₦airaland Forum

The National Assembly management has requested the presiding officers to reduce the number of their aides by at least 60 percent as part of cost cutting measures, Daily Trust learnt yesterday.
Senate President Bukola Saraki and the Speaker of the House of Representatives Yakubu Dogara and their deputies have hired over 400 aides, sources said.
Saraki is said to have over 112 aides, Dogara about 170, Deputy Senate President Ike Ekweremadu 60 and Deputy Speaker Yusuf Suleiman Lasun 58.
But the assembly bureaucracy has lately asked the presiding officers and their deputies to reduce the figures drastically.
Sources said Saraki and Dogara have been requested to cut down the numbers to 25 each while Ekweremadu and Lasun should have 17 each.
The aides are in three categories - Special Advisers (SAs), Senior Special Assistants (SSAs) and Special Assistants whose salaries range between N700, 000 to over a million naira each.
The special advisers earn about the same salaries as federal permanent secretaries while the others earn higher than directors in federal government establishments.
Daily Trust reports that two weeks ago over N10bn was paid as severance package to Senate and House legislative aides that served in the seventh assembly. The severance pay was 300 percent of their annual basic salary.
In January, the presiding officers met with the National Assembly management on how to cut down on expenditures.
Sources said the management intimated the presiding officers that they could not guarantee regular payment of salaries to such aides, especially when most of them were placed on higher grade levels.
Daily Trust findings revealed that the salaries of all the political appointees have not been paid since January.
It was gathered that the last time the aides collected their salaries was in December.
Most of the aides are said to have little or even nothing to do. They hang around the National Assembly complex or stay in their colleagues’ offices as they have no offices of their own.
A source close to the office of the Senate President explained that most of the appointments were mere ‘political patronage.’
“The appointments are political patronages; it is an avenue to settle supporters politically. Most of them will be collecting salaries without doing anything.
“I know only last week two persons were recruited. They showed me their employment letters,” he said.
Daily Trust also gathered that about 50 percent of the aides are former lawmakers who served with Dogara during the last 7th Assembly.
Most of them were said to have been rewarded for their support to Dogara, while a few others were nominated by some close friends to the speaker.
“The truth of the matter is that he (Dogara) made so many appointments. He has different manner of aides.”
A top management staff, who preferred anonymity, told Daily Trust that it was true that the speaker over-employed.
It was gathered that the National Assembly management made two suggestions to the speaker on how to manage the situation.
The management told Dogara to demote most of the special advisers to senior special assistants, while majority of the senior special assistants should be demoted to personal assistants otherwise the only option would be to sack most of the appointees.



l

An Austrian security consultant has sued Nigeria’s Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC( for alleged illegal detention.
Wolfgang Reinl asked the Abuja High Court on Wednesdayfor damages of about $10 million for his alleged detention from December 28to February 5.
EFCC lawyer Ibrahim Audu argued Reinl has no right to sue but it was overruled by the judge, who adjourned the case.
Reinl was detained in connection with in a contract issued by Sambo Dasuki, the former national security adviser who was detained for allegedly diverting $2.1 billion meant to buy arms to fight Boko Haram extremists.
He was listed by the committee established to audit the procurement of arms and equipment in the Armed Forces and Defence sector from 2007 to 2015.
lalasticlala

Olasco93:
Thanks for this educative thead.
Please where can I get the Hydrogen Peroxide to buy?

Lagos State Commissioner for Agriculture, Mr. Oluwatoyin Suarau (right), with Permanent Secretary, Kebbi State Ministry of Agriculture, Dr. Nababa Adamu (left), signing a Memorandum of Understanding on the Development of Commodity Value Chains between the two states while Lagos State Governor, Mr. Akinwunmi Ambode (right behind) and Kebbi State Governor, Alhaji Atiku Bagudu (left behind) watch, at the Lagos House, Ikeja, on Wednesday, March 23, 2016.https://www.pmnewsnigeria.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/03/PIX-5167-504x311.jpg

Lagos State consumes N135 billion worth of rice and 2.19 million herds of cattle annually, says Governor Akinwunmi Ambode.

The governor who disclosed this on at the State House, Ikeja, Lagos, southwest Nigeria on the occasion of the signing of Memorandum of Understanding between Lagos and Kebbi State on the development of Commodity Value Chains, said the future of Lagos State was partly tied to deliberate resolution on food security.

He said food production and self-sufficiency required its immediate attention at policy and strategic levels to sustain the state, adding that Lagos State is the largest consumer of food commodities in Nigeria by virtue of its population.

“We have the market, with the required purchasing power also. Lagos State has an estimated consumption of over 798,000 metric tonnes of milled rice per year which is equivalent to 15.96 million of 50kg bags, with a value of N135 billion per annum.
“We have the economic prowess to produce rice locally. The era of imported rice is gone. The reality is for all of us to embrace the consumption of local foodstuff and commodities. In addition to rice, Lagos is currently consuming 6,000 herds of cattle daily which may increase to 8,000 in the next five years,” he said.

According to Ambode, the bulk of the vegetables produced in the country end up in the Lagos markets as the state is one of the largest producers of poultry and thus had a large demand for maize for livestock feed production.

“The state also houses most of the industrial users of wheat and sorghum; mostly flour mills, bakeries, breweries and food manufacturers. Kebbi State, on the other hand, is blessed with a vast arable land suitable for the cultivation of rice, wheat, groundnut, maize, sorghum and sugar cane.

“It is an agrarian State with over 1.2 million hectares of arable land characterised by very large floodplains, lowland swamps and gentle slopes. In the 2014/2015 wet season, over 600,000 hectares of land was deployed for rice cultivation in the three senatorial areas of the state.

“The people are traditionally rice farmers with average land holding of about 10 hectares. currently, Kebbi has over 50,000 metric tonnes of paddy in store produced from the last two planting seasons,” he said.

The governor said with these considerations in mind, Lagos and Kebbi States had decided to collaborate and exploit areas of comparative advantage to create value for both states, saying that this alliance would ensure food security, job creation, increase in farmers’ income and the overall improvement in the living conditions of the residents of both states through wealth creation and poverty reduction.
He added that the collaboration was in line with the clarion call and policy direction given by the President, Muhammadu Buhari, on the need “to feed ourselves.”

TohKunBoh:
Lol I should have attached it sha!my bad
I forgot to take a cLear picture this morning..no worry tomorrow morning

The Independent Corrupt Practices Commissions (ICPC) Chairman, Mr. Ekpo Nta, has reiterated his view that “stealing is not corruption.”
Speaking to a team of The Nation in Lagos , Nta explained that his commission would fare better if there was a proper understanding of the word corruption.
Ex President Goodluck Jonathan came under fire from the opposition when he said , on presidential media chat that stealing is not corruption.
But Nta argued that from the United Nations Convention Against Corruption (ONCAC) and the ICPC Act, the first item that falls under corrupt practices is bribery in public and private offices.
He backed up his views with Articles 15 and 16 of UNCAC and sections 8, 9 and 10 of the ICPC Act.
He listed what is considered as corruption under Article 19 of UNCAC and Section 19 of the ICPC Act as: illicit enrichment, trading in influence etc.
He said further “If I walk into your office and I say that I have been sent by the president that this contact you are about to award must be awarded to me and now drop his card or the president’s card on the table. This is also an offence under corrupt practice.”
According to him, the controversy emanating from the definition of corruption is as a result of a long entrenched misunderstanding of the vice.
“If you don’t know what you are fighting then you might be busy fighting other things and thinking you are addressing the problem,” he stated.
Nta reiterated that the major function of the ICPC is to check abuse of office by public office holders and government officials.
Stealing, he said, falls under the criminal code and should be reported to the police.
Lalasticlala
http://pointblanknews.com/pbn/exclusive/jonathan-right-stealing-not-corruption-icpc-boss/

edoboy33:
IF YOU LOVE PDP CLICK LIKE
IF YOU LOVE APC CLICK SHARE

Sunymoore:
Unfortunately, PDP Is dead and buried. We need a viable opposition...

edoboy33:
[s]IF YOU LOVE PDP CLICK LIKE IF YOU LOVE APC CLICK SHARE

Against the background of the violence that apparently characterized the rerun elections in Rivers State, Governor Ayo Fayose of Ekiti State has lashed out at president Mohammadu Buhari, saying that God is angry with him.

According to the governor, the president superintended over elections that were remarkably bloody.

The governor who spoke with Journalists in Abuja on Tuesday chronicled the lists of elections held under the present government, stating that power belonged to the God and and should not be abused by any individual no matter how highly placed.

He said: “I am telling you the truth. Power doesn’t come from anywhere. God rules in the affairs of men. Oppressing, bringing and cutting people down, taking their blood, God is angry. The way this government is taking people down, God is angry. God isn’t happy. Go to Rivers, they kill people.

“Go to Akwa Ibom, they kill people. Go to Bayelsa, they kill people, incarcerate innocent people. God is angry with Buhari. You can’t continue to take the blood of the innocent. Look at my predictions for the year 2016 for Nigeria, everything has come to pass. This is a different ball game. He that will take me, he that will go against me must first of all defeat God. If these were the kind of violence that greeted Buhari’s election would he ever be president?”

Speaking further on the likely impact of the just concluded expanded retreat of the National Economic Council, NEC in Abuja, Governor Fayose stated that the present economic situations in the country indicated that president Buhari lacked technical competence to solve the problem of the country.
Even though he specifically praised the idea, the governor wondered if it would not the just a talk shop.

Enugu—The Indigenous People of Biafra, IPOB, has asked Igbo to boycott Fulani cattle to avoid cases whereby Fulani herdsmen would infiltrate their towns and villages to kill them and rape their women.
IPOB also asked Ndigbo to grow their own local cows which were in abundance at Abakaliki, in Ebonyi State, Nsukka in Enugu State and Obudu in Cross River State.
In a statement signed by IPOB’s Media and Publicity Secretary, Comrade Emma Powerful, the organisation said, “After putting our acts together, IPOB discovered that the Fulani herdsmen are determined to exterminate the lives of Biafrans through their herdsmen.
“We in the IPOB worldwide are calling on all Biafrans to stop eating Fulani cows and stop patronizing them. They will leave our land and stop raping our women and girls and they will stop killing our men because of our wives and girls.
“We discovered that these Fulani herdsmen are not ordinary people but Boko Haram insurgents who were trained by their brothers. We are calling on Biafrans to start eating goat meat, chickens and fish.
“Again, all Biafrans should start rearing their local cows. We have them at Abakiliki in Ebonyi State, Nsukka in Enugu State and Obudu Ranch in Calaber, Cross River State in abundance.
“If we Biafrans implement this without patronizing them again, they will leave our land without molestations because they were equipped with guns and we Biafrans don’t have guns and ammunition. “We also know that Hausa/Fulani don’t eat much of cow meat but have you asked yourselves questions why they don’t eat red meat?
“IPOB reminds you about what the Hausa/Fulani did in Agatu, Benue State and in Delta State where they kidnapped a traditional ruler and killed him and in Enugu and Ebonyi states where they ravaged, killed, maimed and raped our women and girls.”
Catalyst for new Biafra
Meantime, wife of Nnamdi Kanu, leader of the Indigenous People of Biafra, IPOB and Director of Radio Biafra, Mrs. Uchechi Okwu-Kanu has said that the arrest and continued incarceration of her husband is a catalyst for new Biafra agitation.
In a statement from United Kingdom made available toVanguard,Mrs. Kanu said: “The absence of my husband is mind-bending, it is inexplicable. I am practically a zombie but I am holding up, but it has not been easy since October 2015 when he was arrested in Lagos.
“The arrest of Nnamdi Kanu is the catalyst driving the new agitation. Hence, what could have taken years to achieve in terms of awareness and mobilization was achieved within a short frame of time. And this is testimony to the fact that IPOB through Radio Biafra did a lot of ground work prior to the arrest.
“If you recall, I mentioned in December that most people are awakened by the call of this cause but you will agree with me now that almost every being in the whole world has Biafra on their lips both ‘for’ and‘against.’”
lalasticlala
http://www.vanguardngr.com/2016/03/ipob-asks-igbo-stop-eating-fulani-cows-2/

247notire:
Bla bla bla. Maybe I should say "may your daughter pass through Ese's ordeal and may people view it in the same light as you do hers"

Ozu rere ere

247notire:
We are talking about a 14 year old for crying out loud! You sounded so dumb no offence. We all had crushes and those feelings at that age, but yellow took advantage of her don't you get it? Yes she may have had those feelings but those are the naiveties of teenagers. It happens but that does not make her an accomplice cos she is just but a child. Yinusa also erred by taking her away from Bayelsa without her parents knowledge or consent. Always remember the girl in question was only fourteen years of age before you spill further trash.

And you call yourself a woman? If it happens to ur teenage daughter will you talk like this? I honestly feel like giving you a heavy dirty slap

divinehand2003:
sai buhari

All seems set for the repatriation of over $200billion stashed away by some former governors, ex-ministers and other public officers in the United Arab Emirates (UAE),The Nationlearnt yesterday.
Some mansions belonging to some former Politically Exposed Persons (PEPs) and their cronies or fronts may also be seized, a source said.
Under the searchlight for stashing away cash or acquiring properties in the UAE are seven former governors, six former ministers, a fleeing presidential aide implicated in the $2.1billion arms deals, ex-military chiefs under probe, agents / fronts of some of these public officers and five chieftains of the Peoples Democratic Party(PDP).
A Federal Government team, comprising the Minister of Justice and Attorney-General of the Federation, Mr. Abubakar Malami, the Chairman of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission(EFCC), Mr. Ibrahim Magu and crack detectives from the anti-graft agency, yesterday started comparing collated intelligence notes on the PEPs with their UAE counterparts.
The EFCC officials arrived in Dubai on Saturday. The Minister left Abuja yesterday to join the team.
It was learnt that the AGF had barely returned from an official assignment when an urgent travel arrangement was made for him.
The delegation went to UAE in line with an agreement with the Federal Government.
President Muhammadu Buhari in January signed a “Judicial Agreement on Extradition, Transfer of Sentenced Persons, Mutual Legal Assistance on Criminal Matters, and Mutual Legal Assistance on Criminal and Commercial Matters, which includes the recovery and repatriation of stolen wealth”.
Seven former governors, six former ministers and a fleeing Presidential aide implicated in the $2.1billion arms deals, ex-military chiefs under probe, agents / fronts of some of these public officers and about five chieftains of the Peoples Democratic Party(PDP) have either stashed away funds in Dubai or acquired properties.
A top source, who spoke in confidence, said: “The Federal Government team has met with those from the UAE on intelligence sharing, the list of those on EFCC radar, the number of highly-placed Nigerians with fat accounts in UAE and those with choice properties in Marina (Dubai), Bur Dubai, Abu Dhabi and Doha.
”Some of the former governors include one from the South-South, two from Northcentral, two from the Northeast, one from the Northwest, and one from the Southwest.
“A former-governor had made botched attempts to transfer about $517million loot to Dominican Republic because UAE law is now strict.
“More than six ex-ministers and a former presidential aide, who is on the run over the $2.1billion arms deals, were said to have acquired choice mansions and malls in UAE. One of the former ministers, who was alleged to own two houses in Dubai, was said to have served as a front for a former First Lady.
“Another ex-minister had bought some malls through a few cronies in Dubai. The list of such agents is being screened.
“Certainly, the anti-graft agency has tightened the noose on these former public officers and there is no hiding place for them.
“The success of the collaboration between the Federal Government team and the UAE Government will determine when EFCC will release the concessions on some of these PEPs. Very soon, we will unveil these ex-political office holders.”
According to sources, the government delegation discovered that many highly-placed Nigerians, including a few ex-governors and money laundering fronts, have fled from Dubai to Singapore, Casablanca in Morocco, Dominican Republic and some islands in the UK and in the Caribbean.
Another source said: “From the trip so far, many big Nigerians have already ran away from Dubai to escape being arrested by the UAE authorities.”
“Some of the ex-governors have also avoided visiting UAE until the coast is clear. They do not want to experience the same fate like ex-Governor James Ibori.
“The frequency at which highly-placed Nigerians fly to Dubai for parties has considerably reduced because they are under watch by the UAE authorities.
A source in the government last night said: “Yes, the AGF and the EFCC chairman with some top officials of the anti-graft agency are in Dubai for a follow-up technical session on the Mutual Legal Assistance between Nigeria and the UAE.
“I can confirm the official trip and it is meant to recover looted funds.”
lalasticlala

Nigeria has been ranked the 103 happiest nation of the world, and 6th in Africa in the World Happiness Report.
The World Happiness Report 2016 update, which ranks 157 countries by their happiness levels, was released in Rome on Wednesday, in advance of UN World Happiness Day, March 20th.
As indicated by the report, Nigeria dropped from its 78th position in the World and 2nd in Africa in the 2015 happiness ranking.
Denmark emerged the world’s happiest place, while Algeria, standing at 38 at the global level, maintains its position as the happiest place in Africa.
Mauritius is now the second happiest country in Africa, followed by Libya, Morocco and Tunisia respectively.
According to the report, eight sub-Saharan countries were among the 10 least happy places on earth to live.
The bottom 10 were; Madagascar, Tanzania, Liberia, Guinea, Rwanda, Benin, Afghanistan, Togo, Syria and Burundi.
South Africa and Ghana stood at 116 and 124 respectively on the Global happiness ranking.
The World Happiness Report, an initiative of the UN, is a landmark survey of the state of global happiness, aimed at influencing government policy.
The report reviews the state of happiness in the world and shows how the new science of happiness explains personal and national variations in happiness.
It reflects a new worldwide demand for more attention to happiness as criteria for government policy.
According to the report, leading experts across fields – economics, psychology, survey analysis, national statistics, health, public policy and more – describe how measurements of well-being can be used effectively to assess the progress of nations.
Healthy years of life expectancy, GDP per capital, social support , perceived absence of corruption in government and business, freedom to make life decisions and generosity are some of the factors the report considers.
The first world happiness report was published in support of the April 2, 2012 United Nations (UN) high level meeting on happiness and well-being.
The report was prepared by the Sustainable Development Solutions Network (SDSN) and the Earth Institute at Columbia University.
Prof. Jeffrey Sachs is the head of the SDSN and special advisor to UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon.
Lalasticlala

President Muhammadu Buhari on Thursday said under his leadership, Nigerians must produce what they eat.
He said the nation did not have what he called unlimited resources to continue the importation of food items that could be produced locally.
The President spoke while granting audience to the new Bulgarian Ambassador to Nigeria, Mr. Vesselin Delcher, who was at the Presidential Villa, Abuja to present his letter of credence.
According to a statement by his Special Adviser on Media and Publicity, Mr. Femi Adesina, the President told his guest that his administration would vigorously implement policies that would revive Nigeria’s agricultural sector and reposition it as the mainstay of the nation’s economy.
He added that his administration would evolve and implement policies that will help Nigeria become self-sufficient in food production because continued importation of food could expose the country to more external shocks.
The President noted that the unbridled importation of food also contributes to the depletion of the country’s foreign reserves and deprives citizens of job opportunities.
He said, “We must produce what we eat. We don’t have unlimited resources to continue the importation of food items that can be produced locally.
“Fortunately, some Nigerians have shown foresight by building factories that process agricultural products within the country.
“They have created a value chain that boosts employment, protects our foreign reserves and safeguards the economy from external shocks.
“We will do all that we can to encourage others to join in the effort to achieve national self-sufficiency in food production.”
Buhari added that his administration will also help and encourage Nigerian farmers to adopt modern, technology-driven methods that guarantee higher production and returns on investment.
The President , who also received the new High Commissioner of Australia, Mr. Paul Lehmann; the new High Commissioner of Sierra-Leone, Hajiya Afsatu Ebiso-Kabba; and the new Ambassador of Iceland, Thordur Aegir Oskarsson, told them that Nigeria will welcome the further strengthening of relations with their countries, especially in the areas of agriculture, solid minerals and trade.
He wished the four envoys, who were at the Presidential Villa to present their letters of credence to him, successful tenures in Nigeria
lalasticlala

MyGeneration:
Every qualified person has the power to work in the cbn but on whose power, if u like have a first class and 15masters degrees if u dont hv power "if u dont know anybody" u wud be wasting ur time.

MyGeneration:
Every qualified Nigerian has right to work in the cbn, but he does not hv the power to do so.