The All
Progressives Congress APC,
Thursday launched an
acerbic counter-attack on
the opposition-Peoples
Democratic Party PDP,
accusing the party and
Nigeria’s past presidents
produced under its platform
of bringing the current
economic recession upon the
nation.
It said the 16 years misrule
of the PDP plunged Nigeria
into the current economic
chaos. PDP’s several years
in power produced ex-
presidents Olusegun
Obasanjo, Umar Musa
Yar’Adua and Goodluck
Jonathan.
It said, the statement by the
Peoples Democratic Party
(PDP) on Wednesday “is the
latest in the party’s
insensitive plot to deflect
attention from the voodoo
economics and reckless fiscal
policies the country was
subjected to during its 16-
year rule.
“The warning signs were
glaring to the immediate-past
administration but it choose
the path of economic
sabotage by looking the
other way and squandering
the country’s commonwealth
– a reckless decision that
has brought the country to
its knees”, APC stated.
The party in the statement
signed by its national scribe,
Mai Mala Buni was formally
reacting to attacks by the
PDP on the President
Muhammadu Buhari’s lack of
capacity to steer the
economy.
Following the official
declaration by the National
Bureau of Statistics NBS that
Nigeria’s economy was in a
recession, the PDP had taken
APC to the cleaners, saying
the ruling party is confused
as to how best to manage
the economy and reverse its
dwindling fortunes.
Two former governors of the
Central Bank of Nigeria, Prof.
Charles Soludo and Emir of
Kano, Muhammad Sanusi II
had recently taken a swipe
at the economic trajectory of
the APC-led administration,
describing it as archaic,
indefinite and rudderless.
‘President Buhari Committed
To Resuscitating Economy’
However, the APC assured
Nigerians that the President
Muhammadu Buhari APC-led
administration remains solidly
committed to resuscitating
the economy in the quickest
possible time and in the best
interest of the people.
“For the umpteenth time, the
PDP lacks the moral basis
and credibility to comment or
condemn the government on
the economy after the mess
it left behind. Instead, the
PDP must apologize to
Nigerians.
“Nigerians will recall that
even the immediate-past
finance minister and
coordinating minister of the
economy, confessed that the
zero political will to save
under the immediate-past
administration is responsible
for the challenges facing the
country”.
APC listed several
achievements of the Buhari
administration, saying the
nation was well on the path
to quick economic recovery.
It added; “Happily, the
President Muhammadu Buhari
administration has embarked
on well- thought economic
agendas, policy actions,
appropriate fiscal,
governance, and socio-
political reforms to revamp
the economy and tackle the
nation’s current challenges
in the short to long term.
“Under the new flexible
foreign exchange policy
introduced by the Central
Bank of Nigeria (CBN) in June
2016, we now have a single
market-determined exchange
rate which enables suppliers
of foreign currencies to bring
in their money and take the
same out at market-
determined rates. The new
foreign exchange policy
being implemented will ensure
our economy recovers in the
medium to long term.
“As contained in the
assented 2016 National
Budget, the administration of
President Muhammadu Buhari
is aggressively formulating
and implementing policies
aimed at diversifying
Nigeria’s economy from oil to
other sectors such as
agriculture, mining and
manufacturing.
“The administration is also
proactively tackling
increased attacks on oil
facilities in the Niger Delta
region which has led to
disruptions in crude
production.
“The President’s shuttle
diplomacy has yielded
positive effects on the
country’s economic policies.
As a result, several
agreements concluded during
the visits are positively
impacting on key sectors of
the Nigerian economy
including power, solid
minerals, agriculture,
housing and rail
transportation.
“The fight against corruption
remains a top priority for the
President Buhari APC-led
administration.

Niger Delta Avengers (NDA)
weekend said it has not
nominated any personality,
including Nobel Laureate,
Professor Wole Soyinka, to
lead its dialogue team with
the Federal Government.
It described the report that
the militant group had put
forward Soyinka as the head
of its contact in dialogue with
the Federal Government as a
lie of the century.
According to a statement
signed by its spokesperson,
Mudoch Agbinibo, NDA said it
was amazed that Soyinka
has been taken by the
jugular by enemies of the
region because of his
restructuring stance and
need to heed the Niger Delta
agitations positively.
“We are amazed that Prof.
Wole Soyinka, has been
taken on the jugular by
enemies of the Niger Delta
because of his belief that the
government of the day
should understand the need
to restructuring and listen to
the Niger Delta agitation
positively”, it added.
The group also accused the
Okah brothers, both of whom
are serving time in Nigeria
and South Africa prisons, of
using disorganised
characters from the Niger
Delta region to impress the
“powers that be at Abuja.”
NDA, while reiterating its
support for the Chief Edwin
Clark-led Niger Delta Elders
and Stakeholders conference
committee to lead the pan
Niger Delta negotiations/
dialogue team, stated that it
is ready for talks whenever
the federal government is
ready.
“The NDA cannot be
teleguided by Mr Charles
Okah and Henry Okah from
their respective prison cells
using disorganised
characters of the All
Progressive Congress (APC),
from the Niger Delta to
impress Abuja,” the group
said.
The militant group said
further: “We are not
unaware of the creations of
the Nigerian intelligentsia
community and security
apparatus to sustain the
Niger Delta struggle to bloat
their pocket and credibility.
“We are amazed that Prof.
Wole Soyinka, has been
taken on the jugular by
enemies of the Niger Delta
because of his belief that the
government of the day
should understand the need
to restructuring and listen to
the Niger Delta agitation
positively.
“That if, we the NDA have
named Prof Wole Soyinka
and some incredible names to
advise and lead any group is
the Lie of The Century! They
says, when an handshake
goes beyond the elbow it has
turned to another thing;
amazingly, the handwriting
are so clear that our noble
laureate name is going the
infamous way, as he is being
named along as an adviser
with some unscrupulous
characters as Niger Delta
Avengers (NDA) dialogue
team with the government of
Nigeria.”
“Putting the records
straight; the name/names
parading as factions of the
Niger Delta Avengers are
just the figment of some
persons protecting their jobs
and hell bent on derailing the
wheel of progress in the
history of Nigeria and the
Niger Delta agitation”, it
added.
The militant group declared:
“Our strike teams and
command structures have
not at anytime contacted
these Nigerians at any time
to advise or lead any contact
with the government of
Muhammadu Buhari on the
Niger Delta agitation.
“We have shown our
respect and restraints to
personalities that have been
too fixated to impress Abuja
in the name of the Niger
Delta struggle since the
beginning of “Operation Red
Economy ” ignorantly or
willingly.
“We are not unaware of the
creations of the Nigerian
Intelligentsia community and
security apparatus to

Aisha Wakil is a lawyer with the National Human Rights Commission and wife of a judge in Borno State. But the emergence of Boko Haram compelled her to abandon her primary assignment for a peaceful resolution of the insurgency that has inflicted untold damage on the country since it broke in 2009.

However, Mrs. Wakil’s intervention did not come without its challenges. The most recent being the recent decision by the Nigerian military to declare her wanted alongside two others on allegations they were aiding Boko Haram.

PREMIUM TIMES’ Samuel Ogundipe sat down with her in a location she said should be kept private for her first exclusive interview since regaining freedom.

When you first heard that you were declared wanted, what ran through your mind?

First of all, what ran through my mind: I said ‘devil is at work’. Devil is a liar. I was a little bit taken aback. Because I left Maiduguri that very day but I didn’t hear anything of such. So when I heard it, I went through whatever their statement said. I read it all over and over and over again. I said, ‘well, that is it to do good things in Nigeria you have a price to pay’. You can just sacrifice your life and get a proper burial. When you carry Ghana-must-go, some people clap for you. But when you want to restore something good in Nigeria, you become a target.

So all these things flashed through my mind, and I now said I was weak but I said ‘God, into your hands I commit myself. Take control of me and don’t let this thing disturb the peace I’ve been building for the past seven years when this thing first started’.

What was your experience after you turned yourself in?

When we got there, we spent several hours at the Defence Headquarters. But I have never been there before. I just saw a big house and I walked in to say I want to see Buratai. So someone told me: ‘no, you go round there’.
I now went to the reception and I told the lady ‘I am Aisha Wakil, I am wanted’.
She asked me which newspaper and I said ‘you should know’. Then she asked me to write my name on a paper and I did and she went inside. Then one tall and fair man later came out to ask for my passport. Few minutes later, he came back with some military personnel. From there they put me inside a vehicle and they took me to the military command guest house. That was where I spent the night.
I wrote a lot of things for them. A lot of questions and what I know. They asked me to write everything I know about Boko Haram. After I wrote everything they became very impressed. Honestly. The room they gave me, I was treated like a queen.

For so many years you’ve been dealing with the Nigerian government, no one ever asked you these questions? They didn’t know you?

They didn’t ask me about my life. I was telling my story to them. It was Ahmed Bolori that introduced me to the Director of Military Intelligence, Abubakar Sa’ad, who later linked me up with now Chief of Army Staff, Buratai.
They were coming to my house to pick me for extensive meeting and after the meeting they would bring me back home. They were very impressed.
You said they treated you like a queen, but they still confiscated your phones and passport?
When I asked them for my phones, they said they won’t give me. They said that’s the process and my own was not going to be different.

Are you on administrative bail or you were just allowed to go?

Somebody bailed me out. Somebody signed my bail from SSS headquarters. I was transferred to the SSS on Tuesday, a day after I turned myself in.

What of the allegation that you were aiding Boko Haram? You could be charged under the anti-terrorism laws.


It is a misconception. Whoever did the announcement. I don’t think the Chief of Army Staff knew about it before the thing was aired out.

It’s been a long time you’ve been pursuing this road.
How did the Nigerian authorities approach you or were you the one that reached out to them?


When I approached the government. I met first, Brigadier General Bello Sarkin-Yaki. The person that took me to Bello Sarkin-Yakin was Defence Minister, Bello Haliru. He was the one. When he came, I narrated the story to him and I told him these children they have listening ears. They are human beings like all of us. They can be handled.
You should stop bombing and killing, let them also stop what they were doing. He now said okay I should go to Bello Sarkin Yaki in the morning. So in the morning they took me there and I narrated the whole story. He was also very impressed. He now linked me up with Colonel Suleiman —I don’t know the surname. He was residing in Giwa Barracks. From then, I’ll be with Col. Suleiman and we’ll put the boys on the phone. Then the boys were so scared to go and meet any military man because they believed they were going to kill them. So when I call, I will connect them on the phone without them knowing I was with a military man. They would talk and talk. Then Suleiman would preach to them then they became shocked that a military man could quote Qur’an for them because Col. Suleiman was highly learned in Qur’an.
Sometimes they would come to my house and say they wanted to go and do something and I would preach to them not to do so.

What year was this?
2012.

Okay, the ones that informed you beforehand about attacks, what did they do after you preached to them?

They never returned to it. They swore not to kill again. But were later killed because they renounced Boko Haram.

You were involved in a series of negotiations with the Jonathan administration, apparently it all fell through?

When this thing initially started, they wanted it to finish immediately. But later, they said people were paying them to start killing people like politicians and businessmen and to destroy businesses. So they became divided later. So those that were used to bad activities they were using them freely and they then ran out of control.
But all the while I continued pleading, begging.

Did you ever meet Shekau while you were going to the bush?

No, I’ve never met Shekau before. But I knew him face to face. Before the war when I went to greet Mohammed Yusuf, he would block me and not allow me to go in because I had a police orderly then.
So when I returned home, Yusuf later came to my house and started pleading and begging. He used to be a simple, humble person. But I don’t know what happened and everything became like this.
One day I called Yusuf to my house and asked him if truly there was going to be a war, but he said no. Shekau and Abu Qaqa were on his entourage. Then Yusuf entered my sitting room.

Who do you think has control of the sect now? The original leader of the sect now?

Habib.
I’m sorry?
Barnawi, I know him as Habib. When he changed to this name, I sent him an SMS to tell him I won’t be calling him that name. ‘I know you as Habib son of Mohammed Yusuf.’

So, you believe he’s the one in charge?

Yes, he is.

What do you think is the prospect of rescuing the rest of the Chibok girls?

Assuming I had a clue that they were going to kidnap the girls, I would have been in Chibok sleeping. Then I would have been in that hall and everybody would be kidnapped. I didn’t know about it. When I heard about it, I told the government to calm down. They should keep quiet. I was able to pass the message across. I said ‘please start releasing them’. It did not take time before some of the girls were released. So by the time I knew it, the whole thing was in the media. Boko Haram now called me and said mama we are no more releasing. The Chibok girls have become diamond and gold. I asked why? They said even Obama’s wife is carrying ‘Bring Back Our Girls’. They now knew they were very important as attention was focused on them.

After that I became really disturbed. I started tracing them in the bush to see whether I could get to where the girls were. I slept in the bush. Then later they told me where to come and pick 50 of them. I was heading there with Dr. Steven Davis and one general. We slept in that bush. So by the time we got there, civilian JTF alerted them in the bush and was chasing them in the bush and they now took off. I went there with the ambulance. They called me in front of the general and requested that I should come to a certain location the following day and pick 50 girls. They said we should have 14 ambulance buses on standby. I said ‘okay’. They also told me to come with shai which means tea with milk and put plenty sugar. This is because some of the girls were very weak and one with a broken hand.
So Dr. Davies and that high-ranking general now decided to go with University of Maiduguri vans and some doctors and nurses. They warned me never to come with a military and if I do they would slaughter me in front of the military.
So we were making the preparation. The general with us received a message on his telephone: “Chibok girls sighted.” So we rushed. By the time we got there civilian JTF had seen them and gave them a hot chase.
By the time we got there they had driven them too far. I was calling on the telephone but their lines were switched off. It was later in the night I got them and they asked me: mama what happened? Did you tell anyone? I said ‘no I did not’. Civilian JTF chased them and there was a massacre.
They killed so many of them —up to 400— that time. We lost them, We slept in that bush with the military and commander of the military know me and everything. They were so happy that I could take this risk.
Early morning, they called me and asked ‘mama where are you?’ I said ‘I am somewhere’. They now said the roads were dangerous that we should pass through Monguno on our way back to Maiduguri. That was how we lost that one. If they had not chased them. If they had not sighted them we could have just finished this thing. Those 50 girls would have been in our custody. everything would have been over by now.

What do you make of President Obasanjo’s comment that the girls could not longer be rescued?

It was exaggerated. When he made that statement, they called me. You know they read everything —they read a lot. They go on the Internet and read a lot of things. They called me and said mama go to the newspapers. Tell them they are alive. I said why don’t you come so that two of us will say that they are alive? He said ‘no mama. Please do this. Nigeria will curse us. So I now came out in the newspaper and narrated story saying they are alive. Nobody believed it. Now I kept on pushing them. What they want is proof of life. So when we get there, I will cross the bridge of showing the proof of life. So it is very easy, What are they doing with them? Even though they are married come out with your wives we will settle you.


Still a bit more on the issue of peace. Ahmad Salkida, Ahmed Bolori, what is your relationship with them, especially as they’re tied to the release of videos from the sect? Can you please tell us how you work together?


Yes. Ahmed Salkida, I have not seen him eye-to-eye. I spoke to him on the phone once after Abu Qaqa mentioned my name in the newspaper that they were going to kill me because the money I was spending was not from me. That I collected money from the federal government, state government and the United Nations. That they brought money in dollars. He did not know I was using my money. So when I now got him and I said ‘if you know you are clean come and meet me’. And when I met him he shed tears.
Abu Qaqa cried. I put my hand on his head, this is what I normally do as a mother and prayed for him and he left. He later said they did their research and found that I was not being paid by the federal government or the United Nations. So that was all and he said I should keep up with what I was doing.
So I now talked to Salkida on the phone. I said I knew there was a time Mohammed Yusuf mentioned you to me briefly. Are you still the one and he said yes. Okay, we have to join hands and bring back these children. He was ill-treated also by security. If they had handled him properly I think with me and him together this thing would have been over. I don’t know the reason why they did that to him. He is a very strong person.
Ahmed Bolori is a Kanuri guy. He realised that I was alone doing everything. He now said he was going to give me moral support. He was the one that organised my meeting with the DMI Sa’ad and Buratai.
Okay, what would you say is the best approach now to rescue the girls? Do you think it is the military or diplomatic approach that is the solution? Would Boko Haram release the girls to you?
They will release everybody to me or you. If they find you worthy, they will release to you. They can release to anybody. What they wanted before was that they said they were going to send thirty commanders to me. If those thirty commanders can come meet the security, they would discuss and they need trust. If they trust them they go back to their bush and the next thing they will bring two girls.
Then, they will now make their demand during the meeting and bring some more girls.
The controversy between you and the SSS and a former aide of Borno State governor in 2014. I think you were accused of taking money to surrender Boko Haram operatives that were later found to be fake. Do you remember?
No, I was not a part of that. That was during Ali Sheriff something. In that allegation, they said Steven Davis and Ali Sherif were instrumental to Boko Haram.
Thank you. We’re going to get to your personal life in a bit, but let’s quickly touch on the situation in Maiduguri and the rest of the Northeast. What is your assessment? What do you think of the situation with the IDPs?
The situation in Borno is partially okay. It is not 100% because from time to time you hear bomb exploding. At least, one can move a little bit freely but you cannot avoid looking over your shoulder even till now. So, yeah, I think the military is trying with the support of the Civilian JTF some of whom I know very well.
Then the issue of IDP is a pity that such a thing is happening. I won’t go deep into that.
Madam, Nigerians would like to hear about the situation of the IDPs because it is of national and international interest.
It is hazardous. IDPs situation there is bad. Honestly, it is zero. The Nigerian government is trying but things are not circulating. That is the problem. Because some of the IDPs are communities. Some are living near my house. Some of the IDP camp people I have employed to come and do my hair so that we can be giving them things: money, clothing, feeding you know. I am doing that one personally. I do a lot of things which I don’t like everybody to know. I am doing it for God. I am not a very loud person.

How about your family members? What do they make of the whole thing?
What would my family do? They know me. These boys, just as I said, some of them lived with me when they were young, when Borno was just perfect. They were in my house. They are from Sheguri North. My relationship with them started long ago. It started since I came to Maiduguri in 1989. So they grew up to see me. I am a very humble person. If I go to a place I relate a lot with the tradition.
I happened to win the hearts of all the elders, their wives, their children and when they were growing up they called me “yanjunmai” which means “loved mother.” So from this yanjunmai, they were with me. I keep them in my house. Some of them were going to school. Then when Mohammad Yusuf came to Borno, they started going there to learn Islam.
All of us were happy that our kids were no more idle. So Mohammed Yusuf was helping them, building them up. So Mohammed Yusuf won the heart of all the youth in Borno State and beyond Borno State. Because when somebody is giving you without collecting anything from you, you become part and parcel of that person and whatever he says you obey. So that was what happened,
I became their yanjuma. So when this thing came up, I did not stop and my family cannot tell me to stop.
Till today, in my house, if you go, you see a big pot that we use in cooking food for people. People that are not in my family, when the time comes, they come and eat. And that till today that is what we call nakowa. So, my family cannot stop me from doing it. And I am a very peaceful person. Right from my childhood I like to mediate between husband and wife when there is a crisis. It is inborn for me. They tried to stop me and I said ‘no’. If I don’t know them from day one, I won’t try it. I don’t speak the language. I don’t speak Hausa or Kanuri. But we understand ourselves.
It’s a perilous position when you play the negotiator between the government and a terror group, how did you manage to earn the trust of both parties without being frustrated with suspicion by either or both parties?
If you see white, you know it is white. If you see black you, you know it is black. And if you are pretending, three days anybody can detect you. So this is 7th year now and I am still where I am. So that trust is there because I am the type of woman that carry “gulma” from this one to this one. If this is what I discuss with you, that is what I discuss with you. If she asks me, I will say ‘you are not supposed to know’. If you must know, you go and ask yourself. I don’t discuss military is here, Boko Haram is there. And the military officers know it. If they ask me where they are? I say I don’t know where they are. If Boko-haram asks where? I say I don’t know where they are. So, it is like that. When they arrest them, my name is straightforward. They say “go meet this woman, she is the only one we trust”.
I know you are a lawyer, do you still practice law?
No, I am into this business of a mediator. In law, you know we have mediators and I work with the National Human Rights Commission. My husband is also a judge in Borno State High Court.
Would you mind giving us an idea about your age?
I am 48 years old.

Barely a day after advising President Muhammadu
Buhari on what his administration needed to do to
salvage Nigeria’s economy, Charles Soludo, a
former Central Bank governor, has come under
fierce criticism from a Nigerian senator, Shehu
Sani.
Mr. Soludo can’t proffer solutions to Nigeria’s
economic woes when it was his policies, as head
of the apex bank, that brought the country to its
terrible state, Mr. Sani said.
Mr. Soludo, who spoke on Thursday at the 4th
lecture series of the Progressives Governors’
Forum in Kaduna, advised that, “The APC should
go back to its manifesto and instigate framework
that will engender the atmosphere for growth as
Nigeria cannot develop with the current structure
where institutions are created only to share from
the federation account.”
He said it was better Mr. Buhari’s administration
started thinking outside the box, rather than
continue to blame the past government for the
nation’s economic problems.
On the current administration’s fight against
corruption, the former CBN governor said: “I don’t
believe the way we are fighting corruption is the
way we should go about it. We are only fighting
corruption on the surface; we have to fight it from
the systemic level.”
But Mr. Sani, the All Progressives Congress
senator, representing Kaduna Central, responded
to Mr. Soludo’s advice, by saying that it would be
too early to forget that his (Soludo’s) stewardship
at the CBN was the foundation of the current
economic crisis in Nigeria.
The senator, in an email sent to PREMIUM TIMES,
Friday, said Mr. Soludo was entitled to his opinion,
but that it was good to remind him of the role he
played in bringing down the country’s economy.
“If Soludo and his Government had actually
implemented such lofty ideas of reforms, we
couldn’t have found ourselves where we are
today,” Mr. Sani said. “It’s too early to forget the
legacy of cronyism, elitism and vindictiveness
that occasioned the past administrations.
“Soludo was lucky to serve under a Government
that was powered by $140 per barrel and without
the headache, heartache and bloodshed that has
become of Niger Delta and the north east.
“Soludo need to be reminded that most of those
today on trial for stealing our public funds were
the same people rooted in the Government he
served before GEJ. Yes PMB is tackling the
‘symptoms of corruption,’ but the symptoms
were there for 16 years.
“If Soludo and others have combated the
symptoms, PMB could have now focused on the
ailment. It’s not in contention that blame game
by the PMB administration against GEJ must end
but under PDP three Governments for 16 years,
hardly a day passed without the same blame
game on late Abacha.”
Mr. Sani also attacked the APC governors for
inviting the former CBN governor to speak at the
lecture series.
“Those who invited Soludo did that to rubbish
PMB’s economic policies that they don’t have the
balls to do.
“What is the reason and the logic behind APC
chieftains inviting a PDP economist to lecture
them on the economy? The very party they
consistently deride for ruining this country for ‘16
years’?”

The Senator representing Ogun East Senatorial District in the National Assembly, Prince Buruji Kashamu has condemned what he called the readiness of the Ekiti state governor, Ayo Fayose, to latch on to “any and every issue” to “run his mouth against” President Muhammadu Buhari, noting that the Governor’s action “has become predictable, monotonous and childish”.
He spoke in reaction to Fayose’s recent comment over the alleged sealing off of the office of the immediate past governor of Kano State, Senator Rabiu Kwakwanso, by the police, wondering why Fayose will drag the President’s name into the matter.

Media reports had it that the police recently sealed off Kwakwanso’s office in Kano where his supporters were believed to be planning to stage a mass wedding.


Fayose reacted to this by saying: “When they invaded the Akwa Ibom State Government House with armed men of the Department of State Security (DSS), I raised alarm then and I did warn that Nigeria was being returned to 1984 when President Buhari ruled the country like a maximum ruler.

“When I said Nigerians irrespective of their political parties should rise in condemnation of the President Buhari’s government emerging dictatorship, many of our friends in the APC opted to keep silent. Some even hailed the Department of State Security (DSS) when the service invaded the Ekiti State House of Assembly and abducted a member of the House.”

But in a statement issued on Friday in Lagos, Kashamu averred that Fayose lacked the temperament and credentials to counsel anyone on democracy and the Rule of Law, noting that “it was common knowledge that Kwakwanso and his successor, the Governor of Kano State, Dr. Abdullahi Ganduje have some political differences which bother on ego and leadership of the APC in the state even while they are members of the same party”.

The lawmaker went on to say: “Now, how does that concern the President? It was too cheap for Fayose to latch on that to run his mouth against the President and Commander-in-Chief of the Federal Republic of Nigeria. His constant bashing of the President on any and every issue or incident has become predictable, monotonous and childish.


“It is high time he realized that the elections are over and the President is the leader of all. If anyone seeks to denigrate him, he is not just rubbishing the symbol of our sovereignty but the entire country and its people.

“Like I have often said some of those making the noise are doing so for selfish reasons. Fayose was the loudest in criticizing the Federal Government’s anti-corruption until it was revealed that he benefitted from the arms fund and got a lot of kickbacks from contracts in Ekiti State. The need to launder his squalid image is understandable but a pot does not get scrubbed clean of soot because it is audacious enough to call a kettle black.”

The lawmaker urged Nigerians to continue the push for the abolition of immunity clause so that all those found to have looted our commonwealth can face the consequences of their action, stressing that “Immunity clause should not be used as a shield for delinquents in executive positions.”

The statement reads in part, “It is said that the law of equity is the law of conscience and those who seek equity must do equity. To be an advocate for other people’s rights, you must yourself guarantee and respect the rights of others. Fayose’s posture as a latter-day human rights activist and advocate for the Rule of Law distorts the authenticity of civil rights advocacy because his political trail is muddied by his inglorious acts of lawlessness, impunity and flagrant disregard for the Rule of Law and democracy.



“His crass lawlessness, impunity and flagrant disregard for democracy and the Rule of Law are at the roots of the leadership crisis rocking the PDP instead of the pretence that the Federal Government and the All Progressives Congress (APC) are behind it. They have their own issues which they are addressing and so do not have time for our intra-party wrangling.”

“The nation will not forget how he belligerently hampered the courts in Ekiti State when some persons instituted a matter against him at the Ekiti State High Court in the build up to his election in 2014.

“Many of his benefactors and indigenes of Ekiti State are still squirming from the sting of his high-handedness and betrayal.

“You cannot give what you do not have and a man who is himself guilty of a human rights violation, lawlessness and impunity cannot become a judge, jury and crusader for any advocacy for the sanctity of the law. He is merely playing to the gallery,” it added.

A mild drama played out on Friday after a driver parked his truck in the middle of the Ore -Ijebu Ode highway to pray, causing a major gridlock. The Muslim driver, after alighting from his vehicle, spread his mat in front of the truck and prayed. As a result, a heavy gridlock built up and travellers who were caught up were seen taking photos of him as he prayed on.
See photo below

President Muhammadu Buhari will attend the Sixth Tokyo International Conference on African Development (TICAD VI) in Nairobi, Kenya from August27-28, 2016.The summit, co-organised by the Government of Japan, the United Nations office of the Special Adviser on Africa, the United Nations Development Programme, the African Union and the World Bank, will focus on promoting structural economic transformation through diversification and industrialisation; promoting resilient health system for quality life and promoting social stability for shared prosperity. During the conference, President Buhari will participate in plenary sessions on TICAD in alignment with African Development, the Dialogue with the Private Sector as well as the Global Launch of the Second Africa Human Development Report. The President will also hold a bilateral meeting with the Japanese Prime Minister, Shinzo Abe. No fewer than 35 African leaders are expected at the two-day high level summit which will also be attended by leading private sector companies from Japan. This will be the first time TICAD isbeing held in Africa since its inception in 1993. Nigeria has played a prominent role at the forum aimed at forging international partnerships for Africa’s transformation and prosperity through economic growth,agriculture and social stability.

President Muhammadu Buhari has expressed sympathy with Italy over the deadly earthquake that claimed more than 200 lives in the central parts of the country. In a statement issued in Abuja on Thursday by Garba Shehu, the president’s Senior Special Assistant on Media and Publicity, Mr. Buhari said the government and the people of Nigeria shared the grief of Italian citizens over the disaster. "My heart and prayers go out to the people of Italy at this time of national mourning, caused by the devastating earthquake.

“President Buhari told the Italian Prime Minister, Mr. Matteo Renzi, that his family, the government and the people of Nigeria shared the grief of Italian citizens over this deadly natural disaster,’’ Garba said. Mr. Buhari prayed to God to comfort the families of the victims and grant them the fortitude to overcome their grief at this emotionally challenging time.

aare07:
That is my King

#irepOyo

ABUJA (Reuters) - U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry made "very strong commitments" on ways to ramp up military assistance to help Nigeria defeat the extremist group Boko Haram, a senior U.S. official said on Tuesday.

In talks with Nigerian President Muhammadu Buhari, Kerry "made very, very strong commitments to the government that we are going to look at what we can do differently," the official said, adding that Kerry had told his staff to look at ways to boost military cooperation with Nigeria.

The official said Kerry had stressed that more needed to be done in working with neighbouring countries, as well as Britain and France, "so we can ramp up and bring this fight to closure."

The U.S. is currently considering the sale of attack aircraft to Nigeria, which is subject to review by Congress.

"We have been working with them to make sure they can afford it, and they know how to use it," the official said.

The official said a large part of the conversation during the one-hour meeting at the presidential villa in Abuja was dedicated to ways of boosting economic growth in Nigeria.

Nigeria is in the middle of its worst economic slump in decades. Falling oil revenues have hit public finances and the value of the naira, Nigeria's currency.

The United States has long pushed Nigeria to loosen its grip on the currency to help boost private investment.

"It was a huge topic," the official said of the discussions about the economy during the meeting. The U.S. has previously offered to send experts to work with Nigeria's treasury.

"The Secretary made offers to provide additional assistance on the economy," the official added.

Buhari noted during the talks that the situation in the Niger River Delta, where Nigeria faces violent unrest from local militants, was "making it hard for the government to continue to address the broader problems."

Gunmen suspected to be Niger Delta militants, on Friday, blew up two pipelines belonging to the Nigerian Petroleum Development Company, NPDC, in Delta State. The attack which occurred at about 2am on Friday, was said to have bee carried out by a new militant group, Niger Delta Greenland Justice Mandate, Vanguard reports. According to the report, a technical team of NPDC and security officials have been despatched to the affected area to contain the spill.

Reactions of some Nigerians

Truth.
August 19, 2016 at 3:50 pm
Nigeria you are afraid of your history and is hunting us seriously, call for round table and save yourself of eminent tsunami that will hit you. God bless Oduduwa, Arewa and Biafra Republics.


Reply.
Fayose jnr
August 19, 2016 at 4:17 pm
Well done men!!! Children of the most high God. God bless and protect you all. Please more, more and more.

Reply
looking
August 19, 2016 at 4:24 pm
some pdps are defecting to apc, just because of d failed last pdp convention. these are people of so-called integrity, who should stand at all odds to restore what used to be – but they impatiently decamp. what are being expected of these youths? keep blowing jare. others too blow in their own way by decamping. impatience is a scarce demand.

United State Secretary of State, Mr. John Kerry, is expected to visit Nigeria next week. Matters relating to security and counter- terrorism will dominate discussion during the visit. The U.S Secretary of State will also visit Kenya and Saudi Arabia. However, Kerry will first visit Kenya before arriving Nigeria on August 23.In Kenya, he will meet President Uhuru Kenyatta to discuss regional security matters, counter-terrorism cooperation and bilateral trading. He will also meet with Kenyan Foreign Minister,Amina Mohamed and other foreign ministers in East Africa to discuss key challenges in the region, including the prospects for resumption of a political process in South Sudan, support to Somalia’s political transition and ongoing fight against al-Shabaab. Kerry will meet with participants of the Young African Leaders Initiative and the Mandela Washington Fellows programs. In Nigeria, the U.S Secretary of State will meet President Muhammadu Buhari in Abuja to discuss counterterrorism efforts, the Nigerian economy, the fight against corruption and human rights matters. Kerry will thereafter travel to Sokoto where he will deliver a speech on the importance of resilient communities and religious tolerance in countering violent extremism.

BLINGZ88:
He was being sarcastic right?

Erstwhile President, Goodluck
Jonathan, has applauded the
Nigerian Dream Team for
their performance after they
lost to Germany.
He urged them to bounce
back in their match against
Honduras on Saturday,
August 20.
Recall that Nigeria’s hope of
winning the gold medal at the
2016 Olympic men’s football
competition ended
Wednesday night, after the
Dream Team VI lost 2-0 to
Germany in their semi-final
clash.
But reacting to this,
Goodluck, on his Facebook
page said all hope is not lost.
He wrote: “The Dream Team
gave it their best. A
commendable performance. All
is not lost. I look forward to
a resurgence against
Honduras on Saturday.”
“I am so proud of our Dream
Team whose victory over
Denmark has pushed them
through to the medal
rounds. #ProudlyNaija. GEJ.”

Speaking at a stakeholders’
meeting organised by the
Lagos Chambers of Commerce
and Industry, LCCI, on CST
bill which seeks to levy nine
per cent on subscribers for
the use of the various
communication services,
Shittu said the outcome of
deliberations on the bill
would form the basis of his
advice to the President.
The services include voice
call, SMS, MMS, Data usage
from telecommunication
service providers, internet
service providers and Pay
TV Stations.
He noted that introduction of
new taxes without
harmonising existing ones
would put pressure on the
country’s tax system
thereby making it
unattractive to investors.
According to the
minister”This may also be
counter-productive in the
long run for our targets on
broadband penetration. Our
ICT Roadmap gives fresh
impetus for implementing
existing policies and
reviewing any that is inimical
to the growth of the sector.
My focus on any tax regime
will be to align any process
that will stimulate the
economy and also ensure
that the tax system is
efficient by widening the tax
net. It is also to create an
effective framework for tax
compliance to protect the
poor and vulnerable in the
society who nonetheless
have to use telecoms
services for social inclusion
and financial services.”
He said that the
government’s efforts at
increasing its revenue made
the bill worthy of
consideration.
“I have been reliably
informed that the projected
earnings from this effort is
over N20 billion every
month, which is an attraction
to the government for
funding our budget deficits. I
must be quick to say that
this government has a
human face twined around its
decisions,” Shittu said. The
minister said that the
government would provide
an enabling environment for
the ICT and
telecommunication sector to
thrive through the enactment
of relevant legislation.
Mrs Nike Akande, President
of LCCI called for a friendly
tax environment especially in
view of the difficult business
environment.
“We know that the
government is seeking to
diversify its revenue base in
the light of dwindling oil
revenue. But it is also true
that the private sector
players will like to see an
investment friendly tax
environment, especially in
the light of the prevailing
high cost of doing business
in the country. It is important
to balance these two
positions.”
Mr Bimbo Atilola, Chairman,
LCCI Taxation and
Commercial Law Committee
said that the bill negated the
principle of neutrality in
taxation, as it would affect
consumers’ behaviour
through reduced spending.
He appealed that the
passage of the bill be
suspended to allow for rapid
growth of the telecoms
sector, in line with the
Nigerian National Broadband
Plan.
“If the bill must be passed
into law, NASS should make
the telecoms sector
exempted under VAT Act and
the rate reduced from nine
per cent to five per cent.
There is a need to protect
the ultimate interest of the
final consumers of the
service,” Atilola said.
Mr Taiwo Oyedele, Partner,
PriceWaterCoopers said that
the N20 billion monthly
projected revenue from the
bill was unrealistic and based
on assumption.
According to him, increased
taxation will reduce the
consumption pattern of
consumers, lower investment
in the sector, thereby
translating to reduced
revenue.
Mr Teniola Olusola,
President, Association of
Telecommunications
Companies of Nigeria
(ATCON) said that their
members were overburdened
with multiple taxation.
He urged the government to
discontinue the bill, adding
that it would reduce inflow of
FDI into the sector, reduce
subscribers level of data
consumption and affect
contribution of the sector to
GDP. Engr Gbenga Adebayo,
President, Association of
Licensed Telecommunication
Operators of Nigeria (ALTON)
said that the bill if passed
into law would retard the
growth of the sector.

The Federal Government on Wednesday says four of the five oil wells discovered in Lagos truly belongs to the state but disproves the state’s ownership of one other oil well.

The FG said the disproved oil well fell beyond 200 metres isobaths and did not legitimately belong to Lagos State.

A delegation of the Indices and Disbursement Committee, Revenue Mobilisation Allocation and Fiscal Commission, led by its Chairman, Alhaji Aliyu Mohammed visited Governor Akinwunmi Ambode on Wednesday at the State House, Ikeja, Lagos, Southwest Nigeria for the purpose of verifying crude oil and gas production from Aje Oil wells for the purpose of disbursement of 13% derivation fund to the state in line with the constitution of Nigeria.
According to Mohammed, as part of procedure and in pursuant to its constitutional mandate, the commission set up an Inter-Agency Technical Committee which comprised the commission, the Department of Petroleum Resources, DPR, Office of the Surveyor General of the Federation and the National Boundary Commission to determine the location of the Aje oil wells.

“The technical committee recommended that for the purpose of derivation as spelt out under Section 162 (2) of the 1999 constitution (as amended) as well as the provision of the Allocation of Revenue Act 2004, Aje oil wells 1, 2, 4 and 5 fall within the 200m isobaths and therefore should be attributed to Lagos State.
“As a result, the commission and members of the Inter-Agency Committee had to embark on this working visit to conclude the process. Please, note that Aje 3 oil well falls beyond the 200m isobaths and therefore cannot be legitimately attributed to Lagos State,” he stated.

He added that the commencement of oil production from Aje oil field by Yinka Folawiyo Petroleum Company Limited was the first time oil was being produced outside the Niger Delta basin and therefore of a major significance in diversifying the source of crude oil and gas production in the country.

Speaking, Ambode described the visit as historic and one that would go down in the annals of the history of Lagos State, as the visit was the official step that would take Lagos to that final destination as an oil-producing state.

“We are very glad to receive this delegation. We also want to thank the Federal Government, most especially President Muhammadu Buhari for making this to happen very promptly. I want to say that this has been the promptest action that has been taken by RMAFC since I have known the Commission. I used to be a former Account General so I had a lot of transactions and relationship with the institution called RMAFC. Within a span of about 60 days of when we wrote our letter, and even before we wrote the letter, this technical committee was actually set up. It gladdens me to say that the institution works and is working for the good of Nigeria,” he said.
Also thanking the DPR and the boundary commission, Ambode said it was significant that the discovery of oil wells in Lagos was going to be the first time oil would be produced outside the Niger Delta.

“It’s significant for Nigeria, its significant for Lagos, it means that the whole path to diversification is what we are now witnessing. We would also encourage other states in terms of other mineral resources, not necessarily depend on crude oil; whatever it is that can actually allow states to start activating their mineral deposits, it would allow us expand the Internally Generated Revenue


.“It would also give us revenue dependence in a manner that there would be equal growth from all the nooks and crannies of Nigeria. One is happy that RMAFC has taken this step and also to say that they should also encourage other states to engage in such activities that would allow them to be able to activate whatever mineral deposit that we have in the various states in conjunction with the Federal Government, so that we can start to diversify revenue and growth and then create a balanced growth and development for the whole country,” he added.