₦airaland Forum

OAUTemitayo:
You dey mind vanguard? How would Gbajabiamila influence the constituency projects of Osun and Niger state when he is not representing them?
Vanguard sucks

It was also gathered that a document linking the Majority leader of the House, Femi Gbajabimila with constituency projects worth over N4 billion which is domiciled in Osun and Niger States against the initial N1.8 billion constituency projects allocated to him was in circulation.

Babatunde Fashola, minister of power, works and housing, says the seeds of Nigeria’s economic recession was planted during the administration of President Goodluck Jonathan.

Jonathan led Nigeria between 2010 and 2015.

The minister attributed the present state of the country to the reckless fiscal policies and poor choices of the past.

Fashola however, stressed Nigeria will bounce back from the current recession and that the President Muhammadu Buhari-led government will improve infrastructure in the country.

While speaking on Saturday at a forum organised by the Nigeria Infrastructure Advisory Facility (NIAF) in London, Fashola said: “Today, we face challenging economic times. The commodities boom is gone. We have suffered consecutive negative growth and are economically experiencing a recession.

“The reason is simple. It is not what the Buhari administration has done, it is a result of the profligate fiscal policy between 2010 and 2015, when we not only under-budgeted (N4 trillion) in the face of deficient infrastructure, we also compounded it by providing 15 per cent for capital expenditure, which was under-funded and 85 per cent for recurrent, which we adequately funded.

“If infrastructure drives growth as we have experienced from the great depression to the Marshall plan, and lately fiscal stimulus in recent years, our current economic recession is the result of yesterday’s policies and choices especially during 2010- 2015.

“Sometime in March 2015, a little over a year ago, before the Buhari government, a snap survey of four construction companies which I constructed revealed that they had laid off 5,150 workers because government was not paying these construction companies for work done.

“Since my assumption of office, in the ministry of power, works and housing, meetings with contractors in power, works and housing reveal that contractors have been owed 2 to 3 years. These are the seeds of recession, planted and nurtured between 2013 and 2014. The Buhari government knows the cause, and has designed the proper solution: fiscal stimulus and capital spending.”

The minister further noted that the contractors have started recalling workers, and are resuming work on construction sites, since the passage of the 2016 budget,” he said.

“The response is that in the last few weeks since budget was passed, construction companies that had demobilised from their sites and laid off workers due to lack of payment since 2014, are re-mobilising to rail, road, power and other construction sites, and re-calling workers.

“These are the first signs of productivity; they signal a clear pathway out of recession, and although results take time to manifest, Nigeria has chosen an appropriate pathway out of economic difficulty.”

lalasticlala

shammah1:
Igbos have really suffered in the hands of some wicked Kano people. Buhari has destroyed the unity of Nigeria. Shame on these religion extremists

’Femi Asu

As the scarcity of kerosene continues to hit many households in the country, some fuel marketers are mixing the product with black oil to get Automotive Gas Oil, popularly known as diesel, our correspondent has learnt.

Sources said the rise in the price of diesel was responsible for the development, which, according to them, has been on for some time now.

The scarcity of kerosene, used by many Nigerian households, has resulted in up to 100 per cent increase in its price, as it now sells for as much as N300 per litre in some parts of the country.

One of the sources, who is an official of an independent marketing firm in Lagos, said “Since diesel price went up, some marketers have been mixing kerosene with black oil to get diesel. They do this because they want a cheap price for diesel, between N150 and N160, which is not realistic now.

If depots are selling for as much as N180 per litre, it is not realistic for you to expect to buy AGO for N135-N140.

“Also, black oil is cheap; by the time you mix it with kerosene, it gives you a bigger volume of diesel. Most people originally use black oil for engine oil production, and it is imported like other chemicals.”

When contacted for a comment, the Deputy Manager, Public Affairs, Department of Petroleum Resources, Mr. George Ene-Ita, said he was not aware of the combination of kerosene and black oil to get diesel.

“If this is the case, then there is a clear case of a breach of protocol and contract, and you can rest assure that the DPR will try to get to the root of this aberration, find the culprits and bring them to book,” he said.

The supply of kerosene by the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation through its subsidiary, Pipelines and Product Marketing Company, which marketers largely depend on for the product, has reduced in recent weeks.

The Executive Secretary, Major Oil Marketers Association of Nigeria, Mr. Obafemi Olawore, in a telephone interview with our correspondent, said the foreign exchange scarcity plaguing the country was preventing members of the group from importing kerosene.

He said, “For the Premium Motor Spirit we are importing, the NNPC is helping us with the dollars. The NNPC has spoken to the international oil companies; so, some of them are giving us the dollars.

“Even the NNPC cannot combine importation of everything because where is the dollar? The militants (attacking oil and gas facilities) are not allowing crude to sell at the correct quantity level that will bring in more dollars.”

Journey to mega crude theft
In a memorandum to former President Goodluck Jonathan dated August 26 , 2011, entitled: “Memorandum on Weight and Measurement (Legal Metrology ) Service Fee Order 2010 as provided in Measures Act Cap 467 LFN 1990 (now Cap W 3 LFN , 2004), ” the ministry made an observation. It said that the lack of legal metrology in the nation’s oil terminals was making the country lose a minimum of N30billion annually because “it does not have the equipment and personnel to discharge these functions.

The busy town of Gboko in Benue state was thrown into confusion on Wednesday, July 27, 2016 as mob in the area burnt an unidentified young man.

Pulse exclusively gathered that the young man allegedly stole a three month old baby from a house at Bristow round-about in the aftrenoon.

"We just heard the baby's mother screaming 'thief, thief' and we came out only to see the boy running with the baby," a source said.

"Some boys in the area collected the baby and started beating him while the others were looking for tyre and calling more people to come out.

"He was begging and crying but the other boys did not listen," the source added.

The incident caused traffic gridlock popular road which connects the Benue to Cross River state.

Police officers were yet to arrive the scene of the incident as at press time.

Nyesom Wike, Rivers state governor, and Chibuike Amaechi, minister of transport, have agreed to sheathe their swords and to let peace reign in their state.

The truce was brokered by Ibrahim Idris, inspector-general of police, and Lawal Daura, director-general of the Department of State Services (DSS).

Donald Awunah, police spokesman, disclosed this in a statement on Tuesday.

“In a concerted effort to guarantee a violent-free and credible re-run senatorial/house of representative elections in Rivers state, a crucial meeting to chart the path to peace in Rivers state before, during and after the re-run elections in the state was held today, July 26, 2016 between the inspector-general of police, Ag IGP Ibrahim K. Idris and the director-general of Department of State Services, Musa Daura,” he said.

“The two major players in the politic of Rivers state, His Excellency Nyesom Wike, the governor of Rivers state and the Hon minister of transport, Rotimi Amaechi were in attendance.

“The meeting deliberated on the overall need to have peaceful, free and fair election devoid of violence, which was the hallmark of the previous elections in the state.

“The governor, His Excellency Nyesom Wike and minister, Rotimi Amaechi resolved to be irrevocably committed to lasting peace and vouched to play the game by the rules in the forthcoming re-run elections in the state.

They also agreed to prevail on their teaming supporters to adhere to their commitment to peace and security in the state.

“In addition, the two major stakeholders agreed to convene another meeting in Port Harcourt, Rivers state, aimed at further solidifying the commitment to peace reached in the meeting, which is a prelude to the roadmap that will usher a permanent and lasting peace in Rivers state.

“The meeting was held in an atmosphere of mutual respect and cordiality.”

Wike and Amaechi hve one of the bitterest rivalries in Nigerian politics, with each publicly accusing the other of corruption and violence on numerous occasions

lalasticlala

While Other Hair Dressing Salons Are Moneyspinners And Thriving With Impressive Patronage In Lugbe And Other Parts Of Abuja, That Of Mrs. Happiness Arikpo Michael Was A Source Of Constant Sorrow And Regret. CLEM KHENA OGBENA Reports

Ignorance might have played some dangerous pranks on the young proprietress of Happy International Hair Dressing Salon, Mrs. Happy Arikpo Michael. She was, apparently, unaware that the business premises she had acquired on lease had beneath its beautifully tiled floor, some fetish materials, capable of scaring away both the old and potential customers.

She was confident in herself and trusted her ability to deliver quality services to customers. But after a period of no good results from her business, Mrs. Arikpo Michael whose salon is located at Zone 6 Lugbe 2, Airport Road, Abuja, wondered why customers were not patronising her salon as much as expected, not even her old customers would like to come near her salon.

So, the curiosity to unravel the mystery behind this dryness or rather no customer no money scenario, prompted Arikpo Michael who hails from Ugep in Yakor Local Government Area of Cross River State to invite the pastor of her church to the salon to pray and anoint the place for spiritual cleansing for a reversal of the negative situation.

With a hoe and cutlass, the prophet broke and ripped open part of the floor of the salon to get at a bow of calabash of a modest size with cover and was subsequently exhumed from beneath the floor of the salon.

Fetish Calabash
In the full glare of members of the public, a pot containing a lifeless pigeon was exhumed. Many onlookers were either scared stiff or held spell bound , because of the content of the calabash. In her explanation, the dressing salon operator stated: “I was in my working place which I collected on June 29, 2016, when I called on my prophet to come and pray for me, because there is no work, and finally when my daddy in the Lord came, he found out that there is something in the ground and there are tiles on the floor of the salon.

“So, he now prayed, and after the prayer, he asked me to go and bring him a cutlass; before I went to get the cutlass, my own mother was already at the place and as I was away to get the cutlass , my mother ran after me and said I should come and see what the prophet has removed from the ground in the salon.

When I came back to the salon, I saw a calabash with a cover and inside it, there was a big dead pigeon and other juju materials. The summary is that these are the things making customers not to come to my salon, and if I work, the money would go to the woman that gave me the shop. So, that is how we found out the place was under a spell. ”

However, Happy appears to be standing between the devil and the deep blue sea, in the sense that her attempt to tackle and overcome this spiritual bondage has brought her face to face with the threat of her landlady, who is now spitting fire.

Voodoo contract
In tears, Happy told Inside Abuja that: “Now , the woman is boasting and threatening that she is going to fight me physically and spiritually , and that I should go and bring the fetish things back into the salon. She told me she was the one that put or buried the juju there, and I should pay her some money; whether I have stayed up to a complete month or not, is not her business.
She said I must give her all the money I made throughout my stay, since I decided to destroy the juju pot. But I did not make any money; that is even the reason I invited my church pastor to pray on the place.

“There is nothing for me to use to pay. It ’s only when I get customers and make money that I can pay any money. She insisted I must pay the money before she would return from Lagos and that I have forgotten that she is an Ijebu woman and let me wait and see what will happen to me.

I first gave her the sum of N3,550, being the money so far made from the sales of such items as weave- on , relaxers and shampoo. But she said I must pay her N6,000. I am only two weeks old there, and people know me in salon business but since I moved into that place, no customer has come to patronise me, even my old customers avoid me.

For this woman who leased the place to me, she was making it or getting customers when she was using the place herself. Knowing that the juju is no longer bringing customers, she deceived and made me move into the place, so that whether customers or no customers, I must pay her money. ”

Happy further told Inside Abuja that, due to the threats issued by her landlady, she had to move out of the business premises in peace, more so when the prophet further announced that it was not yet time to celebrate, as more fetish objects were still buried in the four corners of the salon. According to Happy , the prophet’ s later revelation drove some cold shivers down her spine, even though the prophet was very much on hand to tackle the situation.

The vision
Commenting on the incident, an eyewitness , Mrs. Happiness Osuoha explained: “I was around that place when the man of God came. So, he was praying with the lady and told her that he had seen a vision that somebody had buried something in the salon. The prophet pointed to the direction where the juju was buried. “Behold!
There was a calabash and when they opened it, a lot of things, including a pigeon , were found inside the calabash and tied with some things. He brought the calabash out of the hole and started praying and binding everything. I was really shocked and I held my hands over my head, wondering who must have done this evil and wicked thing to this lady.

People are so wicked. ” In an interview, Prophet Abubakar Emmanuel Ajodo, General Overseer of In His Presence Prayer Mission (a. k. a Daily Miracle) Zone 1, Lugbe 2, Airport Road, Abuja, said he discovered that what had been responsible for the bad luck and lack of patronage were the negative potent powers of some fetish materials buried somewhere in the salon.

“Happiness is a daughter of In His Presence Prayer Mission. At a point in time, she rented a shop where she is doing her hair dressing business, but unfortunately things were not moving as expected.

Everything was going down day by day; for the period of time she spent there , nobody was coming. She made a phone call to me telling me ‘daddy, I need you to come and pray in the shop.’ So, we went there to pray and the Lord revealed to me, even though the floor was tiled, that there is a fetish object buried in the ground here, which needed to be removed for her progress to open up, so we got materials like cutlass and hoe. “So, we removed the tiles and opened up the ground to bring out the fetish container.

Lo and behold! There is a big calabash, containing a big pigeon which is already dead and other fetish things as well as sacrifice that has been made on it. The next day, other fetish things were found in the four corners of the shop, as planted by the former user of the shop, who leased the place to Sister Happiness,” the cleric said.

Scriptural background
Prophet Ajodo confirmed to Inside Abuja that the original owners of the shop threatened to deal with the salon operator. He however assured that no harm will come to her “because we are on the Lord ’s side and the Lord is the Head of all principalities and powers,” according to the scriptures.

LalasticlaIa:
Did the donkey complain?

martineverest:
dat is y there are many mad men roaming in benin.....their antecedents affect their future

House Speaker Yakubu Dogara dropped former Appropriation Committee chair Abdulmumin Jibrin following pressure from members, it was learnt at the weekend.
Members asked Dogara to choose between them and Jibrin in the aftermath of the padding of the 2016 budget, The Nation gathered.

The Speaker sensationally removed Jibrin last week but the lawmaker lashed out at Dogara and three other principal officers, saying they should resign because, according to him, they prevailed on him to pad the budget in their favour, but he refused to.

It was also learnt that members were angry that they were all sidelined by Jibrin and his counterpart in the Senate, Sen. Danjuma Goje.

There were strong indications last night that the House may suspend Jibrin when it resumes in September.

According to a principal officer, who pleaded not to be named because he is not permitted to talk to the media, most members of the House were disappointed over the padding of the budget.

The source said: “You can ask any member of the House, the padding of the budget created an image crisis for the National Assembly, especially the House.

“Members were angry and, at a point, they asked Dogara to choose between them and Jibrin. The Speaker’s hands were tied but he was, however, tactical in not removing Jibrin immediately after the Appropriation Bill was passed into law.

“We kept on mounting pressure on him to remove Jibrin or else he will pay for it.
“It became unbearable when Jibrin was allegedly summoning heads of MDAs to his house on the budget. Members also resorted to going cap in hand to Jibrin for inclusion of some projects in the budget.

“When President Muhammadu Buhari returned the budget and the National Assembly was asked to review the padded areas, the Speaker called Jibrin for an update. But in what appeared a snub, he told Dogara: ‘Will you come down to my house to see what we are doing?’ He disrespected the Speaker who appointed him into office.”

Responding to a question, the source added: “Certainly, Jibrin will go on suspension for his affront against the leadership of the House. We won’t tolerate indiscipline.”

Another ranking member said Jibrin ran into trouble following an agreement between the Presidency and the National Assembly to jack up the Army and the Air Force estimates by N15billion.

The source said: “There were claiming for credit for the increase in the votes for the Army and the Air Force. Besides, members of the Appropriation Committee were shocked that there was subtle demand for gratification by a member.”

“The Committee was uncoordinated because of Jibrin’s attitude. In fact, most members of the committee had little input into the budget,” the source said, adding:
“ The Executive arm was also tired of Jibrin’s misdemeanour. At a point, some members of the Executive were always asking Dogara: ‘when will you remove that boy? Won’t there be sanctions from the House for those involved in budget padding?’ We got to this sorry state.”

A second term House member said: “We warned the Speaker against appointing Jibrin as the chairman of the Appropriation Committee because when he headed the Committee on Finance, his action made ex-Speaker Aminu Tambuwal to weep one day over a budgetary matter. This incident happened in the 7th National Assembly.

“Ex-Governor Rabiu Kwankwaso prevailed on the former Speaker not to suspend Jibrin. Tambuwal’s brother, Kwamkwaso’s bosom friend and the ex-governor asked his friend to beg the ex-Speaker to forgive Jibrin.

“All these people are alive; you can crosscheck these facts.

lalasticlala

By Brandon Real in Abuja

The opposition Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, yesterday declared that Nigerians are eager to have the party back in power at the national level because of the biting scarcity, hardship and poverty in the land.

Spokesman of the Ahmed Makarfi-led Caretaker Committee, Dayo Adeyeye who spoke to journalists in Abuja yesterday said Nigerians are already counting days for the All Progressives Congress, APC, because they want this government to go.

Adeyeye said: “They want PDP to come back to power. In the days of the PDP’s 16 years in power, it was a time of plenty and we have seen one year of scarcity, hardship and poverty in the land. It is obvious that Nigerians are not happy with the present state of affairs; so they are eager to have PDP back.

“People are already counting days for the APC because they want this government to go and PDP is poised to take over power but we need to do the needful, organise a transparent convention to bring in the right men and women to take over the operations of the party.”

The PDP spokesman also described the activities of the former national chairman of the party, Ali Modu Sheriff, his key allies, Dr. Cairo Ojuogboh and Senator Hope Uzodinma as “rebellious.”

He said it was a wrong perception for one to think that because a few disgruntled elements in the party are aggrieved, then the party has broken into factions.

Adeyeye, who spoke shortly after the inauguration of the 88-member zoning committee for the forthcoming PDP national convention said the party had decided not to wield the big stick but rather to continue to seek reconciliation in hope that the aggrieved party men will retrace their steps.
He said: “There are no factions in the PDP.

You see, there could be a few rebels, a few disgruntled people for one reason or the other but if you know our party and the array of personalities in it, you will ask yourself what is a party made up of? The answer is that in a party, you have the governors, members of the National Assembly, state chapters and elders, all of them are together”.

Adeyeye said that as far as he was concerned, PDP is one united family, adding that the fact that one or two people are complaining and registering their unhappiness does not mean there is a faction of the party.

“We are going to have a very free, fair and open convention, a unity convention in Port Harcourt on August 17. PDP remains the biggest party in Nigeria and I can confidently say that by this time next year, our opponents, who are today in power, a good number of its members will be begging to join the PDP. Nigerians are yearning for PDP.”

While inaugurating the zoning committee headed by the Ebonyi State Governor David Umahi, Makarfi noted that it was senseless for the Party to have zoned both presidency and chairmanship to the same region (North) during the ill- fated May 21 national convention.

He however urged the committee to ensure that they conclude their assignment within one week.

Makarfi said he believed that with the quality of personnel in the committee, there was no doubt that they would leave up to the expectations of members.

“Whatever decision you reach will be widely accepted by all. I do not see you coming up with recommendation that would be querried. Open the political landscape and not restricting the chairmanship of the party to one corner.

“Open the political landscape so that all the materials that we have from the south will come out; so that we get the best from the pack.

“I assure you, we are not going to print a single form for any position. We will print forms for all aspirants for any office. It is not an anointment but an election,” he said.

He said the couple used false claims to obtain N15m from Mr. Ambali Abiodun to facilitate his appointment as a commissioner in Lagos State and N70m from Mr. Otuniyi Adeniyi to lobby for him to be the Vice President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria during the last 2015 general election.

Okechukwu Nnodim, Abuja

The Federal Government on Thursday opposed the court ruling that mandated it and the Nigerian Electricity Regulatory Commission to reverse the 45 per cent increase in power tariffs payable by consumers across the country.

It also commended NERC for appealing the judgement, describing the ruling as a setback that posed a challenge, which had prompted misunderstanding in the sector.

The Minister of Power, Works and Housing, Babtunde Fashola, disclosed this during the signing of the front-runner Power Purchase Agreements between the Federal Government and 14 solar power development and promoting companies in Abuja.

The Acting Managing Director/Chief Executive Officer, Nigerian Bulk Electricity Trading Company Plc, Mr. Waziri Bintube, signed on behalf of the Federal Government, as the NBET is the agency of government saddled with the responsibility of signing PPAs for the country.

In his address at the ceremony, Fashola saluted the courage of the solar power investors despite the court ruling, and stressed that a lot of unusual things were beginning to happen in the sector, among which was the judicial intervention.

He, however, stated that despite the various concerns in the sector, the Federal Government would play by the rules that drive the electricity business.

Fashola said, “I must say that as all of these are happening, the Nigerian government has demonstrated that it will play by the rules, especially in the power sector. I must, therefore, commend our regulators, NERC, for the position that they have taken regarding the judgement. The commission has shown that although it disagrees with the judgement, it is challenging it as the law allows.

“To me, it is a positive sign for our power sector. The decision of NERC to respect the court is a sign that conflicts and interests in the power sector can be resolved in a democratic environment. These are the hallmarks of a good economic and investment-worthy destination. There are silver linings in the cloud of the setback, which the judgement appears to represent.”

NERC had stated that it would respect the court but went ahead to appeal the ruling as well as filed for a stay of execution of the judgement.

Fashola maintained that in spite the opposition to tariff increase, the government remained resolute and committed to proceed with it.

He argued that power tariff was anchored on the dynamics of the economy, adding that as the raw materials for generating power increased in price, the rate being charged for electricity would also go up, and vice versa.

“Let us use this opportunity to enlighten the public that tariff can never be permanently fixed, because it must be always subject to the dynamics of the economy. Therefore, if the raw materials go up, tariff must follow at the same time; in the way that if it comes down, tariff will also come down,” the minister said.

On the agreements signed between the NBET and the 14 firms, Fashola said, “The PPAs are the heart and soul of financing power projects. They do not automatically on their own mean that we will have electricity tomorrow, but they indicate that within the next six, nine, 12 or 18 months, depending on the speed of each promoter and developer, we will begin to see incremental delivery of electricity.”

He added that it was wrong to have the perception that immediately the power sector was privatised, Nigerians would start getting stable electricity, and noted that the signing of the solar PPAs should not be seen in that light.

Fashola observed that the tariff from solar generated power was originally on the high side, but explained that it was scaled down after considering the interest of the power consumers.

“It was difficult to imagine how that can be transferred to the consuming public. Even though the boundary was about 26 cents; at N200 to a dollar, that was N34, which was what we met; we didn’t feel comfortable to pass this on to the consumers. But today, it has become 11.5 cents; at N200 to a dollar, I think we are probably at N23, which is in the region of the disputed tariff,” he added.

He stated that at the approved price, the sector was hopeful of getting more investors, adding that the tariff would reduce as things get better in the power business.

He urged the investors never to compromise quality and stated that electricity generation was no longer dependent on one source, as the government had decided to exploit wind, biomass, solar and hydro for power generation.

The Court of Appeal sitting in Makurdi in Benue state today upheld the victory of a former Senate President, David Mark, as earlier pronounced by the lower National Assembly Election Petition Tribunal.

Justice Oyebisi Omoleye who led the three-man panel struck out the case brought before it by the All Progressives Congress (APC)'s candidate, Daniel Onjeh for lacking merit.

The panel held that the appellant (Onjeh) filed his petition out of time as required by the Electoral Law, therefore, rendering the petition incompetent and so, "the appeal is dismissed."

According to Omoleye, the appellant petition was filed on the 22nd day of declaration of the election result by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) which affirmed Mark of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) as senator representing Benue South senatorial district.

Daily Trust reports that the rerun election between Mark and Onjeh held on February 20, this year and results were declared by INEC the following day, February 21 but Onjeh had filed his petition on March 13, one day later than the required 21-day as stipulated by law.

Onjeh had approached the tribunal asking it to declare him winner of the poll for which INEC earlier affirmed Mark as scoring the highest votes to return back to the senate after he was sacked in October last year by Justice Peter Ige's appeal panel which ordered the rerun.

But, in her ruling on June 30, Justice Chinyere Gloria Anulube of the lower tribunal held that Onjeh's petition was filed out of the stipulated 21 days as enshrined in the Nigerian constitution, adding that, the petition was "defective and incurably bad."

Mark had emerged winner of the repeated election with a total votes of 84,192 to beat his APC's opponent, Onjeh who scored 71, 621 votes leaving a difference of 12,571 votes between them.

The INEC's Chief returning officer, Prof. Ishaq Shuaibu Enegi declared the result exactly 6:20am on Sunday, February 21.

Reacting to today's judgment, counsel to Mark, Ken Ikonne simply said he was happy.

But, the counsel to Onjeh, Sunday Ayegba said: "we are not happy with the decision of the appeal panel but there is nothing we can do."