₦airaland Forum

NIGERIAN ARMY, ARE YOU GOOD TO GO
GOOD TO GO! GOOD TO GO!! GOOD TO GO SIR!!!

I thought Amaechi debunked the news initially that Christine Amanpour was lying against him?? Now who's lying Hahaha...

I'm so loving how Nigerian politics is playing out these days..

And gradually the scales are beginning to fall from their eyes that the "change" Buhari preached during the campaigns was in reality change if power to the North.

Don't worry y'all there's so much more yet to unfold. This is just the beginning.

An early morning fire incident occurred in the residence of
the Senate President, Bukola Saraki, in the Maitama area of Abuja on Friday, but no casualty was recorded.

Our correspondent learnt that some residents of the
sprawling edifice raised the alarm when they noticed a
heavy smoke inside the gymnasium of the senate president.

A resident told our correspondent that the attention of the
officials of the fire service were drawn to the incident
around 10:05am and that they quickly mobilised themselves there to put the fire under control.

Confirming the incident to our correspondent, the Special
Adviser to the Senate President on Media and Publicity, Mr. Yusuph Olaniyonu, said the incident was caused by an
electric spark from one of the air conditioners in the
gymnasium of his principal.

He explained that Saraki had been duly informed of the
incident, adding that nobody was injured in the process.

http://www.punchng.com/news/fire-guts-sarakis-house/

I thought Buhari was only looking for people without blemish

Five months after losing power to the All Progressives
Congress, the national leadership of the People's Democratic Party on Wednesday begged Nigerians to join the opposition party.

The party said Nigerians interested in the PDP were free to
do so without any condition. It said that both the new and the old members would be treated equally.

The Acting National Chairman of the party, Prince Uche
Secondus, stated this in Abuja on Wednesday. He spoke during the inauguration of the PDP e-Membership Registration Committee.

The committee is headed by Chief Raymond Dokpesi.
Secondus said with the idea of e-registration becoming a
reality, godfatherism would soon become a thing of the past in the party. He said, “This occasion is significant to us as a party because it is a dream come true.

“You will recall that the idea of having an electronic
membership registration for our party has been in the works for so many years…

“I’m appealing to all Nigerians to come and join us. There is
room for everybody. Journalists here are also free to join us
and become our members.”

He said for the party to succeed in its objective of
rebuilding, its leaders must be courageous enough to
implement the e-membership registration now.

The acting chairman of the party, which ruled Nigeria for 16
years, said that everybody agreed that this solution was
imperative for any organisation that wanted to run
efficiently in the IT-driven world.

He said, “We believe that for us to succeed in our objective
of rebuilding the party, we must be courageous enough to
implement the e-membership registration now.
“Everybody agrees that this solution is imperative for any
organisation that wants to run efficiently in the IT driven
world we find ourselves.

“Also, it is obvious that this is the only thing that would
empower the grassroots and ensure internal democracy in
the operations of the party.”

He said that the committee had what he described as a
onerous task of marketing the programmes of the PDP to
ensure members that the exercise would be transparent.
He added that the committee should work with the aim of
returning the party to the people.

“Look at our slogan, which is ‘Power to the People.’ We are
now returning the party to the people. While the committee
will determine the cost, the duration of this exercise is just
six months,” he added.

Dokpesi, who is the chairman of the committee, promised
that the exercise would be transparent. Some other members of the committee, which has the Secretary of the Board of Trustees of the party, Senator Walid Jibril as secretary include Governor Ayo Fayose of Ekiti State, Governor Ibrahim Dankawambo of Gombe State
and Senator Godswill Akpabio as members.

http://www.punchng.com/news/come-and-join-us-pdp-begs-nigerians-2/

BOOHARIPHOBIA

Members of the National Assembly on Wednesday said they welcomed the decision of the Revenue Mobilisation
Allocation and Fiscal Commission to review downward the
salaries and allowances of members of the National
Assembly.

The House of Representatives said a pay cut would be a
“relief” to lawmakers in many respects, including restoring
the dignity of the legislature in the country.
It noted that it was “disgusting” to hear Nigerians call their
legislators “looters” and “thieves” on account of the salaries and allowances worked out for them by an agency of the government empowered by law to do so.

The Chairman of RMAFC, Mr. Elias Mbam, had on Tuesday
disclosed that a new pay package, reflecting cuts in the
remuneration of public service officers would be released in
September.

Mbam specifically mentioned the National Assembly as an
arm of the public service that would be affected in the
planned pay cut.

Mbam, who spoke with State House correspondents in
Abuja soon after a meeting with President Muhammadu
Buhari, said, “Presently, we are reviewing the subsisting
remuneration package and it is going to reflect the socio-
economic realities of today.

“We expect that before the end of next month, it will be
ready. “But, it will go through a process; it is not something that you will just say ‘yes or no.’
“It will go through a process and it should be obvious to you the economic realities of the day and it is going to reflect that.”

Answering a specific question on whether he thought
senators and members of the House of Representatives
would welcome the pay cut, he stated, “They (senators and
Representatives) do not have a choice.

“We are guided by the 1999 Constitution and we are going
to be guided by such laws that are provided for in the
Constitution. They swore to obey the laws of the country.”
The House, which reacted through its Chairman, Ad hoc
Committee on Media and Public Affairs, Mr. Sani Zoro,
claimed that members would be relieved if the new pay
package came into effect.

Zoro observed that since 1999, Nigerians viewed legislators
as people who did not deserve their pay or even
“erroneously” believed that they fixed salaries for
themselves.

“So, for us, it will be a relief if the pay is reduced. We will
now have our integrity intact.
“We will feel confident to be called honourable, instead of
feeling horrible as some people wish to address legislators,” he said.
Zoro also told The PUNCH that the pay cut would reduce the financial pressure lawmakers faced from their constituents and the general public, who held the “wrong impression” that they were very rich.
“This is good for us on another ground. There are those
who see us as looters and thieves.
“This is a message to them to let us be; since we will no
longer be paid the money they feel we do not deserve.
“Our burden will now become less and we are very pleased
with this development,” Zoro added.
Zoro also told The PUNCH that it was a “cheering” decision
by RMAFC, coming after the Speaker, Mr. Yakubu Dogara,
had set up a committee to assess the “needs” of the 8th
House.
He explained that the committee, made up of civil society
organisations and professionals in many fields, would cost
the financial requirements for running the legislature.
At the moment, each member takes a monthly salary of
around N900,000, excluding a quarterly allowance (running
cost) of about N27.9m.
Senators take a slightly higher salary and quarterly
allocation.
Lawmakers are currently observing a six-week annual
recess to last till September 29.
Also, the Senate spokesperson, Dino Melaye, explained that
the Senate President, Bukola Saraki, first initiated moves to
review downward, the total package accruable to legislators
in the upper chamber immediately after the inauguration of
the 8th Senate.

http://www.punchng.com/news/senate-reps-okay-pay-cut/

Editor’s note: If there is one thing that hasn’t worked well for President Goodluck Jonathan, it is the caliber of men and women whom he has appointed in various positions.
Mahmud Jega lists out 12 personalities that have further
dented president’s personal image and the image of his
administration.

Story highlights:
– Obasanjo’s devastating attacks against Jonathan,
sometimes through letters, at other times through public
lectures have taken a heavy toll.
– Sambo has nothing of the political drive and ambition
of, say, Atiku Abubakar.
– The president contributed to his party’s current
predicament in three ways.

(Daily Trust) –
1. Alhaji Bamanga Tukur
His disastrous tenure as PDP’s national chairman was
the biggest game changer for the PDP from which it
might never recover. Bamanga’s tenure also coincided
with the period when three major opposition parties were
consolidating into one mega opposition party, but the
chairman failed to recognise the emerging threat. Instead,
he encouraged the Party Leader to settle personal scores
within the party. It was a cover for Bamanga to also
settle personal scores of his own. He suspended a state
governor for refusing to answer his phone call; he
watched askance as seven governors formed a faction
called ‘the new PDP’ (nPDP), and he didn’t care a hoot
when 5 governors jumped ship and joined the APC.

2. Chief Edwin Clark
As soon as Dr. Goodluck Jonathan rose to the
presidency, this Gowon-era Information Minister created
for himself a position hitherto unknown in Nigerian
politics, that of the president’s ethnic godfather. No
Yoruba potentate occupied this post during Chief
Olusegun Obasanjo’s eight year rule and even the feeble
President Umaru Yarádua had no such godfather. Rather
than use his extra-constitutional position to steady the
president’s position, Clark used it to create numerous
enemies for Jonathan through his use of intemperate
language and regular assaults at dissenting folks.

3. Mrs Diezani Alison-Madueke
No one gets to sit atop Nigeria’s oil industry without
making many enemies. Mrs Allison Madueke’s beauty,
fluent English and polished manners gained for her a lot
of mileage, but the sleaze in the oil industry ultimately
caught up with her. Most damaging have been the
scandalous rip offs in subsidy payments, the botched
attempt to remove the oil subsidy in 2012, Sanusi’s
allegation of the missing $20 billion and the reported N10
billion spent to hire private jets, not to mention the failure
to pass the PIB bill.

4. Mrs Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala
The first ever Coordinating Minister of the Economy
fancies herself as an economic wunderkind at par with
the German Chancellor Konrad Adenauer or the Japanese
Prime Minister Sato. While most Nigerians thought
economic conditions were harsh, Mrs Okonjo-Iweala
bandied figures and said it is among the best-managed in
the world. This sharp discrepancy between the official
claims and people’s feelings did much damage to the
administration’s credibility. Nor was there any
preparation of the public mind for the steep fall in oil
prices, the sharp drop in external reserves and the
precipitous decline of the naira.

5. Dame Patience Jonathan
In the last five decades Nigerian First Ladies have often
been mired in one controversy or another. Mrs Patience
Jonathan however stands in a class of her own by
making many gaffes and ill-advised actions that badly
affected the public image of her husband’s regime. Worst
of them all was her intervention in the Chibok girls’ saga
and her futile attempts to prove that her husband’s
political enemies orchestrated the whole affair. Her
quarrel with Rotimi Amaechi, the governor of her home
state, also resulted in PDP’s most impactful loss of a
political figure.

6. Mujaheed Dokubo Asari
This ex-militant’s coarse manner, intemperate language
and his open threats against whole regions of the country
supposedly in Jonathan’s service did much political
damage. Asari was later joined by more ex-militant
leaders to threaten war against the country should
Jonathan lose the election. Their joint threat greatly
antagonised non-partisan opinion all over the country.

7. Chief Olusegun Obasanjo
If remarks must be matched to records, this former two-
time ruler has no moral authority to criticise anyone but
the wily Obasanjo re-launched himself back into the
reckoning of Nigerians by spearheading attacks against
the Jonathan regime in the last two years. Many people
suspect that his motives are ungodly. Yet Obasanjo’s
devastating attacks against Jonathan, sometimes
through letters, at other times through public lectures
have taken a heavy toll. The Jonathan Presidency never
quite settled on the best way to tackle Obasanjo.
Sometimes it answered his letters; at other times it tried
to ignore him and at still other times it sent seven PDP
governors to plead with him to keep quiet.

8. Governor Godswill Akpabio
The ambitious Akwa Ibom State governor rapidly moved
very close to President Jonathan and soon installed
himself as the president’s top gubernatorial enforcer. At
one point he went about the task wisely, such as when he
talked Bamanga into reversing Governor Aliyu
Wamakko’s suspension. Other times he handled matters
with very damaging crudity, such as the 16 is greater
than 19 affair, which effectively destroyed the Nigeria
Governors Forum.

9. Alhaji Adamu Mu’azu
When he replaced Bamanga Tukur as PDP’s chairman,
the former Bauchi State governor was proclaimed by his
partymen as the game changer. It turned out that he
underestimated the fall in PDP’s esteem and total
political stature. Even though Mu’azu toured the country
trying to lure back members who defected and though he
refrained from creating more problems by not trying to
settle personal scores, the damage had been done and he
was unable to reverse it.

10. Vice President Mohamed Namadi Sambo
Many of Jonathan’s kitchen cabinet members would sit
back and say that the Vice President is to blame for
failing to stem the tide when the country’s single largest
voting bloc, the far North, turned completely against the
Jonathan regime. Some northern PDP governors
encouraged this belief in the hope of replacing Sambo on
the ticket. Sambo has nothing of the political drive and
ambition of, say, Atiku Abubakar. His affable and non-
controversial nature did not add to the regime’s problems
but it did not stave off the decline either.

11. NSA and military service chiefs
The top security chiefs have contributed to President
Jonathan and PDP’s problems in only three ways. One
was their failure to tame Boko Haram despite repeated
claims that they will do so. Second was their timing the
operation to end Boko Haram once and for all with the
date set for presidential election. The third, final damage
inflicted by the service chiefs was their asking for the
election to be postponed while they attack Boko Haram.

12. Dr Goodluck Ebele Jonathan
The President contributed to his party’s current
predicament in only three ways that I can think of. They
are his lack of adequate knowledge about Nigeria, lack of
adequate preparation before becoming the president of
Nigeria and lack of rapid catching up study when he
became the president of Nigeria. His mistake in choosing Bamanga Tukur; his over reliance on Ngozi, Diezani and Akpabio; his initial misreading of Boko Haram as a political plot; his inability to manage Obasanjo, Edwin Clark, Aminu Tambuwal, nPDP and ex-militants can all be attributed to those three inadequacies.
How can a match be won with 12 players scoring own
goals?

https://www.naij.com/386135-12-people-who-ruined-pdp-and-jonathans-adminstration.html

I like the way Buhari is trying to kill corruption from all angles. But what I love the most from this news is that Dr. Goodluck Jonathan has not been linked to any fraudulent act. God bless you GEJ.

I think this is good. Still watching and hoping for the best.

;DIn this case, 2 black heads with caps are not better than 1 white bald head.

HungerBAD:
Nice.

But would have preferred he visited, those floating Schools on Water we see in the Ghetto part of Lagos.

My thoughts exactly. Even if not in Lagos, the ones in Abj.

lwkmd... @op, is this for real?

Chai!!! Thisday news paper can lie?? How much did Amaechi pay you guys??

STILL WATCHING STILL WATCHING

Eco2580:
Thanks a lot. Sokoto

Toh... Sannu fa

Eco2580:
APC national Vice Chairman (North West) Barrister Inuwa Abdulkadir Esq, Sokoto State APC chairman, State Secretary, Representative of Sokoto State governor, Rep of Sultan & some dignitaries

Congratulations to you. May Allah make your reign a peaceful one. Amin. Please which state are you?

Ok. But what about Biafra Republic? JULY 1967 - JANUARY 1970

tucky200:
Come on remove that fan away from dia !!

Don't worry about the fan. There'll be no light afterall.

The Nigeria National Petroleum Corporation, NNPC said
on Thursday tjay task of restructuring Corporation into a
lean , efficient , and business - focused organization has
commenced with Management ’ s approval of the
retirement of thirty - eight senior managers.

Ohi Alegbe , Group Managing Director , Public Affairs ,
NNPC said in a statement that the downsizing which saw
the exit of all senior managers who were billed to retire
between now and December 2016 is also a cost - saving
measure .

“ The exercise , apart from gearing the Corporation in the
direction of a leaner and more efficient organization , has
enormous cost- saving benefits ” .

Alegbe also announced that the Group Managing Director ,
Dr . Emmanuel Ibe Kachikwu, with the approval of
President Muhammadu Buhari, has appointed new Group.

Some of the new GGMs include Mr . Mele Kyari , Crude Oil
Marketing Division ( COMD ); Mr . Ahmadu Sambo , NNPC
Oilfield Services ; Dr . Surajdeen Bola Afolabi, ITD /SAP ; Mr . Zubair Aliyu , NNPC Capital ; Mr. Dafe Sejebor , Nigerian Petroleum Investment Management Services ( NAPIMS); Mrs. Kemi Akitoye , Human Resources Division ; Mr. Godwin C . Okonkwo , Finance ; Mr . Bello Rabiu , Corporate Planning Division ; Mr. Anibo Kragha, Treasury ; and Mr. Dalhatu Makama , Shipping (Nidas & Nikorma) .

Others appointed are : Mr. Samuel Ndukwe , GGM , Power;
Mr . Mike Balami , GGM, Accounts; Mr . Yusuf Matashi ,
GGM , LNG ; Mr . Rabiu Suleiman , GGM, Engineering &
Technology; and Dr . Olubunmi Oyetunde ; GGM , Medical.

http://www.pmnewsnigeria.com/2015/08/13/we-sacked-38-senior-managers-to-cut-cost-nnpc-gmd/

ArmaniUhuru:
More prisons abi? For Tinubu et al right?

Yes o.... All of them.

Jesu!! Gaskiya our politicians all need to be probed and prosecuted o because indeed nobody is free from corruption. GMB needs to award a new contract for expanding Nigerian prisons because the available ones won't be enough.

This stupid boldness can only arise if Ogbeni Rat has some important officials of the EFCC and ICPC in his payroll. So I'm not surprised at all. #Rubbish

That's good news. It means more job opportunities, Ford cars at cheaper prices, etc. A very welcome development indeed.

As long as this is coming from the Chadian leader, I believe him because in the fight against BH, the Chadian army have been very helpful.

The budget of the National Assembly for the year was
slashed from N150 billion to N120 billion. One of the key
recommendations of the Senate Committee is that the red
chamber should make its records of finances open to
Nigerians.
The Committee was chaired by Senator James Manager.
It was said to have recommended that, in line with the
transparency and openness promised by the Senate
President in his inaugural speech, details of the finances of
the chamber should be made more transparent.
The implication of the recommendation is that details of
funds allocated to the Senate, the budget heads and the rate
of budget performance will become public knowledge in
addition to the breakdown of other funds available so that
the public can be aware.
But, ahead of the Tuesday plenary, Sunday Vanguard learnt,
at the weekend, that there is a division among senators on
whether to adopt the Committee’s recommendation, and
this may lead to rancour on the floor of the chamber.
Many senators, particularly the ranking ones, are said to be
opposed to opening up of the finances of the Senate for
public scrutiny as they argued that it was an unnecessary
concession and “mere public relations gimmick”.
Meanwhile, the ‘pro openness’ lawmakers believe that
making public the Senate finances is a strong signal that it
will be transparent in its financial dealings.
The ‘anti-openness’ senators, it was understood, explained
that legislature’s funds are on first line charge which
precludes it from any form of control by any executive body
or agency, just like the funds budgeted for the judiciary.
They further argued that the present position has been
maintained since 1999 and it does not contradict any law.
So, they wondered why the need to change a stable
process.
The group noted that the Senate would not achieve anything
by opening up its financial books for public scrutiny and that
the gesture will not change the position and perception of
the public that the legislature is a ‘money guzzler’.
“What we need to do is to be more efficient In our legislative
duties, particularly the lawmaking and oversight functions.
We should also avoid any form of financial scandal or
recklessness. All these university student radicalism is not
feasible and will not work. It will not only be counter-
productive, it may also backfire”, a second term senator
said while opposing the position of the Committee.
The Adhoc Committee , which had ranking Senators Ahmed
Sani Yerima as a member, among others, also had younger
lawmakers like Dino Melaye and Shehu Sani. The
Committee’s work took longer time than earlier allocated in
order to balance the views of the various tendencies and
came out with a report that is believed to have the
possibility of further endearing the Senate to the public.
One of the Like Minds senators, one of the two groups that
emerged in the Senate in the wake of the leadership crisis
(the other being Unity Forum), who spoke on condition of
anonymity, explained why the Tuesday plenary may be
turbulent. He said: “The Senate President has said it several
times to the national and international audiences that the
eighth Senate will be transparent, open and comply with
international best practices.
“The need to be open and let our financial facts and figures
be known to all has become a creed between us and the
public. That is one of the new things that will set the eighth
Senate apart from the others. We will support our President
to achieve this”.
Sources disclosed that the ‘pro-openness’ senators also
argued that the recommendation is one of the strongest
signals the legislative body can send to the international
community, civil society groups and ordinary people that it
is ready to do things differently.
“The entire world has bought into the change agenda and
one of the key areas of the change agenda is this anti-
corruption campaign. You cannot fight corruption except
you open up the financial process. We cannot afford to
renege on the promise we made from the beginning. How
can we conduct oversight investigation on others if we do
not start from our own home? This report is our opportunity
to convince the world that the positive change we canvass
starts from us”, another of the Like Minds senators told
Sunday Vanguard.
Saraki was said to have been put under pressure by both
groups and it was not clear what the Senate President will
decide. Sources claimed the groups spent most of the
weekend consulting “because the issue of money is a
delicate one”.
Senate watchers believe it is in the interest of the Senate for
all of them to be on the same page on the issue,
particularly, since it will serve common goal. The issue of a
more transparent financial process featured prominently in
discussions that Saraki and other senators had with some
foreign envoys and other groups that had paid courtesy visit
on the Senate leadership since June 9 when the legislative
body was inaugurated.
In the meantime, Melaye, who is the Chairman, Senate Ad-
hoc Committee on Information and Publicity, last night, said
the decision on the Committee on Finance report will be
based on the wish of the majority of senators.
To him, democracy is a game of numbers. According to him,
while the minority will have its say, the majority would have
its way.
“The report is ready and submitted and, when it comes up
for deliberation, the session will not be stormy. Democracy
is a game of numbers; the minority will have its say, and
the majority its way.”

http://www.vanguardngr.com/2015/08/national-assembly-n120b-budget-senate-heads-for-stormy-session/

Please I was previously using a Samsung Galaxy Core which got stolen before I got this infinix. However I need to recover my data which was saved on my galaxy via the Google Apps on that phone but I don't know how to do so.

Secondly how can I synchronize my Facebook contacts to my whatsapp?

I will be very grateful if anyone helps me out with these. Thanks.

@ Op, the word "best" is relative. It all depends on the individual. Your best may not be my best, whether with or without pay. So I'll advice you to just pray for God's will cos only He knows where He has prepared the best for you. That's all.

My guy, life na jeje. They will surely be dissolved but through due process. Firstly, he has directed all banks and financial institutions in the state not to give out loans to any LG or Ministry else they're on their own. Meanwhile the LG bosses went to seek an exparte injunction to stop Gov. Wike from dissolving them but it was not granted. So dont worry yourself, just wait till the house of assembly is inaugrated tommorow then the games can begin.

Lwkmd... All these Amaechi's Chairmen have not seen anything. Do they expect the judiciary that Gov. Wike resurrected after about 7months or more of inactivity to grant their request?