₦airaland Forum

National Vice Chairman, PDP South-South, Dr. Cairo Ojougboh
* Says party may sanction guilty members
The ongoing anti-corruption stance of the President Muhammadu Buhari-led federal administration has received the surprise endorsement of the top leadership of the opposition, Peoples Democratic Party.
Top leaders of the party under the aegis of the Body of National Vice Chairmen of the PDP met on Tuesday and affirmed their support for the current fight against corrupt practices in the land, stating that those members found guilty risk sanctions.
In the same vein, the Vice Chairmen insisted that the party is not a corrupt group, adding that what has happened was that all the corrupt elements had since found their way out of the party.
While expressing their support, the party leaders said that if corruption is not eradicated the growth of Nigeria as a nation will remain stunted.
The group urged the President to also investigate some of his serving Ministers and associates that even more grievous allegations have been levied against.
In a communiqu issued by the Body at the end of the meeting, the party chieftains expressed their support for the anti-corruption drive of the Buhari’s administration.
At a meeting held on the 29th December in Abuja, the body expressed great concern over the various allegations and charges against some PDP members that served in the immediate past Government, saying that the Party dissociates itself from any of its members so indicted.
"The body affirms that if corruption is not eradicated, the growth of Nigeria as a nation will remain stunted. We therefore dissociate the party completely from any corrupt practices while the Party was in power.
"The body notes with great concern the various allegations and charges against some PDP members that served in Government, even as these allegations and charges are yet to be proven, we call on the President to also investigate some of his serving Ministers and associates that even more grievous allegations have been levied against.
The group said as a party, it dissociated itself from any of its members so indicted.
The communiqu signed by the National Vice Chairman PDP South-South and Secretary Body of PDP Vice Chairmen, Dr. Cairo Ojougboh, reads:"Any member so convicted shall also face intra-party disciplinary action and will be severely sanctioned accordingly.”

whitecloth:
That's a good news, I never knew we've stepped up to that level o, God bless my country Nigeria.

click like if u hope we can manage it well,share if u dont.

Nigeria has made history in the global space technology market by becoming the first country in the Sub-Sahara Africa to manage a foreign satellite.
This followed the emergence of Nigerian Communications Satellite (NigComSat) limited, the operator of NigComSat-R, the Nigerian Communication Satellite as the winner of a bidding process to provide In-Orbit test (IOT) and carrier Spectrum Monitoring (CSM) services for Belintersat-1 Satellite.
This was announced by China Great Industries Corporation (CGWIC), a renowned satellite manufacturing company in China and a technical
partner to NigComSat.
The Head Public Affairs, NigComSat, Adamu Idris, who revealed this on Wednesday during a media parley in Abuja, said the operation will
commence on 16 January 2016, the official date for the launch of the Belintersat-1 in Belarus and will last for a period of 15 years.
Adamu said the bid was a keenly contested exercise between Nigeria and other bidders with over 20 years of experience in satellite management.
According to the General manager satellite Operations, NigComsat, Danjuma Ndihgihdah, Nigeria won the bid due to the high capacity of her ground facility at NigComSat base in Abuja, her human capacity resource, and the confidence reposed in NigComSat by the Chinese giant (CGWIC).
With this feat, Nigeria becomes the first African nation to compete at the international stage as a major player in space technology.
Idris said, the winning of the bid by Nigeria represents a milestone for the country and a clear manifestation that NigComSat and indeed Nigeria has developed the capacity to provide highly technical services in the satellite communication industry.
On the benefits derivable from the leasing services, he said Nigeria would rake in revenue from the 15 years service provision to
Belarus and build more capacity for Nigerian engineers, as well as open more frontiers for Nigeria as a global player in the space.
In addition to the traditional services of transponder leasing, he stated that NigComSat would be providing broadband services, enterprise solutions, secured communications and solutions amongs others over Nigeria and other 35 African countries such as Gabon, Cote D’Ivore and Ghana.
On security, he said that the agency has been offering the security agencies with communication services.
Belintersat-1 is a communication satellite owned by the government of Belarus, manufactured and due for launch in January 2016 by CGWIC.
The NigComsat-1R was launched in November 2011, as a replacement to the NigComSat-1 shortly it was de-orbited by the agency at no cost following its technical failure.
It was designed as a regional satellite with four bands to serve about 35 African countries.
Meanwhile, the Minister of Communications will be leading Nigerian delegation to witness the launch of the Belintersat-1 in January 2016, and to discuss other related partnerships and ways to further improve, deepen and strengthen the Sino-Nigeria relationship

THE Federal Government, yesterday, explained how it would fund the N5,000 monthly welfare payment to vulnerable Nigerians just as it reaffirmed that the Boko Haram insurgency had been technically suppressed.
Minister of Information and Culture, Alhaji Lai Mohammed
Mohammed, who was accompanied by his Special Assistant, Mr. Segun Adeyemi, was received byVanguard’s Editor-in-Chief, Mr. Gbenga Adefaye and Acting Editor, Mr. Eze Anaba, said beneficiaries of the N5,000 monthly payment would be required to meet conditions, including enrolment into the country’s development agenda.
The minister also disclosed that the insurgents had been restricted into two local government areas of the 30 local government areas they controlled at the onset of the Muhammadu Buhari administration.
Funding of N5,000 welfare scheme
On how the funding of the N5,000 welfare scheme would be achieved, Mohammed said: “What we want to achieve by our social intervention of which the conditional transfer is just one part, is to move out millions of Nigerians from poverty. That is why we have this half a trillion naira social intervention.
“Part of what we intend to do with the half a trillion naira is to train market women, artisans and unemployed graduates in the art of management and also give them loans to start their own businesses. Part of our social intervention also includes the transfer of N5,000 to the most vulnerable people.
“And we are being partnered in this by the World Bank and other multilateral organisations. It has been done in many countries before and we believe that it can be done here. Many people have written ridiculously about N5,000 and claimed that it is not up to what they spend on recharge cards. And we said yes, those who are writing such things are not the average Nigerians we are seeking to help.
“If you look at the lady who is selling water melon or pawpaw, she does not have up to N5,000 capital. People don’t know that N5,000 can be meaningful for many Nigerians because they are too comfortable in their corners. They do not know that N5,000 can make the difference between life and death for many Nigerians.
“Many people have died because they cannot afford transportation to the health centres. We are grappling with the reality on ground and we know that this conditional cash transfer is working in some states and it is being piloted by DIFID. In Jigawa, Yobe, and Kano, a British group is tying the conditional N5,000 transfer on a pilot scheme.
“When we say conditional transfer, it means that you must show evidence that you have enrolled your children in school and immunised them. It is not just that we are giving you money free, you must also show evidence that you have complied with some obligations. We know it works because it has increased school enrolment, led to a drop in mortality rate and decline in stunted growth.
“Apart from blockages and savings, there are many government institutions today, who ought to be returning money to the treasury but they are not doing so. We know that some organisations made over N20 billion last year but returned less than N100 million to the treasury.
“This is why the idea of the Treasury Single Account is so important to us. We are going back to the basics. We believe that the money for this project will come from savings, budget and prudent management. Also we are going to have support from multilateral organisations, especially in the area of cash transfer. Again some of these projects are not just recurrent, they are also capital in a way.”

Ekiti State Governor, Ayodele Fayose has described Sunday and Monday’s Boko Haram attacks in Borno and Adamawa States as disheartening and an indictment on the All Progressives Congress (APC)-led Federal Government.
Fayose said the Minister of Information and Culture, Alhaji Lai Mohammed must explain to Nigerians how the same Boko Haram that he said had been ‘technically defeated’ could carry out such daring and deadly attacks.
The governor, who commiserated with the government and people of Borno and Adamawa States, especially those who lost loved ones in the attacks, said: “In other countries of the world, the government would have taken responsibility for deceiving and misleading the people and apologised.”
In a statement by his Special Assistant on Public Communications and New Media, Lere Olayinka, Fayose asked: “If Boko Haram had indeed been technically defeated as Lai Mohammed made Nigerians believe, what do we call the Sunday and Monday attacks in Maiduguri, Borno State capital and Madagali, Adamawa State?
“Should we say that the ‘technically’ defeated Boko Haram insurgents ‘manually’ attacked Borno and Adamawa States, killing close to 100 Nigerians and injuring several others?
“Only Lai Mohammed who told Nigerians that Boko Haram had been technically defeated can tell us what happened and he must have to explain how ‘technically defeated’ insurgents could carry out such deadly attacks.”
Governor Fayose, who urged the APC-led Federal Government to stop deceiving Nigerians, especially on the Boko Haram insurgency and its anti-corruption fight also said: “This governance by deceit must stop. Nigerians deserve to know the truth concerning how they are being governed.”

Suspected hoodlums on Friday disrupted the peace of fun seekers at the National Theatre, Iganmu, Lagos, the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports.
Many people who had come to the premises to spend the Christmas day lost their valuables during the incident which occurred between 4.30 p.m. and 5 p.m.
The venue suddenly became chaotic as members of the public, who had come for relaxation and sightseeing took to their heels following the activities of the suspected hoodlums.
But the Police at the National Theatre Post eventually apprehended some of the suspected hoodlums.
Mr Philip Patrick, a 19-year-old student, told NAN that he just saw people running all over the premises of the theatre.
“I came here with my siblings to spend the Christmas day.
“We were having a picnic sort of, and all of a sudden, we saw people running in different directions; we also saw a `danfo’ bus move speedily around the complex.
“No one could really explain exactly what was happening but we had to run for safety first.’’
Patrick said that there were many pickpockets around.
“There are also a lot of pickpockets around harassing fun seekers.
“One of them took my camera but returned it immediately when I saw his hand coming out from my pocket.
“I also saw the same man take items from other people,’’ Patrick said.
Mrs Anabel Gbenro, a teacher, said that the incident was terrifying.
“I have come here with my family to give them a tour of a historic place in our country.
“The next thing we saw was people running to different directions.
“It is annoying that hoodlums are roaming everywhere here taking items from innocent people who are trying to relax their nerves.
“The security should be tighter; the police should increase their surveillance,’’ Gbenro said.
Miss Precious Ukawuike, another fun seeker, said that more should be done to restore the glory of the theatre.
“We cannot even go inside the theater; on a day like this, we cannot go inside to see how it is.
“It is sad that a lot of our young generation, especially those living outside Lagos do not know what the National Theatre is.
“I also think that people with demeanor which are visibly questionable
should be further scrutinised by security agents to prevent them from harassing harmless citizens,’’ Ukawuike said

godoluwa:
I'm not ashamed to be against APC adminsitration & all APC Zombies & here are some of the reasons why I dsilike APC & their followers.

1. APC has nothing good offer the masses

2. They are always happy anytime boko haram strike during the tenure of GEJ

3. Buhari never contributed anything on how to end boko haram menace during GEJ era instead
his party always used the loss of peoples lives to convince the masses to vote for their party
To the best of my knowledge, anybody that has the love of his people in his heart will not
folds his arms while the country burns simply because he is an opposition to the party that
is in power. lets take the recent attack in France as a case study, the opposition leader
didnt use the attack to canvass vote for his party but instead he gave his advice on how to
prevent future occurence of such incidence[color=#990000][/color]
GEJ has his own bad sides but his tenure is far better than OBJ tenure.
carefully looking at the people that made up PMB cabinets shows that APC is a party of deceit
which still practice come & chop your own types of politics.
some will say 6months is too short to judge a party at the national level but I want you all
to carefully investigate how impoverised most of the APC governed states are.
Take Osun state as a case study, some people says Aregbesola was unable to pay workers salaries due to the
fact that Osun states allocations was slashed by GEJ admisnistration, GEJ is out since 7months ago but Aregesola
is yet to pay the workers. APC never said anything about Aregbesola opon imo scam despite
the millions spent on that white elephant project.
Recently, we heard that Okorocha spent over 600million on Christmas village while he owes workers
about 4months salary.
Here in Oyo states, Ajimobi is owing Oyo states workers salaries, & for over 4 years of
Ajimoni tenure there is no reasonable projects that his administration can boast of. The
proposed Technical University is now a white elephant despite the millions that Ajimobi
administration claimed to have spent with nothing to show for it.
Now, public school student pays school fees still APC claims they are offring free education.

The recent elections in Bayelsa & Kogi shows what the future of elections in Nigeria will
be.
Has APC ever condemned the activities of any of their governors that maltreat his people? instead
they will keep mute while the people languish in suffering.
Any political party or politician that plays politics with loss of citizen lives is wicked.

Some will take this post as a message of hatred, some will call it disjointed but before the end of first quater of next year,
many eyes will be opened to reality.

President Muhammadu Buhari on Thursday told Nigerians that the change slogan of his party, the All Progressives Congress, is not a mere campaign gimmick but a promise that must be kept.
He said his administration was determined to bring about tangible changes in the lives of Nigerians.
Buhari made the promise in his 2015 Christmas message to Nigerians.
The message which he personally signed was made available to journalists on Thursday by the Media and Publicity Office of the Presidential Villa, Abuja.
The President said efforts would be intensified to recover stolen funds, block revenue leakages and enthrone due process, transparency and accountability.
He urged Nigerians not to allow current socio-economic and security challenges in the country to dampen their expectations for a better Nigeria.
He said his administration had taken a number of measures to restore hope to the people, adding that the 2016 Budget defines his government’s commitment to giving Nigeria a new lease of life.
He said, “Our change slogan is not a campaign gimmick but a promise that must be kept.
“We are determined to bring about tangible changes in the lives of our people.
“In this regard, efforts will be intensified to recover stolen funds, block revenue leakages and enthrone due process, transparency and accountability.
“Public office is a public trust that must be held to the highest ethical standards. I wish all Nigerians a Merry Christmas. Please drive carefully.”
While felicitating with all Nigerians, on this year’s Christmas, Buhari asked them to use the occasion to rededicate themselves to the virtues of peace, love, honesty, justice, equity, piety, humility and service to others which Jesus Christ taught.
He added, “There can be no doubt that a greater manifestation of these virtues and ideals in our lives will immensely help us to become a more united, peaceful, secure and progressive nation

A certain woman, identified as Aisha Musa, who was reported to have been kidnapped and impregnated by Boko Haram militants, has given birth, after the militants had killed her family and forced her at gunpoint to become a ‘jihadi ‘bride.
In an interview with CBS news, the rape victim, cum mother of one, revealed how she had been living in the crowded ‘Minawao’ refugee camp for seven months and survives by selling corn meal at the local market.
Aisha said, “They show you a gun, and then whatever they say you have to follow their command. He would lock me up during the day and rape me at night.
“He would go on operations and kill people, and then come home and force me to be with him,” she added.
Aisha, reports revealed, was rescued by the Cameroon military, but the worst of her ordeal was finding out she was impregnated by her rapist.
“I am not enjoying that I have a baby from a Boko Haram man,” she lamented.
Aisha noted that she never saw the said Chibok girls but said she often heard the fighters speak of them.
Like many of the other girls, the Chibok girls were reportedly forced to marry the militants

Christmas is definitely in the air. You only need to go to the nearest market in your neighbourhood to know that a lot of shopping is going on in preparation for the feasting on Friday.
However, as you plan to cook tomorrow, don’t buy meat that has been fattened with hormones and genetically modified feeds.
One of such meat is chicken. Nutritionists say that when it comes to buying a healthy chicken, it is better to buy organic farm animals.
Organic or free-ranged animals are fed only with naturally grown feed and plant sources. Also, organic animals cannot be given hormones or medical pills. These animals are treated differently from factory-farmed animals.
Organic farm animals include cows, pigs, chickens, and turkey that are fed only grass and other organic feeds. Nutritionists say that such meat reduces ones risk of food poisoning and infections.
According to them, organic animals are usually very healthy because they are fed with naturally grown foods.
Explaining why they are better than factory-reared animals, nutritionist and dietician, Dr. Segun Alonge, says that since free-ranged chickens are not fed with antibiotics, artificial hormones, or the bovine human growth hormone, otherwise known as rbGH, and they do not eat genetically modified foods nor have their genes modified, they contain natural nutrients that are safe for the body.
Alonge notes that organic beef, poultry and more also contain no pesticides, herbicides, fungicides, chemical or synthetic fertilisers, nitrates, nitrates or preservatives that can harm the body.
He adds, “It’s not filled with toxins, chemicals, and drugs. All meat contains fat. And much like your body, fat on animals is where toxins are stored. Hence, growth hormones and antibiotics fed to cows and chickens end up in their fat.
“Eating organic meat and poultry decreases your risk of being exposed to residues of pesticides and synthetic chemicals, such as DDT, PCBs, dioxin, and more, which end up concentrated in animal fat. Such chemicals can contribute to a number of health problems, including excess weight gain and other infections.”
Also, studies show that animals, especially poultry fed with grass, contain higher levels of conjugated linoleic acid and omega-3 fatty acids, which reduce the risk of heart disease and cancer.
The American Nutritionist Society, in a report titled ‘Go Organic’, states that grass-fed animals, otherwise known as free-ranged animals, have two to four times more omega-3 fatty acids than meat from grain-fed animals.
It states,“ Omega-3s are called “good fats” because they play a vital role in every cell and system in your body.
For example, of all the fats, they are the most heart-friendly. People who have ample amounts of omega-3s in their diets are less likely to have high blood pressure or an irregular heartbeat.
“Remarkably, they are 50 per cent less likely to suffer a heart attack.Omega-3s are essential for your brain as well. People with a diet rich in omega-3s are less likely to suffer from depression, schizophrenia, attention deficit disorder (hyperactivity), or Alzheimer’s disease.”
The ANS notes that since organic animals are reared under ethical and conducive conditions, their meat is less likely to be infected when compared to infection rates in factory-raised animals.
“Factory-farmed animals live in feedlots that prevent normal growth and development. Infections spread faster among animals that are grown in a caged environment. The chances of spreading infections in organically raised animals is minimal because they get to experience the outdoors grazing on grass and wandering freely on the farm,” it adds.
Factory-farmed animals could also make you sick. Alonge states that to reduce your chances of contracting food-borne diseases through meat, buy and eat organic animals

About one year ago, Nigeria averted what would have become the most explosive and complex Ebola outbreak in any single country in history. On July 20th 2014, an infected and ill Liberian traveler came into the country through the Murtala Muhammed International Airport, Lagos and began to expose unsuspecting Nigerians right from the airport to the Private Hospital (First Consultant Hospital Obalende) where he was admitted. The man who died in the hospital on the 25th July 2015 initiated a chain of transmission of the disease that spread from Lagos to Port Harcourt and resulted in 19 other cases and seven deaths. Through a rare dint of sacrifice and commitment by some healthcare workers, the outbreak was brought under control within three months in what has been described by the World Health Organisation (WHO) as a "spectacular success story".
Unfortunately, it is surprising that this victory, unparalleled in the history of Nigeria's Public Health sector, has not been adequately recognised by the Federal Government of Nigeria. This is despite receiving numerous accolades internationally. For instance, the health care workers at the Ebola Emergency Operations Centres (EEOC) in Lagos and Port Harcourt who made sacrifices and rare commitments to fighting the strange and poorly understood disease, at a time of intense fear and uncertainty were never publicly recognised.
Consequently, non-actors, passive spectators, opportunists and even survivors of the disease have been going around parading themselves as the "Heroes" that fought the Ebola outbreak in Nigeria. Some of them have even shamelessly gone ahead to shoot fictitious films, publish articles in international and national print media and made presentations on television and at international fora dangerously distorting the true history of the Ebola fight in Nigeria. Additionally, with the help of these individuals, some powerful international media organisations now ascribe the success of the response hugely to external expertise.
On July 15 2015, President Barack Obama honoured eight American professionals as heroes in the Ebola war. Speaking at the White House, he said: "Thanks to their skill, thanks to their courage and their dedication, they not only helped keep the American people safe; they led a global response". In the future, history books will quote Mr. Obama's words that "America led the global response to Ebola". Where is the voice of Nigeria's President when his citizens actually provided hope to the world that the West African outbreak could be defeated and showed how it could be done?
The leadership provided by the Governors of Lagos and Rivers States during the outbreak remains unrecognised by the Federal Government largely because the PDP Government at the helm of affairs in 2014, did not want to promote the efficient and effective leadership provided by these two APC governors.
Worse still, a section of the Nigerian media has been used to project the health workers at the First Consultant Hospital, Lagos as the Ebola Heroes. This is despite the hospital failing in its obligation to prevent further transmission of the Ebola infection to its hospital staff if they had observed basic infection prevention and control procedures. It should be recalled that the hospital lost some of its health workers to Ebola while others survived, and all of them were detected and managed at the Ebola Treatment centre, Yaba Lagos through the effort of some brave and courageous Nigerians who worked at the EEOC. While highly commending the role of a senior doctor at the hospital, Dr. Stella Adadevoh who notified the public health authorities of the first suspect case from Liberia and prevented his escape from the hospital, but unfortunately later succumbed to the disease herself, projecting this only as the foremost reason why the Ebola outbreak was stopped in Nigeria amounts to a desperate attempt to turn logic on its head and trivialise the tremendous and exceptional efforts that went into stopping the outbreak. Having said that, Dr. Adadevoh was a courageous and thorough professional who should be recognised for her contribution to the Ebola fight as stated above

Prof. Pat Utomi has described budget process in Nigeria as “a joke”, disclosing that he prefers investing his “valuable time” into more profitable things than analyzing the Nigeria’s budget.
According to him,“Twenty years ago, I was one of those who began in January by analysing the budget and then you come to December, and you see the problem of implementation. And after a couple of years, I said this is rubbish. I am not going to talk about budget anymore, because we somehow do not have the discipline of the budget process.
“There isn’t elite discipline or in fact intent to do what is proper. So, I am not sure why I should spend valuable time I could spend doing other things discussing such a document. As a citizen I am interested in things working, but when I know things are not working, you don’t expect me to get into the justification of it.”
Prof. Pat Utomi noted that Nigeria is currently experiencing a ” huge national crisis”, averred that the potentials of the country are being “lost because it is not being led”
His words,“We are in the middle of a national crisis, huge national crisis, and people are carrying on as if it is just a few queues”.
“What our country is dealing with is huge financing gap, we use to earn so much, we are now earning this much, if we pretend nothing has changed, then we will go into an economic spiral downturn that will just keep going”.
“Nigeria is a country dying to be led and because it is not being led the potential is being lost.”

President Muhammadu Buhari has assured Nigerians that his administration is fully aware of the current hardship experienced in the country due to economy challenges.
The President said this on Tuesday while presenting the 2016 budget at a joint session of the National Assembly in Abuja.
In his speech, President Buhari said: “I know the state of our economy is a source of concern for many. This has been further worsened by the unbridled corruption and security challenges we have faced in the last few years.
“From those who have lost their jobs, to those young people who have never had a job, to the people in the North East whose families and businesses were destroyed by insurgents, this has been a difficult period in our nation’s history, lessons that we must not forget or ignore, as we plan for the future.
“Fellow Nigerians, the confidence of many might be shaken. However, I stand before you today promising that we will secure our country, rebuild our economy, and make the Federal Republic of Nigeria stronger than it has ever been.”
He further noted that the answers to Nigeria’s problems are not beyond us, saying: “They exist on our farmlands; our corporations; in the universities in the hearts and minds of our entrepreneurs; through the gallantry of our Armed Forces; and the resolute spirit of Nigerians, especially the youth, who have refused to give up despite all the obstacles confronting them.
“This Budget proposal, the first by our Government, seeks to stimulate the economy, making it more competitive by focusing on infrastructural development; delivering inclusive growth; and prioritizing the welfare of Nigerians.
“We believe that this budget, while helping industry, commerce and investment to pick up, will as a matter of urgency, address the immediate problems of youth unemployment and the terrible living conditions of the extremely poor and vulnerable Nigerians.
“In the medium to longer term, we remain committed to economic diversification through import substitution and export promotion. This will build resilience in our economy.
“It will guarantee that the problems we have today, will not confront our children and their children. This shall be our legacy for generations to come.
“We have, and will continue to implement strategies that will maintain macroeconomic stability and manage the oil price shocks we are experiencing.
“On the economy, we injected new leadership at the helm of our revenue generating agencies including the Federal Inland Revenue Service (FIRS), Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC), Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC), and the Nigerian Customs Service (NCS). We implemented the Treasury Single Account (TSA) which, so far, has provided greater visibility of Government revenues and cash flows.
“We intervened to support States to navigate their fiscal challenges by restructuring their commercial bank loans and by providing facilities to enable them to pay salary arrears.
“We have demonstrated a strong will to fight corruption. I am sure you will agree that the sheer scale of corruption and impunity of the past explains in part, the economic challenges we now face.
“On these initiatives, and the many more to come, we shall not be deterred. We will pursue the recovery of everything that belongs to the people of Nigeria. No matter where it is hidden. No matter how long it will take.”
The projected revenue was N3.45 trillion, with an outlay of N4.49 trillion, implying a deficit of N1.04 trillion, due largely to under-provisioning by the previous administration for fuel subsidy and the costs required, to support the military operations in the North East
lalasticlala

The Federal Government has warned telecommunication company, MTN that it would not be intimidated by its court action over the N1.04trn fine imposed on the company which was later reduced to N780bn, stressing that it stands the risk of another fine if it fails to meet up the December 31 deadline.
This was disclosed in a statement issued by the Minister of Communications, Adebayo Shittu, on Monday while reacting to the suit filed by MTN at a Lagos High Court over the weekend.
Speaking through his Special Assistant on Media, Victor Oluwadamilare, the Minister however admitted that MTN had the right to seek the court’s interpretation if it feels unsatisfied with the action of the regulator but made it clear that the government would not hesitate to impose additional fine on the operator if it fails to pay at the expiration of the deadline.
Shittu said, “it is the right of MTN to approach the court but there was an infraction, which MTN admitted to have committed before it pleaded for leniency that led to the reduction of the fine from N1.4 trillion to N780 billion and the subsequent December 31, 2015 deadline to pay.
“If it has decided to go to court, it is still within the ambit of the law. I will not intervene, since they have gone to court, we will allow the court to decide if it is right for MTN to commit those infractions and breach the laws of the land.”
“it is unwise for MTN to go to court after the Federal Government had magnanimously reduced the fine. It will surely be fined for violating the rule at the expiration of the deadline, should it fail to pay the initial fine.”
Meanwhile, the telecommunications company has explained that its action was induced by commitment and belief in the long term sustainability of its business.
According to the company’s Human Resources & Corporate Services Executive, Amina Oyagbola, “the N780 billion fine has potentially dire consequences for the company, its employees, partners, stakeholders as well as the entire Nigerian telecommunications industry.
“Being a significant contributor in Nigeria, MTN has an obligation to protect the interests of its ecosystem of millions of Nigerians who are directly and indirectly affected by its business operations and continuity.”
Oyagbola continued that “the decision to seek judicial determination was reached after careful consideration of all factors, including extensive attempts at a sustainable resolution. It is important to state that seeking judicial determination was a last resort. We hold the Nigerian Government, its national objectives, laws and regulations in the highest regard.”
She, however, added that notwithstanding the action, the company will continue to engage with the Nigerian authorities in an effort to reach an amicable resolution in the interest of all stakeholders.
It would be recalled that the NCC had sanctioned MTN for refusing to remove over 5.1 million unregistered telephone subscribers from its network.
The regulator fined the telecoms operator N1.04 trillion, but later reduced it by 25 per cent after the intervention of President Muhammadu Buhari, amid pressure and negotiations from the company’s parent body in South Africa.
The NCC also reviewed the deadline from November 16 to December 31, 2015http://dailypost.ng/2015/12/22/fg-to-slam-another-fine-on-mtn-if-they-fail-to-meet-december-31-deadline/

Minister of Information, Lai Mohammed, has declared that Nigerians were now paying for the sins of the past government.

He said the Jonathan government owed oil marketers ‎huge debts in oil subsidy payments, such that they have stopped importing the product in the last couple of months, hence the biting scarcity.

Asked by State House correspondents to explain the scarcity to the nation, Lai said: “What I will be telling Nigerians is that what we met on ground is such that we are paying for the sins of the last administration”.

“I am being very serious. You remember that about two weeks ago, we had to go to the National Assembly for a supplementary budget of N674 billion. Of that figure, N522billion was for arrears of fuel subsidy which was incurred as far back as August last year”.

“One of the reasons for the fuel scarcity was the inability of the last government to make adequate provision for fuel subsidy”.

“We do face some other logistic problems but majorly, we are paying for the sins of the last administration”.

Asked what the solution the government was now proffering, the Minister said:“The first thing we have done now is to make sure that unlike before when the marketers used to import the major percentage of the fuel, NNPC has been involved in importation”.

“This is because some of the marketers had stopped importing for a couple of months. If you see any fuel anywhere today, it is imported by the NNPC”.

“We also inherited the vandalisation of the pipelines which has made it impossible for us to even transport the fuel. In tanks today we have 14 days reserve and off tank we have 10 days reserve”.

“The issue is not non-availability of the product; it is the distribution because of pipelines that have been vandalised and the gridlock in Lagos”.

“It takes about five days for anybody to take fuel with tanker in Lagos. As at two days ago this matter has been resolved. The Mosinmi pipeline has been secured and it has led to the improvement in the distribution.‎”
http://www.thebreakingtimes.com/jonathan-to-blame-for-fuel-scarcity-says-lai-mohammed/

The Osun state Governor, Ogbeni Rauf Aregbesola on Sunday handed a seven-day ultimatum to striking medical doctors in the state to return to their duty posts or be sacked.
The state government, while issuing the warning, threatened that any doctor who fails to return to his or her duty post on or before expiration of the seven-day ultimatum, beginning from December 18, 2015, would be considered to have voluntarily resigned his or her appointment.
Medical doctors in the state have been on strike since September 28, 2015.
In a statement by the Permanent Secretary, Human Resources and Capacity Building, Mr. Sunday Festus Olajide, the state government condemned the industrial action embarked upon by the doctors, stressing that the striking doctors did not show understanding like other labour unions in the face of the present financial challenges confronting the state.
The statement said, “Despite series of appeals from the government to medical doctors in Ladoke Akintola University of Technology, LAUTECH, the Teaching Hospital, Osogbo, and other government health institutions, to show understanding during this period of national challenges on public finance, the striking doctors have remained adamant.
“It lamented that the doctors have continued to draw their salaries in the last two months and still remain at home, thus eating their cake and still having it.”
Describing the strike embarked upon by the doctors as illegal, the government said they did not follow due process, thereby breaching their professional Hippocratic oath.
The statement reads, “It is sad to note that while all other professional workers in the public service of Osun State have been showing understanding and are offering useful solutions through their leadership in several ongoing meetings of the Government/ Labour Unions’ Committee on Revenue and Payment of Salaries/Critical Expenditures of Government, medical doctors in Osun State have chosen to remain on strike for more than two months, thereby paralysing government policy on health services to the people of our dear state.
“In the interest of the health of the generality of the people of Osun State and to put paid to this unwholesome situation, Governor Aregbesola has directed that all medical doctors on strike should resume work in their various health centres and institutions without further delay,” it added.
Lalasticlala
http://dailypost.ng/2015/12/21/aregbesola-orders-striking-doctors-return-to-work-in-7-days-or-be-sacked/

Vice President Yemi Osinbajo has said more evidence of change will be announced by President Muhammadu Buhari in a 2016 budget to be presented to National Assembly tomorrow.
The Vice President spoke yesterday in Dutse, Jigawa State capital while receiving over 3000 People Democratic Party (PDP) members into the All Progressives Congress (APC).
Osinbajo, who was represented by the Speaker, House of Representatives, Yakubu Dogara, explained that “more evidence of change would be realised when the president presents the 2016 budget estimate to the National Assembly”.
He added: “Parts of the change seen so far are 130 bills introduced in the House of Representatives within this period of APC administration. This has never happened in the past.
“We were the first to leave the PDP to APC as result of the insecurity in the North east. The then PDP government showed no committed atitude. There is no justification to anyone in the Northeast to remain in PDP.”
The National Chairman of the APC, Chief John Odigie-Oyegun, said members of PDP were trooping to APC nation wide, “but the Jigawa own is unique”.
“Those decamping in to our party are doing so because of the government and quality leadership by President Muhammadu Buhari, governors of the party and their teams in their respective states,” he said.
Governor Muhammadu Badaru Abubakar said among of the defectors are 18 serving local government council chairmen, 190 councillors, two former members of the House of Representatives, former commissioners, members of the House of Assembly and others.http://thenationonlineng.net/osinbajo-more-evidence-of-change-will-show-next-year/
lalasticlala

*Tinubu, Jega, heroes of democracy
*Ekwueme, Danjuma, Dafinone, Akande others win life time awards
*Oshiomhole, Amosun, Dankwambo, Shetimma emerge Governors of the Year.
Muhammadu Buhari was focused in his persistent pursuit of the presidency. Having attained the maximum political office as a military head of state 32 years earlier at the age of 41, Buhari seemed determined to regain political office as president.
President Buhari, Ex-President Jonathan, Ex-INEC Chairman, Jega and Asiwaju Bola Tinubu
He submitted himself to a democratic process that in its course projected the re-engineering of the political landscape. In the end and for the first time in the nation’s political history, an incumbent president was defeated in an election.
In the run-up to the election, the Buhari persona became a major issue, but Buhari as candidate took the inquisition with remarkable aplomb. To the credit of the Buhari personality, many of those who contested on the platform of his party won on the coattails of his remarkable victory.
His dogged pursuit, his incomparable victory and his so far unwavering efforts in sanitising the polity, Muhammadu Buhari is by the unanimous decision ofVanguardeditors,VanguardPersonality of the Year, 2015.
Dr. Goodluck Jonathan – Personality of the Year, 2015
Like the mortal he is, Dr. Goodluck Jonathan’s fairy tale political expedition was bound to come to an end. Following his advent, President Jonathan had promised to sanitise the electoral process, just as nearly all of the nation’s previous leaders. Dr. Jonathan, however, proved to be an exception allowing the incorporation of an electoral system that eventually led to his defeat.
President Jonathan’s decision not to seek judicial or other crude disruption of the outcome of the 2015 presidential election not only turned out to be his finest hour, but a glittering anchor that has helped to stabilise the nation’s democracy.
For his brave smile in the face of defeat, his efforts in refining the nation’s electoral system and his continuing continental role in the promotion of democracy, Dr. Goodluck Jonathan is the choice ofVanguardeditors for Joint Personality of the Year, 2015.
Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu – Hero of Democracy
Unarguably one of the country’s leading political engineers, Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu has now taken his remarkable political wizardry to the national space. His dogged resistance to the encroachments of the former ruling party in Lagos State, and to its routing in most of the Southwest states, largely bore the footprints of the former Lagos State governor.
Tinubu’s central role in the enthronement of the new administration and the eclipse of the former government has been generally acknowledged by friends and foes. Remarkably, he has achieved his aim within the rules of democracy. For his political dexterity and commitment to the rule of law in his political engagements,Vanguardrecognises Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu as the Hero of Democracy, 2015.
Professor Attahiru Jega – Hero of Democracy
Professor Attahiru Jega, a former president of the Academic Staff Union of Universities, ASUU, boosted his pedigree in 2011 when he conducted one of Nigeria’s most credible general elections. He was at that time less than 10 months in the saddle as chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC. In 2015, in spite of pressures from many quarters he introduced many innovations into balloting in Nigeria such as the Permanent Voter Cards, PVCs, and Smart Card Readers (SCR), which helped to reduce ballot rigging in the general polls. His efforts led to the first undisputed presidential election in Nigeria’s practise of presidential democracy.
Lifetime Achievements Award*Otunba Michael Olasubomi Balogun, Chairman, First City Group
*Lt. Gen. T.Y. Danjuma (Rtd)
*Alhaji Abdulsamad Rabiu, Chairman, BUA Group
*Dr. Alex Ekwueme, former Vice-President
*Senator David Dafinone, Eminent Accountant
*Chief (Mrs) Nike Akande, President, LCCI
African Businessman of The Year
*Dr Mike Adenuga, Jnr, Chairman, Globacom
Governors of The Year
Adams Oshiomhole, Governor, Edo State
Ibikunle Amosun, Governor, Ogun State
Kashim Shettima, Governor, Borno State
Ibrahim Dankwambo, Gombe State Gov.

eko o ni baje ju bayi lo. I miss BRF

The Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, Lagos State chapter has scored governor Akinwunmi Ambode’s six months in office below average.
State Publicity Secretary, Mr. Taofik Gani, in an interview with Punch said that the governor had not done well in any sector since he took over from Fashola.
Gani said the governor could not take credit for the procurement of crime-fighting equipment because they were bought through the Lagos State Security Trust Fund (LSSTF) which is sustained by banks, multinationals and members of the public.
He said, “The performance of the governor has been disappointing despite the propaganda that helped him get into power.
“In the area of education, things are worse. The Lagos State University is now worse. No infrastructure has been built in the school.
“The traffic congestion in the state is very bad as trucks now park on bridges with impunity.
“The governor has reduced the power of traffic officials that should manage traffic.
“So, we score him 10 per cent as he has not been able to meet the expectations of the people.
“Spending over N4bn on security equipment is high. We believe the amount was grossly exaggerated.
“Let him reveal to us the amount of money in the LSSTF