₦airaland Forum

Nairaland has lost its credibilty long time ago!!

As the Presidency promises to track down and prosecute all indicted oil marketers, there are reports that President Goodluck Jonathan has shunned attempts by some marketers to meet him, even as he was said to have warned his aides against dealing with the indicted marketers.

It would be recalled that the president, represented by Vice President Namadi Sambo, had openly declared during the public presentation of a book, “Reforming the Unreformable: Lessons from Nigeria” written by Coordinating Minister for the Economy, Dr Ngozi Okonjo-Iwela that ``we are going after all those who commit various economic crimes and corrupt practices with impunity. As you are aware, government is taking every legal measure to ensure that those who defraud the government in the petroleum subsidy scheme are made to pay back the stolen fund and are also severely dealt with”.

Checks revealed that the marketers have adopted several strategies in response to the renewed war against corruption in the subsidy regime. The first key strategy is to reach out to people in government who they consider were allies to assist them in sabotaging government’s efforts to prosecute them and compel them to recover funds which were obtained fraudulently. This strategy, it was learnt, is not working because of the new posture Villa adopted against corruption.

Sensing that this plan is not making progress, the kingpin of the marketers who has been described as the “poster boy of corruption in subsidy” it was also gathered adopted the strategy of personalising the fight by launching vicious attacks on members of the Presidential Committee that originally identified and detailed the fraud as it affects individual marketers.



http://www.leadership.ng/nga/articles/38931/2012/11/01/subsidy_scam_jonathan_shuns_indicted_oil_marketers.html

if the new was about patience jonathan or gej or any other pdp governor these hypocrites would be all over the thread .criminals and pen robbers pretending to be progressives. awon ole jatijati

London Metropolitan Police has confirmed the arrest of Mrs. Florence Ajimobi, wife of Oyo state Governor, over money laundering.
The Met confirmation came this afternoon following an enquiry by P.M.NEWS on the story making the rounds that Mrs. Ajimobi was arrested in London, with the sum of 400,000 pounds and thousands of US dollars, valued at N500million.
The Met simply said ‘Yes’ to our question, seeking confirmation about the arrest.
However, the organization declined to give further information about the matter, citing a UK law.
“I am sorry, we are unable to disclose any information to you under the Data Protection Act,” an officer in the MET Lambeth Office responded.
There was anxiety in the government circles of Nigeria’s Oyo State this morning over the arrest of Mrs. Ajimobi.
Reports on the web and some blogs claimed that the woman was arrested two weeks ago by the London Metropolitan Police on her 52nd trip to the UK since her husband became governor 17 months ago.
London Met Police has not issued any statement about her alleged arrest. And her name drew blank in a search of the Met Police website by P.M.NEWS.
The unconfirmed reports claimed that Governor Abiola Ajimobi has had to fly to the UK to get her bailed. Mrs. Ajimobi has a North London address in Golders Green and ordinarily visits the UK.
So far, the Oyo state government has kept mute over this story. And the disappearance of Governor Ajimobi from Ibadan, the capital for some two days has further given some ammunition to the purveyors of the news about his wife, styled The First Lady of Oyo state.
Governor Ajimobi was in office today, but bearers of the tale about the wife, have been unrelenting.
Mrs. Ajimobi’s personal staff at Agodi have also not issued denials of any sort.
Miss Yemisi Dada, Special Assistant on Media to Chief Mrs. Ajimobi on a phone interaction at exactly 8:11am claimed that she was not in Ibadan at the time of the telephone conversation adding that she was not aware of such development.
“I cannot talk about that. I am not aware of what you are talking about and besides, I am not in Ibadan right now. Meanwhile, I will find out the correct situation and get back to you as soon as possible. Thanks”.


http://pmnewsnigeria.com/2012/10/30/london-met-police-confirms-arrest-of-florence-ajimobi/

This is for all the A.C.N hypocrites read and digest hypocrites

Home > News > Metro > London Met Police confirms arrest of Florence Ajimobi
London Met Police confirms arrest of Florence Ajimobi  
Published on October 30, 2012 by   ·   No Comments
London Metropolitan Police has confirmed the arrest of Mrs. Florence Ajimobi, wife of Oyo state Governor, over money laundering.
The Met confirmation came this afternoon following an enquiry by P.M.NEWS on the story making the rounds that Mrs. Ajimobi was arrested in London, with the sum of 400,000 pounds and thousands of US dollars, valued at N500million.
The Met simply said ‘Yes’ to our question, seeking confirmation about the arrest.
However, the organization declined to give further information about the matter, citing a UK law.
“I am sorry, we are unable to disclose any information to you under the Data Protection Act,” an officer in the MET Lambeth Office responded.
There was anxiety in the government circles of Nigeria’s Oyo State this morning over the arrest of Mrs. Ajimobi.
Reports on the web and some blogs claimed that the woman was arrested two weeks ago by the London Metropolitan Police on her 52nd trip to the UK since her husband became governor 17 months ago.
London Met Police has not issued any statement about her alleged arrest. And her name drew blank in a search of the Met Police website by P.M.NEWS.
The unconfirmed reports claimed that Governor Abiola Ajimobi has had to fly to the UK to get her bailed. Mrs. Ajimobi has a North London address in Golders Green and ordinarily visits the UK.
So far, the Oyo state government has kept mute over this story. And the disappearance of Governor Ajimobi from Ibadan, the capital for some two days has further given some ammunition to the purveyors of the news about his wife, styled The First Lady of Oyo state.
Governor Ajimobi was in office today, but bearers of the tale about the wife, have been unrelenting.
Mrs. Ajimobi’s personal staff at Agodi have also not issued denials of any sort.
Miss Yemisi Dada, Special Assistant on Media to Chief Mrs. Ajimobi on a phone interaction at exactly 8:11am claimed that she was not in Ibadan at the time of the telephone conversation adding that she was not aware of such development.
“I cannot talk about that. I am not aware of what you are talking about and besides, I am not in Ibadan right now. Meanwhile, I will find out the correct situation and get back to you as soon as possible. Thanks”.

http://pmnewsnigeria.com/2012/10/30/london-met-police-confirms-arrest-of-florence-ajimobi/

A more credible source now eat ur hearts out

BY DAUD OLATUNJI

ABEOKUTA — A 10-year old girl (name withheld) has accused her 62-year-old step father Mr. Alabi Ibrahim of habitually having carnal knowledge of her.

The primary six pupil disclosed this Sunday, lamenting that she had lost count on number of times her step father had intercourse with her at their residence at Opara Estate, Aiyetoro Road in Abeokuta.

Vanguard gathered that the act was revealed when the girl ignorantly shared her experience with her siblings who then hinted her mother.

It was further learnt that the mother, Mrs. Adiat Ibrahim, subsequently reported her husband’s immorality to the police in Abeokuta.

Vanguard learnt that the suspect, however, bolted when police detectives went after him in OnikolObo area.

Narrating her ordeal, the victim claimed that each time her step father had sex with her, he usually threatened to kill her if she told anybody about it.

She said; “Daddy always came to me when Mummy was not at home, and warned me not to tell anybody, so that I wouldn’t die”.

When contacted, Ogun State Police Public Relations Officer, Muyiwa Adejobi confirmed the incident.

He described the action of the man as barbaric, promising that the police will thoroughly investigate the matter towards possibly charging the suspect to court for defilement.

“The police totally condemn the act. He will not be spared. The man will be charged to court, after a thorough investigation,” Adejobi assured.

http://www.vanguardngr.com/2012/10/man-62-allegedly-defiles-10-year-old-step-daughter/

Chiemelie Ezeobi and Ebere Nwiro write that the implementation of the new Lagos State traffic law, which banned commercial motorcyclists from plying 475 routes in the state, is already taking its toll on motorcycle operators and Lagos commuters who spend long hours at different bus stops across the state waiting for vehicles to get to their destinations

“I was a cashier with the WEMA Bank until I was sacked in 2011 as a fall-out of the Central Bank of Nigeria’s (CBN) tough stand on the bank. I went around in search of jobs to no avail and I decided to gather what I have to buy my motorcycle (okada) so that I could make ends meet. This unfortunate event happened to me immediately after my wedding so I had to look for an alternative means of making a living pending when I get a better job. Rather than roaming the streets, I decided to become a commercial motorcyclist carrying passengers from here to there, it has been so painful an experience, but life goes on.”

Those were the words of Kehinde Ogundare, a graduate of Banking and Finance, and formally an account officer with WEMA Bank Plc, whose second shot in life to make both ends meet came to abrupt end once more on Monday, October 22. Ogundare was not alone in his present predicament as there are estimated 4,000 motorcycle operators who lost their only means of livelihood.

The Lagos State Government on Monday wielded the big stick when it started the implementation of its new traffic law banning commercial okada operations in 475 designated roads out of the 9, 100 that dots the streets of Lagos. A development many believed was done in bad taste.

The Lagos State government had on August 2, 2012, signed into law, the restriction of okada on 475 roads, specifically, bridges, expressways and double-carriage roads in different parts of the state.

Following the new traffic law, Lagos State Commissioner for Transport, Mr. Kayode Opeife, announced that okada operators are restricted on such routes as: Lagos Island, Victoria Island and Ikoyi, the Lagos Central Business District Area, Ozumba Mbadiwe from Bonny Camp to 1st Roundabout, Awolowo Road, Bourdillion, Gerrard Avenue, Alexander, Osbourne, Alfred Rewane Road and CMS, Funso Williams Avenue, Eko Bridge, Apongbon, Murtala Muhammed Way, Jibowu, Yaba, Oyingbo, Iddo and Idumota Ikorodu Express Road and Ikorodu Town Roundabout.

Also for the Lagos-Abeokuta Expressway/Agege Motor Road, the entire stretch from Moshalasi, Oshodi, Abule Egba up to Sango Toll-gate, a boundary between Lagos and Ogun States, Okada business is prohibited for commercial activities.

The commissioner further disclosed that all bridges in the state are prohibited to motorcycle operators as well as the entire stretch of Badagry Express Road. The entire stretch of the Apapa-Oshodi Expressway is also prohibited except for the service lanes.

At Ikeja, the entire networks of roads around the Lagos State Secretariat, Alausa, Awolowo Way, Mobolaji Bank Anthony Way up to Maryland Junction have been designated as no-go areas for Okada riders.

Additional routes added to restricted areas include; Herbert Macaulay Way, Nurudeen Olowopopo Road, Agidingbi Road, Adeola Odeku, Ajose Adeogun, Akin Adesola, Adetokunbo Ademola and Kofo Abayomi.

Others are Inner Marina, Allen Avenue, Opebi, Kudirat Abiola Way, Adekunle Fajuyi, Oduduwa Way, Oba Akinjobi, Isaac John, Joel Ogunnaike, Mobolaji Johnson Way and Adeniran Ogunsanya.

There were indications that new re-enforcement of the ban on okada operators were as a result of the group’s failure to adhere to the agreement held with the state government at the last stakeholders forum on motorcycle operation which took place in August 2010 at the Blue Roof, LTV 8, Agindigbi, Ikeja.

Lagos State Governor, Mr. Babatunde Fashola, had lamented the menace of motorcycle operators which include riding without crash helmets, riding on the medians, kerbs and walkways, disobedience to traffic rules and regulations, driving against traffic, the traffic signal lights, plying the highways and working in prohibited areas even at restricted time.

The state government went a step further to produce a movie titled ‘Aye Olokada’ to inform, educate and enlightenment the motorcycle operators on the dangers and menace their illegal acts pose to themselves and the general populace. To the pain of the government, the okada riders remained adamant.

In the new Lagos Traffic Law, the state government went all out to curb the menace of the okada operators. It was however not surprising that the enforcement which started in earnest on Monday grounded commercial activities in the state.

Although the clampdown began last Monday, the okada operators complained that they were being brutalised by policemen who were working under the guise of enforcing the law.

The enforcement of the ban which was duly carried out in different parts of the state by the law enforcement agents had reprisal effects ranging from the high number of commuters that were stranded to the protest organised by the okada riders as well as the resultant increase in transport fares.

As the police and other authorised agencies carried out the raids, the unhappy okada operators armed with clubs, machetes and other dangerous weapons took to the major streets like Onipanu, Fadeyi, Mushin and Ijora to protest the ill treatment meted out to them by policemen.

Areas like Ejigbo and Ikorodu were not spared as they witnessed another set of protest from the okada operators. According to them, the government through the ban was only telling them to take up arms and become robbers.

In the rage that brought a temporary moment of scare to commuters in Lagos on Monday, the okada operators, obstructed the operations of the state’s Rapid Transit Buses known as BRT. The okada operators said their grouse was the abuse meted out to them by the police under the guise of implementing the ban. According to them, the police impounded motorcycles which were not found on the 475 roads outlined by the state government.

At Onipanu bus stop, which was the meeting point for the rampaging motorcyclists, no fewer than five BRT buses were vandalised. Wielding dangerous weapons, the okada operators were said to have forced passengers to disembark.

According to eyewitness account, the okada operators took to the streets at about 10am, hours after the enforcement began, and accosted some of the buses that were filled with passengers. They were said to have smashed the windscreens of the buses, thereby causing pandemonium in the bus as the passengers tried to escape all at once.

An eyewitness who spoke to THISDAY, Mr. Okechukwu Ofoegbu, said the rampaging okada operators pelted the policemen that came to restore peace in the area with stones. He claimed the protesters even overpowered one of the policemen and seized his gun and fled before the policemen could call for back-up from his colleagues.

Fewer hours after the protest, a detachment of anti-riot policemen and regular policemen drafted from Area D and Mushin Police stations arrived the scene to disperse the protesters.  Although some arrests were made, THISDAY could not however confirm the number.

Even after the riot, different police patrol vehicles, including those of the Rapid Response Squad, OPS Attack were seen patrolling the area. Throughout the protest, no Lagos State Traffic Management Authority official was seen in the affected areas as they were said to have fled to safety.

Speaking to THISDAY, Ekpeyong Bassey, a commercial motorcyclist said part of their grouse was that the police in the guise of enforcement were forcefully impounding their motorcycles, which were released only after they paid N5, 000.

He said, ‘’Not all roads in the metropolis was affected by the ban but the police keep arresting us on every road and impound our bike if we refuse to pay. The demonstration is a way of registering our disaffection to the state government.”

Another okada operator, Ayo Omole lamented that the ban would render them jobless. While placing the total number of okada operators in the state at over 4,000, he said banning them would tantamount to chaos.

“There are about 4,000 okada operators if not more and banning them will leave commuters stranded as was witnessed today. Again, it would also leave 4, 000 okada operators jobless.

“Besides the ban, we are aggrieved because the police has made life unbearable for us due to their constant extortion and I blame the state government for not protecting us from police harassment instead they are compounding our woes.”

He added, “The traffic law restricts okada operations from majorly expressways and bridges. Most of us have accepted to obey the law but the police are not enforcing the law the right way.

“Policemen now arrest okada operators on backstreets and minor roads and use it as an avenue to extort money from us. Why can’t the state government protect us from police harassment?

“If a policeman arrests an okada operator on a non-prohibited road and the policeman claims he arrested the rider on an expressway, who would believe the rider? Just last week Sunday, some policemen seized four motorcycles at Fashoro Street and collected N5, 000 for the release of each. It’s very unfair,” Omole said.

In a state known for its chaotic traffic situation, most Lagos residents were stranded in different parts of the state as a result of the recent ban.

According to THISDAY checks, commercial bus drivers avoided the bad roads like Okokomaiko and Mile 2 axis of the state but the brave ones that ventured the road especially the Okokomaiko axis increased their charges from the normal N150 from Okoko to Mile 2 to N250 while the okada operators that dared the authorities collected N1, 000 each. A trip from Mile 2 to Apapa was also hiked to N1, 000 instead of the normal N600.

Already, some Lagos commuters have called on the state government to put modalities in place that would cushion the effect of the ban. A resident, Mr. Abiyomi Akinremi said for the government to do otherwise show its insensitivity to the plight of the masses.

‘’The state government obviously does not know what the masses are going through. This is evident in the haste with which they carried out the enforcement. People are frustrated already and the week is just beginning.

“Asides the ban, it is the passengers that will suffer the most; financially and time wise. It also boils down to the increase in the cost of transportation as the bus drivers capitalise in the absence of okada operators and increase the fares.”

However, a recent statement credited to the state government said that the enforcement would be a collaborative effort between officials of the Lagos State Traffic Management Authority (LASTMA), Kick Against Indiscipline (KAI) and other security agencies.

According to Fashola, by the end of the month the enforcement would ensure that no okada operator is seen on any of the prohibited routes.

Responding to feelers that the ban would render many jobless thereby increasing the rate of crime, the governor said there are lots of jobs especially vocational skills. While maintaining that the law was not meant to punish rather sanitise, he said it would help regulate the transportation system in the state.

When contacted, human rights activists and legal counsel to the embattled okada riders, Mr. Bamidele Aturu, called for caution in the implementation of the law. According to him, the police and those in authority should be careful the way they enact and implement laws that reflect on the general society.

On the incessant and illegal harassment of the okada riders, he said, “It is wrong for the police to implement such laws by shooting people. It is not correct for them to trample on people’s human rights just because they want to implement some laws.

“If they shoot everybody they see, who will remain in the society for them to implement the law on? It is also unlawful for the police to effect arrests on roads that are not prohibited by the state government.”

He therefore called on the state government to appeal to the police to exercise caution and restrain in the way the law is being implemented particularly as the law is still being challenged in court.

A study carried out in 1993 in Yola, the capital of Adamawa State, provides additional insight into the okada business. The study revealed that about 88 per cent of the okada operators were between 18 and 30 years old, and only 47 per cent had received any type of formal education.

The study also revealed that those who patronised okada operators do so because they are fast and readily available. And reasons why customers disliked them were that they considered them to be unsafe (this was stated by 67 per cent of the respondents) and expensive (stated by 43 per cent of the respondents).

Left with few transportation options, however, many continue to patronise okada operators notwithstanding the significant risks involved. It’s a known fact that okada operators pose a great menace to car owners, pedestrians, and even to the environment. Interestingly, many commuters prefer okada to buses, even when many have been victims of the often reckless okada operators. More curious is the fact that commuters take okada on long distances. For example, one taking okada from Apapa all the way to Badagry.

Although, okada fares are usually sometimes higher than that of buses and taxis, Lagosians who patronise them believe the state government is over-regulating the commercial motorcyclists in a state where adequate transport system is almost non-existent.

http://www.thisdaylive.com/articles/lagos-okada-ban-triggers-anger-protests/128779/

Industry stakeholders led by seasoned pilot, Balarabe Usman, have commended the Minister of Aviation, Mrs. Stella Oduah for  the upgrading of airport facilities in the country.

According to him, the obsolete facilities at the airports were in dire need of rehabilitation but successive ministers in the past did not see the urgent need to modernise these airports.

Usman noted that the Oduah has  rescued the aviation sector from the claws of a cabal who flash questionable concession agreements and perfect the manipulation of our commonwealth for their personal and selfish benefits.

The pilot, said in a statement said in  the allegations the land where the edifice is built belongs to another concessionaire,  were baseless.

“We were around when these questionable concession agreements were being manipulated but some of us that raised our voices were victimised. How can one individual manipulate the system and appropriate our commonwealth to himself and his family? The agreement was entered into for 12 years with several concessions offered to the company to enable them make good profits within the said period. Using backdoor tactics, they connived with their powerful friends and unilaterally extended the agreement to 36 years. They nominated their cronies who signed on behalf of Federal Aviation Authority of Nigeria (FAAN) and happily smiled to the banks,” he said.

He added that those agreements were fraudulently skewed in favour of the concessionaires without any sense of morality, equity and justice.

Usman said: “Is it right for a man to appropriate our commonwealth as a nation to himself? These people have perfected the art of manipulating the laws to their favour. How else can you explain an agreement that was entered into for 12 years, and suddenly converted to 37 years without any review?  No consideration was given to this generation or generations of Nigerians yet unborn, as those masquerading as FAAN representatives were paid agents who traded our common wealth away. If things are allowed to degenerate any further, we shall one day wake up to find the very air we breathe “concessioner” by those with friends in high places.”

He noted that  private investors should bequeath to the next generation a legacy of hard work, creativity and entrepreneurship instead of the fraudulent modules they champion now.

http://www.thisdaylive.com/articles/fg-commended-over-airport-transformation/128730/

edoyad: PDP

pdp prosecuting pdp.I wish A.C.N or any other party can do same 9ja would have been great.instead what we get from other parties is hypocracy kudos to PDP for the courage to expose their own member!.

CHAIRMAN of the Action Congress of Nigeria (ACN) in Jigawa State, Dr. Abubakar Hassan Fulata, has begged Governor Sule Lamido for forgiveness for defaming his character when he alleged that the governor did not posses the West African Examination Certificate (WAEC) at the Governorship Election Petition Tribunal.

At the resumed hearing of the case on Monday at the Kiyawa High Sharia Court, the case took a dramatic twist as the accused Fulata sought for the complainant’s forgiveness.

The ACN chairman was remanded in prison custody after he was arrested by the police and arraigned before a Sharia court in Dutse barely two days after his party lost its petition against

The People’s Democratic Party (PDP) at the tribunal.

The accused was charged to court by the governor through the office of the attorney general and commissioner of justice over alleged defamation of the character and image of Lamido.

At the court, Fulata’s counsel, Dalhatu Shehu Usman, pleaded with the judge no to read the charges before the court because his client was willing to seek the governor’s forgiveness.

The Attorney General and Commissioner for Justice, Yakubu Abdullahi Ruba, who was also counsel to Lamido in the matter, urged the court to consider section 142 of the Sharia Penal Code that stipulates that it is obligatory for the court to read the charge to the accused even in situation where compromise seems to be reached.

The defence lawyer argued that it was immaterial for the court to read the charges since a truce had been reached, adding that it might confirm that the accused had indeed committed the crime which might prompt the court to take a definite decision on his client.

The Sharia Judge, Alhaji Aliyu Muhammad Abdullahi, however, overruled Usman, saying that in line with section 297 of the Jigawa Sharia Penal Code procedure, it was mandatory for the court to read out to the accused his charges despite the move for reconciliation, adding that it would also guide the court on the actual offence committed and its ruling.

Fulata, who was docked, pleaded guilty of the charges of defamation of the character of the governor.

“His Excellency Alhaji Sule Lamido as the leader in Jigawa is also my leader and my godfather, my friend and my political mentor, I solicit for your kind heartedness to overlook and forgive my declaration that you forged your certificate, it is the work of the devil which has deprived our years of close relationship,” the Jigawa ACN chairman pleaded.


http://www.theguardianmobile.com/readNewsItem1.php?nid=8065

jason123: First of all, I must say, KUDOS to GEJ and PHNC. The Power Supply situation in Nigeria has greatly improved. At least, you get 16-20 hours of constant POWER SUPPLY which is unusual and welcomed considering how it was during my last visit to Nigeria (YEARS back).

Concerning Lagos state:

Lagos state has GREATLY IMPROVED. The traffic lights (most people adhere to it but you trust Lagosians, a few, especially the Okadas and Danfos break the lights), Lasma guys enforcing the law (I see everyone with their seat-belts strapped on, no answering of calls etc), the street sweepers cleaning every nook and cranny (God bless and reward them abundantly), BRT functioning well within their designated lanes, the RRS and ambulance (Rapid Response Squad) vehicles and personnel stationed at strategic places all over the state, monuments (eg Lekki-Ikoyi bridge. The first suspension bridge in West Africa is almost completed. I saw the bridge myself and felt a sense of pride being a Nigerian), parks (eg Oshodi looks good now compared to 10 yrs back), the dump site and recycle center at Ikeji (I think Alausa)- and before I forget, the roads repair personnel cannot be left out. They work day in and out to ensure smoother roads (I see them alot in different places with their trucks parked and the guys repair the little pot-holes with bitumen and granite), although most roads in the states are still VERY bad.

Indeed, Governor Fashola has tried! He has tried compared to other states. I traveled round with the exception of the SE and most of the SS (cause of the kidnapping situation). I also could not visit Delta state but I stayed in Edo state for a while (I really enjoyed it! To my Edo brothers, ere gue! ) and to be honest, Governor Oshiomole really tried on Ring road and its environs but the rest is not praise worthy but the people of the state love him (He is better than the Igbinedions)-more can be done in the state. As for other states (Most of the NC, SW, NW; , all I can do is SMH!!!! . Only Ogun state and a few towns in Oyo state tried)

Back to Fashola,

My dear Fashola fans, FASHOLA CAN DO MORE.

1) Most of the roads are TERRIBLE! Iyana paja, Mushin, Apapa/Wharf etc are in VERY TERRIBLE STATES! Haba!!! What is he doing? He has tried, YES but more can definitely be done!

2) The LASMA guys are thieves! How can one know whether a road allows one-way traffic or two-ways. Yes, there are sign boards before you enter some very few roads but MOST are without sign boards.

3) The money collected in Lekki is just absurd! 300N just to enter Lekki and come out?! Haba, that's too much!

4) The "thieving" Ojuyobo (Tinubu) has virtually owned the whole Lagos state and indeed, most of the SW except Ondo where MIMIKO will DEFINITELY WIN (I spent some time there and I know how the people feel)!

Fashola has tried but more can certainly be done!

for the fact that this is coming from a GEJ critic on nairaland is a wellcome developement.I would have loved u mentioned a thing or too about the ongoing remodelling of the MMA.

Monday, 15 October 2012
Following the arrest of Mr Ifeanyi Uba of Capital Oil, the presidency has directed anti-graft agencies to go after all those involved in the fuel subsidy scam with a warning that there is no sacred cow in the anti-corruption war.

Uba, who is known to be a  close ally of powerful figures in government, was recently arrested and detained by the Special Fraud Unit of the Nigeria Police over his involvement in the fuel subsidy scam.

The exclusion of some big names in the initial arraignment of some marketers over the subsidy scam had led to allegations that the Federal Government was shielding some big names involved in the scam and targeting only the small fries.

A government source told the Nigerian Tribune that the arrest of Uba, who is seen as an untouchable, was to send signals to all that the government had no sacred cows and that all those involved in the scam would face the wrath of the law.

“Those who think we are going after lowly elements can now see how serious we are. The arrest of Uba is a game changer and I can tell you that this administration will do more in terms of fishing out those fraudulent elements,” the source said.

“Those who think they are untouchables, those who think they can sabotage government after getting involved in the scam can learn from Uba. We are not going to spare anyone found wanting“,the source said.

It was also gathered that the administration is pushing to ensure that all those arrested are not left off the hook as feared by many Nigerians with the official assuring that “the law will take its course and we will ensure diligent prosecutions.

“For the cynics, this is the time for them to be convinced about the seriousness with which we take this anti-corruption war. We are taken the war to a new level and the citizens should be rest assured that the level of seriousness is now at an all time high levels.

“More arrests are coming. Investigations are going on all fronts and in due course, more actions will be taken by the government. Nigerians should no longer think that the anti-corruption war is a joke. We are dead serious“,the source declared.

Meanwhile the arrest of Uba has reportedly created panic among many marketers especially those that are indicted but are yet to be arrested.


http://tribune.com.ng/index.php/front-page-news/49157-subsidy-scam-ubas-arrest-scares-marketers-

Written by Ayodele Adesanmi, Abuja
Friday, 19 October 2012

BARELY two days after  the  Bureau of Public Enterprises (BPE) opened  the bidding  of the distribution companies under the Power Holding Company of Nigeria (PHCN)  and sold  the Benin  Disco  to Vigeo Power Consortium, the Edo, Ekiti and Delta states governments have protested, saying they would not allow it to operate within their domains.

The states, under the company name Southern Electricity Distribution Company, equally bid but lost to Vigeo which is partly owned by Mr Victor Gbolade Osibodu, a businessman.

The governors of Edo, Ekiti and Delta states, in a joint briefing, said “our states have invested heavily in power generation, transmission and distribution across the length  and breath of our respective state as we recognised the importance of power as the pre-condition for socio-economic growth and industrialisation of our states.”

Delta State governor, Dr Emmanuel Uduaghan,  who spoke on behalf of others, informed that their participation was based on the technical competence and that they had the consortium that is most suited to the peculiarities of their region.

He, therefore, stated that they would never allow Vigeo Power Consortium to operate in their states,  because “you cannot succeed  in operating the utility without the participation of the state governments  on the ground, knowledge and relationships with the different stakeholders such as youths, communities, leadership. Our consortium possesses all these and no other does.”

Governor Uduaghan added: “Why would a company whose current service territory is 500 square kilometre  be technically qualified to operate a 57,000 square kilometre service territory in an area like the Niger Delta Region, without any local knowledge of this troubled area at all?”

He added that the process was fraudulent and not acceptable, saying that for  it to work, the host states need to be involved, adding that “we need to be involved and we are crying to Nigerians.”

http://tribune.com.ng/index.php/front-page-news/49468-power-distribution-we-wont-allow-firm-to-operate-edo-ekiti-delta-govs

• Awaits Senate’s position

• Seeks more investments in ICT

AS the $80 oil benchmark in the 2013 budget remains a sore point with the House of Representatives, the Presidency has stressed the necessity for the Lower Chamber of the National Assembly to review its position.

Central to the Presidency’s position is that the pegging of the oil benchmark at $80 by the lawmakers would hurt the economy.

Besides, the government has canvassed more investments in Information and Communications Technology (ICT), to enable the sector compete globally.

Expressing the government’s position in Tokyo, Japan, the Co-ordinating Minister of the Economy and Minister of Finance, Dr. Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, said yesterday that the $80 oil benchmark adopted by the House of Representatives for the 2013 budget would adversely affect the economy, insisting that $75 should be the benchmark.

Okonjo-Iweala told journalists at the World Bank/International Monetary Fund’s meeting in Tokyo, Japan, which ended yesterday, that the $80 per barrel adopted by the House would lead to excess liquidity, depreciation of the naira and rise in interest rate.

Okonjo-Iweala said: “On the issue of the benchmark, the President presented the budget at a benchmark of $75 per barrel, the House of Representatives then said it had passed the MTEF at $80 per barrel. The Senate has not made any pronouncement on the issue, so I don’t know the full position of the National Assembly but I believe that what I have heard from members of the Senate is that they believe that $75 is a reasonable price. I heard that the National Assembly is saying they will like to make an input into the budget; the issue is how should we handle that?

“Well, we are working with the chairmen of the committees, we have the Finance Committee and the Appropriation Committee and we have been talking to them both in the Senate and the House, and our job is to present all the logical reasons why this is the right thing to do for the economy and try to show them, this is not about sentiments. Benchmark prices are not things you just sit down and concoct. They are based on some fundamental economic analyses and we actually have a model, which we have been using to project Nigeria’s benchmark price over the past two years. So, it is not that we sit in one room, close the door and then say, which is the best benchmark. So, we have to have an approach.”

Okonjo-Iweala added: “We are very much trying to discuss with our colleagues (National Assembly members). They are saying they want to reduce the deficit, they want to spend more, we have addressed the issue of spending more. Actually, the figure should have been $72 per barrel and to give the country room to spend more, we adjusted the model a little bit and we came to $75 to allow a little bit of a buffer and accommodate their concerns. Now, saying that because we did that they will now jump it by another $5 is taking the economy into a wrong direction.

“You have heard all the economic analysts in the country, none of them has said that this $80 is good. No one has said this is the right way to go. I think there are two things here. We have to listen to those who will be impacted and professional reasons why this should not be done. Managing the economy is not a popularity contest and there is a bit of reason to it; that is why we went to school to study how to do it. If anyone can just wake up and manage the economy anyhow, that is why economies go in the wrong direction. Because sometimes what you think is right may not be the right thing for the economy.”

She said that the only reason African economies were growing was because they did the right thing in the last 10 years.

Okonjo-Iweala added: “I know that one thing Nigerians care about is the value of the naira and the CBN governor has indicated what would happen to this economy if we were to implement that. Remember, even if you go and reduce the Federal Government deficit, half of the money is going where? If you increase the benchmark to $80, whatever comes out of it, half goes to the Federal Government and half goes to the states. So, it is not a question of reducing Federal Government’s deficit. It is the question of what is the liquidity that goes into the system through the spending of the states, that is where we are going to impact the currency, the demand for dollars, the value of the naira. So, you need to understand these things very well.”

In Dubai, Vice President Namadi Sambo yesterday urged more investments in the ICT at the 2012 International Telecommunications Union (ITU) conference. The ITU is the leading platform for the global ICT community

Sambo, who granted interview to journalists after the opening at the Nigerian Pavilion, said the country could not be allowed to be left behind in the global development train. He stressed that more investments would be channelled to key sectors of the economy to ensure rapid transformation of the country.

According to the VP, major economic breakthroughs of other nations, came strictly from huge and sustainable investments in the ICTsector.

Consequently, Sambo said Nigeria would significantly open up the ICT sector, adding that more investments were needed in the sector for it to compete favourably well on a global landscape.

“It is a well known fact today that the ICT sector is one of the major areas for wealth and job creation. It is an area of great importance to Mr. President’s agenda for development and transforming Nigeria into one of the most developed countries of the world.

“Our participation at the ITU is part of the developmental process. It is important to have co-operation in the country so that we can develop like other countries. This is one of the reasons why the country needs to expand and open up the ICT sector to create more jobs and empower the people”, he stated.

Sambo, who came to the conference with the Governors of Abia and Niger states, Theodore Orji and Babangida Aliyu, said Nigeria must take a cue from the UAE, which has just a population of four million and yearly generates $60 billion from the development and expansion of ICT and other related services.

“Nigeria with about 167 million people only generates about $15 billion from that sector. You will agree with me that with right policies in place, we have the opportunity to grow higher than the UAE and this is our focus. We shall create jobs for Nigeria, open the ICT sector and create opportunities for wealth creation”, he stated.

Earlier in his opening speech, ITU Secretary-General, Hamadoun Toure, who also stood in for the United Nations’ Secretary-General, Ban Ki- moon, said the future of the world was a promised one that would be characterised by changes. He was hopeful that ICT would lead the change


http://www.nigeriamasterweb.com/paperfrmes.html

misleading thread here is a northern newspaper account of the event that happened


Suspected Gunmen Kill, Injure Villagers In Kaduna State



An unspecified number of people died, while others sustained injuries following Sunday’s attack by gunmen in Dogo Dawa village, near Birnin Gwari in Kaduna State, Police Commissioner Olufemi Adenaike has said.

Adenaike told the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Kaduna that the exact number of casualties would be made available when his men returned from the scene, about 100 km from Kaduna. We are suspecting a reprisal attack by a gang of armed robbers who lost some of their members after a recent raid on their hideout by the combined effort of the police, villagers and some vigilance group.

``The area has very poor telecommunication network. I have been trying to get the figure of casualties from the Area Commander without success,'' Adenaike said.

Meanwhile, a traditional ruler in the village, told NAN in a telephone interview that a large number of gunmen held the village captive, opened fire on worshipers who were returning from a mosque after the early morning prayers.

He said the gunmen were believed to have moved from Zamfara to the area. (NAN)

http://www.leadership.ng/nga/articles/37509/2012/10/14/suspected_gunmen_kill_injure_villagers_kaduna_state.html

misleading thread here is a northern newspaper account of the event that happened


Suspected Gunmen Kill, Injure Villagers In Kaduna State



An unspecified number of people died, while others sustained injuries following Sunday’s attack by gunmen in Dogo Dawa village, near Birnin Gwari in Kaduna State, Police Commissioner Olufemi Adenaike has said.

Adenaike told the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Kaduna that the exact number of casualties would be made available when his men returned from the scene, about 100 km from Kaduna.

http://www.leadership.ng/nga/articles/37509/2012/10/14/suspected_gunmen_kill_injure_villagers_kaduna_state.html

`` We are suspecting a reprisal attack by a gang of armed robbers who lost some of their members after a recent raid on their hideout by the combined effort of the police, villagers and some vigilance group.

``The area has very poor telecommunication network. I have been trying to get the figure of casualties from the Area Commander without success,'' Adenaike said.

Meanwhile, a traditional ruler in the village, told NAN in a telephone interview that a large number of gunmen held the village captive, opened fire on worshipers who were returning from a mosque after the early morning prayers.

He said the gunmen were believed to have moved from Zamfara to the area. (NAN)

.
Lagos residents protest against bad roads




Ikorodu and Ayobo dwellers urge LASG to repair their roads

Article | October 14, 2012 - 11:29am | By Jewel Stephen






Following what they perceived as the abandonment of an uncompleted road project in the community, youths in Ikorodu, on Saturday, took to the streets to protest the action of the Lagos state government.

The youths protested the non-completion of the Oke-Ota Ona/Awolowo Road, saying their protest was an "advocacy for good governance in Ikorodu".

Commenting on the protest, Akadri Adeleke, Chairman, Ikorodu Youth Council, said that the youths were not happy with the non-completion of the road.

He claimed that the road, construction of which began in 2010, had been abandoned without any cogent explanation by the government.

"This road consumes lives on daily basis. Besides, hoodlums have found it convenient to be dispossessing people of their belongings and injuring those that manage to use the road," he said.

"The impassable state of the road again has been causing accidents and vehicles plunge into ditches caused by the engineers while doing the construction work."

The member representing Ikorodu Constituency I in the state Assembly, Sanai Agunbiade, however, assured that the government had not abandoned the road.

He said that the delay was due to some natural factors, adding that work on the road would be completed in December.

"Very shortly, construction works will continue. Government is also trying to reach a consensus with the youths of the area to overcome some of the obstacles forcing the road not to be completed on time," he said.

Agunbiade urged the residents to stop dumping their waste in the drainage. Ayobo residents decry bad road.

In a similar development, some residents of Ayobo, a suburb of Lagos, have called on the Lagos State government to repair the main road linking the area to other parts of the state.

The residents said that the main access road in the area was in very bad state, and had led to high cost of transport and incessant mechanical faults for private vehicles

One of the residents, Oladele Ojo, a banker said that many of the residents have had to repair their cars often due to the bad sate of the road.

According to him, the link road would soon become inaccessible if major repairs were not done by the government immediately.

"We are really suffering in this place; we can hardly walk on the road now. And with the rain falling almost daily, the road is worsening by the day," he added.

"We believe that to repair this major road will mean that the State Government still has us in mind."

Another resident of the suburb, Pastor Kehinde Onasanya, said, "Ayobo, especially Camp Davies Road, un, needs government’s presence. Most people don’t even go out with their vehicles again because of the state of the road."

Godwin Okoroafor, a landlord in Ayobo, said that the residents’ self-help effort to make the major link road manageable was not yielding the needed succour.

"The road is very important for the commercial growth of the area. Besides, it is a link road between Ogun and Lagos states," he said.

"Therefore, re-construction of the road will bring more commerce and, of course, progress to us the residents."


http://dailytimes.com.ng/article/lagos-residents-protest-against-bad-roads

9ja would be great again

.
IMF commends Nigeria's "dynamic reforms"




Says Nigeria's reforms are predicated on strong leadership

Article | October 14, 2012 - 2:27am | By Chidi Okoye






Christine Lagarde, Managing Director, The International Monetary Fund (IMF) has commended the Nigerian government for its "dynamic reforms" which she said is predicated on strong leadership.

The IMF boss gave the commendation at the plenary of the Annual Meeting of the World Bank and IMF, on Saturday in Tokyo.

"Look at Nigeria, a country I visited earlier this year. This is a country that, for many years, squandered its inheritance of oil riches, but now is growing impressively, helped by dynamic reforms and strong leadership," she said.

According to her, Sub-Saharan Africa is also breaking through and growing strongly and steadily after decades of stagnation.

"Of course, there is still a long way to go to win the long war against poverty, but old stereotypes are fading fast, with the rise of fast-growing `frontier markets’ attracting lots of outside interest," she added.

She urged African leaders to ensure effective policies that would bring inclusive growth and development to the region.

She noted that various changes witnessed in the region would help shape the future adding that leaders must not be carried away with the situation.

"But there are big challenges as well and we must not get carried away.

"As you will have seen from our forecasts, the global recovery is still too weak.

"Job prospects for untold millions are still too scarce and the gap between rich and poor is still too wide," she advised.




http://dailytimes.com.ng/article/imf-commends-nigerias-dynamic-reforms

THE concerted efforts needed to tackle the menace of the Boko Haram insurgency in the epicenter of the violence, Borno, may have run into a major crisis as some eminent citizens of the state and the Governor, Shettima who is the political head of the state, are currently at loggerhead over the deployment of the Joint Military Task Force.

The troop had been responsible for tackling the violent insurgents, whose dastard activities are said to have claimed hundreds of lives in the past three years, with most of the victims being from Borno and neighbouring state of Yobe, and extending to Bauchi, Niger, Kaduna, Kano, Sokoto, Lokoja and the FCT Abuja.

While the senior citizens under the aegis of Borno Elders Forum (BOEF), have declared publicly that they wanted the JTF withdrawn from the state, the governor, who is the Chief Security Officer of the State, yesterday distanced himself and his administration from such call.

Supported by his Chief Security officer, the governor declared that “without the presence of the Federal Government, insurgents would chase everyone out of Borno and the entire Northeast”.

On Friday, traditional and religious leaders along with prominent elders of Borno State had expressed disappointment with the manner of handling the security situation in the Northeast by the Federal Government.

Having “assessed and reviewed” how the Government has been handling the insurgency, the elders declared that President Jonathan and his administration had not shown much “sincerity and concerns” for the plights and sufferings of Borno residents.

Also, they claim there were no genuine or concrete measures of ending the ongoing insurgency in the state and the entire North.

The declarations and assessments were arrived at after members of the BOEF met with the Shehu of Borno, Alhaji Abubakar Umar Garbai Ibn El-Kanemi in Maiduguri at his palace.

Addressing the elders, traditional and religious leaders at the palace, Garbai Ibn El-Kanemi said: “it was time for the people of Borno State to take their destinies into their hands, because it appears that the Federal Government of Nigeria has forsaken the citizens of this state.”

Aside from condemning the call by the elders, Governor Shettima, inaugurated a 12-man committee on the Gwange Boko Haram crisis, insisting that the JTF presence was to protect people’s lives and property, against the insurgency that has persisted for over three years.

Gov Shetimah, however, cautioned members of the JTF to exercise restraint and abide by the JTF’s rules of engagement, while bringing an end to the incessant attacks, killings and bombings of innocent citizens and men of the security agents that wanted to restore law and order in the state.

He added: “let me use this opportunity to condemn the calls by some residents and the ‘Abuja politicians’ for the immediate withdrawals of JTF troops by the Federal Government from this state. The fact of the matter is that if the Federal Government withdraws these soldiers from Borno, all of us will be chased out of the state by the Boko Haram insurgents.”

Among those who met with the Shehu and top traditional rulers in the emirate were chairman of the Presidential Committee on insecurity in the Northeast, Amb. Gaji Gatimari; first elected governor of Borno State, Alhaji Mohammed Goni (1979-1983), his successor, Alhaji Asheik Jar’ma (1983), ex-military administrator of North Central states, Brig. Gen Abba Kyari (rtd) while the first Nigeria Petroleum Minister and one time Nigeria representative at the United Nations, Shettima Ali Monguno was represented.

Meanwhile, Yobe State Governor, Ibrahim Gaidam has assured residents of Damaturu, the state capital of his administration’s commitments to their security and welfare, despite the challenges posed by the Boko Haram insurgency.

He gave the assurance at the weekend, while receiving the Assistant Inspector General of Police (AIG), Zone 12, Alhaji Ibrahim Audu who was on an official visit to the state

good work sanusi good wok federal government.the critics and pessimist can say whatever they like, but slowly and gradually were moving forward

CBN’s Crackdown on Bank Debtors Pays Off
14 Oct 2012


CBN Governor, Sanusi Lamido Sanusi


The noose tightened on a category of bank debtors are already yielding dividend as some of them are beginning to fall heads over heel to redeem their obligation but banking industry watchers insist on full disclosure of the deal between the Central Bank of Nigeria (which takes the credit for the repayment) and the debtors, reports Festus Akanbi

From all indications, the name-and-shame tactics employed by the Central Bank of Nigeria to rattle some delinquent bank debtors appear to be paying off. This is because after the initial criticisms which greeted the failure of the CBN and the Assets Management Corporation of Nigeria (AMCON) to reconcile bank debtors’ list, some of the debtors are said to be responding to the crackdown initiated by the CBN although some members of the banking community are raising eyebrows over the nature of the settlement arrangements between the debtors and AMCON.

The debtors list released to banks last month had sparked off a raft of denials and counter claims by some of the companies and individuals whose names featured prominently on the list of those to be axed for their failure to redeem their indebtedness to banks. However, the apex bank and AMCON were said to have since reconciled their lists, paving the way for the recent moves by some of the debtors to clear their debts.

Banking industry analysts, who responded to the sudden desperation of a number of debtors to redeem their image by paying up in the past few weeks, said despite the initial dust raised by the restriction placed on this category of businessmen and firms, some of the debtors have realised there was no other way of staying in business other than to meet their obligations to the banks. They contended that credit for the renewed negotiations between some of the debtors and AMCON on how to repudiate the debts should go to the CBN for tightening the noose on bank debtors.

AMCON Recoups N800 billion
One cheering news last week was the disclosure by the AMCON that to date, the corporation has recovered or restructured over N800 billion. A report quoting AMCON MD Mustapha Chike-Obi disclosed that to further demonstrate the success of its recovery efforts, Net Oil and Cross River State Government are out of the debtors’ list, having redeemed their debt obligation to AMCON. “Net Oil and Cross River State Government are no longer direct obligor to AMCON,” Chike-Obi said. By the end of 2011, AMCON had acquired over N3 trillion non-performing loans and recapitalised all the banks in grave situation, to the point where they have enough capital to fund their vital role of providing credit to the economy.

Big Relief
According to banking sector analysts who are optimistic about the success of the current debt recovery exercise, the recent liquidation of the N141 billion debt owed AMCON by the Chairman of Zenon Petroleum and Gas Limited and Forte Oil Plc, Mr. Femi Otedola, would go a long way to guarantee stability to the banking industry because it has opened the floodgate of similar repudiation of old debts by some of those firms whose names appeared on the list.

They explained that although AMCON had bought the toxic debts from the respective banks, the repayment of the total amount of money has vindicated CBN on its name-and-shame tactic even as there were reports last week that other sundry debtors are holding talks with AMCON on how to repudiate their debts. Some of those in crucial talks with AMCON on how to exit the debtors list, according to sources, included firms in the oil marketing sector. However, AMCON is said to be keeping the list of debtors currently negotiating with it secret until the conclusion of such negotiations.

The CBN had, in a move aimed at strengthening financial stability and instilling discipline in the banking sector, blacklisted 113 companies as well as their principal shareholders and directors, where the outstanding value of the loans purchased by AMCON amounted to N5 billion or more, from taking further credit from banks until the full liquidation of the agreed indebtedness.

Eyebrows Over Negotiation
AMCON had recently confirmed it has approved the transfer of Otedola’s assets as well as an undisclosed sum of cash to the corporation as full and final settlement for his liabilities although details of the deal are still being kept under wraps.

Meanwhile, some critics of the ongoing deal over the debts, especially the deal with Zenon Petroleum debt, said AMCON owes the banking community a detailed explanation over the arrangement it entered into with Otedola. This they, argued will give both the Corporation and the Zenon boss, a clean bill of health considering the worry over the true values of assets forfeited in the deal. Similar worry was contained in the position of the House of Representatives, which insisted that the negotiation over the Zenon’s debt should be made public. The House of Representatives said in a statement that it will probe the payment of N140.9billion to AMCON by the Zenom chairman. However, industry sources said apart from Otedola, other debtors are already reacting to the CBN hammer by surrendering their assets to meet their obligations to AMCON.

According to a source, some of the debtors who could not raise the needed cash are already following the footsteps of Otedola by surrendering their assets which include property scattered all over the country. Some are even said to have expressed their readiness to trade off their luxury items including private aircraft and yachts in order to clear their names. On why AMCON is silent on the identities of the affected companies since they have shown readiness to pay, the source said the corporation was just being careful until the deals are finalised before it gives them a clean bill of health. The source disclosed that because of the heat brought to bear on them by the publication of the list and the realisation that access to new facility had been effectively blocked by the CBN memo, some of the debtors have gone as far as withdrawing some of the cases they instituted against CBN and AMCON from court.

In the opinion of a Lagos-based financial analyst, Mr. Bode Olatunde, CBN should be commended for its courage to publish the debtors’ list, which also contains names of powerful persons that were perceived to be close to the corridor of power including some state governments.

No Free Loans
“The truth is that the CBN’s list has shown that we are all equal before the law. Nobody had thought the apex bank could crack down on some of those businessmen whose names featured on the list. I believe that for once, the culture of impunity is destroyed in the business circle and this will go a long way in reminding prospective borrowers from the banks that they must certainly account for whatever facility they draw from the banks.
“I also believe that this development will impact positively on banks’ finances now that everybody knows that the days of free loans are over.

“This shows that the CBN does not have any sacred cow and all it is saying is that people should honour their obligations,” Olatunde said.
He explained that the debtors’ list was released to enable banks know those who they should not lend to because the banks will only know those they are exposed to. It is also to prevent predator borrowers who move from one bank to another using the same collateral to borrow from different banks.

He added that the CBN’s action clearly showed the regulators meant well since the money used by AMCON to buy off these debts from banks are tax payers’ funds

A leading member of the Financial Market Dealers Association of Nigeria, who would not want to be quoted, said the policy of naming and shaming will sanitise the industry: banks would no longer give out credits without securing it and debtors would also be willing to honour their obligations. And, according to him, given the fact that some of these debtors have gone to court to technically delay payments, this is a clarion call to the judiciary to speedily facilitate the cases so that tax payers’ money will not go down the drain.

Similarly, some bank shareholders have expressed support for the decision to blacklist those that are indebted to AMCON to the tune of N5 billion and above.

President Renaissance Shareholders Association, Mr. Olufemi Timothy, said: “It is a very good development. A situation where someone is owing and you give that person some concession and still he is not willing to pay, I think the best thing to do is to stop that person from getting further credit.

“The decision by the central bank is commendable and we must all support the CBN. The policy should be fully implemented and should not be politicised.”

President, Nigeria Shareholders Solidarity Association (NSSA), Chief Timothy Adesiyan, described the latest move by the central bank as a major antidote to banking failure and further step in the protection of their investments. According to him, blacklisting the debtors would make them to pay up.



http://www.nigeriamasterweb.com/paperfrmes.html

By Chuks Okocha

President Goodluck Jonathan on Thursday night held a meeting with some select leaders from three geo-political zones of South-east, South-south and South-west at the presidential villa, Abuja. Sources at the meeting said the state of the nation topped the agenda at the meeting.



It was gathered that former Minister of Information, Chief Edwin Clark led the South-south delegation to the meeting. Other leaders from the South-south at the meeting were the former governor of Delta State, Felix Ibru; former Senator Bassey Ewa Henshaw and the former military governor of Akwa Ibom State, Idongesit Nkana among others.
From the south-east were First Republic minister, Chief Mbazulike Amaechi and former governor of old Anambra State, Chief Chukwuemeka Ezeife.

The south-west delegation was led by Bishop Ayo Gbonigi and former Secretary to the Government of the Federation, Chief Olu Falae.



Clark told THISDAY that the meeting also explored the modalities for the possible convocation of a national conference. Such conference, he said, would not seek to split the country but would rather set pre-conditions for peaceful co-existence. “We are talking about a national conference. A conference whereby Nigerians will meet to discuss the basis of unity in this country and also to look into our constitution and decide whether it is the best instrument we have for this country. We are not talking about the sovereign national conference.

“We believe that the National Assembly cannot do it alone. We believe that if there is a national conference which is constituted by representatives from over 250 ethnic nationalities in this country, they will be able to produce a document to form the basis of their unity.”



Another South-south politician that attended the meeting told THISDAY: "We went to pay homage to the President and asked him not to be distracted by the politics of the members of the National Assembly. We also received briefings on the state of the nation, especially the challenges of the insecurity in the country."

It was gathered that the meeting between the President and the Southern leaders also discussed the Bakassi issue and why Nigeria did not appeal the judgement.
"The President took time to explain to the southern leaders why the federal government did not appeal the ICJ judgement as being clamoured for.



"The President explained that though he gave his words at the United Nations that that Nigeria will abide by rule of law as it affects the country and its relationship with other countries. But that when he returned from the United Nations meeting, he met the resolutions of the two arms of National Assembly mandating Nigeria to appeal.
"He explained to us that he immediately set up a committee of experts, who met severally and came up with the recommendations that there was nothing new that should make Nigeria appeal the ICJ judgement."

"The President told us that the committee reported that the National Assembly was merely playing to the gallery and politicking. The President explained to us that if Nigeria had appealed to the ICJ and loses again, that it would create an image problem and that Nigeria will be seen as a country that couldn’t abide by international commitments. Accordingly, he told us that it was in the overall interest of Nigeria that the ICJ judgement be left alone."



The source said that the President assured the southern leaders that his administration was not deliberately avoiding the resolutions of the National Assembly and "assured us that he holds the National Assembly in high esteem."

The southern leaders, the source said, told the President not to be distracted by the National Assembly and advised him to be focused. "We also told him to ensure that there was a substantial improvement in the standard of living of Nigerians.



"We did not discuss the politics of the 2015, but we assured him of our continued support in the governance of this country. We reassured our faith in the continued unity of Nigeria, despite discordant tunes by some Nigerians," the source said.
Also, he said that the President briefed the southern leaders on the challenges of insecurity in the country, especially the Boko Haram crisis.

According to the source, "the southern leaders were satisfied with the efforts of the federal government to tackle the security insurgence.
"We also discussed the recent flooding in the country and called on the President to tackle the issue pointedly, the source said.
THISDAY learnt that Bishop Gbonigi said the opening prayers.


http://www.thisdaylive.com/articles/jonathan-meets-southern-leaders-on-state-of-the-nation/127572/

THE Arewa Consultative Forum (ACF) yesterday said the call by Northern States Christian Elders Forum (NOSCEF) for a Christian presidential candidate from the North in 2015 is capable of dividing the people and plunge the region into political crisis.

The northern elders therefore cautioned the northern Christian leaders not to divide the North along religious or tribal line.

A statement by the ACF Publicity Secretary, Anthony Sani, through a text message, simply reads: “Please help us to unite the North and not help to divide it along religious and tribal lines.”

NOSCEF had, after an emergency meeting on Monday in Kaduna, insisted that the next presidential candidate of the country from the North must be a Christian, claiming that the region had had enough of Muslim national leaders since independence.

A statement issued at the end of the meeting, which was jointly signed by its Chairman, Evangelist Mathew Owojaiye and the Secretary General, Mr. Iliya Yusuf, noted that among the heads of state and presidents produced so far by the northern region, only one is a Christian, adding that those that were even democratically elected were all Muslims with overwhelming support from the Christian communities.





http://www.ngrguardiannews.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=101230:acf-cautions-northern-christians-over-presidential-slot-&catid=1:national&Itemid=559

Amina

Based on a prediction that his fortune would experience a leap, should he be married to a 12-year-old, a septuagenarian is hell bent on exchanging marital vows with the pre-teen girl despite the protestations of the mother. Olalekan Olabulo reports.

TWELVE years old Aminat Hamisu, a Class 1 student of Ansar Ud Deen Junior Secondary School in Ado Odo/Ota Local Government is in dire need of someone to save her life from impending disaster. She is a subject of a forceful marriage to a man, old enough to be her grandfather. She lost her father in the course of the confusion that ensued over her planned marriage to a septuagenarian. Aminat is supposed to be a Junior Secondary School 2 student but had to miss a whole academic session as a result of the fact that she had to escape from being forcefully engaged to a man, who should have been her guardian rather than husband. The insistence of the old man to marry her has also resulted in her missing classes.

Forty three years old Salamatu Hamisu, the mother of the 12 years old girl, while speaking with the Nigerian Tribune, appealed to well-meaning Nigerians and human rights organisations to save her daughter from forceful marriage to a man bent on marrying the girl. The mother of seven, while narrating the whole episode to Nigerian Tribune stated that it all started in 2001, when a man identified as Mallam Ibraheem Mairago, who was like a father to her insisted on marrying Aminat, who was just 11 years of age at that time.

According to her, a certain Mallam Alli had told Mairago that he had a dream that if he could marry Aminat, his riches would multiply. Meirago believed Mallam Alli and instantly approached the father of Aminat, Alhaji Hamisu Aliyu, now deceased, asking for the hand of his daughter in marriage.

“Initially my husband refused but, when Mairago promised him some goodies, he accepted the marriage proposal without telling either the girl or me. Mairago promised to give him a portion at the ram market in Mile 12. He also promised to always involve him in Quranic recitation for wealthy people in Lagos,” Salamatu narrated. She also stated that “One day, my husband brought some yards of cloth home and said that it was meant for my daughter. I asked him where the cloth was from and he said that Alhaji Mairago bought it for her. I asked her for what reason and he said he did not know. I rejected the cloth and when I prodded him further he confessed to me that Meirago wanted to marry our daughter.”

The planned marriage led to a clash between the household of the late Mallam Hamisu Aliyu, forcing him to report the case to his brother in law in Sagamu. The brother in law also initially kicked against the planned wedding but later succumbed, in a circumstance Salamatu described as suspicious. “When I refused to support the marriage proposal, my late husband reported me to my   brother in Sagamu and my brother also kicked against the marriage but later he took Mairago to my brother and it was agreed that Mairago should pay N50,000 as the bride price. At this stage, my daughter was not even aware that somebody wanted to marry her,” the mother said. She also said that “When the situation got to a stage my daughter was informed and she became really devastated. Because of the marriage talk, she ran away from home for four days. On the day she ran away, I woke her early in the morning and told her to go and pray. For more than three hours, I did not see her and we looked around Mile 12 Market but she was nowhere to be found. It was after four days that we saw her.  The situation grew so tense that the deceased Aliyu divorced his wife, who was then nursing a two-month- old baby. The woman said that she was sent away from her husband’s house and she had to live on menial jobs in Mowe area of Ogun State. Before the death of Aminat’s father, her suitor forced him and the mother’s brother to refund the N50,000 naira he paid to them as the bride price. Though the father was said not to have taken out of the money when it was paid, the brother-in-law collected N40,000, while a certain Alhaji Manga also went away with N10,000.  

The refund of the bride price, ordinarily, should have been the end of the proposed marriage but Alhaji Meirago kept on pestering the girl’s family that he wanted to marry the underage girl. He was accused of victimising the late Aliyu, who was then working under him. “Before my husband died, he got to know that I had relocated to Sango in Ogun State, where I was staying with my cousin, Mallam Thani Bala. He even pleaded with my cousin not to allow me return to Mowe. By this time Alhaji Mairago had married another wife for him. My husband still loved me and he was coming to see me, even sometime he would sleep in my cousin’s house,” the woman claimed. She further claimed that “When Alhaji Mairago got to know that my husband was still coming to see me in my cousin’s place, he changed to him totally. Even when they told him that my husband was ill, he said that as long as my husband was coming to see me, he should die.”

The death of the father of the 12-year-old girl has, however, not changed the situation  as Mallam Mairago  has turned his attention to Mallam Bala, who he accused of habouring his wife. According to the mother, “Mairago has continued to insist that Aminat is his wife and that he wants the police to force Thani to release the young girl to him.” In his reaction to the issue, Alhaji Mairago, who spoke through his lawyer, Mr. Jeleel Bashir, said that the proposed marriage was in accordance with Islamic Law. He said that he had secured the approval of the bride's father and paid the required bride price as stipulated by Islamic law. The lawyer claimed that there were witnesses to the marriage between Alhaji Mairago and Aminat, adding that the only person, who had the right to dissolve the marriage was Alhaji Mairago himself.

On the claim by the girl's mother that the bride price had been returned, the lawyer said that "I am not aware that the bride price had been returned. Even if the bride price was returned, that does not mean that the marriage has been dissolved."

According to Bashir, Islamic law permits such marriage, even if the bride to be is not in support of the marriage. “Islamic law allows a guardian to choose for the girl if she is underage,” he said. He, however, said that the purpose of such marriage is not essentially for sex but for the suitor to take care of the underage girl. 

The girl, while speaking with the Nigerian Tribune, kicked against the planned marriage. She insisted on completing her education before thinking of marriage and added that the man was even far older than her father. “I don’t want to marry now; I want to finish my schooling. Alhaji’s children cannot even be my friends because they are older than I am. I don’t want to marry Alhaji. He should leave me to complete my education,” the 12-year-old girl said. 



http://tribune.com.ng/index.php/lead-stories/49024-70-yr-old-man-insists-on-marrying-12-yr-old-to-boost-wealth

By Tobi Soniyi and Adebiyi Adedapo

Two experts in international law, Dr. Chidi Odinkalu and Mr Sebastian Hon (SAN) yesterday welcomed the decision of the Federal Government not to appeal the judgment of the International Court of Justice (ICJ) ceding Bakassi to Cameroun.

They however called on government to make protection of the Bakassi people a priority.

Odinkalu said: “ I agree entirely with the decision of the Federal Government to turn the page on the agitation for a review of the ICJ”s decision in the Bakassi case and the reasons given for the decision.

“Now that this distraction is behind us, there remain serious issues in Bakassi that require urgent exertion of Nigeria’s diplomatic and institutional assets.”

According to him, Nigeria permits dual nationality but Cameroun does not.
He said: “Thus, when the transfer happens in 2013, the people of Bakassi will be faced with a choice as to their nationality. Those who choose to remain Nigerian will become aliens on their own land.

“Although the Green Tree Agreement promises to respect their rights to citizenship and residence, there is no obligation on Cameroun to grant residency permits to anyone.

“As a fact, Cameroun is currently not issuing any identification or citizenship documents in Bakassi. It can also choose to impose impossible conditions for doing so. 

“This impermissible state of affairs can be addressed through a citizenship and residency rights Protocol to the Green Tree Agreement.
For Hon, Nigeria just saved herself from a diplomatic fiasco by threading the honourable path.
Hon is one of the very few senior lawyers who spoke against filing an application for a review.

He suggested an immediate resettlement of the Bakassi indigenes on the large swathe of green land stretching hundreds of kilometres between Odukpani Junction near Calabar and Ikom.


http://www.thisdaylive.com/articles/lawyers-welcome-fg-s-decision-not-to-apply-for-bakassi-review/127383/

The affirmation of the victory of the Peoples Democratic Party’s (PDP) chairmanship candidate for Ikoyi/Obalende Local Council Development Area last Thursday by a Lagos tribunal has far-reaching implication for the ruling Action Congress of Nigeria (ACN), writes Olawale Olaleye


Immediately Ibrahim Babajide Obanikoro lost his election for a seat in the Lagos State House of Assembly during the April 2011 general election, he went back to the drawing board with his father, Musiliu, a former Nigeria’s High Commissioner to Ghana and his younger brother, Omogbolahan, who was his campaign manager. The trio had subjected the result of the exercise to thorough analysis, having allegedly done their homework months before going into the election.


From their findings as well as result of the exercise, the Obanikoro family was said to have discovered that their scion, Babajide actually did well in the election but was stopped from representing Eti-Osa State Constituency II by their agents for Obalende polling centre who allegedly sold out. According to the tales that later passed around, the said agent had left his beat on account of going to exercise his own constitutional right to vote, but before he got back to beat, the “acts had been perfected.”


Thus, when subjected to further scrutiny, the Obanikoro discovered it was from the Obalende centre that the opposition was able to change what would have initially turned out an upset in that election, following the intense campaigns that had preceded it. They noted at their strategy meeting that such fraud was impossible at other centres because they had reliable agents who manned their votes and ensured they counted.


At the end of the day, Jide believed he had nothing concrete to hold on to and therefore went ahead to congratulate the winner, Hon. Gbolahan Olugbenga Yishawu. But he did not give up completely.


It was, therefore, agreed at the meeting that Babajide should give the chairmanship a shot since the election was to come up later the same year. They resolved to work ahead, recruit reliable and cable agents and ensure that their votes count in all the wards within the council area. To further give Babajide’s candidacy a boost, the Obanikoro in agreement with the party leadership resolved to have a young man of Hausa origin, Jubril Muhammed Miringa, as his vice-chairman. That decision, observers believed, truly enhanced Babajide’s chances at the poll.


For the Obanikoro, merely experimenting with the local government election was designed to give a good reading on how to tackle the ACN in the 2015 election which the party has resolved to give its all “and rescue Lagos from its captors,” as it is wont to say.


That Saturday, as the October 22, 2011 local government election raced to a close, preliminary results as well as exit poll had hinted that Babajide won the election. As a matter of fact, some of the television stations had announced the results, relying on the collation so far done from the various wards.


The excitement, unfortunately, was fleeting as the Lagos State Independent Electoral Commission (LASIEC) under the leadership of Justice Abdul-Fatai Adeyinka, declined to announce results of the election. For three consecutive days from the close of the election, agents and supporters of both parties kept vigil at the council’s secretariat in Ikoyi where the collation was originally meant to hold and results announced with breakdown.


When it was obvious that PDP and the Obanikoro supporters would not give up what they thought was theirs, the LASIEC boss went on television and announced results without any breakdown. He just declared on air that the ACN had cleared all the chairmanship seats in the state while conceding a few councillorship seats to the PDP across the state. This was after the three-day stalemate had degenerated into violent clashes among supporters of both parties.


At first, Senator Obanikoro was not inclined to seeking redress because he thought his son would never secure justice in a Lagos arrangement. His excuse was that if LASIEC could handle the election so brazenly, then, the judiciary which is also under the whims of the state would do even worse. But he was consoled by the success of his experiment that if the polling centres were well manned, genuine result is feasible in an election conducted by federal agents in the state, thus subtly pondering the 2015 governorship poll.


But his two sons differed. Much as they agreed with him that a degree of success had been recorded by discovering the tricks of the opposition, they elected to go a step further to seek justice. Besides, they were convinced they would secure justice because the evidence with them was overwhelming. To that end, their father gave his consent but grudgingly.


As proceedings continued, Senator Obanikoro reiterated his reservation and described his sons’ decision as sheer waste of time and money. But they proved him wrong last Thursday when Justice Dolapo Akinsanya, affirmed in her ruling that Babajide actually won the election and subsequently ordered LASIEC to withdraw the Certificate of Return earlier issued the ACN candidate, Mr. Adewale Adeniji and issue another to Babajide as the validly elected council chairman for Ikoyi/Obalende.


In many ways than one, the judgment portends great significance and may have demystified the subsisting permutations about the political standing in the state. One, the fact that the local government houses two of the national leaders of the ACN, Asiwaju Bola Tinubu and Chief Olusegun Osoba, former governor of Ogun State means a lot to the equation on ground because of its psychological import. Two, the fight was never that of Babajide and Adeniji but one between Senator Obanikoro and Tinubu on the one hand and between the PDP and ACN on the other hand.


Three, the local government, apart from being the only one whose address is with the Federal Government as a substantive council in that part of the state, it is believed to control about 85 percent of the employees in the state, given the array of blue chip companies and other multi-nationals that are situated there. And because Ikoyi is essentially an elite area, it also speaks a lot to the disposition of the elite against the leadership of the ACN in the state.


Four, by that judgment, the misplaced notion that Lagos was permanently under the siege of a certain clique may as well be some myth designed to instill fear and recreate the true essence of the polity. It also underscores the fact that the Lagos State Governor, Mr. Babtunde Raji Fashola, being a lawyer of repute, has immense respect for the rule of law and may have ensured that the somewhat arbitrariness that held sway in the past remains in the past. More instructively, it is a reflection of the independence of the Lagos State judiciary, notwithstanding the attendant misgivings.


Five and most importantly is the fact that the judgment has vindicated some critical analysts that anything is possible in a dynamic age, provided it is within the precinct of the law. Thus, observers are of the view that the beliefs about Lagos being impenetrable by the opposition may as well remain in the imagination of those mooting it, as this development had punctured that assertion.


In other words, what this means, according to them, is that 2015 in Lagos is a free for all and that the party with the best and acceptable candidate with resounding programmes and ability to convince the sophisticated Lagos voters will emerge victorious.


Consequently, the judgment has also confirmed the position of the PDP that results of the presidential election in the state in which the President, Dr. Goodluck Jonathan, defeated even the ACN candidate, Mallam Nuhu Ribadu, was a function of their effort and had nothing to do with rumoured understanding between the President and the opposition.


The import of the judgment is legion and a danger sign for the ACN in Lagos. It is also an indication that beyond Lagos, which is the strongest hold of the ACN, should the opposition organises itself properly towards the next election, the wonders of 2003 election is possible and that Lagos may not be spared this time.



http://www.thisdaylive.com/articles/danger-sign-in-acn-s-lagos/127294/

Louis88: Na wa oh!!!!!me I tire o,what's with all the name calling here,dudes this forum is supposed to be for grown ups,you hear GROWN UP'S,Haba,Sahara reporters lied simple,why do some people here want to kill themselves,so dem dem,you are beign paid for real,Na wa oh,no go give yourself high bp say you dey fight cyber warfare.

The retard would soon commit suicide.the money his paymaster paid him and his likes to peddle lies against this government would soon chock them.

chucky234: The broadcast was absurd and uncalled for,you don't need a national broadcast to disburse funds to flood victims or the affected states.
The president is surrounded by too many clueless goon who earns fat pay for doing nothing other than mislead the president,its a pity.

now that u knw how much each state in every category is getting, if ur from one of those state don't u think its ur civil responsibility to find out when the states get these funds and how they put it in good use to achieve its objective? Now that he made the amount they are releasing to the states public for every one to hear and monitor how it is been spent by the states ur complaining!if he makes it a secret too and give it to the states without making it public people like u would still criticise him WHY because ur are paid to criticise this government.people like u would always criticise any effort made by this government to transform and change the way the country is been governed!between the fund the FG is releasing is a public fund why should he not announce it publicly?the presidents broadcast is meant for the affected flood victims not a paid internet critics like you,they need to knw how much the FG released and they can monitor how the fund is been used to help their situation.or are u bitter that the amount ur oga would get for this flood disaster has been made public!!

The funny thing is that those fools who believed all the lies peddled by sahara reporters are not commenting on this thread! all the lies and sickeness that sahara reporters told nigerians that the first lady had is the sickness that would kill the publishers of sahara reporters and their family.

overnor Olusegun Mimiko of Ondo State and the Labour Party (LP) candidate for the October 20 election, at the weekend, chided the leader of the Action Congress of Nigeria (ACN), Senator Bola Ahmed Tinubu, saying the state would not be a party to any integration move meant for somebody’s pocket.

Equally, Mimiko’s Campaign Organisation (MCO) also said Sunday  that the alleged threat by the ACN that it would in conjunction with the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) resort to self help unless the Director of the State Security Service (SSS) in the state is redeployed was an invitation to a state of anarchy.

Also, the PDP candidate for the governorship election in the state, Chief Olusola Oke, at the weekend, predicted that an end to LP’s alleged deceit in the state would come to an end on October 20.

But, Mimiko, who spoke at a Mega Rally organised by the LP at Okitipupa in the Southern Senatorial District for his second term re-election bid, said the state would not be part of any phony and deceitful integration as being preached by the leadership of the ACN in the South-west.

“They talked about integration, if they want to integrate the South-west, is it going to be in one person’s pockets? If that is integration, then Ondo State will never be a part of such a phony and deceitful integration.

“But if it is the integration for the development of our people; to give world class education for our people; to give world class hospitals; integration to develop our public transportation; to bring development like we are doing in Ondo State for the generality of the people; oh yes, we are for it.

He alleged that Tinubu’s eight years in office as the governor of Lagos State cannot match his three and a half years as tenure in Ondo State.

Mimiko said the much noise about capturing Ondo State which, he said, was being better managed than any of the ACN controlled States was a dream that would fall flat on its face.

“In Ondo State, the ACN is not on ground and they will meet their political waterloo here.  Please, ask them what are they doing in Osun that we have not done better? In any of their States, Ondo State is better managed than them.

“I salute Babatunde Fashola, whatever anybody may say, he has shown a flash of brilliance in governance. But the eight years before Fashola, what did they do in Lagos?” he said.

Meanwhile, Oke, who spoke at Ode Irele, the headquarters of Irele local government area in continuation of his campaign for the election, lamented that the people of Irele have been deprived of real benefit of democracy since Mimiko came into power.

Oke said the people of the Ondo South Senatorial District have never had it so bad in the state, promising to execute developmental projects in the area like Agagu did when the PDP governed the state.

Also at Owo, the headquarters of Owo Local Government, Oke promised the people that he would complete the ongoing road project in are within six months if voted into government.



http://www.thisdaylive.com/articles/ondo-poll-mimiko-chides-tinubu-over-integration-agenda/127122/

A CRACK has appeared on the political wall of the north, as former Inspector General of Police (IGP), Alhaji Mohammed Gambo Jimeta, on Friday took Northern Elders Forum (NEF) to the cleaners, accusing them of contributing to the country’s woes.

In a statement issued in Abuja, Jimeta, who was minister for Agriculture during the late Gen. Sani Abacha’s regime, said the forum chose to play the ostrich instead of facing the reality.

He also accused the group of sowing seeds of enmity and discord in the country.

“It is disappointing to note that other Nigerians, who should have been steering the course of nation building, decided to pull those pillars down by sowing the seeds of enmity, divisionism and political hypocrisy to distract Nigerians from the truth.

“Rather than rolling up their sleeves to actively find solutions to the suffering of Nigerians, they chose to pull us back again and force us to play the blame game,” he said.

Jimeta alleged that some of those in the forum blaming President Goodluck Jonathan for not performing contributed to the downfall of the country.

http://www.theguardianmobile.com/readNewsItem1.php?nid=7715