₦airaland Forum

Ymodulus:
My problem is why cant this so called isreal and america dismantle their own nuclear bombs first before preachin to others to do theirs.

Note am not muslim

Ramtzy:
if Iran produced a tooth brush Isreal would claim it is a threat to them and Arabs would be jealous as they can't even produce tooth paste.  Has the world forgotten the endless videos of Iraq WMD and Tony Blairs fake dossier on Iraq . Its all like TV series rerun

Ramtzy:
Any other country would have crumbled to her knees if they were to face the same kind of economic and western technology sanctions that Iran has been facing for the last 25 years. Long Live Iran !

edoyad:
Abuja - Following the expected loss of AU chairmanship to Boni Yayi of Benin Republic, President Goodluck Ebeble Jonathan’s administration today threatened to breakaway from Africa and form an independent continent of Nigeria.

In a terse press release signed by Mr. Reuben Abati, Nigeria stated:

"Since Africa does not consider our President, Dr Goodluck Ebele Jonathan good enough for the Chairmanship of the African Union, then Africa does not deserve our presence on the Continent."

Following the statement, Africa's most populous nation has given the AU an ultimatum of 1 week to regroup and crown GEJ the head of the prestigious union otherwise there shall be consequences.

The press release also advised the advisory body of AU not to bother trying to contact GEJ on the matter as it is non-negotiable. The document pointed out that the Nigerian president is currently too busy negotiating with more important personalities like Boko Haram who the AU should not force him to exile to their countries.



http://www.ghanaweb.com/GhanaHomePage/NewsArchive/artikel.php?ID=229187

Meanwhile, Gminers, cabals, and members of parliament are believed to have secretly convened to decide how Nigeria’s breaking away from Africa should be organized to ensure that the Igbos and other Southerners do not use the opportunity to slip away into the Atlantic with their oil and also form their own continent.

The British Government has offered to assist Nigeria with technical capacity to fast track the protracted Petroleum Industry Bill, PIB.

http://www.osundefender.org/?p=25986

Governor Rauf Aregbesola has challenged notable Nigerians in every field to come up with ideas that would take the country out of its present situation, rather than entrusting it in the hands of politicians alone.
He gave the challenge in Owo, Ondo State, last weekend in his speech after being conferred with Honourary Doctorate Degree (HonorisCausa) on Public Policy and Management by the Achievers University, Owo, saying that entrusting the situation in the hands of politicians alone was a dangerous venture.
He expressed disgust that there have been paucity of ideas, even from those who should be the guarantors of ideas, saying that every form of power, be it political, economic, technological and diplomatic and even violence, terrorism, war and peace are products of specific ideas.
Reiterating that the kind of intervention that should be gotten from idea leaders has been largely absent, the governor therefore tasked the university system, to work towards changing the trends in the country.
He said: “Our country is at a critical junction at this moment and it appears that the best our people have been doing is to pray. It is disheartening that there have been paucity of ideas from those who should be the guarantors of ideas. Ideas rule the world.”
“It is certainly tempting to entrust the situation to politicians and hope that they will come up with a magic wand. This is dangerous and without idea for leadership at critical times like this, it is my sincere prayer that we will not be disappointed.”
The kind of intervention that we should get from our idea leaders has been largely absent. This is a task for the university system”, he noted.
The governor then recommended that in the course of coming up with ideas, federalism and Sovereign National Conference, must predominate, with a view to averting a looming national catastrophe.
According to him, “it is crystal clear now that a plural society like Nigeria cannot be governed in the absence of true federalism freely negotiated by the constituent parts”.

ndu_chucks:
There is something unnatural about idol worshiping.

bitweezy:
Who is fooling who. these same set of people (North) promised to make the country ungovernable because a southerner won elections against their wishes.

They just realized dat their plan is now having a negative effect (Dividing the country) and they can't do without the oil money/revenue

The best solution for Boko haram menace is to divide the country so thst the North can practice Sharia as demanded by BH and the oil revenue for those states is used to compensate southerners who have to relocate and forfeit their investment in the north and also develop the the south as it would be an additional fund.

That way BH and the north are happy and the southernerns are settled.

http://af.reuters.com/article/topNews/idAFJOE80T00H20120130?pageNumber=3&virtualBrandChannel=0

Mon Jan 30, 2012 4:27pm GMT
By Diadie Ba and Bate Felix

DAKAR (Reuters) - Senegalese President Abdoulaye Wade's bid for a third mandate in next month's election, which has triggered a number of protests, could endanger his country's record of democracy and stability, the United States warned on Monday.

Local media and a resident in the northern town of Podor said two people were killed on Monday in the latest pocket of unrest since Senegal's top legal body said Wade could stand despite complaints it breached rules setting a two-term limit.

A policeman died when protesters hurled rocks, overturned cars and set fire to tyres in the streets of Dakar on Friday, when the decision was made public. Opposition appeals were rejected late on Sunday.

The warning was the strongest comment yet from Washington about the February 26 election in the only country in mainland West Africa to have never suffered a coup d'etat. Separately, France also issued concerns over the election process.

"We are concerned that the decision by President Wade to seek a third term ,  could jeopardise the decades-long record that Senegal has built up on the continent for democracy, democratic development and political stability," U.S. Deputy Secretary of State William Burns told a teleconference.

"We hope very much that the political process will be a peaceful one and it will allow for the free active participation of all Senegalese," added Burns, who was speaking from the sidelines of an African Union summit in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia.

Wade has chosen to stay in Senegal and not attend the summit, an event he has rarely missed in the past. Truckloads of police in riot gear have been deployed around his presidential palace, armed with teargas, grenade launchers and truncheons.

A woman who was headed to market and a 17-year-old student, were killed during the anti-Wade demonstration in Podor, according to local media and a resident contacted by Reuters in the town on the border with Mauritania.

A gendarmerie spokesman said the incident were under investigation.

"CONSTITUTIONAL COUP"

Hours before Burns' comments, Senegal's Constitutional Council rejected appeals to its decision to approve Wade's candidacy while throwing out the presidential bid of world music star Youssou N'Dour. It argued that N'Dour had not collected the 10,000 valid signatures needed to stand.

"France regrets that all political viewpoints cannot be represented," French Foreign Ministry spokesman Bernard Valero said in Paris of the list of 14 approved candidates, which includes three ex-premiers and the Socialist party candidate.

Valero also raised concerns over the arrest on Saturday of Alioune Tine, a leader of the "M23" street protest movement.

"On principle we condemn any use of the justice system for political ends," he added.

The U.S. and French statements are a sign of the growing international concern over Senegal, where the 85-year-old Wade has ruled over the poor, mainly agricultural country with a mixed record since defeating rival Socialists in a 2000 vote.

Domestic critics say Wade has done little to tackle mass unemployment and the crumbling infrastructure in many Senegalese towns while he lavishes spending on grandiose projects such as a monument to "African Renaissance" which now towers over Dakar.

Wade, who was re-elected in 2007, said his first term cannot be counted in a two-term limit added to the constitution in 2001. The five judges of the Constitutional Council - all picked by him - agreed with that interpretation.

N'Dour condemned the ruling as a "constitutional coup d'etat", while other opposition leaders have threatened to make the country ungovernable. While Dakar was calm on Monday, M23 activists said they were planning new protests.

A centrist liberal who spent 26 years in opposition before he came to power, Wade has said he is confident of securing election in a single round.

Opponents fear his grip on state machinery gives him an advantage and that the poll will be neither free nor fair. The European Union has sent as 90-head election observer mission.

[url]http://af.reuters.com/article/topNews/idAFJOE80S02U20120129?feedType=RSS&feedName=topNews&utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+reuters%2FAFRICATopNews+%28News+%2F+AFRICA+%2F+Top+News%29[/url]
Sun Jan 29, 2012 12:23pm GMT

ADDIS ABABA (Reuters) - Libyan Prime Minister Abdurrahim al-Keib called on Sunday for a regional security conference to tackle a proliferation of weapons by exiled supporters of former leader Muammar Gaddafi.

The Libyan civil war may have given militant groups in Africa's Sahel region like Boko Haram and al Qaeda access to large weapons caches, said a U.N. report released on Thursday.

"(There is) still a real threat from some of the armed remnants of the former regime who escaped outside the country and still roam freely. This is a threat for us, for neighbouring countries and our shared relations," Keib told African Union leaders in Addis Ababa.

"My country calls for a regional security conference in Libya of interior and defence ministers of neighbouring countries," he told the summit, the first since Gaddafi's death last year.

A U.N. report said the Libyan civil war may have created a proliferation of small arms, giving militant groups like Boko Haram and al Qaeda access to large weapons caches in Africa's Sahel region that straddle the Sahara, including Nigeria, Niger and Chad.

The report said some countries believe weapons have been smuggled into the Sahel by former fighters in Libya - Libyan army regulars and mercenaries who fought on behalf of Gaddafi, who was ousted and killed by rebels.

Links between al Qaeda and Boko Haram have become a growing source of concern for the countries of the region, the U.N. report said.

The Islamist sect Boko Haram has killed at least 935 people since it launched an uprising in Nigeria in 2009, including 250 in the first weeks of this year, Human Rights Watch said last week.

[url]http://saharareporters.com/news-page/proceedings-closed-door-northern-govs-meeting-vp-govs-not-happy-jonathan%E2%80%99s-action-boko-har[/url]
Proceedings of Closed Door Northern Govs Meeting With VP: Govs Not Happy With Jonathan’s Action On Boko Haram

Posted: January 30, 2012 - 22:31

By SaharaReporters, New York
An insider who has privy to the proceedings of last week meeting of Vice President Namadi Sambo with 19 Northern Governors has told SaharaReporters that the governors mostly from North-East said the Boko Haram hype and security threats are above their power despite all efforts and avenues they have exhausted, and demand holistic approach.

Some of the governors boldly told the VP their anger and disgust with some steps of President Jonathan, and some of his aids in the resolutions of the lingering Boko Haram crises. 

The governors resolved to pursue political solution to the Boko Haram menace, in the affected states and they agreed to achieve that free from involving security agencies but traditional and religious leaders and also families of the Boko Haram top leadership as a means of appealing to them.

Governor Kashim Shettima, it was learnt said he has exhausted all avenues to overcome the insecurity ravaging his state. The governor said the Boko Haram sect members are known in the state and are just guided by sheer ideology, and holistic approach is needed and expressed disgust over several approaches of the Federal Government, he claimed has dampen reconciliation.

The source quoted the Governors of Niger, Borno, and Yobe states expressing displeasures over presidential actions, particularly when the emergency rule was imposed without their consultations and they heard it like other Nigerians. They are of the view that counter positions and several outbursts have done harm to dialogue in the bid to end the face-up.

The source said “They told the VP, that several times when their emissaries are underground talking with Boko Haram representatives, you will hear Mr. President saying different thing in the media, and the next day NSA and Defence Minister saying another thing. The following week you will hear IGP and Chief of Army Staff singing different tunes, all these are not good to the system. These are things they told Sambo. And the need for the government control lips of its personnel and as even the president himself.”

The source added that “The governors told Sambo to liaise with the President, and come up with directives that Commissioners of Police, SSS Directors, Military Commanding Officers in the North should be in touch with the governors in carrying out operations without informing them. They insisted that they have been proving financial and logistic support to the security agencies, and so they should be put in picture of things and also demand minimal control over the agencies in the move of addressing some of the cases, they said needs political approach than face-up in some cases.”

After the meeting that lasted about eight hours, the Vice President on coming out told the press "It is a meeting with the 19 governors of the Northern states of the federation and the ministers of Police and Defence and the representative of the National Security Adviser. We have discussed the need for cooperation in the security of this country and particularly, the Northern states. And in this meeting, it is very clear that there is no religious problem, religious fighting in northern Nigeria.

"There is a threat of terrorists and the need to address this terrorism act. Nigeria is one country and we will do everything to ensure that we have peace in the North and in the country in general. All the state governments as usual will further cooperate with the federal government in ensuring that the safety of lives and properties is maintained in all parts of the country."

Fuel subsidy: Public sector workers demand new wage http://www.sunnewsonline.com/webpages/news/national/2012/jan/31/national-31-01-2012-004.html
By BIMBOLA OYESOLA
Tuesday, January 31, 2012

Workers in the public sector have called on the state governors to review their take home pay to reflect the current state of the cost of living foistered on them by the recent increase in the cost of petrol. In a letter entitled: Increasing cost of living and public sector workers’ remuneration, signed by Marcus Omokhuale, national secretary, Joint National Public Service Negotiating Council and addressed to all the state governors, the workers called for urgent opening of a window of negotiations towards establishing a new wage regime for workers that would be in consonance with the current state of their cost of living as a motivator to a higher productivity.

“This is especially in states where the new minimum wage and other salary structures were whittled down, during the negotiation, because of the hitherto lean purse of the various states,” the workers said.

The Joint Council noted that with the income of states now taking a new shape as a result of the increase of PMS pump price from N65 to N97, the governors were implored to fully adopt the new minimum wage in full to shore up workers take home-pay to enable them meet up with some of their immediate responsibilities and reduce the obvious restiveness, as a result of frustration in the system.

The national secretary drew the attention of the governors to the astronomical rise in the cost of living consequent upon the recent hike in fuel pump price and the dire impact on the public servants, whose wages and purchasing power had been drastically undermined.
According to him: “It is a statement of fact that the growth of an economy depends on reasonable purchasing power for effective demand to be actualized in the market. Equally, workers productivity is motivated by their wages.
“Your Excellency is no doubt aware that the remuneration of workers has lagged far behind the inflation rate and this is being worsened by the steep increase in fuel pump prices.”

The Joint Council scribe stated that as Nigerians, the current situation calls for necessary action to raise remuneration as state policies should be seen to impact on the living standards of the creators of the nation’s wealth.
“We are all aware that energy is central to both production and consumption in a modern economy. This is, particularly so, for the movement of prices in a country such as Nigeria, where the level of infrastructural development is abysmal.
“Workers require petrol to power generators, at home as more often than not there is no electricity supply from Power Holding Company of Nigeria
(PHCN).”

The Joint Council believed that it was not an unrealistic demand as governments across the federation, would benefit from the revenue accruing to the Nigerian state from the partial removal of fuel subsidy.
In the same vein, the workers had also condemned the excessive tax (PAYE) being deducted on monthly basis from workers salary.

The PAYE, the council noted, tends to paint a picture of a case of giving with one hand and taking away with another hand.
“For this case, not to look so, there is therefore the dire need for your government to take a serious look into it, with a view to reviewing the existing computation on the basis of which the PAYE is being made,” the council said.

Onlytruth:
War is not something you just wake up to fight, at least not if you want to win. You have to first convince yourself of the need. I have seen too many people with just causes who lost wars, mainly because they were unprepared for it mentally.
If I was among the planners of the war in Biafra time, I would never have fought that war without enough mental preparation of the people. I also believe, that if you prepare well mentally, you would be taking steps that convinces the enemy of your ability to do maximum damage to his interests. That way, a war might even be avoided all together.
Just my views.

Ikengawo:
The world over is spiced by indidivuals whom there society deems as intellectuals. These men and women are the engine of discourse and intellectual grow in their respective domains, and because of their genius capacity to invent and innovate, the human race as well. Intellectuals are thus bestowed their title because their words intorduce new ideas to the human race. Theory of relativity, human rights, womens liberation, the theory of dark matter, and so forth. It saddens me that nigerias 'intellectuals' have contributed nothing to the development of man kind let alone the development of nigeria. When soyinka and recently femi kayode and sanusi speak we all know the routine. They'll utter the opinion of 90% of nigerians only with more english then then the average nigerian can afford to bombast. Our intellectuals contribute nothing to nigeria and its thus safe to say we don't have intellectuals at all. They're all just opinion parrots. We dub people intellectuals for doing things we all do on nairaland everyday. One intellectual will say 'nigeria will split' another will say 'our government is corrupt' the next will say 'we need more refinaries' and nigerias will claim to be an intelligent people. Intellectuals the world over are solving human problems and helping people understand the world. We should stop insulting them by giving our nairaland opinion bloggers their title.

Beaf:
Lolz!
The words of a lazy "intellectual." Everything to you is a war against unseen enemies.

@OP
We should also add that our intellectuals are escapists, loudmouths, selfish mofo's and pocket stuffers who don't give a damn if their neighbours kids go hungry.

ola_pluto:
Nigeria breaking up is a fantasy believed in by some few people who do not see the big picture. Yes the amalgamation might have been a mistake in the first instance, but we can turn things round! Only fanatics will cause Nigeria to break up. Fanatic christians, Muslims, ethnic bigots, etc are the ones pushing for this idea

Onlytruth:
I have always believed that Nigeria will disintegrate. My urging our people to stay in the North is because I want to be very close to their throats in case of war, which BTW is very probable.
I want to be able to fight in core North. That's all.
I also believe that anybody talking about Nigeria's disintegration without thinking about war, is not thinking things through. I therefore urge everyone thinking about Nigeria's disintegration to start to prepare for war mentally.

Number one, I don’t want any one of us to tamper with anything to do with Nigerian unity. Number two, the re[b]publican constitution is also a settled issue[/b], more or less. Number three, the states are the federating units of this country and number four we are a capitalist country. Anybody that wants to talk about this country must make sure that he doesn’t do anything that will disrupt these basic settled issues in our political life.

ndu_chucks: The above is very plausible. It is quite easy to believe that after BH bombed those government installations, the untrained and undisciplined police went on a rampage shooting and killing anything in sight and mistaking ordinary citizens trapped in the area for BH members. In the meantime the real BH culprits had already left the location and accomplished their mission.

The same incompetence and indiscipline by the police was seen in Kano yesterday when citizens including pregnant women and children were killed because they violated the curfew and were thus suspected to be BH members! No one bothered to ask the police how they informed the residents of Kano, many of who do not have access to media announcements, what the curfew rules are.   SMH

efisher:
I drive my own cars so my calculation is based on cost of fueling and maintenance.
Average daily cost of transport is N1,000 and monthly is N30,000. I guess I'm not an average Nigerian.

sheyguy:
Oga koruji, i av gone through your harsh but true post about the effect of subsidy. I tried to warn us b4 the subsidy removal (which has not been fully implemented).
A slight increase in wage and cannot cushion the effect of up to 100% in standard of living.
Concerning transportation, i will suggest use of witch craft powers in flying from point A to B, especially for those who already av it.

Beaf:
I guess thats the best that can come from an unrefined, hate-filled person. You're only ruining your health.

From your abode in some far off land, you claimed to have predicted that transport fares would double. Not stopping there, you went on to claim that your prediction was correct!
It would take some doing for a man that lives abroad to know what the man on the ground is feeling. No?

Well, Nigerians in Nigeria are telling you that your doomsday prediction never came to pass and that Nigerians have absorbed the cost. So why are you still frothing and why are you still wildly red-eyed, don't you think enough people have died yet?

You really need to take a deep breath, calm down and get rational, before you lose it completely.

http://www.ngrguardiannews.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=74957:cbn-admits-fraud-in-subsidy-scheme-warns-of-pressure-on-foreign-reserve&catid=1:national&Itemid=559

CBN admits fraud in subsidy scheme, warns of pressure on foreign reserve .

Wednesday, 25 January 2012 00:00 From Azimazi Momoh Jimoh, Terhemba Daka, Bridget Chiedu Onochie, Mathias Okwe, Abuja News - National

THE Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) declared yesterday that the total amount of money withdrawn and spent by the Federal Government on petroleum products subsidy was N1.763 trillion.

The Ministry of Finance had earlier said that N1.38 trillion was spent on subsidy from January to October last year.

The CBN Deputy Governor, Dr. Kingsley Morghalu, who represented the Governor of the apex bank, Sanusi Lamido Sanusi, disclosed at the House of Representatives public hearing on subsidy fund management that the huge expenditure on subsidy put too much pressure on the country’s foreign reserve.

He, however, stated that the CBN was putting measures in place to ensure that the foreign reserve did not go below $30 billion.

Also, Petroleum Resources Minister, Mrs. Diezani Alison-Madueke, at the hearing, noted that the Governance and Control Task Force Team set up by in the ministry would deal with fundamental issues from the audit report, when formally transmitted to her.

The minister, who lamented the spate of “sharp practices” in the industry, however noted that Federal Government had started “sweeping reforms” in the oil and gas industry aimed at tackling the menace of corruption, smuggling and manipulations in the subsidy regime.

Alison-Madueke who condemned the lapses and rot in the system, however stressed the need for PPPRA to clarify some issues on payment of certificates for subsidy “before we come to grasp on the actual problem on ground.”

While reacting to the report on the sale of oil blocs, Alison-Madueke disclosed that, “no oil bloc has been sold since I came into the office. What we did was to build NPDC so as   to transfer NNPC interest in certain blocs to NPDC.”

The CBN boss openly declared that there were sharp practices in the importation of refined petroleum products and the subsidy regime.

“We had in the past raised questions and expressed concerns about indications of manipulations in the subsidy regime. The concerns arose mainly as a result of our perception of the implications of possible manipulations of the subsidy regime on the stability of the country’s exchange rate, our external reserves and the banking system. As we all know, non-performing bank loans to petroleum product marketing companies and for stock market transactions were a major contributing factor in the distress suffered by some Nigerian banks in 2008/2009 leading the CBN to undertake extensive reforms in the banking sector,” he said.

Morghalu, however, told the committee that the CBN was helpless in the matter because “the CBN was not a law enforcement agency and our role in the subsidy regime is limited,   based solely on the mandate of the CBN. The subsidy regime lies primarily within the remit of the fiscal authority.”

He also informed the committee that only N6 billion was left in the Petroleum Support Fund (PSF), which had N673 billion in 2001.

“Our understanding is that the PSF is a pool of fund budgeted for by government to stabilise the domestic prices of petroleum products against some volatility in international crude and petroleum prices. The PSF Account that is domiciled in the CBN is operated by the PPPRA (Petroleum Products Pricing Regulatory Agency). That account was opened with the CBN on the December 15, 2006. As at January 17, 2012 the total credits in that account amounts to N673.85 billion. The total withdrawals from the account has been N667.593 billion. The balance in the PFS account as at January 17, is N6.257 billion,”
he said.

On what is left in the Excess Crude Account, he said: “Regarding the Domestic Excess Crude Account that is domiciled in the CBN, it is operated by the office of the Accountant General of the Federation (AGF). This account was opened on September 25, 2007, and as at January 17, 2012 the total credits that have gone into the account stood at N2,562,780,947,586.71. Total withdrawal from the account N2,543,519,324,379.33. The balance in the account as at 17 January 2012 is N19,261,623,207.38.”

On the role of the CBN in the importation of petroleum products and payments on subsidy by the Federal Government, the CBN boss said: “It is pertinent for me to note that the CBN is not involved in the importation or distribution of petroleum products. Rather, the role of the CBN is limited to four areas: first the payment role as the banker to the Federal Government, second, an exchange rate role, third, an import documentation role, and four, an advisory role based on our mandate as an economic and financial advisor to the government of Nigeria.
The accounts maintained for all the Ministries, Departments and Agencies (MDAs) as it relates to the petroleum subsidy regime includes the PPPRAs PSF and the Domestic Excess Crude Account. Payments take place in two ways: one, deductions by the NNPC at source before FAAC; and two, through the issuance of Sovereign Debt Notes issued by the Debt Management Office (DMO) to independent oil marketers.
Regarding deductions at source by the NNPC, these deductions are made by the NNPC at source before payments into the Federation’s Account, and then the FAAC committee distributes the remainder to the three tiers of government. These deductions started in October 2009.”
Also yesterday, the Trade Union Congress (TUC) President, Peter Esele, faulted claims on subsidy removal and deregulation, pointing out that until the inefficiency and acute corruption in the system were removed, the system would continue to grapple with these  problems.

Expressing hope that the interventions of the National Assembly would work, Esele described the PPPRA template as deficient and called for the overhaul of the regulatory agencies.

Besides, the Federal Government has assured Nigerians of its resolve to implement the independent audit report conducted by KPMG into the activities of the oil and gas downstream sector as part of efforts towards ensuring transparency and accountability in the sector.

The assurance came on the heel of the alarm raised by the CBN over the effect of high demand for dollars on the foreign reserve and the economy at large.

But as the Senate entered day two of its 2012 budget defence, the Committee on Gas Resources yesterday took a swipe at Alison-Madueke, over her failure to appear for budget defence. Her absence was apparently due to the fact that she was at the House of Representatives.

The Chairman, Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, (EFCC), Ibrahim Lamorde, has revealed that the current budget estimates for the commission has zero provision for legal fees.

While defending his budget with the Senate Committee on Drugs, Narcotics, Financial Crimes and Anti-Corruption, Lamorde stated that multiple appeals arising from prevoius cases, which were being handled by external lawyers had increased tremendously.

The chairperson of the Committee, Nkechi Nwaogu, noted that Alison-Madueke had earlier sent a letter to the committee stressing that she would be in Switzerland at the time of the meeting.

Meanwhile, the CBN has extended the uniform accounting regime already adopted for money deposit banks in the country to other financial institutions, comprising Primary Mortgage Institutions (PMIs); Microfinance Banks (MFBs) and finance companies.

In a circular yesterday by its Director in charge of Financial Policy and Regulations Department, Chris O. Chukwu, the apex bank explained that the action was to avoid regulatory arbitrage and provide a level playing field for all operators in the sector.

Accordingly, he advised directors of the affected institutions to as a first step, pass a resolution to that effect and thereafter inform the relevant agencies in line with Section 334(4) of the Companies and Allied Matters Act (CAMA) 1990 as amended.

BlackPikiN:
Good job GEJ.

One of the dividends of democracy. :

http://www.vanguardngr.com/2012/01/nigeria-is-already-disintegrating-soyinka-2/
On January 25, 2012 · In News
By Prisca Sam-Duru

LAGOS — Nobel laureate, Prof. Wole Soyinka, said, yesterday, that despite the fact that there is no formal break up of the country, the nation was already disintegrating due to the refusal of the government to embrace national dialogue.

Soyinka said this while speaking on “The quest for justice, tolerance and non-violent change” at a presentation highlighting Dr Martin Luther King jr and the American civil rights movement, organised by the Public Affairs Section of the US Consulate General in Lagos at the Freedom Park, Lagos.

According to him, “the presidential system of government is totally unfitted to the governance of Nigerians. The legislators have become a bastion of corruption while the system operational in the country encourages corruption.”

Soyinka, who maintained his stance on Sovereign National Conference as panacea to salvaging Nigeria from total collapse said: “We can even remove the word sovereign, there is need for national dialogue because if we don’t have a national dialogue, we will have monologues. Public detonators are monologues, Boko Haram is a hyper active secession by their expelling people in some states, purging it of the people who they believe don’t share their ideologies.


Dr.Joe Okei-Odumakin, Prof.Wole Soyinka and Past.Tunde Bakare during A Town Hall Meeting by the Save Nigeria Group and Allies in Lagos

“Zamfara State, during the last tenure of government, led in declaring itself a theocratic state and had some other states joining. Those are monologues. Despite loss of lives and traumatisation, the cravings for the emancipation of Blacks were a remarkable struggle on the part of the American civil rights as their struggle for justice, peace and equity paid off.

“What we have now is not a constitution because it was handed over to us by a bunch of neocolonialists in military uniform; they worked out that constitution. So, we need a single constitution binding all major issues in the country.”

Soyinka, who noted that the recent industrial action by civil societies and Labour was a necessary struggle for justice and prosperity, also cited the Nigerian civil war as a clear case of quest for justice and equity on the part of Biafrans, pointing out that although he is not strictly pro-Biafra, he was against the injustice meted on Biafrans since it is morally right to want to secede.

He also recounted the degradation that existed during the segregation of Blacks not only in the Western world but here in Nigeria during British rule which regrettably, he argued, is still existing among Nigerians.

Olisa74:
Sound familiar? The full pdf file is available to download online. Nigerians lets be careful. The Americans have now set their sights on our oil.
The Americans are taking advantage of an incompetent government.Segun Aganga ( Goldman Sachs ) and Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala ( World Bank) , where imposed on Nigerians at the behest of America. At the same time we have seen Boko Haram rise from obscurity to an international terrorist group in record time. America at the same time pressured GEJ to remove fuel subsidy. Nigerians should please see that all these events are connected!!!

efisher:
What is boko ram's business with pump price. . . Except that the money they were making from smuggling our fuel across the border has been reduced. In fact, we need to take the price up to N141 asap.

If idiots like boko rams are in support of N65, we need to think again. Many Nigerians may have been unknowingly fighting a wrong battle.