₦airaland Forum

if you have content to make good music, and will give you a kind of residual income, for old age. go for it.

if na fast food music, my go redirect your step and go for painting. as at now, it not fully accepted In our society, but if you good design it will keep paying your bills over and over again

In a bid to fulfill its promise of helping Nigeria fight the Boko Haram insurgency, the United States will today, donate 24 mine-resistant and armor-protected vehicles to the Nigerian Army.

The vehicles, which are valued at $11m, would be handed over to the military authorities at the Nigerian Army 9th Brigade Parade Ground, Ikeja Army Cantonment in Lagos.

A statement yesterday, by the Public Affairs Section of the United States Consulate General Lagos, said: “The US is pleased to donate 24 Mine-Resistant, Armor-Protected (MRAP) vehicles valued at $11m to Nigeria’s military authorities.

“The equipment donation represents part of the continuing US commitment to Nigeria and its neighbours to counter Boko Haram’s senseless acts of terror and promote regional security


www.vanguardngr.com/2016/01/us-donates-11m-mine-resistant-vehicles-to-nigerian-army/

4reala:
Let d prosecution begin. We still want Amechi, Tinubu, lie mohammmed and d rest to follow

That is if they share from Dasuki loot.


if not their various state are at liberty to take them to court if they are found wanting.

Because last time i check, this men operate from state level, and not federal. before May 29, 2015

lalasticlala
seun
Obinoscopy
mynd44

Now we can all see, all man for himself

Wailing wailer over to you

The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission on Wednesday night arrested a former military governor of Kaduna State and chieftain of the ruling All Progressives Congress, Lawal Jafaru Isa.

Mr. Isa is the first chieftain of the APC arrested by the EFCC since the beginning of a sweeping probe into the alleged diversion of $2.1 billion meant for arms purchase by officials of the immediate-past administration.

Mr. Isa, Military Administrator of Kaduna State from December 1993 to August 1996 during the military regime of General Sani Abacha and one-time governorship candidate of the defunct CPC in Kano State, is a close friend of the embattled former National Security Adviser, Sambo Dasuki.

Mr. Isa, also a close political associate of President Muhammadu Buhari, was arrested at his Abuja residence located at Ajayi Crowther Street, Asokoro.

A witness told PREMIUM TIMES that operatives of the anti-graft commission invaded his residence around 9pm, and then whisked him away a few minutes later.

PREMIUM TIMES gathered that Mr. Isa, a retired brigadier general, was invited last week to appear before the commission on Wednesday (yesterday) to clear the air on “some questionable receipts” from the former NSA.
Investigators believe the retired soldier received over N100million from Mr. Dasuki.


Rather than honouring the invitation, sources said, Mr. Isa wrote a letter to the EFCC through his lawyer, seeking a postponement of his appearance date on the grounds of death of a relative.

Apparently dissatisfied with his excuse, the EFCC however arrested him to clarify the “questionable receipts”.

The spokesperson of the EFCC, Wilson Ujuwaren, could not be reached Thursday morning for‎ comments on the arrest.
But a top official of the commission confirmed the development.

”He has been wasting our time, and we just have to pick him up for our investigation to continue,” the official said.


http://www.premiumtimesng.com/news/headlines/196333-dasukigate-efcc-arrests-buharis-associate-apc-chieftain-jafaru-isa.html

Lagos and Truck falling everyday

Nawaoooooooooooo

jusRadical:
Op please stop this rubbish.

Stop spreading baseless lies. What do you know about a fuel dispenser?


Do you know that what you calla return valve at the tip of the nozzle is a pipe called the venturi?


Have you not notice that once any fluid touches the tip of the nozzle thereby touching this vebturi, it shuts off the flow of the liquid being dispensed?

This shutting off is caused by this venturi which blocks the air that gets to the dispenser and automatically shuts off the flow.


My friend Google is your friend, alright?

Guy why are you the only person wandering around this thread claiming is a lie, yet you can give a better explanation of the true scenario.

I guess you work with a retail outlet, and that where you guys see choppings, how much do retail outlet pay you as salary, so that meant to augments it, instead of debunking it, we all knw what is obtainable.

hopilo:
Jusradical, if you have anything contrary bring it to the table and stop ranting.

dnt mind the guy.
I work in a depot both shore and Aviation, temperature is alway factor during calibration of equipment such as the meter, for adequate compensation when the temperature is high, which is not applicable at retail outlet, so it advisable you buy your fuel early in the morning,

on the return valve, that's the technology outside now, if you dnt know abt it yet, jst go silent on it, instead of telling us it a lie.

There is no gainsaying that you have some professional cert, and probably member of some certified body, coupled with your years of experience, which might be lacking in other guy with MSC.

why the company opted for you is simply because you cost less to hire/maintain than your counterpart with MSC.

so dont think you out perform you MSC counterpart.

•Minister exonerates Buhari from military probe

•’Local govt election can’t stand’


President Muhammadu Buhari has no hand in the military enquiry into the alleged use of soldiers to manipulate the June 21, 2014, governorship election in Ekiti State, Minister of Solid Minerals Development Kayode Fayemi has said.

The ex-governor said the decision to probe soldiers’ conduct was taken by the Military High Command and not by Buhari, as alleged by Governor Ayo Fayose in Lagos.
The minister, who spoke on ADABA 88.9 FM, Akure, on Saturday, described Fayose’s allegation that Buhari was planning to unseat him with the military probe as the “eruption of an infantile mind”.

Assessing developments in his home state, Fayemi said Fayose runs a “trial-and-error government” and a “government of lottery”, noting that his successor never prepared for governance, hence the alleged “reduction of governance to comedy” in Ekiti.

The minister also said the last local government election would not stand legal scrutiny, as his party, the All Progressives Congress (APC), has gone to the Court of Appeal to seek the nullification of the poll.
He appealed to the people to be patient, assuring them that things would soon be better.

Fayemi said Ekiti people had seen the “insensitivity” of the Fayose administration in the imposition of taxes and the governor leading a task force to harass traders and seize their goods.

Reacting to Fayose’s claim that the military Board of Enquiry probe was targeted at him (Fayose), the former governor said the erring soldiers were not being probed on their involvement in Ekiti election alone but in other states, such as Osun, Rivers and Abia.

Fayemi said: “The (Fayose’s) allegation is rubbish and so typical of the governor to reduce everything to his own imagination. To the best of my knowledge, President Buhari is no longer a military ruler.

“But if the military, in its wisdom, decides to investigate the role of soldiers in elections in Osun, Ekiti, Rivers and Abia, what has that got to do with President Buhari or the Federal Executive Council?

“He (Fayose) is only trying to draw attention to himself, he wants a response and nobody has responded to him either at party level or governmental level.

“This is the eruption of an infantile mind. We don’t want to dignify him with any response on what he has been saying about President Buhari.”

The minister said Fayose’s accusation that he (Fayemi) left a “huge debt” behind has been refuted by the pronouncement from the Debt Management Office (DMO) that Ekiti’s debt stands at N18 billion; contrary to the N85 billion and N125 billion being peddled by the incumbent governor.

He said since he left office over a year ago, he had never been invited by any anti-corruption agency to answer for any mismanagement of public funds, which is a proof that he ran a transparent government during his tenure.

“If the Fayose administration has been entertaining the public and deluding itself with bogus figures, it is left to it. I served Ekiti to the best of my ability and my record speaks for me. For those who claim that I didn’t do anything, I have put Ekiti behind me,” he said.

On the outrage over taxes imposed by the Fayose administration, Fayemi said there was nothing bad about taxation but the interest of the people must be put into consideration and there should be an interface with them before such an action is taken.

Fayemi said the governor re-introduced the Social Security Scheme of giving N5,000 to 10,000 people in the Appropriation Bill and wondeed why his was scrapped.

Speaking on the situation of the APC in Ekiti, Fayemi said he was interested in pursuing unity and ensuring that the party waxes stronger everyday. He stressed that there were no factions but interest groups working to restore the party back to power.

Fayemi explained that the unity within the party was brought to the fore by the agreement of leaders and members not to participate in the last council election and to challenge the composition of the state electoral agency in court.

The former governor described the election of the council administrators as “an illegality, which will not be allowed to stand”.

He noted that Nigerians would soon reap the change promised by the APC-led Federal Government.




www.thenationonlineng.net/fayemi-fayose-running-trial-and-error-govt/

•APC: denial statement issued by Government House

The alleged beating of the Southern Ijaw Local Government Chairman of Bayelsa State, Chief Remember Ogbe, by Governor Seriake Dickson, yesterday sparked controversies across the state.

Dickson was accused of descending heavily on Ogbe for failing to ensure his victory at the botched governorship election in the local government on December 5 and 6.

The election in the area, where the All Progressives Congress (APC) claimed it defeated the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) by a landslide, was cancelled, following alleged irregularities.

Dickson allegedly invited Ogbe to the Government House in Yenagoa and reportedly gave him a beating of his life.
But the governor has denied assaulting Ogbe.

A statement quoted Ogbe as debunking the reports that Dickson physically attacked him over the poll.

The statement, which emanated from a Government House source, said Ogbe described the report of his alleged assault as wicked and malicious, adding that it was the handiwork of the APC and its governorship candidate, Chief Timipre Sylva.

The council chief was quoted as saying that the APC was getting more desperate in its bid to take over Bayelsa State by hook or crook.

He reportedly expressed confidence that the PDP would win in Southern Ijaw.

Ogbe was said to have also wondered why the APC claimed that the governor was angry for losing election in his council when there was no election at all in the first place.

The statement said: “Southern Ijaw was riddled with violence and turned to a theatre of war by the APC.

Election materials did not get to the polling units, Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) officials were kidnapped and these were the reasons why INEC cancelled the process and fixed January 9, 2016 for the election.

So, how could the governor be angry with me for not delivering?”

But in a statement by the Director of Media and Publicity of the Sylva/Igiri Campaign Organisation (SICO), Chief Nathan Egba, APC dared Ogbe to publicly deny the alleged assault.

Egba said while Ogbe was still nursing his wounds, Dickson, through his Government House Press Unit, was issuing statements for the chairman.

He said: “Our response is, therefore, simple as we are also very convinced that Chief Ogbe is a Christian.

“If he is sure that he was not beaten by anybody, let him come out publicly to deny it on television so that cameras can show his face and other parts.

“It is embarrassing to note that these denials were issued from the Bayelsa Government House Press Office, while Chief Remember Ogbe is still on his sick bed.”

Egba said the Southern Ijaw Local Government chairman had not been seen in public since the incident.

He added: “It is more than two weeks now that Chief Ogbe received the Governor’s beating. This is no lie at all and not political either, but to draw attention to the character of the man who is seeking the mandate of the people.

“Let us recall that Governor Dickson recently met with various stakeholders from Southern Ijaw Local Government Area, including the traditional rulers, chiefs, political appointees and youth groups.

Chief Ogbe could not attend any of the meetings because of the injuries inflicted on him by the desperate governor.

“For the records, the APC flag bearer, Chief Timipre Sylva, has nothing to do with the story; rather, it was the numerous eyewitnesses, including some close associates, who broke the news because of their unhappiness with the goingson in the Government House.

“We have also promised to provide at least three eyewitnesses, who are willing to stake everything, to confirm this story.”

Egba urged the Government House to provide a platform for the Southern Ijaw Local Government Area’s chairman to personally address reporters so that Bayelsa residents could see who was lying.



www.thenationonlineng.net/row-in-bayelsa-over-dicksons-alleged-beating-of-council-chief/

This ex minister from SW I guess should be Musiliu Obanikoro or Jelili Adesiyan


but I have strong feeling, it is koro the thug wey wan rule Lasgidi and became the second Thugnor General after Thugnor Fayose of Ekiti

EFCC traces N1.450b to four firms

Official says PDP got funds for election

How much of the $2.1 billion arms purchase cash went into the Ekiti and Osun states governorship elections?

What role did a former minister play in the alleged diversion of the funds?

These are some of the questions the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) is battling to answer in its probe of the phoney arms deals that set the treasury back by millions of dollars.

The cash was wired into the former minister’s accounts, the anti-graft agency is believed to have discovered.

Governorship elections were held in Ekiti (June 2014) and in Osun (August 2014).
But the former minister, one of the leading lights of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in the Southwest, has sneaked out of the country.

It was learnt that he may relocate from his hideout because it is considered as “unsafe” for him.

There are fears that if he remains in the hideout, his extradition for trial would be easier, a source told The Nation.

The source said: “The huge funds were paid into the accounts of the ex-Minister for elections in the two states.

“There are allegations that the funds were not disbursed as expected because the candidates had their own campaign funds.

“Although some military and security personnel were to benefit from the slush funds, they were also shortchanged.”

Some bankers who managed the accounts have already given some information to EFCC investigators.

“But we have discovered that the ex-Minister has sneaked out of the country. As soon as we establish his whereabouts, we know what to do,” the source said.
The Nation could not reach the former minister last night.

It was gathered that another N1.450billion fraud had been uncovered by the EFCC following revelations by one of the accused persons on trial.

The discovery is contained in the heap of evidence filed in the court by EFCC for the trial of 10 suspects.

The money was paid into some accounts which were submitted by a “former Accountant-General” whose identity the suspect in the Office of the National Security Adviser(ONSA) refused to disclose.

“I could remember the following companies and account numbers were submitted by the former Accountant -General which we paid monies into.

Below are the companies and amounts so far paid:
Stellavera Dev Company(N300m);
First Aralac Global Limited(N300m);
First Aralac Global Limited(N100m);
Damaris Mode(N300m);
Stellavera Dev Company(N200m)
and Whese Farms Ltd(N250m).

“I was directed to pay monies into the above accounts. I do not know what the monies were meant for, “ the accused person said.

Meanwhile, a Staff Officer, Account 1, Yazidu Ibrahim has disclosed that most payments from the ONSA were meant to pursue the PDP presidential election.

He claims to have payment vouchers of all funds remitted to PDP beneficiaries, companies and contractors.

He made the disclosures in a statement made to EFCC as a witness.

Ibrahim said: “My duties include recording financial transactions and to keep custody of all duplicate copies of financial transactions. Also to prepare bank reconciliation statements and to collect statements from all banks.

“The year 2014-2015 transactions were mainly to support the presidential election of the ruling Peoples Democratic Party (PDP).

“Those payments to contractors or individuals by deposit into their accounts were based on instructions from the DFA. The tellers are attached to the payment vouchers.

“All payments to contractors are based on directive from DFA. Sometimes, there is accompanying document; most times, there is nothing except account details of contractors.”


www.thenationonlineng.net/2-1b-arms-cash-ex-minister-flees-over-osun-ekiti-polls/

STD Alert

Visit another Lab for confirmation

and as well see your Doctor, for proper guardian

Ntin like break up,

Baba milliano on several occasions said he only sign them for two years, and have no intention of keeping them under him, after their two yrs contract, he will not resign them again, they should go and break new ground for themselves, but they can still use his record label (YBNL), that is if they are unable to float one, and it will be strickly on business.

To me that is commendable, he want them to grow, and signing them for 2year under YBNL has giving them the platform to excel, the ball now lied in their court to use the platform to their advantage.

pedrilo:
person property? ha bros, u harsh o

It make no sense, telling me you forget it. when I know it was intentional.

I discard it sharply, without wasting time.

Now one by one all the Governor are coming out to deny plan reduction of #18000 minimum wage.

in the real sense of it, then which state governor comes up that he can continue to pay the #18000 minimum wage.

Cus now, a number of them has stylishly deny it.

Yea is a beautiful thing to see Nigeria going towards greatness in my life time.

for close to 3 wks now, PHCN light, over stable self dey worry am for my area. one of the satellite town in abj

Blackkie:
I weep for the so called Nigerian youths!
So it has come to the extent that they cannot understand simple information?

Airlines are doing businesses in Nigeria, footing all their bills but cannot take home their profits thus they may reduce the presence due to the dollar restrictions - if you are in their shoes what will you do?

If the western world made it a low that you cannot leave America or Britain with what you have earned in their nation how will Nigerians see it?

From your understanding is this policy not a negative one for Nigerians and our economy?

Can someone suggest to foreigners how best to take their hard earned money home!

Bro you dnt get it, nobody is saying they shld not take their profit home,

Can a nigeria doing business in UK/US allow to accept Payment in Naira from UK/US citizens.

when the business get to Nigeria, he changes his dollar to Naira.

So the Airline can go back to their various country and change the Naira to their dollar/pound.

with that their will be demand for Naira in other country, and that will help strengthen our Naira,

simply because the demand for dollar is high in Nigeria that one of the major reason our naira is in a free fall.

I know of some places in Ikoyi, that shooping complex where they only accept dollar, for payment of Goods, we have same in Abuja too. it worrisome.

Hummmmm.
yoruba will say O so simi lenu o bu iyo si meaning e mess for my mouth con add salt.
mess be dis, u cnt swallow it, and salt cnt be spilt out.
this matter get as e be

baby124:
I agree with you. The Zimbabwe nonsense is just the effect of a spiteful old man that has run out of ideas and refuse to die or let someone else come in.

Yea you are right.

That why it pain me some time when we youth that are suppose to support this good initiative and uplift it are the one complaining, jst bcus of today without looking into the future

Not that all PMB policy are ok, but this one. on our Naira I think is for the betterment of our economy, for you to see the white men complaining. no be small thing.

Nigeria shall be great again

it shall not be well with the so call international airline.
nonsense.

if you cnt deal with our naira, then Bleep off our airspace.



can we tender Naira to buy flight ticket in Uk/USA. will it be accepted.

yet you want us to accept your own currency in our country.

you see them talking about repatriatin fund to their country.

if you must repatriate fund back to you country, them go with Naira and exchange it in your country.

Naira must be strengthened.
outright ban on dollar/pound spending be impose.

paying for jet fuel in dollars here in nigeria should not be accepted, they should exchange their dollar to naira and pay the marketers in naira, this are tinz that will help strengthen our Naira.

we have accept all their rubbish over the years, but now it time we take our stand.


African should stand tall and face the devilish white people to their face, we should stop fueling white man economy at the detriment of our own.


Just like Zimbabwe adopt the spending of Chinese YEN as a ledger tender in their country just because of $40billion debt.

wirinet:
I have relations living in port harcourt but earn salaries with Delta state government. The problem of absentee (not ghost) workers is huge, although you cant discard ghost (non existent) workers as well. If you carry out bio-metric verification, you will surprised that most of the workers will turn up. The civil service is so bloated that most of the absentee workers do not even have a desk. DESOPADEC is a typical example, if you go desopadec on days when every worker is expected to report to work, you will wonder how they are able to fit such huge number of worker into such a small building.

The overbloated workforce is a legacy left by Ibori and his cousin.

Problems of Ghost Worker is quite easy to elimininate, just carry out biometric verification and pay directly to bank accounts through e payment system. Absentee Worker is more complex, the Absentee worker has a valid employment letter, so sacking him wiill create legal problems not to talk of labour relation problems. Sacking or retiring all of them would require payment of compensation, gratuity and pension running into billions of naira.

Bros call for bio metric, they will not be present, I tell you, one they dnt even know the ministry or parastatal they belong to, talkless of knowing where there office is.

The local government jst go to the community leaders and ask they to summit so so number of name for employment,
my guy send his name from lagos, a leader in their community call his dad, that all and inform him abt it, and his name was sent in. that all.

so they are ghost workers, if you talk of absentee workers, bros come abj and see federal civil service for that one. then you will knw the difference.

yea, this is for real ghost workers.

personally I knw abt 3people from that state in lagos earning monthly salary from their respective Local government.

Last year I meet a food vendor at abj also from that state earning monthly salary as well, yet they are all ghost workers hustling somewhere else.

PT: The president recently stated that people who looted public funds had started to return them, and that names will be published soon. I wonder if you have any idea as to how much have been recovered so far?

Sagay: No. That’s an area I absolutely have no knowledge about. That has not been brought within our circle.

PT: But your assignment must have given you fresh insight into corrupt activities in Nigeria. How would you rate corruption in Nigeria?

Sagay: It’s depressing. What we have found is that it is present at every level, in every sector, anywhere. There’s no exception. None. We are hearing all the high profile cases but there are so many cases that are not high profile – perm secs, civil servants, directors, even in the private sector, all engaging. It’s as if that is a national passion. So that if you are not selective, you’ll be overwhelmed.

We are hoping that by the body language of the government, by the example that will be set by those who are prosecuted successfully and by setting programs we are going to run, programs in which the public: 1. Will be exposed to the damage that corruption does. When they take 12 billion out of your budget, what does it do to the average Nigerian.

We are going to show all that. And take it to schools, so many places so that people when they hear corruption, they will personalize and not think that government money has been stolen. No no no. What has been stolen is the fee to maintain a clinic where my wife would have had a baby successfully tomorrow. And because of that thing was not there she died in childbirth. That’s the sort of things we want to run down the mind of Nigerians so that they can be hostile to corruption.

PT: Over the past years we have seen you coming out to speak on issues bordering on corruption. How would you rate the previous administration’s fight against corruption?

Sagay: You mean the previous administration’s encouragement of corruption? But you and I know that they were promoting corruption as a way of life. Look at all the revelations which you and I know. In fact, when I started reading it I started laughing because it reminded me of so much of one culture in Delta State where I come from. We have all these young young boys who don’t have a job, who are looking for money anyhow. If there’s anything going on, any party, they’ll go there. If there’s any rich man in town, they’ll go there hoping he’ll throw money. And when one gets and he’s going away, he’ll see the other and he’ll say “You don obtain?” Then that one will go and tell the other “You don obtain?”

The Jonathan government has introduced the culture of ‘You don obtain’ as a national culture. For everybody to be walking into an office somewhere and collecting his share of Nigerian resources and walking away for nothing. So there’s no question that the Jonathan government actively promoted corruption. And has wrecked and ruined this country as a result because we have no money anymore. It’s just incredible that anybody can just wake up and get his share. This man got 100 million, this one got 2.1 billion, everybody is having a share. On what basis? Tompolo had 13 billion. Everybody. As long as you belong to the PDP, you can just walk in some office and collect a suitcase of money and go. Somebody went to the Central Bank and collected 14 suitcases of dollars, $47 million in suitcases. That’s a bazaar, it’s bizarre. That’s not an organized country. That is chaos and total disorder.

PT: Recently, an ex-NIMASA boss was bundled into a bus by security agents despite two courts granting him bail. Are you concerned about the disrespect for court rulings?

Sagay: But he was re-arrested for a new charge. That’s allowed. They were not disrespecting the bail, they had a new charge. For any new charge, police can arrest. So all he needs to do is to ask for bail for that too. You see, it’s all up to us. If you go about committing 50 different crimes, and you are charged for one and you get bail. You can be charged for the second one, third one, fourth one, all the 50 and you get bail for all the 50. That’s what had happened. They were playing football with our money at our various levels…

PT: (Cuts in) But the manner in which he was bundled into the bus…

Sagay: (Cuts in) He was resisting. I don’t support it, mark you. I don’t support it. It was humiliating. He could have been injured because it was too rough. But again, a man like that, he’s an educated man, a lecturer, you don’t struggle with the police. ‘Oh new charge? Ok, call my lawyers. This is the new charge.’ Enter the vehicle and go. But to physically resist. I think it’s very foolish for anyone to physically resist the state because you cannot defeat the state.

PT: Critics of the present government say they are targeting only PDP members. That there’s an Amaechi or Fashola who had also had petitions written against them yet nothing was done to them. What do you think about that?

Sagay: Who are the people who wrote petitions against Amaechi and Fashola? Primarily, they are this same people who are afraid of being probed. Who thought these two strong men being in Buhari’s government will so strengthen that government. That the contrast between it and the Jonathan government will be so strong and that they themselves will be exposed. Do you think Wike will want Amaechi to be in any government? He would not. He is so frightened of Amaechi, if he could destroy him he would have destroyed him long ago.

There’s nothing he had not done to destroy him. With Mama Patience. There’s nothing they haven’t done. It’s just that the guy is such a clucky, strong, energetic, and witty fellow that just got himself out of all that. Then they just cooked up a panel made up of sympathetic, pro-Wike judges who went there parading themselves in a most dishonorable manner. So it’s nothing to be taken seriously.

The same thing with Fashola. Some people did not want Fashola to be in this government and so they just decided that the best thing to do is to tarnish his name, tarnish his record, which the whole world respects. From the United States to Australia, to the Middle East, to even the United Nations, everybody knows that Fashola has the best record in governance that this country has had since Awolowo. So they just wanted to destroy all that over night because they were frightened of him becoming a minister.
That’s why I have a great respect for Buhari. He was unmoved. He was unshaken. He just kept his cool. And when he now came out, what did he do? He made Fashola the symbol of his government. Fashola is the number one minister in this country today. And Transport given to Amaechi is equally important, because we are talking of railways, highways, aviation, and so on. Buhari knows what he is doing most of the time. He doesn’t talk much.

PT: But do you think this government’s fight against corruption so far has targeted only opposition elements?

Sagay: No. It hasn’t. You see, what is happening, I’m a little bit in the know of this, this government is not going out of the way to look for people to prosecute. No. They are prosecuting people whose corruption is jarring them in the face. Corruption that is virtually blocking your road, you cannot move unless you move it out of the way. That’s the type of corruption we are facing. Corruption that has crippled this government now.
So when they talk of corruption of Obasanjo, Yar’adua, all these people, that we should go back to that, no complain about that. But if we don’t clear the last five years, the type of corruption we have seen is mind-boggling and not only that, they are all close. You can see the way the NSA’s office was turned into a bazaar. Even after Buhari was elected, they still transferred money, over 27 billion to NSA’s office, after the election.
We have to deal with those first. How can you now go back to 1960, to Shagari and so on when you have this low-hanging fruit right in your face. It makes no sense. So it’s not a question of discrimination. It’s a question of going after the obvious, the immediate, the most threatening which has to be taken care of before you move on.

http://saharareporters.com/2015/12/23/why-buhari-insisted-having-amaechi-fashola-his-cabinet-despite-massive-opposition-—-itse

Itse Sagay, a professor of Law, is the Chairman of the Presidential Advisory Committee on Anti-Corruption. In this interview with PREMIUM TIMES’ Ben Ezeamalu, he spoke about his committee’s assignment as well as the present and immediate past administrations’ fights against corruption.



PT: Let’s talk about the Presidential Advisory Committee of which you are chairman. How far has the committee gone with its assignment and are there any challenges so far?

Sagay: You know, obviously, that it’s not everything we do that I can say. The committee, to a certain extent, is working under a sort of protocol of low profile: do a lot behind the scenes but do not project yourself all over the place. So that means I cannot tell you everything we have done. But I’ll tell you some of the essentials.

I think the first point I need to make, that this committee is a coordinating committee. In other words, it is to coordinate the fight against corruption in the country. That process of coordination includes the following: we will liaise with all anti-corruption agencies, we will ensure that they are cooperating, rather than competing.

We will also look at what they are doing individually, to find what challenges they are having. For example the challenge of training their manpower with regards to prosecution. We are doing something about that (So many cases that have not been concluded were suspended and all that). Is it equipment? Is it finance? Or is it that there are some people within these agencies that are in fact sabotaging what the agency is doing by cooperating with the very people who are being investigated. Things like that are also happening.

Those are some of the things and, as I said, we want to create synergy between all the various anti-corruption agencies so they are working and cooperating together, supplying expertise where one lacks, supplying equipment where the other lacks. We are doing that right now.

Secondly, having asked all these questions, we then arrange to provide assistance to meet those gaps which they have. For example we are in touch with various international bodies who have given us their assurance that once we know what the agencies need, they will provide the assistance to make up for any shortcomings that they have in any of the areas like training, equipment and so on.

We have been in touch with many of them and they have really been very generous in the way they have come forward to meet us.

Then secondly, very major thing, is the reform, improvement, and application of the Administration of Criminal Justice Act. So administration of criminal justice generally but with specific reference to the Administration of Criminal Justice Act of 2015.

You saw the recent explosion in the country over the Supreme Court’s decision where there was so much controversy whether the Supreme Court ought to have granted a stay regarding the Code of Conduct Tribunal operations.

So our job is to ensure that this particular law works. And the reason why it has to work is because before it the previous law was not working. You charge somebody to court for corruption, the first thing the person’s lawyer does is to file a preliminary objection challenging the jurisdiction of the court, challenging the validity of the charges, and so on. And they would now compel the court to concentrate on these preliminary matters and completely forget the charges which brought them to court. And, say, if after two or three years they lose, they would appeal to the Court of Appeal. They would not say ‘Ok let us hear the case now.’ No no no. They will appeal to the Court of Appeal and knowing the mentality and the culture of the judiciary.

Once you say you appeal, the High Court is so frightened it will suspend its proceedings. And so the thing goes on to the Court of Appeal. And they go through the same rigmarole, two-three years, court rules that the lower court has jurisdiction. They appeal to the Supreme Court. And that goes through another two-three years rigmarole. So by the time they finally say the court has jurisdiction we are talking of 10-12 years. By the time you come back to the High Court to actually hear the case, witnesses have died, retired, the investigating police officer is retired, he’s no longer there. Those who are familiar with the case in the ministry have become judges. So the case dies a natural death and they create what we call ‘prosecution fatigue.’ That’s what used to be.

Now under this Administration of Criminal Justice Act 2015, all these problems have been solved. That Act says there must be no adjournment, adjournment is prohibited. Once the case starts, it has to go on from day to day till it’s concluded. There are provisions where there is an extreme need for an adjournment, the judge uses his discretion to grant two weeks, 14 days. And this can be done five times during the life of the case, after that the judge doesn’t have the competence, the case must go on till the end. That’s number one.

Number two, let’s go over what I said just now, somebody brings a preliminary objection, he attacks the jurisdiction of the court, he says the charge is not properly drawn up, it’s faulty and so on, therefore everything needs to be struck out. Or even brings an action that his client should be discharged, that the charge be quashed. Now, this new Act says if anything like that comes, the court should entertain it, but entertain it together with the substantive issue. So if you bring a preliminary objection now under the new law, the court will listen to you. You argue, you give all your reasons why the court has no jurisdiction, the court will be taking down notes. After you finish all that the court will say ‘fine’ and put it aside ‘I’ll rule on it.’

Now let’s go to the main case. They will then hear the corruption case which would have been postponed until after the Supreme Court, they now hear it to the full. After that the judge will now give a date and come, give judgment on preliminary objection, give judgment on substantive case. Do you see the improvement? You do not have to journey to the Supreme Court and back. Everything is taken together. So if the judge, having heard both the preliminary objection and the substantive corruption case, he will take the preliminary objection first naturally…

PT: (Cuts in) If the judge hears the preliminary objection and delivers judgment…

Sagay: He won’t deliver judgment.

PT: As in, after he heard all the cases. And delivers judgment and it turns out he didn’t have the jurisdiction in the first place to entertain the suit. Does he still have the competence to rule on the substantive case?

Sagay: That’s what I was going to tell you. He gives judgment, he agrees he has no jurisdiction. Then he will say, ‘supposing I’m wrong in saying so, this is the judgment I would have delivered in the corruption case.’ He will still send the man to prison even though he says ‘I have no jurisdiction, but in case I have, I’m sending you to five years imprisonment.’ Case goes on, to the Supreme Court. The Supreme Court will now look at the two. The Supreme Court may agree with him and say ‘oh, she has no jurisdiction, I uphold her.

But I will also look at the substantive matter. If I had jurisdiction, you’d have gone to prison for five years.’ Supreme Court may end up saying yes they have jurisdiction therefore we adopt the jurisdiction and you are going for the five years. Do you see the difference? It’s a dramatic difference. It’s a revolution. So within nine months the case is heard, 18 months it’s finished in the Court of Appeal, in another two years it’s finished in the Supreme Court and you know your fate. No going up and down, the two are taken together. That is the new law.

That’s not all, the new law also says that, previously if you are hearing a case and you are promoted to a higher court, you just drop the case you are hearing, a new judge is now brought to hear it from the beginning, no matter how far you’ve gone. We have a very bad case recently of Erastus Akingbola of Intercontinental Bank. The case was heard from beginning to end, the judge gave a date to deliver judgment, then we don’t know up till today whether this was a plan, they just promoted him to the Appeal Court. The case is back. And since then it has gone through three or four judges, no head no tail. That is gone forever. Once a judge is assigned to a case, even if he’s promoted to the Supreme Court, he must finish it, under this new law.

So our duty as the Presidential Advisory Committee Against Corruption is to ensure that all courts keep strictly to these changes and not go back to the old bad ways. Because many of them have the tendency of going back to the old bad ways. Either because they are ignorant. Either because they don’t appreciate the significance of the new laws or because they are corrupt. So our job is to follow up every case to make sure that there is no falling back. That no judge is granting unnecessary adjournment. That no judge is staying any action.

Another provision of the new law is that if you appeal any ruling of the court, the court will continue hearing the case regardless of the appeal.
My committee is mandated to ensure that all these changes are maintained and sustained and applied unfailingly.

PT: Are there penalties for courts (judges) who go back to these old bad ways?

Sagay: The penalty is that it will be noted and it will affect his performance and judgment and could result to his being retired. Because now there is a system involving the National Judicial Commission, NBA, and, informally, ourselves, monitoring judges and all those things. Once we notice these lapses continue, then they will be recommended first for suspension, case will be heard against them, if confirmed they will be retired. There is now very strict provision, one for productivity, two for integrity. Their work is being measured very strictly.

And another thing we are working on with the Chief Justice and the Attorney Generals, in all these corruption cases, we are identifying judges who are known for their integrity, who are known to be impervious to brandishments of material things, who just have a passion for justice, they are the ones who are going to handle these cases. They will be transferred to the Criminal Division of each High Court and the cases will go to them, and we expect these cases to be determined within nine months. So all these governors whose cases have been in court since 2007 till now, all that will be a thing of the past.

PT: I know you’ve spoken about how the Committee wants to maintain a low profile…

Sagay: (Cuts in) Yes. Ok, let me tell you one or two things that I almost forgot. We are also trying to train these anti corruption agencies on so many things. For example, this prosecution thing, we are presently developing a prosecution manual ‘How to prosecute successfully.’ We are developing, almost getting to the final stage now, which we’ll now pass on to them so that they can follow it. And if they do, they will not fail unless the person is innocent.

We are also developing a plea bargaining manual so that when there’s a need for plea bargaining, you know what steps to follow.

And recently we had a workshop on Section 306 and 396 of the new Administration of Criminal Justice Act on this issue whether a court, whether Supreme Court, Court of Appeal, or High Court has a right to adjourn any matter on appeal. Because that happened recently in Saraki’s case and there was an uproar all over the country. So we had to bring in experts and they have all held that under no circumstances should any court in the country from Supreme Court to High Court grant any adjournment because of an appeal. The case continues at the lower court while his appeal also continues. If he’s convicted at the lower court and he has appealed, the appeal can then overrule the lower court but the lower court cannot be stopped anymore.


http://saharareporters.com/2015/12/23/why-buhari-insisted-having-amaechi-fashola-his-cabinet-despite-massive-opposition-—-itse

Rapunzel001:
You dey do as if e never experience any of the above before

Lolz

i have experience almost all you mention there.

Growing up on the street of Ikeja/Agege.

some we even do it intentionally, like boarding the popular Molue with no money for pocket.

Conductor go sieze one leg of my palm, after we drag drag am, when you come down, he go later throw your palm to you, when the bus take off, sometime self, person fit enter like 2 or 3 molue from agege jst to reach Oshodi.


Men, remembering those days, it was fun

This op na street urchin for lag before, how come only you understand this.

your experience for street na grade 1, with look of thing, I believe na Reminisce be your headmaster for Primary sch, while Olamide badoo be ur Principal for sec sch.

@op na joke we dey, no take am serious

Google is your friend.
better still call #BABASUWE to ask him what his pikin name (suwe) in english

AS President Muhammadu Buhari presents the 2016 Appropriation Bill to the joint session of the National Assembly comprising the Senate and the House of Representatives today, there were strong indications, yesterday, that the lawmakers are ready to ensure speedy passage of the bill.

Vanguard learned that senators and members of the House of Representatives are prepared to give the bill accelerated consideration and passage into law.

As part of moves to fast track the passage of the bill when the Senators resume from New year break in the second week of January, a source told Vanguard that once the President presents the budget today, the Senate and the House of Representatives will go to their various chambers to commence work.

According to the source, part of the arrangement is to present the bill for first reading today and tomorrow, when the lawmakers will formally adjourn sitting till next year, the bill would be presented for second reading and passed and thereafter referred to the appropriate committees on Finance, Budget, National Planning and Appropriation among others.

The move, the source told Vanguard, would make the job easy as the budget would then be at the committee level where ministers, heads of parastatals, departments and agencies of government would be invited to defend their budget.
Last Wednesday, the Senate approved the Medium Term and Expenditure Framework (MTEF) and Fiscal Strategy Paper, FSP submitted by the Federal Government, just as it approved Crude Oil Benchmark price of US$38 per barrel for 2016 despite the global dwindling crude oil price to $36 per barrel as at Monday from the $40 per barrel.

In the documents, the Senate also approved that the Federal Government should in 2016 establish a data base and possibly a single salary account for all its employees as that would help streamline and reduce its personnel cost. It also approved the exchange rate of N197 to $1 as proposed in the MTEF.



www.vanguardngr.com/2015/12/nass-shuts-down-as-buhari-presents-2016-budget-today/

A human rights lawyer, Mr. Femi Falana (SAN), has petitioned the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, demanding an investigation into the alleged diversion of $500m, part of the over $4bn loot recovered from the accounts and the family of the late Head of State, Gen. Sani Abacha.

In his letter, dated December 18, 2015 and addressed to the Chairman of the EFCC, Ibrahim Magu, Falana asked the commission to confirm the actual amount recovered from the Abacha loot by the Federal Government.

The Senior Advocate of Nigeria also asked the commission to determine the extent of the diversion of the said loot by the immediate past Minister of Finance, Dr. Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, and former National Security Adviser, Col. Sambo Dasuki (retd.).
Falana quoted from and annexed to his petition copies of the Forfeiture Assets Decree No. 55 of 1999 on seized Abacha loot, a press statement by the Federal Ministry of Justice on the Abacha loot and photocopies of pages 494 to 496 of former President Olusegun Obasanjo’s book, My Watch.

Obasanjo was quoted in his book as saying that “over $2bn and £100m had been recovered from Abacha family abroad, and as well as N10bn in cash and properties locally” before he left office.

Falana said that the Goodluck Jonathan administration had continued the recovery of the loot and recovered over $1bn from Abacha family.

He added that the then Attorney-General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, Mr. Mohammed Adoke, had in a press statement justified the withdrawal of N446bn theft charges against one of the sons of the former Head of State, Mohammed Abacha, as a step to “facilitate the recovery of the sum of $380m from the Luxembourg proceedings and $550m from forfeiture proceedings instituted by the United States Department of Justice.”
Falana who urged the EFCC to probe the alleged diversion of about $500m and be sure it was fully accounted for, said it would be difficult for the Federal Government to succeed in its plan to recover the nation’s stolen money stashed abroad.

He said, “Adoke further disclosed that the efforts of the administration had led to ‘the recovery of $226.3m from Liechtenstein, in addition to the 7.5m Euros that was recovered from an associated company of the Abacha’s in Liechtenstein in 2011. It will also be recalled that in 2011, the Federal Government was able to recover and repatriate through negotiated settlement with the Jersey 22.5m pounds confiscated from an associate of the Abacha family by the Island of Jersey.’

“But in a desperate bid to cover up the gross mismanagement and criminal diversion of the Abacha loot, former Minister of Finance, Dr. Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, had repeatedly maintained that only $500m had been recovered by the Federal Government.

“To lend credence to the fraudulent claim, the World Bank confirmed in a reply to an enquiry by SERAP that the $500m recovered from the loot had been judiciously spent on some phantom development projects in several parts of the country.

“But following the recent revelation by the Premium Times that a substantial part of the loot had been criminally diverted, Okonjo-Iweala has admitted that she transferred $322m from the Abacha loot to former National Security Adviser, Sambo Dasuki, to prosecute the war on terror. Apart from the said £322m, Okonjo-Iweala also released £5.5m to Dasuki.

“Okonjo-Iweala’s excuse that the said $322m was released due to the urgency of the crisis in the North-East region is untenable having regards to the fact that former President Jonathan had sought the approval of the National Assembly to take a loan of $1bn to equip the armed forces to fight insurgency.

“Therefore, the self-induced urgency created by Okonjo-Iweala is not a justification for spending public funds without appropriation. It may interest you to know that $500m allegedly spent on development projects was also not appropriated by the National Assembly.

“In view of the ongoing, we hereby request you to use your good offices to confirm the actual amount recovered from the Abacha loot by the Federal Government and the extent of the criminal diversion of the said loot by Okonjo-Iweala, Dasuki and other suspects. Unless the Abacha loot is fully accounted for, the Buhari administration will find it difficult to receive the cooperation of many governments in the ongoing efforts to recover the stolen wealth of the country.”



www.punchng.com/abacha-loot-falana-petitions-efcc-demands-okonjo-iweala-dasukis-probe/

The pump price of petrol may sell for less than N87 per litre before the end of the first quarter of 2016, latest findings from the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation have revealed.

This is coming as the corporation also announced that the Kaduna Refining and Petrochemical Company would start producing petroleum products beginning from today (Saturday).

According to the NNPC, the current pricing template for petrol, which was prepared by the Petroleum Products Pricing Regulatory Agency, contains significant inefficiencies that should be reviewed.

The corporation’s Group General Manager, Corporate Planning and Strategy, Mr. Bello Rabiu, told journalists in Abuja on Friday that going by the fall in the price of crude oil, it was important to consult relevant stakeholders in order to produce an adjusted template.

Rabiu said consultation with stakeholders was to negotiate and reduce some of the costs associated with the importation of petrol, adding that the government had the target of reducing the amount charged for logistics and distribution margin on every litre of premium motor spirit consumed in Nigeria.

The GGM was affirmative that the adjusted template would surely have a considerable reduction in the pump price of petrol when it is completed before the end of the first quarter of next year, stressing that when this is achieved, there would be no need for subsidy as the import price of PMS would have reduced considerably.

Rabiu said, “We are engaging industry stakeholders to review the PPPRA template that actually drives the cost of importation. This is because the actual cost of PMS minus the retail price of the product is subsidy. So if the cost falls to N80 per litre today, then where will the need be for subsidy? If the cost is less than the current retail price of N87 then it means there is no subsidy.

“So we are looking at the template to have it reviewed considering the realities on the ground now in the sector. What if after the review we are able to take away about N10 from this current template, which today puts the cost of petrol at N91.52 litre, then it means the cost may come down to around N82 per litre.

“That is why we said there is no need for subsidy in the 2016 budget. We say this because we know that the price of crude oil will not go so high in the next 12 months because of the high level of saturation in the market. So as soon as it is appropriate, we will announce a new price for PMS.”

Bello stated that the adjusted template would be used subsequently to modulate prices down or up on a periodic basis if required, adding that if oil prices continue to fall and inefficiencies are eliminated within the template, there will surely be negative subsidy.

The negative subsidy, he said, shall be remitted to the Petroleum Support Fund in line with the current PPPRA guidelines.

He said, “The savings under such a regime could be domiciled in the PSF as a buffer for future subsidy (if any) that may arise during high oil price regime or invested by the industry in supply and distribution efficiency improvement projects such as decongestion of Apapa area, Single Point Monitoring in Port Harcourt and Warri, complimentary rail services, inland waterways, etc.”

On the commencement of production at the Kaduna refinery, the Managing Director, Pipelines Product Marketing Company, Mrs. Esther Nnamdi-Ogbue, said crude oil had been pumped to the facility from Warri.

She stated that some pipelines had started pumping crude oil and refined products, adding that petrol had been pumped from Atlas Cove to Mosimi depot using the pipelines connecting both facilities pipelines.

Nnamdi-Ogbue also assured Nigerians that the NNPC had enough petrol to keep the country wet for at least 12 days, and urged motorists and petrol seekers to avoid panic buying.



http://www.punchng.com/petrol-may-sell-below-n87litre-next-year-nnpc/