₦airaland Forum

fulaniHERDSman:
The bolded is the right solution and not the obvious psychological siege on this already unfortunate minors. Let's be more compassionate in all we decide to do with them.
I don't like the almajiri system neither do I like punishing children for recklessness of grown adults.
MY LAWYERS HAS GOT THEMSELVES A LOT OF WORK TO DO BY MONDAY!!

***ALMAJIRI LIFE MATTER***

Sentimental arguments like this can only take us thus far. It is no surprise we are where we are. The almajiri system is outdated and definitely is not fit for purpose anymore in a sane and modern society. The security report on the desk of every northern state governor will attest to this, but rather than deal with the issue squarely, most of these governors had lacked the political will to address the problem. Well covid19 pandemic has presented them with a good opportunity to quash this system once and for all.

The Minister of Foreign Affairs, Geoffrey Onyeama, has said the late Chief of Staff to the President, Mallam Abba Kyari, was his best man when he got married several years ago.

Onyeama, in a tribute titled ‘Tribute to Kyari: The Best Man,’ on Sunday, spoke fondly of the late presidential aide, saying he was also the godfather to his first son.

The minister stated, “When I got married in Owo to my wife from Idoani, Ondo State, Abba was my Best-Man. The officiating Vicar was somewhat perplexed because I was a Roman Catholic Igbo, marrying an Anglican Yoruba in an Anglican church with a Muslim Kanuri/Shuwa Arab Best-Man from Borno State!

“The officiating Catholic priest in Geneva, Switzerland, two years later, during the baptism of our first son, was equally perplexed when a muslim Abba Kyari and a muslim Muni Attah-Sonibare were the Godfather and Godmother respectively!

“Abba was a Pan-Nigerian, global citizen, who recognized no boundaries between peoples, be they racial, ethnic, religious, class or political. He made friends with everyone.”

Onyeama said he first met Abba Kyari in 1977 at Warwick University in England, where the would-be minister went to study law as a second undergraduate degree.

“He (Kyari) had come to do a degree in sociology. I had a pending application to do Law at Cambridge and when the result of that application came and it was positive, I left Warwick during the second semester.

“But my five months at Warwick was enough to build a strong friendship with Abba that lasted till his passing. Almost 43 years!

“There was a small group of Nigerians at Warwick then, which included former President Yakubu Gowon (who was doing a PhD in Political Science); Senator Osereihmi Osunbor (former Senator and Governor); Sitonye Roy Wakama (former Deputy Inspector General of Police) and the lawyer, Desmond Guobadia.

There were a few other Nigerians,” he said.

The minister described Kyari as “quite skinny in those days,” adding that they became friends very quickly and that a life-long bond was formed.

According to him, Abba was very simple, humble and very friendly with everyone.

Onyeama said, “He had very little interest in material things. We had a common interest in politics and I believe it was our socialist political values that cemented our friendship because we were always discussing politics and how to salvage Nigeria right up to his passing.

“Abba was also surprisingly sociable for someone who was so self-effacing and we had a lot of enjoyable and memorable experiences at parties and discotheques! Abba also had a very good sense of humour belied by his often stern visage.
“When I left Warwick University for Cambridge, Abba came to Cambridge to introduce me to his friends there as he had studied in the city for his Advanced levels. After graduating from Warwick University, Abba went up to Cambridge to study law.”

He stated that they both kept in touch throughout the last 43 years and ended up together in Lagos in 1982 to attend Law School for a year.

The minister said, “When he left Nigeria in 1985 to work in Geneva for 30 years, Abba came to Geneva often to stay with me and whenever I was in Nigeria, he made it a point of coming to see me wherever I was.

“Abba was a man of unimpeachable integrity. Absolutely incorruptible! I remember after he got married to his wonderful wife, Kulu, he told me how he showed her his first paycheck so she would know that he was not wealthy and would not steal!

“It broke my heart to see all the false allegations against him on issues of corruption. He showed me the safe in his office where he put any unsolicited gift.”

Onyeama stated that he had asked Kyari about rumours making the rounds that he was making money from the fine imposed on MTN.

“He immediately showed me the memorandum setting up the Committee to deal with the issue and he was not even a member. He also showed me how he had been able to block attempts by many influential and powerful persons to make a lot of money at the expense of the country.

“He knew that fighting corruption with such single mindedness and fearlessness would see him at the receiving end of the venom of very powerful forces but was undeterred and preferred to ignore all the defamation against him,” he said.

The minister further described Kyari as “loyal to a fault,” saying the chief of staff decided he was going to protect his boss, the President, Major General Muhammadu Buhari (retd.), at all costs and that he would take any number of bullets for him, “and he did!“

He added, “Since he became Chief of Staff to the President, Abba never rested. He worked day and night, seven days a week. He was a hard taskmaster who did not suffer fools gladly. A very demanding boss. He gave a lot of himself and expected his subordinates and colleagues to do the same.

“He was very intelligent, very well-read and had a wide and varied professional experience. He held strong opinions and did not yield position easily. But once he believed in someone or a cause, he would fight with everything he had.

Onyeama said Kyari believed “completely” in the “Nigerian project” and in Buhari.

He concluded, “During the last five years he gave every second of his life for the success of both. His health suffered as a result but it was a sacrifice and investment he was happy to make. Nigerians will look back in years to come and see that he was truly the Best Man. Rest in peace, my brother.

Source - https://punchng.com/abba-kyari-was-my-best-man-godfather-to-my-son-geoffrey-onyeama/

These marketers are full of hot air. Fortunately for Nigerians, they don't have the control anymore, over the amount of pms that comes into the country. The NNPC has over the time built capacity and single handedly been responsible for importing pms for more than 4 years into the country. So unless NNPC stops importation, I don't think how fuel scarcity can loom. The title by the OP is not only alarmist, but unlikely to happen very soon.

marshmonii:
Scam Alert, Scam Alert, that you must be a salary earner, tax ID or pension details, utility bill, why can't you guys work with a simple BVN

Thank you for this warning. I've been reading comments here and shaking my head. If you're not a salary earner, be ready to look for collateral. Not as easy as they're making out and the interest is enslaving. Don't take.

adams123:
good, they are to pay 100k each=N200,000.

Community service sometimes serve as better deterrence. These ones will pay the 100k each with a wave of the hand.

Jarus:
NNPC is not in Top 12 highest paying oil companies In Nigeria at non-management level.

Omoh. That applies to official remuneration only o. Unofficially that cookie jar gives and keeps giving. There are junior staff in NNPC that will never pray to be promoted.

Go to Atlas cove and see what junior staff operating our pipeline terminals are doing. You'll be forced to question your own luck in life

hisexcellency34:
Dethronement loading...

He's not holding any traditional office. He's an Islamic scholar. I didn't know until this interview that he's actually a medical doctor.

GamalNasser:
Try and call Ighodalo to come an meet you at the airport to pray for you if he will come ..I am telling you that was Sycophancy at play

You'll be shocked he will. I know you'll find that hard to believe but those who know pastor Ighodalo know how humble he is.

By the way, he and sanusi are childhood friends from kings college. So nothing sycophantic about what he's doing.

kahal29:
Today at the Supreme Court....

"You can't reverse yourself again. It is against the constitution. Correct the errors in future matters"-

PDP Lawyer to Supreme Court

"Set your judgment aside, it is totally against any known law"

-Afe Babalola to Supreme Court


"You have clearly ruled in the Kogi election that once a winner emerges in an election, no court including the Supreme Court has jurisdiction to entertain such matter apart from an Election Tribunal. You have no jurisdiction as at the time you sat. Set it aside

- Wole Olanipekun

"You can't reverse yourself again. It is against the constitution. Correct the errors in future matters"-

PDP Lawyer to Supreme Court




So is there a general consensus that the supreme court erred in this matter, even by pdp? Seems they want to rely on technicalities to keep their man as governor. I only feel sorry for the common man of Bayelsa state.

Kennydoc:
I may not be a fan of Lawan, Buhari or APC, but I think this is the right decision.

Talking about the 'certificate forgery', is that accusation really true? To me, that man did not forge any certificate. He was just using different combinations of his name and surname, out of stupidity. People who forge certificates don't leave any room for suspicion.

My brother it's actually been confirmed that the man did not forge any of his certificates. The certificates are his and legitimately earned. Why he chose to have different names on them is what I don't understand. Femi Falana (SAN), addressed this issue yesterday in an interview. So he actually didn't present forged certificates.

On the other hand is some people's penchant for peddling mischief in this country. They will continue to run with the narrative that the man presented forged certificates. That story is sweeter for them to peddle.

CeterisXVII:
Bikes and Kèke Marwa have been banned in the whole of Apapa LG. I feel so sorry for the people who live and work there, but do not have their own cars.

Sanwo-Olu' has thrown them into double jeopardy.

So people were not living and working in Apapa LG before Okada and Keke started plying those routes?

Michealky:
That's a good development. But not everyone can afford a taxi especially those ones that lives far from the junction of their street

Even in the so called developed countries where they have good transport system, you simply have to trek to your final destination. Sometimes the last bus stop could be as much as 2 km to the front of your house, you simply have to trek. Folks living in UK, USA and Canada can confirm this.
And what I know is that to a large extent, the yellow buses (Danfo), cover a substantial part of the road network in Lagos. It's reasonable to assume that most bus stops in Lagos are within trekking distance to most homes.

This was the system in place before okadas made its entry into the Lagos transport landscape in the late eighties/ early nineties and marwa much later in the millennium. Now think of it, how did Lagosians cope when this twin nuisance did not exist? After all the geographical location Lagos still remains the same. People still got to their destination nah. Meaning we trekked when we had to.

Now what the government needs to do is put more mass transit buses on the road. The previous government bought so many and I understand that not all have been deployed. They can also buy more. Then the mini cabs aka Danfos can be moved into the inner roads. Almost every destination is within distance of the inner road bus stop. That's how it is, even in the developed world. Even with the rail system in England, it doesn't mean it always passes in front of your house.

husbandsnatcha:
Ife ile
Ile ife ,ife ile ile ife
Ife Ile ile ife ...loyiloyiyo ahaarh kima ...axxx agoro
Loyiloyiyo aahaarh.....agoro


Burnaboy my portharcourt brother go n sitdown Biko

Like for Agoro crooner(kidjo)

Share for ewa musician( burna)

Burnaboy has never protrayed our portharcourt heritage like Duncan mighty ,wacumzy and Mr Nice teeth( I don't know his name)

All burna does is Yoruba ,Yoruba and more yorubas ... yorubaprince y?

Burna mama na Yoruba and he grew up in Yorubaland . So what do you expect?

seunmohmoh:
Old pic- Bolanle is taller than wifey
New pic -wifey is taller than Bolanle.

Power of bata igbo gbemiga.

Suffer head slippers.

Look very well. Apart from her wearing high heels, the guy was also sitting (perching) on the car.

Zooposki:
It was born out of necessity. He had no choice. Lagos was too overcrowded .

Hollow talk.

The need to decongest Lagos port has been there for years. This government is doing something concrete about it, not lip service or audio talk like nairalanders like to call it. See this report in this day? Yes it's a 2020 report, but you'd see planning as far back as 2018 by NPA for this policy. So let's give this government a break.

https://www.thisdaylive.com/index.php/2020/01/03/transformation-of-eastern-ports/

majamajic:
Wetin concern ibos here , don't u know the difference between Niger Delta and SE ?

Or u think the Lagos importer that directed his goods to Lagos terminal don't have sense ?

Do u know he is going to move the containers back to Lagos again ?

If Onee was his best option he would have chosed Port Harcourt from country of departure

The importers in East do choose port in the first place , so this is Lagos consignment going down to Niger Delta only to move back to Lagos again. Niger Delta government will gain it not SE !!

Have you seen the sheer number of containers and trucks going out of Lagos on a daily basis? Yes, Lagos is a commercial centre but only a fraction of the imports are actually consumed here, the bulk are distributed round the country and even re-exported to other west African countries.

The implications of utilisation the other ports is simply that, importers will invest in warehouses in those regions, thereby generating more commercial activities. I agree the SS stands to benefit but the SE as well. Please tell me which is closer to Aba, a major commercial hub in the SE, is it Apapa or Onne? Have you considered the gains in terms of exports of made in Aba goods from those regions if this works out. Methinks our brothers from the SE should actually be excited about this policy and do all within their means to make it work rather than them expressing all manners of condemnation and skepticism about it.

funmisticqueen:
I appreciate this, 2019 taught me to value people a lot.

But then, a lot of your hardline posts, especially when it concerns men, tells me, there's need for some "healing" here and there?

There's nothing wrong with being a feminist. It depends on your definition of feminism. One of my colleagues like to announce that she's the most submissive feminist in the world. We all know her, she's hard as nails, very tough, very uncompromising but doesn't joke with her husband. In fact it's a common joke in our office, when she's being obstinate, that we'll call Mr A. to talk to her. She's a deaconness in church and I've heard her say many times, that many of those who propagate feminism, don't know what true feminism is all about. For instance, being a submissive wife is true feminism rather than looking for equality.

funmisticqueen:
love didn't disappoint me, people did. But yes, 2020 will be better

But that's what people do. Some disappoint. But what about countless others who bring joy to our lives? Some of the reactions of our female folk when it comes to understanding men is simply out of logic.

strungup79:
I'm always out of town looking for one job or business. I've just been unfortunate that all my efforts have yielded little or no fruit. It's almost as if there's a curse working against me.

This last statement is not a good place to be. Don't get into the blame game, it will distract you. Also distracting is your wife's new attitude towards you. The single most important thing you need right now, apart from God's favour, is focus.

Focus on getting back your business, dont react negatively if she misbehaves, ignore her if need be. Increase your research and pray before going into any new business, God will crown your efforts this new year. Once you get your title back as head of the family, she'll come into her senses. Nothing new under the sun. Your case is not the first and sadly won't be the last, but from experience, it'll end the same way most do, if you handle it right. I stopped blaming women a long time ago, it's not their fault. It's their make up.

ColonelEmeka:
The NIA suffered zero casualty please.

Glory be to God.

backnbeta:
Is it the right thing to do with public fund? Definitely not. But let's just hope the most deserving peeps get the gifts

Exactly my thoughts. Those applauding this don't know what we are in for.

Where did Femi get money to be doing this? This is our money for crying out loud.I know his supporters will soon attack me, but until he can account for he got the money to be doing all this, I'm justified in thinking this is money from the cookie jar.

tete7000:
Five years is significant to make impact. We have a way of justifying failure. I am being objective here. What we have witnessed under this government despite noise made while coming in is gradual deterioration of our national assets,-roads, power, schools are all in state of shambles. Yet they colour everything in lies and people like you sycophantly praise them on...

Omo. Nigeria is flat broke. The trickle that is coming in mostly goes to pay and support your brothers, sisters, parents, friends, relations etc in the civil service. 80% of your income goes to recurrent expenditure and of course politician go still chop no matter what, senior civil servants and some junior ones also go chop, no matter how government tries to stop them. So my brother, what is left for capital expenditure nah? What is left for infrastructure development? And government must still spend on health, education, defense etc, etc. Believe me, I don't envy this government. I fear for Nigeria o.

hinograce:
He has been impeached. All that was needed was 216 votes for his impeachment on article 1 and 2. He is impeached, I repeat he has been impeached.






This is real power to the people

Stop being melodramatic. It doesn't mean he has been removed from office. Their Senate has to affirm it and from clear indications, it's unlikely to happen.

This is a laudable project but like everything in Nigeria, corruption is setting in. The government is trying in this area but should plug necessary loopholes towards ensuring that the school feeding program does not stop.

Published December 16, 2019 in punching.com


The Federal Government’s school feeding programme is still battling with teething problems three years after it was inaugurated, investigations by The PUNCH have revealed.

Findings by our correspondents showed that while the programme was irregular in schools it had started, many others were left out of it.

It was also learnt that only pupils in primary one to three were being fed in schools benefiting from the programme.

It was gathered that many schools in the rural and swampy areas were excluded from the programme because of the Federal Government officers’ inability to access them.

At the launch of the Home Grown School Feeding programme in 2016, the Vice-President, Prof. Yemi Osinbajo, said the scheme was aimed at providing free school meals.

It is also aimed at “increasing school enrolment and completion” and “improving child nutrition and health.”

Investigations revealed that the crisis associated with the programme had not enabled it to achieve its aims.

413 schools left out in Enugu

Out of the 1,204 public primary schools in Enugu State, The PUNCH’s investigations showed that 413 were not benefiting from the programme.

One of our correspondents assessed the programme at the New Haven Primary Schools 1, 2,3 and 4; Construction Primary Schools 1 and 2; the Ekulu Primary School and the Independence Layout Primary School, all in the Enugu metropolis.

Nursery pupils excluded in Enugu

It was observed that only pupils in primary one to three were being fed, while those in nursery one to three were completely excluded from the programme.

Only 49 pupils selected in Enugu school

The correspondent noticed that in the New Haven Primary School 1, only 49 out of 96 pupils, who were in primary one to three, were being fed.

The PUNCH gathered that the management of the programme had in October reduced the amount of money paid to each cook, as a result, only 49 pupils, in some cases 30 pupils, were selected from primary one to three, for feeding.

According to the menu obtained from one of the schools, the pupils are fed with yams and beans together with oranges on Monday.

On Tuesday, they are given jollof rice and chicken with bananas. On Wednesday, they are fed with Okpa with watermelon. On Thursday, they eat fried potato and egg sauce as well as oranges, while on Friday, the pupils are given Igba Oka with akidi, vegetable and watermelon.

Head teachers lament nursery pupils’ exclusion

Although head teachers, who spoke to the correspondent, attested to the quality of the food, they lamented that the critical segment (the nursery section) of the schools was left out.

The state Coordinator of the scheme, Ifeanyi Onah, in an interview with The PUNCH, confirmed the reduction in the number of the pupils and schools benefiting from the programme.

Onah said, “This programme is designed essentially for all public primary schools in Nigeria. In Enugu State, we have about 1,204 schools. When we began the programme, we started with 1,220 schools, but due to some adjustments made by the state Universal Basic Education Board, a few schools were merged and the number of schools reduced.

“We have about 1,204 schools in the state and unfortunately not all of them are benefiting. We have 791 schools that are benefitting. Others are left out. Presently, about 114,000 pupils are being fed in the state.”

On why the programme did not cover all the schools, Onah explained, “There were technical challenges from the headquarters coupled with the submission of irreconcilable data on the cooks who were recruited at the inception.”

According to him, because of the irreconcilable data, some of the cooks were removed from the programme.

He said that since 2017, programme managers in Abuja refused to employ more cooks and as a result, many schools were not taking part in the programme.

Onah stated, “When we recruited (the cooks), we asked those selected to provide their personal data, but regrettably after the banks had opened accounts for them and their names were forwarded to Abuja, during inter-bank settlement system verification, it was discovered that some names and bank verification numbers did not correspond. Even some pictures didn’t correspond with what they had in the BVNs and some of the cooks were dropped in the first set of payment.”

He further explained that when such cooks were removed from the programme, the schools they were posted to were also excluded.

On the number of time the pupils were being fed, the programme manager disclosed that the condition for feeding was that a cook would be paid before cooking for a school.

Onah stated, “Their payment is based on N70 per child and the specific amount that a cook is paid will determine the number of children that will be fed and how many days the feeding will cover. Since we started, it is either they are paid for 10 working days or 20. Ten working days is seen as two weeks, while 20 working days is seen as one month.”

On the reduction in the number of pupils, Onah said, “Officers from headquarters told us that they were going to deploy people from the National Bureau of Statistics in some states to confirm data submitted and conduct a headcount of pupils.

“You can’t use a headcount to determine enrolment because it is possible that you may visit a school and about four or five pupils will not come because of illness. They may not be in school for other reasons.”

“In Enugu State, about 80 per cent of the primary schools are in the rural areas. How can a stranger claim he knows the routes to all those places? Within a short period, they told us that the NBS officers had concluded their work and submitted their data. Within a short time, they claimed that they had visited 1,204 schools in Enugu State.”

Onah said while some cooks were short-paid, others were not paid at all. One of the cooks, De Blessing Sam, in an interview with one of our correspondents, said, “I was feeding 96 pupils before at New Haven Primary School 1, but since the last phase, the money they paid me was for only for 46 pupils. How do you share food for 46 pupils among 96 pupils? I don’t know what went wrong but the government should either fund the programme or stop it.”

A’Ibom: Only 154,000 out of 334,353 pupils benefiting

In Akwa Ibom State, the Focal Person for the School Feeding Programme, Dr Godwin Akpan, in an interview with one of our correspondents, said the number of pupils benefiting from the programme dropped from 334,353 to 154,000.

Akpan said out of 1,150 schools, the school feeding programme could only capture 1,105 schools in the state.

He explained that the pupils and schools under the programme were drastically reduced last year after officials of the NBS conducted a headcount across the state.

Schools in swampy areas left out, officials can’t access them

During the headcount, he said some schools were not captured because the NBS officials did not find cooks and could not access all the schools, especially those in the swampy areas.

55 A’Ibom schools not benefitting

“Akwa Ibom State has a total of 1,150 schools out of which we are currently feeding 1,105 schools, 55 schools are currently not benefiting.

“Before now we were feeding over 300,000 people, but last year, the National Bureau of Statistics came here to do a headcount and that reduced the number drastically from 334,353 to 154,000.

We have protested – A’Ibom official

“We have protested and appealed to the Federal Government to send back the NBS officers for the revalidation, but up till now, they have not done so. We need to have over 2,000 cooks. After the headcount, we now have 1,436.”

It is not constant – Teacher

One of the teachers of Lutheran Primary School, Urua Ikpa, Itu Local Government Area, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said, “The school feeding programme is a failure because I learnt that under normal circumstances the children are supposed to be fed from Monday to Friday, unfortunately, here, there is nothing like that.

“Some days, you see them twice in a week, and some weeks, you don’t even see them at all. They are not constant”

Benue programme stopped in October

Investigations by The PUNCH correspondent in Benue State showed that the programme had stopped in the state since October.

The Focal Person of the Social Investment Programme in Benue State, Dr Terries Damsa, confirmed this in an interview with The PUNCH on Wednesday.

FG yet to pay food vendors – Benue SIP focal person

He lamented that government had yet to pay the food vendors. He said, “Already, the academic session is closing on Friday (December 13) and government has yet to pay the food vendors.”

Earlier, the Director of the School Feeding Programme in the state, Jonathan Iorhemba, explained that 2,490 schools were selected for the programme in the state.

Iorhemba said that 3,138 schools with a population of 569,253 were initially enrolled for the programme in the state.

He explained that the Federal Government through the NBS embarked on an independent headcount and arrived at 2,490 schools.

“At the inception of the programme, we were feeding 569,253 pupils until the headcount conducted by the National Bureau of Statistics.

546 schools left out in Benue

“Later, the bureau came and did an independent headcount and they said they captured 2,490 schools and 546 schools were left out.

“We have communicated to them on the 546 schools not captured. They asked us to come with the names of the schools and verifiable evidence which we have done. The programme has stopped since October 18 because the food vendors are being owed.”

Benue pupils have forgotten about programme

Our correspondent, who visited the LGEA Primary at Wuukum in Makurdi, observed that the pupils had forgotten about the feeding programme.

Nasir, a primary three pupil of the school, who was approached did not remember until his friend, Terna interjected, saying, “We have not had feeding in this school since October.

FG should sustain it – Teacher

But a teacher in the school, Mrs Doshima Inienger, urged the Federal Government to sustain it.

She stated, “The school feeding programme has helped a lot because I can categorically say that it has increased pupil enrolment.”

In Gombe State, coordinator of the programme, Hajiya Dijatu Bappah, said there were about 1,331 schools benefiting from the scheme.

Bappah, in an interview with The PUNCH, said, “We have 225,162 pupils and 1,331 schools enjoying the school feeding programme. Primarys 1, 2 or 3 are our target.”

She, however refused to state reasons why not all public primary schools were considered for the programme.

In Ondo State, it was observed that not all schools were benefiting from the feeding programme. In schools benefiting, only primary one to three are being fed.

A teacher in the state, who confided in The PUNCH, said, “Only pupils in primary one to three are being fed.”

Efforts to get the reaction of the state coordinator of the programme, Olubunmi Ademosu, did not succeed as she neither picked calls to her phone nor responded to an SMS sent to her.

Programme yet to begin in Kwara, Lagos

The programme has yet to start in states such as Kwara and Lagos. The Chief Press Secretary to the Kwara State Governor, Rafiu Ajakaye, in an interview with The PUNCH, said, “We have met with the coordinator of the programme on how Kwara can join. So we will definitely join it.”

On its part, the Lagos State Government said the school feeding programme might commence before the end of the first quarter in 2020.

In an interview with one of our correspondents, the Assistant Director of Public Affairs, Lagos State Ministry of Education, Mr Kayode Sutton, said the state government was putting everything in place to ensure the success of the scheme in Lagos.

He said, “Right now, we have not started, not because we are not going to start but we have to put things right. There are more to it. We have to consider the population of Lagos State pupils. We have to consider the kind of food we want to give. We have to consider a lot of factors. It must not fail in Lagos, if it starts, it starts, it must not stop. In Lagos State, we are known for excellence.”

When contacted, officers of the Ministry Humanitarian Affairs, Disaster Management and Social Development said the Federal Government was addressing problems relating to the programme.

They admitted the scheme had encountered some hitches in a few states and that the Federal Government was working to address the concerns in the affected states.

One of them said, “The minister has made it clear that beneficiaries of all the social investment programmes will access interventions designed for them within the stipulated guidelines and it includes those benefitting from the school feeding scheme.”

A source in the Nigeria Social Investment Office told one of our correspondents that the commencement of the programme in Lagos and Kwara was awaiting the approval of the minister for humanitarian affairs.

When contacted, the Communications Manager, Nigeria Social Investment Office, Justice Bibiye, said he would get across to the Coordinator of the NSIO, Mrs Maryam Uwais, and get back to our correspondent. He had yet to send a response as of 5:34pm on Sunday.

‘Why FG insists on headcount’

An officer of the NSIO, however, confided in The PUNCH, that the Federal Government insisted on headcount to expose fraud. “You can’t rule out the issue of fraud. Figures may be inflated. That is the essence of headcount,” he said.

By:

Ifeanyi Onuba, Okechukwu Nnodim, Dayo Ojerinde, Raphael Ede, Patrick Odey, John Charles, Peter Dada, Tunde Oyekola and Chima Azubuike

The Punch newspaper

symbianDON:
one day this same efcc will go after the likes of tinubu.....na turn by turn

Gbam! So let's support them now and not condemn and condemn like I've seen some posts do. We need to discourage looters from sinking our economy. Or should we wait until Nigeria is stripped to bare bones before something is done? God knows we are close to that already if not there yet.

Truthbites:
I feel this is audio. If the government truly recovered 100 billion why are they always broke and borrowing up n down.

Lies.government of lies. Who are they fooling?

This is an unfortunate statement. If you're a youth in this country, then I'm sorry for you. How can you say this is audio money? We all followed some of these cases nah. If it is audio money, why did some of these people e.g Diezani, Patience and Saraki make spirited attempts in court to try and stop the government from collecting back the money?

This culture of stealing our common patrimony has been going on for years. God knows how this country would have been if this had not been the case. But should it continue? There's so much hatred for Buhari and his government and even his party APC, by some individuals, that they don't care if the monies being recovered belongs to the people or not. What you'll hear from them are arguments about one sided corruption fight, witch hunting etc. I personally don't care, as stolen money is being recovered. Another government will probe so-called untouchables one day. It's the law of God. So why shouldn't we encourage Buhari to go after these thieves, so as to send a message to those whose hands are in the cookie jar and those contemplating it, that it is not worthwhile and you'll be named and shamed. It is not easy to fight looters and the government can easily lose this battle and we will all be the losers for it, if it so happens. We need to discourage looting of our common patrimony.

By the way N100b is about $280m. Both Roger Federa and Lionel Messi are worth more than that, so for you to ask why the government is still borrowing is not only ludicrous, but is devoid of cerebral input.

APC and Buhari's government rode into power on the back of a lot of goodwill from Nigerians. I recall they even got support and acceptance from respected Nigerians like prof. Wole Soyinka, Femi Falana and even the Punch, despite that these folks suffered abuse for supporting the new government at the time. Apparently most were not happy with the direction-less leadership of the previous administration. Now Buhari appears to be undoing a lot of this good will by his seeming descent to tyranny.

On a political front, I'd like to imagine what the jagaban thinks of Buhari appointing Northerners in place of his "boys" Fowler said Banire.

It appears a lot of the good things being done by this present administration viz; fight against corruption, building of second Niger bridge, revival of rail transportation etc., are about to be undone by President Buhari's poor human rights record and utter disregard for the rule of law. Today institutions are taking a stand against this government, especially against the backdrop of the

Sowore saga and the Punch newspapers is perhaps the first to publicly do so. In their editorial of today December 11, 2019, they made a strong statement;



EDITORIAL
Buhari’s lawlessness: Our stand
Published December 11, 2019

Punch Editorial Board



The entire country and a global audience are rightly scandalised by the unfolding saga over Omoyele Sowore and the unruliness of the SSS and the government; but it is only a pattern, a reflection of the serial disregard of the Buhari regime for human rights and its battering of other arms of government and our democratic institutions. PUNCH views this tendency and its recent escalation with serious concern, knowing as the great thinker, Edmund Burke, said that “the only thing necessary for the triumph of evil is for good men to do nothing.” Nigeria had trod a path, a veritable obstacle course, where repression, especially under military jackboots, was a malignant presence and this attracted heroic resistance by ordinary people, civil society groups and the press. But Nigerians have lately become lethargic, divided by ethnic and sectarian sentiments and weakened by widespread poverty brought on by a rapacious political class and bad governance.

PUNCH will not adopt the self-defeating attitude of many Nigerians looking the other way after each violation of rights and attacks on the citizens, the courts, the press and civic society, including self-determination groups lawfully exercising their inalienable rights to peaceful dissent. This regime’s actions and assaults on the courts, disobedience of court orders and arbitrary detention of citizens reflect its true character of the martial culture. Major General Muhammadu Buhari (retd) ran a ham-fisted military junta in 1984/85 and old habits obviously run deep. Until he and his repressive regime purge themselves of their martial tendency therefore, PUNCH will not be a party to falsely adorning it with a democratic robe, hence our decision to label it for what it is – an autocratic military-style regime run by Major General Muhammadu Buhari (retd).

Sowore’s travails are symptomatic: having ignored court orders granting him bail, the SSS, after much pressure following 125 days in captivity, released him only to stage a GESTAPO-style raid on the court where the journalist was standing trial. The leader of the Islamic Movement in Nigeria, Ibrahim el-Zakzakky and his wife have spent over three years in detention in violation of court orders granting them bail and ordering their release. A former National Security Adviser, Sambo Dasuki, has been held in detention since 2015 in defiance of several court orders, including one by the ECOWAS appellate court that declared his continued incarceration illegal. Under Buhari, the SSS has become a monstrous and repressive secret police, acting often with impunity. Buhari bears responsibility for the state of repression because, as president, he can stop it today.

But the SSS is not alone. The Nigeria Police, whose notoriety predates Buhari’s second coming, has continued its serial abuse of human rights and is ever available to officials who routinely deploy police officers from the mundane abuse of sirens in traffic to arbitrary arrest and torture of victims. The police and military fail to understand that peaceful agitation and the right to associate are fundamental rights.

This situation is eerily familiar: as military head of state, Buhari’s appointee who headed the National Security Organisation, as the SSS was then known, Lawal Rafindadi, unleashed a reign of terror on Nigerians, featuring arbitrary arrests and torture in cells described by inmates as chambers of horror. Under the infamous Decree 2, agents had pre-signed detention papers, court orders were ignored and ouster clauses were inserted in decrees, while the press was specifically targeted with the infamous Decree 4 under which Tunde Thompson and Nduka Irabor were jailed.

Returning as an elected president, Buhari has followed the same template, appointing Lawal Daura as Director-General of the SSS, who re-enacted the Rafindadi playbook by his treatment of Dasuki and el-Zakzakky, among others, raided the homes of judges and twice deployed armed SSS heavies to foil the arrest of two former security chiefs by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission. Nigerian Navy authorities similarly ignored court orders to release Navy Captain Dada Labinjo, who they detained for over a year until his recent release on bail; Nigerian Army too detains suspects interminably on the grounds of being terrorism suspects.

Some governors have borrowed from this nefarious model, deploying security agents and perverting the law to punish critics and journalists. Critics, Dadiyata Idris and Stephen Kefas, have been arrested and arraigned. Agba Jalingo is facing a treason charge for offending the Cross River State Government. Jones Abiri, a local publisher in Bayelsa State, has been charged with terrorism while, in Delta State, two journalists are facing criminal defamation charges.

The regime’s Information and Culture Minister, Lai Mohammed, forgetting how, as opposition spokesman in 2014, he was harassed by the SSS and accused of “loitering,” has been vigorously pressing for anti-hate speech laws to restrict the social media. Abdullahi Sabi, a senator, along with others, has re-presented a hate-speech bill: their sole purpose is to insulate officials from criticism and compel unquestioned acceptance of Buhari’s draconian misrule.

Under the law, suspects cannot be held beyond 48 hours except by a court order. But the regime observes this in the breach. Yet, Nigeria is a signatory to the United Nations Declaration of Human Rights, African Charter on Human and People’s Rights and the Convention Against Torture and Other Cruel, Inhuman or Degrading Treatment and other treaties guaranteeing fundamental rights. The 1999 Constitution also spells out basic rights. But the regime chooses which rights or court orders to respect or obey. This is unacceptable. Critical segments of the society have been assaulted, silenced or compromised. It is time, as a Nobel laureate, Wole Soyinka, has strongly advocated, for civil society to rejuvenate itself and send the message to Buhari to “rein in his wild dogs of disobedience.” From the United States has come a message from the Department of State, two senators and Congress telling the Buhari regime to stop its shocking affront to the rule of law, reminding the General that “respect for the rule of law, judicial independence, political and media freedom, and due process are key tenets of democracy.”

Nigeria has had more than its fair share of draconian rulers, whether in military or civil garb, but none has succeeded in breaking our resilience and irrepressible spirit. This regime will not prove to be an exception. Nigeria, and Nigerians, will overcome. The strong desire of our people to enjoy the unfettered freedoms guaranteed by the constitution and the rule of law, including the freedom to speak freely and assemble peacefully, will again outlive, outlast and crush the spirit of despotism.

Buhari can still redeem himself and his out-of-control security agents and reclaim his past facade of tolerance. When Daura brazenly inserted himself in politics by recklessly sending armed masked SSS enforcers to besiege the National Assembly, as acting President, Vice-President Yemi Osinbajo promptly sacked him and had him arrested. Buhari should similarly distance himself and his regime from the lawlessness and impunity of the current SSS DG, Yusuf Bichi, by dismissing him, ordering the release of all victims of illegal detention and compelling obedience to court orders. The SSS has not been efficient in the war against terror; it should perform its primary duty to safeguard the country. As a product of statute, its loyalty should be to the country, not to temporary occupiers of public office.

The regime’s repression cannot succeed but will further polarise the society and weaken national cohesion. The Nigerian Bar Association has vowed to defend the sanctity of judicial authority, while Soyinka has warned that disregard for court orders could beget desperation and civil disobedience. Nigerians need to stop their supine acquiescence to oppression and learn to stand up for their rights as many are doing around the world, using all peaceful and legal means, including the right to protest and of peaceful assembly. It is Dasuki, el-Zakzakky, Sowore and others today, who knows who is next if repression is not resisted?

As a symbolic demonstration of our protest against autocracy and military-style repression, PUNCH (all our print newspapers, The PUNCH, Saturday PUNCH, Sunday PUNCH, PUNCH Sports Extra, and digital platforms, most especially Punchng.com) will henceforth prefix Buhari’s name with his rank as a military dictator in the 80s, Major General, and refer to his administration as a regime, until they purge themselves of their insufferable contempt for the rule of law.

(Copied from punching.com)

bubu2019:
don't worry yourself. They will not attack you in ogbomosho your place of birth.I know you very well, your entire lineage have never and will never cross borders of Nigeria

Funny thing is that you've used a bad example. Ogbomosho people are found in places all over the world. In Yorubaland, they're the ones like Ibos, who are most likely to settle outside their domain for economic purposes.

axeman2:
atiku can feed your entire community

Maybe you can help explain how a former civil servant, a customs officer, became so rich.

If Atiku feeds anybody, he's only returning our money.