The Rivers State Chapter of All Progressives Congress, APC, has hailed the former governor of Rivers State and present Minister of Transportation, Rt. Hon. Chibuike Rotimi Amaechi on the occasion of his 53rd birthday anniversary today.
The party announced this through a press statement signed and released this morning (Sunday) by the newly-elected State Chairman of the APC, Hon. Ojukaye Flag-Amachree.
In the statement, the APC applauded Amaechi for providing focused and unwavering leadership for the party and its members in the State.
“It is a thing of joy that our leader, Rt. Hon. Chibuike Rotimi Amaechi has provided the needed focused and purposeful leadership for our party and members in Rivers State. We couldn’t have gotten it better.”
The party thanked God for the gift of wisdom; good health and staying power which has seen the Minister traverse the delicate political terrain of our state and nation despite several natural and man-made obstacles.
“As you turn 53 today, we can only thank God Almighty for bestowing on you the needed wisdom, good health and resilience to confront the vicissitudes of life especially in the political arena in Rivers State and Nigeria. We have no doubt that the good Lord will continue to remain your bedrock of strength in the years ahead.”

Source: http://www.akelicious.net/2018/05/rivers-apc-hails-rt-hon-chibuike.html

Actress Mide Martins’ husband, Afeez Owo, has, for the first time, spoken about the event that nearly ruined their marriage, many months back, after his wife called him out on Instagram.
.
.
In 2016, his wife had claimed on social media that he had abandoned her and the kids. However, in a recent interview with Sunday Scoop, Owo said his wife of 17 years, took the wrong advice from friends who wanted to cause havoc in their home. .
.
The film-maker said, “There will always be challenges in a home but it depends on how you handle them. Friends nearly ruined our marriage; my wife was wrongly advised. As we speak, she still regrets all those things she did or said. .
.
Couples will always fight, but they don’t need to let their neighbours know about it. We’ve made our mistakes and we have learnt from it. We don’t pray for that anymore.”

http://www.akelicious.net/2018/05/friends-gave-my-wife-wrong-advice-to.html

Nigerian Singer, Adekunle Gold says colleague, Simi is better than him as a song writer.

Adekunle Gold disclosed this to fans at his album listening on Friday.

According to him, Simi has a hand in every song he has released, adding that she must validate his songs before he puts it out.

“Any song I write and Simi does not validate I don’t put out.

“Every single I’ve released Simi has a hand in it. She is a better song writer than me and I say this all the time.
“So, if she says no I agree, I have learnt so much from her.”
Meanwhile, both artistes are yet to validate or deny reports of them dating.

http://www.akelicious.net/2018/05/simi-is-better-than-me-as-song-writer.html

The Support Initiative For Communities In the Lakechad Areas ( SILCA ) with assistance from the Northeast Regional Initiative ( NERI ) has engaged 200 unemployed Youths from Muna and Musari wards of Jere Local government area of Borno state to participate in a historic community clean up activity.

The Executive Director SILCA , Baba Mai Latti, yesterday in Maiduguri said the activity aims at engaging the unemployed youths to participate in a cash for work exercise that will take place over the next few weeks.

Mr Latti added that the selected youths will receive stipends in exchange for their participation in the clean-up and sanitation of selected public areas in their communities.


” This activity was designed to provide idle youths, affected by the insurgency crisis, with an opportunity to earn funds for their personal development and entrepreneurship.

” The weekly community environmental safety exercises will focus on cleaning up refuse and debris around the Local Government Area . The selected youths will be equipped with personal protection equipment (PPE) including rubber boots, hand gloves, face goggles, face masks to ensure their health and safety for the duration of the exercise.


” Through the implementation of this activity, NERI seeks to increase trust and cooperation amongst youths while providing them with financial resources to reject the lure of extremist groups who are known to target vulnerable youth for recruitment,” he said.


He further said that each participant will be paid N3,000 daily for the twenty days with the amount accruing to N60,000 each to enable them pick up small businesses that are peculiar to their areas.

” The North East Regional Initiative will support SILCA by providing technical and procurement assistance during the duration of this activity,” he added.


In appreciation, the Borno state Commissioner of Poverty alleviation and social develpment, Inna Galadima thanked NERI and SILCA for supporting government in making life meaningful for the citizens.


The Commissioner who was represented by the Acting Permanent Secretary in the Ministry , Aisha Abdulrahman said the excercise apart from teaching the Communities to Clean-up their environments for a healthy living , will equally empower the youths for self sustainance.

http://www.akelicious.net/2018/05/ngo-empowers-200-borno-youths-with.html

The Federal government on Friday declared Tuesday, 29 May as public holiday to mark the 2018 Democracy Day.

The announcement was made in a statement by the Minister of Interior, Lieutenant Gen. (Rtd) Abdulrahman Bello Dambazau, on behalf of the Federal Government and issued by the Ministry’s Permanent Secretary, Dr. M.B Umar.

Dambazau congratulated Nigerians on the occasion and pledged government’s continued dedication to entrenching democracy in the polity.

He urged all Nigerians to trust and support the government in its commitment to building an indivisible, peaceful and greater nation based on the tenets of democracy.

http://www.akelicious.net/2018/05/nigerian-government-declares-tuesday.html

President of the Lagos Chamber of Commerce and Industry (LCCI), Mr. Babatunde Paul Ruwase has lauded the passage of the Companies and Allied Matters Act (CAMA) Act amendment Bill by the Senate.

This is even as he said that CAMA will greatly boost and increase the viability of small businesses in the country.

Ruwase gave the commendation when he led other executive members of the Chamber on a courtesy visit to the President of the Senate, according to a statement by the Chief Press Secretary to the President of the Senate, Sanni Onogu, in in Abuja.

The LCCI boss noted that the passage of the CAMA amendment Bill is a major step towards enhancing the business environment in the country.
He said that the Bill when signed into law would reduce the burden of reporting obligations for small businesses, reduce time and cost of of setting up a company and also facilitate the transition of many informal sector players to the formal sector of the economy.
He said that the amendment is timely in view of present economic realities as the country cannot “afford a static legislation in a dynamic business and economic environment.”
Ruwase further stated that the beauty of legislation lies in how well it is aligned with contemporary realities and thanked the President of the Senate for the “efforts of the Red Chamber in promoting private sector development and for collaboration.”
“The fact that your Excellency has a private sector background has brought a lot of value to the content and processes of legislation,” he added.
In his remarks, the President of the Senate, Dr. Abubakar Bukola Saraki, thanked the LCCI and its members for their contributions to the nation’s economic growth.
He noted that the 8th Senate has been keen on working with the private sector to improve the nation’s economy and business environment right from its inception in 2015.
He said that the Senate with the collaboration of major players in the private sector had identified a number of critical laws that required urgent review to improve the ease of doing business in the country, most of which have now been passed and signed into law.
“This is a Senate that is very pro-business. We believe that our role as a government is to create enabling environment that will allow businesses to thrive.
“Even in the area of infrastructure, our focus has been on how we can pass laws to enable private sector participation. With our reforms in railways, ports and road construction and maintenance, we hope that the private sector will play a bigger role with the bills we have passed.
“There are some bills that are still pending like the the Investment and Securities bill where there is a major amendment that we hope to pass very soon. We are also looking into the reform of the Stock Exchange to make it more attractive and also in line with global best practice,” he said.
Saraki said the aim of the Senate is to strengthen the economy and be able to provide jobs for the youth through legislation.

http://www.akelicious.net/2018/05/cama-act-by-senate-lifeline-to-small.html

International Oil Companies (IOCs) operating in Nigeria may have devised means to compel the Federal Government into changing its fiscal policy on the Petroleum Industry Governance Bill (PIGB).

The Guardian learnt the IOCs have deliberately put on hold the Final Investment Decision (FID) on five offshore oil and gas projects to make government alter fiscal terms in the new bill deemed unfavourable to deepwater projects.

Already, the FID on the 225,000bpd Bonga Southwest-Aparo project; 120,000bpd Zabazaba-Etan project; 140,000bpd Bosi project; 110,000bpd Uge project and 100,000bpd Nsiko deepwater project has been delayed.

Estimated at over $23.5 billion, the projects were expected to assist the Federal Government achieve a 40 billion-barrel target and daily production of four million barrels per day (bpd).

FID on these projects ought to be taken before the end of 2018.

Some draft versions of the PIGB have prompted questions about the commercial viability of deepwater projects under the proposed changes to the fiscal terms.

Deepwater projects have typically included more favourable fiscal terms than onshore/shallow water projects. But the PIGB, if passed into law, is expected to increase the government’s share of production revenue coming from deepwater projects.

Experts believe that until the fiscal aspect of the bill is considered and is satisfactory to the Federal Government and IOCs, the uncertainty regarding FID on offshore projects would continue.

FID is the “final decision of the Capital Investment Decision (CID) as a part of the long-term corporate finance decisions based on key criteria to manage company’s assets and capital structure. It is the point at which contracts for all major equipment can be placed, allowing procurement and construction to proceed and engineering to be completed.”

An example of an affected project is Offshore Processing Licence (OPL) 245 on the southern edge of the Niger Delta, which is being jointly developed by the Nigerian Agip Exploration Limited and Shell Nigeria Exploration and Production Company (SNEPCo) at a cost of $13.5 billion.

Agip had planned to achieve first oil production by 2020 and was determined to start the execution of the project in the fourth quarter of 2017. But the acquisition of the asset with proven reserves of 560 million barrels of oil has been the subject of a corruption probe and prosecution in Italy and Nigeria. The owners maintain innocence.

Another example is the 225,000bpd Bonga South West-Aparo deepwater project, estimated at $10 billion. It is located in Oil Mining Licence (OML) 118 but also extends to OMLs 132 and 140.

FID was targeted for 2018, with first oil flowing in 2022. But Shell gave another reason for the stay back. It said it was still exploring more efficient and cost-effective ways of implementing the project.

On the status of Bonga South West-Aparo asset, Shell’s Media Relations Manager, Bamidele Odugbesan, said FID was delayed to allow SNEPCo and its co-venture and government partners explore more efficient and cost-effective ways of implementing the project.

He disclosed that in June 2017, SNEPCo organised multi-stakeholder content workshops on potential opportunities for Nigerian service providers. This, he said, was in fulfillment of mandatory requirements by the Nigeria Content Development and Monitoring Board.

He assured that a new timeframe for FID would be announced as soon as the necessary commercial framework for the investment, among other things, is agreed upon with Shell partners.

Business organisations will always want to safeguard their investments, stressed Registrar, Institute of Credit Administration (ICA), Prof. Chris Onalo.

He expressed optimism the projects would come up when the investment climate is clear and the issues surrounding the PIGB are resolved.

“If the passage of the PIGB is the motivating factor for them to take the FID, and suddenly it is delayed for whatever reason, it will play a critical role in their decision concerning any proposed investment. Investors always take notice of the trend of things that may affect their decision. Government policies will make them to play the ‘let’s wait and see’ game,” said Onalo.

For Sunny Oputa, Chief Executive Officer, Energy and Corporate Africa, low oil prices and insecurity in the Niger Delta and other parts of the country have contributed greatly to many oil companies slowing down investments to mitigate risk and massive loss.

Oputa said: “The two major reasons are economics and security. Two years ago, the price of crude oil plunged below $50 per barrel, which was not attractive enough for investors and mega oil companies to continue to invest in exploration and production.

“Exploration and production investments were almost stalled globally as a result of the economic crisis the falling price of oil triggered in the market. At the price below $50, operators were struggling to maintain or balance their capital expenditure and operating expenditure to remain afloat and ensure profitability for business growth.

“What is needed is create an atmosphere of lasting peace, initiate strong corporate social responsibility acts, and community relations between producing companies and communities. Government should do its part by ensuring maximum economic security and encourage deployment of technology to safeguard assets.”

Oputa urged the Federal Government to fast-track the projects by creating an enabling environment, promoting a culture of peace and understanding between communities and operators, and ensuring a functional win-win petroleum law and local content initiatives.

“Government can also assist by attracting funds, backing up as guarantors, and reducing taxation or zeroing it out on some of the items to be imported for such projects. That would help to reduce capital expenditures,” he added.

The Chairman, Petroleum Technology Association, Mr. Bank Anthony Okoroafor, also urged the Federal Government to expedite action on the PIGB to boost activities in exploration and production profile. He noted that the Federal Government’s Cash Call exit would help to attract investment in offshore business and called for the harnessing of local long-term funds like pensions and sovereign funds into long-term productive and profitable infrastructure assets.

The Minister of State for Petroleum Resources, Dr. Ibe Kachikwu, had described the delay in signing the FID as a major concern to the Federal Government, saying: “You don’t make a $10 billion investment by just walking through it like a tiny door. You have to understand your policy; you have to get your investors lined up; you have to be sure of your renewals. The terms have to be right. It is important that those terms are looked at, to ensure the federation is getting what it is supposed to get. So, a lot of that is going on. It takes an average of two to three years really to run through these things before you then come to the crucibles of FID.”

Still on the oil and gas sector, the Department of Petroleum Resources (DPR) has concluded plans to clamp down on exploration and production companies over unpaid debt of more than N7 trillion to the Federal Government.

The Presidency has directed the agency to embark on the recovery of all debts owed by the companies, and the DPR has already warned the affected companies to offset all outstanding payments on or before today or face sanction.

An inquiry from the Nigeria Extractive Industries Transparency Initiative (NEITI) showed that Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC) is yet to remit dividends from investment in Nigerian Liquefied Natural Gas Company (NLNG) worth $16.898 billion, $1.050 billion, and N68.552 billion, representing outstanding payments for oil wells divested by NNPC to Nigeria Petroleum Development Company (NPDC). Also, NNPC and its upstream arm, NPDC, have failed to remit $21.778 billion and N316.074 billion to the Federation Account.


NEITI said the amounts were from federation assets divested to NPDC and NPDC’s legacy liabilities; payments for domestic crude allocation to NNPC; and dividends from investment in NLNG paid but withheld by NNPC. It also revealed that the National Petroleum Investment Management Services (NAPIMS) erroneously paid cash calls amounting to $552 million on divested assets.

NEITI’s Director of Communications, Orji Ogbonnaya Orji, said: “NEITI welcomes the recent directive to DPR on the recovery of outstanding payments from companies. If DPR approaches NEITI for support in this important assignment, we will gladly provide information and data supported with crucial facts.

“For instance, from disclosures by NEITI’s independent reports, the outstanding recoverable debts include $16.898 billion NLNG dividends paid to NNPC. NNPC acknowledged receipt but failed to remit the funds to the Federation Account as required by law. The other recoverable is the sum of $1.050 billion and N68.552 billion representing the outstanding payments for the oil wells divested by the NNPC to NPDC. These are part of the remedial issues NEITI seeks to address, to improve government revenue generation and transparency in the sector.”

http://www.akelicious.net/2018/05/oil-majors-delay-investment-on-235b.html

A public policy expert, the former secretary to Anambra state government and the Peoples’ Democratic Party's candidate in the November 18 2017 Anambra state governorship election, Mr. Oseloka Obaze, has said Nigerians can’t afford to shy away from debates on public policies and governance issues if Nigeria must advance.

Obaze stated this on Thursday at the Shehu Musa Yar'Adua Centre, Abuja, during the public presentation of his public policy book titled, “Prime Witness - Change and Policy Challenges in Buhari's Nigeria”.

Obaze said Nigerians are obligated to speak up on matters of national interest and during public policy discussions, which are far too important to be left to only elected or appointed policymakers.
He argued that the contribution and role of an informed citizenry to public policy-making remains one of the enduring hallmarks of a well-functioning democracy.
He explained that though he never set out to write a book on the incumbent administration, his role as a member of the attentive public, and his curiosity, observations and commitment to staying engaged and adding value in the public policy debate in Nigeria orchestrated the book.
According to him, the book seeks to analyze evolving policies from the very onset of the Buhari administration; focusing on lessons learned, missed opportunities and choices before Nigeria. He hoped that the book will help in resetting the modalities for formulating and implementing public policymaking.
In his review of the book, Prof. Emeka Aniagolu said Obaze's seminal work interrogated "the policy context, content and consequences of the Buhari administration." He expressed worries that "President Buhari appears to have more of abstract aspirations rather than concrete policies." Aniagolu encouraged citizens, especially those that see to the formulation and implementation of public policies, to pick up and read the book as it offers recommendations to various challenges facing Nigeria.
The Senator representing Kaduna Central in the 8th Senate, Sen. Shehu Sani, in his remarks, extolled Obaze's courage and vibrancy of mind. He challenged citizens to speak truth to power at all times.
Sani said the government of President Buhari has failed Nigerians. He decried the high spate of killings and kidnappings going on in the country. According to him, "while the value is of crude oil is going up, the value of human lives is going down."
The book presentation event was chaired by Eze Chukwuemeka Ike, a renowned author and the traditional ruler of Ndikelionwu and was attended by several eminent Nigerians, including Dr. Tom Adaba, Mallam Wada Maida, Engr. Ebele Okeke, Prof. Ibrahim Gambari, Amb. Uche Okeke, Prof. Epiphany Azinge (SAN) Senator Uche Ekwunife, Segun Adeniyi, and Iyom Josephine Anenih.

http://www.akelicious.net/2018/05/prime-witness-we-owe-it-to-posterity-to.html

The Presidency has given evidences of improvement and growth of the country’s economy under the President Muhammadu Buhari’s administration.

In a statement forwarded to Akelicious on Thursday by the Special Adviser to the President on Media and Publicity, Femi Adesina, the Presidency said that some people had made it a pastime to talk as if there was no silver lining in the sky as far as the economy is concerned.

According to him, such persons carry on as if it was doom and gloom all the way, a thoroughfare of woes, adding that “this they do, to hoodwink the public, and peradventure gain political advantage for themselves, or their principals.”

The statement added, “But facts are stubborn things. Those arrayed against facts may abhor and deride them, but there they are, staring them starkly in the face. Here are some current facts about the Nigerian economy, which naysayers may not be able to do anything about:
“According to the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS), the economy has recovered from the slow-down and eventual recession, which started in 2014. There has been improvement with stronger growth for three successive quarters. From contracting by 0.91% in Q1 2017, the economy has grown by 0.72% in Q2 2017, to 1.17% in Q3 2017, and 2.11% in Q4 2017.
“The Q1 2018 GDP shows that the economy has recorded a GDP growth of 1.95%, compared to a contraction of 0.91% in Q1 2017.

“ The growth is driven by Agriculture and Industry, which shows that finally, after more than 50 years of lip service, the Nigerian economy is on the road to diversification. The oil sector’s contribution to GDP is 9.61%, while non-oil sector’s share is 90.39%.
“ One of the factors responsible for the positive performance of the economy in Q1 2018 was the spending of about N1.5 trillion on infrastructure projects in 2017.
“For the past 15 months, inflation has declined consistently from 18.72% to 12.48%. The country is steadily on the road to single digit inflation rate.
“The first quarter of 2018 saw a continuous growth in total capital importation into the country, the fourth consecutive quarterly increase since Q2 2017. The total value of capital imported is $6,303.63 million, a 17.11% growth over the figure reported in the previous quarter.
“Foreign reserves stand at $47.79 billion, compared to $29.6 billion inherited in May 2015, after about six years boom in oil prices in the international market. The increase came at a time of modest oil prices, showing transparency and accountability by government.
“ Nigeria’s Stock Market ended 2017 as one of the best-performing in the world, with returns of about 40 percent.
“Tax revenue increased to N1.17 trillion, in Q1 2018, a 51% increase on the Q1 2017 figure.”
“Milled rice production has increased from 2.5MT to 4MT, and rice imports have dropped from 580,000MT in 2015 to 58,000MT in 2016. Millions of dollars have been saved.
“These are just little among the good things happening to the Nigerian economy. Only the wilfully blind will not see it, but it does not stop the good work, which continues.
“On exiting recession last year, President Muhammadu Buhari had said he would not consider the job done, until the ordinary man feels the impact of the rebounding economy on his life and pocket. We are inexorably on that road, no matter what scoffers may say.”

http://www.akelicious.net/2018/05/presidency-outlines-how-buhari-has.html

Striker Harry Kane will captain England at next month’s World Cup finals in Russia, the Football Association said on Tuesday.

The announcement was made in a video published on Twitter.

England manager Gareth Southgate told the England squad that: “Harry has some outstanding personal qualities,” during a meeting at St George’s Park on Monday night.

Spurs team-mate Eric Dier and Liverpool midfielder Jordan Henderson have also skippered England recently.

The Tottenham Hotspur striker Kane has scored 12 goals for England from 23 appearances and first captained his country in a World Cup qualifier against Scotland last year.

England face Tunisia, Panama and Belgium at the World Cup.

http://www.akelicious.net/2018/05/harry-kane-named-england-captain-for.html

A 25-year-old stylist, Osasumen Imaru, who allegedly beat up a policeman, was on Monday hauled up before an Ikeja Magistrates’ Court in Lagos.

The accused was arraigned before the Magistrate, Mrs F. F. George, on a two-count charge of conspiracy and assault.

Imaru, who resides at Orile-Agege, a Lagos suburb, pleaded not guilty and was granted N100,000 bail with two sureties in like sum.

George said the sureties should be gainfully employed with an evidence of two years tax payment to the Lagos State Government.

While arraigning the accused, the Prosecutor, Sgt. Godwin Awase, had told the court that the accused committed the offences on May 15 at Abule-Egba, also a Lagos suburb.

He said the accused and others still at large, assaulted Insp. Richard Ebarehuta by beating him up while he was performing his lawful duty.

“The accused beat the complainant and also bite him severally.”

Awase said the complainant and his team received information about the activities of the accused.

“The complainant intercepted the accused and recovered some bottles of a banned drug from him — Tramadol.

“During interrogation, the accused became hostile and gave him a head butt on his mouth leaving him with a deep cut.

“The accused was arrested while others escaped with the drugs,” the prosecutor said.

The offences contravened Sections 174 and 411 of the Criminal Laws of Lagos State, 2015 (Revised).

Section 174 stipulates three years imprisonment for assault, while Section 411 prescribes two years for conspiracy.

The case was adjourned until May 30.

_{http://akelicious..com.ng/2018/05/stylist-headbutts-police-inspector-gets.html}

A former Chairman of Asari-Toru local government area, Ojukaye Flag-Amachree, has emerged the new State Chairman of the All Progressives Congress, APC, in Rivers State.

The emergence of Ojukaye as the new Rivers State Chairman of APC came by way of affirmation from the party delegates in a State congress that began as early as 5am, Monday.

Akelicious reports that the APC decided to conduct the State Congress early Monday morning following feelers that the Senator Magnus Abe group of the party may further cause a glitch to the congress using the court in the State.

However, the decision to make Ojukaye the Chairman came after last-minute strategic meeting, presided over by Nigeria’s Transportation Minister, Chibuike Rotimi Amaechi, who is the leader of APC in South South region, and his think-tank.
Ojukaye, who is a well-respected grassroots mobiliser and strong ally of Amaechi, takes over from Chief Davies Ibiamu-Ikanya who is expected to be part of the National Working Committee of the APC.
Chief Emeka Bekee was returned as the Secretary of the party while Chris Finebone was also retained as the State Publicity Secretary of the APC in Rivers state.

http://akelicious..com/2018/05/amaechis-ally-ojukaye-flag-amachree.html

The All Progressive Congress (APC) in Abia on Saturday held parallel state congresses, leading to the emergence of two factional state executive committees.

News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the two congresses, which held at different venues, under heavy security, were peaceful.

While the Donatus Nwamkpa-led faction held its congress at the Umuahia Township Stadium, the faction loyal to Chief Ikechi Emenike, held its own in a private building on Ossah Road, Umuahia.


While Nwamkpa and Mr Perfect Okorie were returned as Chairman and Secretary, respectively, along with the former executive members, the Emenike-led group elected Dr. Emmanuel Ndukwe as the Chairman.
While the congress at the stadium was conducted by a four-member State Congress Committee led by Sen. Jonathan Zwingana, the one at Ossah Road was conducted by Hajia Rabiu Sulu-Gambari and Alhaji Garba Sani.
In separate speeches, Sulu-Gambari and Sani said that the national leadership of the party sent them to Abia to conduct the exercise.
They described the congress that produced Ndukwe as the authentic and legally recognised one.
They said that the committee was committed to upholding the rule of law.
NAN reports that all the contestants at the Ossah congress were returned unopposed.
Notable chieftains of the party who attended the exercise at the stadium included a former Deputy Governor of Abia, Mr Chris Akomas, Sen. Nkechi Nwogu and former governorship candidate of the party, Chief Nyerere Anyim.
On the other hand, the congress at Ossah Road was attended by Emenike and Paul Ikonne, two notable chieftains of the party.
In an interview at the end of the congress at Ossah Road, Ndukwe said his leadership would make APC strong and capable of winning the 2019 governorship poll in the state.
“Therefore, I’m inviting everybody who wants a change in Abia to come and join APC right now so that we can salvage Abia.”
He promised a level playing field for all the aspirants, saying “There will be equal opportunity for everybody.”
The party held similar parallel congresses at the ward and local government levels following a protracted leadership tussle between Emenike and Nwamkpa factions.
The parties are currently in court over their disagreement.

http://akelicious..com/2018/05/2-abia-apc-factions-elect-new-executives.html

Ahmed Makarfi, former National Caretaker Committee Chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, has revealed what he plans to do if he becomes President in 2019.



The former Kaduna State Governor said he would ensure the restructuring of Nigeria with immediate effect.
Makarfi also lamented that government institutions have been designed to serve those in power and not the citizens.

He told Punch: “I don’t want to politicise the issue but it is something that we cannot run away from. In the PDP, we regard it as one of the most important things that we have to fix.
“If I am lucky to be elected by Nigerians, I would make sure that we immediately discuss the nature and timeframe for restructuring.
“Restructuring is institutional. For a long time, the institutions of state, such as security, have been designed to serve those in power and not the citizens. We must remove them from economic domination.

“What new thing is the current government offering? The only new thing is that we are going backward; they are not even building on the gains of the past. I am sure that many Nigerians would prefer yesterday to today in terms of the government in power.
“In school, if a student is asked to repeat a class, such student would learn and try not to repeat the mistakes of the past. We know where we erred and we have learnt our lessons.
“Now, we are dealing with people who don’t even agree that they are making mistakes. Thus, the issue of them learning and getting better is not there.”

http://akelicious..com/2018/05/what-i-will-do-if-i-become-president.html

Press Release

APC Raises Alarm Over Plots by Agents of Taraba Governor To Scatter Party

The national leadership of APC Youths Renaissance has condemned in strong terms the show of shame and display of rascality by some political contractors believed to have been paid N3 billion by PDP-led Government in Taraba State to scuttle APC State Congress yesterday.

Credible intelligence available to us has revealed that yesterday's political brigandage was the handiwork of the political associates of the fidgeting governor of Taraba State who are hell-bent on frustrating APC in the state.

As widely reported in the news media, it will be recalled that at about 4:45 PM yesterday, some political associates of Governor Darius Ishaku who recently joined APC and led by the former PDP acting governor of the state, Mr. Abubakar Danladi stormed the venue of the congress with some thugs to snatch electoral materials meant for the congress while at the same time destroying other items on the table making Congress Committee Members sent from Abuja to scamper for safety.

These are elements who only joined the party about six months ago and have never been financial members of the party in the state or have they contributed anything to the party at the national level but have decided to come and scatter APC in the state because they have no stake to protect in the party.

There is no doubt that their ultimate goal is to create crisis for APC in the state so that their friend and very unpopular governor of the state can win his re-election next year.

We therefore urge true members of the APC in Taraba State to remain calm and committed to their goal of forming the next government in the state as no amount of brigandage and campaign of calumny sponsored by agents the PDP-led government in the state can stop APC from winning election next year.

We also urge the national secretariat of our great party not to be distracted or dismayed by the actions of these political contractors as the victory of evil over is good is only temporal.

Signed:

Mr. Collins Edwin,
National Secretary,
APC Youths Renaissance

http://akelicious..com/2018/05/apc-raises-alarm-over-plots-by-agents.html

The Jigawa Government has approved the reduction of official working hours in the state by two hours during the Ramadan.

Malam Isma’il Ibrahim, the Public Relations Officer, Office of the State Head of the Civil Service, disclosed this in Dutse on Saturday.

He said that civil servants in the state would report to the office at 9 a.m. and close by 3 p.m. between Monday and Thursday, instead of 5 p.m.

Ibrahim, in a statement, said that the workers would report to work on Friday by 9.a.m. and close by 1p.m., instead of the usual 3 p.m.


He said that civil servants in the state should use the Ramadan to pray for God’s guidance and blessings for the state.

Ibrahim noted that civil servants were to use the fasting period to pray for peace and economic prosperity of the state and Nigeria at large.

http://akelicious..com.ng/2018/05/ramadan-jigawa-reduces-working-hours.html

U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo called Nigeria’s President Muhamadu Buhari and reaffirmed the longstanding relationship between the U.S. and Nigeria, U.S. Department of State, said.

Spokesperson for the Department, Ms Heather Nauert, said Pompeo, during the call, also underscored Buhari’s visit to the U.S. on April 30, and recognised Nigeria’s leadership in Africa.

Nauert said: “On May 17, Secretary Pompeo called Nigerian President Buhari.


“The Secretary noted the longstanding relationship between the Nigerian and American people and underscored the themes of the April 30 official working visit of President Buhari to the White House.
“He recognized Nigerian leadership across the African continent on priorities we share: countering terrorism and other threats to peace and security, creating economic opportunity, fighting corruption, and advancing democracy and stability.
“The Secretary welcomed continued cooperation in advancing our nations’ mutual prosperity”.
The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) recalls that Buhari visited the U.S. on April 30 at the invitation of President Donald Trump, and held bilateral meetings with the U.S. counterpart at the White House.
The meetings, which also had cabinet members from both sides, focused on security, economy and the fight against corruption

http://akelicious..com/2018/05/us-secretary-of-state-calls-buhari.html

The crisis in the Imo State chapter of the All Progressives Congress, APC, yesterday took a new dimension after leading chieftains of the party called on the national leadership of the party to expel Governor Rochas Okorocha from the party.

The demand was made by Senators Ifeany Ararume, Hope Uzodinma, Osita Izunaso and other party leaders.

The stakeholders in a petition to the national leadership of the party asserted that for the party to be repositioned to win the Southeast in 2019, it must get rid of Governor Okorocha.

In a strong-worded letter to the national chairman of the party, Chief John Odigie-Oyegun, the stakeholders said, “As our party chairman, kindly bring to the notice of our dear President that should the governor in his megalomania procure further violence in his child like tantrums, a state of emergency in Imo State would be a natural consequence.
There’s no other state that the president visited five times to appeal to its people and yet we wobbled. Our party must rid itself of this incorrigible worm, he is indeed a cankerworm.
“This attempt to drag the state into further violence in the face of a non-existent state assembly only points to the complete breakdown of an already non-existent governance for which the state of emergency envisaged in the Section 305 of our Constitution is to be declared”.

Those who signed the letter on behalf of Imo APC stakeholders include Senators Ben Uwajimogu, Hope Uzodinma, Ifeanyi Araraume, Osita Izunaso, Hon. Chukwuemeka Nwajiuba, Hon. Mike Ohia and Hon. Austin Chukwukere.
The APC chairman in Oguta Local Government, who is the leader of all the APC local government chairmen in the state, Hon. Cassidy Ohamara equally aligned his group with the contents of the letter.
They thanked the National Working Committee of the party “for standing firm to the rules and guidelines of our party and upholding our duly conducted and video recorded congresses across our State, inspite of the unruly and unlawful conduct/misconduct of our state governor, who happens to be one of our party members”.
“You may thus be alarmed that with the near bankruptcy of our state, reeling in this wanton misgovernance, is yet the subject of the threat contained in the governor’s letter to you stating that he is aware of the burning of the Secretariat of our party. Whilst threatening further mayhem. He also has forwarded to you his videos of those he caught with result sheets (which the party did not report missing). The governor having arrested those people (who are contractors of Government House, Owerri), and having called the police and the media himself, proceeded to conduct the investigation himself”.
The letter was copied the President Federal Republic of Nigeria, Chairman and Deputy Chairman (South) of the Party, National Assembly, all State Governors, the National Security Adviser, the Inspector General of Police, DG, Department of State Services as well as members of the National Working Committee NWC of the party for necessary action.

http://akelicious..com.ng/2018/05/apc-leaders-want-okorocha-expelled-from.html

The Lagos State Drivers Institute (LASDRI) discovered 240 drivers with defective vision from January to March.

Mr Philip Ogunlade, the LASDRI Chief Executive Officer (CEO), made the disclosure in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) on Thursday.

According to Ogunlade, the defects were discovered during training of 1,608 drivers by the institute.

He said that the defects were inconsistent with driving demands.

Ogunlade also told NAN that the institute discovered that 1,883 of 31, 881 drivers it trained in 2017 had defective vision.

“We have referred them to various hospitals to have necessary treatments or obtain glasses before we can certify them,” he said.

Ogunlade said that a competent driver was important to the safety of the commuting public.

According to him, LASDRI was committed to training of commercial and private drivers to boost road safety.

The LASDRI boss said that the institute had five training centres.

“Additional one-stop centres will be established at Epe, Alimosho and Ikorodu while stations will be established at Lekki and Oto-Awori on Ijanikin Badagry Expressway.

“We are establishing the agency’s presence at motor parks at Ojota, Oyingbo, Yaba, Iyana Ipaja, Oshodi, Iyana-Iba, Ogba, Mile 12, Ikorodu Garage, Epe, Ajara.

“We are creating a conducive atmosphere for staff and clients through continuous upgrade of offices,” he said.

[b][url]http://akelicious..com.ng/2018/05/240-drivers-with-defective-vision.html[[/url]/b]

The Kwara State Governor, Abdulfatah Ahmed, has described as false and misleading, insinuations linking him and Senate President, Abubakar Bukola Saraki with the suspected cultists arrested in Ilorin, the state capital and transferred by the police to Abuja.

Governor Ahmed, in a statement by his Senior Special Assistant on Media and Communications, Muyideen Akorede, said neither him nor the Senate President or any of their aides had links with the suspected cultists or their alleged activities.

He also denied any knowledge of or any intention to harm any individual as the political leadership in the state “has never used violence as a political tool”.

Mr Saraki had on Wednesday released a statement accusing the police Inspector General, Ibrahim Idris, of attempting to link him with the activities of the suspects recently nabbed by the police and brought to Abuja.

He said Mr Idris was seeking revenge after the Senate declared him unfit to hold public office in Nigeria or elsewhere.

Police confirmed the suspects had been transfered, but warned Mr Saraki against jeopardising ongoing investigations.

The Senate set up a committee to meet with President Muhammadu Buhari to inform him of the allegations and also brief him on the Senate’s rift with the Inspector-General of Police, Mr Idris.

Mr Idris’ rift with the lawmakers deepened recently when he refused to attend summons by them on three occasions. The irate lawmakers in reaction passed a vote of no confidence on the IGP.

The Kwara governor referred the public to the parade of the suspects by the state commissioner of police, Aminu Pai Saleh, on May 10, in Ilorin, during which he announced that the suspects were arrested for alleged murder and membership of cult groups but made no mention of any confessional statement linking their activities to any sponsors.

Governor Ahmed described the alleged killings as the outcome of clashes between rival cults in the state as most victims had been identified by security agencies as members of cult groups.

Governor Ahmed said the growing problem of cultism and cult-related criminalities formed the basis of his charge to the new Kwara State Commissioner of Police, Mr Saleh, to focus on ending the menace on his resumption last month.

According to him, the state government sees cultism as a serious security issue requiring urgent attention and has accordingly amended the State Cultism Law to prescribe stiffer penalties for convicts and those who aid and abet them.

He said this is besides providing operational support to all security agencies in the state in their fight against all forms of criminalities, including cultism.

Governor Ahmed warned that cultism is a serious security challenge which should neither be trivialised and turned into a political tool nor be treated with levity.

He urged well-meaning Nigerians to disregard any attempt to politicise the menace of cultism but focus instead on joining hands with the government and security agencies to bring the menace to an end in the interest of public safety while allowing the rule of law and justice to prevail in the matter.

http://akelicious..com.ng/2018/05/kwara-gov-ahmed-speaks-on-sarakis-cult.html

A Yaba Chief Magistrate’s Court in Lagos State on Wednesday remanded three politicians in Ikoyi Prison over alleged murder.

The accused – Bosun Adigun, 43; Semiu Ogunbona, 58; and Sabitu Kamarudeen, 54, are facing a two-count charge of conspiracy and murder.

The Chief Magistrate, Mrs O.G. Oghere, ordered that the trio should be remanded in prison due to the magnitude of the alleged offences.

The prosecutor, Insp. Modupe Olaluwoye, had told the court that the accused conspired and shot dead one Mr Nurudeen Olanase following a political disagreement.

She said that the accused committed the offences at noon on May 12 at the Central Community Primary School, Oniwaya, Agege, Lagos.

According to the prosecutor, the accused shot the deceased on the head with a prohibited firearm.

“They conspired among themselves and killed the deceased because of a political disagreement they had,” she said.

The prosecutor submitted that the offences contravened Sections 215 and 233 of the Criminal Laws of Lagos State, 2015 (Revised).

Murder attracts death penalty.

Counsel to the accused, Mr Tunji Akinyemi, had prayed the court to grant his clients bail in liberal terms but Oghere remanded them and ordered that the case file should be sent to the state Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP) for advice.

She adjourned the case until July 11for mention.

http://akelicious..com/2018/05/3-politicians-remanded-in-ikoyi-prison.html

Armed bandits have reportedly kidnapped over 100 people along the Birnin-Gwari-Kaduna highway in just four days.

In a report by Reuters, Surajo Usman, an official of the National Union of Road Transport Workers (NURTW) reported that he escaped an abduction attempt which has claimed over 120 people in just four days.

"Over 120 people were kidnapped between Friday and today, Tuesday along the Birnin Gwari-Kaduna road," he said.

Yahaya Hussaini, who works for a civil society organisation, also reported that his group's motorcade was attacked on Sunday, May 13, by bandits armed with assault rifles.

He said, "On Sunday, in our entourage alone four vehicles were blocked by the kidnappers in military fatigue. They kidnapped about 48 people. Many of those vehicles attacked are still left on the road and the luggage of victims still litters it."

An unnamed NURTW official also told PRNigeria that most of the kidnapped victims were passengers travelling between North and Southern parts of the country and the organisation has warned its members to desist from using the road.

He said, "Over 15 vehicles including long trucks, buses and commercial cars were intercepted by the armed bandits who selected their victims from their look and dressing and herded them into the bush.

"We learn that the kidnappers have started communicating and negotiating with the families of their victims, demanding for ransoms in millions of Naira.

"A man and a woman were killed today while four additional passengers were also kidnapped.

"As an official of NURTW we have warned our members to henceforth stop plying the route until there is adequate security in the area."

Ibrahim Aliyu, the father of a kidnap victim, told Reuters that his daughter's kidnappers have already asked for a ransom of N5 million.

"They have contacted me with a 5 million naira ransom demand. Where do I get that kind of money that I have never seen in my life?"

Despite the severity of the attacks, Kaduna state's Commissioner of Police, Austin Iwar, told Reuters he has not been informed about such attacks but would investigate.
Birnin-Gwari troubled by bandits

The kidnapping attacks come just over a week when at least 71 people were killed when armed bandits attacked Gwaska village in Birnin Gwari local government area of Kaduna on Saturday, May 5, 2018. The bandits overpowered the local vigilante team which was defending the community.

That attack happened barely a week after 14 people were also killed by armed bandits at a mining site at Janruwa in the same LGA and barely two days after the Inspector-General of Police, Ibrahim Idris, and the General Officer Commanding (GOC), 1 Division, Nigerian Army, Kaduna, Mohammed Mohammed, visited Birnin Gwari.

After the Gwaska attack, President Muhammadu Buhari approved the establishment of a permanent Battalion of the Nigerian Army in the Birnin Gwari general area.

The creation of a Birnin Gwari Police Area Command and two new Divisional Police Headquarters were also announced by IGP Idris.

http://akelicious..com.tr/2018/05/bandits-kidnap-over-100-people-in-4.html

The Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) has again admonished Nigerians to treat the naira with utmost respect, noting that the national currency symbolises ‘our national pride.’

The central bank also reminded Nigerians that Section 21 of the CBN Act 2007, which stipulates that the abuse of the naira through squeezing, staining, writing on, spraying and illegal sales, among others as punishable offences, is still in force.


CBN’s Deputy Governor, Corporate Services, Mr. Edward Adamu, who made the appeal, said the naira is “a symbol of the nation’s identity and pride,” and deserved to be handled with respect.

Adamu spoke in Abuja at CBN’s 2018 International Museum Day celebrations.

He said: “The naira as a symbol of our national pride should not be sprayed or stepped on, should not be squeezed, defaced or stained. The naira should not be sold or counterfeited.”

On why the exhibition of Nigeria’s past and present currencies in the bank’s museum was desirable, Adamu pointed out that “the exhibition explores the naira in terms of its life cycle from conception to the end of its life otherwise known as the birth to death of bank notes.”

Adamu added that the exhibition was an opportunity for Nigerians to know how the notes came about from conception to the final resting place or the end products “which are recycled products,” adding that “all these activities are contained in the exhibition.”

He argued that it was impossible to understand the role of museums without taking into account all the connections to culture, their inherent arts, their communities and their environment.

“Thanks to technology, Nigerian museums can now reach beyond their core audience and find new publics through hyper connectivity,” he said, adding that hyper-connectivity “is a term coined in 2001 to describe the multiple means of communication such as we have today like face to face contact, instant messaging, telephone, etc.”

He further added that in the hyper-connected world of today, museums have joined the trend.

According to him, the CBN houses a Currency Museum, which explains the evolution of money in Nigeria, from the pre-colonial era to the contemporary times.

Adamu said, “the CBN hopes that through the activities of the Currency Museum, members of the public would be better educated on how to properly handle the naira and other related matters.”

In her remarks, the Deputy Director, Currency Operations, CBN Department, Mr. Vincent Wuranti who regretted the way and manner Nigerians handle the naira, said these actions affect its lifespan.

Wuranti noted that “a lot of thought was put into the design and production of the nation’s currency, thus the need to have respect for the currency.”

He reminded Nigerians that Section 21 of the CBN act of 2007, stipulates that the abuse of the Naira through such acts as squeezing, staining, writing on, spraying and illegal sales amongst others are punishable offences.

The Act, he said, clearly “states that the offender must pay nothing less than N50,000 or jail term of six months or both while Section 20 (4) of the CBN Act 2007 provides penalty of not less than five years jail term for counterfeiting the naira with no option of fine.

http://akelicious..com/2018/05/again-cbn-urges-nigerians-to-treat.html

The Kogi State High Court sitting in Lokoja, on Monday (today) adjourned hearing of the bail application of Senator Dino Melaye for Thursday, May 10, 2018.

This followed the inability of parties to submit their counter affidavit and “better” affidavit to the written bail application by Melaye’s counsel when Justice Nasir Ajanah, last Friday, ordered that the lawmaker be transferred to the National Hospital Abuja.


The prosecution, led by Dr. Alex Iziyon (SAN), readied a counter affidavit to the written application for bail by Chief Mike Ezekhome (SAN), Melaye’s counsel, to which the latter had sought the court’s permission to file a “better” affidavit to the counter affidavit by the prosecution.

Ajanah was to ask that a new date be picked to allow for the examination of written affidavits, none of which had been filed, as at the time of the sitting.

The Chief Judge of Kogi State, Justice Ajanah, had adjourned for the continuation of hearing in the written bail application filled by the defense counsel, asking for variation of the remand order placed in Senator Melaye.

This followed last Thursday’s refusal to grant bail to the lawmaker when he was arraigned before the Senior Magistrate Court 2 sitting in Lokoja on a seven-count charge bordering on criminal conspiracy and illegal possession of fire arms.

Ajanah had said that in view of the critical health conditions as espoused by the counsel to the applicant, he should be moved to the National Hospital, Abuja, for proper medical attention.

http://www.akelicious.net/2018/05/breaking-court-fixes-melayes-bail.html

The former Governor of Anambra State, Mr. Peter Obi has advocated an aspect of the Chinese model of electing their leaders, based on their past performances at lower levels of government, for Nigeria. He made this known at the weekend during an international conference with the theme of Philosophy, Law And Politics, at the Claretian Institute Of Philosophy(CIP), Maryland, Nekede. Saying that since leadership was the fundamental problem of Nigeria, all hands must be on deck in the efforts to devise better ways of electing the leaders of the country.

Mr. Obi who spoke on Human Development Index, Nigeria and the World said that its improvement was directly proportional to the level of each countries’ investment on education. Affirming Norway as ranking highest in the world HDI indicator with almost $80,000 per capita income. and life expectancy of over 80 years, he said it was due to their heavy investment on education where they had virtually literacy level of virtually 100% with HDI of 0.95

Obi who went further to compare Nigeria with those countries he said had the same developmental trajectory with her in the eighties, regretted that they had all done better than Nigeria.
His words: “Indonesia, with a population of 260 million people has a GDP of $1.0 trillion and per capita income of $3800. Her life expectancy is 69 years while her literacy level is 93%. Her HDI is 0.689 and ranked 113 in the world. She is classified as medium.

‘’Turkey, with a population of 80 million people, has a GDP of $880 billion and per capita income of $10,800. Her life expectancy is 76 years and literacy level of 97%. Her HDI is 0.767 and ranked 71 in the world. She is classified as high.
‘’Now, our dear country Nigeria. With a population of about 190 million people, we have a GDP of $420 billion and per capita income $2,100. Our life expectancy is 53 years with literacy level of 55%. Our HDI is 0.527 and ranked 152 in the world. We are classified as low!’

Concluding, he said the reason for our low HDI was simply because Nigeria had not made the right investment on education and human resource development thus reaping poor governance – leaders and followers – in return.

Other notable speakers who participated in the three-day event are Prof. Pat Utomi, Rev Father Prof. Izu Marcel Onyeocha, Prof Uchukwumaeze and Prof. Obasi Igwe.

http://www.akelicious.net/2018/05/we-need-chinese-leadership-model-in.html

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3yCgozbbj30

As shared On Instagram

Dedicating this ‘Next Rated’ award I won last night to you bro @davidoofficial - You gave me a voice !! I can’t wait till I’m able to do the same for others! God bless you immensely !!

http://www.akelicious.net/2018/05/mayorkun-dedicate-his-award-to-davido.html

Gov. Rauf Aregbesola of Osun says he has no anointed candidate for the forthcoming governorship election in the state.

Aregbesola, who disclosed this while addressing the All Progressives Congress (APC) members on Saturday in Iwo, in Osun West Senatorial District, was reacting to consistent agitations by the people of the zone to produce the next governor of the state.

He said that he was not ready to impose any candidate on the people.

He said that there would be a free, fair and credible primary to pick the party’s flag bearer.


The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) had fixed Sept. 22 for the governorship election.

The governor, however, appealed to party members not to allow the outcome of the primary to divide or disturb the peace and progress of the party.

He said the outcome of the primary should rather unite the party to make it stronger and indivisible.

” Every party member is free to support any aspirant of his or her choice.

” But after the party’s primary, any candidate that emerges as the party’s flag bearer should be supported by all to enable the party to win the election convincingly,” the governor said.

The APC Chairman in the state, Mr Adegboyega Famodun, urged the party members to remain strong and united for the election.


Famodun said that with the achievements of Gov. Aregbesola in education, health and infrastructure development, among others, victory was guaranteed for the party.

The Asiwaju of Iwoland, Mr Gbadegesin Adedeji , urged the governor and party members to allow Osun West Senatorial District to produce the next governor of the state.

Adedeji said the zone had been marginalised for long and urged the governor to consider the zone whenever decision on who would be party’s flag bearer was being taken.

“The entire people of Iwo constituency are solidly behind Mr governor.

” And I am using this opportunity to tell you that we want the next governor to be from this zone.

” We have many responsible, cultured, experienced, qualified and well trained people that will not disappoint the state if given the opportunity,” Adedeji said.

http://www.akelicious.net/2018/05/osun-polls-i-have-no-anointed-candidate.html

President Muhammadu Buhari arrived home on Thursday night from his trip to the United States.

Among the photographs capturing the tempered homecoming reception, were several showing the car that took the president home in Aso Villa.A closer look shows that the black Mercedes Benz Maybach is old, the colour is devoid of any sheen and there are scratches at the back bumper. Even the tyres appear to have seen better days.

NAN.ng learnt President Buhari has refused to change the fleet he inherited from his predecessor, Goodluck Jonathan, since 2015.

In 2016, the president, who had cut his salary by 50 per cent, struck out a move to spend N400 million on new cars for him. The money was to be used to buy five new armoured Mercedes Benz S-600 (V222) cars.NAN learnt the President believes the cars passed on to him, can still last another 10 years, thus helping the nation conserve scarce funds.

No wonder, the Buhari government, as Vice President Osinbajo has said repeatedly, is doing much more with the nation’s financial resources, despite the declining income.

This is in sharp contrast with the profligate Jonathan years, when oil at a stage was selling at $140 a barrel and the nation became poorer for it.

http://www.akelicious.net/2018/05/photos-buhari-using-jonathans-old-cars.html

Former Vice President, Atiku Abubakar has praised Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) for recognising debates as a vital part of the democratic process.

Atiku made this known on this twitter page saying Nigeria democracy will be better enriched when voters have opportunity to hear out those who want to govern them.

It would be recalled that INEC Chairman, Prof. Mahmood Yakubu supported debates as a vital part of the democratic process.

According to The Punch “Such debates are necessary for deepening democracy by promoting civil discourse and providing a platform for candidates to articulate their positions on public policy issues. They also allow the public to judge aspiring candidates for political office under pressure and evaluate their arguments in competition with other candidates.

“Debates also serve an important role of demonstrating to the aspiring candidates that democracy is about standing before the public and answering their questions.”

Read his kudos below:

Kudos to @inecnigeria for recognising debates are a vital part of the democratic process. Our democracy & governance will be better enriched when voters have the opportunity to make the needed distinction in the offerings of those who apply to govern them. — Atiku Abubakar (@atiku)

http://www.akelicious.net/2018/05/kudos-to-inec-for-recognising-debate.html

Former Manchester United defender, Rio Ferdinand, has ended his ambition of becoming a professional boxer.

Ferdinand, 39, intended to fight in the cruiserweight division under the guidance of former super-middleweight world champion and Team GB coach, Richie Woodall, as part of a project dubbed “Defender to Contender”.

However, in a statement issued on his Facebook page, Ferdinand announced the British Boxing Board of Control (BBBofC) were not willing to take his application for a boxing license forward.
“Having been training four to five times a week since announcing the aim of achieving a professional boxing licence and stepping into the ring, it is with a heavy heart that I am hanging up my gloves on the Defender to Contender challenge.
“Despite having never felt better physically or mentally, after notifying the British Boxing Board of Control of my intention to apply for a licence, I have received confirmation that they would not be reviewing my application at this point in time.
“To say I’m disappointed by this decision is an understatement. To not be given the chance to demonstrate my ability to the BBBoC through the standard assessment afforded to others is hard to take.

“Boxing is a physically tough, demanding and dangerous sport. I always gave it my utmost respect and never underestimated how difficult it would be.
“I wanted to show people that it’s okay to have a goal and strive to reach it. It’s important to approach everything with success in mind, and to give it your all, but sometimes things work against you,” his statement read.

http://www.akelicious.net/2018/05/rio-ferdinand-denied-boxing-license.html

While speaking as the guest lecturer in an event in Owerri, Mr. Peter Obi called that Nigeria must restructure because the country is collapsing. The occasion was the Annual Law Week organized by the Nigeria Bar Association, Imo State Chapter and held at the Villa Garden Hotels, Owerri on 27 April, 2018. And the theme was The Restructuring Of Nigeria; a critical analysis.

In a response to return our democracy to the parliamentary system of governance as it involves less bogusness and more direct impact to the demands of the people, Mr. Obi acknowledged the valid call. However, the former governor of Anambra State stressed that the United States of America we borrowed her presidential system has been growing from strength to strength while dear country has continued to move backwards. He emphasized that we must restructure to make our country functional instead of continuing with the present rascality in governance.

He said that Nigerians will always compare their country with America in terms of states. ‘’They will always draw comparison that America has 50 states while we have 36,’’ be went characteristically practical.

‘’Yes, America has 50 states but the smallest state in America, Nabraska made a 2017 budget equivalent of 3.1 trillion naira. That is over the budget of the entire 11 Northeast and Southeast states of Nigeria put together. The state, Nabraska has 49 representatives in their equivalent of House of Assembly. Each of these representatives are there on part time and receive an annual salary of 12,000 dollars(N3.6 million)

‘’In the Northeast and Southeast states, there are almost 800 members of the House of Assembly and they are paid over ten times what their counterparts receive in Nabraska. So, how can we function like this? There’s no way it will work.
‘’California is the biggest state in America with a GDP of nearly 2.81 trillion dollars, which is over six times that of Nigeria. They have a GDP per capita of over $66,000 while we have just $2000. Yet it costs far more to keep and maintain a governor in any Nigerian state than that of California.
‘’We can’t continue like this. The cost of governance is totally unacceptable. We must restructure or soon completely collapse. We must leave behind a nation our children should be proud to inherit,’’ Obi continued to preach, while the audience watched with intermittent applauses in appreciation.

http://www.akelicious.net/2018/05/nigeria-as-country-is-collapsing-says.html