₦airaland Forum

Afenifere chieftain, Chief Ayo Adebanjo, says anything short of credible conduct of the Ekiti governorship election on Saturday would not be acceptable.
The nonagenarian spoke in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) on Friday in Lagos.

Adebanjo appealed to stakeholders that the people’s will must be allowed to prevail in the election in order to strengthen democracy.


He said that voters should not be intimidated under whatever guise, and every vote must count.

“We demand nothing short of a free and fair election in Ekiti and we urge INEC and other stakeholders to ensure that.

“There should not be intimidation of voters, there should not be manipulation of votes.

“The process should be fair and transparent. The people must be allowed to choose,” the chieftain of the Yoruba socio-cultural group said.

He urged the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) and other stakeholders to ensure free and fair election, as the focus of all champions of democracy was on Ekiti.

Adebanjo condemned what he called the manhandling of Gov. Ayodele Fayose by policemen in Ekiti on Wednesday.

He said the incident was an embarrassment to the nation and a threat to democracy.

The chieftain said that if a sitting could be so treated by security operatives, then there was little hope for respect of the rights of ordinary citizens.

He said that such action was not good for the credibility of the election.

http://www.akelicious.net/2018/07/ekiti-peoples-will-must-prevail-adebanjo.html

Nigeria’s oil sector is estimated to have lost over 754,000 barrels per day (bpd) in February, to production shut-in occasioned by pipeline vandalism, according to the latest monthly financial report of the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC).

This translates to revenue loss of about $49.010million (N17.643billion) at an average price of $75 per barrel if the quantities were sold.According to the report, about 160,000bpd were shut-in throughout February due to the ageing facilities/integrity issues at the Qua Iboe Terminal.

The Trans-Nigeria Pipeline at the Bonny Terminal was also shut down from 13th to 16th February, due to a leak in the Bodo area with production loss of approximately 120,000bpd.
About 180,000bpd was deferred due to shut down of the Trans Forcados Pipeline as a result of leakage of hot taps in the Oteghele axis for five days in the month in review.

About 55,000bpd was shut in due to plant shutdown for water flood gray lock leak repairs from February 04 to 15, 2018 at the Bonga Terminal. In addition a shut-in of 215,000bpd was experienced as a result of complete shut down for water flood gray lock leak repairs for five days.Production was shut-in for seven days to mitigate the impact of wind direction on flare that set off smoke/thermal alarms resulting in the shut-in of about 24,000bpd at the Agbami Terminal.

According to NNPC integrity issues persisted during the month in review, as pipeline vandalism remained a challenge to the industry operations.It stated: “In March 2018, pipeline break stood at 224, of which 25 pipeline points either failed to be welded or ruptured/clamped. Thus 199 pipeline points were vandalised as against 125 recorded last month. PHC-ABA and ABA-ENUGU pipeline segment accounted for 177 points or 88.94 per cent of the affected pipeline points.

The Corporation therefore solicited continued support from Nigerians especially in areas with security challenges to achieve zero vandalism of the nation’s oil and gas infrastructure.It noted that products theft and vandalism have continued to deprive value addition and put NNPC at disadvantaged competitive position given that “A total of 1599 vandalised points have been recorded between March 2017 and March 2018.”

As a result, the Group Managing Director, NNPC, Dr. Maikanti Baru, had decried pipeline vandalism, crude oil theft and sabotage, which he noted had resulted in huge loss of revenue, lives and property as well as damage to the environment.He called on security agencies and other stakeholders nationwide, to collaborate with the corporation in its on-going campaign against the sabotage of petroleum facilities.

On the other hand, NNPC also disclosed that a total of 56.24 million barrels of crude oil & condensate was produced in February, representing an average daily production of two million barrels.This, it said, represented an increase of 0.59 per cent in average daily production compared to January average daily performance.“Of the February 2018 Production, Joint Ventures (JVs) and Production Sharing Contracts (PSC) contributed about 33.44 per cent and 38.14 per cent respectively.

http://www.akelicious.net/2018/07/oil-sector-loses-754000bpd-to-pipeline.html

Rivers State Governor, Chief Nyesom Ezenwo Wike has stated that his administration was able to pay the salaries of Civil Servants for June 2018 without releases from Federal Accounts Allocation Committee (FAAC) because of careful financial engineering. Wike disclosed this Thursday in Port Harcourt, the Rivers State capital while addressing journalists shortly after projects inspection, said that workers welfare is a top priority of his administration. The governor said, “Our business is to pay workers salaries, do projects and develop the state. We reasoned, do we because FAAC has not been released, fail to pay workers salaries? “We had to do some financial engineering to accommodate workers salaries, while projects are still going on. We came to serve and there are no excuses”. He noted that his administration is built around making Rivers people happy through projects and programmes that will enhance their well-being. Wike inspected the ongoing construction of the Bonny-Bille-Nembe Jetty that will serve Rivers riverine communities and their Bayelsa neighbours. The governor expressed satisfaction with the quality of work and the percentage completion at the jetty. He solicited the understanding of traders around the premises as they will be relocated to create space for the contractors to conclude the shore protection of the Jetty. Wike said, “As you can see, the people are happy. They are celebrating this project. As usual, they have trooped out in their numbers to show their appreciation.”

http://www.akelicious.net/2018/07/wike-how-we-paid-june-salaries-without.html

In the next 22 years, Nigeria’s Infrastructure financing needs will grow to $3trillion, the African Development Bank (AfDB) has projected.
Consequent upon this projection, Nigeria would no longer rely on its yearly budgets to fund infrastructure development, hence the need for partnership with investors through a public private partnership (PPP) to attract private funds to deliver such projects.

These were the assumptions by the AfDB Senior Director, Nigerian Country Office, Ebrima Faal, in Abuja, Tuesday, at the Bank’s roadshow and interactive session with key agencies of the Nigerian Government on the preparation of some projects in the country to make them bankable and attractive to investors.


This comes ahead of the Bank’s African Investment Forum (AIF), billed for Johannesburg, South Africa, in November.

Already, some projects including the Abuja Integrated infrastructure project (satellite towns and the Bus Rapid Transit); the Eko Atlantic City Project; and the GFD Gas Commercialisation project were selected for preparation and exhibition at the Investment Forum.

Faal observed that over the last decade, and despite impressive growth rates in most of the continent, Africa’s infrastructure needs remain formidable, with annual financing gap between $130 and $107billion annually.

Commenting on Nigeria’s infrastructure, he said: “Cumulative financing needs are estimated to reach $3trillion by 2044, or about $100billion annually. This is all happening at a time when public sector finances are extremely pressured.”

Through the AIF, described as Africa’s own investment marketplace for accelerated economic transformation, AfDB is working with multilateral institutions, the private sector, and governments, to help Nigeria and other African countries to develop investment-ready projects for investors, fund managers, and others managing substantial assets.

The Bank and its partners will also screen and enhance bankable projects, attract co-investors, and facilitate transactions to close Africa’s investment gaps, estimated at $200billion to $ 1.2trillion annually.

Infrastructure financing needs alone are estimated at $130billion to $170billion a year.

Considering the huge and rising cost of infrastructure financing, Faal explained that Nigeria, like most African countries would not be able to undertake the task of infrastructure financing because of the falling commodity prices for which they rely on revenue, hence the need to prepare and make them investible.


His words: “We are assembled here today at a time when Nigeria and African economies continue to gather momentum, notwithstanding the recent cyclical downturn in commodity markets; stagnation and recession in some of the continent’s larger economies.

“Having reversed decades of decline, African countries must now confront the issues around the quality and sustainability of growth.

With population growth as a stress factor for infrastructure, it means now, more than ever, that delivery of infrastructure projects in Africa needs to be more efficient.

“Further, to meet this demand, infrastructure projects will increasingly become more complex both in planning and construction.

This is a situation that itself calls for greater and closer collaboration between the Bank and the supply chain; long-term partnering to harness collective capacities that meet the size and pace of demand, he added.

He announced that the Bank and its partners have in place a number of financial and advisory products that help ease the risk profile of a project and host country, pointing out that it was time for the Continent to change its infrastructure financing strategy.

“There is therefore a critical need to change the current funding mix and create partnerships to finance infrastructure and other projects in Africa.

This is a shift away from government as the main financier of critical infrastructure, towards smarter partnerships with the Private Sector and other development partners, including emerging markets, and private equity capital looking for yields in Africa’s lucrative infrastructure asset class,” he submitted further.

The roadshow was well attended, with the Nigerian Government core infrastructure delivery agencies like the Infrastructure Concession and Regulatory Commission (ICRC); the Nigerian Sovereign Investment Authority (NSIA); the Economic Recovery and Growth Plan (ERGP) all presenting investment opportunities in the country.

http://www.akelicious.net/2018/07/afdb-projects-3tr-for-nigerias.html

The Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) has disclosed that the country is “not on track to meet the 2020 targets set out in the National Financial Inclusion Strategy (NFIS) of 2012.”

To this end, the CBN has commenced a review of the strategy.


The central bank disclosed this in an “Exposure Draft of the National Financial Inclusion Strategy Refresh,” that was posted on its website at the weekend.

The NFIS had set two financial inclusion targets for the year 2020: an overall financial inclusion rate of 80 per cent of the adult population and a formal financial inclusion rate of 70 per cent of the adult population.

However, as of 2016, just 58.4 per cent of Nigeria’s 96.4 million adults were financially served and only 48.6 per cent of all adults used formal financial services.

The NFIS defined an additional 15 targets for channels, products and enabling environment, as well as 22 key performance indicators (KPIs) related to these targets. But across all these measures, Nigeria lagged inclusion targets.

But, some developments have emerged, especially in recent times, as new stakeholders have joined the push for financial inclusion.

For instance, the CBN and the Nigerian Communications Commission signed an MoU on digital payment systems in 2018.

Also, same year, the CBN collaborated with the Nigeria Interbank Settlement System (NIBSS) to create a regulatory sandbox that will allow financial technology start-ups to test solutions in a controlled environment and is partnering with the private sector to roll out a 500,000-agent network to offer basic financial services.

In addition, several players in the private sector have introduced new products and services aimed at the unserve/underserved, and new partnerships are driving the delivery of digital financial services more widely—programmes have been launched to boost access to finance specifically for excluded groups such as women and micro, small and medium-sized enterprises.

The central bank however listed some issues constraining the growth of financial inclusion to include macroeconomic realities.

“Much has changed in the Nigerian context since the original NFIS document was written, especially regarding the economy, security and technology.

“Unforeseen socioeconomic shocks, such as the economic recession and the security situation in parts of northern Nigeria, have hampered the progress of financial inclusion. Furthermore, Nigeria’s slow uptake of digital financial services (DFS) and limited rollout of national identity numbers (restricting the ability of financial service providers to meet know-your-customer (KYC) requirements) represent ongoing impediments,” it stated.

According to the CBN, new lessons and priorities have been identified since the inception of the NFIS, and some of the limitations of the 2012 approach have become clear.

Therefore, it noted that such changes and insights need to be reflected in the new strategy it is working on to more adequately address financial inclusion.

“The limitations of the 2012 report included a lack of prioritisation across a long list of actions and KPIs, as well as an outdated set of solutions, some of which, as innovation advanced, became increasingly suboptimal in their prescribed methods.

“In the refreshed NFIS, priorities have been defined based on a new approach that is deliberately more “future-proof” in its focus on first principles, instead of specific approaches that have the potential to become obsolete. A new first-principles approach

“The refreshed strategy is based on a first-principles approach. It recognises the various core mandates that need to be managed to develop a solid, stable yet inclusive financial system and identifies the principles that need to be in place to manage and govern financial services,” it added.

http://www.akelicious.net/2018/07/2020-financial-inclusion-target-not.html

Over 200 ethnic groups, including the Arewa Youth Consultative Forum (AYCF), Ohanaeze Youth Council (OYC), Yoruba Youth Council (YYC), Ethnic Nationalities of Niger Delta (ENND), have given President Muhammadu Buhari a two-week ultimatum to resolve the nation’s security challenges.

They regretted that bands of killers, including herdsmen, now move freely with sophisticated weaponry to wreak havoc on lives and property.

The youths contended that the armed herders have killed more men, women and children in 2015, 2016 and 2017 than the figures claimed by the Boko Haram sect during its 12 years of violent campaign.


They declared that the Buhari administration had failed in the discharge of its primary responsibility of securing lives and property.

The groups expressed fear that the African continent and the entire world may not be able to cope with the consequences of a full-blown religious or ethnic war in the country, as the current trend portends.

They advised the president to liaise with critical stakeholders in convoking a security summit to deal decisively with the insecurity in the land.

The spoke at a two-day intensive meeting organised by the National President of Arewa Youth Consultative Forum (AYCF), Mallam Shettima Usman Yerima, after which a communiqué was issued yesterday in Kaduna.

Jointly signed by the convener, Yerima; National President of OYC, Mazi Okechukwu Iziogosoro; YYC leader, Eric Olawale; IYC President, Pereotubo R. Oweilaemi; on behalf of others, the communiqué decried the current situation in the country, saying it signals immediate danger and puts the nation’s democracy in jeopardy with the dire consequence of a drift to anarchy.

The groups therefore called on eminent citizens, leaders of thought, theological and cultural leaders and international friends to step in quickly to right the precarious situation.

Their words: “Clearly, the President Muhammadu Buhari administration has failed in the discharge of its primary responsibility of securing citizens’ lives and property. Consequently, we urge the president, as the chief security officer of the country, to liaise with critical stakeholders in the country to convoke a security summit within two weeks to decisively address the ugly situation.”

The meeting, according to the communiqué, became necessary in view of the scary figures quoted by various national and international bodies accounting for the lives lost to series of violent attacks in the last couple of years.

However, Vice President Yemi Osinbajo has maintained that the current administration is winning the war against terrorism. He noted that the Boko Haram sect had been contained earlier than expected.

Speaking at the weekend in Maiduguri at the opening of this year’s Nigerian Army Day Celebration (NADCEL), the vice president stated that the inactivity of the terrorists was a testament that the group had been substantially degraded for peace to return to Borno and other affected states in the North East region.

During the event, which held at the Kinasara Cantonment Monguno, Osinbajo held that the hosting of the event in Borno State was a proof that “the end of the Boko Haram terrorist group will come sooner than later.”

http://www.akelicious.net/2018/07/northern-southern-youths-give-fg-14.html

The Managing Director, Federal Mortgage Bank of Nigeria, Mr Ahmed Dangiwa, says the lender has created more than N80bn mortgages since inception.

Dangiwa stated this during the tour of Sedona Housing Estate in Igbogbo, Ikorodu, Lagos, which was financed by the FMBN and developed by Sedona Business Consults, an Abuja-based firm.


The figure shows a 10.4 per cent increase in mortgage origination in one year, as the bank had in July 2017 stated that it had disbursed N72.47bn to about 17,260 homeowners under the National Housing Fund.

Dangiwa said the bank had created various initiatives to provide housing stocks for the low and medium income earners in the country.

He stated, “The FMBN has gone a long way so far and has created up to N80bn mortgages since inception with more than 20,000 housing stocks for the low and medium income earners. If you give these houses to developers, the prices will not be the same, because cost of finance influences the prices of buildings.

“If developers get credit from financiers with up to 20 per cent interest and add that to the cost of development, the prices of houses will definitely increase. But we got this land for free and funding is minimal, all these are in order to make it affordable to contributors of the National Housing Fund.”

According to him, the Sedona scheme was conceived in 2012 to increase housing stock in the country, and will soon be inaugurated.

“People need to know what the government is doing about housing. This scheme was supposed to be completed earlier, but now, we have made sure it is completed and about to be put to use. The FMBN targets low and medium income earners who contribute to the NHF; we provide what they can afford,” he said.

Dangiwa added that the developer was working on securing the site and creating landscape around it to protect the estate from encroachment.

He said the FMBN was also currently collaborating with labour unions, especially the Nigeria Labour Congress, for housing provision.


“We want to ensure that we produce better designs, better quality buildings and efficient houses with cost-effectiveness in order for the low and medium income earners to have access to housing,” he added.

http://www.akelicious.net/2018/07/fmbn-has-created-n80bn-mortgages-since.html

The National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control says mobile authentication of all drugs is not possible for now.

The Director-General of NAFDAC, Prof. Moji Adeyeye, said this in a statement on Friday.


The statement was in response to a call by the House of Representatives, that the Consumer Protection Council and the Standards Organisation of Nigeria should use the Mobile Authentication Scheme to detect counterfeit medicines.

Adeyeye noted that the scheme was first used by NAFDAC in 2010 as tool to curb the menace of substandard and falsified medical products.

She noted that the medicines identified for implementation and enforcement in the first stage of the MAS scheme were anti-malaria and anti-bacteria in nature.

The NAFDAC boss said these classes of medicines were selected as a result of the high incidence of counterfeiting and the impact on public health.

Adeyeye, however, said the scheme was not fully implemented by all relevant stakeholders despite several enforcement deadlines issued by NAFDAC for compliance.

She said, “The suggestion by the Speaker to use MAS for all drugs regulated by NAFDAC is noble, and in line with the agency’s ultimate agenda. However, a lot of staffing and funding will be needed for full implementation.

“The limited authentication that is being undertaken currently for the two classes of drugs by NAFDAC sometimes result in overwhelming calls to the drug information specialists at NAFDAC secretariat. Considering the fact that NAFDAC has over 11,000 registered drug products, the manpower that will be needed to authenticate all drugs will be enormous.”

http://www.akelicious.net/2018/07/mobile-verification-for-all-drugs-not.html

Virgin Atlantic this week marks 17 years of operation in Nigeria, with no fewer than 26 million passengers airlifted till date.

The airline, in appreciation to its customers, is giving special discount offer of 17 per cent to travellers.

Head of Virgin Atlantic in Nigeria, Samuel Lindfield, said the airline in the last 17 years has been connecting friends, uniting families, flying people to epic business meetings, conferences and life-changing deals. Also, flying travellers on honeymoons, dream holidays and their must-see destinations.


He said: “Virgin Atlantic has been making dreams come true for 17 years. It’s with immense pride that we celebrate 17 years of flying to Nigeria, connecting Nigeria to the world through our London hub.

We are incredibly thankful for the loyalty Nigeria has shown us over the last 17 years, and we look forward to sharing an exciting future together”.

Over the last 17 years, Virgin Atlantic has flown an average of 26 million passengers, served about four million glasses of bubbly on over 12,000 flights, and flown 38,600,000 kms on the Nigeria route.

As it is transitioning into the 17th year, the airline is becoming an even more mature business and therefore, taking the time to re-invest in the community it serves.

Virgin Atlantic has supported the careers of local Lagos entrepreneurs by linking them up with the Founder and President, Sir Richard Branson for long-term business mentoring.

One of those entrepreneurs became the face of the latest media campaign.

CSR activities have also delivered over 200kg of medical supplies to local maternity wards.

Lindfield said that the airline is particularly proud to convey not only some of the biggest corporations in the world to Nigeria, but also some of the fastest growing small and medium enterprise (SME) companies to and from Nigeria under the banner of the FlyingCo proposition.

“It has changed the game in Economy by offering an upgraded Economy experience including bonus miles, priority check-in and boarding as well as extra legroom. At the same time, it has made flying more affordable for anyone just looking for a quick weekend break.

http://www.akelicious.net/2018/07/virgin-atlantic-hits-26-million.html

Namibian national carrier, Air Namibia, recently marked its inaugural entry to Nigeria with flight from Windhoek, capital of the southern African nation, to the Murtala Muhammed International Airport (MMIA), Lagos.

The airline which started with four times a week flights said successful opening of the Lagos route was the actualisation of long term plan to connect many countries in West Africa to southern Africa and other parts of the continent.

Welcoming the airline to Lagos, the High Commissioner of Namibia to Nigeria, Dr. Peingeondjabi Titus Shipoh, expressed excitement to see the country’s national airline berth in Lagos.


“It is an honour to welcome you to the inaugural flight of Air Namibia to Lagos from Windhoek City in Namibia,” he said.

Shipoh, said Nigeria and Namibia share a long history of solidarity and cooperation, dating back to the years of struggle for the decolonisation of Southern Africa, disclosing that Nigeria played a strong pivotal role in campaigning for Namibia’s decolonisation.
“Today the political struggle is on and we continue to enjoy peace and stability; however, the fight for economic emancipation of Africa remains to be won. Africa is now the new economic frontier. Africa needs to deepen intra-Africa trade to facilitate integration and derive tangible benefits from globalization,” he said.

The envoy said the role of transport and logistics sector has become extremely important for the African continent.

“I am applauding Air Namibia for taking advantage of the opening of African skies. This is an opening of new and more dynamic chapter in furthering and consolidating relationship between Nigeria and Namibia.

“This route will enable cooperation in all sectors; facilitate entry of Namibian investors to this strategic market. Air Namibia’s venture into the ECOWAS market is to establish a win-win cooperation to exploit available business opportunities, add value to the natural resources that both our countries are endowed with,” Shipoh said.

The General Manager, APG, the General Sales Agent (GSA) of Air Namibia, Chike Ohiagu said there has been positive response to the flight of the airline to Nigeria with huge requests for Air Namibia’ flight tickets.

“On behalf of APG Nigeria, GSA to Air Namibia we want to thank everyone that graced this occasion. There is deluge of requests. It is a good sign that Air Namibia has come here to stay.

“Our duty is to sell tickets and make money for Air Namibia. In the next two weeks, there would be a forum where travel agents will be invited and we talk about Air Namibia and the product we have and the projections for the next few years,” Ohiagu said.
The Nigerian High Commission in the Republic of Namibia who was represented by Uwem Johnson said that there is huge potential market for the airline in Nigeria and expressed the hope that in few months the airline would have daily flight from Windhoek to Lagos.
Spokesman of Air Namibia, Paul Nakawa who represented the management of the airline said it was a dream come true that Air Namibia now operates to Lagos.

“We are happy to come to Nigeria. We are here to stay. Namibia is open to Nigeria and we have a lot of things to offer. The first departure of Air Namibia to Accra from Lagos Nigeria on the 29 of June, 2018 is a special occasion and calls for celebration. This is a major milestone for our airline as we journey forward.

“The creation of Air Namibia has gone a long way in connecting Southern Africa and West Africa. This comes as another option, given the fact that there are other players already in the market. Our objective is to create inter African trade and integration. We launched five routes in a space of three years,” Nakawa said.

http://www.akelicious.net/2018/07/air-namibia-begins-flight-to-nigeria.html

Customs officials in Kaduna state have intercepted a tanker stacked with various brands of foreign parboiled rice numbering over 1,000 bags.

This arrest comes months after the Federal Government announced of plans to close land borders due to massive smuggling of rice into the country.

The Comptroller of Customs Federal Operation Unit zone ‘B’ Kaduna, Usman Dakingari told journalists on Wednesday that since this announcement, rice smugglers have devised new methods to beat Customs surveillance.

Therefore, the smugglers stacked thousands of bags of 50kg bag rice in petrol tankers to give the impression that what they are carrying are petroleum products.He noted that the smugglers were arrested after intelligence information and regular surveillance by customs officials in Kaduna State.

Dakingari revealed further that the smugglers have also devised the method of mixing bags of rice inside bags containing grain, adding that this is to give the impression that the bags contain only maize.

The Customs comptroller vowed that he and his men are determined to rid the zone of smugglers. He adviced those who engaged in smuggling to desist from the illegal act or be prepared to face the wrath of the law.

http://www.akelicious.net/2018/07/photos-customs-impounds-over-1000-bags.html

Nigerian singer Kechi Okwuchi is set to release her debut album titled “Don’t You Dare”.

Okwuchi, is one of the two survivors in the Sosoliso Airlines Flight 1145 crash on Dec. 10, 2005 that claimed 107 lives, 60 of which were her schoolmates from Loyola Jesuit College.

She made the “Big announcement” on her official twitter account while urging fans to anticipate the release. @kechi “Debut single ‘Don’t You Dare’ dropping next Friday, July 13. 10 day countdown begins now”.

Kechi took part in the twelfth season of the famous America’s Got Talent hunt show in 2017, finishing off as a finalist.

The music sensation has gone on to graduate from the University of St Thomas, Texas, United States of America.

http://www.akelicious.net/2018/07/sosoliso-plane-crash-survivor-turns.html

StarTimes Nigeria is partnering with Hopes Alive Initiative (HAI), a Cooperate Social Responsibility (CSR) initiative of the Ooni of Ife, Adeyeye Enitan, to empower the less privileged in the society.

During a Give-Back Concert held recently in Lagos, the Chief Executive Officer of StarTimes Nigeria, Justin Zhang, said CSR is a core value at StarTimes Nigeria and the company will continue to focus on helping children because they are the most vulnerable in the society.

HAI in collaboration with StarTimes said it seeks to empower the less privileged in the society as a way of creating a sustainable social value for communities and individuals.

The Ooni urged well-meaning Nigerians to care for the less privileged children, to enable more orphans benefit and sustain a decent living.

“I have made up my mind to celebrate the less privileged. I want them to meet with world leaders and successful people in the society so that they can feel what a regular person in the society feels. Believe me; these kids have raw, untapped, amazing and unique talents,” the Ooni stated.

http://www.akelicious.net/2018/07/startimes-joins-ooni-of-ife-to-empower.html

Dr Oby Ezekwesili, the Senior Economic Advisor, Africa Economic Development Policy Initiative (AEDPI) says internet has become the greatest tool for citizens’ participation in good governance.

Ezekwesili, former Education Minister, said this at the Nigeria Internet Governance Forum 2018 with the theme: “Internet; An Enabler for Good Governance’’ in Abuja on Tuesday.

She was speaking on the topic: “Internet as an Enabler of Accountability and Transparency’’.

According to her, governance exists to improve the quality of life and ensure safety and security, using the instrumentality of strong policies with strong and dynamic institutions to promote growth and development.


“Without quality governance, it is impossible for a country to develop; the internet is an equaliser and a means of improving capacity.

“It is a tool to use to create the bases for wider participation, engage voices, demand for accountability and define how quickly we get to good governance.

“As growth and development happens societies become stable and prosperous, the prosperity of society further thrives because as society grows, the citizens grow and this creates a basis for social cohesion.’’

She said the internet had destroyed the barrier of geography and distance that made communication and participation in governance impossible.

She explained that people could be in the remotest areas in Nigeria and still be able to interact with the people in the Diaspora.

“The internet has come to disrupt the monopoly of bad governance, and so the main issue is going to be getting the citizens to a place of information literacy.


“Just getting the citizens to a place you have a right to know, you not only have a right to know, you have a voice to demand and the power to determine the quality of governance that is given to you.’’

She, therefore, urged youths to focus on knowledge-based technology to improve their society instead of commercial-oriented schemes to enrich themselves which would not result in good governance.

Mr Gbenga Sesan, the Executive Officer of Paradigm Initiative an NGO said that Nigeria would never move forward economically or otherwise if it kept talking down on the youth instead of providing opportunities for them.

“Nigeria can do a lot better as far as the internet is concerned; when we talk of internet governance, one of the key elements is digital rights.

“We need to make sure that every young person who is a citizen of this country is pushed toward being creative so that instead of arresting people for the things they tweet, we can focus on the opportunities the internet presents,’’ he said. (NAN)

http://www.akelicious.net/2018/07/internet-greatest-tool-for-citizens.html

The Police Public Relations Officer, Force Headquarters, ACP Jimoh Moshood, has said the killing of seven officers in Abuja has shown the need for the Special Anti-robbery Squad (SARS).


The officers were killed in Galadimawa area of the Federal Capital Territory on Monday night.

Speaking with reporters in Abuja on Tuesday, Moshood said efforts were in place to arrest those who killed the officers in the line of duty.


He added that the force would not leave any stone unturned in bringing the perpetrators to book.


“The killing of the policemen goes a long way to prove that the call for the disbandment of the SARS is not justified,” he said.

http://www.akelicious.net/2018/07/why-sars-will-not-be-disbanded-acp.html

Nigeria Senate President, Dr. Abubakar Bukola Saraki, has urged all government structures to put away all political differences and to make the security and welfare of Nigerians a top priority.

The Senate president decried the incessant bloodshed in the country. He emphasized that it is never pleasant to lose even one Nigerian life.

“The security and welfare of the people is primary purpose of government. This is what the Constitution we all swore to uphold says. At no time whether in the past or in the present is it okay to lose even one Nigerian life,” Saraki tweeted

“We MUST all put aside our political, personal, and ideological differences and work together to stop the bloodshed.”

Saraki had earlier condemned the incessant killing of citizens in different parts of the country, especially the recent wanton destruction of lives in Plateau State.

It would be recalled that the Police Command in Plateau on June 24, 2018 confirmed the killing of 86 people in attacks on Razat, Ruku, Nyarr, Kura and Gana-Ropp villages of Gashish District in Barkin Ladi Local Government Area of the state.

He pledged to ensure peace nationwide by equipping law enforcement agents to effectively tackle the prevailing insecurity in the country.

http://www.akelicious.net/2018/07/we-must-do-away-with-our-differences-to.html

Leader of the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB), Nnamdi Kanu, who has been missing since September 14 last year when Nigerian troops were said to have invaded his home.

There were reports that on the day of the military invasion, 28 persons were killed while over 48 persons were arrested and taken away to an unknown destination. Nothing has been heard from Nnamdi Kanu since then


However, former Aviation Minister Femi Fani Kayode in a recent Twitter post on Monday revealed that IPOB leader is being kept on a Nigerian naval warship far off the coast of Bayelsa.

The PDP chieftain noted also that President Buhari intends to keep him there until 2019 and then drop him in the Atantic ocean after “winning” the February election .

See tweet below:

Intelligence reports suggest that my friend and brother Nnamdi Kanu is being kept on a Nigerian naval warship far off the coast of Bayelsa and that Buhari intends to keep him there until 2019 and then drop him in the Atantic ocean after "winning" the February election…

Read more details at http://www.akelicious.net/2018/07/tension-as-femi-fani-kayode-reveals.html

The Federal University, Lokoja, said on Monday said it has expelled 13 students over examination leakage.

Many of the expelled students were final year students of Department of Economics.

Making the clarifications over allegations of unjust expulsion by one of the affected students, Lydia Lawal, a 400 -level student of the Department of Economics, the Vice Chancellor of the institution, Prof. Angela Freeman Miri, said Lawal and other students were expelled over leakage of examination papers in 2017.

She said the institution’s disciplinary panel would decide the fate of employees that were allegedly involved in the scandal.


The VC said: “I can say in the affirmative that these students were expelled from the school before the second convocation in 2017 over alleged exam leakage.

“Those involved were final year students in the Economics Department. They were suspended and due process was thereafter followed.

“We set up a disciplinary committee and the examination misconduct panel and the matter was sent to the Senate.

“At the second to fourth Senate meeting, two weeks ago, the Senate sat on the matter and took the decision. It was on that basis that the Senate took its decision and expulsion letters handed to the affected students.”

http://www.akelicious.net/2018/07/ful-expel-13-students-over-examination.html

Director-General, Manufacturers Association of Nigeria (MAN), Mr Segun Ajayi-Kadri, has appealed to the Federal Government to relax the tough conditions attached to disbursement of the Textile Intervention Fund.

Ajayi Kadri, made the plea in an interview in Lagos on Sunday. He said that the appeal became necessary due to the bureaucracy and strict conditions surrounding the allocation of the fund, saying that there was need to revitalise the textile industry.

“The textile industry had suffered a lot of bashing, especially as a result of smuggling and other infratructure deficiencies.

“At the moment, we do not have more than five textile industries working and they are functioning at low capacity.

The government had responded in terms of policy initiatives; the primary of which is the Textile Fund anchored by the Central Bank of Nigeria.


Ajayi-Kadri said that manufacturers were finding it difficult to benefit from the fund due to some bottlenecks and strict conditions attached to it.

“As a result, we have been in contact and consultations with the CBN on some of these conditions.

“Our appeal is for the Federal Government to step in and make things a lot easier so that the end point of revitalisation is not lost,’’ he said.

The MAN boss also urged the government to continue its effort at ensuring provision of basic infrastructure to reduce the cost of production by manufacturers.

He suggested inter-ministerial and inter-departmental cooperation for quick actualisation of the proposed anti- smuggling task force to combat smuggling of textiles.

http://www.akelicious.net/2018/07/man-seeks-review-of-conditions-attached.html

The United States Council on Foreign Relations (CFR) says it has documented at least 19,890 deaths in Nigeria since June 2015, just after President Muhammadu Buhari assumed office on May 29, 2015. This is as the United Kingdom-based Christian Solidarity Worldwide (CSW) disclosed that Fulani militias killed 1,061 people in about 106 attacks on communities in central Nigeria in the first quarter of 2018. CSW said 11 other attacks on communities in the southern parts of the country by the militia claimed a further 21 lives.


In a related development, the UK House of Lords on Thursday expressed worry about the inability of the Buhari government to end killings in Nigeria, warning that ethno-religious violence in the country may escalate to the Rwanda type genocide if the federal government remained complacent about it. The concern followed a debate on the recent killing of about 200 people in Plateau State by suspected Fulani herdsmen.

The CFR, an independent body of experts dedicated to providing advice on policy options facing countries, put the cumulative deaths in Nigeria from May 2011 to May 2018 at 53,595. This statistics was obtained by Akelicious from a section of the organisation’s website, Nigeria Security Tracker (NST). According to the think tank, the NST tracks violence that is both causal and symptomatic of weakness of Nigeria’s political institutions and citizen alienation. It said the data was based on weekly surveys of Nigerian and international media and that they included violent incidents related to political, economic, and social grievances directed at the state or other affiliated groups (or conversely the state employing violence to respond to those incidents.)

CFR added, “Different groups in Nigeria resort to violence. The militant Islamist movement Boko Haram is active in northern Nigeria. Violence among ethnic groups, farmers, and herdsmen sometimes acquires religious overtones. A new generation of Niger Delta militants threatens war against the state. Government soldiers kill civilians indiscriminately. Police are notorious for extrajudicial murder.”

In the CSW’s latest report, equally obtained by Akelicious, the organisation said, “During the first quarter of 2018 CSW documented 1,061 deaths in 106 attacks by the Fulani militia on communities in Adamawa, Benue, southern Kaduna, Kogi, Nasarawa, Plateau and Taraba states, with an additional 17 lives lost in attacks in the south of the country. CSW also documented seven instances of violence targeting Fulani herders or communities in which 61 people lost their lives; two of these attacks occurred in the south of the country. The recent deaths in Plateau State bring the number of casualties recorded so far in herder militia attacks in central Nigeria in the second quarter of 2018 to 440.”

The organisation said the figures were obtained by its offices in the United Kingdom and in Nigeria using organisational records, a timeline issued by the Office of the President of the Nigerian Senate, #MiddlebeltMassacres in Twitter, news sources, and the United States-based Council on Foreign Relations’ Nigeria Security Tracker. It further noted that there was more to the violence going on in Nigeria – often referred to as “farmer-herder clashes” – than meets the eye.

The report added, “However, attacks by herder militia are currently occurring with such frequency, organisation and asymmetry that the characterisation as ‘clashes’ no longer suffices. Armed with sophisticated weaponry, including AK-47s and on at least one occasion, rocket launchers, the herder militia is believed to have killed more men, women and children in 2015, 2016 and 2017 than Boko Haram, in what local observers increasingly describe as a campaign of ethno-religious cleansing.”

CSW also said it had documented over 400 deaths in 46 attacks during the second quarter of 2018. In one of the most recent, at least 200 people were reported to have died in coordinated attacks on around 50 communities in Barkin Ladi Local Government Area in Plateau State, which began on June 22 and lasted until June 24, the report said.

The majority of victims of the Barkin Ladi attacks were said to be women and children. The CSW report noted that 120 people were killed as they returned from the funeral of an elderly member of the Church of Christ In Nations (COCIN).

Speaking on the violence, CSW’s Chief Executive, Mervyn Thomas, accused the Nigerian government of refusing to fish out the perpetrators of the violence. Thomas called for the formulation of a holistic security strategy to address the violence and other threats to national security as a matter of urgency.

“CSW extends its deepest condolences to all who have lost loved ones in the weekend of attacks in Plateau State. It is worrying that the authorities appear more focused on controlling victim communities than on tracing, disarming and arresting the perpetrators of this violence. We urge the state and federal governments to prioritise the protection and rehabilitation of vulnerable communities, and to refrain from victimising them further,” Thomas said.

He added, “The number of attacks and casualties is staggering, and illustrates the appallingly high price communities in central Nigeria are paying for the absence of an effective official response to a force that not only constitutes a threat to national security, but also to national unity. We urge the government to guarantee the safety, protection and right to life of all Nigerians, regardless of creed or ethnicity.”

Meanwhile, in an impassioned debate in the UK parliament on Thursday following the murder of about 200 people in Plateau State by alleged herdsmen, the House of Lords warned the Nigerian and British governments that remaining complacent about the violent attacks could plunge Nigeria into the type of genocide that happened in Rwanda. In the parliament’s Hansard obtained by Akelicious, the debate which held between 2:16pm and 3:02pm, saw various UK lawmakers expressing concerns about what they described as “ethno-religious cleansing” going on in Nigeria and the inability of Buhari to stop the carnage and hold perpetrators of the violence to account. They noted that the violence, if not de-escalated, would have far-reaching effect on the 2019 general elections.

During the debate, the lawmakers adduced reasons for the worsening violence in the country. Baroness Berridge alleged that the violence visited on farmers in the North and Middle Belt were a part of Jihadist movement. Berridge said, however, that the solution to the problem was in Nigerians’ hands, suggesting that the citizens should use the 2019 elections to demand an end to the violence.

“The 2019 presidential and parliamentary elections in Nigeria provide the best opportunity for Nigerians themselves to demand their government deal with this crisis… I hope Nigerians, especially Nigerian Christians, will realise that much more of the solution is in their hands than they perhaps realise,” Berridge said in her contribution to the debate.

Another member of the House of Lords, Baroness Cox, who said she had visited Nigeria “many times and seen the tragedies of death and destruction in Bauchi, Kano and Plateau states”, noted that there were concerns that “the Fulani militants are now so well armed that they are possibly fighting a proxy war for Boko Haram” with the shared agenda of driving Christians out of their homelands in the North and Middle Belt.

Cox said, “There is real fear that these developments are part of a strategy by Islamist fundamentalists to drive Christians out of their traditional homelands in northern and central-belt regions of Nigeria. I urge Her Majesty’s Government to respond appropriately to the very real possibility of religious cleansing.”

In her own contribution to the debate, Baroness Goldie said the violence could worsen and become politicised ahead of the 2019 elections, preventing elections from holding in some states.

“As Nigeria prepares for elections in 2019 there is a real risk that, without serious effort being made to stem the violence and address the root causes, the conflict between herders and farmers will worsen and become increasingly politicised, threatening peaceful solutions and elections in some states. It is imperative that there is a de-escalation of violence across all affected states,” Goldie stated.

She commended Buhari’s commitment to fighting extremism, but said, “The Nigerian government has not asked for assistance from the Commonwealth or from other countries.”

Another lawmaker, Baroness Stroud, asserted that the story of worsening violence in Nigeria was indicative of successive Nigerian governments’ failure “to manage the country’s wealth, and of a deeply ingrained culture of corruption”.

Lord Alton, who led the short debate, had warned that the Rwandan genocide could repeat itself in Nigeria, saying, “This alone should serve as a wake-up call. Are we to watch one of Africa’s greatest countries go the way of Sudan? Will we be indifferent as radical forces sweep across the Sahel, seeking to replace diversity and difference with a monochrome ideology that will be imposed with violence on those who refuse to comply? We must not wait for genocide to happen, as it did in Rwanda. Ominously, history could very easily be repeated.”

http://www.akelicious.net/2018/07/nigeria-has-recorded-nearly-20000.html

The Chief Executive Officer of Neche Investment Ltd, Hillary Obinech Akandu has donated equipment worth US10,000 Dollars to the Nigeria Modern Pentathlon Federation ahead of the second Lagos Laser Run tour billed for July 7th 2018 in Lagos.Making the donation, Mr Akandu said he was encouraged by the giant strides attained by the young federation under the leadership of Dr Jonathan Nnaji. “Within three years, the Nigeria Modern Pentathlon Federation has been able to organise a lot of local competitions which culminated in culminated in the hosting of the Youth Olympic qualifiers in Lagos, late last year,” he said, adding that the young federation needs the support of all well-meaning Nigerians. Akandu who is also President of Ultimate Friends Recreation and Sports Club donated laser guns and targets, including office equipment. Receiving the equipment at his office at the secretariat of the Nigeria Olympic Committee, President of Nigeria Modern Pentathlon Federation, Dr Jonathan Nnaji said he was humbled by the gesture and promised that the federation would use the equipment to improve the training of athletes. “We are pleased that the modest efforts we have made so far have not gone unnoticed,” adding that the federation would welcome such donations from prospective donors. He expressed delight that the equipment would make the hosting of the 2018 edition of the Lagos Laser Run a lot much easier.

http://www.akelicious.net/2018/06/akandu-donates-10000-equipment-to.html

The Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC) wants the National Assembly to hasten the amendment of royalty rates for oil gotten from deep offshore sources.

Responding to the publication of Petroleum Profit Tax (PPT) accrued to the country between the third quarter of 2015 and third quarter of 2017, which was released by the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), the corporation’s Chief Operating Officer, Upstream, Bello Rabiu, told TheGuardian that amendments to the deep offshore and inland basin production sharing contracts act of 1993 are welcome and needed.

He also proposed some needed changes to the National Assembly.

“It is our opinion that the proposal to increase the royalty rate for terrains beyond 1000 metres, from zero per cent to three per cent, is commendable but it is necessary to also make corresponding adjustments in other categories," Rabiu said, adding that the incentives in PSC’s have outleaved their usefulness.

“It is our opinion that these incentives have outlived their usefulness and are now impediments to the Federal Government’s revenue collection efforts. The use of such incentives can be terminated by an amendment of section 4 of the Act."

According to the report from CBN, the government received N495.39 billion as PPT/royalties in third quarter of 2015. During the first quarter of 2016, the government earned lower at N314.04 billion. The next quarter saw a further drop in revenue to N212.78 billion. In the third quarter of 2016, there was an increased to N392.38 billion. and another decrease to N273.13 billion in Q4 2016.

The year 2017, which was the beginning of the OPEC plus alliance saw revenues rise to N325.38 billion in the first quarter. There was a slight lessening in Q2 to N320.49 billion. The third quarter of Q2 rose to Q3 2015 heights at N489.41 billion. CBN said N103.46 billion was put into the 13 per cent Derivation Fund for distribution among the oil producing states.

In all, the government made N3.211 trillion from PPT/royalties in the quarters under review.

NNPC says it has received permission to review the terms of the production sharing contracts, which regulate the drilling of oil offshore. Rabiu called on the National Assembly to seek relevant input from the Federal Inland Revenue Service, to determine the most suitable opinions regarding the methodology for the computation of taxes in view of the proposed royalty regime.

Rabiu also wants the Minister of Petroleum Tesources to be able to fix royalty rates according to specified economic indicators.

http://www.akelicious.net/2018/06/nnpc-wants-review-of-deep-offshore.html

New Benfica right-back Tyronne Ebuehi is reportedly unhappy with Nigeria coach Gernot Rohr for restriction to one match in the 2018 World Cup in Russia despite his form, a source has told our correspondent.

Ebuehi, who has a Nigerian father and a Dutch mother, pledged his international future to Nigeria in 2017 after rejecting Rohr’s invite to play in the Super Eagles’ World Cup qualifier against Algeria in Uyo on December 11, 2016.


The 22-year-old Dutch-born, who is capable of playing at left-back or right-back, was a constant threat down the right channel as he burst into the final third when he came in for Brian Idowu in the 2-0 defeat of Iceland at Volgograd Arena on June 22.

Many Nigerian fans were left fuming after Rohr ended the team’s 2-1 defeat by two-time world champions Argentina at the Saint Petersburg Stadium on Tuesday – to tumble out of the tournament – with Ebuehi idling away on the reserve bench.

Barcelona superstar Lionel Messi ran Saint Petersburg-born left-back Idowu ragged – and eventually scored a splendid goal through the Amkar Perm star’s position after taking down a cracking pass from the deep by Ever Banega before beating Nigeria goalkeeper Francis Uzoho from a tight angle to open the scoring for Argentina.

But the 64-year-old German coach defended his decision, insisting Idowu deserved to end the encounter.

“Idowu was very solid in the team. He’s much better defensively and did very well against Messi. He has experience and can play on both sides of the flanks,” the former Bordeaux defence ace told reporters,

“Ebuehi is a fantastic player offensively. He played well against Iceland but he is still very young and still learning. He will definitely improve defensively and become a very important player for the team in the future.”

Our correspondent learnt Ebuehi allegedly boiled with anger as the Eagles, who were in pole position to go through, continued to make mistakes trying to defend deep and then hit the desperate Argies on the counterattack, instead of taking the game to them.

Ebuehi, who joined Portuguese giants Benfica from Dutch club ADO Den Haag in May, was visibly angry as he stormed out of the dressing room into the Mixed Zone where he snubbed the journalists who requested interviews with him after the match.


Sources also claimed that some of the players were not happy with Rohr’s instructions to launch attacks when the match was tied at 1-1 in the dying minutes, which was enough for them to go through as they were tired.

La Albiceleste manager Jorge Sampaoli seized initiative by replacing veteran holding midfielder Enzo Perez with in-demand Boca Junior forward Cristian Pavon in the 62nd minute, and throwing out sloppy PSG winger Angle Di Maria for rugged Independiente midfielder Maximiliano Meza in the 73rd minute before sending on Sergio Aguero for Nicolas Tagliafico in the 81st minute as they probed for the winner to save his team from an embarrassing exit from Russia.

http://www.akelicious.net/2018/06/ebuehi-other-players-unhappy-with-rohr.html

Former Vice President Atiku Abubakar has said he is in the 2019 presidential race to put the country back on track of rapid development and prosperity. Akiti stated this during inauguration of his Ghana based two newly formed diaspora supporting groups, the Atiku Ambassadors in Diaspora and Atiku Solidarity Movement in Diaspora in Lagos. He assured the group that he would not disappoint their expectations in delivering good governance that Nigerians, both home and abroad, have been yearning for, since after independence. Atiku stated that plight of every Nigerian over present situation of the country, needed to be given required attention. The former vice, who was represented by chairman, Lagos-West Senatorial District, People Democratic Party (PDP), Ajagbe Adejumo, raised concerned over the country which he claimed was in critical need knowledgeable, embracing and determined leadership that would take rightful place in the comity of nations. He indicated that leaders in the country had invested much hope and gave more cooperation to have that dreamed country, than any other in history was consumed in petty divisive antics. The former vice prescient, who commended the diaspora support for his presidential race, decried that Nigerians were in threshold, with much distrust, anger and hunger across the land, despite the nation’s huge human and material potentials, and that doing nothing and continue on ill the path till nation goes up in flames of hate, could be dangerous for future of Nigeria. “Effort against taking up of arms, in a violent revolution that may not solve our problems but needlessly lead to the loss of many promising lives, must be avoided and it is through your support and that of other Nigerians could that be achieved.

http://www.akelicious.net/2018/06/im-in-presidential-race-to-put-nigeria.html?m=1

Former Vice-President Atiku Abubakar has said the All Progressives Congress (APC) does not have the requisite experience and capacity to adequately manage the affairs of the country.

Speaking in an interview with journalists after an interaction meeting with the Forum of PDP Former State Houses of Assembly Presiding Officials, Tuesday in Abuja, Atiku said: “I think the people of Nigeria need to sit down and evaluate APC and PDP. There is nothing about APC.’’


On why he met with the forum, the former vice-president described members of the forum as a force to be reckoned with based on the number of its members and their experience.

The PDP presidential aspirant also described the recent killings in Plateau State as unfortunate, stressing that there was need to adopt measures including community dialogue to address the lingering crisis.

“I just listened to a former deputy speaker, a lady for that matter, and she made two points; hard and soft powers in resolving the crisis. I like that idea.

“It is not every security breach you can use hard power on. You need to establish dialogue between leadership of various communities that lived together over the years.

“So the issue of using mere crude and hard power is not the only solution. There is also the need to use soft power on the issue of peaceful coexistence between communities,” he said.

Also speaking to journalists after meeting with the forum, a former Minister of Special Duties, and PDP presidential aspirant, Alhaji Tanimu Turaki, condemned the Jos crisis where many lives were lost.

He attributed the killing to the failure of the APC-led federal government and lack of failure among various security agencies.

“If you recall, few months ago the national security agency had appeared before the senate and disclosed that the greatest problem that the Nigeria security agencies have today is that the agencies work at cross purposes.

“There is no cooperation, there is no synergy. If critical security agencies are not sharing information or working together, then how do you expect them to come up with tight security architecture that will safeguard the lives and properties of Nigeria? And that is what is happening.’’

Turaki, however, expressed confidence that the PDP had all it takes to reclaim the leadership of Nigeria in 2019 and return the country to the path of prosperity.

He said: “PDP has men and women of impeccable integrity, men and women that are known to be bridge builders that have the needed education and experience.

“That is why we say PDP is different from every other political parties in the country.’’

The Chairman of the forum, Mr Inuwa Garba, speaking on the interaction said the purpose was for the forum to be properly guided on which of the presidential aspirants to be voted for during the parties primary.

Garba said the forum wanted the best for the party and the country.

He also pledged that the processes leading to the primaries would not divide members of the forum and that of PDP.

http://www.akelicious.net/2018/06/apc-lacks-capacity-experience-says-atiku.html

The National Drugs Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) has arrested 443 persons for alleged drugs related offences in Katsina State between January and June this year.

The state NDLEA Commander, Hajiya Maryam Sani, made the disclosure at a news conference in Katsina on Tuesday.

She said the conference was part of activities to commemorate the 2018 United Nations (UN) day against drug abuse and trafficking.

Sani said that the command had seized 336.4043 kilograms of illicit drugs and 2,553.06 liters of cough syrup with codeine from the suspects.

““It is disheartening to note that the command arrested 21 women among the suspects.

“”In addition, 21 students of institutions of higher learning were arrested with 128 bottles of cough syrup with codeine,” she said.

The commander added that 23 drug suspects had been sentenced to various jail terms, while 110 cases were at various stages of trial at the Federal High Court, Katsina.

Sani said that the command was faced with problem of lack of operational vehicles and enough manpower to cover the state.

The commander also noted that the rate of trading in cough syrup with codeine had reduced drastically due to intensified enforcement of ban on the product by the agency’s operatives.

“We learned that consumers buy a bottle of cough syrup with codeine at over N2,000, while the traders have turned mobile carrying it in vehicles moving from one place to another,” she said.

She urged parents, religious organisations and other stakeholders to support the agency in its effort to preventing youths from engaging in drugs abuse and trafficking.

http://www.akelicious.net/2018/06/ndlea-seizes-2553-liters-of-codeine.html

The Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC) says it has arrested a polytechnic rector over alleged forgery of a doctorate degree certificate.

Spokesperson of the commission, Mrs Rasheedat Okoduwa, said this in a statement on Monday,

Okoduwa identified the suspect as Olaolu Olugbenga, Rector of Igbajo Polytechnic, Igbajo, Osun, who was also a former Acting Deputy Vice Chancellor of Oduduwa University in Ogun.

She said that preliminary investigations conducted by ICPC operatives on a petition revealed that Olugbenga was actually working with a suspected fake PhD certificate purportedly from the University of Ibadan.

During interrogation at the Ibadan office of the commission where he is being held, the suspect insisted in his statement that the certificate was genuine, according to Okoduwa.

She said that the action, if proved, violates Section 465 of the Criminal Code and Section 25 of the Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Act 2000 respectively.

“Further action in accordance with the laws will be taken at the conclusion of investigation,’’ she said.

http://www.akelicious.net/2018/06/rector-arrested-for-allegedly-forging.html

The newly-elected National Chairman and Secretary of the All Progressives Congress, Adams Oshiomhole and Mai Mala Buni, respectively have taken their oath of office.

The Attorney General and Minister of Justice, Abubakar Malami, administered the oaths of office and that of allegiance on both officers.

http://www.akelicious.net/2018/06/comrade-oshiomhole-sworn-in-as-apc.html

Nigeria is set to partner foreign consultants, comprising legal practitioners and other experts in Switzerland on a voluntary offshore asset repatriation scheme.

This is coming barely one week to the expiration of the Voluntary Assets and Income Declaration Scheme (VAIDS) which was extended to June 30 by President Muhammadu Buhari after the initial grace period lapsed.

Mr Abubakar Malami, the Minister of Justice, disclosed this to the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Bern, Switzerland on the sideline of a meeting held at the Nigerian Embassy.

Malami said that under the scheme, experts would collaborate with the Swiss Government to target funds that have not been identified in ongoing investigations.

It would be recalled that since 2015, $322 million looted funds have been repatriated from Switzerland.

According to Malami, Switzerland has been chosen as the pilot nation for the scheme, given the existing partnership on asset repatriation between both countries.

“The success of the scheme in Switzerland will determine the inclusion of other nations,’’ the minister said.

He said Nigeria government was also involved in other international repatriation processes, noting the recent tripartite meeting held in the UK between Nigeria, US and the State of Jersey on asset recovery.

Speaking on the utilisation of the repatriated funds, Malami said that the monies were being channelled into various projects, closely monitored by the World Bank and the Swiss Civil Society Organisations.

“In a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) on Repatriation, signed between Nigeria and Switzerland, there are check mechanisms imbedded in the agreement.

“These checks and balances will see to the effective and transparent utilisation of the monies repatriated.’’

“These include monitoring by the world bank, the participation of the Swiss civil society and agreement of targeted projects, especially those related to social investments such as school feeding, entrepreneurial and skill acquisition programmes of the Federal government,’’ Malami said

He pledged the government’s continued commitment to preventing corruption; legislation, enforcement and recovery strategies in the campaign against corruption.

The minister noted that the Treasury Single Account (TSA) and electronic salary payment scheme (IPPIS) were among measures being applied to block leakages and loopholes in fostering corruption.

http://www.akelicious.net/2018/06/after-vaids-fg-to-begin-voluntary-asset.html

India has arguably the lowest Internet data rates in the world, as low as 10 Indian Rupees (about 6 U.S. cents) per one GB (gigabyte) per day.

This is due to intense competition among telecom service providers.

The competition was triggered by a provider “Reliance Jio” which launched ‘4G’ broadband services a year ago offering the lowest prices. Soon other service providers followed suit and slashed their data rates to match and survive in the competition.

Prior to Reliance Jio’s “4G” revolution, Indians had to bear with the “2G” and “3G” services at a much higher cost.

Till a year ago, a subscriber using Internet data round-the-clock had to shell out around 1500 Indian Rupees (about 23 U.S. dollars) per month for nearly one GB data per day, which, thanks to Reliance Jio, has come down to the cost of 500 Indian Rupees (about 8 U.S. dollars) for three months, including voice calls, per one GB data per day.

According to estimates, presently there are nearly 500 million Internet users in India. Access to the Internet is one of the major parameters that can directly impact gross domestic product (GDP) growth. For every 10 percent increase in Internet penetration for a country like India, GDP is conservatively projected to grow between 1.0 and 1.8 percent.

A report released by the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI) in December 2017 suggested that Reliance Jio, Airtel, Vodafone, Idea Cellular and BSNL together constituted 93.80 percent of market share of the total broadband subscribers.

Reliance Jio then had the maximum number of subscribers at 160.09 million, followed by Airtel at 71.09 million. As per TRAI data released in April 2018, in terms of market share, Reliance Jio enjoys the highest of it at 45.18 percent, whereas Airtel has a market share of 20.47 percent. Vodafone, Idea Cellular and BSNL have market shares of 14.17 percent, 9.82 percent and 5.36 percent, respectively.

India is presently the second largest telecom market in terms of subscribers base in the world, only after China. The country’s telecom industry contributes directly to 2.2 million employment and indirectly to 1.8 million jobs. Also, it contributes 6.5 percent to India’s GDP, and is the highest contributor in foreign direct investment (FDI) in the last two decades, at 1307 billion Indian Rupees (about 19.6 billion U.S. dollars).

There would be 900 million smartphone subscribers by 2023 and smartphone traffic is expected to grow 11 times to 14 exabytes (EB) in another five years, says the latest annual report by the Cellular Operators Association of India (COAI).

A report by the Internet and Mobile Association of India (IAMAI) said that the number of Internet users stood at 481 million in December 2017, an increase of 11.34 percent over December 2016, said the report titled “Internet in India 2017”.

Urban India with an estimated population of 455 million already has 295 million using the internet. Rural India, with an estimated population of 918 million as per 2011 census, has only 186 million internet users, leaving out potential 732 million users in rural India.

COAI director general Rajan Mathews says the cheap Internet data rates has proved to be a boon for the consumers, but all the service providing companies have been losing money because of intense competition amongst themselves.

He further adds that the price war of Internet data among telecom service providers has also led to a boom in the smartphone market. Smartphones have become quite affordable and even the poorest of the poor can afford to buy.

About the possibilities of Internet data rates rising in the near future in oligopoly-like conditions, Mathews says “I don’t think there will be a price hike in Internet data in India, because if it happens, the service providers know well that the customer base will shrink.

http://www.akelicious.net/2018/06/india-offers-worlds-lowest-internet.html

A total of 6,800 All Progressives Congress (APC) delegates from the 36 states of the federation and the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) are in Abuja to elect the party’s new national officers.

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the delegates are expected to elect new officers into the APC National Working Committee (NWC) whose tenure expires on June 25.

President Muhammadu Buhari at the party’s National Executive Commitee (NEC) meeting in February, had insisted that the party should hold national convention to elect new NWC members at the expiration of the existing one led by Chief John Odigie-Oyegun.

This followed a proposal for a one-year tenure extension made by the party’s NEC in an earlier meeting, a development the president said was not in line with the party’s Constitution.

Meanwhile, various state delegates were seen in different traditional attire, while musicians and traditional dancers took turns to entertain the crowd as they waited for the arrival of Buhari and other party chieftains.

Presiding officers were also seen watching over ballot boxes for the election, while security operatives remained alert.

A medical booth was stationed at strategic positions to handle any emergency medical situation.

The Abuja Eagle Square remained a no go area for non-delegates as invited guests followed tight security checks.

The VIP box had been reserved for the President, the Vice President, the Senate President, APC outgoing National Chairman, Chief John Odigie-Oyegun and Comrade Adams Oshiomhole.

Oshiomhole is the party’s sole chairmanship aspirant following the withdrawal of three others from the race

http://www.akelicious.net/2018/06/6800-delegates-converge-on-abuja-for.html

The National Open University of Nigeria(NOUN) on Saturday matriculated no fewer than 100 members of the National Union of Road Transport Workers(NURTW) in Abuja.

The exercise was part of the 17th matriculation ceremony of NOUN which took place in 78 study centres across the county.

No fewer than 16,033 new students participated nationwide.

In his welcome address, Prof. Abdalla Adamu, NOUN’s Vice-Chancellor, said that the institution was the only Open and Distance Learning (ODL) university in Nigeria.

Represented by Prof. Hakeem Tijani, Director, NURTW Special Study Centre, Garki, Abuja, Adamu said that NOUN had the mandate to take university education to every nook and cranny of Nigeria.

“Our faithfulness to this mandate is the reason why you are participating in this matriculation ceremony at your various study centres.

“University education, all over the world, offers students who have subscribed to it the opportunity for self-development and for participation in life of his community.

“As an institution, we have put in place structures that will enable you to become the best you can be after your education.

“For example, we have subjected all our academic programmes to the National Universities Commission(NUC) for accreditation; I am proud to announce that all the programmes so submitted came out successfully,’’ he said.

Tijani told newsmen at the sidelines that the NURTW Special Centre, which started in 2013, had witnessed exponential enrolment of students.

He said that the institution, under Adamu, was very serious about human capacity development.

According to him, in total, 945 students are matriculating from the NURTW study centre.

He said that the centre had produced graduates, adding that some of them had enrolled for postgraduate programmes in the institution.

On his part Comrade Kefas Dogonyaro , Director Information Services, NURTW, said that the study centre was part of giving back to the society.

“That is our corporate social responsibility as a union; we deemed it right to pick that study centre; provide it with facilities that will make learning very conducive.

“We informed our members across the country that they should endeavour to improve themselves through distance education coupled with their driving skills; so that we can attain the global best practices in driving.

“Our members across the country have keyed into the programme, the study has picked up to a great height and we are proud of it.

“From our statistics, we have over 100 members matriculating today; our job is to carry passengers across the country; so we asked them to update their knowledge which they are doing across the country.

Alhaji Najeem Yasin, NURTW’s National President was represented at the event by Comrade Franklin Ucheagha, Principal Assistant General Secretary, NURTW.

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