₦airaland Forum

Stale and incorrect info. For example, APC National Chairman is a christian by the name; JOHN Odigie-Oyegun.

dozieihems. Yes, pre-lay mash is recommended for pullets cos of the high calcium content. Giving it to your birds starting 16th week till they attain a specific laying percentage prevents your flock from having rickets, as well as, producing low-quality eggs. As of this moment, I know that AMO BYGN Finished feeds has the pre-lay variant. You may check their website for more info, please. Success.

No fewer than 200 Boko Haram members were killed by troops at Askira Uba, a border town between Adamawa and Borno States on Saturday.

The insurgents, it was gathered, were trying to penetrate Damaturu, Adamawa State, through the town but were mowed down by the troops who were stationed in the area during a gun battle.

The terrorists had earlier attempted to storm Damaturu on Friday, but were repelled by the military, during an operation that lasted for several hours

He flashes a warm smile as he settles into the sofa at a corner of the living room. It is a modest one – a six-seater overlooking a tiny shelf housing a 21-inch television set, a video compact disc player and a radio that has seen the best of time, everything in and around the room testifies to the simplicity of its occupant. Now almost 91, with all of his children married and his wife and best friend of many years ‘gone to be with the Lord’, Pa Jacob Kehinde Babajide’s life has become even quieter these days especially since August 2010 when his monthly pension was abruptly stopped. Apart from now having to depend squarely on the financial support of his children to survive, the psychological effect of the entire experience has compounded the old man’s agony.

“Nobody gave me any reason for stopping my pension,” the nonagenarian said, pausing for a few seconds before continuing with the emotional narrative. “I just noticed that I didn’t get alert from the bank anymore. There is this lady I used to contact at the pension office; she was the one who helped me before they paid me some arrears till August 2010. Since then, I haven’t heard anything.

“When I contacted her again, she said I should bring the copy of my pay slip from the bank. I sent it to her, then she phoned back saying I should bring my first letter of appointment which I received on July 10, 1950. Don’t you see they don’t want to pay the money? Where on earth do they expect me to get the letter? If you calculate very well, I got that letter about 64 years ago.

“She told me that the person she normally contacted said unless I brought that letter, a letter which I got before he was born, they would not pay me. But for my sons and daughters, my condition would have been very terrible.”

The last four years have not been easy for the Oke-Igbo, Ondo State-born grandfather– deprivation and challenges have come in different forms. Though, Babajide told Saturday PUNCH that he has no regrets giving 35 years of his life to serving the nation diligently, this was not the type of retirement he looked forward to while joining the accounts department of the now defunct Post and Telegrams under the Ministry of Communications on July 10, 1950. The situation leaves him deeply worried.

“I have an extension behind my flat, the place is almost crumbling. If this money had come, I could have rebuilt it and be living better. Nowadays I depend only on my children to send me money, when they don’t, I suffer.

“While I was in service, I was not looking forward to this type of treatment because I didn’t do any funny act. I worked as honest as possible. This was not the type of reward I was looking ahead to while I was still working.

“I give glory to God that I had been a Christian before I joined the service and I was honest throughout my time there. I was not like other people who would go to meet the senior men and be doing eye service, no. I simply concentrated on my job.

“During my time there, I was always sent to the most difficult sections especially when there was problem but God always helped me out,” he said.

Between 1950 when he joined service and 1985 when he retired, Babajide, by virtue of the position he occupied, had several opportunities to take advantage of the system. But being the honest and reliable man that he is, the trained accountant rebuffed temptations in different forms to discharge his duties as frankly as possible. Taking our correspondent through highlights of his time at the P and T, the old man revealed how corrupt officials turned the tide in their own favour to the detriment of others.

“I had a colleague, we were both Assistant Chief Accountants and I was in the payment section which took care of any form of payments. I was also controlling the votes that came to the department. The man was in parcel section and people who had complaints on parcels would go to him. Some of them who had claims, we had to refund them.

“So, on different occasions, he brought nine vouchers. When I received them and if there were documents that were supposed to be attached, I would ask him to bring them and I would acknowledge them. When I satisfied myself, I authorised the vouchers and sent them to the post office and our bank in the department. When those vouchers were paid, they did not come to me again.

“It continued like that until one day when I got to the office and a senior investigation officer entered and brought out one of the vouchers. He asked if I authorised it because my signature was on it and I said yes. I told him that by the time the vouchers left my table, the attached documents were also intact but after payment, it didn’t return to me and that I didn’t know what was responsible for that. The man at the parcel department called Mr. Leke was very clever. He ate, drank and spent lavishly and I began to wonder where he got such money from. The senior investigation officer was on that case for a year and eventually took the case to court. The man in the parcel department was found guilty and was jailed for a year without the option of fine.

“After the case, I asked the investigation officer if he confirmed from those whose names were on the vouchers if I had ever seen them before or knew them at all. He said it had nothing to do with me. That was an experience I will never forget.

“I was sitting on money but I never for once thought about stealing from the system. But in my old age when I am supposed to be enjoying the fruit of my labour, it is the system that is now robbing me of happiness. I deserve better than this,” he said.

Babajide, who has a fair knowledge of how some of the crimes are perpetrated, told our correspondent that the non-payment of his monthly stipend is the handiwork of corrupt elements within the system and not as a result of government’s failure.

“It’s been a fairly long time since I left service in 1985 and the people preparing the allowances would have thought that I am dead especially when they look at my age. It is something I know people who pay pension do very well. They would say this man must have died, so let us not pay the money into his account anymore, and they now divert it to their personal accounts.

“So, I am sure they must be paying my pension regularly into one of their accounts thinking that I am dead by now at almost 91. I am not surprised that this type of thing is happening. It is not as if government stopped my pension but somebody is paying it into another person’s account thinking that I am dead.

“I am a Christian and in all things, God says I should give thanks. That I sleep and wake up, I thank God. I go to bed smoothly and He wakes me up full of energy. I am really grateful to God,” he said.

Mrs. Bose Daramola who had been helping the 90-year-old to process his monthly entitlements at the pensions office, Abuja, told our correspondent in a telephone interview that she left service about eight years ago and so was not in a good position to render any form of assistance at the moment.

“Baba should go to the pension office in Abuja to complain. Their office is on Katsina-Ala Street in Maitama; if he introduces himself as a pensioner, they might take pity on him and address his case.

“The situation is, there is a regular verification exercise where you must present some vital documents including your confirmation letter and first appointment letter. I told him this several times but I was just doing my best to assist him through the people I know there. I am no longer working at the pension office; I left there eight years ago.

“But maybe if he goes there himself, they can assist him based on his age and condition. Else, he will have to show them those documents before he receives his pension,” she said.

Head of Corporate Communications, Pension Transitional Arrangement Department, Mr. Yusuf Addy, told Saturday PUNCH that at the moment, the office is dealing with verification of police pension after which biometrics and verifications of all other pensioners like Babajide would be done. After the exercise, Addy said pensioners would not be asked to tender any documents again but would be able to have access to their entitlements from anywhere in the country regardless of their point of registration.

However, for the 90-year-old former accountant to continue to access his monthly payment, he might have to present an affidavit sworn at a recognised court including at least a document to prove that he was once and employee of the P and T.

“We feel the pains of the old man but the issue is that he might need to tender a genuine affidavit and at least something to show that he once worked at the P and T. Very soon, a comprehensive verification and biometric exercise would take place, after that nobody would be asked to bring any document again.

“So, the man should try to present these items and the matter would be resolved. Nobody is keeping his pension away from him deliberately. We are here to serve the people diligently,” he said.

Dr. Franca Attoh, a lecturer at the Department of Sociology, University of Lagos, told Saturday PUNCH that the new pension reform act is supposed to have taken care of all pension related matters because it is a contributory scheme where a certain percentage of the worker’s salary is set aside while active. According to her, with the new reform, issue of non-payment or denial has become almost a thing of the past but if anybody is found bending the law in his or her favour to the detriment of those who have invested genuine labour, they must be punished.

“With the new pension reforms, I don’t think anybody should still have complaints. It is a system that does its best to be fair to everyone. But if there are people still complaining of not getting their pensions, then you have to examine what is responsible for that carefully. Some of those people might not be telling the whole truth.

“However, if any official is found to be manipulating the system for personal gains at the expense of those who gave many years of their lives to serving this nation at various capacities, then such people must be made to pay the price. The new pension reform is working, people must understand how it works,” she said.

Babajide is not the only one who has been left to endure a life of agony, pains and heartbreaks after putting in scores of illustrious years serving the country in various capacities – he is only one of many pensioners across Nigeria whose lives have been made miserable following months and years of unpaid entitlements. While dozens have died fighting and waiting for privileges that they truly deserved, pension continues to be far away from the reach of thousands still alive.

I regret teaching for 35 years

In Iganmu, a Lagos suburb, for example, Mrs. Akinbule Fadekemi, is merely surviving on the mercies of God. After putting in more than half of her life into the teaching profession, the 78-year-old mother of three has nothing to show for all her efforts in impacting lives, teaching across several government-established primary schools in Lagos. Today, all Akinbule has is a small plastic cooler on which she displays edible items not worth more than N3, 700. She earns a paltry pensiom of N1,600 every month. The situation is a distant contrast from the future she had looked forward to in 1987 when she completed 35 year in service as a teacher.

“I wish I had done something else with my life and not teaching,” she told our correspondent in a quaking voice – one capable of melting even a heart made of steel. “My mates who went into secretarial studies and other ventures are better off. I look at their lives today and I wish I had never taken to teaching at all. They are far better than me. They are fulfilled and full of happiness. This little cooler is all I have. The amount I get every month cannot sustain me, let alone with my children,” she said.

Mrs. Yetunde Yusuf’s life has not remained the same since those painful experiences in 2012. After losing a pregnant daughter seven days to her wedding and her own husband weeks later because she could not afford the medical cost as a result of unpaid pensions, Yusuf has not regained balance ever since.

Having retired from the Federal Ministry of Defence in 2005, the elderly woman described retirement as the most turbulent period of her life.

“The government employed me when I was still very young, I retired in 2005 and since, I have not been paid my gratuity and pensions. I have suffered so much and even lost my daughter with pregnancy and my husband. Government should please have mercy on me,” she cried.

In Port Harcourt, the Rivers State capital, Mrs. Katherine Harry is still waiting for her gratuity almost three years after retirement from one of the government liaison offices. Though, now receiving monthly pension, Harry struggles to survive especially with four children, an aged mother and a handful of older relatives to cater for. The last few years have been a mixture of struggle and deprivation for the 61-year-old.

And public holders work out their pension upfront

Sadly, many public office holders across Nigeria who barely spent a quarter of the years the likes of Babajide, Akinbule and Harry put into serving the nation, continue to enjoy bogus pensions and other benefits today. Last year, Governor of Akwa Ibom State, Godswill Akpabio, reviewed the pension and allowances of former chief executives of the state and their deputies. Apart from the outrageous take home package, Akpabio and his deputy after quitting office would get choice houses not only in Uyo, the state capital but also in Abuja the administrative capital of the country. Akpabio is not the only public office holder guilty of this moral ‘crime;’ he merely makes up the numbers in a well-known phenomenon.

Two weeks ago, Senator Bukola Saraki who is representing Kwara Central in the senate announced that he would be donating his pension, which he put at N45m since he left office in 2011 to students in tertiary institutions all over Kwara State.

In two tweets he posted via his handle @bukolasaraki, the ex-governor, who disclosed that he had not accessed any portion of the pension, said it would be made available to students with good grades but who need financial assistance through his foundation, the Abubakar Bukola Saraki Students Foundation.

Ironically, Saraki only spent eight years as governor of the North Central state and the N45m bounty accrued between 2011 and 2014.

However, in the United States and other western nations for example, it is a different ball game entirely for retirees. In addition to getting their gratuity within the first few weeks after retirement, accessing monthly pensions is far easier than in Nigeria.

Bottleneck of greed

To arrest the troubling trend, successive administrations at all tiers of government in Nigeria have come up with various strategies to effectively compensate pensioners. This led to the repeal of the 1979 Act and subsequently the amendment of the Nigerian Social Trust Fund Act of 1993. To further get the system working, the Pension Reform Act, 2004 was promulgated. It was created as a contributory pension scheme for the payment of retirement benefits both for the public and private sectors.

But despite these laudable reforms, accessing gratuity, pension and other entitlements remains a big problem for many retirees. At the forefront of this disturbing trend is corruption on the part of government officials and pension administrators.

In 2013, an investigation into police pensions opened a can of worms about the wanton sleaze in the system. Consulting firm, KPMG, which audited the accounts, found several irregularities and unauthorised transactions and remittances running into billions of naira.

Milking pensioners dry

For instance, N1.5bn was said to have been remitted to the Police Pensions Office monthly, as against the N500m that was actually required while another N24bn was kept in an account meant for the payment of harmonisation arrears. Findings from that investigation rank among one of the biggest corruption scandals anywhere in the world, especially with many of the perpetrators yet to serve jail sentences.

But for the likes of Babajide and thousands of retired civil servants wallowing in abject neglect despite investing years of quality labour into making Nigeria a better society, going hungry to bed was the last many of them wished for in their prime. Only an urgent intervention and change of fortunes could soothe an old man’s bleeding heart

Twenty persons, including a female suicide bomber, were killed in a major market in Maiduguri, the Borno State capital, after an attack by a suspected Boko Haram sect member on Saturday

The blast also injured 18, the Police Public Relations Officer of the Borno State Police Command, Gideon Jubrin, said.

According to him, the incident occurred at about 12.30pm at a section of the Monday market.

The market has become a target of the Boko Haram female suicide bombers as the Saturday bombing marked the third time that the market would be attacked in the last three months.

In a statement, the police spokesman said, “20 persons were killed in the attack, including the female suicide bomber, with 18 others injured at the market.”

The death toll may however be higher as aid and emergency agency workers were still busy evacuating the dead and the injured from the scene of the attack.

The spokesman for National Emergency Management Authority, AbdulKadir Ibrahim, said workers from the agency were at the market to render assistance, but declined to give the casualty figure.

It was gathered that a female suicide bomber attacked the market at about 12.30 pm Saturday.

The attack was at the Yen-Kaji area of the market where chickens are sold
THE PUNCH NEWSPAPERS

samuel25. There is no problem in doing that. I had a similar experience when a few of my laying birds would leave their cages and be subsequently mated by the cockrels on the floor. None of my customers ever came up with any complaints about eggs brought from me. Success

don't mind them. they are just holding on to straws in the hope of smearing the man. fact be told, GMB may not be perfect, however, i dunno he is way better a presidential material than GEJ

Former Secretary General of Nigeria Football Federation (NFF), Fanny Amun, yesterday revealed the open confrontation he had with former Super Eagles Technical Adviser, Clemens Westerhof, over how to deploy Nwankwo Kanu in the Golden Eaglets that won the FIFA U-17 World Cup in Japan in 1993.

Amun alleged yesterday at a media parley where Bolaji Ojo-Oba announced his retirement from the National Sports Commission (NSC) that Westerhof hit him with his briefcase following the tiff and his refusal to accept an advisory role for the Dutchman at Japan'93.
The dispute was only resolved after the country’s military leadership led by President Ibrahim Babangida intervened and asked Westerhof to back off.

Amun alleged that Westerhof flung a briefcase at his face inside an office at NFF office in Lagos, prompting a fight.
He said that he (Amun) refused to yield to Westerhof's pressure that the immensely talented Kanu be played as a creative midfielder.
Amun felt Kanu was more suited to a role as a support striker and not as a midfielder since he already had Karibe Ojigwe, Festus Okuoghae, Sambo Choji and Wilson Oruma as midfielders.

"I declined the offer of Westerhof assistance in Japan and we fought when he threw a briefcase at me on how to use Kanu. He suggested Kanu was a midfielder while I disagreed that he was better suited as a central forward. I already had Ojigwe, Oruma and Okuoghae as midfielders and had to shuffle Choji wide on the left to play Kanu in the attack. But it did not go down well with Westerhof, "observed Amun who led the class of 1993 Golden Eaglets to the FIFA Under-17 World Cup honours in Japan.

He further revealed that it was in the heat of the confusion the two of them were eventually summoned by the then Chief of General Staff, the Late Admiral Augustus Aikhomu, to the Defence House in Ikoyi, Lagos, following a directive by Babangida.

"He (Aikhomu) in the presence of Dr Amos Adamu, asked me to acknowledge Westerhof's role as the technical adviser which I bluntly declined. But after I struck to my gun, Aikhomu called Babangida and it was agreed that Westerhof should either allow me a free hand or resign.

“A written agreement was signed by Westerhof while I declined to commit myself to promising that Eaglets would win the trophy in Japan" stressed Amun.
He claimed that while the team was in Holland preparing for the trip to Japan, Westerhof promised to give him $5 000 if the Golden Eaglets advanced beyond the preliminary stage of the competition. Nigeria won the cup after beating Ghana in the final 2-0

The photograph of the presidential candidate of the All Progressives Congress, Maj. Gen. Muhammadu Buhari (retd.), at the Lagos State interdenominational thanksgiving service standing with his running mate, Prof. Yemi Osinbajo; the General Overseer of the Redeemed Christian Church of God, Pastor Enoch Adeboye, and Governor Babatunde Fashola on the front row says something about the APC presidential candidate.

There have been murmurs about his donning a fez cap in church – that he is a Muslim disrespecting Christian tradition. For me, his forgetting to take off his cap shows he has yet to fully master the nuances and rituals of spaces he is treading for the sake of his political ambition. If I were a Christian, I would pardon him. What is not so easily dismissable in the photo-op, however, is much more telling than his cap. In the picture, all the aforementioned men had their wives by their sides except Buhari.

For a man who preaches “change” and desires to rule a country made up of men and women in almost equal halves, I wonder why he finds the anomaly of an “invisible wife” wholesome. Interestingly, this is not the first time that Mrs Aisha Buhari would be left behind in her husband’s aspiration.

In 2003, she was not prominent when he lost to Olusegun Obasanjo’s “moonslide.” Four years later, not much had changed though one could argue that his biggest opponent, Umaru Yar’Adua, did not “use” his wife to campaign either. In 2011, when the presidential election was on, I asked one of Buhari’s closest aides where Mrs Buhari was and why she was practically unseen in her husband’s various campaign efforts.

My query sprang from his image: If you are being termed an ogre, furnish reasons why you could not be one. His wife standing side-by-side with him would, I told the aide, soften his unimpressible image.

This Buhari’s aide agreed with me that his wife would be strategically invaluable for his persona. He said she was coming to Lagos at that time and he would arrange press interviews to introduce her to the public.

The aide called shortly after to say Buhari was not sold to the idea. The aide was apologetic while explaining why Buhari did not want his wife displayed like a ware even in the heat of campaigns. He said Buhari himself could be rather reticent; then, I should consider the religious factor, and that the General was too disciplined for such and several etceteras. I wished him the best and left it at that. By then, Patience Jonathan was criss-crossing the country and canvassing votes for her husband in her peculiar ways. Even though she was being mocked for her lack of sophistication, she was winning some hearts because of her confidence.

By the time Buhari’s wife would surface to sell the “softer” side of her husband; by the time people saw her on TV expressing herself more articulately than the woman who would become the First Lady, the election had practically been won and lost.

We were eventually availed her credentials: she is not just a housewife who sits at home making “Fura de Nunu” for her husband but a distinguished person in her own right. I do not claim Buhari’s loss of the 2011 election had to do with his wife but I think the belatedness of her emergence was a flaw.

If your own spouse is not at the forefront of your dream, it could be interpreted in several ways. One is that the woman does not believe in you enough, or that you do not have faith in her abilities, or you are the alpha male who believes women should be seen and not heard. Any which way, it does not look good.

After three defeats, you would expect Buhari’s packaging to prominently include his wife. You would expect an image of him as a loving husband and devoted husband to be part of his virtues marketed to the public. You would have thought he would take his wife with him for the photo-ops he is garnering in churches and elsewhere. But no, she is still missing in the picture.

When Buhari had a photo-shoot recently where he was dressed in the attire of various cultures of Nigeria, I wondered why he was the only one in the picture. How does a man run for president, take pictures of himself at a desk with the Nigerian flag in the background but his partner of many years would be missing from the shoots? They decked the General in suit and even had a picture of him “hi-fiving” a child but there is none where his wife appears? Why? I do not want to speculate on his private life as a married man but I think those images portray him as a self-centred person who does not share space.

When the picture of his family appeared, eventually, we saw his wife, children, son-in-law and even grandchildren but this time, Buhari himself was missing. I am still trying to wrap my head around the kind of PR that misses the simple fact that Buhari should have appeared in his family picture.

There are several reasons one can adduce for Buhari and his wife’s photo hide-and-seek. One, the culture of lovey-dovey is simply not him. Like the Igbo proverb that says a man cannot learn to be left-handed in old age, I wager that this is a left-handedness that Buhari has not learnt and is probably a far harder lesson than removing his cap during a church service. Two, he probably thinks being seen with a woman will detract from his famed militarist discipline and Spartan image. He has done a lot of bending just to project himself as a non-Islamic fundamentalist pan Nigerian statesman but the woman aspect just does not resonate well with him – yet. Third, the religion and culture Buhari has known all his life do gift a second-class citizen status to women.

As if the invisible wife syndrome is not grave enough, he even threatened to abolish the office of the First Lady. Did he think the “First Ladyship” is all about frivolity and has no symbolic and cultural value that redeems it? Did he consider the implication of such a move for his image and ultimately, ambition? His manifesto promises women empowerment but I wonder how he proposes to empower Nigerian women when his own wife is tucked away from view.

True, Nigeria has had First Ladies who have turned out as a real nuisance; Area Mothers who have their aliterate fingers spotted in every political conundrum. The classlessness of some, however, should not overshadow the beauty of others who reinvented themselves and rose to the status of a genuine First Lady

The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) Presidential Campaign Organisation (PCO) on Wednesday said that it's major assignment is to reveal the true identity of the APC Presidential Candidate, General Muhammadu Buhari, as a corrupt Nigerian who masquerades himself as honest man without any blemish.

The PDP campaign outfit also asked Buhari to explain his roles in the defunct Petroleum Task Force (PTF) that he headed in the administration of General Sani Abacha and General Abdulsalami Abubakar.

Addressing its maiden press conference, the Director of Media and Publicity of the campaigns, Femi Fani kayode said, "It is our full intention to expose General Muhammadu Buhari for what he really is, what he stands for and the great danger that his candidacy portends for the unity of the Nigerian state and the peace and well-being of the Nigerian people."

He said that the directorate of Media and Publicity shall not indulge in the type of cheap propaganda, mud-slinging and deceit that the APC and their Presidential candidate have been indulging in over the last few weeks and months in the course of revealing the true identity of Buhari to Nigerians.

However, he said that in the course of its duties that they shall equally let the world know about the sterling performance of "our candidate, President Goodluck Jonathan, over the last four years and we shall make a strong case and appeal to the Nigerian people to grant him the privilege and opportunity to serve a second term.

"We believe that we have reached a crossroads in our nation’s history and that the forthcoming Presidential Election is a battle for the very soul and destiny of Nigeria."

According to the former Aviation ‎Minister who described Buhari as representing evil, said, "We believe that it is a struggle between light and darkness. We believe that General Buhari represents the darkness and that President Jonathan represents the light.

"We believe that General Buhari represents a return to an ugly past which is best forgotten while President Jonathan represents our hope for a greater and better future.

"We believe that the APC, on which platform General Buhari is contesting the presidential election, represents everything that is unholy and unwholesome in our society and that the PDP represents all that is decent and good."

gratiaeo. Which of his certificates? Primary school leaving cert?

Governors of the North-East states of Adamawa, Borno and Yobe rose from an emergency expanded security meeting with President Goodluck Jonathan on Tuesday, insisting that elections must hold in their states next month.

There have been fears in many quarters that general elections may not hold next month in the three states that are considered to be the hotbeds of the Boko Haram sect.

Jonathan had on May 14, 2013 declared a six-month state of emergency in the three states and renewed it twice at the peak of the sect’s activities.

His attempt to further renew the emergency rule in November 2014 was rejected by the National Assembly.

At the end of the Tuesday meeting also attended by security chiefs and relevant ministers, the governor’s were of the view that if elections could be held recently in Syria, Iraq, Afghanistan and other war-torn places, that of the North East part of the country could not be an exception.

Yobe State Governor, Alhaji Ibrahim Geidam, told State House correspondents that the governor’s told the President to deploy more troops ahead of the general elections.

Geidam said the troops on ground in the affected states were not enough to handle the security situation.

The governor said, “We have come to brief the President on the security features of our various states, we have come to greet him and we told him of the challenges we have been facing.

“We are appealing to the Federal Government to deploy more troops in addition to what we have on ground to arrest the situation in our various states.

“We need more troops, the troops that we have on ground in our various states are not enough to contain the situation, so we have appealed to the Federal Government to deploy additional troops with full equipment to tame the situation.

“Elections will hold in the states. Election will hold, that is the position of the electoral commission and definitely in all those areas where insurgency exists, elections will hold.”

Borno State Governor, Alhaji Kashim Shettima, on his part said elections must hold in the affected states to send a strong signal to the insurgents.

He said by not holding elections in the states, the government would be seen to have given in to the antics of the sect.

The governor argued that elections could be conducted in Internally Displaced Person’s camps
- See more at: http://www.punchng.com/news/insecurity-jonathan-meets-north-east-govs-service-chiefs/#sthash.Pk03uRf0.dpuf

In the face of deepening world economic crisis, the ability of the Presidential candidate of the All Progressives Congress (APC), General Muhammadu Buhari, to manage the Nigerian economy and fight corruption, if elected president, has been called to question.

THISDAY over the weekend, exclusively took hold of the original copy of a report by the Petroleum (Special) Trust Fund (PTF) Interim Management Committee, instituted on July 7, 1999 by former President Olusegun Obasanjo.

Based on this report, the PTF under Buhari's supervision was mismanaged. The report was however neither made public nor was it acted upon by the former president.

In its summary, the Committee had advised Obasanjo to "set up a high powered judicial panel to recover the huge public fund and to take necessary action against any officer, consultant or contractor whose negligence resulted in this colossal loss of public funds."

According to the report, the sum of N25,758,532,448 was mismanaged by the Afri-Project Consortium (APC), a company contracted by the PTF as management and project consultant. Buhari as PTF chairman was said to have also "delegated to them the power of Engineer in all appropriate project requiring such power," which made them assume absolute powers to initiate, approve and execute all projects by the PTF.

The mismanagement that took place in the PTF under Buhari's watch was said to have been carried out by the APC (the company) in their capacity as management and project consultants. Both their management services fee and budget for several projects carried out during the existence of the PTF were greatly overpriced.

While carrying out its obligations, the Committee made up of Dr. Haroun Adam as Chairman, and Alhaji Abdu Abdurrahim, Mr Achana Gaius Yaro, Edward Eguavoen, Mr. T. Andrew Adegboro and Mr. Baba Goni Machina as members, engaged three management consulting firms to verify all payments made to PTF from inception to September 30, 1999.

On verification, according to the Committee, "it was found that they (the consulting firms) had overcharged PTF for their services to the tune of N2,057,550,062". Also, while intervening on behalf of the PTF in the road and waterways, education, food, health, and other sectors, the APC, according to the report, inflated all the prices.

For instance, intervention in the health sector, was said to have totalled N9 billion. Projects in this sector were said to have been executed by the APC and PTF in-house staff, and loss of billions of naira were recorded due to price inflation of products and services.

To purchase spectacle frames, which could have been done locally at a price between N80 to N880, the APC, under the watch of the PTF chairman, bought them at an inflated price of N1,900 each. Ambulances were said to have been purchased at N13 million per unit, instead of N3 million. And then price inflation of drugs were done to the tune of N1.5 billion.

The report also said that the PTF lost money to the tune of N3.5 billion from its bank account operations. The PTF operated its bank accounts under three different categories: Administration, Project and Treasury accounts, and the loss of money to these accounts were said to have been due to "overcharge on Cost of Turnover (CoT), non-payment of interest on current account balances as stipulated by the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), short payment of interest on deposited funds, and other various discrepancies."

While discharging their duties, the Committee discovered that an average income of N182 billion accrued to the PTF from its inception to the date of filing their report. According to the Committee’s report, the PTF used about 70 per cent of that income on highways and urban road projects.

The report stated further that, "In this project sector there was total variation of contract sums of N68 billion. These variations were not done with properly priced bills of quantities and approved civil contracts procedure as stipulated by government regulations.

"Taking the experience of what has been discovered after verification of various contracts awarded by PTF the minimum potential recovery will be about 15%. This estimated percentage will be about N10 billion. The verification of this project sector was about to take off when the committee members were replaced."
THISDAY NEWSPAPER

A very good piece written by a clear-minded scholar, albeit one with sworn abhorrence for anything/anyone with link to the Nigeria military. Hence, you begin to question the objectivity of the article. And then seeing it as it is that Akin Oshuntokun was the one who had gone to "exhume" it, it becomes crystal clear what the intentions are. While it is said that all is fair in love and war (and politics, nay electioneering, is a form of war), using this means to discredit the candidacy of Buhari may seem acceptable. However, I can't but take exceptions to the clear attempt at whipping up tribal sentiments against a candidate. This has been one of, if not the key reason, why Nigeria hasn't progressed beyond where it is at the moment.
And just for the hearing of those who are bringing up Buhari's deeds in his previous charge, I've got this to say; 2015 ISN'T ABOUT THE CHOICE BETWEEN GEJ AND BUHARI OF 1983. RATHER, 2015 IS ABOUT CHOOSING FOR THE ELONGATION OF WHAT WE HAVE SEEN OF GEJ IN THE PAST 5 YEARS AND CHOOSING TO THREAD ANOTHER PATH AS PERSONIFIED IN BUHARI.

The All Progressive Grand Alliance says it cannot throw its weight behind President Goodluck Jonathan as it is very likely that the candidate of the All progressives Congress, Maj.-Gen. Muhammadu Buhari (retd.), will emerge the winner of the presidential election next month.

The Chairman of the Lagos State chapter of APGA, Mr. Campbell Umeh-Nzekwe, who is also a special adviser to the national chairman of the party, said this during an interview with our correspondent, on Sunday.

Umeh-Nzekwe said Jonathan’s problem was compounded by the fact that the motion to adopt him as the consensus candidate of the Igbo for the 2015 presidential election failed at the Ime-Obi (inner caucus) meeting of the Ohanaeze Ndigbo, on Saturday, in Enugu.

He added that the sermon of renowned Enugu-based Catholic priest, Rev. Fr. Ejike Mbaka, that Jonathan had failed and should step down seemed to have sent shockwaves across the South-East.

He said the party was sure that Jonathan would not win votes in the North.

He said, “The game has changed. As it is, Jonathan has no chance of winning. Buhari seems to have taken over. The PDP has collapsed in the North if you care to know. All those who are running to Aso Rock and making promises to the President are just deceiving him.”

When asked if APGA would be supporting Buhari next month, Umeh-Nzekwe said he could not say for sure.

He said, “Jonathan is a sitting President with incumbency factor in his favour but Buhari has the masses and a cult following in the North. In 2011, Buhari won 12 million votes in the North with his rag-tag party, the Congress for Progressive Change, without a single governor or senator to campaign for him.

“Today, his party, the APC, has 14 governors, 43 senators and 176 Reps as well as 625 House of Assembly members. Also, the APC has dominant control of the North-West with a total number of 18.4 million voters and North-East with 10.2 million while South-West has 13.4 million voters

“ The PDP has dominant control of the North-Central and Abuja with 10.4 million voters while the South-South has 8.5 million and South-East has 7.2 million votes.

“However, no zone has achieved 50 per cent of votes cast but northern voters are more committed and trustworthy than those in the South.

“Also, look at Jonathan’s campaign team. He has Col. Ahmadu Ali (retd.) as his Director General and Peter Obi as the deputy while Buhari has Governor Rotimi Amaechi and Senator Olorunnimbe Mamora as director general and deputy respectively. It is time for Ndi Igbo to review their strategy.

President Goodluck Jonathan

President Goodluck Jonathan
| credits: File copy

Renowned Catholic Priest, Rev. Fr. Ejike Mbaka, has urged President Goodluck Jonathan to abandon his re-election bid so that the All Progressives Congress candidate, Maj.Gen Muhammadu Buhari (retd.) can emerge the winner of the presidential election next month.

Mbaka, who heads the popular Catholic Adoration Centre in Enugu, said this in his New Year sermon titled “From Good luck to Bad luck,” while addressing thousands of parishioners on Thursday.

He urged all well-meaning Nigerians to vote for Buhari on February 14.

According to the cleric, Jonathan has disappointed Nigerians and cannot deliver the dividends of democracy to the people.

Mbaka subsequently knelt down in front of the altar, cried and asked God to give Nigeria a good leader and not Jonathan. He used the opportunity to beg Nigerians to vote wisely in the forthcoming elections.

He said, “I love President Goodluck Jonathan and I used to be his ardent fan, but I want good for my people and that’s why I want Nigerians to vote out Goodluck Jonathan and vote General Muhammad Buhari. I don’t care if Buhari is a Muslim and from the North; all I care about is that Buhari can save Nigeria.”

Ironically, Mbaka had recently endorsed Jonathan’s re-election.

It was learnt that the Deputy Senate President, Ike Ekweremadu, had taken Jonathan’s wife, Patience, to Mbaka, where the cleric said he would pray for Jonathan’s victory.

However, after prayers, Mbaka said the sign he received from God was that Jonathan was not fit to rule the nation anymore.

Mbaka further explained that one of the reasons Jonathan is no longer fit to rule Nigeria for the next four years was the high level of insecurity which the President had failed to address as well as corruption in the country.

He said it was unfortunate that the over 200 Chibok girls who were abducted by terrorists over 200 days ago had not been rescued despite series of promises made by Jonathan.

He further urged the Federal Government to account for the missing $20bn and stop insurgency in the country.

Mbaka maintained that Buhari could not Islamise Nigeria as being rumoured in some circles.

He said he had never met the APC candidate but urged Nigerians not to forget that Buhari fought corruption to a standstill during his administration between December 1983 and August 1985.
http://www.nigeriamasterweb.com/paperfrmes.html

fogechi. Yes. That's my point.

The Peoples Democratic Party has expressed the confidence that their former members who are now in the opposition party, including former Vice President Atiku Abubakar will be brought back to the party before the general election holding in February.
The National Secretary of the PDP, Prof. Wale Oladipo, who said this in Ile http://www.nigeriamasterweb.com/paperfrmes.htmlIfe on Friday, at a press conference, said that the party had begun moves to bring back its former members back.
He said that the PDP was working hard in all the states to ensure that President Goodluck Jonathan emerge victorious in the presidential election, where he would face stiff opposition from Gen. Muhammadu Buhari (retd.) of the All Progressives Congress.
He said, “The PDP has started efforts to bring back some of our former chieftains who are now in opposition party, All Progressives Congress, including former Vice President Atiku Abubakar. The Kano State Governor, Dr. Rabiu Kwakwanso, and others will also be brought back very soon.
“The reconciliation committee of the PDP recently set up by the National Working Committee of the party will meet with all former members of the party in the APC and other political parties before the next general elections.
“The move is not limited to these politicians alone, the PDP will bring back all former leaders of the party who have defected due to one misunderstanding or another. They will be welcomed back to their base.”
Oladipo, who urged Nigerians to support President Goodluck Jonathan to continue in office beyond 2015, said that the president had achieved a lot despite the security challenge confronting the nation.
http://www.nigeriamasterweb.com/paperfrmes.html

fogechi. Irrespective of type of birds, you are to start with broiler starter. As pointed out by someone above, you may or may not switch to Chicks mash after 2 weeks on Starter. Success

fishleg123. 3 months could be anything between 12 and 14 weeks. At 12 weeks, 300 birds should be consuming 15.6kg of feeds daily, 16.2kg/daily at 13 weeks and 16.8kg at 14 weeks. Success

So a 7 year old says all this? Even using some words that his parents don't know the meanings? And the girl doesn't have surnames and specific adresses? Hmmm. Even Jesus Christ himself was 12 before he came into public consciousness. LOADS OF RUBBISH.

It seems you are begging because you KNOW GEJ will loose. Besides, you haven't told us JUST ONE thing he has done to deserve a second term. All you have pointed out are basic character traits which every gentleman is supposed to have (and I can't take it from you that GEJ is what you say he is unless you convince me you are Dame Patience), and not necessarily what is needed to be a successful President. All the same, keep doing your best in advocating for GEJ. You may just convince enough people to vote for the continuation of what we have had in the past 5 years.

LAWRO'S PREDICTIONS

All kick-offs 15:00 GMT unless otherwise stated.
NEW YEAR'S DAY

Stoke City v Man Utd
Stoke v Man Utd (12:45 GMT)

Manchester United manager Louis van Gaal criticised the festive programme and said it is impossible for players to recover within 48 hours.

So why did he pick exactly the same team for his side's games against Newcastle and Tottenham? I thought that was a bit strange.

United still could and should have beaten Spurs, though, and in the first half of their 0-0 draw at White Hart Lane they had enough chances to win two games.
Manchester United did get the ball over the line against Tottenham - but Phil Jones' header was ruled out for offside

United did get the ball over the line against Spurs - but Phil Jones' header was ruled out for offside

Stoke come into this fixture having won back-to-back games for the first time this season but I do not think they will make it three on the bounce.

When you look at United and how they set up, they basically play with six attacking players including their wing-backs, who are basically wingers in this system.

This is a tough game for United but I do not see Stoke keeping them out.

You know United are going to create loads of chances, and I do not see them going another game without scoring.

Lawro's prediction: 0-2

Steve's prediction: The Britannia Stadium on New Year's Day is guaranteed to be windy enough and chilly enough to shock away any lingering hangovers for those in the stands - and the game could be as absorbing as a sausage and bacon roll sent down to soak up the ale. An entertaining draw. 2-2

Aston Villa v Crystal Palace
Aston Villa v Crystal Palace

Crystal Palace's approach has come at an absolutely fantastic time for Alan Pardew. He has put up with a lot at Newcastle - Magpies owner Mike Ashley has looked after him to a degree but the manager's job there comes with all sorts of constraints.
Alan Pardew.

Pardew always toed the line and now he has the chance to go back to London, which is home.

I am sure he has looked at Palace, where he spent time as a player, and thought 'yes I can do this'. It is certainly a good move for him and I can understand why he would take it.

Aston Villa are a hard watch at the moment, and they struggle to score. Whether Pardew is in charge or in the stands, I think his presence can help Palace get a positive result.

Can he keep them up? Yes.

He would not take the job without them saying he has got money for players in January so, if he does take over, he will get the backing he needs to improve their squad.

Lawro's prediction: 1-2

Steve's prediction: Attendances at Villa tell you everything you need to know; crowds of fewer than 30,000 are becoming almost the norm. This will be no place for a neutral. 0-0

Hull v Everton
Hull v Everton

Everton have lost their last three games and their manager Roberto Martinez has got all sorts of injuries to contend with, including goalkeeper Tim Howard.

Martinez's Everton side have won just one of their last seven league games

What was interesting was that they had five former Wigan players in the team that started Sunday's defeat by Newcastle.
Continue reading the main story

“Everton's back-line used to be their rock but, at the moment, you look at them and think they have got a soft centre”

Just like the Latics when they went down under Martinez in 2013, they are making collective and individual defensive mistakes that are costing them.

Their back-line used to be their rock but, at the moment, you look at them and think they have got a soft centre.

From Howard through to Sylvain Distin and Phil Jagielka at centre-back and Gareth Barry as the holding midfielder, none of them are getting any younger and they are all having very ordinary seasons.

John Stones has emerged as a key player for them at the back with his energy and pace - if he makes a mistake, he is fast enough to recover. But his absence since October means they do not have that at the moment.

The Toffees should not be struggling with the quality they have got elsewhere in their team but I keep saying they need to get the best out of Romelu Lukaku and, the way they are playing, they are not doing that.

They start to 2015 by going to Hull and they are looking down the table, not up.

To see Hull lose to Leicester after winning at Sunderland was bizarre, but they will know how Everton are feeling after coming out of their own run of defeats and sliding down the league. I think that will be a big incentive for the Tigers.

Lawro's prediction: 2-1

Steve's prediction: Hull are really beginning to worry as wins have proved elusive. Decent draws, like the one at Goodison Park in early December are all well and good, but a couple of victories are required. I still fancy to Everton to nick this though. 1-2

Liverpool v Leicester
Liverpool v Leicester

Liverpool have had a good Christmas so far with wins over Burnley and Swansea, and the speed of Raheem Sterling is still making a big difference for them up front.

It will be tough for the Reds to finish in fourth because of Arsenal and Manchester United but they have got enough to see off Leicester.

The Foxes got a great win over Hull but coping with the intensity of Liverpool's high-tempo attacks will be a very different test for Nigel Pearson's side, and I do not see them holding out for 90 minutes.

Lawro's prediction: 2-0

Steve's prediction: Leicester had some great days at Anfield in the 70s and 80s but it will be a major surprise if Liverpool don't win this.

Man City v Sunderland
Man City v Sunderland

Manchester City have taken seven points out of nine despite playing without a recognised striker in their last three games, but they will know they should have made it nine out of nine after leading Burnley 2-0 at half-time on Sunday.

I do not see lightning striking twice at the Etihad against Sunderland, though. Gus Poyet's side will go there and try to be difficult to beat but I still fancy City to win.

Lawro's prediction: 2-0

Steve's prediction: 4-2

Newcastle v Burnley
Newcastle v Burnley

Burnley will be sensing an upset here, thinking there might be some uncertainty at Newcastle because Alan Pardew is on his way to Crystal Palace.

But assistant manager John Carver and first-team coach Steve Stone will pick the team instead of Pardew, and sometimes having a caretaker in charge brings a positive response from players.

The Clarets got a great point at Manchester City on Sunday but I still fancy Newcastle to edge this one.

Lawro's prediction: 2-1

Steve's prediction: Burnley are now looking at home in the top flight and will give Newcastle a proper game - but I think the hosts have the greater quality. 2-1

QPR v Swansea
QPR v Swansea

Swansea had won their previous two games but they were very disappointing when they lost to Liverpool on Monday night. I was surprised by how open they were and they were too easy to beat.

QPR are at home and striker Charlie Austin is available - and I think that means Swansea will follow those two wins with two straight defeats.

Lawro's prediction: 2-1

Steve's prediction: If Rangers are to stay up they are going to have to maximise every opportunity at Loftus Road because their away form has been horrendous. This could be a very good game - and I fancy the Hoops. 3-2

Southampton v Arsenal
Southampton v Arsenal

This is another tough game for Southampton but I was impressed by them in their 1-1 draw against Chelsea on Sunday.

It feels like Saints are back after their blip in results and they have got their swagger back a bit, along with some of their players back from injury.

Arsenal were a bit fortunate to beat them at Emirates Stadium at the start of December with a late winner when Southampton were down to 10 men.

I think this game will be just as close and this time Saints will have something to show for it.

The Gunners are level on points with Ronald Koeman's side, who are in fourth place. In the race for the Champions League places the most important thing for Arsenal is that they do not lose.

The more I see of Southampton, the more I think that they are going to figure in that race right up until May.

They are better than Tottenham and Liverpool at the moment and they have already proved they are extremely competitive when they play Arsenal, so they have an outside chance of making the top four.

Lawro's prediction: 1-1

Steve's prediction: A test for both with Southampton seeking to rediscover the early season composure that made them so attractive. Both sides to be reasonably happy with the draw. 1-1

West Ham v West Brom
West Ham v West Brom

West Ham have hit a bit of a glitch with successive defeats by Chelsea and Arsenal so this is probably the perfect fixture for them to get back on track.

West Brom need a new manager after Alan Irvine's departure and it appears to be between Tony Pulis and Tim Sherwood to get the job.

Out of the two, if you were asked who would you back to keep them up then you would say Pulis all day long.

The question is whether he fits into West Brom's coaching structure and accepts their transfer policy, but Baggies chairman Jeremy Peace might have to bite the bullet this time.

Yes, Pulis will probably want some backing in the January transfer window but it will be worth it if he keeps them in the Premier League.

With the right additions, and with Pulis organising them, they will be absolutely fine.

Lawro's prediction: 2-0

Steve's prediction: West Ham's firepower to be too much for the Baggies. 3-1

Tottenham v Chelsea
Tottenham v Chelsea (17:30 GMT)

This is another tough game for Chelsea but I think they will pass the test at White Hart Lane.

Tottenham have taken 10 points from their last four games but they were lucky to get away with a draw against Manchester United and I do not see them getting away with it against Jose Mourinho's side.

As a team, Spurs have got shortcomings and I think they will be exposed by the leaders.

I look at manager Mauricio Pochettino when he was on the touchline and he looks frustrated. He knows he still has a lot to do there.

It is a different story for Chelsea right now. After this game, they are only left with a trip to Arsenal in terms of really tough away games in the second half of the season - they have already been to Manchester City, Manchester United and Liverpool - and you just know Jose Mourinho will be aware of that and how it will affect the title race.

Lawro's prediction: 0-2

Steve's prediction: 2-1

Lawro was speaking to BBC Sport's Chris Bevan

I would expect you to tell us why we are left with choosing the "lesser of 2 evils"

I don't agree with the rating given on Roads. GEJ has done fairly ok in that sector

2old4that:
One thing I don't understand is this... Are we voting buhari for fear of boko haram OR for the interest of the nation?

Fact is people ain't necessarily voting GMB. They are rather voting against GEJ because of perceived non-performance. If I May ask, why hasn't GEJ ordered the arrest of GMB & other APC leaders if there are incontrovertible pieces of evidence that they are behind Boko Haram? If Tinubu were as corrupt as some GEJites say, why hasn't he been arrested & prosecuted by successive PDP administrations?

No chance of him winning the award. The Super Eagles failure to qualify for AFCON 2015 is a big setback for his aspirations.

A beautiful piece. Largely devoid of name-calling, while still achieving its objective of selling GEJ. The aspect I have issues with is saying Shekarau & Ribadu joined Jonathan's PDP because of the latter's vision. No Sir. They left APC cos they lost out in the new party's power play. All the same, a well-written piece.

I'm relatively new here. However, one can't but notice that most discussions, especially, of national political dimension, are dominated by insults & tribal sentiments. If the popular assertion that a larger percentage of active members of this Forum comprises the Nigerian youth, then I genuinely fear for the future of this country given the perversive tribalism and bigotry. One can easily state his case for GEJ and/or GMB without relying on abusive words and/or tribal bias. PLEASE. (P.S: I understand the challenges faced by the moderators in curbing the above due to the large volume of posts).

Really? Where? When? And how did you arrive at this? At home, my DSTV is always on Channels. Same with the office. So when you say people ain't watching these channels, I guess I wasn't included when your statistics were being taken. (I smell another attempt at making the Front page)

ogene007:
GEJ is fighting BH and from the recent developments, our gallant are winning the war. The military would have made much more progress if not for the sabotage from GMB and his APC co-travellers who saw BH as their sons/freedom fighters. What solution would GMB give on this BH issue other than to order his 'freedom fighters' to discontinue the killing and raping since their aim probably had been achieved if elected. Unfortunately, for these dreamers, the niger delta militants will simply blow up the pipelines, cutting nigeria's crude oil bpd production from 2.3 million to almost zero. With this, insecurity in the north east would be replaced by massive cash crunch which would eventually collapse any government. So be very careful.

. Bro. If your assertions are true, why hasn't GEJ Administration arrest these brains behind Boko Haram? Does it mean there are some "untouchables" in Nigeria under GEJ? Or it means GEJ is too weak to arrest GMB and Tinubu? Either way, it seems you are indicting Mr President.