₦airaland Forum

Buhari replaces Head of Service, Kifasi with Winifred Oyo-Ita

By Karls Tsokar, Abuja on October 21, 2015 3:47 am

https://newngrguardiannewscom.c.presscdn.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/02/Danladi-Kifasi.jpg
Danladi-Kifasi

PRESIDENT Muhammadu Buhari yesterday removed the Head of the Civil Service of the Federation, Mr Danladi Kifasi and replaced him with Mrs Winifred Ekanem Oyo-Ita, current Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Science and Technology.

She is 51 years old.

Mr Kifasi was due to retire on January, 1, 2016 when he will clock 60.

His last day would have been December 31, 2015. He would have proceeded on three months pre-retirement leave since the beginning of October, if he were to observe his terminal leave.

Though details of the development were sketchy at press time, The Guardian was told by competent sources last night that the new Head of Service, a chartered accountant, who hails from Cross River State, is to be there in an acting capacity, though the office does not require Senate approval but a direct presidential appointment.

https://newngrguardiannewscom.c.presscdn.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/10/imoke-and-oyo-ita.jpg
Winifred Oyo-Ita

This development came last night even as sources hinted that the president might consider retiring all permanent secretaries that have spent more than four years considered to be the end of the first tenure. Permanent Secretaries are entitled to two terms of eight years only under the tenure regime the Umaru Yar’Adua administration put in place in 2009.

Signs of Trouble

A source in the Office of the Secretary to the Government of the Federation (SGF) told The Guardian that Kifasi has been a regular visitor to the office but yesterday’s visit was different in all respects, as it was quite unusual.
“He came to see the SGF as early as 8.00 a.m and we all wondered what brought him so early. He looked really worried. He went into the SGF’s office immediately for a private discussion.

Two Permanent Secretaries and about three Directors also came in , but they all left as quickly as they got in, having obviously been told that they were not needed.

“After about 20 minutes or so of private discussion with the SGF, Kifasi left. It was obvious something was amiss, but we could not confirm what it was”, The Guardian was told.

The Guardian confirmed that Kifasi, a chartered accountant and lawyer has not really been in the good books of the Presidency, but was allowed to tarry on because he is due to retire in December .

That was before something else came up, bordering on loyalty and ethics, backed up with documented evidence. With this the Presidency could not tolerate him any longer.

Another source attributed the change of guard at the HOS to imperative for political balance, given that the SGF Mr.Babachir Lawal who hails from Adamawa is from the same geopolitical zone as Kifasi who comes from Taraba State.

It was gathered last night that Oyo-Ita Ekanem will take over from Kifasi today.

Oyo-Ita Ekanem hails from Adiabo community of Odukpani Local Council of Cross Rivers State, was born in April 1964, educated at the Queens College Yaba, graduated at the University of Lagos in 1984 with B.Sc Accounting and holds a Master’s degree from the Nasarawa State University
She was Director, Finance and Accounts at the Head of Civil Service of the Federation and is a Fellow of the Institute of Chartered Accountants of Nigeria (ICAN).

Before her appointment as the Permanent Secretary in the Federal Ministry of Science and Technology in April 2014, Oyo-Ita was Permanent Secretary in the Federal Ministry of Special Duties and Intergovernmental Affairs.

Source: www.ngrguardiannews.com/2015/10/buhari-replaces-head-of-service-kifasi-with-winifred-oyo-ita/

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ekwuemendinso:
he is from Taraba state, ussa L.G.A precisely

I think @freedom96 - the poster you responded to - was just being sarcastic.

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Jarus:
I hope it doesn't have anything to do with this.

It most probably does.

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This is a very worthy development. Let's hope the armed forces do a thorough and transparent job on this. Kudos!

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egift:
With Senate not sitting tomorrow, Chibuike Amaechi will automatically become a Minister of the Federal Republic.

Sai Amaechi. Wailers how far?

Whoa... Smart thinking, @egift. However, I believe the Constitution stipulates 21 WORKING days, not just calendar ones. The extra working days can pass by very quickly as well, though.

Having said that, I make bold to add that, whoever/whatever interest has been engineering these postponement moves, is a genius against the PDP. It's probably also an effort to prevent a division vote on the floor of the Senate over this Amaechi matter. Maybe the APC still can't count on ALL of the party's senators to toe the caucus line - at least not yet?

Hmm.

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stonecoldcafe:
Y so pained? Are you mad she is big on Nairaland politics abi did she screw you and chop ya money?

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uche13:
@Montaque

An appeal does not act as a stay. However, the only requirement for saraki's lawyers to do which I trust they did is to transmit the records to the court of appeal and file an affidavit at the Tribunal. Naturally, the Tribunal will stay proceedings pending the determination of the Appeal.

The case at the Tribunal will likely not go on tomorrow

I think the main body of your statement is self-contradictory; on one hand, you agree that "an appeal does not act as a stay," on the other hand, you said "Naturally, the Tribunal will stay proceedings." Which is it? And since when do things start becoming "natural" with the law?

Also, please read my own earlier message (a couple of ones above yours,) with which I responded to another poster having an almost similar paradigm as you do.

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jpphilips:
It is becoming clearer that the VP of this nation is a Prof. of Law, no more legal loopholes to exploit by politicians, Viva Osibade!!

+1. Well said.

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Very good thinking, OP @TRUTHTOPOWER.

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I thought "at least 82" senators vowed they would continue to follow Senator Saraki to court? It would mean there would be no quorum as from Wednesday, shey? So, even Senator Ekweremadu may not have an opportunity to preside?

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Rexology:
Tribunal CANNOT sit to hear the case until Appeal Court give their judgment. It would amount to 'judicial abomination' for an inferior court like CCT to sit side by side with a Superior court like Appeal Court on the same matter. This is because Appeal court had entertained the case and reserved its judgment. Therefore the hands of CCT is tied on this case for now.

This is wrong. The Court of Appeal is NOT hearing the same case as the CCT is trying; in other words, the CoA is NOT trying Senator Saraki. The CoA is trying to determine whether Saraki's trial at the CCT can or cannot continue. Big difference. Until the CoA makes a pronouncement on the matter and expressly stops the CCT from continuing with the case, Saraki's trial at the CCT continues.

It is de-ja-vu again... Reminds one of some uninformed guys' interpretation of the first pronouncement of the then moribund Federal High Court on essentially the same subject matter. That funny judge eventually eased himself out of the case, while saying his court never at any time stopped Saraki's trial before the CCT, contrary to what some were feeding to the public.

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edogirl2:
Court of Appeal postponing a ruling indefinitely is rather curious.


Did they panic because of SaharaReporters expose yesterday?


This is the sort of thing you get from a High Court in a PDP - controlled state . This should not happen at the court of appeal.

Good thinking, @edogirl2. This is the better reasoned post I've read on this thread this far; I'm just on page 2, though (this my post should appear on the 4th page, I believe.)

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modath:
Lots of technical speak that flew over my head but I was able to gather that he does town hall meetings with NNPC staff, has a podcast , there is oil in lake chad region...

Inefficient refineries will be closed down, how people apply for licenses without financial wherewithal to go into the biz just for crude exchange purposes & Akpabio confirmed;


There was no remmittance into fed acct for 7mths, thereby vindicating Emir Sanusi, & leaving the GEJ till forever with eggs on their red face...

Hope I tried small?

Thanks for volunteering this your take, @modath.

If it's a fair representation of what Akpabio said, then he couldn't have been joking, like some would want us to believe. And, the fact that Akpabio was also reported to have said that he, even as the Governor of an important oil producing state, for three years couldn't see Diezani Madueke, whowas the then Minister of Petroleum, speaks volumes about what Akpabio thinks of the Jonathan era as a whole.

You can crack jokes, and you can say very serious things in a joking manner. I think Akpabio is becoming adept at saying/delivering serious indictments in a joking manner.

Hmm.

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Lai Mohammed would be the last person to visit Saraki at home under the present circumstances, and probably for a long time to come. So, ThisDayLive, an essentially PDP online newspaper, IS is telling lies from hell with the content published by the OP.

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sammyj:
This is the most Stup*p excuse i have ever read in this century. We can no longer be fooled if the former minister is currently be prosecuted for BIG fraud. Liberate my foot!!!

Ya hed dey dia.

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egift:
Laying low or falling in line. Them no dey fear face? While Jonathan promoted "Yam and Goat" benchmark, President Buhari is strictly for "Stick and Carrot" benchmark.

Jonathan wasted the opportunity God gave him. He could not even spend the opportunity in fixing the Niger Delta region. Highest we will accuse him of tribalism instead of the clueless attitude he exhibited.

If any marketer misbehave[s,] what happen[ed] in 1984 will happen in his life. So every is respecting themselves.

+1. Very well put, thanks.

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Adesiji77:
Just like what the Governor, Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), Godwin Emefiele, said on September 22, 2015, Vice President Yemi Osinbajo, was on Sunday reported to have debunked claims that some Federal Government Ministry, Department and Agency (MDA) had been exempted from transferring its revenue to the Treasury Single Account (TSA).

Media reports had quoted a circular titled, “Approval to Exempt Some MDAs In line With the E-Collection Mop-Up Exercise,” from the Office of the Accountant-General of the Federation, purportedly granting waivers to 13 agencies described as profit-oriented government business entities, which pay dividends to the Federal Government

The circular, addressed to the Director, Banking and Payments System  Department of the CBN, referenced FD/LP2015/C/ADC/20/1/ /DF, dated September 14, 2015, and signed by M. K, Dikwa, for the AGF, urged the CBN to exempt the accounts of 13 MDAs described as Profit-Oriented Government Business entities whose dividends should be paid into the TSA whenever they are declared.
The affected MDAs are Nigeria National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC), Power Holding Company of Nigeria, Bank of Industry, Nigeria Railway Corporation, Federal Mortgage Bank of Nigeria, Bank of Agriculture, Niger Delta Power Holding Company/National Integrated Power Project, National Communication Satellite Limited, Galaxy Backbone Limited, Ajaokuta Steel Company Limited, Urban Development Bank, Nigerian Export-Import Bank and Transcorp Hilton Hotel.
But while reading the communique at the end of the Monetary Policy Committee (MPC) meeting Number 103 and the fifth for the year, Emefiele said: “No organisation has been exempted from the TSA.”

A report by Reuters on Sunday, quoted Osinbajo as saying there would be no such exemption from the TSA, even as he confirmed that institutions like the NNPC, which indeed, initially sought an exemption, is now partially abiding by the rules.
“I know that even NNPC has complied to a certain extent. I know that they may have some outstanding (revenues). But NNPC has definitely started to comply,” he said.

Also, Osibanjo said the Federal Government was preparing the 2016 budget with the help of the ministries, despite the lack of a cabinet, assuring that “by Tuesday, we will be sending the guidelines to the ministries,” referring to the planned stricter budget rules to fight corruption.

Osinbajo also spoke of plans by the administration to continue restrictions on foreign currency to preserve the country’s currency reserves amid plunging oil revenues.

The restriction on imports of 41 items since June is part of efforts to offset a fall in oil revenues, which has hit public finances and the Naira, despite warnings by manufacturers that some companies might be forced to close plants because they could no longer import raw materials or equipment for production.

The Vice President defended the restrictions, saying they had enabled the country’s foreign currency reserves to stabilise but said they were only a short-term measure.
“We want an open foreign exchange market. But that market must be one that has the resources to make it robust and open. So, on long term, we expect that the Central Bank will ease restrictions as we go along,” he told reporters late on Saturday.

Osibanjo also said Nigeria’s economic growth should pick up “a bit” in the next quarter, after halving in the second quarter year-on-year, as power supplies had improved.
“We are well on the way to getting out of the worst part of where we are today,” he said, dismissing fears that the country could slip into recession next year.

Meanwhile, the nation’s foreign reserves declined in the September, shedding $978.784 million or 3.12 per cent from $31.322 billion on August 31 to $30.343 billion on September 30, according to CBN data monitored on Sunday.
On a year-on-year basis, Nigeria’s forexreserves fell by $8.178 billion from $39.521 billion at the end of September 2014.

The Federal Government had through fiscal policies made attempts since 2013 to shore up the foreign reserves to $50 billion, but this has been greatly hampered, with the CBN, since 2014 relying heavily on the reserves to support the Naira that had come under pressure from the falling international prices of crude oil.
Some of the various policy measures introduced by the CBN in recent months to ease the significant pressure on the Naira were the movement of the midpoint of the official window of the foreign exchange market to N168/$1 in November 2014 and the closure of the RDAS/WDAS foreign exchange window in February 2015.

As part of efforts to reduce the pressure on the Naira while preserving the nation’s external reserves, on June 23, the CBN also issued circular excluding importers of 41 selected goods and services from accessing foreign exchange at the Nigerian foreign exchange markets.

Such items, classified as ‘not valid for forex’, cannot be funded at the interbank from proceeds of exports and bureau de change sources.

http://dailyindependentnig.com/2015/10/no-mda-exempted-from-tsa-osinbajo-insists/
lalasticlala

Thus far, this is a right-thinking government, and I wish the leaders - as well as the country as a whole - all I can wish myself.

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So far, this is a right-thinking government, and I wish the leaders - as well as the country as a whole - all I can wish myself.

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3rdlegxxx:
The specs are similar to that of the Tecno Camon C8 but Tecno made sure it came with dual flash at the back for great pictures even at low lit conditions or at night and also a dedicated flash at the front for better selfies, only diference the camon c8 came with a 1gig ram and costs 25k, the M5 has strong competitors i guess it's edge will be it's battery but i doudt if that would be enough to win a review against the Tecno Camon C8 or a better match Samsung J7 or Tecno Phantom 5

I diagree. In addition to the other reasons already given by @Kamaye, one shouldn't be comparing a phone with 2 GB of RAM (the M5,) to that equipped with only 1 GB of RAM {the C8.) There's a huge difference in terms of what each phone can do simultaneously - with the huge advantage going to the Gionee M5.

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zinosleek:
Now the case begins proper. If she knows what is good for her she better cooperate for lighter sentence because before those guys comes for her they already have a strong case against her

I agree with this, and it's most probably going to play out.

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Oche211:
No prob Man. Am nt in any way trying to fight u at all.

It's all good.

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Oche211:
what i said was serious talk. Alot Nigerians don't critically analyse matters nd i believe u fall in this category.
Whn u talk about corruption, u consider d ripple effects of it as well. It's nt abt d missing billions alone.
Countries dat carry out exections for corruption knw dis.

Na wa o... It's not about me, I didn't make the post; it's about the sarcasm posted by another person, and which sarcasm you took to mean that person was supporting corruption and other such vices. Give it up, my guy. No fighting.

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famousdad:
am rilli Happy , its as if she stole my own money gangan.....#bobo Tinz #shoki tinz

But it's your money too!

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GenBuhari:
All those who looted must vomit all their loot !

I have been wondering why Thief Obasanjo, IBB, Abdulsalami Abubakar, Shagari and GEJ were absent at the Independence day changing of guards event.

Indeed o, hmm.

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Oche211:
there is nothing like witch hunt here.
If u look at Diezani Allison Madueke's antecedents while she was the information minister, u will knw that a life sentence might nt even b enough for the evils nd monumental rots/decays that she supervised and headed in the oil sector.
Corruption under her was taken to another level.

You took sarcasm for serious talk; you were served!

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aresa:
Why credit the same man who encouraged corruption, refused to prosecute and jail corrupt people like this woman right under his nose and even scolded his own people that stealing is not corruption...? Why




Didn't the Nigerian senate recommended for her to be prosecuted? What exactly was done by the crooked and corrupt GEJ? He ignored the senate's recommendation and let her continue her illegal activities.


The more you post on NL, the more you compound your warped crooked mentality..

You represent the very bad and dark side of Nigeria and humanity.

+1; I couldn't have put it any better. That Barca guy is vermin.

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Benjoh:
Next time you see broom with someone pls be extraordinarily beware of such person cos barely eVery secret would be sweeps to open for Pple to see.

This is one of the funniest posts I've ever read on this forum.... It's made my day.

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feedthenation:
http://www.nationalcrimeagency.gov.uk/news/718-international-corruption-unit-arrests


2nd October 2015

The National Crime Agency’s recently formed International Corruption Unit has arrested five people across London as part of an investigation into suspected bribery and money laundering offences.

Whoa, what a development! This can only mean that there's more from where that came from. Also, watch out for similar setups and development in other western countries, if not already.

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Urine:
So the British government is led by the APC? Nwane biko borrow some sense.

nakamora:
This is one of offsprings of madam thief. By there statement you shall know them.

kayjasper:
Okay...... The Wailers have just arrived!!!

Am sure this one took the night bus as he is the first to arrive!!!

Welcome Wailer 1.




By the way....you sound like a very BIG FO.OL to me.

Just saying!!!

I believe @franchizy was just being sarcastic. If so, ya'll have just been served!

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Judging from his manner of speaking and choice of words, Sylva may turn out to be APC's own Fayose.

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[img]http://2.bp..com/-mRKu6AXF4eA/VgvB86hd88I/AAAAAAAAJo8/nWBT7Th0Zhg/s1600/11822683_932114490163634_6023467590694034068_n-722154.jpg[/img]

The original image as used by the OP and shown again here, just oozes good upbringing on the part of Iara. Kudos to her and her parents!

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