₦airaland Forum

Source:- http://www.exclusivepp.com.ng/cbn-injects-210m-forex-market/

The Central Bank of Nigeria on Monday opened the foreign exchange market with the injection of another $210m to sustain liquidity.

The acting Director, Corporate Communications Department, CBN, Mr. Isaac Okorafor, said the sum of $100m was offered to the wholesale segment, while the Small and Medium-scale Enterprises segment got an allocation of $55m.

The invisibles segment (that is, tuition fees, medical payments and basic travel allowance, among others) was also allocated $55m.

The acting director noted that the releases to successful bidders which have since been concluded were part of effort aimed at further enhancing the ease of doing business in Nigeria.

Hence, beside boosting liquidity in the forex market, facilitating trade and remittances for legitimate personal commitments were also expected to improve significantly.

Okorafor enjoined authorised dealers to abide by the extant rules of the forex market as the CBN would continue to intensify monitoring of the market.

Meanwhile, the naira closed at N363/dollar at the parallel market on Tuesday. It was said to have closed at 361/dollar in the Bureau De Change segment of the market.

Source:- http://www.exclusivepp.com.ng/cbn-injects-210m-forex-market/

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Alex Iwobi’s role in the recent demolition of Argentina is no longer news. The versatile Nigerian two-goal hero shone like a million stars in the crunch encounter in faraway Russia. Here are seven things you probably don’t know about Iwobi.

Iwobi – a young Arsenal prospect

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Alex Iwobi was born in Lagos, before moving to England at the age of 4 where he joined Arsenal while he was still in primary school.
Iwobi – a U-17 England champion

Iwobi is England U-17 Youth Champion

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Iwobi represented England at youth level winning the victory shield in 2011.

Iwobi – a patriotic Nigerian

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Iwobi opted to represent the Super Eagles against the advice of Arsenal Manager Arsene Wenger.

Iwobi – Nigeria’s magic to Russia

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Iwobi’s scored the lone goal in the match against Zambia to send Nigeria through to the World Cup in Russia.

Iwobi – a young African champion
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Iwobi was awarded the CAF Young Player of the Year in 2016.

Iwobi – Austin Jay-Jay Okocha’s cousin

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Iwobi’s mother is the sister of Super Eagles legend – Austin Jay Jay Okocha.

Iwobi – Zambia’s nightmare
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Iwobi scored his first two goals for Nigeria a year apart against the same opponent – Zambia – on 9th October 2016 and 7th October 2017 respectively.

Source:- http://www.exclusivepp.com.ng/seven-things-probably-didnt-know-iwobi/

Actor, Odunlade Adekola, is one of the most popular faces in the Nigerian movie industry at the moment. Well loved by many, he has a cult following which cuts across all sections of society.

Odunlade is an alumnus of the Moshood Abiola Polytechnic, Abeokuta, but a few years ago, he returned to school.

He was a student at the University of Lagos where he studied Business Administration until a few weeks ago when he sat for his final exams. The elated actor shared photos of himself and other students as they jubilated after the final exams.

In a chat with Sunday Scoop, Adekola spoke about his experience while at the school.

“It has been by the grace of God that I was able to conclude my education at the University of Lagos. Because of my profession, there were times that my schedule was so tight that I had to forgo one for the other.
But I always had it at the back of my mind that I must finish what I started. I also thank my fellow students and lecturers for their support throughout my stay in the school. I really had a nice time there,” he said.

Did he enjoy star treatment as a student? Odunlade said,

“I am a very simple person, and everyone around me knows that. I just like to do my thing and mind my business. As a popular person, there were times that fans gushed over me while I was in school, but I always tried my best to manage the attention so that it wouldn’t distract me or other students.

“I always encouraged my colleagues to see me as one of them and I related with all of them well. The lecturers were also nice to me and I had a cordial relationship with them all.”

Stating the reason he chose to study Business Administration, Adekola said,

“I have always had the dream of owning my company. I love to manage people to achieve set goals, and I believe that this course would help me in that regard.”

On what his next move is in academics, the actor added,

“Knowledge gathering is a continuous process; it never stops. One should never stop learning because you can never know it all. I may decide to return to school to study another course. I don’t know what the future holds. I am interested in constantly developing myself and that has been of great advantage to me.”

Source:- http://www.exclusivepp.com.ng/odunlade-adekola-excitedly-shares-experience-student-unilag/

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Veteran actor, Antar Laniyan has revealed in an interview his level of discipline on a movie set and how he relates with actresses.

In an interview with Punch, Antar who is a known face in the Nigerian movie industry spoke about his dedication to work and how he doesn’t allow distraction especially from women while work.

Read excerpts from his interview below

“If you are disciplined and you don’t put romance with women first as an actor, you would go far. If you believe that as an actor, you don’t need women all around you, then you would remain relevant because you would concentrate on your craft.

I directed ‘SuperStory’ for about 10 years but no woman entered my room in the camp. You can ask Wale Adenuga himself. There were amorous advances from women but I shunned them. I am feared while on set.

As a lady, you cannot see me and have the courage to approach me with your amorous advances. People would even tell you not to try it with me; they would advise the ladies not to wink at me because I would just slap them.

It is not that I am wicked but I want my cast and crew members to do what is expected of them. You don’t have to give me anything to gain what you do not deserve. Use your talent and let me acknowledge that you are good at your work.

You don’t have to bribe me with your body. When I am working, I let discipline guide me. I don’t care if you are befriending the producer; but as a director, I want a disciplined actor in front of me.

I do not go to the location to wine and dine; instead I go to work. When it comes to working, I am like a man that goes to the war front with the mindset of winning the war. If I don’t face my work squarely, it is the same people that are commending me that would condemn me and I don’t want that.

I want to be an evergreen actor. Look at the likes of Oga Bello and Prince Jide Kosoko, they started in 1964 and they are still relevant today. At the time they started, I was just a year old.”

Source:- http://www.exclusivepp.com.ng/feared-set-antar-laniyan-reveals-new-interview/

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The Governor of Bayelsa State, Seriake Dickson, has appointed the Commissioner for Trade, Industry and Investment, Mr. Kemela Okara, as the new Secretary to the State Government.

Okara filled the void created by former SSG, Chief Serena Dokubo-Spiff, who threw in the towel about two months ago.

The new SSG, who was appointed on Thursday, hails from Bumoundi in Ekpetiama Clan of Yenagoa Local Government Area of the state.

He holds an LLB degree with Honours from the University of Middlesex, London, and he is a member of the Honourable Society of Gray’s Inn, London, England, having been called to the English Bar in 1989.

Okara was also called to the Nigerian Bar in December 1989 and was one of the founding partners of Streamsowers & Köhn, a major commercial law firm located in the heart of Victoria Island, Lagos, with branch offices in Abuja and Port Harcourt, Rivers State.

Okara served as Commissioner for Trade, Industry and Investment from from April 2014 to February 2016 and was re-appointed to the same portfolio on April 13, 2016 after the re-election of Dickson for a second term.

He was responsible for developing the Bayelsa State Industrialisation Policy, designing the masterplan for the state Eco-Industrial Park, the masterplan for the State Power Generation Hub as well as providing conducive trading infrastructure, and developing the strategic plan for viable inward investment into Bayelsa State.

Meanwhile, journalists in the state will on Monday and Tuesday next week gather under one roof for an intensive training on new trends in the journalism profession and various skills of reportage.

The training, which is at the behest of the Bayelsa State Ministry of Information and Orientation, will also seek to highlight the importance of changing the narrative of the state through objective reportage.

According to a statement from the Ministry, the two-day training, which will be held in Yenagoa, the state capital, has as its theme, ‘The Role of the media in a state, changing the narrative of Bayelsa’.

The workshop will be declared open by the Deputy Governor of the state, Rear Admiral John Jonah (retd.) by 9am.

Renowned professor and former Head of Department, Mass Communication, University of Lagos, Ralph Akinfeleye and Dr. Ntiense Usuaa of the University of Port Harcourt are the resource persons.

Source:- http://www.exclusivepp.com.ng/dickson-appoints-new-ssg/

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Operatives of the Nigerian Security and Civil Defence Corps have arrested 33 suspected oil thieves and impounded 19 trucks laden with illegally refined petroleum products worth millions of naira.

Rivers State Commandant of NSCDC, Mr. Mohammed Haruna, told newsmen while parading some of the suspects in Port Harcourt on Friday that they (suspects) were apprehended in different parts of the state within the last four months.

Haruna explained that the command also impounded a total of four cars and four Toyota Hiace buses loaded with jerry cans of illegally refined Automated Gas Oil (diesel).

He called on members of the public to join hands with the Corps in the fight against pipeline vandalism, bunkering and illegal refineries in the Niger Delta region.

“The anti-vandal team of the NSCDC in Rivers has arrested 18 suspects involved in illegal oil business. The corps also arrested eight trucks, three vehicles, three buses, and 100 tanks of 1000 litres of AGO.

“On 12 July 2017, at 10:30hrs, along Trans-Amadi, opposite Fidelity Bank, before Bewac Junction, the anti-vandal team arrested a truck with two different number plates, YB564FKJ and Lagos XP525AXD, the 40,000 litres truck was filled with suspected adulterated AGO.

“Subsequently, on the 6th August, 2017, three suspects and a truck with Registration Number DKA7032U Kaduna, conveying illegally refined AGO, was also arrested by anti-vandal team along Oyigbo LGA,” he said.

The state NSCDC commandant also disclosed that the Command discovered an illegal dumpsite at Igwurita axis of Ikwerre Local Government Area of the state, with 100 tanks of 1000 litres each filled with adulterated AGO ready to be sold to the public.

He said the kingpin of the dump site and guards were arrested and currently in the custody of the Command, awaiting prosecution.

“On September 21, 2017, a tanker with Registration Number AD208A Borno, fully loaded with AGO and a Volkswagen bus with six drums of AGO and 25 litre containers filled with AGO were intercepted by the NSCDC Anti-Vandal Unit along Okrika LGA.

“One Yamaha boat engine, Toyota Camry with Registration Number EPP555E loaded with AGO in containers were impounded by the corps on 26th September 2017, along Ozuboko waterside behind Port Harcourt zoo.

“Also along Port Harcourt-Aba expressway, 33,000 litres capacity truck with Registration Number XD18RBC filled with AGO was caught on November 6, 2017.

“A long truck carrying adulterated AGO with Registration Number XY923EKY was intercepted along Okrika road on November 8, 2017,” the state commandant added.

Haruna, however, expressed the need for the establishment of special courts to try suspected oil thieves, adding that this would ensure the quick delivery of justice.

Source:- http://www.exclusivepp.com.ng/oil-theft-nscdc-arrests-33-suspects-seizes-19-trucks-rivers/

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Nigerian professional dancer Odumewu Debbie, a.k.a Pinki Debbie has joined other Nigerians like Kaffy and DJ Obi on the Guinness world record.

She just broke the record for the longest dance marathon which was previously held by an Indian woman, Kalamandalam Hemaletha who danced 123 hours 15 minutes.

Pinki Debbie has danced for over 124 hours as at 12:00am on November 23rd, 2017. and is still dancing. She will be ending the challenge by 4pm on November 23rd, 2017.

Debbie, who is a graduate of policy and strategic studies from covenant university, started honing her dance skills at the age of 6. She draws her inspiration from her mother whose support for her work has been unwavering.

Here is the photos:

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Source:- http://www.exclusivepp.com.ng/nigerian-dancer-odumewu-debbie-breaks-guinness-world-record-longest-dance-marathon-individual/

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Mr. Mohammed Katu, the legal counsel for the former Chairman, Presidential Pension Reform Task Team, Mr. Abdulrasheed Maina, told the House of Representatives on Thursday that his client was still receiving salaries despite the report that he had been dismissed from service.

He also claimed that Maina treated official files up to last month (October).

Maina was not physically present as an ad hoc committee of the House opened its investigative hearing into the disappearance and reinstatement of Maina into the public service in Abuja.

The committee is chaired by a member of the All Progressives Congress from Kano State, Mr. Aliyu Madaki.

Katu claimed that his client was not dismissed from service and that he only sought judicial intervention in 2013 when he realised that there was a move to dismiss him from service.

He added that while the litigation was in progress, Maina “disappeared” from Nigeria because his life was in danger.

Katu said, “He was still working as of June 13th, 2013 after the purported dismissal. He was writing to the Minister of Finance (former Minister, Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala); so, it is not true that he was dismissed.”

According to Katu, his client was still receiving his salaries and emoluments “and he got piles of files to treat up to a month ago.”

He added, “Maina is still receiving salaries. 23 files were sent to him in his capacity as acting director, even while he was absent. Maina has continued to work even after he was dismissed.”

However, when a member of the committee, Mrs. Ayo Omidiran, quoted a 2014 letter Maina wrote to the Federal Civil Service Commission, pleading for a review of his dismissal, Katu insisted that his client was still in service.

Omidiran stated, “We are not children here, and let the impression not be created that those of us sitting on this committee do not know what we are doing.

“If Maina wrote to the FCSC to appeal for a review of his dismissal, why would you be saying that he was not dismissed?

But, Katu replied, “There are things we have with us and we will submit them when next we come.”

When asked again, Katu insisted that as far as his client was concerned, he was still in the service.

The committee took the testimonies of the Attorney General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, Mr. Abubakar Malami, and the members were in shock when the AGF denied that he ordered the reinstatement of Maina into service.

The Federal Civil Service and the Ministry of Interior had acted on a directive from the AGF’s office to reinstate the former pension task force chairman.

As of the time he was recalled to office on September 28, 2017, Maina was on the wanted list of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission and the police for alleged abuse of pensions funds.

But, Malami, who appeared before the panel in Abuja, claimed that, though a review of Maina’s case by his office was on course, he never finalised his recall.

He said, “My position is that as of 5th of October, Maina’s case was work in progress and not concluded. It was KIV (Keep in View).

“So, the letter giving specific directive on his reinstatement could not have genuinely emanated from my office.”

The AGF, who claimed to be as surprised as everyone to hear that he ordered the reinstatement, told the panel that an internal investigation had begun at the ministry to unravel the seeming mystery.

“A committee has been set up to find out how the process was concluded without following the laid down procedure for looking into such matters in the ministry,” he added.

However, he admitted that a process to review Maina’s dismissal was initiated in February 2016 by his office after his lawyers wrote, requesting Maina’s reinstatement.

The AGF stated that the lawyer cited “illegal dismissal from service and injustice” as the grounds for requesting the review.

On receiving the request, the AGF told the panel that he directed the “Line Officer” in the Ministry to conduct necessary background checks.

He said the officer reported back in April 2017 that “relying on several court judgements” that had not been appealed, Maina could be reinstated.

He disclosed that among the court processes and judgements were Maina Vs Senate of the Federal Republic of Nigeria & Eight others; Maina Vs EFCC & Police; and Maina Vs Customs/Prisons/Immigration Board.

The AGF explained that none of the parties to the cases entered any appeal within the time allowed by law.

Malami said his immediate reaction was to minute to the officer to “advise further.”

He added that on April 19, the Line Officer, whose name he did not give, reported back to say there was a pending suit at the National Industrial Court, which could have “consequential” effect on the reinstatement of Maina.

“On the 5th of October, he wrote a final letter recommending that Maina should reinstated,” he added.

Malami stated that the matter rested there, denying that he gave any final approval, which could have led to Maina’s recall.

He hinted of the existence of a powerful pensions’ “syndicate,” which the AGF said drew membership from politicians, serving and retired civil servants and legislators.

The AGF, who admitted that he indeed met with Maina in the United Arab Emirates in January 2016, said the existence of the syndicate was part of the information the former pensions boss shared with him.

He revealed how he conceded to meet with Maina after he had come under “immense pressure” from him and with the intervention of the National Security Adviser, Gen. Babagana Monguno (retd.), who was also part of the meeting.

Malami said Maina told him how his life was in danger over the N3bn stolen pension funds that he had recovered.

“He claimed there were attempts on his life at the Presidential Villa and he had to run to the UAE.

“Up to N3.7bn was allegedly shared every month by this pensions’ fraud syndicate. So, we are dealing with a major issue far more than reducing it to just an individual,” he told the panel.

However, the Acting Chairman of the Federal Civil Service Commission, Mr. Joseph Akande, informed the committee that it acted on a directive from the AGF’s office to reinstate Maina.

He recalled that earlier in May 2014, Maina wrote to the commission pleading for leniency over his dismissal from service.

“The commission looked into the issue and his appeal was turned down because we knew there were issues that he had to answer,” he said

But, he noted that when between January 19, 2017 and April 27th, the FCSC received three letters from the AGF, directing the reinstatement of Maina, the commission had to act.

Akande added, “In one of the letters, the AGF clearly wrote that he was giving the directive as the Chief Legal Officer of the country and that the basis of Maina’s dismissal cannot stand because the courts quashed his warrant of arrest.”

Following the development, Akande told lawmakers that the commission wrote to the Head of Service of the Federation and the Ministry of Interior to reinstate Maina.

When the committee asked the Head of Service, Mrs. Winifred Oyo-Ita, to explain the role of her office in the saga, the HoS replied that though she received the letter by the FCSC, she never acted on it.

According to her, she held on to the letter because “I felt reinstating Maina would be against the anti-corruption principle of this present administration.”

She added, “I didn’t act on the letter and I will say that my office was not responsible for the reinstatement.”

The Minister of Interior, Lt. Gen. Abdulrahman Dambazau (retd.), whose ministry wrote the final letter to Maina, conveying his recall to him, also said he was not responsible for it.

Dambazau informed the committee that the appropriate officer to address the matter would be the Permanent Secretary, Mr. Abubakar Magaji, who was in charge of the general administration of the ministry.

When asked the whereabouts of the permanent secretary, the minister replied, “He went on medical vacation.”

The committee summoned the permanent secretary and the EFCC to appear on the next adjourned date of November 30.

On its part, the Nigeria Police claimed not to have played “any role in the pensions’ reform task team, though the team was to unravel issues in the police pensions.”

A Deputy Inspector-General of Police, Mr. Valentine Tochukwu, who represented the IGP, Mr. Ibrahim Idris, claimed that the police were still searching for Maina to administer a pending arrest warrant on him.

The Independent Corrupt Practices and other related offences Commission also washed its hands of Maina’s case.

“By the terms of reference of the committee, they do not fall within our mandate,” the Acting Chairman of the commission, Mr. Bako Abdullahi, told the committee.

Source:- http://www.exclusivepp.com.ng/maina-still-receiving-salary-lawyer-tells-reps/

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The Enugu State chapter of the Peoples Democratic Party has threatened to drag the All Progressives Congress in the state to court over alleged defamation.

The PDP made the threat after the APC claimed that Enugu State commissioner for transport, Mr. Vitus Okechi, led thugs to abduct and beat up APC gubernatorial candidate in 2015, Mr. Okey Ezea, during the November 4, 2017, local council elections in the state.

APC chairman in Enugu State, Dr. Ben Nwoye, had informed journalists that the commissioner ordered the attack on Ezea after he (Ezea) insisted that result sheets must be presented before the commencement of voting in one of the polling units in Igboeze South Local Government Area.

The APC also demanded the commissioner’s arrest and prosecution.

However, reacting to APC’s allegations on Thursday, the PDP in Enugu State said there was no truth in claims that Ezea was attacked during the local council polls.

Speaking on behalf of the PDP, the member representing Igboeze South in Enugu State House of Assembly, Elochukwu Ugwueze, noted that APC wanted to “contrive a controversy to dent the image of the ruling PDP in the state” due to PDP’s victory in all the 17 local councils and 260 wards contested in the local council polls.

Ugwueze warned that PDP would go to court to seek redress if the APC continues to undermine its reputation in Enugu.

“We, the PDP stakeholders, hereby reiterate our resolve to have recourse to a court of law if Mr. Ezea and his cohorts do not desist from the unwarranted act of defamation against any of her members,” Ugwueze said.

Ugwueze went ahead to declare that the Governor Ifeanyi Ugwuanyi-led PDP government in Enugu State runs an all-inclusive government which accommodates members of other political parties.

The lawmaker alleged that most of the leaders of the APC in Enugu State are all benefiting from Ugwuanyi’s magnanimity.

Alleging that Ezea was involved in the selection of PDP chairmanship and councillorship candidates in Igboeze South LGA, Ugwueze said, “The PDP administration in Enugu State, led by Governor Ifeanyi Ugwuanyi, is running a unity government.

“In Igboeze South Local Government Area, Okey Ezea nominated the current Supervisor for Agriculture, who is a card-carrying member of the APC.

“All APC stalwarts in Enugu are benefiting from the governor’s magnanimity.

“Ezea is part and parcel of the PDP family in Enugu State – he nominated the PDP chairmanship and councillorship candidates in his LGA and ward.”

Ugwueze described pictures which showed Ezea covered with bandages on a hospital bed as ‘fake’.

He pointed out that the Enugu State Police Command had disclosed that it did not receive any report concerning the alleged attack on the APC chieftain.

Efforts to get Ezea’s reactions to the PDP allegations were not successful as of the time of filing this report.

Calls to his mobile telephone did not go through, and an SMS sent to him is yet to be delivered.

Source:- http://www.exclusivepp.com.ng/enugu-lg-polls-pdp-threatens-sue-apc-defamation/

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The Federal Government has expressed dismay over Italy’s hasty burial of the 26 Nigerian girls who were found dead on the Mediterranean Sea.

The bodies of the girls were found on a sinking vessel on the Mediterranean about two weeks ago and there were reports that they might have been sexually abused before they were murdered.

The Senior Special Assistant to the President on Foreign Affairs and Diaspora, Abike Dabiri-Erewa, told journalists in Abuja on Monday that the Italian Embassy had earlier indicated to the Director General, National Agency for Prohibition of Trafficking in Persons that the burial of the girls would take place in Salerno, Italy on November 26, 2017.

But the Italian authorities, she said, went ahead with the burial last Friday, without informing the Nigerian government, adding that the NAPTIP director was currently in Italy to engage with the Italian authorities ahead of the scheduled burial date.

The SSA, who addressed newsmen alongside a NAPTIP representative, Mr. Abdulrahim Shaibu, explained that a protest letter had been sent to the Italian envoy in Nigeria over the matter.

“Why were they (the bodies) hurriedly buried nine days before the date communicated to the DG, NAPTIP by the Italian Embassy without any information to the Nigerian Government? Why the rush to bury the bodies without carrying out a post-mortem to determine the causes of death?” she queried.

Dabiri-Erewa said information indicated that only three of the girls were identified as Nigerians, noting that the identities of the other victims had yet to be ascertained before they were interred.

She noted that another issue of concern was that the victims’ families might have wanted them buried in their countries of origin.

The SSA also condemned the reported sale of Africans in a Libyan slave market as broadcast by the CNN, saying this was unacceptable, despicable and inhuman.

She said, “On the issue of Africans sold by Africans in Libya to Europe, as reported by the CNN in a report titled, ‘People for sale; where lives are auctioned for $400,’ this is totally unacceptable, despicable, and inhuman and should be condemned by anyone who is human and has blood running through their veins.”

The presidential aide appealed to the African Union, the European Union, the United Nations High Commission for Refugees, International Organisation on Migration and the Economic Community for West African States, to intervene in the matter and tackle the issue of slavery happening in Libya.

“The perpetrators of this heinous crime should also be sanctioned,” she added.

Source:- http://www.exclusivepp.com.ng/fg-demands-explanation-italy-burial-26-girls/

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The Federal High Court in Lagos on Tuesday froze the sum of N350m found in the Stanbic IBTC Bank account of a company, AM-PM Global Network Limited, said to have links with the wife of ex-President Goodluck Jonathan, Patience.

Justice Hadizat Shagari froze the company’s account following an ex parte application by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission.

The EFCC, in the ex parte application, claimed that its investigation revealed that the N350m was part of a sum of N1, 206,950,000, being proceeds of Patience’s unlawful enrichment kept in the company’s Diamond Bank account.

The anti-graft agency stated that it was in its desperate bid to dissipate the money that AM-PM Global Network Limited transferred N350m out the N1.2bn into an account it opened at the Walter Carrington, Victoria Island branch of Stanbic IBTC.

An operative of the EFCC, Musbau Yahaya, who deposed to a nine-paragraph affidavit in support of the ex parte application, averred that, “I know as a fact and I verily believe that our investigation has revealed the following facts: (a) That between the 20th day of June, 2012 and the 15th day of November, 2013, the respondent (AM-PM Global Network Limited) fraudulently received a total sum of N1,206,950,000 into its Diamond Bank account No. 0026718889, being proceeds of unlawful enrichment derived by Mrs. Dame Patience Jonathan, who was a permanent secretary appointed by the Bayelsa State Government.

“(b) That in a bid to dissipate the funds, the respondent opened account No. 0016971559 with Stanbic IBTC.

“(c) That out of the alleged proceeds of unlawful enrichment of Mrs. Dame Patience Jonathan, the respondent transferred the total sum of N350,000,000 from its account in Diamond Bank to the account sought to be attached in a desperate move to dissipate the funds.

“(d) That we have traced the said N350,000,000 to the respondent’s account sought to be attached and the order of this honourable court is needed to instruct the bank to attach the account to prevent the dissipation of the funds.”

Moving the ex parte application on Tuesday, counsel for the EFCC, Mr. Rotimi Oyedepo, begged Justice Shagari to order the freezing of the account in the interest of justice.

Justice Shagari granted same.

source:- http://www.exclusivepp.com.ng/court-freezes-n350m-account-linked-patience-jonathan/

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Mrs. Betty Akeredolu is the wife of the Ondo State Governor, Rotimi Akeredolu (SAN). She talks about the need for adequate awareness on breast cancer and how she survived an encounter with the disease with PETER DADA

How would you describe your encounter with breast cancer?

I am a breast cancer survivor, 20 years now and still counting. It all started in 1997 when I was diagnosed with it. I never knew anyone who had that experience and the little information I got from the cable television stations wasn’t something we were familiar with. That morning when I felt something in my breast, of course, my mind raced to breast cancer because of where the thing was located. I was scared because I didn’t know what to do. It happened when I was resting at home during my annual leave. It got me thinking of what to do if it turned out to be breast cancer.

How old were you at the time?

I was forty-two or forty-three

What thought came to your mind when you discovered it was cancer?

My little children came to my mind; I thought of what would become of them.

What did you do next?

I kept it to myself for almost one week. I didn’t know what to do. My baby was four years old or thereabout. I tuned to television one morning and what I heard was a programme being advertised that it could save one’s life. Immediately I heard that, I just stood up from the bed and sat down, wondering what the programme was all about. It happened to be a programme about a breast cancer survivor’s journey. I cannot explain such a coincidence.

It really saved my life. There was this white woman on the show and it was her journey through breast cancer that was on air. She happened to be the mother of popular Hollywood actors, the Bubbling Brothers; they are popular in Hollywood. She went through the treatment and then called herself a survivor. She was sharing her experience to the world. She used the chronicle of her journey to lift up the spirit of those undergoing such experience and I benefitted from it. That was how I summoned the courage to go to the hospital. I said whatever this woman did to survive and ensure her story’s positive impact on other women suffering from same ailment, I am going to be like her.

It was after the examination that the doctor again confirmed there was a lump. Even at that stage, he didn’t know what it was. I want to quickly emphasise something; it is part of the awareness campaign on breast cancer – that when a woman notices a lump in her breast, she cannot say what that lump is until she sees a doctor. It is the doctor that will recommend a test. It is after the test that she can know whether what she has is breast cancer or not.

What was the reaction of your husband when you informed him?

When I told my husband, he was scared but he didn’t know that I had been fortified by the TV programme I watched. I think he must have wondered where I got the strength because I was on my feet and already prepared that whatever that woman did, I was going to do it and be okay. From then, my treatment commenced. The next line of treatment was mastectomy. By then, the level of my breast health care was at the rudimentary level. That was in 1997. It was still the same radical mastectomy; I said remove the damn thing if that would make me live. We did that and the rest is history.

What motivated you since many women may find it difficult to take the bold step you took?

Like I always tell women, surviving breast cancer is all about attitude. If you lose it, it can be very difficult because some women, immediately they are told they would lose their breasts, are already gone. Some of them will say, their husband may marry another woman with two complete breasts. The man shouldn’t be on the radar; rather, the women should be more concerned about their children. They must do everything to live and take care of the children because they can not tell the character of the woman that their husbands would marry. Some women reject mastectomy and run to a pastor who will be giving them holy water or Jerusalem oil to rub on the affected part because they don’t want to lose their breasts; but at the end of the day, they return with decayed breasts. Is it not better you lose breast and live and be well for your children and husband than be preoccupied that your husband will leave you and marry someone else? You have to live before you talk about enjoying marriage.

One comes first before the other. Being one-breasted doesn’t really define you. Like I told a woman, when your husband first saw you, he never saw your unclothedness. Even after mastectomy, you can still have a baby; yes, you can breastfeed with one breast. But you must be alive to do that.

What is your view on the belief of many that it is better to seek medical help abroad when diagnosed with breast cancer?

I had a successful treatment and everything was done at the University College Hospital, Ibadan. That also brings the point that the country doesn’t know what it has because we have everything to make this country great. I think those that are taking the decisions are the ones not talking highly of what this nation can be. When I had the surgery, there was petrol scarcity. We bought fuel in jerrycan and went to my consultant to give him to use because I needed to get the treatment done. I was lucky mine was found at stage one. It took me one week and I went to the hospital. There were other women, because the symptom wasn’t painful, they carried on not knowing that they were delaying something dangerous.

Do you think there is enough awareness about breast cancer at the grass roots?

Awareness is not enough because you need to first let them understand the behaviour of the disease. If you don’t explain to them, they will keep thinking it is juju and spiritual attack. We need to have robust awareness and consistency too, like what was done to HIV/AIDS. I think we should bring breast cancer to that level and keep talking about it. A woman must be familiar with her breasts. If she is not familiar with how her breasts look, there is no way she can notice any unusual change. When you tell our women to do this, they will tell you ‘God forbid’ and that they are covered by the blood of Jesus.

We must figure how to explain it to our women, especially those who didn’t receive much education. We need to bring it down to our people so that they don’t have to waste their time at prayer mountains: science is science. We can still break it down to the language they understand. In China, everything is expressed in Chinese and it is the same thing with most Asian countries. The science that is being taught in English, they translate it to their local languages. Nobody should think that breaking down science in our local languages is difficult. It is not, we only need the political will so that people can understand what is going on and take advantage of knowledge. That is why people like us, who survived and still living productive life, need to put our faces on breast cancer so that people can know that they can survive it. It is not a death sentence. I don’t think anyone should die of breast cancer again.

When did the idea of Breast Cancer Association of Nigeria start?

It started barely six months after I was discharged from the hospital. When we started, nobody wanted to be part of BRECAN because after getting to UCH and discovering that some women were also getting treatment for various stages of the disease, I was disturbed. I discussed with my consultant that I wouldn’t keep quiet about the disease. I never knew that people could go to the hospital, get treatment and keep quiet about what they were experiencing. I wouldn’t do that and that was how the idea to start an NGO came up.

How has it been since you started?

The idea came that other women too can benefit; that they don’t have to wait and that if they wait, it would be bad for them, was like a mission. I couldn’t recruit anyone among the women with me in that ward, not even one. I reached out to my friends. They are healthy women, nothing is wrong with them, but they felt they should identify with a friend. They joined BRECAN because they wanted to save the world and to support a friend because they saw the passion in me. It sparkled something in me. I didn’t know I had the capacity. I heard people said because they heard me speak on television and on radio; they mustered the courage to go to the hospital. Now, we have eight BRECAN chapters across the nation. The mother chapter is in Oyo State. When my friends followed me, gradually we began awareness.

What are the challenges facing the project?

The major challenge is money. We wrote letters to banks and companies but there was no response. Even the focus on the international community then was on malaria and AIDS. It is only now that cancer is gaining attention because we are persistent. Sometimes, we use strong words against government. We were 20 years last month.

We have doctors who we are partnering with in the UCH, OAU, LUTH, Abuja and FMC, Owo. We have radiotherapy machines in this country but they aren’t working. Sometimes, if one is working in Ibadan, the entire cancer patients in Nigeria will go there and this is part of cancer treatment protocol that every patient must undergo. Look at India; they are raking in foreign currencies from Nigerians because we fail to put our house in order. Policymakers fail to give attention to cancer, forgetting that it is one of the diseases one meets along the way as one ages and many Nigerians are aging. Any government that neglects cancer cares little about its citizens. To add salt to the injury, cancer is not covered under the National Health Insurance Scheme; I can’t believe it. We are going to lobby for the policy to be reviewed. Is there any day we don’t hear of people dying of cancer? Our people are dying like flies, especially women. Treating cancer is very expensive.

What contribution is your husband, Governor Rotimi Akeredolu, making towards the project?

I don’t need to lobby my husband again; he is an indirect survivor. He has to do whatever is within his power to make sure we have a cancer treatment centre. That will, at least, take off the load on the Federal Government. It is overwhelming. The Federal Government can’t do it alone; states should have their comprehensive cancer treatment centres. We can then reach out and partner the primary health care centres so that every woman can visit the nearest health centre for test and examination. Not all doctors can treat breast cancer because it is a specialised area of medicine. The experts can mostly be found in teaching hospitals and Federal Medical Centres. Even in some state hospitals, there are no experts on cancer.

Source:- http://www.exclusivepp.com.ng/chose-remove-breast-survive-cancer-akeredolu/

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Nigeria’s total debt stock rose by N8tn between September 2015 and September 2017, according to statistics provided by the Debt Management Office.

The DMO said the country’s total debt stock as of the end of September this year stood at N20.37tn, while the figure at the same period in 2015 stood at N12.36tn.

This means that within a period of two years, the country’s total debt exposure rose by N8.1tn. In terms of percentage increase, the country’s total debt rose by 64.81 in the period.

The DMO did not give a breakdown of the federal and state governments’ components of the total debt commitment. However, the bulk of the debt usually belongs to the Federal Government.

As of 2015, the external loan component of the country’s total debt stood at N2.09tn. However, as of September 30, 2017, the external debt component stood at N4.60tn. This means that the external debt component rose by N2.6tn or 124.4 per cent.

The domestic debt component of the total debt, on the other hand, rose from N10.27tn as of September 2015 to N15.68tn the same time this year.

This means that within the two-year period, the domestic debt rose by N5.41tn. In percentage terms, the domestic debt increased by 52.68 per cent.

Although the external debt component of the total debt increased by a higher proportion, the debt statistics as of September 2017 show that the domestic debt, with its high cost of servicing, still dominates the country’s borrowing pattern.

However, the growth in the external debt component may reflect the Federal Government’s move to take more foreign loans as against the acquisition of more costly local debts.

The Federal Government is actually in a process of taking a $3bn foreign loan to refinance some local debts that are matured and another $2.5bn to finance the deficit in the 2017 budget.

In a statement issued by the DMO in Abuja on Tuesday, it said the Federal Government would save N91bn on local debt servicing if it secured the $3bn to refinance the local debts.

It added that the Federal Government would save another N75bn in debt servicing if it got $2.5bn from foreign sources to finance the gap in the 2017 budget rather than from local sources.

These add up to N166bn savings in debt servicing through external financing compared with local financing.

The statement also highlighted the marginal increase in the nation’s total debt portfolio when compared to the status as of June.

The statement read in part, “The total public debt stock, comprising the Federal Government, states and Federal Capital Territory’s, stood at N20.37tn as of September 30, showing a marginal increase of 3.6 per cent from the N19.634tn as of June 30.

“A breakdown of the debt stock shows that domestic debt accounted for 76.96 per cent, while external debt accounted for 23.04 per cent.

“Specifically, the domestic debt stock was N15.68tn, which is an increase of 4.1 per cent compared to N15.03tn as of June 30. On the other hand, the external debt stock stood at N4.69tn, a marginal rise of 1.9 per cent above the N4.6tn figure as of June 30.

“These debt data lend credence to the government’s claims that the public debt stock is skewed in favour of domestic debt, which is partly responsible for the high debt service figures.”

Source:- http://www.exclusivepp.com.ng/nigerias-debt-grows-n8tn-two-years/

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The United Nations Secretary-General, Antonio Guterres, has thrown his weight behind his deputy and former Minister of Environment, Amina Mohammed, following allegations that she was involved in illegal trade of timber in Nigeria.

The Environmental Investigation Agency had claimed in its latest report that the former minister might have been a beneficiary of illegal rosewood exports to China.

The agency stated, “Most shockingly, EIA’s investigation has revealed that thousands of documents from the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora have been used in contravention of the core objectives of the convention. It appears that Mrs. Amina J. Mohammed, former Nigerian Minister of Environment, signed the CITES documents during her last days in office, just before she became the United Nations Deputy Secretary General.

“The retrospective issuance of thousands of CITES permits is reportedly the result of a grand corruption scheme that involves over a million dollars paid by influential Chinese and Nigerian businessmen to senior Nigerian officials, some of the transaction facilitated by Chinese diplomats.”

However, in an email correspondence with SUNDAY PUNCH, the spokesman for the UN secretary-general, Stephane Dujarric, said, “The UN secretary-general was informed by the deputy secretary general about the reports and he reiterates his full support and confidence in her. The deputy secretary general categorically rejected any allegations of fraud. She welcomes the effort to shine more light on the issue of illegal rosewood logging and exportation that she fought hard to address during her tenure in the Nigerian Government.”

Dujarric added, “She said that her actions as the Nigerian environment minister were intended to deal with the serious issue of illegal wood exportation. As a result, she instituted a ban and set up a high-level panel to find policy solutions to the crisis of deforestation in Nigeria.

“Ms. Mohammed said the legal signing of export permits for rosewood was delayed due to her insistence that stringent due process was followed. She said she signed the export certificates requested before the ban only after due process was followed and better security watermarked certificates became available.”

Meanwhile, the incument Minister of the Environment, Usman Jibril, has said Mohammed is not being probed for an alleged illegal export of rosewood logs to China.

Reacting in a statement on Saturday, Jibril said while in office, Mohammed acted within the country’s law and protocols of international environmental conventions.

EIA’s report said over 1.4 million illegal rosewood logs from Nigeria, worth $300 million, were detained at the ports in China in 2016.

Source:- http://www.exclusivepp.com.ng/illegal-timber-trade-im-behind-amina-mohammed-says-un-boss/

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I wholeheartedly applaud the decision of Kaduna State governor Nasir el-Rufai to fire nearly 22,000 of his teachers and replace them with tested ones.

The decision followed a process in which two of every three teachers could not pass a Primary Four competency test. On Twitter last Thursday, the governor published some of the atrocities produced by some of the teachers in the test.

Read some of those papers, Senator Shehu Sani (APC-Kaduna Central Constituency), and you should be ashamed. The senator rushed to the press, describing the firing plan as the “height of lunacy,” and as “a plot to employ political loyalists of the governor.”

According to the Senator, “(Governor El-Rufai) promised the people of the state that he will enroll his children in public school when he becomes governor, he has not only failed to do that but he is destroying the educational future of those who chose to send their wards to public school. Incompetence is not a reason but an excuse to sack thousands of teachers owed salaries for months.”

I subscribe fully to holding political office holders to account, and the senator has questions he should be asking the governor. But blackmail is not a question, it is a crime. And it is a particularly bad strategy for eliciting transparency.

The truth is that what El-Rufai is combating is not simply bad or unqualified teachers. It is the scourge of mediocrity in Nigeria, beginning with the public services. The scandalous examples of those teachers published by the governor last week to illustrate his determination to fire them underscore the scale of the problem.

I have chosen the word, scandalous, carefully. It is scandalous that anyone would have hired such “teachers” in the first place. Queried the governor, “Would you allow someone like this teach your child?”

It did not seem to matter to the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC), which authorised the Nigeria Union of Teachers in Kaduna to organise a protest rally.

It is not surprising that there are some people and institutions, exemplified by Senator Sani and the NLC, who seem to believe that a teacher is a teacher. The extension of that argument is that it does not matter what quality of education a child gets.

It is a stupid argument, but not one that is difficult to understand: we have become a nation of poor values. But you simply cannot suggest that a child is entitled to unqualified teachers and claim to have faith in the future at the same time.

Governor El-Rufai has explained that the debris in teaching in Kaduna State was emptied into the system because teacher-recruitment became a victim of politics, with politicians, bureaucrats and local government officials finding it to be a dumping ground for a variety of unqualified persons. It is a story that other state governors should learn from.

“Teachers were employed at the local government level without adherence to standards,” he said last week. “In many instances, no examinations or interviews were conducted to assess the quality of recruits. Political patronage, nepotism and corruption became the yardstick, thus giving unqualified persons a way in. Teaching jobs were given as patronage to those connected to politicians and bureaucrats.”

It is the truth. The same explanation applies in the civil service, but it is in teaching that the greatest danger exists because the damage is replicated and multiplied with each damaged child.

Which leaves Governor El-Rufai’s basic question: “Would you allow someone (who does not know how to teach or what to teach ruin) your child?”

Now, would you? In effect, anyone who says the fired teachers should be allowed to keep their jobs answers that question in the affirmative. We summon cheap arguments and blackmail to disguise the point that you need a leader to make the difficult decisions.

Anyone can make the politically-convenient ones, but if the future is to be any better than the present, the difficult decisions, including eliminating thugs and semi-illiterates masquerading as trained and competent teachers, must be made.

But the challenge is far bigger: the situation in Kaduna over unqualified teachers is really the question of standards in Nigeria, and the prevalence of mediocrity in public service.

When presidents and governors, rather than seek the most qualified and motivated, choose party hacks, relatives and mistresses for critical appointments, ministers and commissioners and permanent secretaries and managing directors—as well as those hacks and relatives—do the same.

In turn, when ministers and commissioners and permanent secretaries and managing directors choose party hacks, relatives and mistresses over the most qualified and motivated, they use the same template to poison their offices. The job is either an award or a reward, and competence and accountability are not suggested, let alone demanded.

Everyone knows that this: the practice and persistence of poor and wrong appointments, is largely why Nigerian public institutions fail. Only last week, for instance, following a newspaper story that 81 of President Muhammadu Buhari’s appointments are from three northern states, the presidency responded with a 159-person submission it described as a ‘full list’ of all his appointments.

“To claim, suggest or attempt to insinuate that the President’s appointments are tilted in favour of a section of the country is simply untrue and certainly uncharitable,” said spokesman Femi Adesina.

But the presidency was wrong, a close examination of the list showing it to be littered with sundry errors and misrepresentation.

Questioned, Mr. Adesina said his “full list” was not “completely exhaustive,” there being appointments he had not reflected. “It’s just to show that the paper that published 100 and said 81 was from the North is not right. It was a mischievous story.”

Perhaps. But that would make the 159-person claim of a “full list” a fabrication. Nothing prevented the presidency from telling the truth, the whole truth and nothing but the truth in one intervention.

And official fabrications, including appointing unqualified teachers, have made Nigeria a joke for nearly 60 years and crumbled our institutions. Eighty-one or 200 persons of the most demonstrably qualified and committed, even if they are from the same local council area, will lead a nation to great heights.

In Nigeria, the international capital of hypocrisy, the job of such appointees is persistently to explain not how great things were accomplished, but why failure was the only option. For a living, they construct excuses rather than structures and institutions which elevate the people.

Think about it: preceding the presidency’s 159-person howler was its fugitive Abdulrasheed Maina reinstatement-with-promotion-and-four-year-back-pay scandal. That was preceded by the mess in the Ministry of Petroleum.

Think about it: only last week, the World Internal Security and Police Index, an initiative of the International Police Science Association and the Institute for Economics and Peace, announced its rankings of 127 of the world’s police forces. The Nigeria Police ranked the worst, at 127th.

Similarly, the World Health Organisation has ranked Nigerian roads among the world’s most dangerous for driving. And yes, unlike 2016 when we had only one airport listed among the world’s 10 worst, this year we have two!

A speech is not an achievement.

Source:- http://www.exclusivepp.com.ng/nasir-el-rufai-question-mediocrity/

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A 56-year-Fulani herdsman, Mohammed Abdulkadire, jumped into River Benue in the Logo Local Government Area of Benue State

The National Coordinator of Miyietti Allah Cattle Breeders Association of Nigeria, Benue State chapter, Garus Gololo, who spoke to our correspondent on Saturday, said the deceased committed suicide after he lost 200 of his cows to hunger and lack of water.

The Benue State Government had, on November 1, commenced the implementation of its anti-open grazing law, leading to some herdsmen relocating to other states.

Gololo said since the commencement of the Benue anti-open grazing law, Fulani herdsmen had lost about 600 cows due to poor feeding and inaccessibility to water.

He lamented that Abdulkadire, who had 22 children, cried and jumped into the river out of frustration when he discovered that 200 out of his 500 cows had died where they were camped, looking for a means to relocate from Benue State.

The herdsmen’s leader said, “The man killed himself simply because there is no place for his cows to graze. He was to relocate to the Awe LGA of Nasarawa State but information got to us that the area was occupied and no herdsman or herdsmen should cross over to the area again.

“We are calling on the Federal Government to intervene to quickly make provision for herdsmen in Benue State before they lose everything they have.”

When contacted, the state Police Public Relations Officer, Moses Yamu, told SUNDAY PUNCH that the suicide had not been reported.

Source:- http://www.exclusivepp.com.ng/benue-herdsman-commits-suicide-death-200-cows/

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A company named Cinderella Escorts claims to have a new way for women to pay for college. The company helps the girls auction their virginity so they can pay for their college education.
Cinderella Escorts rose to worldwide fame in 2016 after they auctioned Alexandra Khefren, an 18-year-old Romanian model who sold her virginity for $2.7M to an unnamed businessman from Hong Kong. The company claims to have “medically certified” that all the girls are Virgins on the site.

With the money made from the auction of the girls’ virginity, the company gives the girls bump student loans to see them through college.
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1. 20-year-old Jasmin from the UK- costs $116,000.

Jasmin says, “I would like to sell my virginity on Cinderella Escorts because I want to travel the world and visit America and various other places.
My future plans include starting my own business and this is something that requires money. Doing this will allow me to move forward with my life. I will be able to have a future free of financial worries.”

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2. 23-year-old Monica from the Netherlands – costs $23,000.

Monica says she still had not found “someone worth giving my virginity to” and added: “Doing this would also help fund my studies due to the fact that university is not cheap. . . .
While some people may not agree with me I think that this is best for me and it will also help me secure my future.”

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3. 24-year-old Stacey from Nigeria costs $51,000

Stacey writes, “Selling my virginity has been something that I have always wanted to do. I want to sell my virginity through Cinderella Escorts because I want to pursue a master’s degree and a PhD.”
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4. Florentina – 19 years old, lives in the United States.

She says wants to use the money for it to escape from the Political Situation in her country and emigrate to Europe.
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source:- http://www.exclusivepp.com.ng/photos-young-girls-selling-vrginity-pay-school/

The University of Lagos Alumni Association has named the school’s Moremi Car Park after the outgoing Vice-Chancellor of the institution, Prof. Rahaman Bello, as his parting gift.

This was revealed on Thursday at an event to unveil plans to turn the park from its unpleasant state to an ultramodern facility.

The National President of the association, Dr. Sonny Kuku, noted that the outgoing VC had done well for the school and they felt it was right to name the car park after him upon its renovation, which he said would cost N30m and would be jointly funded by the alumni association and Zenith Bank.

A statement on Friday quoted Kuku as saying, “Apart from guarding the traditions of the school, this is one of the things an alumni association should do. The association ought to help develop the community and help fund projects in the university. We are going to rebuild, make the park ultramodern and build some proper shops.

“We are naming it after Professor Rahaman Bello, who is leaving office after completing his five-year tenure. He has been a wonderful vice-chancellor and we thought it is right to do this for him.”

Speaking, the outgoing VC, who left office on Friday, stated that it was a thing of joy to witness the moment in the history of the school. He also described the alumni association as the biggest stakeholder in the university.

“I am happy that renewing this place is commencing before I leave office and what you did for me today I will not forget. I am part of this now and I believe that we will jointly continue to recreate what we want for the school,” he added.

Source:- http://www.exclusivepp.com.ng/unilag-alumni-name-park-outgoing-vc-bello/

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Following the recent tirade of criticism by one of the members of the defunct Plantashun boiz, Blackface, on Loose Talk podcast; 2baba has taken to twitter to react to the rants of his former band mate. He also sent words to Eedris Abdulkareem, in reaction to the hot-headed rapper’s rants in the past.

Very recently, Blackface appeared as a guest on the Loose Talk podcast, where he made brazenly criticized 2baba, while also stating his disappointment at the quality of Nigerian music of today.

In reaction to Blackface’s criticism, 2baba made a concise but twitter post, advising Blackface and Eedris Abdulkareem to “stop talking nonsense all the time” and go ahead to make the good music, they so much claim they can make.

CLICK LINK TO WATCH VIDEO BELLOW

http://www.exclusivepp.com.ng/stop-talking-nonsense-2baba-blasts-blackface-eedris-abdulkareem-watch/

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OAP Freeze has reacted to Pastor Adeboye’s claim about paying tithes.

In a video which went viral, The RCCG overseer had tackled Daddy Freeze’s opinion about using tithes to buy alcohol for the congregation to drink in the church.

Emmanuel Ikubese And Waconzy Fiercely Come For Daddy Freeze’s Opinion On Tithe

In his words:

“Do not let anybody get you into trouble by attracting God’s curse to yourself, please pay your tithe,” he said.

Avoid divine curse like a plague, somebody showed me something on the internet on the question of paying tithe or not and the fellow said tithe is suppose to be used to buy alcohol and drink in the church.

Now you know who is talking. Even mad people don’t go to church to drink alcohol. No matter how crazy that fellow is, ask him to come to church and drink beer, he will tell you that he is not that crazy, because even in his madness, he knows that it is the house of God and he will refuse to do such thing. But this fellow said otherwise, that tithe ought to be used to drink alcohol.

I know who is talking and I do not want to worry myself about such person. But please do not let anybody get you into trouble by attracting God’s curse to yourself, please pay your tithe.

I have said it before and I will say it again and again, if your physical father curses you, it can be cancelled by your spiritual father, if your spiritual father curses you, it can be cancelled by the general overseer, if your general overseer curses you, you can fast and pray to your father in heaven, but if God curses you, where will you go?

Freeze then reacted by asking Pastor Adeboye to back up his claims on Tithing with scriptures and not with sentiments.

Source:- https://www.nairaland.com/4163599/pastor-chris-oyakhilomes-daughter-sharon

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Controversy is trailing the extension of tenure of the managing director and the board of the Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC) by the Federal Government.

It was learnt at the weekend that the board members had received the letters extending their tenure till 2020 contrary to the extant law which terminates the tenure by next month.

The Chairman of the board is Senator Victor Ndoma-Egba. Mr. Nsima Ekere is the managing director. They assumed office in November last year..

Other members are: Adjogbe Samuel, Mene Derek, Frank George, Brambaifa Nelson and Sylvester Nsa, Ogaga Ifowodo, Uwuilekhue Saturday, Harry Dabibi, Benard Banfa, Yahaya Mohammed, Mustapha Dankadai, Mahmoud Isa-Dutse and Abdul-Kazeem Bayero.

The letter given to the members signed by the former Secretary to the Fedral Government Babachir Lawal states in part: “The appointment took effect from November 1, 2016 and you are to serve out the remainder of the term of office of your predecessor, in line with Section 5 (2) of the Act.”

President Muhammad Buhari named a new board on July 22, 2016, after dissolving the Senator Bassey Ewa-Henshaw-led board in 2015. The nominees were screened by the Senate and cleared in October.

But former Acting Secretary to the Government of the Federation, Dr. Habiba Lawal conveyed the president’s approval of a new four-year term to the board on October 16.

Lawal reportedly acted on the legal advice of the Attorney General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, Shehu Abubakar Malami.

The Ewa-Henshaw board was dissolved in 2015 because of the infighting among board members and a court case between board members and the Federal Government at the National Industrial Court, Abuja.

According to the NDDC’s Act of 2000, members of the board of the Federal Government’s interventionist agency ought to be in office for just four years, without extension, and the positions to be rotated alphabetically among the nine states.

The former Managing Director, Mr. Bassey Dan-Abia, from Akwa Ibom State, who was appointed by ex-President Goodluck Jonathan, was in office for two years, before he was dropped.

On assumption of office President Muhammadu Buhari, appointed a former Rivers State Commissioner for Information and Communications, Mrs. Ibim Semenitari, as Acting Managing Director. She was in office for 11 months.

Indigenes of Akwa Ibom state protested continually and some of them even went to court, insisting that one of their own must complete Dan-Abia’s tenure. Ekere from Akwa Ibom State was then appointed. .

At the forefront of the current protests are indigenes of Bayelsa State expecting an indigene of the state to be appointed managing director by December.

The Ijaw Youth Council (IYC),is leading the agitation.

But a member of the board, who does not want to be quoted, faulted the agitation.

He cited Section 3(1) of the NDDC Act which states that “subject to the provision of Section 4 of this Act a member of the Board, other than an ex-officio member shall hold office for a term of four years in the first instance and may be re-appointed for a further term of four years and no more.”

He also said since there is a board in place, a new Senate confirmation was not needed, in line with section 5 (3), which deals with vacancy on the board.

“Where there is no board at all in place, section 3(i) applies. Section 5(3) applies where there is a board and vacancy occurs. There must be a board in place for a vacancy to occur. A vacancy cannot occur where there is no board as was the case when the present board was appointed,” he added.

Director, Corporate Affairs of NDDC Mr. Ibitoye Abosede declined to comment yesterday when our correspondent contacted him..
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Source:- http://www.exclusivepp.com.ng/controversy-extension-nddc-boards-tenure/

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THE KEY PROJECTS

N9.8b for the Mambilla hydro power project, including N8.5b counterpart funding

N12b counterpart funding for earmarked transmission lines and substations

N35.41b for the National Housing Programme

N10.00b for the Second Niger Bridge

About N300b for the construction and rehabilitation of strategic roads

President Muhammadu Buhari yesterday proposed a N8.612 trillion expenditure for next year.

The “Budget of Consolidation” is a nominal increase of 16 per cent above this year’s estimate.

The President told a joint sitting of the Senate and House of Representatives that the 2018 Budget will consolidate on the achievements of previous budgets and deliver on Nigeria’s Economic Recovery and Growth Plan (ERGP) 2018 – 2020.

The Federal Government presented a budget of N7.44 trillion for the outgoing year 2017.

The President noted that in keeping with the government’s policy, 30.8 per cent (or N2.652 trillion) of aggregate expenditure (inclusive of capital in Statutory Transfers) has been allocated to the capital budget.

The government, he said, expects fiscal operations to result in a deficit of N2.005 trillion or 1.77 percent of GDP.

The reduction in deficit is in line with the government’s plans under the ERGP to progressively reduce deficit and borrowings.

The deficit will be partly financed by new borrowings estimated at N1.699 trillion, 50 per cent of which will be sourced externally. The balance will be sourced domestically.

Buhari noted that the balance of the deficit of N306 billion was to be financed from proceeds of privatisation of some non-oil assets by the Bureau of Public Enterprises (BPE).

The proposed N8.612 trillion for 2018 aggregate expenditure comprises:

Recurrent Costs of N3.494 trillion; Debt Service of N2.014trillion; Statutory Transfers of about N456 billion; Sinking Fund of N220 billion (to retire maturing bond to Local Contractors); Capital Expenditure of N2.428 trillion (excluding the capital component of Statutory Transfers).

On Statutory Transfers, he said N 456.46 billion was provided in the 2018 Budget for Statutory Transfers.

The five per cent increase over last year’s provision, is mainly due to increases in transfer to Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC) and the Universal Basic Education Commission (UBEC), which are related directly to the size of oil revenue.

On Debt Restructuring, the President said the debt service to revenue ratio was being closely monitored.

He added: “We shall address this ratio through our non-oil revenue-generation drive and restructuring of the existing debt portfolio. Presently, domestic debt accounts for about 79 per cent of the total debt. Our medium-term strategy is to reduce the proportion of our domestic debt to 60 per cent by the end of 2019 and increase external debt to 40 percent. It is noteworthy that rebalancing our debt portfolio will enhance private sector access to domestic credit. In addition, annual debt service costs will reduce as external debts are serviced at lower rates and repaid over a longer period than domestic debt.”

On Recurrent Expenditure, Buhari said a substantial part of the recurrent cost proposal for 2018 was for the payment of salaries and overheads in key ministries providing critical public services such as: N510.87 billion for Interior; N435.01 billion for Education; N422.43 billion for Defence and N269.34 billion for Health.

Buhari explained that the allocation to the ministries represent significant increases over votes in previous budgets.

Personnel cost is projected to rise by 12 per cent in 2018.

Buhari said although the government had made substantial savings by registering MDAs on the Integrated Personnel Payroll Information System (IPPIS) platform, the increase is mainly due to provision for staff promotion arrears, and recruitments by the military, police and para-military agencies.

He stressed that he had directed agencies not to recruit workers unless they obtained all the requisite approvals.

Any breach of the directive, the President warned, will be severely sanctioned.

Overhead Cost is projected to rise by N26 billion in 2018, a modest increase of about 12 per cent reflecting inflationary adjustments.

MDAs are required to adhere to government regulations regarding cost control.

On capital expenditure, Buhari said: ”To consolidate on the momentum of the 2017 Budget’s implementation, many ongoing capital projects have been provided for in the 2018 Budget.

“This is in line with our commitment to appropriately fund ongoing capital projects to completion. By allocating 30.8 per cent of the 2018 Budget to capital expenditure, the Federal Government is also demonstrating its strong commitment to investing in critical infrastructure capable of spurring growth and creating jobs in the Nigerian economy.”

He listed key capital spending allocations in the 2018 Budget to include: Power, Works and Housing: N555.88 billion; b. Transportation: N263.10 billion; c. Special Intervention Programmes: N150.00 billion; d. Defence: N145.00 billion; e. Agriculture and Rural Development N118.98 billion; f. Water Resources: N95.11 billion; g. Industry, Trade and Investment: N82.92 billion; h. Interior: N63.26 billion; i. Education N61.73 billion; j. Universal Basic Education Commission: N109.06 billion; k. Health: N71.11billion; l. Federal Capital Territory: N40.30 billion; m. Zonal Intervention Projects N100.00 billion; n. North East Intervention Fund N45.00 billion; o. Niger Delta Ministry: N53.89 billion; and p. Niger Delta Development Commission: N71.20 billion.

The President noted that as he previously indicated, “we aim to consolidate on our achievements in 2017”.

President Buhari specifically sought to bring the attention of National Assembly members to the following key projects and programmes that the government was determined to implement in 2018:

N9.8 billion for the Mambilla hydro power project, including N8.5 billion as counterpart funding;
N12 billion counterpart funding for earmarked transmission lines and substations;
N35.41 billion for the National Housing Programme;
N10.00 billion for the Second Niger Bridge; and
About N300 billion for the construction and rehabilitation of the strategic roads mentioned earlier.

The president said his ”administration remains committed to pursuing a gender-sensitive, pro-poor and inclusive growth”. We are keenly interested in catering for the most vulnerable. Accordingly, we have retained the N500 billion allocation to the Social Intervention Programme. Under the programme, N100 billion has been set aside for the Social Housing Programme.”

The government will also continue to implement the Conditional Cash Transfer (CCT) programme, as well as the National Home-Grown School Feeding programme in 2018.

On Regional Spending Priorities for Peace, Security and Development, Buhari noted that to maintain peace and security in the Niger Delta for economic and social activities to thrive, the provision of N65 billion for the Presidential Amnesty Programme has been retained in the 2018 Budget.

Besides, the capital provision for the Ministry of Niger Delta has been increased to N53.89 billion from the N34.20 billion provided in 2017.

This, he said, is to support the development in the region. We will complete all critical projects, including the East-West Road, which has a provision of about N 17.32 billion in 2018, Buhari said.

He said that across the nation, and particularly in the Northeast region, the government’s commitment to the security of life and property remains absolute.

“We will ensure that our gallant men and women in arms are properly equipped and well-motivated. The result of our efforts is evident in the gradual return to normalcy in the North East. It is in this spirit that I recently assented to the North-East Development Commission Bill that was passed by this Distinguished House. We expect that this development will consolidate on our ongoing efforts to combat insurgency, reintegrate Internally Displaced Persons and rebuild communities in the North East Region, which have been adversely affected by the insurgency.”

He noted that similar attention is being given to efforts to reduce violent crime across the country.

Cyber-crimes and the abuse of technology through hate speech and other divisive material that is being propagated on social media will get attention, according to the President, it was not immediately clear how the government will do this. There are rumours that some website, maybe blocked – a potentially controversial move.

He said that the Sovereign Wealth Fund, which was established in 2011 with US$1 billion, did not receive additional investment for four years when oil prices were as high as US$120 per barrel.

“However, despite record low oil prices, this Administration was able to invest an additional US$500 million into the Fund. This further demonstrates that in our struggle to have a stable and secure nation today, we have not, and will not, lose sight of the need to lay a solid foundation for the future prosperity of successive generations,” he said.

The Sovereign Wealth Fund to look inward and invest locally.

The President spoke of stability in the foreign exchange market due to the interventions by the Central Bank of Nigeria to improve access to liquidity, discourage currency speculation and increase net foreign exchange inflows.

He said, “As at the 30th of October, 2017, our external reserves had increased to US$34bn.”

On improved Tax Administration, the president said “Although the economy is diversified with non-oil Sector accounting for over 90 per cent of total Nominal GDP, the Government’s revenues are not as diversified yet. Our Tax-to-GDP ratio of about 6% is one of the lowest in the world. This situation is not consistent with our goal of having a diversified, sustainable and inclusive economy. Accordingly, we are stepping up efforts to ensure all taxable Nigerians comply with the legal requirement to declare income from all sources and remit taxes due to the appropriate authorities.

“Already, we have introduced the Voluntary Assets and Income Declaration Scheme (VAIDS) on the 1st of July, 2017. The Scheme provides non-compliant taxpayers with a nine-month window to regularise their tax status relating to historical periods. In return, overdue interest and penalties will be forgiven. In addition, no investigations or criminal charges will be brought against participating taxpayers. We expect that this Scheme will widen the tax net for both the Federal and State Governments. I am therefore, asking all Nigerians to seize this opportunity and do right thing. Let us not shy away from our duty to build a better Nigeria.”

“ Furthermore, we have also invested a lot of time and effort in identifying alternative means of funding new projects. For example, the recent 100 billion Naira Sukuk Financing will cater specifically for the development of 25 roads across the country. We also developed different structures that empower private investors to contribute to the development of roads of significant national importance. Already, we are seeing results. For example:

“The Bonny-Bodo Road is being jointly funded by the Federal Government and Nigeria LNG Limited. This project was conceived decades ago but it was abandoned. This Administration restarted the project and when completed, it will enable road transportation access for key communities in the Niger- Delta region.”

“The Apapa Wharf-Toll Gate Road in Lagos State is also being constructed by private sector investors in exchange for tax credits.”

President Buhari noted that Power Sector Reforms still remained a work in progress.

“The Federal Government’s estimated total revenue is 6.607 trillion Naira in 2018, which is about 30 percent more than the 2017 target. As we pursue our goal of revenue diversification, non-oil revenues will become a larger share of total revenues. In 2018, we project oil revenues of 2.442 trillion Naira, and non-oil as well as other revenues of 4.165trillion Naira.

“Non-oil and other revenue sources of 4.165 trillion Naira, include several items including: Share of Companies Income Tax (CIT) of 794.7 billion Naira, share of Value Added Tax (VAT) of 207.9 billion Naira, Customs & Excise Receipts of 324.9 billion Naira, FGN Independently Generated Revenues (IGR) of 847.9 billion Naira, FGN’s Share of Tax Amnesty Income of 87.8 billion Naira, and various recoveries of 512.4 billion Naira, 710 billion Naira as proceeds from the restructuring of government’s equity in Joint Ventures and other sundry incomes of 678.4 billion Naira.”

Proposed Expenditure for 2018

“A total expenditure of 8.612 trillion Naira is proposed for 2018. This is a nominal increase of 16 percent above the 2017 Budget estimate. In keeping with our policy, 30.8 percent (or 2.652 trillion Naira) of aggregate expenditure (inclusive of capital in Statutory Transfers) has been allocated to the capital budget.

“ We expect our fiscal operations to result in a deficit of 2.005 trillion Naira or 1.77 percent of GDP. This reduction is in line with our plans under the ERGP to progressively reduce deficit and borrowings.

“ We plan to finance the deficit partly by new borrowings estimated at 1.699 trillion Naira. Fifty percent of this borrowing will be sourced externally, whilst the balance will be sourced domestically. The balance of the deficit of 306 billion Naira is to be financed from proceeds of privatisation of some non-oil assets by the Bureau of Public Enterprises(BPE).

Source:- http://www.exclusivepp.com.ng/buhari-proposes-n8-6tr-budget-consolidation/

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Stakeholders in the middle belt, comprising Benue, Plateau, Kogi, Kwara, Niger, Nasarawa and Taraba State, have voted against secession. They accepted the indivisibility of Nigeria as a country, and dissociated themselves from any group which is clamouring or preaching balkanisation of the country.

Their stand was contained in a communiqué by Chief John Mamman (Chairman) and Màiyaki Idris (Secretary) of the Middle Belt Group, after their meeting at Slim Top Suite Hotel Jos, Plateau State.

The group also rejected the idea of returning to regionalism, saying as a people, they have resolved to control their political destiny and will resist any undue influence from outside.

Source:- http://www.exclusivepp.com.ng/middle-belt-reject-secession-vote-one-nigeria/

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The Federal Ministry of Health has blamed Plateau and Gombe states for the death of 91 people caused by snakebites.

The Minister of Health, Prof. Isaac Adewole, said this in a statement signed by the Director of Media at the ministry, Mrs. Boade Akinola, on Monday.

Adewole also denied reports that the Federal Government had run out of stock of the anti-snake venom for the treatment of the victims

He said the states failed to apply for the anti-snake venoms through the proper channel.

The statement read in part, “The Minister of Health, Prof. Isaac Adewole, has debunked the rumour that the government has run out of stock of the anti-snake venom for the treatment of snakebite victims.

“Reacting to the report of the death of 91 people as a result of snakebite in Gombe and Plateau states within three weeks, the minister said the ministry still has some vials of anti-snake venom stocked in the Federal Ministry of Health, from the 2016 procurement from which states and other treatment centres were issued upon request.

“The states in question have refused to comply with the new procedure of request, hence their inability to access the product from the ministry.”

He said so far, five states had made requests and had been given the venom for the treatment of victims in the last four months, of which the last was in September 6, 2017.

Adewole, however, expressed worry over the availability of the venom in the near future as the 2017 procurement had been removed from the ministry and put under the National Primary Healthcare Development Agency

He also called on the snakebite prevalent states to invest in procurement of anti-snake venom for their people.

The minister warned that the Federal Government could not continue to procure and distribute free venom to states indefinitely as currently being practised.

“The Federal Government is, however, working on Public Private Partnership arrangement for local production of anti-snake bite venom which will make the product available, affordable and accessible,” the minister said.

Source:- http://www.exclusivepp.com.ng/fg-blames-plateau-gombe-snakebite-deaths/

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The ongoing issue around a court order asking the Central Bank of Nigeria and 19 Deposit Money Banks to release the details of all accounts without the Bank Verification Number with a view to seizing the funds in them took a new twist on Monday as indications emerged that the lenders named in the suit had engaged the services of a top law firm to address the matter.

Already, the law firm has approached the court for an extension of time to appeal the court order.

Top bank executives privy to the development told our correspondent that all the affected lenders were ready to appeal the court order and had instructed the law firm to file for an extension of time to do so.

“All the banks are ready to appeal the court order. We have engaged the services of a law firm to begin that process. The legal firm is expected to have filed the papers for an extension of time at the court. This will help us prepare for the proposed appeal,” a top executive of a tier-1 bank told our correspondent under the condition of anonymity on Monday.

A Federal High Court in Abuja had on October 17 ordered the forfeiture of all monies in bank accounts owned by corporate organisations, government agencies and individuals without the BVN.

The forfeiture order, which was issued by Justice Dimgba Igwe, while ruling on an ex parte application filed by the Federal Government through the Office of the Attorney General of the Federation, is not final yet.

The accountholders had 14 days to claim ownership of same and show cause why the amounts in them should not be permanently forfeited to the Federal Government.

The court also ordered the banks to advertise the accounts without the BVN in a widely circulated national newspaper as notice to those who might have any interest in them.

The court gave the order on October 17 following an application that was filed on September 28.

Justice Dimgba adjourned until November 16 for the hearing of the substantive application seeking the forfeiture of the sums in the accounts without the BVN.

The judge ordered the banks to file an affidavit of disclosure before the court, showing the names of the affected accounts, the account numbers, outstanding balances, domiciliary accounts and the bank branches where the accounts were domiciled.

The court directed that the order be equally served on the Central Bank of Nigeria.

Our correspondent gathered on Sunday that although the banks had started compiling the lists of accounts without the BVN, they were not in a hurry to publish the details of such accounts, especially before the November 16 scheduled for the substantive hearing on the case.

Meanwhile, the DMBs are also lobbying the Office of the Attorney General of the Federation to back down on the plan by the Federal Government to seize monies in the bank accounts of customers without the Bank Verification Number.

Source:- http://www.exclusivepp.com.ng/bbvn-banks-engage-law-firm-appeal-court-ruling/

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Makarfi overrules endorsement of aspirants

Battle for secretariat in Ogun

Gbolarumi, Ladoja fight for control

Party: chairman not Southwest’s show

The opposition Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) appears to have slipped back into trouble, barely three months after the Supreme Court resolved its leadership tussle.

Ahead of the party’s December 9 national convention that will produce a new leader, it is battling to resolve crises in at least six states where the congresses for the election of delegates and state council executives have thrown up problems.

The troubled state chapters are: Oyo, Ogun, Osun, Adamawa, Zamfara and Gombe. The congress is yet to hold in Lagos where the party is also divided.

The party held parallel congresses in Oyo and Ogun states. Two factions were yesterday locked in a bitter struggle to take over the secretariat in Abeokuta, the Ogun State capital.

But the biggest confusion was raked up by some leaders in the Southwest who, believing that the party’s chairmanship had been zoned exclusively to the zone, excluded some aspirants from the race. They endorsed others.

But yesterday, the Ahmed Makarfi-led caretaker committee and Southwest Vice Chairman Eddy Olafeso dissociated themselves from the endorsement.

All aspirants interested in the race for national chairman were cleared to pursue their aspirations.

A November 3 document signed by Board of Trustees (BoT) member Alhaji Shuaibu Oyedokun shortlisted only three of the eight Southwest aspirants.

The Oyedokun document cleared Chief Olabode George, Prof Tunde Adeniran and Prof Taoheed Adedoja for the race. George and Adeniran are members of the BoT.

The list excluded Otunba Gbenga Daniel, Alhaji Rashidi Ladoja, Mr. Jimi Agbaje, Mr. Akintayo Akin-Deko and Prof Wale Oladipo.

Party spokesman Dayo Adeyeye yesterday described the endorsement of some aspirants as “a non issue because we read the report in the newspapers just like every other person did”.

“They never informed the national secretariat about the matter and that should not stop any interested aspirants from pursuing their aspirations.”

According to him, since the position of the chairman had been zoned to the South, qualified members from any of the three geopolitical zones in the South are eligible to contest.

A statement by Olafeso said: “The South West Zonal Executive takes serious cognisance of the purported endorsement of some aspirants to the office of the National Chairman of our Party and wishes to state very firmly that the executive dissociates itself from that action outright..

“We equally wish to underscore the fact that we detest this act of impunity and will not support any action that will infringe on the fundamental rights of any party man to aspire to the highest position in the party. In furtherance of this, we affirm that all those gentlemen from the Southeest that wish to contest for the position of the National Chairman of the party are at liberty to continue to pursue their ambition without encumbrance or hindrance.

“We also wish to respectfully declare that the said decision to shut out people from contesting the election is a mere personal decision of a few as many members of the BoT we have contacted on this score have firmly disassociated themselves from this action and even their absolute ignorance of any meeting called for that purpose.

The issue of adopting a common position in the party is a serious action that must take due cognizance of every tendency within the party. The PDP is a people’s party and not the personal estate of a few and this executive will not stand by idly and allow anyone, no matter their privilege status, to impose their views or desires on the generality of the party.

Party sources said the bitter battle in the Southwest might have opened the way for the Southsouth to grab the party’s top post as former Deputy National Chairman Uche Secondus is waiting in the wings with the support of some governors.

The argument of the party’s leaders from the south west is that it is the zone that should naturally be allowed to take the chairman’s slot having never produced a chairman in PDP’s 19 years of existence.

BoT Chairman Senator Walid Jibrin said the party would provide a level-playing ground to all the aspirants.

He insisted that the chairmanship position is zoned to the entire South.

He told reporters yesterday in Kaduna: “I want to state clearly that the meeting in which such decision (to endorse aspirants) was taken was never in the instant of the National Board of Trustees and that we cannot afford to hold such meeting now as done in South west”.

Jibrin added: “In the Southwest we have two BoT members contesting for chairman and who should never be in a meeting where such a sensitive decision was taken.

“I will like to urge all BoT members in all the zones not to undertake such meetings without first intimating the BoT Chairman. I have invited Chief Shuaibu Oyedokun to a national caucus to explain what led him to champion that exercise.

“I want to further advise all other organs of our party to be extra careful not to rush to any one-sided decision. All aspirants must exercise restraint of give and take and wait for proper guidelines from the National Working Committee.

“I want to assure all aspirants to the various positions in the National Convention that they will be given full and fair play. Never again will our party witness any impunity. Count me out in any game that deliberately excludes any aspirant from fair participation. The delegates of our convention should be allowed to decide in accordance with set-up rules of the party,” he stated.

Fight broke out in Osun State at the weekend during the state congress. The factions also did not agree on the way forward.

Caretaker Committee of the PDP in the state Sarafa Ishola and other members of the committee were at the party secretariat along Gbogan-Osogbo road when the fight broke out.

Security men had to fire gunshots into the air.

Ishola was accused of working for the Governorship ambition of Chief Iyiola Omisore by some factional members.

But one of his loyalists Dr. Bayo Faforiji denied the claim.

In Ekiti, PDP leaders are not seeing eye to eye with Governor Ayo Fayose as a result of the governor’s endorsement of his deputy Prof. Olusola Kolapo as candidate in next year’s election.

PDP Publicity Secretary Dayo Adeyeye and Senator Biodun Olujimi are openly opposed to the governor. Fayose is also known to have rejected the candidacy of Prof Adeniran, an Ekiti man seeking to be PDP chairman.

The governor has also declared his intention to contest for president.

Source:- http://www.exclusivepp.com.ng/pdp-crises-grow-states/

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Italian prosecutors are investigating the deaths of 26 Nigerian women – most of them teenagers – whose bodies were recovered at sea.

There are suspicions that they may have been sexually abused and murdered as they attempted to cross the Mediterranean.

Five migrants are being questioned in the southern port of Salerno.

A Spanish warship, Cantabria, docked there, carrying 375 migrants and the dead women, following several rescues.

Twenty-three of the dead women had been on a rubber boat with 64 other people.

Italian media report that the women’s bodies are being kept in a refrigerated section of the warship. Most of them were aged 14-18.

Most of the 375 survivors brought to Salerno were sub-Saharan Africans, from Nigeria, Senegal, Ghana, The Gambia and Sudan, the daily La Repubblica reports.

Among them were 90 women – eight of them pregnant – and 52 children.

There were also some Libyan men and women on board.

People-smuggling gangs charge each migrant about $6,000 (£4,578) to get to Italy, $4,000 of which is for the trans-Saharan journey to Libya, according to the Italian aid group L’Abbraccio.

Many migrants have reported violence, including torture and sexual abuse, by the gangs.

In the year to 1 November, 150,982 migrants arrived in southern Europe by boat from North Africa, the International Organisation for Migration (IOM) reports.

Of them, 111,552 (nearly 75%) came via the Central Mediterranean route to Italy. The number who died on that route was 2,639, the IOM says.

The others arrived in Greece, Cyprus or Spain. The total is less than half the 335,158 who arrived in the same period of 2016.

Last year the total for Greece was higher than that for Italy.

Special Assistant to the President on Foreign Affairs and the Diaspora Mrs Abike Dabiri said “it is tragic, unfortunate and heartbreaking”.

She said: “We need to step up sensitization and awareness on the dangers of such method of migration.

“The boats being used are now smaller and more dangerous and the people on the other end are not so eager to safe them anymore.

“Don’t forget also, that they pay as much as $4,000 to go on such trips.

“Even if they survive, they only end up as slaves wherever they end up.

“The President Muhammadu Buhari Administration has been working with IOM to bring back volutary returnees.

“About 5,000 were brought back in the last six months, full of regrets and tales of woe that they wished they were never deceived into such trips.

“I condoles with the families of the victims and appeal to our your to stop being victims. It is not worth it, either in the short or long term.”

Source:- http://www.exclusivepp.com.ng/26-nigerian-women-found-dead-sea/

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With a fun ambiance marked with bright lights, excited whistles, loud speakers and all night sing-alongs, the Heineken, ‘Live Your Music’ party, delivered an exceptional music experience to music lovers and consumers in Abuja and Lagos.

Guests in both cities witnessed the best of music and entertainment hosted by none other than U.S.-based Nigerian artiste, Jidenna.

The first event was held on October 27 in Abuja, while the finale, which served as the after-party for the Heineken-headlined Lagos Fashion and Design Week 2017, was held at the Eko Atlantic, Lagos on Saturday, October 28.

The finale in Lagos kicked off with DJ Big N and DJ Neptune dropping hits from Nigeria’s biggest entertainers to set the tone for an exciting night of music.

Anchored by the popular hype man Do-2d-tun, the special feature of the night, the ‘Takeover’ session – provided guests the opportunity to ‘live their music’ as the crowd had the chance to openly vote for their favourite songs through the Heineken ‘Live Your Music’ wristbands they wore.

The songs with the highest votes were played in real time from the DJ set to the delight of the crowd.

Jidenna led the crowd into pulsating sessions of good music, taking them on a jolly ride as he performed his monster hits ‘Classic Man’, ‘Little Bit More’, ‘Particular’ and a premiere of his latest single ‘Boomerang’.

Musical performance was also provided by Mavin artiste, Tiwa Savage as the party kept on till the early hours of Sunday, October 30.


Source:- http://www.exclusivepp.com.ng/jidenna-thrills-heinekens-live-music-parties/

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