₦airaland Forum

The Nigerian Army has refuted the ‘mass killing of Igbo youths’ allegation by the Campaign for Democracy (CD).

Col. Sagir Musa, the Deputy Director Army Public Relations of the 82 Division of the Nigerian Army, Enugu, denied the allegation in a statement in Awka on Sunday.

He described the online publication ascribed to CD as “an “unjustified, invidious and over flogged accusation’’.
He said the CD claimed that “no fewer than 2000 Igbo youths had been killed by the Nigerian Army under the guise of Rules of Engagement’’.

He said that other publication allegations including “Military Killed 150 Pro-Biafra Protesters’’ had also been severally thoroughly refuted in many media platforms by the Nigerian Army.

“It is the same position that this rejoinder has soundly adopted.

“For emphasis and clarity, the Nigerian Army as an accountable, morally and professionally sound organisation had variously through its Human Rights Desk at the Army Headquarters, painstakingly investigated allegations of rights violations.

“The results indicated specifically that this claim is false, malicious and should therefore be ignored for the sake of Nigeria.’’

He said that Army was under its constitutional authorization to aid Civil Authority and Military Aid to Civil Power and would continue to act in the best interest of the nation.

“This included, de-escalating violence and checkmating security threats across the nation.

“This task must be done, in spite of the sordid propaganda and possible politicization of the issue by ill meaning Nigerians,’’ Musa said.

According to him, the relevant authorities in the South East are at liberty to set up an inquiry into the accusation to get to the roots and end of the obnoxious and unfounded claim.

“Looking at the recurrent posture of this allegation, the 82 Division Nigerian Army wishes to state that relevant authorities in the South East are at liberty to set up an inquiry into this accusation.
More at http://www.akelicious.com/2017/01/army-denies-cd-claim-on-killings-of.html?m=1

The All Progressives Congress (APC) participated in the 2015 general elections in Delta State without making impact in the state. It recorded no single electoral victory and failed to win any local government area in the gubernatorial election. Not even the 25 percent mark required in the presidential election was achieved. It was a colossal failure.

Given this drubbing, one would have expected that Delta APC would have by now reorganised itself from the losing party of 2015 to a party that can win future elections, but there is no sign of that yet.

Instead, what we have is intra-party bickering among factions that are wrestling for the control of the soul of the party.

A cursory look at the 2015 electoral map shows that the party lacked political base. The other reason was that it was bedeviled by leadership crisis.

Since then, natural realignment of political forces has reshaped the political landscape in such a way that APC now has a political base in Delta Central. In particular, Chief Great Ogboru, the gubernatorial candidate of Labour Party in 2015, who won four local governments, said that only a united opposition was capable of freeing Delta from the grip of the PDP and joined APC with his supporters in Delta Central, the hotbed of opposition politics in Delta.

Sadly, APC has done nothing to capitalise on the changing dynamics and consolidate on these gains. Rather than welcome the new members with open hands and give them a sense of belonging, the party has been lukewarm and, in the process, created barriers for full integration of new members who undoubtedly are now in majority. The welcome party that was promised never happened and all efforts to reorganise the party have been thwarted by some forces ahead of a possible 2019 run.

But progressives must know that Delta Central only provides APC the keys to success in 2019. They can get there if only they could find the right vehicle and a capable chauffeur to take them there. In other words, Delta Central is just a base, from which to launch an attack. APC should use its new political base to expand the map into Delta North and South. But that is not happening yet because of the crisis in the party.

Only a united party would take APC to the finish line ahead of PDP. But fraying party unity has complicated the prospects of growing the party further. And after two recent attempts, one by the Secretary to Government of the Federation, Mr. Babachir David Lawal, and the other by the National Chairman, Chief John Oyegun, progressives are no closer to resolving an issue that’s splintering the Delta APC.

The in-fighting has nothing to do with growing the party to win. Rather, it is a battle for who controls the party infrastructure for personal aggrandizement. And leaving the party in the hands of those who can’t deliver victory but too strong to eliminate in the 2019 primary because of their hold on the party structure could result yet again in another disappointment for the rank and file of the party who are so desperate for victory.

For a party that truly wants to win Delta, this crisis should have been long resolved. Instead, what used to be a fight for the soul of the party between winners and losers of the 2014 state congress, has now left the party fractured by self-interest and political cowardice. At the last count, there are five contending groups.

On the one hand, we have the Olorogun Otega Emerhor faction with Prophet Jones Erhue as Chairman, the Delta Elders and Leaders faction led by the late Senator Francis Okpozo, the former Action Congress faction led by Chief Adolor Okotie-Ebor. On the other hand, we have the new entrants into the party – the Light of Labour led by Chief Great Ogboru and the Accord/PDP group led by Chief Victor Ochei and Chief Emami Ayiri.

In the middle of the pack are the non-aligned members, notable among them are Prof. Pat Utomi, a pioneer member of APC and Dr. Ibe Kachikwu, the Minister of State for Petroleum.
Read more at http://www.akelicious.com/2017/01/apc-must-first-win-back-its-soul-to-win.html?m=1

Flavour shares the photo on instagram.

https://www.instagram.com/p/BO95c3LAV1k/

The rule for making money is simple. First learn,and after learning,simply remove the letter L and you will start to Earn.It is too late to fail .we are too loaded to be empty
More at http://www.akelicious.com/2017/01/e-money-rule-for-making-money-is-simple.html?m=1

Nominees for manager of the month

1) Jose Mario Dos Santos Mourinho Felix

2) Antonio Conte

3) Jurgen Klopp

4) Mauricio Pochettino

Nominees for player of the month*

Zlatan
Pogba
Diego Costa
Cahill
Alli
Erriksen
Lallana
More list at http://www.akelicious.com/2017/01/epl-nominees-for-manager-and-player-of.html?m=1

More photos at http://www.akelicious.com/2017/01/photos-basketmouth-meet-with-mayor-of.html?m=1

Ahead of the restart of the Ponzi scheme Mavordi Mondial Movement (MMM) on 14 January, promoters have issued instructions to its participants whose accounts were frozen, to perform “Promo Tasks: A New Tool for MMM Community Development.”

In the MMM message, subscribers are told to perform tasks, both online and offline, to promote the scheme and drive “traffic and participation” by the time the restriction on the account is lifted.

“Being an MMM member implies not only opportunities, but also a responsibility for the state and development of the MMM Community”, the message said.

The information raises hopes of the almost three million Nigerians who invested in the scheme, following the ban on withdrawals on December 3, 2016.

On January 2, the scheme on its official Twitter handle, @MMMNigeriaHelp disclosed that participants’ accounts will be unfrozen on January 14.

Some of the participants have taken to social media to give reasons why the scheme should return.

MMM was a Russian company that perpetrated one of the world’s largest Ponzi schemes of all time, in the 1990s. By different estimates from five to 40 million people lost up to $10 billion. The exact figures are not known even to the founders.
Read more at http://www.akelicious.com/2017/01/participants-to-promo-tasks-mmm-to.html?m=1

More photos at http://www.akelicious.com/2017/01/nicki-minaj-shows-of-her-water-melon-in.html?m=1

This guy is really proud of igbo culture

http://www.akelicious.com/2017/01/flavour-brings-ijele-masquerade-on.html?m=1

Four times winner of Olympic Tennis gold medal, Great Serena Williams has agreed to an engagement proposal by her secret lover and Reddit co-founder, Alexis Ohanian. Williams who took to her Reddit page to break the news wrote “isaidyes.”
“I came home/A little late/Someone had a bag packed for me/And a carriage awaited” Williams said in her Reddit post, which was written like a poem and had a cartoon of the couple at the top.” “Destination: Rome/To escort me to my very own ‘charming’/Back to where our stars first collided/And now it was full circle/At the same table we first met by chance/This time he made it not by chance/But by choice/Down on one knee/He said 4 words/And/r/isaidyes.” Also, Ohanian announced the engagement on his Facebook page, linking to Williams’ Reddit post and adding, “She said yes.” The two love birds have been dating since 2015 but kept their affair secret from the spotlight except in some occasions when she does post pictures of them on her Instagram account from time to time.
more details at http://www.akelicious.com/2016/12/serena-williams-finally-says-yes-to.html#more

Governor Nyesom Ezenwo Wike says, the violence that marred the rerun elections in the state was orchestrated by security agencies with a motive to making the state ungovernable.
The governor said that the police high command has arrested and detained in Abuja all his personal police details who accompanied him to stop SARS Commander, Akin Fakorede, from rigging Rivers East senatorial district. The command said the policemen shouldn’t have accompanied him on the mission.
The governor stated this yesterday when he addressed members of the Rivers State Traditional Rulers Council who paid him a goodwill Christmas visit.But when contacted, the Rivers Police Public Relations Officer, Nnamdi Omoni, said the command was not aware of any arrest.
Governor Wike explained that he was compelled to take action because the previous day, policemen and soldiers were used by the APC at Ikwerre LGA to beat up PDP agents and force collation officers to concoct results.
“The security agencies orchestrated plans to cause violence with a view to making the state ungovernable for ulterior motives.
“My personal police details who accompanied me to stop Fakorede from successfully rigging the Rivers East Senatorial District election have been arrested and detained in Abuja.”
The governor also noted that Rivers State has been peaceful since the conclusion of the rerun elections.
“Look at how peaceful Rivers State has become after the elections. Why was the election violent? It is because they wanted particular candidates to win and they wanted to rig in favour of such candidates.
“I was called to share seats. I said I will not participate in such a fraud. I insisted that the votes must count. Let everyone go for elections. “
The governor also alleged that INEC connived with APC to print fake result sheets ahead of the elections. He noted that INEC and police have swept the matter under the carpet.
He informed that many INEC staff who were victims of violence by security agencies were under pressure from the electoral commission to deny the physical assault on them.
Chairman of the Rivers State Traditional Rulers Council, King Dandeson Jaja, Amayanabo of Opobo warned against the militarization of the electoral process.
more details at http://www.akelicious.com/2016/12/wike-accuses-security-agencies-of.html#more

A Professor of history and strategic studies, Nkem Onyekpe, has advanced reasons why former President Goodluck Jonathan would have questioned and even annulled the historic presidential election of 2015.
Onyekpe argued that Jonathan, who was a sitting president had valid grounds upon which he could have predicted an objection to the process and outcome of the election, which both local and international communities, described as a major test to the country’s fledgling democracy.
In a lecture titled: “The Anioma nation and democratic consolidation in Delta State,” the University of Lagos Professor predicated his first argument on the suspicious creation of more
polling centres in the northern part of the country without a commensurate establishment of such additional centres in the south.He maintained that when it was clear that voter cards were not available for many registered voters in the strongholds of Jonathan in the South South and South East geopolitical zones and “when the card reader severally rejected him, his wife and his mother, the ex-president could have taken actions that would have jeopardized the electoral process.
Onyekpe, who spoke at Ejeme-Aniogor; Aniocha South Local Government Area of Delta State, during the fourth biennial public lecture/grand civic reception in honour of Governor Ifeanyi Okowa at the weekend, averred that Jonathan could have sounded the alarm when it became “obvious that while the ‘educationally backward’ or ‘less developed’ states of the North did not have or had only few voided votes, the ‘educational highly developed’ states of the South had many voided votes.”
Onyekpe insisted that Jonathan could have towed the ignoble path of annulling the 2015 presidential polls, ‘when his supporters cried foul at the management of the presidential election by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC)” and other agencies involved in the contest.
The professor said Jonathan was not an opportunist and, therefore, refused to explore the advantage of his incumbency to the detriment of the entire country.
“He did not tear his voter’s card! Instead, he pleaded with the entire nation for understanding and cooperation with the INEC. He avoided the
Machiavellian path and chose instead, the path of peace and honour.’’
more details at http://www.akelicious.com/2016/12/why-jonathan-would-have-annulled-2015.html#more

Free and open-source web browser Firefox will stop supporting Windows XP and Windows Vista operating systems by the end of September 2017.
As reported by kompas.com on Tuesday, the company announced that users of both platforms would still be able to operate the browser but Mozilla as Firefox creator will no longer release software updates to patch up any security holes. This means users of the old operating systems will be more vulnerable to attacks from malware or hackers.We highly recommend that users upgrade their Windows to a version that is still supported by Microsoft," wrote Mozilla on its official blog.
The company is said to release an Extended Support Release of Firefox in March 2017. Users of XP and Vista will automatically be transferred to this version.
more details at http://www.akelicious.com/2016/12/firefox-to-end-support-for-windows-xp.html#more

Delta State Commissioner for Information, Mr. Patrick Ukah, has said that a lot of reforms are going on to reposition the state-owned media houses. Uka told journalists at a media briefing recently in Asaba that The Pointer newspaper and Delta Broadcasting Service, Warri and Asaba, were undergoing reforms, adding that efforts have been put in place to ensure the media houses rank among equals.

On The Pointer titles, the commissioner said government has designed a strategy that will refocus the company and position it to be commercially viable, adding that the programme was anchored on more effective distribution and circulation of the titles and improvement in the editorial content.

According to him, “the ministry has put machinery in place to gain heavy presence of the titles across the country and create a larger market in terms of sales and advertisement patronage”. In the same vein, the commissioner said all efforts were being made to upgrade the Delta Broadcasting Service (DBS) stations in Warri and Asaba to full digitization.He said a report of engineers asked to look into the challenges of the DBS stations had been submitted adding that at present, the government was looking While saying that the DBS stations now transmit on channels 115 and 113 on Star-Times including, CTL and UHF, and to keep the stations on air, the ministry planned phased short and long term solutions implementation.



He pointed out that since the inception of the present administration; the ministry has committed itself in articulating and adequately publicizing the programmes and activities of government within the context of the SMART Agenda. Mr. Ukah said apart from making the policy thrust of government (SMART Agenda) known, the ministry was able to articulate all projects and programmes of various MDAs.

According to him, “at present, the government has energized efforts towards implementing reforms and strategies to make the outfits ranked among the best in the country”.
more details at http://www.akelicious.com/2016/12/delta-state-to-reform-government-owned.html#more

Chief of Naval Staff, Vice Admiral Ibok Ette Ibas said the newly acquired warships commissioned by President Muhammadu Buhari in Lagos two weeks ago have been deployed in the troubled Niger Delta region.
Speaking to newsmen during the 2016 Nigerian Navy Ball, also known as Navy End of Year Party, organised for naval personnel at the Nigerian Navy Ship Delta, Warri, Ibas said the Navy had identified areas where the ships would be useful and had deployed them accordingly.
Ibas, who was represented by the Flag Officer Commanding, Navy Logistic Command, Oghara, Rear Admiral Enyinna Ibe-Enwo, said the ships have commenced operations at the various strategic locations where they are considered useful to the economy.
“Those ships have since been deployed to strategic locations immediately after the president and Commander-in-Chief commissioned them and are being handled by trained personnel who have gone through rigorous training on how to operate them professionally.
“They are already sailing and are in perfect conditions where they have been deployed,” he said.
He also said the Navy had concluded plans to adopt a transfer exercise where personnel could spend at least five years within a command as a way of encouraging family bonding in the force.
He explained that the policy would further enhance the operational efficiency of its personnel.
He stated that the initiative known as ‘Mother Base Concept’, would enable naval personnel move with their families to their posting and spend at least five years before being redeployed to another command.
“The five years drafting appointment circle for the Navy personnel, which comprises officers and ratings, is essential to reduce incidence of family staying apart. We have realised in recent times that frequent movement of officers and men from one location to another in meeting with the requirement of the service, dislocate their families.
“We are working on a model whereby the officers or personnel are at a particular location to serve for at least five years. Within that time, we expect the officers to be familiar within that unit in that location. Family will enjoy better time among themselves, of course, the children and all the rest, such that when they are transferred to another location, they will have reasonable long time to stay with their families.”
Commending its personnel for winning the war against sea piracy, oil theft and vandalism, particularly in the Niger Delta, Ibas stressed that the service had improved and emerged one of the major naval forces in African.
Calling for more discipline among officers in the discharge of their duties, he added: “To sustain the collaborative effort in the sub-region, the Nigerian Navy must improve on its fighting capability and operational effectiveness.
“In this wise, when I came on board as Chief of Naval Staff, I promulgated a Strategic Directive 2015-1, outlining concrete steps that would help drive my vision of developing a credible naval power towards enhancing national prosperity and security.
“You realise that security issues are not ending, but I can tell you, from statistics, there is a remarkable improvement. We are not yet there, but we are hoping to get there soon and this entails not just the military report, but also the public also supporting the Navy with information to wrestle to a logical conclusion.”
A former acting governor of Bayelsa State, Mr. Nestor Binabo, who was special guest of honour at the ceremony, commended the Nigerian Navy for ensuring that there was increased security of life and property in the region.
He appealed to the people of the region to cooperate with naval personnel for an enhanced security of national assets.
Binabo said the country’s economy would remain unstable if the continued attacks on oil facilities were not curtained through an all-inclusive collaboration between the people and security agencies.
“Until national assets in this region (Niger Delta) are protected, we cannot have a stable economy in Nigeria’, he declared.
more details at http://www.akelicious.com/2016/12/breakingnewsnavy-deploys-more-warships.html#more

For the first time in nearly 30 years, British monarch, Queen Elizabeth, yesterday missed the traditional church service at Sandringham owing to cold
According to the Telegraph, London, the 90-year-old monarch had attended the annual service ever since the Royal family began visiting Sandringham in 1988. Before then, the family stayed at Windsor for Christmas.
Yesterday morning, Prince Charles, The Duchess of Cornwall, the Duke of Edinburgh, Prince Harry, the Earl of Wessex and Prince Andrew were seen making their way from Sandringham House to the service.
Hundreds of people had gathered outside the church, with some fans arriving before dawn.
The Queen and Prince Philip, 95, were stuck down with colds earlier this week and had to delay the departure of their holiday by 24 hours.
Buckingham Palace revealed on Wednesday the royal couple had both come down with “heavy colds,” leading to the last minute postponement of their annual trip.
While the Queen usually takes the train every year to her Norfolk estate, the pair made the 100-mile journey by helicopter, with Royal aides suggesting that it had turned out to be the most practical method of travelling at short notice.
In a statement issued yesterday morning, a Palace spokesman said: “Her Majesty The Queen will not attend Church at Sandringham this morning (yesterday). The Queen continues to recover from a heavy cold and will stay indoors to assist with her recovery. Her Majesty will participate in the Royal Family Christmas celebrations during the day.”
The spokesman also said the Queen had no public engagements over the holiday period, giving her a chance to recover.
A royal source told The Telegraph: “The Queen is still recovering from her cold.
“She will be up and about and taking part in Christmas, she just isn’t going outside.”
more details at http://www.akelicious.com/2016/12/breakingnewsqueen-elizabeth-misses.html#more

Former President, Olusegun Obasanjo, Ogun State governor, Senator Ibikunle Amosun, and Secretary General, Anglican Communion Worldwide, Archbishop Josiah Atkins Idowu-Fearon, have charged Nigerians to continue to promote unity and religious harmony in the country.
They spoke in their separate messages during the Christmas carol and Service of nine lessons organised by the State government held at June 12 Cultural Centre, Abeokuta.
In their views, the country could only experience development when there is peace and harmony among the people.In his goodwill message, Obasanjo urged Nigerians to always see themselves as one regardless of their religion or political affiliation, adding that they must continue to demonstrate the spirit of oneness.
Amosun, in his own remarks, called on Nigerians to continue to pray for the country and the leadership at all levels.
In his Christmas message, the Secretary General of Anglican Communion Worldwide, Archbishop Idowu-Fearon urged leaders in the country to be just and fear God at all times.
Other prominent people at the event include Chief Ernest Shonekan, Pastor Enoch Adeboye and his wife, Mrs. Folu Adeboye Others were, former military governors of the state, Daniel Akintonde, and Raji Rasaki, former military administrator of Bauchi and Sokoto States, Rasheed Raji among others.
more details at http://www.akelicious.com/2016/12/obasanjo-amosun-preach-unity-religious.html#more

Ambassador Aminu Wali, Nigeria’s Immediate past Foreign Affairs Minister, was a senior cabinet member in the Jonathan’s administration. In what could be described as his first major conversation with the media since they lost power, Alhaji Wali who was Nigeria’s Ambassador to the United Nations for four and half years and a former Ambassador to China for the same period, reflects on why the PDP lost in the 2015 polls.

He also spoke on how the politics of ethnicity and religion undermined the 2015 polls, the near global conspiracy against their administration’s efforts to procure arms to execute the war on Boko Haram, the N950 million charge against his person by the EFCC and Nigeria’s present economic mess, among other issues. He spoke to Desmond Mgboh in his Kano home.

Excerpts:

How has it been for you and your supporters in the Northwest since your party, the PDP, lost out, in 2015?

It is a known fact that the PDP suffered serious defeat in the last general elections in this country, particularly in my zone and we know exactly the causes of that defeat. We had seen it coming over a period of time and of course, from the way it happened, it surpassed our estimation. It was really devastating. But that is politics. Not only in Kano but nationally, there has been a change of baton. And this is to be expected. For me as somebody who has been in this business for close to 40 years, it is a normal thing. In a properly organized democratic setup, where there is a free and fair election, the party in power does not last for 16 years. The electorate would always want to look the other side to find out whether they would get a better deal from the opposition. And this is what is happening in Europe, in America, all over the world. Therefore, that it happened to us in Nigeria is nothing different. It is our match through democracy, it is our match to establish democratic rules in our nation and I believe that we should be gallant losers and then form a robust opposition, a responsible opposition to now highlight areas of the failure of the administration so that they can correct- because after all, we all belong to Nigeria and whether you are in power or out of power, what is important is to see that Nigerians get a better deal from whoever happens to be in power. You need to pinpoint those areas that the administration is going wrong so that they can correct them, for Nigerians to get a better deal. Not because you are out of power, you want the party and the government in power to fall. No! That is bad politics So for me, it is a lesson that all politicians, perhaps those within the PDP and the other parties must learn; we must learn to accept defeat and then now get up and move forward and try to regain the lost grounds.

Why do you think the PDP failed in the 2015 elections? What were the dynamics that led to the fall of your party?

Well, it has been there for a long time. Like I said earlier in my comment, in any free democracy, you don’t expect a party to continue ruling for ever or for two, three, four, five terms! The party has been in power for 16 years and along the line, there were lots of mistakes that were made and the opposition took advantage of some of the lapses that we had and linked up with the voters – they were able to convince the voters that the PDP has failed. But the major issues, as far as this part of the country was concerned was the belief by the electorate that we failed to contain the security situation in the North-east. That, we as a party, and as a government, did nothing to contain the situation, because that was the propaganda that was going on in the media through the opposition. Rather than being responsible opposition, advice us on what we should do more to contain the situation. Like what is happening today, I will be very disposed to offer my advice on how best to contain the situation.

We accept that they have tried (in respect of the fight against Boko Haram) since they came to power but that is not to say that the previous administration had not done anything to contain the Boko Haram menace. They used it to blackmail the PDP. And this is one of the main issues that the electorate bought and they went against the PDP. And of course as we go, a lot of things are being unraveled and I think that by the time all the trials in the courts are concluded, a lot of the truth would come out.

As a Foreign Minister of Nigeria, constitutionally, I happened to be a member of the National Security Council, so I knew what we had done and I know what actions the government too, both internally and externally to see how we can contain Boko Haram. I was a member of the National Security Council and I led a lot of delegations and teams of this country and other countries, the Joint Security team of the countries in the region and these security outfits were still in place even after we had left office. So to say that we have not done anything to contain the Bok Haram insurgency was a fallacy. We had done the best we could under those circumstances.
more details at http://www.akelicious.com/2016/12/aminu-walibuharis-anti-graft-crusade.html#more

The State Police Command has banned in its entirety, the use of fireworks and knockouts across the state.The State Police Commissioner, Mr. Sam Okaula, who announced this in his office in Awka, said defaulters will face the full weight of the law.
Mr. Okaula also hinted that Divisional Police Officers and Area Commands have been detailed to ensure the full enforcement of the ban as nobody is allowed to engage in the use of fireworks and knockouts.
He noted that with their adequate patrol vehicles, Officers and men of the command have been properly briefed on how to arrest, handle and prosecute offenders, calling on parents and guardians to warn their wards to desist from engaging in crimes and criminalities.
CP Okaula who described Anambra State as one of the safest states in the country, assured that his men have been given a matching order to also maintain free flow of traffic while keeping criminals at bay.
While wishing Ndi Anambra a crime free Christmas and New Year Celebrations, Mr. Okaula assured of well-designed modalities and structures to ensure that everybody moves freely without molestation.
more details at http://www.akelicious.com/2016/12/breakingnewsfireworks-banned-in-anambra.html#more

A former staff of Fidelity Bank Plc, Ihionu Chibuike, on Thursday bagged six years imprisonment for fraud.
Justice Lateef Akapo of an Ikeja High Court sentenced him to jail after pleading guilty to the four-count charge of stealing, obtaining money by false pretence, forgery and impersonation.
The charge was brought against him by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC.
The convict had in 2013 opened a savings account number 6052039264 in the name of a certain Chimezie Ifekwe with relevant document as instructed by the bank.
The victim, Mr. Ifekwe, reportedly transferred money into the Fidelity account purportedly opened for him.
According to Nigerian Tribune newspaper, a part of the charge reads: “Ihionu Chibuike sometime in February, 2013 within the Ikeja judicial division, stole and fraudulently converted to your own personal use the sum of N4.8 million, property of Mrs. Chibuzo Nwakwu.
“Ihionu Chibuike sometimes in the month of February, 2013 at Ikeja, within the Ikeja Judicial Division stole and fraudulently converted to own personal use the sum ofN200.000.00 (Two Hundred Thousand Naira) property of Chimezie Ifekwe.
“Ihionu Chibuike, sometime in February, 2013 within the Ikeja Judicial Division and in order to facilitate the commission of the offence of stealing forged the account opening documents of Fidelity Bank Plc purporting same to be that of Chimezie Ifekwe, the account holder.
“Ihionu Chibuike, sometime in February, 2013 within the Ikeja judicial division and in order to facilitate the commission of the offence of stealing forged instruction letter of Fidelity Bank Plc and gave same to Chimezie Ifekwe purporting same to have emanated from Fidelity Bank Plc.”
more details at http://www.akelicious.com/2016/12/breakingnewsex-fidelity-bank-staff.html?m=1

The Presidency on Friday denied media reports that President Muhammadu Buhari snubbed the recent South-East Economic and Security Summit in Enugu,

A statement issued by the President’s Senior Special Assistant on Media and Publicity, Garba Shehu, said Buhari was presented with a request to attend the Economic and Security Summit by the Minister of Science and Technology, Dr. Ogbonnaya Onu.

After he accepted, some other stakeholders from the South East advised him not to go because of the closeness of the date to Christmas.

The statement said: “The President happily accepted. The visit to Enugu that was scheduled for Thursday, December 22 as can be found on the weekly programme. After this was done, some other stakeholders from the South East came and advised him not to go in view of the closeness of the date to Christmas; that given the sensitivity of the period to the people, a presidential visit may come with overexertion and possibly, be disruptive of Christmas.

“In view of this, President Buhari requested that the event be pushed forward to January 2017. Given his nature, he did not insist. He said if the change of date is not possible, then the event can go on without him.
more at http://www.akelicious.com/2016/12/presidencybuhari-didnt-snub-south-east.html?m=1

President Muhammadu Buhari monday described the Senate President, Dr. Bukola Saraki, as one of the most influential politicians in the country.
In his goodwill message to Saraki on the occasion of his 54th birthday, Buhari congratulated the senate president, describing him as a man who has made tremendous impact on the country.In a statement signed his Senior Special Assistant on Media and Publicity, Mr. Garba Shehu, the president noted that Saraki has successfully kept the memory of his late father alive by identifying with the grassroots in his home state.
While wishing the senate president many more prosperous years ahead, the president called for closer cooperation between the executive and the legislature to ensure the smooth implementation of government policies and programmes.
He said despite the principle of separation of powers, both arms of government should be united in the promotion of the common good of the people.
The president noted that whatever differences that might occasionally arise between the two branches of government should not be allowed to compromise their common goals of promoting the greater progress and development of Nigeria.
Meanwhile, Saraki yesterday awarded scholarship to 73 First Class graduates from Kwara State to mark his birthday.
The senate president had hosted the graduates and their parents to a dinner last Sunday night.
The programme which was held at his residence in Ilorin, lasted till 12a.m. monday.
Speaking at the ceremony, Saraki said it was high time Nigerian began to focus less on oil and pay more attention to developing human resources.
The senate president observed that the disciplines in which the graduates bagged their first class honours were “very difficult disciplines.”
The feat, he noted, suggested that Nigeria is blessed with promising future leaders.
“We spend a lot of time talking about oil but we spend less talking about the most important resources. What we have before us worth more than many barrels of oil; they worth more than tantalite,” the senate president said.
He praised the parents of the beneficiaries for ensuring that their children have good education.
Saraki challenged other parents to take the education of their children and wards seriously for the betterment of the country.
“There are a lot we can do in this state if we focus on our human resources. We don’t have oil in Kwara State but our human resources is more than oil,” he said.
In his address, the Project Manager, Saraki Employment and Empowerment Centre (SEEC), Yinka Adeyeye, said the initiative which was first of its kind in the state, was the Senate president’s vision of nurturing future leaders.
He listed the disciplines where the beneficiaries distinguished themselves to include 11 first class graduates in mathematics, six in Economics; five in Biochemistry; four in Civil Engineering; three in Computer Science, Statistics, Microbiology among others.
more details at http://www.akelicious.com/2016/12/buhari-congratulates-saraki-at-54.html#more

Foremost entrepreneur and President of Dangote Group, Aliko Dangote, was at the weekend named along other world leaders including Russian President, Vladimir Putin, American President-elect, Donald Trump and German Chancellor, Angela Merkel, as the most powerful persons in the world.
These personalities were ranked along with 70 others, with Dangote ranked as the second most powerful on the African continent.
The Nigerian business mogul has constantly featured in the list since 2013, when he was listed as the only black African so rated by the U.S.-based Forbes magazine on the list of 100 most powerful persons in the world.
Listed as the 71st most powerful last year ahead of the American President-elect, Dangote, Africa’s richest man, moved up the ladder of influential people to come in as the 68th most powerful in the world at the weekend, after only Egyptian President, Abdel el-Sisi, who was adjudged the most powerful in Africa and ranked 44th in the world.
Forbes in the latest edition of its 74 World Most Powerful People ranking list, indicated that the 64-year-old Putin was the most powerful in the world, ahead of Trump who was second on the list.
Ms. Merkel was ranked the third most powerful person in the world while outgoing U.S. President, Barack Obama placed 48th on the list.
The Catholic pontiff, Pope Francis was in fifth place; the world’s richest man, Bill Gates, come in seventh; Chinese President Xi Jinping came before the Pope in number four while the Facebook founder, Mark Zuckerberg, was the 10th most powerful person in the world.
Forbes reported that there are nearly 7.4 billion people on planet earth but the listed men and women as the most powerful make the world turn.
The magazine is well known for its lists and rankings, including its list of the richest Americans (the Forbes 400) and rankings of the world’s top companies (the Forbes Global 2000).
Another well-known list by the magazine is the The World’s Billionaires list.
In 2013, Dangote was the only African listed among the most powerful people in the world before the Egyptian president recently featured on the list.
Dangote recently won the 2016 African Business Leader Award organised by the Africa-America Institute (AAI) in New York in September.
The Dangote Foundation, the most endowed foundation in Africa established by him, also won the 2016 African Philanthropy of the Year Award at the All Africa Business Leaders Award (AABLA) in Johannesburg.
Last month, Dangote was also named among the 50 world’s most influential personalities by Bloomberg, the renowned U.S.-based news media wire service with a bias for business and financial news reporting.
The group of personalities chosen by the Bloomberg Market consisted of CEOs, world leaders, as well as religious leaders.
As expected, Barack Obama, Angela Merkel and Pope Francis made the list with Dangote at number 41 on the list.
According to Bloomberg, those on the list “build companies and assemble fortunes. They run banks, or hope to disrupt them. They shape economies and spread ideas. They manage money and wield the clout that goes with the billions of dollars they invest”.
The Bloomberg media said of Dangote: “Aliko Dangote, Founder, Dangote Group, Africa’s most successful businessman, built his fortune in sugar, textiles, and cement in his native Nigeria, where today, he is a political as well as a financial power broker. He is expanding in other countries and may list his cement company on the London stock market.”
A piece written by Paul Wallace, a reporter with the media outfit, said: “Dangote is feted like royalty. He has businesses ranging from cement to sugar to energy in a dozen sub-Saharan countries. He’s a fixture at elite gatherings such as the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland.
“No African has ridden the continent’s halting march out of poverty toward potential prosperity as spectacularly as its richest person, the Nigerian industrialist Aliko Dangote.”
Similarly, Prof. Iweribor of the Hunter College, University of New York, described Dangote as a transformational industrialist, saying his inclusion on the list of most powerful persons in world was not surprising.
read more details at http://www.akelicious.com/2016/12/forbes-names-dangote-putin-others-most.html#more

Islamic banking services would soon get a new boost as the Gpovernor of the Central Bank Bank of Nigeria (CBN), Godwin Emefiele, emerges Chairman of the International Islamic Liquidity Management Corporation (IILM).
Elected in Jakarta, Indonesia, last week, the new executive will pursue the mandates of developing a robust Islamic liquidity management as a catalyst for cross-border financial linkages.
They would also facilitate effective cross-border liquidity management instruments for institutions that offer Islamic financial series.The are also charged to advance the organisation’s goal of enabling a future global finance industry with greater connectivity, stability and sophistication.
CBN’s Acting Director, Corporate Communications, Isaac Okorafor, affirmed that by the development, Emefiele
is also the Head of the General Assembly of the financial body, which comprised nine countries and Islamic Development Bank headquartered in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.
IILM is an international institution established by central banks, monetary authorities and multilateral organisations to create and issue short-term Shari’ah-compliant financial instruments to facilitate effective cross-border Islamic liquidity management.
By creating more liquid Shari’ah-compliant financial markets for institutions offering Islamic financial services, the IILM aims to enhance cross-border investment flows, international linkages and financial stability.
The body, which was established in 2010, is open to central banks, monetary authorities, financial regulatory authorities or government ministries or agencies that have regulatory oversight of finance or trade and commerce, and multilateral organisations.
read more details at http://www.akelicious.com/2016/12/islamic-banking-services-to-get-boost.html#more

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Former President, Goodluck Jonathan, yesterday clarified that nobody either within or outside Nigeria compelled him to concede defeat in the 2015 general elections.
Jonathan made the statement at the 2nd combined convocation ceremony of Bingham
University, Nasarawa State.
The former president and an ex-military head of state, General Yakubu Gowon 
were honored with the Doctor of Letters (Honaris Causa) by the university.While the former military head of state, Gowon was awarded the degree by the university in “recognition of his commitment and selflessness to Nigeria, Africa and humanity, former President Jonathan was honoured by the Senate of the university in recognition of his self-abasement and prized patriotic humility and love for peace.”
Jonathan maintained that he called Buhari to concede defeat out of his personal principle and conviction that no blood of any Nigerian was worth his political ambition.
He reminded Nigerians that, that singular act he exhibited had already started having effects on global politics as world leaders now willingly concede defeats to their
opponents when they lose elections.
“It is my belief that no one’s political ambition is worth the blood of any Nigerian and I am fulfilled knowing that by conceding while the votes were still being compiled was borne out of my personal principle and conviction. It is generating positive impact
on other nations.”
“Let me make it very, very clear, nobody within or outside the country persuaded me to do that. I know it is the right thing to do. My ambition is not worth the blood of Nigerians. It was not just a political slogan,” he stressed.
On the 2014 National Conference, Jonathan said he convened the conference to help
unite the country together and avoid the creation of tension and crisis in the polity.
“One of the reasons why I convened the 2014 National Conference was to come up with a polity devoid of tension and crisis, a polity that will bring unity to this country. A polity that will not divide us along tribal, ethnic, and religious lines.
more details at http://www.akelicious.com/2016/12/goodluck-jonathannobody-asked-me-to.html#more

Constituency project is perhaps the most talked about issue in the relationship between the executive and legislative arms of government in Nigeria.
On a yearly basis, billions of naira is appropriated to enable legislators in the National Assembly and across the 36 states of the country carry out interventionist projects in their respective constituencies. In the 2016 national budget, N100 billion was voted for the constituency projects of the 360 members of the House of Representatives and 109 senators. But this is one issue that has attracted diverse reactions from the different segments of the society. While legislators see constituency projects as avenues to bring developmental projects to their respective constituencies, critics think otherwise.
Critics particularly see the concept as an avenue of corruption and a tool used regularly by the legislators to blackmail the executive arm of government. Some analysts say that usually when the executive wants anything from the legislature and the latter is not forthcoming, the former dangles the constituency project carrot.
Recently, indications emerged that the executive arm of government is using the release of funds for 2016 constituency projects as a bait to get the National Assembly to approve the $29.9billion foreign loan the government is seeking. The Senate has refused to approve the loan while the House of Representatives is yet to consider it.
Besides, one of the accusations against the legislators regarding constituency projects is that apart from nominating the projects, they equally nominates contractors, who after getting paid, settles the legislator and abandons the project.
Recently, former President Olusegun Obasanjo pointedly accused members of the National Assembly of corruptly enriching themselves through the constituency projects. Obasanjo wants President Muhammadu Buhari to probe funds that has been appropriated for constituency projects in the country in recent times.
Besides, the former president wants the government to stop funding constituency projects, which he describes as a “ veritable source of corruption.”
“We should not continue to live with the impunity and corruption of the National Assembly. Yes, I believe that something can and should be done. The president should ride on the crest of the popularity of what is happening in the judiciary to set up a highly technical team of incorruptible investigators to look into the so-called constituency projects of the past and the present and bring culprits to book…The so-called constituency projects is a veritable source of corruption. These constituency projects are spread over the budget for the National Assembly for which they are the initiators and the contractors, directly or by proxy, and money would be fully drawn, with the project only partially executed or not executed at all…
“Look at how the recurrent budget of the National Assembly, with the so-called constituency projects, has ballooned since the inception of this democratic dispensation. What were their budgets in the 2000, 2005, 2010 and 2015?” the former president had said.
Like Obasanjo, elder statesman and former governor of Kaduna State, Alhaji Baralabe Musa believes that the constituency project is a means for lawmakers to line their pockets. The former governor, who traced the concept of the constituency project in the country to the Second Republic, says that the constituency project is usually a sort of inducement by the executive arm of government to the legislature.
According to the former governor: “This constituency project came from the Second Republic. The idea of constituency project and everything behind it is corrupt, when you budget for an amount that is not going to be used for the issue it is meant for.
“It is an inducement for them to approve the budget. It is corruption. The best thing is to scrap it. To eliminate corruption, let the government scrap it. Projects should not be tied to any legislator.”
However, members of the National Assembly disagree. The chairman, House Committee on Media, Hon. Abdulrasaq Namdas says the entire concept is misunderstood. He says it is unfair for anyone to accuse the legislators of pocketing funds meant for constituency projects.
Namdas, a chieftain of the All Progressives Congress (APC) insists that the role of the legislators in the constituency projects is merely to identify the project. He says once the projects are identified, they are domiciled in the relevant ministry or agency, noting that lawmakers neither nominate contractors nor execute the projects.
full details at http://www.akelicious.com/2016/12/much-ado-about-constituency-projects.html#more

For the all Nigerian cast and crew of the Lufodo Productions’ musical, Heartbeat, it is a new beginning as they are poised to set a new record in stage productions in Nigeria.

While acknowledging the challenges that came with producing the critically acclaimed show, producer Joke Silva explained: “Even though, we want to set a new record, in the global scheme of things, 24 shows aren’t really a big deal. There are shows like The Lion King that have continued to run for decades. We have challenged ourselves with this production and it is my desire that Heartbeat will be staged for another 20 years.”

For lead actor, Femi Jacobs, his character in Heartbeat has given him the biggest emotional connection in his career so far. “While listening to the sheer magnificence that was put into this show, I suddenly started to cry backstage the other day,” he revealed. “This has been an incredibly humbling and uplifting experience for me working with this team.”

The director of the play, Najite Dede, said: “Assembling the incredible team we have now was honestly the hardest part of the job. We are very proud of the team we have put together and the way we tell the story of the cosmopolitanism of Lagos!”

Writer and composer, Tosin Otudeko revealed that the labour of love that was Heartbeat was conceptualised 12 years ago after which she brought music producer, Efosa Lawal in.

She further revealed the meaning behind the show. “Heartbeat is basically a description of the time God gives us here on earth and how we must use it because it’s very limited. Once our heartbeat stops, that’s the end of our life as we know it.”

The show runs throughout the year at Agip Recital Hall. Muson Centre, Onikan, Lagos while the command performance takes place on December 17 and 18 respectively by 7pm.

The play is anchored on Grace House, a prominent place of abode for the homeless. Grace House finds itself in the middle of a battle between warring forces within their local government area while preparing for their 25th anniversary. Caught between personal and political conflicts, the residents (each with their own share of secrets, fears and flaws) must come together to save the only place they can truly call their own

The play explores love, hate, betrayal, family, identity, politics, homelessness and social justice through the characters who converge in and around Grace House in search of refuge and atonement. The play focuses on Lagos which is the heartbeat of Nigeria. It’s about relationships, the heartbeat of love, and it’s about hope, the heartbeat of life.
more at http://www.akelicious.com/2016/12/joke-silvaheartbeat-ll-set-new-record.html

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