The Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC) and Major Marketers Association of Nigeria (MOMAN) are strengthening existing relationships to avert scarcity of petroleum products nationwide.Speaking at a MOMAN Chief Executive Officers Strategy Retreat Dinner at the weekend in Abuja, the Group Managing Director of NNPC, Dr. Maikanti Baru, said a deal with the marketers would address inherent challenges in the downstream sector, particularly in the area of effective supply of petroleum products across the federation.

He stressed that unless the Petroleum Industry Governance Bill (PIGB) was passed into law, strengthening of operations in the nation’s oil and gas sector could remain elusive. Baru said: “We maintain good relations with MOMAN which have helped to ensure that there was product availability nationwide during the last Yuletide and the just concluded election period. MOMAN is living up to our expectation as partners. NNPC is ready to escalate whatever recommendations the association comes up with at the end of its retreat to appropriate authorities.”

He urged the marketers to always fulfil their contractual obligations to the national oil agency, adding that remittances from the association go into the Federation Accounts Allocation Committee (FAAC) to service the three tiers of government.MOMAN chairman, Tunji Oyebanji, pledged the body’s commitment to the realisation of government’s petroleum policy for a better nation where hydrocarbons are deployed to fuel national economic growth beyond mere source of income.

He said the association was repositioning to tackle the challenges besetting the industry.“We have a relationship with the NNPC and its downstream subsidiary, the Petroleum Products Marketing Company (PPMC). We will continue to improve on the ties to take the downstream sector of the oil and gas industry to enviable heights,” he pledged.

The Federal Executive Council (FEC), had in 2017, approved the National Petroleum Policy to articulate a vision for Nigeria that could make it become a nation where hydrocarbons boost economic growth.MOMAN’s Chief Executive Officer, Clement Isong, pointed out that oil majors remain reliable partners of government in the actualisation of the policy and other strategic programmes.He said the group would equally set the pace and develop international best practices in the running of the downstream sector through promotion, development of institutional capacity and sustainable industry as well as adherence to a self-regulatory regime that support economic and social growth.

https://www.akelicious.net/2019/04/nnpc-oil-marketers-move-against.html

The All Progressive Congress Chairman, Adams Oshiomhole, has distanced himself from the claims that the party is working in alliance with AAC to win River state election.

He told TVC that he is unaware of such development, as he and other party members has never discuss or heard about it.

https://www.akelicious.net/2019/03/breaking-oshiomhole-disowns-amaechi.html


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8cyEf-tjWp4

A student of Nigerian Air Force Secondary School, Ikeja, Lagos, Master Peter Seunara Arotiba, has been honoured with the West African Examination Council’s (WAEC) International Excellence Awards for his outstanding performance in the 2018 May/June West African Senior School Certificate Examination (WASSCE).

Arotiba received the honour alongside Miss Wilhermina Opoku and Miss Brago Sarpong Afrifa, who came second and third respectively. The second and third prize winners are Ghanaians.

Arotiba with examination number 4251112045, had a total score of 657.8256 to beat the second and third prize winners to the first prize.

The Augustus Bandele Oyediran Best Candidate in West Africa Award was also presented to Arotiba.

The Spokesman of WAEC, Mr Demian Ojijeogu, in a statement issued yesterday, said that the three winners emerged from a total of 1,976,537 candidates, who sat for 2018 WASSCE (School Candidate) in The Gambia, Ghana, Liberia, Nigeria and Sierra Leone.

They were specially honoured at the opening ceremony of the 67th Annual Meeting of WAEC, held in Freetown, Sierra Leone.

The ceremony also featured the election of the country’s Chief Government Nominee on Council, Dr. Alhaji Mohamed Kamara, as Vice-Chairman for a one-year tenure. He succeeds Mr. Ebrima Sisawo of The Gambia.

It also featured the conferment of Distinguished Friend of Council on an eminent Sierra Leonean, Mr. A. J. Lasite, a formerItem-Writer, Chief Examiner, Supervisor, Invigilator and Member of Council, for his outstanding contribution to the success of the work of WAEC.

The Council appealed to international donor agencies, corporate organisations and philanthropic private individuals to collaborate with WAEC by instituting other awards to encourage more students in the sub-region to strive for academic excellence.

https://www.akelicious.net/2019/03/nigerian-student-emerges-best-candidate.html

The Defence Headquarters (DHQ) says ongoing military operations to combat terrorism, banditry and economic sabotage has recorded some successes in the last one week.

Some of the ongoing operates are “Operation Lafiya Dole’’, “Whirl Stroke and Delta Safe’’.

Col. Onyema Nwachukwu, the Acting Director, Defence Information (DDI), said this while giving update on those operations in a statement on Friday.

He said that during the period, troops repelled Boko Haram attack on Michika town in Michika Local Government Area of Adamawa and recovered some items including weapons from them.

The DDI said that the terrorists came to the town to loot for their logistics, attacked a bank and some shops, damaging an Automated Teller Machine (ATM) and carted away food items.

He, however, said that they ran out of luck as troops at neighbouring Lassa in Borno mobilised to engaged them in a fierce combat, forcing them to flee.

Nwachukwu said that terrorists, who fled were later ambushed and neutralised by Special Forces troops at Maikadiri in Askira Uba Local Government Area of Borno.

According to him, the troops recovered one Hilux van, two Toyota Starlet cars loaded with looted food stuff and motorcycles from them.

On banditry in the North West and North Central regions, Nwachukwu said troops arrested an impostor parading himself as a military officer in Tundun Wada area of Gusau in Zamfara.

He said that the suspect, who identified himself as Abdulresheed Sylvester was arrested while he dressed up in military uniform with the rank of Major.

He said that in the period under review, troops under “Operation Whirl Stroke’’ raided a suspected bandits camp at Dogo Gawa, a border community between Takum in Taraba and Katsina-Ala in Benue.

“In a shootout that ensued, the bandits who were overpowered by the superior firepower of the troops fled, abandoning their camp.

“The troops recovered one locally made riffle, one laptop, two cell phones, SIM cards, ATM cards and N400, 000,’’ he said.

Nwachukwu said that the camp had been destroyed while troops were currently on the trail of the fleeing bandits.

He said that another raid on a suspected militia hideout at Abuja Ogor, a local settlement in Doma Local Government of Nasarawa State, troops recovered two AK 47 riffles with two empty magazines.

He said also recovered was one Clarion 5.56 Israeli Assault rifle mounted with a magazine.

He added that two bandits were arrested in other raids, while two AK 47 rifles, three magazines and 126 rounds of ammunition were recovered.

In the Niger Delta region, the DDI said that the efforts to tackle economic sabotage yielded result in the period.

He said that operations in the area culminated in the arrest of two suspected pipeline vandals around the Nigerian Petroleum Development Company (NPDC) pipeline in Isoko South Local Government Area of Delta.

“The suspects were arrested along with a tanker and eight motorcycles, while attempting to vandalise a petroleum pipeline,’’ Nwachukwu said.

He said that troops on patrol at Iwhrekreka in Ugheli Local Government also in Delta, uncovered and destroyed an illegal refining camp with 18 ovens, 18 coolers, 39 waste pits.

“Other items recovered included 26 surface tanks and five pits cumulatively filled with about 750,000 litres of suspected stolen crude oil.’’

He said that an illegal refining site was uncovered at Alakiri General Area in Bonny Local Government Area of Rivers.

Nwachukwu said that vigilant troops recovered several tanks and pits filled with about 500,000 litres of stolen crude oil in the site.

“Additionally, 600,000 litres of illegally refined Automated Gas Oil (AGO) and two pumping machines were also recovered from suspects.’’

https://www.akelicious.net/2019/03/operations-to-combat-terrorism-has.html

The Benue State House of Assembly has passed into law the 2019 Appropriation Bill amounting to N199.7 billion.

The House passed the 2019 budget, christened ‘Security, Peace and Prosperity in Benue State: For A Collective Vision Of A New Benue’, during plenary on Thursday.

Titus Uba, speaker of the Assembly, who presided over the sitting, said the lawmakers passed the law after a clause-by-clause consideration of the budget proposal submitted to it by Governor Samuel Ortom, amounting to N199, 745, 043, 910 billion.


He stated that while recurrent expenditure stands at N109, 332, 990,118, capital expenditure is N90, 412, 053, 792, adding that the budget has a deficit financing, which is pegged at N40, 655, 026, 424.

Ubah, who expressed gratitude to his colleagues for the accelerated hearing and speedy passage of the bill, charged the state Ministry of Finance not to relent in releasing funds meant for public sector entities as at when due.


This, he said, would enable the various sectors carry out proper implementation of capital projects under their purview.

Meanwhile, sources of revenue for the 2019 budget shows that about N35, 245, 45, 930 is expected to be internally generated.

The House, therefore, urged the Benue State Internal Revenue Service (BIRS) to step up revenue generation in order to augment what comes to the state from the Federation Account.

https://www.akelicious.net/2019/03/benue-assembly-passes-n1997bn.html

The National Pension Commission on Thursday allayed fear over the management of that the total assets under its purview, valued at N 8.67 trillion, as of December 2018.

Mrs Aisha Dahir-Umar, Acting Director-General of the commission, made the disclosure while fielding questions from newsmen shortly after delivering a keynote address at the 2019 First Quarter Consultative Forum For States, held in Akure.

Dahir-Umar, who was represented by Dr Dan Ndackson, Head, State Operation Department, PenCom, said it became imperative to allay fears of Nigerians as regards the safety of the pension assets.
She said the clarification was also necessary in view of the “misleading narratives in the social and conventional media about the safety of the pension assets.”

She explained that one of the reasons the commission was in Ondo State to assure Nigerians that their contributory pension was safe.

She said that the commission had put measures in place to further guarantee the safety of the fund.

According to him, since the existence of the scheme in the last 14 years, the commission had never been found wanting in managing the fund.

“So, we want to tell Nigerians today that pension fund asset is safe.

“It is true that the Federal Government has been borrowing from the fund, but I want to assure you that every penny borrowed has been returned.

“If you are conversant with the financial market in Nigeria, you will know that without the pension industry, most of the Federal Government bonds will not subscribe.


“It is because of the accumulation of these funds that industries survive.

“The scheme has been fueling the weak economy of this country, and without it, Nigeria will not be where it belongs today,” Dahir-Umar said.

She said that since the commencement of the Contributory Pension Scheme in the country, it had become a veritable tool for federal and state governments to accessing bonds for development purposes.

https://www.akelicious.net/2019/03/pencom-scheme-fueling-nigerias-weak.html

The Conference of Nigeria Political Parties has frowned at what it described as “a disappointing decimation of principles of democratic elections” after the 2019 general elections.
In a statement signed by the CNPP Secretary General, Chief Willy Ezugwu, the Conference urged “the judiciary to live up to its responsibility of ensuring stability at a time of electoral chaos deliberately orchestrated politicians in their greed for power for the purpose of selfish allocation of the people’s commonwealth.”
According to the CNPP: “Every election year in Nigeria, we have always returned to the same thing, a major violation of essential elements of democratic elections. Even though the electoral umpire, the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), manages to make available a relatively accurate voters register and delineates the polling units, when it comes to ensuring that the ballots counted reflect the votes cast as the sovereign will of the people, we fail.
“From the assurances by the electoral umpire, we were hopeful that the country has overcome the crude way vote counting was made and validated in the time past but it was not to be.
“Equal accessibility to voting processes by political parties, candidates, and the public, either as witnesses or observers, met arbitrary barriers by security institutions and political thugs as they became the main impediments to a credible electoral process in the country in 2019.
“The security agencies, particularly the military, have been accused of obstructing access to collation centres by both national and international observers. There were also reports of individuals leading police and military personnel to disrupt elections and cause mayhem in parts of the country, especially in the Niger Delta region of Rivers and Bayelsa states.
“Observable interference by security agencies as attested to by the Independent National Electoral Commission’s fact-finding Committee’s report, which indicted the military for its unauthorised involvement in election-day duties must be condemned by all well-meaning Nigerians.
“Today, the outcome of some state governorship elections is yet to be known weeks after the polls due to the manipulative efforts by some unpatriotic politicians who want to upturn the sovereign will of the Nigerian people at any cost.
“We therefore call on INEC and the Judiciary to frustrate efforts of desperate politicians and ensure that the will of the people prevails in states where the governorship polls result is yet to be declared.
“Nigeria cannot continue on the path of fraudulent elections. It is the duty of the judiciary, where the electoral umpire has failed, to punish beneficiaries of manipulated electoral outcomes to serve as deterrence to dishonest politicians and eliminate electoral violence and end this circles of dishonesty by political elite to enable the country to develop.
“We strongly believe that flawed elections promote corruption and underdevelopment, which Nigeria is a typical example.
“Therefore, we urge INEC and all stakeholders in Rivers State to ensure that the governorship election in the state is concluded on May 2, 2019 without tampering with the will of the people through the ballot.”

https://www.akelicious.net/2019/03/2019-elections-disappointing-decimation.html

The Nigerian Union in South Africa (NUSA) has expressed displeasure with the alleged violent attack of Nigerians in the latest wave of xenophobic attacks on foreigners in that country.

The Acting Secretary of NUSA, Collins Mgbo, gave the condemnation in a letter addressed to the South African authorities, a copy of which made available to the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Port Harcourt on Wednesday.

He said the xenophobic attacks on foreigners started on March 24 in Brits, North West Province and Durban, Kwazulu-Natal province.

“NUSA is using this medium to bring to your attention of attacks on our nationals in Brits, North West Province which started on Sunday, March 24 2019.


“Our people are living in panic and fear of more attacks by a coalition of gang members called Russians and Taxi Drivers.


“Information available to our disposal revealed that shops and properties of Nigerians were damaged and burnt during the attacks,” he said.

Mgbo said that seven Nigerians were injured in the on going attacks with three of them hospitalised having sustained life threatening injuries.

He said that intervention from governments of South Africa and Nigeria was urgently needed, especially as the situation could easily escalate further.

“Also, earlier in the day, foreign nationals in Durban area of Kwazulu-Natal Province were attacked, beaten and their properties burnt by angry locals.

“Over 100 foreigners have taken refuge at the police station. Some of the displaced foreigners are Nigerians.

“As at the time of this report, no death of any Nigerian has been recorded; even though two foreign nationals have been reported dead,” Mgbo said in the letter.

Mgbo said that a high level delegation led by NUSA would soon engage stakeholders as well as groups that allegedly carried out the assualt with the aim of finding a lasting solution.

https://www.akelicious.net/2019/03/xenophobia-union-condemns-violent.html

President Muhammadu Buhari, Tuesday, explained that the National Tax Policy document was reviewed with the aim of institutionalising a tax payment culture within the Nigerian workforce.

He gave the explanation at the State House, Abuja, during an audience with the leadership of the Chartered Institute of Taxation of Nigeria (CITN).

Buhari, who assured that the Federal Government will continue to sensitise and encourage Nigerians to cultivate the culture of paying taxes by ensuring fair implementation policy and effective utilisation of resources, added that the progress made in diversifying the economy, providing social security and securing the country can be further improved with enhanced and expanded revenue base.

“We have made some progress in the past four years. However, a lot more can still be done. A key step is to enhance and expand government’s revenue base. Today, we still rely on oil as our main source of income. This simply i s not enough to meet our infrastructure, social services and security needs,” he said.

Describing Nigerians as hardworking and entrepreneurial, the President said a deeper understanding of the effectiveness of tax on the economy by the populace and fair administration will help in improving government’s revenue shortfalls. In his remarks, the President of CITN, Chief Cyril Ikemefuna Ede, congratulated the President for winning his second term in office, assuring him of the institute’s support for a successful tenure, especially in the area of using tax to improve government’s revenue. “Your victory is a clear sign of belief, trust and confidence that Nigerians have in you,’’ Ede said.

He said some higher institutions in the country have started offering taxation as a course, hoping it will also be taught in secondary schools. He said nations can only achieve development with mobilisation of resources through taxation. The President of CITN said political leaders must set a good example for compliance on tax payment by ensuring that presentation of tax certificates remain one of the central requirements for those who want to contest elective positions.

https://www.akelicious.net/2019/03/why-we-reviewed-tax-policy-buhari.html

The Federal Government has insisted that telecommunications firm, MTN, must pay the $2 billion tax penalty slammed on it by the office of the Attorney-General of the Federation.

At hearing of the case yesterday, government lawyer, Tijani Gazali, according to Bloomberg, prayed the Lagos High Court to throw out the Johannesburg-based company’s application to stop it from paying backdated taxes.

However, MTN’s counsel, Wole Olanipekun, said the Attorney-General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, Abubakar Malami, who imposed the penalty, lacked the powers to do so.

The firm had previously denied it did not pay taxes properly in the West African nation. The case was adjourned until May 7.

Meanwhile, the matter resulted in MTN shares falling as much a 6.8 per cent, the most since October 5 before paring losses to 0.1 per cent by close in Johannesburg.

The share price has fallen 16 per cent since it was hit by a double Nigerian penalty in mid-2018.

The Central Bank of Nigeria first ordered it to transfer $8.1 billion of repatriated dividends back to the country before Malami announced the measure on taxes.

The company settled the former dispute in December, agreeing to send back $53 million and clearing itself of any wrongdoing.

https://www.akelicious.net/2019/03/government-insists-on-mtn-paying-2b-tax.html

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u-eVgCUKpMQ

https://www.akelicious.net/2019/03/watch-video-ifeanyi-ubah-speaks-on.html

The Buhari Media Organisation (BMO) has said Abubakar Atiku’s suit challenging the victory of President Muhammadu Buhari would fail because it lacks merit.


The group said this in a statement signed by its chairman, Niyi Akinsiju and Secretary Cassidy Madueke, on Monday in Abuja, asserting that the suit was a waste of time.

The group said that Atiku knew that he had no chance of victory even before the elections and is only attempting this suit to hoodwink Nigerians and ultimately waste the time of the country’s judiciary.


“Atiku Abubakar has yet to wake up from his hallucination that he can steal a chance to defeat Buhari in an election.

“If the Presidential elections were to hold ten times, Atiku will lose ten times to Buhari.

“Atiku knew it, even before the elections were held, that he never stood a chance at beating Buhari at the poll,’’ the group said.


BMO noted that Atiku’s loss at the 2019 Presidential Poll was evidence of Nigerians rejecting the former Vice President.

The group said that the majority of Nigerians have rejected Atiku and he must come to terms with that.

The group also said it is not against Atiku exercising his constitutional right to seek justice in a court of law.


It therefore insisted that Nigerians are aware that his claim to seeking a mandate in the court is only a pipe-dream as the entirety of his observations lack merit, false and only a waste of time.

The group noted that what the courts would eventually do would be to stamp the authority of victory on Buhari at the end of the day.

The group reiterated that Atiku’s loss started at his polling unit where Buhari beat him.


“The signs were very clear before the elections, during the elections, and with the eventual victory of Buhari been the popular appeal across the country.

“Atiku’s rejection by Nigerians started with his own household,’’ he said.

https://www.akelicious.net/2019/03/2019-presidency-even-your-family.html

The Presidential candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party and former Vice President of Nigeria, Atiku Abubakar says victories of the candidates of the PDP in both Sokoto and Benue states is an acknowledgement from the Nigerian people that it is the only truly national party in Nigeria.


Atiku, in his congratulatory message to Governor Aminu Tambuwal of Sokoto State on his re-election, assured the people of the state that they have made the right decision that he said will see them continue on the path to peace, progress and prosperity.

He also congratulated Governor Samuel Ortom of Benue state over “his very well-deserved re-election.”

“Ortom is not just a credit to the PDP, he is also an epitome of servant leadership which he urges all and sundry to emulate. With him again at the helm of affairs in Benue, the people of the Breadbasket of the Nation can look forward to times of refreshing and deliverance,” Atiku said.


He also shared solidarity with the PDP governorship candidates in Bauchi and Kano States, Bala Mohammed and Abba Yusuf respectively, who he said have made a great showing in both states

According to him, “Victory is within reach. They have shown that they are men of the people and we are convinced that much good will come out of these men of enviable talents and leadership ability.”

He also congratulated the PDP and all its members on these gains, saying the party is the true bastion of democracy and should be encouraged by these victories.

According to him, with unity within its midst, it will together continue to extend the boundaries of democracy and shrink the space occupied by tyranny.

https://www.akelicious.net/2019/03/re-election-atiku-congratulates.html

The Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC) recorded loses in the region of N551.46b from January 2015 to December 2018.

Details of financial records published on the company’s website revealed that the national oil company repeatedly failed to meet projected profits as its subsidiaries, particularly refineries, running cost at the headquarters and other arms left whopping deficits.

The corporation recorded N267.14b loss in 2015. The figure stood at N197b in 2016. In 2017, data from its financial statements showed N82b in operational losses, while a deficit of N5.46b was posted for January and August in 2018.


While the company has excluded key details such as taxes and figures from the Nigeria Liquefied Natural Gas (NLNG) Ltd, it has continually failed to perform when compared to other national oil companies in Africa and other parts of the world.

Though the firm recorded a trade surplus of N80.57b last year, operating deficit recorded by the nation’s refineries alone rose sharply by 39 per cent to N132.5b in 2018.

When compared to the previous year, the data showed that the refineries posted a loss of N95.09b.

While the corporation earned N2.046t in revenue in 2015, it spent N2.313t leaving a loss of N267.138b. Its corporate headquarters recorded the highest loss of N162.736b, while its product supply and distribution arm, the Pipelines and Products Marketing Company (PPMC) came second with N162.06b loss, followed by a combined loss of N82.09b from its three refineries.

In 2016, the financial and operational report showed that the corporation earned N1.726t, but recorded an expenditure of N1.923t. Losses from its refineries alone totaled N78.95b.

The larger part of the losses made by the company in the past four years came from its corporate headquarters, refineries, and mounting under-recovery from import of petroleum products.

However, while the country is struggling to declare profits, Saudi Arabia’s Arambo posted a net income of $33.8b in the first six months of 2017 alone. Angola’s Sonangol posted a profit of $68m in 2016. Despite the payment of $853m in damages in the third quarter, Brazil’s Petrobras made $7b in 2018.

Most stakeholders, who expressed worry over the situation, said the losses galore would continue without holistic reforms in the nation’s oil sector.


While lack of reform is allegedly robbing the nation of about N3t in foreign investments, the stakeholders insisted that government’s interference in the corporation’s affairs, subsidy on consumption of petroleum products, and the shrouded system being operated by the firm would continue to limit NNPC potentials.

They added that the non-passage of the Petroleum Industry Bill (PIB) remained the major reason behind the poor performance of the state-oil firm.

The former President and Chairman of Council, Chartered Institute of Bankers of Nigeria, Prof. Segun Ajibola, decried the development, insisting that government was backing revenue that falls below cost.

Ajibola said: “If they continue like that, the deficits will continue to grow. But if the reverse happens, then surplus will be generated.”

Also, the Chairman of Tricontinental Group and immediate past President of the Nigerian-American Chamber of Commerce, Chief Olabintan Famutimi, said the opaque system of operation and governance of the corporation remains unacceptable.

“We are using all our money to subsidise consumption by the elites. Government has no business in the refineries, and there is no reason why the government is involved in the importation of petrol. These are scams. They (NNPC) will continue to record loses as long as the government is doing business that it has no business in,” Famutimi said.

He added that government’s continuous interest in the sector is adversely affecting profitability and deterring private sector players.

The former President, Nigerian Association of Petroleum Explorationists (NAPE), Abiodun Adesanya, who said the development has remained a critical one even from previous administrations called for a system that would enshrine transparency and accountability.


“I know that it is not lack of what needs to be done that is creating the problem, but the commitment to doing something transparent and honourable. The President must ensure that these negative performances are reversed. I don’t see why we cannot run profitably.

“The entities that are just money spending ventures should be scrapped, merged or reduced. You need to know, which entities are important and which ones are not,” Adesanya stated.

An oil and gas services provider, who manages, Mudiame International Limited, Sunny Eromosele urged the current administration to conduct a proper research, and plan an all-inclusive strategy that would address the continuous loses from the group.

Eromosele, who stated that government’s interference and lack of transparency were hindering profitability of the firm, added that the performance of the oil firm was shameful when compared with other national oil companies across the world.

He noted that the corporation owes Nigerians an explanation on the reasons behind the serial loses, adding that government needs to take its hands off the business.

“We should make the NNPC a private business and government should remove its hands. There is so much interference in the NNPC by the government and other people are making money from the business. Why is our case different? Government failed with NITEL until it was unbundled. But the private sector came in and made their money,” Eromosele said.

Executive Director, Centre for Democracy and Development (CDD), Idayat Hassan insisted that an overhaul of the current system being run by the corporation is necessary.

She noted that Nigeria must critically rethink the challenges facing the national oil company, adding that the group was perennially bogged down by transparency, accountability and profitability challenges.

“There is a need to restructure the NNPC. Nigerians need to have a conversation on if they want to maintain NNPC. Subsidy is a good example. This is a government that told us it is not paying subsidy. Then all of a sudden, it introduced subsidy through the back door. The opaque system has remained as it was in previous years, and the promises of unbundling the NNPC have not come to pass,” said Hassan.

https://www.akelicious.net/2019/03/loses-at-nnpc-hit-n55146b-in-four-years.html

Kaduna State Governor Nasir el-Rufai, yesterday, visited the Presidential Villa, Abuja where he presented himself to President Muhammadu Buhari to confirm that he is alive and contrary to earlier reports, he was not involved in an accident. El-Rufai also said that he was seeking to arrest the peddlers of the news that he was involved in a fatal accident, saying if located, the peddlers of the false story would be made to face criminal charges.

The Kaduna State governor who briefed State House correspondents after meeting President Buhari said that the claim by the former Vice President and presidential candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, Alhaji Atiku Abubakar that he won the February 23 election was just his (Atiku) dream.

According to him, “I came to see Mr. President after my re-election as governor because immediately after the election I took a break. I came back to report to him that I was not involved in an accident, I’m alive, I am not in coma and also to discuss other issues related to my state.”

On his alleged involvement in an accident, he said, “My advise to everyone in Nigeria is to avoid forwarding stories that have not been verified. Social media provides platform for disseminating information but it is also a platform for dissemination of lies and hatred.

“We should be very careful that we don’t use this platform to advance the cause of the enemies of this country. I was never involved in any accident, I was not near any accident, in fact at a time I was supposed to be involved in an accident, I was in an aircraft going to another country.

“But somebody sat and concocted this story and we are trying to trace who started it. Because, criminal proceedings can be initiated against the person. Sometimes it is very difficult to know who started it but we are on it. My advise is that we should rely on reliable news medium, not just any platform or any blog. Unless we hear something from a very reliable news medium, we should be reluctant to begin sharing it as if it is true.”

Also reacting to the PDP’s presidential candidate claim that he won the election in Kaduna, he said, “Well, I heard about that. Initially, I thought it was a joke and when I checked I saw clearly that he said he won Kaduna. It must be in his dreams.

“Let me say this without any fear of contradiction, since President Buhari started contesting for the presidency since 2003, he has never lost Kaduna. So, PDP has never won elections in Kaduna from 2003, even with a sitting governor in 2003, 2007, 2011, 2015. It has never happened. I don’t know what will happen that Atiku will win Kaduna in this elections this time.

“He lost Kaduna, he lost very badly, even though about 100,000 votes he claimed to have got were added because elections conducted without card reader in some parts of the state, that’s how he even got up to the 400,000 that he got. He has lost Kaduna, he will always lose Kaduna, he will lose Kaduna 10 more times because he has never won Kaduna in any presidential elections.”

When reminded that the results were said to have come from the INEC server, he said, “Well, I don’t know about INEC server, it must be Atiku’s server. I don’t know about INEC server, we don’t know how they had access to it, they will tell us during the tribunal proceedings what is this server and how they got access to it and how they got their numbers.

“You do not go to court in an election petition by quoting INEC server or any other server. Anyone can create a server, I can go an buy it, it is a piece of equipment and call it INEC server. But that does not mean that it amounts to anything, we are guided by the electoral act and the evidence act and other enabling legislation and he has to proof his case. “But anyone can make claims, we live in the age of fake news and fake claims. Anyone can make claims but you have to prove it.”

https://www.akelicious.net/2019/03/im-still-alive-el-rufai-tells-buhari.html

The Federal High Court sitting in Yenagoa, Bayelsa State, has ordered the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to include omitted units in supplementary election scheduled on Saturday for Brass Constituency 1.

The court presided over by Justice E. Inyang made the order in a motion ex parte filed by Preye Brodrick and the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) against INEC.

The court ruled that INEC should conduct supplementary elections in polling units 11-16; units 1-10 and 17 to 21 of Ward 6 in Brass Constituency 1 of the state on March 23 or any other day determined by the defendant (INEC).

On grounds for the application, the plaintiff had told the court that elections did not hold in the affected units in line with the guidelines of INEC.


The plaintiff said: “Elections did not hold in units 1-10 and units 17-21 of Ward 6 of Brass Constituency 1 in the Bayelsa State House of Assembly elections which held on March 9, 2019.

“By the regulations and guidelines for the conduct of the elections in 2019, the elections are deemed to be postponed and supplementary elections ought to be conducted in the said units. It is in the interest of justice to grant the prayers sought”.

The court upheld all the grounds while making the order.

https://www.akelicious.net/2019/03/breakingcourt-compels-inec-to-include.html

It was weeping and wailing on Friday morning as 60 people were reportedly burnt to death when two buses collided in Southern Ghana.

Ghana police confirmed that 60 people were killed in the tragedy, which occurred around 2.00am on Friday.

“The vehicles were travelling in separate directions when the collision occurred,” police commander Joseph Antwi Gyawu told AFP.

“At least 60 people have been confirmed dead and one of the buses caught fire with the other seriously mangled,” he added.

The buses were each carrying about 50 passengers at the time of the crash.

Emergency services were at the scene, including firefighters to put out the blazing vehicles.

Kwame Arhin, a doctor at the Kintampo Government Hospital, said 28 people were being treated for injuries.

“Seven out of the 28 passengers who were rushed here are in critical condition,” Arhin told AFP.

“We have referred four. Most of them had head injuries. I’ve seen a few being taken to the morgue,” he added.

https://www.akelicious.net/2019/03/breaking-60-burnt-to-death-in-ghanas.html

The last may not have been heard about the crisis rocking Delta State All Progressives Congress (APC).

Leader of the party in the state, Olorogun O’tega Emerhor, has said Senator Ovie Omo-Agege, representing Delta Central at the Senate, was not reelected in the 2019 general election as he was not the candidate of the party for the election.

This may not be unconnected with the Federal High Court’s judgment on Monday in Asaba which sacked the Jones Erue-led state APC executive from which faction Senator Ovie Omo-Agege and Chief Great Ogboru emerged as candidates of the APC.


Justice Toyin Adegoke, who delivered the judgment, restored the Chief Cyril Ogodo-led faction of the party as the authentic executive of the APC in Delta, declaring that any action taken by the sacked Erue-led faction was a nullity.

Emerhor, in a statement while reacting to the judgment, said he was the only candidate of the APC in Delta Central, adding that Omo-Agege was at no point a candidate of the party.


“Omo-Agege was at no time the candidate of the party nor was he at any time the senator-elect,” Emerhor said.

He added: “I emerged as the Delta Central senatorial candidate against Senator Ovie Omo-Agege who emerged from the Prophet Jones Erue Exco which the court has now declared illegal.

“Legally and physically, you can’t build anything on nothing. Omo-Agege built his candidature on nothing and it has given way and has collapsed.

“But this is beyond just me and Omo-Agege. We, the mainstream, also had a governorship candidate, Prof Pat Utomi, three senatorial candidates, 10 House of Representatives and 29 House of Assembly candidates! This court ruling is for all of them! If, for anything, it will be on record that they were the authentic candidates not anyone else.”

The APC chieftain stated that the mainstream Delta APC, which he leads, produced the Ogodo-led executive and accommodated over 70 percent of leaders and members of the party, alongside over five governorship aspirants in the state.

Emerhor noted that there was no other APC leadership other than the one the court has declared.


“The Ogodo-executive produced by the mainstream has always been the authentic executive. We only had a period when an illegal executive was foisted on the party. What the court did on its Monday ruling was just to restore the legal executive to its proper position.

“This case is testing the rule of law and party due process. APC won a number of positions during the general elections.

“Recall that the Asaba High Court on October 17, 2018, restrained the APC national not to submit any candidates list to INEC, and INEC not to accept any candidates list from the APC before the determination of the case.

“Any list APC went ahead to submit and INEC accepted respectively was in contempt of court order.

“So, legally and in reality, Omo-Agege was at no time the candidate nor was he at any time the senator-elect. Same for the other positions where APC won in Delta State.

“Not until the court ruling on Monday when the court authenticated me and others from the Ogodo executive primaries can anyone legally claim to be the senator-elect or any other position in Delta APC,” he added.

https://www.akelicious.net/2019/03/election-omo-agege-was-never-apc.html

The United Nations Children Fund (UNICEF) yesterday said over 3.6 million Nigerians are in need of potable water, sanitation and hygiene services.

It said of the number, 1.1 million are internally displaced persons (IDPs), having fled their homes due to violence and conflict even as most of them are out-of-reach in remote areas still impacted by conflicts.

UNICEF Nigeria Representative, Mohamed Fall, who made this known in a report titled: Water Under Fire, to mark the 2019 World Water day in Abuja, noted that about 800,000 people are in hard-to-reach areas of which 79 per cent are children and women.


He pointed out that conflict has created huge challenges for people in the North East region of the country, where violence has affected their ability to access water and sanitation, leading to diseases such as cholera.

Fall said in North East Nigeria, 5,365 people were affected by cholera, as 61 died in 2017, while 12,643 persons were affected and 175 died of cholera in 2018.

He noted that UNICEF is working to scale-up life saving responses, especially in IDPs camps, to ensure quality and sustainability of WASH services and facilities, minimise risk of WASH-related diseases and provide preventive measures against cholera and other water-borne diseases.

“Without safe and effective water, sanitation and hygiene services, children are at risk of malnutrition and preventable diseases including diarrhea, typhoid, cholera and polio.

“Girls are particularly affected because they are vulnerable to sexual violence, as they collect water or venture out to use latrines. They deal with affronts to their dignity as they bathe and manage menstrual hygiene.

“And they miss classes during menstruation if their schools have no suitable water and sanitation facilities,” he stated.

Fall added that the threats are exacerbated during conflict when deliberate and indiscriminate attacks destroy infrastructure, injure personnel and cut off power that keeps water, sanitation and hygiene systems running.

“ Armed conflicts also limit access to essential repair equipment and consumables such as fuel or chlorine, which could be depleted, rationed, diverted or blocked from delivery.

https://www.akelicious.net/2019/03/over-36-million-nigerians-lack-water.html

The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has released the schedule for the rerun of the gubernatorial election in Bauchi State slated for Saturday, March 23, 2019.

The schedule indicated that the re-run will hold in 36 polling units in 29 registration areas (wards) scattered across 15 of the 20 local government areas of the state.

A total of 22, 641 registered voters are expected to participate in the exercise.

Recall that the Returning Officer in Bauchi State, Prof. Kyari Mohammed, on Monday, March 11, 2019, declared the governorship election in the state inconclusive.

The People’s Democratic Party, Sen. Bala Mohammed got 469, 512 votes to lead his closest rival, the incumbent Governor, Mohammed Abubakar of the All Progressives Congress, who got 465, 453 votes.

Kyari said that because the slim margin of lead between the two candidates (4, 059) votes, having earlier cancelled the entire votes from Tafawa Balewa local government area which were put at 139, 240, a winner could not be announced.

Kyari said that the number of cancelled votes in the elections even without that of Tafawa Balewa LGA is 45, 312 was huge. He, therefore, declared that based on Section 26 (53) of the Electoral Act, the election in Bauchi State was inconclusive, and directed INEC to conduct re-run elections in the affected LGAs within 21 days.

But an investigative committee led by the National Commissioner, Information and Voter Education, sent from the INEC headquarters, Festus Okoye, during its three-day assignment in the state, discovered that the cancelled votes in Ningi LGA were 2, 533 and not 25, 330 during the collation.

The INEC headquarters, following the recommendation of the Okoye-led committee, directed that the error of the 22, 797 cancelled votes in the LGA be corrected and deducted from the 45, 240 votes earlier announced.


The breakdown of the areas affected and the number of registered voters are as follows:

Alkaleri -1 ward – 1 – PU – 1,190 reg. voters

Bogoro – 1 ward – 1 – PU – 1,130 reg. voters

Darazo – 3 wards- 4 PUs – 2,746 reg. voters

Dass – 1 ward – 1 PU – 872 reg. voters

Gamawa 1 ward – 1 PU – 405 reg. voters

Ganjuwa 2wards -2PUs – 1,306 reg. voters

Giade – 4 wards – 4PUs -1, 899 reg. voters

Itas Gadau 1ward-3PUs – 2,252 reg. voters

Jama’are 2wards – 2PUs – 829 reg. voters

Katagum 2 wards -3PUs – 2,055 reg. voters

Kirfi – 2 wards 2PUs – 1,111 reg. voters

Misau – 1 ward – 1 PU – 1, 007 reg. voters

Ningi – 4 wards – 5PUs – 2, 533 reg. voters

Shira – 1 ward – 1 PU – 438 reg. voters

Toro – 3 wards – 4PUs – 2, 868 reg. voters

Full details at https://www.akelicious.net/2019/03/supplementary-polls-22641-voters.html

The Chief Medical Director (CMD), University of Calabar Teaching Hospital, Prof. Thomas Agan, has described as ‘unnecessary’ the strike action embarked upon by resident doctors in the hospital.

Speaking to journalists on Wednesday in Calabar, Agan said that the industrial action was unnecessary as he had made frantic efforts to pay the doctors their money.

The resident doctors of the hospital commenced an indefinite strike on Tuesday over the non-payment of the 2014 to 2016 skipping arrears.

Agan attributed the delay of the payment to technical issues on the payment platform, adding that he had written several letters to the Federal Ministry of Health on the matter.

He added that he had visited the ministry in Abuja where he was told that the money would be paid immediately the Accountant-General of the Federation endorsed the document.

‘‘I have been in the forefront of the negotiations of these skipping arrears.

‘‘We in this hospital were one of the first institutions to implement skipping for doctors; everyone was peaceful until recently when the 2014 to 2016 skipping arrears came up.

‘‘By December 2018, the National Association of Resident Doctors told me that N100 million has been injected into our personnel allocation to ensure that we start paying the skipping arrears.

‘‘That money came late in December.

‘‘In the process of us trying to ensure that we pay salaries and other deductions, it stretched into Jan. 1, 2019 and the entire money on the given platform wiped off; it is something that happens regularly.

‘‘I quickly called the office of the Accountant-General and told them what we were experiencing, but they said it was a general network problem and would be rectified.

‘‘Part of the money was this N100 million for the skipping arrears.

‘‘We have written over and over again to the Federal Government reminding them that the money has not been released,’’ he explained.

Agan said he was in Abuja recently, in the office of the Accountant-General, who was not on ground to endorse the document, assuring that once it was endorsed, the money would be released.

‘‘I have explained all these to the resident doctors with evidence of all the appeals to the government but they insisted on going on strike.

‘‘They are going on strike without thinking of the economic implications; the lives that would be lost even though we all took the medical oath to protect the lives of humans from conception to death,’’ he said.

https://www.akelicious.net/2019/03/ucth-resident-doctors-strike.html

Lagos Country Club has urged President Muhammadu Buhari to urgently deploy a clear-cut policy to rejig the economy in his second term of office.The president, Tajudeen Akande, said this yesterday at a press briefing to herald the 70th anniversary celebration of the association.Linking lack of direction and uncertainty to the country’s economic woes, it noted that such mistakes should not be repeated, as the country cannot wait again for six months for ministers to be appointed.

The management council of the club decried the country’s struggling economy in the past three and half years and expressed optimism that things would be better, with adequate measures in place. Akande lamented that many businesses could not have a final seal on their budgets yet because they were waiting for the government’s budget.

He said: “No doubt, the economy has been struggling. For the past three and half years, our economy and our political system have been going through transition. The truth is that we have an economy that is dependent on one product, which is crude oil. Every economy that is dependent on crude oil has been in trouble since the last three years. That is the fact.

“The problem of Nigeria was compounded by the political transition. The only thing the business community wants is certainty. The main problem we had at the first transition was uncertainty and lack of direction. It doesn’t matter the economic policy you adopt, as it will only run when you have people that can manage the policies.

“We will be advising this government that as they settle down for second term, there must be clear-cut policies that are well-marshalled and communicated. Businesses are waiting to know what direction so that they can do their own strategic plan and responses. “Whatever is this administration’s economic policy, it must be pushed to the public domain in good time. Information is as good and useful as to its timeliness.

“This is March, most of the businesses don’t have a final sign on budget because they are waiting for the government’s budget.” Director-general of the planning committee, Babatunde Okunuga, urged politicians not to be desperate in their bid to be elected into political offices, saying “these are the things responsible for inconclusive elections.”In the programme for the anniversary tagged ‘Something for everybody’, Okunuga mentioned that the anniversary lecture would hold on July 30, while the grand ball was fixed for August 3.

https://www.akelicious.net/2019/03/lagos-country-club-tells-buhari-to.html

A People’s Democratic Party senator, Mao Ohuabunwa, Tuesday called for the Nigerian senate to “jack up” the 2019 budget by 10 trillion Naira.

“Instead of reducing, we should ‘jack up’ the budget by 10 trillion,” Ohuabunwa said during the plenary.

The 2019 appropriation bill sent by the President is N8.82 trillion. The spending list, N8,826,636,578,915, has a recurrent expenditure of N4 trillion while N2 trillion goes for capital expenditure with N2.2 trillion and N492 billion for debt servicing and statutory transfers respectively.


Ohuabunwa complained that the two trillion naira allocated to the capital expenditure is not enough due to the various ongoing projects.

“What can two trillion do when we have ongoing projects,” he questioned.

“We need to block leakages and ensure taxes are collected and put into good use in the economy such as the Basic Health fund which Senate President, Bukola Saraki started,” Ohuabunwa added.


“We are consolidating poverty. We need to really look at this budget. Instead of reducing, we should ‘jack up’ the budget by 10 trillion. What can 2 trillion do when we have on going projects.”- Senator Mao Ohuabunwa.

— The Nigerian Senate (@NGRSenate) March 19, 2019

However, Senator Enyinnaya Abaribe while reacting to the budget said, “With a total debt service of 25.7% and capital budget at 23%, it means we are paying more debt.

“This is a budget of impossibilities. Out of every 1 Naira, 68kobo is paid out. The Federal Government needs to go back to the drawing board,” he added.

Meanwhile, the Senate passed the appropriation bill for a second reading on Tuesday.


Senators, last Wednesday, commenced the debate on the budget with some of them expressing fears about the “high level of debt” the country was getting into.

Some of the senators expressed reservations about the plans by the government to borrow from both internal and domestic sources to fund the 2019 budget.

The senators said should Nigeria continue to borrow money to fund the deficits in her annual budgets, the country would be hugely indebted in the end without any means to repay.

After the second reading of the bill, it was referred to relevant committees of the Senate for further action.

https://www.akelicious.net/2019/03/pdp-senator-calls-for-2019-budget.html

President Muhammadu Buhari has sent condolences to families who have lost loved ones, homes and means of livelihood in Mozambique, Zimbabwe and Malawi as Tropical Cyclone Idai takes a toll on Southern Africa.

The President, in a statement by the Senior Special Assistant on Media and publicity, Garba Shehu, deeply shared in the pain and struggle of the governments and people in the region who have been working hard to ensure safety of citizens and minimize the devastating effect of the cyclone.

President Buhari assured the governments and people of Mozambique, Zimbabwe and Malawi of the prayers and support of Nigeria as they pass through the trying period, while commending all the humanitarian organisations for their interventions.

https://www.akelicious.net/2019/03/buhari-condoles-with-mozambique.html

Access Bank Plc has recorded more than 50 per cent leap in its profit for 2018, closing the fiscal year with N95 billion.

A statement from the bank, which highlighted its audited financial results for the full year, said the lender grew its Profit After Tax (PAT) by 58 per cent to N95 billion, from the N60.1 billion recorded during the corresponding period of 2017.

Aside this, its gross earnings rose by 15 per cent to N528.7 billion, compared to N459.1 billion netted in 2017, with interest and non-interest income contributing 72 per cent and 26 per cent respectively. Its Profit Before Tax (PBT) for the period was N103.2 billion, showing 32 per cent growth from N78.2 billion in 2017 while Return on Average Equity (ROAE) stood at 19 per cent with a Return on Asset (ROA) of 2.1 per cent in 2018. The bank has proposed a final dividend of 25 kobo per share bringing total dividend for the year to 50 kobo per share.

The statement added that the asset base of the bank remained strong and diversified with growth of 21 per cent year-to-date in total assets to N4.95 trillion in December 2018 from N4.10 trillion in December 2017.

Loans and Advances totalled N2.14 trillion as at December 2018 from N2.06 trillion in December 2017: Customer deposits increased by 14 per cent to N2.57 trillion in December 2018, from N2.25 trillion in December 2017. Capital Adequacy (CAR) remained adequate at 20.8 per cent, taking into consideration the regulatory transitional arrangement of IFRS 9 implementation. On a full impact basis, CAR stood at 19.9 per cent. Similarly, liquidity ratios of 50.9 per cent, from 47.2 per cent in December 2017, remained well above regulatory requirements.

Commenting on this performance, its Group Managing Director/CEO, Herbert Wigwe, said, “2018 marked a significant year of progress for the bank amid an unfavourable macro climate. We made solid progress throughout 2018 in line with our 2018-2022 five-year strategy, and we remain committed to the achievement of our strategic imperatives going forward; as we continue to invest in our people and technology in order to improve operational efficiency and service touch points with earnings growth in 2019.”

https://www.akelicious.net/2019/03/access-bank-grosses-n95bn-profit-in-2018.html

Members of a criminal justice reform organisation, Citizens United for the Rehabilitation of Errants (CURE) have, in a rally in Abuja, called for reforms on conditions of prisons across Nigeria.

The protesters had placards with inscriptions such as: ‘Say no to prolonged pre-trial detention’, ‘Remove children from adult prisons now’, ‘Reform the prisons’, and ‘say no to torture’.

Led by the Executive Director of CURE, Sylvester Uhaa and a retired Deputy Commissioner of Prisons and member, Chuks Afujue, the group marched from the Unity Fountain in Abuja to the National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) and the Ministry of Justice as they pressed for greater attention to the plight of prison inmates and detainees in the country.

“We are here to speak to the commission on behalf of thousands of people, some undocumented, who are in prisons, police cells, military detention centres, NDLEA detention centres and other detention centres across the country,” Uhaa told officials of the NHRC.

“Our message to the National Human Rights Commission is simple: to do its job the way it is supposed to do to ensure that lunatics are no longer in our prisons, children are no longer detained with adults, and to remove juveniles from adult prisons.

“We are asking the Human Rights Commission to help us tell the Federal Government to stop building prisons but to build schools and create jobs. We are asking the Federal Government through the Human Rights Commission to abolish the death penalty now. To say no to arbitrary detention. To say no to long pre-trial detentions. To protect prisoners’ rights and dignity; they are human beings and they have rights.

“Last year Mr President said and I quote, ‘prison congestion is a national scandal and embarrassment.’ We want action. A month later, the Vice President Osinbajo said ‘our prisons turn human beings to animals.’ We want actions. We want the Federal Government to pay prison officials more, and to make the states pay for the upkeep of some prisoners in the prisons.

“It is only when you can make the states become responsible that they can take part in prison decongestion and criminal justice reforms,” he added.

About 70 percent of the 75,772 prison inmates in Nigeria are on awaiting trial, according to official records. 74,186 of the inmates are males while 1,586 are females.

Uhaa called on the authorities to stop sending pregnant women to prison, and to reform the borstal institutions. He also criticized the detention of minors and juveniles with adults.

At the Ministry of Justice, CURE’s message was same as that at the NHRC. It reminded the Attorney General of the Federation (AGF) and Minister for Justice, Abubakar Malami (SAN), that a Federal High Court in Benin, Edo State in 2014 had upheld the rights of inmates to vote in elections because of its tremendous rehabilitation and re-entry value.

The AGF, who was represented by the Solicitor-General of the Federation and the Permanent Secretary in the ministry, Dayo Apata, assured the NGO that the ministry has already embarked on reforms in the prison system based on a presidential directive.

“As you are aware, the President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria has actually inaugurated a Presidential Committee on Prisons. And this is a committee which is chaired by the CJ of the FCT. I want to inform you that we have visited 28 prisons in Nigeria and 12 states. And you should also be informed that by Monday, we will be in Delta and Edo, which will make it 14 states,” he said.

https://www.akelicious.net/2019/03/ngo-marches-against-poor-prison.html

President Muhammadu Buhari, has again in his capacity as the Chairman of the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) Authority of Heads of State and Government, dispatched the Minister of Foreign Affairs, Geoffrey Onyeama, as special envoy to the Republic of Benin.

The development, according to Sarah Sanda, media aide to the Minister of Foreign Affairs, was in a bid to resolve the political disagreement in Benin Republic which is prompting the opposition to threaten a boycott of the parliamentary elections scheduled for April 28.

The visit to Benin Republic yesterday by Onyeama came close to two weeks after President Buhari dispatched Onyeama as Special envoy to Guinuea Bissau ahead of the March 10, legislative election in the country.

“ECOWAS Chairman, President Muhammadu Buhari has dispatched his Special Envoy – Minister of Foreign Affairs, Geoffrey Onyeama to meet with President Patrice Tallon.

“Benin Republic has been undergoing political reforms aimed at strengthening democracy. The reforms include the registration of political parties with a view to having parties with national spread based on a new legislation that stipulates conditions for registration.

“However, out of the many parties that applied for registration, only a few have been successful both at the Ministry of Interior and the National Electoral Commission (CEMA). With barely a month to the parliamentary elections scheduled for April 28th, the opposition have complained about being deliberately shut out of the process by the government. They have staged demonstrations and cried out to the Economic Community of West African Sates (ECOWAS) to intervene or they would boycott the elections entirely,” Sanda said.

Sanda added that after the initial engagements in Benin and reports from delegations from the ECOWAS Commission who visited the country, President Muhammadu Buhari decided to send a special envoy to Cotonou to meet with President Patrice Tallon.

“The Envoy in company of the ECOWAS Commission President, Jean Claude Brou, arrived Cotonou on Thursday morning and were received by the Minister of Foreign Affairs, Aurelien Agbenonci and the Nigerian Ambassador to Benin Republic, Emmanuel Oguntuase. They thereafter proceeded to the Presidential Palace to meet with President Patrice Tallon behind closed doors where they delivered the message of the ECOWAS Chairman, President Muhammadu Buhari.

“After the meeting, they briefed the media where the Envoy, Geoffrey Onyeama, said ‘President Muhammadu Buhari remains concerned about the growth of democracy in the sub region, hence his message to President Patrice Tallon to ensure that all politicians and political parties in Benin Republic are given a level playing ground to participate in the democratic process.’

“He further said ‘President Buhari asked that the rule of law and dialogue should prevail in the country, especially as the parliamentary elections are approaching.’

“He also called on the opposition to embrace dialogue and discuss their grievances rather than resorting to boycott of the entire process. The Beninoise Minister of Foreign Affairs, Aurelien Agbenonchi also told journalists that there is no political crisis in Benin Republic as the main bone of contention is the government’s desire for reform in line with the rule of law.

“He said ‘President Tallon is open minded and willing to carry all political actors along, including the opposition.’

“He said the Parliament would look at the laws again and see areas that can be addressed in line with the concerns of the stakeholders. The Minister further disclosed that President Tallon also used the opportunity of the visit to again congratulate President Muhammadu Buhari on his re-election, noting that ‘Nigeria continues to set the example for the sub region and Africa in terms of consolidating democracy,’” Sanda added.

https://www.akelicious.net/2019/03/buhari-dispatches-onyeama-as-special.html

The All Progressives Congress (APC), Imo State governorship candidate, Hope Uzodinma, has chided Imo State governor, Rochas Okorocha, advising him to hide his face in shame instead of blaming him and the national leadership of the party over his failed plot to install his son-in-law, Uche Nwosu, as governor of the state.

Reacting to the comment credited to Governor Okorocha that the APC failed to win the Imo governorship election due to his candidacy, Uzodinma in a statement, reminded the governor that even as ‘a sitting governor’ he failed to win a senatorial election, resulting in his compelling the Returning Officer to announce him winner under duress.

He boasted that if he walks the street of Owerri and other parts of the state with Governor Okorocha, Imolites will haul stones at him, urging him to accept his burial politically.

“I thought by now Okorocha should be hiding his face in shame after he lost his bid to install his son-in-law and win his senatorial election. Despite all the billions he spent to stop the APC and I in the state, but from the results of the polling units I won the election and we will prove it.

“But Okorocha has lost his deposit and he is finished politically. He is an expert in running people down, but God has punished him today. This same man worked against the APC and has the gut to speak about others. I challenge Okorocha for a walk in the streets of Owerri if Imo people will not stone him.

“Thank God all his conspiracy against us has ended and he has buried himself politically. I expect that by now he should be apologising to the people of Imo State for the crime he committed against God and humanity. I will reclaim my mandate which Okorocha and Ihedioha stole last weekend and then I will have something to tell Okorocha,” the statement emphasised.

https://www.akelicious.net/2019/03/hide-your-face-in-shame-uzodinma-tells.html

Nigeria and India are working on ways to enhance the $12 billion yearly bilateral trade between both countries in a way that would focus on investment.

Receiving the Indian High Commissioner to Nigeria, Shri Abhav Thakur, in his office, Minister of Industry, Trade and Investment, Dr. Okechukwu Enelamah in a statement, lauded the relationship between Nigeria and India but said it has become necessary to expand it beyond trade for increased investment.

Recalling the fundamental co-operation between both countries and their common heritage in the Commonwealth of Nations, he said Nigeria is restructuring her economy and bilateral relationships should reflect same.


The Minister welcomed the envoy’s interest in Project Mine, a new initiative by Nigeria to develop world-class special economic zones to position Nigeria as the pre-eminent manufacturing hub in sub-Saharan Africa, and a major exporter of made in Nigeria goods and services regionally and globally.

The Federal Government had last month, signed investment agreements with three Development Finance Institutions; Afreximbank, Bank of Industry and the Nigeria Sovereign Investment Authority (NSIA) for the project.

Thakur, who expressed interest in the project, requested a formal briefing to enable him sell the opportunities to Indian investors.

The High Commissioner, who is new in the country, congratulated the Minister for the electoral victory of President Muhammadu Buhari and his government.

He stated that Nigeria and India are important trade partners and expressed the need to grow the partnership.

He said his country was looking forward to the Joint Trade Committee meeting holding in India in April. India and Nigeria, in 2017, agreed to establish the Committee at the level of Commerce Secretary from Indian side and Permanent Secretary from Nigerian to review the ongoing bilateral trade and commercial relations.

The Minister assured him of Nigeria’s attendance of the meeting and promised the envoy that he will enjoy his stay.

“We are glad to have you in Nigeria. We are very hospital people and we believe you will enjoy your stay,” Enelamah said.

https://www.akelicious.net/2019/03/nigeria-india-explore-new-investment.html

The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has urged the Ninth National Assembly to prioritise amendment to the Electoral Act 2010 as altered ahead of the 2023 general election.

The Chairman of INEC, Professor Mahmood Yakubu, stated this Thursday in Abuja while presenting Certificates of Return to newly elected members of the National Assembly.


He noted that as a matter of urgency, the commission would begin work on post 2019 elections review and road map to 2023 general election.

He said: “There is a lot of work; but very little time available. As a process govern by law, the success of election in Nigeria depends to a large extent on the electoral legal framework and most importantly in ensuring adherence to the law.

“I want to assure you that we will continue to work with the National Assembly to review and strengthen our electoral law. But, I want to appeal to the senators-elect to please start work early and conclude work on electoral framework in a good time well ahead of the 2023 general election.’’

He added that the tendency to delay electoral reform, particularly the review of electoral framework until it is too close to the elections, leaves the commission with little time to develop processes, including regulations and guidelines; makes required consultation with stakeholders and embark on effective voter education, including sensitisation, train staff and organised deployment for the elections.

He was glad that among the senators-elect are senators that the commission has worked very closely with, adding that some of them have taken initiative or even sponsored private member bills to advance the cause of electoral reform.

“We look forward to working very closely with you in the next Senate,” he said.
Meanwhile, the electoral body has maintained grave silence, five days after it suspended all electoral processes in Rivers State.

The commission had on Sunday suspended all electoral processes in Rivers State, after the invasion of the state collation centre by soldiers, which later prompted the setting up of a fact-finding committee to assess the situation in the state, giving the committee 48 hours to submit its report before taking further decision on the stalled election.

However, five days after, the commission has failed to make known the findings of the committee.

The electoral body had said that the initial assessment revealed widespread disruption of the electoral process and the harassment and intimidation of various categories of permanent and ad-hoc staff of the commission.

It stated: “The commission will take a stand when the fact-finding committee submits its report. We urge the people of Rivers State to continue to maintain the peace and await the decision of the commission on the way forward.

“The fact-finding committee will enable the commission to understand the dynamics of the situation in Rivers State. The commission will take a rational and informed decision that accords with the constitution, the law and its regulations and guidelines. The commission is determined to protect the sovereign right of the people of Rivers State to determine those that will preside over their affairs.’’

Meanwhile, a source in INEC told Akelicious yesterday that the commission was yet to take a decision on Imo West senatorial district, whose seat the Governor of the state, Chief Rochas Okorocha contested.

Okorocha’s name was removed from the list of senators-elect published on the commission’s website last week Thursday.

He contested the seat on the platform of the All Progressives Congress (APC) and was declared winner by the Returning Officer, Mr. Innocent Ibeawuchi, who claimed that he was made to announce Okorocha as winner under duress.

This prompted the commission to say that declaration made under duress by its staff would not be accepted by it.
Asked if INEC would conduct fresh election into the district, the source said: “INEC is yet to take any decision, but maybe the commission will take a decision after the supplementary election.”

Meanwhile, Senator Oluremi Tinubu, representing Lagos Central District, has said that she deserves to be considered a principal officer in the ninth Senate.

The former First Lady of Lagos State, disclosed this Thursday in Abuja while speaking with journalists after she was presented with her Certificate of Return by INEC.

She said that it was time for women to come together and support one another, noting that any woman who is in a position should be there for other women.

According to her, “Wherever God has placed you, the next woman on the street is your sister, is your daughter, and is your mother. One is speaking but you are speaking for all.”

https://www.akelicious.net/2019/03/inec-urges-ninth-nassembly-to.html

Domestic election observers accredited by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) and deployed to Akwa Ibom State during the just concluded governorship and House of Assembly elections, have wondered why the state was regarded a flash point.

Addressing the press in Uyo on Thursday, the domestic observers led by the chairman of National Coalition of INEC Accredited Domestic Observers, Chief Efemana Ututu, said the mammoth crowd of policemen and armed soldiers in the state days before the election created fears and tension such that the people felt intimidated resulting in poor turnout of voters in some areas.

They said despite that, the conduct of the elections in the state was generally peaceful even as they said that the security agents “did their jobs the way it ought to be, except in some areas they were suspected to be partisan.

“The votes cast were counted in the presence of observers along with other stakeholders, and we joined the party agents to endorse the result in some areas. The result of the election was accepted by all parties concerned at every polling unit and collation centre and at the end of the governorship/state House of Assembly elections, there was peace in the state against doom day prophesies .”

The group however, recommended that all stakeholders concerned with the election should be time-conscious and ensure that all the sensitive and non-sensitive materials arrived in time at the designated polling units; and that continuous improvement should be made on the card reader so as to reduce time waste.

“Arising from the above, the card reader should be properly configured and calibrated before deployment to reduce time waste.

“Security agents must adhere to the tenets of professionalism and not close their eyes to malpractices. The undue deployment of armed-military soldiers should be minimised in future elections.

“INEC must not relent on in its continuous improvement of the electoral process so as to continue to deepen democracy and embolden the voter’s confidence in the ballot.”

Consequently, they declared that “the election conducted by INEC in Akwa Ibom State was free, fair, credible and peaceful.”

https://www.akelicious.net/2019/03/militarisation-caused-low-voter-turnout.html

The long-awaited listing of the shares of South Africa-based, mobile network provider, MTN, will now be executed in two phases for better value, which will commence at the end of the second quarter or at the latest early third quarter.The phased listing, which will not be as big and extensive as initially anticipated, is to enable the network operator to get better value for its shares, while resolving other outstanding issues with the Federal Government.

MTN Chief Executive Officer (CEO), Ferdinand Moolman, who denied that the much-hyped listing and initial public offering (IPO) by the telcom firm is being used as bait in its row with the Government, insisted that the network provider is committed to the offer.

Besides, he revealed, Nigerians already owned 20 per cent of MTN shares, which are not publicly traded, but were sold through over-the-counter (OTC), and other investment schemes, while the listing at the Nigerian Stock Exchange (NSE), will usher in more indigenous investors.


Moolman and his team of managers told senior journalists in Lagos yesterday that the offer is now been phased as a show of commitment to the IPO, saying: “MTN has always been very serious about listing. There was a lot of work that we did on the listing and our thought was to list in 2018.

“We needed to change to a public company because we are a private company at the moment before we can list. We need to send our directors to training for compliance with SEC requirements. So a lot of work had happened to prepare for the listing. Then the CBN issue happened.”

The Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), in August last year, had ordered MTN to refund to its coffers the sum of $8.1billion allegedly repatriated illegally, which was later settled out of court, with the payment of $52.6million in fines by the network operator.

In this regard, Moolman argued that it would have smirked of irresponsibility if the listing was done while these issues were raging. “Truth be told, it would not be wise to offer shares to the public if we had outstanding issues still hanging. We thank God we were able to resolve it on the 12th of December. So now we are feverishly working toward listing, and we plan to do the listing before the end of H1 or early Q3 of this year.”

He said the initial listing will happen despite MTN’s current row with the Attorney-General of the Federation (AGF), Abubakar Malami, in September last year, had slammed the company with $2billion in outstanding taxes for 10 years.

On whether the market would remain as excited as twhen the news of the IPO broke in 2016, Moolman assured MTN’s good performance and balance sheet in 2018, is more than enough to show investors that “There is a lot of value we can bring to this market; and we anticipate to do it in two phases – the first phase will be to list and then start trading in our shares and then lifting it for bigger participation.”

MTN had initially hoped to raise up to $500million from the IPO, which plan was revealed in 2016. But constant postponement of the offer had damped investors’ appetite for the investment, which is anticipated to be the biggest ever in Nigeria.The telecom firm in its 2018 financial reported over N1.037trillion in revenue about 17 per cent growth year-on-year, boosted by contributions from its Voice, Data, Fintech, and Digital platforms, from a capital investment of over N2.5trillion in the network so far.

https://www.akelicious.net/2019/03/mtn-ipo-to-be-executed-in-two-phases.html