₦airaland Forum

The Secretary to the Government of the Federation (SGF), Mr David Lawan, says the Federal Government has commenced the reconstruction of schools and police stations destroyed by Boko Haram insurgents in the North East.
Lawan made this known on Sunday in Hong, Adamawa, during the graduation of 500 students trained by Buba Industrial Village.
The training was part of the Youth Empowerment Programme introduced by Yusuf Buba, the member representing Gombi /Hong Federal Constituency.
He said that the reconstruction of the region was part of the election campaign promises of President Muhammadu Buhari.
The SGF stressed that the aim was to bring lasting solution to insurgency and rebuild destroyed infrastructures in the area.
“Federal Government has began reconstruction of schools, police stations among others destroyed by Boko Haram insurgents in the North East region.
“The present APC – led government is determined to guarantee peaceful co-existence among Nigerians and ensure that Nigerians irrespective of their locality or belief benefit from the dividend of democracy,” Lawan said.
He berated opposition parties for what he called campaign of calumny during the last general election, which linked the All Progressives Congress party with a particular religion and Boko Haram insurgency.
Lawan said President Buhari and APC-led government would never discriminate against any Nigerian on the basis of religion and any other affiliation.
“President Buhari believes in honesty and integrity and before him, all Nigerians are equal,” he said.
On youth empowerment, Lawan said that Federal Government had excellent programmes for the employment of youths.
He commended the lawmaker for initiating skills acquisition programme for the youth, describing the gesture as a “landmark achievement” worthy of emulation.
According to him, the programme is the first of its kind in the area since the inception of democracy in 2009.
In his address, Buba said that the gesture was part of the promises made during election campaign.
“During my election campaign I promised my constituents that if elected, I will bring change through youth empowerment programmes.
“And today, this is the second graduation where over 500 youths were trained in various skills and assisted with free equipment to start their businesses,” Buba said.http://www.vanguardngr.com/2016/03/boko-haram-fg-began-reconstruction-schools-police-stations-sgf/

The South Korean global agency is investing $8.56 million for the implementation of capacity building programme for e-Government in Nigeria.
Minister of Communications, Barrister Adebayo Shittu, is currently leading a 14-man delegation to the10- day High Level Capacity Building for e-Government in Nigeria Benchmarking Invitational Program.
The Invitational Program, designed for senior government officials was put together by the Korea International Cooperation Agency (KOICA).
The collaboration with the Korean Government is expected to enhance Nigeria’s capability for efficiency, transparency and accountability in governance, with its attendant benefits trickling down to the masses.
The project has three components :Establishing an e- Government Master Plan (ii)Capacity Development Programme (CDP) and (iii) Establishing an e- Government Training Center in Nigeria.
According to a statement by the Minister’s Special Assistant on Media, Victor Oluwadamilare, the Minister stated that the project is geared towards ensuring that Nigeria makes the best use of the opportunity of e- Government to increase the nation’s capability for efficiency, transparency and accountability in governance.
This, he averred, is in tandem with the vision of President Muhammadu Buhari,in his desire to turn around the fortunes of the country in laying a new and enduring foundation for a better future for the masses of our people.
The Minister, urged participants at the event to take a full advantage of the Korean Government’s gesture in taking new initiatives that will impact the way Nigerians are governed and propel the country to greatness that will give the needed impetus to the Change Agenda of President Muhammadu Buhari.
The participants include the Minister of Education, Mallam Adamu Adamu, Permanent Secretaries, National Assembly members and others.
http://www.vanguardngr.com/2016/03/korea-trains-nigeria-on-8-56m-e-government-project/
lalasticlala

ojimbo:
OP. sorry to correct you. I read the article and this has been what I experienced and I know much story yo tell about the journey. first correction. The boat is not a speed boat and can never run faster than someone running on legs that's why the boat is referee to as "lampa lampa" which means slow slow. and second. The port at which they took off is called "Garabuli" and not "Ghana poli' anyway thank God for the survival. to be a man is nog aby job. And to remind others who keep thinking that europe is the best place to be. 95% of those Nigerians that made it yo europe are nothing but beggers on the streets of Europe and some Edo boys are just constuting nuisance on the streets out of frustration. Europe is good in rendering africans useless. so think before you embark on the journey. The risk is not worth it

The Nigeria Football Federation (NFF)has appealed to spectators coming to the Ahmadu Bello Stadium on Friday to ensure they do not have weapons on them. NFF General Secretary, Dr. Mohammed Sanusi, made the appeal in Abuja as the NFF continued the countdown to the big match.
“We are specially appealing to our football fans not to come with any item that might be seen as a weapon, because security will be very tight . We also appeal passionately to the fans to co-operate fully with the security agents to make for hitch –free entry into the venue.
“Similarly, we are appealing to the fans to come to the stadium wearing green and white colours. We want the venue proudly adorned in our national colours.”
The Super Eagles clash with the Pharaohs of Egypt in a 2017 Africa Cup of Nations qualifying match at the Ahmadu Bello Stadium on Friday, from 5pm, and both teams battle again in Alexandria on Tuesday, March 29.
http://thenationonlineng.net/nff-begs-fans-dont-come-weapons/

lalasticlala,obinoscopy

Africa’s richest man, Aliko Dangote, has stated that the challenge of electricity was adversely affecting the growth of the continent’s economy.

Speaking at the Africa CEO forum in Abidjan, the President of Dangote group also disclosed what has made his conglomerate successful.

“Where I come from, which is Kano in Nigeria, we have over 20 million people and we are sharing 35 megawatts only,” Dangote said.
“So when we started business as a group, we said that we would not go into the national grid. Every single country that we are operating in, we would create, generate our own power and that is why we have been very, very successful.”

In his remark, President of the African Development Bank, Akinwumi Adesina, said Africa must seek ways to light up the continent.

“If you walk in the dark, you’ll stumble and you will fall. But if you walk in the light, you will constantly see thing ahead of you,” he said.
“The problem is, in Africa, you have today 645 million people without electricity. You have the GDP in which the cost of not having electricity is about four to five percent shaved off.

“We cannot be competitive when it comes to value adding. We cannot industrialise because we have no electricity. The kids cannot go to school because we have no electricity.

“Vaccines can’t be in hospitals because we have no electricity, and business are operating at very high cost, using diesel. In other words, what is the emergency power supply system has become the normal power supply system – no way!

“And as Africa Development Bank, I know that the very blood of Africa’s transmission and life is what we do.”
Nigeria’s electricity generation currently fluctuates around 4,000MW, a meagre capacity for a country of over 170million.

The Foreign Exchange (Forex) crisis plaguing the country, which has result­ed in the naira depreciating con­siderably low against the United States dollar, may force Nigerian students abroad into drug busi­ness for survival, Governor Ad­ams Oshiomhole of Edo State has warned.
Oshiomhole, who stated this on Wednesday when he led some members of his cabinet and prin­cipal officers of the new Edo Uni­versity, Iyamoh, to the National Universities Commission (NUC), said many of the students are trapped as a result of the inabil­ity of their parents to send them money because of the forex issue.
His words: “Now, people are trapped; if you cannot deliv­er school fees to them, some of them will resort to drugs and oth­er things and give Nigeria a bad name.”
The governor said the new university would provide access to a large chunk of Nigerian students seeking admission, as well as pro­viding alternative to those who in­tend to school in other countries.
“If we look at how much we are exporting to foreign universi­ties; if we have sensible policies here that charge relative fees for students who can afford it and we are saying, don’t go to Ghana be­cause here in Edo you will get the quality school but you have to pay for it,” he said.
Oshiomhole, who berated politicians’ attitude towards for­mulating a national policy on ed­ucation, said it was unjustifiable for government to continue to pretend about delivering free uni­versity education.
He said: “The political elites have a lot of hypocrisy when it comes to the time of fashioning out public policy on education. We have resulted to a privatised solution to a matter that requires a national policy.
“Every senior Nigerian, pub­lic or private, now finds it com­fortable in sending the child to UK, US where you pay a mini­mum of $40,000 yearly or even $60,000, depending on the uni­versity. Those who cannot afford it send their children to Ghana and we allow our universities to remain where they are; we are not able to encourage them to charge appropriate fees and we pretend we can deliver quality free univer­sity education,” he said.
While calling for the intro­duction of a special mechanism that supports education for chil­dren from poor homes, the gover­nor decried the current situation where education subsidy is pro­vided for all Nigerians.
“In Nigeria, we are running a generalised system of subsidy where a child that drives a BMW car to the University of Abuja and the one from Gwagwalada public school, who cannot afford a bicy­cle, the Nigerian government pro­vides subsidy for both.
“If a child whose father has a private jet finds himself in the University of Maiduguri and a child of a level 2 worker, who earns N20,000 finds himself in the same university, the Nigeria gov­ernment delivers subsidy to both the rich and poor. For me, it is just crazy,” Oshiomhole reasoned

https://www.sunnewsonline.ng/wp-content/uploads/2016/03/Illegal-immigrants-354x354.jpg

•Man recalls watching brother die in boat wreck
IT’S a story that would send minds racing, an agonising tale that would leave everyone contemplating what it feels like to be seconds away from death.
A man has told Daily Sun how his brother perished in the Mediterranean Sea, as two of them journeyed illegally to Europe in a rickety boat.
The two brothers from Edo State – Monday and Osas Amanmien – had embarked on the deadly voyage across the angry Mediterranean Sea, intent on hitting Italy where they hoped to make a better living. But the trip turned sour midway, leaving Monday dead. He drowned in the sea following a boat wreck.
Although Osas miraculously survived the disaster, he had to endure one hellish hour, hopelessly floating on an empty keg and being brutally buffeted by the bullish, restless waves. And now, he lives with the eternal trauma of the last words of his brother. Monday had said, in a desperate tone: “My keg dey leak ooo,” before he finally went down.
Osas says his brother drowned so that he might live. He recalled that when it became obvious that the boat was destined to go down, Monday summoned courage and seized two empty water kegs beside him. One was good, the other was bad. He gave his younger one the better keg so that he would be afloat and live while he struggled with the bad keg. He eventually drowned, Osas said. Not even his dead body was retrieved.
Both brothers, who hailed from Benin, had joined the bandwagon of African migrants des­perately trooping to Europe to escape the harsh economic realities at home.
Monday and Osas had left Benin one morn­ing, and embarked on the trip to Europe. The two brothers, alongside others, were on the road. They travelled through Sokoto up to Nia­mey, Agades and Duruku in Niger Republic, enduring the grilling, sahel weather. Finally they landed in Tripoli, the Libyan capital. And from there, they boarded a dingy, overloaded speedboat headed for Italy. But they had the expansive Mediterranean Sea to contend with.
The reporter learnt that before the brothers launched out on the sea journey, they were for weeks holed up in a Libyan ghetto, a camp for travellers. They could not set sail for Italy be­cause they were told that the sea was rough, a development that could make their boat to capsize.
All the same, all the travellers in the camp, including Osas and Monday, were excited. They were further delighted when they were told by their agents that they could embark on the journey and that the sea was no longer furious.
On the said day, Monday and Osas were to be ferried by agents who operated the ‘Gha­na Poli Two.’ The migrants paid their agents several thousands of Libyan Dinars, which, when converted, was about N170, 000 as their transport fare to Italy. As usual, hundreds of migrants fleeing Africa were in the number. They boarded the large boat and said fervent prayers for safety at sea.
Everything was calm as they set sail. With Europe on their minds, everyone was confi­dent of the good life that lay ahead. Everyone began growing in confidence. Then midway into the journey, every prediction crumbled like a pack of cards. Soon, the unthinkable happened just as they were about to celebrate their successful entry into Italian waters. The boat developed a fault. Then a big crack ma­terialised right at a very important part of the boat. It began to let in water, first in small quantities and then in very massive propor­tions. Before the jubilant migrants could re­alise what was amiss, sea water had penetrated and overpowered the hapless craft. Then it began to sink. Fear gripped everyone. Danger and death stared everyone in the face as the end drew near.
At that point, everyone burst out into prayers. Everyone began to pray in various tongues. But that seemed useless. With the waves lashing unrelentingly at the sinking boat, death and disaster appeared a touching distance away. Confusion and uncertainty set in. In no time, the water overshadowed the boat, leaving the migrants at the mercy of the deep, blue sea.
There was no rescue team in sight. To make matter worse, Osas and Monday could not swim. Those that could swim were able to sus­pend and sustain themselves on the water for close to an hour before help finally came.
Monday had quickly grabbed two empty jerry cans he found beside him. He handed one to Osas and held one to serve as lifeline. But unfortunately, the one that Monday had began to let in water.

The reporter was told that Monday deliber­ately held on to the bad one at his own risk; he wanted his younger brother saved. But in a matter of minutes, the brave Monday went down the sea and drowned. His terrified broth­er cried out to his brother. But he was gone, never to be seen again.

Many others in the boat also suffered the same fate with Monday. For those who could swim at least, Providence smiled on them when the Italian rescue team showed up and came to their rescue. They were taken to a refugee camp near Napoli in Italy.
Recalling the ugly tale from Italy recently, Osas told the reporter: “That was actually the first time my late brother and I travelled on wa­ter. It was about 8:00am Libyan time. We were sailing to Italy on the Mediterranean Sea. The weather was bright and everything appeared very much okay. Though we were somehow afraid, there were no signs of danger before us.

“The boat was moving very fast. Our minds were actually filled with various thoughts. Some were happy and singing, while others were calm. My brother and I belonged to the group that was calm. But I had this strange feeling which l could not tell.
“The sea was blue and nothing was before and behind us. The only thing I could see was a point that looked like where the sky was touching the sea. Anytime I looked at the sea, I was always scared, but my brother sensed it and he tried to calm me.

“Sitting next to me, his presence was like a pillar of strength to me. Anytime l looked at his face, it gave me the hope that I was not alone in the journey. Later on, the weather changed and became very cold. I quietly asked myself what pushed me to embark on
such journey. At that point, so many other thoughts began racing through my mind.
“Then suddenly, someone shouted: “Hey! We are already in Italian territory!” We all started shouting and thanking God. We had barely finished that before the unexpected be­gan to happen.

“The boat was carrying many passengers. It suddenly stopped on its own. We tried all we could to re-start it to no avail. At that point, my elder brother drew my attention to a spot where the boat was leaking and from where water had started coming in. We began to pray in loud voices, but the water was now rushing in with full force. We tried to block the leakage with some plastics materials we found, but the more we did, the more damage it seemed we were doing to the boat.

“Not too long after, I saw our boat going down. I saw death coming closer and closer. My strength was gone.
“Then the worst happened; the boat finally went down and left us at sea. ‘Where is my brother?’ I screamed with the little strength left in me. And gently, he touched me from behind and said ‘no fear, I dey here.’

“He handed over an empty keg to me and told me to hold firmly to it, that it would pre­vent me from sinking. I did as he instructed me.
“He was also holding firmly to one. After a while, the whole place was calm and quiet. It was just few of us left on top of the water. Many of the passengers had drowned. With a gentle voice, my elder brother called me and said, “my gallon dey leak ooo.” He meant that water was coming into the keg. At the time he informed me, he was already going down. But he assured me that nothing would happen to me, that I should hold on to my keg. I looked at him with tears in my eyes; his keg was already filled with water. He struggled to remain on the sea, but he had no strength left any longer. The third time I looked out for him, he was no longer there.

“He was nowhere to be found. He intention­ally gave me the good keg and took the bad one so that l wouldn’t get drowned. It was af­ter an hour later that a rescue team came and picked the rest of us left into its boat and we were moved to somewhere around Napoli, Italy. That was how my brother saved me with his life.

“But was the journey really worth it? Think twice before embarking on this type of jour­ney, because you might not be as lucky as I was.”
Despite the several reports of migrants per­ishing at sea every now and then, a large num­bers of Nigerians and other Africans still em­bark on the very deadly journey, going through the same sea to Europe to seek a better living. The road and means of getting to their destina­tion seem not to matter to them; they are just desperate and are ready to throw everything into it. Some have actually survived the sea to land in Europe of their dream. But, regrettably, many, like Monday, could not make it.

Every now and then, countless Nigerians, with or without any certificate, dare the sand and the sea on their way to Europe.
It was gathered that while some go through Morocco to Spain, the majority prefer the Libyan route leading to Italy. The latter route is said to be faster and cheaper for travellers.

Imasuen Anderson, who was also lucky to have arrived Italy through the Mediterranean Sea, in a telephone interview with Daily Sun, said he had to travel abroad, having searched for a job with his Ordinary National Diploma (OND) certificate without success. He re­called that the sea was very peaceful and calm the day he traversed it in the middle of 2015. For him, the journey was very smooth. He said he spent 10 hours on the sea travelling be­tween Libya and Italy.

Hear him: “The amount paid for the journey depends on the agent that is going to ferry one across the sea. Some do charge 1, 000, 1, 200 or 1, 500 Dinars (which is between N120, 000 and N200, 000, depending on the exchange rate). The number of hours one spends at sea depends on the camp that one chooses.

“If one uses Ghana Poli One, it will take up to 10 or 12 hours before the passengers will get to ltaly. The Ghana Poli Two will take eight to 10 hours while Ghana Poli Three takes six to eight hours. Zuara is the fastest; it takes be­tween four and six hours.
“Once the boat is close to the Italian terri­tory, the leader of the team will call for Italian rescue team that will assist the passengers to settle down in their camps.

“The number of people the boat can trans­port depends on the size of the boat. Some can take up to 100 people; others, between 130 and 150 at most. The double-Ddecker or double-layer boat can take 200 passengers and above.
“The boys are usually more in number on any boat. The girls are seated at the middle while the boys sit close to the edge to protect the girls in the middle. The operators arrange things in such a way that the girls will not see the sea and the wave because they will be scared.

“Among the passengers, there must be cou­rageous people of faith to stabilise others. The risk involved rises when the sea is not calm and when the weather is not clear. That is when the boat normally capsizes. Overloading of the boat can also cause an accident. There is always too much cold but people at the cen­tre of the boat would not feel it much because the people standing or sitting on the edge will cover them. Above everything, every aspect of the journey is by the grace of God,” he said.

ULSHERLAN:
Dey there dey do mumu catchfun

amtaken:
How did the OPC auditor arrive at the bogus figure it quoted?

The Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation on Wednesday said it did not fail to remit N3.325tn to the Federation Account but admitted that it owed the government N326.14bn, which was still being reconciled.
In a response to the revelation of the Auditor-General of the Federation to the National Assembly on Monday that the NNPC failed to remit the sum of N3.235tn to the Federation Account for the period ended December 31, 2014, the firm stated that the AGF was incorrect.
The corporation, in a document signed by its Group Executive Director/Chief Financial Officer, Finance and Accounts, Mr. Isiaka Abdulrazaq, said, “The NNPC wishes to state in strong terms that the AGF’s declaration is inaccurate.
“The Auditor-General of the Federation’s declaration is erroneous. It should also be noted that although this period is before the new NNPC management was appointed in August 2015, the management still deems it fit and important to correct any misinformation about the activities of the corporation as this will adversely affect its current and future financial and operational plans if not corrected.
“The declaration by the AGF may have been born out of misunderstanding of how revenues from crude oil and gas sales are remitted into the Federation Account.”
Explaining how the fund was utilised, the corporation stated that as part of its responsibilities, the NNPC got an allocation of 445,000 barrels of crude oil per day for processing into petroleum products for distribution across the country.
It said any unprocessed crude was sold and the proceeds used to pay for the importation of petroleum products.
According to the corporation, the proceeds from the sale of the products are remitted to the Federation Account after deducting the cost associated with the supply and distribution.
The costs, it said, included subsidy on petroleum products.
The NNPC argued that it was entitled to claims on subsidy from petroleum products sold at government-regulated prices, whether imported or locally refined.
It said the total amount of subsidy that had been approved and certified for the corporation by the Petroleum Products Pricing Regulatory Agency for the period of January 2012 to December 2014 was N2.34tn, adding that an additional N7.96bn subsidy claim was still under reconciliation.
Another cost, it stated, was crude oil and petroleum product losses, which were as a result of vandalism on its network of pipelines for the period of January 2012 to December 2014, amounting to N202.68bn.
The last cost, according to the NNPC, is the petroleum product holding cost and pipelines and maintenance cost for the period of January 2012 to December 2014, which amounted to N358.88bn.
http://www.punchng.com/we-owe-federation-account-n326bn-not-n3-23tn-nnpc/
lalasticlala

President Muhammadu Buhari has reacted to Wednesday’s suicide attack at a mosque in the outskirts of Maiduguri, the Borno state capital, by describing Boko Haram as a “mindless and godless group” that does not represent Islam.
Buhari, who condemned the attack and extended condolences to the families of the victim, insisted that his administration was committed to securing lives and property but urged Nigerians to be security conscious.
According to him, “I am dismayed by the news of a bomb attack on innocent worshippers in a mosque in Maiduguri this morning.
“This attack is yet another sign that Boko Haram is a mindless and godless group that in no way represents true Islam. I sympathize with all who lost family and loved ones in the attack, and with the government and people of Borno State.
“Nigerians should please not let down their guard. Vigilance should continue to be a priority, especially in public places. The government remains resolute in its commitment to securing Nigeria from terrorism and violence.”

A 69 year old herbalist, Chief Simon Odo, has married an 18 year old girl, Chidinma, as his 57th wife.
He took the girl from Okutu, in Nsukka Local Government Area of Enugu State, last November, Vanguard reports.
Odo, also known variously as Onuwa, King Solomon of Africa, was initially married to 68 women but some of them had earlier died.
Odo told the newspaper that his first son, Emeka was born on December 15, 1969.
“I was born in 1947 on the day they had an eclipse of the sun and the moon. There was darkness in the afternoon on the day I was born. I was the only son of my parents.
“I was baptised as a Christian in the Catholic Church and I even became a mass servant under Rev Father Desmond McGlade. I however became a herbalist because of circumstances beyond my control.
“As I said, I was the only son of my parents but because some of his relations wanted to take over his landed property, they poisoned me. I contracted tuberculosis and had to be treated for years. At a point, I was even unable to walk for about five years because I became lame.
“I ran to Ondo State in the South West, where I trained to become a herbalist at the age of 15, before returning to the village. I married 15 wives when my father was alive and the situation prolonged his life. He died in 1992 at the ripe old age of over 90 years. My first son has seven children and four grandchildren.
“Any of my children who chooses to become a Christian is free to do so, provided he/she must become a Catholic. I don’t like the Pentecostal churches.”
On feeding the family, Odo replied: “People think that I feed many of them but this is not true. Most of my children are grown up. The boys among them usually marry and go to their own houses just like the girls who marry and follow their husbands to their places.”
Asked if any of his sons has taken after him as a herbalist, he said, “I will not encourage them to do so. I don’t want my sons to take after me because some of them will do bad things with my medicine.
“As a herbalist, I have never killed anybody or thought of evil against anybody but I do not trust that my children would be upright like me. That is why I will not encourage them to inherit my medicine but I may bequeath them to some of my younger children, not the old, greedy ones.”

Chascop:
I'm catching fun

Chascop:
Tales of the eve

The Chief of Army Staff, Gen. Tukur Buratai, has assured Nigerians that the insurgency that has threatened security and peace in some parts of the country will soon be suppressed.
He gave the assurance when he visited Oyo State Governor Abiola Ajimobi in Ibadan yesterday.
Deputy Governor Moses Alake Adeyemo received the COAS on behalf of the governor.
The army chief, who was in the company of top military officers, including the General Officer Commanding, 2 Division, Maj.-Gen. Laz Ilo, said the military had recorded remarkable achievements in the fight against terrorism, especially in the Northeast.
Buratai said: “We will soon overcome the insurgency that once threatened peace and security in some parts of the country. I’m using this opportunity to again solicit the support of the public in the provision of information on any suspicious acts or criminal activities.
“The army will adopt a long term surveillance and intelligence gathering to stop Boko Haram attacks.”
He praised the Ajimobi-led administration for what he called “its support for the officers and men of the Division”, a development, he said, had contributed immensely to the sustained peace in the state.
The army chief said: “We appreciate the efforts of the governor in the maintenance of peace in the state. We appreciate the cordial relationship between the government and the army.
“Oyo State has been very supportive in the area of providing security. I can confidently say that the security situation in Oyo State is quite encouraging.”
Adeyemo applauded what he called “the supportive role being played by the army” in the area of security of lives and property in the state, which, he said, had largely contributed to the prevailing peace in the state.
He commended the army for the sacrifices being made to curb the incessant attacks by Boko Haram insurgents, charging officers and men not to relent, until the outlaws are completely wiped out.
The deputy governor pledged the continued support of the administration for all security agencies in the state, stressing that it would continue to accord priority attention to the maintenance of peace in the state

President Muhammadu Buhari has said that Nigerians would soon see how some of the elite conspired to ruin the country. Speaking in Malabo, Equatorial Guinea yesterday at an interaction with members of the Nigerian community, the president emphasised that he would be relentless in pursuing all those who abused public trust.
Buhari, who was on a two-day visit to the country for talks with President Obiang Nguema Mbasogo on measures to protect the people and resources of the Niger Delta and Gulf of Guinea, reiterated that his administration’s war against corruption would remain “fearless, relentless and merciless”.
“We will be merciless and relentless in pursuing all those who abused public trust. Nigerians will see how some of the elite conspired to run the nation down,” he said.
Buhari condemned the recent political violence in Rivers State, describing the killings over political differences as primitive, barbaric and unacceptable.
“We will deal decisively with all sponsors of violence. I have given the security services clear directives in this regard. We will show that violence in any form will no longer be tolerated before, during or after elections,” he added. Buhari also disclosed that his administration would encourage the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to explore the possibility of Nigerians abroad voting in the 2019 general elections.
He noted that some African countries had started allowing their citizens resident abroad to vote in national elections, saying he fully empathised with the desire of Nigerians in the diaspora to vote in national elections.
The president said he would do all within his powers to fulfil that desire, adding: “I want all Nigerians to know that I respect them and their right to choose their leaders”. He also disclosed that establishing a new national airline was not currently on his administration’s list of priorities.
Responding to complaints by members of the Nigerian community about the absence of direct flights between Nigeria and Equatorial Guinea, Buhari said the main area of focus of his government now was reducing the level of poverty in the country

Transport Minister and former Governor of Rivers State, Rt.Hon Chibuike
Amaechi has said that Governor Nyesom Wike of Rivers State has committed
impeachable offence by failing to protect lives and property of the
people.
Mr Chibuike Amaechi, who was a guest on Channels Television’s Sunrise
Daily on Tuesday, accused Governor Wike of allowing violence to thrive in
the state.
“The crisis in the state has gotten to a point where people’s lives and
property are lost. I thought that the responsibility of the Governor is to
protect lives and property.
“The only offence that is constitutional and you can refer to as
impeachable, is when the Governor is not able to protect lives and
property,” he emphasised.
The Minister, however, dismissed claims by the Police that the crisis in
Omoku was as a result of cultists’ activities.
“Does the Commissioner of Police mean that the Peoples Democratic Party
cultists are fighting against the All Progressives Congress members.
“Whether they are cultists or not, the reason why lawlessness is surviving
is because you don’t punish those who break the law,” he said.
At least six persons were killed in Rivers State when Omoku community in
Onelga, came under heavy gunfire on February 13.
Police said it was a cult battle for supremacy.
The attack occurred less than 48 hours after a former lawmaker, who
represented ‘Onelga Constituency One’ in the Rivers State House of
Assembly between 1999 and 2003, was killed by yet to be identified gunmen
in Port Harcourt, the capital of Rivers State.
Giving his opinion about the way forward to stop the crisis, the Minister
said that “the Governor has to stop supporting violence”.
“If he doesn’t encourage the militants, they won’t be doing what they are
doing. If anybody is found to have broken the law, punish him,” he added.
http://pointblanknews.com/pbn/exclusive/wike-committed-impeachable-offence-amaechi/

A committee setup by Bauchi State Government to fish out ghost workers said that it had discovered names of eight-year old children as “teachers” on the payroll of the government.
Alhaji Abubakar Gabi, State Accountant-General and also a member of the committee, made this known on Monday in Bauchi in an Interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN).
“We have discovered that names of children between eight and ten years of age appeared as ‘teachers’ on the payroll of the state.
“We also discovered that some of the pensioners duplicated their payment papers; had the same names, same BVN, same GSM numbers and same account numbers but bearing different photographs attached
“Again we discovered instances where deceased families who had earlier submitted death certificates of their heads and were paid bulk pension entitlements, fraudulently working their way back and are still collecting pensions,” he added.
Gabi explained that 4,500 state civil servants out of the 33,000 inherited by the present administration in the state were ghost workers.
He further explained that 7,300 local government workers out of the 27,000 handed over by the last administration were ghost workers.
The AG also explained that 7,300 teachers out of the29, 000 teachers handed over by the last administration were also discovered to be ghost teachers.
“We have so far discovered over 19,000 ghost workers while only 7,000 pensioners out of the alleged 14,000 pensioners have turned up for screening,” he revealed.
News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) recalls that the state government had on March 9, 2016 declared that it had so far discovered 19,241 ghost workers and saved N797.46 million from the on-going verification exercise.
Meanwhile, Gov Mohammed Abubakar of the state had vowed that perpetrators of the crime and their collaborators would be brought to book in line with the change agenda of the All Progressives Congress (APC).
Abubakar issued the threat in a statement signed by his Press Secretary, Abubakar Al-sadique, and made available to NAN on Sunday in Bauchi.
“l assure you that persons found to have hands in the ghost workers issue will face the full wrath of the law, this is a promise,” the governor was quoted as saying.

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An activist blogger ordered to pay Sg$150,000 ($109,000) in libel damages to Singapore Prime Minister, Lee Hsien Loong, will make payments in instalments over the next 17 years, his lawyer said Monday.
Roy Ngerng, 34, a former government employee, was found guilty in November 2014 of defaming Lee after accusing him in a blog of misappropriating state pension funds.
Ngerng’s lawyer Eugene Thuraisingam told theAFPthat under an agreement with the prime minister, his client would pay Sg$30,000 by Wednesday to cover the costs of an assessment hearing.
To pay the actual damages he would then fork out $100 a month for the next five years before the amount increases to $1,000 a month until the amount is paid, which would take a total of 17 years.
No interest will be collected but should Ngerng default on any payment, he would have to repay the full sum immediately, added Thuraisingam, who is representing Ngerng for free.
A source familiar with the case toldAFPthat Ngerng had initially asked to be let off the remainder after paying Sg$36,000. But this was rejected by the prime minister, who agreed to the payment in instalments.
In a blogpost on Monday, Ngerng asked for donations to help pay off the amount he was due to hand over Wednesday, adding that he has been doing freelance photography and is searching for a job.
“I hope to be able to find a job and make use of my work experience and skills,” he wrote.
“I miss contributing effectively to make positive change.”
Ngerng’s guilty verdict was the first such ruling in Singapore over a purely online article.
Singapore has consistently ranked highly in surveys as one of the world’s least corrupt countries, but rights groups say its leaders have used financially ruinous defamation suits to silence critics and political opponents.
Singaporean leaders maintain that the lawsuits are necessary to protect their reputations from unfounded allegations.
Ngerng initially offered Sg$5,000 as compensation to Lee, who rejected the amount.After being sued by the prime minister in 2014, Ngerng was fired from his government hospital job for administrative reasons which he did not contest.
He successfully raised more than Sg$112,000 through crowdfunding but the cash ran out during his defence.
The local media in Singapore is tightly controlled, leaving bloggers and other online commentators as the strongest critics of the long-ruling People’s Action Party.