Wetin we go call this one now

Suspected Boko Haram gunmen kidnapped 15 girls overnight in a village near Toumour, southeastern Niger, the local mayor said on Saturday.

According to the News Agency of Nigeria, NAN, Boukar Mani Orthe, the mayor of the town in Niger’s Diffa region near the border with Nigeria, said about 50 unidentified armed men seized the girls in a village about nine kilometres from the town centre.

On Thursday suspected Boko Haram fighters killed eight people working at French drilling company, Foraco’s water well site in Toumour.

Boko Haram has been waging an insurrection since 2009 aimed at establishing an Islamic state in northeast Nigeria. It has launched repeated attacks into neighbouring Niger, Chad and Cameroon.
[attachment=0]Boko-Haram.jpg[/attachment]
The violence has killed thousands of civilians and forced millions to flee their homes in the large Lake Chad basin region.


Kidnapping of schoolgirls has been a Boko Haram horror mark, since its fighters in 2014 kidnapped more than 200 schoolgirls in Chibok, Borno State, in Nigeria.

It also staged this year, another major kidnap of schoolgirls in Dapchi, Yobe state.

In Mali, French forces said they “put out of action” some 30 Islamist militants, possibly including veteran Malian jihadist leader Amadou Koufa, during a raid in the central Mali region of Mopti.

The French army, which has about 4,500 troops in West Africa battling Islamist militants, did not specify whether the jihadists had all been killed or taken prisoner. The operation took place with air support on Thursday night, it said.

SOURCE: https://flowbaze.com/viewtopic.php?t=501

“At this stage of the evaluation of the operation, it appears that about 30 terrorists were put out of action,” the army said in its statement on Friday, adding that Koufa and other prominent militants were probably among them.

Koufa, a radical preacher, inspired the Massina Liberation Front (MLF), a group blamed for a wave of attacks that has shifted Mali’s six-year-old Islamist insurgency from the remote desert north ever closer to its populous south.

The presidency has rejected the claim made by former President Goodluck Jonathan on corruption in the Muhammadu Buhari administration.

In his recently published book, ‘My Transition Hours’, Jonathan criticised the Federal Government for not only worsening the level of corruption in Nigeria but also chasing away investors by de-marketing the country abroad.

He also claimed that corruption was more prevalent under the current administration than under him and dismissed the current anti-graft war as a mere media show.

In a statement on Thursday, the Senior Special Assistant on Media and Publicity, Mr Garba Shehu, however, described Jonathan’s position as “hollow boasts.”

SOURCE: https://flowbaze.com/viewtopic.php?f=42&t=440&sid=7c3c31f4058d819af1a4156633700603

He also faulted the former President for lacking the will to fight corruption when he was in office.

Shehu stated, “The Presidency rejects former president, Dr @GEJonathan’s astonishing claim, to the utter surprise of many, that there is more corruption in the country compared to when he left office. This is absolutely untrue. The facts on the ground today run contrary to his outlandish claim.”

He further explained that top government officials, as well as former military commanders, are being prosecuted for the first time because of Buhari’s efforts in checking corruption in the country.




The presidency has rejected the claim made by former President Goodluck Jonathan on corruption in the Muhammadu Buhari administration.

In his recently published book, ‘My Transition Hours’, Jonathan criticised the Federal Government for not only worsening the level of corruption in Nigeria but also chasing away investors by de-marketing the country abroad.

He also claimed that corruption was more prevalent under the current administration than under him and dismissed the current anti-graft war as a mere media show.

In a statement on Thursday, the Senior Special Assistant on Media and Publicity, Mr Garba Shehu, however, described Jonathan’s position as “hollow boasts.”

He also faulted the former President for lacking the will to fight corruption when he was in office.

Shehu stated, “The Presidency rejects former president, Dr @GEJonathan’s astonishing claim, to the utter surprise of many, that there is more corruption in the country compared to when he left office. This is absolutely untrue. The facts on the ground today run contrary to his outlandish claim.”

He further explained that top government officials, as well as former military commanders, are being prosecuted for the first time because of Buhari’s efforts in checking corruption in the country.

Read Also: Jonathan Accuses Obama Of Working For His Defeat

“For the records, this is the first time a ruling party is investigating ranking officers of the administration, including some at the very top.

“In addition to the many firsts recorded by President Buhari’s administration, the government has introduced a lot of changes, considering that the laws relating to the fight against corruption cannot reasonably be static.”

“Also, this is the first time a ruling party is convicting high profile citizens including former governors, who are members of the same party,” Shehu said.

The presidential aide also stated that the international community in recognition of the Federal Government’s fight against corruption appointed President Muhammadu Buhari as the Anti-Corruption Champion of the continent.

The Presidency rejects former president, Dr @GEJonathan’s astonishing claim, to the utter surprise of many, that there is more corruption in the country compared to when he left office. This is absolutely untrue. The facts on the ground today run contrary to his outlandish claim.

— Garba Shehu (@GarShehu) November 22, 2018

cooluzi:

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Hello Everyone,

Good day and hope you all are doing fine?

We just want to use this medium to caution you all not to waste your dear life or involve yourself in any activities that might make you regret for the rest of your life.

1, Be cautious of what you read and how you react on social media.
2. Don’t indulge in activities that can lead to Political disaster, your life is important.
3. Safeguard your friendship with people that hold different opinions about your chosen candidate/party.
4. Take things easy and pray for the best for our dear nation.

God bless us all!!
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A psychiatrist, Dr Maymunah Kadiri on Saturday advised married women to have regular sex with their spouses in order to prevent depression and gain happiness.

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By Johnbosco Agbakwuru ABUJA – THE Organised labour on Thursday, told the Nigeria’s Governors Forum, NGF, that the threat to retrench workers should the new minimum wage of N30,000 agreed upon by the Tripartite Committee be implemented was an invitation to anarchy with grievous consequences. The organized labour also said that the governors threat to sack workers was not new in the struggle for review of the national minimum wage in Nigeria and that the N30,000 was a product of intense and robust negotiations at the National Minimum Wage Tripartite Negotiation Committee that lasted for one year between November 2017 to November 2018.

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The Academic Staff Union of Universities, ASUU, has said it was not in a position to determine whether an end to its ongoing strike is in sight.

ASUU Chairman, University of Abuja chapter, Dr. Ben Ugheoke, said this on Wednesday in an interview with DAILY POST in Abuja.

Recall that the lecturers, penultimate week embarked on industrial action over the failures of the Federal Government to implement its part of the agreement it signed with the union towards ensuring proper funding of the universities, the payment of full salaries by state-owned universities, and the payment of earned academic allowances, among others.

SOURCE: https://flowbaze.com/viewtopic.php?f=28&t=208&sid=27c8cfeb65106e4e00e3c34ad157c98a

Speaking, Dr. Ugheoke explained that the onus lay with the Federal Government to call ASUU to the negotiation table with a view to bringing an end to the strike.

“I can’t tell if an end to the strike is in sight. If the Federal Government calls us for negotiations, we are not against that. But, we are in the government’s position,” he said.

On whether his chapter of the union had plans of pulling out of the ongoing industrial action, he said: “The strike is national. Whatever ASUU’s NEC (National Executive Council) directs, that’s what UNIABUJA chapter follows.”

Meanwhile, ASUU National President, Prof. Biodun Ogunyemi, has said the union was ready to commence negotiations with the government over the ongoing strike.

Ogunyemi said a meeting with the Federal Government delegation has been scheduled for Thursday, one o’clock at the instance of the Minister of Education, Malam Adamu Adamu.

Argentina legend, Diego Maradona, has noted that Cristiano Ronaldo’s departure from Real Madrid to Juventus in the summer was good for the player.

The Portugal international left Santiago Bernabeu after his nine-year stay during the summer, making an £88million switch to Turin.

Ronaldo left just weeks after helping Real Madrid to their third Champions League title in a row.

The 33-year-old has began to flourish in Italy and scored against former club, Manchester United, last week.

While Maradona acknowledges Real are missing Ronaldo, he stated that the move will work out as a positive for both the player and the club.

“I think that it was a good move for Cristiano,” Maradona told Marca.

SOURCE: https://flowbaze.com/viewtopic.php?f=12&t=207&sid=3f260b666e574e3b231c8071c36c2cb0

“He gave his all to Madrid, he wasn’t enjoying it as much as he does now in Italian football and Florentino is always planning.

“When he saw Ronaldo was only getting a goal a game he sold him.

“Clearly yes [Real are missing Ronaldo], but I always say that a player doesn’t make a club.

“Madrid will recover, they will win again, they have a great squad but the truth is that CR7 continues to score goals and people will say why was he sold.

“I always say that Florentino is clever and if he let him go it was for a reason.”

Senate President Bukola Saraki has asked Adams Oshiomhole, national chairman of the All Progressives Congress (APC), to quit politics.

Saraki made the statement in Ilorin on Wednesday, on the sidelines of a remembrance ceremony held in honour of his late father.

On Sunday, the Department of State Services (DSS) had detained Oshiomhole after some APC governors alleged that he received bribes during the party’s primary elections across the country.

Saraki said based on allegations leveled against Oshiomhole, he had no right to remain the APC chairman, let alone remain in politics.

“Oshiomhole has no locus standi to talk about morality in today’s Nigeria’s politics. That must be a joke coming from Oshiomhole talking about moral ground,” he said.

SOURCE: https://flowbaze.com/viewtopic.php?f=11&t=206&sid=3f260b666e574e3b231c8071c36c2cb0

“Oshiomhole is somebody who has been told to have been collecting not even naira but dollars from candidates and he is being accused by his party’s aspirants and governors.

“I don’t think he has any moral ground, even to continue to be in politics not to talk about being a chairman of a party.

“I remember in those days even Oyegun, they never accused him of something like this. I have left that party. I’m sure the president, based on integrity, knows the right thing to do. So, on moral ground, he cannot speak on moral ground.”

During a show on Arise Television on Tuesday, when asked if there are plans to impeach Saraki, Oshiomhole said it’s an “issue of morality,” adding that the senate president now belonged to a minority party which shouldn’t have oversight over a majority party.

APC IN DI IBERIBE

Permanent Secretary, Federal Ministry of Health, Abdulaziz Mashi Abdullahi, stated this at the on-going mental health action committee and stakeholders workshop in Abuja. Mental health Abdullahi, who attributed the country’s high burden of mental disorders to inadequate attention paid to mental illnesses, misconceptions and lack of awareness on the part of the Nigerian public, said more people will be disabled by psychological challenges than complications arising from HIV/AIDS, heart disease, accidents, and wars combined by the year 2020.

He identified ways of addressing the country’s mental health burden to include: fast-tracking the enactment of the Mental Health Act as well as the resuscitation of the national mental health action committee for the coordination of stakeholders’ activities on mental health and psychosocial supports in the country. He said: “In Nigeria, an estimated 20%–30% of our populations are believed to suffer from mental disorders. This is a very significant number considering Nigeria has an estimated population of over 200 million.

“Unfortunately, the attention given to mental health disorders in Nigeria is inadequate. The level of awareness of the Nigerian public on mental health issues is also understandably poor, and with lots of misconceptions. “By 2020, it is estimated that common mental disorders such as depression, anxiety, and substance abuse-related disorders, will disable more people than complications arising from HIV/AIDS, heart disease, accidents, and wars combined! This is an astonishing statistic and possesses serious questions as to why mental health disorders are not given the needed attention that it currently receives.

“A policy for mental health services delivery was developed with several key provisions of the policy, including establishing a body at the Federal Ministry of Health to focus on Mental Health issues. “Some of the pertinent issues is how to address and dialogue with stakeholders on the burden of mental health, intimate them on the Mental Health policy, identify ways to fast track the enactment of the Mental Health Act and modalities for resuscitating the National mental health action committee for coordinating the activities of various stakeholders on mental health and Psychosocial supports in Nigeria.”

Also speaking, the Director of Public Health in the ministry, Dr. Evelyn Ngige, described the Ngeria’s statistics on mental health disorders as damning considering the current economic hardships in the country. Her words: “Considering the current economic situation in the country, the above statistics are damning and in the light of the recent suicidal episodes recorded in parts of Lagos (which are obviously a tip of the iceberg), it forces a rethink in our general attitudes to mental health and questions our current maintenance of the status quo.”

In his remarks, Dr. Rex Mpaazange, the WHO Lead on Communicable and Non-communicable Diseases Intervention, also lamented Nigeria’s high burden of mental health disorders; noting that “People with severe mental disorders – moderate to severe depression, bipolar disorder, and schizophrenia and other psychotic disorders – generally have a life-expectancy 10-20 years shorter than the general population.”

SOURCE: https://flowbaze.com/viewtopic.php?f=5&t=140&sid=ec52ec60dfd4dd63676deaecd83c1561

Lagos / Benin The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) will this week begin investigation into allegations of financial impropriety leveled against the embattled national chairman of the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC), Comrade Adams Oshiomhole, and his Chief of Staff, Abbas Braimoh.

Speaking with Daily Independent at the weekend, a member of the party’s National Working Committee (NWC), who spoke on condition of anonymity, said the anti-graft agency will invite Oshiomhole for interrogation over the allegations as they constitute financial crime.


According to him, there were series of petitions forwarded to the anti-graft agency by some aggrieved stakeholders of the party following the outcome of the just concluded primaries where it was alleged that Oshiomhole allegedly collected bribes to award the party’s tickets to the highest bidder.

“From available information, I believe the EFCC is looking into the matter and the national chairman and his Chief of Staff may be invited this week. Aside the DSS, some aggrieved members also petitioned the EFCC, alleging that the recently concluded primaries were marred by bribery allegations.


“While many of the aspirants didn’t come out in the open, we have seen people like Osita Okechukwu, the Director-General of the Voice of Nigeria (VON), who pointedly accused Oshiomhole of corruptly enriching himself through the primaries. He also urged the DSS and EFCC to immediately probe the call logs of Oshiomhole.

“So, I believe the EFCC will begin its probe this week. Those who wrote the petition will be made to present their facts while the national chairman will defend himself”, he said.

“What happens, thereafter, will determine the fate of the national chairman”, he noted.

On whether President Muhammadu Buhari will not intervene just as he was reported to have done when Oshiomhole was grilled by the DSS, another source in the presidency said while he was not aware of the EFCC case, the president will not intervene if indeed Oshiomhole is found guilty.

“I don’t think the president will shield him or prevent EFCC from doing its job. If you know, the president has always given the EFCC a free hand to investigate anyone no matter how highly placed. The president will not stop EFCC from doing its job.

“Remember, the general election is just few weeks away and one of the campaign promises is the fight against corruption. So, how can it be said that he is shielding the national chairman of his party from being investigated? If he does that, the opposition will latch on to that and it will not do his image or the party a lot of good.


“If the president decides to investigate the DSS saga, that is understandable based on reports that the DSS asked the national chairman to resign. It is not their responsibility to do that since he was elected by members of the party. If found guilty, the DSS should come out and say so and allow the party do the needful”, he said.

Efforts to reach the EFCC and Oshiomhole proved abortive as calls and text messages sent to their phones were not answered as at the time of going to press.

Oshiomhole, who had earlier addressed the media at the weekend, had denied collecting money from anybody to favour them at the primaries, saying if it has to do with money, the governors, who are making the allegations, are better placed to do such.

Also speaking on his invitation by the DSS, he stated that if it is about corruption issue, there won’t be need for intervention of the agency, but the EFCC.

“Let me tell you, I’ve heard some people talk about bribe and Imo State. I’ve looked round and I’m asking myself, who, in Imo State can afford to bribe me.

“Ordinarily, I should be protective of the person in power who should have the resources to dole out something. But I’m standing on principle, so that cannot happen and that did not happen. So, who is it in Imo that can induce me?”

He also denied reports that he met with National Leader of the APC, Asiwaju Bola Tinubu, in London over his interaction with the DSS.

Oshiomhole, who spoke to reporters in Benin City after attending the interdenominational service to mark Governor Godwin Obaseki’s second year in office, explained that there was no reason for him to go to London to see Tinubu when he could easily see him in Lagos.

The former Edo State governor said he has unhindered access to the Presidential Villa to see the leader of the APC, President Muhammadu Buhari.

According to him, “What am I doing in London? Why should I go to London to see Tinubu when I can see him in Bourdillon?

“What are the issues between him and me that we are to resolve in London? The leader of the party which is President Buhari, I have access to the Villa all the time. I don’t need to go to London to see my leader through the Queen.

“The truth is that once a news reporter succeeds in preaching one lie, he is obliged to preach several lies to sustain the one lie. Some of the media having allowed opposition to misuse them to fake news they now feel obliged to faking more news but I am here and I am fine.”

Speaking about the grievances of some aspirants, Oshiomhole urged them to learn from President Buhari, who contested for the presidency three times without losing hope. He said there was no way he could make all the contestants win at the primaries.

Reacting to the issue, the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) challenged Oshiomhole to come out clean on whether he actually collected money to favour some aspirants in his party or not instead of avoiding the issue when quizzed by journalists.

Kola Ologbondiyan, the party’s National Publicity Secretary, in a chat with Daily Independent said Oshiomhole should tell Nigerians whether he actually received bribes from APC aspirants or not.

“If you went through everything the national chairman of APC said about his invitation by DSS and his interactive session he deviated from the fact of the matter. What are the facts of the matter?

“The fact of the matter was that he was invited and investigated on issues bordering on malfeasance and corruption. During his interview with journalists, Oshiomhole tactically avoided the questions posed to him about corruption.

“The position of PDP is very clear. We believe that the DSS invited Oshiomhole particularly on issues bordering on corruption. He should address that corruption issue and tell the media the truth. Until he does that, everything he said is secondary. It is of no bearing and does not matter to the issue at stake.

“The issue at stake is: did he collect money from aspirants seeking the party’s ticket or not and gave the ticket to the highest bidder? This is a clear case of corruption if true and if the EFCC has taken over the case, to us in the PDP, it is a welcome development”, he said.
SOURCE: https://flowbaze.com/viewtopic.php?f=11&t=118&sid=4ef3601b95bad19f3a4e46c4769e0ef0

Senator Ifeanyi Ararume, governorship candidate of the All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA) in Imo State, speaks on his chances in the 2019 governorship election . He also speaks on his plans if elected as governor of the state. TEMIDAYO AKINSUYI brings the excerpts:

You emerged the governorship candidate of APGA in Imo state in a primary that featured contentions here and there. How are you managing the fallouts?

We had our primaries. We finished with it. The parties have submitted names. Like in every contest, you have winners and losers. But the most important thing is to unite the party by talking to all those who contested the primary with you at all levels. We talk to them that APGA is one big formidable family.

SOURCE: https://flowbaze.com/viewtopic.php?f=11&t=117&sid=4ef3601b95bad19f3a4e46c4769e0ef0

All of us must work together. The size of government is very large and everyone has to find some accommodation somehow. People will work from the local government level up to the national level. We have the local government that will take some people, others will be interested to do business with government. There is a lot to be done. But what is most important is to unite everybody and making APGA a formidable machine to win the election in 2019. That is what we are doing.

You met some people on ground when you joined APGA from APC and there were issues raised after you won. How are these stakeholders taking your victory?


We had our structure before the primary. That was a campaign structure put together specifically for the primary. That is done with now. The primaries are over and now, we have to get together as a party. The party will drive the campaign henceforth. We are bringing everyone together into the campaign.

Are you not bothered about the development of a group within APGA which appointed Ike Ibe as consensus candidate?

You don’t appoint a consensus candidate after a primary election. What will be the platform? The party’s guidelines on the conduct of primary elections are there and they are clear. Even before the primaries, if you meet and appoint someone, the person still has to go through the process of election as set out by the party. The person still has to stand for a Yes or No vote. The electoral panel will still come to observe and ratify it and then send the report to the party. So, what they have done was done out of time and outside the party’s guideline.

Former Imo state governor, Ikedi Ohakim, wrote an article which was published in the papers and he alleged that the APGA primary was for the highest bidder. How do you reconcile your position and those of some people who seem implacable with the outcome?

I won’t like to join issues with Ohakim. In any case, I am not the national chairman of APGA. However, if the ticket was for the highest bidder, he would have bidded higher. He was a former governor and nobody would have bidded higher than him. Unfortunately, the APGA ticket was not for sale. Those who voted had seen all of us. Ohakim was given opportunity to lead Imo state for four years and the people saw him perform. The delegates to the APGA primary election were all adults when Ohakim was governor. They saw him as governor. There are others who have not had the opportunity. I am sure the delegates, in their wisdom, decided to try some other person. Ohakim is my brother. I love him as my brother and will continue to love him as a brother. I think that the best he should do is to support a brother who is now the candidate.

What do you think are the most challenging issues in the governance of Imo state right now?


For me, the most challenging aspect of our governance is to get our people back. There is high distrust among the people and against the government. Our people are like a conquered people. The task is to bring them back to the level they were before and restore their confidence. If you look at Imo critically, for instance, the education sector, you will find that nothing works.

Also, the dilapidation of infrastructure is an issue. Again, if you look at our traditional institution in Imo state, you will find that it has been destroyed and reduced to nothing. To bring Imo back is a task that must be done and to do that, you need a formidable team. Luckily, we have a very vibrant crop of young people who are ready to work. All you need to do is to bring them together, engage them and they will do the work

If you take over, what policies of the incumbent government will you uphold and which would you drop? Secondly, how would you address the narrative of personalisation of governance in Imo?

The governor of Imo state, Owelle Rochas Okorocha, may have meant well in trying to open up some roads in Imo state. There is no doubt about that. But one thing is to open up roads, it is another thing to make them meaningful. To open up a road, one important thing is to have a quality study by experts on the implications and the end points. If you open up a road, what would you achieve? That is a very critical question. You don’t do a four-lane road that empties in a single lane.

In Imo state today, every local government area has a general hospital, long before Rochas came. But what makes a hospital? It is the equipment, consumables and qualified medical personnel. But in the last eight years, it is debatable if Imo state has recruited medical doctors, not to talk of nurses. So, for me, instead of building 27 hospitals in the 27 local government areas that you have become unable to complete, you can have only three well-equipped and functional referral hospitals in the three senatorial zones and then upgrade the general hospitals also by equipping them and employ appropriate personnel for them.

One of the candidates you will face is the APC candidate. He is believed to be a tough customer. How prepared are you to tackle him?

Those who argue that there are no differences between the APC candidate and the incumbent, may, in a way, be right because both of them are from the same senatorial district. They are from the same Orlu senatorial district that produced Udenwa who was there for eight years. That district has held the governorship for 16 years and the APC candidate is also coming from there. Many people in Imo state feel it is not fair on the sensibility of people from other zones. To that extent, there is no difference. But again, in terms of the issues of governance, every Imo person knows the three of us. I am the candidate of APGA. Hon. Emeka Ihedioha is candidate of PDP and Sen. Hope Uzodimma is candidate of APC. We are not new to Imo. Imo people know us all and they know our pedigrees. Imo people knew me before I became senator in 1999. The people should know these details so they can make informed decisions. Emeka is an Anglican. I am a Catholic. Hope is a Catholic too. So, we are also known among the clergy. Who can give our people the leadership confidence that they seek? Who can look at situations dispassionately and take action; who can act in the interest of the state and not of friends and cronies? Imo people should ask themselves who among the three of us can lead Imo without looking at what benefits their family.

There are some political elite in Imo who believe that you are independent minded and cannot be controlled, what do you say to them?

If I am Imo governor, nothing will make me compromise quality, no matter who you are. I believe that I am going to leave Imo the best. Everyone who needs a job, and is competent and qualified to handle the job, will get it. Again, if you look at all the states where there have been this control you talked about, you would wonder what the outcome has been. It did not work in Zamfara. It did not work In Kano. It did not work in Akwa Ibom. Control has not worked anywhere where you made someone a governor and believe you will control him from the outside.

keep talking

this politicians self!!!
they can not stay one place

why dey no go win man u

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Senator Bukar Abba Ibrahim is the lawmaker representing Yobe East Senatorial district on the platform of the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC). In this interview with CELESTINE OKAFOR in his Abuja residence, Ibrahim who was a former governor of Yobe State and currently the Senate Committee Chairman on Environment and Ecology, said APC will win the presidential poll and that he would campaign hard to ensure that president Muhammadu Buhari wins in the North East zone. Excerpts:

A few days ago in your state of the nation address during your book launch, you were reported to have said that your party APC is heading towards electoral defeat in 2019 due to a series of unpleasant developments in the party. What were your basis for such predictions?

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I didn’t mean that APC will lose the North East zone in the 2019 elections. The press quoted me out of context. They reported that l said the APC will lose elections in the North East which is not true. What l said is that l am concerned in the way and manner our leaders in the party are handling issues in the North East, particularly with the emergence of Atiku Abubakar, the former Vice President of Nigeria as PDP presidential candidate. That development has put a lot of burden on us political leaders in the North East. So what l said was a wake-up call. Our party should wake up and we should tighten our belt and work very hard to make sure that we defeat Alhaji Atiku Abubakar in the North East geo-political zone. Atiku coming from the North East zone of Adamawa state puts a lot of pressure on us. And also being a former Vice President of Nigeria, Atiku is not a push-over. We all know how resourceful Atiku is. So my statement was a simple wake-up call for us to take the matter seriously if we want to defeat Atiku in the North East and deliver the zone to our president, Muhammadu Buhari. It was a simple wake-up call but now the press reported that l said the APC will lose the North East. We are not going to lose the North East. We just need to work harder to ensure overwhelming victory. My first concern is for the APC to win the general election. Secondly, l want APC to deliver the North East to the president. Three, l want President Muhammadu Buhari to come back to power in 2019 and complete his second tenure. So looking at all these issues, l felt l should warn my supporters, my colleagues and political associates to wake up and do very well in the North East. That’s basically what l said but the press misinterpreted it to mean that we are going to lose North East. Buhari will win the North East and all the geo-political zones, Insha Allah!

You also said something noteworthy, that both the North East where you come from (Yobe) and the North West where President Buhari come from (Katsina) have always played divergent politics until 2015 elections when you led political leaders of the North East zone to cement a political bond between the two zones so as to ensure Buhari’s victory then. What were those differences and how did you do it?

Yes, l did that because we, I and Buhari are in the same party, Buhari was our presidential candidate and we were all working towards achieving the same goal. I was the one that initiated that historic move for the political merger between the North East and the North West and the other parties. That time, the merger was consummated by the former ANPP, ACN, CPC and APGA. We came together and delivered and won the election clearly in the North East. Regarding your question about the political differences between the North East and the North West, it was just the basic divisional ideological, tribal, linguistic, cultural and certain minor and religious differences of the Nigerian politics. These differences are the same all over the country. So all along, we have been in different political parties from those from the North West. But this time around, l initiated this merger which culminated in getting the ACN, the ANPP, the CPC and APGA to merge and become one and we won clearly by simple majority. That was just my concern. But the press turned the whole thing upside down to report wrongly that l said president Buhari will lose the North East. I never said or meant that.

It was also insinuated that your reported outburst or rather the concern you showed regarding your party’s fate in the 2019 elections, was born out frustration and anger that you lost your senatorial ticket in the last primary to your state governor?

It is not true! I voluntarily stepped aside and left the senatorial slot for my governor. I and the governor (Ibrahim Gaidam) come from the Yobe East Senatorial district. He showed interest in the senate seat which l am occupying now, so l voluntarily left it for him.

Why did you do that?

Well, this is a man l have associated with politically for a long time. I took him right from Assistant Directorship position in the state civil service and promoted him to the rank of a Permanent Secretary. I also made him a Commissioner and also a deputy governor to late governor Mamman Bello Ali. When l made him a deputy governor, l had to even backdate my approval of his appointment because l was leaving the government house then as governor. The governor at that time was also my close political associate. When we lost him to the cold hands of death, this present governor now took over. So why should l be struggling the same position with my political son. Why? A governor who still call me his leader? It is not right. I thought l should go beyond that. I am supposed to be the leader of politicians in the North East rather than fight or struggle with somebody l made so much effort to build. So l gracefully and very tactically withdrew from the senatorial race. I said l wasn’t going into any primary elections this time, particularly with my governor, my political son showing interest in the same position. Uptil today, the governor calls me Baba! Baba!.

Your action was indeed a rare display of remarkable sacrifice in political Godfatherism in the Nigerian context. Why do you think elderstatesmen political leaders like you still cling to power like a mistletoe even when they are no longer able to function in that capacity?

It is greed! It is absolutely not right. For me l have been a governor since the age of 42 for 10 years cumulatively. I was governor of Yobe state for two years between 1991-1994 under the military government of former president Ibrahim Babangida until General Sani Abacha came and sacked us. Then in 1999, l was re-elected for another eight years ending in 2007. That made it all to ten years as governor. I became a senator three times from 2007 to 2011 and from 2011 to 2015 and then again from 2015 going to 2019. What else am l looking for? . I have been in politics for over 40 years now and l have never ever lost a single election in my life. Why should l at this last minute go into competition with my political son? That is my decision. I have done a lot for my senatorial district, for my state, for my country and for my people. So enough is enough! Life is not all about politics. I can do other things now. I have a big farm which l can go and develop. I have houses in Abuja, Maiduguri and Damaturu. I can go and stay in any one of them and now turn to God and look at life in the hereafter. Seventy years in life is not a joke. I have worked in the civil service. I have been a Director, a permanent secretary, a governor and a senator. Enough is enough, l don’t want to continue struggling with the younger people who are coming up. I am the grandfather of Yobe politics. I gracefully accept that position and l intend to play a role in that context.

You also accused your party APC of squandering some of the lofty dreams by the party to turn the fortunes of Nigeria for good, and that failure in this regard has put your party on the same level with the PDP in the public reckoning. What were those failed dreams?

Well, the major dreams are about the development of the country. Taking the country out of economic doldrums and fighting corruption and the issue of insecurity. But sincerely speaking, President Buhari has done very well in security matters. He has not done so well in the area of economy but he has definitely improved and still improving. I believe in his second tenure, he will do better. Nigeria will be a better place for everybody. President Buhari’s dreams are about the same with our dreams, the dreams of the APC. He is doing well in fostering those dreams. That is why l will go out and vigorously campaign for him. President Buhari needs to return and continue with those dreams. That is the task ahead of me now. Insha Allah! I am happy with his effort in the Single Treasury Account (TSA) which is revolutionary. It has drastically curtailed looting of our money and corruption generally in the system by people in positions of power. More of the stolen billions are still being recovered. It means that corruption is being fought. Corruption, as president Buhari often says, will kill Nigeria if Nigeria doesn’t kill corruption. Then again, agriculture is another area the president has done well in the economy. I am a farmer, though l have not directly benefited from the government’s agricultural policy or loan support, but l have seen farmer benefitting, becoming millionaires here and there. Rice and other grain producing farmers in Nigeria for instance are making it big courtesy of president Buhari’s agricultural policy. That is one critical area of the economy where this government has done excellently well.

You were quoted in your controversial address as saying that Mr President’s anti-corruption war is selective. Was it a slip of tongue or you were misquoted?

No! It was not at the level of Mr President that this war is selective. It is at the lower level of the administration. People who think they are APC want anti-corruption war to punish those they perceive as non APC. The president cannot descend from his top level to know what these lower level officers are doing, using him as a cover. The problem is just officials whose responsibility it is to fight corruption. Officials of government and the party right from the ward level, should all wake up to fight corruption in a transparent manner. There is urgent need for transparency at every level in the war against corruption. That is exactly what l meant. I have never seen anybody being picked up by the presidency for punishment for acts of corruption simply because that person is not APC. I need to clear that.

Can you appraise the government’s effort in the war against insurgency particularly in the North East where you come from?

You know, there was a certain stage in the Boko Haram insurgency in my zone that l couldn’t go home to Yobe state. For that three years, the farthest l could go is Damaturu (the state capital). I could not go to the villages. For that three years l could not go to my own village. My house was mistakenly bomb by the soldiers when they were pursuing the insurgents. My father’s house was also bombed. My grandfather’s mosque, a very old mosque which l modernized was completely bombed down by the soldiers, believing that there were Boko Haram insurgents hiding there. No insurgent was occupying the place and nobody was killed. Even my father’s house was not spared. But that l have forgiven because it was a mistake.

Your party APC is still mired in crisis as a result of issues arising from the recent party primaries. The issue of approving a direct primary process for some states and an indirect primary for others by the leadership of your party also seem to have compounded the existing problems. Some governors and other elected office holders who felt they were given a raw deal are now in the forefront of the campaign for the removal of the national chairman, Comrade Adams Oshiomhole. What is the way out?

You see, we don’t have to kick Oshiomhole out in other for us to ensure improvement in that regard. All that the party need to do is to simply approve two types of primaries – a consensus and direct primaries, and everybody will be happy about it. This indirect primary is very bad. It encourages a lot of corruption. Those in power will manipulate the whole thing and turn it in their Favour which is wrong. It is either a consensus or direct primaries. You don’t need to remove Adams Oshiomhole to achieve that. The national chairman is trying. The chairman before him, John Odigie Oyegun did extremely very very well.

But why was Oyegun removed by your party leaders if he did very well as you claimed?

No! Oyegun was not removed by anybody. He decided to withdraw from the race. It was a voluntary decision on Oyegun’s part. He didn’t lose an election. There was no election. He chose to go on his own accord on the eve of the convention and Oshiomhole won. That was what happened.

How do you think APC should handle this post-primary impasse?

I think we are trying. Almost everywhere that l know we have issues, things have settled. This kind of situation is expected in a political party. APC as a large party cannot afford to have all its members agree at one time. But what is important is that we use consensus approach to resolve all minor differences. Those who felt cheated should be reconciled and then we move on. There is a lot of benefits in politics than we have in military rule. For the governors who have shown loyalty and support to the party and to the president, the leadership of the party should find a way to pour oil on the troubled waters. What l mean is that in one way or the other, the party should find an amicable way out of it because we are going into an election that the APC cannot afford to approach with levity and therefore we need to carry everybody along.

Within the North East Zone, how would assess the electoral chances of Vice President Atiku Abubakar of the PDP who incidentally is from the North East state of Adamawa and President Muhammadu Buhari who is so much loved in the zone essentially on account of his affiliation with the area and what he has done for them as a former military governor?

President Buhari has done a lot for the people of the North East so much so even when he was governor. His wife, Aisha, is also from the North East, from Adamawa as Atiku. His political support base is from the North East. The people of the North East are predominant in his government. Buhari is always at home politically and otherwise in the North East. That was why l warned that we in the APC should gird our loins for a fierce battle in the North East in this 2019 election. There is no way Atiku Abubakar can beat Buhari in the North East. Buhari is respected, trusted and tested by our people. Since l was born, there is a road in my area in Yobe state called Gwoza, Gamboa-Gambu road that has defied every government including my own government from being constructed. During my grandfather and my father’s days, the road couldn’t be built. But president Buhari is building that road today. He has broken that jinx. So l see no reason why our people will abandon a man who has done so much for them in the 2019 elections. That was why l warned that our party should not take things for granted.

SOURCE: https://www.flowbaze.com/2018/11/atikus-emergence-has-brought-burden-on.html

Arsenal boss, Unai Emery, has hailed Nigeria international, Alex Iwobi, after their 1-1 draw with Liverpool on Saturday.

The Spaniard praised Iwobi for his superb impact off the bench against Liverpool but urged the winger to keep improving.

Iwobi started from the bench with Henrikh Mkhitaryan preferred on the right wing.

The Nigerian, however, came off the bench and set up Alexandre Lacazette’s equaliser with a brilliant pass.

It was his third Premier League assist of the season.

“We need every .er and the characteristic each .er has is important, and Iwobi he can impact hard in the match after starting in the bench,” Emery told BT Sport.

READ MORE: https://www.flowbaze.com/2018/11/epl-unai-emery-speaks-on-iwobis.html

Shehu Sani, the senator representing Kaduna Central, says governors under the All Progressives Congress (APC) have no respect for President Muhammadu Buhari.

Speaking on the ongoing crisis rocking the ruling party, Sani said National Leader, Bola Tinubu had done his best to resolve the crisis that forced him out of the party but that Tinubu did not achieve much because he is not from the north.

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The Kaduna lawmaker claimed President Buhari and the National Chairman of the APC, Adams Oshiomhole were too weak and have succumbed to the powers of the governors.

Sani in an interview with The Nation said: “I must be very frank with you, Tinubu has done his best but there is a limit to what he can do.

“He isn’t from the North and has a lot of issues to attend to but what was very clear, I won’t rain insults on the President or Chairman of the party, but what I would say is that their weaknesses, their vulnerability, their failures have been evident in the very sense that they were helpless in the face of firepower by the state governors.

“The Buhari administration is now run by invisible forces and has disconnected from the vision it started with.

“If you look at his attitude to governance and his philosophy of being for everybody and nobody has led the party nowhere and it is also leading the party nowhere

“If you are a leader, you cannot preside over a nation by body language or side language. You have to take decisions, you have to be decisive. You don’t also have to depend on the decisions of others but you can consult others for the decisions which you are going to take.

“The governors under the APC today don’t respect President Buhari; they have no respect for him and they don’t share what his philosophy is all about.

“While the chairman of the party sees the need to preserve the loyal band within the party, the governors don’t see the need for it. They want to plant their stooges. As far as I am concerned, the seat that I occupy, the Kaduna Central senatorial seat, Nasir el Rufai is putting a stooge there to keep the place for him so that after he is out of government, he can also be a senator.

“The governors see senatorial seats as places they should preserve for their future and that’s why you find some people going to the national assembly without standing up to do their work as parliamentarians, because they were there standing in for somebody.”

DAILY POST recalls that Sani sometime last month resigned his membership of the ruling APC and joined the Peoples Redemption Party (PRP) due to injustice in the party.

SOURCE: https://www.flowbaze.com/2018/11/buhari-oshiomhole-too-weak-shehu-sani.html

Abuja – President of the Senate, Bukola Saraki, governor of Abia state, Okezie Ikpeazu and some federal lawmakers from the upper chamber of the National Assembly at the weekend, eulogised Senator Mao Ohuabunwa for being honoured with a Doctorate Degree in Political Science by the Gregory University, Uturu, in Abia state.
Senator Ohuabunwa, who bagged the doctorate degree, represents Abia North in the 8th Senate and he’s the Chairman, Senate Committee on Primary Health Care and Communicable Diseases.
The award, which was the highlight of the 5th convocation of the University came barely few months after Senator Ohuabunwa had empowered over 500 people including 250 widows and youths from the five local government areas of Abia North in fulfilment of his campaign promises.
Saraki, governor Ikpeazu and other senators who spoke at the event, described Senator Ohuabunwa as a special gift and blessing to the 8th Senate, the nation and entire people of Abia North.

SOURCE: https://www.flowbaze.com/2018/11/saraki-ikpeazu-others-extol-senator.html

The West African Examination Council has presented attestation certificate and confirmation of school certificate result to President Muhammadu Buhari.
https://www.flowbaze.com/2018/11/see-photos-of-president-buhari.html

The United States Embassy has reacted to clashes between members of the Islamic Movement of Nigeria and security operatives in the Federal Capital Territory, Abuja.

The US Embassy issued a statement on Thursday (today), calling for restraints from both sides. The statement read;

The United States Embassy is concerned by the deaths resulting from clashes between Nigerian security forces and members of the Islamic Movement of Nigeria in areas surrounding Abuja.

We urge Government of Nigeria authorities to conduct a thorough investigation of the events and to take appropriate action to hold accountable those responsible for violations of Nigerian law. We urge restraint on all sides.

The crisis first unfolded on Saturday as troops from the Army Headquarters Garrison at Zuba, Gwagwalada Area Council of the FCT, reportedly gunned down six followers of the sect. The Army, however, claimed responsibility for three deaths.

Since the clash at Zuba, there has been heavy security presence in all the major entry points into the city, in an attempt to restrain to sect.

The Shiite members kick started their annual Arbaeen symbolic trek on Sunday, which also served as cover for a protest march against the continued detention of their spiritual leader by the federal authorities, with the clashes happening throughout the three days of the march/protest which led to the loss of many lives.

SOURCE: http://www.flowbaze.com/2018/11/usa-reacts-to-clash-between-shiite.html

LAGOS – The Minister of Finance, Zainab Ahmed has expressed concern over the 42 months pension backlog owed by the Federal Government, saying that the Federal Government is committed to ensuring that all pension backlogs are cleared.

According to her, she is working with Pension Transitional Arrangement Directorate (PTAD) and relevant government agencies to make sure that backlog of outstanding pension arrears are cleared.

PTAD said in a statement issued recently noted that the Federal Government has regularly made monthly pension payments to all retirees under the Defined Benefit Scheme (DBS) on PTAD payroll.

“The attention of Pension Transitional Arrangement Directorate (PTAD) has been drawn to calls by the Nigeria Union of Pensioners (NUP) and the Federal Universities Pensioners Association (FUPA) over the non-payment of the balance of the 12 and 36 months arrears respectively of the 33% pension increase to pensioners.”

“For the record,” it added, “the backlog of the 33 percent pension arrears has been owed since 2010 as a fall out of the upward review of the minimum wage to N18, 000.00. Though the increment had been approved, it was not implemented immediately thus creating accumulated arrears of 42 months.”

“PTAD commenced payment of the 33 percent pension payment increase in October 2014 and ensured that all arrears for the year 2014 were paid in December 2014.

In 2016, the backlog of the 33 percent pension arrears for the Customs, Immigration and Prisons Pension Department was fully paid. In the same year, 12 months pension arrears were paid to pensioners under Civil Service, Police, Parastatals Pension Departments.

In November 2017, the Federal Government through PTAD, further paid 6 months arrears across board to pensioners under Civil Service, Police and Parastatals Pension Departments”.

SOURCE: http://www.flowbaze.com/2018/11/finance-minister-expresses-concern-over.html

There was chaos at Christ the King Cathedral, (CKC) in Aba, Abia state after members of the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB) vehemently opposed a prayer for peaceful election in 2019.

It was gathered that the IPOB members went berserk after the prayer request by the Reverend Father.

The IPOB members who opposed the prayer, said that there will be no election in Igbo land as stated by their leader Nnamdi Kanu – till referendum is conducted as they raised the group’s (IPOB) flag and also American flags while causing commotion during the service.

source: http://www.flowbaze.com/2018/11/ipob-members-disrupt-church-service.html