₦airaland Forum

The Igbo for Nigeria Movement, INM, has called for the immediate probe of Deputy Senate President, Ike Ekweremadu, Anambra State governor, Willie Obiano and other Igbo elites sponsoring the secessionist group, Independent People of Biafra led by Nnamdi Kanu.

The anti-Bifara group was reacting to a shocking revelation made by a group, Society for Civil Liberties & the Rule of Law (Intersociety) and Southeast Based Coalition of Human Rights Organizations (SBCHROs) on those funding the Biafra agitators.

Intersociety and SBCHROs had recently alleged that Anambra State governor, Mr Willie Obiano gave car and cash gifts to the self-acclaimed Supreme Leader of Biafra and IPOB leader, Mazi Nnamdi Kanu.

In their statement, the group gave names of those behind the agitators as, “Amnesty International, Alaigbo Development Foundation, Igbo Youth Movement, Ike Ekweremadu, Peter Obi, Joe Achuzia, US Embassy in Nigeria, Mike Akuoma, Ugochukwu Chinwuba, Ikechukwu Okoye, Clifford Iloanya, Prince Emeka Onyeso, Okechukwu Nwanguma, Aloysius Attah, Ibuchukwu Ezike, Tochukwu Ezeoke and his Igbo Ekunie group, Justus and Justine Ijeomas, Alex Olisa, Damian Ugwu, Damian Ogudike, Tools & Allied Market and its leadership, Ekwenche Group, USA, Uche Asiegbu, George Onyeibe, Samuel Kamanyoku and others.

The group claimed these patrons were channeling resources meant for improving the lives of Nigerians to the separatist groups to finance their insurgency.

Speaking on the development at a press conference on Saturday, the national leader of INM, Mazi Ifeanyi Igwe, called on the anti-graft agencies to immediately ascertain if Abia, Ebonyi, Enugu, Imo, Rivers, Delta as well as Bayelsa state governors also gave similar questionable gifts to Nnamdi Kanu or any other terrorist group.

According to Igwe, “We are raising this alarm because of the far reaching implication of this recent revelation. The plank of the Igbo agitation is about the neglect and marginalization of the south-east but it appears we have never correctly situated the problem.

“The five south-east states are not governed by Hausa-Fulani or Yoruba, they have been governed by our own blood since the return to civil rule in 1999. What this recent development is telling us is that the governors have been doling out their states’ money to Biafra agitators under different covers.

“For one, we are worried that this overbearing attitude of IPOB, MASSOB, Intersociety and SBCHROs could push other ethnic nationals to a point when they will ask for Igbo states to go their way knowing fully well that a Biafra Republic is the fantasy of its disturbed leader, Nnamdi Kanu.

“He has proven he does not have the capacity and orientation to obey the law; if Nnamdi Kanu cannot obey the law and comply with his bail condition those following him should know that he will only obey his own laws when he becomes the first President of his phantom republic. This much has been confirmed with adoption of the title of “Supreme Leader”.

“We further want Kanu, IPOB, MASSOB, Intersociety and others to know that we are not willing to begin to apply for visas to continue living in places that millions of us know as home. We are facing the reality of our limited landmass that would immediately spell trouble on more than one front. Same way we don’t want to sell our properties in other parts of Nigeria at giveaway prices.

“Deputy Senate President, Senator Ike Ekweremadu, has been named as a patron of separatists. He was placed on the same level as the IPOB leader. We want to ask why he never pushed for fiscal federalism the various times he has presided over the amendment of the constitution.

“Peter Obi, former Anambra state governor, is being hailed as a hero yet no one is asking why he did not turn his state into Nigeria’s Dubai in the eight years he held office as governor. Peter Obi is being commended for being the patron of a group that is pressuring youths to embark on suicide mission; no one is asking him what he will do with his investment in Abuja, Lagos and across Nigeria if his foot soldiers break the country up.”

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Posted By: Yusuf ALLI,


As part of the ongoing probe of the London-Paris Club refunds, the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) is set to apply for interim forfeiture of $3 million and N500 million linked to two governors.

Also, two suspects have been listed for trial in connection with the $3 million a governor allegedly laundered through a member of the House of Representatives and his brother.

The said $3 million was said to have been paid into the account of an investment company (name withheld) whose owner is said to be one of the suspects about to be tried.

The affected member of the House of Representatives was said to have gone underground while the serving governor is seeking soft-landing.

The second governor, who had allegedly laundered N500 million from the refunds through a consultancy firm, was fingered in the coordination and bankrolling of a protest march against the Acting Chairman of EFCC, Mr. Ibrahim Magu, in Abuja on Thursday.

Investigation conducted by our correspondent revealed that the EFCC was set to lay the facts of its probe of the London-Paris Club refunds which have matured for legal action before the court.

The Presidency had so far released N1.266.44 trillion to the 36 states in the past one year, including the N713.70 billion special intervention funds to states.

Following protests by states against over-deductions for external debt servicing between 1995 and 2002, President Muhammadu Buhari had approved the release of N522.74 billion (first tranche) to states as refunds pending the reconciliation of records.

Each state was entitled to a cap of N14.5 billion, being 25 per cent of the amounts claimed.

The Minister of Finance, Mrs. Kemi Adeosun, said the payment of the claims would enable states to offset outstanding salaries and pension which had been “causing considerable hardship.”

The governors had sought for the loan refunds to states and local governments in a meeting with President Muhammadu Buhari on May 24, 2016.

But the alleged mismanagement of about N19 billion and $86 million meant for payment of consultants and legal advisers by some governors is under investigation.

Of the huge sum, EFCC has traced $3 million and N500 million to two of the governors.

A top source, who spoke in confidence, said: “Contrary to the noise being made, we are ready to approach the court for interim forfeiture of $3 million and N500 million linked to two governors through their fronts.

“By the time we file all necessary papers in court, Nigerians will know that we have conducted due diligence in tracking some of the London-Paris Club refunds.

“This is not a case of media trial. Many suspects have appeared before our team and made confessional statements.

“So far, two suspects will face trial on the alleged laundering of $3 million from the London-Paris Club refund for a governor

“On the $3 million, we have been trying to track down a member of the House of Representatives who we suspected had gone underground because he and his younger brother were implicated on how the cash was laundered through an investment company (names provided but withheld).

“As for the N500 million, the other governor allegedly laundered it from the London-Paris Club refunds through a consultancy firm.

“The same governor has been desperate to avoid being probed and to shield his fronts from being prosecuted.

“It was out of desperation that the governor allegedly bankrolled a protest march against the Acting EFCC Chairman, Mr. Ibrahim Magu, by engaging an amorphous group called Global Centre for Conscious Living Against Corruption (GLOCCOLAC).

“Our detectives are already probing how the governor funded the protest. The cash was openly shared in front of a posh hotel in Abuja with evidence obtained by our detectives.

“The governor was also sighted at a building near the hotel from where he monitored the protest march.

“Despite the fact that he disguised, intelligence picked him up.

“The building where he stayed is not far from EFCC’s office, and it is located near a new complex where electrical fittings are sold. All these places are within the vicinity of EFCC.”

Responding to a question, the source added: “We will apply for the forfeiture of the $3 million and N500 million in order to return them to the treasury. These are public funds allegedly laundered.”

Sections 28 and 34 of the EFCC (Establishment Act) 2004 and Section 13(1) of the Federal High Court Act, 2004 empower the anti-graft agency to invoke Interim Assets Forfeiture Clause on any serving or former public officer or any Nigerian under probe.

lalasticlala

By musa jibril, tunde thomas and VINCENT KALU

For a government that has been dubbed lethargic in its first two years, Acting President Yemi Osinbajo in the last few months was a kick to life, and has brought a modicum of calm to the raging storm of citizen opposition to the APC government. His actions and words appear to have given a human face to the Buhari government otherwise considered by a recession-traumatised citizenry to be insensitive to their suffering and strong-arming the opposition with its war on corruption. While it may not have influenced the public opinion of the APC government, Osinbajo’s visibility, no doubt, mellowed public hostility against the government.

However, in a country of byzantine political ecosystem, and climate of vexing power politics, it is not farfetched for Osinbajo’s recent visibility to be misconstrued as subtly Machiavellian. In the past weeks, there had been grumblings, veiled as passing opinions and with vitriolic undertone.

When at last it came, the hail of criticisms––harshly accusing him of consolidating his power base ahead of the 2019 election––was a viral online polemic by a Dr. Ismaila Farouk.

The opening paragraph of the diatribe accused the Acting President for ‘tactical’ nepotism and cronyism that has seen key strategic cabinet positions filled by people linked to him.

“Contrary to the widely held belief that Vice President Osinbajo, a pastor of the Redeemed Christian Church of God, a Senior Advocate of Nigeria, and a Professor of Law is above board, a forensic analysis of his activities since he assumed office reveals that the VP has consistently abused his office, negating the principles of Federal Character and has systematically favored members of the Redeemed Church and his Yoruba tribe.”

It particularly knocked Osinbajo for the appointment of Dr Okey Enelamah as Minister for Trade and Investment––noting that the latter was his Deputy and later successor at the RCCG, Banana Island, Lagos. The Vice President was also indicted for the appointment of “his RCCG Brother” Alex Okoh as DG of the Bureau of Public Enterprise.

The long and short of it was that the VP is surreptitiously embedding his lackeys in positions of authority in violation of the principle of Federal Character, in key institutions like INEC and NNPC to the Non-Career Ambassadors and critical Regulatory Agencies.

According to the statement, “While Nigerians were trying to come to terms with the shock of Pastor Enelamah’s nomination, VP Osinbajo took a step further in his nepotistic disposition in the setting up of his office and selection of personal staff. First, he chose his former colleague at the University of Lagos Ade Ipaye who was also his Special Adviser while he was Attorney General of Lagos to serve as his Chief of Staff. Unsurprisingly, Ade Ipaye hails from Ogun State, the VP’s State of origin. He went on to relocate Laolu Akande, an indigene of Ogun State who was hibernating in New York to serve as his Media Adviser. For his Chief Economic Adviser, he appointed Ambassador Dipeolu also of Yoruba extraction. The VP didn’t stop there, of his 10 Principal Officers in his office, 9 are from his Yoruba ethnic group. In his quest to perpetuate his ilk in government, the VP has capitalised on the magnanimity of President Buhari’s implicit confidence in him to plant his Yoruba and RCCG brethren in key agencies of government.”

Senior Special Assistant, Media to the Acting President, Laolu Akande, declined to comment. There are nonetheless others who spoke against the storm precipitated by Farouk. One of such rebuttals online by an anonymous called it “a bunch of deliberate and wicked lies against a man of God who has come to support and serve,” citing the tirade as “an abortive attempt to disparage the truly beloved, humble VP.”


…Eminent Nigerians speak

Eminent Nigerians wade into the smoldering controversy, giving their constructive and weighed opinions.

According to Abubakar Tsav, former commissioner of police, Lagos state “Osinbajo has been very active as Acting President working very hard, with zeal, dedication and utmost efficiency and this is commendable. However, the recent appointments he has been making alarm me. Those appointments are very narrow and sectional. Those appointments will create division and sow seeds of ethnic discord.
How can Osinbajo appoint more than 80 per cent of his personal staff from South-West? Not only that, names of Yoruba also feature prominently on the list of appointments he made into parastatals. Again, most of these appointees are Christians. This is unacceptable. Osinbajo should realise that he is now a national figure.

“Although Osinbajo is humane, but he should be more liberal, and try to be pan-Nigerian in whatever he is doing . With the public outcry against him on this issue, I think he should do the needful. He should realise that what he has done on this appointments issue is not good for his own image, for the interests of the country, and it is also inimical to the growth and development of democracy in this country.”
On his part, Ola Ishola-Williams, a retired army general said

“Osinbajo really disappointed me. Look at the way the lady that used to be at PENCOM was removed. The lady was removed when she has not completed her tenure. She was unceremoniously removed.

Even at that, what I had expected was that the replacement for her should have been somebody from her geo-political zone, but that didn’t’ happen, Osinbajo now appointed a Yoruba to fill the post. That is bad.

Politicians should be careful, they should be sensitive to the feelings of others. It is very sad that Osinbajo is following the footstep of Buhari on issues relating to appointments. He should not copy Buhari at all, because this is how Buhari also concentrated all appointments in the North, and also favour Muslims in government appointments. Osinbajo should revert those appointments and follow due process. I even believe that some of these appointments should be given to professionals. Professionals should be recruited to run these parastatals instead of appointing politicians who are given the positions not based on merit.”

Alhaji Balarabe Musa, second republic governor of kaduna state said: “I will comment appropriately when I see it in prints. It has happened before. For instance, this culture of WAZOBIA all the time, and people are not ashamed of it. When the president comes from the North, you see him marginalizing the Southeast, when the president comes from the Southwest, you see him marginalizing the North, even when the president comes from the South-south you will not see the Southeast getting its fair share. That is why some people who are honest are saying that this time it has to come from the Southeast to give every Nigerian a sense of belonging and for national unity.

So, let us test them and see if it will be the same thing from those from the North, Southwest and South-south.

“It doesn’t make sense to surround yourself with people from your area; it doesn’t provide you with security. With the exception of Gowon and Murtala Mohammed, others didn’t give equal opportunities to people from other parts of the country. That is what Nigerians who are concerned should put their heads together to stop.”

Dr. Junaid Mohammed, second republic member of the House of Representatives in his reaction said “the way and manner Osinbajo made the recent appointment goes to prove that in the event of Osinbajo succeeding Buhari, we are going to have the same problem of nepotism, clannishness, cronyism and religious bigotry.

“Buhari doesn’t know the difference between cronyism, clannishness and religious bigotry, but the one by Osinbajo is determined and being done to pursue and favour the Yoruba agenda in Nigeria.
This untenable and unacceptable and he should be reminded in very clear terms that he has failed legitimately, he was not elected. He is nothing but a spare tyre and he still remains that.

“I understand (I have not been there though) that since Buhari came to power, if you go to Osinbajo’s office it is Ogun dialect that is spoken there. In addition also, all the key appointments, even those not made by Buhari, as he was not in office, he insisted on his own Yoruba people. Is that the kind of Nigeria we want to build?

All this goes to show that Nigerians were unfortunate to have Buhari as a leader, because if Buhari had been a leader there won’t have been all these problems, but because he is not in charge of the Presidency, it has been hijacked by the cabal, and Osinbajo is trying to hijacked what remains of the presidency. His actions are condemnable.”

On his part, Alhaji Shettima Yerima, President, Arewa Youth Consultative Forum (AYCF), said “a lot of government officials behave like that. When Buhari was making his appointments, some of us shouted and told him that this would not augur well with the nation, and we are thinking of how to unite the country to avoid any reason for people to be making agitations. What Osinbajo is doing is not different from what Buhari is doing whereby all appointments go to Daura village.

“This won’t help us, we must begin to see that the right thing is done and begin to consider other people and give each person a sence of belonging. When you see agitations coming from some quarters, it is not that they want to go; it is that they are not given the sense of belonging.

Why should somebody a professor of Law, former commissioner, a pastor of a highly reputed church like the Redeemed Christians Church of God, will descend this low to appoint only people from one side in a multi ethnic society.” Prof. Ishaq Akintola, executive director, Muslim Rights Concern, however defended Osinbajo saying he did no wrong.

“Personally, I have not seen Osinbajo doing anything wrong. It is unfortunate that many Nigerians have become professional critics.

Why are they condemning Osinbajo? Are they expecting him to recruit people he doesn’t know to work with him? Are those people he appointed that people are now condemning him for not competent to do the job?

It is natural that when you are a boss, you recruit those you know and trust to work with you. The attack on Osinbajo is not justified at all. It is very unfortunate that rather than appreciating Osinbajo and commend him for the good work he is doing, Nigerians are not appreciating him. Osinbajo is working very hard. Those attacks on him can’t be justified at all.

“I’m a Muslim but I can’t blame Osinbajo if he gives appointments to Christians mostly. It is natural. If a Muslim is occupying the same position, that’s what he will do exactly. You know in Nigeria we don’t trust each other. We have mutual distrust for one another. Until we have a new orientation in our personal inter-personal relationship, this type of issue will continue to come up.”

lalasticlala

pawesome:
Chai

My children will never inherit my property either dead or alive if my wife divorces me,’’ a 39-year-old fruit seller, Amidu Olalere, told an Igando Customary Court on Friday in Lagos.

Olalere said this while responding to a divorce suit filed by his wife, Adeola, for the dissolution of their 11-year-old marriage on the grounds of constant battering.

Olalere, who accused his wife of starving him of sex, said, “My wife is always denying me sex, and whenever I reported her to her mother, she will ask me how many times will I be having sex with her daughter.

“She would ask me not to kill her with sex, instead of admonishing her.”

The respondent said his wife moved out from his house with the children in January to stay with her mother and that whenever he called her, her mother would be raining curses on him.

“There was a day my mother-in-law cursed me, and I also cursed her that thunder will kill her.”

He said his mother-in-law was always accusing him of planning to use her daughter for ritual.

On whether the children are his, Olalere said that he doubted the paternity of the four children.

“Whenever my wife and I quarrel, she tells me that the children are not mine; so, I am confused if truly the children belong to me,’’ he said.

The husband, however, pleaded with the court not to dissolve the marriage, saying in spite of her shortcomings he still loves her.

Earlier, the wife had accused her husband of beating her on the slightest provocation.

“He once beat me to the point that I fainted and I was hospitalised for four days.

“When I was on admission, none of his family members came to see me since we all live in a family house and my husband also refused to pay the bills,” she said, urging the court to terminate the marriage.

“I am no longer interested in the marriage.”

After listening to their submissions, the judge, Mr Adegboyega Omilola, adjourned the case till July 25
for judgment.

Posted by Juliana Francis


Six months after a detective attached to the Special Anti- Robbery Squad (SARS), Ikeja, Lagos State Police Command, disappeared into thin air, his corpse has been found in a shallow grave at the Ibeju Lekki area of the metropolis.

The deceased, Inspector Musa Sunday, was abducted, tortured and later buried alive while on illegal duty at Ibeju Lekki. Sunday and four of his men were alleged to have been drafted to guard a land, which was under dispute by their Admin Officer (AO), at Ibeju Lekki.

The policemen were drafted to the disputed land without the knowledge of the Officer in Charge of SARS (OC) and the Lagos State Commissioner of Police, Mr Fatai Owoseni. The skeleton of the inspector, 45, a father of four children, with their ages ranging from four, six, eight and 12, was exhumed from a shallow grave after six months search.

At least five persons, including a traditional ruler, otherwise known as Baale have been arrested in connection with the murder of the inspector. A police source said: “The police are hunting for one Mr Balogun, who led the hoodlums that attacked, abducted and buried Sunday alive.

In fact, information at police disposal says that it was the fleeing Balogun that tied his hands before burying him. Balogun’s second in command, Arokin is in police custody. He’s helping police with investigation.”

The suspects confessed to have buried him alive after starving him for more than five days. They also admitted to have buried him alive on the orders of a traditional ruler, who has interest in the land under dispute.

Sunday was abducted sometimes in November, while guarding the disputed land. The abductors made away with his rifle. The inspector, who was the leader of the team, was on duty with four other policemen.

The abductors, alleged to be armed to the teeth, stormed the land on that fateful day in November and over powered Sunday, his policemen and civilian guards, patrolling. The civilian guards were there on the instruction of one of the men struggling for possession of the land, identified simply as Prince, living in Ikeja.

The Prince and his opponent had allegedly been fighting over possession of the land for months. This has led to several people, from both factions, being killed and maimed. A police source said that both men had been warring, using paid thugs, until Prince decided to take SARS men.

But rather than go through the proper channel, which was to contact Owoseni or OC SARS, Prince went to his friend, the AO. When the AO ordered Sunday with some policemen to the land, the Inspector couldn’t argue with his superior.

Sunday was kidnapped when he confronted a large number of thugs from the other faction. The thugs attacked, injured and attempted to carry away some of Prince’s thugs. An inside source said: “Sunday’s men abandoned him and ran away because the thugs from the other faction large expanse of land.

The Prince came to SARS to get policemen to keep his opponent from encroaching on the land.” After his abduction, his phone stopped going through. His colleagues became frantic. Sunday’s wife and family members besieged the Lagos State Police Command Headquarters, Ikeja, demanding to know what had become of him. Speaking with a journalist a few months after the abduction of Sunday, his wife, Halimat, 27, said:

“They were deployed there to maintain peace. We learnt that hoodlums were attacking a man, so my husband and his men moved to rescue the man. He told the other two policemen to go and put the man in the car so he could be safe.

The hoodlums pounced on my husband and took him away. Sensing danger as the hoodlums kept increasing in number, his men ran away. Since then, we have not heard from him.” On the fateful day of the incident, Halimat said that she spoke with Sunday around 4pm; he promised to come home the following day.

In the evening, his kids demanded to speak with him, so Halimat called his line repeatedly, but it didn’t go through. In the morning, some of his colleagues called Halimat and told her what happened. Since then, Halimat and Sunday’s family members had been visiting the police headquarters in Lagos, praying and hoping.

She added, “Three months after, police kept telling us that they were on the matter. We learnt they have arrested the Prince that hired the hoodlums, but nothing has happened since then. His children keep asking after him. His aged mother, who has high blood pressure, has not stopped asking for his whereabouts. We don’t know what else to tell her.”

Halimat, a housewife, noted that since Sunday’s disappearance, she and her kids have been struggling to survive. She’s no longer able to pay the kids’ school fees. She said: “Nobody from the police cared to check on us, and now we don’t have money because we don’t have access to his ATM pin.

I want my husband to come back. The children are suffering, and I can’t carry the load alone.” A police source said: “Sunday was posted there with his team; they were five in number. Two of the policemen later left, saying they were tired of the constant threat.

Even soldiers that were supposed to guard the land with them left, complaining that Prince had never bothered to ask about their welfare. “Sunday has been on that land for almost three weeks when bulldozer entered the land.

Prince’s faction was overpowered. Everyone scampered for safety, but one of Prince’s thugs were held. Sunday ran back to save him. It was in that split second that his policemen and the man he saved drove off in a vehicle, leaving him.

Sunday was grabbed by the hoodlums, beaten and injured.” It was gathered that the fleeing policemen ran to Mobile Police Force (Mopol) 49, Epe. They explained that an inspector had been abducted, that they needed help to rescue him, but the commander allegedly didn’t respond to their pleas.

The policemen moved to Akodo Police Station, where a woman happened to be the Divisional Police Officer (DPO). The DPO said she couldn’t send anyone to the area because it was a volatile axis.

They went to SARS, Ikeja to report and for five days, no action was taken to rescue Sunday. Later, policemen started looking for Sunday, to the extent of going to Bonny Camp, Victoria Island. The soldiers said Sunday wasn’t with them. When the OC SARS went to meet Owoseni, to intimate him of the missing inspector, Owoseni demanded to know the person that deployed Sunday and his men on the illegal duty.

Determined to find Sunday, sources said that the OC SARS approached the Inspector General of Police Special Intelligence Response Team (IRT), headed by Assistant Commissioner of Police, Mr Abba Kyari. It was alleged that through the efforts of the IRT operatives, Sunday’s phone was tracked and some of his alleged killers arrested.

The suspects took police to where Sunday’s rifle was buried. A police source said: “Police investigation also led to the arrest of the traditional ruler. The traditional ruler denied knowing anything about the disappearance of Sunday.

He was invited to the police command; but rather than honour police invitation, he ran to Police Force Headquarters, Abuja. He was told at Abuja to go back to Lagos and respondfirst to police invitation.”

The source continued: “Balogun, who led the operation in which Sunday was kidnapped is on the run. But his second in command, Arokin, has been arrested. Arokin confessed that Sunday was buried alive.

He took police to the shallow grave at Ibeju Lekki. Police brought pathologists from Lagos State University Teaching Hospital (LASUTH), to exhume Sunday’s corpse. “One of the pathologists, when he saw Sunday’s skeleton, said that it looked as if he was buried with his hands tied behind.

It was at that point that Arokin confessed that Sunday was buried alive. He disclosed that after beating and disarming Sunday, he and his colleagues waited for five days for policemen to come for him, but nobody did.

In those five days, they didn’t give him food. He said that when police didn’t come searching for Sunday; the traditional ruler instructed them to go and bury the inspector alive. The traditional ruler said that nothing would happen. Sunday was buried alive.”

lalasticlala

There are indications that road users may face multiple taxes as Senate moves to pass the National Roads Fund (Establishment, etc) Bill 2017.

The bill, which was sponsored by Chairman of the Committee on Works, Sen. Kabiru Gaya, has scaled first and second readings and has gone for public hearing.

It was listed on the Order Paper of Thursday for third reading and passage but was not considered before plenary was adjourned till Tuesday.

The bill, according to report of a 16-member committee that looked into it, seeks to finance the maintenance and rehabilitation of national roads.

The report stated that the sources of revenue for the roads fund would were international vehicle transit charges and axle load control charges.

Others are inter-state mass transit-user charge of 0.5 per cent deductible from the fare paid by passengers to commercial mass transit operators on inter-state roads.

It also include fuel levy of N5 chargeable per litre on any volume of petrol and diesel products imported into Nigeria and on locally-refined petroleum products.

The report also said that revenue would be generated from toll fee of a percentage not exceeding 10 per cent of any revenue paid as user-charge per vehicle on any federal road designated as toll road.

However, the toll fee excludes roads with Public-Private-Partnership arrangement.

Besides charges to be incurred by road users, the bill when passed, would exclude National Roads Fund from Consolidated Revenue Fund and Treasury Single Account, relying on Section 80(1) of the 1999 Constitution (as amended).

According to the report, other sections of the bill include application of the roads fund, establishment of governing board, tenure of office of members as well as allowances for members and cessation of membership.

Others are roads programme, exemption from taxation, offences and penalties as well as miscellaneous issues such as regulation and power of the minister to give directives, and the role of National Council on Privatisation.

The report explained that the fund was to address inadequate levels of funding and irregular allocation from Federal Government road management, which made planning for maintenance difficult and irresponsive to private sector development.

“Inappropriate funding for management of road infrastructure leads to delayed or insufficient maintenance of roads which in turn leads to failure of assets and results in increased construction costs for routine and periodic maintenance.

“The core of the Road Fund is a concept that will mitigate the insufficiency and unpredictability of funding by extracting additional funds from those that use the road assets in the form of a user-based charge or levy,’’ it stated.

The report stated that the bill would, among other things, create enabling environment for private sector participation. (NAN)

By ABE HAWKEN

A family doctor who tried to woo a patient with flowers and cheesy chat-up lines after bragging about being a 'good-looking guy' has been banned from practising in the UK for one year.

Dr Chris Uzoh, 40, spent six weeks pestering the woman to try and get a date and told her that he had 'huge earning potential'.

He also claimed to be 'the best in his medical school' as well as having written 'several well cited scientific publications'.

Dr Uzoh, who is a GP from Great Sankey, near Warrington, Cheshire, also sent her 20 text messages after getting her address and phone number from medical records.

Within 30 minutes of the appointment finishing, he texted her saying: 'Sorry for this text message but I saw you and liked you and thought we could go on a date on the future.

'I am single and looking for a serious relationship and not intending to mess about.'

He also left the patient a voice mail saying he wanted to 'hear her voice before he went to work'.

Dr Uzoh later sent her another text saying: 'I've been feeling like a schoolboy meeting a girl he fancied for the first time. I haven't felt this way in a while.'

Later the woman received a card and flowers at her home along with a further message from Uzoh adding: 'I wonder how else I would have met you if not this way.

'My heart is pure, I care, I hope it would be possible to make you mine some day.'

The unnamed patient, who lived alone urged, Uzoh to stop pestering her but he pressed on with his chat-up lines saying: 'I was trying to be romantic - I did not mean to be creepy. I was excited about you.'

Another text said: 'How is it possible that a good looking guy who is a doctor, who has a job with huge earning potential, who was the best graduating doctor in his medical school, who started out as a urological surgeon with several well-cited scientific publications, who thinks you beautiful and special, who wants you - and you wouldn't give him a chance? I've been in a Toronto and I couldn't stop thinking about you.'

The patient eventually complained to Uzoh's colleagues at the Murdishaw Health Centre in Runcorn and he was reported to the General Medical Council.

The father of two has since quit the UK and is now working in Toronto, Canada.

At the Medical Practitioners Tribunal Service in Manchester, Uzoh was suspended from practise in Britain for 12 months after he was found guilty of misconduct.

The incidents began between March and May last year when the woman was booked in for an appointment with Uzoh after complaining of abdominal pain.

The woman - known as Patient A - told the hearing: 'I was really shocked to get that initial message from him because I trusted him as a doctor.

'If I got that message now there is no way I would respond. I was in a difficult position particularly at that point so seeing him taking an interest was a nice thing.

'The next morning I woke up and there was a further text message and voicemail message.

'I remember I was doing my make up and getting ready for work and I saw that he was calling but I didn't want to pick up. He left a message saying: 'Hi, I just wanted to hear your voice before I start my day'.

'Everyday I looked at my phone there was something from him whether it be a text message, missed call or a voicemail message.

'As soon as I knew the flowers had been sent I knew that they would be from Dr Uzoh - there weren't many people who knew my address at the time.

'I felt sick because I live on my own and nobody knew my address apart from my family and I was scared because he had got my records so what was to say he wouldn't turn up at my door.

'That feeling lasted several months. It wasn't long after that I text him to tell him not to contact me but then five months later he contacted me again.

Christopher Hamlet, the lawyer for the GMC, said: 'She had not given him her number or any indication that she wished to be contacted by him.

'He obtained her number by looking at her medical records and sent a series of text messages, some consecutive in number and all sent in pursuit of a personal relationship which was sexually motivated.

'Patient A was at the time vulnerable. She claims at first she was flattered by these messages, however, in due course he went on to bombard her with messages, voicemails and even sent flowers to her home address.

'She said she felt sick about what happened and was concerned and scared that he had accessed her records and sent flowers to her home.'

One message sent by Patient A to Uzoh said: 'As flattered as I was at the time it all got too much too quickly.

'I feel you went too far with getting my address without my permission and it scared me a little and the thought of someone getting it so easily when I have put my trust in doctors is unnerving.

'Thank you for the flowers but I would appreciate it if you didn't do that again.'

Another to him said: 'You're being too full on - I've only met you once and I was your patient!'
Uzoh was not at the tribunal but he filed a written submission claiming his intentions towards the woman were 'noble.'

He added: 'My intention was not to prey on the patient or the patient's vulnerability. I have always been professional toward my patients and never had any issues with NHS England or the GMC.

'I regret my actions and I apologise for all the stress this may have caused the patient.'

Panel chairman Mrs Jayne Wheat said: 'It is important that patients have trust in their doctors and in the confidential nature of their medical records, and it is seriously improper for a doctor to seek to pursue a relationship of this kind with a patient, the more so when he persists in it beyond the point when the patient has made clear that his approaches are unwelcome.

'While the tribunal has found that Dr Uzoh's behaviour was sexually motivated, there was no evidence that his intentions were obscene or unlawful.'

A 20-year-old Ibrahim Babatunde who conspired with other members of his gang to kidnap his own father, Alhaji Aliyu Babatunde, was paraded by the Commissioner of Police in Oyo State, Mr. Abiodun Odude, at the state police headquarters, Eleyele, Ibadan yesterday.

The incident occurred on May 17, 2017 in Igbo-ora, in Ibarapa Central Local Government Area of the state.

He confessed that he got less than N1m from the ransom collected, even though he said his father never offended him.

The commissioner also paraded a serving soldier, Corporal Sikiru Balogun, and a police inspector, Herbert Mbachu, for allegedly hijacking fuel-laden trucks on Lagos-Ibadan Expressway and other parts of Ibadan. The suspects were among 38 others paraded yesterday.

He said 17 suspects were arrested for armed robbery, four for kidnapping, nine for truck hijacking, three for cultism, among others.

ruggedised:

Most times people who go out of their way to make a living must have encountered a lot of challenges and discouragements. It is wrong and unfair to judge them because wicked people pushed them out of their way. I don't really know how I'm gonna handle this. This is the second time my shop will be attacked. This time around they cleared all my goods(everything). I wake up this morning with calls flying through my phone. Just for my kid brother to send me this pictures. Nairalanders What have I done to deserve this I feel like killing myself. All the money I have been saving from nysc is gone. Back to square 1 ..... crying

Posted By: Precious Igbonwelundu


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e police in Ogun have arrested two commercial sex workers for allegedly killing a customer, Adeyinka Olayinka.

The incident occurred at KS Hotel, Ifo on Tuesday.

According to the police, Kudirat Raji alias Angela and Esther Basiru were said to have stabbed Olayinka with a broken bottle during an argument.

Spokesman for the command, Abimbola Oyeyemi, an Assistant Superintendent (ASP) said the victim contracted Raji for the night but the duo had an argument over the price.

Oyeyemi said: “The victim was supervising an ongoing construction work on his property and so he spent the night at the hotel. He contracted Kudirat Raji to pass the night with him on an agreed amount but reneged on their agreement.

“His refusal to pay the agreed amount led to a hot argument between them. While the argument was going on, Esther Basiru, a friend to Angela broke a bottle and injured the deceased’s friend who was at the scene.

“Angela used the broken part of the bottle to stab the deceased on the armpit thereby cutting one of his nerves, consequent upon which he bled to death.

“The manager of the hotel alerted the police at Ifo and the DPO, CSP Anthony Haruna led his men to the scene and arrested the two suspects.

“The Commissioner of Police, Ahmed Iliyasu has ordered the transfer of the case to Homicide section of the State Criminal Investigation and Intelligence Department (SCIID) for discrete investigation and possible prosecution of the suspects.”

Yesterday, we told you about the newly-wedded woman who set her husband, self ablaze over alleged infidelity in Kano.

Eyewitnesses alleged that the lady accused her husband of infidelity, shortly after she heard a conversation he was having with an unidentified lady over the telephone.

She was said to have gotten angry and lit a keg of petrol within reach, which eventually exploded and engulfed their home at about 12am on Tuesday.


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Here are photos of the couple at their wedding and the burnt building where the incident happened. The woman was about 7 months old.

Leke Baiyewu, Abuja


Two groups of lawyers stormed the National Assembly on Tuesday to make counterclaims on the rightful occupant of the Akwa Ibom North- East senatorial district seat in the upper chamber of the National Assembly.

Some lawyers under the aegis of the Coalition of Concerned Lawyers on the Akwa Ibom State North- East Senatorial District said the current occupant of the seat, Senator Bassey Akpan , had appealed his sacking by a court and should remain in office.

Those under the umbrellas of the Alliance of Human Rights Lawyers and Civil Society for Sustainable Rule of Law in Nigeria, however, asked the President of the Senate, Bukola Saraki, to swear- in the contender for the senatorial seat, Bassey Etim, as ordered by the court.

The Federal High Court sitting in Uyo had on February 27, 2017, sacked Akpan and ordered the Independent National Electoral Commission to issue a Certificate of Return to Etim as the candidate produced by the Peoples Democratic Party's senatorial primary in Akwa Ibom North-East.

INEC had issued a fresh Certificate of Return to Etim on March 6, 2017, but he had yet to be inaugurated as a member of the Senate.

At the National Assembly on Tuesday, Mr. Charles Omang , who led 19 other members of the Coalition of Concerned Lawyers , insisted that Etim should not be sworn - in as the senator representing the district.

Omang, who read a communiqué signed by 20 lawyers to journalists , stated that the status quo be maintained as the ruling by the court had been appealed while citing Section 143 of the Electoral Act as allowing Akpan to remain in office.

The communiqué read in part, “ We, the members of the Coalition of Concerned Lawyers , have followed recent events in the Senate of the Federal Republic of Nigeria in respect to the Akwa Ibom North- East senatorial seat, and hereby state as follows:
“ That we read with great consternation the letter purportedly written by the Attorney - General of the Federation and Minister of Justice (Abubakar Malami, SAN), urging the Senate President to swear - in Bassey Etim when there are a valid appeal and a pending motion for stay of execution to be heard on the 12th and 14th of June 2017 by the Court of Appeal , Calabar Division. ”

But the Alliance of Human Rights Lawyers and Civil Society for Sustainable Rule of Law in Nigeria, at a press conference , opposed the first group of lawyers.

“ We appreciate the propaganda and innuendo canvassed by some people loyal to the ‘former' Senator Bassey Albert regarding the issues that led to the judgment . But one must understand that the appeal court will still look into all the issues submitted before it for its decision, ” they said.

lalasticlala

Okechukwu Nnodim, Abuja


President Muhammadu Buhari's approval of the withdrawal of Oil Prospecting Licences 2001, 2002 and 2003 in the Utapate Field won by indigenes of the Niger Delta is not only being tackled by the investors but may lead to chaos in the oil- rich region if not properly addressed.

According to the investors , about N 44. 6 bn signature bonuses paid for the licences is also under threat following the approval of the President to withdraw the OPLs from the winners who emerged after the Federal Government opened up the oil blocks to bidders in the 2007 bid rounds.

After winning the bids for the blocks, the bid round was stalled for eight years by litigation until it was resolved amicably in 2015, before the Department of Petroleum Resources handed OPLs 2001 , 2002 and 2003 to Jahcon International Limited , Hi Rev Exploration and Production Limited and Oil and Industrial Services Limited, respectively.

In the letters, which were issued to the investors on June 16, 2015 , copies of which were made available to journalists in Abuja on Monday , the DPR confirmed the three investors as successful bidders for the blocks and directed them to make the required payments as signature bonuses for the licences.

Jahcon International Limited and Oil and Industrial Services Limited made complete payments , while Hi Rev Exploration and Production Limited made part payment and is in the process of completing its transaction with the DPR.

But despite these processes and payments , the President approved a request by the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation demanding the withdrawal of the licences from the investors and handing over the oil blocks to the Nigerian Petroleum Development Company , a subsidiary of the NNPC.

The approval , according to the investors in the oil blocks, has raised tension in the Niger Delta region , particularly in Akwa Ibom communities where the oil field is located , as youths in the area have vowed to resist attempts by the government to deny indigenes of the area the right to the OPLs.

In the NNPC ’ s letter of request to Buhari , which was dated December 20, 2016 , and made available to journalists , the corporation’ s boss, Maikanti Baru, acknowledged that OPLs 2001, 2002 and 2003 in Oil Mining Lease 13, which were recovered from Shell by the administration of former President Olusegun Obasanjo , were “ inadvertently revoked ” and “back - converted to greenfield OPL before being resized into OPLs 2001, 2002 and 2003 and offered under the 2007 licensing round . ”

But the investors argued that Maikanti ’ s letter , which insisted that the OPLs belonged to the NPDC , did not disclose that the firm also submitted a bid for one of the blocks in the 2007 open licensing round , but lost as a result of low bid.

They argued that Baru ’ s claim that the oil field belonged to the NPDC (a core partner in the field when it was operated by Shell) was baseless on the ground that the government revoked the possession of the oil field by Shell and opened it up to investors in the 2007 bid rounds.

Buhari approved the request the same day that the letter was brought to him by Baru , which was on December 20, 2016, and his comment on the request was “ GMD, prayer approved . ”

A copy of the letter obtained by our correspondent in Abuja was signed on the same day by the President.
Similarly, the Chief of Staff to the President, Abba Kyari, on the same December 20, 2016 , wrote a letter to the NNPC boss conveying the President’ s approval of the corporation’ s request with respect to the withdrawal of the OPLs from the awardees and handing it over to the NPDC.

On December 21, 2016, Baru wrote a letter to the DPR conveying the presidential approval for the restoration of the oil field to the NPDC.

The Director of DPR, Mr. Mordecai Ladan , wrote two letters, dated February 15, 2017 , informing Jahcon International Limited and Oil and Industrial Services Limited of the revocation of the acreages, citing “a review of the reconversion process of the former OML 13 to OPLs 2001 , 2002 and 2003. ”

When contacted , the Group General Manager, Group Public Affairs Division, NNPC, Mr. Ndu Ughamadu, told our correspondent that the case was in court and that the corporation and its subsidiary, the NPDC would abide by the rulings of the court.

He stated that the case had also been taken to the National Assembly by the investors , adding that the corporation would do all that was necessary to ensure that an amicable solution was reached.

Ughamadu said , “ The matter is in court and we have our representation in the High Court here in Abuja.

They (investors ) have rushed the matter to the High Court , Abuja and to the National Assembly, so what do they want done? They should always remember that the President is the Minister of Petroleum Resources and at times, he takes decisions based on facts presented to him.

“ I don’ t want to comment on what they are dishing out because we are already in court. We have made two appearances in court on this matter. It is only the court that resolves issues like this and if it rules tomorrow that the decision taken on Party ‘ A’ is wrong , then, we will abide by the ruling of the court.

“This, however, is subject to the advice of our legal adviser , because the corporation is a law abiding corporate institution . If they want to exhaust the case in court, they should go ahead ; but if they want public debate on it , they should also go ahead , for they are also at the National Assembly on this matter. ”

The ongoing All Progressive Congress (APC) local council primaries across Lagos state has turned to a drama in Ward B of Ojokoro Local Council Development Area (LCDA) when the Ward chairman, Mr M.O. Arowolo disappeared after allegedly collected the sum of N3 million from one of the aspirants and shared it with few members of the ward executives.

Hell was let loose when members of the party who had been waiting for the primary since 8am discovered to their surprised that by 1pm nobody was on ground to inform them on the situation of things.

PM Express gathered that the chairman, Arowolo with his vice, Tayo Adeleke had allegedly collected the sum of N3 million from Hon. Teju Oluwole Olaoye in a bid to impose him on the members of the ward.

Part of the strategies employed by the chairman to cover his ploy was to bring him some cameramen to record the scene at the venue of the election, Atinuke Dosumu, Puposola in Abule Egba in order send a message that the election actually took place.

Some vigilant members of the ward have to call the attention of other aspirants who raised an alarm that attracted people including the policemen and Lagos state neighbourhood task force on ground.

Other aspirants, Hon Adetipe Adewole, Hon Azeez Osho, Hon Femi Faboyede, Hon Olawale Jamiu. Hon Tunde Bisiriyu, Hon Dele Ogundele and Hon Kemi Awakan were all in the dark about what happened.

Hon Osho denied ever stepped down for Hon Teju, adding that if he were to step down he won’t bother mobilising his supporters for the election.

“No election ever held today, we will resist any attempt for the chairman to impose Teju on us because of money,” Osho vowed.

One of the leaders in the ward. Pa Nureni Okewale described the action of the chairman as a disgraced to APC and democracy. He said there was no election in Ward B.

Even the policemen testified that no election took place. One of the policemen who preferred anonymity said they have been looking for the chairman and nobody conducted election in the ward.

Public Relations Officer of the ward, Mr Leke Onakoya told PM Express that anything that happened behind the venue of the primary was not official, adding that he was not authorised to speak for the chairman. He however assured the people that electoral officers from the state will soon be around to conduct the election.

One of the watd executives who didn’t want his name in print confided in PM Express that the chairman, Arowolo was noy alone in the ploy. He revealed that the LCDA party chairman was in the known, adding that the plan was to impose Hon Teju on the people and tell the world later that they held an election.

“What they planned to do was to let tge people to be frustrated and left the venue after which they will call for the election,” he said.

By Chinedu Asadu


The administration of President Muhammadu Buhari is marking its second year in power. An administration that was dubbed a “messianic” one considering that its emergence saw an end to the 16 uninterrupted years the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) had governed Nigeria.

While some believe that the president deserves a pat on the back for some feats his government has achieved, others believe there is still a wide gap between the current reality the country is facing and the plethora of promises the administration presented Nigerians at its inception.

In the build-up to the 2015 presidential election, the promises of Buhari – and the APC’s by extension – were sewn around one word – change.

He had even reaffirmed the promise of change when, in his acceptance speech, he declared: “Change has come and a new day and a new Nigeria is upon us”.
This notwithstanding, a report by SBM Intelligence, an organisation devoted to the collection and analysis of information, shows that the president has been able to fulfill only four percent of the 171 promises he made to Nigerians during his presidential campaign.
We look at some of the strengths and weaknesses of the current administration.


WAITED FOR SIX MONTHS BEFORE APPOINTING HIS MINISTERS

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On November 11 – exactly twenty-three weeks and five days after being sworn in as president, Buhari unveiled the list of the ministers he will be working with. All 36, he had said, are “round pegs in round holes.”

Prior to their appointment, the president had replied his critics who were questioning the delay, insisting that “impatience is not a virtue”.


FIGHT AGAINST TERRORISM

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Although there are still cases of bomb blasts recorded from time to time, the Buhari administration has been able to address the problem of insurgency to a manageable extent.

Quite unlike what was obtainable before he came to power when the Boko Haram insurgents held captive some communities in the north-east, the army claims the sect is no longer occupying any Nigerian territory.

POOR ECONOMIC DIVERSIFICATION MEASURES

Although the government has put in a few measures towards diverting the nation’s economy to other more productive areas especially agriculture, there is still a great need for more sustainable measures aside mere policies.

According to the report by SBM Intelligence, “the Buhari administration needs to understand that its biggest challenge is not diversifying an already diversified economy, but diversifying government revenues”.


THE WAR AGAINST CORRUPTION

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The federal government’s war against corruption was just recently, described as a “five minute sensationalism” by Senate President Bukola Saraki, lending credence to the view in since quarters that the government isn’t getting the fight right.

Some critics see the anti-graft as largely unproductive considering that quite a few convictions have been made as against the litany of corruption related cases pending in court.


RAIL SECTOR REVIVAL

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Buhari’s administration has been able to build on the progress of the previous government in the rail way sector considering the pragmatic efforts it has put in place to make it a suitable alternative for the congested roads in the country.

Just recently, the federal government okayed General Electric as the concessionaire for two rail lines in the country that would gulp a whooping sum of $2.2 billion.

NIGERIA’S PROBLEM OF EPILEPTIC POWER SUPPLY CONTINUES

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It would be harsh to solely lay the blame of the epileptic power supply in the country at Buhari’s footstep but his party had during the build-up of the 2015 presidential elections promised to “vigorously pursue the expansion of electricity generation and distribution of up to 40,000 megawatts in four to eight years.” Unfortunately, after two years, the administration is still battling to sustain 5,000MW of electricity with the current average generation at 3,400MW.

AGRICULTURAL TRANSFORMATION

Buhari has been able to achieve quite some commendable feats towards reviving the nation’s agricultural sector.

A good instance is the introduction of the Anchor Borrower’s Scheme which was launched in November 2016. The programme was designed to assist small-scale farmers in increasing the production and supply of feedstock to agro-processors.

There is also another agricultural roadmap – the Green Alternative – an agricultural promotion policy (2016-2020) aimed at reviving the sector to boost food production in the country.

NIGERIA’S WORST ECONOMIC RECESSION IN DECADES

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The APC-led administration has consistently come under severe knocks in the area of managing the nation’s fragile economy.

Amid the current economic recession biting hard at the nation’s economy – and by extension on the standard of living of Nigerians –, many believe that Buhari’s economic team do not have the wherewithal to liberate the nation’s economy and take it to its desired heights.


LITTLE PRIORITY GIVEN TO THE EDUCATION SECTOR

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Even though the APC had promised to target “up to 10 percent of the country’s annual budget” for the education sector annually, this administration managed to allocate a paltry sum of N403.2bn to the sector in the 2016 budget of N6.07 trillion. This becomes even more worrisome when you look at the N398.01bn allocated to the sector in the 2017 budget of N7.298 trillion.

The party had also promised to “offer free and qualitative primary and secondary education to all but to tertiary level for women” – a promise that is yet to see the light of the day.

MENDING NIGERIA’S FRACTURED RELATIONSHIP WITH DEVELOPED COUNTRIES

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Another key area Buhari’s administration has recorded a commendable fest is the way it has been able to restore Nigeria’s image in the global scene. Although, the country doesn’t enjoy the best image it could still get among the comity of nations, the country has enjoyed an improved level of goodwill from the international scene.

HANDLING THE NIGER DELTA CRISIS

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Buhari had, on assumption of office, expressed his government’s intention “to invest heavily in the projects and programmes currently in place” for the Niger Delta amnesty programme. Development s have shown that the president has been able to calm the tension in the region especially by sustaining the amnesty programme. The presidency just recently approval additional N35bn for the programme to complement the N20bn initially approved for it in the 2017 budget.

LOPSIDED APPOINTMENTS

The third schedule of the constitution which reflects the federal character principle clearly proffers “the principles of proportional sharing of all bureaucratic, economic, media and political posts at all levels of government.”

This notwithstanding, key government appointments made by president Buhari paints his administration as being one-sided although he had said during his inauguration that he “belongs to everyone and to nobody.”

RESCUE OF CHIBOK SCHOOLGIRLS

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When in 2016 the Boko Haram insurgent group kidnapped 276 girls from their school in Chibok, not many believed the incident actually happened, including ex-President Goodluck Jonathan. But coming to power, Buhari had promised to ensure the return of every of the girl.

Two years down the line, it has been able to secure the release of 103 of the girls. Hopes of the returning of the remaining girls have also remained high following his comments that the war against insurgency can’t be said to have been won without the return of all of the kidnapped schoolgirls.

DISTURBING RATE OF YOUTH UNEMPLOYMENT

With the recent introduction of the N-Power programme in which the federal government claims it pays 149,669 graduates – out of the targeted 200,000 – an amount of N30,000, the government has been able to send some Nigerian youths off the unemployment scene. But how significant is such development when Nigeria’s unemployment rate pegged at 13.9 percent as at the last quarter of 2016?

CUTTING COST OF GOVERNANCE

One of the many miseries that has faced the country over the years has been the issue of spending much in governance with little or no results to account for such expenses. Bearing this in mind, the current administration had promised to work together with the national assembly to cut cost of governance so as to make judicious use of limited resources.

In the last one year, figures show that the federal government has been able to save N19bn from “unnecessary allowances” even as it recently claimed it is putting strategies in place that will enable it to achieve a reduction in recurrent expenditure by N300bn annually.

POOR HUMAN RIGHTS RECORD

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Human rights record under the current administration has been nothing to write home about especially in the face of unlawful detention following the brazen disobedience of court orders. A good number of Nigerians are in custody today even after various courts of competent jurisdiction has ordered for their release or bail as the case may be.

Ibrahim El-Zakzaky, leader of the Islamic Movement in Nigeria (IMN); Sambo Dasuki, former National Security Adviser (NSA), and until recently bailed, Nnamdi Kanu, leader of the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB) are among the many victims of this anomaly.

With two years left for President Buhari to wrap up his tenure, the question remains: will he and his party be able to change the rhythm of events to stand better chances come 2019?

lalasticlala

As the Central Bank of Nigeria steps up efforts to achieve naira stability through the convergence of the official and unofficial exchange rates,
OYETUNJI ABIOYE writes that the road will be tortuous with major economic challenges looming for the country Nigeria , the biggest economy in Africa , is down on its knees following the sharp drop in the prices of crude oil, the country’ s major foreign exchange earner.

Since June 2014 when the prices of oil fell from about $ 110 per barrel to the current average of $ 50 /barrel, the fortunes of the world ’ s fifth largest exporter of oil has nosedived sharply.

With a major fall in economic growth from a six per cent average to the current negative position , jump in inflation from nine per cent to 17 per cent , and severe weakening of the naira from 150 / dollar to 305 /dollar on the official market and 380 /dollar on the parallel market, the economy is believed to be on a life support.

This , according to experts , is evident in the massive job losses , factory closures , biting inflation , loss of consumer and investor confidence , erosion of disposable income and general lull in economic activities.

To save the import - dependent economy from collapse and huge shock caused by the sudden drop in crude oil prices , the Central Bank of Nigeria has implemented several foreign exchange management policies targeted at the demand and supply of forex .

The CBN’ s forex management measures have created multiple exchange rates currently put at five in number.

The multiple exchange rates have led to subsidies and economic distortions with forex round - dripping becoming the order of the day in the nation ’ s financial system.

While the economy continues to bleed with gruelling hardship for about 170 million Nigerians, economic experts and analysts believe the worst is not yet over , arguing that the country has yet to put in place formidable policies that will take her out of the woods.

Key fiscal and monetary reforms are required but top economists say the journey must begin with the scrapping of the multiple exchange rates to pave way for a single exchange rate regime as well as real and effective exchange rate.

A former Governor of the CBN, Prof. Charles Soludo, believes that to get the country out of the current economic dilemma , policymakers must stop the current multiple exchange rates regime.

According to him , the CBN must achieve a unified market -determined exchange rate by eliminating the current multiple exchange rates as a matter of urgency.

Specifically, Soludo states that policymakers must scrap the current multiple exchange rates regime and reduce the wide spread between the official and parallel market naira exchange rates to a maximum of three to five per cent.

The currency currently has about five exchange rates , according to analysts.

Soludo points out that the CBN’ s official exchange rate of N 306 to the dollar has become redundant , describing it as an instrument for rent seekers and arbitrary allocation of scarce foreign exchange in the country.

He says , “ With regards to exchange rate , I can see quite some changes in the last few weeks. I think some steps are beginning to be taken , but it is still quite a long way to go to get to a stable and predictable level that eliminates the premium among the multiplicity of exchange rates.

“ Nigeria must get out of multiple exchange rates and we must eliminate the premium and get back on track at a competitive exchange rate regime . The uncertainty that is created by that is so enormous ; and with oil price rising and with the increase in oil earnings, this is the time to take bold steps and do the needful. ”

However , economic experts say that whichever way the regulator wants to achieve this convergence (either around the lower band of N 305 /dollar , mid - point band of N 320 /dollar or around the upper band of around N 360 /dollar ), the country has a huge price to pay.

According to them, achieving convergence around the official rate of N 305 / dollar will take a long time as the CBN does not currently possess the stock of forex to push the parallel market rate from the current N 380 / dollar to the official rate level of N 305 /dollar.

Conversely , the experts argue that to achieve rate convergence at the upper limit of say N 360 /dollar , the pump price of Premium Motor Spirit (petrol ) may go up significantly from the current N 145 per litre.
According to them, oil marketers currently access forex from the CBN at N 305/dollar.

Any attempt to achieve rate convergence around the upper limit of around N 360/dollar will force oil marketers to increase the pump price of petroleum products.

This , experts say, will have severe inflationary pressure on the economy, causing general increase in the prices of several goods and services.
The central bank must determine what it intends to achieve.

The Managing Director, Cowry Assets Management Limited , Mr. Johnson Chuwku , says , “ The choices are left with the monetary authority ( the CBN) to determine whether they want to achieve rate convergence at the lower band or at the upper band.

“ If you want to achieve rate convergence at the upper limit, it will affect petrol price. If it has to be at the lower limit of say N305/dollar , and this cannot happen overnight. ”

A currency analyst at Ecobank Nigeria , Mr. Kunle Ezun , notes that fuel importation constitutes 33 per cent of the country’ s import bill and, as such, the pump price of petrol will have to go up if the CBN seeks to achieve rate convergence and a single exchange rate regime around the upper limit of say N 360 /dollar.

The alternative , he says, is for the central bank to continue to manage the situation until 2019 when the country hopes to stop fuel importation .

The Managing Director, Afrinvest Securities, Mr. Ayodeji Ebo , says achieving a rate convergence and single exchange rate will have to be a gradual process that will take time.

He submits that the Nigerian economy cannot afford to face the distortion or inflationary shock that may arise from unifying the exchange rate and achieving rate convergence around the upper limit of say N 360 / dollar.

Ebo says, “I don’ t think we need any major shock or pressure now . The opportunity cost of converging the rates , especially for oil marketers, will be too high for the country. We don’t have the revenue to subsidise fuel import and increasing the pump price will trigger inflation and related chaos.

“ As the country progresses, rate convergence will be a gradual thing and it will be achieved when there is stability in the forex market . ”

In the meantime , what the CBN needs to do , according to the Afrinvest expert , is to continue to allow market forces and transparency to prevail at the newly created ‘ Investors & Exporters FX Window ’.

Ebo believes this will attract more foreign portfolio investors to bring in forex into the economy.

He adds, “ The CBN says about $1bn worth of transactions have been done on the newly created I& E FX window in the last one month . Out of that amount, the CBN contributed only $300m (30 percent). That is good . It means if they allow transparency there, the foreign investors who have left the country will start coming in again . ”

But economists are not sure if this measure only will get the country back to the point where large amount of forex will come to boost the external reserves and confidence will be restored such that JP Morgan and Barclays will bring Nigeria back to their global bond indexes.

JP Morgan and Barclays had in 2015 removed Nigeria from their global bond indexes when confidence was lost in the interbank forex market.

Chukwu believes that before foreign investors will come into the country with their forex in droves, Nigeria must achieve three things, namely rate convergence, favourable investment - friendly policies and absolute confidence in the country’ s fundamentals.

He suggests that the way forward is for the CBN to seek to achieve rate convergence around N 320/dollar or N 325/dollar . He believes this will make the inflationary shock and pressure on the economy to reduce.

The country, Chukwu says, needs to achieve rate convergence one way or the other.

Corroborating this view, a professor of Economics at the Olabisi Onabanjo University, Sherriffdeen Tella, says the apex bank needs to come up with a strategic plan to navigate the country out of the multiple exchange rates regime as soon as possible.

He believes the CBN’ s research department needs to use the data at its disposal to deal with speculators and achieve rate convergence and a single exchange rate regime.

Soludo also states that the general price level has adjusted and that it is time for the CBN to achieve rate convergence and eliminate multiple exchange rates.

Stressing the need for a unified market - determined exchange rate, the former CBN governor explains , “The general price level has already adjusted because that’ s the primary price indicator in the market . The prices that people hear, i . e. the exchange rate that people talk about is the parallel market rate. Anybody who says it is irrelevant is not discussing Nigeria as an economy . The official one is like the time when you had the price control regime.

“ Even those who had accessed forex at the official rate, when they are fixing their prices , they are fixing their prices in comparison with the imported ones, which are taking signals from the parallel market rate . So the general price level has adjusted there. The official exchange rate is redundant ; it is just for rent and for arbitrary allocations. ”

Meanwhile , an economist , Mr. Bismarck Rewane , has predicted that the naira ’ s real and effective exchange rate may occur between 360/dollar and 375/dollar.

This, he forecasts , may happen in the second half of this year, considering the recent policy measures introduced by the central bank .

He says , “ With the current oil price, the movement of the currency towards the real and effective exchange rate is necessary and it will happen at about N 360/dollar and N 375/$ . What will happen at this rate is that the amount , volume and frequency of interventions required to support the currency will reduce , and investors will bring in their money because of the good rate they will be getting.

“ And this will be a true exchange rate . When will this happen ? I think it will happen sooner than we expect , but definitely in 2017 ; most likely in the second half of 2017 . ”

Rewane , who is the Managing Director of Financial Derivatives Limited, a research and investment advisory firm, links the recent appreciation in the naira to sharp increase in oil revenue , increase in the amount of dollars supplied to the market by the CBN, and the improving structure of the market.

The CBN has also said recent forex policy measures , including the creation of the ‘ Investors & Exporters FX Window ’ , have made the naira to appreciate on the parallel market from an all- time - high of 520/dollar to 379/dollar.

It says this is expected to lead to a near convergence of the official and parallel market exchange rates.

The Managing Director, SCM , an investment advisory firm , Mr. Sewa Wusu, says the CBN needs to be commended for its recent measures that have led to the appreciation of the naira.

However , he states that this does not rule out the need for a single exchange rate regime , arguing that multiple exchange rates create distortions , including round - tripping.

How and when the CBN will achieve this remains unknown.

lalasticlala

Following the May 30th declaration by Biafra agitators as sit-at-home Day in commemoration of the Biafra Independence Day, some members of the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB) claimed to be based in Malaysia but travelled home for the planned Biafra Day have allegedly donated a live cow allegedly named “Buhari” to their leader, Mazi Nnamdi Kanu, to be killed on Biafra Day.

The story seen on an online news medium, The BreakingTimes, said that Mr. Kanu “who has received hundreds of important visitors including high-placed politicians since he was released on bail by an Abuja High Court in April, accepted the gift warmly.”


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IPOB members allegedly donate cow allegedly named ‘Buhari’to Nnamdi Kanu


The reports also claimed that the members named the cow before donating it to their leader.

In the photo, two of the claimed IPOB members who donated the cow are seen standing with Nnamdi Kanu while another picture shows them standing beside the said cow.

Recall that Fifty years ago, the Igbo people of southeast Nigeria seceded, declaring an independent Republic of Biafra and sparking a brutal civil war that left about one million people dead.

– Coups and secession –

On May 30, 1967, the military head of Nigeria‘s eastern region, Emeka Odumegwu Ojukwu, declares “the independent Republic of Biafra”.

His move comes two days after the head of Nigeria‘s military government, General Yakubu Gowon, divided the federation into 12 states, including three in the east.

Biafra, accounting for less than 10 percent of Nigerian territory, at the time had a population of 14 million out of 55 million nationwide.

Its mainly Christian population was two-thirds Igbo.
Since independence from Britain in 1960, Nigeria had managed to stay a single entity despite historic enmity between the mainly Muslim north and the largely Christian south.

But the Igbos felt discriminated against by the two other main ethnic groupings, the northern Hausa-Fulani and the Yoruba in the southwest.

In January 1966, Nigeria suffered its first military coup, led by the Igbo General Johnson Aguiyi Ironsi. A counter-coup launched in the north in July kills Ironsi and many of his senior Igbo officers.

Thousands of Igbo civilians are killed in reprisals, especially in the north, and millions of survivors flee back to the southeast.

The government rejects the secession of the southeast, which is rich in agricultural and mineral resources, especially oil.

– Bombardments and blockade –

Gowon announces a general mobilisation and denounces the independence declaration as “an act of rebellion”, saying it will be “crushed”. The military imposes a blockade on eastern Nigeria.

On July 6 the army unleashes a general offensive with its first air bombardments.

In October federal troops take Biafra’s capital, Enugu, then the port of Calabar. Onitsha and Port Harcourt are recaptured in the first months of 1968.

Britain, the Soviet Union and the Organisation of African Unity (the forerunner to the African Union) side with the federal government.

Only a few African countries and France back Biafra.

– Humanitarian drama –

On July 3, 1968 the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) says that eight to 12 million people are affected by the conflict and that 200 people a day are dying of starvation in Biafra.

“One would think we were seeing ghosts marching past, thin and silent, wrapped in grey rags,” an AFP special correspondent reports in August.

“Nearly all are women of all ages and old people… there are no longer many children in Biafra.

“The refugees travel, their stomachs empty, fleeing the noise of federal cannon. The noose is tightening.”

In late August he writes of a million new refugees in 15 days as the army advances.

“One person dies every 15 minutes… refugees are dying from starvation and exhaustion,” he reports.

The Biafra famine caused by the blockade makes headlines around the world, with heartrending photographs of children, stomachs bloated by malnutrition, their legs bent with rickets.

A handful of French doctors working for the ICRC, including the future French government minister Bernard Kouchner, brush aside convention and political borders to launch an aid effort.

In 1971, they go on to found Medecins Sans Frontieres (Doctors Without Borders).

– ‘No victor, no vanquished’ –

From August to September 1968 the army retakes several towns after a major offensive.

In March-April 1969, the new Biafran capital, Umuahia, falls.

After raids by secessionists on oil wells, Nigerian troops reinforce their blockade, and in June start preventing international Red Cross aid flights.

Only Christian churches and the French Red Cross continue their aid flights in ever more dangerous conditions.

In early January 1970 the army begins its final assault, and on January 15, Biafra ceases to exist.

Ojukwu flees on January 11 to Ivory Coast, leaving his deputy, Philip Effiong, to officially surrender to Gowon in Lagos, the federal government’s capital at the time.
The east resumes its place in a united Nigeria.

Gowon vows “No victor, no vanquished”, and pledges to work for national reconciliation.

But resentment lingers and deepens over the decades, as the Igbo complain of a lack of investment in the southeast, which many view as a punishment for Biafra.

The war invests considerable power in the army, with military coups becoming a feature of Nigerian political life for decades.

By Eric Dumo


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Cars moving in different directions, commercial motorcycles blaring horns uncontrollably in desperate attempts to wriggle their ways through any available opening on the narrow road and pedestrians caught in between , the sight speaks of chaos and utmost confusion. Even though the area is a residential quarters , finding your way in and out of Okepopo Street , Adeniji - Adele, Lagos , can be one of the most frustrating exercises to embark on, in fact . Apart from the narrowness of the road itself , the rough nature of the surface also contributes to making your journey tiring.

But more than the topography of the area , the prevalence of red - eyed young men and women cooling off in various joints where drinks and drugs of different kinds are experimented, catches your attention. The joints, sandwiched between crammed buildings – mostly bungalows and two - storey structures that had seen better days, also serve as virile grounds where gambling and other related activities take place unabated . Morning, afternoon, night – these corners are never short of patronage. Male and female – old and young, there is a place for everyone.

However, while many of Lagos ’ residents as a result of personal experiences had given up hope of things taking a different turn in and around the neighbourhood , a few others have separate ideas. Holy Flock of Christ, a religious organisation that has operated in the area for 85 years, is leading the line in the efforts to write a new chapter for Okepopo and its teeming youthful population polarised by illicit drugs and crimes.

Interestingly , while the 85-year - old cathedral tucked in between houses, joints and ‘ coded’ corners notorious for all sorts of social vices has been making life - changing impacts all around the community, it is some of its unique attributes that has in fact fascinated many, who had come in contact with it.

For example, during a recent visit to Okepopo, our correspondent, who spent an evening of worship with congregants of the church, observed how throughout the almost 80- minute service , no clapping occurred. While singing took the form of solemn hymns hummed in a combination of English and Yoruba languages , interaction between members during proceedings was almost non -existent . That is not all.

Unlike in other churches where congregants attack each prayer point with ‘ rage’ and utmost vigour , here , demands to ‘ heaven’ are made solemnly – like a conversation between two lovers. For a first time visitor used to a different way of worship , a time in one of Holy Flock ’ s services can leave a mix bag of feelings on the mind.

“Many people who do not understand our mode of worship find our services a bit strange, ” one of the church’ s elders and Vicar General , Dr . Kole Abayomi – a senior advocate and former Director General of Nigerian Law School, told Saturday PUNCH. “ For instance, apart from the fact that we do not clap during our services , we only dance during our thanksgiving sessions which are not usually many . In an entire year , we may have such services maybe four or five times depending on the type of programme we are having. For instance, we are celebrating our 85 th Founder's Day this week and it is at such a period that we dance while bringing our offerings to the altar.

“ Also, while other churches and denominations believe that once a person is consumed by the Holy Spirit, he or she could be knocked up and down on the floor , we do not subscribe to such. We believe that the Holy Spirit is calm and when he comes into anybody , he or she will remain calm and relay the message given to them. In fact , we believe that being knocked up and down is a sign that a person is resisting the Holy Spirit and if such happens during our service, we simply take the person to the back of the church for them to calm down . A lot of people find this a bit strange but we believe this is the way it is supposed to be.

“ Even though we have our origin in the Aladura movement , our doctrine and way of operation is different from the other garment wearing churches in a number of ways. We don’ t speak in tongues in this church. The church is a prophetic one where visions are relayed through those who have the gift. Also , women are seated separately from the men in all our services , ” he said.

Situated in the heart of Lagos Island, a section known for heavy commercial activities , Okepopo , like many of its neighbours, has earned for itself a fearsome reputation over the years despite contributing significantly to the growth and development of the city. Besides playing host to some of the deadliest gang battles and political disagreements in recent times, the street has also witnessed other forms of unrest over the years. While the situation has forced many residents to relocate to other parts of the state believed to be relatively safer , others who have remained in this part of Lagos told Saturday PUNCH that they live every day at a time , not knowing what the next moment will bring.

“ I always call my people at home to get a situation report of happenings in the neighbourhood before returning from work every day, ” Nneka Udukporo, a dealer in textiles materials at the nearby Idumota Market, revealed. “The fact that the area is calm in the morning when you had left home does not mean that it would remain so till you come back . At any moment , violence can erupt, affecting movement in and out of Okepopo and other streets around. On several occasions I have had to sleep at friends and colleagues ’ houses as a result of this problem. I think the large number of unemployed youths and drug joints is a major contributing factor to this scourge , ” she noted.

Akeem Ogunmefun, 41, has lived in this part of Lagos for many years. During his time here, he has seen a lot of young men and women giving in to the pressure all around them . According to him , the high unemployment rate in the area is pushing many like him into embracing drugs and other wayward paths.

“ Many of these joints and coded corners you see all around Okepopo and environs have been there for years, even before a lot of us were born, ” Ogunmefun told our correspondent during a visit to the area recently. “ There is no time of the day that you don’ t see guys and even ladies taking one thing or the other just to calm themselves down.

I won't lie to you, this is part of our life here , many of us were born into drinking and smoking and we cannot just leave it like that. Though personally I have reduced the number of times I go to these joints because of age and responsibility as a parent, many of our people here still visit regularly as a result of frustration. A lot of us don’ t have jobs, so these joints are the only consolation for us throughout the day, ” he said before sauntering into a small kiosk behind a car repairs workshop.

Less than 10 metres away sits another ‘coded corner’ where many of Okepopo's youths and elderly ‘recharge’ and ‘fortify' themselves with all sorts of concoctions and narcotics for the most part of the day. With only a white, net - like curtain shielding them from the bulging eyes of passersby, patrons could be seen giggling and making other gestures as thick puffs of smoke flew out of the place . Time was 2 :30pm , and not even the venom of the blistering sun on this afternoon could hamper proceedings here.

“ Why you dey look my face , ” one dark - complexioned and heavily bearded middle- aged man barked at our correspondent in splattering pidgin. “Se you wan high ni , abi you wan make I brush your face for ground ? , ” the man asked in a firmer voice , anger slowly building up in him. “ No look this side again or else I can mess you up, ” he added, gulping a few sips from the contents inside a cup he was holding.

Encouraging our correspondent not to tremble or show any sign of fear at the man ’ s threat , an elderly woman walking behind revealed how many visitors and passersby had faced harassment and intimidation from miscreants whose lives now revolve around the joints in the neighbourhood.

“ Anytime I move around this community, I am saddened by the number of young people I see wasting away, ” she began. “ Apart from drinking from morning till night , drugs and crimes have also become their specialty. On a number of occasions, I have tried talking to the ones I know but I realise that after some time , they go back to partake in the activities taking place at the joints.

“ But my worry is the way these guys sometimes harass people going about their normal businesses.

They shout at and intimidate you if you look at them too much and if you are not bold, they can take advantage of you . Having lived in this neighbourhood for so long , people like us know how to deal with the situation but not others from outside this place, ” she said , giving her name only as Mama Bimbo.

But through rigorous but an effective strategy , the church , according to Abayomi , is beginning to reverse the way young men and women think in this community.

“ It has not been easy surviving in this environment for 85 years, ” he said . “Even though when we came to this area , it was all marshy and peaceful, development over the years has meant that a lot has changed about the environment and its people. Today , the Okepopo area has a fearsome reputation in the minds of members of the public but we are gradually changing that, ” he said.

Even though Abayomi revealed that none of their members had been attacked and or harassed by miscreants in the neighbourhood, getting the message of Christ across to them over the years had not been easy.

He said that through a distinct approach , they had been able to get many of the community’ s youths off the streets and help them find new lives – a path free of social vices.

“Having been here for so long and with good understanding of the terrain, we have learnt how to approach many of these guys on the street, ” Abayomi told Saturday PUNCH. “ By the grace of God and through consistent tracking, we have been able to get many of them off the streets and away from drugs and crime. A lot of them worship with us now and have even gone on to do meaningful things with their lives . This gives us immense happiness as a church, ” he added.

Decked in a design that speaks volume of its rich history and heritage , the size of the church’ s premises indeed betrays the level of impact it is making on its immediate surroundings and community at large. Even though its doctrine and mode of worship may be alien to many, slowly but steadily, the Holy Flock of Christ church is setting many of Okepopo's derailed young men and women on the path of redemption.

From Agaju Madugba, Katsina


Call them monsters, you may be right. Others may even prefer to tag them minions, which may also fit. The description is not what the police in Katsina are looking for at the moment. They are searching for two men who took turns to rape a year old baby right in the presence of her mother.

With the manhunt not yielding any result and the initial two suspects arrested now free, the traumatised mother of the defiled baby last weekend fled her village with the victim, obviously for safety of mother and child.


Disturbing rise

Some of the rape reports may well be described as bizarre even as the perceived motives remain mind-boggling perhaps comparable only to the age-long tales by moonlight. When in March a 57-year-old Katsina man defiled her seven months old step-daughter, he justified the action arguing that he merely executed an advice revealed to him in a dream designed to cure him of his self-confessed several years of unbridled quest to always have sex.

Caught in the act and later paraded before reporters by the police in Katsina, Salisu Magaji of Mamadi village in Jikamshi local government area confirmed that, “I actually raped the seven months old baby girl. I actually had a dream about the incident because I womanise. My first wife is late. She had six children for me. I thought God had helped me overcome the habit of going after women until when I married this woman who came into my house with a baby. So, it was revealed to me in the dream that if I rape this girl I will stop womanising.” It is not known yet if it worked for him since he has been in prison and undergoing trial but the baby eventually died after two weeks at the Turai Yar’Adua Maternal and Child Hospital in Katsina.

Another confirmed rapist who is also an armed robber, Abdulbashir Bishir, 26, says a witch doctor recommended sexual contact for him to enable a talisman against gunshots become effective. When he was eventually caught raping a 13 years old girl, Bishir explained that, “the herbalist gave me the charm which he said I should use to rub my sperm after having sex with the girl and that after that, I should throw the talisman in a graveyard. I held her hand, we entered into the house and I rubbed my penis on her body but I never had sex with her. She is 13-year-old.”

Some of the highly placed in society are also involved in the rape mania as a senior member of the Katsina State Emirate Council recently lost his position and being tried in court for allegedly having an unlawful sexual relationship with 15 years old girl who was in his house on an errand from her parents. After having his way, the accused reportedly gave the girl N3,000 to take care of herself. She informed her parents and was later taken to the hospital where doctors confirmed she was raped.

Earlier in February, a Katsina Senior Magistrate Court heard the case of a 20-year-old man, Babangida Saidu, of Shargalle town in Dutsi local government area who was alleged to have sexually assaulted a six-year-old girl in the premises of Shargalle primary school where Babangida reportedly lured his prey. And, in January, the court heard the case of 56-year-old man, Ibrahim Shehu, of Kofa Guga in Katsina metropolis who forcefully defiled 12-year-old girl and offered her N60 thereafter.


The latest absurdity

In fact, according to the police, the issue of rape, especially involving minors has become routine in Katsina even as the police are still on the trail of two men suspected to have defiled a year old baby girl at Angwan Bawa village in Danja local government area, on May 9.

The suspects reportedly snatched the baby from her mother and took turns to rape her while the mother, Suwaiba, watched helplessly. The baby was treated and discharged at the Funtua General Hospital, according to the police and family. When our correspondent visited the area on Tuesday, the woman had fled her home with the baby. But the husband, Ahmadu Jbril, 50, father of 10 children from two women, said. “I learnt that some people advised her to run away”, adding that, “she ran away from the house at night (on May 19) and I understand it is her mother from the other village who aided her.”


How they did it

He narrated the story as reported by the wife. According to him, “on the day of the incident, Suwaiba was walking by the road when she met one Alhaji Saleh who she knows. He asked her if she was going to Bakori but she said she was going to Ungwan Malamai village in Danja local government area. So, Alhaji Saleh linked her up with two young men on a motorcycle who said they would take her to her destination. However, on the way, they stopped near a forest and asked her to handover the baby to them. She refused but they seized the baby and raped her one after the other in the presence of the mother.

Then they fled on their motorcycle. When we reported the incident at the Central Police station in Funtua, Alhaji Saleh who linked her up with the two men was arrested. Suwaiba took the baby to the hospital and it was confirmed that she was raped. The police took Alhaji Saleh to Katsina but he managed to come back. So, Suwaiba was advised to run away with her baby and it is her mother who encouraged and helped her to run away.”

The villagers described the Alhaji Saleh “as a very rich man who lives in Katsina and Funtua and he wears gold tooth.”

At the police headquarters in Katsina, the Police Public Relations Officer, DSP Gambo Isa, confirmed the initial arrest of two persons, Saleh Suleiman and a certain Musa. But, according to him, “we have since released the two of them because our investigations showed that they had nothing to do with the matter. It was just a coincidence that they were around the area when the thing happened. And, it was also a coincidence that one of them goes by the name, Saleh, which is not the same Saleh that the woman talked about.”


Lawmakers raise concerns

The issue of reported rape cases has apparently attracted the attention of the National Assembly as the Senate last Tuesday decried what it described as rising cases of sexual abuse in parts of the country.

According to the Senate Deputy Majority Leader, Bala Ibn Na’Allah, in a motion tagged, ‘Urgent need to investigate the alarming rate of rape and sexual assault against women, children and vulnerable people across the country,’ said that, “the Senate notes the frightening increase in cases of sexual violence, notably rape, where more than half of the victims are minors, children below the age of consent.

“The Senate further notes that in most of these cases, the perpetrators are usually familiar neighbours, employers of labour and close family members; and it is concerned that the activities of these sexual predators constitute a serious security threat to the larger segment of our society and are severely underreported.

“The Senate is disturbed that on a nearly daily basis, our newspapers are awash with reports of rape and other sexual violence. It observes that these acts portray the country in a bad light and are alien to both our cultural and religious orientation as a people.”

My name is Anita, a 28-year-old woman. I got married two months ago but I am full of regrets now and I want to divorce my husband for cheating on me with my best friend.

It had dated Chinedu for three years before we decided to get married but little did I know that I was sharing him with Dupe , my childhood friend.

I met Chinedu at a friend's end of the year party and right from day one, we realized that we had a lot of things in common. We shared the same birth month, the same hobbies and had the same taste for many things.

Many of my friends felt I had met my soul mate because of the many similarities we had. When I introduced him to Dupe, they kind of clicked and Dupe kept encouraging me to take the affair seriously.

Dupe and I had known each other way back in secondary school and we soon became family friends with our parents getting to know and like each other.

I spent holidays in their house and she was welcomed in my house even in my absence. I could go to their house and spend weeks without her being at home and it was the same for her.

We shared clothes and played pranks like the teenagers we were. Many people did not know we were related, neither did we come from the same state but our closeness was out of this world.

The only thing that set us apart was that Dupe was very envious and whatever I had, she would want to have the same thing but I did not know she would transfer such covetousness to my husband.

When I was to get married, it was just natural for her to be my maid of honour and she put herself so much into the preparation that people thought she was the one getting married.

After our marriage, I took some time off from work while Chinedu resumed at his office but instead of always coming back home on time like newly married men, he would always find excuses to stay back and come home late.

When I confided in some friends, they said he was still adjusting to married life and would still want to hang out with the boys. They said I should not worry as he would soon get to the realization that he was now a married man.

The day it dawned on me that his excuses of hanging with the boys were all lies was when he sent me a text message that he may not come back home because external auditors came to his office and they would work till late in the night.

I was so bored at home and I needed company, so I decided to go and spend the night with Dupe, at least I would have someone to talk to.

It was past 9 pm when I got a taxi to take me to Dupe's house. The first shocker I got was when I entered Dupe's compound and saw Chinedu's car parked beside her car.

I was taken aback at what I saw but in my mind, I thought he had gone there for a quick dinner because her house was closer to his office than ours. As I made to knock on Dupe's door, I heard some funny sounds like people moaning inside and I stood back to listen very well.

The sounds were very unmistaken. The people inside were making love and the sounds were becoming more passionate. I heard Chinedu's voice telling Dupe those sweet things he often told me when we made love.

I tried the doorknob but it was locked and I went to the window to peep inside and there on the floor, was my newly wedded husband having sex with my best friend. Mad with anger, I went to the door and banged on it, screaming at the adulterous duo that I had seen it all.

As I banged on the door, I was screaming and some other tenants who heard the commotion came out and begged me to calm down. They also called on Dupe to open the door but she refused.

When I was about to make a scene, an elderly lady took me to her house and begged me to go home and take things easy so as to avoid reacting in a negative way.

Instead of going home that night, I went to another friend's house where I spent the night crying all through.

It is now two weeks since the incident and Chinedu, his friends and sisters have been begging me to forgive and give him another chance but I have made up my mind to file for a divorce.

My parents and siblings have also begged me to forgive him and work on my marriage while Dupe's mother has been calling me every day begging me to forgive her daughter but how can I ever forgive the two people I I held so dear hurting me that much?
Anita."

lalasticlala

Nobel laureate, Professor Wole Soyinka has described, as a slap on the faces of Nigerians, the launch of a book on corruption by Mr. Dino Melaye, the Senator representing Kogi West Senatorial District.

Professor Soyinka stated this on Thursday at the opening ceremony of the Civic Media Lab, an initiative of SaharaReporters Media.

The Nobel laureate, who was the special guest at the event, made a barely disguised reference to the recent launch of Mr. Melaye’s Antidotes for Corruption, describing it as a gathering of some of the most reprehensible people in the country’s politics.

“I hope the media when they do their launch, will not be like the launching with which the nation was treated recently in Abuja. I think this nation — you and I — have been slapped in the face by some of the disgusting reprobates that we know in any level of connection with power,” Professor Soyinka said.

He was alluding to Mr. Melaye, a man who possesses dubious educational qualifications and a member of the country’s debauched political class. Mr. Melaye’s Antidotes for Corruption was launched earlier this month and was received with resounding public derision. This, principally, arose from the author’s profile as a poster boy political excesses, marked by his penchant for gaudy public display of expensive automobiles widely believed to have been acquired with funds amassed through inappropriate and fraudulent activities. The title of the book is a grammatical howler, which re-invited attention to Melaye’s dodgy educational qualifications. Instead of Antidotes to Corruption, Melaye chose Antidotes for Corruption for his 600-page book.

The launch of the book was given a wide berth by the country’s anti-corruption agencies, but had in attendance the Senate President, Mr. Bukola Saraki, who is being tried by the Code of Conduct Tribunal for false assets declaration; Mr. Aminu Dogara, Speaker of the House of Representatives, accused of budget padding; and Mrs. Patience Jonathan, wife of former President Goodluck Jonathan, who is claiming ownership of $5.9million dollars found in the accounts of four companies prosecuted for corruption.

Professor Soyinka congratulated Omoyele Sowore, founder of SaharaReporters, and expressed hope that the Civic Media Lab will be a genuine media center.

He also warned SaharaReporters to be more careful now that the online news platform has a known address in Nigeria.

“I’m here under false pretenses; I was told that I agreed to be present at the launch of this media center. Nobody said to my understanding of English, and my understanding of English Language is not too bad. Nobody said I was coming to launch it.

“My hearing may be a bit wonky, but you know… still, here I am. Let me congratulate you once again on the launching of this media center.

“I hope it makes the media more careful, now that people know where to come and find you and to deal with you when you go wrong, and I hope it will be a genuine media center, which means that when we stop by, we would have a drink before we get to more serious tasks,” the 1986 Nobel laureate said.

The SaharaReporters founder thanked Professor Soyinka for making out time to attend despite his hectic schedule, including his involvement in the ongoing Lagos at 50 celebrations.

Sowore stated that the "Civic Media Lab" which is a project of Sahara Reporters Media Foundation is a different entity from "SaharaReporters Media Group" which operates of SaharaReporters.com. He said.

SaharaReporters will remain in New York where it was founded in 2005. Sowore later took Professor Soyinka, Mr. Tunji Lardner, Ms. Ayo Obe, Mr. Jahman Anikulapo and other prominent activists, journalists including some fellows of Civil Media Lab and many prominent persons in the literary and advocacy world on a tour of the Civic Media Lab. He explained that the Civic Media Lab which has green outdoor space provides for serious thinking and relaxation.

“I also want to assure you that this media center is different to the extent that if you wait long enough, there will be palm wine available on the other side of the center. If you want to pour libation to the gods,” he said.

The Civic Media Lab has, on its walls, the images of famous leaders of resistance in Nigeria. They include images of ace musician, Fela Kuti, and Gani Fawehinmi, human rights lawyer. The walls also tell the story of protests in Nigeria, beginning with illustrations from the 1960s and ending with the 2012 Occupy Nigeria protest.

By Hamisu Muhammad, Vienna, Austria


The Minister of State for Petroleum Resources, Ibe Kachikwu said refineries repair cannot be done in an open bidding process.

Speaking to Daily Trust in Vienna, Austria yesterday at the ongoing 172nd OPEC meeting, Kachikwu said refineries concession “Is a highly technical area, what we have done is to invite those who have experience in refining, but it’s open, anybody who feels he has the skills and has the money is welcome. It is not just about the skills but the money too.

“Remember, we don’t have the money, and what we call them in is to rebuild, help us manage and recoup their money from the incremental production and that is ongoing, it has not been decided, the entire three refineries are up on the refurbishing scheme.”

Responding to the alleged bias in the selection process of the AGIP and OANDO Plc as partners to operate the Port Harcourt Refinery and Petrochemical Company, Kachikwu said final decision on the refineries has not been reached.

He said the Federal Government has decided to concession all four refineries in the country by August this year saying, “We hope to award the contracts by July/August and hopefully between 12 to 18 months to be able to get the refineries fully back, and the model is to bring investors, who will repair the refineries and they recoup their money from the incremental production.

“We are ready to offer all the three refineries for investors who have money to repair and manage.

“People keep mentioning AGIP and OANDO Plc but nobody has made the final decision on those, they are probably the front runners because they put a lot of work on that but I am not in the technical committee, I am the chair of the steering committee, when the technical committee meet and finish their work, they will refer it to the steering committee and then it goes to NNPC Board, so all the hullabaloo about the transparency, there is no basis for that.”

By Onyekachi Eze


Ekiti State Governor, Mr Ayodele Fayose said the Department of State Services (DSS) is behaving like a terror gang by approaching a court in Abuja to secure an order to detain Dr. Ifeanyi Ubah for another 14 days after a Lagos High Court ordered he should be released within 48 hours or be charged to court.

The governor at a press conference in Abuja Thursday decried disobedience of court orders by agencies of the Federal Government in the past two years.

He warned that the judiciary should be mindful of being used by the DSS to sustain its regime of tyranny by granting orders allowing the service to detain Nigerians perpetually.

“Our courts should not allow themselves to become willing tools to promote and sustain dictatorship.

They should be able to stand up against the tyrannical acts of the DSS by asking when it became the duty of the service to arrest and detain Nigerians for offences still being investigated,” Fayose advised.

The governor noted that head of Nigeria’s Islamic Movement (IMN), Ibrahim El-Zakzaky is still being kept in detention since December 13, 2015, which the DSS said it was for his personal safety.

lalasticlala

From: Romanus Okoye


A businessman, Augustine Anyia, on Wednesday, pleaded with a Lagos Customary Court, sitting at Agege, to dissolve his seven-year-old marriage to his wife, Nneka, due to lack of care, lesbianism and threat to his life.

“My wife is quarrelsome and quick to violence, especially when she demands for money or anything and l don’t respond to on time,” he said.

The petitioner told the court that he married the respondent after six months of courtship on his return from the United States.

“There has been no peace of mind in this marriage: She is a party freak and does not have any iota of respect for me,’’ he said.

Augustine also alleged that the respondent engages in lesbianism with her friends.

“I see all sorts of pictures of naked women with my wife sent to my phone by her friends and informing me about their acts of lesbianism and asking me to stay away from her,’’ he said.

The petitioner told the court that on two different occasions, he moved out of his house due to threats to his life.

“Whenever we have any misunderstanding, she always threatens to kill me.

“The stress is unbearable; there is no longer peace of mind in this loveless marriage,” he said.

The petitioner also alleged that his wife reported him at a police station and when he was summoned, the respondent demanded to be paid off by her husband as she was fed up with the marriage.

“My wife demanded for a sum of N5 million, a car, N100,000 monthly allowance for the children and to be responsible for the children’s school fees.

“ l agreed to these and I gave her all that she requested for,’’ he said.

She moved out of the house sometimes in October 2016 and had refused me access to the children till date.

The petitioner, who described his wife as “a troublesome and mischievous person” pleaded with the court to dissolve the marriage because he was no longer interested in the union.

He also prayed the court to grant him access to his two children.

The respondent was, however, not present during the proceedings in court.

The court’s President, Mr Philip Williams, adjourned the case till June 22 for further hearing.

CYRIACUS IZUEKWE


A Serving Minister at Believers Love World Ministry popularly known as Christ Embassy Church, Rev. Sunday Olisa has landed in trouble over alleged sexual molestation of his 16 – year old house maid which resulted in four pregnancies and abortions.

The 16-years old orphan (name withheld) is lying critically ill with heavy bleeding coming from her private after she was induced with uncompleted abortion by his benefactor who is a minister at Christ Embassy Church Egbe branch in Lagos.

The incident happened at 6 Dolamo Street in Agodo Egbe in ikotun area where the pastor, Sunday Olisa reside with the victim and family.

P.M.EXPRESS reports that the police at Area M Idimu Command have started manhunt for the cleric after he reportedly escaped mob action from the residents over the incident.

The victim who is in a hospital bed narrated her ordeal to P.M.EXPRESS how he started living with Olisa through her uncle, George Aguba.

She said her Mother was from Mali and married her father who was from Kwale in Delta State.

She said they were three sibling and their parents died when she was 10 and their uncle decided to take them back to Kwale before Olisa offered to assist and took her to his house.

She said ” when i was 10, Olisa will call me inside his bedroom where nobody was around and drugged me and raped me severally”.

She said it had continued and when she attempted to report to the leaders of the church, they shut her up and told her to endure and not complain because Olisa was sponsoring her education.

He said Olisa have taken her to different hospitals whenever he impregnated her for abortions and it has been like for the past six years.

She said she was frustrated and her movement regimented and was not allowed to meet her relations including her uncle, George.

On why he was in the hospital, the helpless victim, said Olisa impregnated her and wanted to cover it up and took her to a doctor where they carried out an abortion and brought her home.

She said after the abortion which was the 4th, she started having heavy bleed and she became afraid and came out from and street and raised alarm before she collapsed and taken to a Hospital where the doctors have been battling to save her life.

She said the doctor said the abortion was not completed which caused the heavy bleeding coming from her private.

She said she does not know her fate if she survive and discharged from the Hospital because he has no contact again with his uncle who did not know what she was passing through.

When our reporter went to the resident where Olisa lives, the residents confirmed the incident and rained curses on Olisa.

At the Area M. Command who is handling the matter, the Area Commander, ACP Austines Akika was not around to comment on the matter.

However, Police sources confirmed the incident and told P.M.EXPRESS that the matter is being investigated by a team of Police led by Female DSP Agatha Eze.

P.M.EXPRESS gathered that there is no officials response from the Church but some of the members expressed shock over the matter and was helping the police in their investigations.

By Soni Daniel, Northern Region Editor


ABUJA— In its bid to stem the tide of criminally-minded Nigerians from hibernating in foreign lands after committing heinous crimes in the country, the Federal Government has sought the repatriation of no fewer than 311 of such suspects from their hideouts across the world.

The government has not, however, revealed the identities of the suspects, the amount looted by them and where they are taking refuge at the moment.
But while that remains, the government has also received 636 extradition requests from foreign governments to assist them in dealing with such elements, who fled their lands after committing serious offences.

The suspects are wanted in their home countries to answer to alleged crimes perpetuated by them before they fled such countries to seek safe haven in Nigeria.
Of the number received, the federal government has forwarded a total of 503 requests to competent authorities for execution.

The information was contained in a document made available to Vanguard from the Office of the Attorney General of the Federation and Minister of Justice on the achievements of the Buhari administration in the Justice sector since coming to power two years ago.

The development is covered under the Mutual Legal Assistance, MLA, signed between Nigeria and six nations, with a view to repatriating looted funds and prosecuting the masterminds of such crime by the countries involved so as to reduce the incidence of graft.

The Attorney General of the Federation, Abubakar Malami, a Senior Advocate of Nigeria, SAN, confirmed to Vanguard that the ministry of Justice received a total of 5658 criminal cases in the last two years of the administration out of which 100 cases were successfully concluded.

Malami disclosed that included in the 100 decided matters were terrorism cases, while 2000 other criminal cases received from the Nigeria Police for prosecution in the Magistrate Court were pending due to logistics challenges.

The minister revealed that within the period under review, the National Agency for the Prohibition of Trafficking in Persons and Other related offences, NAPTIP, has successfully arrested and prosecuted no fewer than 41 human traffickers and rescued a total of 1484 victims of human trafficking.

In a similar vein, the minister disclosed that the Nigerian Copyright Commission recorded a monumental achievement within the past two years with a market value seizure of pirated works of N2.1billion.

The commission also made 201 arrests, convicted three persons and seized a total of eight containers of pirated books and two containers of pirated Compact Discs and Digital Video Discs.

“ As a result of the commission’s robust enforcement and prosecutorial activities and Nigeria’s active participation in World Intellectual Property Organisation, WIPO, the country secured the establishment of an external office of WIPO in Nigeria,” the minister said.

“ Nigeria remains delisted from the United States 301 list of countries that are not seriously addressing copyright piracy and other Intellectual Property crimes,” he said.