or any other zoo in Nigeria, is it in the Senate that they will have it? Look, some activists have decided to organize their own public hearings and shoot down this particular lion.”

“Let’s go there then. Let the shooting shooters, the gunning gunners, the writing writers, the protesting protesters, the marching marchers, the shouting shouters, the fighting fighters, the petitioning petitioners, the blogging bloggers and the tweeting children of anger have their own public hearing. That’s democracy.”

“You left out the Wailing Wailers”

“They too. I think this is the type of lion that Nigerians should
kill, not Simon.”

“I like your passion. But there was a protest in Abuja on Tuesday. I didn’t see you joining them?”

“Hen. Hen. You want them to mistake me for a lion that escaped and shoot me, abi? You don’t know that to be an activist, you must also be wise, and protect your stomach from bullets.”

“I thought you were bullet-proof. And you need not be afraid, anyway. The Senate has made it clear that it is acting in the public interest and that its members are not opposed to free speech. Just a simple matter.”

“Please! My fear is that they are all shooting already and because they are yet to hit target, there are stray bullets flying all around, respecting nobody. You go and ask Dino.”

“Which of the Dinos? Dino 1, Dino 2, Dino 3 or Dino $1,000?”

“I don’t know. But the people in Aso Rock have been smart enough to duck. They are now talking about free speech. Free speech. Free speech! Thank God oh, for free speech!”

“Not in Bayelsa at this time, though. Or in Kogi, where people are suspicious of tomorrow.”
“Why not in Bayelsa? I saw the people insisting that they should be allowed to choose their Governor. Too much violence in that election.”

“I hear Countriman has declared that he’s not going to die and that the election will be concluded.”

“Who is so-called?”
“Dickson”

“Ha, Dickson na Ijebu Ode boy oh. Him no ready to die. Bobo no go die, afi to ba di Governor. Bobo!”

“But INEC says the Bayelsa election is inconclusive.”

“This new INEC should just be renamed Inconclusive National Electoral Commission (INEC). If they take weeks to conduct elections in eight local governments, with less than one million voters, if they have to run a nationwide election, then the entire country will be declared inconclusive. Where is Jega by the way? They need him as a Consultant.”

“Why? Let him enjoy his retirement, I beg.”
“Why not?”
“It is called change, my brother.”

“But not in Kogi where I hear the Deputy-Governor elect is swearing that if he is not allowed to inherit the Audu-Faleke undeclared victory, he will not show up to be sworn in as a Deputy Governor on January 27, 2016.”

“He doesn’t want to be Deputy Governor again?”

“He says he cannot betray former Governor Abubakar Audu.”
“Ha. Inconclusive matter! I think we should declare 2015 our year of inconclusiveness. 2015: Nigeria’s Inconclusive Year. How about that?

“Nigeria’s Year of Inconclusivity.”

“Two weeks to Christmas, see how people are looking sad. Some people this year will just pretend that there is no Christmas, Christmas having been declared inconclusive! Even prostitutes have reduced their charging rates; everybody is looking for survival, and anything is fair game, be it a live lion, or the people’s rights or what is that famous blogger’s favourite word again? Yes, eggplant. As Douglas Adams said: to summarize the summary of a summary, people are a problem.”

“Tell me more about these prostitutes and their current rate cards.”

“No be me and you. You go and find out. You see, you are part of the problem.”

“That includes you too, I beg. You always talk about change; now you have it, and you don’t want to talk about it. My friend, don’t complain. Go and sit down.”

“Change?”

“Change is the necessity of history”

“You know the truth?”

“What?”

“Things do not change, we do.” Henry David Thoreau.”

“I don’t know him. You know what? Stop quoting dead people.”

A coalition of the South-south and South-East people under the auspices of the National Neighbourhood Watch programme, has accused political leaders of Igbo extraction who served in the administration of former President Goodluck Jonathan of sponsoring pro-Biafra groups to distract the administration of President Muhammadu Buhari from prosecuting them for corruption.

The coalition made the claim yesterday at a joint press briefing by their National Coordinator, Mr. Charles Inko-Tariah and the leader of the South-east arm of the group, Barr. Okpalaukwu E.C. Okpalaezeukwu.

The dismissed the agitation for secession by the Movement for the Actualisation of the Sovereign State of Biafra(MASSOB) led by Mr. Ralph Uwazuruike and the recent agitation of Independent Peoples of Biafra(IPOB), by one Mr. Nnamdi Kanu, who was also running a Biafra radio station until recently.

“The agitation for Biafra is a way for Igbo leaders who served under the last administration to run away from been prosecuted for corruption. MASSOB has told people many lies.

Their leader has killed many Igbo people whose bodies are still in the mortuary.

Since 2010-2015, Igbo people were in key positions and roads are still bad in the South-east, so we should call these Igbo leaders to book first, before agitating for the State of Biafra.

So the Igbo people who stole in the last government are the ones behind these groups”, he alleged.

The group dismissed the Biafra agitation across the country and called on the agitators to shelve their planned rally against the government of President Muhammadu Buhari.

Lagos State Governor, Mr. Akinwunmi Ambode on Friday read the riot act to commercial motorcycle operators popularly called Okada riders, commercial buses and street hawkers, saying that the state government will no longer tolerate their nefarious activities on the streets and highways which has caused untold hardship for the people of the state in recent times.

Addressing Government House Correspondents shortly after an emergency Security Council Meeting which he chaired, Governor Ambode said that it had become evident that traffic crimes and robbery are mostly as a result of the menace of Okada riders and street hawkers, while recalcitrant commercial buses have become lawless and reckless on the road.

He said the Council made far reaching decisions at the meeting in line with the commitment of his administration to ensure security of lives and property as well as the enforcing of the Rule of Law.

The governor said that the government will not allow a few notorious elements to cause a breakdown in law and order and upset the peace that the state has enjoyed over the years.

To this end, he said he has directed the full enforcement of the Lagos Road Traffic Laws, especially as it concerns the restriction of okada and tricycle operations.

He reminded that Schedule II of the Lagos State Road Traffic Law 2012 restricts Okada, tricycle (Keke Marwa), carts and wheel barrows on some routes including Lagos-Ibadan Expressway, Apapa-Oshodi Expressway, Oworonshoki-Oshodi Expressway, Lagos-Ikorodu Expressway, Lagos-Abeokuta Expressway and Third Mainland Bridge.

Others routes include Eti-Osa/Lekki –Epe Expressway, Lagos –Badagry Expressway, Funsho Williams Avenue, Agege Motor Road and Eti-Osa/Lekki Coastal Road.

The Governor therefore said, “Any person who fails to comply with any of the provisions of this Section commits an offence and shall be liable on conviction as stipulated in the law.

“Henceforth, all commercial vehicles, except Bus Rapid Transport buses, must use only the service lanes in accordance with existing traffic laws. All conductors of commercial buses must sit down in their buses and keep the doors closed at all times while in motion.

It is against the Law for conductors to hang on the bus doors and leave the doors open. Any bus contravention will be met with severe punitive measures.

“Commercial buses can only drop and pick passengers at officially designated bus stops henceforth. Any illegal and indiscriminate picking and dropping of passengers is against the law.

“Other road users who break traffic laws will pay a compulsory traffic fine in accordance with the law. Mobile Traffic courts are being introduced to prosecute offenders promptly”.

Governor Ambode also took time to speak on the traffic situation in Apapa axis of the state, attributed the gridlock to the situation of tank farms and daily activities of petrol tankers in the area.

He expressed concerns that more tank farms are in the process of being approved, revealing that Lagos alone accounts for 80 percent of the cargo that comes into the country through the ports while about 90 percent of the fuel used across Nigeria is loaded in Lagos.

He also frowned at the fact that three months after meeting with tank farm and petrol tanker owners, they have been unable to come up with a solution to the gridlock caused by the tankers queuing up on roads and bridges to load petroleum products.

He however said that the state of affairs that has accentuated traffic gridlock in Apapa area and its environs is no longer tolerable to the State Government saying that necessary arrangements have been made with the relevant Regulatory Institutions to sanction defaulting port users – importers, tank farm owners, terminal operators and shipping companies.

On the backdrop of this, Governor Ambode said the Security Council decided that all tank farms be given a 90-day grace period to build loading bays for their tank farms, with a caveat that any tank farm that fails to provide a loading bay after the grace period, would be shut down by the state government.

“In addition, tank farms owners must desist from allocating pick-up papers to trucks beyond and above their daily capacity as is the case presently,” he said.

Governor Ambode also admonished residents of the state to see the last two months of the year as a period that calls for vigilance and a changed attitude towards issues relating to crime and terrorism.

He urged residents to cooperate with the government at all times, just as he warned them against the dangers of patronizing street hawkers.

“The next hawker could be a robber or terrorist. You are now well-advised. If we all cooperate and decide not to buy, gradually and collectively, the hawkers will not come to the highways and streets anymore. Our roads will definitely become safer”.

“Our security agencies have been directed to increase their presence on the roads and highways to ensure greater safety. Once again, I am committed to a safer, cleaner and more prosperous Lagos; a Lagos that works for all”, he said.

On his part, Commissioner of Police, Fatai Owoseni also assured that the Police will increase their presence across major areas of the state as well as ensure the total enforcement of the laws of the land.

Various stakeholders of transport associations who were also present at the briefing took turns to pledge their support and stressed the need for their members to comply with the directive to ensure free flow of traffic and sanity on the roads.

Among those who spoke include Chairmen, Road Transport Employers Association of Nigeria, (RTEAN), Alhaji Mohammed Musa Chairman, National Union of Road Transport Workers (NURTW),Alhaji Tajudeen Agbede, representative of Maritime Truck Owners, Remi Ogungbemi, Chairman NATO, Alhaji Sikiru Kaka, Chairman ANACONWA, Alhaji Sulaiman Adesina, representative Lagos Taxi Drivers And Cab Operators, Tajudeen Adetoro and Chairman, Tricycle Association of Nigeria, Lagos State Branch, Prince Joseph Olu Odusanya

[b]Senate President, Bukola Saraki has unveiled the list of committee chairmen as well as that of the vice chairmen of the 8th Assembly.
The committees which was divided into 65 are saddled with the responsibility of overseeing certain sectors in Nigeria.
Here are the 65 committees

1.
Committee on Rules & Business
Babajide Omoworare
Ali Ndume

2.
Senate Services Committee
Ibrahim Gobir
Aliyu Sabi Abdullahi

3.
Committee on Ethics & Privileges
Samuel Anyanwu
Bala Ibn Na’allah

4.
Committee on Public Accounts
Andy Uba
Gbolahan Dada

5.
Committee on National Security & Intelligence
Shaaba Lafiagi
David Jonah Jang
STANDING COMMITTEES

6.
Committee on Agriculture
Abdullahi Adamu
Theodore A. Orji

7.
Committee on Air Force
Duro Samuel Faseyi
Ali Wakili

8.
Committee on Army
George Akume
Ibrahim Abdullahi Danbaba

9.
Committee on Anti – Corruption & Financial Crimes
Godfrey Chukwuka Utazi
Sani Mustapha

10.
Committee on Appropriations
Danjuma Goje
Sunny Ogbuoji

11.
Committee on Aviation
Hope Uzodinma
Bala Ibn Na’allah

12.
Committee on Banking, Insurance & Other Financial Institutions
Rafiu Adebayo Ibrahim
Achonu Nneji

13.
Committee on Capital Market
Isiaka Adeleke
Ogola Foster

14.
Committee on Communications
Gilbert Nnaji
Solomon Adeola Olamilekan

15.
Committee on Cooperation & Integration in Africa & NEPAD
Abubakar Sani Danladi
Baba Kaka Garba

16.
Committee on Culture & Tourism
Matthew Urhoghide
Abubakar A. M.

17.
Committee on Customs, Excise & Tariff
Adamu Aliero
Samuel Anyanwu

18.
Committee on Defence
Ahmad Lawan
Jeremiah Useni

19.
Committee on Diaspora & Civil Societies
Rose Oko

20.
Committee on Drugs & Narcotics
Joshua Lidani
Phillip Gyunka

21.
Committee on Downstream Petroleum
Uche Ekwunife
Jibrin Barau

22.
Committee on Ecology & Climate Change
Bukar Abba Ibrahim
Achonu Nneji

23.
Committee on Education (Basic & Secondary)
Aliyu Wamakko
Rose Oko

24.
Committee on Employment, Labour & Productivity
Suleiman Nazif

25.
Committee on Environment
Olaka Johnson Nwogu
Oluremi Tinubu

26.
Committee on Establishment & Public Service
Emmanuel Paulker
Suleiman Nazif

27.
Committee on Committee on Federal Capital Territory
Dino Melaye
Mohammed Hassan

28.
Committee on Federal Character & Inter Governmental Affairs
Salihu Hussain Egye
Suleiman Othman Hunkuyi

29.
Committee on Finance
John Owan Enoh
Umaru Ibrahim Kurfi

30.
Committee on Foreign Affairs
Munsurat Sunmonu
Shehu Sani

31.
Committee on Gas
Bassey Albert Akpan
Abubakar Ahmadu Moallahyidi

32.
Committee on Health
Lanre Tejuosho
Matthew Uroghdide

33.
Committee on Housing
Barnabas Gemade
Francis Alimikhene

34.
Committee on I.C.T & Cybercrime
Buhari Abdulfatai
Ogola Foster

35.
Committee on Independent National Electoral Commission
Abubakar Kyari
Olusola Adeyeye

36.
Committee on Information & National Orientation
Enyinnaya Abaribe
Ibrahim Abdullahi Danbaba

37.
Committee on Interior
Georgeb Sekibo
Bayero Usman Nafada

38.
Committee on Inter-Parliamentary Affairs
Bayero Usman Nafada

39.
Committee on Industry
Sam Egwu
Buhari Abdulfatai

40.
Committee on Judiciary Human Rights & Legal Matters
David Umaru
Godswill Akpabio

41.
Committee on Land Transport
Olugbenga Ashafa
Phillip Aduda

42.
Committee on Local & Foreign Debts
Shehu Sani
Phillip Gyunka

43.
Committee on Marine Transport
Ahmed Rufai Sani
Ighoyota Amori

44.
Committee on Media & Public Affairs
Aliyu Sabi Abdullahi
Murray Bruce

45.
Committee on Public Procurement
Abdulsalami Ohiare
Joshua Dariye

46.
Committee on National Identity & National Population
Marafa Kabir
Abubakar Sani Danladi

47.
Committee on National Planning & Economic Affairs
Rabiu Musa Kwankwaso
Yele Omogunwa

48.
Committee on Navy
Isa Hamma Misau
Osinachukwu Ideozu

49.
Committee on Niger Delta
Peter Nwaboshi
Abubakar Abdulrahman

50.
Committee on Police Affairs
Abu Ibrahim
Stella Oduah

51.
Committee on Power
James Manager
Bukar Mustapha

52.
Committee on Primary Health Care & Communicable Diseases
Mao Ohuabunwa
Nelson Efiong

53.
Committee on Privatisation
Ben Murray Bruce
Abdullahi Yahaya

54.
Committee on Science & Technology
Robert Ajayi Boroffice
Marafi Bashir

55.
Committee on Solid Minerals
Joshua Dariye
Rilwan Adesoji

56.
Committee on Special Duties
Murtala Nyako
Sunny Ogbuoji

57.
Committee on Sports
Obinna Joseph Ogba
Marafa Kabir

58.
Committee on States & Local Government
Abdullahi Gumel
Kashamu Buruji

59.
Committee on Tertiary Institutions & TETFUND
Binta Masi Garba
Tijjani Yahaya Kaura

60.
Committee on Trade & Investment
Fatimat Olufunke Raji Rasaki
Sabo Mohammed

61.
Committee on Upstream Petroleum
Donald Omotayo Alaosaodura
Bassey Gershom

62.
Committee on Water Resources
Mohammed Ubali Shittu
Emmanuel Bwacha

63.
Committee on Women Affairs
Oluremi Tinubu
Stella Oduah

64.
Committee on Works
Kabiru Gaya
Clifford Ordia

65.
Committee on Poverty Alleviation & Social Welfare
Ali Wakili [/b]