₦airaland Forum

By Soni Daniel, Northern Region Editor

As a parting shot for year 2018, Nigerian governors on Monday reiterated their rejection of the demand by the Nigerian Labour Congress for the payment of N30,000 as minimum wage to workers, insisting that they had other competing needs to contain with and would therefore not use more than 50 percent of their income for settling workers.


In a strongly worded statement made available to Vanguard on Monday, the Nigerian Governor’s Forum, made it clear that they would have paid the N30,000 but regretted their inability to do so due to what they described as ‘times are hard’ and because of financial constraints and other limitations that have tied the hands of many states.

The statement, which was signed by the spokesman for the NGF, Abdulrazque Bello-Barkindo, was in response to a claim by the NLC that governors were simply refusing to pay the new wage and that those who diverted billions shelled out by the federal government as bailout funds should be probed.

The governors castigated the NLC for demanding that their financial books should be made known to the union, saying that having shown their financial status to the President during two meetings on the minimum wage, there were under no obligation to show same to the NLC.

The governors also stated pointedly that having made a marginal increment of N22.500 from the current N18,000, they had nothing more to add to the minimum wage and it was left for the NLC to consider and accept that as what was available and possible for now.

The statement said: “Let it be known that governors have met the President twice on this matter and presented their books to buttress their point. First, a batch of state governors, led by the NGF Chairman, Governor Abdulaziz Yari Abubakar of Zamfara State, in company of governors Ambode of Lagos, Ugwuanyi of Enugu, Bagudu of Kebbi attended a closed door meeting with the President where the financial standing of six states, one each from all the geo-political regions in the country, were shown to the President.

“Shortly after that, the President requested all the states to forward their books, their revenues, both internally generated and their earnings from the Federation Account along with their other sources of revenue, for examination. The president appears satisfied with the governors’ position, thus the decision to set up a new committee.

“It is important to add that, there has never been a time in this country, when states have embarked on a more aggressive revenue drive than they are doing today. And this is without exception or prejudice to any state.

“To put the records straight, governors are not under any obligation, by law, to show their books to the NLC. But they have, in their pursuit of the understanding of the union, done so, not once, but several times over, with a view to letting NLC know that what they are asking for is neither realistic nor sustainable. Yet, NLC remains adamant that its will must be done, or the heavens will fall.

“The president at his last meeting with governors (December 15, 2018) had admonished them (governors) to expect harsher economic tides from New Year’s, thus validating governors’ fears that even those states that had hitherto looked comfortable financially, may in the course of the new year, falter.

“Moreover, since that last meeting, of the middle of December, between the Governors and Mr. President, the economists of the Nigeria Governors’ Forum Secretariat have been working closely with the relevant departments in all the states of the federation, and looking into other ways of collating financial standing of states that will help the President in ameliorating the situation.

“Already, revenue to states has dropped drastically while demands by competing needs keep rising astronomically. Last year alone, revenue to states dropped from N800bn when the Tripartite Committee was appointed (November 2017) to between N500bn and N600bn by the time Ms. Amma Pepple submitted its report in October 2018.

“Moreover, state governors are making concerted efforts to improve education, health and infrastructure and for this, would not therefore dedicate their states’ entire resources to workers’ salaries alone, knowing that workers constitute less than 5% of the nation’s population. In that regard, governors emphatically announced, collectively, that no state would devote more than 50% of its revenue to salaries.

“To therefore insist that states must oblige the NLC its demands, regardless of the economic gloom that stares the nation in the face is most unpatriotic and a deliberate attempt to hold the nation, especially the president, to ransom, this being an election year.

“At this point it is important to remind the NLC that most governors exhibited a high sense of responsibility and concern for the plight of workers by ensuring that most of them were paid their December salaries ahead of time. Some even received several months’ salary arrears that was owed them, and they are happy with their governors.

“This is not the time for the NLC to destroy the existing conviviality that is already building-up between workers and their governors, especially in those states of the federation where governors are stepping up to the plate with the right decisions,” the governors said.

https://www.vanguardngr.com/2018/12/we-cant-afford-to-pay-n3000-minimum-wage-govs-tell-nlc/

As the siege enters the third day, policemen keeping vigil at the house of Senator Dino Melaye in Abuja fired tear-gas canisters into his compound on Sunday.

The policemen were said to have fired several shots of the canisters with the view to forcing out the senator, whom they believe is hiding inside the building.

Officers of the Nigerian Police Force had invaded the house of the senator on Friday to effect his arrest over allegations he was involved in the shooting of an officer in July 2018.

It was gathered that neighbours living within the area were not spared, as many of them inhaled the tear-gas, and had difficulties breathing. The entire atmosphere was also said to have been enveloped in thick smoke emanating from the house. The incident has led to confusion in the area.

The Police have blocked the entire Shanga Street in Maitama, where the house is located, and prevented many residents from gaining access to their houses. Residents of the area have decried the presence of the policemen, stating that it is an affront on their fundamental human rights. Both human and vehicular movement in the area have been restricted, as only residents with proper identification are allowed into the area.

The house directly behind Melaye's has also been taken over by the Police in the attempt to prevent him from escaping through the fence. Journalists covering the siege were chased away from the area.

The lawmaker's brother, Moses Melaye, had raised the alarm that the Police may have perfected a plan to plant ammunition in the house to implicate him.

At the time of this report, the whereabouts of the senator could not be ascertained, but he has promised to surrender himself to the Police.


http://saharareporters.com/2018/12/30/day-3-siege-police-fire-tear-gas-canisters-melayes-house

The “hunger” by Nigerians today is caused by the havoc wreaked on the nation’s economy by the previous administrations of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) has said.

“They said you are hungry,” Rotimi Amaechi, the Minister of Transportation, said on Friday in Uyo, Akwa Ibom State, during the flag-off of the APC election campaign.

“You are hungry because they stole the money. If the money was here, you wouldn’t have been hungry.”

Mr Amaechi, a former governor of Rivers is the director general of President Muhammadu Buhari re-election campaign.

Mr Buhari, accompanied by the APC national chairman, Adams Oshiomhole; a national leader of the party, Bola Tinubu, and some of the APC governors, was in Uyo to flag off the party’s campaign for the 2019 general elections.


Mr Buhari is seeking a second term in office.

Mr Amaechi said corruption is one of Nigeria’s major problem, and that Mr Buhari was not giving up on the anti-corruption fight.

“We got in and saw the challenges. We never knew they had stolen all the money. We thought they had a conscience to leave some money behind.

“You know, the difference between us and the other party (PDP) is that they are not saying that they are not corrupt,” the minister said

“They say we are corrupt, but APC is also corrupt. They agree that the president is not corrupt. What they are saying is those around the president are corrupt. But they agree that they are corrupt.

“We are saying as APC that we are not corrupt and that we are fighting corruption. Whether you are APC or PDP, when you are corrupt we will fight you.”

He cautioned Nigerians against voting for PDP in the 2019 elections.

“If you vote for the other party, let me tell you what will happen. They are so hungry that if they come out, they will be too busy stealing money that by the time Nigerians realise it, we are back to recession.”

Mr Amaechi said President Buhari did not promise to make the value of naira equal to a dollar, nor promised to reduce the price of petrol.

“Anybody who said we promised one naira will be to one dollar must be a magician. Anybody who said we promised we were going to bring down fuel price must also be a magician.

“We are not voodoo economists,” he said.

The minister added, “When we got in, we were mindful of the promises that we made. So, the president gave all us who were in the cabinet challenges to ensure that we rescue this country.


“We commenced activities believing that Nigerians would know that change doesn’t come that easily. Even as ministers we feel the pain of change. We know that when you want to make any change you must realise that it will come with some pain.

“We are here asking you to learn the fact that we need another chance to complete the assignment you have given to us. And we will complete it as soon as you give us that chance to come back.”

This is not the first time the ruling party will be blaming the PDP for the woes of the nation.

But ironically, many of the current APC leaders, including Mr Amaechi, were the ones running the past PDP-led administrations in the country.

During the event, the APC handed over flags to its governorship candidates in the South-south region.

https://www.premiumtimesng.com/news/top-news/303207-why-nigerians-are-hungry-amaechi.html

Members of the opposition Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, have been accused of masterminding the abduction of women and children in some part of the country under the guise of Boko Haram.

The Coalition Against Terrorism and Extremism (CATE) in Nigeria, which made this claim, observed that these attacks have changed from what was the norm to now exclusively target military formations, ambush troops and sack towns and villages along the path of the terrorists.

Jonathan Audu, Secretary General of the group while addressing the media on Wednesday, alleged that there was an established pattern of the attacks taking place once the opposition is running out of steam and issues to tackle the government on.

According to him, this raises the suspicion that the PDP may know more than it admits in public, considering its constant attacks on the government.

According to him “analysis show that the thugs reporting to PDP are the ones that have diverted to the killing and kidnapping of innocent women and children and make it appear like the handiwork of Boko Haram.

“We were made to understand that this tactic allows the PDP to have instances it can use to accuse the federal government of allowing civilians to be killed.

“The party is also said to have opted for this approach because it hopes to use the fear of violence to keep people away from the polling units so that they do not get to vote because of the fear of violence”.

The group urged Nigerians to insist that the party (PDP) come clean and explain to the nation how it allowed thugs to be recruited in its name to impersonate Boko Haram fighters.
“Where this party fails to comply, Nigerians should punish it as they deem fit because the safety of citizens is above the interest of one political party.

“The international community should note the extent the PDP is willing to go to in its desperation to win elections. What the PDP has done violated several international instruments and it should be held to account.

“When the relevant international agencies are dealing with this issue, it is then up to the PDP to give up those that are directly responsible for what can best be described as copycat terrorism”, Audu added.

https://www.tribuneonlineng.com/181015/

Professor Itse Sagay SAN, Chairman of the Presidential Advisory Committee Against Corruption (PACAC), on Wednesday said senators and Reps members, who booed President Muhammadu Buhari when he presented the 2019 budget in National Assembly, behaved like animals.


Sagay said the action of the lawmakers did not come to him as a surprise as they only demonstrated their true conduct to the Nigerians and the international community.

Sagay , speaking with Independent, said: “The actions of the lawmakers who booed the President was an animal behavior. Harry Belafonte used to sing one song. He said ‘A donkey will sometimes bray, let him bray; let him bray’.

“That is my response to the actions of the lawmakers. We should allow their donkeys bray.

“They behave like animals. We should just tolerate them at their low level of humanity and conduct. You saw what the President told them. He said they are expected to be above this because the whole world is watching them.

“I think the President is wrong because they are not above what they did. That is their level and they are demonstrating it to the world. So, I am not surprised at all,” he said.

http://dailypost.ng/2018/12/26/lawmakers-booed-buhari-nass-behaved-like-animals-tolerate-sagay-tells-nigerians/

Senator Ayodele Arise has said that there is no metric by which any candidate currently running for the presidency in 2019, can defeat President Muhammadu Buhari.

Arise who was a guest on Channels Television breakfast show – Sunrise Daily said no other candidate can defeat Buhari because “there is a propensity for people to trust him” more than the others.

The Ekiti state lawmaker said President Buhari has “demonstrated times without number that he has integrity” stressing that it is on this premise that he (Arise) is an ardent supporter of the APC government.

Reacting to claims by Alhaji Buba Galadima that Buhari will be defeated in the forthcoming election, Arise said there is “no arithmetic, there is no ratio by which we can conclude that any candidate that is currently running for this election can beat Buhari”.

Buba Galadima had said on the same show that by the next Democracy Day in Nigeria, President Buhari would have handed over to the candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party, Atiku Abubakar.

Galadima also argued that in refusing to sign the electoral bill, President Buhari is not seeking peace, rather he is “denying other candidates a level playing field, transparency and access to power”.

Senator Arise, however, dismissed Galadima’s claims, saying even without the peace accord being signed, President Buhari is committed to a free and fair election.

The APC henchman said Buhari’s experience before he came into office is one which the President will not want any other candidate to experience.

The lawmaker said he trusts Buhari and has not seen any tendency for violence within the ruling All Progressives Congress.

He said the APC will abide by the peace accord because there is “no desperation on the part of the President”.

Arise said the opposition party is plagued by the fear of the unknown and “the culture of impunity that was prevalent in the previous 16 years of PDP regime”.

He noted the discrepancies within the electoral bill was a major factor why the President refused to sign it into law.

“We should lay a solid foundation when you have draftsmanship with such a huge error, and you expect the president to sign it, then we will be the laughing stock of the entire world,” Arise argued.

The parliamentarian further argued that if the errors were not detected then it is a different issue, adding “but we will still pay for it down the road.”.

He insisted that President Buhari has not said signing the bill will be left to another administration, but has asked the National Assembly to take a second look at the draft, fix the inconsistencies pointed out and resubmit in January.

https://www.channelstv.com/2018/12/26/there-is-no-way-buhari-will-lose-2019-election-senator-arise-boasts/

By Soni Daniel
The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission has filed a motion for the interim forfeiture of the $2.8 million it hauled from the Akanu Ibiam International Airport last week.

The application made to the Federal High Court Enugu comes despite strong protest by Bankers Warehouse which has claimed ownership of the huge cash and has asked the anti-graft agency to urgently return the money and tender an unreserved apology for the seizure.


But unmoved by the banker’s threat, EFCC also went ahead and deposed to an affidavit of urgency for the matter to be heard on December 27th 2018, before a vacation Judge sitting in Port Harcourt.

It will be recalled that the commission had on Thursday last week intercepted the said money based on intelligence report from two persons: Ighoh Augustine and Ezekwe Emmanuel suspected to be money launderers, at Akanu Ibiam International Airport, Enugu.

The agency claimed in a statement that the suspects had confessed during interrogation that they had been in the business of moving cash for “some notable banks”, for over six years and were in the process of doing same for Union Bank Plc, located at New Market, Onitsha, Anambra State, before their arrest.

They also claimed to be working for a company known as Bankers Warehouse.

At the time of filing this report, the alleged owner of the money (Union bank) had not made any physical presence in any of the commission’s offices, including the Enugu office, to establish its claim.

The EFCC Spokesman, Tony Orilade, said on Monday that efforts were being made to secure warrant for the detention of the suspects pending when they would be charged to court.

The warrant is consequent upon the refusal of the claimant bank or any of the relatives to come for the release of the suspects.

https://www.vanguardngr.com/2018/12/efcc-moves-to-forfeit-2-8m-seized-from-enugu-airport/

The Minister of Water Resources, Alhaji Suleiman Adamu, has disclosed that the immediate past administration left 116 ongoing and abandoned irrigation and water projects.

Adamu also disclosed that the past administration left liabilities of N89 billion.

Speaking with News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Abuja, on Sunday, the Minister said: “In the ministry itself, when we came in, we inherited 116 ongoing and abandoned projects and we had a liability of N89 billion that is what we had inherited.

“That was a serious problem, 38 done irrigation projects and over 40 water supply projects. Obviously, in four years there is no way we can finish them.

“Some projects have been started as way back in 1987. Some projects were abandoned in 2000 and we have only been able to revive them.

“When this administration came into office and from opinions that we got from stakeholders in the water sector, it is a sector that has been in crisis.

“Recent survey indicated that according to the indices or parameter of the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs), we have attained 69 per cent coverage in terms of water supply.”

Adamu described the figure as dismal because over 50 million of Nigerian population under the MDGs were still not covered and the target for MDGs was 75 per cent “we only achieved 69 per cent’’.

“If we applied those indices to the parameter set by new Sustainable Development Goals we are actually nowhere, the statistics is so dismal.

“One of the diagnostic reports we got last year indicated that in 1992, 30 per cent Nigerian population enjoyed pipe borehole water but it declined to seven per cent in 2015.

“This was what led us to series of discussions, retreats and consultations leading to the Federal Government under the leadership of President Muhammadu Buhari declaring the state of emergency on water and sanitation.”

http://dailypost.ng/2018/12/23/jonathan-govt-abandoned-116-projects-left-n89bn-debt-buharis-minister-adamu/

The ruling All Progressives Congress, APC, has refuted claims that some cabal in Aso Rock have hijacked the campaign of President Muhammadu Buhari.

There are reports that a cabal has hijacked the campaign and that there was an intense plot to relegate members of the APC National Working Committee, NWC, in the scheme of things.

But in a swift reaction, the National Publicity Secretary of the party, Mallam Lanre Issa-Onilu, who spoke with Vanguard, said it was not possible for someone to hijack the party’s campaigns.


He said, “Hijacked by who? If they hijacked it, to do what? Can they campaign without the president? Can they campaign without the party?

“We are all working together and there is no issue. Very shortly, the campaign council will be announced and campaigns will start.

“Election is February 16 and I keep telling people that campaigns are not all about rallies.

“There are several platforms of engagement with the voters. Many other aspects are ongoing. Our activities are ongoing.

“Yesterday, the president commissioned the international wing of the Nnamdi Azikiwe airport.

“That is campaign to show that the same country that was not working is now working. That is what Nigerians are going to vote for in February.

“Nigerians are travelling this season, they will see activities going on on the roads. The roads that were not free for several hours, they are now going to be spending fewer hours.

“That is part of campaign. It is for people to go and see improvements and see possibilities and see that their country is now working.

“We are going to do rallies across the country. We are a party that is so proud of our achievements and we are very confident that our achievements are speaking for us already.”

http://dailypost.ng/2018/12/22/2019-election-apc-speaks-aso-rock-cabal-hijacking-buharis-campaign/

Mojeed Alabi

The Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB) has set January 10 date for the commencement of the sales of the 2019 Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination (UTME) form.

The sales of form, according to the examination body, will take place within six weeks while the examination will hold in March.

Speaking at a stakholders’ forum currently ongoing at the University of Lagos (UNILAG), Akoka, the JAMB Registrar, Prof. Isiaq Oloyede, thanked the leadership of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) for releasing its timetable on time, saying doing so has helped the examination body to plan the conduct of its examination in the new year.

Oloyede, who read out the new rules ahead of the examination to the owners and operators of the computer-based centres, saying a total of 718 CBT centres have been registered to take part in the examination.

Details later.

https://www.newtelegraphng.com/2018/12/2019-utme-jamb-to-commence-sales-of-form-january-10/

Controversy trailed Wednesday’s revelation by the Federation Accounts Allocation Committee (FAAC) that the excess crude revenue account savings has been depleted to only $631 million within three weeks.

Barely three weeks ago, Minister of Finance, Zainab Ahmed, disclosed at the end of the committee’s meeting in Kaduna on November 25, 2018, that the balance in the account stood at about $2.319 billion.

It was not clear how about $1.688 billion, almost 73 per cent, left the account in a space of three weeks.

Excess Crude Account is a special account established to warehouse excess revenues from the prevailing crude oil price at the international market. Income generated above the approved crude oil benchmark price in the annual budget is saved in the account.
Withdrawal from the account is subject to the approval of the three tiers of government and the Executive Council of the Federation (FEC).

It was not clear when the decision to draw from the account was taken and for what purpose.
But, at the end of the FAAC meeting for December in Abuja on Wednesday, Permanent Secretary, Federal Ministry of Finance, Mahmoud Isah-Dutse, said the money was withdrawn to settle the last tranche of the Paris Club loan refund to states.

Mr Isah-Dutse, who disclosed that a total of N812.762 billion was distributed between the federal, states and local governments for November 2018, announced that the balance in the excess crude account stood at $0.631billion as at December 19, 2018.

Asked how the savings in the account was depleted from $2.319billion in late November and to $0.631billion on December 19, Mr Isah-Dutse said the decision was taken that the final payment for Paris Club loan refund to states be drawn from the account.

When his attention was drawn to the apparent illegality in drawing money from the ECA without approval, the Permanent Secretary said the approvals came from the President and the FEC.
“The decision was taken that the refund should be funded from the excess crude account, and the right approvals were obtained,” he said.

Pressed further for clarification on who exactly gave the approval, the Accountant General of the Federation, Ahmed Idris, asked PREMIUM TIMES to approach the National Assembly to confirm if they were not aware of the approval to withdraw the money from the account.

Meanwhile, a communiqué by the Technical Sub-Committee of the FAAC showed gross statutory revenue stood at about N649.629 billion, which is lower than about N682.161 billion realised in the previous month by N32.533 billion.

Details of the total distributable revenue of N812.762 billion comprised the Statutory Revenue of N649.629 billion, Gross Value Added Tax of N92.079billion, foreign exchange equalisation of N70 billion and exchange rate gain of N1.055 billion.
From the gross statutory revenue, the federal government received N280.913 billion, representing 52.68 per cent; states N142.483 billion, or 26.72 per cent; and local government councils N109.848 billion, or 20.60 per cent.

About N47.882 billion went to the oil producing states as 13 per cent derivation revenue.
The distribution of the Value Added Tax (VAT) showed the federal government got N13.259 billion, or 15 per cent; states N44.198 billion, or 50 per cent, while the local government councils got N30.938 billion, or 35 per cent.

The communique said revenue from company income tax (CIT) increased significantly during the month, while revenues from Value Added Tax (VAT), Import Duty, Petroleum Profit Tax (PPT) and Foreign Oil and Gas, Domestic Oil and Gas Royalties all decreased.

https://www.premiumtimesng.com/news/headlines/302071-nigerias-excess-crude-account-depletes-73-in-three-weeks.html

Over 25,000 members of the Kwankwasiyya movement of the Peoples Democratic Party from Kano South have dumped the party for the All Progressives Congress.

While receiving the new members, Governor Abdullahi Umar Ganduje, used the occasion to present flags to all candidates contesting for seats in the House of Representatives and State Assembly in the 2019 general elections.

According to the defectors, they were in Rano Local Government Area to witness the formal presentation of flags to Senator Kabiru Gaya and other candidates from Kano South by Governor Ganduje, during the final grand rally for all candidates from the zone.

It should be noted that Kano State, being the most populous state in the federation has 24 candidates for the House of Representatives and 40 gunning for the State House of Assembly seats.

At the Kano Central zone, the former two-term governor of the state and the former Minister of Education, Malam Ibrahim Shekarau, the Sardauna of Kano, was presented with a decorated flag.

Similarly, all other contestants from the zone for the 2019 general elections, were decorated with party flags, at another event, held at Kano Pillars Stadium, Sabon Gari, in the metropolis.

A one-time governor of the State, Senator Kabiru Ibrahim Gaya, who is currently representing Kano South, was also presented, with a decorated flag at Rano LG.


Prior to the zonal campaign rallies, Ganduje and the party stakeholders from the entire 44 Government areas of the State held a crucial meeting to map out strategies for the 2019 general elections, at Coronation Hall, Government House, Kano.

At the meeting, Ganduje made it abundantly clear that the impressive achievements of the APC, at both federal and state levels, were enough credentials for the party to emerge victorious in the 2019 elections.

He said that, “President Muhammadu Buhari’s unrelenting efforts in developing our dear country from all fronts, particularly in the areas he (Buhari) identified as his priorities, security, economy and employment, are platforms to give us more courage for 2019.”

At the three senatorial zones, Ganduje urged party supporters, to ensure that President Muhammadu Buhari secured the over five million votes he promised him in the forthcoming 2019 presidential polls.

“Nigeria has no any other serious candidate than President Muhammadu Buhari. We believe in his honesty, integrity, accountability and transparency attributes. That is why his good work as our President goes across the nation. Without considering any ethnic, religious or sectional lines, he is a true patriotic democrat and a sincere Nigerian” Ganduje said.

Governor Ganduje promised the decamping PDP/Kwankwasiyya defectors equal treatment in the party. He assured them that they have come to where they and their children would benefit from the abundant dividends of democracy.

https://punchng.com/25000-pdp-members-defect-to-apc-in-kano/

The Presidency has blamed former President Goodluck Jonathan for causing the delay in the formation of President Muhammadu Buhari’s cabinet.

Buhari was inaugurated on May 29, 2015 but formed his cabinet on November 11 of the same year.

Speaking on Channels Television’s Sunrise Daily on Monday, the Senior Special Assistant to the President on Media and Publicity, Mallam Garba Shehu, said Jonathan did not give Buhari handover notes until 48 hours before his departure.

He said, “That President Buhari took 166 days to form a cabinet is absolutely untrue. It took him time to form a cabinet because the outgoing administration in 2015 did not cooperate with the transition committee.

“The President was given handover notes 48 hours to the handover of power and for whatever reason, the President at that time determined that two governments would not operate at the same time.”

However, a Spokesman for the Atiku Abubakar Campaign Organisation, Mr. Phrank Shuaibu, said Buhari had a penchant for blaming others but himself.

Shuaibu said it was laughable that Buhari who had contested the Presidency for 12 years could take over 160 days to set up a cabinet.


He added, “Saying Mr President had to wait for handover notes from his predecessor before forming a cabinet is an admittance of lack of preparedness for the office of the President and the onerous responsibility of managing a country like Nigeria.

“For an office you sought election for four times, obviously you should be able to identify eggheads that can help you manage the country. He didn’t need to wait for handover notes before being able to form a cabinet. He had no working plan. He was practically what El-Rufai would refer to as an accidental public servant or an accidental President.”

https://punchng.com/presidency-blames-jonathan-for-delay-in-forming-buharis-cabinet/

Some soldiers were dislodged when the Islamic State in West Africa (ISWA), a faction of Boko Haram sect, invaded Gudumbali, Guzamala local government area of Borno state, on Friday.

Channels Television quoted a resident as saying the attackers looted food items and carted away gun trucks belonging to the Nigerian army.

It is the third time in three months that the village will come under attack.

TheCable understands that some of the soldiers affected in the operation are currently taking refuge at a military location in Damasak, a nearby town.

“Our troops have been dislodged in Gudumbali, and even Kukawa,” one of the soldiers in the theatre command told TheCable on Sunday morning.

While the military said it has intensified efforts to end the attacks, Abubakar Elkanemi, shehu of Borno, recently said the people of the state are still under the insurgents’ siege.

“Nobody can dare move out of Maiduguri by 10 kilometres without being confronted, attacked by Boko Haram,” he had said when President Muhammadu Buhari visited last month.

“Quite a number of farmers are being killed and kidnapped on a daily basis around Molai General Area, which is just 10 kilometres away from the metropolis, along Maiduguri -Damboa -Biu road.”

Sani Usman, spokesman of the Nigerian army, did not respond to TheCable’s inquiries on the latest attack.

https://www.thecable.ng/soldiers-flee-as-boko-haram-raids-borno-community/amp

Former Military President, General Ibrahim Badamasi Babangida, IBB has commended President Muhammadu Buhari for the success in the fight against corruption, insurgency and other security challenges.

In a congratulatory message to president Buhari on his 76th birthday on Saturday, the former leader praised the president for providing focused leadership and showing tremendous energy despite his age.

President Muhammadu Buhari will clock 76 on Monday 17, December, 2018.

IBB noted that President Muhammadu Buhari had been “an excellent role model to many young aspiring politicians and even to the not so young, because of the way and manner you have managed to sustain the survival of our country as an indivisible one nation albeit in the face of many daunting diversions.


“You achieved great success in the fight against corruption, terrorism and other forms of insecurity in addition to getting our country out of economic recession.

“It is heartwarming that at 76, in spite of the numerous onerous challenges of leadership, you have managed to remain focused and have shown tremendous energy and vibrancy in running the affairs of state with your acknowledged patriotism and commitment to serve our nation diligently with honesty and sincerity of purpose,” IBB said.

https://www.dailytrust.com.ng/ibb-praises-buhari-for-tackling-insecurity-other-challenges-despite-age.html

The Buhari Media Organisation (BMO) has described the Vice Presidential candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) Peter Obi as a politician with a penchant for cooking up figures and twisting facts

The organization described as half truth figure reeled out by former Anambra state governor during the Vice Presidential candidates’ debate organised by the Nigeria Elections Debate Group (NEDG) and the Broadcasting Organisations of Nigeria (BON) in Abuja

It said in a statement signed by its Chairman Niyi Akinsiju and Secretary Cassidy Madueke the organisation said that Obi did not disappoint Nigerians who have been following his political trajectory since he left the Government House in Awka.

“From the outset, it was clear that Obi was out to impress his gullible political base but he did not reckon with the fact that majority of Nigerians cannot be easily be fooled at a time information can easily be cross checked

“Perhaps his biggest lie on the night that was easily debunked by knowledgeable Nigerians was his claim of 2 million vehicles on Nigerian roads. Even without the benefit of data from the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS), an average car part dealer in Gudu, Abuja or Idumota,Lagos knew he was lying.

“An NBS fact sheet that has for sometime been in the public domain shows that the country has a total vehicle population of about 11.5 million as at the third quarter of 2017 so where did Obi gets his own data”, it said.

The group said it was gratifying to note that one of Nigeria’s influential online publications, The Cable did a quick fact check of what Obi and Vice President Yemi Osinbajo said at the debate

“Some of the lies couched as facts by the PDP chieftain according to the online newspaper include his claim that Nigeria has fallen on the global competitive index from 124 to 127. The true position from the 2018 World Economic Forum (WEF) report is that the country rose on the index by 10 places

“Peter Obi also argued that Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) for 2015 was $21 billion while it fell to $12 billion in 2017.Again, he lied just as he did with his claim that African trade is less than 9 percent

“Data from Afriexim Bank indicate that intra-Africa trade is around 15 percent while Brooking Institution puts it at 18 percent

“These are just some of the lies that the man PDP elements dressed up as an economic expert attempted to force down the throats of Nigerians as facts and figures”

The group however hailed Professor Osinbajo for sticking with facts on issues including how the President Muhammadu Buhari administration crashed the price of a bag of fertilisers to between N5,500 and N6,500 from a figure ranging from N10,000 to N13,000in the past.

http://thenationonlineng.net/group-slam-peter-obi-cooked-figures/

Minister of Finance, Zainab Ahmed
NEWS
Published December 14, 2018
The Central Bank of Nigeria says the migration of the Federal Government Ministries, Departments and Agencies to the Treasury Single Account has led to positive growth in the value and volume of transactions recorded in the end to end payments in 2017.


The bank made the assertion in the 2017 Annual Activity Report released by its Banking and Payments System Department on its Website.

It also attributed the growth to the rise in the number of MDAs’ accounts migrated to the TSA.

The CBN said that the value of transactions recorded at the period reviewed stood at N13.53 trillion from the N10.65 trillion in 2016, representing an increase of 27.01 per cent.

The apex bank also said that volume of transaction grew with an increase of 3.84 per cent to record 39.7 million in 2017 as against the 38.24 million recorded in 2016.

According to the CBN, the payment instructions comprises recurrent, overhead and capital expenditure.

On the TSA implementation, the bank added that during the year, stakeholders’ engagements took place to improve the operations and address some of the challenges facing it.

“In order to engender healthy competition and ensure effective service delivery, the Federal Government’s TSA payment gateway model was modified to accommodate other service providers.


“The aggregator model was developed to bring in more players into the e-collection process, thereby providing a level playing ground for all the Payments Service Providers, with NIBSS as the aggregator.


“The initiative was driven by the Federal Ministry of Finance with the Office of the Accountant General of the Federation as the implementing agency, in collaboration with the Central Bank of Nigeria,” it said.

(NAN)


https://punchng.com/tsa-transaction-hits-13-53trn-says-cbn/

Retirees, under the aegis of Nigeria Union of Pensioners, Contributory Pension Scheme Sector (NUPCPS), have written to President Muhammadu Buhari, applauding his administration as the best they have seen in 14 years of the pension scheme.

In a letter dated December 10, 2018, signed by the Chairman of the union, Comrade Sylva C. Nwaiwu, the pensioners said they were registering their “unanimous acknowledgement and commendation of the good performance” of the administration in the Contributory Pension Scheme sector in particular, and Nigerian Pension Industry in general.

The union said the consensus was reached during the union’s 3rd Post-inaugural Congress/Interactive Session with the National Pension Commission (PENCOM) held last month in Maitama, Abuja.

Distancing itself from partisan politicking, NUPCPS said the union was made of “elder statesmen and women who must stand for the truth, no matter whose ox is gored,” adding: “We owe no one any apology for expressing the truth we know about the good works of your administration.”

The union said further: “Your administration inherited huge pension liabilities as a result of the excesses and recklessness of the previous administration which mismanaged pension funds meant for the payment of retirement benefits…Nevertheless, your contribution in just few years in office is one of the best we have seen in the 14 years of the existence of the Contributory Pension Scheme (CPS) in our nation.


“Your insight, determination, political will and commitment as demonstrated in the release of bailout funds to ameliorate the sufferings of Nigerian workers/pensioners is unequalled and highly appreciated by the union and other stakeholders.”

The union also urged President Buhari to “complete the good work you have started” by authorizing additional bailout to clear the outstanding backlog from last year.


https://leadership.ng/2018/12/14/you-are-the-best-pensioners-hail-pmb/

The Minister of Works, Housing and Power, Babatunde Fashola, has urged the Federal High Court in Lagos to dismiss the fundamental right suit filed by human rights lawyer, Femi Falana, in which he is challenging the failure of the federal government to remove the gridlock on the Apapa-Oshodi expressway.

In a counter-affidavit deposed to by one Ayodele Otedola, a litigation clerk in the Federal Ministry of Works, on behalf of the minister, it was stated that the gridlock on the road “is always caused by Tanker Drivers who normally follow the route to NPA for the purpose of loading and offloading their goods” and that the minister’s “effort to clear the road and remove the trailers and tankers has not been easy but that effort has been redoubled to achieve this goal”.

In his preliminary objection against the suit, the minister has contended that the failure to repair the road has not in any way restricted or breached Mr Falana’s freedom of movement. The minister also challenged Mr Falana’s basis to file the suit since he has not shown that he has suffered over and above other motorists or people that use the road.

In the suit, Mr Falana has argued that the state of the road constitutes a threat to his life and violation of his fundamental right to move freely in Lagos guaranteed by Sections 33 and 41 of the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, 1999 as amended and Articles 5 and 12 of the African Charter on Human and Peoples’ Rights (Ratification and Enforcement) Act. In the substantive case Mr Falana is seeking the following reliefs:

“1. A DECLARATION that the refusal or failure of the Respondents to remove obstructions, repair and maintain the Oshodi-Apapa Expressway is illegal and unconstitutional as it constitutes a threat to the fundamental right to life of the Applicant guaranteed by Section 33 of the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, 1999 as amended and Article 4 of the African Charter on Human and Peoples’ Rights (Ratification and Enforcement) Act (CAP A9) Laws of the Federation of Nigeria, 2004.

2. A DECLARATION that the failure or refusal of the Respondents to make the Oshodi-Apapa Expressway safe for motorists is illegal and unconstitutional as it violates the Applicant’s fundamental right to freedom of movement guaranteed by Section 41 of the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, 1999 as amended and Article 12 ff the African Charter on Human and Peoples’ Rights (Ratification and Enforcement) Act (CAP A9) Laws of the Federation of Nigeria, 2004.

3. A DECLARATION that the packing of tankers and trailers on the overhead bridges in Lagos is illegal and unconstitutional as sit constitutes a threat to the fundamental right to life of the Applicant and other motorists guaranteed by Section 33 of the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, 1999 as amended and Article 4 of the African Charter on Human and Peoples’ Rights (Ratification and Enforcement) Act (CAP A9) Laws of the Federation of Nigeria, 2004.

4. A DECLARATION that the Applicant is entitled to his fundamental right to economic, social and cultural development guaranteed by Article 22 of the African Charter on Human and Peoples’ Rights (Ratification and Enforcement) Act (Cap A9) Laws of the Federation of Nigeria, 2004.

5. AN ORDER directing the Respondents to remove all obstructions, repair and maintain the Oshodi-Apapa Expressway forthwith.”
The federal high court has fixed January 19, 2018, for hearing the substantive suit and the preliminary objection.

https://www.premiumtimesng.com/regional/ssouth-west/300701-apapa-oshodi-expressway-gridlock-falana-has-no-right-to-sue-fg-fashola-tells-court.html

The Police in Abia State on Wednesday arrested 51 persons suspected to be members of proscribed Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB) but operating as members of “Judaism’’, in Umuahia.
The command’s Public Relations Officer (PPRO), Geoffrey Ogbonna, confirmed the arrest in a telephone interview with News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Umuahia.
Mr Ogbonna, a superintendent of police, said that the suspects were arrested for allegedly being in possession of different insignias of the outlawed IPOB.
He said the suspects comprised 41 men and 10 women, adding that they would be arraigned at the end of the investigation.
NAN reports that the suspects held a procession on major streets Umuahia, carrying placards with different inscriptions, written in Jewish Language.
They were intercepted by a team of anti-riot policemen, who shot several teargas canisters in their attempt to disperse the procession.
The development caused stampede at Isigate Market as traders, shop owners, passers-by and motorists ran in different directions for safety.
The suspects, who were dressed in religious white attires with small caps, similar to those of the Jews, began the procession from Afaraukwu community, where the IPOB leader, Nnamdi Kanu, hails from but were dispersed at Isigate.
One of the members, who identified himself as Israel el-Ibe, told journalists that the procession was organised to “publicly demonstrate our desire to be allowed to have a Jewish state of our own in Biafra land because we are Jews in Biafra land”.
Reacting to the development, the Chief Imam of Abia, Sheik Ali Ukaiwo, decried the procession, describing it as ill-timed and capable of threatening the existing peace in the state.
Mr Ukaiwo said “it is bad, ill-timed and uncalled for, especially at a time like this, when most communities hold traditional marriages and festivals.”
He warned residents to shun actions that could be perceived by security agencies as “constituting a breach of the public peace during this period.”
(NAN)


https://www.premiumtimesng.com/regional/ssouth-east/300658-police-arrest-51-suspected-ipob-members-in-abia.html

Lagos State Governor, Mr Akinwunmi Ambode and his counterpart in Borno State, Alhaji Kashim Shettima on Tuesday met with aggrieved members of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in the Southwest over outcome of the primaries of the party to elect candidates for the 2019 general elections.

The two governors, who are members of the National Peace and Reconciliation Committee set up by the APC to pacify aggrieved party members, specifically met with party bigwigs including former Deputy Governor of Osun State, Senator Iyiola Omisore; Senior Advocate of Nigeria (SAN), Chief Adeniyi Akintola, among others.

Shettima, who chaired the meeting, held at the Government House in Oyo, Ibadan described Governor Ambode as the politician of the year for displaying uncommon courage and spirit after the party’s primaries in Lagos, saying that his display of sportsmanship would forever remain a reference point for others to learn and emulate.


He said, “Governor Ambode is my own politician of the year and the ultimate peacemaker. We are here essentially to build bridges of understanding, to reconcile with our aggrieved members and seeks ways to make appropriate recommendation to the NWC of the party for us to make progress as a family and to make amends where necessary.

“We have a lot to learn from Governor Ambode, he demonstrated courage, he demonstrated an unparalleled generosity of spirit that has never been shown by any Nigerian politician. Many people were spoiling for a fight. I believe that power is from God and believe me, the kind of respect that his actions have generated for him across the nation is much more than spending 18 years in power.”

Speaking to journalists shortly after the closed door meeting, Shettima said the Committee would forward its observations and solutions to the National Working Committee (NWC) of the party for appropriate action, while urging aggrieved aspirants to exercise patience as the party will do everything possible to address their grievances.

“We have finished our assignment here in Oyo, Ekiti and Osun States. We listened to our members and we have noted down their grievances and most importantly the solutions proffered and we are going to forward those observations and solutions to the National Working Committee of the party for appropriate action and we implore them to exercise patience, to show courage and to emulate my very good brother, Governor Ambode, who is a study in tolerance, accommodation and courage.

“But definitely, the NWC will take far reaching decisions to ensure that we have come on board to achieve our dream of winning the 2019 elections. Everyone is important in this movement and we are not going to underrate anyone,” the Borno Governor said.

Also speaking, Governor Ambode said though it may be tough to permanently heal the wound aggrieved aspirants might be nursing as a result of the fallout of the primaries, but that it was important for all to move on and truly unite for the party’s victory at all levels come 2019.

According to him, “There is no amount of wound that can manifest in your hearts as being present here that we can permanently heal. The most important is that we have created a platform for us to be able to start to bond our family – the APC family together.

“We were once one family but yes people who are seated here have one or two reasons to complain but we are peacemakers. What is important is that we must bond together and also carry that crusade of making our party to win the 2019 elections.”

He said when there is life, there is hope, and as such the aggrieved aspirants should understand that there could be better opportunities waiting for them at the end of the day.

“The elections coming next year will not mark the end of our party and so obviously there will be other things that can come out more fruitful than the competitions that you had actually envisaged that you are going to be the winners.

“It is in that spirit that I would just like you to imbibe whatever it is that you can emulate from my own way of responding to the situation at hand. When there is life, there is hope and there are greater opportunities ahead and it is in that same spirit that we have come here,” Governor Ambode said.

On her part, Senator Sa’ida Sa’ad Bugaje, also a member of the Committee said Governor Ambode’s actions after the primaries had resonated beyond the State and had become a learning curve in leadership and sportsmanship for future leaders.


“I was at a youth forum recently where young people were dissecting Governor Ambode’s leadership story as a perfect example. They said they had never seen such in the history of Nigeria since 1999. They said they look up to Governor Ambode as a role model in terms of peace and good leadership,” she said.

Other members of the Committee include the former deputy governor of Ekiti State, Professor Modupe Adelabu and the D-G of NIMASA, Dr Dakuku Peterside.


https://www.vanguardngr.com/2018/12/apc-primaries-ambode-shettima-meet-omisore-akintola-others-in-ibadan/

Leader of the Indigenous People of Biafra, IPOB, Nnamdi Kanu has released six ‘scientific’ facts to back his claim that one Jubril Aminu Al-Sudani is impersonating President Muhammadu Buhari.

Kanu spoke Saturday night in a two-and-half hour special radio broadcast from Israel, saying the facts were necessary to clarify the point he raised earlier that what was playing out before Nigerians was not a case of President Buhari’s clone in Aso Rock but a body double.

While he admitted that body doubles were used by world leaders in the 70’s as political decoys, the IPOB leader said they were never allowed to rule over state affairs nor sign official documents as in the present scenario.

In the past few days, the Presidency of Nigeria has worked very hard to put a spin on the credible revelations that the man passing off as President of Nigeria is not Buhari but a Jubril from Sudan. The spin runs like this: That Buhari does not have a ‘clone’ or that Jubril is not Buhari’s clone or that Buhari has not been biologically cloned. Even ‘Jubril’ himself, during his current trip to Poland, claimed that he is the ‘real’ Buhari, not a ‘clone’.

“The standard qualification to becoming a successful body double or impersonator is close resemblance to the person being impersonated. In other words, the political decoy is an individual who has been selected because of strong physical resemblance to the person being impersonated. This resemblance can be strengthened by plastic surgery.

“Often, such decoys are also trained to speak and behave like the person being impersonated. It has happened before in history, most notably with Josef Stalin of defunct Soviet Union and Adolf Hitler of Germany. There were many others, especially during the Second World War and the subsequent Cold War, when it was very rampant with spies and espionage.

“In this very case of late Buhari, Jibril is NOT a biological clone but a body-double, another human being, an impersonator from Sudan, who resembles Buhari, then underwent a few plastic surgeries to make the resemblance closer and got coached to speak and act like the real Buhari.

“What they never reckoned with is that there are no two individuals that look exactly alike, except for identical twins, even so to a less than absolute degree. So, even as Mr Jibril looks like late Buhari and did some few fixes to enhance the resemblance, there are still a few give-always that, to a discerning eye, differentiated the two men.

“First, Buhari was about 75 years when he assumed the presidency in 2015. He looked very much his age, and appeared noticeably frail shriveled due to the ravaging ailments that eventually saw to his demise. On the other hand, Jibril is about 50 years old and it shows in his gait, his vibrancy, and the smoother tone of his face and skin. There’s also the slight difference earlobes between the two men.

“Second, Buhari had noticeably receding hairline on the front crown and the rest of what was left of his hair was brittle; and then towards the tail end of his life, the hair became very scanty and snow white. All these can be verified from his photographs taken during the electioneering campaigns, at the time he was sworn and during his long illness. This contrasts sharply with Mr Jibril, who appears to have fuller mane of hair, much darker hairlines, and now permanently spots a cap that he has refused to remove despite repeatedly being dared to do so.

“Third and perhaps most importantly, the late Buhari was of Fulani full blood and he spoke fluent Fulfude – the native tongue of the Fulanis. He also spoke Hausa. Now, this Jibril does not speak Fulfude but speaks Hausa only, which is why he strains to speak Hausa as a diversion each time he is challenged to speak Fulfude. One then wonders why Jibril, claiming to be the real Buhari in Poland, did not speak some Fulfude or even go as far as removing his cap.

“Fourth, since February last year, one notices a profound distance when in public between Jibril and Buhari’s family members, especially Buhari’s wife, Aisha and son Yusuf. Whereas, Aisha appears to be studiedly aloof from Jibril, Yusuf was photographed awkwardly shaking Jibril’s hand after he returned from his long stay at a German hospital, where he had been admitted and treated for injuries stemming from his bike accident.

“Fifth, Buhari was a very tall person, noticeably taller than other equally tall public officials such Senate President Saraki, who now appears taller than the man claiming to be Buhari. How come? It was Lai Mohammed, the Minister of Information who tried to explain this by claiming that Buhari used to wear high-heeled shoes, which he now no longer wears on the advice of his doctor, thus making him appear shorter. Is that plausible?

“Sixth, since his ‘acclaimed’ recovery from his debilitating ailments and discharge from the London Hospital, the man that claims to be Buhari has not been traveling to London for mandatory follow-ups. Is it medically possible that someone who was ravaged to the point of looking skeletal and underwent complex surgeries would suddenly heal to the point that he no longer needed clinical follow-ups? Plus, when this Jibril story persisted in the wake of his US visit with President Trump, his handlers tried to defuse it by orchestrating a medical check-up stopover in London. If such check-ups are real, why isn’t this being done on a regular basis since his so-called recovery.

“So, there you have it – Jibril from Sudan is not a biological clone of Buhari but a completely different fellow impersonating the real but late Buhari on the dummy that he’s a look-alike who underwent some cosmetic fixes that appear to have convinced many that he’s Buhari. Still, the truth is that Jibril neither the Buhari nor his clone.”


http://dailypost.ng/2018/12/09/nnamdi-kanu-releases-6-scientific-facts-prove-buhari-replaced-jubril-sudan-aso-rock/

Some worshippers at the just concluded 2018 Holy Ghost Congress of the Redeemed Christian Church of God prayed using flags of foreign countries as their “point of contact” for greener pastures, News Agency of Nigeria reports.

NAN also reports that the RCCG camp ground at Shimawa, Ogun State, has a corner in the church premises where flags of foreign countries were conspicuously displayed.

A NAN correspondent who was at the six-day Congress reports that both male and female worshippers were seen holding assorted flags of foreign countries at prayer sessions.

Some of the worshippers were seen praying kneeling down in-between the flags.

In an interview with some of the worshippers, a 35-year-old man who identified himself as Emmanuel Ukor confirmed that he prayed with the flag of the country he intended to visit.


“I have faith and that’s why I am holding American flag pole for prayer. I have been going to the embassy and had been denied several times.

“There is nothing prayer cannot do, I believe God answers prayers,” he said.

Also, a 22-year-old man, Adebola Martins, said that he wished to leave the country to study for his Master’s degree.

“I want to leave this country for the United Kingdom to further my studies and to also stay there to make ends meet. That’s why I am holding its flag,” he said.


A 60-year-old woman, Mrs. Faith Grace, said she held the flags to pray for her children who are based abroad so they can continue to live well.


“I am using the flags as prayer points of contact for all my children.’’

One of the pastors, who pleaded anonymity, said things work with people’s faith.

“Although the flags displayed represent the countries where the church has it parishes, faith works with mind.

“They are asking God for what they want and so shall it be,” he said.

(NAN)


https://punchng.com/self-confessed-green-pasture-seekers-pray-with-foreign-flags-at-holy-ghost-congress/

e Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has accused the presidency of "attempting to blackmail" Peter Obi, its vice-presidential candidate for the 2019 general election, claiming that Obi's accounts had been frozen.

The party also claims that aside Peter Obi, the accounts belonging to his wife, his family members and their businesses were also frozen.

This was contained in a statement by Kola Ologbondiyan, Director of Media and Publicity of the PDP Presidential Campaign Council issued on Saturday.

According to Ologbodiyan, since Obi's nomination, the All Progressives Congress (APC) had made "failed attempts to destroy his reputation".

The statement read: "The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) Presidential Campaign Organization (PPCO) decries the stoppage of transactions on all accounts belonging to PDP Vice presidential candidate, Mr. Peter Obi, wife, his family members and their businesses by agencies of the Muhammadu Buhari administration.

"Since his nomination, Peter Obi, apart from facing series of failed attempts by the APC to destroy his reputation, has also continued to receive all manners of threats and blackmail, including threats to his life and those of his wife and children.

"Having realized that the majority of Nigerians are rallying behind the duo of Atiku Abubakar and Peter Obi as the our Presidential and Vice Presidential candidates respectively, the Buhari Presidency and the All Progressives Congress (APC) have resorted to all manners of machinations, including smear campaigns and direct attacks on their persons and business concerns, in a bid to run them down.

"The Buhari Presidency is intimidated by Peter Obi’s resume, particularly, his general acceptance as epitome of fiscal responsibility, frugality and transparency in governance. Otherwise, why is the Presidency on a wild goose chase in investigating Peter Obi, who left office as Governor of Anambra State five years ago with a nationally acclaimed clean record, intact reputation for frugality, transparency, zero tolerance for corruption and leaving behind a huge saving of N75 billion naira in cash and investments; without owing any salaries, pensions, gratuities or even contractors for contracts executed. The fact remains that the Buhari Presidency and the APC are merely shadow boxing in their attacks on Atiku Abubakar and Peter Obi, as their records before Nigerians speak for them.

"All discerning Nigerians know that the reasons for an investigation on a man like Peter Obi, is a journey to nowhere aimed to stifle him of funds as well as attempt to distract our campaign and divert attention from the failures of the Buhari administration. It is ludicrous that President Buhari would continue to condone the looting of our treasuries by his party leaders and the cabal in his Presidency, which even, the First Lady had even alluded to, only to be using government agencies to attempt to blackmail our Presidential and Vice Presidential candidates whose reputations stand clear before all Nigerians.

"The PPCO reminds President Buhari that neither he nor Vice President Yemi Osinbajo was in 2015, as candidates, harassed, attacked at the airport or subjected to blackmails, and wonder why they are now employing such tactics just because Nigerians have resolved to do away with them, come 2019."

http://saharareporters.com/2018/12/08/pdp-accuses-presidency-blackmail-condemns-freezing-peter-obis-accounts

President Muhammadu Buhari says he rejected the electoral amendment bill because it could affect the 2019 elections.

The president said this in a letter sent to the national assembly.

In the letter obtained by TheCable, the president said signing the bill into law could “create uncertainty and confusion” during the forthcoming elections.

“Pursuant to section 58 (4) of constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria 1999 (as amended), I hereby convey to the House of Representatives, my decision on 6th December 201 to decline Presidential Accent to the Electoral (Amendment) Bill , 2018 recently passed by the National Assembly,” he wrote.

“I am declining assent to the Bill principally because I am concerned that passing a new electoral bill this far into the electoral process for the 2019 general election which commenced under the 2015 Electoral Act, could create some uncertainty about the applicable legislation to govern the process.

“Any real or apparent change to the rules this close to the election may provide an opportunity for disruption and confusion in respect of which law governs the electoral process.”

Buhari appealed to the lawmakers to revise some clauses in the bill, expressing optimism that it would take effect after the elections.

“This leads me to believe that it is in the best interest of the country and our democracy for the national assembly to specifically state in the Bill, that the Electoral Act will come into effect and be applicable to elections commencing after the 2019 General Election,” he said.

“It is also important for the following drafting amendments to be made to the Bill: section 5 of the Bill, amending section 18 of the Principal Act should indicate the subsection to which the substitution of the figure “30” for the figure “60” is to be affected.

“Section 11 of the Bill, amending Section 36 should indicate the subsection in which the proviso is to be introduced.

“Section 24 of the Bill which amends Section 85 (1) should be redrafted in full as the introduction of the “electing” to the sentence may be interpreted to mean that political parties may give 21 days notice of the intention to merge, as opposed to the 90 days provided in Section 84 (2) of the Electoral Act which provides the provision for merge of political parties.

“The definition of the term “Ward Collection officer” should be revised to reflect a more descriptive definition than the capitalized and undefined term “Registration Area Collation Officer.”

This is the third time that the president would reject the bill. In March, Buhari withheld assent to the bill saying the proposed law would usurp the constitutional powers of Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to decide on election matters.

In September, Buhari turned down the bill for the second time, asking the national assembly to revise some clauses.

The national assembly had passed the bill on July 24 and transmitted to the president on August 3.

Among the controversies on the bill are the reordering of the sequence of the 2019 elections, placing the presidential poll last, instead of the governorship and state assemblies, and also exclusion of the use of card readers during elections.

https://www.thecable.ng/exclusive-why-buhari-rejected-electoral-amendment-bill/amp

Former Vice President Atiku Abubakar has promised to begin the process of restructuring the country with the first six months of his administration if elected president in 2019.

He made the pledged on Thursday at the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) southwest presidential campaign flag off in Ibadan, the Oyo State capital.

“What is important is the restructuring,” the PDP presidential candidate told a crowd of supporters at the rally. “Within six months, I shall start the process of leading us to the restructuring of this country.”

He added, “I will ensure that the southwest is returned to the PDP. If you give me your support, you will never regret it.”

Atiku accused the Muhammadu Buhari administration of putting the country in debt, saying it has borrowed so much money in the last three years.

He stated that the PDP administration was providing the best educational advancement and job opportunities for the people before the All Progressives Congress (APC) came to allegedly deceive them.

“We believed in them; they told us they would give us jobs, prosperity, but instead they gave us menial jobs,” the PDP candidate alleged.

“I stand before you today to say that we shall return the prosperity of this nation. I want to say that the southwest will be known again for its educational advancement.”

The campaign enjoyed the presence of the party’s bigwigs, including its National Chairman, Uche Secondus; Atiku’s running mate, former Governor Peter Obi; and Senate President Bukola Saraki.

In his address, Secondus said the nation was in crisis and only the party’s candidate can rescue it from its challenges.

He described Atiku as strong, fit and articulate to lead Nigeria and asked the people to cast their votes in favour of the PDP in the coming elections.

The PDP chairman insisted that the party was on a rescue mission and called for a minute’s silence for all those who lost their lives, including the late OPC leader Fredrick Fasheun.

On his party, Senator Saraki who is also the Director General of the PDP Campaign Council accused the present administration of failing to secure the people and their properties.

He urged the electorate to consider Atiku as a better alternative while former Governor Obi noted that the PDP was the only party that can provide good jobs for the masses.

https://www.channelstv.com/2018/12/06/i-will-start-restructuring-process-in-six-months-if-elected-atiku/

A student of the University of Ilorin in his mid-20s, name withheld, has reportedly committed suicide at the weekend over unmet academic expectation.
Tribune Online gathered that the deceased, from the Faculty of Agriculture, had failed in his final year project the last session and was made to repeat the current one.
It was also gathered that the deceased student decided to take his life because he could no longer achieve the Second Class Upper Division grade which he had expected to make in his final year result.

The deceased was said to have died after he drank a pesticide called Sniper.

An indication for reason behind the suicide was obtained in a note which the deceased left behind on a social media, indicating that he had been accused of ‘copy and paste,’ a reference to plagiarism in research works. Some neighbours also said that the deceased had all along suffered depression since he failed to make the last 34th graduation list of the institution.

The incident had reportedly happened last Thursday night at Oke-Odo community, a student-populated area in Ilorin metropolis, however, the corpse was only discovered on Saturday morning after neighbours noticed foul smell oozing out of his room. His bloated body was, however, found on the floor when the door was eventually broken.

Sources in the community said that the deceased had communicated his intention to end his life to a female friend who however pleaded with him to have a rethink and face the challenge like most other men in life.

According to available records from his social media interactions, the deceased had uploaded a picture of the Sniper on his WhatsApp page at about 5.14 pm last Thursday, some two hours after he had lamented online about his situation to his friend.

He had opened the conversation at about 3.39 pm when he said in short statements: “same research work, he said I did copy and paste. Ever since den, things changed from bad to worst. Am in a deep mess @the moment. My life don tire me. I feel like dying. I wish I can sleep and not wake up again.”



His friend, however, responded with words of encouragement, “Don’t give up bros, it gets better.” And as if he had accepted the admonition, the deceased had then responded, “I pray xo, Thanks a lot for ur concern. I appreciate a lot. May God continue to bless you. Amen.”

However, by the time he uploaded the Sniper picture, his friend apparently became frantic and pleaded with him not to take any wrong step. The friend said: “Abeg, Calm Down. Abeg you in the name of God. Nothing Happen wey God no know about ooo please don’t do anything stupid ooooo.”

When contacted, director of information for the university, Mr Kunle Akogun, said that he was not aware of the incident. Also, Police public relations officer (PPRO), of the state command, Ajayi Okasanmi, said that his office was also yet to be briefed but promised to get in touch with the appropriate quarters on the development.

https://www.tribuneonlineng.com/176649/

No fewer than 26 lawmakers from the Ogun State House of Assembly have defected from the All Progressives Congress (APC) to the Allied Peoples Movement (APM).

Dailytrust reports the aggrieved aspirants backed by Ogun State Governor, Ibikunle Amosun, had claimed that the mandate given to them during October 7 legislative primary of APC was stolen by the national leadership of APC.

Amosun had specifically accused the National Chairman of APC, Adams Oshiomhole of “perpetrating another evil” in Ogun State barely few days after his “candidates” were not given Candidates Form (CF001) at the expiration of submission of candidate’s names to the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC).

Speaking with newsmen on Monday in Abeokuta, the spokesman of aggrieved aspirants, Lamidi Olatunji said they “have come to inevitable conclusion to actualise their ambitions in APM.”


Our correspondent reports that the aspirants would be joining Amosun’s anointed candidate, Adekunle Akinlade who had equally defected to APM last Thursday, having lost APC governorship ticket to Dapo Abiodun.

Olatunji, however, pledged their support for President Muhammadu Buhari’s second term bid.

He said “We also wish to acknowledge the fatherly role of President Muhammadu Buhari in seeking to sustain the tenets of democracy fairness and equity in the resolution of the crisis in Ogun APC.

“We regret that Mr President’s efforts were frustrated by the forces that are hellbent in taking the Southwest back to the dark age of slavery where unelected kingpins direct the affairs of the people.”

He directed their supporters and admirers to move into APM as “the new vehicle for the development of Ogun State.”

Our correspondent reports that two serving Commissioners, Dayo Adeneye (Information and Strategy) and Modupe Mujota (Education, Science and Technology) were among the defectors.

https://www.dailytrust.com.ng/breaking-26-lawmakers-dump-apc-for-apm-in-ogun.html

Nigeria’s Attorney-General, Abubakar Malami, has written yet another letter to Inspector-General Ibrahim Idris, informing him that the police still do not have reasonable evidence to put Senate President Bukola Saraki on trial for the armed robbery that took place in Kwara State earlier this year.
In a legal advice which Mr Malami’s office sent to Mr Idris on June 29, it was strongly recommended that Mr Saraki should not be identified as a suspect in the robbery because there was no evidence.
PREMIUM TIMES recently obtained a copy of the June 29 memo, which was an update to the June 22 preliminary report that exonerated Mr Saraki. PREMIUM TIMES exclusively published the outcome of the preliminary investigation in July.

The police excoriated PREMIUM TIMES for the report at the time, saying an interim document should not be relied on because fresh findings had been forwarded to the attorney-general which strongly linked Mr Saraki to the robbery.

But Mohammed Etsu, the federal director of public prosecution who prepared both the first and second reports for the attorney-general, insisted there was “no departure from the earlier findings in the interim report this office is still unable to establish any” actionable evidence against Mr Saraki “for any offences of criminal armed robbery and culpable homicide punishable with death”.

Mr Malami also cleared Yusuf Abdulwahab, the chief of staff to Governor Abdulfatah Ahmed, of any involvement in the armed robbery.

The police investigation did not uncover “any collaborative evidence linking” Mr Abdulwahab “to the Offa bank robbery,” the attorney-general said, consequently justifying a court’s decision that earlier admitted the senior aide to bail.

There is a judicial precedent that a suspect who has not been tried and convicted by a competent court could be admitted to bail, Mr Malami added. Mr Abdulwahab was similarly cleared in the preliminary report.

The attorney-general’s office said only prime suspects who took part in the robbery should be charged to court for armed robbery and murder, both of which could draw capital punishment upon conviction.
The AGF also ordered that the case should be returned to Kwara State for prosecution, marking yet another blow to the police’s determination to try all the suspects in Abuja.


The decision is a major victory for the Kwara State judiciary, which took concerted steps to assert its authority over the matter but was frustrated by the domineering powers of the police, an institution controlled solely by the president.

The charges against the armed robbery suspects “were committed in Offa, Kwara State” and should be under the “exclusive jurisdiction” of the Kwara State High Court as enumerated in the Constitution, Mr Malami said.

Carnage Overshadowed By Politics

The robbery of five different banks on April 5 left at least 31 dead in Offa, home to a major federal polytechnic and second-biggest town in the North-Central state. Amongst those killed were nine police officers, motorists and town residents, police said.

The police deemed the robbery amongst the deadliest in recent years, and swung into action to unravel its plotters.

A special police team detailed to investigate the incident arrested seven suspects within the first two days of the attack, and made more arrests in succeeding days.

Six weeks later, the police said they had taken two more suspects into custody, including the alleged mastermind, Michael Adikwu, after a composite CCTV picture of the suspects was circulated by the police.

Mr Malami said in the June 29 letter to Mr Idris that Mr Adikwu died in police custody shortly after his arrest, but the Force Headquarters suppressed the development from Nigerians until last week.
But the matter took a political dimension when the police publicly linked Messrs Saraki and Ahmed and their political associates to the robbery.

The police circulated a picture one of the robbery suspects took with Mr Saraki at his daughter’s wedding last year as a key evidence that linked the Senate President to both the suspects and the crime. The police also said one of the vehicles used by the suspects had a dummy number plate with Mr Saraki’s name inscribed on it.

Also, some officials of Kwara State government were also arrested and one of the vehicles allegedly used in the robbery was found in the home of a commissioner.

All the state officials denied allegations, and some were later released without charges.
The two conclusions of the attorney-general bolstered Mr Saraki’s perennial outcry that he had nothing to do with the armed robbery. He accused the police of being used as a political tool by President Muhammadu Buhari, with whom he had fell out after playing a critical role in his emergence as president.

Mr Buhari’s government has initiated several criminal charges against Mr Saraki since the former Kwara governor emerged Senate President in 2015 without the approval of the ruling All Progressives Congress.

The top lawmaker, who has since abandoned the ruling party for the main opposition Peoples Democratic Party, has, however, managed to win some of the criminal charges against him, including the Supreme Court ruling that extricated him of false assets declaration charges earlier this year.
‘Disparaging Suggestion’

In concluding his legal advice to the police, Mr Malami warned a police chief in charge of the armed robbery investigation to desist from offering ‘condescending opinions’ to the AGF’s office.

David Ogbodo, an assistant inspector-general of police, had suggested in the second police submission that Mr Malami should step aside in the case and detail a senior Nigerian lawyer to handle prosecutorial advice.

Mr Malami said his office had dispassionately prosecuted several cases that were successful, and warned Mr Igbodo to desist from making official comments that could be deemed as “disparaging” to the office of the AGF.

As the attorney-general, Mr Malami regularly authors legal advices to the police and other law enforcement agencies on how to proceed in criminal litigations.

In 2017, the AGF advised the president to relax charges in the $1.1 billion Malamu oil scandal, one of the flagship corruption cases being prosecuted by the administration.

Mr Malami said there was no sufficient evidence to nail a former petroleum minister, Diezani Alison-Madueke, and former Attorney-General Bello Adoke.

He said the suspects cannot be held liable for acting on the orders of President Goodluck Jonathan in approving the 2011 deal between Shell-Agip and Dan Etete, a former Nigerian oil minister who had been convicted on money laundering charges in France in 2007.

https://www.premiumtimesng.com/news/headlines/298487-offa-robbery-again-agf-malami-writes-igp-idris-insists-saraki-innocent.html

Olusola Fabiyi, Abuja
The Federal Government has reacted to those claiming that President Muhammadu Buhari was cloned.
It described such talk as idiotic and that such people peddling the rumour were not worthy of getting government reaction.
Minister of Information and Culture, Alhaji Lai Mohammed, said these in an interview with journalists in Abuja on Thursday.

His response followed questions that the Federal Government should clear the air on the allegation.
Recall that there were insinuations that the President was cloned and that the man who is presiding over the affairs of the country is one Jibrin from either Sudan or Chad.
The rumour followed the miraculous recovery of the President when he was sick about two years ago.

Mohammed said, “It is idiotic to say the President is cloned. I don’t see any serious government responding to that.
“So, the same Jibrin that was cloned from Sudan or Chad is in Chad now? Isn’t that stupid?
“They even said he is from Chad. Yet, the same President is in Chad as we speak. The same Jibrin is remembering what the President did while in Petroleum Trust Fund and he is also remembering what he did when he was head of state between 1983 and 1985.

“All the ministers do not know who is before them when they attend the Federal Executive Council meeting? The President remembers memos he had seen or heard about in 1985 and we say he is cloned.
“So, Jibril from Chad or Sudan will now remember all of these? It is too silly for the government to respond to this. It must be ignored.”

Nigeria recorded a leap on the 2018 Legatum Prosperity Index (LPI) of most prosperous country in the world.

At 129, the most populous black nation moved up by three points from its 132nd position in 2017. Since the inception of the index in 2006, this is the first time that Nigeria would move up.

The LPI is an annual ranking developed by the Legatum Institute, a division of the United Arab Emirates-based private investment firm, Legatum.

The index measures prosperity using nine pillars: economic quality, business environment, governance, personal freedom, social capital, safety and security, education, health and natural environment.

Of these pillars, Nigeria ranked 139, 66, 107, 111, 48, 145, 123,143, 104 positions respectively.

While the giant of Africa rose 12 places on the business environment pillar, it fell one point in safety and security.

“In the overall Prosperity Index rankings, Nigeria has climbed by three positions from 132 to 129 when compared to last year. Since the Prosperity Index began in 2006, Nigeria has moved down the rankings table by five places,” the report read.

“In the Prosperity Pillar rankings, Nigeria performs best on Social Capital and Business Environment and scores lowest on the Safety and Security pillar.

“The biggest positive change, compared to last year, came in Business Environment increasing by 12 places, whereas they dropped one place on Safety and Security.”

Despite Nigeria’s rise on the ranks, the country, however, falls among the 20 least prosperous countries (red zone) and the report says “those in the bottom 20 face significant challenges across all pillars, especially in improving Safety and Security.”

In Sub-Saharan Africa, Nigeria is ranked 25th.

Norway, New Zealand and Finland topped the index, while Yemen, Central African Republic and Afghanistan came last three respectively.

“The measurement of national prosperity is an important task for governments and for those who hold them to account,” the report read.

“Prosperity entails much more than wealth, it reaches beyond the financial into the political, the judicial, and the wellbeing and character of a nation – it is about creating an environment where a person is able to reach their full potential. A nation is prosperous when it has an open economy, inclusive society, strong institutions and empowered people who are healthy, educated and safe. This leads to higher levels of wellbeing.

“The Prosperity Index covers 149 countries. The top 40 most prosperous nations are those that have demonstrated over time how to build prosperity. Those in the bottom 20 face significant challenges across all pillars, especially in improving Safety and Security.

“Prosperity has grown over the last year to its highest ever point. In the last five years, 113 countries have improved their prosperity. In many respects the world is getting better. It is now easier to start a business in many countries.”

https://www.thecable.ng/nigeria-rises-on-world-prosperity-index-first-time-ever/

President Muhammadu Buhari has visited wounded soldiers in Maiduguri, the Borno State capital.

The President visited the soldiers on Wednesday after attending the Chief of Army Staff (COAS) Annual Conference where he declared the event open.

He appreciated their sacrifice for the country, saying: "Across the Northeast, we have officers and men fighting bravely and tirelessly to keep our country safe from terrorism and violence. I salute their sacrifice on our behalf. And may the souls of the fallen rest in peace."

In a related development, the President has also convened a consultation of heads of state and government of the Lake Chad Basin Commission (LCBC) for November 29, 2018 in N-Djamena, Chad.

According to the Buhari, "The objective of the one-day meeting is to review the security situation in areas affected by the Boko Haram insurgency, as well as adopt measures to enhance the capacity of the Multinational Joint Task Force (MNJTF) to secure the region".

He added: "I have invited the presidents of the LCBC member countries: Chad, Cameroon, Niger, and the Central African Republic, to attend the meeting. Also invited is the President of the Republic of Benin, which also contributes troops to the MNJTF."


http://saharareporters.com/2018/11/28/breaking-buhari-visits-wounded-soldiers-maiduguri