₦airaland Forum

The sickle cell disease of a French teenager has been reversed through a landmark procedure that saw scientists alter his DNA.

The teenager was prior to the treatment on a monthly blood transfusion to dilute his defective blood.

At age 13, doctors at Necker Children’s Hospital in Paris decided to alter the genetic instructions in his bone marrow.

This was done through the injection of a virus (which corrected the defect he had) into his bone marrow.

The altered bone marrow was then put back into the patient.

Fifteen months since the treatment, the teenager no longer requires medication, and his blood cells show no further sign of the disease, according to the results published in the New England Journal of Medicine.

Philippe Leboulch, a professor of medicine at the University of Paris, told the BBC that: “So far the patient has no sign of the disease, no pain, no hospitalisation. He no longer requires a transfusion so we are quite pleased with that.

“But of course we need to perform the same therapy in many patients to feel confident that it is robust enough to propose it as a mainstream therapy.”

Leboulch, according to the BBC, is hesitant to use the word “cure” because the French teenager is only the first patient to scale through the clinical trials.

https://www.thecable.ng/hurray-first-successful-cure-sickle-cell-recorded-france

Mavin Records founder, Don Jazzy, and technology company Tsaboin on Friday launched Flobyt, a free WiFi service.

Flobyt is an easy-to-use WiFi service which has been installed across several locations in Lagos.

Some of these locations include eateries, parks, taxis, buses, restaurants, and cafés, Dele Odufuye, Tsaboin MD/CEO, revealed during the launch in Ikeja, Lagos.

The service, he said, was designed to replicate the home WiFi experience when people are out and about.

At the specified locations, between 10-30 people can be connected to Flobyt at the same time while in locations with higher traffic, Flobyt Max can provide internet service to 10 – 80 concurrent users.

“It’s quite easy. You simply walk into any of our partner outlets and patronise them. While you are at that, you can log into Flobyt’s free WiFi service available. Join the “Flobyt FREE Wifi”. If your browser pops up for authentication, just visit www.mavinrecords.com or click on “Free Access” button shown to you,” said Odufuye.

“We are using state-of-the-art Wifi technology equipment that balances speed, quality of service, security and data consumption. These equipment are light weight and easier to manage. These are the technological and business edges,” he added.

Don Jazzy, in his remarks, noted that he believes in Flobyt to succeed, disclosing that it is one of the “few investments” he’s set to unveil.

“I believe so much in this. This is one of the few other investments we are going to be sharing with you.

“I have been on social media for a long time. I know how expensive data is. I give free airtime, now it’s time to give free WiFi,” he said.

Flobyt is currently installed in Bar Enclave, Ilupeju; FoodHouse, Ikosi; Lounge 9a, Anthony; Massimo Bar, Ikeja; Grace’s Cakes, Ogba; Jazzment Salon Lekki; Kayz Place Barbershop, Lekki; Amala Express, Lekki; White House, Sabo, Yaba and Road Star Burger, Lekki.

https://www.thecable.ng/don-jazzy-tsaboin-launch-flobyt-free-wifi-service

At least seven soldiers were killed in a Boko Haram attack on military positions in northeast Nigeria, a civilian vigilante and a security source said on Friday. The attack happened in the town of Gajiram, about 80 kilometres (50 miles) by road north of the Borno state capital, Maiduguri, on Wednesday afternoon.

A military source in Maiduguri and a civilian vigilante, Babakura Kolo, both told AFP on Thursday that the fighting lasted for about two hours and that three soldiers were killed. But Kolo said on Friday that the toll was had risen and that it was “now seven, including one lieutenant, and six rank and file. “Yesterday, three bodies of soldiers were found but four more bodies were found during a search.

” The security source said three militants were also killed and troops were combing the area to find other rebel fighters. AFP contacted the military for comment but there was no immediate response. Fighters loyal to Abu Musab Al-Barnawi were suspected of carrying out the attack, said Kolo.

The Islamic State group, to which Boko Haram is affiliated, announced that Barnawi was leader last year. He split from the faction following long-time Boko Haram leader Abubakar Shekau in opposition at his indiscriminate attacks on civilians. Barnawi has instead vowed to hit only “hard” targets such as the military and police.

His group is believed to operate in northern Borno state, towards Lake Chad and the border with Niger. According to the security source, the insurgents went door to door collecting recently distributed food aid for residents.

Kolo said vigilantes had been told by arrested Boko Haram suspects that they sourced most of their food from Gajiram and Monguno, a garrison town 60 kilometres away. Nigeria’s government wants the hundreds of thousands of displaced people staying in camps and host communities to return to their homes as soon as the military makes areas safe again.

But another attack on Wednesday near Gajiganna, some 50 kilometres from Maiduguri on the way to Gajiram, highlighted the risks they run. “Some displaced people were returning to their villages in the area to harvest their abandoned cornfields when they were intercepted by Boko Haram,” said Kolo. “They killed some and took away others,” he said, without specifying a death toll.

http://www.vanguardngr.com/2017/02/boko-haram-attack-kills-seven-in-nigeria-security-sources/

Lecturers at the Ladoke Akintola University of Technology, Ogbomoso have suspended their eight months old strike.

Chairman, LAUTECH chapter of the Academic Staff Union of Universities, Dr Biodun Olaniran, announced the suspension of the strike in a statement on Wednesday in Ogbomoso.

ASUU said that the strike was suspended following the union’s congress held on Tuesday at the university.

“After comparing the demands of the union and what the management has met out of the demands, and after extensive deliberations on the struggle so far, the union has resolved to suspend the strike immediately,” Olaniran said.

The institution had been shut since the lecturers went on strike eight months ago.

The union had embarked on the strike over unpaid salaries and allowances, as well as the failure of the owner states of Oyo and Osun to release subventions to the institution.

LAUTECH Vice Chancellor, Prof. Suleiman Gbadegesin, recently told newsmen that the two owner state governments had paid N584m out of the N7.6bn they owed the institution.

The owner states had in October 2016 set up a visitation panel in their efforts to find a lasting solution to the crisis.

The panel, headed by Chief Wole Olanipekun (SAN), has submitted its report. (NAN)

http://punchng.com/lautech-lecturers-suspend-strike/

You will soon be able to light up bulbs and power appliances such as fans, televisions, cellphones and computers with mobile electricity on the go — and pay for the services by mobile phone.

The revolutionary service, Lumos Mobile Electricity Service powered by MTN, is set for national roll-out on Monday, with Babatunde Fashola, minister of power, expected to be in attendance.

The first-of-its-kind mobile electricity service kit comprises of a solar panel, an indoor power unit, phone charging accessories, two LED light bulbs and DC to AC converter.

Lumos, globally renowned solar architects, is targeting families and businesses around the country for the service in conjunction with MTN, ICT giants.

“With this innovative service, Nigerians can enjoy affordable, accessible, noise-free and fume-free electricity for everyday use and conveniently pay with airtime from a MTN mobile phone. The Mobile Electricity Service kit which comes with a 5-year repair service policy, can light up bulbs and power appliances like fans, televisions, cellphones and computers,” the two companies said in a press statement on Friday.

CEO of MTN Nigeria, Ferdi Moolman, said his company has launched a variety of technology-driven products and initiatives which have helped to improve the lives of Nigerians, solve problems and encourage intelligent minds with brilliant ideas to achieve more with natural resources.

“Our partnership with LUMOS was borne out of the need to provide safe, affordable electricity alternatives for Nigerians to uninterruptedly conduct their daily businesses. We at MTN value lives and the overall wellbeing of Nigerians and we’ll continue to put out initiatives that focus on providing life solutions,” Moolman said.

Davidi Vortman, CEO and co-founder of Lumos, said: “This is an incredibly exciting partnership that will bring power and new opportunities to homes and businesses throughout Nigeria. Together we can make a fantastic impact on people’s lives, helping children do their homework, ensuring businesses and clinics can stay open later, and ensuring people no longer have to rely on dangerous stoves.”

https://www.thecable.ng/comes-mobile-electricity-mtn-lumos

ABUJA—AMIDST increasing concerns over the health status of President Muhammadu Buhari, indications emerged, yesterday, of his imminent return to the country, having reportedly finished with the extended medical tests his United Kingdom-based physicians ran on him.

The latest public declaration that the President is in fine fettle was given by Senate President, Dr. Bukola Saraki, and Speaker Yakubu Dogara who, in separate tweets, acknowledged that the President is in fine shape.

Also yesterday, a very close associate of the president, who had been in close touch with people around him, confirmed the positive news of his health, saying the President was expected to return any time from today.

Meanwhile, President Buhari, yesterday, received two prominent leaders of the All Progressives Congress, APC, Asiwaju Bola Tinubu and Chief Bisi Akande, in London. The assertions came as the Christian Association of Nigeria, CAN, and the Jama’atu Nasril Islam, JNI, in separate calls, also urged Nigerians to pray for the well-being of the President, asserting that as a human being, he is also prone to ill-health.

A prominent official of government who also maintains a close personal and family relationship with the President, equally confirmed the well being of the President, yesterday. “I found out from the family and I was told that the tests had been carried out and it is being envisaged that he could come back anytime from tomorrow (today),” the public official, who spoke on the strict condition of anonymity, said.

Another senior Presidency source spoke in the same vein, saying there is nothing holding the President back, though he could not give a clear date for his return. The well being of the President was further accentuated by pictures of the President with APC leaders, Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu and Chief Bisi Akande, which Vanguard confirmed to have been taken yesterday afternoon.

In one of the pictures, the President was sitted between the two party leaders in a sitting room and, in another, Buhari was sandwiched between the two men with all of them smiling. Asserting that the President is hale and hearty, Saraki in a tweet at 11:35 p.m. on Wednesday, confirmed that he spoke with Buhari, adding that the President even cracked jokes with him during their discussion. Noting that he is happy to have interacted with the President, Saraki in his tweet, said: “Happy to have spoken with @NGRPresident @MBuhari tonight.

He was in good spirit and joked about my working late into the night, as usual. – @Bukolasaraki on Twitter Wednesday 8th of February 2017, 11:35 pm.” Saraki’s assertion came three days after Acting President, Yemi Osinbajo, also disclosed that the President is hale and hearty. Speaker Yakubu Dogara also went on Twitter, yesterday, to confirm speaking with Buhari, who he claimed professed his pains at the sufferings Nigerians endured last year and had as such, resolved to ensure a better life for the people.

Dogara in his tweet said: “MBuhari called me yesterday evening. He talked about what the Executive/Legislature must do to ensure food security for all Nigerians. “He said he was pained by the suffering endured by most Nigerians last year and he is resolved not to let events of 2016 repeat themselves. He also asked me to extend his best wishes to all Honourable members.”

Ahead of the President’s return, the expectation was also being raised among APC members. At the national secretariat of the party in Abuja, a big banner was placed inside the parking lot with the inscription, “Welcome Mr. President, Baba, Oyoyo” the banner produced by the National Youth Council of Nigeria, had pictures of Buhari and Youths and Sports Minister, Mr. Solomon Dalung.

Pray for his quick recovery, CAN urges Nigerians

Meanwhile, the Christian Association of Nigeria, CAN, yesterday called on all Nigerians to pray for the quick recovery of the President and his safe return. In a statement by the Director of Legal and Public Affairs, Barr. Kwamkur Samuel, CAN also called on the Presidency not to hide information from the people.

The statement read: “We wish to call on all Nigerians to join hands in prayers for the quick and full recovery of Mr. President and his safe return to Nigeria instead of dwelling on the needless rumour on the President’s health. “President Muhammadu Buhari is human, hence subject to health challenges sometimes. CAN appreciates the anxiety of Nigerians to hear Mr. President speak, but sues for understanding as we await that.

It is very clear that our leader is passing through health challenges. “We advise the Presidency to update Nigerians on how he is faring and the full progress of his recovery. “We call on all Christians and indeed, all God-fearing Nigerians to dedicate time of prayers for our President and the nation. We owe our leaders prayers and support at all times while shunning divisive opinions that only generate strife.

“CAN also calls on Nigerians to give the Vice-President who is also the Acting President full support and prayers to lead well. “We acknowledge that government is a continuum. Hence, we call on Acting President, Professor Yemi Osinbajo to be bold in handling critical state matters and not to be distracted by those who do not wish Nigeria well.”

JNI condemns death-wish peddlers

The Jama’atu Nasril Islam, JNI, on its part, condemned those it said were wishing the President dead instead of praying for his full recovery. The JNI also termed those it said were calling for the resignation of Acting President Osibanjo as “callous and mischievous.” In a press statement by its Secretary General, Dr. Khalid Abubakar Aliyu, the group said:

“JNI is, indeed, perturbed over the series of rumours making the rounds on the state of President Muhammadu Buhari’s health. “It should be, however, noted that as with every mortal, illness is inevitable, likewise life and death. Thus, JNI is very concerned about the pandemonium generated as a result of the rumoured illness of the President and the dimension it is unfortunately taking.

Does that mean he can no longer get ill? Agreed that reports from the Presidency stated that President Muhammadu Buhari is currently undergoing a cycle of tests as recommended by his doctors, hence the extension of his leave. “We must as patriots, be cautioned on spreading inaccurate information.

More so, Muslims should be cautioned not to join the bandwagon of rumour-mongers. This is so because already some unpatriotic elements are wishing that the President is dead. Interestingly, those who wish him death will certainly not live till eternity. Aren’t we supposed to wish each other good well-being? Let alone, the President of the country?

Therefore, following the unnecessary excitement in the President’s delayed return to Nigeria, we implore all and sundry, particularly Muslims to persistently supplicate on daily basis for President Muhammadu Buhari’s safe return, restoration of good health and the ability to continue with the task of piloting Nigeria to greater heights with his team.

In the same vein, we are all implored to fervently pray for the nation, the Vice President, governors and all those in positions of authority, for Allah’s guidance in the discharge of their respective duties. “We nonetheless, condemn in the strongest terms those calling for the resignation of Professor Yemi Osinbajo, as the Vice-President, Federal Republic of Nigeria.

Whatever, the intent may be, we see such calls as callous, mischievous and unpatriotic. “ Moreover, why must that vacuum be created now, if not for sinister motives? We, therefore, call on all Jumu’ah Imams to include the matter in their respective Friday sermons tomorrow and beyond.”

http://www.vanguardngr.com/2017/02/buhari-back-anytime-now-presidency-sources/

• Legislators acknowledge receipt of letter
• President not sick, Lai Mohammed insists
• Why Onnoghen may not be confirmed

The inability of President Muhammadu Buhari to resume duties on February 6 as contained in his earlier vacation letter to the Senate has triggered a debate over the legitimacy of the Vice President, Yemi Osinbajo to continue to act on his behalf.

Also, the debate forecloses the effort to get the appointment of the Acting Chief Justice of Nigeria (CJN), Walter Onnoghen confirmed by the Senate, since there is no one, ‘legally’ speaking, that would forward his name to the upper chamber.

Section 145 of the 1999 Constitution says: “Whenever the president transmits to the president of the Senate and the speaker of the House of Representatives a written declaration that he is proceeding on vacation or that he is otherwise unable to discharge the functions of his office, until he transmits to them a written declaration to the contrary, such functions shall be discharged by the vice-president as acting president.”

Lagos lawyer and human rights activist, Ebun Olu-Adegboruwa, says that since the president did not return on February 6 as he promised and the letter he ‘purportedly’ transmitted to the National Assembly informing of his extended vacation on ground of ill health has not been read on the floor of the Senate to form its votes and proceedings, the legal capacity of Osinbajo ended midnight February 6, 2017.

He said: “That ‘letter’ has not been seen by anyone, in order to determine its authenticity and its real author. When travelling in January, President Buhari personally transmitted a letter to the National Assembly, notifying them of a specific 10-day vacation, which ended on February 6, 2017. This letter was duly read and became part and parcel of the votes and proceedings of the National Assembly.

“The new ‘letter’ has not been read on the floors of either chambers of the National Assembly, to make it part of its votes and proceedings. Somehow, as if acting out a clever script, the Senate had hurriedly adjourned its sitting to February 24, ever before the ‘letter’ for an extended vacation arrived. So legally, the ‘letter’ is cooling somewhere in the National Assembly, just another letter, without any force of law. A letter transmitted to the National Assembly must be read at the plenary session to become binding.”

According to the lawyer, the implication is that there is neither president nor acting president at the moment, and since the acting president did not forward the name of Justice Onnoghen to the Senate before February 6, there is no one to do so anymore, even if the National Judicial Council (NJC) re-nominates him for the office in compliance with section 231(5) of the 1999 constitution.

“The tenure of the acting CJN will lapse on February 10, 2017. As of this night, the NJC has not met to consider recommending Onnoghen for renewal as acting CJN. The NJC cannot do this after February 6, 2017, as there will be no president or acting president, to receive such recommendation,” Adegboruwa insisted.

If this remains the true state of affairs, it means until the president resumes or the Senate breaks off from its vacation on February 24 to read the president’s second letter transmitting power to his deputy, the country shall run without either acting or substantive head of state. Also, at the expiration of the acting tenure of Justice Onnoghen on February 10, the judiciary shall remain without a clear leadership, leaving the legislature as the only legally functional of the three arms of government.

But the former Attorney General and Commissioner for Justice in Abia State, Awa Kalu (SAN) disagreed. According to him, there is no vacuum because the tenure of the acting president still subsists.

Kalu said: “Only the Senate president or his spokesman duly recognised by the Senate can comment that they don’t have an authentic letter from the president. The Senate is an institution which has an office and secretariat. It is not a house where you can lock and go away. The information we have is that the president has extended his vacation and has informed the Senate accordingly. So, I don’t have a contrary opinion. Section 145 of the 1999 constitution does not say it must be read on the floor of the house.”

Also, former president of the Nigeria Bar Association (NBA), Mr. Austin Alegeh (SAN) agreed with Kalu. He said the president had extended the time he would be out of the country and by implication had extended the time his vice would act.

“What the law requires is a notification that he is not going to be around and that somebody would be acting on his behalf. And once that letter has been transmitted, he has complied with the law,” he stated.

Lagos lawyer, Festus Keyamo, in the same vein maintained that the letter doesn’t have to be read to take effect. “It doesn’t need the approval of the Senate. All the law requires is that he transmits a letter to the Senate and once he does that, it is alright,” Keyamo declared.

Meanwhile, the Senate has confirmed that the letter through which Buhari extended his leave is in the custody of the Senate President Bukola Saraki.

At a press conference in Abuja yesterday, the spokesman of the upper chamber, Aliu Saabi Abdullahi said the letter was in compliance with the dictates of the law and the constitution of Nigeria.

But a question on who signed the letter threw Abdullahi into a fit of anger as he condemned what he called an insinuation that the Senate was not truthful about its declaration that the letter was in its custody.

He said: “With due respect, I found the last comment very uncomplimentary to the president. I have no apology for that. If he’s there, can’t he write a letter and forward it to the Senate by DHL?

“If at this level we cannot trust ourselves to do certain basic things, then why should I trust you? I think it’s important we give ourselves some level of respect and trust. We are telling you a letter has been signed and sent to us. Are you saying that the Senate is not an institution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria? I am speaking to you here on behalf of the Senate of the Federal Republic of Nigeria.

“This is not the first letter Mr. President will be communicating to us. Are you saying that if we received a letter from Mr. President and we say we received a letter from him we don’t know what we are saying?”

When asked about the return date of the president, Abdullahi said: “The letter didn’t say that the leave is indefinite because the word ‘indefinite’ is taking the matter out of context, but then the president said he’s extending the leave beyond the 10 days he had asked for.”

The Senate spokesman said the decision on when President Buhari would return to Nigeria “is not in my hands but in the hands of the doctors. That is why the president is not giving us a date.”

On when the letter was received, Abdullahi said: “The letter was received by Saraki and I was briefed today (Tuesday). It was either yesterday or today they received it.”

Also yesterday, Minister of Information and Culture, Lai Mohammed, said there was no basis for comparison between the on-going situation over Buhari’s leave and what took place when the late President Umaru Musa Yar’Adua was ill and flown abroad for treatment. He insisted that Buhari was well.

Mohammed was reacting to a trending report on social media where a comment he made in December 2009 has become the butt of comments and jokes.

“Yes, I issued a statement on the 22nd of December (2009), but the circumstances are vastly different. Mr. President is not ill; Mr. President did not go for treatment; Mr. President went on leave and did the proper thing according to the constitution.”

In a statement issued as National Publicity Secretary of the Action Congress (AC), Alhaji Lai Mohammed had said the situation then where ministers and aides of the president gave out uncoordinated information on his health, was doing more harm than good. He urged that the citizens should be given a daily update on the health of Yar’Adua.

http://guardian.ng/news/senate-lawyers-split-over-vacuum-in-presidency/

Foreign patients with non-urgent medical needs will be made to pay before treatment under new regulations for health tourists in the United Kingdom.

The adjustment is coming after a Nigerian, identified as Priscilla, gave birth to quadruplets at a UK hospital.

The birth of Priscilla’s children cost the National Health Service (NHS) £500,000 as she couldn’t foot the bill.

Two of the babies have since died and the other two are still being cared for at Queen Charlotte’s and Chelsea Hospital in West London.

Their mother says she will not be able to repay even a fraction of her bill.

Beginning in April, hospitals will be legally empowered to charge patients upfront for procedures which are not deemed immediate emergencies.

Some of the non-urgent procedures include hip or knee surgery, cataract removals, and operations to remove hernias as well as certain scans and medications.

The rules will not apply to maternity care or any treatment considered potentially life-saving or immediately necessary but ministers are hoping it will help stop the NHS from being seen as an “international health service.”

Other procedures that will require pay before care are scans, treatment for cancer or heart conditions as well as operations to remove the appendix.

If patients are unable to pay, doctors will be told to make a decision, based on their clinical need, as to whether the treatment should go ahead.

Hospitals are now required to ask all new patients for passports and utility bills upon arrival to verify they are entitled to NHS care.

Hospitals who fail to show that they are collecting enough money from patients may be fined by year’s end.

https://www.thecable.ng/uk-reviews-health-tourism-laws-after-nigerian-woman-racks-up-500k-debt

Chidi Odinkalu, a lawyer and human rights activists, says President Muhammadu Buhari has not done enough in terms of communicating with Nigerians.

Speaking when he led protesters to the presidential villa in Abuja on Monday, Odinkalu said: “When he wants to talk about Nigeria, he gets on a plane and goes outside Nigeria and he starts gossiping about us.”

Odinkalu rated the current administration low, saying the All Progressives Congress (APC) government has not been able to fulfill its electoral promises.

“We thumbed Buhari into office in 2015, then he got into power and what happened?” he asked.

“Our president has never ever spoken to Nigerians. When he wants to talk, he goes abroad. Are we so useless that our president cannot address us? Are we so idiotic that our president cannot tell us that ‘things are hard and these are my plans’?

“Are we so useless that our president cannot invite us and tell us, ‘look, we need your help to get this’? We don’t get compassion, we don’t get empathy, we don’t get thoughtfulness, and there is no plan, and then we are told we cannot protest too? What kind of country is that? What kind of citizens are we?”

He also spoke on the absence of the president, saying there were inconsistencies in the president’s camp.

“On this Monday morning, we don’t know where our president is. On January 18, we were told that our president was going on a 10-day vacation. Yesterday, we were told that he was waiting for his medical test before he will return,” he said.

“Last week, fake pictures of the president meeting people in London emerged. Last night, Femi Adesina said people can get sick; people can even die, and Shehu Garba said he spoke with the president’s doctor and was told he is well. Now think about it, if the president is well, who is Shehu to speak to his doctor?

“If the president is not ill, why should people be circulating fake pictures?”

He told the protesters that they did not need to obtain a “license” from the police before expressing their rights.

Odinkalu also taunted the pro-government group, which held a simultaneous rally, saying if they had food on their table, they would not be hired for a counter protest.

“Nothing is bigger than trying to rescue our country. We are trying to make sure that Nigeria works for everybody. We came here as poor ordinary Nigerians armed with our national plan,” he said.

“President Muhammadu Buhari’s government is one that intimidates people. It is a government that just intimidated 2face. I told the security agencies that were here, we saw this under Jonathan, now we are seeing worse.

“Look at the crowd they are renting across there. Does this show a government that thinks, the things people complain under Jonathan is the same thing happening now, even worse.

“Under Jonathan many people were stealing, now under this government a few people are stealing. One person took money for IDP and government has cleared the person. It’s a shame, is it not a shame?”

https://www.thecable.ng/odinkalu-asks-useless-president-cannot-address-us

Why is the North ready for dissolution? What are the indices?

The biggest indices other Nigerians do not want Nigeria; so I don’t see why the North should insist on having Nigeria. That is the biggest index I have. And this is on the basis of the recent statements. The Nigerian elite are the ones undermining the existence of the country and as long as they remain in the fore-front as elite and politicians, so long as we are going to have problems, so long will Nigeria not have the rapid development that we had hoped to when we got independence in 1960.

Have we statements that are calling for the dissolution of this country?

No, there are, there are, there are; the Nwabuezes of this world. We sat with him a number of times, we argued, he is vehemently anti-North, anti-Hausa/Fulani. I spoke to him and he cannot deny this.

What I know they have been talking about is restructuring, that the country should be restructured

Which restructuring? What restructuring do you want? Initially, there was a bloc country broken into regions. The regions were broken into states and today, there are 774 local governments, mainly in pursuance of so-called grassroots participation in government. What else is there?

The only thing that we have not had…we had constitutional conferences so many of them. We had all these creation of states, which we were not able to do as civilians and we only waited for the military to come and do them and still people are saying that they are not satisfied with the structure as it is in Nigeria.

Are you sure you are speaking the minds of northerners because they will challenge you?

They are welcome. I am waiting for them. I am speaking my mind. I am a northerner and there are so many people who share my views and there are so many people who may not share my views, but I can assure you there are quite a number of people who share these views today.

The indicators are very clear. The North appears as if it is the one that should carry the can for Nigeria’s unity and this is not acceptable anymore. If Nigeria is beneficial to all Nigerians, so be it, but Nigeria should not be kept while the North is being blackmailed and that Nigeria unity should be at the expense of the North. So this is not acceptable anymore. So, the North is ready for dissolution, anytime.

If that is the case, how do we go about the dissolution?

Well, we can…the only thing I was going to say and I didn’t say is that we had all the constitutional conferences that we should never have had from colonial to post colonial periods; constitutional conferences every day, Nigeria is not working, what can we do; we kept doing all these conferences and so on.

The only thing we have not done which I prefer we do is Sovereign National Conference where the decision of the people will determine whether Nigeria stays as a country or people will go in as many separate ways as they choose. So there should be no more restructuring in terms of the geography of the country as far as I know that will make any sense, but restructuring politically, socially and so on …we made quite a number of mistakes.

For example I am one of those who don’t believe in presidential system. This is the first mistake Nigeria made, to abandon the parliamentary system of government and adopt this Karakara presidential system of government, which contribution to the Nigerian state is merely corruption, indiscipline and so on. For those of us who lived in the days of parliamentary system, we can say that there is more accountability in the system. You cannot be a minister unless you are elected from your constituency. But now, if you are a bootlicker and praise singer of the president, governor or local government chairman you are given a position.

But these conferences you attended were meant to address these issues you have raised. Yet the results of the sittings have not manifested. Why is this so?

This is the more reason why now we should have the last kind of conference which we did not have, Sovereign National Conference where the issues will not be tinkered with, just a simple resolution whether this is a country that we want to keep or whether this is a country we should divide in accordance with historical conveniences and so on and so forth. And this should be quite possible.

It would seem Nigeria is not moving forward because…

(Cuts in) This is the main reason. Because the political processes are still being controlled by the very leadership that failed us in the past and it looks they have reached the limit of their abilities and willingness to offer change.

Would that assessment be right?

Yes and no.

We have just talked about our founding fathers. They did very well. Do you agree?

Very well. The Azikiwes, the Awolowos, the Sardauna, they did very well for their regions and for the country for that matter. But the succeeding leadership that came on the basis of a major disruption which took place in 1966 is what we are living with today.

The instability in political, economic, social, religious spheres are all consequences of those hard times that we went through. Having led the country through a civil war, you do not expect General Yakubu Gowon, himself now a special man of God, good pastor, he wouldn’t wish that the Nigerian state that he fought and perhaps could have died for to disintegrate. Talk to any of these former military officers.

But he wanted it earlier?

Exactly, if you also recorded him you might want to remind him that but you wanted it earlier. It is just the weight of leadership. If you ask Buhari today…if I confront him with my idea that this country is not sacrosanct, he would hardly speak to me because he would say the country which he fought on her side and nearly died will not die under his hands.

He is a leader now, the same thing could have happened with Babangida and any former military officer, Obasanjo in particular. He talks about the Nigerian project all the time, but what did he do as president. Well, let’s excuse him during the military leadership he provided from Murtala to himself. It was all military, but he eventually became a civilian president. I was one of those initially…he may deny, but it may be difficult for him to deny I am not one of those who made it possible because when he declared for president I was sitting with him with his wife in Ota for his declaration.

He was not even a member of the PDP at the time. We have not recruited him into the party but we decided he should indicate his interest and that’s how they slugged it out under this power rotation, which we agreed on in the 1986 conference. I was the chairman of the power sharing committee and we agreed that for the peace of Nigeria, the democracy of one man, one vote perhaps needs to be modified so that everybody should be carried along at one point or the other.

If it was on the basis of one man, one vote, of course, the North divided as it may seem to you could always vote in one place like it did in the last election. We mobilized and people never believed. Each time I gave interviews they say the North is divided and I will say no the North is not and you wait and see how the North will vote.

Are you saying it is the votes of the North that brought Buhari in as president in 2015?

Northern votes, seventy percent of the votes.

Is it not a combination of the votes from the South-west because this is one contentious issue and…

(Cuts in) There is no contention here. South-west added value in terms of spread. Buhari’s votes were not much bigger than Jonathan’s votes in the South-west. Go and check the votes in the last election. They added value in view of the fact that there is a provision in the electoral law that there is need for a spread, otherwise we would run into a run-off when those conditions are not met, the spread that you should get certain percentage of the votes in at least certain percentage of the states.

So, to that extent, the South-west contributed, added value to the advantage that Buhari had to win the election first run. If that had not come, what remains in the constitutional, legal or electoral law is that a run-off becomes necessary and a run-off means that even if you win by a majority of one vote, you have won an election and given the fact that the votes cast in the North was 70 percent, Buhari will still win an election with the votes in the North. He would have won the election, perhaps in a run-off. If the run-off provides that simple majority is enough, that’s why Buhari would still have won the election.

Without the coalition with the South-west that brought about the merger, would there have been a platform like APC that…

No, no, no. There wouldn’t have been. The coalition is between parties. It just happened that these parties were regionally based. If you take, for instance, the contributions we had in terms of parties from the South, it is ACN in the South-west and a faction of APGA in the South-east. The remaining parties, CPC-North and ANPP again, North; these are the major elements that went to form the structure that formed the APC today.

Are you sure if these factions split now, Buhari can win the 2019 election?

We are not talking about candidates now for 2019 elections.

I am just asking you because from your analysis…

(Cuts in) No, you cannot ask me whether it is Buhari that is contesting election in 2019.

Let us assume he is the person going to run.

Okay, we should assume that he runs…

(Cuts in) Are you sure Buhari will win if you remove the factions and you leave it to the North alone?

If you go back to the situation we had or we created in 2015 for Buhari to have the highest votes that made him president, assuming the same condition will exist in 2019, he will win.

http://sunnewsonline.com/north-ready-for-nigerias-breakup-prof-ango-abdullahi-northern-elders-spokesman/

Spokesman of the Northern Elders Forum, a think-tank for the 19 Northern states, Prof. Ango Abdullahi may have unwittingly caused the settled dust of the need for Nigeria’s breakup into smaller units to rise and swirl around.

In an interview with Sunday Sun in his farm in Zaria recently, Ango, a politician, professor of Agronomy, one-time Vice Chancellor of Ahmadu Bello University who attended four constitutional conferences in Nigeria threw a challenge to those who think that the North is afraid of Nigeria’s disintegration into more basic constituents, saying the North was ever ready for the dissolution and that the way to go about it was through the calling of a formal meeting with complete powers to terminate the legal relationships between the constituent parts in Nigeria.

According to him, If we agree that we should live together as a people and as a country, so be it, but if the general consensus is that Nigerians want to go their separate ways either on the basis of ethnicity, culture, history or religion, why not; why not, adding, “if anybody tells you that the large informed opinion in the North is against the dissolution of Nigeria, he is telling you lies.”

Ango holds strong views when it comes to matters of regional combination of parts that works together well, but he says, “the only thing we have not done which I prefer we do is Sovereign National Conference where the decision of the people will determine whether Nigeria stays as a country or people will go in as many separate ways as they choose.” He spoke on other topical issues as well. Happy reading.


The governors of the 19 Northern States held a meeting recently in Kaduna. The key word and part of their concern was the unity of the North. As the spokesman of the Northern Elders Forum, I wonder if your forum is not worried about the disappearance of the once monolithic North. It seems the fabric of the unity of the North has been weakened. Or how do you think?

This should not surprise you if you only go back to history. In 1960, you had three regions in this country. It was in 1963 that the fourth region, the Mid-West region came into existence and each region had a constitution, Eastern region, Western region, Northern region and later Mid-West region constitution. So, we had three regions, virtually autonomous regions in 1960 up to 1963.
And if you look at the political set up at that time, what we had was a weak central formation called Central Government with certain responsibilities mainly having to do with Foreign policy, the Armed Forces and so on.

But most of the nitty-gritty in governance was left in the hands of the regions. There was the premier of Western Nigeria, Chief Obafemi Awolowo, the premier of Eastern Nigeria, Dr. Nnamdi Azikiwe and the premier of Northern Nigeria, Sir. Ahmadu Bello. Ahmadu Bello was the leader of the Northern People’s Congress, NPC, but given the importance of making sure that the North was governed properly, he gave up the idea of being the Prime Minister of this country even though he was the leader of the largest political party at the time that was controlling the federal legislature.
They decided that Abubakar (Tafawa Balewa) should go to the center, he will remain here in the North. The North under Sardauna was as diverse as it is today, but it is a matter of style of leadership and of course, the constitutional arrangement in existence at that time made the North one, what you described as it appears to be monolithic because to everybody the rallying point was Kaduna.

You used the word it appears and…

(Cuts in) No, I said it appears…and it was true, at least politically and legally that there was one rallying point, Kaduna. This was where the seat of government was. This was where the premier of Northern region was. This is where the governor of Northern Nigeria was. This is where the Houses responsible for legislative work affecting the region were all here in Kaduna.

So, every part of the North looked up to Kaduna as the place to solve problems affecting them, whether it was a local problem or a problem affecting the entire region. So, this is what made it…and of course, the style of leadership of the premier made sure that every part of the North felt North. And this is why all of us, irrespective of tribe and so on were referred to as Northerners.

I went to the University of Ibadan, the only University available in the country at that time and your name whether you are from Plateau or Benue is just “Mallam,” just Northerner that’s all and we accepted it. This is not to say that there was no diversity in the North. In fact, it was only in the North where you have, even during colonial times where you have active political activists operating in the region.

You have the Middle Belt Congress, NEPU, Borno Youth Movement, all were political groups that were contesting elections and were winning and having members in the Northern House of Assembly. So it is not true that the North was monolithic in terms of its ethnic diversity or in terms of its political activities or beliefs. In fact, it was the only region where I remember in 1979 where you had four political parties forming governments in different parts of the North.

The problem started at the point when civilian government was disrupted violently in 1966. That was the beginning. And the beginning there was obvious. Even at that point, various parts of the country believed that the best way to go was to go our separate ways, including then General Yakubu Gowon himself who became the Head of State after Ironsi was kicked out.

The basis of Nigeria’s unity no longer existed. This was the position. But some elders, particularly in the Mid-West area; one can recall the roles played by Chief Enahoro and quite a number of people like him who felt that there was still room for Nigeria to remain together and this is why they encouraged the Aburi meeting with Ojukwu and General Gowon and so on and so forth. That was the beginning.

When eventually the North and other parts of the country were broken into states, the legal and political cohesion that was known to be in the North began to wane because as I told you there was only one regional government, but by the time six states were created and six other states were created to make it 12 states structure, that was the beginning when some of the cohesion that was known to be Northern heritage, more or less, began to give way to some of these ethnic, cultural and religious issues and so on and so forth.

But even today when people like you talk, you still say the North, yet you are telling me here that…

Oh yes, the North has always been the North. It was the North before…I mean from 1914, the British created the North and created the South and later split the South into East and West.

That was up to a point

Yes, but as political units.

But even after the creation of states, you still talk as if the North is monolithic

Okay, this is your main concern. The North refers to itself as North. You will rather have us refer to ourselves as Northern States of Nigeria maybe.

But that is what it is

That is more comfortable for you.

But it is comfortable for people to say this is Yoruba Nation or this is Igbo Nation and so on.

That’s okay; but it’s not okay for the North to refer to itself as North. Is that not correct?

It’s like Nigeria’s sovereignty is negotiable from the way you are talking?

Absolutely, there is nothing sacrosanct.

But it is also clear that you are swimming against the tide of opinion of some other Northerners because they are also opposed to the negotiation of Nigeria’s sovereignty and her restructuring. Can you rationalize this?

No, no, no, no. I think all these appear to me as putting words into our mouth. If you agree with me, particularly in the history of nations around the world, you find numerous examples where countries started as one. India, 49 started as India; the following year it was India and Pakistan, another year it was Pakistan and Bangladesh; Bosnia recently, Soviet Union, super power, there are 15 countries now from what used to be one super power only 15 or so years ago.

There are so many countries like that around the world. Britain, the so called oldest democracy in the world only two, three years ago there was a referendum that Scotland wanted to leave the union and so on.

So, this is a continuing thing and there is no such thing as a permanent nation even if that nation is made up of one ethnic group. There are very few nation states around the world today. Nation state means that they are both a nation mainly perhaps of the same ethnic stock, linguistic group, historical and cultural group and so on and so forth and yet a political formation, very few. See what is happening in United States.

United States is an example of what happened in the recent election, but this is a country that is as diverse as when it was formed. As it is today it is more diverse. I was watching one of the demonstrations where they were saying “we are all immigrants. Nobody in American will claim that he is an American except the American Indian that is an indigene of the United States; we are all immigrants, depending at what point we arrived here.”

So you see, this is the same case here with Nigeria. When this constitution was fabricated…I attended four constitutional conferences in Nigeria. I was a member in 1986-87, 1995-96 and 2005, the Obasanjo political reforms conference. We refused to attend the so-called Jonathan national nonsense that he tried to do. So, I don’t agree that Nigeria is indissoluble.

I don’t agree at all Nigeria is a formation of people. If we agree that we should live together as a people and as a country, so be it, but if the general consensus is that Nigerians want to go their separate ways either on the basis of ethnicity, culture, history or religion, why not; why not. If anybody tells you that the large informed opinion in the North is against the dissolution of Nigeria, he is telling you lies.

Is the North really ready for dissolution?

Absolutely, absolutely, we are. It all depends on the selfish way people want to negotiate. I am 78 now and I also went to the only university in the country at the time in Ibadan. Nobody can tell me about the history of this country. I know a lot about it because I was very much awake and a grown up person to know what happened.

The people who argued for the creation of states in 1966/67 are the same people today who are asking for the restructuring of Nigeria with particular preference for regional arrangements. The South-west wants preferably a region, a region that was at one time under the leadership of Chief Awolowo, unless, of course, you are trying to ignore all the writings, all the things that had been written, particularly in their declaration called DAWN, Development Agenda for Western Nigeria, then you can ignore this.

The Biafrans where you belong, for example, are saying the same thing. Chief Ekwueme is my respected leader. He was in the 1995/96 conference. In fact, he led the Igbo socio-cultural group to the conference and their proposal in that conference was for Nigeria to become a confederate unit.

And of course, at that time, perhaps, there was still the feeling that some hopes still remain that Nigeria should paddle along and perhaps they will overcome some of these differences. His proposal for confederate arrangement was defeated in the conference. I was there. But when he got the opportunity to review the report of the conference, a committee was set up to look at the report of the conference. He was the one who really worked for these so-called geo-political areas that is totally unconstitutional.

They are not part of our constitution and this is one of the mistakes that the country is going through. Geo-political zones are not units in our constitutional arrangements. They are selfish conveniences of people who are perhaps clamouring for political positions, elective or otherwise, that are operating today to the detriment of good governance in this country.

Enoch Adeboye, general overseer of the Redeemed Christian Church of God (RRCG), said he could have graduated from the University of Nigeria Nsukka (UNN) if not for the outbreak of Nigerian civil war in 1967.

Speaking after the prestigious institution conferred an honorary degree of doctorate of divinity on him on Tuesday, Adeboye said Odimegwu Ojukwu, then the governor of the eastern region, had ordered non-Igbo to leave the eastern part of the country.

He disclosed that he gained admission into UNN in 1963, and his matriculation number was 1800.

“It was the order of the then governor of the Eastern region Chief Odimegwu Ojukwu that non-Igbo should leave the east; that was why I finished at the University of Ibadan,” he said.

“I am happy that a governor of Enugu state accompanied me today to UNN while the then governor of the eastern region sent me packing because of civil war; that is God for you.

“I am happy that the first degree I missed in UNN has been replaced with honorary doctorate degree.

“I thank UNN for finding me worthy of this award.’’

Adeboye urged Nigerians who had not given their life to Jesus Christ to do so, saying that life is meaningless without Christ.

“Please if you have not given your life to Christ; do not waste time; do so immediately as you come to the prayer rally I am holding in this University after this award,” he said.

Benjamin Ozumba, vice-chancellor of the institution, said the university created the special convocation to reward excellence.

“This is award is to an alumnus of UNN in the department of mathematics until 1966,” he said.

“Today special convocation is to reward excellence to man who through the anointing of Jesus has imparted much to humanity.

“Adeboye is man whose accomplishment speaks more eloquently and reverberates more clearly than the voice of orator.”

Ozumba said Adeboye was conferred with the honorary degree because of his immense contributions to mankind especially Christianity.

https://www.thecable.ng/adeboye-ojukwus-order-forced-unn

Despite the economic downturn in the country last year, over N56 trillion was moved through the electronic channels in the Nigerian financial system. This is asides the cash transactions done over the counter in the banking halls.

Total transactions through electronic payment platforms such as Automated Teller Machines (ATMs), Point of Sale Terminals (PoS), web payments, online transfers and mobile money from January to December last year hit N56.886 trillion.

According to the Nigeria Inter Bank Settlement System (NIBSS) which records and settles all electronic transactions in the country, online payments through the NIBSS Instant Payment (NIP) recorded the highest value, accounting for 67 per cent of total value of transactions while ATMs had the largest volume of transactions.

The value of funds that changed hands through NIP stood at N38 trillion which was done in 154.5 million transactions. On a daily basis, an average of 422,142 transactions had been done through the NIP channel as more Nigerians adopt the cashless policy of the Central Bank of Nigeria.

Nigeria Electronic Funds Transfer (NEFT) followed on value of transactions with N12 trillion which changed hands in 25 million transactions. A total of 607 million transactions had been done through the 17,398 ATM across the country. With a total of 29.24 million active cards, Nigerians had transacted N4.9 trillion through ATMs.

Although mobile money is yet to catch on in the country as is witnessed in Kenya, N756 billion had been transacted through the channel in the course of the year 2016. The number of mobile money customers in the country as at the end of last year stood at 5.54 million that are being cared for by 23,877 agents working for 21 Mobile Money Operators (MMO).

Likewise, goods and services worth N759 billion had been paid for using the 112,847 active POS terminals across the country. Payments through e-bills channel had the lowest volume of transactions of one million. Total value of transactions done through e-bills channel for the whole of 2016 stood at N339 billion.

Payments through webpay for 2016 stood at N132.36 billion which was done in 14.09 million transactions. NIBSS said in 2016, it has processed 11.7 million cheques with a value of N5.8 trillion. Corporate cheques accounted for the largest chunk of this figure as 5.9 million Corporate cheques valued at N3.7 trillion had been processed during the year while 2.7 million individual cheques valued at N0.94 trillion was processed.

Total bank accounts held in e country by banks at the end of 2016 rose to 96.22 million from 85.02 million in 2015, while active accounts rose from 58.97 million to 65.48 million by the end of last year.

http://leadership.ng/business/568323/nigerians-spend-n56trn-on-e-transactions-in-12-months

Femi Adesina, special adviser to President Muhammadu Buhari on media and publicity, says he does not know if his principal makes use of the clinic at the presidential villa.

Buhari is currently in the UK, where he is expected to undergo medical checkups.

Nigerians have been reacting to the decision of the president to seek medical attention abroad despite the huge amount allocated to the hospital in Aso Rock.

But speaking on Sunday Politics, a programme on Channels Television, Adesina said since he had not seen Buhari fall sick, he would not be able to say if the president uses the facility or not.

“I can’t say because when the president is at home, I have never seen him fall sick,” Adesina said in response to a question.

“But he has a personal physician who attends to him. But I would not be able to say categorically whether he uses the Aso Rock facility or not.”

He also debunked the rumours on the health of the president, saying Buhari is hale and hearty.

“The true state of the president’s health is that he is not ill. I have been in touch with the president and the people around him today, just as I was yesterday,” he said.

“The president is fine, and don’t forget, the statement we issued said he was going on holiday and during that holiday, he would do medical checkups.

“Holiday first, medical checkup, second, but some people want to turn it the other way round by saying medical checkup first, no it is a holiday… He is 74, even if you are not 74, you need to check your health. So, let’s not use the word ill because the president is not ill.

“You have what is called medical history where you consult people who are used to you, and your health. Before he became president, he was using those people, so it stands to reason that the same people continue to attend to him".

https://www.thecable.ng/dont-know-buhari-uses-aso-rock-clinic-says-femi-adesina

The United Kingdom (UK) is now in possession of a pile of evidence against former Minister of Petroleum Resources, Mrs. Diezani Alison-Madueke,courtesy of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission(EFCC).
Mrs. Alison-Madueke is earmarked for trial for corruption.

The inventory,The Nation gathered authoritatively yesterday,contains at least 15 choice assets in Nigeria and abroad.
These include a block of 6 unit service apartments on Awolowo Road,
Ikoyi,Lagos;six units of terrace flats in Yaba, Lagos;twin four-bedroom
duplexes in Lekki Phase I ,Lagos;two duplexes in Banana Island,Lagos;a duplex in Asokoro District, Abuja;a mini-estate in Mabushi, Abuja;a set of 12 terrace duplexes at Omaremi Street, Port Harcourt;a large expanse of land at Oniru, Victoria Island in Lagos;a multi-billion Naira estate in Yenagoa,Lagos;two apartments in Dubai marked as J5 Emirates Hills (30million Dirham); E146 Emirates Hills valued at 44million Dirham;a hotel in Port Harcourt under investigation.

Attached to the inventory were video clips of the properties,sources said.
A team of EFCC detectives was on standby yesterday to proceed to London to interrogate the ex-minister.
Sources familiar with her investigation by the EFCC told The Nation that all the evidence gathered by the anti-graft agency on Diezani had been handed over to UK investigators.

The Acting Chairman of the EFCC, Mr. Ibrahim Magu accompanied by some detectives took the evidence to the National Crime Agency in the UK.
“The evidence includes an inventory of more than 15 choice properties at home and abroad, her account status, documents and vital video clips,” the source said.

“The evidence was taken to London in preparation for her trial. In fact,
one or two persons indicted in the fuel subsidy scandal are already in
detention in the UK ahead of her trial.

Responding to a question, the source added: “We are also sending some EFCC detectives to the UK to interrogate Diezani on some issues. We need to obtain her statement too on certain allegations against her in Nigeria.
“We learnt that she has substantially ‘recovered’ and we want our team to interview her in London.
“When the trial begins, Nigerians will have a full insight into our
findings against the ex-minister.”

Continuing,the EFCC source said: “We have placed some of these properties under temporary asset forfeiture. We are still investigating some properties allegedly bought by the ex-minister through some proxies.
“But we have submitted a documentary on all these assets to investigators in the UK. We also discovered a box which was full of jewellery and expensive wrist watches in one of the properties with price tags.

“Some detectives who visited Nigeria from the UK inspected this box which we may transfer to the UK.
“On the $115million poll bribery scandal, we have video clips of how
electoral officials and politicians were hauling cash from banking halls.
EFCC does not engage in personal vendetta. Nigerians will know the truth at the end of the trial either in Nigeria or in the UK.”

http://thenationonlineng.net/corruption-uk-gets-evidence-diezani/

The Federal Government says it has so far released over N375m toward the implementation of its school feeding programme in five states, this year.

The Senior Special Assistant on Media and Publicity to Vice-President Yemi Osinbajo, Mr. Laolu Akande, made this known in a statement on Sunday in Abuja.

Akande said that the release of the amount was meant to feed almost 700,000 primary school pupils in the five states.

According to him, all states of the federation, except two, are now being processed for the payment of N30, 000 monthly stipends to 200,000 graduates, the N-Power beneficiaries.

Akande, who was giving update on the Federal Government’s Social Investment Programmes, noted that the programmes were proceeding at different stages of implementation.

He revealed that the government, last week, released money for the smooth implementation of the Homegrown School Feeding Programme in Anambra, Ogun, Oyo, Osun and Ebonyi, to cover the feeding for 10 school days.

“The sum of about N375, 434, 870 has just been released and paid to 7,909 cooks in those states for the feeding of a total of 677, 476 primary school pupils.’’

According to him, Ogun got a total of N119, 648, 900 paid to 1,381 cooks to feed 170, 927 pupils while Ebonyi got N115, 218, 600 paid to 1,466 cooks to feed 164, 598 pupils.

The presidential aide said that Anambra got N67.5m paid to 937 cooks to feed 96,489 pupils; Oyo state got N72.2m paid to 1,437 cooks to feed 103, 269 pupils, and Osun got N867,370 paid to 2,688 to feed 142, 193 pupils.

He said that all monies were paid directly to the cooks and covered 10 days of school.

Akande further disclosed that Zamfara and Enugu States would soon be paid N188.7m and N67.2m, respectively, later in the week.

“In Zamfara, the sum would be paid to 2,738 cooks to feed 269, 665 pupils, and in Enugu, the sum would be paid to 1,128 cooks to feed 96, 064 pupils.

“By then, over N631m would have been released so far in 2017 for school feeding in seven states, paid to 11,775 cooks and meant to feed over one million primary school pupils,’’ he added.

On N-Power, Akande stated that the process of payment of verified graduates, who were beneficiaries, had reached different stages of progress in the affected states.
He said that “more and more of such beneficiaries are posting their glad experiences of receiving alerts on the social media’’.

He maintained that the payment of the December, 2016, stipends which had gone across the country would be completed in all states except two that did not meet the extended deadline for the verification process for payment.

Akande disclosed that the processing of January, 2017 stipends were also at advanced stages.

He urged the beneficiaries with issues to remain patient as their cases were being looked into.

Akande said the payment of the unemployed graduates, which had created a huge buzz across the country, especially on the social media, was being done in batches.

http://punchng.com/fg-releases-n375m-feed-700000-pupils-five-states/

The Head of the Funds Transfer Unit of the Guaranty Trust Bank, Mr. Amazi Nwachuckwu, appeared before the Code of Conduct Tribunal on Tuesday, giving details of how the Senate President, Dr. Bukola Saraki, funded his offshore accounts between 2009 and and 2012.

Nwachukwu, who had within the period served at the Central Clearing and Foreign Operations Units of the bank, appeared before the CCT as the second prosecution witness in the ongoing trial of Saraki on charges bordering on asset declaration.

Saraki was the governor of Kwara State between 2003 and 2011 after which he was elected to the Senate.

The prosecution had alleged that the Senate President did not declare the foreign accounts to the Code of Conduct Bureau while being governor and a Senator during the period.

While being led in evidence by the lead prosecuting counsel, Mr. Rotimi Jacobs (SAN), he said the Senate President transferred funds to his foreign accounts between 2009 and 2012.

The witness confirmed that Saraki was keeping dollar, pounds sterling and naira accounts domiciled in the Ilorin, Kwara State branch of the GTB.

He said Saraki transferred over $3m from his dollar account to his foreign account during the period.

He also said Saraki transferred the sum of $73,223.28 to America Express Services Euro Limited, New York, through their bank, America Express Bank, New York.

He said, “Dr. Saraki filled the form in Kwara State Government House, Ilorin.

“He gave instruction to transfer the sum of $73,223.28 to the beneficiary America Express Services Euro Limited, New York, through their bank, America Express Bank, New York to account number 730580 maintained by America Express Service Euro Limited.

“The purpose of payment was funding for amounts utilised on AMEX (American Express) cards issued to the customer (dollar credit card no. 374588216836009).

“For his dollar account number 441/441953/2/1/0, the customer signed the fund transfer form. The form was received from the account officer in Ilorin branch. We then processed it and transferred it to our corresponding bank abroad.

“The corresponding bank then transferred it America Express Bank Limited.”

He said the transfer was for the “funding for amount utilised on the payment cards issued to Saraki.”

He said the former Kwara State Governor transferred the total sum of £1,526,194.53 from his pounds sterling account to his Fortis Bank, London account in three instalments within two days on February 15 and 16, 2010.

He also said the GTB also offered a N375m loan to Saraki through a letter dated February 10, 2010.

According to the witness, Saraki instructed GTB to transfer the pounds sterling equivalent of the loan to fund mortage on a London property.
He said, “In Exhibit 7 is a letter dated February 10, 2010.

In the 14th out of the 16 counts preferred against the Senate President, Saraki was said to have failed to declare his interest in “an American Express Service Card with No: 374588216836009 wherein you (Saraki) transferred huges sums of money in dollars from your Guaranty Trust Bank domiciliary account No441441953210 in Nigeria to the American Express Service, Europe, whilst you Executive Governor of Kwara State.”

The offence is said to be contrary to section 15 of the Code of Conduct Bureau and Tribunal Act, CAP. C15, Laws of the Federation of Nigeria, 2004 and as incorporated under paragraph 11(1) and (2), Part I o the Fifth Schedule to the Constitution.

It is said to be punishable under section 23(2) of the Code of Conduct Bureau and Tribunal Act as incorporated under paragraph 18, Part I of the Fifth Schedule to the Constitution.

http://punchng.com/saraki-funded-undeclared-foreign-accounts-banker/

The hope of the poorest and most vulnerable to experience a change in their standard of living since the inauguration of President Muhammadu Buhari in May 2015 may have been dashed, following an alleged hijack of the Federal Government’s monthly stipend meant for them.

The Presidency had two weeks ago announced the payment of the stipends to the poor through the Conditional Cash Transfer of its Social Investment Programmes.

The Senior Special Assistant to the Vice President on Media and Publicity, Mr. Laolu Akande, who disclosed this, explained that under the CCT, one million Nigerians would receive the stipend as a form of social safety net.

Akande said the exercise had commenced with the first batch of beneficiaries from three out of nine states the pilot scheme would cover already collecting the money.

Under the arrangement, he explained that Borno, Kwara and Bauchi states had started paying the money, while beneficiaries in Cross River, Niger, Kogi, Oyo, Ogun and Ekiti states would smile soon.

However, investigations by SUNDAY PUNCH correspondents in Borno, Kwara and Bauchi showed that top politicians were the ones choosing people to benefit from the scheme.

Potential beneficiaries also alleged during separate interviews with our correspondents that they were not carried along, despite the fact that they fall within the catchment area.

Also, contrary to widespread belief that the N5,000 will be shared per person, the administrators of the scheme in Kwara were observed giving N5,000 to an entire household.

KWARA

In Kwara, government had said 10,700 ‘households’ were currently benefitting from the first phase of the programme in the state.

But two factional Chairmen of the Peoples Democratic Party in the state, Mr. Iyiola Oyedepo and Mr. Sunday Fagbemi, said they were not aware that anybody or any of their party members had got the stipends.

The Senior Special Assistant to the Kwara State Governor on Media and Communication, Dr. Muyideen Akorede, however, insisted that 12 local government areas were participating in the first phase, while the remaining four LGAs would be considered for the second phase.

Akorede said the Kwara State Government was fully involved in selecting the beneficiaries.

He said the selection process was based on data collected for the World Bank-supported Youth Employment and Social Support Operation, where each community identified those considered as poor.

But Oyedepo said he was not aware that the payment had commenced in the state, adding that PDP was not carried along in the selection of the beneficiaries.

Expressing a similar opinion, Fagbemi said, “I have not heard of a single fellow from PDP that benefitted from such. The scheme should be for everybody.”

According to the state government, beneficiaries in the 12 councils of Asa, Ilorin West, Ilorin East, Ilorin South, Oke-Ero, Isin, Ifelodun, Offa, Edu, Patigi, Kaiama and Moro, have started benefitting from the scheme.

But some indigenes of Offa said they were not aware of the stipends being paid.

Among those who spoke on the issue with one of our correspondents were a 40-year-old commercial motorcycle rider, Omoboriola Abiodun; a 52-year-old petty trader, Mrs. Yusuf Adijatu; a 62-year-old grinding machine operator, Mrs. Lydia Oladele; a 50-year-old bread seller, Mrs. Racheal Olayemi; a 55-year-old bread seller, Mrs. Taibat Omojasola; and a 54-year-old motorcycle rider, Mr. Musliu Rahman.

Rahman said, “I have not heard of the scheme or the payment. I am not aware of any list of poor people in Offa. I don’t think poor people in Offa have received it and I have not been contacted by anybody over the payment of any stipend.”

A recharge card seller at the Muritala Muhammed Way, Ilorin, also stated that he had not benefitted from the scheme.

Likewise, a foodstuff seller at Oja-Oba (market), Mrs. Sadikat Monruf, and a street trader, Saka, said they had not been contacted by any government official concerning the scheme and that none of them had received any stipend.

BORNO

The situation got worse in Borno State as top politicians, including a prominent member of the Senate and a highly placed presidency official from the state, disagreed openly over the beneficiary list.

Few persons were said to have collected the stipend shortly before payment was suspended following a ‘fight’ between the two politicians.

SUNDAY PUNCH gathered that a manual social register was generated for the scheme which gave room for manipulation.

A top government official, on condition of anonymity, said, “It was the pressure mounted on the state government by the two political gladiators that made us settle for manual registration.”

Efforts to get the reaction of the state government failed as calls made to both the mobiles of the Secretary to the State Government, Usman Shuwa, and the Commissioner for Information, Dr. Mohammed Bulama, were not responded to as of the time of filing the report.

A social activist, Mr. Grema Terab, complained that the administration of the scheme was faulty from the initial stage in Borno.

He said, “The whole exercise was faulty from the inception in Borno; there was no way for many to be registered as there was no formal registration office or centre.

“The state was only able to initially register 6,000 out of its quota of 13,000 due to complacency on the part of those given the task of handling the registration.

“People have no easy access to the form as it was politicised by the coordinators in the state.

“There was no clear information on what they (the applicants) should do or how to go about it was given.”

Many Maiduguri residents also expressed dissatisfaction with the manner in which the scheme was being carried out in the state.

A resident, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said, “My name is on the register but I’ve not received payment. When some of us that had not been paid made enquiries last week, we were told we had a problem with our registration.”

Another resident, who also craved anonymity, asked the Federal Government to stop politicians from interfering with the beneficiaries’ list.

He said, “I am aware that two big politicians determined the list and with this, the real poor people won’t benefit. The government officials will keep the money and give out peanuts to those who go to their house.”

BAUCHI

SUNDAY PUNCH gathered that the payment of the N5,000 monthly stipend had yet to commence in Bauchi State, contrary to the presidency’s claims.

The Special Assistant to the Bauchi State Governor on Development Partners and Non-Governmental Organisations, Manu Soro, however, said his office had received confirmation from the Federal Government that the money had been disbursed to the state accounts.

He stated that 10,800 beneficiaries drawn from 12 out of the 20 local government areas had been captured in the scheme.

“We have received confirmation from the office of the Social Safety Net that payment has been effected by the Federal Government to the Interbank settlement system for onward transmission to the government-approved bank, which is Guaranty Trust Bank.

“Biometrics are being concluded and as soon as the internal processes in GTBank are concluded, beneficiaries will receive their money. Any moment from now, these funds will be available for them to access.”

Asked how the list was drawn, Manu said the state used a National Poverty Map as a guide to draw up the list.

He said officials carefully selected by the government went round the communities to get the list of the vulnerable and poor people.

He said, “The state Planning Commission, through the State Coordinating Unit, was saddled with the responsibility of generating what is called ‘single social register,’ which was generated in collaboration with the World Bank officials in the state.”

The Special Adviser denied allegations that only APC members were being considered for the scheme, stating that all those who qualified, irrespective of party affiliations, would benefit.

“We have no political interference in this scheme,” he said.

However, a stalwart of the opposition Peoples Democratic Party in Bauchi State, Yusuf Alkaleri, who spoke to our correspondent on the phone, said PDP members were not considered for the scheme.

He said the members were shocked to hear that the list had already been drawn.

He said, “To be very honest with you, no PDP member who is poor and vulnerable has been captured to benefit from this scheme.

“All we know is that a list was drawn and taken to President Buhari and he approved it. We didn’t know when they drew the list because it was done secretly. We don’t even know how it was drawn. They’ve made it an APC affair.”

A cross-section of poor and homeless people in the state capital told SUNDAY PUNCH that only people with links to politicians were beneficiaries of the stipend.

One of them, Abdu Hassan, said, “It is for only people who are connected to influential politicians. I have no salary, no pension, nothing. When I heard of the policy, I was happy because I felt I would enjoy it, but unfortunately, it was not so.”

Another respondent, Datua Manga, said, “I looked for the form to fill so I can be enrolled but didn’t get. I went to the National Identity Management Commission office three different times hoping that I will get the form but my efforts were fruitless.”

EKITI

As of Friday morning, over 700 out of the 3,600 beneficiaries on the list had received the N5,000 monthly stipend in Ekiti State, according to the Special Assistant to Governor Ayodele Fayose on New Media and Public Communications, Mr. Lere Olayinka.

But the state Commissioner for Information, Youths and Sports, Mr. Lanre Ogunsuyi, faulted the list being used by the Federal Government to pay the money, and insisted that it was different from that compiled two years ago by the World Bank.

Besides, he said, anyone operating a bank account should not be categorised as a poor person which the scheme was meant for.

According to him, the programme is bereft of definition and is deceitful as to who is qualified.

“It is highly politicised by the federal agencies handling it. The first set of states that qualified did so because they have a social register. But in the case of Ekiti, they jettisoned the social register.

“They are compiling their own list in the air. The modus operandi is also faulty because you can’t have a bank account if you are indeed poverty stricken. It is spurious that through out 2016 the Federal Government did not commit money to the scheme even after withdrawing from the account.

The people receiving the money are not the same people compiled by the World Bank; probably their names were compiled in a political meeting. It is possible that somebody benefiting from the state social scheme will still benefit from the Federal Government’s N5,000.

“We have 10,000 people benefitting under the state scheme with data capture and finger printing. We see their faces and pay them by hand. Whoever has a bank account cannot qualify to be a poor person because keeping a bank account pre-supposes you are saving some money for future needs.”

We’re using Jonathan’s register for disbursement – Presidency

The Presidency insisted that the disbursement of the fund was not designed to benefit only members of the ruling All Progressives Congress.

The Senior Special Assistant to the Vice President on Media and Publicity, Mr. Laolu Akande, said this in an interview with one of our correspondents.

Akande said the social registers being used to determine beneficiaries in the states were prepared about three years ago, “long before the inception of the present administration.”

He said, “The CCT was not designed with partisan consideration. The social registers being used were prepared by the World Bank about three years ago.

“We understand that some Nigerians will doubt the government’s intention because of their past experiences.”

Akande also disclosed that money had been released for all the nine states that were pencilled down for the pilot scheme of the programme.

The states are Borno, Kwara, Bauchi, Cross River, Niger, Kogi, Oyo, Ogun and Ekiti.

He said the current challenge in some states was how beneficiaries without Bank Verification Numbers would be able to access the fund.

He however said arrangements were being made with banks to ensure that the money got to the beneficiaries irrespective of where they reside.

http://punchng.com/top-politicians-hijack-fight-buharis-n5000-cash-poor/

The Federal Government has invited members of the Bring Back Our Girls group to be part of a short trip in a military operational flight into Sambisa forest in search of the missing Chibok girls.

The invitation extended to members of the BBOG, an advocacy group for the release of the missing school girls from Chibok, Borno, was contained in a letter dated January 11.

The letter signed by the Minister of Information and Culture, Alhaji Lai Mohammed, and addressed to Mrs. Oby Ezekwesili, the convener of the group was made available to the media on Saturday.

In the letter, the government asked the BBOG to nominate three of its members to join on the guided trip on January 16 in recognition of the unwavering commitment of the group to the release of the girls.

“The trip being planned by the military will see the ministers of Defence and Information, the Chief of Air Staff and Chief of Army Staff joining the invited BBOG members and a select group of journalists.

“They will first go to the Nigerian Air Force Command Centre in Yola to witness firsthand the efforts being made to search for the girls by NAF and then join the day and night sorties with the BAF to the Sambisa Forest.

“Please note that due to limited seats on the search plane, only two of the invited BBOG members will join the NAF sorties.

“After the sorties, the team will return to Yola for bidding by the NAF on their daily search for the girls as well as all those who have been abducted by Boko Haram.

“Departure is scheduled for 8:30a.m. at the Air Force wing of the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport on Monday the January 17, 2017, ” the letter reads in part.

The government stated that the trip would avail the BBOG the opportunity to witness and better understand the efforts being made to secure the freedom of the girls and other victims of Book Haram terrorists.

http://punchng.com/chibok-girls-fg-invites-bbog-search-sambisa/

The Police on Tuesday arraigned a hairdresser and driver before an Iyaganku Chief Magistrates’ Court, Ibadan for alleged engaging in public fight. The accused, Michael Godwin, 30, and Gbemisola Adejumo, both of NW6/116 Ayorinde street, Queen cinema, Adamasingba area, Ibadan, was arraigned on a two -count charge of public fight and polluting the atmosphere with faeces.

The Prosecutor, Sgt. Salewa Hammed told the court that Godwin and Gbemisola engaged in a public fight on January 5, at about 7:30am at their residents in Queen cinema area , Ibadan. Hammed said ” during the fight the two accused persons allegedly fought each other by pouring faeces on themselves thereby polluting the atmosphere with faeces.

“This makes it noxious to the health of the general public.” He said that the accused persons engaged in the fight over the use of toilet in the compound. “It was Godwin that first entered the rest room before Gbemisola knocked and asked Godwin to come out as she was pressed, later it led to a fight between them,” he said.

The prosecutor said the offence contravened section 83 and 247 (a) of the Criminal Code Cap 38,Vol.II Laws of Oyo State 2000. The accused persons, however, pleaded not guilty to the charges when read to them in court.

The Chief Magistrate, Mrs Abiona Richard granted the accused to bail in the sum of N75,000 with two sureties each in like sum. Richard said that one of the sureties must have a National Identity Card, while the second surety must be gainfully employed. The case has been adjourned till March 3, for hearing.

http://www.vanguardngr.com/2017/01/2-court-allegedly-smearing-faeces/

Presidency official blames negative economic growth

Multiple negative growth recorded in the economy in 2016 has been identified as one of the reasons the Chinese government withheld a $20 billion concession loan earlier promised Nigeria upon due verification, The Guardian has learnt.

A top Presidency source privy to the development told The Guardian that the Federal Government had been hopeful that the Chinese government would release the loan last year, given the relationship between the two countries, but expressed disappointment that the money was withheld.

The action of China may well be an indication of the loss of confidence in Nigeria’s credit worthiness by the global financial community. Analysts have predicted that the current economic downturn would dent the country’s credit worthiness. The situation has increased the concern over Federal Government’s ability to borrow the $30billion for infrastructure development, which the National Assembly has refused to approve.

According to the source, government immediately swung into action after the President’s return from a visit to China as well as the follow-up visit of the Budget and National Planning Minister, Udo Udoma, to immediately fulfill the conditions for accessing the loan.

“We were very hopeful that we would secure that loan and other levels of assistance from the Chinese government. This is not to say we have given up though. We had set up an inter-ministerial committee working closely with the Chinese government officials as well as the China Exim Bank experts. They may have their reasons, but we are determined to fulfill our end of the bargain, and the Federal Government has already appropriated large sums for payment of counterpart funds on key projects to enable us to commence work proper,” the source said.

In 2015, China had, at a summit of the Forum on China-Africa Cooperation (FOCAC) held in Johannesburg, South Africa, pledged a $60 billion assistance to countries on the continent, including Nigeria, to develop and grow their infrastructure and human development capacities.

The move was not surprising as China had remained the continent’s top trade partner for six consecutive years.

The Chinese government said $35 billion had been set aside for concessionary loans, out of which about $10 billion was to go into the China -Africa Fund for Production Capacity. About $5 billion each was earmarked as non-interest grants for China-Africa Development Fund, and special loan schemes for the development of Small and Medium-Scale Enterprises (SMEs) among qualified African countries. The funds were said to have been on ground for prompt disbursement.

The Federal Government had last year planned to raise a total of N2.2 trillion through external borrowings from China and other foreign finance institutions to fund the deficit in the 2016 budget, the implementation of which it said would continue till May 2017.

Unexpectedly, the nation’s Gross Domestic Product (GDP) – which measures the market value of all final goods and services produced in a period, suffered a steady decline from quarter to quarter in 2016, sending negative signals to investors and lowering Nigeria’s credit worthiness in the international financial market.

In the first quarter (Q1) of 2016, the Nigerian economy contracted by -0.36%, followed by further contraction by -2.06% in Q2, even as the slide continued in Q3 to -2.24%.

Hopeful that the concession loan and other categories of financial assistance from China would be approved early, President Muhammadu Buhari led a delegation to Beijing in April last year to make a strong case for the country.

This was, however, not to be, as the Chinese government was advised by its economic experts who visited Nigeria for physical assessments to exercise caution, citing the shrinking economy and falling value of the naira.

They also alluded to high risks in diverting the loan to projects not specified in the agreement and requested a direct monitoring of the projects, in addition to the need for full compilation of all current trade agreements between the two countries till date, The Guardian learnt.

A team of experts from China Exim Bank had also expressed fear of possible mismanagement of the funds and requested an overhaul of some of the priority areas presented by the Federal Government for closer study on their viability and sustainability.

The Chinese financial experts, it was further learnt, expressed reservations about some areas the Federal Government was keen on investing the loan, saying they did not fall in line with the FOCAC vision.

However, a ministry official, who pleaded anonymity, in a text massage response to The Guardian, said: “All appropriate loan prospecting options by the Federal Ministry of Finance are on course, and are undergoing normal process of negotiation,” without giving further details.

The National Assembly has refused to approve the $30 billion worth of loans until the executive provides details of what they are meant for, even as there are speculations that the refusal was more political than economic as the executive had opposed the provision for constituency projects in the budget.

http://guardian.ng/news/why-china-withholds-20b-concession-loan-to-nigeria/

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Ekiti State governor, Mr. Ayodele Fayose, on Wednesday, in Lagos, again faulted the recent claim by the Federal Government that 21 Chibok Girls were recovered from the enclave of Boko Haram out of the over 200 girls which the dreaded sect abducted over two years ago.

The Ekiti State governor also insisted that the claim made by the President Muhammadu Buhari led government that it has commenced payment of N5,000 each monthly to 1million poor Nigerians was not true as no more in the state had received such payment.

Addressing newsmen in his Lagos residence, Fayose said there was no iota of truth in all the claims ever made on the 21 recovered Chibok Girls, the payment of N5,000 each to 1million Nigerians and promise to feed school children, pointing out that the government was always ready to lay such claims each time they were being pressured by Nigerians.

“You should remember that it was when these Bring Back Our Girls reacted, when it became issues that they quickly made arrangements to douse that tension because it was consuming them,” he said

“This Christmas was consuming enough, now inside the paper yesterday, they said they have started the N5,000 payment to 1million people. The food for students, have they started?” he added.

Speaking essentially on the Chibok Girls’ issue, the Ekiti State governor said, “Let me tell you again, I have said it severally that there is no iota of truth in the recovered Chibok Girls. My name is Ayo Fayose, quote me again, there is no iota of truth and I will prove it to you.

“One, those girls and their hired mothers were trained for more than three months. One of the reporters of Punch wrote on that incident in the Villa and said that as they were trying to approach the girls, they were quickly taking away by security agents. They (journalists) were not allowed access to them.

“They gave this lady who was supposed to be doing physics exams when they were abducted to read address, she couldn’t read the address. All Nigerians, we cannot all be gullible.

“Let me go further to let you know. In theatre, none of you knows each other except you are theatre practitioners. You now come together, they now hired you to come and act this part and that part. They carried them and trained them together, this story would be told by Nigerians one day.”

The governor, however, urged newshounds in the country to do more of investigative than reporting, wondering why the Federal Government had failed to reunite the affected girls with the families since.

“And let me say it to you, this question you need to unravel, the press needs to unravel this question. Why are these girls not returned home? If you stole my daughter two years ago, so when my daughter now came back, so she will still not come to me, you now took them for Christmas and returned them to Abuja. Something is wrong.

“Then somebody brought a flag and Quran from Sambisa Forest, flag that can be designed by any road side mechanic and you are celebrating on television. Let us stand to reason. Let us go beyond reporting, let’s do more findings,” Governor Fayose said.

http://tribuneonlineng.com/fayose-faults-fgs-claim-recovery-21-chibok-girls/

General Ousman Badjie, Gambia’s army chief has reaffirmed his loyalty to embattled President Yahya Jammeh, as the deadline given by the West African regional bloc, ECOWAS gets closer. “May I please seize this opportunity to renew to your Excellency the assurance of the unflinching loyalty and support of the Gambia Armed Forces,” General Badjie wrote in a letter to Jammeh published today in a pro-government newspaper.

Jammeh initially accepted his defeat in the Dec. 1 election but a week later reversed his position, vowing to hang onto power despite a wave of regional and international condemnation. West African regional bloc ECOWAS has placed standby forces on alert in case Jammeh attempts to stay in power after his mandate ends on Jan. 19. Jammeh has called the bloc’s stance “a declaration of war”.

Many Gambians, who have lived through 22 years of Jammeh’s increasingly authoritarian rule, were stunned when the elections commission declared opposition figure Adama Barrow the winner of last month’s election. Jammeh’s initial acceptance of the result sparked nationwide celebrations.

Badjie declared his allegiance to Barrow soon after the poll results were announced, according to a spokesman for the president-elect. However his position remained unclear following Jammeh’s dramatic about-face. In an illustration of the growing pressure on Gambian officials as the Jan. 19 deadline looms, Alieu Momarr Njai, the head of the elections commission, fled Gambia on Friday due to fears for his security, family members said. Last month Gambian security forces seized control of the commission’s headquarters, which holds the original poll records and told staff, including Njai, to leave.

Over the weekend Gambian security agents closed three private radio stations, making it harder for the incoming government to communicate with its supporters. “It is a sign of weakness for any side of the political spectrum to resort to media closures rather than engagement to put one’s position across,” Barrow’s office said on Wednesday in a statement that also called for the release of detainees.

Leaders of ECOWAS member nations have dismissed Jammeh’s move to challenge his election defeat before Gambia’s Supreme Court on Jan. 10 and say they will attend Barrow’s swearing-in this month.

http://www.vanguardngr.com/2017/01/stand-jammeh-gambian-army-chief-declares/

Not the first time though

The Hollywood sign's first iternation as "Hollyweed" was 41 years ago, on New Year's Day 1976, when an art student scaled the peak for a class project.

Los Angeles residents awoke early Sunday morning to see that one thing, at least, looked different in the New Year: the Hollywood sign.

Armed with four tarpaulins, a prankster had climbed Mount Lee under the cover of night to edit the iconic landmark, which was changed to "HOLLYWeeD.”

Security footage recorded at 3 a.m. Sunday showed a “lone individual” climbing up the mountain, scaling the sign’s ladders and hanging tarpaulins over the O’s to change them to E's, said Sgt. Guy Juneau of the Los Angeles Police Department’s Security Services division.

It could have been a New Year’s Eve prank, Juneau said, or the work of “a thrill seeker.”

The surveillance footage showed a man dressed in black, tactical-style gear. One of the tarpaulins was decorated with a peace sign, and another with a heart.

Because the sign was not damaged, the incident will be investigated as misdemeanor trespassing. The police have no suspects.

Some Angelenos joked that the alteration reflected California’s recent vote to legalize recreational marijuana.

The New Year’s Day change is far from the first time the Hollywood sign has been edited by artists and pranksters.

The sign, erected in 1923 as an advertisement for a housing development, originally read “Hollywoodland.”

Mother Nature became the sign’s first editor, knocking out the H in a violent storm in 1949. The Hollywood Chamber of Commerce restored the letter, but removed the “land” the same year.

On New Year’s Day of 1976, the sign became “HOLLYWeeD” for the first time — the work of Cal State Northridge student Daniel Finegood, who scaled Mount Lee with $50 worth of curtains.

The modification was his project for an art class assignment on working with scale. He earned an A.

The first iteration of “Hollyweed” was also the first day that California classified possession of up to one ounce of marijuana as a misdemeanor, rather than a felony.

In 1983, the sign was draped with the words “Go Navy” before the annual Army-Navy game. Later that decade, Caltech students edited the sign to spell out the name of their school.

In 1987, the sign became “Holywood” to mark a visit by Pope John Paul II. But the prank was undone before the pontiff arrived in Los Angeles.

In the decade that followed, edits to the sign got political at least twice. The first time was in 1990, when Finegood scaled the peak again and changed the sign to read “Oil War,” to protest the Persian Gulf War.

Five days before the 1992 presidential elections, supporters of independent candidate Ross Perot draped sheets across the landmark to spell out “Perotwood.”

Tired of the unsanctioned changes, city officials eventually enhanced security with a fence, alarms and a surveillance system that captured Saturday’s prankster.

Most recently, in 2010, the Trust for Public Land modified the sign to read “Save The Peak.” (As the banners went up, Angelenos snapped photos that read “Sallywood” and “Save the Pood.”)

That edit publicized a fundraising effort to purchase Cahuenga Peak, the 138-acre parcel just to the west of the sign, following reports that the land’s owners had been planning to build luxury housing there.
A helicopter flies over the iconic 450-foot-long Hollywood sign after activists covered it with banners during an effort to prevent the building of houses on the nearby Cahuenga Peak.

http://www.latimes.com/local/lanow/la-me-hollywood-sign-hollyweed-20170101-htmlstory.html

It was revealed yesterday that the 47 Sports Utility Vehicles and 100 motorcycles the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) recently recovered from a former Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Power were bought for former President Goodluck Jonathan’s campaign in the 2015 general election.

The sum of N1.5 billion with which the vehicles were acquired was allegedly sourced from the diverted N27 billion insurance premium of deceased workers of Power Holding Company of Nigeria (PHCN).

All the vehicles were said to have been paid for by the former Permanent Secretary, Dr. Godknows Igali, to aid the campaign efforts of the Goodluck/Sambo Campaign Organisation in the build-up to the presidential election.

The EFCC was said to have intercepted the vehicles and motorcycles after an alarm was raised by an artisan.

An EFCC source said yesterday that there was “overwhelming evidence” against the former Perm Sec.

Another source, who spoke in confidence, said the 47 vehicles were seized from some secret locations where Igali had kept them.

More than 100 motorcycles parked at a facility in Mabushi Area of Abuja were also confiscated by the EFCC.

The confiscated items include SUVs, Toyota Coaster buses, Toyota Hilux trucks and 16-seater buses.

The source said: “Igali had allegedly secured the hefty heist in well-guarded premises in an upscale neighbourhood of Abuja.

“But luck ran out on him when an artisan called to fix a faulty utility vehicle became curious over the avalanche of the state of the art vehicles parked in the premises and tipped off the EFCC.

“The commission immediately commenced discreet investigation.

“In the course of investigation, it discovered that all the vehicles were supplied by Dilly Motors at the instance of Igali.”

The source claimed that about N1.5 billion paid for the vehicles was allegedly sourced from the diverted N27 billion insurance premium of deceased workers of the Power Holding Company of Nigeria (PHCN).

The cash was allegedly laundered by Igali through Baseworth Insurance Brokers in order to cover his track.

The source added: “It was initially difficult to determine the source of the funds with which the vehicles were purchased as it did not come directly from Igali’s account.

“But a breakthrough came as the EFCC stumbled on evidence of a curious payment to Dilly Motors from the account of Baseworth Insurance Brokers Limited, a company that was under investigation in another case of alleged diversion of N27 billion insurance premium of deceased staff of the Power Holding Company of Nigeria.

“In one of the transfers, N300 million was paid to Dilly Moors from the account of Baseworth Insurance Brokers.

“Operatives of the Commission were curious to determine the service which Dilly Motors rendered to Baseworth Insurance Brokers to warrant payment.

“Dilly Motors, on interrogation, allegedly admitted that the N300 million was part of the N1.5 billion paid by Igali for the purchase of vehicles for the Goodluck/Sambo Campaign Organisation to prosecute the 2015 general election.

“Igali was earlier this year arrested by the Commission and made a statement after which he was released on administrative bail.”

At press time, it was learnt that the EFCC was finalising plans to arraign Igali in court.

A top EFCC source said: “We have substantial evidence against Igali. He is going to face trial any moment from now.

“In profiling Igali, our detectives discovered that he is a kinsman of ex-President Goodluck Jonathan and he assisted the Gooodluck/Sambo Campaign Organisation with vehicles by diverting public funds for such illegality.

“Actually, Igali had made useful statement and our detectives have spent the last five to six months to conduct diligent investigation.

“There is a prima facie case against him. It is left for the ex-Permanent Secretary to prove his innocence in court.”

The Nation had exclusively reported on October 10 that the EFCC had frozen N6,811,846,443.05 in the accounts of some companies belonging to a cousin to ex-President Goodluck Jonathan and Bestworth Insurance Brokers Ltd.

The frozen cash was part of the N27,188,232,208.20 benefits of the deceased employees of the defunct Power Holding Company of Nigeria (PHCN), which were diverted.

Out of the amount, the sum of N951,637,223 only deducted FIRS VAT and WHY was paid through Diamond Bank and UBA Plc for direct credit to the Federal Inland Revenue Service (FIRS).

About N26,236,594,986 was looted by some top officials of the former Jonathan government, including the purchase of vehicles for the Goodluck Jonathan Campaign Organisation.

These highlights were contained in the report of EFCC on the diversion of the benefits of dead PHCN workers.

The EFCC said in part: “Sometimes in 2014, above named (names withheld) conspired amongst themselves and used Bestworth Insurance Brokers Ltd to divert N27,188,232,208.20 from the Federal Government of Nigeria through the BPE.

“The said account was originally approved to be released to Great Nigeria Insurance Plc (GNIP) as Group Premium Insurance (death and accident) claim to the next of kin of ex-PHCN staff who died in service and those that suffered incapacitation from accidents.

“Both covert and overt investigation aimed at determining the veracity of the information was discretely carried out into the Insurance Brokers Ltd domiciled with Skye Bank, Unity Bank and Keystone Bank.

“Efforts were also made to locate, identify and profile the operation of the company at both their Kaduna and Lagos offices.

The totality of these efforts led to the following findings:

“That the FGN decided to privatise the PHCN through BPE. The proceeds from sales were remitted to the OAGF.

“That the Federal Ministry of Power and the Federal Ministry of Labour in a bid to resolve a dispute emanating from the staff of the PHCN over unpaid insurance claims diverted the matter to BPE who advised that the claim be paid from the proceeds of the privatised PHCN.”

The EFCC gave the details of how the fraud was perpetrated by convincing the National Council on Privatization (NCP) to approve the disbursement of the funds.

The report added: “That the National Council on Privatization (NCP) during its third meeting held on 4th August 2014, amongst others, recommended the release of N27,188,232,208.20 to Great Nigeria Insurance Plc as settlement of insurance claim which the President approved.

“Based on the above, on the 10th December 2014, the sum of N26,236,594,986 was released to Bestworth Insurance Brokers Ltd of J415 Ibadan Street, Kabba road, Kaduna .

“The principal proprietor of the company is yet to be arrested and the sum of N951,637,223 only deducted FIRS VAT and WHY was paid through Diamond Bank and UBA Plc for direct credit to FIRS.”

The EFCC said it has frozen about N6.8 billion in more than nine accounts and seized a N585 million property from a former Chief of Staff.

It said: “Bestworth Insurance Brokers Limited maintains a corporate standard current Ac No. 1771645118 with Skye Bank Plc; Ac No. 0025251085; 0025860162; 0025872242 with Unity Bank and Ac. No 1040199787, 10052599665, 05102001142, 107102000361; 10440359482 with Keystone Bank Plc. An order has been obtained from a court of competent jurisdiction to freeze these accounts to aid recovery.

“Further investigation disclosed that the insurance broker distributed these funds to various companies including a company controlled by a cousin to former President Goodluck Jonathan into whose account the sum of N2.5 billion was paid.

“This Commission has traced and frozen the sum of N2 billion in the accounts at S/No (f) above in a related case being investigated involving the company while the suspect was charged to court.

“Similarly, the sum of N1 billion paid in four instalments was traced to Kebna Studios and Communication Nigeria Ltd controlled by a former DG of BPE.

“The sum of N300 million was equally traced to Dilly Motors Ltd who produced documents that indicated delivery of vehicles to the Goodluck Jonathan Campaign Organisation worth more than N1.5 billion and that part of these included the said money traced to the company.

“Investigation has established a direct link between the recovered vehicles and the N300 million paid to Dilly Motors Ltd.

“Meanwhile, a credit balance of N2,004,846,443.05 traced to Bestworth Insurance Brokers Ltd Skye Bank Acct No: 17711645118 has been frozen. Forfeiture proceedings shall be initiated for the purpose of full recovery.

“Other transfers made to accounts of Bestworth Insurance Brokers Ltd domiciled with Unity Bank Plc were also traced and the sum of N2,507,000,00 found in the accounts were frozen for possible recovery.

“The investigation is yet to be concluded.

“The development is however worrisome as persons entrusted with the keys to the nation’s treasury conspired amongst themselves to loot hapless citizens and the families of the deceased employees of PHCN of their much needed benefits.”

http://thenationonlineng.net/revealed-seized-47-suvs-100-motorcycles-bought-jonathans-campaign/

More than 500,000 Nigerians may lose their jobs at Seme border if the ban on importation of vehicles through land borders comes into full effect.

The Association of Nigerian Licensed Customs Agents disclosed this during a media briefing in Seme on Wednesday.

The customs agents added that the government risked losing monthly revenue of N600m and an annual revenue of N12bn.

According to them, in the past one week since the ban was announced, revenue generated by the customs from the border had dropped considerably owing to fears by importers who have been reluctant to order new vehicles before the January deadline.

The Chairman of ANLCA, Seme Chapter, Mr. Bisiriyu Fanu, who indicated that more than 600 vehicles were cleared daily across the border, said that the decision by the government to ban the importation of vehicles through the land borders would affect the well-being of 500,000 Nigerians and other nationals involved in legitimate business and trade facilitation along the Lagos-Abidjan corridor.

According to him, the people affected will be drivers, small-scale traders, food vendors, freight forwarders, licensed customs agents, insurance and other allied agents.

He said, “ANCLA urges the Federal Government to reconsider the ban because vehicle importation through the land borders has provided employment for over 500,000 Nigerian graduates who would have ordinarily been roaming the streets due to unemployment situation in the land.

“Such a policy in the past had led to serious revenue leakages and massive smuggling along the border areas as well as waste of human and material resources because there are thousands of unapproved access routes through which these consignments can enter Nigeria.

“Once this policy is enforced, all unapproved access routes will be activated by smugglers who are known to conceal goods in fuel tankers, cement trucks and vehicle engines. “

Fanu noted that the action might ignite another form of crisis along -the border areas in the South-West, North-Central and North-West, where smugglers could do anything to achieve their aim. “Furthermore, a period of three months would have been more appropriate to enable vehicles on board to berth for clearance if the government, with all its electioneering promises, is still bent on going ahead with the implementation of the policy,” he said.

One of the agents, the Chief Executive Officer of Fleming International Agencies Limited, Mr. Khally Momodu, said that the Customs made N1.2bn in the first quarter of 2016 from the border, adding that 70 per cent of that revenue was from vehicle importation.

“On Wednesday, December 21 alone, we made N70m from vehicle importation. Between Thursday December 22 and today, (Wednesday December 28,) no significant revenue has been generated,” he said.

http://businessnews.com.ng/2016/12/30/customs-agents-oppose-vehicle-importation-ban/

National Population Commission (NPC) and the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS) have put the current figure of Nigeria’s population at 193,392,517.
This is just as the Federal Government proposed a total budget of N9.799 billion for the NPC in 2017, which, according to the sources, is a little above the United Nations’ estimate of 186,988,000.

It will be recalled that the national population census was last conducted in Nigeria in 2006 when the total figure was put at 140,431,790.

According to the latest population forecasts released by NBS, in its website www.nigerianstat.gov.ng, Kano remains the largest state, by an estimated population figure of 13,076,892 than the population of Lagos which is put at 9,113,605.

However, there exists a sharp contradiction in the actual population figure of Lagos, as both the United Nations and Lagos State government put the population of Nigeria’s commercial capital at about 22 million.

The 2006 census figures put Kano population at 9,401,288 and that of Lagos at 12,550,598.

Some highlights of the latest estimates indicated that there are 98,630,184 males with 94,762,333 females.

Also, the population figure of infants within the age bracket of zero to four years, according to NBC and NBS, constituted the largest percentage of the population with 31,116,156, followed by the figure of those between five to nine years with a population of 27,549,964.

An analysis of the figures showed that Nigeria currently had an estimated population figure of 78,971,690 of those between the ages of 15 to 39.

According to the analysis, there were 106,257,431 people within the working population of 15 to 64 years.

It also showed that despite Boko Haram insurgency, which has ravaged substantial parts of the North-East since 2010, the population figure increased substantially.

From a population of 21,614,789 in 2010, the six states of the North-East is currently put at 26,263,866.

Six south-west states of Lagos, Ondo, Ogun, Oyo, Osun and Ekiti states, according to the analysis, grew from 31,533,821 in 2010 to 38,257,260.

The analysis also showed that Kaduna retains its position as third most populated state with 8,252,366 inhabitants followed by Oyo with current population estimate of 7,840,864, which outpaced Katsina now with a figure of 7,831,319.

In 2006, Katsina’s population followed that of Kaduna State while Oyo was in the fifth place.

Bayelsa maintains its position as the least populated of the 36 states of the federation with an estimated figure of 2,277,961.

Anambra is the most populated state in the south-east with 5,527,809 inhabitants while Rivers State leads in the south-south region with 5,198,716 people.

For the north-east, Bauchi is the largest state in terms of population with a figure of 4,653,066 while in the case of the north central, Benue leads with 5,741,815 inhabitants.

According to the details of 2017 budget proposal submitted to National Assembly, by President Muhammadu Buhari, NPC will fully commence preparation for 2018 population census during 2017.

A stakeholders’ conference to present the 2018 census instrument to gulp N50 million, would hold during the year while N41.7 million has been earmarked for training of staff in Washington, for data collection and interviewing techniques.

There is also a proposal for N1.950 billion to be spent on field demarcation and another N1 billion is expected to be deployed to acquiring satellite imagery.

http://tribuneonlineng.com/nbs-estimates-nigerias-population-now-193-3-million/

Sa’ad Abubakar lll, the sultan of Sokoto, has asked the upper chamber of the national assembly to reject the bill seeking equality for male and female children in the sharing of inherited family wealth or property.

The bill also proposes that a widow should be entitled to the custody of her children unless it is contrary to the interests and welfare of the children.

It also says a widow should have the right to remarry any man of her choice and should have the right to a fair share in the inheritance of her late husband’s property, and the right to live in her matrimonial home.

But speaking at the closing ceremony of the 20th Zamfara State Annual Qur’anic Recitation Competition, Abubakar said the bill was against Islamic religion and, therefore, unacceptable to Muslims.

“Our religion is our total way of life; therefore, we will not accept any move to change what Allah permitted us to do,” he said.

“Islam is a peaceful religion; we have been living peacefully with Christians and followers of other religions in this country. Therefore, we should be allowed to perform our religion effectively.”

The monarch appealed to the red chamber not to consider the bill because of its religious implications.

He also hailed the federal government and Nigerian army for the capture of Sambisa forest from Boko Haram insurgents, describing it as historic.

“We are happy to hear this good news; we are, therefore, calling on the Nigerian army not to relent in its efforts in fighting the activities of Boko Haram,” he said.

He called on Muslims to continue to pray for peaceful coexistence in the country, advising them to cooperate with all the tiers of government to move the country forward.

https://www.thecable.ng/sultan-tells-senate-reject-gender-equality-bill