₦airaland Forum

The Dangote Group has been accused of conniving with top officials of the Ministry of Mines and Steel Development, including using thugs and agents of the state to disrupt operations at the BUA Cement plant in Okpella despite ongoing suit before a Federal High Court due for hearing on December 5 and 6, 2017.

This was the crux of a letter signed by the Executive Chairman/CEO of BUA Group, Abdulsamad Rabiu, to President Muhammadu Buhari, who sought the President’s intervention and investigation of alleged acts of sabotage against BUA Cement operations by Dangote Group in collusion with top government officials.

Entitled: ‘A Cry for Help: Wanton Abuse of Power by a serving minister geared towards sabotaging operations of BUA Cement’ and dated December 4, 2017, the letter accused the Ministry under the watchful eyes of the minister of trying to pervert the course of justice in a dispute between two of BUA Group and Dangote Group.

BUA stated that some armed militia purportedly loyal to Dangote Group and his cohorts had unleashed mayhem on the over US$1billion cement manufacturing plant with the intent to destroy properties worth millions of dollars before the timely intervention of BUA security personnel and security agencies who ensured that no live was lost in the ‘illegal invasion’.

Read more through this link:

https://newsworth.ng/bua-cries-buhari-help-sabotage-dangote-mines-ministry/

Former vice president, Alhaji Atiku Abubakar has expressed optimism that he would defeat President Muhammadu Buhari at the polls in 2019 because the President has allegedly wasted his missive goodwill. He pointed out that “a lot of people are disgruntled but keeping quiet and lying low”.

Newsworth recalls that at the All Progressives Congress, APC, primaries late 2014 in Lagos, Atiku came third while Buhari and Senator Musa Kwankwaso emerged first and second respectively.

Speaking in an interview with popular columnist, Dele Momodu, the former vice president said he is not afraid of the President, stating earlier that, “I’m sure they would have combed everywhere trying to find anything incriminating against me, but they have not found it, or they are still searching”.

Read more here:

https://newsworth.ng/atiku-buhari-wasted-massive-goodwill-ill-beat-2019/

Former vice president, Alhaji Atiku Abubakar, who recently resigned from the ruling All Progressives Congress, APC, has described himself as a rebel, stressing that he can only agree to be governed, not ruled.


Speaking in Lagos on Thursday night at the 2017 Africa’s Young Entrepreneurs conference titled: “Networking with the Giants,” he urged Nigerians never to allow the word “rule” to be used in Nigeria’s democratic process.

Read more here

https://newsworth.ng/atiku-says-hes-rebel-wont-accept-ruled/

BEVERLY HILLS, October 21, (THEWILL) – President Muhammadu Buhari on Saturday declared that even the opposition Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, can attest to the fact that there is a considerable improvement of security in the North-East where Boko Haram had unleashed a reign of terror.

He stated this at a bilateral meeting with Prime Minister Shahid Khakan Abbasi, on the margins of the ninth D-8 summit in Istanbul, Turkey, while assuring that the Nigeria-Pakistan Joint Commission will be revamped as a veritable platform to strengthen economic and trade relations between both countries.

The President, who expressed satisfaction at the level of defence and military cooperation between both countries, however agreed with the Prime Minister that there was still room to do more.

He regretted that same could not be said on the economic and trade fronts, which he said had fallen far short of what can be achieved by both countries.

”Nigeria-Pakistan cooperation is very historical. Military training has been very consistent and I am impressed by the efficiency of officers trained in Pakistan.

”But the performance of our countries in relation to trade and industrial cooperation had been very disappointing,’’ a statement issued by the Senior Special Assistant to the President on Media and Publicity quotes his principal as saying.

While noting that Nigeria had failed to use past earnings to create a commensurate level of socio-economic development, Buhari assured that his administration had identified the problems, and was ardently working to promote national development through international trade, industrial growth and the improvement of infrastructure.

He then urged Pakistan to take full advantage of the new climate of investment promoted by his administration.

”There are a lot of opportunities, for us to harness, in the manufacturing sector, agriculture, commerce, solar energy and the electricity sector,” the President said.

On the fight against terrorism, he told the Pakistani Prime Minister that Boko Haram terrorist group remains degraded.

”We have moved them out from their strongholds in the North East, we have denied them space and even their attacks on soft targets are becoming less often.

”Even the opposition [party] recognises that there is a considerable improvement of security in the North East,” he said.

In his remarks, Abbasi said both countries had similar prospects and challenges, including large population, key regional players in economy and security; the fight against terrorism, improving governance and the domestic economy.

He said Pakistan will continue to share experiences with Nigeria in the fight against terrorism towards developing effective strategies and results.

In line with this promise, the Pakistani Prime Minister presented a manual on strategy and tactics of dealing with terrorism to the President, which he said, had been put together by his country’s army.

On the Joint Commission, which next meeting falls on Pakistan to convene, the Prime Minister said his country is now ready, adding that he would personally receive the Nigerian delegation any time.

He also requested President Buhari to undertake a state visit to Pakistan at the earliest possible time.

http://thewillnigeria.com/news/boko-haram-remains-degraded-even-pdp-recognises-that-security-has-improved-in-north-east-buhari/

BEVERLY HILLS October 13, (THEWILL) – President of the World Bank Group, Mr. Jim Yong Kim Thursday said President Muhammadu Buhari of Nigeria specifically requested that the group shift focus to the northern region which remains Nigeria’s most impoverished and under developed region due to a couple of factors including the destruction caused by the Boko Haram, a terrorist group.

President Kim spoke in response to a question during a press conference at the ongoing 2017 Annual Meetings of the World Bank Group and the International Monetary Fund in Washington D.C.

He said: “You know, in my very first meeting with President Buhari he said specifically that he would like us to shift our focus to the northern regions of Nigeria and we’ve done that. Now, it has been very difficult. The work there has been very, very difficult.

“I think Nigeria, of course, has suffered from the dropping oil prices. I think things are just now getting better. But the conversation we need to have with Nigeria, I think, is in many ways, related to the theme that I brought to the table just this past week which is, investment in human capital. The percentage of GDP that Nigeria spends on healthcare is less than one percent. Despite that, there is so much turbulence in the northern part of the country, and there is the hit that was taken from the drop in the oil prices.

“Nigeria has to think ahead and investing in its people, investing in the things that will allow Nigeria to be a thriving, rapidly growing economy in the future, is what the country has to focus on right now. It can’t rely just on oil prices going back up. It has to think, what are going to be the sources of growth in the future for Nigeria in what will surely be a more digitalized economy.

“And this is true for most of Africa. If you look at the numbers in terms of how successfully African countries have invested into their human beings versus other regions, there is a real issue. And so, over this next year, not only in Nigeria but in all of Africa. We’re going to focus on accelerating investments in human capital we call it but investments in health, education, social protection, so that Africa can prepare itself for the next phase in economic development.

“One of the real questions that we all have is our traditional notions of economic growth which are agriculture, to light industry to heavy industry. How many countries in Africa will actually experience that, and do we need to really think about another kind of path to economic growth that’s very focused on a small to medium enterprise as an entrepreneurship as they have in other parts of the world.

“I think we still don’t know that. But the one thing we know, the one thing we know, is that better health outcomes, better education outcomes will be critical no matter what the global economy looks like. So, yes focus on the north, hope that as commodity prices stabilize, oil prices come back up and the economy will grow a bit more but very, very much focus on what the drivers of growth in the future will be.”

Read the full text of the press conference through this link: http://thewillnigeria.com/news/buhari-specifically-asked-us-to-shift-focus-to-northern-region-world-bank-president/

BEVERLY HILLS, October 05, (THEWILL) – Kogi State youth have decried the negative impacts of uncontrolled environmental pollution going on in Awowu and Onupi communities in Ankpa LGA and those of Obajana community in Lokoja LGA where the Dangote Group is involved in coal mining activities, as well as the extraction and production of cement.

Coming under the auspices of Kogi State chapter of the National Youth Council of Nigeria, NYCN, the youth requested Dangote Group to take the issue of environmental protection and corporate social responsibility for its host communities in the state as paramount.

The NYCN state chairman, Oladele Nihi stated this on Thursday when he led members of his executive on an advocacy visit to the management of the Dangote Cement Plant at Obajana, disclosing that the essence of the visit was to present the complaints of the host communities.

The youth council amongst others demands that the company construct the deplorable roads and provide potable water for members of the host communities.

According to Nihi, “Since we assumed office, we have been inundated with series of concerns about the activities of Dangote Plc in these communities, we have also carried out an independent fact finding on this issues and realized that they are actually genuine concerns by our people.

“One of the biggest problems in these communities is access to clean water. The constant coal mining activities has hugely polluted water from the stream making it unsafe for drinking and washing of clothes.

“The contaminated residue water make their way back to the community’s stream bearing in mind that the greatest risk mining brings to water sources is Acid Mine Drainage.

“Most villagers cannot sleep in their homes because of the loud unbearable noise from the mining equipment and also for safety as they claim their lives are being threatened.

“As a council which represents the interest of the over 1.8 million Kogi State Youths (who are mostly the worst affected), we have taken it upon ourselves to join the league of those calling for the right thing to be done.”

In their contributions, the Vice Chairman (East), Comrade Sunday Alih, who is from Ankpa local government area and the NYCN coordinator, Lokoja Local Government chapter, Abdullahi Adamu lamented that the company has neglected its corporate a social responsibilities despite benefiting “hugely” from host communities.

“We are just amplifying the cry of our people, and we are resolute in following it to the logical conclusion,” Adamu said.

Responding, the General Manager, Human Resources and Administration of the company, George Ofurum stated that the Dangote Group was trying its best in meeting up with their corporate-social responsibilities.

“The peace and security that we enjoy in our host communities today is a clear testimony that all is well. Your coming today will go a long way in adding momentum to our drive.

“I can assure you that all the points raised will be forwarded to the headquarters where they will be adequately addressed,” he pledged.

SAN FRANCISCO, Septempber 27, (THEWILL) – The Imo state governor, Rochas Okorocha has lamented that he has not got a fair deal from President Muhammadu Buhari’s government despite his sacrifices and contributions to Buhari’s victory by way of preventing the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, from rigging their way to power in 2015.

This was as he revealed that former President Goodluck Jonathan offered him huge sums of money, a second term ticket and an influential ministry in a bid to lure him from the All Progressives Congress, APC, before the 2015 general elections.

The governor, who did not state the actual amount Jonathan offered him, said he turned down the offer and opted to remain with the APC, expressing hope that Buhari will some day reward his efforts for the APC in the 2015 general elections.

Speaking when the people of Njaba Local Government Area of the state paid him a solidarity visit on his 55th birthday celebration, Okorocha said he was convinced at the time that the APC would resoundingly defeat the PDP because Nigerians were tired of the bad governance PDP represented.

Comparing his contributions to the APC in the last general elections with that of then Rivers governor, Rotimi Amaechi, he said, “Look at Rivers State where they rigged Rotimi Amaechi out by allocating over 1.2 million votes to the PDP, yet he got lots of juicy positions like the Ministry of Transport, NIMASA and all that.

“But, in all these, have you seen me complain? No, because I know that one day, my time will come and President Buhari will remember me,” he said.

The governor appealed to the people of Njaba, who had felt marginalized in the areas of projects and appointments to emulate him by being patient, and assured them that they would feature prominently in his next appointments.

According to him, “It may look like it would never come, but if you remain consistent; it would surely come through for you.”

http://thewillnigeria.com/news/buhari-hasnt-been-fair-to-me-despite-declining-jonathans-juicy-offer-to-join-pdp-okorocha/

SAN FRANCISCO, September 24, (THEWILL) – Second republic lawmaker, Dr. Junaid Mohammed, has stated that the wealth of former Vice President, Atiku Abubakar, will never make him President, describing Atiku as a bloody nonentity, scheming to position himself as the leader of the North.

Atiku had stated that northerners who are opposed to the current clamour for the restructuring of the Nigerian federation are lazy, vowing to continue speaking against the current faulty ‘unitary federalism’ structure even at the detriment of his political ambition.

The ex-Vice President, who spoke while delivering a keynote address at a youth forum in Abuja organised by a conglomeration of civil society groups, said, “I don’t know what those who are against restructuring are afraid of. Those afraid must be lazy”.

The Sun reports Mohammed as accusing Atiku of engaging in “hyper media” activities for commercial and business interests as well as to be in power to make more money, adding that he is really not interested in the restructuring of Nigeria.

He warned that the North in particular and Nigeria in general, was not for sale, adding that Atiku cannot be Nigeria’s president by insulting the North, insisting that the ex-VP was part of the reasons the region was being vilified by southerners.

The former lawmaker explained that he came to this conclusion because an average southerner believed that northerners have made so much money through their positions in government and politics in the country.

“Atiku is a scoundrel and a bloody nonentity. He attained political limelight because the late Musa Yar’Adua put him there; today he wants to position himself as the leader of the north. But the north doesn’t give people of no consequence such position. His interest is not really about restructuring.

“He thinks by insulting the north, the same way we are being insulted by the south, that will give him presidency With this kind of attitude, he can’t be the president of Nigeria. He will hear from the north at the appropriate time. He is one of those making the south to abuse the north. He is angry because his monopoly in the oil servicing sector has been broken.

“His wealth will never buy him Nigeria’s presidency. The north is not for sale, Nigeria is not for sale. I pray God sees us beyond 2019, let him challenge me, if he ever becomes Nigeria’s president,” Mohammed said.

http://thewillnigeria.com/news/atiku-is-a-bloody-nonentity-his-wealth-wont-buy-him-presidency-junaid/

BEVERLY HILLS, September 21, (THEWILL) – The Human Rights Writers Association of Nigeria, HURIWA, on Thursday slammed the Presidency for identifying the Indigenous peoples of Biafra, IPOB, as a terrorist organisation while describing killer herdsmen as mere criminals.

“Government’s naked partiality on matters of national security because of Religious or geopolitical considerations will harm the unity of the Country for a long time to come,” it said.

The Senior Special Assistant to President Muhammadu Buhari on Media and Publicity, Garba Shehu had explained that the government did not declare herdsmen, who kill people, as terrorists because they are “only criminal gangs”.

Speaking with Channels TV on Thursday, he said, “There is a difference between a criminal activity and a terrorist activity. Yes, some Fulani herdsmen are a criminal gang and they are being dealt with according to the law.

“But IPOB like Boko Haram has a territory they have carved out to themselves …as a sovereign state of its own. They have shown the willingness to invade other neighbouring states…”

Reacting in a statement by its national coordinator, Emmanuel Onwubiko, HURIWA warned that government’s double standards on matters of national security is a threat to national security and unity, adding that “this show of shame by officials of the current government is stoking up ethnic tensions and creating mutual discord”.

It said the current administration’s approach of “sending armed soldiers to confront unarmed members of IPOB and followed it up with a nocturnal injunction from the Federal High Court proscribing the pro-self determination group whilst doing nothing about incessant armed Fulani attacks is a direct violation of the Constitutional oath of office sworn to by the President to carry out his official functions without pandering to Ethnic and Religious interests”.

HURIWA lambasted the presidential spokesman for “raising undue and false alarm over the pro-Biafra group whilst forgetting that unlike IPOB which the Federal government hurriedly branded terrorist organisation which has no control of even a square meter of any Nigerian land, the armed Fulani terrorists have taken over lands belonging to different farming communities in Benue and Kaduna States and wondered why this Federal government under Buhari is elevating propaganda to statecraft”.

The rights group charged government officials “to be law abiding by not commenting on matters that are subjudicial given that the Court’s proscription of IPOB is open to appeal in line with the extant counter terror Act of the Federal Republic of Nigeria.

“Officials of government must stop abusing their privileged positions by running wide their mouths spewing unsubstantiated and incoherent allegations against a party in a matter between IPOB and the same government,” the statement concluded.

http://thewillnigeria.com/news/hypocrisy-of-buharis-presidency-stinks-huriwa/

SAN FRANCISCO, September 20, (THEWILL) – Former Vice President, Alhaji Atiku Abubakar has charged President Muhammadu Buhari to show the world a good example of his speech at the United Nations General Assembly, UNGA, through the way he treats minority groups in the country.

In a statement issued in Abuja on Wednesday by his media office, Atiku congratulated Buhari on a successful outing at the 72nd Session of the UNGA in New York on Tuesday.

While commending Buhari for drawing UN’s attention to the sufferings of Myanmar’s Rohingya people, presumed to be the world’s most persecuted minorities, he maintained that “minority groups all over the world deserve the cooperation of majority groups”.

The ex-Vice President however aligned himself with Buhari’s message of gratitude to the international community for their efforts in the Lake Chad region which, he noted, has helped bring succor to Nigerians affected by the scourge of terrorism.

“It is my sincere desire that arising from President Buhari’s speech, the UN will increase its support to Nigeria and her neighbors in the Lake Chad Region as we redouble our efforts to rid the region of the scourge of terrorism and restore peace and prosperity to a once thriving zone,” Atiku said.

http://thewillnigeria.com/news/show-world-leaders-good-example-by-treating-nigerias-minorities-better-atiku-charges-buhari/

SAN FRANCISCO, September 12, (THEWILL) – It is no longer news that the Minister of State for Petroleum Resources, Emmanuel Ibe Kachikwu, was about a year ago ousted from his lucrative position as Group Managing Director, GMD, of the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation, NNPC, over shady and corrupt dealings.

This never published investigation conducted by the Acting Chairman of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, Mr. Ibrahim Magu, which was exclusively obtained by THEWILL, detailed the extensive bribery and money-laundering machine of Kachikwu who remains in the government of President Muhammadu Buhari courtesy of his influential benefactor, General T.Y. Danjuma (retd.).

Read full report through this link

https://thewillnigeria.com/news/exclusive-read-the-efcc-investigative-report-that-sent-ibe-kachikwu-packing-from-nnpc-full-detail/

BEVERLY HILLS, September 08, (THEWILL) – Senior Special Assistant to President Muhammadu Buhari on Media and Publicity, Garba Shehu, has in an apparent counter of his former boss, Atiku Abubakar, declared that Buhari “was single-handedly responsible for the 2015 victory for the All Progressives Congress (APC)”.

Atiku, a former Vice President, had on Wednesday told the VOA Hausa Service thus, “I’m still a member of the APC; I was part of all the processes, including campaigns until success was achieved… They used our money and influence to get to where they’re but three years down the lane, this is where we are.”

However in an article published on Friday, Shehu, who before joining the Buhari Presidency was Atiku’s media aide, wrote: “When Bayo Omoboriowo, the restless personal photographer of President Muhammadu Buhari barged in on the president requesting to have his picture taken as he watched the match between the Super Eagles of Nigeria and the Indomitable Lions of Cameroun, it certainly didn’t occur to him that he was opening a window to the world on the facts of life of a man who was single-handedly responsible for the 2015 victory for the All Progressives Congress (APC).”

The article entitled: ‘A President’s 32″ Screen’ read further, “Buhari has been known to be a disciplined retired military general who lived a simple and austere life devoid of ostentation. He is not known to have the common vices associated with politics and politicians. He neither smokes nor drinks alcohol.

“He didn’t belong to any rich or royal families. He is known to have grown up with an enthusiastic desire to serve and his choice to serve in the army was not, therefore by accident. Even at 74, Buhari is known to enjoy better health than people much younger until of course, the recent bout of illness from which he has recovered.”

THEWILL recalls a video which trended online earlier in the week had depicted the Minister of Women Affairs, Aisha Jummai Alhassan leading a delegation to visit Atiku, during which she told their host that they came to felicitate with him over the health God has given the former Vice President.

http://thewillnigeria.com/news/garba-shehu-counters-atiku-says-buhari-single-handedly-responsible-for-apcs-victory/

BEVERLY HILLS, September 07, (THEWILL) – The National Chairman of the ruling All Progressives Congress, APC, Chief John Odigie-Oyegun, on Thursday declared that the decision as to whether to seek a second term in office or not is for President Muhammadu Buhari to decide, adding that the President will make his intention known at the appropriate time.

The Minister of Women Affairs, Aisha Alhassan recently disclosed that Buhari had before the 2015 election, told the leadership of the APC that he was only going to run for a single term to clean up the mess of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP.

“In 2014/2015 he said he was going to run for only one time to clean up the mess that the (previous) PDP government did in Nigeria. And I took him for his word that he is not contesting in 2019,” the ex-APC official said, adding that she would resign as minister once Buhari declares for second term.

But addressing newsmen in Benin, the Edo state capital, Oyegun said, “The decision, whether our President will run for a second term, is a decision only President Buhari can make, and he will make it at the proper time. At the proper time, he will decide, and at the proper time, the APC will decide and the public will know.”

“For now, he (Buhari) still has nearly two years of painful, strenuous reconstruction of the Nigerian economy and all the other promises he made both in anti-corruption and on security is still serious work in progress.”

The APC national chairman further pointed out that one of the greatest achievements of the Buhari-led administration was bringing Nigeria out of recession as recently declared by the National Bureau of Statistics, NBS, assuring that more progress would be recorded before the 2019 presidential election.

On the threat by the opposition PDP to reclaim power from the APC in 2019, he said, “They are allowed to continue on their dreams, they are just coming out from intensive care unit. So they need a lot of nurturing, so this is good for their ego.”

http://thewillnigeria.com/news/apc-chair-oyegun-speaks-on-when-buhari-will-announce-2019-decision/

BEVERLY HILLS, September 5, (THEWILL) – The Online Publishers Association of Nigeria (OPAN), Nigeria’s premier association of digital and internet publishers, has announced the election of a new executive.

The new executive will run the affairs of the group for the next two years following the lapse of the tenure of the past executive led by Mr. Femi Awoyemi.

A statement by OPAN on Tuesday said members of the association at its meeting on Monday unanimously elected Prince Austyn Ogannah, the publisher of THEWILL news as its next President, while Mr. Emmanuel Asiwe of Huhuonline was elected Vice President.

Mr. Daniel Elombah, the publisher of Elombah.com will serve as General Secretary, while Mr. Peter Obiora, the publisher of InvestAdvocate was elected General Liaison Officer.

In his handing over remarks, Awoyemi said it was an honour to serve as the pioneer president of the association and thanked all for their support during his tenure.

Awoyemi said: “It was a privilege to serve as pioneer president of this association and I want to thank members of the executive that worked with me to ensure that we met our mandate.”

Ogannah, who until his election had served as Vice President, in his speech thanked members of OPAN for the mandate given him to lead the group and assured members and the new exco of effective leadership.

“Today, I receive the baton of OPAN presidency with humility and dedication to duty.

“OPAN under my leadership will meet all the targets we have set forth through God’s grace and mercy.

“The new executive committee will work even harder as a team as we continue to push for a self-regulated, transparent, fair, credible, reliable and well-structured Nigerian internet news and media publishing space.”

ABOUT OPAN

OPAN, Nigeria’s premier association of digital and internet publishers, is modelled after best international standards and affiliations; Formed to meet the needs of the Nigerian media market, it aims to deliver a web-based ‘self-regulatory’ service that is founded on global best practice.

The mission of OPAN is to advance the policies of high-quality online publishers before the Advertising Community, Corporate Organisations, the Press, Governments and the public.

OPAN will help provide high level of standard reporting online and will help its members fairly compete in the marketplace for advertising services, online crisis/issues management for both corporate & individuals and will act as a voice for online users to clearly understand the contributions of quality publishing to public discourse.

http://thewillnigeria.com/news/online-publishers-opan-elects-new-executive-thewill-publisher-ogannah-emerges-president/

BEVERLY HILLS, September 5, (THEWILL) – Convener and National Leader of the Pan Niger Delta Forum, PANDEF, Chief Edwin Clark, has stated that Governor Nasir El-Rufai of Kaduna State is very rude for alleging that persons calling for the restructuring of the country are opportunists.

The former Federal Commissioner for Information stated this in an interview with Vanguard while berating the All Progressives Congress, APC, for setting up a committee headed by El-Rufai with a mandate to authenticate the meaning of restructuring.

He stressed that it was insulting to the sensitivities of Nigerians for the ruling party to pretend not to know the meaning of restructuring, “when they deliberately put it in their manifesto before the last election”.

Clark stated that it was unflatering for the APC to go to the extent of setting up a committee under El-Rufai when he, “does not believe in restructuring, who insulted eminent Nigerians, branding them opportunists for speaking their minds on restructuring”.

According to the Ijaw Leader, “Former Head of State, General Yakubu Gowon, spoke his mind on restructuring. What does he want in Nigeria? Can somebody say Gowon is an opportunist, somebody who ruled this country for nine years and is living a very simple life? What does he want? He is now in his 80s.

“The same thing about former Head of State, General Ibrahim Babangida. What does he want from anybody? He spoke his mind, he said this country needs restructuring, devolution of power. He spelt them out, he did not just say restructuring, he knew what he was saying and even if he never believed in it before, now that he believes in it, he has come out with it.

“Same with the former Vice President, Alhaji Atiku Abubakar. He has been a champion of restructuring, has been saying it, holding lectures on it and never faltered. Everything Atiku is talking about restructuring is what we recommended at the 2014 National Conference.

“All Atiku is saying is that we want to reorganize the structure of this country because of the future, the economy of this country and to move Nigeria forward.

“So why should a young man as El Rufai say that those talking about restructuring are opportunists? He is very rude; Gen Gowon could be his father. For anybody in this country to say that he does not understand what restructuring means is an insult to Nigeria and those who believe in it.

‘’I can understand why El Rufai is insulting people because he has his grouse with the former Vice President of Nigeria, Alhaji Abubakar.

“But the young man should learn a lesson, that you are governor of a state is not all in all.”

http://thewillnigeria.com/news/el-rufai-very-rude-insulting-eminent-nigerians-because-of-his-quarrel-with-atiku-clark/

SAN FRANCISCO, September , (THEWILL) – Founder of the Movement for the Actualisation of the Sovereign State of Biafra, MASSOB, Ralph Uwazuruike, has stated that one United States dollar would not have exchanged for more than N50 if former president Goodluck Jonathan was allowed to remain in power beyond 2015.

Speaking in the current edition of The Interview, he stated that the immediate past president was “rigged out of office” by the former chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, Prof. Attahiru Jega.

Uwazuruike however predicted that Nigerians will in the future plead with the former president to return to power, stating that the ruling All Progressives Congress, APC, won an election “but didn’t plan” for governance.

“If Jonathan had remained the president of Nigeria till today, the US dollar would not have exchanged for more than N50. Nigeria will still beg Jonathan to come back,” he said.

The leader of the Biafra Independent Movement, BIM, went on to claim that the leader of the Indigenous People of Biafra, IPOB, Nnamdi Kanu is being used by Nigeria’s security agencies to destroy the agitation for Biafra.

He disclosed that Kanu is going about ruining the agitation for Biafra by asking his followers to boycott the November 18 governorship election in Anambra state.

According to him, “Nnamdi is fighting against Biafra. The security agencies have seen Nnamdi as somebody with a high value that they can use.

“They heard him shouting on radio and they approached him and he accepted to work with them.

“No election in Anambra State is aimed at favouring the All Progressives Congress (APC) to edge out Governor Obiano through destabilisation; that’s the only thing and it’s being arranged by the security agencies, using Kanu.

“I know the mansions that Nnamdi Kanu and people like him have abroad…let Kanu keep disgracing himself like he’s doing now, because I know he’s being funded and I know those funding him.”

While describing the arrest and bail conditions granted Kanu as “a set up,” Uwazuruike wondered why the IPOB leader “has not visited any hospital since his release from detention” despite being granted bail on health grounds.

http://thewillnigeria.com/news/if-jonathan-wasnt-voted-out-us-dollar-wont-have-exchanged-above-n50-uwazuruike/

SAN FRANCISCO, August 31, (THEWILL) – The Director of Defence Information, DDI, Maj.-Gen. John Enenche, has likened the leader of the Boko Haram sect, Abu Shekau to the movie characters, Bruce Lee, James Bond, explaining that the wanted terrorist is merely a “synonym”.

Stressing that there would be many more Shekaus in the future, he disclosed in an interview with Channels Television on Wednesday, that the concern of the military is to take out any Shekau that emerges at any point in time.

“If you are talking about a Shekau which we have always referred to because there have been so many Shekaus, and I believe that there will be more Shekaus. Shekau is a synonym as far as I am concerned, and Shekau has become a big name like we use to have Bruce Lee, James Bond in those days.

“So to talk about a definite intelligence or location of a Shekau, I don’t think is necessary. But what we are bound to do and committed to do is that anywhere there is any Shekau, we will always knock him off.

“You will agree with me that within this period that was given, well, you may not have got that information, but there was something about somebody somewhere around a location in Sambisa somewhere and the Air Force went and neutralised the whole place. And after the battle impact assessment, the whole place was finished.

“So, if there was a Shekau according to that information we got that went into hiding in that place, then that one must have been neutralised. And I won’t be surprised to hear that another Shekau is somewhere.

“I don’t expect you to put words into my mouth that I will tell you categorically a Shekau or the Shekau that you know very well has been neutralised. All I have told you is that there have been several Shekaus, there have been several instances, over five times and we will continue to knock out any Shekau that comes on stream. That is what I still stand on that.”

Enenche went on to deny the claim that the military is monitoring hate campaigners with the aim of arresting them, clarifying that it does not have the powers to arrest Nigerians for such infraction.

He explained that the military would only monitor the social media to sheave out information that could be useful for the planning of its operations.

On speculations that the military was planning to arrest hate campaigners, the DDI said, “There was nothing like that. We do not have power to arrest people for hate speeches. It is just false assertion, against the military, and against my humble self that I said that we will be arresting people or checkmating people.

“The military is not going to be monitoring hate speeches. Did I tell you hate speech in your recordings? We have a strategic media centre, our strategic media centre monitors the media, simple. And it is like that all over the world. And we take that because it helps us to transform the nature of the intelligence to enable us to prepare for whatever call up we get to ensure security in this country.

“Let me tell you and tell the public without fear of anybody; we are trained to do threat analysis of anything that would threaten the security of this country. So, it is part of our threat analysis. Any person can interpret it to mean that it is a follow up to the speech of the Vice-President (Yemi Osinbajo), the then Acting President and then the minister of interior; then that person can be right. Where do we take instruction from, where do we get information from? But on the whole, it is part of what is called threat analysis.”

http://thewillnigeria.com/news/boko-harams-shekau-is-like-james-bond-dhq/

SAN FRANCISCO, August 29, (THEWILL) – Baring any last minute changes, the much anticipated mid-term reshuffle of the Federal Executive Council (FEC) will be done today by President Muhammadu Buhari as cabinet members converge at the Presidential Villa Abuja for Wednesday’s FEC meeting.

Presidential sources told THEWILL on Tuesday night that cabinet reshuffle is one of the pressing issues the President wants to address as the administration enters a very crucial part of its four-year mandate with political activities ahead of the 2019 general elections expected to kick off in January next year.

THEWILL also gathered authoritatively from presidential sources that the president will also name a new Secretary to the Government of the Federation, SGF, with the current Minister of Transport and former governor of Rivers State, Mr. Rotimi Amaechi highly favoured for the role.

One source said: “The choice of Rt. Hon. Amaechi as SGF is very strategic. Amaechi is someone that has capacity and understands how to leverage on power and influence of a powerful political office as the SGF’s. The President needs this skill as the party prepares to defends its hold on power against the PDP. Recall he was the DG of the President’s campaign and has delivered two senate seats to the ruling All Progressives Party(APC) in Rivers State, dealing Governor Wike a deadly political blow in the process.”

Buhari returned to Nigeria from England on August 19 after a 103-day treatment for an undisclosed ailment.

News reports had suggested that then Acting President, Yemi Osinbajo had during a visit to the President in London last month sought permission to reshuffle the cabinet. The reports said the President asked him to delay the move until his return.

http://thewillnigeria.com/news/cabinet-reshuffle-likely-today-as-buhari-may-tap-amaechi-for-sgf-position/

The Central Bank of Nigeria, CBN, has moved to forestall losing out of the benefits of the most potent currency in the world as it on August 10 engaged with Crypto Consulting Ltd and other stakeholders on crypto currency at its office in Abuja where the Director, Governors’ Department delivered an welcome address, with various consulting firms making presentations on the virtual money.

This was disclosed during a two-session workshop on business intelligent consulting in Abuja organised by Crypto Consulting Ltd and overwhelmingly attended by interested investors from Abuja and environs, among who was emeritus Professor Ogunlade from the Ahmadu Bello University, Zaria.

According to the firm’s chief executive, Commander Solomon Esor (retd.), the stakeholders’ meeting with CBN featured comments from players in the virtual currency space which bordered on exchange, wallets providers, miners, transaction service providers, software developers and users.

The retired Navy Commander took participants through how the means of payment evolved from barter system to cowries to precious metals and then to paper money that has now morphed to plastic currency evident in credit cards.

He said the future was in crypto currency, which according to him, is now increasingly being used in global transactions as this understanding led President Donald Trump to appoint a crypto currency expert as America’s budget chief.

Esor maintained that crypto currency has been found to be the field of consultancy that pays most in this era, adding that it is the only venture where 100 per cent return on investment is guaranteed.

“We will go deeper into what we should be knowing as
consultants in crypto currency every Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday at the board room of Ibeto Hotels Abuja by 11am and 4pm. Both sessions will simplify trading in, and use of crypto currency, which has been found by members of the IAC as the most profitable area of Consultancy. More information can be got via the web address: cryptoconsultingltd.com <http://cryptoconsultingltd.com>,” he said.

https://www.dailytrust.com.ng/news/business/stakeholders-dialogue-on-digital-currency/211377.html

BEVERLY HILLS, August 14, (THEWILL) – Former President, Chief Olusegun Obasanjo on Monday took another potshot at members of the National Assembly, describing the constituency projects being embarked upon by them as “corruption”.

He stated this at the opening of a two-day investment forum organised by the Niger State government with the theme: ‘Impact Investing for Advancing Agricultural Economy And Innovation’.

Obasanjo said, “Sultan talked about roads. I hope our lawmakers will use their position and act positively so that when they put in road projects in the budget, they will not turn it into what they now term as constituency projects.

“You and I know what constituency projects mean, it is simply corruption.”

He maintained that the federal and state governments should carry out massive rural and urban road construction to facilitate the movement of agricultural products from the farms to the markets.

THEWILL recalls that the ex-president had while delivering a lecture at the first Akintola Williams Annual Lecture in Lagos late last year stated that the “National Assembly stinks and stinks to high heavens. It needs to be purged”.

He also accused the federal parliament of corruption and of operating a cabal “worse than any cabal that anybody may find anywhere in our national governance system at any time”.

http://thewillnigeria.com/news/obasanjo-hits-national-assembly-again-calls-constituency-projects-corruption/

BEVERLY HILLS, August 05, (THEWILL) – The Minister of State for Petroleum Resources, Dr. Emmanuel Ibe Kachikwu, and his brother, Dumebi Kachikwu are embroiled in a bribery scandal that may further put to test the Buhari administration’s mouthed mantra of zero tolerance for corruption.

THEWILL can authoritatively report that all is not well between the Kachikwu brothers and their erstwhile ally, Mr. Igho Sanomi, the chairman of Taleveras Oil, following the Minister’s inability to deliver oil contracts to the businessman as agreed after allegedly receiving over a billion naira in kickbacks.

The brewing crisis in the scandal is that the Kachikwus are unwilling to return the kickbacks, which Sanomi paid partly in naira and some choice properties in Maitama-Abuja and Banana Island-Lagos.

Sources knowledgeable about the development told THEWILL that Sanomi has been pressuring the Kachikwus to return his monies and houses that were transferred to the Minister upfront through Dumebi to facilitate oil contracts while he served as the Group Managing Director of the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation, NNPC.

Total payments to the Minister, who hitherto doubled as the NNPC boss, from Sanomi are estimated to be close to N2 billion as at when the shady deal was consummated, insiders say.

Read full story through this link

http://thewillnigeria.com/news/ibe-kachikwu-sibling-in-bribery-scandal-as-oil-trader-demands-refund-of-kickbacks/

BEVERLY HILLS, August 03, (THEWILL) – Human rights activist, Chief Mike Ozekhome SAN says the refusal of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, to submit reports of investigated corruption cases to the Attorney-General of the Federation, AGF, as required by the Constitution, has thrown Nigeria into a big governance mess.

Stressing that the attitude of the anti-graft agency is a naked display of impunity, akin to the greatest form of corruption, the Constitutional lawyer asserted that by shrouding its activities in secrecy, the EFCC acts like Witches and Wizards.

He declared that by refusing to submit investigation reports to the nation’s Attorney-General, “the EFCC is not only breaching section 10 of the EFCC Regulations, 2010, but is actually subverting the Nigerian Constitution in a most flagrant manner”.

Read more through this link: http://thewillnigeria.com/news/how-efcc-acts-like-witches-and-wizards-ozekhome/

Home News
Customs Impounds Three Containers Of 600 Live Snakes, Hairy Frogs, Others In Calabar
By Ugochukwu Ugwuanyi - July 27, 2017




BEVERLY HILLS, July 26, (THEWILL) – Three consignments filled with 140 species of snakes, as well as 600 other animals, comprising geckos, millipedes, hairy frogs and spiders,
imported into Nigeria, with a market value of N6.9 million, have been intercepted in Calabar, the Cross River capital.

This was disclosed on Wednesday by Nigeria Customs’ Area Comptroller in charge of Calabar Free Trade Zone, Cross River and Akwa Ibom Command, Mrs. Nanbyen Burromvyat, who said the items were imported from Cameroon but intercepted by Customs officers on July 24, 2017, upon arrival at the NIWA jetty.

Burromvyat said the consignments, which were Lagos-bound, were prohibited items, under Schedule 3 of the Revised Import Prohibition List (Trade) in the Common External Tariff.

A list of the items contained in the packaging list had snakes such as Atheris squamigera, Bitis gobanica, Dasypeltis ssp, Boiga pulverinata, among others, while the geckos were Hemidactylus frenatus and Hemidactylus fasciatus.

Read more here:

http://thewillnigeria.com/news/customs-impounds-three-containers-of-600-live-snakes-hairy-frogs-others-in-calabar/

SAN FRANCISCO, July 24, (THEWILL) – Fifteen registered political parties in the country have constituted themselves into a coalition known as Coalition for a New Nigeria, CNN, with the aim of fielding a consensus candidate that would sack the ruling All Progressives Congress, APC, in the 2019 presidential election.

The 15 political parties include, Labour Party, LP, Alliance for Democracy, AD, Democratic Peoples Congress, DPC, Action Alliance, AA, Progressives Peoples Alliance, PPA, Young Democratic Party, YDP, Democratic Alternative, DA, and National Conscience Party, NCP. Others are People Democratic Change, PDC, United Democratic Party, UDP, and National Action Congress, NAC.

Read more through this link: http://thewillnigeria.com/news/cnn-to-remove-apc-from-power-in-2019/

A socio-political group, Forum for Nigeria’s Unity and Progress, FNUP, has described President Muhammadu Buhari’s nephew, Alhaji Mamman Daura, as an asset to Nigeria, and a stabilising force in the present administration.

Coordinator of the forum, Alhaji Suleiman Danladi, who stated this on Thursday, clarified that Daura does not head any cabal in the government, but is a patriotic Nigerian, put to make Buhari succeed in office.

Stressing that the former chairman of NTA board means well for the country and has done a lot for the progress of the Federal Government and Nigeria, he stressed that those demonizing Daura are people who see him as a stumbling block to their plots to manipulate those in government.

Danladi maintained that only those close to government would know what Daura has been doing to ensure progress and unity in the country, saying that history would judge him well.

Read more through this link...

http://thewillnigeria.com/news/mammam-daura-not-heading-any-cabal-he-is-stabilising-buharis-government-forum/

BEVERLY HILLS, June 01, (THEWILL) – Owelle Rochas Okorocha has claimed that he has performed so well as governor of Imo State to the extent that whoever will succeed in office will be pelted with stones by people of the state if he or she does not measure up to the standard he has set in the state.

He boasted that his administration had spoilt the people of Imo with infrastructural development which he said will be a legacy to be left behind when he completes his second term in 2019.

Okorocha, who stated this in Abuja while interacting with State House Correspondents, explained that what his administration had done in Imo State in the last six years cannot be compared with what past governors of the state whether living or dead had done.

He said that by the time he concludes his term and leaves the Government House, he would be remembered as “a good governor who impacted positively on the lives of the people”.

According to the governor, “I am in this job not for the profit of it but for the honour and glory of the job. So I want to leave a legacy. I want Imo people to miss me and they will definitely miss me. Believe you me they have not seen such developmental work before now and they will miss it.

“The only problem I have is that anybody that comes after me and does not perform will be stoned. Because you cannot come to Imo State now and say you want to abolish free education from primary to university, they will not accept. I have spoilt Imo people believe me.

“You cannot come to Imo State and say you want to give them a single lane road when they are now used to eight lane road in the city, they won’t accept it. You cannot come here and tell the children to go to schools where the floors are not tiled they will not accept because all the schools have been rebuilt. I have rebuilt 450 schools.”

Okorocha continued that, “You can no longer take them to those ramshackle hospitals, those shanties they called hospitals because I have built 27 to 200 bed general hospitals. You can no longer tell them those stories. All the infrastructures are there.

“You cannot tell them that there are criminal activities any more and that your hands are tied they will not accept it because we know where we brought Imo from, from unsafe place to a safe place right now. And you can no longer tell our workers to dress shabbily they will not, they will want to dress in their suits and tie and white shirts. So Imo has changed believe me.”

While giving himself a pass mark, he averred, “I stand to be challenged and corrected by anybody that what we have done in Imo State in six years can be comparable to what any governor in that state living or dead has done.

“And if we put all of them together, I can’t say whether they can match what we have done. Have you seen me sounding boisterous? That is the truth. But the point is I don’t make media noise, I don’t make foundation laying stones Programme, I don’t bring women to dance because I want to lay foundation project. I don’t commission projects because for me it doesn’t make sense.”

http://thewillnigeria.com/news/ive-spoilt-imo-people-with-infrastructures-theyll-stone-my-successor-if-he-underperforms-okorocha/

SAN FRANCISCO, June 27, (THEWILL) – Africa’s richest man and President of Dangote group, Alhaji Aliko Dangote has spoken up on the opportunities for wealth in Nigeria, asserting that there is money to be made in every part of the country.

This was as he rued the growing unemployment rate in Nigeria, which he said gives him sleepless nights, more than the success or failure of any of his businesses.

Speaking on the sideline of a meeting with business leaders/chief executive officers from Nigeria and Kenya held at the Dangote Lekki free-trade zone in Lagos, he stated that it is the collective responsibility of both the government and entrepreneurs to create jobs for the teeming Nigerian youths as a way of solving restiveness and agitations in the country.

While describing Nigeria as a scratched card that has not been touched but would be useless after loading it, the industrialist said, “Nigeria is like a recharge card. Anywhere you touch is money. You should also have visions and be focused”.

He also harped on diversification as the major solution to the unemployment challenges the country is facing, noting however that successive governments had always paid lip service to job creation and diversification.

According to him: “Since 1978, when I came to Lagos, government has been talking about diversification of the economy which has not happened up till now. It is also sad that nobody is challenging anybody about how many jobs he or she has created.

“In reality though, it is not solely government duty to provide jobs. It is also the duty of entrepreneurs, but government at all levels must provide the enabling environment. When there is no jobs, people get frustrated, and I can tell you that the Boko Haram insurgency is a product of frustration. The way to go is diversification. Nigeria should diversify its economy, and take crude oil as icing on the cake.”

The business mogul observed that population growth in Nigeria is not abating as population and poverty go together especially in the northern part of the country where limitless procreation is recorded.

He pointed out that while people are scared of investing especially in the recession the nation has found itself, Dangote group has been investing because without investment, there cannot be growth.

He however took cognizance of the fact that some individuals had invested in the past but failed with their businesses owing to inconsistencies in government policies and power challenge.

To mitigate these hurdles, the industrialist said it became necessary to be closer to those in government in order to always exchange ideas on how to improve the economy.

On the issue of power, he stated that his company decided to generate its own power in different countries where it operates, disclosing that it is only in South Africa and Ethiopia where it does not have its own power plants because it relies on power from the national grid.

He listed many world class projects his conglomerates have embarked, including the largest single petroleum refinery in the world with 650,000 barrels per day capacity, and 780 KTPA polypropylene, Africa’s largest urea plant with 3 million tonnes per annum capacity; largest sub-sea pipeline infrastructure in any country in the world with 1,100 kilometres to handle three billion sef of gas per day; world scale gas treatment stations and world class petrochemical complex among others.

http://thewillnigeria.com/news/nigeria-is-like-recharge-card-anywhere-you-touch-is-money-dangote/

SAN FRANCISCO, June 27, (THEWILL) – The Adamawa state Commissioner for Information, Ahmad Sajoh, has decried the near lack of visibility of the ruling All Progressives Congress, APC, among Nigerians, noting that Nigerians heard and saw more of the Peoples Democratic Party when it held sway at the national level.

Addressing newsmen in Abuja on Tuesday, he noted that when the PDP was in power, leadership meetings were regular, either in the Aso Presidential Villa or at the then ruling party’s national secretariat, with full media coverage but lamented that the case is different in APC.

The commissioner therefore enjoined the national leadership of the ruling party to do more to regain the confidence of Nigerians.

His words: “The APC government at the federal level and even at the level in other states can do a lot more to win the confidence of the populace and I want to say this with emphasis that APC’s visibility is not good enough.

“Even when the PDP was in power, they used to call National Executive Council, NEC, meetings in the Villa in the glare of the media; they used to hold National Executive Council meetings at their headquarters, issue communiqué, the Publicity Secretary has what to tell people but in APC, the case is different.”

http://thewillnigeria.com/news/apc-has-poor-visibility-among-nigerians-unlike-former-ruling-pdp-adamawa-commissioner/

SAN FRANCISCO, June 17, (THEWILL) – The immediate past president, Dr. Goodluck Jonathan has noted that so much have been said about the challenges confronting Nigeria but maintained that it is of no use joining issues with anybody over their position.

He averred that despite the myriads of opinions on how to bail Nigeria out of its numerous problems, fixing the problems should not be seen as a job for a single individual.

The ex-president spoke through the former Secretary to the Government of the Federation, SGF, Senator Anyim Pius Anyim, at the 5th Memorial Lecture of late Prof. Celestine O. E. Onwuliri, at Nnarambia Mbaise in Imo state.

‘’People have said a lot of things about the problems of Nigeria. There is no point joining issues with anybody, but all I can say is that no one person can solve the nation’s problems,” Jonathan said.

http://thewillnigeria.com/news/its-pointless-joining-issues-with-anybody-over-nigeria-jonathan/

Big Brother Nigeria 2017 housemate, Miyonse, has kept busy since his return from the Big Brother House. In the first part of the interview he granted THEWILL, he spoke about life before the reality TV show and made some very stunning revelations such as being absent at his dad’s burial. In this concluding part, Oputah David brings excerpts of Miyonse’s thoughts regarding events in the house – relationship with other housemates such as Tboss and Bisola; life after the show; even as he reluctantly opens up on his sexuality. It promises to keep you spellbound.

Read full interview through this link: http://thewillnigeria.com/news/gay-or-not-gay-miyonse-opens-up-on-his-sexuality/

BEVERLY HILLS, June 16, (THEWILL) – The immediate past governor of Enugu State, Sullivan Chime, has identified the ruling All Progressives Congress, APC, as a party where politicians can be and find rest for their body and soul.

He advised politicians who interested in contesting the 2019 general elections in Enugu state to do so under the platform of the APC, claiming that the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, would not be able to field candidates in 2019.

The former governor stated this at a rally organised to welcome some prominent former PDP members, who defected to the APC in Udi Local Government Area of Enugu State.

Insisting that the PDP, on whose platform he governed Enugu from 2007 to 2015, was dead and buried, Chime urged all intending political office seekers in the state to move to the APC.

He stated that PDP’s ‘demise’ coincided with APC’s rise, adding that “APC is a young party that came at a time the PDP was dying. Some former members of the PDP joined hands in forming the APC and it is waxing stronger.

“To demonstrate its seriousness, it took power after just one year in existence – that is why we came out to identify with the APC, a party that, when you belong to it, your body and soul will be at rest. The PDP will not contest election next time.

“We felt aggrieved that the PDP died, so we will guard the APC jealously,” the ex-governor said.

In his remark, Chairman of the APC in Enugu State, Dr Ben Nwoye, who supervised the registration of the new members, urged the people of the state to join the party in order to enjoy more dividends of democracy.

http://thewillnigeria.com/news/being-in-apc-makes-your-body-and-soul-be-at-rest-chime/