₦airaland Forum

Agboriotejoye:
Neither do you speak for all yorubas or do you? Go and check the activities of Tinubu btw 2007-2011 and tell me he did not sought to be seen as the political leader of Yorubas or what does the title asiwaju he proudly flaunts stand for? If he wants to relinquish that tag, all the better. No one offered it to him. He sought for it.
If you think it's abosi to ask for his opinion on matters, may I ask what you think it is when kyari took documents to buhari to sign in London thereby rubbishing Osinbajo in political circles and Tinubu who is seen as Osinbajo's political father hailed the move?

Agboriotejoye:
Good so you agree then that Tinubu is also playing abosi with Yorubas then. A good leader should rise above such sentiments in dealing with the people he claims to lead don't you think?

Agboriotejoye:
You agree then that it's South West vs FG. Who has been parading himself as leader of south west? What kind of leader stays in the"background" when his territory is under seige? What should be Tinubu's overriding interest, to be in buhari's good books or the security of the people of the south west?

It is common knowledge that the three govs who were absent at the launching of amotekun are tinubu's direct stooges. That's why he should come out and say something now so everyone knows where he stands.

Note that nobody is asking him to antagonise buhari. Speaking up to douse tensions and show leadership does not mean he has to antagonise buhari. He can be conciliatory to both sides. But his silence is an admission of a personal incapacity as the presumed leader.

If amotekun was done without his knowledge and consent, he can let us know. But being totally blank about the whole affair does not look well on him.

Note that no one has asked Osinbajo to speak up cause he's an intricate part of the government.

pacespot:
If I was tinubu, I would speak my mind in a way that is politically correct or remain silent. The same people asking him to side with Amotekun now against his political ambition will be against him if the table turns. Yoruba's are known for back stabbing. They did the same to Abiola

murmee:
At what price? Can the majority of Nigerians afford it!

AuroraB:
Senseless contribution

January 7, 2020

Factions of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in Edo State have disagreed over the purported endorsement of Governor Godwin Obaseki for a second term.

The party Chairman in Ward 10, Alhaji Abubakar Akokia, described the news as untrue. He also denied the purported suspension of the National Chairman, Comrade Adams Oshiomhole.

The rebuttal follows news that the party in Oshiomhole’s Ward 10, Etsako West Local Government Area, have endorsed Obaseki’s re-election bid.

He said: “…it has again exposed how desperate Obaseki is for a second term when he has not merited it. Obaseki is a colossal failure and does not deserve our support. APC leaders in ward 10 stand with the National Chairman of our great party who has done creditably well in office.

“We have not seen a situation where endorsement is done at the Edo State government House before. You don’t gather your aides to endorse any candidate. Beside, INEC is yet to come up with its time table for the campaign, and it is irresponsible on the part of the governor to force his staff to endorse him for a second term.

“Endorsement is done at the ward levels and not at the Government House. We know that Anslem Ojezua has been constitutionally impeached as state chairman and Col. David Imuse elected as the new chairman. We urge the public to disregard the fake news from the Government House. We reiterate the vote of confidence passed in Comrade Oshiomhole and Col. Imuse. We are proud of what they are doing both at the National and state levels.

“If Obaseki wants a second term, he must work for it and not bamboozle APC leaders, it will not work. Those Obaseki gathered at the Government House are not members of the APC but his workers at the Government House. Therefore, it must not be taken seriously.”

Factional Chairman Oshawo Stephen, who led others to declare their support for the governor’s second term bid yesterday, said: “We came to visit our Governor for the New Year, to pray for him so that God will continue to elevate him for his good works in Edo State.”

He described the governor’s performance as excellent, urging him to continue his good works in developing the state.

Oshawo also said the suspension of Comrade Adams Oshiomhole in Etsako West still stands following his role in ‘sponsoring the crisis rocking the party’.

State Chairman Anselm Ojezua described the visit as heart warming. He said: “You know that under the current circumstances, you will expect that people at the ward level would have been pressurised by now. You can understand their situation. But as you can see, these men and women are determined that justice must prevail Edo State APC, and to that extent, I am grateful to them.”

InyinyaAgbaOku:
Why are you pained at the death of a terrorist?

Seetto:
The foolish idiotic ipobians, chanting war song in support of USA brutality against Iran, failed to understand that the more USA cause crises in the middle east, the more it backfires, US founded and finance Osama bin laden, terrorist organization, the same with Isis, the world bloodiest terror group to oust the regime of Assad, it all backfires, this automatically increase the influence of Iran Shiite, thereby gaining more influence and increasing their power base, now they are pained, USA will be very surprised how each and all their military base in the middle east will be attacked and subsequently alienated.

RisenPhoenix:
Because the frequency of marital sex is inversely proportional to the woman's certainty in her relationship and future financial stability. The more she is confident of her husband's willingness to maintain her financially, physically and emotionally as the only sugar in his tea, the less sex he gets.

Unsure women give out the most sex. Remember that.

The Lagos State Government on Friday presented a seed fund of N250 million to the Lagos State Science Research and Innovation Council (LASRIC) to boost technological innovation in the state.

Presenting the cheque to members of the council at the State House, Ikeja, Lagos State Governor, Babajide Sanwo-Olu, said that it was part of plans to make Lagos State a hub for innovation and technology.

LASRIC is a Lagos State institution in charge of research with the responsibility of boosting innovation and technology in the state.

The council is presently made up of a 16-member team, headed by the Vice Chancellor, University of Lagos (UNILAG), Prof. Toyin Ogundipe.

Sanwo-Olu said that the fund would enable technology start-ups to come up with local innovative technologies that would enhance the economy.


He urged the council to ensure that the criteria to access the fund was flexible enough for Lagosians to benefit from.

”For us, it is to put action in what we believe in. When you make pronouncements as a government, you must put them to action.

”I don’t want very stringent conditions that will not make people benefit from this fund. In the next six months, let us begin to see a litmus test that people have been supported through this fund.

”We can’t do it alone, ours is just a seed fund. Some of you have access to international donors and partners that will want to see the level of our seriousness and commitment; I want us to put in serious effort so that others will be willing to support us.

“We need innovative solutions. We can think global but we have to act local. Let us think about solutions that are peculiar to us as Lagosians and Nigerians and you will be amazed that we have great skills waiting for people to bring them out,” the governor said.

Speaking earlier, the Chairman of the Council, Prof. Ogundipe, said that the institution would partner with several non-governmental organisations for the benefit of Lagos State.

Ogundipe said that any country that was doing well had research and technology backing it up.

”What we are doing today is to refocus concerning Lagos State. What we have done is around the T.H.E.M.E.S agenda that the governor has for Lagos State for the pronouncement to be very clear.

”We are going to make sure that we promote Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) in primary and secondary school level for a start.

”We want to get the database of all researchers in Lagos, not only in higher institutions but in companies and other organisations in Lagos.

”We are going to have a multi-disciplinary research collaboration between the institution and the companies and it will attend to the needs of Lagos State,” he said.

The Special Adviser on Innovation and Technology, Mr Tunbosun Alake, said that the seed fund indicated Sanwo-Olu’s administration to science and technology.

Alake said that the government had supported and promoted problem solving solutions, thereby helping to develop local solutions.

ON JANUARY 2, 2020

By Olasunkanmi Akoni

Lagos State Governor, Mr. Babajide Sanwo-Olu has presented the sum of N40 million grant as start up capital for businesses to assist 2, 000 residents, mainly youths and women.

Sanwo-Olu, speaking at the presentation ceremony, organised by Office of the Civic Engagement, as part of activities for the “Civic Week, “ held at LTV Ground, Agindigbi, Ikeja, explained that the grant was basically to assist the beneficiaries who are entrepreneurs to improve the status of their businesses towards earning more profits and making them self reliant.

Earlier, Special Adviser to the Governor on Civic Engagement, Princess Aderemi Adebowale, explained that the grant was part of the activities lined up for this year Civic Week designed by the Lagos State government through her office to engage residents, alongside the ‘Sanwo-Olu Cares’ initiative, a program to cater for downtrodden.

She said: “Beneficiaries of the social welfare inclusive initiative would be encouraged to invest 50 per cent of the grant received in a small-scale business. The office of Civic Engagement has partnered with some companies to assist our citizens to actualize these goals by planning and monitoring the growth of their small-scale business.” Adebowale added.

The Special Adviser, said that aside from the empowerment initiative other activities that will inculcate social values in children and youth, serving as a guideline for achieving widespread civic engagement through planned programmes of action has been included in the event.
“We aim at building a people-centered Lagos by adopting a variety of engaging activities as a channel to inspire individuals to be active participants in the process of nation-building. Engaging citizens remains our ultimate goal. We can only improve Lagos through our collective effort.”

Each of the selected beneficiaries, received the sum of N20,000 from the State Government to aid them to achieve their goal of expanding the business to a stage of creating further employment.

It was gathered that after another three months, Lagos State Government will evaluate progress made by each of the 2000 beneficiaries and possibly offer advice.

At the end of the exercise, those that had made progress in their business since collecting the first tranche will receive another N20,000; this evaluation process will again be repeated for the beneficiaries to ascertain progress made in their businesses and receive another tranche.

Iran's Supreme Leader has reacted defiantly to threats about the consequences of Tuesday's attack on the U.S. embassy in Baghdad by Shiite militant groups supported by Tehran.

Following the attack on the embassy, President Donald Trump said in a tweet on Tuesday December 31, " Iran will be held fully responsible for lives lost, or damage incurred, at any of our facilities. They will pay a very BIG PRICE! This is not a Warning, it is a Threat."

Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei 's official website carried the following statement on Wednesday January 1, responding to American warnings by adding Trump's name in brackets to make the message clearer: "That guy [Donald Trump] has tweeted that we see Iran responsible for the events in Baghdad and we will respond to Iran. First, there is no damn thing you can do, and second, If you were logical —which you’re not— you’d see that your crimes in Iraq, Afghanistan… have made nations hate you."

Also in a speech on Wednesday, referring to the US attack on Iraqi militia bases in Iraq and Syria after an attack in which a U.S. contractor was killed, Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei charged that "The U.S. is taking revenge on Hashd, al-Sha'bi for defeating ISIS.”

Khamenei further repeated old conspiracy theories advanced by Iran that ISIS was created by the United States! "Look at what the U.S. is doing in Iraq and Syria. They’re taking revenge on Hashd al-Sha’bi for defeating ISIS. Since Hashd al-Sha’bi crippled and destroyed ISIS—which the U.S. had created—they’re taking revenge. The Iranian government the Iranian nation and I strongly condemn the U.S.’s malice," said the ayatollah.

Earlier, U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo also pointed fingers at Iran for the attack on the embassy, posting pictures of Iranian proxies among the demonstrators outside the embassy. Pompeo charged that the attack on Tuesday, "was orchestrated by terrorists."

Meanwhile, Pompeo wrote in another tweet that the attack on the embassy "should not be confused with the legitimate efforts of the Iraqi protesters who have been in the streets since October working for the people of Iraq to end the corruption exported there by the Iranian regime."

Khamenei also said in his remarks that "If the Islamic Republic decides to challenge and fight, it will do so unequivocally. We’re not after wars, but we strongly defend the Iranian nation’s interests, dignity and glory. If anyone threatens that, we will unhesitatingly confront and strike them."

Interestingly, Trump also told reports later on Tuesday after threatening Iran that he does not want, or foresee, war with Iran. Responding to a question on the possibility of tensions escalating into a war with Iran, Trump told reporters at his Mar-a-Lago club in Florida: “Do I want to? No. I want to have peace. I like peace. And Iran should want to have peace more than anybody. So, I don’t see that happening.”

Iran's foreign ministry also summoned an official from the Swiss embassy, which represents U.S. interests in Iran, to complain about American "warmongering" in neighboring Iraq, the foreign ministry said Wednesday.

"The Swiss charge d'affaires was summoned to the foreign ministry... over stances of American officials with regards to developments in Iraq," the ministry said.

"The Islamic Republic of Iran conveyed its strong protest... over warmongering remarks made by American officials which are in violation of the United Nations Charter," it added.

The exchanges between Trump and Khamenei takes place while both leaders face more problems in their domestic politics. Khamenei in particular, has still not recovered from massive nationwide protests in Iran during which security forces reportedly killed 1,500 protesters who were angry about financial problems, mismanagement and corruption.

Incidentally, while Khamenei's website says he made the Wednesday speech among thousands of nurses marking the National Nursing Day, Iranian nursing association "The House of Nurses" has announced a boycott of the official ceremony because the Islamic Republic government and its Ministry of Health have neglected to address the problems Iranian nurses are struggling with.

Meanwhile, one of the most critical comments among hundreds of reactions on social media to the attack on the U.S. embassy in Baghdad, was posted by Professor Sadeq Zibakalam of the University of Tehran who wrote: "Iran has been using a fallacy for 40 years to justify its anti-US policy." He reminded that the fallacy was once again used by President Hassan Rouhani on December 31 when he said, "America wants Iran to surrender before sitting at the negotiating table but Iran has resisted heroically." Zibakalam asked Rouhani when and where the United States has said such a thing.

maiunguwar:
Where in Asaba was demolished?

The management of Dangote Cement Plc has announced the appointment of Michel Puchercos as the new managing director of the company.

The new MD’s appointment becomes effective on February 1, 2020, a disclosure notice by the company said.

Mr Puchercos’s appointment was made public after he resigned from rival cement company, Lafarge Africa Plc.

The Board of Lafarge Africa had earlier notified the investing public of the resignation of Mr. Puchercos from the company as the Group Managing Director/Chief Executive Officer (GMD/CEO) with effect from January 17, 2020. Mr. Puchercos served the company as an executive director on the board since April 1, 2016.

Lafarge said that during his tenure as the GMD/CEO, Mr Puchercos implemented a successful turnaround plan for the business, addressing the legal, financial and management structure of the company, health and safety improvements and the implementation of new operating processes.

“We wish him the best in his future endeavours,” the company said in a disclosure notice signed by Adewunmi Alode, the general counsel and company secretary.

The board also announced the appointment of Khaled El Dokani as the new Group Managing Director/Chief Executive Officer of Lafarge Africa.


Puchercos ‘Ports’ to Dangote

Meanwhile, Mr Puchercos’ resignation from Lafarge Africa may not be unconnected to his move to ‘port’ to rival cement company, Dangote Cement Plc.

Days after Lafarge announced his resignation as MD, Dangote Cement Plc announced his appointment into the same position.

The company added, however, that his appointment will be included in its agenda at its next annual general meeting for ratification by the shareholders. This, the company explained, is in accordance with the Companies and Allied Matters act.

Dangote Cement Plc is a Nigerian multinational publicly traded cement manufacturer headquartered in Lagos. The company is engaged in the manufacture, preparation, import, packaging, and distribution of cement and related products in Nigeria and has plants or import terminals in about nine other African countries.

Lafarge on its own is a leading Sub-Saharan Africa building materials company, dealing in cement, aggregates and concrete. It is also listed on the Nigerian Stock Exchange.

Mr Puchercos has over 20 years’ experience working in the cement industry, serving in various capacities at Lafarge. His last appointment was as the group managing director and country CEO of Lafarge AFRICA Plc, also listed on the Nigerian bourse.