₦airaland Forum

Husbad and wife political party. PDP is a joke. Bunch of criminals.

CoolFreeday:
I believe those killing are not Fulani, they're just using Fulani as cover. Where Fulani wan get money to purchase AK47 from?

God help NIGERIA

Amin o. May God save us from enemy within.

sarrki:
All enemies of our country will not end well

Ipobs knows a lot about the herdsmen crisis

Ameeeeennnnnnn.
This is how they will be exposed one after the other. There will be no rest for the wicked.

Customs intercepts truckload of 200,000 live ammunition in Niger


Posted By: Justina Asishana, Minna On: July 9, 2018
The Niger, Kwara, Kogi Command of the Nigeria Customs has intercepted a Onitsha bound truck load of 200,000 live ammunition being brought into the country from Benin Republic.

Two suspects who were identified as the driver, Bukari Dauda and the owner of the cartridges, Martin Anokwara were apprehended along the Wawa – Babana border in Niger state in a Iveco Truck with Lagos registration number AKD 904 XE

According to the Command Controller, Comptroller Benjamin Binga said that his men intercepted the truck which entered the country through the Babana border at about 3 a.m on Monday morning.

He said that the truck was disguised to be carrying over 100 empty gericans but on thorough checking, it was discovered that the truck had a false bottom which was used to hide the cartridges.

“The checking was not from tip off, it was just out of sheer curiosity that my men decided to do a thorough checking and discovered that unlike other bottoms of trucks, this one had nuts and on removing the nuts, they discovered it was a false bottom which revealed the cartridges.

“The cartridges are numbering thousands, it would take us hours to count it. We are now working to establish what the cartridges are really meant for and who sent them to bring it into the country. ”



Interrogating the suspects, the driver of the truck, Bukari Dauda said he is from Cotonu in Benin Republic and he was employed by the driver, Martin Anokwara to drive the truck for him to Onitsha.

Dauda said that he did not know the truck contained live cartridges as Martin only told him he wanted to take the empty gericans back to the Nigeria.

The owner of the cartridges, Martin Anokwara confirmed that he is the owner of the cartridges just as he said that it is not meant for robbery .

According to him, he supplies hunters and licensed owners of double barrel guns adding that he only sells them in Anambra.

Martin explained that the driver of the truck fell sick which made him contract Dauda to drive him back to Nigeria saying that they had entered the country before they were apprehended by the customs.

The Customs Controller of the Niger, Kwara and Kogi Commamd said that they would be interrogated before they are charged to court.


http://thenationonlineng.net/customs-truckload-live-ammunition-niger/

Wailers should stop avoiding threads like this. Abi dem take bad news swear for una? News of herdsmen killings has been scarce lately and some of you have been sad ever since. If una attempt to kill anybody and lie against herdsmen, security forces will gun you guys down before asking questions.

9jaArea:
Wailers will avoid here like a plague

Wailers are useless and hopeless. Majority of them are born to wail and hate....

Mynd44:
https://www.nairaland.com/4606092/half-n300bn-owed-construction-firms

Thanks!

Sai Buhari!

Sai Baba!!!

Half N300bn owed construction firms by Nigerian govt paid – Contractor
July 8, 2018


The Federation of Construction Industry (FOCI), said on Sunday that the federal government has cleared more than half of the outstanding debts owned to many of its members.

Chairman of FOCI, Nasiru Dantata, who made this known in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Abuja, said that the federal government had paid more than half of the money owed its members.

Speaking on the sidelines of the 62nd Annual General Meeting of the Federation, Mr Dantata said that the federal government did not just stop at payment for past contracts but was also awarding new contracts.

According to him, FOCI had moved on from the bad situation it found itself.

“Actually for now the situation is different, most of our members have gotten a substantial amount of their outstanding debts paid and also many of our members are being patronized by the current administration on new jobs.

“I do not have the accurate figure because not all construction companies are members of FOCI, but from the over N300 billion we presented to this administration, I believe more than half have been paid.

“Our members are now busy working on many projects.

“Some of the jobs are quite big, like the 375km Abuja-Kano road. So we are hopeful this will continue.

“Government at federal and state levels now patronise us. My company is indigenous and I have enjoyed good patronage from Nigeria,” he said.

In 2015, FOCI disclosed that the government owed its members over N500 billion, claiming that one company alone was owed N70 billion.



Mr Dantata stressed that there was need for some indigenous companies to up their game, adding that some of the companies perceived as foreign were actually indigenous.

Speaking on the issue of withholding tax refund, the FOCI president said that there was need for the government to review the procedure so as to make it easier.

He disclosed that FOCI was already in talks with the Chairman of the Federal Inland Revenue Service (FIRS) to see how the tax can be reduced to 2.5 per cent to avoid the problems of having to refund.

“What we are proposing to the government is that since we are working in the area of development, the best thing is to reduce the withholding tax on our activities.

“This was done briefly some years ago and it was reversed but we are discussing with the Chairman of FIRS; he has assured us that what happened was that there was abuse by other sectors.

“The amount involved is in billions,” he said.

He expressed confidence that the present administration will clear all arrears owed its members. (NAN)

https://www.premiumtimesng.com/news/more-news/275428-half-n300bn-owed-construction-firms-by-nigerian-govt-have-been-paid-contractor.html

The people that are castigating Adeosun now were all defending Dino when it was obvious that the guy did not graduate from. ABU. Its all politics. It does not matter the crime. What matter is what side of the Buhari/ opposition divide that you belong to. Its good people have something to wail about from time to time.

Many Nigerians who are not politically exposed has been charged to court and has won/ lost at the Supreme court. Does it mean Buhari hates them? Let the system work. The law is no respecter of anybody. No matter your status in the society, you must be able to prove your innocence over allegation in court and if found guilty, so be it.
Enough of the drama and sentiments.

Fani Kayode is still in recession. We know why. No more Dasuki pinless ATM to support his flamboyant lifestyle. Omo Ole.

Biafla is a dungeon where people run for their lives.

Na the same Naija where wailers , looters and mudrous. Politicians dey take their mouth scatter, na him French President and other notable world leaders and influencers dey rock / enjoy so..

SolutionMee:
I'm a Yoruba but I hate my tribe a lot. Yoruba's are too divided. Unity is priceless.

This is the silly games you play that make sure you always hold the short end of the stick.

CyynthiaKiss:
Wonderful !!

What did you gain from your alliance with the North since 1959? How many deaths do you have to show for it? Have you settled for who among you will be VP to Atiku?

Igbo, Yoruba seek to erase age-long distrust close political gap
Published July 1, 2018


The distrust between the Yoruba and Igbo is not only age-long but deep-rooted. The subdued animosity dated back to the pre-independence era but was aggravated during the unfortunate civil war (1967-1970) and the perceived role the late sage, Chief Obafemi Awolowo, played during the war. The South-Easterners believe (till date) that Awo’s primed ingenuity gave the Nigerian forces the edge to scuttle their secession bid.

Recently, however, there has been a rapprochement between the two regions and other like-minded groups in the country to close ranks and confront some of the obstacles hindering the progress of the country.



In this report, SUNDAY PUNCH recalls the roles of the principal actors of previous working agreements between the Yoruba and Igbo, the perceived role of the late Awolowo in the civil war era, how past working agreements collapsed and the recent ‘handshake across the Niger’



ADELANI ADEPEGBA reports that the Igbo/Yoruba summit meant to cement the friendship between the two major ethnic groups in Nigeria may have come and gone, but its echoes and political impact would continue to reverberate for years to come

If the texture and tenor of the communique issued at the end of the programme were anything to go by, political analysts say this may mark the beginning of a new dawn in the relationship between the Yoruba and the Igbo and by extension, the nation.


The summit, which held in Enugu late last year, was conceived by an Igbo think-tank, Nzuko Umunna, in collaboration with the Yoruba socio-cultural group, Afenifere.

Tagged ‘Handshake Across the Niger: A Celebration of Igbo/Yoruba Friendship Beyond Brotherhood’, it was meant to unite the Igbo and the Yoruba by highlighting the unity and sacrifice that resulted in the deaths of Maj. Gen. Thomas Aguiyi-Ironsi and Lt.-Col. Adekunle Fajuyi, who were killed together during the July 29, 1966 coup.

Fajuyi was said to have resisted the killing of Aguiyi-Ironsi, who was his guest on an official visit as Head of State, but he was subsequently killed by the coup plotters. It was an act of courage and loyalty that was acknowledged and celebrated decades after Fajuyi made the supreme sacrifice for his military supremo.

The appreciation of Fajuyi’s steadfast loyalty to his Commander-in-Chief, Ironsi, and the celebration of the friendship between the two men symbolises the new partnership between the Igbo and their Yoruba brothers and opened a new vista of political realignment and cooperation for the development of the country. But while the political leaders from the two groups are constructively engaging one another, many Igbo and Yoruba youths had yet to grasp the unfolding reality as they are still filled with the bile of false history regurgitated in books, statements, and blogs by political demagogues. The credulous youth are still fixated on the colourful tapestry of venomous tales about Yoruba hatred for Igbo told with perfidious delight by those who do not want the two tribes to work together.

A peep into history revealed that before the war, the Igbo had no problem with other zones or ethnic groups as they entered into alliances with different groups, particularly the North, at different times as it suited them. The younger generation may not know that the Igbo political elite had always been chummy with the North; they were political partners for decades, right from 1960s. The relationship soured in January 15, 1966, when northern leaders and their southern allies were killed in what was termed an Igbo coup which was led by Aguiyi-Ironsi. There was a revenge coup by the northern military officers in July 1966 leading to the civil war of 1967-1970. The political romance between the two regions (North and South-East) however resumed in 1979.



In the 1959 general elections which ushered the nation into independence in 1960, the Northern Peoples Congress won the majority seats in the federal legislature. Under the parliamentary system that was operated then, NPC was in the pole position to form the government and appoint a prime minister. But there was a snag: they won only 134 seats and needed a minimum of 157 seats to have the simple majority, and so the party needed a coalition to control power. Dr. Nnamdi Azikiwe’s National Council of Nigerian Citizens won 81 seats, while Chief Obafemi Awolowo’s Action Group got 73.

Following a bit of horse-trading and new alliances, NPC and its allies had 148 seats, NCNC and its allies 89, and AG and its allies 75. Awo and Zik could have taken power and formed the government if they had joined forces with a combined 164 seats, they would have surpassed the 157-seat target. Zik threw in his lot with the NPC and became the governor-general of Nigeria and, in 1963, the ceremonial president, while Alhaji Tafawa Balewa became prime minister. NCNC also produced the Senate President, Prince Nwafor Orizu. Awo and by extension, the Yoruba, played the role of opposition in the parliament.

In 1979, Zik’s new party, Nigerian Peoples Party, still chose to work with a northern party, the National Party of Nigeria. In the presidential election, NPN won 5.6 million votes, the Unity Party of Nigeria led, by Awo scored 4.9 million, and Zik’s NPP had 2.8 million votes. If Zik and Awo had worked together, they would have polled 7.7 million votes and Alhaji Shehu Shagari would not have been elected president.

In the National Assembly, the NPN could not control either chamber — it had only 36 out of the 95 senators and only 165 out of 433 members of the House of Representatives. Again, the Igbo went into an alliance with the North. NPP, with its 16 senators and 78 reps, allied with NPN, and produced Chief Edwin Ume Eze-Oke as the speaker.

Fast forward to the Third Republic and Igbo continued their romance with the North again. In the June 12, 1993 election, the National Republican Convention candidate, Alhaji Bashir Tofa, won in three of the four Igbo states, namely Imo, Abia and Enugu, where it had also produced governors, while the Social Democratic Party flag-bearer, Chief MKO Abiola, won only in Anambra which had a sitting SDP governor.

In 1999, the Peoples Democratic Party fielded Chief Olusegun Obasanjo in the presidential election. The Alliance for Democracy in a partnership with the All Peoples Party, supported Chief Olu Falae, the Yoruba choice. The Igbo kept faith with their historical alignment with the North and voted for Obasanjo, the choice of the North. They also supported Obasanjo in 2003 and Alhaji Umaru Yar’Adua in 2007. This was despite the candidacy of their hero, Ojukwu on the All Progressives Grand Alliance platform in both elections.

The Igbo are always quick to describe their Yoruba neighbours as betrayers for allegedly failing to secede from Nigeria as purportedly agreed during a meeting between Awolowo and Ojukwu. This hackneyed narrative had been told and retold over the years and had become a lore in Igboland. This has succeeded in further alienating the Igbo and Yoruba, making the prospects of a beautiful political union more distant than ever.

Speaking during the presentation of a book, ‘The Untold Story of the Nigeria-Biafra War’, written by Dr. Luke Aneke in 2013, a former President-General of Ndigbo, Lagos, Prof. Anya Anya, submitted that “the Igbos were only standing up against the injustice meted against them, but the fact remains that we wouldn’t have gone to war.”

Reviewing the book, Dr Douglas Anele of the University of Lagos, said if Awolowo had “fulfilled his promise of having the West leave Nigeria if East seceded, and not joined Gowon to fight Biafra and used starvation as a weapon, the destruction would have been minimised.”

In his book, ‘How and why The Yoruba fought and lost the Biafra-Nigeria Civil War, Jimanze Ego-Alowes asserts that Awolowo and the late Col. Benjamin Adekunle were so anti- Igbo that their speeches were filled with bile and ethnic hatred.

“While it may have been the sole purpose of Yakubu Gowon to ethnically cleanse Nigeria of the Igbo, it fell on Awolowo to give voice to it. The Igbo never opted to leave Nigeria. They only agreed to a new living arrangement promised by the Aburi accord,” the book claimed.

Different versions of the agreement reached at the meeting between Awo and Ojukwu are still undoubtedly fanning the embers of disunity between the two tribes with the Igbo clawing at the scars of the war and blaming Yoruba for their losses.

According to an article reposted on a social media forum by Dr. Adenike Marinho, a meeting of the Yoruba and Igbo leaders led by the late Chief Bola Ige and Chief Sam Mbakwe was held in Owerri, Imo State.

The article cited that Ige, a former Attorney General of the Federation and Minister of Power under Obasanjo, took their Igbo host up over their allegations that the Yoruba were responsible for the collapse of the Biafran adventure which led to the Nigerian civil war in 1967.

“At one of those meetings in Owerri, I think in 1989, I listened to Uncle Bola Ige and other Yoruba Leaders taking the likes of Sam Mbakwe, R. B. Okafor and others to the cleaners when the Igbo said the Yoruba were betrayers, citing that Chief Obafemi Awolowo led them into secession with a promise that if the Igbo left Nigeria, the Yoruba would follow suit. They accused him (Awolowo) of not following up on his promise.

“Trust Uncle Bola Ige. He pointed to Chief Mbakwe and said, ‘You were there at the meeting between Awolowo and Ojukwu as I was (also there). Is that statement correct?’ He turned to two other Igbo and two Yoruba leaders, who were at that meeting, and asked the same question, saying he had transcripts of the meeting between Awolowo and Ojukwu.

“They (Igbo leaders) kept quiet while the Yoruba leaders affirmed that Awolowo never promised to follow the East into secession. What he (Awolowo) said was that if the Igbo were ‘driven’ out of Nigeria the Yoruba would take it seriously and reassess their own position. Igbo leaders did not contest this version. Then, Chief Bola Ige threw in the clincher; ‘who are you to accuse the Yoruba of betrayal?’ he roared.”

It said Ige further explained that at Independence, Awolowo offered a joint government between the NCNC and AG, with Zik as Prime Minister and Awo as Finance Minister. He stated that Awo and Zik were still negotiating when it was announced that Zik would be President in a coalition with the NPC.


Ige, according to it, added, “The East then collaborated in destroying the West by sending Awolowo and his lieutenants to jail. What of the 1965 elections which the West and the East agreed to boycott? We met all night and reached agreement about 3am on the day of the election. In the morning, while the Yoruba boycotted the election, the Igbo went to vote.”

Providing more insights into the failed alliances between the two southern brothers, the politician said, “After the 1979 elections, UPN and APP leaders were still at the negotiating table for a coalition when to their surprise, an announcement was heard that the Igbo (APP) had agreed to a coalition with the North (NPN).

“After the 1983 elections, the events of 1979 were repeated. Not giving up, Awolowo reached out to Azikiwe again for cooperation. Talks started and they met in Benin, where Awo pleaded passionately that only collaboration between the Igbo and the Yoruba could save Nigeria. They didn’t reach an agreement but promised to meet again. Before the next meeting, the Igbo had again teamed up with the North.”

The post further narrated that Ige was miffed with the Igbo leaders during the meeting, adding that he berated them for demonising the Yoruba who he said had accommodated Igbo.

http://punchng.com/igbo-yoruba-ending-decades-of-political-mistrust-with-a-handshake/

martinosi:
you are correct..... see the post i made in the agentina vs nigeria thread....about france upcoming game against agentina...

https://www.nairaland.com/4577528/france-vs-argentina-world-cup/50#68970955

Re: "We Fought Until The End": Mikel Obi Pens Message To Nigerian Fans by martinosi: 4:34pm On Jun 27
Leo10000:

Leo10000 wrote
All Argentina needed was to qualify by any means either crook or any oda means and we gave it to them with d ball in our court....to me win na win... na wetin dem call winning mentality b dat
Dis our "we try mentality should stop pls"
last last,na we and island go back hse

Martinosi wrote
You are right Mentally the Advantage was with Nigeria and all we had to do was Fustrate them and
score against them and fustrate them in the Mid-field.... Messi does not like Playing against Nigeria as he know that
on averages African Players are better than South American or European Players

Now Mess & Argentina will now have to Play another African Team or shall i say Mercenary African Team a.k.a
France National Team (80% African Descent) and messi knows it will be another Whahala event as these are African Playing for Oyibo supporters and that means they have to Play with all there Might and Determination to Win.

AND NIGERIA SHOULD STOP HIRING FOREIGN COACHES....WE ARE PASSED THAT NOW...!!!

I agree bro. The Nigerian coach too made a tactical blunder. He should have sticked to the selection that beat Iceland or the one that defeated Argentina in the friendly. Why play Ighalo in this all important game?
Inferiority complex killed our boys.

chiboy1116:
so Suarez and cavanni na small players back? With godin Nd Jimenez for back

No be by name. Na 11 vs 11 Players on the field. The same Suarez and others were almost disgraced at the last world cup by Ghana with relatively unknown players. Nigeria 1996 Olympic team do not have big names like Bebeto and Ronaldo, yet we beat them. Enough with the inferiority complex.

Portugal is also out of the world cup. Big names don't play soccer. Hopefully Nigerians feeling inferior against Messi and others will learn a thing or two from this world cup.

pelezico:
Agree but we also need the players - if you have the talent and you train well which means that you put in extra training much like Ronaldo and Messi are said to do then that coupled with a different mentality will give you the self confidence needed to succeed. Belief in one self is much overrated - you need to train well as well as change your psychology so that like the 94 team you go out there with no inferiority complex.

Nigeria players too cannot be said to be lacking in training. When you play as a team, with the right mindset, Nigeria can beat France or Argentina.

Nigeria beats Spain at the World cup with Players that are not as popular as their opponents. Nigeria won the 1996 Olympic Gold with players that are not ranked the best in the world, defeating teams like Brazil that paraded Ronaldo and Bebeto.. The Iceland team that hold Argentina team to a draw in this year world cup is filled with relatively unknown players compared to the stars that Argentina paraded.
Our major problem is the mindset and inferiority complex.

onyxo76:
yes a good mindset is important, but when you are matched against a more skillful team, it's just a matter of time before you start committing blunders of frustration maybe after letting in the first goal, then the case worsens as well, those French players were simply wonderful today, did you see those counter attacks and having to come back to win the game from a goal down

No big deal in the French Team. If they get defeated at the World cup, you will see how ordinary they will look. We need to have the right mindset and not feeling inferior to any of the teams. I gave you example of Argentina for a reason..
No big deal.

onyxo76:
there is no complex here, can we match the French team that played today, I doubt it. Not with that mbape or what is his name again, which defender will be able to catch him.
We tried but truth be told, we are not good enough.

It is about complex. It is our mindset and inferiority complex that is failing us. If we believe in ourselves and put in the hard work with the right mindset there is nothing special about the France Team. Nigeria can win the Wold cup with the right mindset. Our players and team are not inferior to France.
Iceland played draw with Argentina and Nigeria beats Iceland, only to lose to the same Argentina because of the players mindset and inferiority .
Messi looks so ordinary against Croatia, Iceland and France. His achievement at this world cup is scoring against Nigeria due to our players inferiority complex. They feel intimidated playing against Messi..We need to change our mindset if we want to succeed. Nothing special about our opponents. It is eleven players against eleven.

onyxo76:
Thank God we didn't qualify, France for massacre us

This type of inferiority complex is nauseating. Sadly enough our players carry the same mentality. This is why the 1994 Eagles is different.

The Coach should have sticked to the formation and players he used against Iceland. Why use Ighala against Argentina for heaven sake? The blame of our loss should rest squarely with the coach.

Let the rule of law and fair hearing prevail.

N49m scam: Buhari dissolves NABTEB board, reinstates suspended registrar
Published June 26, 2018

President Muhammadu Buhari


Olaleye Aluko, Abuja

President Muhammadu Buhari has dissolved the Governing Board of the National Business and Technical Examinations Board over N49m contracts allegedly unaccounted for and reinstated the suspended Registrar, Prof. Ifeoma Abanihe.

The Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Education, Sonny Echono, revealed the President’s decision in a statement on Monday. He noted that the suspension of the registrar and four directors in the agency by the governing board did not “follow the due process.”



Echono said the President had directed the Minister of Education, Adamu Adamu, to take “immediate measures to reposition and refocus NABTEB for greater efficiency.”

Our correspondent reported on Monday that the NABTEB Governing Board headed by Prof Leonard Shilgba announced the suspension of the registrar and four directors over their failure to account for N49m contracts awarded by the examination body.

It was also reported that the suspension followed an investigative panel report, which uncovered irregularities in contract awards, in which about N49,779,000 was allegedly unaccounted for by the registrar.

Echono said, “President Muhammadu Buhari has approved the dissolution of the Governing Board of NABTEB with immediate effect. He has also directed the Minister of Education to take immediate measures to reposition and refocus NABTEB for greater efficiency and to render its performance more responsive to the expectations of the present administration.

“The suspension of the registrar and four directors of NABTEB has been nullified as it did not conform with due process because the board went beyond its powers and in contravention of Sections 5 and 6 of the NABTEB Act.”

http://punchng.com/n49m-scam-buhari-dissolves-nabteb-board-reinstates-suspended-registrar/

jayfolarin:
Majority of the senators and NASS members are useless, unpatriotic sabotaging sons of biitches that deserve to be stoned to death one after the other!

I hope Nigerians have now realised who the real enemies are and will pay more attention when they vote in 2019

I concur.

It is a very unfortunate situation. How the few. NASS members can hold the entire country to ransom beats me.

‘The alterations we made to Budget 2018 are justifiable’ — house of reps replies Buhari


AbdulRazak Namdas, spokesman of the lower legislative chamber, said this in a statement issued after President Muhammadu Buhari signed the 9.12 trillion budget into law.

Buhari had expressed reservations with some alterations in the budget, wondering why the lawmakers introduced 6,403 projects into it.

“The national assembly made cuts amounting to N347 billion in the allocations to 4,700 projects submitted to them for consideration and introduced 6,403 projects of their own amounting to N578 billion. Many of the projects cut are critical and may be difficult, if not impossible, to implement with the reduced allocation. Some of the new projects inserted by the national assembly have not been properly conceptualized, designed and costed and will, therefore, be difficult to execute,” the president had said, disclosing that he would send a supplementary budget.

But in his response, Namdas said the national assembly “has a job to do”.

He also absolved the lawmakers of blames for the delay in the implementation of the January-to-December budget cycle, one of the complaints raised by Buhari.

Namdas said heads of ministries, department and agencies (MDAs) should take responsibility for the delay.

“The house of representatives is appreciative of President Muhammadu Buhari in signing the 2018 Appropriation Bill into law and wish to make the following observations,” the statement read.

“That the budget is usually a proposal by the executive to the national assembly, which the latter is given the constitutional power of appropriation to alter, make additions, costs or reduce as it may deem necessary. The Legislature is not expected to be a rubber-stamp by simply approving the Executive proposals and returning the budget to Mr. President. Therefore, the additions Mr. President complained of in his speech are justifiable.

“We are on the same page with Mr. President in his desire to return our budget cycle to January-December. By the provisions of the Fiscal Responsibility Act, 2007, the budget estimates should be with the national assembly around September of the year. In the case of the 2018 budget, the estimates came behind schedule in November 2017, even though this attempt was seen as one of the earliest in recent years. Going forward, we urge the executive to speed up the reporting time to the National Assembly by complying fully with the FRA.

“Besides, there were delays that should be blamed on the heads of MDAs. Mr. President will recall that he had to direct ministers and heads of agencies to go to the National Assembly to defend their proposals. This came after the National Assembly had persistently raised the alarm over the non-cooperative attitudes of these government officials. On this grounds, the delay in passing the budget cannot be blamed on the legislature.

“New projects in budget. On this aspect, we have to remind Mr. President that we are representatives of our people and wish to state that even the common man deserves a mention in the budget by including projects that will directly affect his life positively. Some of the projects designed by the executive, as high-sounding as their names suggest, do not meet the needs of the common man.”

He also defended the N14.5 billion increase in the budget of the national assembly, saying the lawmakers slashed their budget compared to 2015.

“Before 2015, the budget of the national assembly was N150 billion for several years. It was cut down to N120bn in 2015 and further down to N115bn in 2016. In 2017, the budget was N125bn and N139.5bn in 2018. This means that the budget of the national assembly is still far below the N150bn in the years before 2015.

“While we commend Mr. President for a good working relationship, we also wish to state that we have a job to do, which requires adequate funding as well. The additional costs and projects to the budget were done in good faith for the sole purpose of improving the lives of Nigerians.

“Finally, we welcome the proposal by Mr. President to forward a supplementary budget to the national assembly to address other areas of pressing demands and commend the President and the entire executive arm for a cordial working relationship.”

https://www.thecable.ng/breaking-alterations-made-budget-2018-justifiable-house-reps-replies-buhari

Benue killings: Police prosecute 188 herdsmen over anti-grazing law, others
on June 5, 2018 By Ameh Comrade Godwin

Police in Benue State have declared that 188 persons are currently facing prosecution over the anti-open grazing law in the state.

The State Commissioner of Police, Mr. Fatai Owoseni, also confirmed that another 61 armed bandits associated with killings are facing trial.


Owoseni, who addressed newsmen on Tuesday in Makurdi, the Benue capital, further revealed that aside of herdsmen attacks, there were other noticeable crimes such as robbery, communal clashes, and cultism across the state.

The police boss said that 30 suspects were arrested in connection with cult-related activities within the last one month.

He said that there were rising cases of communal clashes in Konshisha, Apa and Agatu Local Government Areas of the state.

He added that over 100 thatched houses were set ablaze last week during a communal clash between Ugamba and Mbamar villages in Konshisha Local Government Area.

In the case of armed robbery, Owoseni said that “Fourteen (14) suspects were arrested in the last one month with thirteen (13) different types of prohibited firearms comprise of four AK47 riffles; 23 locally made riffles were recovered from them.

“The locally made riffles manufactured in the state were fabricated in such a way that they use AK47 ammunitions.

“In Sankara axis, 17 armed robbery suspects were arrested, armed robbery and abduction in this axis are attributed to Terwase Akwaza popularly known as ‘Gana’ who has been dominating crime in the area.”

http://dailypost.ng/2018/06/05/benue-killings-police-prosecute-188-herdsmen-anti-grazing-law-others/