₦airaland Forum

The Court of Appeal in Abuja has set aside the judgement of an Abuja High Court which declared Jerry Gana as the presidential candidate of the Social Democratic Party.

The court in a unanimous decision restored a former Governor of Cross Rivers State, Donald Duke, as the authentic presidential candidate of the party.

According to results of the primary made available, Duke polled 812 votes while Gana polled 611.

The party then forwarded Duke’s name to INEC.

But Gana approached the Abuja claiming Duke’s emergence contravened the constitution which provides that the National Chairman of the party could not come from the same zone with the presidential aspirant.

Nasir el-Rufai, governor of Kaduna state, says there is nothing worth celebrating about the visit of Atiku Abubakar, presidential candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), to the US.

El-Rufai said this at the All Progressives Congress (APC) presidential rally in the state on Friday.

Atiku visited the US for the first time in 13 years on Thursday. The APC has repeatedly said he was running away from investigations by the US authorities.

Commenting on the visit which has got many people mocking the APC, el-Rufai said members of the PDP should be crying for Atiku instead of celebrating him.

“Atiku is in America after begging for 12 years to get visa and people in the PDP are celebrating instead of crying. So all of a sudden, going to America is an achievement?” el-Rufai asked.

“Mr. President, I first went to America when I was 23 years old, it is not an achievement, but in the minds of the PDP, getting a visa after begging for 12 years is an achievement.

“Do you want to vote those who will go to Trump before they come back to Nigeria? Do you want those who will take all your money to America? Atiku Abubakar should be explaining to Nigerians why he did not go to America for 12 years.

On the February 16 presidential election, the governor promised President Muhammadu Buhari that he will receive over 80 percent of the total voted from the state.

“By the grace of God, in the next election, these three states will give you more than 30 percent of your total votes,” he said.

“Kaduna state gave you 70 per cent of its votes in 2015 – 1.1 million votes. This was when our voters register was just 3. 3 million.

“Now our voters register is about 4 million and with the efforts of all the stakeholders here, including many decampees from PDP, we are confident that this time around, based on the work you have done in Kaduna state and Nigeria, the voters in Kaduna state will give you more than 80 per cent of the total votes.

“By the grace of God and so long as we have the enabling environment- security and credible electoral officers, Kaduna state is yours, there is nothing to worry about.

“Our track record as a party and your track record and the work done by APC governors, is enough for people to vote APC again.”

Lalasticlala, Mynd44

megrimor:
Just shout SAI BABA

The other caller will automatically assume you don't have sense and will end the call by themselves

LeeMason:
Can Buhari ever wear jeans and sneakers?

“We have made the North-East safer than we met it.

madridguy:
What stops you from claiming to be the financial back bone of the sect? Everything is not politics

sarrki:
He took responsibility by locking up our treasury for your bosses not to loot us dry

The federal government, through the Attorney General of the Federation (AGF) and Minister of Justice, Mr. Abubakar Malami, has requested the Nigerian Financial Intelligence Unit (NFIU) to freeze five bank accounts of the Chief Justice of Nigeria (CJN), Justice Walter Onnoghen, pending the final determination of the case against him at the Code of Conduct Tribunal (CCT).

But Vice President Yemi Osinbajo stated Wednesday that President Muhammadu Buhari only got to know about the planned arraignment of Onnoghen, at the CCT on Saturday.

Osinbajo’s claim was repudiated by the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), which said Buhari knew much more than his deputy was telling Nigerians.

The Coalition of United Political Parties (CUPP), which made public the communication from the AGF to NFIU on the freezing of CJN’s accounts, also raised the alarm over the safety of Onnoghen in the hands of the All Progressives Congress (APC)-led federal government, as well as moves to confiscate his assets and freeze his bank accounts for allegedly refusing to compromise the composition of the post-general election appeal tribunals.

In a letter addressed to the Director of NFIU signed by one Abiodun Aikomo, on behalf of AGF, the justice minister said the request to restrict normal banking operations in the five accounts was in line with the Presidential Executive Order No. 6 of July 5, 2018.

The letter with reference number HAGF/2019/E06/Vol. 1, was titled, ‘Re: Request for freezing of bank accounts subject to investigation and prosecution pursuant to Presidential Executive Order No. 06 of July 5, 2018, on the preservation of assets connected with corruption.’

Malami’s letter, which was dated January 14, 2019, was also received and acknowledged by the NFIU on the same date.

Part of the letter reads, “I am directed by Mr. Abubakar Malami (SAN), the Attorney General of the Federation and Minister of Justice to request that you, pursuant to the Presidential Executive Order No. 06 of 2018, forthwith restrict normal banking operations on certain accounts belonging to Hon. Justice Walter Onnoghen, pending final determination of the case against him at the Code of Conduct Tribunal (CCT/ABJ/1/19 – Federal Republic of Nigeria V. Hon. Justice Onnoghen Walter Samuel)”.

The letter listed the five accounts to include: Account No. 50010626886 (Euro) in Standard Chartered Bank (SCB); Account No. 5001062679 (Pound Sterling, SCB); Account No. 0001062650 (Dollar, SCB); 0001062667 (Naira, SCB); and Account No. 5000162693 (Naira).

Buhari Unaware of Decision to Arraign Onnoghen, Says Osinbajo

Meanwhile, Osinbajo has stated that Buhari only got to know about the planned arraignment of Onnoghen at the CCT on Saturday.

He also expressed sadness over the trial of the CJN and the President of Nigerian Bar Association (NBA), Paul Usoro.

The CJN was arraigned at the CCT over alleged non-declaration of assets.
He expressed regrets that the CJN had to go through the process.

He, however, said the president had issued specific instructions that anti-graft institutions should be allowed to do their jobs without any interference.

The vice president made these clarifications yesterday in Abuja during a one-day conference organised by Online Publishers Association of Nigeria (OPAN), with the theme, “Free Press and objective reporting in the 2019 election year.”

He said, “I must tell you in clear terms that for President Muhammadu Buhari, his whole approach is that institutions should just do their work.

“I can tell you for a fact that he did not even know about this until Saturday evening. He did not even know that there will be any kind of arraignment until Saturday evening.

“He has said categorically, do not interfere with whatever institutions are doing; sometimes, it has consequences such as we have today; such that people say how can such an important person be subjected to a trial without the federal government?


“But I can tell you without any equivocation whatsoever that he was not even in the know because it is a specific instruction that he gave.

“So, even where somebody else calls a public officer such as Ibrahim Magu of EFCC and says something or the other, he will say `no, no, no, Mr. President has said I can do my work.

“My take is that I would rather not have a situation where senior members of my profession are being tried for an offence; certainly, I will rather not have that kind of situation.

“ So, I do not feel particularly good about it; as a matter of fact, I feel very sad; that it is going on at all, that is my position.’’

Osinbajo tasked online publishers to go after details and check the facts before publishing; warning that online news was losing credibility.

PDP Insists Buhari is Aware of CJN’s Arraignment

However, the PDP accused Osinbajo of being economical with the truth, when he stated that Buhari was not aware of the plans by the executive arm to arraign Onnoghen before the CCT.

The Director of Media and Publicity of PDP Presidential Campaign, Mr. Kola Ologbondiyan, in a statement yesterday in Abuja, said Osinbajo should know that Nigerians are aware there is no way such high level decision, like the arraignment of the CJN in a court, would be taken without the awareness, input and clearance by the president.

Rejecting Osinbajo’s claim, the PDP challenged the vice president to explain why the president did not stop the arraignment on Monday or said anything on the matter since then.

The main opposition party stressed that the presidency was only trying to sway public opinion on the matter following the outrage by Nigerians against the arraignment of the CJN.

Ologbondiyan stated, “If the avowal by Vice President Osinbajo was true, then it goes to confirm the assertion that President Buhari is not in charge of governance but has outsourced the responsibilities of his office to unelected individuals due to his incompetence.

“Vice President Osinbajo’s assertion has also confirmed the claims by our First Lady, Aisha Buhari, that a cabal has taken over the control of the presidency, for which she forcefully called on Nigerians to take back their country.”

CUPP Raises the Alarm over Onnoghen’s Safety

In a related development, the Coalition of United Political Parties (CUPP), has raised the alarm over the safety of Onnoghen.

The CUPP revealed that it had uncovered a plot by the federal government to freeze the CJN’s bank accounts as well as confiscate other family assets via a letter from the Attorney General of the Federation (AGF) and Minister of Justice, Abubakar Malami to the Director, Nigeria Financial Intelligence Unit (NFIU).

In a statement issued Wednesday by CUPP’s spokesperson, Mr. Ikenga Ugochinyere, the coalition lamented that the current ordeal of the CJN will not end soon, adding that he is up against forces who are desperate and who do not care if the engine of state grinds to a halt.

The CUPP, which said it was in possession of a letter from the AGF to freeze Onnoghen’s accounts as well as seize his assets, lamented that the APC had taken the attack to a new low by moving to confiscate the family assets of the CJN.

It noted that Nigerians would be shocked by the contents of the letter directing the freezing of the accounts and assets of the CJN.

SAN: Executive Order Freezing CJN’s Accounts Unconstitutional

In his reaction, a senior lawyer, Chief Sebastine Hon, SAN, said the Executive Order freezing the accounts of the CJN was unconstitutional, null and void on many fronts.

According to him, the president donated the powers of ‘coordination’ exercisable under that Executive Order to the Attorney-General of the Federation.

Hon, who has written many books on the constitution, said, “This can be gathered from the express wordings of the order. On the face of the so-called order directing a freezing of the CJN’s accounts, however, the Attorney-General did not personally sign the Order; rather, it was one Abiodun Aikomo.

“This renders the order invalid; because delegated power cannot be delegated. This is a basic constitutional and administrative point that cannot be toyed with or wished away.

“Secondly, from the wordings of Executive Order 6, the Attorney-General is merely to ‘coordinate’ among the various agencies of government, the enforcement of the Executive Order and not to issue any order, as was done in this case. The literal interpretation of the order is that, apart from the specific items covered by the schedule to the order, Mr. President is supposed to personally sign each order as it affects each individual or situation; then the Attorney-General will ‘coordinate’ it’s execution.

“So, the Attorney-General cannot exercise avante garde powers, purportedly pursuant to Executive Order 6. What the Attorney-General did in case of the CJN was, and still remains, ultra vires his powers.’

He also faulted the order on another ground saying, under the presidential constitution, powers are allocated to the three arms of government; but the same constitution, in a few provisions, has permitted fusion of powers.

He explained, “That’s why we have heads of court empowered to enact rules of those courts (a sort of legislative duty); the legislature exercising oversight powers, with power to cite for contempt (a sort of judicial duty) and the executive, pursuant to section 315(2) and (4) of the constitution, empowered to issue executive orders.

“The president exercising this quasi-legislative power must not infringe on the constitution. That is why section 315(2) insists that any such quasi-legislative action by the president must be targeted at an existing law, with the view to bringing it ‘in conformity with the provisions of the Constitution.'”

He therefore argued, “Executive Order No. 6 not only falls far short of this constitutional baseline, it has listed court cases affected/covered by it, thereby overthrowing constitutionally-vested judicial powers. The whole order is, in my humble judgment, totally unconstitutional on this wicket alone.

“But, even if it’s constitutional (which is hereby vehemently resisted), the Honourable Attorney-General ought to first obtain a court order before ordering for the freezing of personal bank accounts of Nigerians.

“This is where balancing of powers in a democracy becomes constitutionally imperative. Without this, there will be, as in the case of the CJN, grave infraction on individual and fundamental rights, with a dangerous gravitation towards absolutism and tyranny. The framers of our constitution never intended this result.”

According to him, in deeply tested constitutions, such wanton infractions on private rights in the name of executive orders have been voided by the courts.

He cited one example: in 1935 alone, the US Supreme Court voided five of President Franklin Roosevelt’s Executive Orders, namely Orders 6199, 6204, 6255, 6284 and 6855!

In view of the above, Hon said he was in ferma terra (on firm grounds) that not only was Executive Order 6 unconstitutional, the so called letter signed by Mr. Aikomo on behalf of the Honourable Attorney-General was totally, completely, irredeemably null and void.

Agbakoba Asks Court to Stop Onnoghen’s Arraignment

Meanwhile, former President of the Nigerian Bar Association (NBA), Mr. Olisa Agbakoba (SAN), yesterday added to the suits seeking to stop the Code of Conduct Tribunal (CCT) from going ahead with the arraignment of Onnoghen.

In the suit filed at the Federal High Court in Abuja, Agbakoba is asking the court to quash or set aside in its entirety, all the charges preferred by the Attorney General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, Mr. Abubakar Malami (SAN), the CCB and the CCT against Onnoghen, on the grounds that they were illegal and unconstitutional.
He also asked the court to immediately mandate the AGF to halt the arraignment of the CJN on the basis of Charge No: CCT/ABJ/01/19 filed at the tribunal.

He stated that since the petition against the CJN was without prior recourse to the National Judicial Council (NJC), it is illegal, unconstitutional, null and void.

In the suit which also the Code of Conduct Bureau (CCB), CCT and NJC as 2nd to 4th defendants respectively, the learned silk contended that the proposed arraignment of the CJN before CCT without first having prior recourse to the NJC is illegal, wrongful, unconstitutional, null and void.

He further noted that CCB did not give the CJN the opportunity to respond officially and in a written form, to the allegations contained in the petition submitted to it on January 9, 2019, signed by one Chief Dennis Aghanya, who was an aide to President Muhammadu Buhari in the Congress for Progressive Change (CPC).

The former NBA boss averred that the 1999 Constitution and the Court of Appeal have made elaborate provisions for the discipline of judicial officers which must first begin with NJC.

He stated that the defendants failed to allow Justice Onnoghen adequate time to prepare for his defence in tandem with the principle of fair hearing enshrined in the 1999 Constitution.

Agbakoba said since the NJC has not received any petition against the CJN, all the steps taken to arraign him should be declared illegal.

Igbo apex socio-cultural organisation, Ohanaeze Ndigbo, yesterday described as selfish scheming by some notable Yoruba leaders for the South-West presidency. Some Yoruba leaders, including Vice-President Yemi Osinbajo; former Lagos State Governors, Senator Ahmed Tinubu and Babatunde Fashola, had urged the people of the South- West to vote massively for President Muhammadu Buhari in this year’s general election to enable the zone grab power in 2023. But Ohanaeze, which said it was not interested in 2023 Igbo presidency but on restructuring of the country, described those pushing for the South-West 2023 presidency as over ambitious and selfish. According to the group, restructuring will tackle the scheming of the South-West to produce the 2023 presidency, Speaking to Saturday Telegraph in Abakaliki, the National Publicity of the group, Prince Uche Achi- Okpagha, expressed regret that while the 2019 elections were still to be conducted, some selfish politicians were already scheming to become president in 2023. He said: “The most important thing like we will always say is that Nigeria needs to be restructured. If you restructure Nigeria, scheming and maneuvering to become the president will subside appreciably. When you restructure, you downsise the enormous powers that are vested in the Federal Government, when you do it, the interest will be less. “When you restructure this country, these political maneuvering and so much thuggery, all of them will reduce. Can you see how selfish politicians can be? We have not had 2019 general elections and somebody is already scheming to become the President in 2023. “Our interest is not even in 2023 presidency, our interest is on restructuring. If they restructure Nigeria, they can rule forever but let them restructure Nigeria so that the people will feel the impact of government.

We must be united – Imo Senator

On his part, the senator representing Imo North at the Senate, Benjamin Uwajumogu, said Buhari was committed to handing over power to the Igbo upon completion of his second term in office, urging the people of the zone to massively support the president’s re-election bid. Uwajumogu said it would take the Igbo at least eight years to think of producing the country’s president should former Vice- President Atiku Abubakar win. He said: “President Muhammadu Buhari will hand-over power to Ndigbo in 2023. I am assuring you of that. Ignore the shenanigans and just focus on returning the president a second time. The president is honest and he is committed to it. There is nothing else to do or add to this assurance except casting your vote for the APC come February. “It will take Ndigbo at least eight years if the PDP presidential candidate wins. The Igbo should be proud of President Buhari, he is the kind of president this country needs now.” Uwajumogu also claimed that the president had been fair and just to the people of the southeast geopolitical zone in the distribution of projects and dividends of democracy.

Igbo’s presidency dream, a charade-Coalition

The Alaigbo Development Foundation (ADF), a body of Igbo Intelligentsia, clergy, elders, patriots, women and gouth in its reaction, advised all well-meaning Igbos to regard the much talked about promise of Igbos producing a Nigerian President in 2023 as mere election gimmicks. The president general of ADF, Prof. Uzodinma Nwala, told Saturday Telegraph that the Igbos of today were politically vulnerable and must think of gaining internal strength and controlling its political structure on the home phase more than issue of presidency which he said is being talked about in insulting manner. He said: “Let me say this frankly, given the present alignment of forces or political configuration of Nigeria, nobody is going to give the Igbos presidency either now or 2023. Nobody is going to do that and that’s the pure truth.”

CLO chides S’West leaders

Also reacting, the Chairman of Aba Unit of the Civil Liberties Organization (CLO), Prof. Charles Chinekezi, said Osinbajo demonstrated his high level of political insensitivity in his comment about 2023 presidency going to the South West. Chinekezi said the Igbo presidency of 2023 is an issue of the political right of Ndi-Igbo as part of the strong tripods on which Nigeria stands and not centred on the Re-election of President Muhammadu Buhari. He said: “Prof. Osinbajo’s comment is just a narrow sense of judgement that is based on tribal sentiments. For a professor of criminal law and justice who ought to understand the political landscape of Nigeria, the multiplicity of ethnic groups, tribes and races with high sense of the dominant tripod of Igbo, Hausa and Yoruba grouping to go ahead and make such comment is quite unfortunate. “For him to have discountenance the Igbos who have been skimmed out of the political settings of Nigeria since after the civil war is unbelievable. As far as we are concerned, the most logical stand of anybody who claims to love Nigeria and wants its progress and peace should be for Igbo presidency in 2023. “Even the North and most Yorubas have talked about it. Even former president Obasanjo said not long ago. I’m sure Osinbajo knows the truth and he is far smarter than the proposal he’s putting forward for his people for 2023. He knows that his proposal cannot even fly anywhere in Nigeria even in Yoruba land. “He should be discountenanced as Ndi-Igbo forge ahead to get their mandate. We all can build a better Nigeria. The issue of Igbo presidency is the issue of right of the South East and anybody who wants to thwart or discountenance it is only smoking a pipe dream and of course that person wants to blow up this country into pieces. “So, let’s be specific, it’s not in the hands of President Muhammadu Buhari or Vice President Osinbajo or any other person. It’s in the hands of generality of Nigerians, right thinking Nigerians who understands how a sovereign nation is built.” Chief Jerry Obasi, the leader of the APGA breakaway faction, ‘Authentic APGA’, while reacting, said that there are strong indications that the APC has no plans to allow the Igbo fly its presidential flag in 2023. Obasi further urged President Buhari to clear the air on the call by Osinbajo and Fashola, for the South- West zone to vote for him in 2019 in return for power shift to the zone in 2023.”

Igbos’re lukewarm- Amaechi

Similarly, First Republic Minister of Aviation, Chief Mbazurike Amaechi, has lamented that the lgbos are showing indifference over the prospects of producing the next President in 2023. Amaechi who spoke to our correspondent in Awka yesterday said that power is not given on a platter of gold, adding that the South West has shown stronger interest in the position. He said: “Power is not given on a platter of gold and the idea that Igbos will produce the next President of Nigeria in 2023 is not sacrosanct because there is no section in Nigerian construction that talked about rotation of power “The Yorubas are serious about this and they are working hard to get it and I expect our people in Igbo land to work hard and show seriousness. “Our politicians in the South-East should wake up and show that we are interested but the Yoruba are more serious than us. “If tomorrow the position goes to the South West we do not have any body to blame because they deserve it going by the way they are fighting the agenda.”

Senator Eyinnaya Abaribe has urged the Court of Appeal, Abuja Division, to relieve him as a surety to the acclaimed leader of the indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB), Nnamdi Kanu, in an ongoing treason suit before the Federal High Court sitting in Abuja Abaribe, who described his continuous standing as surety for Kanu as illegal, also asked the court to set aside the November 14, 2018, order of the Federal High Court which gave him and two other surties two months within which to pay the N100 million bond each.

The said judgement delivered by Justice Binta Nyako was premised on the inability of the sureties to produce Kanu, who al-legedly eloped the country in September 2017, following alleged attack on his Abia State residence by the Nigerian military.

Justice Nyako in her November 14, 2018, ruling, had held that Abaribe and the two other sureties owed the court the duty of producing Kanu, whose absence since 2017 has halted his trial on charges of treasonable felony brought against him by the federal government.

However, the senator, through his counsel, Chukwuma-Machukwu Ume SAN , filed an amended notice of appeal and a brief of argument to challenge the Federal High Court’s decisions.

Relying on Sections 55, 165(3), 167(3) and 488 of the Administration of Criminal Justice Act (ACJA) and other provisions of the constitution,Ume in the amended notice argued that a public officer such as a senator was legally exempted from standing surety for a suspect.

He blamed the Federal High Court for making a senator to be part of the sureties Kanu must present in April 2017.

He said: “The honourable trial court failed and or refused to take judicial notice” of the relevant provisions of the ACJA and the Nigerian constitution. “Thus, the trial court had not done the needful under the law, otherwise, it would have found that by law, the appellant (a senator) is legally exempted from giving security for the good conduct or behaviour of a suspect.

It is trite law that where a valid Act or law clearly states something, it is not within the powers of the court to go contrary to it. “We can see therefore that the involvement of Senator Abaribe in the whole bail and surety quagmire was invalid from the beginning.”

The two-month ultimatum given to Abaribe is bound to lapse on January 14, but before then, the Senator and the other two sureties, Emmanuel Shallom- Ben and Tochukwu Uchendu, had filed separate appeals against the November 14, 2018 order. Abaribe in his appeal canvassed that the Federal High Court on its own, made “an order of interim forfeiture without considering or evaluating” all the applications filed before it by the sureties.

He added that the trial court acted without jurisdiction when on its own, it made an interlocutory order that in substance rendered the core issue in the substantive matter a nullity. Meanwhile, the Federal High Court has fixed March 28 for continuation of the matter.

The Nigerian military has assembled thousands of troops and equipment in preparation for a massive operation to retake Baga and five other towns in the northern part of Borno State from Boko Haram.

The towns were reportedly seized last week by members of the Islamic State in West African Province (ISWAP), the faction of Boko Haram that is affiliated to ISIS.

The Abu Mus’ab Albarnawi-led group reportedly took control of Baga, Doron-Baga, Kross Kawwa, Bunduran, Kekeno and Kukawa, after expelling their military defenders.

The Army has denied reports of the falls of the towns but residents fleeing the areas confirmed the presence of Boko Haram fighters on the streets.

The fresh military buildup is coming days after the Borno State Governor Kashim Shettima convened an extra-ordinary security meeting to come up with measures to halt the resurgence of terrorist attacks in the state.

Daily Trust on Sunday learnt that all the three arms of the nation’s armed forces, the army, navy and the air force, would be involved in the major offensive to flush out the insurgents from the areas they have captured.

Credible sources said the Defence Headquarters had gone far in mobilising men and resources ahead of the major onslaught scheduled to take place anytime soon.

“A major operation is on the way but we can’t divulge the details to you,” a source said.

“More troops including ground troops, airmen and naval personnel are being deployed from different formations. They would join those on ground in Borno, Yobe and Adamawa states for the operations,” he said.

Another source said many fighting equipment were being put together for onward delivery to the northern part of Borno for the major operation.

“It is going to be a serious operation, I can assure you,” he said.

Residents in parts of northern Borno confirmed mass movement of soldiers and military hardware to the area.



The Borno State Hunters Union, Daily Trust on Sunday reliably learnt, has also deployed a reinforcement of its men to the captured communities to lend a helping hand to the military.

Boko Haram insurgents have stepped up attacks on military locations in the North-East recently, with an attack in November at Metele claiming the lives of over 20 soldiers.

The soldiers were killed when the insurgents overran 157 Battalion in northern Borno. Additional 12 soldiers also lost their lives in separate attacks around that period.

Chief of Army Staff, Lieutenant General Yusuf Tukur Buratai last month attributed the setbacks to psychological warfare by the Boko Haram faction, which he said had instilled fears in both troops and civilians.

Daily Trust on Sunday learnt that apart from attacking military bases, ISWAP has been ambushing military convoys and patrols.

The most recent of such attacks happened in Banki, where two soldiers were killed, when troops of 152 Battalion were ambushed by the insurgents. They seized four Hilux vehicles belonging to an unnamed NGO and three drums of diesel.

It was also gathered that the group, after taking Baga, had been making consistent attempts to overrun Monguno (64km from Baga and 171km to Maiduguri). But they have been repeatedly beaten by the Army’s Special Forces deployed in the town.

Many of the insurgents have lost their lives in the hands of the elite troops defending the town, sources said. They also said that over 200 of them were killed by Nigerien forces as they moved towards the neighbouring country after they were repelled from Monguno.

ISWAP holds Baga, others

The ISWAP is currently in control of many towns, villages and islands in the Nigerian shores of the Lake Chad, even as thousands of fishermen and farmers who found their ways out of the locations are now taking refuge in Maiduguri.

The insurgents, according to locals, initially converged on Doron Naira and Dogon Chukun, two islands along the Lake Chad not far from Baga town, before launching last week’s onslaught on the fishing community.

A fierce battle ensued between ISWAP and Nigerian troops, lasting two days (Wednesday, December 28 to Friday, December 30), leading to the withdrawal of Nigerian soldiers attached to the Multi-National Joint Task Force base in Baga.

Sources said the development led to the fall of major towns and settlements like Baga, Doron-Baga, Kross Kawwa, Bunduran, Kekeno and Kukawa towns.

Sources said at the time of the fight last week, only Nigerian troops were at the base as forces from Chad, Cameroon and Niger had for long withdrawn and were only manning their own sides of the borders.

Besides the MNJTF headquarters, the insurgents also overran a naval fighting base and a marine police base.

A fisherman, Modu Ari, who is now in Maiduguri, told the Daily Trust on Sunday that the departure of troops from many locations in the last few months, including those in Metele, following attacks by Shekau-faction of Boko Haram, left many communities at the mercy of the Abu Mus’ab’s faction of the Boko Haram.

According to him, locals in dozens of communities now live under the control of the Abu Mus’ab’s faction.

“Some of the communities include Gashigar, Zari, Granda, Gudumbari, Kukawa, Arge, Metele, Alagarnon Arewa, Kangarwa, Jilli, Birmari, Mairari, Mainari, Kuroskauwa, Mil 4, Mil 90,” he said.

“But the only difference we are witnessing this time around is that the (Abu Mus’ab’s) Boko Haram fighters kill locals only when they show some form of resistance.

“They asked those who want to leave to leave but told those interested in staying behind not to worry,” he added.

He said the fighters were armed with Anti-Aircraft guns and Rocket Propelled Grenades (RPGs); and that they were in their thousands.

A farmer, Makinta Aisami, who also spoke to Daily Trust on Sunday confirmed what Ari said, but added that locals living in many communities near the Lake

Chad are living in fear and are being extorted by the group.

“They charge taxes,” he said.

He said in communities located far from strong military facilities, Boko Haram fighters were forcing farmers to pay tax before they could be allowed access to their farms while fishermen pay “revenue through their noses” before they were allowed to go with their catch.

He said the only people living in relative peace because of military visibility were those in Monguno, Damasak, Gubio, Gajiram, Kareto and Malumfatori.

‘Missing relations’

Apart from those who fled towards Damasak and Gaidam, thousands escaped to Maiduguri on foot and by road.

They have been thronging the popular Baga Road Market in Maiduguri, sleeping in the open, waiting for the possible arrival of their missing relatives, and partly because they have nowhere to go.

The Borno State Government has been evacuating them since last Monday to the Teachers Village IDP camp.

Daily Trust on Sunday observed, however, that while a substantial number of them would not agree to be evacuated, many were moving back to Baga, banking on a said promise by Boko Haram that they would not be harmed when they return to their captured territory.

“Over the last one week, transport fare to Monguno that used to be N1,000 increased to N5,000 per passenger, and to charter a car will cost between N25,000 and N30,000, instead of the N5,000 it used to be,” a commercial car driver, Mohammed Bukar, told Daily Trust on Sunday.

“Initially, you could not find more than 500 residents remaining in Baga, Mile 4 and Doro,” a leading member of the Borno State CJTF, working under the Multinational Joint Task Force, (MNJTF), told Daily Trust on Sunday on Friday, explaining, “Soldiers had themselves fled from the communities …when the boys (Boko Haram) came and invaded Baga. They simply seized a deserted military barracks, 8 Div Headquarters.

“As I am speaking to you now, thousands of our returnees, including my father and mother and many of my own family members and friends are still missing in the bush between the Lake Chad and Maiduguri,” Muhammad Bukar from Kangarwa near Baga, said.

ISWAP recruiting youths

A community leader in northern Borno who does not want his name mentioned, said the insurgents were recruiting young people.

“They are seriously working on the psychology of our people,” he said.

“They no longer kill our people, especially the youths, instead, they show them they are better in terms of taking care of them, and to me this is very dangerous.

“Of course, they collect taxes from sales of produce and fish but they no longer forcefully collect the goods and with this approach, they are getting some sort of sympathies, tactically winning the love of our children,” he said.

“The terrorists have the advantage of knowledge of the environment and they can go to Cameroon, Chad, or Niger if the heat becomes unbearable for them, hence the need for serious cooperation between all the countries in the area of operation to stop the menace,” he added.

The forces behind ISWAP

In August, 2016, ISIS leader Abu Bakr Al-Baghdadi put to an end, the seven years of Abubakar Shekau’s leadership in Nigeria and the West African Province.

In his stead, he anointed Abu Mus’ab Al-Barnawi, whose real name is Habib. He is the son of the late Mohammed Yusuf, the founder of Boko Haram.

The Boko Haram under Shekau had earlier in March, 2015 paid allegiance to ISIS’s proclaimed caliphate under Al-Baghdadi.

When he was removed as leader, Shekau on August 4, 2016, released an audio in which he described the breakaway leader, Al Barnawi as heretic. Soon after the new development, sporadic fighting broke out between the two factions, one headed by Shekau and the other by Al-Barnawi who has the support of Mamman Nur.

Findings by our reporter at the time revealed that while the ISIS-backed Al-Barnawi had an upper hand in northern part of Borno State, Shekau remained dominant in the central and southern parts of the state, where the large swathe of the Sambisa forest is located.

With the support of Mamman Nur, Albarnawi achieved a lot in consolidating his gains in northern Borno by trailing and killing “Shekau’s boys” in places like Monguno, Kukawa, Damasak, Abadam, Marte and Kala-Balge.

On the other hand, Shekau remained “strong” in villages in Gwoza, Damboa and Chibok, which are all not far from the Sambisa forest.

Mamman had been on the wanted list of the United States with ransom placed on his head.

Nur was killed around August, 2018, by forces close to Al Barnawi over alleged “selfish” handling of millions of money in hard currencies allegedly given to him as ransom for the release of captives.

Before his death, Nur was seen as ISIS linkman in Nigeria, but fronting Al-Barnawi as leader, in order to retain the loyalty of the original supporters of Mohammed Yusuf.

With Nur’s death, the Albarnawi faction becomes more vicious in attacking military formations and ambitious in capturing more communities.

Beyond northern Borno, Al Barnawi’s fighters are now inching towards central and southern part of Borno, launching attacks in places like Mainok, Jakana and other locations along Maiduguri-Damaturu road.

A princely sum of N1. 149, 385 trillion is estimated to go into the payment of subsidy on petrol imported into the country this year.With the provision of a mere $1 billion, which is about N305 billion in the 2019 budget year, the country may run into a massive budget deficit if nothing is done about the development.

The breakdown shows that at the prevailing $2.54 per gallon of fuel in the United States, which translates to N774.7 at the official exchange rate of N305 to $1, a litre of petrol in the country costs N193.68 on the average.Going by the last pricing template released in 2018 by the Petroleum Products Pricing Regulatory Agency (PPPRA), additional cost elements of N14.3 per litre is required to cover the retailers’ margin, bridging fund, dealers’ cost and transporters’ pay.

Thus the landing cost of petrol in the country currently is N207.98. This implies that government currently pays N62.98 subsidy per litre of petrol.The Nigeria National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC), which has since deployed subsidy as part of its operational costs, as the last resort of supply line as enshrined in the NNPC Act 1977, defrays an estimated N3.149b per day under what is tagged “under-recovery.”

The sum of N3.149b per day therefore implies that the country is projected to spend N1.149, 385 trillion in 2019 on petrol subsidy. The Group Managing Director of NNPC, Dr. Maikanti Baru, last year said that the country’s daily consumption of petrol was 50 million litres.This daily national consumption figure was also, yesterday, confirmed by the acting General Manager, Corporate Services of the Petroleum Products Pricing Regulatory Agency (PPPRA), Kimchi Apollo.

With the NNPC playing the role of the sole importer of petrol into the country and adopting the “under recovery” approach, the PPPRA no longer processes payments of subsidy, but its officials are still present at the ports to ascertain how many litres the NNPC is bringing in.The takeover of the processing of subsidy payment led many to conclude that the NNPC has usurped the function of the PPPRA, but Apollo insisted that the NNPC has not taken over PPPRA’s responsibilities, stressing that both organisations are working together to ensure a smooth distribution of petroleum products.

Apollo, who had, in an earlier statement explained that the Petroleum Support Fund ended in December 2015, added that the scheme has been managed by the PPPRA since May 2016.“Under the this scheme,” the statement explained, “the agency regulates petroleum products supply and distribution through the issuance of Quantity Notification (QN) and LAYCAN to NNPC and Oil Marketing Companies (OMCs). It also monitors discharges at various facilities nationwide.”

Before now, the PPPRA generated data that is used by the Ministry of Finance to back up payment claims by marketers, before they were paid by the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN).The Group General Manager, Group Public Affairs Division of the NNPC, Ndu Nghamadu, promised to provide more details on the subject, but failed to do so as at the time of filing this report.

However, while there is no evidence of abuse of the process, there is total absence of any back-end channel that is empowered to verify NNPC claims. Meanwhile, there is disquiet in the PPPRA as both the executive secretary of the agency, Abdulkadir Umar Saidu, and board chairman, Muhammadu Buba, are seen as “NNPC boys” that were sent to preside over the demise of the PPPRA, and possibly put the career of the workers at risk. The PPPRA staff members are indeed apprehensive that the current situation may jeopardise their jobs.

Buba is a former managing director of Pipeline and Products Marketing Company (PPMC), a subsidiary of the NNPC. The Guardian learnt that the reversal of the sale of the nation’s refineries by the administration of Olusegun Obasanjo, by the Musa Yar’Adua-led administration paved the way for the collapse to the liberalisation of the downstream sector.

A source explained: “The cancellation of the sale of the refineries by Yar’Adua’s administration led Nigeria to the present situation. The administration adopted a populism system of government in a capitalist economy. That was wrong. I think what would have been adopted by that government was “welfarism” as adopted by the late sage, Obafemi Awolowo. The sale of the refineries would have put Nigeria’s economy on a sustainable path. This is the same mistake the current administration is making.”

Principal Consultant to the National Assembly on Oil and Gas Industry Reform, Dr. Francis Adigwe, warned that the current subsidy regime is not sustainable, saying government must exit a regulated downstream sector.His words: “Government needs to liberalise the downstream sector. Nigeria has an oil and gas industry that will not grow as long as government continues to subsidise products. The importation ensures the value-added that will provide employment and rejuvenate the economy is completely lost.”

Dr. Adigwe also dismissed as false, the belief that the Dangote Refinery, which is still under construction will sell petroleum products at subsidised rate saying, “nobody should look at the Dangote Refinery as a company that will sell products to Nigeria at a discounted rate. Yes, government will not have to pay for product transportation, which will likely lead to some reduction, which could be very marginal.”Stakeholders in the oil and gas sector, yesterday, insisted that the continued payment of subsidy on petroleum products and the secrecy surrounding the situation could cripple the nation’s economy.

The experts, who said that Nigerians deserve an explanation for the alleged hijack of PPPRA’s functions by the NNPC, noted that the prevailing situation was an inefficient way of supporting the poor as the greatest beneficiaries.The PPPRA was established by an Act of the National Assembly in 2003 as an autonomous agency to primarily determine the pricing policy of petroleum products and regulate their supply and distribution. It was designed to report to the presidency, but the agency’s travails started under the Goodluck Jonathan-led administration when then Minister of Petroleum Resources, Diezani Alison-Madueke was in office.

While the Act that established the agency has not been repealed, most of its executive secretaries have reportedly been quiet order to avoid losing their jobs since those who wanted to run the organisation independently fell by the way side.A source familiar with the matter, who pleaded anonymity, told The Guardian that in 2014, one of such executive secretaries, Reginald Stanley was removed and replaced immediately with Farouk Ahmed. His removal was linked to claims of no subsidy on kerosene at a point when Alison-Madueke had a deal with some operators.

Currently, the principal actors in the agency reportedly have direct working relationship with the NNPC.The Director, Centre for Petroleum, Energy Economics and Law (CPEEL), University of Ibadan, Prof. Adeola Adenikinju, insisted that the continued payment of subsidy is adding to the plight of the masses instead of addressing their poverty.

According to him, the situation is unsustainable, provides more benefits to the rich and remains a barrier to economic development.Coupled with the secrecy that surrounds subsidy payment, Adenikinju stated that the situation has contributed immensely to the country’s poor local refining capacity.
“Let’s remove subsidy and come up with policies that affect the poor positively. There’s no compliance even if budgets are made for subsidy. It is not good for the economy”, he said.

On the purported hijack of the function of PPPRA, Adenikinju stated that unless the PIB is passed to clearly define roles of agencies, overlapping functions and manipulation of regulatory provisions could continue.“There are no set out laws, there is overlap and discretion. The PIB will put those things in order and set out the power of the boards. There is need for certainty,” he added.He added that there was the need for the country to ascertain its level of daily consumption of petrol, noting that the current figure being paddled by the government lacks veracity.

For the Chairman/CEO of International Energy Services (IES) Ltd, Diran Fawibe, the country must take the bold step of stopping the payment of subsidy on petrol. Fawibe, who noted that subsidies on consumption remained unsustainable in the long run because of it economic and multiplier implications, added that the country’s refineries must be in working condition to address the importation of refined petroleum products.

“NNPC should be made to explain why the jobs of PPPRA were taken over; I believe that the NNPC would not want to do anything that undermines the rule of law, so it needs to speak out on the issue,” Fawibe noted.

On the level of consumption, he says there is the need for an independent analysis, adding that the current situation lacks objectivity.Partner, Odujinrin and Adefulu, Adeoye Adefulu noted that with NNPC being the only importer of fuel, PPPRA’s function of verifying subsidy claims is effectively redundant.

“Without the over/under recovery mechanism, it is doubtful that even the NNPC would be willing to import fuel. Nonetheless, without the check, questions would arise as to the veracity of the claims being made regarding the size of daily consumption of fuel. Ultimately, we would need to confront the subsidy question as a nation. We cannot keep dodging the issue,” he noted.

“The continued payment of subsidy by the government is unsustainable and anti-development because the opportunity cost of the money expended on subsidy is money that the government is unable to spend on health, education and infrastructure. Beyond these issues, there is also the question of the transparency of the process. The NNPC has effectively been forced to be the sole importer because the private sector does not have faith in government’s ability to pay subsidy as at when due. The over and under recovery method being utilised allows the NNPC to recover from crude proceeds its shortages from fuel importation,” he added.

In his contribution, Managing Partner, The Chancery Associates, Emeka Okwuosa says the current administration lacks credibility, especially in the light of current revelations on subsidy. According to him, the level of fraud that was perpetrated during the Jonathan administration in subsidy payment has re-echoed under the current administration despite the anti-corruption and due process campaign by the government. Okwuosa said: “The Buhari administration needs to immediately institute an investigation to confirm the authenticity of the report and stop subsidy forthwith.”He urged the presidency to take immediate action on the role of PPPRA that has been allegedly taken over.

The girl was brought for Arabic class about five months ago. On that day, I asked her to go and sweep a section of the class. The place was separated by a wall and I followed her. I asked her to stand on a bench and face the wall. I rolled up her skirts and removed her panties. As I wanted to penetrate her from the anus, I said ‘aausubillahi, aausubillahi (God forbid)’. It was the devil that pushed me to it. My joystick only grazed her private parts.

The National Chairman of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Comrade Adams Oshiomhole, has urged Nigerians to reject the presidential candidate of the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) Alhaji Atiku Abubakar saying that he would sell Nigeria if he is elected president.

He noted that PDP is the architect of the present economic hardship Nigerians were passing through and urged the masses to reject him during the February 16, presidential election.

Oshiomhole disclosed this on Friday during the official flag-off of Governor Simon Lalong’s re-election campaign, held at the Rwang Pam Township Stadium Jos, Plateau.

The chairman also received defectors from the PDP, led by ex-factional Chairman of National Football Association (NFA), Chris Giwa, while chairmen of 45 political parties in the state endorsed Buhari and Lalong for the 2019 elections.

He urged the defectors to join the re-enforcement of the power of the broom in providing quality and purposeful leadership in the country.

“The PDP has business men as presidential candidate and vice presidential candidate. Atiku said he will sell Nigeria. He has said that he will sell the NNPC if elected president.

“I urged Nigerians not to support the sale of Nigeria by the PDP. You must say no to Atiku. His running mate, Peter Obi, does not have respect for the truth.”

Governor Simon Lalong, who was presented with APC flag to contest the governorship election in the state said he could die for President Buhari because of his commitment towards tackling insecurity in Plateau and the bail-out he supported him to clear workers salary.

“People asked why was I dying for Buhari and I told them that I will die for Buhari because he is my helper. He has help in addressing insecurity in Plateau and gave us bail-out to clear worker’s salaries, there is nothing more than that; he will win Plateau far better than 2015.”

Director General, Buhari Campaign Organisation and Minister of Transport, Rt. Hon. Rotimi Ameachi, described Lalong as a humble person who is living on his campaign promises.

He blamed the PDP for dwelling their campaign on the fact that Nigerians were hungry and said if they had left the N2 billion they stole, Nigeria wouldn’t have been importing rice today.

Ameachi said PDP was not honest that was why they emptied the country’s treasury and urged Nigerians to vote out PDP even in hunger.

“The next election is not about Buhari and Atiku; it should be about what PDP has done in 16 years and what APC has done in three years. Buhari is addressing the problem of Nigeria and very soon we will overcome the present challenges.”

Wife of the president, Aisha Buhari, who was represented by former Deputy Governor of Plateau State, Dame Pauline Tallen, said a vote for Buhari and Lalong is a vote for the development of Nigeria and Plateau State.

She admonished women and youths in Plateau State to mobilise massive votes for the president and all APC candidates during the 2019 general elections.

Northern Vice Chairman, of the Buhari/Osinbajo Campaign Organisation, Sen. Gorge Akume, described Buhari as a professor of infrastructure in Nigeria

He, Buhari, worked tirelessly to frustrate the third-term agenda champion by the former president, Olusegun Obasanjo, and said the president had the masses as his business partners.

He noted that there was no one that was contesting against President Muhammadu Buhari, saying Atiku Abubakar would fail the election.

ZombieTAMER:
That guy come resemble me oh..

Nawa... Carbon copy

ReneeNuttall:
E still no consign me

ReneeNuttall:
Lol,luckily I'm not am indigen.

Following Nigerian Labour Congress’ (NLC) threat to call out workers on indefinite strike on Tuesday to protest non-implementation of the N30,000 minimum wage recommended by the Tripartite Committee on National Minimum Wage, the presidency has moved to pacify the workers, appealing to them to tarry a while on their planned action.

The NLC had asked President Muhammadu Buhari to submit the N30,000 minimum wage implementation bill to the National Assembly for passage by December 31 last year or face a nationwide strike action.

With the deadline unmet, the NLC President, Mr. Ayuba Wabba, had said the Tuesday strike had become imminent despite a federal government offer for a resolution meeting schedule for January 8.

Authoritative presidency sources, however, told THISDAY Wednesday that the president is making efforts to resolve the wage dispute, which threatens to further obstruct the nation’s fragile economy should the strike hold.
State governors under the auspices of Nigerian Governors Forum had objected to N30,000 as the baseline wage bill for the federation on the grounds that most of the states could not afford it.

Offering N22,500, the governors said anything more would send most of the states into insolvency.
But labour disagreed, contending that N30,000 was a compromised figured, which if diligently pursued would be realisable.

Buhari, according to THISDAY sources, had intervened, asking the governors to reconsider their stand and find ways of acceding to the workers’ demand.

“The president met with the representatives of the governors and appealed to them to plug areas of waste as a way of securing the funds to meet the workers’ demand,” a source told THISDAY.

He said the governors had agreed to heed the advice of the president and had gone back to evaluate their finances, adding that what was needed was some more time for the governors to report progress to the president.

“Certainly, the governors need to come back to the president with their revised position before he could proceed to the National Assembly with an implementation bill,” another presidency source told THISDAY.

Stating that time, though now a scarce commodity, was what was needed to resolve the logjam, he explained that even if the president was minded to proceed to the National Assembly with the bill as requested by labour, the federal legislators had been on Christmas break, adding that there was no way the NLC’s demand could have been met.

“The National Assembly had been on break. And so, even if the president is to overrule the governors on this, there is no way the National Assembly can reconvene before the Friday deadline given by labour,” he said.

Wabba had called on the federal government wednesday to urgently transmit the bill on the new national minimum wage to the National Assembly for a speedy passage.

He said, “It is unfortunate that the federal government is yet to transmit to the National Assembly an executive bill for the enactment of N30,000 as the new national minimum wage.

“Government’s dilly-dallying on the issue has strained government-labour relations with a potential for a major national strike, which could just be days away.

“I want to appeal to the government to do the needful by urgently transmitting the bill on the new national minimum wage to the National Assembly.

“We also would like to use this same opportunity to urge workers to fully mobilise for a prolonged national strike and enforce their right.”

Explaining that the strike would become inevitable as the last option for labour, the NLC president called on all Nigerians and businesses to understand and support it.

He, however, assured workers that their labour, patience and diligence would not be in vain.
Wabba said the NLC leadership remains committed to giving all it takes to ensure workers get just and fair wages in a decent work environment appropriate to their well-being.

He added that the NLC leadership is similarly committed to social protection for workers.
According to him, “The new year presents great opportunities for workers, pensioners, civil society allies and their friends and families to put their numbers to good use.

“This is by voting out, not on the basis of tribe or religion but purely policy, any candidate that cannot serve their interest.

“In the year that is ahead of us, the NLC remains unequivocally committed to the national and workers’ goals which include the campaign for industrialisation, against selective enforcement of “No Work, No Pay” policy of government, among others.”

The N30,000 new minimum wage, which was a compromise figure arrived at by the Minimum Wage Tripartite Committee comprised of the government (federal and states), organised private sector and the organised public sector was contained in the report forwarded to President Muhammadu Buhari. Labour had initially proposed N66, 500, while the federal government proposed N24,500 at the negotiation meeting before the N30,000 was adopted.

However, wednesday the federal government said it would meet with the union on Friday.

The Minister of Labour and Employment, Senator Chris Ngige, said government had invited executives of the organised labour for a meeting at the Conference Hall of the ministry.

General Secretary of the Nigeria Labour Congress, NLC, Dr. Peter Ozo-Eson, said the labour had received letter from the labour ministry for a meeting on Friday.

Meanwhile, the National Association of Nigerian Students (NANS) has issued a notice to all its structures and organs to commence mobilisation for mass action against the federal government, the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU), and the Academic Staff Union of Polytechnics (ASUP).

This was contained in a statement signed by the association’s president, Danielson Akpan.
The ASUU commenced a nationwide strike on November 4 after the lecturers accused the federal government of not implementing previous agreements.

The association had earlier issued an ultimatum of two weeks to the federal government, ASUU and ASUP on December 23, to call off the strike or face confrontation.

JasonScoolari:
Na for bathroom I take site am dey scale the fence. I almost cry...
And funny thing is that, almost every body for that my hood get spare fowl wen resemble my own.