₦airaland Forum

The President General of Ohanaeze Ndigbo, John Nnia Nwodo yesterday called on the federal government to set up an independent judicial inquiry over the alleged killings by security operatives of members of Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB) who staged a peaceful demonstration in Port Harcourt in solidarity with President Donald Trump on his swearing in as President of the United States of America.

The president general of the pan Igbo group, who raised some posers over the circumstances surrounding the killings and arrest of the protesters, lamented that a dangerous trend is emerging in our country.

Nwodo while noting that there was freedom of association and that police permit was not necessary before peaceful protests are held, expressed concern on a pattern of no arrest and prosecution of those responsible for massacres of Nigerians in Benue, Southern Kaduna, and Nimbo in Enugu State.

He said that Ndigbo will not fold their hands and watch their children massacred and incarcerated with such impunity, adding that any “attempt to deal with demonstrations of IPOB in a manner different from treatment of Boko Haram members, Niger Delta Avengers, Fulani Herdsmen and OPC will be discriminatory and unfair.”

Some members of the Senate have insisted that the Secretary to the Government of the Federation, Mr. Babachir Lawal, must appear before them to defend himself against the allegations of corruption and misconduct or quit his office.

The lawmakers, who insisted on their call for Lawal’s removal, arrest and prosecution, asked President Muhammadu Buhari to compel the SGF to defend himself before the lawmakers.

It was learnt on Thursday that the majority of the senators supported the Chairman of the Senate Ad Hoc Committee on Mounting Humanitarian Crisis in the North-East, Senator Shehu Sani, who dismissed Buhari’s letter in which the President gave reasons why Lawal would not be sacked.

Sani told our correspondent that the ad hoc committee might re-invite the SGF as its investigations continued.

“We can re-invite him (Lawal); there is no problem with that. If there is the need, we will invite him again,” he said.

Other senators, who spoke to our correspondent when asked of the next line of action after Buhari’s letter, said the President should allow the SGF to defend himself before the Senate rather than the President defending him.

The Senate had called for Lawal’s resignation, probe and prosecution over the findings in the interim report of the Senate ad hoc committee on the situation in the North-East.

The decision was based on the interim report by the Senate Committee on the Mounting Humanitarian Crisis in the North-East, headed by Senator Shehu Sani, which was released on December 14, 2016.

The lawmakers specifically called on security and anti-graft agencies to arrest and prosecute Lawal, who is overseeing the Presidential Initiative on the North-East, for allegedly owning one of the companies awarded contracts in the rehabilitation of the North-East.

Lawal was alleged to have resigned his directorship of the company after becoming the SGF and after the company had executed the contract.

The SGF had denied the allegation, saying what the Senate said was “balderdash.” He alleged that there was an attempt by the senators to malign him, wondering why the committee did not invite him to confront him with those allegations during the investigative hearing.

Buhari had, in a letter to the Senate, dismissed the lawmakers’ allegations against Lawal, contending that the SGF was not given an opportunity to defend himself.

Meanwhile, The PUNCH obtained an invitation letter written by Sani-led panel in September last year.

Buhari had, in his letter to the Senate on Lawal, stated that the SGF was not given fair hearing by the committee.

But in the letter dated November 6, 2016, the committee asked Lawal to appear before it on December 6, 2016.

It directed the SGF to come with information on the contracts for the rehabilitation of the Internally Displaced Persons’ Camps in the North-East.

The Permanent Secretary in the SGF Office, Aminu Nabegu, in a letter dated December 6, 2016, responded to the committee’s invitation.

In an interview with our correspondent, Senator Adesoji Akanbi (Oyo South), said although Sani spoke the mind of the lawmakers, he was too harsh on the Presidency, being from the ruling party, the All Progressives Congress.

He said the Senate might reply Buhari, asking him to order Lawal to make himself available for the Senate probe.

He said, “Every letter needs to be replied. That is the normal thing to do. On the issue of the SGF, the content of the letter written back to us by the executive is untrue. The interim report we have shows that seven members of the committee signed it. If at all it was signed by three members and the Presidency was conversant with our procedures, he would have known that ratio three to nine is one-third, which means a quorum was formed.

“On a serious note, the allegations were not treated; they were not mentioned by the President. It was an allegation and the man (Lawal) was given the opportunity of fair hearing. He refused to come and he sent somebody, and he felt the person he sent was competent enough to represent him.

“I think the only thing that can happen, if they want to prove that they are fighting corruption, which we believe they are fighting, Mr. President should impose it on the SGF to appear before the committee. If Mr. President is sincere and he is convinced that the SGF is not being fairly treated, he should ask him to come.”

Also, Senator Danjuma La’ah said the lawmakers would not stop calling for Lawal’s removal and prosecution, stating that the SGF still had the opportunity to defend himself before the Senate.

He said, “As far as we are concerned, we won’t take issue with the President or even the SGF. We have stated our final decision and it stands. Even the letter written by the President, I don’t think he is the one who wrote it. Something is fishy somewhere because the President cannot go so low.

“We had made a decision and he was still writing back to us, telling us that this is what he wants and it doesn’t work that way.”

Senator Mao Ohuabunwa equally dismissed Buhari’s letter, saying Lawal must defend himself or quit.

He said, “Let us get the final report (by the committee) but he should come and defend himself. I think that should be the right thing. He should go to the committee and answer to its call as required by its invitation.”

“It is then left to the committee to compare what they have with what would be his response to the allegations.

“The right thing is, if the Senate invites you, you must honour that invitation and prove your innocence, if possible, with documents.”

Another member of the Senate also told our correspondent on condition of anonymity that several lawmakers, who spoke on Buhari’s letters on Lawal and the acting Chairman of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, Mr. Ibrahim Magu, at the closed session on Tuesday, insisted that the SGF must not be allowed to escape justice.

Yungwizzzy:
Did some body just mentioned they "ended" corruption?


Howww

Senators may have set three conditions for Ibrahim Magu’s confirmation as Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) chairman, The Nation learnt yesterday.
The three conditions are:

•A report from President Muhammadu Buhari containing a fact-sheet on how he arrived at his decision to re-present Magu;

•Withdrawal of security reports on Magu, which were presented to the Senate about six weeks ago by the Department of State Services (DSS); and

•Satisfactory performance by Magu before the Senate Committee on Anti-Corruption and Financial Crimes, which has been mandated to screen him. Magu must clear himself of all allegations before the committee.

The three conditions, The Nation learnt, were agreed upon by some senators.

The conditions were set at a meeting of some senators last night to create fresh hurdles for Magu.

The Presidency is believed to be lobbying senators in a bid to get Magu the job.

Some members of the kitchen cabinet of President Muhammadu Buhari are said to be reaching out to Senate President Bukola Saraki, principal officers and caucuses in the Upper Chamber.

Besides, Magu’s renomination has put pressure on the APC Caucus, which has about 63 of the 109 senators.

A Senator, who spoke in confidence, said: “I must admit that Magu’s confirmation is still an issue among us. We have some senators for and against.
“At the Executive Session, we had a disagreement on whether or not the Senate President should read the President’s letter of renomination of Magu or not.

“After a bit of argument, the leadership accepted the wish of the majority to read it. We are now faced with the confirmation process.”
Another source confirmed that three conditions had been set for Magu’s confirmation by some senators, particularly by those opposed to his candidacy.

A senator from the Northwest spoke of the Upper Chamber’s readiness to confirm Magu if the DSS could withdraw the security report it had earlier sent to the Senate. In the face of the law and going by legislative business, the DSS report is still valid, he said, pleading not to be named “because of the controversy surrounding this issue”.

“It is left to the Executive to put its house in order by cooperating with the Senate.

Another senator said: “Once the President sends a comprehensive report on how Magu was cleared of all the allegations against him, we will not waste time in confirming him as the fourth EFCC chairman.

“In fact, if we get a brief from the President superseding the DSS report, we will confirm Magu. Our concern is that all these allegations have to be cleared for posterity.”
A senator from the Southeast also claimed that “where there is neither a report from the President nor withdrawal of DSS copies on Magu, the Senate will have no choice than to depend on the report of its Anti-Corruption Committee led by Sen. Utazi Chukwuka.

“This is why we have decided that the committee should also screen Magu. Before we rejected his nomination about five weeks ago, the committee could not screen him.”
Speaking with our correspondent, another high-ranking senator: “subjecting Magu to any screening process by Utazi committee is unnecessary”.

“The practice is for any nominee to appear before the Senate and respond to issues. Handling it at the committee level, if it is the plot, is a signal that Magu might be ambushed.”

Magu’s renomination has put pressure on the APC Caucus in the Senate.
It was gathered that with about 63-64 APC senators( out of 109), there is no reason why the Senate should not confirm Magu if those from the ruling party are committed to Buhari’s anti-corruption drive.

A Senator from the Northcentral said: “APC has a comfortable simple majority in the Senate to confirm Magu. We are under pressure to use our vantage position to support the anti-corruption agenda of Buhari.

“Since we are now united as APC Caucus, the onus is now on us to demonstrate this unity of purpose. This is our dilemma.”
A source spoke of intense lobbying for Magu by some associates and members of the President’s kitchen cabinet.

“The lobbying has started all over again but this time around the Presidency is not standing aloof. “Some key figures in the Presidency, including some ministers, have been pleading with senators on Magu’s confirmation, “a senator from the Northeast added, also stressing that he should not be identified.

“We have to be committed to what we want to achieve. We must develop a system that punishes bad behaviour and reward good behaviour,” the Vice President said as the Council considered different options, and decisions that would be taken in the nation’s ports, on starting a business, construction permits, registering property, getting credit, trading across the borders and enforcement of contracts among others.

Acting President Yemi Osinbajo on Tuesday gave an insight on how between 1999-2007, in Lagos State a reform of the judiciary ended the perception of corruption in that arm of government once the principle of enforcing consequences for bad behaviour was in place.

Speaking earlier yesterday at the monthly meeting of the Presidential Enabling Business Council, PEBEC in Aso Rock, Prof. Osinbajo said in 1999, lawyers in Lagos, in a survey, said there was corruption in the state judiciary by an overwhelming 89%, and yet no one was being sanctioned.

“So we decided to deal with the situation. In the first year we sacked 21 magistrates and 3 judges in the second year. By 2007 when we conducted the same survey, the result was o%,” Prof Osinbajo disclosed explaining further that lawyers surveyed responded that there was no corruption in the Lagos State judiciary.

“Nigerians, like any other will behave well, if we put in a system where people won’t get away with misconduct. We are the ones to do it,” he submitted.

He said once a system is in place that punishes bad behaviour and enforces the consequence for misconduct, the people will behave well.

“we are at a point when we feel obliged to do our very best” to improve in all the factors that will create an enabling environment for businesses in the country.

“We have to be committed to what we want to achieve. We must develop a system that punishes bad behaviour and reward good behaviour,” the Vice President said as the Council considered different options, and decisions that would be taken in the nation’s ports, on starting a business, construction permits, registering property, getting credit, trading across the borders and enforcement of contracts among others.

President Muhammadu Buhari had established the Council demonstrating the highest possible political will necessary to identify and implement the reforms that will improve the business environment in Nigeria, and thereby improve Nigeria’s ranking in the annual World Bank Doing Business global ranking.

Yesterday ’s meeting of the Council, with 9 cabinet ministers in attendance, included an interactive session with the World Bank team led by the Country Director, Rachid Benmessaoud, and other senior officials from the Washington DC head office of the global financial institution.

Continuing, Ministers at the meeting included Industry, Trade & Investment Minister Okey Enelamah, Attorney-General/Justice Minister Abubakar Malami, Budget & National Planning Minister Senator Udoma Udo Udoma, Finance Minister Kemi Adeosun, Interior Minister Lt. Gen. (rtd) Abdulrahman Dambazau, Transport Minister Hon. Rotimi Amaechi, Power, Works & Housing Minister Babatunde Fashola, Information & Culture Minister Lai Mohammed, and the Minister of State for Environment Ibrahim Usman Jibril.

Against the backdrop of speculations about the true state of health of President Muhammadu Buhari in a London hospital, Inspector General of Police, Ibrahim Kputom Idris, on Tuesday led a high powered police delegation to visit the President in London.

https://d19lga30codh7.cloudfront.net/wp-content/uploads/2016/09/IGP-Idris5-e1476823853946.jpg

Reliable sources told Vanguard that the IGP was accompanied by the DIG in charge Finance and Administration, Mr. Shuiabu Gambo, Commissioner of Police in Charge Monitoring Unit, CP Umar Garba and other top ranking officers who left the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport early Tuesday morning.



Asked reasons for the impromptu visit, the source declined comments but confirmed the trip was a top secret and planned at short notice.

Recall that President Buhari left Nigeria last Thursday for 2-week holiday in London, though his Special Adviser on Media, Femi Adesina said that he will use the opportunity to undergo a medical check-up.

Speculations have been rife about the true health status of the president with the presidency insisting weekend that the President is hale and hearty, that he only went on vacation to rest.

ENUGU – THE general overseer of Redeemed Christian Church of God, RCCG, Pastor Enoch Adejare Adeboye, has said that jollof rice and chicken being enjoyed by the students of the University of Nigeria, Nsukka, UNN, way back in 1962, made him to choose the UNN as a university where he would do his first degree.

Adeboye who was awarded with an honorarily doctorate degree of Doctor of Divinity, DD by the University on Tuesday, said that he developed interest in the University when he went with his fellow students on an excursion to UNN in 1962 and saw students eating jollof rice with half a chicken

By AbdulSalam Muhammad

KANO—The Assistant Inspector-General, AIG, in charge of Police Zone 1, Kano, has detained a driver and four domestic staff of former Jigawa State Governor, Alhaji Sule Lamido, over alleged theft of N100 million.

Security sources in Kano confided in Vanguard that the five suspects were taken into custody last Thursday, following “personal complaint” to the police by Alhaji Sule Lamido.

The multiple sources further revealed that the money, which was allegedly kept under “ground bunker” in the wife’s wing of the multi-billion naira apartment at NNDC Quarters of Kano, was pilfered to “insignificant amount” before it was discovered.

Meanwhile, inside sources told Vanguard that the suspects have offered “useful information” on how they conspired to steal “oga’s money” and appeared ready to return what is left of the loot.

The source, a high-ranking officer, who preferred anonymity, told Vanguard: “As I speak to you, we have five suspects in our custody and they have demonstrated a great deal of cooperation and we are living no stone unturned to recover the stolen money.

There was confusion among parties in Oyo State at the weekend, following a court ruling restraining the State Independent Electoral Commission (OYSIEC) from conducting the February 11 local government election.

Though details were sketchy, it was gathered that a federal high court in Abuja on Friday granted the prayer of a team of baales (village heads), who sued the commission.

The electoral umpire had slated election into the 33 local governments and 35 Local Council Development Area (LCDAs) for February 11.

But some baales in Oyo West, Atiba and Oyo East local governments sought an order restraining the commission from conducting the planned election pending the determination of the case.

It was learnt that they are angry that delineation of the LCDAs ceded away part of their domains.

was learnt that parts of their domains were ceded to Afijio.

A source said the baales simply wanted the issue resolved before any election holds in the LCDAs.

The order, it was learnt, was granted towards closing hour on Friday, making it difficult for the information to be officially circulated.

The development has caused commotion among major parties and their candidates, who were finalising preparations for the election.

Accord Party, Social Democratic Party (SDP) and Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) revealed that their candidates have emerged; the All Progressives Congress (APC) slated its primary for tomorrow.

The council poll is coming 10 years after the last exercise was conducted during the tenure of former Governor Rashidi Ladoja in 2007.

Reacting yesterday, SDP State Publicity Secretary Akeem Azeez said: “It is quite unfortunate that an opportunity to expose rejection of the APC-led government in the state has been postponed.

“Without doubt, APC-appointed OYSIEC has shown enough reasons to doubt its capacity and sincerity to conduct credible local government election in Oyo State.”

APC spokesman Wale Sadare was not available for comments.

His OYSIEC counterpart, Cosmas Nnadi, was also not available for comments.

Jarizod:
say what

Jarizod:
Nice one Tonto

Amidst recent stories of infidelity surrounding her billionaire husband Oladunni Churchill, Nollywood actress Tonto Dikeh-Churchill, has continued to show her love for children as she embarks on providing educational needs such as books, uniforms and school fees.
Targeting 1, 000 indigent Nigerian children, the initiative titled ‘The Tonto Dikeh Back To School Project is run under the actress’ NGO, Tonto Dikeh Foundation.
Thousands of children are not in school, said Tonto, who is also a Petrochemical Engineer, business woman as well as actress.
”This situation will lead to an unpromising future,” she wrote on her Instagram account.
“For a lot of these children, there exists no hope of getting education due to inherent poverty and indeed lack of education by most of their parents who, based on their own background, would have developed no value for education.”
Campaigning for support so that such vulnerable children are better educated, she wrote: “The Tonto Dikeh Foundation #backtoschoolproject is committed to re-write their stories and give these children a fighting chance at life by empowering them with the most important weapon – Education.”

Clinton9000:
OP...YORUBA MUSLIMS ARE COMING FOR YOUR HEAD. LOL

mikkycoins:
Now a can of viju milk is sold for 120 naira by hawkers and some stores in owerri.The same can is sold 150 in another location in owerri.
So people selling cheaper don't face the same economic ripple effects too?
It boils down to greediness and lack of human values.
I can list many items sold with big margins in my area. In Nigeria,both the government and the people are corrupt.

ckmayoca:
I wonder why barbers on the street charges 400, 500 when campus barbers charges 150 or eve 100 is some cases. Same with laundry services too.

angeltolly:
Sebi na we Nigerians, the one trouble we dey cause, even devil dey learn work. Na Greed dey kill us so.

Ogbono is now 400/cup...see o, dem dey import am? What of Palm oil... I heard its 800/bottle can you imagine? Pure water is 150/bag OK...... The most painful is egg, 40/50 naira per egg.... wait fowl dey use generator lay egg again?

Which kain wahala be this now? I'm just tire

Sibrah:
Small figure.

owodokiri:
lol, there are low intensity conflicts going on in this country at almost every moment in the year. The ones you hear and read about are the ones the Lagos press wants you to read about. Especially in the minority areas in the middle belt and the south. Brutal wars that go unnoticed but continuously consuming lives. Mainly over border issues and farmlands... Then there are the road accidents. The number of people that have died on the Lagos-Benin-Asaba road will stun you! Accidents happen on that road daily. It is by far the busiest road in the country and is now too narrow for the ballooning population.

I have also noticed that folks don't get very old as before . Just as they a hitting 70, they are dying and people are 'celebrating' the burial as that of somebody who lived long.. When i was younger, i remember i used to see old men who have bent with age and barely walk around with their walking sticks.. Not any more. Folks drop dead immediately after retirement and it is becoming the norm.. Have you also noticed the frightening increase in the number of cases of people suffering with Prostate cancer, High BP and Diabetes? Even kidney issues?? Did you notice it wasnt like this 30 years back? Something must have been deposited in the food chain somewhere..

Palpable tension and fear have gripped Delta State civil servants as the verification screening committee has uncovered age falsification and other relevant documents by many of the workers invited for the exercise.

Chairman of the committee, Dame Patience Nkem Okwuofu, who disclosed this yesterday, said out of 1,113 persons invited by the panel, 376 were cleared, while 291 were discovered to be overdue for retirement.

She also said that 731 names were found to be fictitious in the list of workers in the state, adding that the supposedly retired officers had been receiving salaries after they had reached the bar of their retirement.

But Governor Ifeanyi Okowa, receiving the report, ordered the Head of Service (HoS), Mr. Reginald Bayoko, to investigate and ensure that the suspects are brought to book.

He said the state government would recover N1.9 billion from public servants who had fraudulently falsified their records of service and others.

Okowa also bemoaned the alleged connivance of members of staff of the Directorate of Establishment and Pensions in the falsification of records, adding: “A lot of questions need answers from the agency because these anomalies should not have arisen if they had done their work creditably.”

He, therefore, directed the HoS to liaise with the Ministry of Health to set up a medical board to handle the case of civil servants who cannot carry out their functions effectively due to ill-health, stressing that the verification was not to witch-hunt but to ensure that salaries are justifiably earned and only those who worked are paid