₦airaland Forum

One of the campaign promises made by President Muhammadu Buhari during election campaign is payment of monthly stipends to the poorest and vulnerable Nigerians.

Starting from Dec 2016, there are indications that the president will make good his campaign promise as the first set of beneficiaries were paid N5, 000 stipends under Conditional Cash Transfer (CCT) scheme.

Below are answers to 10 the most frequently asked questions on CCT as compiled by Concise News.

1. What is CCT?

The CCT (conditional cash transfer) is a ‘social safety net’ programme under which one million of the poorest Nigerians would receive N5,000 monthly stipend.

2. When did CCT kick off?

The 1st phase of the CCT covers nine states, & many of the beneficiaries have already reported receiving their 1st payment by Dec 30, 2016.

3. Why nine states?

The 9 pilot CCT states chosen because they have existing Social Registers of the poorest Nigerians, developed in partnership world bank.

4. Which states are the pilot states?

The pilot states are Borno, Kwara, Bauchi, C/Rivers, Niger, Kogi,Oyo, Ogun, Ekiti. Other states in progress are Anambra, Plateau, Jigawa, Adamawa, Benue, Enugu, Katsina, Taraba States.

5. How are beneficiaries selected?

Beneficiaries of the CCT are being selected from Social Registers, developed by state governments through a direct engagement with world bank.

Few days to the expected unfreezing of MMM Nigeria accounts, purported owner, Pastor Ernest Mbanefo, has publicly responded to the Dec 2 media reports that he owned the unconventional investment scheme. Mbanefo also expressed optimism that MMM Nigeria will be back better and stronger.

A number of media outlets in Nigeria (Concise News excluded) had, earlier in December, reported that the South Africa-based preacher owns the Nigerian franchise of Mavrodi Mundial Moneybox popularly referred to as MMM.

Apparently not satisfied with Concise News exclusive report that he doesn’t own MMM Nigeria, which was referenced by many Nigerian news sites, Pst Mbanefo took to his blog on Tuesday to publicly clear the air, denouncing ownership of the investment scheme.

Mbanefo stated on social media that the reason he decided to responded to the allegations was to set the records straight and to help Nigerians know the truth.

With few days left before Christmas, Lagosians have been trooping out in numbers to buy LAKE rice from specified distribution points across Lagos metropolis.

LAKE rice, an acronym from Lagos (LA) and Kebbi (KE), is a partnership between the two states to produce cheap, well-milled local rice on a commercial scale for public consumption.

The local rice, earlier billed to hit Lagos markets for N13, 000 per bag on 15 Dec., is now finally selling at N12,000 per bag.

See below picture of Lagosians queuing up for Lake Rice at Teslim Balogun Stadium, Surulere in Lagos on Friday.

The LAKE rice, earlier billed to hit Lagos markets for N13, 000 per bag on 15 Dec., is now finally available at N12,000 per bag.

Lagos State Governor, Akinwunmi Ambode, and his Kebbi State counterpart, Atiku Bagudu, on Wednesday unveiled the much anticipated Lagos-Kebbi Rice christened ‘LAKE RICE’.

LAKE RICE is an acronym from Lagos (LA) and Kebbi (KE), a partnership signed between the two states in March to produce cheap, well-milled local rice on a commercial scale for public consumption.

A source close to the Lagos State government disclosed to Concise News that the previous locations the government planned to sell the rice has changed. He also added that the change became necessary in the face of rising fears that some people may hijack staple food and sell at higher prices to the public.

New locations

The new locations according to our source are:

Lagos East:
Ikorodu -Odogunyan Farm Service Centre
Epe -Temu Farm Service Centre
Eredo -Noforija Town Hall
Ibeju -Magbon Alade High School
Maryland -SUBEB Premises

Lagos West:
Agege – LSADA Complex/Farm Service Centre
Ojo -LAISA Office Agric Bus Stop
Muwo-Coconut House
Badagry -Town Farm Service Centre, Marina
Oshodi -Ikeja Grammar School, Bolade

Lagos Central
Ajah – Ministry of Agric Area Office
Lagos Island – LASTMA Office Adeniji/Freeman
Ajegunle – Alakoto Senior High School, Tolu
Surulere – TESLIM Balogun stadium
Yaba – Mobolaji Johnson Sports Centre, Rowe Park

The Majority Leader in the House of Representatives, Femi Gbajabiamila (APC-Lagos) said that Nigeria must go ahead with the plan to borrow 29.9 billion dollars for the country to come out of recession.

Gbajabiamila said this on Sunday in Abuja while giving the end of year report on the activities of the House of Representatives for 2016.

According to him the borrowing plan is specific and targeted at pulling the country out of recession and reflate the economy.

“It is what this government found on ground that informed the quantum and the nature of the borrowing they have to undertake.

“Now to get out of this recession and the sorry state we have found ourselves, I don’t think we can do it without borrowing.

“Borrowing is necessary, United States, England, Germany all borrow, it is an essential feature of democracy especially when you’re running a deficit budget.

The All Progressives Congress (APC) in Ondo State has raised alarm over alleged secret recruitment of workers by the outgoing government of Gov. Olusegun Mimiko into various ministries and parastatals in the state.

A statement by the Publicity Secretary of APC in Ondo Sstate, Mr Abayomi Adesanya, made this known to newsmen on Friday in Akure.

The statement alleged that the move was to ambush the incoming APC government.

According to the statement, letters of appointment issued are being back-dated while Gov. Mimiko is also selling government properties to cronies.

“We have been adequately informed of the unholy and unpatriotic dealings of the outgoing Gov. Olusegun Mimiko, by secretly employing over 10,000 people into all the ministries, parastatals and agencies in the state, especially Adekunle Ajasin University, Akungba Akoko (AAUA).

“This is in a bid to create problems and complexity for the incoming administration of APC when his eight years tenancy in Alagbaka Government House, ends in Feb. 2017.

“Mimiko has been recruiting massively into the Health Sector, Local Governments, Education Ministry, among others.

“Properties of the State Oil Palm Plantation at Okitipupa, Irele, Araromi-Obu are being sold at give-away prices to the governor’s allies.

“Specifically, we are aware that one Mercedes Benz lorry, popularly called 9/11, was sold for just one hundred thousand Naira only (N100,000),’’ the statement alleged.

The statement further alleged that government landed properties were also being sold and shared among some politicians without due process.

It alleged that several government vehicles had been driven away and were kept in various mechanics’ workshops across the state and neighbouring states, with registration number removed.

The party, therefore, urged senior civil servants in all the ministries and departments not to get involved in any sharp practice, adding that incoming government would deal with any corrupt act.

“The party also cautions the heads of ministries and parastatals, especially permanent secretaries and directors, not to be part of these untoward acts, as full investigations and probe will be launched.

“Appropriate action would be taken when APC government takes over the reins of power by February, 2017,’’ the statement said.

Thrusting their arm into a box full of hungry mosquitoes, a group of brave volunteers in a Burkina Faso laboratory test an innovative weapon in the fight against malaria — soap.

The team behind the “Faso Soap” project aims to create a cheap, accessible product to repel mosquitoes and protect people from a disease that claimed nearly 500,000 lives in 2015, most of them in Africa.

With one eye on a stopwatch, Gerard Niyondiko, the Burundian researcher behind the special soap, watches the behaviour of around a hundred hungry female mosquitoes.

The volunteers wait to be bitten, but the odorous liquid — a secret mix of local plant oils — applied to their skin beforehand protects them from the cloud of hungry insects.

In the small laboratory in Burkina Faso’s National Centre for Malaria Research and Training in Ouagadougou, Niyondiko has been working since June to test the effectiveness of the soap at repelling mosquitoes and refine the recipe using different oils.

In West Africa, “malaria kills a child every two minutes”, Niyondiko says. Of the 214 million people infected with malaria in 2015, 88 percent of cases were registered in Africa, according to the World Health Organization. Among them, 438,000 died and children are the most vulnerable.

Protection for all

The idea of using soap came from seeing that malaria continued to spread despite the distribution of mosquito nets.

“Mosquito nets offer protection during sleep but they keep the heat and the most vulnerable populations can’t afford to buy repellent for the whole family to protect them the rest of the time,” Niyondiko said.

“So we thought about a product used in the everyday life of these populations, which doesn’t require any change of habits.”

Soap was ideal, he said, because “it’s a product that even the poorest households buy and the whole family can share it”.

“If we manage to integrate (malaria) prevention into this product which is already available at an accessible price, it will mean we can save people who are unwilling or unable to spend more to protect themselves,” he said.

The project is targeting the six countries worst affected by malaria in sub-Saharan Africa, which includes Burkina Faso.

“We are working on prevention with a new tool: bringing together two things which don’t at first glance have anything in common: hygiene and malaria,” said Lisa Barutel, 28, one of Niyondiko’s two associates on the project.

By using local essential oils as repellent, Niyondiko and his team hopes to keep costs to a minimum.

“Our aim is not to get rich. We want to save 100,000 lives by 2020,” he said, echoing the project’s slogan.

The UK’s fertility regulator is about to make a historic decision on whether to allow the creation of babies from three people; a father and two biological mothers.

The technique will help prevent babies being born with deadly genetic diseases.

Three-person IVF has been backed by MPs and peers, got ethical approval and has been shown to be scientifically ready.

A meeting of the Human Fertilisation and Embryology Authority on Thursday will decide whether to give the final go-ahead.

If it does, the first such baby could, at the earliest, be born towards the end of 2017.

How does it work?

The baby would have all the genetic information from its mother and father, plus a tiny amount from a donor woman.

The fertility technique has been developed to prevent deadly mitochondrial disease.

Mitochondria are the tiny structures in every cell that convert food into useable energy.

Defective mitochondria affect one in 200 babies. In severe cases it can leave the child with insufficient energy to keep their heart beating, sustain the brain or move muscles.

Mitochondria are passed on only from the mother, so a second donor egg is needed to create healthy children.

But as mitochondria have their own genetic code, it means resulting children have DNA from three people.

They would have 0.1% of their DNA from the second woman – a permanent change that would be passed down through the generations.

Is it ethical?

Both the Commons and the Lords approved regulations to allow the creation of such babies in 2015.

And reports by the Nuffield Council of Bioethics and the HFEA concluded the process would be ethical.

But the final safety checks held things up and new concerns emerged that the procedure would fail in one in eight pregnancies.

The HFEA’s science advisors concluded last month that it was time to start.

Prof Robin Lovell Badge, one of the advisors, told the BBC at the time: “We’re not going to learn much more now unless you try it out for real basically – it’s at that stage.

“There’s no reason why it shouldn’t go ahead now, but do it cautiously on selected patients where the risk of having a badly affected child is very high.”

segebase:
hmm

Following the ‘much-expected’ freezing of withdrawals in MMM-Nigeria participants’ account, Concise News correspondents have undertaken an initial analysis of what such a move may imply for participants of the scheme.

You will recall that a similar incident happened in South Africa in May. On comparison of the two scenario, our findings reveal that Nigerian MMM participants may just as well kiss their frozen capital goodbye.

On May 1, 2016, MMM South Africa announces its decision to freeze its participants account. Just like Nigerian participants, South African participants were not really worried.

Like the Nigerian scenario, the South African operators of the scheme blame the media for causing panic. They said they are starting the scheme all over again with a clean sweep. The operators announced their plan to compensate South African users for any Mavro funds which were frozen.

According to South African website, Business Tech, South African MMM operators announced to participants that the “old” version of the Mavro currency will be ‘bought out’ through trades of the “new” version of the currency, where equal value would be paid out to participants over six months, using 10% of total trade – effectively placing a debt burden on all participants.

MMM notification to S. African Mavrodians on May 1st

Dear participants,

Unfortunately, the persecution against MMM organized by the mass media has provoked a panic. We have been working in South Africa for almost 2 years and we have millions of members. During all that time, we had no complaints and accusations from participants, everything was paid to everyone in time and in full amount, by 30% per month. We held charity events and helped children. We did a lot of useful things for people! Well, who was suffering from this?

The bankers and the adherents of the current unjust financial system. That is why they planned and brought all these crazy investigations and persecution in the mass media. “The only thing which prevents the investigation is the fact that non of the participants reported to the police”. If there are no complaints, and everybody is happy, then what is the investigation for? What is the subject? Did not they understand the consequences? Did not they understand that their irresponsible actions would hurt people? Millions of people! Well, try oppressing any bank, even the most reliable one, in the same way, and see what will happen tomorrow.

However, it is futile to explain that to them. MMM prevents banks from robbing people, that is the only reason why all this is happening. And nobody cares about people. If we managed to pay millions of participants 30% per month for two years (and would still be paying, if the mass media did not lie about MMM!), why do banks not do the same? Why do they offer only a few percents a year? Make your own conclusions. Thought everything is clear right now. You are simply robbed, we have always been saying it. The modern financial system is predatory by nature. It is not for ordinary people, it is for the bankers. Its purpose is financial slavery! And it achieves this purpose perfectly.

In general, in this situation, we have to start all over again. We have no choice. You can see on your own what is happening.

Hence, the current (“old”) Mavros are frozen. Any operations with them are impossible.

With the development of the system, we will send 10% of the total inflow (of all the PHs) to pay for the “old” Mavro. According to the experience of other countries, we can definitely say that in the normal course of events, all the old Mavro debts will be paid off in about six months.

“New” Mavros (Mavro bought from the moment of this announcement) are introduced. You can use them on a common basis: to ‘acquire’ and ‘withdraw’ them at any time.

All of this, of course, is not very nice, but it’s not the end of the world. We will quickly pay off “old” Mavro debts, no doubt about it. You just have to wait. (And anyway, you can thank your precious media and banks for this “gift”!). The best thing you can do is just to start participating again, that is all. And you will quickly return everything, even with a benefit. Moreover, now is the most favorable time to participate and invite: in fact, everything starts from the beginning. So do not miss your chance! :-))

We hope for your understanding, Administration.

Hours rolled into days, days into weeks, and what many thought would not last more than a few weeks started running into months. South African Mavrodians were still denied access to their capital (old mavrodi). Some participants started raising eyebrows, publicly questioning the faceless operators of the ponzi scheme.

Concise News checked up on South African MMM facebook page in November, 7 months after the initial freezing of withdrawals, and discovered that South African Mavrodians still could not get access to their funds.

thesicilian:
No one deserved it more this year

Donald Trump Is Time Magazine's 2016 'Person Of The Year'

Time magazine on Wednesday named Donald Trump its "Person of the Year" for 2016 for his stunning upset election victory that rewrote the rules of politics.

TIME editor-in-chief, Nancy Gibbs, said Trump won the title for "reminding America that demagoguery feeds on despair and that truth is only as powerful as the trust in those who speak it, for empowering a hidden electorate by mainstreaming its furies and live-streaming its fears, and for framing tomorrow's political culture by demolishing yesterday's."

softMarket:
Start counting from feb 2012?

Why

Anyway by the time they stay the remaining 2yrs ehh

they will turn to black men!

A Federal High Court Lagos, on Tuesday sentenced three Bolivians to six years imprisonment each for unlawful production of restricted narcotics, Methamphetamine.

The convicts are Yerko Artunduago, Reuben Ticona, Hugo Chavaez Morenoa.

The trial judge, Justice Oluremi Oguntoyinbo convicted the three Bolivians on Nov. 21 after they pleaded guilty to the two-count charge of drug trafficking preferred by the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA).

Reviewing the facts of the case, the prosecutor, Abu Ibrahim, had tendered several evidences including certificate of test analysis, drug analysis reports, statements of the convicts which were written in English and Portuguese.

These were admitted as exhibits by the court.

Delivering judgment on Tuesday, Justice Oguntoyinbo, said the jail terms prescribed by the NDLEA Act for count one of the charge is life imprisonment without prescribing minimum sentence.

The judge also stated that the prescribed jail term for the second count is 25 years without prescribing a minimum jail term.

Consequently, Justice Oguntoyinbo sentenced the three Bolivians to six years imprisonment on each count.

She ordered that the jail terms would run concurrently, and it will start counting from Feb. 2, 2012, when they were arrested by NDLEA operatives.

In the charge, the convicts were said to have unlawfully engaged in the production of the narcotics and had used a property located in Satellite Town as production site.

The Bolivians, however, seem to love the court judgement as they were photographed jubilating after the court judgement.

Contrary to media reports making the rounds that a certain Pst. Ernest Mbanefo owns MMM Nigeria, the suspicious investment scheme does not belong to the South African based Mbanefo, Concise News gathers.

Mbanefo, in a telephone interview monitored in Lagos, Nigeria, told Concise News that he does not own MMM Nigeria.

He expressed his disappointment with the Nigerian media outlets that re-published the 3-month old PageOne report that he owns MMM-Nigeria for not verifying with him despite the fact that his contact details are readily available on the internet.

“I do not own MMM Nigeria. The original website of MMM Nigeria is nigeria.. I’ll I’ve done is to use my knowledge of web designing to launch mmm-nigeria.net,” Mbanefo told Concise News.

In an online video uploaded on July 21st on worldwide.chat platform, Mbanefo had said that he’s a 1995 graduate of MMM Guider’s school in Africa.

The Okigwe-schooled preacher further told Concise News that he uses his mmm-nigeria.net website to give tutorials on MMM and thereafter direct interested parties to register on the official nigeria. website.

He said he gets referral fees for his services.

Mbanefo, who presides over Justified Youth & Singles Ministry, South Africa, describes himself as a super affiliate of MMM. He says people refer to him as super guider because of his activities in the MMM program.

Affiliation with Mavrodi

Asked what his affiliation with the Russian politician and brain behind MMM Global, Sergei Mavrodi, is, Mbanefo told Concise News that he has never met Mavrodi before.

“I have never met Sergei Mavrodi before. Mavrodi does not even know about my activities in the MMM program,” Mbanefo told Concise News.

“I’m not recognised by Mavrodi, I am only a smart participant,” he added.

You will recall that Nigerian lawmakers had recently ordered a clampdown on participants and operators of the unregulated investment scheme in Nigeria.

The program, which many have described as Ponzi scheme, continues to grow despite repeated warnings from constituted authorities, with over 1.6million Nigerians allegedly participating in the program as at November.

Nobel prize-winning author Wole Soyinka said Thursday he has fulfilled his pledge to throw away his US residency green card.

Shortly before the US presidential election, Soyinka had vowed to tear his permanent US residency over a Donald Trump victory.

He said he would do that to protest against Trump’s campaign promises to get tough on immigration.

“I have already done it. I have disengaged [from the United States]. I have done what I said I would do,” the 82-year-old said on the sidelines of an education conference at the University of Johannesburg.

“I had a horror of what is to come with Trump… I threw away the [green] card, and I have relocated, and I’m back to where I have always been” — meaning his homeland Nigeria.

The prolific playwright, novelist and poet won the Nobel Prize for Literature in 1986. And he has been a regular teacher at US universities including Harvard, Cornell and Yale.

At the same time he said he would not discourage others from applying for a green card.

“It’s useful in many ways. I wouldn’t for one single moment discourage any Nigerian or anybody from acquiring a green card. But I have had enough of it,” he said.

Soyinka, one of Africa’s most famous writers and rights activists, was jailed in 1967 for 22 months during Nigeria’s civil war.

He was reported to have recently completed a term as scholar-in-residence at New York University’s Institute of African American Affairs.

Check your Google Analytics report section now and it’s pretty much guaranteed that you have a referral from secret.google.com, thenextweb.com, abc.xyz , a mix of them or more. That’s the handiwork of a Russian Trump fan, Vitaly Popov, celebrating Trump’s victory.

It’s interesting to know that Vitaly the spammer has also been bold enough to set some of the referral domains as abc.xyz – Google’s parent company, as well as thenextweb.com for daring to ran some few articles about his antics.

“Vitaly Popov is only trying to use Google Analytics Measurement Protocol to create hits and send those to your Google Analytics property,” advises TheNextWeb.

“These hits seem like they’re coming from thenextweb.com, but they’re not.”

The referral spam hack consistently appears as a strange country in your analytics dashbord. The country name reads “Secret.ɢoogle.com You are invited! Enter only with this ticket URL. Copy it. Vote for Trump!”

5 Indications That Jimoh Ibrahim And His Supporters Voted For Akeredolu

As sorting, counting and collation of votes are ongoing in Ondo State, there are indications that Jimoh Ibrahim – PDP candidate till 72 hours before the election – may have switched allegiance and worked for APC candidate (Akeredolu).

This may not be unconnected to the appeal court’s ruling that disqualified him as PDP’s candidate 72hrs to the election and also replaced him with Eyitayo Jegede.

Concise News social media surveillance machinery also reveals that the rich businessman in the last 23 hours before the elections used his social media accounts to solicit support for APC’s Akeredolu.

Below are 5 of such social media statements that indicated Jimoh Ibrahim and his camp voted for Akeredolu:

1. Jimoh Ibrahim openly declares Aketi as his choice

View image on Twitter
View image on Twitter
Follow
Barr. Jimoh Ibrahim @JimohIbrahimOFR
As I'm seated here, Ondo State is looking like Aketi. #OndoDecides
4:01 PM - 26 Nov 2016
53 53 Retweets 20 20 likes
2. Jimoh Ibrahim issued a press statement to endorse APC Akeredolu as best candidate for Ondo governorship position.

View image on Twitter
View image on Twitter
Follow
Barr. Jimoh Ibrahim @JimohIbrahimOFR
ONLY Akeredolu possess the right mentality, competence, readiness and moral amplitude to lead Ondo State. #OndoVotesAkeredolu #OndoDecides
10:00 AM - 26 Nov 2016
80 80 Retweets 22 22 likes

As the push for votes recount in 3 battleground states that cost Hillary Clinton the election gathers storm, indications have emerged that the democratic party candidate could emerge overall winner if the states of Wisconsin, Michigan, and Pennsylvania were electronically rigged in Trump’s favour as suspected.

The votes recount is co-ordinated by Green Party candidate at the elections, Jill Stein. Stein’s efforts to have the votes in the three swing states recounted follow various claims of potential voting anomalies in those three typically-Democratic states.

Although voting is not done over the Internet, computer experts have said it’s possible malwares could have been uploaded to voting machines when the digital ballots were installed.

“After a divisive and painful presidential race, in which foreign agents hacked into party databases, private email servers, and voter databases in certain states, many Americans are wondering if our election results are reliable,” Stein said in a statement.

“That’s why the unexpected results of the election and reported anomalies need to be investigated before the 2016 presidential election is certified. We deserve elections we can trust.”

The US election results have not yet been certified. As a matter of fact, Michigan still hasn’t awarded its 16 electoral votes yet. This is because the state is still scrutinizing its ballot count.

The green party candidate stated categorically that he’s not doing Clinton a favour but rather fighting for America’s election integrity.

Concise News recalls that the three swing states in contention voted for President Barack Obama in 2012 and 2008. As a matter of fact, a Republican presidential candidate hasn’t won any of those states since 1988.

$4m raised in 24 hours

Jill Stein set up an online fund-raising campaign on his website on Wednesday to fund the recount. The fundraiser, initially capped at $2.5m, blew off the roof, hitting $4m in 24 hours.

“We are raising money to demand recounts in Wisconsin, Michigan, and Pennsylvania. These are three states where the data suggests a significant need to verify machine-counted vote totals,” Stein’s fundraising page tells supporters.

“In true grassroots fashion, we’re turning to you, the people. Not big-money corporate donors, to make this happen,” Stein added.

Jonathan May Contest And Win 2019 Elections; Dele Momodu Warns APC

Successful businessman, journalist and former presidential candidate on the platform of National Conscience Party (NCP), Dele Momodu, has predicted the second coming of Goodluck Ebele Jonathan (GEJ) as Nigeria’s president.

The veteran journalist, in an article titled, ‘The second coming of Goodluck Jonathan’, explained that nobody should rule out Jonathan coming out to contest the 2019 elections.

Momodu said Trump’s victory in the just-concluded US elections should bring Nigerians back to their senses that this is possible.

“I have been reading about the rising profile of our former President, Dr Goodluck Ebele Jonathan, and wish to state without equivocation that no one should rule him out of the 2019 presidential race, ” Momodu stated.

“I first hinted this possibility about two months ago and wish to reiterate that Nigerians should prepare for the shock that awaits us,” he added.

Subtle warning to Buhari-led APC

Dele Momodu cited the case of US-president elect Donald Trump to warn the ruling party (APC) to sit up or risk losing out to Goodluck Jonathan in 2019. He said this is necessary so that the effort of those like him who fought to bring APC to power will not be in vain.

“The story of Donald Trump should bring us back to our senses. Nothing is impossible,” Momodu wrote.

US president elect Donald Trump, in his first television interview as president-elect, told CBS News’ Leslie Stahl that he would forgo his salary as the president.

Trump added that he did not even know how much the president earns.

“I think I have to by law take $1, so I’ll take $1 a year,” Trump said.

“But it’s a ― I don’t even know what it is. Do you know what the salary is?”

“$400,000 you’re giving up,” the program presenter Stahl answered.

“No, I’m not gonna take the salary. I’m not taking it, said Donald Trump.

Donald Trump first said he won’t take salary as president during his campaign sometime in September 2015, he said forgoing the pay “was not a big deal” for him.

Third on the list

In the event that Donald Trump eventually donates his $400,000 annual pay to charity, he will become the third US president to have done so.

Records have it that Herbert Hoover and John F. Kennedy both donated their salaries to charity.

Trump’s Presidency Would Be Different From His Candidacy – Obama

President Barrack Obama, in the course of his last foreign trip as president of the United States, has disclosed that Trump’s presidency will be different from his candidacy, www.concisenews.global gathers.

The president returned to the White House early Monday, ending the last foreign tour of his tenure as he prepares to hand power over to Donald Trump. This will be happening amid unease about the Republican’s volatility and isolationist rhetoric.

It was an awkward trip for Obama, who campaigned against Trump as his successor but had to reassure US allies on the future.

The president asked the world to treat the brash billionaire as he himself vowed to do: “Wait and see.”

At the same time, he sought to pre-empt his successor on some key issues.

He said Trump’s presidency would probably be far different from his candidacy, and have to accommodate external forces.

“Once you’re in the Oval Office, once you begin interacting with world leaders, once you see the complexities of the issues, that has a way of shaping your thinking,” Obama said.

Following his final foreign press conference in Peru’s capital Lima, Obama headed to the airport. At the airport, he spoke with a few people at the foot of Air Force One.

He then jogged up the steps of the presidential plane, turned around to give two brief waves and ducked inside one last time.

After landing at Andrews Air Force Base just outside Washington, Obama took the Marine One helicopter to the White House.

Deep uncertainty about Trump

Obama’s trip was dominated by the deep uncertainty Trump has unleashed about the world order. The president-elect had created uncertainty with his attacks on free trade and the US role as global ‘policeman’.

Obama said an increasingly borderless world has brought “historic gains in prosperity, education and health.” He, however, acknowledged that globalization had both winners and losers.

He claimed his signature trade agreement in the Asia-Pacific, the TPP, was still alive despite Trump’s vows to kill it.

The president also said that he wants to reach a deal on the Ukraine crisis before leaving office.

FG Move To Clamp Down On Forex Hoarders

In a bid to solve forex crisis, the Federal Government has proposed an amendment to the Foreign-Exchange Act. This is to enable the imprisonment of anyone who holds foreign currencies, especially the dollar, for more than 30 days.

According to a Bloomberg report, this is the latest measure by the government and the Central Bank of Nigeria to stem the volatility. It is expected to bring stability in the exchange rate and bolster the ailing naira,

The CBN is seeking the power to control capital flows and stop people from taking forex out of the country. The new proposals, was published on the website of the Nigerian Law Reform Commission last week.

The New Draft

In the draft amendment, anybody holding dollars in cash for more than 30 days risk a jail term for as long as two years or a fine of 20% of the amount.

Regulators should also be able to prevent money being repatriated. This is in accordance with the terms and conditions as may be prescribed by the CBN.

The draft stated that the current law is narrow in scope. It prohibits the seizure, forfeiture or expropriation of imported money by the government without providing for exceptions. Hence, the amendment is necessary for effective monitoring and control. It will also ensure probity in foreign exchange transactions in Nigeria.

Stakeholders React

Meanwhile, stakeholders have reacted to this latest move by the CBN. The apex bank has increased capital controls since the fall in Oil prices, a move criticised by most experts.

According to a Lagos-based research and investment advisory firm, SBM Intelligence, this amendment will further worry foreign investors.

“The CBN wants to take its regulatory onus to frightening proportions. The move smacks of desperation and can only result in negative investor perception and capital flight.”

Meanwhile, the CBN through its Acting Director, Corporate Communications, CBN, Mr. Isaac Okorafor denied knowledge of the bill. He said the apex bank did not introduce the bill. He did not elaborate.

However, there are suspicions that the bill could have emanated from the Government.

According to Johnson Chukwu, CEO, Cowry Asset Management Limited, it is a wrong move.

“If it did not emanate from the CBN as claimed by its spokesman, it may have emanated from the Presidency or other sources. But the fact is that when you compel people not to hold dollars after stopping the use of naira debit cards abroad, you are discouraging people to bring in money into the country.”

“You also push more people to the parallel market and create further gap between the official and black market exchange rates.”

DSS officials had launched an attack of BDCs last week. They arrested the black market forex dealers for exchanging the naira at a rate weaker than 400 per dollar.

The naira-dollar official exchange rate, which analysts accused the CBN of still manipulating, is 315 against the greenback.