₦airaland Forum

publisher: [size=14pt]Privatization of PHCN is almost 90% complete.

Enugu Airport is now truly international after 40years of promises but no action.

Agriculture is booming,with production at an all time high.

And now movement of container goods by rail has resumed after an almost 30 year lull.

Abeg,even if you hate GEJ,u must accept that this Niggar has really tried in spite of all the horrible distractions meted out to him by Boko haram...and APC.

Well done Mr President.[/size]

Comedian

THERE is no going back on the disqualification of former Central Bank of Nigeria, CBN, Governor, Professor Chukwuma Soludo and five other aspirants from participating in Anambra State governorship primaries of the ruling All Progressives Grand Alliance, APGA, holding on August 26, National Chairman of the party, Chief Victor Umeh, has said.
According to Umeh, the process of screening and clearance of aspirants for the primaries have been concluded in line with the guidelines of the party without interference by APGA hierarchy and those screened out knew they were not qualified to continue to aspire on APGA’s platform.
In a telephone chat with Vanguard yesterday, Umeh dismissed allegations that APGA did not follow its constitution in constituting the screening panel and described insinuations that he had a hand in the disqualification of some aspirants as unfounded.
Asked if the disqualification of the aspirants could be reconsidered, he said: “The process has been concluded. It is no longer subject to review. The panels were unbiased. I did not interfere with their work and the aspirants after the screening commended the panel for doing a good job and said they would accept the outcome. We don’t want to be distracted by the complaints. We want to be focused on conducting credible primaries on August 26 for those who are qualified and go ahead to win the elections on November 16.”

http://www.vanguardngr.com/2013/08/no-reversing-disqualification-of-soludo-others-apga/

mo State Governor, Owelle Rochas Okorocha, has why the All Progressives Congress (APC) picked Senator Chris Ngige as its flagbearer for the November 16 Anambra State governorship election saying the choice is to brighten the chances of the party in the race.
Okorocha who was speaking at the special meeting of APC leaders across the country said the contentious governorship ticket of the party for Anambra in favour of Senator Ngige was to favour to party.
He said just as the  APC  was planning to hold primaries for the Anambra state governorship election, the South East caucus of the party swung into action and by yesterday was able to amicably resolve to nominate Ngige to fly the party’s flag at the gubernatorial contest.
“Anambra governorship election is going to be a test case for APC in its quest to wrestle power from the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) for the South East and for the Anambra election let me assure you that there is no cause for alarm. Let me assure you that victory is already guaranteed in Anambra State. The party must do all it can to record victory in the Anambra election to serve as yardstick for predicting what to expect in 2015 election,” Okorocha said.
He said party leaders were able to successfully broker a negotiation between the two front runners, Senator Annie Okonkwo and Ngige.

Bad news for my Haulage Business Hope they sustain it, as it will largely help to reduce stress on the ill-maintained roads across the country.

FreeGlobe: There is NOTHING wrong with him leaving for another party. Both Rochas and Senator Chris Anyanwu amongst both did same previously and all won. Soludo needs to become a politician. If he was really convinced about being governor, why allow a bunch of party men to abort his conviction not even at primaries level. Like someone said, its better for him to contest and lose, this is his last chance he has considering the level of support he had now.

You are too emotional with this your Soludo. Take it easy Adanne, Soludo is gone and not to come back politically. Inugo? maka onwe gi!

Is Enugu-PHC Road not the same road you people told us GEJ had reconstructed?? Abi I dey sleep?

kufre2010: This topic deserve front page. We the traditionalist has kept silent for so long even as we are the owner of the land foreign dieties and gods has been accorded more recognition from our government. Sometimes i wonder if it is because we are not shouting, or because we do not throw bomb.

Men I tire!

berem: 2 Billion naira on hiring private jets? Really?

Odikwa egwu!

Fp

At last common sense prevailed. Just hope Fed Govt would emulate him. We have been marginalized for so long.

Welcome development.

mikeansy: they will only do good things when you give them power!

u dey mind the jugglers?

why not sponsor a bill now to devolve powers lets see?

meanwhile the same people that voted last week not to give ordinary financial autonomy to LGAs want to promise Nigerians devolution!

I hear you! Sponsor the same bill, your conservative populated member will even kill before it goes for the second reading? Are u this dumb?

akpomeme: APC boys... Beer parlour gist can sweet una.

See wetin ya sister dey do with your 'oyel' Money, and your people down the region dey live in squalor. That APC go soon deliver you!

A group that tags itself whistleblowers against corruption has accused Nigeria’s Petroleum Minister, Diezani Alison-Madueke, of squandering millions of dollars of public funds to rent private jets for the conduct of her official activities. In a petition to the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), the group, known as Crusader for Good Governance,” demanded that Ms. Allison-Madueke be investigated for her habit of spending extravagant sums to rent private jets for her official hops.

Ms. Alison-Madueke has frequently traveled around the world in private jets since becoming a minister, first under the late President Umaru Musa Yar’Adua and later under President Goodluck Jonathan. In addition, she often moves members of her family in private jets.

In 2010, President Jonathan appointed Ms. Alison-Madueke to the Ministry of Petroleum Resources, the nerve center of the Nigerian economy and traditionally the vortex of corruption in a country that is widely regarded as one of the most corrupt in the world.

Since being appointed minister of Petroleum Resources, Ms. Alison-Madueke has become one of the most powerful Nigerian government officials. Several reports have linked her to sleazy oil deals and a penchant for wastage of public funds.

She has spent some N2 billion on private jet rentals, according to the petition submitted to the EFCC by Enugu-based “Crusader For Good Governance.” The petition was signed by Okechukwu Obiora Nnamdi, the group’s leader.

The group accused Ms. Alison-Maduekwe of spending $300,000 on an average international trip outside of Nigeria. She reportedly spends as much as $500,000 on trips to such destinations as China, Malaysia and several North American countries, according to the petition.

[b]The petitioners listed some of the minister’s most lavish trips
• During Easter break, she flew a private jet to Dubai with members of her family at the cost of $300,000.

• During President Jonathan’s visit to South Africa, she flew in a private jet that cost Nigeria $300,000.

•The Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC), a government agency she oversees, maintains a Challenger 850 Visa jet which serves the minister’s needs as well as those of her family. The cost of running the jet is $500,000 per month.

• Ms. Allison-Madueke went to a meeting of the Oil Producing and Exporting Countries (OPEC) in Austria in a private jet.

In addition, the petitioners alleged that, in the last two years, the Petroleum minister has never attended any meeting outside Nigeria in a commercial jet or in any of the jets maintained by the Nigerian Presidency. They stated that she had wasted more than N2 billion on the maintenance of aircraft in the last two years. They accused her of being the only minister who consistently uses private jets to arrive at destinations when the Nigerian president travels abroad.[/b]

The petition also carpets Ms. Allison-Madueke for often doing official jobs out of her house, which means that she is frequently absent from her official desk at the ministry.

[b]In the past, investigations by SaharaReporters had revealed that the minister rents or owns several private jets. She is known to gallivant with a jet registered to a businessman, Jide Omokore, but several sources told SaharaReporters that she was the real owner. “Chief Omokore is a front for the minister,” a source in Abuja told our correspondent.

[/b]As alleged in the petition to the EFCC, Ms. Alison-Madueke also frequently uses the services of Vista Jet, a Swiss luxury aviation company that provides jets to wealthy businessmen around the world. Vista Jet has done deals with such Nigerians as Governor Godswill Akpabio of Akwa Ibom State and Nduka Obaigbena, the flamboyant publisher of Thisday newspaper.

Curiously, Vista Jet has a Nigerian businessman, Kola Aluko, on its board. Mr. Aluko, who once acted as Vista Jet’s West African representative, is known to be close to Ms. Alison-Madueke. “[Kola] Aluko and Mrs. Diezani Allison-Madueke are neck deep in the oil business,” said a source at the NNPC. “She helped him [Mr. Aluko] to land a choice allocation of pricey oil blocks through a company called Seven Energy,” added the source.

In a petition sent to the Nigerian Senate by the Delta Producing Communities, Ms. Alison-Madueke is accused of transferring the ownership of four oil mining licenses (OML), 30, 34, 26 and 42, to Atlantic Energy Drilling Concept which belongs to Mr. Omokore.

Our NNPC source disclosed that some of the financial details of Ms. Alison-Madueke’s usage of private jets may be hidden. According to him, the minister “often uses several companies, Septa Energy, Atlantic, Seven Energy International,to absorb the cost of her rentals.” The source added that she has significant, if not ownership, stakes in the three oil companies as well as firms in engaged in oil-related activities. Three other companies owned by Bayelsa born bussinemen, Ateo, Televeras and Ontario energy regularly picks up Ms. Alison-Madueke tabs. The last three companies were specially selected to sell excess crude oil that ought to be sold by Duke Oil, a subsidiary of the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation. The three companies each makes $26 million every month from the deals nd pays kickback through the minister to President Goodluck Joanatan.

Several sources said Ms. Allison-Madueke constantly uses helicopters whenever in Lagos to avoid traffic. They stated that the minister relies on Caverton, a Lagos-based helicopter rental company, to provide choppers that ferry her as well as her family around Lagos.

Despite her reputation for arrogance, greed and corruption, Ms. Allison-Madueke is deemed one of the most trusted associates of President Jonathan. She reportedly manages a huge chunk of Mr. Jonathan’s own business deals. An Abuja-based businessman told SaharaReporters that the minister coordinated the stowing away of funds that helped Mr. Jonathan finance his 2011 presidential campaigns. The source added: “Today, there’s little or no money around Abuja. But everybody knows that Diezani has all the money. She will fund the 2015 election for the president.”

Ms. Allison-Madueke is so powerful that she survived a big effort by First Lady Patience Jonathan to remove her from the cabinet. A source who used to be close to Ms. Jonathan said the First Lady was uncomfortable about the personal closeness between her husband and the Petroleum minister. “Madam [Ms. Patience Jonathan] asked the president to drop Diezani [Allison-Madueke] from his ministerial line-up, but he [the president] refused. Madam was forced to make peace with Diezani’s role in her husband’s life.”

The US-educated minister was long known for her interest in wealth and social climbing. During Nigeria’s last years of military dictatorship, she was linked to several military officers, including one-time Foreign Minister, General Ike Nwachukwu (ret.) and Rear Admiral Allison Amaechina Madueke (ret.), her current husband who was once Nigeria’s chief of naval staff.

http://saharareporters.com/news-page/petroleum-minister-diezani-allison-madueke-accused-blowing-n2-billion-private-jets

In a Nutshell
1. War Against Corruption (WAC)
2. Food Security. (FS)
3. Accelerated Power Supply (APS)
4. Integrated Transport Network. (ITN)
5. Free Education (FE)
6. Devolution Of Power (DP)
7. Accelerated Economic Growth (AEG)
8. Affordable Health Care.

These Would Be Achieved Through

“Our guiding philosophy will derive its impetus from these seven principles: Belief in, and the fear of God; upholding the rule of law; preserving national unity; pursuit of a just and egalitarian society; building of strong institutions; commitment to social justice and economic progress; and promoting a representative and functional participatory democracy.

The All Progressives Congress (APC) will soon unfold to Nigerians its manifesto, which is anchored on an eight-point agenda.

The party, in a statement Sunday, listed its eight-point agenda as the war against corruption, food security, accelerated power supply, integrated transport network, free education, devolution of power, accelerated economic growth, and affordable health care.

Ahead of the release of its manifesto, the party also promised that henceforth it would engage in enunciating development issues that will steer its politics away from meaningless attacks on personalities and attention-diverting tales that has become the pre-occupation of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP).

In the statement by its interim National Publicity Secretary, Alhaji Lai Mohammed, the party also asked the presidency to tell Nigerians why its has defied the electoral law by continuing to campaign for the 2015 elections, adding that last Thursday’s women peace rally hosted by the First Lady, Mrs. Patience Jonathan, was nothing but a campaign for President Goodluck Jonathan ahead of 2015 elections.

It urged the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to sanction the organisers of the rally in Abuja if its ban on early campaign for the 2015 polls is to be taken seriously.

The opposition coalition party, which has engaged the ruling PDP in a war of words over the state of the nation, said yesterday that it would soon be articulating   a summary of how it would rescue Nigeria from PDP’s misrule.

“Our eight cardinal programmes, which we shall be articulating in the days ahead, represent a summary of how we intend to rescue the long-suffering citizens and rescue our nation. These are the war against corruption, food security, accelerated power supply, integrated transport network, free education, devolution of power, accelerated economic growth, and affordable health care.

“Our guiding philosophy will derive its impetus from these seven principles: Belief in, and the fear of God; upholding the rule of law; preserving national unity; pursuit of a just and egalitarian society; building of strong institutions; commitment to social justice and economic progress; and promoting a representative and functional participatory democracy.

“These are the issues we will be enunciating in the days ahead as we steer the politics of our nation away from jejune matters that are at the core of PDP’s misrule to serious issues of relevance that will benefit our people under an APC federal government,” the party said.

The party explained that Nigerians are interested in issues and “not continuous muck-raking about opposition leaders like Gen. Muhammadu Buhari and Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu.”

“For example, Nigerians want to know why the country can still not feed itself after 14 years of endless promises by the PDP; Nigerians want to know why they cannot be protected by their government when the security of lives and property is the raison d’etre of any government,” it added.

It said the reason its leaders had decided to put the national interest above personal considerations was to rescue Nigeria from the clutches of the PDP and a mediocre presidency, both of which have failed the citizenry and dimmed their hopes.

APC challenged the PDP and the president’s image makers to tell Nigerians why the ruling party has failed to lift the country in the 14 years that it has been in the saddle, instead of peddling concocted tales about the opposition.

“Nigerians want to know why over 40 million youths cannot get jobs under a government that gleefully touts a 6 per cent GDP growth rate; Nigerians want to know how 400,000 barrels of oil are being stolen daily and who the thieves are; Nigerians want to know why the country is more divided than ever under the watch of President Goodluck Jonathan; and why corruption has become a bigger monster in the years under the PDP.

“The 2015 elections will be fought on the platform of issues, not meaningless attacks on personalities and attention-diverting tales like how Gen. Buhari wants to stage a comeback or how Asiwaju Tinubu wants to expand his imaginary empire,” it said. It faulted some of the achievements attributed to the PDP, saying a party that defies the rules and lies through its teeth could not be trusted with power in a nation where its people are eager for their country to join the comity of developed nations.

For instance, APC said while the Senior Special Assistant to the President on Public Affairs, Dr. Doyin Okupe, was busy telling Nigerians that Jonathan had not informed anyone that he would contest in 2015, the first lady mobilised women to take part in what was tagged a “peace rally”, but which in essence was a campaign for   Jonathan ahead of the 2015 presidential poll.

“Defying INEC, this brazen campaign featured women clad in specially-made ‘ankara’ that bore the picture of President Jonathan and reminded one of the disgraceful days of the late despot Mobutu Sese Seko of former Zaire, and the late clownish leader of Uganda, Idi Amin. What a company to keep in the 21st century!

“In what must have ranked as the first of its kind in Nigeria, women drawn from various security agencies – the same that will be expected to provide security for the 2015 elections – were coerced into a march of shame, as organisers of the campaign masquerading as a peace rally, blocked traffic and prevented citizens from earning their daily bread.

“Yet Okupe said his boss has not told anyone he will run, and had the temerity to insult the media by saying they have been taken over by a few people. The good news is that Nigerians are far smarter than their present rulers and therefore cannot be fooled,” APC said.

The party called on INEC to mete out appropriate sanctions to anyone who has violated its ban on early campaigns for the 2015 elections, in view of the first lady’s peace rally.

It added that the sanction was necessary if the commission’s ban on such campaigns is to be taken seriously.

Thisday

Na so my party don bad reach na I'm be say we go hear nwii 2 15

Jona keep going down everyday. Amaechi has nothing to lose.

Obiagelli: Ofcourse you are entitled to your opinion and you are most welcome to join in and save our nation from clueless looters. All the names you listed above have one thing in common THE DREAM OF A BETTER NIGERIA.

Measured response. Need I say more?

chino24: [s][/s]


All these because you want your ofemmmmanu and boko party in Anambra? Hmmmmm

You guys are illusioned to the brink of destruction. Let me make it clear to you now, there will not be any APC in Anambra! Deal with it..

The same way you said of Soludo flying the APGA's Flag Wake up man, Ngige is the next Governor of Anambra State.

Acknowledged But there is still a lot of works to be done, starting with my beloved Anambra State.Good a thing that the only person who looked closer to be qualified as Ngige's opponent has been slodified into the dustbin of politics. So it is now more or less a one horse race for the progressives. Be rest assured that immediately Anambra falls in, Abia has no choice but accept the new realities.

@ payless, thanks for opening the thread.

chukwudi44: Soludo and others are more likely to be cleared today

Guy calm down! Heart attack... Soludo de solution is a goner I mean an arsenal fan.. Bwhahahahahaha. Ngige all the way! Onwa na-etiri oha nke mbu. N' Anambra Steti! Chiri ga wa na Jesus Kwu gi n'azu

chukwudi44: Mumu soludo was diaqualified in APGA not from the gubernatorial elections.He will surely contest on another platform.By the way which media is Ngige's rating rising ? Is it the sw media? So the people of the sw will vote in anmmbra elections abi?

Wake up guy! yor Soludo has been cleverly destroyed

njideoby: The questions continue; what in God's name is Ngige still looking 4 in Anambra got house?
Did he by any means forget something there while packing out some years ago?
Abeg someone should go and tell him to remain in de senate and leave de governor's thing alone.
Am tired of all these recycling,let others try their hands too for better development. Njige has had his time,and should leave when the ovation is still high.

So we should try Ifeanyi Ubah now that Soludo has been confined to the dustbin of politics

Since the news of Soludo's disqualification filtered in, the rating of Ngige has steadily been on the rise. From Facebook, twitter, internet forums, the name Onwa(as he is popualary called) has suddenly come alive again.

Then my questions are:
Has Peter Obi now inadvertently handed Ngige victory in the gubernatorial election?
Does it mean, all along Soludo has been the most popular candidate?
Has the death of APGA as a party just been officially announced?
Has Soludo just killed his chances by decamping to APGA?
What is the way forward for Soludo suppoters?
Can Ndi Anambra now give Ngige of APC a chance, if not for anything to spite Obi for toying with their preferred candidate?

Questions and Question! Politics is really, a dirty game

Very Accurate! For me it is anybody but Jonathan

Goddex: I repeat, that woman is obviously pressured by these APC rascals to come out and criticize FG because of the meagre assistance they render to her family. They do a similar thing to Fela Kuti family too

Oga weldone ooo! You are really working

Laptop 1-99, wey una dey? Oya make una come justify una July Salaries

President Goodluck Ebele Jonathan is an “outright failure” and should be defeated in the 2015 election, Ganiyat Fawehinmi said in a statement on Wednesday as she assessed the country’s challenges.
“Our present Federal Government led by Goodluck Ebele Jonathan is an outright failure and we pray that by 2015, he will not return,” said Ganiyat, wife of the late Senior Advocate of Nigeria and radical lawyer, Gani Fawehinmi.
She said at no time in the history of Nigeria had the country been steamrolled by so many disasters, loss of lives and unprecedented mishaps as being witnessed now.
“The inhabitants and indegenes of the 774 local government areas in Nigeria have never witnessed such an unprecedented series of mishaps, disasters and the loss of lives in the nation like we are presently experiencing,” she said.
She listed the  ASUU strike, the high rate of unemployment in the country, the marriage of underage girls, the failure of the Ministry of Women affairs to lift women up, the epileptic electricity supply in the country and the police pension scandal as some of the issues Jonathan has failed to address.
“I must say categorically that I am in total support of the ASUU strike and I urge all Nigerians to support it,” she said.
Mrs Fawehinmi said the huge unemployment of Nigerian youths has led to various vices in the society such as armed robbery, kidnapping, prostitution, assassinations and the activities of Boko Haram in northern Nigeria.
She said Emeka Wogu, Minister of Labour and Productivity, has failed to employ Nigerians but has been accumulating money to run for governor in Abia State.
“By the special grace of God, he will lose and the wrath of Almighty God will descend upon him in accordance with the scriptures in the book of Habakkuk 2: 9-11,” she said.
Mrs. Fawehinmi said the issue of pension and failure to pay those who worked hard in Nigeria is a “disgrace to the nation”.
g of their funds. This is the kind of government we have in Nigeria and we pray that Nigerians will be reasonable not to return them in 201“This is a big disgrace, the PDP-led government is encouraging the death of pensioners while supporting the stealin5,” she said.
She said it was a terrible shame that Senator Ahmed Yerima and former governor of Zamfara State could advocate both in theory and practice that a young girl of 13 or 14 years be married and be allowed to bear children.
“I must thank Nigerians who in their entirety rejected this unholy practice and held several rallies and protests to prove their point,” she said.
On the epileptic power supply in Nigeria, Mrs Fawehinmi said it is heartbreaking that Nigeria needs at least 60,000 mega watts of electricity but can not even boast of a tenth of that figure.
Mrs. Fawehinmi released her statement at Oregun area of Lagos, southwest Nigeria, where she had come to attend a book launch by the Coalition Against Corrupt Leaders, CACOL.

For those wey wan eat yam, see the Sauce; http://pmnewsnigeria.com/2013/08/15/jonathan-must-be-defeated-in-2015-ganis-wife/?utm_