₦airaland Forum

Purewatermeji:
These are wise igbo youths moving with Southwest power blocs to learn about politics and sophistication of the yorubas. Very soon people like basket mouth and Joe igbokwe will run for elective positions and win while the bitter ones are being misled by Ipob orientation of a biafra that won't change anything

Boyooosa:
Don't hide your face, talk to me. I asked a question and still repeating it cos I want to know: who is ur role model, what is the source of your orientation?
MW, I gave u DAT kobo cos millions, I don't have, pounds I don't have. But the only value i can add to ur life is to advise you to sit tight, life itself is serious.

Boyooosa:
How can you think cheaply like this? Who is your role model? Where did u read in the bible or anywhere, that Jesus Christ, the Father of all miracles went to a sick bay or mortuary for the purpose of show offs? Guy, you can do better, even life itself is serious... my kobo!

March 10, 2018

By Cajetan Mmuta

Obaseki urges peer appraisal for reforms in APC states

The leadership of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in Edo State yesterday dismissed reports that the National Executive Committee (NEC) of the party had approved the extension of tenure of the National Working Committee (NWC) of the party. Also yesterday, Edo State Governor, Mr. Godwin Obaseki, said as much as there were peculiarities in the APC controlled states across Nigeria, there was need for synergy for peer review to replicate success stories of the party across the country.

The state’s Chairman of the party, Anselm Ojezua, who stated this at a press conference in Benin City said no decision was reached by NEC of the party to extend the tenure of the Odigie- Oyegun. Ojezua said only a motion was moved to extend the tenure of the national chairman and others, adding that the NEC of the party was reminded about provisions of the party’s constitution.

He stated that no decision was reached at the NEC meeting for tenure elongation and explained that state chairmen of the party supported it because they were beneficiaries. Ojezua warned that the party needed to act fast because the tenure of the party executives would soon expire. He said: “There must be a misconception as to what decision the NEC of the APC made.

There was a motion put before NEC proposing the extension of tenure for a number of reasons but our attention was also drawn to the constitution of the party that it does not contain any provision for extension of tenure and that should it be that there was extension, something has to be done to satisfy the constitutional provision.

“There was no decision to extend tenure. A motion was passed indicating a preference that tenure be extended but there was the realisation that the constitution does not permit it and therefore there needed to be a further action taken on it. No decision was taken to extend tenure of the executives. “Time is still ticking. Very soon the tenure of the executive will soon expire.

The party will have to do something quickly to address the issue because as it is currently constituted, when the tenure expires then it is dead. NEC did not extend tenure. It only passed a motion in favour of tenure extension subject to the constitution which at the moment did not permit it. “The party chairmen supported it because they are also beneficiaries of the constitution. The party is subject to its own rules.


There was no argument at all at the meeting. There is need for us to work on the constitution prior to taking the decision of tenure extension.” On whether he would support amendment of the party’s constitution for tenure elongation, Ojezua said: “When we presented ourselves for office, we knew if it was for four years.

I also have an opportunity to present myself for another tenure should it be the wish of delegates at the congress and that is the position I will take.” Meanwhile, Obaseki, who spoke during the fifth Progressive Governors’ Forum Quarterly meeting holding, which ended in Benin City yesterday, said there was need for states under the control of the APC to harmonise policy implementation strategies to make the impact of social welfare programmes felt across the states. Obaseki, who was represented by his deputy, Philip Shaibu, said: “We have just concluded the local government elections where we recorded a 100 percent victory.

We are indeed pleased that our people accepted our policy reforms with their popular votes at the polls. “However, the need to carry out internal appraisal as a party cannot be overemphasised and that is why this meeting is important.” He added that though there may be peculiarities, the need to engender uniform policy reforms across states controlled by the APC is necessary to equally distribute the governance imprints of the state on everyone who voted for the party.

By ADEOLA OGUNRINDE


…Extends Period For Discounted Payment To April 14

Lagos State Government on Wednesday clarified the figures circulating in the media on the rate for the newly reviewed Land Use Charge Law of 2018, saying many of the numbers were based on several years of arrears on the levy not paid by affected property owners.

Speaking at a news briefing held at the Bagauda Kaltho Press Centre in Alausa, Ikeja, the State’s Commissioner for Information and Strategy, Mr Kehinde Bamigbetan said there were so many misconceptions and misinformation about the new law, adding that the law was a progressive enactment duly made by the House of Assembly and handed over to the Executive for implementation in the overall interest of the people.

He specifically dismissed the humongous figures being bandied about on the social media, saying many of the calculations were based on arrears of many years of non-payment.



“The fact is that this law took a long process to be made. It started as a bill and went through the first reading, second reading, public hearing to which all stakeholders were brought together to debate it and some of the relieves we have seen were part of the debate expressed by the stakeholders about the need to protect the vulnerable segment of the society. Having made the law, the Lagos State House of Assembly has handed it over to the executive to implement.

“The second important part is that a lot of relieves have been built into the law but many people are confusing arrears with the actual figure. If you see those figures, ask whether it is for one year or arrears of several years of non-payment. The humongous figures that are being bandied around particularly in the social media relate to the arrears of many years of non-payment which are computed together,” Bamigbetan said.

Also speaking, Commissioner for Finance, Mr Akinyemi Ashade said the government has extended the period for tax payers to enjoy the 15 per cent discount in the reviewed Land Use Charge Law to April 14, 2018 in order to enable the implementation and enforcement of the new law, as well as allow many property owners to benefit from the discount.

Ashade, who took time to clarify reactions in some section of the public on the new law, said under the old law, which had not been reviewed for over 15 years since 2001, the Land Use Charge rate was totally inaccurate and retrogressive and was depriving the State of keeping track of all economic activities that relate to land in Lagos State.

He said the Law, which was reviewed by the Lagos State House of Assembly and signed into Law by the State Governor, Mr. Akinwunmi Ambode on February 8, 2018 is a merger of all Property and Land Based Rates and Charges in the State.

Ashade said: “There was an urgent need for the repeal, as the old law had not been reviewed for over 15 years, since 2001. Under the old law, the LUC rate was totally inaccurate and retrogressive which deprived the State of keeping track of all economic activities that relate to land in Lagos State.

“The new law is a consolidation of Ground Rent, Tenement Rate, and Neighbourhood Improvement Levy. This charge is payable annually in respect of all real estate properties in the State, which means owners and occupiers holding a lease to a Property for ten (10) years or more are now liable to pay the annual LUC invoice charged.

“Thus, the Tenement Rates Law, the Land Based Rates Law, the Neighbourhood Improvement Charge and all other similar Property Rates or Charges, Laws or amendments to any such property Laws shall cease to apply to any property in Lagos State as from 2018. Nonetheless, all pending invoices, orders, rules, regulations, etc. under the 2001 repealed Law shall continue to be in effect until such obligations are discharged.”

Explaining the calculation of amount payable, the Commissioner said that property owners can determine the amount by multiplying the Market Value of their property by the Applicable Relief Rate of 40 per cent and Annual Charge rate.

“Upon receiving a notice or not, the new law has made it possible for owners to calculate their charge, and enable prompt payment, which allows them to benefit from a 15% discount for early payment, applicable to payments made within 15 days of receipt of Demand Notice,” he said.

Responding to fears of tenants that the new Law might force landlords to increase rent, Ashade said aside the fact that the Lagos State Tenancy Law 2011 was still in force, the incidence of payment for Land Use Charge under the new law is on the Landlord and not the tenant.

He said the minimum rate was only increased from N1,200 it was in 2001 to N5,000, while there is provision for self-assessment and Assessment Appeal Tribunal under the new law.

On vacant properties, Ashade said such would be treated based on owner-occupier and not as a commercial property, explaining that the target of government is to make commercial property owners to pay a little bit more.

...Deal to provide 500 jobs, facilitate hybrid energy plant


Lagos State Government and a United Kingdom firm, Low Energy Designs (LED) Limited on Monday entered into partnership to construct 10,000 LED street lights covering 300kilometres across the State.

The deal, which also includes the provision of about 500 jobs and construction of an LED lighting and Hybrid Energy Power Assembly Plant in Epe, is estimated at $7million (about N2.52billion), and is expected to be delivered in the next 12 months.

Speaking at the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) on the partnership held at Lagos House, Alausa, Ikeja, the State Governor, Mr Akinwunmi Ambode said the development was a major milestone and a positive paradigm shift in the provision of street lighting for the State.

Governor Ambode, who was represented by the Commissioner for Energy and Mineral Resources, Mr Olawale Oluwo said the successful commencement of the partnership signposts a positive progress to the Light Up Lagos Project, which he said, is a special initiative of his administration composing street lighting, community electrification and embedded power programme.

He said: “With this agreement we are signing today, we are setting a new chart for the future of what street lighting, installation, management and control will be like in Lagos. It is a major paradigm shift.


“We have about 33,000 street lights in Lagos under the Lagos State Electricity Board. Now, the LED UK, based on this 300km, will give us about 10,000 street lights. So, technically, they are going to be having about 31 per cent of our entire street light infrastructure and this is a major significant development.


“The second major significant development is the fact that as from today onward, what we have with LED UK is what will be replicated to power Lagos with respect to street lighting going forward.”


Giving details on the agreement, the Governor said with the partnership, there will no longer be any fixed costs with regards to management of street light installations across the State, while all challenges hitherto associated with street lighting would now be a thing of the past.


“As a government, what we are doing is that we are not installing poles, we are not providing security, we are not bothering ourselves with diesel, we are not worried on Fridays and Saturdays about people coming back from clubs knocking down our poles.

“All those have been outsourced now. We are not going to be worried about that. We just buy light from investment of this LED UK with all their installations; they manage it, they provide the security, they power it and as long as we see the light, we pay. That is what has changed today,” Governor Ambode said.

While appreciating all the key players that contributed to the partnership including the British Deputy High Commission, Lagos State Office of Oversees Affairs and Investment, Lagos State Electricity Board, among others, the Governor assured that government would ensure seamless execution of the deal, as well gets maximum benefit which the programme is designed to deliver.

Earlier, Chief Executive Office of LED UK Limited, Mr Alan Parker said his firm was greatly honored to partner with the State Government to deliver the project, adding that over the next 12 months, a British and Nigerian consortium would work to retrofit major roads in the State with urban regeneration project in Ikoyi, Ikeja and Victoria Island.

“As part of this project, we will be employing over 500 local people here in Lagos and investing $7million in the construction and setup of a LED lighting and Hybrid Energy Power Assembly Plant here in Epe. This facility will offer ground breaking testing, training and education programs on renewable technologies whilst providing the future for all lighting and hybrid energy power systems in Nigeria.

“These high quality products will be built by Nigerians with the support, experience, knowledge and technology supplied by LED UK for all commercial indoor and outdoor applications for the African market,” Parker said.

By Chinonso Alozie, Owerri

Weeks after Governor Rochas Okorocha, endorsed his son-in-law Mr. Uche Nwosu, to succeed him in 2019, his Deputy, Prince Eze Madumere, has gotten another endorsement from youths of the oil communities in the state, to contest for the governorship position.

Okorocha Vanguard, gathered on Wednesday in Owerri, that the latest in the series of endorsement for the Deputy, came from the Niger Delta Youths Forum, led by one Chukwuemeka Nwaopara, which took place at his country home, Achi Mbieri in Mbaitoli local government area.

This is coming at a time the Deputy governor, was reportedly asked to step down his gubernatorial ambition for Okorocha’s son-in-law, Uche Nwosu. This time, the youths were said to have come from 11 wards of the Oguta local government area in the state.

According to the Nwaopara’s group, their conclusions for backing Madumere, was that he is “an astute administrator.” Also, he was quoted to have described the deputy governor, as a competent, passionate and a visionary leader that has the political will to take Imo state, to the next level of inclusive governance.”

He argued that, “Madumere is the only politician in Okorocha’s cabinet that understands better the workings in the rescue mission government of Okorocha.” However, it will be recalled that Governor Rochas Okorocha’s son-in-law, Nwosu, has reportedly declared to run for the governorship position, having seen that the governor’s decision was tilting towards favoring him (Nwosu) in 2019.

Nowenuse:
Yes I fully understand your point about Oyo people.

But what about Ilorin? Were they not a branch of Oyo people? What is the reality there today?

Majority of the Ilorin elite yoruba families are half fulani by blood. One reason why they can be hardly against fulani ever.

Perhaps you should hear from an Ilorin man.
Read the thread below

https://www.nairaland.com/4338863/plan-install-yoruba-oba-ilorin

Nowenuse:
Lol Yeah, it seems I am taking it too far. This is cos I have witnessed practical aspects of it, being from the north.

Ask yourself. How many fulani women marry common yoruba men? Why is it an elite thing?

Nowenuse:
I cannot speak for the Igbos, but I know that they are not as power drunk as the fulanis and certainly do not have agendas to dominate others like the fulanis.

Fulanis are oppressing Hausas in their own land today, but Hausas will never do anything about it cos most Hausa elites have fulani wives and mothers.

This act of intermarriage is an ancient strategy used by kingdoms to cement ties and everlasting bonds with one another.

Check the history of Sudan (the Nubians) how they were heavily islamized & arabized today. It was through intermarriage to a lot of Arab women. The Arabs clearly used this intermarriage strategy after they failed to conquer Sudan in war. Did they succeed at the end? Of course!

March 2, 2018

A grand political movement called New Political Order, comprising leading politicians and elder statesmen, has adopted the existing Social Democratic Party (SDP) as Third Force to be used in challenging main political parties in the 2019 general election, Tribune Online can reveal.

Leading lights in the coalition include stalwarts of the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) and the main opposition Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), from the six geopolitical zones of the country.

Barring any last-minute change, the new group will be officially unveiled in Abuja, the federal capital, at a crucial meeting by the major stakeholders, who include members of the National Assembly from both the PDP and the APC.

Former President Olusegun Obasanjo had muted the idea of a Third Force after denouncing both the APC and the PDP when he announced the birth of the Coalition for New Nigeria, just as he advised President Muhammadu Buhari, to bury any notion of seeking a fresh mandate in 2019.

The New Political Order, which is reportedly led by a former minister and PDP stalwart, Professor Jerry Gana, enjoys the full backing of mass-based organisations, including Afenifere, Ohanaeze Ndigbo, Middle Belt Forum and the South-South Assembly under the leadership of First Republic Minister of Information, Chief Edwin Clark.

Ali’s book launch: 43 years after, Obasanjo reveals how Gowon tongue-lashed him over diplomatic issue with US
Chieftains of the organisations were among other eminent persons, including serving senators from the Northern part of the country that attended at a major meeting held on February 12 in the federal capital.

Other major stakeholders in the coalition include some key members of the PDP Board of Trustees BOT; former Minister of Education; former deputy Senate President, Senator Ibrahim Mantu, and prominent Senators from the South-South, all of PDP extraction.

Also on the roll call of the coalition are the leaders of the Nigerian Intervention Movement (NIM) such as Dr Jhalil Tafawa Balewa and Dr Olu Agunloye, as well as civil society organisations like the Civil Liberties Organisations (CLO).

Insiders told our correspondent that top on the agenda of a meeting of the key promoters in Abuja today is the formal ratification and unveiling of the SDP as the platform to field candidates in next year’s elections.

Investigations, however, showed that the decision to adopt the SDP did not come easy, as the leaders had to critically assess most of the 68 political parties excluding the APC and the PDP before arriving at a preferred choice.

Some of the parties that came under serious scrutiny included the All Progressive Grand Alliance (APGA); Advanced Democratic Party (ADP), Peoples Redemption Party (PRP), Rebuild Nigeria Party (RNP) and the Labour Party.

The sources said 10 delegates from each of the 36 states in the country, as well as members of civil society and youth groups, would attend the meeting taking place at Ladi KWALI Hall, Sheraton Hotel and Towers, Abuja.


According to the promoters, the leaders will use the meeting to ratify the choice of SDP, which was arrived at after a painstaking consideration of a number of other existing parties outside the APC and the PDP.

It was gathered that the arrowheads of the rainbow coalition, had put finishing touches to its unveiling at two successive meetings, held in Abuja last week.

The meetings were preceded by wide consultations and meetings in different parts across major cities in the geopolitical zones during which the key promoters harmonise their positions on major issues.

The sources said that after an exhaustive debate, representatives of five out of the six geopolitical zones in the country picked SDP, as only the North-Central was reportedly split between SDP and RNP.

The representative of Benue State, Col (Dr) Joseph Akaagerger (Rtd) in the ad-hoc committee was said to have clearly preferred the RNP based on the mandate of the people of Benue State.

angels09:
Wake up at 12 AM and slot in Ti Oluwa ni Ile. Feed me back.

nairavsdollars:
Gbajabiamila Tinubu's errand boy. They are pained because Fayemi is now the recognised leader of South west politics. He singlehandedly installed Akeredolu in Ondo much to Tinubu's chagrin

CROWNWEALTH019:
Anything that makes BAT irrelevant is a great idea

CROWNWEALTH019:
You call yourself party leader yet Ondo, Ogun, Ekiti and Oyo states no they under your control. Tinubu is a bloody local champion.


God bless Oyegun

Fashola even get mouth for APC pass Tinubu


Tinubu is dead politically and if he's not careful obanikoro would take Lagos away from him

Haggui:
Mtcheeew, I even thought she was complaining that he performeded only 20 mins in bed

IkpuNnu:
.

This can't act without an explicit support from Tinubu..

gunuvi:
The only thing that is constant in life is change. Don't trust these politicians. Their is a greater plot against Tinubu dynasty in 2019 by his own kitchen cabinet