₦airaland Forum

Senate President Bukola Saraki on Monday attributed the inability of some state governors to meet their obligations to their workers and the entire citizens to the issue of corruption which, he said, had assumed a worrisome development in the country.

Saraki stated this when the Chairman of the Independent Corrupt Practices Commission, Mr.Ekpo Nta, led top officials of his agency to pay him a courtesy visit.

The senate president lamented that the embarrassing level of corruption in the country had taken a dangerous dimension to the extent that the three tiers of government were finding it difficult to pay salaries and provide basic social infrastructure.

He said, “The 8th Senate has a position on zero tolerance for corruption. We want to make it a priority. For us, we have realised that it is truly endangering the entire system. It is affecting our national development.

“The cost of corruption on our national life is beyond financial cost. You see in some states now that they are not paying salaries, it had led to poor funding of the education and health sectors and it’s affecting cost of governance and failure of public institutions and infrastructure.”

“For the eight senate, making the fight against corruption a priority is a must and we are committed to that. Our goal is to work with you to reduce significantly, the level of corruption in this country.”

He pledged that the eight senate would work closely with the ICPC and other anti graft agencies to fight the scourge.

He said, “There are things we ought to do that would help prevention especially among the professionals. Bankers who notice that the account of an Assistant Directors is running into billions of Naira should have a way of blowing the whistle. We have to be creative to bring everybody along.”

The ICPC boss said the Act that established the agency, which was enacted in year 2000, was the first Act of parliament that addressed corruption directly and that the United Nations convention against corruption came four years later in 2004.

He noted that the issue of corruption in the country has always been there, not that it was impressed upon the country by the International Community.

PRAISE THE LORD

The ongoing security reorganization at the State House that has seen operatives of the State Security Service expelled from inner Aso Rock is a result of concerns by President Muhammadu Buhari that the SSS has become excessively politicised and could easily compromise his security, presidency insiders have told PREMIUM TIMES.
“The President believes that the officers of the service were deeply involved in high-wire brazen politicking prior to the 2015 election and they can be easily compromised for a mess of porridge,” said a top security source familiar with the President’s plans.
The source said Mr. Buhari believe the SSS, as presently constituted, cannot be trusted with any serious assignment until it is “thoroughly reformed and reorganised”.
“Most of those at the helms of the agency today are the same people who openly demonstrated hatred for the president and his party,” another presidential insider said. “Buhari is human and he cannot allow a bunch of opposition politicians in SSS garb to come close to him.”
Our sources said intelligence available to the President suggested that the leadership of the SSS has remained loyal to former President Goodluck Jonathan and his party, the PDP.
“Anyone with ulterior motive can take advantage of the weakness in the service for negative purposes,” a presidential aide said.
A top SSS official, who said he repeatedly warned his colleague against partisanship, said days before he stepped down, Mr. Jonathan “rewarded those who helped his cause”.
“President Jonathan caused the promotion of those who were loyal to him, some did not even sit for promotion examinations. Many of them were not yet due for promotion. But they were arbitrarily rewarded. Some people were hurriedly deployed to sensitive positions and this might be a bobby trap for the president,” he said.
PREMIUM TIMES had exclusively reported how no fewer than 45 officers of the SSS, including its spokesperson, Marilyn Ogar, were promoted to different grade levels during a controversial promotion exercise in the dying days of the last administration.
This newspaper reported at the time that the promotion exercise was hurriedly undertaken by the Director General of the SSS, Ita Ekpenyong, and rushed to Mr. Jonathan for approval ahead of his exit on May 29.
We also reported at the time that some officers, who were also due for promotion, but believed to have had sympathy for Mr. Buhari, were left out.
PREMIUM TIMES gathered that some of the officers who were interviewed and were indeed qualified for promotion were not uplifted thereby causing disaffection among the officers cadre of the service.
Besides, according to our sources, some state directors, although already issued retirement letters, surprisingly benefited from the exercise.
A source at the Villa said Mr. Buhari was fully in the know of all that transpired at the time and had waited patiently to act.
“The President feels that SSS personnel should not be close to him until proper reorganization of the agency is carried out,” he said.
Division, anger among officers
The sidelining of the Service by the presidency has brought division and anger among some personnel of the agency.
We gathered that some officials who remained professional, rather than help the cause of any politician, are angry that the present administration is punishing everyone in the Service.
“A lot of our colleagues are angry that despite remaining professional, the current administration is carrying out a blanket punishment,” an SSS insider said. “Those who decided to play politics were few compared to those who did not.”
A compromised agency
The SSS was openly partisan in the run-up to the 2015 general elections, harassing and arresting opposition figures, ransacking firms and offices with ties to the APC and appearing on television to disparage opposition politicians and their party.
On July 25, 2014, operatives of the SSS descended on the corporate headquarters of TNS-RMS, a Lagos-based research agency, holding its staff hostage, ransacking its offices and premises and whisking away three of its personnel.
The company’s offence was that it was, at the time, conducting an opinion poll on the August 9, 2014 governorship election in Osun state. The SSS struck because it got intelligence that the poll would indicate that Rauf Aregbesola of the APC would win the election. Mr. Aregbesola later won that election.
On November 21, 2014, the agency raided the APC data centre in Lagos, arresting its staffs and accusing the party of “cloning INEC Permanent Voters Card with the intention of hacking into INEC data base, corrupting it and replacing them with their own data”. The SSS is yet to prove that allegation till date.
The SSS also consistently disparaged the APC in the media, accusing the party and its leaders of being behind the deadly Boko Haram insurgency.
And after the Osun election, the agency’s spokesperson, Marilyn Ogar, rushed to the media, claiming that some opposition APC politicians offered the Service’s personnel 14 million naira bribe. She did not substantiate the allegation. The SSS is yet to substantiate that allegation and no one has been charged to court for bribery.
Background
A presidential memo, seen by PREMIUM TIMES Friday, had shown that the SSS (also known as DSS) has been completely sidelined at the villa.
The memo, written by Mr. Buhari’s Aide de Camp, Mohammed Abubakar, on June 24 and distributed to key officials in the Villa stated that from then on, “DSS personnel have been redeployed from some duty beats/locations”.
The memo made it clear that the major security tasks initially being handled by SSS officials are now to be handled by officials of other security agencies.
Mr. Abubakar said personnel of the Armed Forces and the police, who were trained as Presidential Body Guards, PBGs, are to “provide close/immediate protection for Mr. President henceforth”.
Mr. Abubakar subsequently listed some of the areas to be taken care of by the PBGs to include, Admin Reception, Service Chiefs Gate, Residence Reception, Rear Resident, Resident Gate, Office Reception, C-In-C Control Office, ACADE Gate, C-IN-C Control Gate and Panama.
“However, the personnel of the DSS in conjunction with other security forces are to man other duty beats/locations located within the immediate outer perimeter of the Presidential Villa,” he said, without providing reasons for the action.
Mr. Abubakar added that the Admin Officer, AO, shall be submitting a list of all personnel deployed for physical security within the premises of the Villa to the office of the ADC every Thursday for “perusal, observation and approval as the case may be before final publication and dispatch to the office of the CSO”.
It’s a routine adjustment — Presidency
The presidency has however described the relegation of the SSS as a routine adjustment.
“While it is true that a reorganization of security at the Presidential Villa which involves the realignment of personnel from various services is underway, the exercise does not translate to the expulsion of DSS personnel from the premises in any way.
“The changes being made are routine adjustments which are not unexpected in any dynamic environment from time to time.”

A group, Patriotic Northern Coalition for Justice, Peace and Equity, will hold a solidarity rally in Kaduna to express gratitude to the national leader of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Asiwaju Bola Tinubu.
The National Coordinator of the coalition, Alhaji Babangida Sule-Manchok Jnr, told newsmen in Kaduna yesterday that the rally will hold immediately after the fasting period.
He pledged that all its members across the 19 northern states in the country and beyond have been notified about it.
He said the coalition was working for the development of the north and will therefore support any individual or group that works towards the success of the region.
“As a group, our basic interest is to work for the progress of the country in general and the North in particular.
“So, we will support anyone who has worked or is still working for the betterment of the region or have the interest of our region at heart.
“By working tirelessly to ensure the victory of our son, brother, father and leader, President Muhammadu Buhari, Bola Tinubu has shown that he is a true friend of the region.
“Even though people have grown tired of former President Goodluck Jonathan, it would have been difficult to defeat him if not for the unique commitment of Tinubu towards ensuring that his South-West region voted overwhelmingly for Buhari.”
He went on: “So as part of our gratitude, we are organising this solidarity rally is to show him that we, the Northerners, are grateful to him for what he has done for us.
“It is not a political rally because electioneering campaigns have come and gone. ?
“This is a rally of gratitude and of a grateful people. In the rally, we shall also acknowledge all those who played one role or the other in the victory of Buhari.”
Asked if there were moves by some to work against Tinubu in APC as being reported, he said: “We won’t even allow anybody or group of persons from any part of the country to plan anything against Tinubu’s interest in APC.
“It is true that such moves are ongoing and we even know some of the people involved, but they won’t succeed.
“Selfish politicians can’t just sit down and begin to plot against someone we in the North are


thenationonlineng.net/new/solidarity-rally-for-tinubu-in-north/

A group, Patriotic Northern Coalition for Justice, Peace and Equity, will hold a solidarity rally in Kaduna to express gratitude to the national leader of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Asiwaju Bola Tinubu.
The National Coordinator of the coalition, Alhaji Babangida Sule-Manchok Jnr, told newsmen in Kaduna yesterday that the rally will hold immediately after the fasting period.
He pledged that all its members across the 19 northern states in the country and beyond have been notified about it.
He said the coalition was working for the development of the north and will therefore support any individual or group that works towards the success of the region.
“As a group, our basic interest is to work for the progress of the country in general and the North in particular.
“So, we will support anyone who has worked or is still working for the betterment of the region or have the interest of our region at heart.
“By working tirelessly to ensure the victory of our son, brother, father and leader, President Muhammadu Buhari, Bola Tinubu has shown that he is a true friend of the region.
“Even though people have grown tired of former President Goodluck Jonathan, it would have been difficult to defeat him if not for the unique commitment of Tinubu towards ensuring that his South-West region voted overwhelmingly for Buhari.”
He went on: “So as part of our gratitude, we are organising this solidarity rally is to show him that we, the Northerners, are grateful to him for what he has done for us.
“It is not a political rally because electioneering campaigns have come and gone. ?
“This is a rally of gratitude and of a grateful people. In the rally, we shall also acknowledge all those who played one role or the other in the victory of Buhari.”
Asked if there were moves by some to work against Tinubu in APC as being reported, he said: “We won’t even allow anybody or group of persons from any part of the country to plan anything against Tinubu’s interest in APC.
“It is true that such moves are ongoing and we even know some of the people involved, but they won’t succeed.
“Selfish politicians can’t just sit down and begin to plot against someone we in the North are


thenationonlineng.net/new/solidarity-rally-for-tinubu-in-north/

The immediate past Senator representing Akwa Ibom North-East Senatorial District, Ita Enang, has warned former Akwa Ibom State governor, Senator Godswill Akpabio, against interfering in the running of the government in the state.

Enang alleged that Akpabio was still occupying the state Government House, making use of the state-owned aircraft, vehicles, chattels and other luxuries attached to the office of the governor.

Enang, who said this in Uyo on Monday, urged the incumbent Governor of the state, Mr. Udom Emmanuel, to make the entire handing over note from Akpabio public.

He said that the note was not a private estate that was handed over to him but the government and governance of Akwa Ibom State, which everyone, including unborn child, was involved.

“It is a question of allowing Akwa Ibom State to run as Akwa Ibom State, because this will be called the government of Udom Emmanuel and not a coalition government between Udom Emmanuel and Senator Godswill Akpabio.

“Akpabio does not hold Certificate of Occupancy for Akwa Ibom State or the Government House; his oath of office has expired since the midnight of May 28, and for all purposes.

“He can only have a role as a party man. He can only be paid his entitlements as approved by the state House of Assembly. He cannot jointly run the government of Akwa Ibom State.

“When you leave an office, you have left that office and you should be able to allow the new occupant of that office to run, learn, make his mistakes and take his credits,” he stated.

Enang, who advised Akpabio to concentrate on his new office as a Senator representing his senatorial district, warned that failure of Akpabio to adhere to the advice would lead to a mass protest by the people of the state against him.

He asked the people of the state to support the government of President Muhammadu Buhari, adding that there was no state government that could survive without the government at the centre. He noted that although he had left office as a senator, he would continue to serve the people.

He said, “What I pray that Akwa Ibom should do is to cooperate with the government of President Muhammadu Buhari, because you may be a state government but the Federal Government controls the police, the security, other instruments of power, economic indices and other structures that make up government.”

www.punchng.com/news/leave-udom-alone-enang-tells-akpabio/

mistypiper:
This OP na funny person, what do you expect them to do in a week? What GEJ couldn't do in 6years? I hope you people don't hurt yourself before things start to fall into place as planned by the APC.
.
If I was an opposition to APC, I'll patiently wait for 100 days before looking for any tangible achievement.
Lastly, If 2 say na me win as president of 9ja, the first week na for inauguration only.. So oppositions can kick any available bucket.

You misunderstood the intent of this post.

5 Achievements of PMB in Week 1

BREAKING NEWS: President Muhammadu Buhari appoints Ogbonaya Onu as the new Secretary to the Government of the Federation (SGF)

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The National Leader of the All Progressives a Congress (APC), Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu, said on Thursday that the party will not use the principle of zoning to compromise the quality of leadership for the National Assembly.
Speaking with journalists at the Defence House, Abuja, the ex-Lagos State governor said the party has decided to allow all those interested in the leadership of the National Assembly to contest, dismissing insinuations about his interest in who leads the legislature.
Tinubu said, “You have heard from the party, you have heard from leadership. I’m a disciplined party man and we will look at it critically.
“However the nation is expecting us to take a decisive leadership decision and make one meritoriously. Merit will not be compromised. You have to be competent, you have to posses the kind of character required from leaders. You have to be a pan Nigerian and possess a very solid character to lead the National Assembly. That is what we are talking about. It’s not zoning to compromise quality of leadership and competency of an individual.
“I believe we have a very determined party leadership and we have resolved to follow our leadership and the criteria set by that leadership, including myself. We will not use zoning to determine and compromise the credibility and the qualification of an individual.
“It must be all encompassing and that is the question, if you take zoning as discriminatory in some instances, you might compromise the quality of an individual.
“Let everybody aspire, just like we aspired. Some people predicted during our presidential primaries that we are going run into chaotic storm, we put those people to shame and we came out with the best. Expect the best from us always.”

thenationonlineng.net/new/nass-we-wont-sacrifice-quality-for-zoning-tinubu/

In Christianity, preaching of the Gospel of Jesus should be our focus.

JESUS ONLY IS OUR MESSAGE

God bless ALL true preachers of the Gospel of Jesus Christ and HIS IMMINENT COMING BACK

(CNN)March 28 was a historic date in Nigeria's history as it marked the first time the opposition defeated the ruling party in democratic elections in Africa's most populous country and biggest economy.

Muhammadu Buhari, a former military leader who had ruled Nigeria for a 20-month period in the early 1980s, campaigned as a born-again democrat and saw the tide of public opinion turn in his favor.


Here, CNN's African Start-Up examines Buhari's campaign strategy and reveals the key business lessons entrepreneurs can adapt for startup success.

If at first you don't succeed... keep going
This wasn't the first time Buhari had run for the highest political office in Nigeria -- in fact, it was his fourth attempt. He could have quit on several occasions, but didn't, and his persistence was rewarded at last month's polls.

Buhari's endurance and perseverance in the face of setbacks is a key lesson young entrepreneurs can take heed of, says Femi Longe, co-founder and programs director at CcHub, a tech innovation space in Lagos.


"The reality is that starting a business is everyday slog," explains Longe, who is an expert in social entrepreneurship. "A huge chunk of startups is just surviving to see the next day. You don't know when the big break will come."

Learn from mistakes and don't be afraid to re-brand
Another area for entrepreneurs to take into consideration is Buhari's readiness to learn from the previous unsuccessful bids and make changes to the way he communicated his message.

"He was willing to smile a bit more, was willing to dress in the outfits of the different tribes, he was willing this time to actually campaign extensively across the country to change the image that people had of him," says Longe. "There was a lot of work to make him more presentable."

Similarly, startups need to be flexible and be able to adapt their campaigns to meed the needs of their target markets. Longe explains: "At the end of the day it's about your customers, it's about your users. And you need to think about how does my business appeal to each of their individual needs and concerns while not losing my core essence."


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Focus on setting the right agenda
Buhari has also been praised for reading the ground reality accurately and delivering a focused and consistent message. Lazarus Apir, program manager of Transition Monitoring Group, a not-for-profit organization that helped monitor and corroborate official results, explains that even in Buhari's failed attempts in previous elections, he showed an unwavering focus on his outlook for the country.

"Focus is very crucial," he says. "Buhari said security, he said corruption, he said infrastructure -- all of these problems have continued in Nigeria and today they are only at their worst.

"He has kept the focus of things that he is seeing. If anyone wants to build a business empire for themselves, it is very important that they maintain focus. There is a temptation is to be overly dynamic but then (entrepreneurs) lose focus."

Find the right team
Many experts have hailed Buhari's choice of Yemi Osinbajo as running mate as part of the election success story -- a cue entrepreneurs can take in their business plans, says Longe.

"The last time (Buhari) ran, he didn't have the appeal across the country. And this time he had an alliance that gives him appeal across the country. He has people that helped with improving the image of the areas where people had worries about his personality. He was able to work through all of them," he continues.

"We are not judging him as an individual but the collective capabilities of the team around him. The focus is not on one man but the team. Where the man himself has a weakness, the rest of the team can cover that and you need to have your A-players in charge."

Embrace social media and use it properly
Social media has globally become one of the most important tools for candidates during election campaigns -- and Nigeria's race was no exception. Cynthia Mbamalu, programs manager at Nigerian youth charity YIAGA, said platforms like Twitter and Facebook helped the Buhari campaign to reach population pockets that they could have otherwise missed.

"Social media provided the opportunity to connect with Nigerians, especially young people," she explains. "For the first time in a long while there were tweets targeted mainly at promoting the person of General Buhari and the party's vision for Nigeria."

Mbamalu says the main selling point for startups to incorporate social media into their ongoing strategies is that it allows businesses to enter a vibrant marketplace and engage with customers.

"Customer satisfaction is vital in every business endeavor; people are more open to a system that guarantees that their opinions are important. Social media provides the right amount of buzz a viable business idea may need."

But she adds: "Businesses need to understand intrigue, trends and interplay on social media to strategically carve its niche."

edition.cnn.com/2015/04/09/africa/startup-lessons-nigerian-election-buhari-campaign/

Ekiti State Governor, Mr Ayodele Fayose, has described the resignation of British Labour Party leader, Ed Miliband, and that of Liberal Democrats, Nick Clegg, as a vindication of his call for the resignation of the Peoples Democratic Party’s National Chairman, Alhaji Adamu Mu’azu.
The duo resigned after their parties woeful performance in the Thursday British general elections.
Fayose, who said in a press release by his Special Assistant on Public Communications and New Media, Lere Olayinka, that he had no personal score to settle with the PDP National Chairman, added that it was morally wrong for Mu’azu to remain in office after leading the party into its first national electoral loss.
The statement read, “Alhaji Mu’azu should be honourable enough to follow the same path as the British LP and Democrats leaders.
“Mu’azu’s case is even worse than that of the British party leaders, who resigned immediately their party lost because majority of PDP members no longer have confidence in his (Mu’azu) leadership and there is no way a willing leader can be forced on an unwilling followers.”
“This is not about any personality and I am also not operating here on empty boast because Ekiti State was delivered to the PDP 100 percent.
“Rather, it is about issues. Imagine the PDP not getting up to five percent of the votes in Bauchi State, the National Chairman’s home state and someone is still not being honourable enough to resign.
“Haven’t we now seen what operates in saner climes with the resignation of the British LP and Democrat leaders? Shouldn’t our party National Chairman also take a cue from this and allow for fresh minds to steer the ship of the party at this difficult time?.
“Leaders in this country should learn from their counterparts in other climes because like I said earlier, when a war commander leads his troop to an embarrassing defeat, such commander does not need anyone to tell him that he needs to leave the war front for another commander to take over.”

www.punchng.com/news/resign-emulate-british-labour-leader-fayose-tells-muazu/

President Goodluck Jonathan failed the Southeast, the pan Igbo socio-cultural organisation , Ohanaeze Ndigbo , said yesterday .
The body said contrary to claims during the campaigns, the Igbo got a raw deal drom the Jonathan administration. It urged President-elect Muhammadu Buhari to reverse the trend.
Ohanaeze also alleged that the last elections were rigged in the Southeast because the region was “ targeted by the rigging machine” .
It demanded reparation and restitution for the “ abandoned property” belonging to the Igbo , which their hosts refused to return to them after the civil war .
Besides , the organisation lamented the failure to implement the report of the Oputa panel .
Ohanaeze Caretaker Committee Chairman Chief Ralph Obiora spoke when he visited the Gen . Buhari with his team in Abuja .
Obiora said contrary to clams by the Jonathan administration , no work was going on at the site of the Second Niger Bridge . He said no financial arrangement had been made for the project .
He urged the President- elect to ensure equitable distribution of positions in his administration by applying the principle of necessity to give the zone the position of Secretary to the Government of the Federation (SGF ) and a top position in the House of Representatives.
Obiora said: “ During your campaign tour , you saw things for yourself and it is needless reminding Your Excellency that the Southeast is an emergency case. You drove through the badly neglected and impassable Enugu - Awka- Onitsha Expressway and the Enugu-Umuahia- Aba expressway .
“ Needless to mention the Oba-Okigwe highway; contrary to the election claims by the out - going government, no appreciable work is going on.
” Information has shown that no financial arrangement has been firmed up for the second Niger Bridge.
“ The Oputa panel report has been gathering dust and Ndigbo have pleaded for the revisitation of the so- called abandoned property in Nigeria and its collateral reparation and restitution demanded .
“ You are aware that the Southeast was targeted by the PDP rigging machine, which produced election results that denied the zone a single senator and only three non -ranking House of Representatives members .
“ Ndigbo request that you adopt the principle of necessity to give the zone the position of Secretary to the Government of the Federation , which is your prerogative and in addition, a position of one presiding officer in the House of Representatives. ”
After his meeting with Buhari, Obiora told reporters: “ This is a visit on behalf of the Ohanaeze Ndigbo caretaker committee from the Southeast. We have come here to show solidarity with the President- elect and also ask him and inform him that actually what comes up at the last election doesn ’ t actually reflect the true feeling of the people of the Southeast.
“ The Igbo vote with great conviction that we needed the President- elect to commence the difficult and doubting part of correcting a battered economy , an inproverised nation , a nation that is drifting and we are the representative of that body . He assured us that Nigeria is his constituency and that is very reassuring .
“ We must humbly and respectfully request that because of the outcome of the election , there is a creation and a feeling of an imbalance in the political equation that the core analyst set up here, that there must be a tripod in the political equation of Nigeria ; that tripod seems to be missing one leg.
“ He gave us the assurance that he is going to treat the entire nation as his constituency for all and we believe him. ”
Senator Chris Ngige said the Southeast was pushing for SGF , but were yet to submit names to the President- elect for consideration.
He added : “ The import of what is happening in the executive branch now is that the Southeast is not represented at all and in the legislature we will not be represented because we have no senator from the Southeast.
“ We have two House of Representatives members who are not ranking .”
He dismissed claims that the region is already fighting over who gets the SGF position, saying: “ We have a caucus and that caucus has met on that position. We are only waiting for the party to officially tell us this is your position and we will submit names . ”

thenationonlineng.net/new/ohanaeze-to-buhari-jonathan-failed-igbo/

In what appears an unusual step to demonstrate his leadership style, the President-elect, Muhammadu Buhari, has instructed police and military security personnel attached to him to respect traffic regulations during his movements.
In a statement released by his media team in Abuja, Mr. Buhari said respect for the law would be the guiding philosophy of his administration, adding, “without leadership by example, the ordinary citizens would become copycats of the lawlessness of their leaders”.
The President-elect explained that the “arrogance of power, lawlessness and disregard for the rights and convenience of fellow citizens would have no place in his government”.
According to him, for leaders to inspire respect, they must obey the laws of country, adding that when leaders treat the country’s laws with contempt, they might send the wrong message to the citizens.
Mr. Buhari deployed the situation where fellow citizens are punished at traffic points and public roads because of the “arrogant lawlessness of the leaders”.
He said in a democracy, leaders should not inflict inconveniences and other unbearable ordeals on citizens for their own comfort.
The President-elect advised his military and police security personnel to be in tune with his philosophy of “bringing the rule of law in the conduct of leaders during their movements on public roads.”

www.premiumtimesng.com/news/top-news/182530-buhari-orders-own-aides-security-personnel-to-obey-traffic-rules.html

Pacquiao, while mostly focused on being a
boxer and a congressman, is listed as the
head coach of the basketball team Kia
Sorento . He was also drafted onto the team
as 11th overall pick in the first round of the
2014 PBA draft, making him the oldest rookie
drafted, [16] as well as the shortest player and
the first dual-sport athlete in the Philippine
Basketball Association . [17] He played 7
minutes of one of the team's games.
Pacquiao also owns a team in the PBA
Developmental League (PBA D-League), the
MP Hotel Warriors.
Early and personal life
Pacquiao was born on December 17, 1978, in
Kibawe , Bukidnon, Philippines . He is the son
of Rosalio Pacquiao and Dionesia Dapidran-
Pacquiao. [18] His parents separated when he
was in sixth grade, after his mother
discovered that his father was living with
another woman. [18] He is the fourth among
six siblings: Liza Silvestre-Onding and
Domingo Silvestre (from first husband of his
mother) and Isidra Pacquiao-Paglinawan,
Alberto "Bobby" Pacquiao and Rogelio
Pacquiao.
Pacquiao married Maria Geraldine "Jinkee"
Jamora on May 10, 2000. Together, they have
five children, Emmanuel Jr., Michael Stephen,
Mary Divine Grace, Queen Elizabeth and
Israel. His daughter, Queen, was born in the
United States. He resides in his hometown
General Santos City, South Cotabato ,
Philippines. [19] However, as a congressman
of lone district of Sarangani, he is officially
residing in Kiamba , Sarangani, the hometown
of his wife.
Raised in the Roman Catholic faith, [20]
Pacquiao is currently a practicing Evangelical
Protestant . [21][22][23] He is also a military
reservist with the rank of Lieutenant Colonel
in the Reserve Force of the Philippine Army .
[24] Prior to being commissioned to the rank
of Lieutenant Colonel, he first entered the
Army's reserve force on April 27, 2006 as a
Sergeant . Later, he rose to Technical
Sergeant on December 1 of the same year.
On October 7, 2007, he became a Master
Sergeant , the highest rank in the enlisted
personnel. On May 4, 2009, he was given the
special rank of Senior Master Sergeant and
was also designated as the Command
Sergeant Major of the 15th Ready Reserve
Division. [25]

A Peoples Democratic Party chief in Ogun State
and Ogun East Senator-elect, Buruji Kashamu,
has accused former President Olusegun
Obasanjo of working with local and foreign
security agencies to extradite him to the United
States of America through illegal means.
Buruji said Obasanjo was involved in the alleged
plot to extradite him to the United States over
drug related indictment in the foreign land
because of the defeat the former President had
suffered in the PDP.
The senator-elect, through his lawyer, Mr.
Ajibola Oluyede, said this in a petition to the
National Human Rights Commission, seeking
investigation into an alleged plan to abduct him
and forcibly extradite him to the US.
The petition, dated April 15, 2015 and addressed
to the Executive Secretary of the NHRC, Prof.
Bem Angwe, is entitled, ‘Prince Buruji Kashamu:
Abduction plans by United States of America
agents in collaboration with law enforcement
agencies in Nigeria’.
“The current plan to abduct him (Kashamu) is
an admission by the US authorities that there is
no case against him and is a design instigated
and commissioned by Obasanjo who seeks
revenge against him for the comprehensive
political defeat Obasanjo suffered because of
Kashamu in the PDP,” Oluyede wrote.
Oluyede urged the NHRC to urgently intervene
“in accordance with the jurisdiction expressly
given to your commission by the National
Human Rights Act 1995 as amended to carry
out an inquiry into the matter in order to
establish the culpability and compromise of
certain institutions in this despicable plan and to
protect our client’s fundamental human right to
liberty, life and dignity of hisperson.”
Kashamu explained that despite previous court
decisions both in Nigeria and the United
Kingdom exonerating him of alleged offences,
“desperate politicians” were still mounting
pressure on the Attorney General of the
Federation to resuscitate the US indictment
against him in Nigeria to extradite him to the
US.
Oluyede however, said the pressure on the
AGF did not work because as the US authorities
had never made a request for Kashamu to be
extradited to the US as required by the
Extradition Treaty the US and Nigeria as well as
the Nigerian Extradition law.
The petition reads, “Kashamu’s enquiry revealed
that indeed there had been moves by US
officials within the region to secure the
assistance of the head of the INTERPOL
division in Nigeria, Mr. Solomon Arase, a Deputy
Inspector General of Police, for the arrest and
delivery to the US officials of Kashamu for
transportation to the US without following the
due process required by the Nigeria Extradition
Act.
“Mr. Kashamu’s informant revealed that Arase
has confirmed that one Donna Chabot
approached him in January 2015. The said Ms
Chabot is an Attache Department of Homeland
Security, Immigration and Customs Enforcement
at the American Embassy route Des Almedies
BP 49 Dakar Senegal and requested that
INTERPOL Nigeria assist in the abduction of
Kashamu for the purpose of his forcible
transportation to the US to face trial before
Judge Norgel.”

The Lagos State Police Commissioner of
Police, Mr Kayde Aderanti, on Thursday
confirmed the arrest of the lady behind
the kidnap of three children of the Orekoya
family within the ages of 6, 4 and 11 months.

The Commissioner explained that the
information of the abducted children was gotten
to his office by the D.P.O who stays close to
the parents of the abducted kids and action was
taken immediately (24hrs).
“We swung into action, transferred it (the case)
to the headquarters and assigned It to our
Special Investigation Bureau (SIB) and the
Special Anti-Robbery Squad (SARS). Along the
way, we tried to do everything possible because
of the safety of these kids; so paramount to us.
“So we did everything possible to narrow down
the space to Shasha area and found the
children abandoned in the building and we went
there and evacuated them to safety.
“But the beautiful thing is that the maid, Mary
Akinloye, was arrested yesterday night”, he said
on Sunrise Daily.
The three missing children of the Orekoya
family were kidnapped by their nanny, Mary
Akinloye, in Lagos State.
Akinloye was said o have been hired through an
online trading portal.
In an interview with Channels Television, a
police source had revealed that the kidnappers,
faced by immense pressure the incident had
generated, abandoned the children in Shasha
Area of Lagos State, Nigeria’s south-west
region.
The children were immediately taken to an
anonymous hospital for observation and are in
the process of being re-united with their
parents.
The kids between the ages of 6, 4 and 11
months old were abducted by the housemaid on
April 8, a day into her job as the family maid.
She, as well as her accomplices, contacted the
children’s’ parents and demanded a N15m
ransom.

Former President Olusegun
Obasanjo has urged the
President-elect Muhammadu
Buhari to realize that
Nigerians are expecting a lot
from him when he eventually
takes over power May 29.
Mr. Obasanjo is currently in
Sudan as an AU observer in
the country’s presidential
election.
PREMIUM TIMES spoke to
him, Wednesday, on Mr.
Buhari’s victory.
Mr. Obasanjo said he was not
ready to “say too much”
about the election but noted
that Nigerians have passed a
message to the retired
general by asking for change.
“Nigerians have done what
needed to be done,” he said.
He also called “what has
happened” Phase 1. He said
Phase 2 would be how the
new government establishes
itself.
“Everybody needs to know
that expectations are high,”
he said.
Mr. Obasanjo wrote a letter
to Mr. Buhari after the latter
was declared winner of the
election and asked the
president-elect to pay more
attention to institutional
reforms in Nigeria.
Mr. Obasanjo said Nigeria
had been unnecessarily over-
heated before and during the
campaigns and divisive
tendencies were openly
displayed.
He urged Mr. Buhari to “heal”
the wounds following the
intense electioneering
campaigns.
Mr. Obasanjo particularly
asked Mr. Buhari to give the
Nigerian Military a cursory look and
return it to the path of professionalism.
“I know that in victory, you will be
magnanimous to start binding the
wounds and bitterness occasioned by the
campaign and the evil disciples,” Mr.
Obasanjo had said in the letter.
“With so much harm already done to
many national institutions, in lauding
the military, which proudly nurtured
you and me, you will have a lot to do on
institution reform, education,
healthcare, economy, infrastructure,
power, youth employment, agribusiness,
oil and gas, external affairs,
cohesiveness of our nation and ridding
our land of corruption. Your varied and
wide experience will undoubtedly stand
you in good stead.”
Although, Mr. Obasanjo, who recently
tore his Peoples Democratic Party
membership card, has not joined Mr.
Buhari’s party, the All Progressives
Congress, APC, many Nigerians believe
he voted for the former head of state in
the March 28 presidential election.
Mr. Obasanjo was instrumental to the
emergence of Goodluck Jonathan as
president, but fell out with Mr. Jonathan
after the president declared his intention
to run for a second term.
Mr. Obasanjo consistently claimed that
Mr. Jonathan promised to remain in
power for a single term before handing
over to someone from northern Nigeria.

Six Countries Turn Down
Petroleum Minister Alison-
Madueke’s Asylum Request,
BCA Report Says
The report, dated March 2015, focused
extensively on Nigeria’s general elections.
It said the notorious Minister, whose
impunity is known to have been closely-
protected by President Goodluck
Jonathan, will be coming under the
microscope for the first time in her
Ministerial career.

N
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o fewer than six countries have already
refused to grant an asylum request by
the Minister of Petroleum Resources,
Mrs Diezani Alison-Madueke, the Business
Council for Africa (BCA) said in its just-released
monthly report, noting that about US$ 1 trillion is
the latest estimated figure of the looting of the
Nigerian treasury between 1960 and 2005 alone.
The report, dated March 2015, focused
extensively on Nigeria’s general elections. It
said the notorious Minister, whose impunity is
known to have been closely-protected by
President Goodluck Jonathan, will be coming
under the microscope for the first time in her
Ministerial career.
“Given her reputation, it comes as no surprise to
learn that 6 countries have already refused to
grant her asylum to live in their countries as she
now wishes to leave Nigeria at the earliest
possible opportunity,” it said.
BCA recalled President-elect Muhammadu
Buhari lamenting that the rest of the world
looks at Nigeria as the home of corruption, one
where stealing is not corruption but a way of
life, and that his administration will pursue all
public offices and individuals who are believed
to be guilty of corruption.
It observed that despite an earlier promise, it is
now understood that Buhari’s anti-corruption
fishing net will include Ministers currently
serving under President Goodluck Jonathan.
Alison-Madueke’s departure from Nigeria is
likely to be followed by several other PDP
elders, party members and supporters as well as
some former Government officials, as Buhari's
anti-corruption drive will be far-reaching.
“It will be very interesting to learn in the coming
months exactly how far back in Nigeria's history
his administration will go in the pursuance of
those who have robbed Nigeria of US$ 1 trillion,
which is the latest estimated figure of theft
from the Nigerian treasury between the period
1960-2005. Given that President Jonathan's
administration is considered the most corrupt of
any of its predecessors, that figure is going to
be considerably magnified, but whether the new
President will wish to pursue former Heads of
State is a matter of interest and considerable
debate to Nigerian observers. It is this subject
that is primarily responsible for Buhari's
success in winning the election as well as his
campaign promises to eradicate Boko Haram,
revive the economy and rebuild Nigeria to make
its position as the number one country in Africa.
While BCA agreed that the March/April 2015
were “the most credible elections in Nigeria's
history”, it said they could not be called the
most incorruptible.
On the contrary, it referred to them as the worst
because of the amount of money that the PDP
so freely and openly spent on trying to secure
the re-election of Mr. Jonathan.
“The stories and reports from throughout the 36
States of the amount of money distributed by
the PDP to elders, rulers, church leaders, unions
and youth leaders amongst others in an
endeavour to favour the voters towards the PDP
has backfired badly,” the report said.
BCA said that if the 2011 elections were
considered bad, the 2015 elections will
undoubtedly go down as the most corrupt in
Nigeria's history, certainly since 1999, as the
amount of money being distributed as bribes
primarily by the PDP so very openly would
readily confirm.
It reported that since November when
campaigning began, President Jonathan and
General Buhari during their travels made no
fewer than 109 promises of what they intend to
achieve if given the mandate in the presidential
election.
“President Jonathan's campaign continued to
hinge on his party's Transformation Agenda and
the achievements of his Government in the last
4 years, particularly in the agricultural sector,
job creation and the empowerment of women,”
the report said. In that regard, it credited
Jonathan as having achieved a great deal during
his tenure.
It said it was however Jonathan’s failures -
rampant corruption, insecurity, inability to
eliminate the Boko Haram insurgency, failure in
such sectors as the economy, and power in
particular, and the overall feeling that he was
ruled rather than led - that have cost him his re-
election bid.
The report also stated that in the 2015
elections, up to 250 Nigerians lost their lives,
describing that deplorable record as speaking
volumes for the control achieved by the Police
at the campaign rallies by the two main
candidates.
It described the cost of the campaigns of the
two main parties as “simply staggering”, noting
that by the first week of March, Buhari had
spent some N332.58 billion as compared to the
expenditure of President Jonathan which
amounted to N1.05 trillion.
“This is without taking into account the cost of
other expenses for such items as campaign
rallies, where the PDP has spent N1.06 billion
against Muhammadu Buhari's APC's N595.08
million, and clearly demonstrates the desperate
lengths that the PDP have gone to in order to
try and secure the re-election of President
Jonathan.”