₦airaland Forum

The Federal Government has earmark the sum of N500 billion for social welfare intervention programmes for 2016 fiscal year.

The government also made a provision of N63.29 billion as the Federal Government share of the controversial oil subsidy payment for the same fiscal year.

No provision was however made for kerosene subsidy for the year under reference.

Subsidy Reinvestment and Empowerment Programme (SURE-P) will be funded with the sum of N241.51billion under the headline Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC) Excess Crude Account (ECA) & SURE-P.

But essential requirements to benefit from the social welfare package are evidence of school enrolment and immunization certificate.

This is contained in the 2016- 2017 and 2018 Medium Term Expenditure Framework (MTEF) and Fiscal Strategy Paper (PSP) submitted to the Senate for consideration and approval.

The document read and circulated to Senators by Senate President, Abubakar Bukola Saraki is expected to be the basis for the 2016 appropriation estimate for presentation to the National Assembly.

According to the document, the Federal Government will collaborate with state governments to institute well-structured social welfare intervention programmes such as: School feeding programme initiative, conditional cash transfer to the most vulnerable and post-National Youth Service Corps grant.

It said that “N500 billion has been provisioned in the 2016 budget as social investments for these programmes.”

The government said, “These interventions will start as a pilot scheme and work towards securing the support donor agencies and our development partners in order to minimize potential risks.”

Under special intervention including cash transfer, home grown school feeding programme and micro credit loans (SMEs, market women etc) which is also covered by the social intervention programme, the government provided the sum of N300 billion for 2016, N339.05 for 2017 and N338.93 for 2018.

The document put the arrears of 2015 Subsidy on Domestic consumption as N150 billion.

The government had also included the sum of N108 billion as the cost of fuel subsidy to cover October to December 2015 in the recently passed 2015 Supplementary Budget of N521 billion.

In 2015, the SURE-P gulped N0.25 billion for running cost and the sum of N20.78 billion as capital expenditure.

The budget for the Presidential Amnesty Programme was slashed from N47.39 billion in 2015 to N20 billion in 2016.

Provisions were not made for the programme for 2017 and 2018 fiscal years.

Provision was made for Frontier Exploration Services to the sum of N39.88 billion.

The budget of the National Assembly was put at N115 billion for 2016 down from N120 billion for 2015.

The government put the sum of N50 billion under the heading of “recoveries of other misappropriated funds.”

Still on recoveries (refunds/recoveries from Strategic Alliance contracts) N137.90 billion while NNPC/CBN N162.43 billion.

The total under the subhead of recoveries of misappropriated funds is therefore N350.33 billion.

On social development, the government said that job creation and social inclusion are key to the administration’s development programme as a means to reducing the rates of unemployment, poverty and inequality.

It said that a phased social welfare programme will be created to cater for a larger population of the poorest and most vulnerable Nigerians upon the evidence of children’s enrolment in school and evidence of immunization.

The government said that it will, in the near-to-medium-term, continue to prune the size of the federal government and its Ministries, Departments and Agencies (MDA) to more efficient levels without compromising efficiency and effectiveness.

It noted that over the medium-term, however, “government will revisit the need to rationalize the agencies of government and strategically implement relevant provisions.”

On the introduction of Treasury Single Account (TSA) the government said that the multiplicity of government accounts had made it difficult to have an accurate picture of the public financial resources.

“Government has therefore enforced the full implementation of the TSA system. Already, this is facilitating a more effective aggregate management and control of government cash balances, which, hitherto, had been maintained in several bank(s) accounts. Government has similarly enforced the full implementation of the integrated payroll and personnel information system (IPPIS) in all MDAs, which should result in some saving,” the document said.

The government also said that the mounting number of claims for increases in salaries and allowances including pensions and other benefits should be curtailed as part of the efforts at rebalancing the structure of government spending.

The government said that the 2016 budget will be structured to provide a stimulus to reflect the economy by investment in key infrastructure and the development of an inclusive economic recovery.

It said that the country’s Gross Domestic Product (GDP) ratio, which at 12%, is one of the lowest in the world, gives room for the fiscal expansion.

It added however that government will ensure that additional borrowing is kept within prudent limits and channeled towards infrastructure.

To that extent, government said that a budget size of N6.04 trillion is being proposed and federal government’s revenue is projected at N3.82 trillion implying a projected deficit of N2.22 trillion.

It said that the ratio of capital to recurrent expenditure is envisaged to move from the current 16/84 to about 30/70 in 2016.

It said that fiscal deficit is targeted at not more than 2.16% of GDP (about N2.22 trillion in normal terms.)
http://thenationonlineng.net/2016-budget-fg-votes-n500b-for-social-welfare/

The Court of Appeal sitting in Kaduna on Monday, December 7 dismissed the appeal of Aminu Sule Lamido, the 34-year old son of former Jigawa State governor, Alhaji Sule Lamido, against the decision of the Federal High Court, Kano which found him guilty of the charge of money laundering brought against him by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC.
Aminu Sule Lamido was arrested on the 11th of December 2012 by operatives of the EFCC, at the Mallam Aminu Kano International Airport on his way to Egypt for failure to declare the sum of $40,000 in the Customs Currency Declaration Form after initially declaring the statutory $10,000 to the Nigeria Custom Service.
Aminu, a 2010 graduate of Mass a Communication from the Bayero University Kano, was subsequently arraigned on February 4, 2013, on one count charge of false declaration of foreign currency.
The charge reads: “That you, Aminu Sule Lamido, on or about 11th day of December, 2012 at the Mallam Aminu Kano International Airport, Kano within the Jurisdiction of the Federal High Court while transporting in cash, the sum of $50,000 (fifty thousand dollars only) from Nigeria to Cairo, Egypt, falsely declare to the Nigeria Customs Service the sum of $10,000 (Ten Thousand dollars only) instead of the said sum of $50,000(fifty thousand dollars only) as required under Section 12 of the Foreign Exchange (Monitoring and Miscellaneous Provisions) Act Cap F34 Laws of the Federation of Nigeria 2004 and Section 2(3) of the Money Laundering (Prohibition) Act, 2011 and thereby committed an offence punishable under section 2(5) of the Money Laundering (Prohibition) Act 2011”.
Aminu was tried and consequently convicted on July 12, 2015 by a Federal High Court sitting in Kano and ordered to forfeit 25 percent of the undeclared sum.
Dissatisfied with the judgment of the trial court, Aminu filed an appeal at the Court of Appeal, Kaduna Division, praying the Appellate court to set aside the judgment of the lower court.
The Appellate court in its judgment delivered by Justice H.A.O Abiru upheld the decision of the lower court and resolved all issues raised against the appellant.
Source :http://www.pmnewsnigeria.com/2015/12/07/money-laundering-sule-lamidos-son-aminu-loses-appeal/

SOME GOVERNORS ARE BUSY CUTTING MEAT WHILE OTHERS ARE SERIOUSLY WORKING. ..

[b]

Cutehector:
Naaah... Bible says do nad be equally yoked with an unbeliever... Hence i cant change my religion...


Religion is very different from denomination pls take note... Hence i cant change christianity to be a muslim, or budhist, or jehovah witness, or eckist, or mormon, or hinduist..

Jehovah witness?? ? Are they not Christians?? ?

Former President Goodluck Jonathan today commissioned a yet to be finished flyover in Yenagoa, capital of Bayelsa State, all in an effort to bolster the political fortunes of Governor Seriake Dickson who is in a tough battle for reelection.
An engineer in the state told a correspondent of SaharaReporters that the bridge “has major defects, including visible cracks at its joints.” The flyover is being constructed by construction giant Julius Berger. None of the construction company’s officials were present at the official commissioning.

Governor Dickson has touted the flyover as first of its kind in Bayelsa State, but opposition politicians in the state and several residents have criticized the bridge as a conduit pipe to siphon off millions of naira. One critic said the “the flyover has no economic value to the state.”

One resident of Yenagoa described the bridge as a “monkey bridge,” a term used for a makeshift bridge constructed in riverine communities during flood seasons.

Former President Jonathan lauded the project, declaring that it would boost the landscape of his home state, Bayelsa. However, a Yenagoa-based engineer alleged that officials of Governor Dickson’s administration discouraged the former president when he expressed an interest in walking across part of the flyover bridge. “They did not want him to see the major cracks in the bridge. That’s why Governor Dickson prevented him when he opted to walk on the flyover,” said the engineer, a state employee.

He added that he believed the former president would not have agreed to be part of the bogus commissioning of an uncompleted and defective bridge if he had known about the state of the bridge. The engineer also stated the absence of Julius Berger officials was telling, as the construction company was not eager to be part of a ruse that a bridge still under construction was ready for commissioning

The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) appears stuck with its plan to appeal against the recent decision of the Taraba State Governorship Election Petitions Tribunal that nullified the April election of Mr. Darius Ishaku as governor of the state.

The party, according to an investigation, has been unable to get the support of those aggrieved by its handling of the governorship primaries before heading to the appeal court.

It was gathered that the party fears that unless the aggrieved men put the past behind them and agree that contrary to the position of the tribunal, there was indeed a primary election in which they participated it might be futile going to the higher court.

Ishaku is yet to file the appeal three weeks after the tribunal handed down its verdict, although he has 21 days to do so.

Party sources told The Nation that the delay in filing the appeal might not be unconnected with the inability of the national and state leaderships of the PDP to get its governorship aspirants in the state to forget the past.

The Nation learnt the PDP is unsure of how to handle the refusal of two frontline aspirants, including the former Acting Governor of the State, Alhaji Garba Umar, to endorse the position of the party that all aspirants should agree to defend Ishaku’s mandate at the Appeal Court by testifying that they participated in the primary election that produced him.

Umar who was Ishaku’s main rival for the PDP ticket, according to sources, bluntly told party leaders and chieftains at the various parleys called to resolve the issue, that he will always publicly attest to the fact that there was no primary election in the PDP, even in the court of law.

One source said, “There is a serious problem within the PDP over the much awaited Appeal. The party has spent the last three weeks trying to put its house in order by appealing to the aspirants who ran against Governor Ishaku to be willing and ready to testify that they participated in the primary election that produced him as candidate. But some of them are adamantly refusing to tow that line.

“It is very important for the party to get this sorted out with the aspirant because the whole subject of the tribunal judgement was wrongly premised on the assumption that there was no proper primary election in the PDP before Ishaku was thrown up by the party as its flag-bearer. Unless we are able to speak with one voice as a party at the Appeal Court on this matter, it will be difficult to win.

“And the most important persons in this desire to jointly defend Ishaku’s mandate are the aspirants. Unless they all concede the ticket to him willingly and refrain from publicly agreeing with the opposition and the tribunal that the Governor was wrongly nominated, the entire process of appealing may be an exercise in futility.

“But as I speak with you, today (Friday), former Acting Governor Umar and Chief David Kente, two prominent chieftains of our party in Taraba and front-line governorship contenders, have refused to buy into the arrangement of the party meant to save Governor Ishaku from being sacked by the Appeal Court.

“The situation is frightening. As at this morning a decision was taken by the national leadership to invite the various factions to a final meeting on Monday after which a decision will be taken about the appeal. But there is fresh fear and that concerns when exactly the 21 days will lapse.”

The Nation also learnt that the camp of the former Acting Governor recently met and urged him to insist on the position that there was no primary election in the PDP before the last governorship poll in the state. According to aides and political associate of Umar’s, the meeting was meant to take a position on the matter.

Prominent Taraba PDP chieftain and Co-ordinator of the UTCiaya Amana Political Movement, Umar’s political family, Jinadu Yawe while describing former Acting Governor Umar UTC as the major victim of the political robbery perpetrated by the PDP, denied his participation in the purported sham primary election, where Ishaku was selected as the candidate.

He confirmed that pressure is being mounted on the former Acting Governor to endorse the ‘primary’ but added that the group is insisting that PDP members in Taraba State were clearly and brazenly denied their right to select candidates of their choice for the election.

He said if primaries were held anywhere without the knowledge of relevant authorities and lawful delegates, the primaries should appropriately be declared unconstitutional, null and void.

“Claiming that any of the PDP governorship aspirants participated in the fraud called primary election held in Abuja is a wicked and barefaced lie aimed at covering the disgraceful subversion of both the PDP constitution and the Electoral Act just to willfully hand over the ticked to Ishaku.

“It was at the contrived primaries that Alhaji Umar was awarded the Senatorial ticket in absentia just to assuage his teeming supporters. It is the same rejected ticket that former Acting Governor Abubakar Sani Danladi seized, even without purchasing the form and going through the screening process.

Efforts to get the comments of the Governor on the development proved abortive as the Senior Special Assistant to the governor, Sylvanus Yakubu Giwa, could not be reached on phone.
http://thenationonlineng.net/taraba-confusion-in-pdp-as-aspirants-insist-no-primary-election-was-held/

The Registrar of JAMB, Prof. Dibu Ojerinde, said this in Abuja during the opening ceremony of JAMB-UNEB Benchmark on Item Banking.

He argued that such a policy would obstruct the education progress of students across board.

Ojerinde said that expressing reservations about the Senate position did not in any way signify opposition to cutting cost.

He said, “There are complexities in this thing, until we are able to clear it. When you say you will use JAMB results for three years, is it an achievement test or aptitude test? However, are we delaying his or her life? Are we postponing his or her life by telling them to stay at home? If by next year he doesn’t get the cut off points, what happens?

“I have nothing against the idea, because we will tell the children, ‘those bluffing Polytechnics and College of Education, go there and waste their time’, if it is a waste of time.”

Ojerinde also informed journalists that cyber cafés across the country would no longer be allowed to register candidates for tertiary education examinations.

“In the final analysis, cyber cafes are not allowed to register candidates for a number of reasons. Cyber cafés may have their address here today, tomorrow they are somewhere else,” he emphasised.

He stated that if registration code was given to cyber cafés, they may mess the process up, thereby, creating crisis for JAMB.

The Minister of Education, Adamu Adamu, represented by the Director of Tertiary Education, Hajia Hindatu Abdullahi, stated that “the results of large scale examinations conducted by examination bodies, such as JAMB, NECO and NABTEB, are necessary for decision making and should therefore be credible.”

She said, “Consequently, the deployment of technology is very imperative if the results must be reliable. The role of technology in education cannot be over emphasised. Electronic item banking is consequent on the use of technology for item analysis and calibration.”
Source :http://punchng.com/jamb-rejects-senates-call-for-utme-result-extension/

The South African government has threatened a jail term for Chris Oyakhilome if his church, Christ Embassy, fails to release its financial records, the South African based News24 is reporting.
The Commission for the Promotion and Protection of Cultural, Religious and Linguistic Communities said several religious leaders in the country could be jailed if they fail to comply with the demands of the commission.
‎The commission said it was investigating the commercialization of religion and abuse of people’s beliefs and had summoned several churches to appear before it with their ordination certificate, registration certificate, bank statements, and annual financial statements from 2012.
Thoko Mkhwanazi-Xaluva said the commission had been forced to take a legal route because some of the church leaders had failed to comply with their directive.
“Some of these religious leaders will face prison if they do not comply and we have been clear about our course of action,” Mkhwanazi-Xaluva told News24.
“Some religious leaders have also threatened the commission, which is leading us towards the legal route.”
Mr. Oyakhilome, the founder of Christ Embassy, had indicated he would take a legal action to stop the commission from forcing it to open his books, according to Mkhwanazi-Xaluva.
Christ Embassy had earlier sought for an extension of time to enable it review its financial records.
Ms. Mkhwanazi-Xaluva said they were also considering filing charges of intimidation against religious leaders who had publicly threatened the commission.
She wondered why some pastors would take money from their followers and, yet, refuse to provide their financial records.
“These people take money from people,” she said.
“What are they doing with that money? We want to know. We will not back down.
“‎If he (Mr. Oyakhilome) intends on that route, we are ready‎. He will have ‎to face the same fate as the others who refuse to hand over their financial records.”
While most of the old traditional churches – including the Catholic church,‎ the Methodist church, the Presbyterian Church, and the Lutheran Church – had requested for an extension of time; a lot of the new breed churches had threatened court action.
Earlier this month, a South African pastor, Paseka Motsoeneng, ‎told the commission he would rather go to jail than hand over his financial records.
Mr. Motsoeneng (popularly known as Mboro), the head of Incredible Happenings church, is known in the country for his healings and miracles.
“Now the headlines will be saying ‎Mboro has R10 million in his account…. I have enemies. Now they will know my strength and weakness… I want to protect myself, my church and my ministry so I have to look and consult thoroughly with my lawyers,” he said.
“For my belief, I will be glad to go to jail. Even now, I can be taken there.”
Source :http://www.premiumtimesng.com/news/top-news/193929-south-africa-threatens-to-jail-oyakhilome.html

Mr Ogbonnaya Onu, Minister of Science and Technology, on Tuesday said Nigeria will understudy the job creation scheme of the People’s Republic of China to solve unemployment.

Onu said this at a meeting with China’s Ambassador to Nigeria, Mr Gu Xiaojie.

The minister said Nigeria was interested in achievements of China regarding the many innovations driving its economy.
“One of it is the level of job creation which you are able to do with your population of about 1.4 billion people.
“To have such low level unemployment is of great interest to us.
“We want to fight poverty as you have done to make sure that all those who want to work have something to do and we believe that this visit will help in that process.
“There is a need for our two countries to come together and the Sino – Nigerian relationship will be the best if it is based on science and technology.
“We want to assure you that we will collaborate with you to further our mutual benefits particularly in space technology development”, the minister said.
Earlier, Xiaojie congratulated Nigeria’s historic and successful general elections.

The ambassador said China and Nigeria relation had enjoyed mutually beneficial collaboration in trade, investment, agriculture and technology.

He said that 2015 marked the 10th anniversary of the establishment of strategic partnership with Nigeria on space technology.
Nigeria is the only African country which China has space cooperation – communication satellite – with.

(NAN)
http://omojuwa.com/2015/11/nigeria-to-understudy-chinas-job-creation-scheme-says-onu/

It's increasing difficult to gain DE admissions in medicine from most Nigerian uni these days and with ND your chances are as good as none. ..
I would say write jamb, choose any uni, prepare well cos bro it won't be easy, and leave the rest to Jah.. .

It's increasing difficult to gain DE admissions in medicine from most Nigerian uni... And with ND, your chances are as good as none...
Just write jamb, choose a uni, prepare well cos bro,it won't be easy and leave the rest to Jah

divinehand2003:
Yea, you don't need ROCKET SCIENCE to tell that Nigerian educational system is in great mucky and troubled waters.

But how did we get here
Is it the politicians fault? ?? Parents Students teacher's
Tis just so disheartening.. .

[quote author=Tochex101 post=40368658]sleek and modern but I refuse to overlook those indians. Why spoil the cake with the iceing? Do we mean there are no qualified professionals (NIGERIANS) to run this hospital, offcourse the woes of the unemployed continues.[/quote

Exactly what was on my mind.. ...
I believe we have qualified doctors in Nigeria that could do very well why bring foreigners?? ?
It's high time we had started embracing what is ours...

A don, Prof. Christopher Shisanya, on Tuesday said that a major defect in the Nigerian educational system was its theoretical inclination.

Shisanya, who is the Dean, School of Humanities and Social Sciences, Kenyatta University Nairobi, Kenya, spoke in Lagos at at the opening session of the 3-day 10th University of Lagos Research Conference and Fair.

The theme of the conference, which is an international conference of Sciences and Humanities, is “Implementing new Research Strategies for National Transformation’’.

Shisanya, in his keynote address, said that most Nigerian universities produce graduates who are, at best, only suited for white-collar jobs, with little or no basic skills of any other vocational relevance.

He said that such a situation would lead to high unemployment rate, especially among university graduates.

Shisanya said that the contribution of an entrepreneur to any nation’s economy could simply be observed in a situation where the entrepreneur acts as an employer.

“He can also act as innovator as well as risk-bearer that are extensively recognised by the society.

“A major policy aim in fostering entrepreneurship education is, therefore, the general support and training of entrepreneurs.

“However, in view of the positive social and economic effects of entrepreneurship, many Nigerian universities are now advancing entrepreneurial thinking and behaviour to develop students’ awareness of the relevance of entrepreneurial training,’’ he said.

The don also noted that lack of lecturers with practical entrepreneurial training and consciousness was also a contributory factor to the lack of skills in an average Nigerian university graduate.

According to him, the task of drawing course content to be included in the curriculum of the entrepreneurship –related education programme in Nigerian universities will require a long educational process.

Shisanya said that if properly managed in Nigerian universities, entrepreneurship would contribute to the nation’s economic growth and development.

Declaring the conference open, the Vice-Chancellor of the University, Prof. Rahamon Bello, said that the institution was determined to be a clear leader in research among the nation’s universities.

He said that the Central Research Committee of the University had been working diligently with chairmen of various Faculty Research Committees in formalising new guidelines.

Bello said the guidelines would seek to simplify the application process for the university research grant and funding.

According to him, this year’s research conference and fair of the university received a total of 40 abstracts and full papers for presentation.

He said that the papers and abstract cut across various departments, disciplines and faculties.

Bello said that the management of the university had established a Research and Innovation Office to ensure the institution’s research activities are well coordinated and facilitate access to grants across the globe.

He said that the office had begun to impact positively on the research output in the university.

According to him, the office is to intensify multi-disciplinary research projects and facilitate access to big research grants from international and local sources.

The don said this was an opportunity for further collaboration between town and gown, particularly in the application of research results for the nation’s benefit.

The Chairperson of the Conference Planning Committee, Prof. Olukemi Odukoya, said that participants would be able to exchange information on recent research trends, examine on-going research programmes and promote effective networking.

Odukoya said they would also benefit in the area of coordination and cooperation channels between researchers, government and organisations.

She said the conference would also provide major interdisciplinary forum for presenting new approaches from relevant areas of sciences and humanities, to foster integration of latest developments in scientific research into application.

The don said that it would equally facilitate technology transfer from well-tested ideas into practical products.
Source :http://www.pmnewsnigeria.com/2015/11/24/kenyan-prof-identifies-defect-of-nigerias-educational-system/

The Federal Government of Nigeria has advised youths in the country to join the fight against corruption in order to fast track the development of the nation.

Speaking in Abuja at a National Conference on Youth against Corruption organised by the Independent Corrupt Practices Commission (ICPC) on Tuesday, the Minister of Youths and Sports, Mr Solomon Dalong, criticised youths who have offered themselves as agents of corruption and thuggery.

The conference titled ‘Mobilising the Nigerian Youth against Corruption’, sought to engage potential leaders in order to mold their attitudinal disposition to matters of corruption and the war against the phenomenon.

Mr Dalong advised Nigerian youths to re-examine themselves and shun all forms of corrupt practices and evil manipulations by people who do not mean well for Nigeria as a nation.

The Chairman of the ICPC, Ekpo Nta and a member of the Commission, Professor Olu Aina, decried the poor role of youths in the fight against corruption.

Some youths at the meeting, however, believed that the fight against corruption could be won with the collective efforts of all Nigerians.
http://www.channelstv.com/2015/11/24/government-asks-youths-to-join-fight-against-corruption/?utm_source=&utm_medium=twitter

The All Progressives Congress (APC) governorship candidate in Bayelsa State, Timipre Sylva, has said his vision for the growth and development of the state is now clearer than what it used to be in his first coming as governor.
He spoke on Tuesday when he took his campaign tour to his Brass Local Government Area, Bayelsa East Senatorial District, ahead of the December 5 governorship election in the state.
Sylva said that he would,if elected,deepen and diversify the state’s economy and focus on the multi-billion naira Brass Liquefied Gas (BLNG) project as well as industrialize the state.
The former governor promised to ensure that Bayelsa becomes the economic hub of the Niger Delta and also stand tall among the comity of states.
Sylva, who comes from Okpoama, said he did not visit his local government area to campaign but to see his kinsmen and jubilate with them because they would give him all their votes at the election.
He told his kinsmen that the power to liberate Brass Island from the poverty inflicted on them by the incumbent Governor Seriake Dickson-led government and the PDP was in their hands.
He urged them to recognize the broom, the symbol of the APC, as the instrument with which they would vote out Dickson and the PDP, stressing that “those who hate progress would follow the dead party (PDP) to the grave”.
Sylva also told the people that the governor’s deception had become so embarrassing as he carries appointment letters in his pocket to deceive people with political appointments.
“Dickson has been going about giving people appointments without office nor salary. Or does he want the people to feed on the appointment letters?
“The PDP is pathetic as they are doing this when their occupancy of Creek Haven (Government House), the state seat of power, is coming to an end”, he said.
Sylva, however, described the APC as the party with majority of supporters and that the instrument of cohesion was no longer in the hands of the PDP but in the hands of the Federal Government , hence nobody could intimidate them.
In his remarks, the Director General of the Sylva/Igiri Campaign and Minister of State for Agriculture and Rural Development, Senator Heineken Lokpobiri, accused the Dickson administration of impunity and underdevelopment.
“Before Sylva was ousted from office, he awarded the Nembe/Brass road but Dickson revoked the contract and collected N5.1bn; and he didn’t return the fund to treasury nor re-awarded the road”, he said.
Lokpobiri assured the people that when Sylva becomes governor again, he would ensure that the road was re-awarded and constructed to Brass to support the development of the BLNG project.

Source :premium times...

The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has asked the Attorney General of the Federation, Abubakar Malami, to immediately vacate his office for “harrying and misleading” the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) into arriving at “an unconstitutional decision” to allow the APC to substitute its candidate in the inconclusive Kogi state governorship election.
“The party is shocked that INEC, a supposedly independent electoral umpire, could allow itself to succumb to the antics of the APC by following the unlawful directive of an obviously partisan AGF to substitute a candidate in the middle of the ballot process,” said a statement signed by the PDP spokesperson, Olisa Metuh.
“We are all aware that the two legal documents guiding INEC in the conduct of elections; the Constitution and the Electoral Act, have provisions for electoral exigencies as well as empower the electoral body to fully take responsibility for any of its actions or inaction without undue interference from any quarters whatsoever.
“We are therefore at a loss as to which sections of these two relevant laws, INEC and the AGF relied on in arriving at their bizarre decision to substitute a dead candidate in an on-going election even after the timelines for such has elapsed under all the rules.”
The PDP said INEC as a statutory body has the full complements of technical hands in its legal department to advice it appropriately and we wonder why it had to wait for directives from the AGF, an external party, if not for partisan and subjective interest.
“Consequently, the PDP rejects in its entirety, this brazen move by the APC and INEC to circumvent the laws and ambush the yet-to-be concluded election by introducing a practice that is completely alien to the constitution and the electoral act.
“The clear implication of this action of the AGF and INEC is that the APC would be fielding two different governorship candidates in the ongoing Kogi election, meaning that INEC would be transferring votes cast for late Abubakar Audu to another candidate, scenarios that have no place in the constitution of the land.
“Whereas the PDP, in honour of the sanctity of human life and respect for the dead, had since Sunday refrained from making comments on the conduct of the election, we can no longer maintain such in the face of the barefaced attack on our democracy,” the party.
The party said the INEC under the leadership of Mahmood Yakubu has shown itself as partisan, morally bankrupt and obviously incapable of conducting a credible election within our laws.
“In view of the foregoing therefore, the PDP demands an immediate resignation of the INEC chairman, as the nation’s democracy cannot afford to be left in the hands of an electoral umpire that cannot exert its independence and the sanctity of the electoral process,” the PDP said.
In view of the developments, the National Working Committee of the PDP summoned an emergency National Caucus meeting on Wednesday to take a decision “on this obvious threat to our democracy”.

Naija. ..

This boko boys no de finish
Where they that much...

What is wrong with this pdp of a party. They are making APc popular every second by this kind of comments. Smh

What in God's name is wrong with these gej people. 2mao Abatti will tell us 'Gej is lord' shocking analogy..