₦airaland Forum

Nigerian foreign missions in Canada, Switzerland and some parts of Europe are in dire financial straits as diplomats are now stranded and broke. The financial mess is so deep that it practically forced Nigeria’s High Commissioner to Canada, Ambassador Ojo Maduekwe to relocate cap in hand, to Abuja last week. He was said to have met with President Goodluck Jonathan on the matter, who in turn reportedly directed him to meet with the Finance Minister and Coordinating Minister for the Economy, Mrs. Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala.

Maduekwe’s last ditch effort, it was learnt, was “to avoid total closure of the High Commission in Canada.”

The meeting with the minister yielded no dice, as at last week. Top-level sources in the Canadian High Commission in Ottawa, Canada told Daily Sun that the situation was so critical that allowances and salaries of two months had not been paid. It was also gathered that apart from salary arrears, the High Commission had no funds to pay for electricity, water and telephone bills and sundry expenses.

The source added that the only solution was for long-standing staff to “use our credit cards to do what should ordinarily be done from embassy funds. Our salaries are often delayed and we are left to fend for ourselves in a foreign land.

“In fact, some of our diplomats are sometimes owed up to five weeks. To make matters worse, we dare not owe non-Nigerian staff. What we do is to source for their salary from funds generated from the visa application section while any remaining fund is used to settle some outstanding bills including electricity and telephone.” While embassy staff in Canada are able to get by, the situation in Geneva is pathetic.

The top ranking official disclosed that Nigerian Embassy staff in that country had had to deploy strategies to survive in Switzerland. Aside from non-payment of salary, staffers now beg Ghanaians to pose as prospective tenants because landlords are no longer willing to extend credit facility to Nigerians anymore.

“We have lost the chance of enjoying credit facility of any kind in Geneva because they know that as a Nigerian, you will definitely default in payment. “What Nigerian Embassy officials do is to use Ghanaians as go-between to access credit facility and rent apartments. That person is usually the front otherwise, if you present yourself as a Nigerian, you’ve failed from the outset.”

http://sunnewsonline.com/new/cover/nigerian-diplomats-broke-stranded-in-canada-switzerland/

Toju Isiche, special advisor to Gov. Emmanuel Uduaghan, is reportedly “amassing great wealth for himself” by skimming money meant for the region.
According to some of the opposition parties’ chairmen, the governor released $65 million but the Special Advisor appropriated it and lodged it into a personal fixed deposit account so as to profit from the interest to the detriment of the parties that the funds were meant for.
Mr. Toju Isichei disbursed the funds in connivance with leadership of the Association of Registered Political Parties in Delta state, it was alleged.
 It was gathered that the SA seeking to corner more money into his private pocket allegedly forced parties into conducting congresses although constitutionally he has no right to force any party to conduct congresses.
Our reporter learnt that, in his bid to buy extra time in order to accrue interest, the SA set up a verification committee and forced over thirty chairmen of the parties to embark on a verification exercise of parties in the state to their headquarters in Abuja to confirm their authenticity.
An act which has been condemned in its entirety by the parties was described as an avenue for the SA to grab more money for himself.
It was gathered that the embattled SA was able to verify only 25 parties in his Abuja trip but went ahead to bloat the list from the initial 40 parties to 52 parties and in all this, he still denied some parties the largesse claiming that the affected parties did not come forward for verification.
Some party chairmen, who asked for anonymity, confided in our reporter that before the appointment of Mr. Isichei as SA Inter-Party Relations, there were 40 political parties receiving Uduaghan’s funds, but as of last month, Mr. Isichei had increased the list to five-two parties.
It was further gathered that following complaints from party members as a result of how the SA disbursed the money, the State Security Service (SSS) confronted the embattled SA but he allegedly rebuffed the SSS saying it was purely an internal matter concerning his office as such they have no right to challenge him over his dealings as regard the disbursement of the funds.
Meanwhile, a party chairman disclosed that heand five parties were given the sum of N1 million each, out of which the SA allegedly deducted 20% each while other parties were given N300, 000, N250, 000 respectively with the SA deducting his percentage.
 Speaking to our reporter under the condition of anonymity, some party members who the SA allegedly dragged to Abuja for the verification exercise had this to say: “We are so disappointed with the foolish way the so called leadership of the Association of Registered Political Parties in Delta state is going about the whole thing as regard the governor’s largesse. The Association chairman who is known to be a chronic hungry and self acclaimed mushroom politician, has sold us all out to the SA who is now amassing wealth for himself to our detriment. It’s very unfortunate. Just watch in the few days we shall reorganize the Association.

http://mobile.saharareporters.com/news-page/delta-gov’s-advisor-seen-skimming-millions-state-funds

AT least, 10 Bus Rapid Transport, BRT, vehicles were yesterday vandalized by protesting commercial motorcycle operators, popularly called Okada riders, at Onipanu, along Ikorodu Road. They were protesting the enforcement of the Lagos Road Traffic Law.

Following the violent protest, the Lagos State House of Assembly expressed concern over increasing lawlessness of commercial operators in the state and threatened to outrightly ban their activities if they refused to conform.

The violent protest which caused pandemnium and left many commuters stranded at various bus stops on the busy road and adjoining ones may not be unconnected to the aggressive enforcement of the Traffic Law in accordance with the order of the state Commissioner of Police.

It also caused heavy traffic gridlock along Ikorodu Road and others.

It was learnt that the commissioner, worried by the flagrant disobedience to law, issued marching order to Divisional Police Officers, DPOs, in the state to mobolise their men for enforcement.

Vanguard gathered that several motorcycles were impounded in the process.

As a result, the entire Awolowo Road up to Secretariat, Aluasa, were deserted by the motorcycle operators.

The aggrieved Okada operators were said to have stormed the dedicated BRT Bus Stop as early as 9:00a.m, denouncing the enforcement of the law on 475 roads in the state, indiscriminate arrests and alleged extortion by men of the Nigeria police and Lagos State Traffic Management Authority. .

Governor Babatunde Fashola had on August 3 signed into law the new road traffic law.

The protesters were said to have pelted every BRT vehicle they came across at Onipanu with stones and other dangerous weapons without considering the safety of over 50 passengers onboard. According to one Mr. Emmanuel Abel, forced hundreds of passengers at the Bus Stop to scamper for safety.

http://www.vanguardngr.com/2012/10/okada-riders-protest-vandalise-10-brt-buses/

Walkin on water is one of the cheapest illusions I've seen Chris Angel do.That guy doesn't seem to be human. His magic is overboard and cannot be understood by human wisdom.

Coming to think of it, offerings belong to God. I believe God is more than capable to fight his own war. He does not need us to do that in His place. They could have prayed and counselled the young man to repent and turn a new leaf. Sending him to jail would rather worsen his personality to a full blown armed robber.

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hollandis: See what bush caused ,may God punish him and his family and every single American that supportd the fight against Afghanistan

America has notin to do wit their sexual exploits.

Whatof1.25m?

Howmuch?

I just got dumped by a girl I have loved and trusted for like a year, not knowing she was just using me to pass time all this while. how i wish i could get someone i could trust and love and the person will love and trust me back.