₦airaland Forum

President Muhammadu Buhari on Friday met with the Speaker of the House of Representatives, Mr. Yakubu Dogara, at the Presidential Villa, Abuja.

This is the second meeting between the two leaders since the allegation of budget padding was leveled against the Speaker and some principal officers by Abdulmumin Jibrin.

Jibrin was the former Chairman of the House of Representatives’ Committee on Appropriation.

Dogara did not however disclose the purpose of his visit when approached by State House correspondents. He said, “I am on holiday.”

When asked when he would resume, Dogara said journalists were present when the House of Representatives adjourned.

When further asked if his visit was part of efforts aimed at mending fences with the President, the Speaker pointed to one of the lawmakers that accompanied him and said, “This man is a Senator from Bauchi State. He is not from the House of Representatives.”


http://punchng.com/buhari-meets-dogara-again-inside-aso-rock/

OKDnigeria:
Much of the blame for the error-strewn preparations has been pinned on Solomon Dalung, the country’s sports minister. Before the games, Dalung had set a target of 10 medals for the Olympic team but given the shoddy operations, no one is surprised that Nigeria has yet to win any medals.

... and just yesterday, the man was opening his mouth blaming last administration for his incompetence

Long after some athletes have completed their events and left the Olympic village, kits for most of Nigeria’s team have finally landed in Brazil, according to reports from Vanguard, one of Nigeria’s major dailies. Without the kits, athletes had been forced to “buy kits” while “some athletes competed in their personal kits,” an official of the Athletics Federation of Nigeria told the newspaper.

The late delivery is just one of many mishaps in what has been a largely forgettable Olympics for Nigeria. Before the games, the country’s Olympic football team was stranded in Atlanta, USA, in the days leading up to the kickoff of the football event because the sports ministry had not paid for its travel arrangements. The team eventually landed in Rio only seven hours before its first game. Also, athletes were initially told to pay for their own flight tickets to Rio but that directive was reversed after social media outrage.

The opening ceremony also was awkward, as the Nigerian Olympics contingent were forced to line up in their tracksuits. The reason: outfits prepared for them had not made it to Rio.

Much of the blame for the error-strewn preparations has been pinned on Solomon Dalung, the country’s sports minister. Before the games, Dalung had set a target of 10 medals for the Olympic team but given the shoddy operations, no one is surprised that Nigeria has yet to win any medals.

Dalung and sports ministry officials may see political fallout for the failures in Rio, and the long-term consequences will likely include more Nigerian athletes switching nationalities to represent other countries.

http://qz.com/762147/nigerias-olympics-kits-have-just-landed-in-rio-but-no-one-needs-them-anymore/

The leadership of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in the South West zone converged on Ibadan, Oyo State, yesterday demanded for true federalism in the national polity just as the Vice President, Professor Yemi Osinbajo, reassured that a ‘glorious dawn’ awaits the country.
At the zonal conference of the APC with the theme “The South West and the Challenges of Change in Nigeria”, held in the banquet hall of Premier Hotel, Ibadan, the participants, comprising party leaders as well as political office holders, lamented that over one year of assumption of office of the administration, citizens of the geo-political zone were yet to feel the positive impact of governance as anticipated.


They, therefore, called for fundamental restructuring of Nigeria, true and genuine federalism and an all-inclusive participatory government.
In their speeches, the participants emphasized the need to continue to support the federal government in its ongoing war against corruption, while urging party leaders from the South West to articulate the challenges and prospects of governance in the zone.

They said the findings should be presented to the Presidency with a view to cushioning the socio-economic hardship of the citizenry.
Among the party leaders in attendance were the governors of Oyo, Osun and Ogun states, Senator Isiaq Abiola Ajimobi, Ogbeni Rauf Aregbesola and Senator Ibikunle Amosun, who was represented by his deputy, Chief (Mrs.) Yetunde Onanuga.

Others were the minister of Communications, Barr. Bayo Shittu; minister of Solid Minerals, Dr. Kayode Fayemi; the APC National Deputy Chairman (South), Engr. Olusegun Oni; and the APC National Vice Chairman (South West Zone), Chief Pius Oluwole Akinyelure.
Also in attendance were the state chairmen of the party from the entire states in the South West as well as other political office holders.
While expressing worry over the dwindling national economy, the APC South West leaders canvassed for restructuring of the country by ensuring a genuine and true federalism, submitting that “it is impossible to go on like this if any meaningful development is to be achieved.”
The party leaders also called for a review of the Executive Presidential system of Government currently being practiced in Nigeria saying “it is wasteful, expensive and corrupt.”

Vice President Osinbajo, in his address delivered on his behalf by the Special Adviser to the President on Political Matters, Senator Babafemi Ojudu, said the Presidency was not unaware of the economic hardship that the people were facing.
His words: “President Muhammadu Buhari is only too aware of the economic hardships that our people are facing. He feels the pains that you feel, and he has asked me to reassure you that a glorious dawn awaits.”


http://www.dailytrust.com.ng/news/politics/south-west-apc-asks-osinbajo-to-push-for-true-federalism/159451.html

dra1987:
Jonathan is a big disgrace to Nigeria,using looted money to make name why won't pple attack you,is only in a corrupt country like Nigeria that pple like Jonathan's name will appear on media and some pple will still think he is diligent, as his wife said there is God ooooooooooo.

He is not respected only in Nigeria, pple all over the world admire him. he has won more awards outside than in Nigeria, has been invited for
lectures more outside Nigeria than in Nigeria. In fact, he is an example of a prophet not having honour in his own country.

Progressive01:
Most likely corruption. His profile is being upgraded daily by revelations of sleaze that went on during his dark days of misrule.

The fact a human being still supports the circus clown should be a subject of a major scientific research honestly. Tried several times to wrap my head around the reason behind it but keep coming up empty.

you are the type that the man is talking abt. Pple filled with jealousy. but as you keep trying to pull him down, he keeps rising higher.
Base on how you guys boasted last yr, by now GEJ shld be in prison. But not only does he walk free, his profile keeps rising, he keeps getting awards all over the world, being invited for lectures here and there, visiting Aso Rock anything he wants...
That, you can't stomach. that makes you jealous.

The Federal Government has stated that the country would soon bounce back as the largest economy as been holding the position until South Africa displaced her.

Using the Gross Domestic Product at the end of 2015, published by the International Monetary Fund, the size of South Africa’s economy was $301bn, while Nigeria’s GDP was $296bn


The Minister of Budget and National Planning, Senator Udo Udoma, while speaking shortly after receiving the report of the three-day pre-summit workshop from the Infrastructure Public Private Partnership Summit Group, said the country would bounce back in no distant time.


Udoma called on Nigerians to stop bemoaning the lost glory but rather put all hands on deck to support the government in achieving economic development.

He said, “We are determined to turn this economy around and stimulate private sector investments. Losing our position as the biggest economy in Africa should in some way inspire us to work even harder. Sometimes when you are number two, you are actually more motivated to work hard and we should see it as something that should motivate all of us to work harder.”


http://dailypost.ng/2016/08/19/nigeria-will-soon-overtake-south-africa-largest-economy-africa-fg/

Joe Fortemose Chinakwe, who was arrested last Saturday for naming his pet dog ‘Buhari’ has been granted bail.

James who was visibly angry after his three-day incarceration in police cell, was let off the hook around 5pm on Tuesday after the intervention of both the Serkin Hausa and President-General of non-indigenes in the state. The prompt intervention of the elders made the complainant to withdraw the case he reported against the trader at Sango-Ota division which was later transferred to Police headquarters at Eleweran.

However, police sources said both the complainant and suspect were made to sign an undertaking not to cause any breach of peace again. James who is a father of two from the Niger Delta, who trades on second hand clothing lamented that he was made to suffer for no just cause. Adding that, “It is annoying because the complainant is from Niger Republic and I am sure he is one of those illegal aliens in this country.

He alleged that the complainant connived with one Police Sergeant from the Northern part of Nigeria called Musa, who works at Sango Police division to humiliate me. Worse still, the Divisional Police Officer there, did not help matters as he refused to entertain any plea from me after I was arrested that Saturday night. He simply ordered his men to throw me into the cell.”

“I did not commit any offence. I named my beloved pet dog Buhari, who is my hero. My admiration for Buhari started far back when he was a military Head of State. It continued till date that he is a civilian President.

After reading his dogged fight against corruption, which is like a canker worm eating into the very existence of this country, I solely decided to rename my beloved dog which I called Buhari, after him. I did not know that I was committing an offence for admiring Buhari. Ordeal with Police “I was intimidated and thrown inside the cell with hardened criminals for about three days.

While I was there, the complainant from Niger Republic and Sergeant Musa from the North kept on taunting me saying people from my part of the country are trouble makers and that after detaining me, they will throw me into prison where I will die unsung. ”Even when my wife came with our baby on her back, they stopped her from giving me food. One of my friends that came to see me was also maltreated. “While taking me to Eleweran the next day, they handcuffed and chained me together with that my friend. Fortunately, when we got to police headquarters, both the Commissioner of Police and other officers were angry with their colleagues at Sango-Ota.

”They were wondering loudly why I was brought to the headquarters over such a minor case. It’s very unfortunate that I have to be so humiliated in my own country because of the antics of a foreigner in connivance with my brother from the North.”


http://www.thebreakingtimes.com/why-i-named-my-dog-buhari-joe-fortemose-chinakwe/

Eshiobo Shola (Immediate past president, Institute of Chartered Economists of Nigeria)

I think the northern governors and the Presidency are motivated to resume oil exploration in the North because of what the militants are doing in the South-South. But, honestly, the country does not have enough money to pursue that venture. We have done this before, but the exercise proved extremely expensive.

If they actually want to do something in that region, they should have continued with the oil wells they dug before rather than prospecting for new ones.

Meanwhile, the current state of the economy does not even support that. We need to encourage agriculture. Food is very expensive now; the country spends several billions of naira on food importation on a monthly basis.




Every country that has a buoyant economy has a very strong agriculture. More resources should be channelled to agriculture rather than oil exploration.

If we are self-sufficient in food, we would survive any economic hardship.

But no matter how much oil we export, we would continue to be poor if we rely on imported food to feed the country.
• Dr. Dauda Garba (Nigeria Programme Coordinator, Natural Resource Governance Institute)

Is it wise to use the scarce resources we have for oil exploration in the North at this challenging time?

This is the major question. But I think we need to be forward-looking in terms of prospecting for more reserves for future use.

The challenge every country that is into oil business faces is how to ingeniously get companies to do the exploration.

One of the ways to do this is by creating the necessary incentives that would attract companies to invest in exploration.

If you go into Nigerian history, you would find out that it was through the incentives the late military Head of State, Sani Abacha, created in the 1990s that we discovered much of the oil produced in the country today.

It is on this basis that I would argue that we should use the necessary incentives to add to the national oil reserves.

But I would not advise the government to limit the exploration to the North. It should include the Niger Delta and other parts of the country. The reserves would be useful to the country when oil prices rise in the future.

I don’t think we should use the little money we have for exploration.

We should use incentives to encourage companies to do it. When we create reserves, we would be making up for the losses of today.
•Afe Mayowa (A former President, Nigerian Association of Petroleum Explorationists)

The exploration is a commendable effort. It took 50 years to explore and find oil in the Niger Delta. There was no prospect of oil in the region the first time Shell came. So, it had to leave.

But with improved technology, oil was found. In fact, for a long time there was no prospect of oil in the fields where we currently produce.

With improved technology and knowledge, we can find oil in the North. And this is the right time to prospect for oil in different parts of the country. The prospect would be brighter when we are producing in Lagos, Maiduguri and the Niger Delta.

I believe that would also reduce the agitation by oil-producing communities. So, I don’t see anything wrong with what the government is doing in the Chad Basin.
• Abimbola Olanrewaju (Tower Securities and Investment Company Limited)

First, the Federal Government may have information many of us are not privy to. In that regard, one may not dismiss the effort as a waste. If the government thinks the investment would be beneficial to the country in the future, then the effort is justified.

But considering what we have seen so far, the search for oil in the North is more of an emotional thing than an economic decision. The North wants to be seen to be supportive of the national economy. The exploration does not put into consideration economic factors. For an economic project to be justifiable, its benefits should surpass the cost.

The President seems to be too emotional about the exercise. When you see such actions, you should know that economic factors are not given a priority. Politicians, unlike economists, do not analyse projects on the basis of economic factors.

I am sure that a lot of money is being put into the project. If they put a lot of money in exploration at the expense of agriculture and other critical sectors, there would be a problem. The government should know that our problem has never been about whether the resources are sufficient or not. The problem has been about the poor management of those resources.
•Johnson Chukwu (CEO, Cowry Asset Management Limited)

I don’t think the government should commit much resource to oil exploration in the North. Even if you would find oil in the North, you may not find a commercially-viable quantity. Most likely, they would have marginal fields. You may only find oil that would create some political balancing in the oil and gas sector. And the cost of production would be exorbitant.

I think the government is motivated by the discovery of oil in Niger Republic, which shares the same seismic location with the North. If you find oil in the North, it would only create some balancing. So, it is not something that the government should devote many resources to.

There is nothing wrong with seismic investigation. There are countries that never thought they had oil some decades ago. The likes of Ghana, Kenya and Cameroon never thought they could find oil in their territories. But now, they are oil-producing countries. This could have motivated the North. But the government should know that it may not find a commercially-viable quantity.
• Zaka Bala (Energy expert)

In a centralised system of government, the natural resources that are located in the country’s territory belong to the entire country. So, it is the duty of the government to ascertain all the natural resources that are in the country. But if an exploration is done for a sectional or political reason, there is a problem. And that would not be good for the country.

Mineral resources should be seen as national assets. If they are national assets, exploration should be done in the interest of the entire nation. But if it is done because of a sectional interest and to make a political statement or counter the political output of one part of the country, the exploration would be injurious to the country.

In the case of Nigeria, our crude should be considered as a national asset; its management should be approached from this perspective. If we want to fight a criminal group, we should fight it on the basis that it is a threat to the nation and not because it is located in eastern, western or northern part of the country. A similar mindset should be imbibed when dealing with oil and gas issues.

Any host community of a national asset should only be considered in terms of corporate social responsibility and the principle of derivation. Apart from that, crude anywhere in Nigeria should be considered as a national asset.

Another point we should look at is that Nigeria has seven basins. All the basins belong to Nigeria and all the resources found in any of the basins belong to Nigeria. Today, we only explore the Niger Delta Basin.

If there is an effort to explore any of the basins, it should be done in the nation’s interest. Any attempt to sectionalise or politicise the exploration would be injurious to Nigeria’s future. If the exploration in the North is aimed at advancing a sectional interest, there is problem about it


http://punchng.com/buharis-search-oil-north-needful/

Governor Okezie Ikpeazu of Abia State has won the first appeal delivered by the Court of Appeal in Abuja with respect to the judgments of the Federal High Court in Abuja June 27 removing him from office.

Ikpeazu’s appeal was with respect to the ruling delivered by Justice Okon Abang of the Federal High Court in Abuja on July 8 in which the judge insisted that he had jurisdiction to hear a motion for stay of execution of his earlier judgments delivered on June 27 even after the appeals against the judgments had been entered.

The Justice Helen Ogunwumiju-led five-man bench unanimously agreed in their judgment that Justice Abang erroneously assumed jurisdiction to hear the motion and adjourned it till a later date.

Justice Philomina Ekpe, who read the lead judgment, held that what Justice Abang ought to have done in line with time-honoured doctrine of “stari decisis” was to have transferred the motion to the Court of Appeal for determination.

She also held that the Justice Abang wrongly interpreted the provisions of Order 4(10) and (11) of the Court of Appeal rules when he held that the said provisions were only applicable to an interlocutory ruling of the lower court and when a final judgment in a suit had been delivered.

She also held that Justice Abang lacked jurisdictions to interpret the provisions of the Court of Appeal being the rules of a superior court.

In her contribution, Justice Ogunwumiju, held that the trial judge “deliberately stood the law on its head” by justifying his jurisdiction to hear the motion when appeal has been entered


http://punchng.com/breaking-ikpeazu-wins-first-appeal/

Mynd44:
Why not open a thread to talk about the states. This thread is about how the FG failed to save moneh during an oil boom

No. this thread is abt who NOI blamed for lack of political will to save. You guys said she blamed Jonathan, but she has come out to say she never blamed Jonathan but the governors. That's what this thread is about

Sacked Chairman, Appropriations Committee of the
House of Representatives, Abdumumin Jibrin, at
the weekend alleged that a former deputy
governor of Osun State, Iyiola Omisore, is the
‘godfather’ of Speaker Yakubu Dogara.

In a letter addressed to the Chairman of the APC,
John Oyegun, Jibrin said he made “an error of
judgement’ in supporting Dogara to be the
Speaker.”

Insisting that Dogara was corrupt, Jibrin said “his
godfather is Sen Iyiola Omisore. Speaker Dogara
is of the habit of taking standing committee
chairmen to swear oath of allegiance before
Omisore.

“During the build up to the appointment of
committee chairmen, I had a terrible disagreement
with him. I stayed far away from him.

“Who will I tell or run to having played such a
leading role in bringing him on board? He
operates alone, keep weird relationships with top
politicians.”

“I was in London when he insisted that he wanted
to see me. He came to my hotel room and we
talked for hours. I gave him a lot of advice, but I
never knew it was getting in from one ears and
out from the other,” Jibrin said.

The lawmaker added that Dogara was disloyal to
the APC and predicted that he would soon plan an
attack on the ruling party.

Jibrin said, “The role I played, to the best of my
conscience at then, sir, was patriotic. I analysed
the two candidates (Dogara and Femi
Gbajabiamila, who is not the Majority Leader of the
House) and felt Speaker Dogara had a better
temperament to make a good Speaker.

“It was a narrow line of thinking, an error of
judgement. It took only few weeks after the
election for me to realise the … inside the skin of
Speaker Dogara. That was when I started getting
reports of his … practices for many years in the
House undetected. I fell apart will Speaker Dogara
instantly. Contrary to public belief, we have never
been close since few weeks after he emerged
Speaker.

“We practically disagreed on almost everything.
From the appointment of committee chairmen, to
splitting of committees, to nondisclosure of the
finances of the House, to his greed of unifying
everything under his control, commercialisation of
bills, divisive approach across ethnic and religious
line, arrogance and power drunk, during the
budget period among many others. But who will I
tell or run to having played such a leading role in
bringing him on board.”

“I wish to state that I deeply regret the role I
played in the emergence of Yakubu Dogara as
Speaker. I seek the understanding and forgiveness
from you, our leaders and every member of the
APC family that was hurt by my action. Thank
God Almighty, I am young and energetic. I will be
40 on September 9th. I promise that moving
forward, I will dedicate and completely commit
myself to achieving the goals set out by the party.

This case should serve as a lesson for everyone
in the future.

“I am pretty sure the anti-corruption agencies will
do their job and all our party men and women will
know the truth at the end of the day. My offence
has been my refusal to be used as conduit to
facilitate free flow of corruption in the House of
Representatives. I came under severe pressure
during the budget period to break procedures and
commit fraudulent actions.

“When they could not use me, the Speaker
(allegedly) connived with few committee chairmen
and they opened a bazaar of corrupt insertions
into the budget. I complained to the Speaker but
he took no action, only for me to discover later
that he, his deputy, whip and minority leader were
(allegedly) indeed the ring leaders of that …cabal
in the House. All they wanted was to do away with
me, considered the obstacle”, he added.

According to Jibrin, problem started when
President Muhammadu Buhari returned the
budget.

He alleged that when he was invited to a meeting
of principal officers, the Speaker denied he knew
anything about the insertions.

“Jibrin said he had decided to “capture properly”
his allegations against Dogara and 12 others in
the letter “so that you will understand the gravity
of the matter at hand and also understand that the
allegations are beyond budget issues and includes
tens of other criminal allegations that cannot be
swept under the carpet.”

The lawmaker reminded Odigie-Oyegun that the
world was watching how the APC would deal with
the issue of “incontrovertible corruption in high
places.”

He said, “Here, you have a golden opportunity to
show the world that there is zero tolerance for
corruption in our great party, the APC. Even more
is the having a serving member that understands
this issue in my person, who has offered to stand
as witness and provide every support to the anti-
curruption agencies to investigate the allegations
thoroughly and commence prosecution in earnest.

“There is no better way of demonstrating our
commitment to the fight against corruption than to
use Speaker Yakubu Dogara and the 12 others as
example.”


dailypost.ng/2016/08/15/dogara-took-commitee-chairmen-swear-oath-omisore-jibrin-writes-apc/

The last of the budget padding saga
involving the former chairman of the
appropriations committee, Hon.
Abdulmumin Jibrin and the leadership of
the House of Representatives may not
have been heard, as the lawmaker has
written the national leadership of the All
Progressives Congress (APC), seeking,
among other things, forgiveness of the
party for the role he played in the election
of Speaker Yakubu Dogara.

According to him, his latest letter is geared
towards furnishing the party with the
details of the allegations against Speaker
Dogara and the other 12 principal officers.

In a letter addressed to the APC national
chairman, Chief John Odigie-Oyegun, dated
August 12, 2016 and made available to
LEADERSHIP, Hon. Jibrin insisted that he
committed no offense neither has he ever
abused his office or corruptly enrich
himself in the 5years he has spent in the
House.

Jibrin said, “In a nutshell, it will be
dangerous and potentially disastrous for
the party to keep Speaker Yakubu Dogara
on that seat. I wish to state that I deeply
regret the role I played in the emergence of
Yakubu Dogara as Speaker. I seek the
understanding and forgiveness from you,
our leaders and every member of the APC
family that was hurt by my action. Thank
God Almighty, I am young and energetic. I
will be 40 on September 9th. I promise
that moving forward, I will dedicate and
completely commit myself to achieving the
goals set out by the party. This case
should serve as a lesson for everyone in
the future.

“I have pledged maximum cooperation to
the anti-corruption agencies and I will
provide them with guide and assistance on
how to unravel all these crime and theft
against Nigerians.”

The lawmaker further recommended ways
he thought the leadership of the APC cold
prevail on the House so as to ensure that
the current crisis and embarrassment is
mitigated.

He called on the APC to among other
things “direct Speaker Yakubu Dogara to
reconvene the House and step down with
other accused Principal Officers
immediately to allow for internal and
external investigation without interference
so that sanity will return.

“iscuss on the possibility of returning the
100billion constituency component of the
budget under any of our laws so that all
stolen money can be returned particularly
the 40billion naira and equitably
distributed to all constituencies”

Just as he offered to identify all the toxic
insertions by Speaker Dogara and the 12
others in the budget so that they can be
removed even as he posited that “We have
different laws under which that can be
done”.


leadership.ng/news/546177/budget-padding-jibrin-writes-apc-leadership-suggests-ways-to-end-crisis

OKDnigeria:
On the economic front, Mr. Shehu said
the president has been affected by ill-
luck in the drastic drop in oil prices.

“In addition to hard work, all leaders
need luck on their side to create what is
sometimes seen as economic miracles..

“When he first emerged as the military
Head of State, General Muhammadu
Buhari saw oil price, the mainstay of the
nation’s economy sank to as low eight
Dollars a barrel.

So sir, what u're saying is dat Buhari carries bad luck around? Any time he becomes president ill luck befalls Nigeria?
If that is d case why not advice him to resign, for the sake of Nigeria, let's see if we will have some good luck.

Garba Shehu, the Senior Special Assistant
to the President on Media and Publicity,
has responded to growing criticisms of
President Muhammadu Buhari’s handling
of the nation’s economy, saying people
were just being unfair to the president.

Mr. Shehu, in an opinion articled sent to
PREMIUM TIMES on Sunday, said the last
few weeks had witnessed the heaviest
public criticism of the Muhammadu
Buhari administration since he came to
power.

Mr. Shehu said much of the criticisms
against the president were based on
unresolved social and economic problems
facing the country.

“When they ask the question, is this the
change we voted for, the critic forgets
how far we have come from the scam-
tainted years of the PDP rule,” Mr. Shehu
said in the article titled ‘In Defence of
President Buhari: Is This The Change We
Voted For? Yes, It Is!’

Mr. Shehu said, “Unfair criticism of the
Buhari administration especially on
account of escalating prices of foodstuff
and the liberalization of the currency
exchange needs to be challenged before it
overshadows the commendable job the
President has done in fighting terrorism
as part of overall effort to secure the
country, reducing corruption and yes,
arresting the economic slide before it
sinks the nation.”

The presidential spokesperson mentioned
the achievement of Mr. Buhari to include
the “victory” over Boko Haram and the
ongoing war against corruption in
Nigeria, which he said has earned the
country international respect.

“It is a proud moment for many citizens
that the country is being perceived
differently now that it has a different kind
of leader creating a positive buss abroad,
the kind of sentiment that can lead to
foreign investments when properly
capitalized upon.

“Wherever they go these days, in London,
Dubai, Beijing, Washington, New York or
Tokyo, Nigerians get the good feeling of
being asked the question, how is
President Muhammadu Buhari?”

Mr. Shehu said the removal of subsidies
on petrol products had saved the
government more than N2 trillion
annually, adding that “The currency
liberalization and the deregulation of the
petroleum products sale will make
President Buhari one of the best
presidents till date.”

Comparing the fight against Boko Haram
with the war against the global terror
group, ISIS, Mr. Shehu said, “How many
people have given a thought to the
possibility of Nigeria doing something
that the combined strength of Europe and
America have failed to do?

“There are many today who take for
granted the declared victory over the
Boko Haram terrorists, forgetting the
reign of the bomber who made it almost
impossible for regular attendance in
Churches and Mosques in many of our
cities, including the Federal Capital City,
Abuja.

“Victory over Boko Haram has brought
peace not only to Nigeria but to the
countries in the Lake Chad region.”

On the economic front, Mr. Shehu said
the president has been affected by ill-
luck in the drastic drop in oil prices.

“In addition to hard work, all leaders
need luck on their side to create what is
sometimes seen as economic miracles. As
leader, President Buhari never had the
luxury of high oil prices as did his
predecessors in office.

“When he first emerged as the military
Head of State, General Muhammadu
Buhari saw oil price, the mainstay of the
nation’s economy sank to as low eight
Dollars a barrel.

“He rolled up his sleeves, worked on
diversification strategy of the economy
only to be eased out of power just as they
began to take hold. Thereafter, his
successors abandoned these efforts.

“On his second coming, this time as a
democratically elected leader, the
collapse of oil prices has challenged
President Buhari to quicken efforts
towards the diversification of the
economy with emphasis given to
agriculture and solid minerals mining.

“Every crisis, it is said, is an opportunity.
Not so in Nigeria. This is a county that
inherited massive technological
inventions from Biafra, yet failed to take
it forward. We must not lose this
opportunity to diversify the economy and
our foreign earnings presented by the
present oil crisis.

“As the country hopes for a bumper
harvest this year, government is taking
steps to ensure that no farmer will sell at
a loss or fail to find markets for their
harvests. Grain silos are being readied
nationwide to receive excess produce for
warehousing to ensure food security,
avert market glut and price collapse. By
this, government will ensure a minimum
guaranteed price.”

www.premiumtimesng.com/news/top-news/208581-why-buhari-will-become-nigerias-best-president-ever-garba-shehu.html

The United Nations has temporarily
suspended aid deliveries in Nigeria’s
north-eastern state of Borno, the former
stronghold of jihadists Boko Haram, after
a humanitarian convoy was attacked, the
UN children’s agency Unicef said on
Thursday.

Unicef said in a statement that unknown
assailants attacked the convoy on
Thursday as it returned to Maiduguri
from delivering aid in Bama, injuring a
Unicef employee and an International
Organization for Migration contractor.

“The United Nations has temporarily
suspended humanitarian assistance
missions pending review of the security
situation,” it said.

Nearly a quarter of a million children in
Borno suffer from life-threatening
malnourishment and around one in five
will die if they do not receive treatment,
Unicef said earlier this month.

Médecins Sans Frontières said on
Wednesday that severely malnourished
children were dying in large numbers in
north-east Nigeria , where food supplies
are close to running out.

By 2014, Boko Haram controlled territory
around the size of Belgium in north-east
Nigeria until most of it was recaptured
last year by the Nigerian army and troops
from neighboring countries.

More than 15,000 people have been killed
and at least 2 million displaced by Boko
Haram’s insurgency in Nigeria. The
group carries out suicide bombings in
north-east Nigeria and neighboring
Cameroon, Niger and Chad.


https://www.theguardian.com/world/2016/jul/28/nigeria-unicef-un-humanitarian-aid-attack

midolian:
Sorry if that made you feel bad. Was only trying to qualify him based on how he sees himself. I have changed it though.

Thanks

midolian:
The "jesus christ" of ekiti has spoken

Fayose in reality is a lizard, but sees himself as a crocodile.

If u have a problem with Fayose u can address it without bringing Jesus into it.

The Ooni of Ife, Oba Adeyeye Ogunwusi, has
responded to critics, who are ridiculing him for
calling Jesus his father, when he knelt to worship
God during a thanksgiving after his coronation.

The picture of him on his knees, with a caption:
‘Jesus is my father’ caused a stir on the social
media, with users calling him a hypocrite; but the
Ooni says he is not moved by mere criticisms.

While speaking in an interview with the Punch, the
Ooni said, “I will continue to do it forever and
ever. Those who criticised me are ignorant of the
supreme power of God Almighty before whom all
kings must bow. God is the King of all kings. He
appoints kings and dethrones them.

“If you remember the story of Nebuchadnezzar,
who was a powerful king, when he allowed power
to get to his head, God turned him into a beast.
So, it is God who is the author and the finisher of
everything and I will continue to worship him in
humility.

“He is the God of all ‘orisas’ (deities); any deity
that does not want to obey God will be crushed to
powder, that is the truth. I have no regrets.

“Remember I am not the first Ooni, I am the 51st,
so people have been here before me. It pleased
God to put me on the throne and that is why I am
here. Why will I not worship the God who made it
possible?” he quizzed.

Speaking further, he said there were prophecies
that he would ascend the throne.

He said, “It was predicted. The specific time and
date of the week was said. It was predicted that I
would be born at exactly 1:00pm on a Thursday
and up to the fourth child my parents gave birth
to, none was given birth to at 1:00pm and on a
Thursday. I am the fifth child and to the glory of
God, I was given birth to on a Thursday and at
exactly 1:00pm.

“So many strange things happened after my birth.
Immediately I was given birth to, my maternal
grandfather left this world because he practically
pushed my mother to go and have me delivered
when she was not due to do so. He did so on his
sick bed. He practically pushed her out to the
Seventh Day Adventist Hospital here in Ife to
deliver the baby she was carrying. I was not due
then. Few hours after I was born, my grandfather
left this world,” he recounted.


dailypost.ng/2016/07/24/‎ooni-ife-blasts-critics-mocked-calling-jesus-father/

By Rotimi Ojomoyela
Ado-Ekiti- Ekiti State Governor, Mr Ayodele
Fayose, has faulted the refusal of the
Economic and Financial Crimes Commission
(EFCC) to make public the statement it has
extracted from the former National Security
Adviser (NSA), Col. Sambo Dasuki, in its
ongoing probe of money meant for the
purchase of arms and the funding of the last
general elections in the country.

Fayose, who also asked the anti-agency to
publish his personal accounts it has frozen to
let the whole world know what are contained
therein, said by publishing Dasuki's
statement, it would at least show whether the
ex-NSA gave money to former Minister of
State for Defence, Senator Musiliu Obanikoro
or anybody to give him (Fayose).

The governor threw the challenge at the
weekend while featuring on an interview
programme on a radio station, Fresh FM.

In a statement on Sunday by his Chief Press
Secretary, Mr Idowu Adelusi, the governor
opined that "what I am facing in Ekiti is a war
of the elite and incidentally, it is the masses
that vote people into office. We know some
failed Ekiti politicians who now resume daily
in EFCC office to concoct stories and give
same to their commissioned newspapers to
publish. It is only one or two newspapers that
always have their so-called exclusive stories
and they follow the same pattern.

"The EFCC is only engaged in mind game.
They think they can wear me out, that is not
possible as God is on my side because I
stand for the truth. EFCC has not told
Nigerians how money was wired to me. They
must be responsible to do investigation that
would not be a media issue. What the EFCC
and their APC collaborators are trying to do is
to set the people of the state against me and
they have failed.

"In my two accounts that they have frozen, I
have N300 million in the fixed deposit one and
N82 million in the other. Both accounts and
my properties were duly declared in my Asset
Declaration Form. They are treading the same
2006 path and they will fail woefully by the
grace of God. What they did in 2006, the
Supreme Court declared it illegal and I came
back to office exactly eight years after. It
means one of us lied and was mischievous,"
he said.

Fayose also challenged the APC and its
leaders to also tell the people how their own
elections were funded, noting that a defector
from the PDP to the APC should not suddenly
become an angel or a saint.

"We cannot all be in the APC, if we are then,
we are no longer practising democracy. There
must be opposition and that is to keep those
in government on their toes, but if you now
make silencing the opposition as your main
programme, then, you are short changing the
people.

The people are hungry, they are ravaged by
poverty and what you think is the best step to
take is to kill the voice of the opposition. If
the situation was this bad, the PDP would
have been removed from office long time
ago," he added.

On the June 21, 2014 governorship election
that brought him to office, Fayose said Dr
Kayode Fayemi and APC leaders conceded
defeat and that both local and international
observers described the poll as free and fair.

"After the APC leaders failed to stop my
inauguration, get me impeached, they know
that they will still lose again in 2018. What
they are trying to do is to create a wedge
between me and the people of the state who
love me. As far as I am concerned, their
project is dead on arrival. The voice of the
people is the voice of God," he stated.

On the claim by the APC-led Federal
Government that massive fraud during the
Goodluck Jonathan administration was
responsible for its poor performance, Fayose
said it was only a lazy worker that would
complain about his tools.

"President Barack Obama, despite what he
inherited from the Republican administration,
still made the difference. The problem we have
is not about the vehicle, but the driver. Let
them give account of what they have realised
as revenue, as recovered funds and the
billions of dollars found in people's houses all
over the world. We want to knwo what has
become of the funds," he stated.

The governor urged Nigerians to always
carefully dissect every information churned
out by the party in power, saying the APC was
leading the country as if it was still seeking
the votes of the people.

This, the governor noted, "is why the
government is more involved in propaganda
than really informing the people about what is
actually happening."


www.vanguardngr.com/2016/07/publish-dasukis-statement-accounts-fayose-dares-efcc/

He defected to APC only last year after losing out in the power tussle in PDP Cross River. If he had remained in PDP, he would have been referred to as those who 'destroyed this country for 16 years'. But since he's now in APC, he's a new creature - a saint!

KEN UGBECHIE

A colleague helped to coin this headline. It
stemmed from our conversation on the
state of the nation; the anger on the
streets; the dismay and distraught that
drape the faces of the people, the
frustrations that barb the souls of men, the
bitterness that attends otherwise cordial
relationships, the Hobbesian vitriolic angst
that separates neighbours these days.

Our talk centred on the economy, the
erosion and degradation of the purchasing
power of Nigerians; the stripping of men of
their manliness, the corrosion of the pride
of women; the savagery of employers
against their employees to the point of
sacking them in hordes and driving them
into the streets of stress, into the paths of
pain. It was then my dear colleague, an
economist and Chevening scholar, averted
my mind to a trending disease on social
media. It is called Buharia, some dubbed it
Buhariasis. And someone even added that
it is worse than diarrhea.

The disease is reportedly fatal, more
dangerous than HIV/AIDS, heart attack,
malaria or any of the mortal ailments that
have continued to assail the nation.
Buharia is the latest malady in town and
its hatchery is the President Muhammadu
Buhari government. It should be expected.

Every government in Nigeria comes with
its peculiar manifestations. The Umaru
Yar’Adua government was notorious for its
self-inflicted inertia, a government that did
not move, could not move and did not
even attempt to make any motion. It was
simply inert. The circumstantial Goodluck
Jonathan government was itself bogged
down by circumstances of its birth. The
man from Otuoke all too soon lost his
streak of good luck and moulted into a
socio-economic gridlock. Both Yar’Adua
and Jonathan were weak leaders and the
locusts capitalized on their weakness to
feast on the national patrimony. But even
in their weakness, life was still tolerable
under both leaders.

Unlike Yar’Adua and Jonathan, Buhari
comes as a strong man of steely fibre. He
comes with a perception of being squeaky
clean, reticent, ascetic and someone who
would not condone the feast of lucre or
drink from the broth of corruption. This is
the profile that brought him to power. And
he knew it, and made good use of it when
he hinged his campaign on the ramparts of
anti-corruption.

But Buhari has a dark side which many of
his admirers never factored into the mix.
He is a poor manager, lacking in peoples
skill and void of the cerebral aptitude
required of his office. He has yet another
weakness. He is an unrepentant nepotist,
parochial in his worldview of the concept
of federalism and nationalism.

It is the clash of the dual personalities in
one man that has created the social
discontent that attends his administration.

Yes, Buhari the upright man is fighting
corruption, but it is a clearly lopsided fight
that tends to hypocrisy. Buhari is
vigorously probing how the Jonathan
government pillaged the national treasury
to execute their agenda in the 2015
general elections but he has failed to
disclose the sponsors of his own election
and how such sponsors made the billions
of naira splashed in the electioneering that
brought him to office. I commend Buhari’s
courage to tame corruption but it would
just be fine, even better and justiceable, if
he starts from his closets.

Buhari’s proclivity to nepotism beggars
belief. Nigeria is yet to witness any leader
that has acted in a manner that shows
scant or no regard for federal character.
Not even the late General Sani Abacha at
the height of his tyranny was this
nepotistic in his appointments. Indeed,
President Buhari deserves an Oscar in this
regard.

A more darkling and troubling part of the
President is that he is horrendously a poor
manager, an unwilling even unprepared
administrator. Buhari is a slow actor. And
even when he acts, his actions do not
justify his slowness because in most
cases, so far, they lack thoroughness.
Theresa May became the British Prime
Minister, the second female to hold such
position after Margaret Thatcher, on
Wednesday, July 13. Same day, she
named six key cabinet members with a
promise to unveil her full ministerial team
in a matter of days. Now compare with
Buhari’s style of leadership. He was
sworn-in as President on May 29, 2015.

He named no aide with immediacy, had no
ministers and trudged on without a cabinet
for six months. Such lethargy from a
leader; such inclination to walk and work
alone does no good to productivity. In fact,
it is anathema to productiveness.

But that is the character and nature of Mr.
Buhari, the lone ranger. As you read this
most parastatals are without the full
complement of their boards. Till this day,
about 38 parastatals do not have budgets;
their budgets are yet to be passed and we
are in the second half of the year. It is a
carry-over from the Buhari style.

Remember the national budget suffered the
same delay. First, it was submitted to the
National Assembly very late, then it got
missing, underwent mutilation and later
resurfaced before it was passed.

Newton’s law says “action and reaction are
equal and opposite”. This means that for
every action, there is a commensurate
consequence. In the case of Buhari,
Nigerians are already paying for his
slowness and inertia. The delay in passage
of the budget, the non-composition of
boards of parastatals resulted in the delay
in the execution and payment for jobs
requiring the ratification of a tenders’
board. Up till this day, President Buhari is
still grumbling over the recent devaluation
of the naira by Central Bank of Nigeria
(CBN). Yet, conventional economics and
wisdom suggest otherwise. He would
rather no action is taken at all to save the
naira.

This type of logic is what has kept the
national economy down. It is the root
cause of Buharia, the trending disease in
Nigeria. Its symptoms are manifold. High
cost of goods and services, massive job
cuts to the extent that the Minister of
Labour and Productivity tried to use fiat to
halt the job loss, avoidable social
discontent typified by the actions of the
pro-Biafra agitators, the Niger Delta
Avengers and other upheavals across the
nation.

The Nigerian economy is in stasis but it is
not solely down to the dip in crude oil
receipts. It is even much more a function
of lack of creativity and inventiveness in
the management of the little drops that still
accrue from the oil and gas sector.

President Buhari has demonstrated enough
evidence to show his poor understanding
of how to manage scarce resources. To
use the words of President Olusegun
Obasanjo: “Buhari is not a very hot person
on the economy and foreign affairs. But he
will do well in matters of military and he
will do well in fighting Boko Haram”.

Yes, Buhari may have done well in fighting
insurgency, but he has done a terrible
damage to the nation’s economy, first by
his inertia and now by his lack of
understanding of the dictates of modern
economics.

Way out: Mr. Buhari should reform his
ways, be more inclusive in his
appointments; learn to trust people
including those he appointed. He would do
well to arrest the drift to anarchy
especially by assuaging the anger of the
various agitators. The consequences of
Buharia are damaging enough; he must
not add to the distress that hounds the
people.


sunnewsonline.com/buharia-worse-than-diarrhea/

President Buhari’s critics on Friday
carpeted his government for allegedly
lying about the terms of reference of the
latest interim reports on the ongoing
probe into arms procurement by
successive governments since 2007.

Mr. Buhari had on August 24, 2015, raised
the Committee on Audit of Defence
Equipment Procurement in the Nigerian
Armed Forces to keep with his
“determination to stamp out corruption
and irregularities in Nigeria’s public
service.”

But many are now raising concerns not
about what the committee included in its
latest report but what it might have
deliberately left out.

The investigative committee submitted its
third interim report on Thursday which
detailed how former senior military
officers, political appointees and private
individuals allegedly channeled security
funds into their pockets while the war
against Boko Haram floundered.

Among the big names the report indicted
were Azubuike Ihejirika and Kenneth
Minimah. Both served as Chief of Army
Staff under President Goodluck Jonathan.

But government critics immediately
raised concerns about the exclusion of
the name of a close ally of Mr. Buhari and
the current Minister of Interior,
Abdulrahman Dambazzau.

Mr. Dambazzau served as the chief of
army staff between 2008 and 2010 and
critics said it was highly curious that he
was not investigated even when the probe
was designed to capture all procurements
from 2007 to 2015.

Our findings show that those accusing
government of doctoring its latest arms
panel may have a point.

Buhari Government’s Claim:
In an attempt to ward off allegation of
bias, the Buhari government, via a
statement from the office of the Minister
of Information and Culture, Lai
Mohammed, said Mr. Dambazau’s name
was not included among those indicted
because the third interim report only
looked into procurement and contracts
awarded for and by the military between
2011-2015.

“When the documents regarding
procurement from 2007 to 2010 are
available and scrutinised, the committee
will then issue its report on that,” Mr.
Mohammed said in a statement signed by
his media adviser Segun Adeyemi.

“The audit is being done in phases, and
the report that was released on Thursday
is the third of such.”

The Facts:
A PREMIUM TIMES’ examination of the
report showed that the terms of reference
in its heading said it queried all
procurement from 2007 to 2015.

“Press Release on the Third Interim
Report of the Presidential Committee on
Audit of Defence Equipment Procurement
from 2007 to 2015 ,” it read.

The first paragraph of the seven-page
report also indicated the 13-member
committee used 2007-2015 as reference.

“In continuation of its assignment, the
Committee on Audit of Defence
Equipment Procurement (CADEP) in the
Nigerian Armed Forces, analysed
procurement contracts awarded by or for
the Nigerian Army between 2007 and
2015. ”

PREMIUM TIMES also observed that in
page two of the report, the committee
looked into procurement far back as 2005,
two years earlier than 2007.

“Similarly, between 29 April 2005 and 19
October 2010 , the MOD (Ministry of
Defence) awarded 2 contracts to Progress
Limited for the supply of 42 units of
BTR-3U Armoured Personnel Carriers and
spare parts for the Nigerian Army.

“However, neither the MOD nor the NA
could provide the contract agreements to
ascertain the cost of the APCs. Although
26 of the APCs were delivered in 2007 and
immediately deployed for Peace Keeping
Operations in Sudan, the APCs
scandalously broke down on induction,”
the report read in part.

In page four where the committee looked
into tax infractions in the military, it was
also revealed that the members looked
beyond 2011.

“The Committee observed breaches of
laws and regulations on payments of
With-holding Tax (WHT) and Value Added
Tax (VAT). The unremitted WHT from
2007 to 2015 amounted to about
N862,962,065.99, $2,093,710.06 and
€2,700.00 respectively.”

This newspaper also reported on July 7,
citing top administration sources, that Mr.
Dambazzau’s name was amongst those
indicted by the panel and that he was
making concerted efforts to have his
named removed.


www.premiumtimesng.com/news/headlines/207015-fact-check-buhari-deceives-nigerians-report-shows-arms-panel-probed-dambazaus-tenure.html

Trying so hard to please their Bourdilon master!

Olusola Fabiyi and Kayode Idowu Factional Chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party, Senator Ali Modu Sheriff, has claimed that majority of the 12 governors in the party are now behind him.
The former governor of Borno State, however, said the crisis in the party was being discussed at higher level in order to find an amicable solution to it.
Sheriff spoke through his deputy, and former National Vice-Chairman, South-South of the PDP, Cairo Ojuogboh, in an interview with journalists in Abuja on Tuesday.
He, however, refused to give the names of the governors backing him.
Ojuogboh also pointed out that PDP would come out stronger when the crisis in the party eventually ended.
He said, “What is happening today in the PDP is what is going to save the PDP. If this crisis didn’t arise, the party would have been wallowing today in ignorance.
“Apart from three governors, whose names I don’t want mention, 12 other PDP governors are backing Sheriff.
“If you look at what is happening in the party, there is no elder in the party. The newsmen always make the mistake to say that the Governors’ Forum is in support of one group; the Board of Trustees is in support of one group and members of the National Assembly are in support of one group. That’s wrong.
“Have you heard any member of any of these bodies speaking out in support of anyone? “They are all waiting for Sheriff to win so that there will be jubilation in the body polity of PDP and the country.”
Ojuogboh said the emergence of Sheriff was “the divine act of God,” adding that God does not make mistake.
Asked if the series of litigations in the party would not affect the fortunes of the party, especially in Edo and Ondo states governorship polls, Ojuogboh explained that both factions were already meeting to resolve the crisis.

punchng.com/majority-pdp-govs-backing-says-sheriff/

That they have no information on the case is not the same thing as clearing her naa

Olusola Fabiyi, Abuja

The Independent National Electoral
Commission has rejected the name of
candidate submitted for the governorship
election of Edo State by the Sen. Ali Modu
Sheriff faction of the Peoples Democratic
Party.

The commission said that it decided to reject
the list based on the fact that it didn’t
monitor the primary that produced the
faction’s governorship candidate, Mr.
Matthew Iduoriyekwemwen.

Deputy Director in charge of Publicity and
Voters’ Education at the commission’s
headquarters, Mr. Nick Dazang, stated this in
a text message to our correspondent late on
Tuesday night.

He said that the commission had accepted
the name submitted by the Chairman of the
party’s National Caretaker Committee, Sen.
Ahmed Makarfi.

Pastor Ize Iyamu is the candidate of the
Makarfi-led faction of the party.

He said that the commission had received
names of governorship candidates from 18
other political parties, apart from the PDP.
He said, “As at this evening, we received 19
candidates from 19 political parties for the
Edo governorship election.

“This includes the candidate of the Makarfi-
led faction of the PDP. We received the
candidate of the Makarfi-led faction because
of the Port Harcourt Court judgement plus
the fact that we monitored its primaries.”

Other political parties listed include AA, ACD,
ACPN, APC, APGA, LP, MPPP, NCP, NNPP,
PDC, PPA, PPN, SDP, UPP and YDP.

The two factions had on Monday submitted
names of their governorship candidates for
the state to the to the commission.

Both men and their followers are currently
locked in legal battle over the leadership of
the opposition party.

The deadline for the submission of names of
governorship candidates by political parties
for the governorship election according to
the timetable released by the commission
was midnight of Tuesday.

The election holds on September 10.

Spokesperson for the Sheriff camp, Prince
Dayo Adeyeye, had told our correspondent
on the telephone that the party has done the
needful.

Deputy National Chairman of the group, Dr.
Cairo Ojugboh, said his faction was relying
on the court order that ordered that only the
Sheriff group should be allowed to submit
names of candidates for the Edo and Ondo
governorship elections.

He said he was sure that the candidate that
emerged at the primary conducted by the
Sheriff faction, Mr. Matthew
Iduoriyekwemwen, would make the INEC final
list.

He said his faction would contest the action
of the commission, adding that the
pronouncement by the court was clear in the
matter.


punchng.com/edo-gov-inec-rejects-sheriffs-lists/

The National Working Committee (NWC) of the All
Progressives Congress (APC) has reaffirmed that
Mr Godwin Obaseki remained the party’s
candidate for the Sept. 10 governorship poll in
Edo.

This followed the NWC’s adoption of the report of
the party’s Appeals Committee on the
governorship primary election conducted in Benin
on June 18.

This is contained in a statement in Abuja on
Monday by the party’s National Secretary, Alhaji
Mai Buni.

The three-member Appeal Committee submitted
its report to the National Chairman of the party,
Chief John Odigie-Oyegun, on June 29 in Abuja.
”The Appeal Committee in its report submitted
that the Edo State 2016 APC governorship primary
was valid.

”While not dismissing the seriousness of the
allegations and claims of the petitioners, the
issues raised were not compelling as to warrant
the cancellation of the primary.

”The Appeal Committee calls on all APC
stakeholders in Edo State to put the party’s
interest over and above personal interests in
ensuring a speedy and amicable reconciliation,”
the statement said.

It stated that the committee recommended that
the leadership of the party should adopt
diplomacy in reconciling stakeholders in Edo.
It added that the committee also recommended
that a high-powered committee should be
constituted to mediate between Gov. Adams
Oshiomhole and all the aspirants, who participated
in the primary election.

The Election Appeal Committee was chaired by Mr
Opeyemi Bamidele, with Alhaji Mustapha Salisu
and Mrs Ekwy Onyido as members.

The committee had said that it received petitions
from Mr Kenneth Imansuagbon and Mr Chris
Ogiemwonyi, two out of the 11 aspirants who lost
to Obaseki in the primary.

The committee sat from June 21 through June 28.
Meanwhile, the National Chairman of the All
Progressives Congress (APC), Chief John Odigie-
Oyegun, has congratulated Mr Godwin Obaseki for
emerging as the party’s candidate for the Sept. 10
governorship election in Edo.

Odigie-Oyegun urged party members to close
ranks and support the candidate in the lead-up to
the election.

“As the party prepares for the governorship
election in Edo, I call on all aspirants, party
leaders, stakeholders and teeming members of
our great party to close ranks and unite as a
strong political fighting force.

“We should unite behind the candidature of Mr
Godwin Obaseki for a landslide victory at the
election.

“The request by the aspirants was that the primary
should be transparent, free, fair and credible. This,
the party achieved creditably during the exercise.
“Going forward, we should avoid `triumphantist’
actions and avoid creating new stresses within the
party. We should all seek to reunify the party to
face the Sept. 10 election,” he said.

The chairman also congratulated Katsina State
Governor, Alhaji Aminu Masari-led seven-member
Primary Election Committee “for successfully
conducting a very transparent, free, fair and
credible governorship primaries’’.

Similarly, he thanked the Primary Appeals
Committee for successfully carrying out its
assignment and submitting a report. (NAN)


dailypost.ng/2016/07/11/edo-2016-primary-appeal-committee-upholds-obaseki-as-apc-candidate/

London, United Kingdom -Theresa May on Wednesday will become the prime minister who leads Britain into talks to quit the European Union, after her last rival in the bid to succeed David Cameron pulled out.
May became the only contender after Andrea Leadsom — who had stirred a storm for suggesting she was more qualified to be premier because she had children — abruptly quit the race on Monday.
Cameron later announced May would take over from him on Wednesday, when he will to go to Queen Elizabeth II and tender his resignation after one final Prime Minister’s Questions session in parliament.
“We’ll have a new prime minister in that building behind me by Wednesday evening,” he said in a statement outside 10 Downing Street.
Accompanied by her banker husband Philip and surrounded by supportive MPs, a smiling May later stressed the need “to negotiate the best deal for Britain in leaving the EU” in brief comments outside parliament.
Britain has faced the worst political turmoil in generations following June 23’s shock vote to leave the European Union.
The outcome prompted Cameron to step down, plunging his Conservatives into a bitter leadership race.
At the same time, the head of the main opposition Labour party, Jeremy Corbyn, is also facing a challenge to his job.
Senior MP Angela Eagle formally launched her bid on Monday, and Labour’s election coordinator, Jon Trickett, said the party should brace for general elections soon after May takes office.
“It is crucial, given the instability caused by the Brexit vote, that the country has a democratically-elected prime minister,” said Trickett.
“I am now putting the whole of the party on a general election footing.”
While May supported Britain staying in the EU, she cut a low profile during the referendum and insists she will honour the vote, stressing: “Brexit means Brexit”.
“There will be no attempts to remain inside the EU, there will be no attempts to rejoin it by the back door, no second referendum,” she said at a leadership campaign event before Leadsom pulled out.
She wants to begin formal talks to leave the EU by the end of the year at the earliest, despite pressure from Brussels to speed things up.
Jeroen Dijsselbloem, the Dutch finance minister who heads the Eurogroup of his 19 eurozone counterparts, restated calls for the transfer of power to take place as soon as possible.
“The sooner we can sort out — let me say it diplomatically — this problematic situation, the better,” Dijsselbloem told reporters.

punchng.com/theresa-may-become-britains-next-pm-wednesday/

bashydemy:
You just keep disgracing yourself, Where you see shoe of #600 million? Please stop commenting to prevent your self from disgrace.

why are u so much concerned abt me disgracing myself? Disgrace me if u want but address d issue raised

LAGOS, July 11 (Reuters) - Nigeria plans to raise
120 billion naira ($424.78 million) in local currency
denominated bonds with maturities ranging
between 5-year and 20-year on July 13, the Debt
Management Office (DMO) said on Monday.

The debt office said in a notice that it will raise 40
billion naira at par in 2021 bond, while also raising
40 billion naira apiece in the 2026 and 2036
maturing bonds at the auction.

The 2026 and 2036 debt are a reopening of the
previously issued paper, the debt office said.
Nigeria, Africa's biggest economy, said it would
borrow around 900 billion naira from the local debt
market to finance a portion of the estimated 2.2
trillion naira deficit in this year's budget.

(Reporting by Oludare Mayowa)


af.reuters.com/article/nigeriaNews/idAFL8N19X1Y7?feedType=RSS&feedName=nigeriaNews&utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+reuters%2FAfricaNigeriaNews+%28News+%2F+Africa+%2F+Nigeria+News%29&&rpc=401