₦airaland Forum

nkwuocha:
bro, most of this folks don't take care of their aged.Go to their villages and see them living in abject poverty.Even with the children and grand children they have.

Angeleena:
Na wa.. buh wait what, are those cows doing there?

Khd95:
seems it pains dis one that buhari didnt die.

Shaa take am easy with this ur hatred,so u can live long to witness 2019,Insha Allah

sarrki:
Lol

How is the camp now?

Help send my greetings to all

Also tell them baba is back

sarrki:
NO

Its called patriotism

Abi the man too dey work for Bmc?

sarrki:
All hail the chief wailer

All greet the chairman

Lalasticlala, Mynd44

Franchise21:
U're promiscuous

Franchise21:
Na only d oranges u see? U no talk about d matter wey dey ground

The Senate on Wednesday asked the Director General, Nigeria Customs Service, Col. Hameed Ali (retd.), to appear before it ‘unfailingly’ next Wednesday.

The lawmakers also stated that the Customs boss would not be admitted into the chamber if he failed to appear in the uniform of the service showing his rank as the DG.

The lawmakers took turns to condemn the NCS and Ali for defying an order stopping the service from implementing its new policy on vehicle duty.

Ali had last Thursday, in a circular, issued a one-month ultimatum, from Monday, March 13, to Wednesday, April 12, 2017, to all vehicle owners within the country, whose Customs duties had not been fully paid to do so.

The Customs boss had advised all motor dealers and private owners of such vehicles to visit the nearest zonal office of the service to pay the appropriate duties on them.

But the policy was rejected by the upper chamber of the National Assembly, which stated that the NCS had no legal backing to implement such a directive.

Specifically, the Deputy Majority Leader, Senator Bala Ibn Na’Allah, while moving a motion on the Customs circular at plenary, which gained unanimous support of the lawmakers, on Thursday, said the move was illegal and arbitrary.

He said, “We are all aware that the area of operation specifically designated for this service is principally our borders. And we are aware of the fact that in this situation, we are unable to find the specific provision of the law that the Comptroller of Customs relied upon to issue this circular. I think we have a compelling need to protect the Nigerian public against this arbitrariness.”

But the NCS, on Wednesday, defied the directive of the Senate, insisting that the one-month ultimatum for owners of such vehicles to pay the appropriate duties remained sacrosanct.

The Acting Public Relations Officer of Customs, Mr. Joseph Attah, at a press conference on Wednesday, said the one-month grace period was still in force despite the order of the Senate.

He said that in a bid to reduce the burden of the duty payment on Nigerians, a rebate of 60 per cent had been approved by the NCS for vehicles imported prior to the 2016 fiscal period.

He said, “The payment (period) remains Monday, March 13 to Wednesday, April 12. The points of payments, with the exemption of Lagos and Port Harcourt, will now be the nearest Customs area command. Private vehicle owners who know that duty has not been paid on their vehicles can take advantage of this grace period to do so.

“Therefore, owners of such vehicles or their representatives are expected to go to the nearest points of payment for assessment and payment. It should be noted that the 60 per cent rebate applies only within the grace period.”

But on Thursday, Senator Dino Melaye, raised the matter at the plenary, saying the statement made by the Customs could only be made by a military government ‘where an individual, a parastatal, an institution or an agency of government will confront the powers of the Nigerian Senate.’

The lawmaker pointed out that the government was based on three arms ‘and that the Nigeria Customs cannot function without the National Assembly because they cannot spend or survive without appropriations and oversight’.

He said, “If this Senate, which is one of the most vibrant Senates in the history of this country, makes a resolution and an agency of government will have the temerity, will have the guts, will have the strength to blatantly disregard the entire institution of the Nigerian Senate, it is a very dark day for democracy.”

Melaye continued, “I am a member of the Customs committee and I want to educate some of us today; the position of the Comptroller General of Customs is a rank. As I speak today, we have deputy comptrollers general of Customs; their next promotion, if it comes to be, is comptroller general of Customs. And we have asked this man (Ali) in the committee why is he was not wearing the rank of comptroller general and he said ‘uniform men’ don’t wear uniform twice. I asked him, under which law.

“I educated him by reminding him that he retired as a colonel and that General (Haladu) Hananiya retired as a General.

When he was appointed as the Corps Marshal of the Federal Road Safety Corps; he wore, promptly and daily, the uniform of the corps.

Deputy President of the Senate, Senator Ike Ekweremadu, who presided over the plenary, said ‘the activities of the Customs lately had become a source of concern to us all’.

“Then, if that position (CG of Customs) is a rank and you (Ali) are not wearing that rank, it means you are not even proud of the Nigeria Customs,” he added.

Former aide to ex-President Goodluck Jonathan on new media, Reno Omokri has said it will benefit Nigeria if President Muhammadu Buhari continues in ceremonial capacity while his deputy, Yemi Osinbajo, takes charge of day-to-day management and leadership of the country.

He said such an arrangement would guarantee the sustenance of “the economic progress we have witnessed under Osinbajo and give President Buhari room to ‘rest’.

Omokri said this in a statement on his Facebook page on Friday.

According to him, President Buhari, as a ceremonial President, can better utilize his military experience in overseeing the armed forces and foreign relations.

He wrote: “Perhaps there is a solution that can benefit Nigeria with President Muhammadu Buhari’s return which will also preserve the good work Acting-President Professor Yemi Osinbajomi has been doing and also give the President room to ‘rest’.

“Why can’t we consider a return to our pre 1966 governance mode where, like Nnamdi Azikiwe, President Buhari will be the ceremonial President and like Sir Abubakar Tafawa Balewa, Acting President Osinbajo would preside over day to day management and leadership of the economy and country, leaving only the armed forces and foreign relations to the real President (Buhari)?

“Without being mischievous, I think this will guarantee the sustenance of the economic progress we have witnessed under Osinbajo and give President Buhari room to ‘rest’.”

Lalasticlala, Mynd44

A coalition of four major militant groups in the Niger Delta has told the Acting-President, Yemi Osinbajo, that his fact-finding visit to the region can only be meaningful when he directly hears from the agitators or their representatives.

The militants, under the aegis of Niger Delta Watchdogs, Niger Delta Volunteers, Niger Delta Strike Force and Niger Delta Warriors, made this known in a statement jointly signed and issued to the media in Port-Harcourt.

The group also reiterated their threat to attack South African investments in the country at the end of the 30-day ultimatum to them to vacate the country, insisting that the recent tour of the region by acting President Osinbajo was hijacked by the political class.

They claimed that they were shut out from various interactions the acting President had with stakeholders during the visit, stressing that it simply implied that the acting President had not been properly briefed on core issues at the root of militancy in the region.

The statement reads: “Let it be known to the acting President that his fact-finding visit can only be meaningful when he hears from the agitators or their representatives.

“The visit of the acting President did not carry along the agitators in the arrangements; those who matter most in this fact-finding mission are the armed and the unarmed youths who are in the forefront of the agitation.

“They are the ones that have the capacity to do harm to the economy of the nation and yet, the government, in collaboration with their political parties, is alienating and shielding these potent forces from the acting President

“We demand that the acting President should invite the representatives of agitating groups to give first-hand information to him, as this will bring the desired long lasting peace to the region.”

basty:
Silence, the best answer for a fool

Leader of the Arewa Youth Forum (AYF), Alhaji Ibrahim Gambo Gujungu, has described recent reports giving credit to acting President Yemi Osinbajo for certain achievements recorded by the presidency, as an insult to the north.

What is your reaction to the issue of the President’s extended medical leave?

Buhari is a human being and just like anybody, he is capable of falling ill, but our major concern is that the whole issue is now being politicised for certain interests. This is exactly what happened during late President Yar’Adua’s government. Politicians have started bargaining for power using Buhari’s health condition. If they continue like this, we are going to expose them because we work for the unity of the north first before any other thing. We are not going to allow what happened during Yar’Adua’s era to repeat itself. In the event of any eventuality, the presidency will continue to remain here in the north till 2023.

I say this because we are conversant with the propaganda currently emanating from the South-west claiming that Osinbajo has performed so much within the two months he has been acting President. They claim that he has solved a lot of problems but what some people do not realise is that Nigeria is just like a plane on autopilot. The President had already done everything before he left and what Osinbajo is currently doing is just to press some buttons here and there. The President should get the credit for whatever achievements recorded so far. They are indirectly insulting the north by insinuating that Buhari could not do what is being attributed to Osinbajo within this period.

Some people believe that the Presidency is not sincere to Nigerians on the issue of Buhari’s health status. What do you think?

I would not want to dwell on that issue because I speak on behalf of the Arewa Youth Forum for northern unity. Buhari has already transmitted the leadership of the country to the Acting President. Unfortunately, the South-west are using it against the President, forcing him to speak or make comments. We cannot have two presidents at the same time in the country. Already, there is an Acting President and he is in control of the country. Buhari is on vacation and this issue is not like that of Yar’Adua who travelled out of the country without transmitting power to the then Vice President Goodluck Jonathan. We know the people from the north who are deploying all these strategies to get Buhari out of power.

I hope you are aware of the constitutional provision that says that the Vice President takes over power if the President is no longer there?

I am aware of the constitutional provision but President Buhari will be back. We have not even given any thought to the idea that the President will not return to the country to continue with his duties. He will certainly return. The country appears divided because of the issue of Buhari’s health. But what we are telling northerners is to put away politics and work for the unity of the north. It would seem as if we do not have the love of this country at heart.

Do you consider the visits by some Nigerians to London and the reported President’s conversations with some people as really necessary since he is officially on vacation?

They have the right to visit Buhari and we have already made all the arrangements too to visit him in London. We have got the approval and any moment from now we will fly to London to greet the President.

Given the widely reported poverty level in the country, do you see Buhari contesting in 2019 and winning?

The first thing we should do is to pray for his health. On the issue of 2019, we know we are going to get a competent person from the north because it is the turn of the north to be in power. People are praying for the President, in churches and mosques in the north. These are the people who truly love this country. When 2019 comes, we will know how to tackle it. Moreover, I do not think Buhari has told anybody that he is going to contest but if he does, the chances are there that he will win. But whether Buhari or not Buhari, we are going to get a very competent person because it is the turn of the north to be in power. We will know how to tackle it in 2019. A number of APC members are among the people spreading the propaganda that Osinbajo has performed more than Buhari and strategising against the President.

How do you rate the Federal Government’s anti-corruption fight?

I actually disagree with some of the issues of government when it comes to the corruption fight. There should be transparency in the fight against corruption. For now, I believe the corruption fight is one-sided and the issue of whistle blowing will not augur well for this country. Some people will begin to point fingers at people and say they must have acquired their wealth or built their houses with ill-gotten money whereas that may not necessarily be the case. Government needs to review its operations when it comes to the fight against corruption because it is one-sided. It is like a witch-hunt of some people in the opposition. There are so many people in government and people know that they were involved in looting of this country and nobody is doing anything to them. They are walking around freely. There are many former governors who looted their states for two terms in the PDP and they switched over to the APC and they are walking freely today. That is the truth and we should be bold enough to tell the President the truth. What is happening now is that government is trying to fight corruption and corruption is busy fighting back.

What do you consider some of Buhari’s presidency impact on the north?

All Nigerians now sleep with the two eyes closed which was not possible some two years or even a year ago. Previously, before you go to church or mosque to worship, people were subjected to all forms of searches and scrutiny, but now people troop in to churches and mosques freely. That is a significant achievement. We do not believe in what I may call sectional achievements by some of our past leaders.

If you remember the late Sarduana of Sokoto, Sir Ahmadu Bello, he did not do anything in Sokoto but he worked for the entire country and Tafawa Balewa, Murtala Mohammed and the others. They all worked for the entire country. It is not like Jonathan, Obasanjo and some others who concentrated on their regions. That is selfishness. We have about 22 dams in the country and there are 19 of them located in the north and Buhari has given approval for their rehabilitation.

Lalasticlala, Mynd44

The Federal High Court in Lagos has adjourned further proceedings till April 10, 2017 in the trial of a former Governor of Abia State, Orji Kalu, who was charged with N2.9bn fraud.

The trial judge, Justice Mohammed Idris, adjourned the case on Thursday to enable the prosecution to regularise the proof of evidence it filed in support of the charge.

The decision for an adjournment followed a ruling in which the judge upheld the objection of the defence counsel to the competence of a bank manager, Christy Ohiri, to testify in the case as the second witness for the prosecution.

The defence counsel, Chief Mike Ozekhome (SAN), Chief Solo Akuma (SAN) and Mr. K.C. Nwafor (SAN), had on Wednesday contended that Ohiri could not testify in the case because her name was not on the list of the 19 witnesses proposed to be called by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission.

The defence counsel also opposed the move by the prosecutor, Mr. Rotimi Jacobs (SAN), to tender, through Ohiri, the statement of an account opened by the Abia State Government House at the Umuahia branch of United Bank for Africa.

The defence counsel had also objected to the tendering of a letter dated October 4, 2006 written by UBA to the EFCC in response to an enquiry on the status of the Abia State Government House account.

In his ruling on Thursday, Justice Idris held that it was clear that Ohiri was not listed as one of the witnesses in the proof of evidence frontloaded and served on the defence counsel by the prosecution.

He said this failure could not be waved aside as it was a fundamental breach of Section 397(1) of the Administration of Criminal Justice Act and Section 36 of the constitution which states that an accused person must be given adequate time and facility to prepare his defence.

“The witness is not properly before the court…Justice rushed, is justice crushed,” the judge said and directed the prosecutor to regularise the processes and serve all the necessary documents on the defence counsel.

Following the ruling, the prosecutor, Jacobs, pleaded with the defence counsel and the judge to be allowed to use his pen to write Ohiri’s name in the list of the witnesses so that the case could proceed immediately or for the judge, in the alternative, to stand the matter down for few minutes to allow him file additional proof of evidence and serve it on the defence counsel in court.

But the proposition was rejected by the defence counsel, who described the application as an attempt to rubbish the ruling of the judge.

The judge refused Jacobs prayer, holding that, “Compliance with Section 397(1) is mandatory.”

“It is an issue that goes to the foundation of a criminal trial. The prosecution should take immediate steps to comply with the provisions of Section 397(1) of the ACJA,” the judge held.

The matter was consequently adjourned till April 10, 11, 12 and 13, 2017.

Lalasticlala, Mynd44

The Senate has asked the Comptroller General of the Nigerian Customs Service, Col. Hameed Ali (retd., to appear “in plenary in uniform” on Wednesday “unfailingly.”

Members of the Senate are pushing for drastic action against the NCS and its D-G over the refusal to suspend action on the proposed clamp down on vehicles without duty payment, as ordered by the legislature.

The senators vent their anger during the plenary on Thursday.

Part of the actions proposed by the senator is to summon Ali to appear before all the lawmakers in the chamber in Customs uniform, which the NSC boss had refused to wear.

The lawmakers also called for Ali’s removal of he failed to comply with directives from the Senate.

Details later…

sarrki:
Grand commander of the wailing wailers

Morning

effty:
Wehdone ma...

sarrki:
There is know better way to put it .

Weldone Ganduje

The Senate and the House of Representatives are at loggerheads on the proposed trip to South Africa by both chambers in connection with the recent xenophobic attacks on Nigerians in the country, The PUNCH learnt on Wednesday.

The Senate had, earlier on Wednesday, announced the cancellation of its plan to send a delegation to South Africa to investigate the attacks on Nigerians and other Africans in the former apartheid enclave.

After a closed-door session that preceded the plenary, which lasted for about 20 minutes, the Deputy President of the Senate, Senator Ike Ekweremadu, announced that members of the upper chamber of the National Assembly had agreed to withdraw from the trip.

He said the cancellation of the trip by senators was to avoid multiple delegations to South Africa.

Ekweremadu stated, “On our trip to South Africa, we noted that the House of Representatives insists on going to South Africa independently. We thought we could lead a single and harmonised delegation of the National Assembly to avoid the embarrassment of multiple delegations.

“The Senate, therefore, decided to pull out to allow the House delegation to proceed.”

It was reliably gathered, however, that apart from the disagreement on whether both chambers of the National Assembly should unify their teams or not, the lawmakers also failed to agree on the size of the delegation.

While the Senate had planned to send a seven-man team, the House had listed six members for the trip.

It was further learnt that each member of the delegation would get $5,000 each as allowance for the trip, one of the reasons why more lawmakers were interested in joining the train to South Africa.

A member of the Senate team, who spoke to one of our correspondents on condition of anonymity, disclosed that while the Senate insisted that both chambers should send equal number of delegates, who would be joined by officials of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the House insisted on having more number of delegates and embarking on the trip independently.

The lawmaker said, “We were forced to pull out of the trip. How can the Senate consider sending five delegates and the House wants to send 10 members, while the Ministry of Foreign Affairs sends 12? What will Nigerians say about the size of the delegation?

“They (Reps) became so overzealous about the trip. When it was clear that they would remain adamant on sending a large number of delegates on the trip, we had to back out.

“Each delegate will be getting $5,000 as estacode. I would also have got $5,000 if we were to go; but if we decide that all those pencilled in should go, like the Reps are saying, how much do you think the trip would cost? And what will Nigerians say about us?”

Another lawmaker, who also spoke on condition of anonymity, said senators at their meeting, unanimously agreed to cancel the trip for fear of embarrassing Nigeria in South Africa – as two delegations from Nigeria would work independently on the same mission.

“We decided to leave them (Reps) with the trip since they are showing too much anxiety. They are even fighting over who should go on the trip among them,” he said.

We first took the decision, say Representatives

When contacted on the points of disagreement over the trip, the Chairman, House Committee on Media and Public Affairs, Mr. Abdulrazak Namdas, said he was not in a position to speak on why the Senate decided to pull out of the trip.

“I am not a member of the Senate,” he stated.

However, he explained that the decision to visit South Africa was first taken by the House, not the Senate, adding that the Senate only took a similar decision soon after the House did.

“We first took the decision in the House to go to South Africa and the Senate did as well,” Namdas stated.

A House of Reps source informed The PUNCH that as a bicamera legislature, they did not expect the Senate to set up another team for the same mission after the House had taken the lead.

The source added, “We already appointed a six-member team out of the 360 lawmakers, which is not a large group. The House Leader (Femi Gbajabiamila) heads the team.

“Just then, the Senate too came up with a team to be led by the Deputy Senate President, Ike Ekweremadu.

“What this means is that the House delegation will be subsumed under that of the Senate; meanwhile, the House originally initiated the idea of the trip.

“Money is not the issue. We have a way of reducing every serious thing to money. If people are to travel out, they will take estacode, but that is not even the issue here.

“Only six members are going. It is not correct that many members want to be on the delegation.’’

On his part, Gbajabiamila said he would reserve his comments until he read whatever the Senate was alleged to have given as its reasons.

“Until I read such an outlandish claim, I will not believe it or respond to it,” the House Leader stated.

The Senate had, on February 28, 2017, resolved to send a delegation on a parliamentary diplomatic mission to the Parliament of South Africa to register Nigeria’s displeasure with the resurgence of xenophobic attacks on Nigerians in the country.

The lawmakers were also billed to hold talks with their South African counterparts on how to end the attacks.

The delegation, which was to be led by Ekweremadu, also had the Majority Leader, Senator Ahmad Lawan; Chief Whip, Senator Sola Adeyeye; Deputy Chairman, Senate Committee on Foreign Affairs, Senator Shehu Sani, Stella Oduah, Magnus Abe and Senator Shaba Lafiaji.

But before the Senate muted the idea, the House of Representatives had decided to send a delegation to South Africa.

At least five people have been killed in a clash between Yoruba and Hausa traders in the Sabo area of Ile-Ife in Osun state.

A resident of the ancient city told TheCable that the situation started on Tuesday, but escalated on Wednesday morning.

Adeyeye Ogunwusi, ooni of Ife, reportedly intervened through seeking the assistance of security operatives.

The security agents deployed in the town were said to have foiled an attempt of aggrieved Yoruba residents to gain access into Sabo community, which is predominantly occupied by Hausa people.

The angry mob then stormed Lagere, a neighbouring community, and attacked Hausa traders there.

A witness said security agents found it difficult to control the rampaging mob.

Many have fled Ife as a result of the crisis, which has also led to the destruction of property worth millions of naira.

Some of the persons who sustained injuries have been taken to the Obafemi Awolowo University Teaching Hospital (OAUTH) for medical attention.

The cause of the clash is not yet known.

The Ministry of Information and Culture failed to account for the sum of N561.6m, the Auditor-General’s 2015 annual report has revealed.
The report revealed that the infractions were perpetrated by top government officials between January and December 31, 2015.

The report seen by Daily Trust showed that Ministry of Information and Culture failed to account for N561.6 million. (Read full report here)

The Ministry of Power, Works and Housing also misappropriated N9.2billion.

Aviation - N702 million; Water Resources - N3.4 billion; Foreign Affairs - N4.4 million; Labour and Employment - N84.7 million.

Others are Ministry of Petroleum Resources - N1.7 billion; Women Affairs - N20 million; Solid Minerals Development - N37.6 million; Transport -N87.8 million; Environment - N86.5 million and Niger Delta Affairs - N1.9 billion.

Ministry of Defence - N2.692bn; defunct Ministry of Police Affairs - N1.839bn; Youths and Sports Development - N1.144bn; Ministry of Industry, Trade and Investment - N1.076.bn, and the Ministry of Finance - N22.103m.

The report submitted to the National Assembly has since been assigned to the Senate Committee on Public Accounts for further action.

Aviation

The Auditor-General queried the Ministry of Aviation for spending N427 million on the procurement of Navigational Aids/spare parts and maintenance services without approval.

“Scrutiny of the capital appropriation document revealed a zero budget allocation for the purchase of Air Navigation equipment with code number 23010131. This constituted a gross violation and distortion of the Appropriation Act,” the report said.

The Permanent Secretary of the Ministry has been requested to furnish the Auditor-General with the statutory financial instrument of the National Assembly authorizing the expenditure.

“In addition, the responsible officials involved in the authorization and disbursement of the fund should be held liable for lack of due diligence, “it said.

The Auditor-General observed that 51 recurrent expenditure account items, mainly local and international travels amounting to N147million were inappropriately charged to the Capital Development Account of the Ministry of Aviation.

“The Permanent Secretary has been asked to explain the circumstances that warranted the Ministry’s misapplication of capital development fund for expenditure which appears at variance with the Appropriation Act and extant.” It directed that the amounts involved should be recovered and recovery particulars forwarded to the Auditor-General for verification.

Lalasticlala, Mynd44