₦airaland Forum

Popular Blogger Ono Bello has called for a regulatory structure in the country to checkmate malicious content and other unprofessional ethics from online media platforms.

Bello, founder of onobello.com made said this in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) on Tuesday in Abuja.

“With the way things are going on now, I think it will be a great idea if the online communities can have a body or a structure to put in place a code of ethic.

“We need to come together to create a structure so that if there is any information that is posted and is false, the public knows the body to approach and lay complaints.

“I think we need to have a similar body like the NUJ; the online communities needs to have one body where we can be able to regulate our activities,’’ she reiterated.

On posting obnoxious materials on the internet especially on social media, the blogger said the fact that individuals have accounts does not give them licence to post everything online.

She explained that whatever anyone post could go a long way either in making or breaking someone adding that social media users should maintain ethical conduct at their individual levels.

“For example before you post anything online, you need to consider the feelings of others; and if you want to post some sensitive information, you need to warn viewers about it.

“If you are going to post pictures of dead bodies of humans on social media, you need to warn people before you let them see it.

“This is because people might just be going about their normal business on social media and the next thing is to see something horrible and it affects them negatively.

“So we need to be principled and have some certain rules as human beings; you need to be kind to humanity,’’ Bello stressed.

She emphasised that the rush to break stories online should not lead to damaging someone’s reputation or bringing a personality down adding that her online magazine published correct and authentic news.

“We have not had issues where we are taken to court for reporting fake news because we always do our background checks before we post any news.’’

She however said, as a blogger, managing information was not easy, because one need to be on ground, network with people and make calls to get the sense of the stories and the sources.

http://www.akelicious.net/2018/07/popular-blogger-ono-bello-wants-online.html

Three members of staff of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) have been remanded in prison custody for alleged money laundering.

They were remanded by the Federal High Court in Lagos presided over by Justice Justice Muslim Hassan.

The INEC officials are Yemi Akinwonmi, Dickson Atiba, and Ogunmodede Oladayo, who were brought before the judge on Monday.


The INEC officials in Ogun State were arraigned by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) for allegedly laundering the sum of N179.8 million.


EFCC alleged that the suspects in March 2015 within the jurisdiction of the court conspired to take the sum which they ought to have reasonably known were part of proceeds of fraud, without going through any financial institution, thereby committing an offence contrary to section 18a of the Money Laundering (Prohibition) Act of 2011 as amended.

The EFCC noted that the crime was punishable under section 15 (3) and (4) of the same Act.
The three persons, however, pleaded not guilty to the charge when it was read to them.


Justice Hassan consequently adjourned the case until August 6 for the defendants to take their bail application.

http://www.akelicious.net/2018/07/inec-officials-remanded-in-prison.html

Some members of Benue State House of Assembly, yesterday, tried to embarrass the governor, Dr. Samuel Ortom, with an impeachment move, a development that attracted widespread condemnation and raised apprehensions over the 2019 polls.

Most observers faulted the precipitate action of the legislators, just as the constitutionality of the process became a topic of discussion among lawyers.

Dean of Faculty of Law, Lagos State University (LASU), Prof Funminiyi Adeleke, said the removal of a governor was not a simple task that can be undertaken within a day.

Citing Section 188 of the Constitution, he said the governor or deputy governor would be removed whenever he or she was served a notice of any allegation in writing signed by not less than one-third of the members of the House of Assembly, stating that he or she is guilty of gross misconduct in the performance of the functions of his office, detailed particulars of which shall be specified.

http://www.akelicious.net/2018/07/impeaching-governor-not-that-easy.html

The Central Bank of Nigeria sold yuan at a range of N49-51 at its first auction of the Chinese currency last week, traders said yesterday.

The auction, which is part of an attempt to encourage the use of an alternative trading currency, particularly given the high level of imports from China, sold the yuan for immediate value and for 15-day settlement, traders said.

Some lenders got as much as 60 per cent of the volume they applied for, while one bank got just five per cent. They said the volume sold was based on the price quoted for the yuan at the auction.

China is Nigeria’s biggest trading partner after the U.S., with trade volumes between the two totaling $9.2 billion in 2017, according to data compiled by Bloomberg. Nigeria runs a deficit, importing $7.6 billion of goods including textiles and machinery from China and exporting just $1.6 billion, mainly oil and gas.

http://www.akelicious.net/2018/07/yuan-sale-by-cbn-excites-traders.html

Sen. Victor Umeh (APGA – Anambra) has expressed confidence that the party will do well in the 2019 general election.

The former APGA national chairman also described his recent victory at the Election Petition Tribunal as ‘victory for democracy and Nigeria’

He spoke at the inauguration of the Awka North Local Government Chapter of his Campaign Organisation at Isu-Aniocha near Awka on Monday.


“I was happy the tribunal dismissed the petition with harsh words. We will now move on without distraction,” NAN quoted him as saying.

According to him, APGA had done so much to make turn the fortunes of the state.

“Obiano and APGA legislators are doing well. I believe that it is God’s will that APGA is in Anambra to solve its problems,” he said.


He expressed confidence that with two Senators and six House of Representatives members, the party would further make inroad in the 2019 general elections.

Umeh, who represents Anambra Central Senatorial District, disclosed that “the Senate has approved various refunds to 21 states for various monies spent on federal projects, particularly roads”.

“Anambra had a claim of N43 billion over time but the Senate secured approval for N37. 9 billion for Anambra.

“Our hope is that the Federal Government will pay this money as quickly as possible because Gov. Willie Obiano is in a hurry to execute more projects,” Umeh told the party faithful.”

http://www.akelicious.net/2018/07/what-will-happen-in-2019-sen-umeh.html

A man identified as Ayo Paul has been found dead in his apartment in the Aule area of Akure, the Ondo State capital.

The incident, which according to a source happened on Saturday, was said to have amazed the neighbours of the deceased as he was described as a gentlemen.


The reason for the action of the 25-old man was said to be unknown, but the source said it was the landlord of the deceased that opened his door when he did not see paul on Saturday for the monthly environmental sanitation.

The source said, “Nobody knows reason Ayo committed suicide because he was a gentleman and he never had issue with anybody.

“When he did not come out for the monthly environmental sanitation, his landlord went to look for him and on opening his room; the landlord found his lifeless body dangling. The landlord immediately raised the alarm.”

The state Police Public Relations Officer, Femi Joseph, confirmed the incident and said the command had started investigation.

He said, “We don’t know the reason why the man took such action, but we have commenced investigation into the incident.”

http://www.akelicious.net/2018/07/25-year-old-man-hangs-self-in-ondo.html

Senator Dino Melaye,(Kogi west) has regained freedom after spending 11 hours in the “wilderness”.

This was revealed by the Senator via his twitter handle Friday with a caption, “I thank God once again for escaping another dangerous attack. I also thank Nigerians for their prayers and show of Love.”

Recall Melaye’s brother raised alarm on Thursday that the senator had been kidnapped on his way to Lokoja where he is facing a gun-running trial.

Also, Ben Murray-Bruce, a Senator from Bayelsa, quoted the brother as saying Melaye was bundled into a Toyota Sienna while he was travelling to Kogi.

Reacting to his kidnap, the Nigerian Police revealed not to have received any report or complaint of the senator’s kidnap.

Melaye’s absence had the case adjourned till August 9.

See the Senator’s below:


http://www.akelicious.net/2018/07/senator-dino-melaye-returns-says-i.html

The Department of Petroleum Resources (DPR) said the Federal Government earned N748 billion from taxes and royalties paid by oil and gas companies operating in Nigeria in 2017.

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that this was contained in DPR’s report made available at a workshop organised for energy reporters in Lagos on Friday.

The report said the revenue represented about 83 per cent of the agency’s target.


The report also stated that the agency renewed close to 25 oil blocks, which had combined revenue of about 1billion dollars.


According to the report, the agency granted approval for 16 new field development plans in 2017, which would increase the nation’s oil and gas production by 560,463 when completed.


“We renewed 19 expired leases in 2017 to enhance upstream investment influx and accelerate oil and gas reserves and production growth.


“We actively supported the implementation of a major gas commercialisation programme, which seeks to create a regulatory framework to facilitate gas flare monetisation to end gas flaring by 2020,” the report said.


The agency said it issued ten licences and approval for development of gas production and processing facilities that culminated in the commencement of the operation of the plant.


The agency said it revised and issued new DPR procedure guide for the determination of quantity and quality of petroleum products in Nigeria.


The DPR said it initiated early lease renewal programme to accelerate revenue generation for government.


It added that this was meant to fund national budget and incentivice upstream investment by ensuring security of tenure, long gestation and payback period for oil and gas investments.


The agency further said it facilitated improved cooking gas penetration with local consumption growing from 390,000 metric tons to 470,000/metric tons with a potential to hit 500,000 metric tons milestone.


“We increased national gas reserve base from 192.07trillion cubic feet to 197.74 trillion cubic feet representing 3.5 per cent increase over the preceding year.


“We increased operator compliance on National Production Monitoring System (NPMS) by commencing the upgrade of the NPMS to real time data captured in 26 crude oil terminal locations.


“This improved the efficiency in the administration of crude oil export and production accounting,” the report added.

http://www.akelicious.net/2018/07/fg-raises-n748bn-from-oil-tax-royalty.html

The Senior Manager, Tax Services and Transfer Pricing, Ernst & Young (EY), Temitope Oni, has described the country- by- country reporting (CbCR) introduced in the Nigerian tax system as a game changer for the Federal Inland Revenue Service (FIRS).

Oni said this during a knowledge sharing session organised by EY in Lagos on Wednesday.


The CbCR regulations took effect from January 1, 2018, and forms part of the enhanced tax disclosure requirements set out by Action 13 of the Base Erosion and Profit Shifting (BEPS) project. The regulations aim at providing tax authorities with improved information to enable them better assess international tax avoidance risks.

Under the CbCR regulations, where the Ultimate Parent Entity (UPE) or a Constituent Entity (CE) of a Multinational Enterprise Group (MNE Group) is tax resident in Nigeria, such Nigerian resident entity will be required to file a Country-by-Country Report with FIRS for an accounting year where the Group has a total consolidated revenue of N160 billion or more in the immediate preceding accounting year.

Oni, while commenting on the reason behind the knowledge sharing session said: “We saw the need to have our clients come together and have a knowledge sharing session to share the best practise as to how this can be done. CbCR reporting is actually a development that came from BEPS action plan.

“BEPS is tax avoidance strategy that exploits gaps and mismatches in tax rules to artificially shift profits to low or no tax locations where there is little economic activity resulting in little or no overall corporate tax being paid.”

Speaking further, Oni said: “We have discovered that multinationals over the years have been shifting profit from high tax jurisdiction, to low tax jurisdiction and the reason is because they want to reduce their overall corporate tax rate and they have been relying on the tax laws to do that. There are loopholes in the tax laws, so what they have been doing was to exploit the gaps in the international tax laws to shift profit here and there.

“It’s a good thing and we are celebrating it. Taxpayers are also happy to get to know what is required of them because if you look at the penalty provisions in the regulations, they are quite huge.

“What they have done is to come together and address these loopholes once and for all, so that multinational enterprises would not shift profit from high tax jurisdiction to low tax jurisdiction anymore.”

http://www.akelicious.net/2018/07/country-by-country-reporting-for.html

The National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) in Abia State has sworn in 1,900 corp members deployed to the state for the 2018 Batch ‘B’ orientation exercise.

Speaking during the ceremony at the NYSC permanent orientation Camp in Bende local government area, Abia State Governor Okezie Ikpeazu promised to reward excellence among the corps members and provide an enabling environment for them to succeed during their service year.

He encouraged the corp members to be worthy ambassadors of the scheme and assured that their lives and property would be safe during their stay in the state, adding that the government would continue to improve facilities in the camp.
The governor who was represented by the Commissioner for Youth Development, Mr Ike Anyatonwu , said their deployment to the state was an opportunity for them to contribute their quota to the development of the state and warned against their involvement in risky behaviours.
The State Coordinator of the scheme, Mrs Francesca Nfon said the scheme was designed at moulding the corp members into responsible citizens.
She thanked the the Director General of NYSC Brig-General SZ Kazaure for approving and awarding the contract for the renovation of female hostel "C" which had been abandoned for over four years.

http://www.akelicious.net/2018/07/nysc-swears-in-1900-corp-members-in-abia.html

The Independent National Election (INEC) Wednesday said efforts geared towards growing the voting capacity of Abia State to two million has started yielding the desired results as the number of eligible voters has hit 1.85 million.

The Resident Electoral Commissioner (REC), Dr. Joseph Iloh, made this known when the state leadership of the Social Democratic Party (SDP) visited the state office of INEC to make the party’s presence in the state known to the electoral umpire.


He said there have been sustained efforts to get Abia people to shake off their apathy and actively participate in the ongoing continuous voter registration (CVR), noting that he was hopeful that the target figure of two million would be realised before the end of the exercise on August 17, 2018.

To achieve this, the REC urged political parties, church leaders, town union leaders, traditional rulers and other stakeholders to intensify their efforts in mobilising people of voting age to participate in the electoral process.

He explained that the apathy hitherto displayed by the Abia people was due to their loss of confidence in the electoral process because of their experience in previous elections when they felt that their votes were not allowed to count.

“Convincing people to come out and register and get their PVC was like extracting water from stone. But we kept telling them that we are going to do the right thing,” he said.

However, the REC, who is barely a year in Abia State, said he has been able to win back the confidence of the people with every assurance that under his watch in the state office of INEC, every vote will henceforth count at every election.

“We are going to do the right thing. Do your part and we are going to do our own, and the 2019 election in Abia State would be free, fair and credible,” he stated.

Iloh noted that the desperation of politicians still constitutes a stumbling block in efforts of INEC to give Nigerians credible poll as politicians engage in all manner of tricks to circumvent the electoral system in their quest for power.

Earlier, the acting Chairman of SDP, Hon Chidi Nwosu, had commended INEC for its efforts in mobilising Abia people as well as expanding the facilities to enable eligible voters to obtain their PVCs.

He officially informed the REC that the party has concluded arrangements for its forthcoming congresses beginning with the ward congress scheduled for July 27.

Nwosu, who led the interim executives on courtesy visits to heads of security agencies in the state to inform them of the party’s presence in the state, said the party was experiencing a rebirth and has its presence at the grassroots.

http://www.akelicious.net/2018/07/inec-moves-to-grow-abias-voting.html

National Pension Commission, PenCom, has said the Pension Reform Act, 2014 allows employees under the Contributory Pension Scheme, CPS, to contribute voluntarily in addition to the mandatory contributions into their respective Retirement Savings Account, RSA, to augment their pension at retirement. The Act also allows exempted employees from CPS to participate involuntarily in the CPS subject to a guideline issued by the Commission.

Meanwhile, the Commission said it has observed a tendency for requests for withdrawals by Pension Funds Administrators and especially the significant amount withdrawn, usually within a short interval of lodgment in the RSA both of the mandatory and exempted contributors thereby defeating the purpose of voluntary contributions which is meant to enhance pension at retirement adding “also the short intervals between the date of contributions and withdrawals, results in significant tax payable to the relevant tax authorities.” To check this tendency, PENCOM said all PFAs/PFCs (Pension Funds Custodians) must ensure that “withdrawals from voluntary contributions is allowed once every two years from the last approved withdrawal date. Subsequent withdrawals shall only be on the incremental contributions from the date of last withdrawal. For mandatory contributors, the amount remitted as voluntary contributions shall be as follows: 50% shall be treated as contingent, available for withdrawal within the stipulated timeframe of 2 years. Taxes would be deducted on income earned in line with Section 10 {4} of the PRA 2014. The balance of 50% shall be fixed for pension and utilized at date of retirement to augment the contributor’s retirement benefit.” Foreign contributors The commission says “The time frame for withdrawal of once every 2 years in clause 5 {a} above shall be adopted. The contributor is allowed to withdraw all the funds in his/ her account after two years of contribution, subject to deduction of taxes on both income earned and principal when withdrawal is made in less than five years of the contribution. PFAs shall forward requests for approval to the commission using the revised schedule for voluntary contribution withdrawals. Both PFAs and PFCs are required to inform the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission of any single lodgment of N5 million and above. Henceforth, all tax deductions shall be remitted to the relevant tax authorities within 21 days after the end of the month of deduction and render returns to the Commission twice yearly of such remittance”.

http://www.akelicious.net/2018/07/you-can-only-withdraw-from.html

The Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB), on Wednesday, cautioned private cyber cafe operators against extortion of prospective candidates who want to upload their results on the board’s website.

The Head of Media of the board, Dr Fabian Benjamin, gave the caution in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Abuja.

Benjamin said that the caution became necessary following several complaints made to the board by the victims, on fraudulent activities by some private café operators.


He said the candidates complained of high amount of money they were being charged by such operators to upload their WAEC results on JAMB website.


“Not only do they charge them high, they also convince candidates who had already uploaded their results on the site to do same again.


“Candidates who have had their results uploaded at the point of the Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination (UTME) registration need not do that again, except for those who registered with awaiting results.


“Those are the ones allowed to upload now on our website.


“This upload should not cost more than N100.


“No cyber café should charge more than this amount, however, if candidates can locate any of our Computer Based Test (CBT) Centres, it is free to make the upload there,” Benjamin said.


NAN correspondent who visited some of the cyber cafés in Bwari reports that while some charge a negotiable N500, few charge up to N1, 000 for the result upload.


The exercise follows the recent release of 2018 WAEC results and the announcement by JAMB that“leaders of institutions agreed that the First Choice Admission would be conducted from July 2 to Oct. 16’’.


According to the board, the Second Choice Admission is to commence from Oct.17 to Dec.17.

http://www.akelicious.net/2018/07/jamb-cautions-cyber-cafe-operators.html

A former Governor of Kano State and chieftain of the ruling All Progressives Congress, APC, Senator Rabiu Kwankwaso, has revealed why he met the party leadership and President Muhammadu Buhari Monday night.


Senator Kwankwaso met the President behind closed door at the Presidential Villa on Monday.

President Buhari and the Oshiomhole-led National Working Committee, NWC, of the party have been consulting with some of the aggrieved members of the party.


The former Governor spoke with State House Correspondent after the meeting yesterday. He said, “I thank God.

“Some of my friends, my former colleagues came to me and we discussed. And now we have the opportunity to see the President to continue discussions.

“We’ll keep on talking. Politics is a game of discussions. Agreement and disagreement and we are still on.”

http://www.akelicious.net/2018/07/2019-why-i-met-buhari-at-presidential.html

Uche Anichukwu, the Special Adviser to the Deputy Senate President, Ike Ekwemmadu has provided update on the police siege on the Deputy Senat President’s home.


Akelicious had earlier reported that the home of the Deputy Senate President at the Legislative Quarters, Apo, Abuja was on Tuesday barricaded by security agents.

When asked to confirm Ekweremadu’s whereabouts, Anichukwu told Akelicious that the Deputy Senate President’s “house is still under siege. I cannot confirm his whereabouts at the moment because I can’t have access to him and I can’t speak with him.”


The security operatives also besieged the Maitama, Abuja residence of the Senate President, Bukola Saraki as early as 7am and blocked his convoy as he was set to honour the police invitation at the force headquarters.

The incident has since generated a lot of reactions as some Senators have taken to different platforms to express their pains.

http://www.akelicious.net/2018/07/just-in-ekweremadu-gives-update-on-his.html

About 85, 000 students sat for the Nigerian Institute of Information Technology (NIIT) part-scholarship exams held in 30 centres across the country.

Speaking to The Guardian at the Teslim Balogun centre, NIIT Regional head, West Africa, Ramnarayan Banerjee said that students’ performance in the exam would determine technical programmes they will be recommended.

He said: “Our mission is to help students learn and earn, we are helping them create a career for their future.


We are giving them new courses, state of the art curriculum, more sophisticated trainers and also help them get placements.”

While noting that they have been in existence in Nigeria since 1999, Banerjee said that so far over 400, 000 students have been impacted with their various programmes and so they have given this opportunity for students to come and acquire knowledge, attitude and skill in the latest technology.

“The programme has helped youths to shape their career and have a stable life.

We have most of those who pass through our programme in respectable organisations around the world.

“In the last five years, the trend has always been positive in acquiring IT skills, the questions is not just learning for the sake of learning but how much can we implement in Nigeria especially as Nigerian students are doing exceptionally well globally,” he explained.

He added that IT is a profession linked with innovation and Nigerian students have been doing exceptional well.

http://www.akelicious.net/2018/07/85000-students-take-niit-scholarship.html

Justice Sule Hassan of the Federal High Court in Lagos yesterday ordered a temporary forfeiture of N387m found in bank accounts of four ex-officials of the Independent National Electoral Commission.


The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, which obtained the forfeiture order, told the court that the ex-INEC officials benefitted from the N23bn which a former Minister of Petroleum Resources, Diezani Alison-Madueke, allegedly doled out to influence the 2015 presidential election in favour of then President Goodluck Jonathan.

An investigator with the EFCC, Usman Zakari, said in an affidavit that the ex-INEC officials received the money through a non-governmental organisation, West Africa Network of Observers, formed to purportedly monitor the 2015 general elections.


According to Zakari, the NGO, WANEO, had a former INEC Chairman, Prof Maurice Iwu, as its national coordinator.
The investigator claimed that though “WANEO was formed under the guise of monitoring the conduct of 2015 election, distribution of Permanent Voter Cards, sensitisation of voters, delimitation of electoral constituencies, etc, its primary objective was to ensure the victory of the PDP candidate in the presidential election.”


Zakari said through WANEO, the ex-INEC officials facilitated the disbursement of N510m Diezani fund to Osun, Ogun and Oyo States.


“After the conduct of the 2015 presidential election and in order to conceal the sources of the money collected by Ogun, Osun and Oyo states, the remainder of the money was fraudulently laundered,” the investigator added.


Zakari said the EFCC had, however, recovered N387m out of the N510m from the four ex-INEC officials.


The anti-graft agency gave the names of the said ex-INEC officials as Victor Chukwuani, Okesiji Adeniran, Gabriel Oke and Torgba Nyitse.


Counsel for the EFCC, Nnaemeka Omenwa, urged Justice Muslim Hassan, to order the temporary forfeiture of the N387m pursuant to Section 17 of the Advance Fee Fraud and Other Fraud Related Offences Act, No. 14, 2004.


He said it would be in the interest of justice for the temporary forfeiture order to be made.


After listening to him, Justice Hassan granted the ex parte application. He gave 14 days for anyone interested in the money to appear before him to show why the N387m should not be permanently forfeited to the Federal Government.


Further proceedings in the case were adjourned to August 6, 2018.

http://www.akelicious.net/2018/07/court-orders-forfeiture-of-n387m-linked.html

All has not been well with the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) since Saturday’s conduct of Osun governorship primary won by Senator Ademola Adeleke who is accused of not possessing the requisite academic qualification.

Aside, he has been accused of not mustering the number of votes to qualify him as candidate of the party.

One of the major aspirant Dr Akin Ogunbiy, alleged that document submitted by Adeleke as evidence of his educational qualification up to school certificate level did not meet the basic qualification stipulated by the 1999 Constitution and the Electoral Act.

“The Principal of Muslim Grammar School, Ede, Mr Khalid Abbas, who purportedly signed the testimonial had not been posted to the school in question as at the date indicated on the document.

“The principal has denied ever issuing or signing it and the denial is very well on record.”

Ogunbiy is unhappy and has urged the party’s leadership to declare him winner of the primary.

Ogunbiyi on Monday stormed the party’s National Secretariat to petition the leadership over the outcome of the primary.

Ogunbiyi narrowly lost to Adeleke, polling 1,562 votes as against 1,569 votes as the flag-bearer for the Sept 22 poll.

In a petition addressed to the Chairman, Gubernatorial Electoral Appeal Panel of the PDP, the aspirant said that 42 voided votes and 128 unaccounted votes were for him.

He added that the total votes he garnered at the poll were 1,732.

“I, Dr Akin Ogunbiyi, having polled the highest number of votes in the primary election of July 21, be declared the validly nominated/ elected PDP governorship candidate for the forthcoming gubernatorial election in Osun.”

He also called for the disqualification of Adeleke based on the faulted process of the primary.

“Contrary to Section 30, Sub-Section `E’ of the Electoral Guidelines for primary election 2018, the total number of delegates accredited was not announced before the commencement of voting.”

In his reaction, Adeleke described the primary poll as “a brotherly and family contest’’.

He urged all aggrieved aspirants to join hands with him to reclaim the state from the All Progressives Congress (APC).

He particularly urged Ogunbiyi to “come on board,”, and congratulated him for “his hard-fighting team and for running a good and impressive campaign’’.

“It was a brotherly contest in our collective strive to redeem our state. It is therefore no gainsaying that we are all winners.

“My emergence as the governorship candidate of our great party marks the beginning of divine liberation of our dear people from repression and oppression.”

http://www.akelicious.net/2018/07/osun-pdp-crisis-rages-adeleke.html

At least eight worshippers were killed and 10 others injured when a suicide bomber detonated a bomb in a mosque in Borno.

The male bomber attacked worshippers on Friday at a mosque in Konduga town at about 5am morning.

Rescue workers say the wounded are hospitalised in Maiduguri for treatment. Others with less serious injuries are currently receiving treatment in Konduga.

Konduga is about 27 kilometres the Maiduguri, the epicentre of Boko Haram insurgency.

http://www.akelicious.net/2018/07/8-worshippers-dead-in-konduga-attack.html

The Chairmen and Chief Executive Officers of Dangote and BUA Groups of Companies, Alhaji Aliko Dangote and Alhaji Abdul Samad Isyaku Rabiu have expressed strong willingness to partner the Federal Mortgage Bank of Nigeria (FMBN) towards boosting social housing delivery for Nigerians.

Dangote, who ranks as Africa’s richest business magnate and investor and Isyaku Rabiu, a leading Nigerian businessman with vast investments in manufacturing, infrastructure and agriculture are Africa’s two largest producers of cement, a critical input in the housing construction industry.

They extended the hand of partnership to FMBN during a joint courtesy call on the bank’s Board of Directors last week.


Dangote commended FMBN for the renewed aggressive drive to provide affordable housing for Nigerians. He lent his support to the proposed N500billion recapitalization of the bank, stating that it is a much needed development that will help power FMBN’s efforts to more effectively discharge its mandate.

Additionally, he said that his company is ready to collaborate with FMBN towards lowering the housing deficit by increasing the tempo and scale of social housing provision across the country.

His words: “Count me as a friend of FMBN. We are open to collaborating and supporting the good work that your bank is doing towards ensuring the provision of affordable housing to medium and low income earners in Nigeria”.

Dangote advised FMBN to consider adopting mass housing models that have worked in other countries such as Ethiopia.

In the same vein, Rabiu also said that he is committed to a close partnership with FMBN.

He said: “I am committed to forging a partnership that will add value to FMBN’s work and I look forward to further engagements in this regard”.

In his response, the FMBN Board Chairman, Dr. Adewale Adeeyo said that FMBN will work closely with them towards the consolidation and implementation of the partnerships.

http://www.akelicious.net/2018/07/dangote-bua-groups-to-partner-fmbn-on.html

The Nigerian Security and Civil Defense Corps in Bayelsa, on Sunday warned oil thieves and pipeline vandals in the area to steer clear of the infrastructure or risk crackdown by the law.

The Commandant of NSCDC in the state, Mrs Christiana Abiakam, who gave the warning in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria in Yenagoa, said that the corps was committed to stopping the crime.

She said that the command was determined to overcome the obstacles before it.

She said that to that end, the corps would work collaboratively with sister security agencies in joint operations to sustain the stability so far achieved in the crude oil operational environment for increased oil production.

“We will not be deterred by the challenges before us.

“We have resolved to sustain the fight against economic crime by oil thieves and vandals of oil facilities and we have sent warnings to them.

“With our intensified and intelligence-driven operations, the criminals will have no option other than to turn a new leaf or leave the state.

http://www.akelicious.net/2018/07/nscdc-warns-pipeline-vandals-oil.html

About 20 per cent of Nigerians are reportedly “at risk from one form of flooding or another,” the National Economic Council (NEC) was told yesterday.The NEC, led by Vice President, Yemi Osinbajo, comprises the 36 state governors and Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Abuja.
At yesterday’s meeting, which held in Abuja, the NEC was briefed by Minster of State for Environment, Ibrahim Jibrin, on the “need for collaborative partnership among stakeholders” to tackle the flooding challenge.

“The NEC was briefed at its monthly meeting on the need for collaborative partnerships between the federal and state governments, with the Presidential Committee on Flood Relief and Rehabilitation (PCFRR); for immediate intervention on flood prevention, mitigation and preparedness in the Country.


The minister of state told the Council that the occurrence and magnitude of flood continue to increase in Nigeria due to many factors, among which are excessive prolonged rainfalls, siltation of existing streams, human manipulation of drainage basins, undeveloped drainages, poor urban planning and dam collapse, etc.

“It is estimated that about 20 percent of the population are at risk from one form of flooding or another, resulting in property damages and loss of lives annually–climate change projections indicate that there may be greater risk of flooding in the years ahead.”

Short time and sustainable way of de-silting major tributaries and canals ahead of the flooding season was recommended as “this is relatively inexpensive and executable within a short period of time. Need to set up a Federal Project Coordinating Unit, to identify locations for critical actions and realistic cost estimates

http://www.akelicious.net/2018/07/20-nigerians-may-experience-flooding-fg.html

The British High Commissioner to Nigeria Paul Arkwright has said the position of the United kingdom has always be in favour of one and indivisible Nigeria.
Arkwright spoke at a public lecture titled Brexit: Lessons, Challenges and Opportunities for Nigeria at the Federal University, Lokoja, on Thursday.
Asked about the position of Britain on the groups pushing for independence from Nigeria, the envoy said the UK remained firm in its support for one Nigeria.
According to him, the unity of Nigeria should not be negotiable, adding that the country will be better under one umbrella.
UK conducted Referendum for Scottish people in 2014 and also conducted a referendum for Bristish people (Brexit) in 2016 but denies same right to Biafrans because Biafrans are black people who do not deserve self determination.

Indications however shows that US President Donald Trump strongly believes in the right for self determination for Biafrans and all humanity.

http://www.akelicious.net/2018/07/the-unity-of-nigeria-should-not-be.html

The proprietary solution was designed to provide a complete view of customer experience, device analytics, network experience and usage. According to the partners, the collaboration will help the company better and much quicker understand network quality/user issues, reduce customer churn, grow usage, achieve best experience in the market and lead to a more positive net promoter score (NPS).

The project which commenced in MTN late 2017 with the deployment of platforms and a Service Operations Centre (SOC) at VGC was presented to media, stakeholders and regulatory agencies present recent launch of the scheme.
After presentations and a brief question and answer session, the guests were conveyed to the Service Operation Centre (SOC) in VGC, Lagos for the inauguration and use case demonstration.

Commenting at the launch event, Chief Executive Officer, MTN Nigeria, Ferdi Moolman said, “We have always been a customer centric organisation, placing immeasurable value on our customers and their experiences, and constantly seeking ways to better serve them.

“We are very excited about this launch today as it marks a new era in customer relations not just for us as MTN and our customers, but also for telecommunications and the technology ecosystem as a whole.”

Also commenting at the event, General Manager, Customer Experience, MTN Nigeria, Kola Oyeyemi said, “Our customers are our most critical asset as an organisation, and this has driven us to seek for partnerships that will make our customers delighted.

“The new CEM system will help us anticipate the problems customers might face even before they experience it, and this helps us tackle those problems ahead of time. This means customers don’t have to go through any nasty experience and the service is also at no extra cost to the customer.”

This solution alongside the strings of other innovative steps taken by the company is reflective of its leadership role in Nigeria’s fast-growing ICT space and its obsession with service quality management shows an undying commitment to making life easier and brighter for its customers.

http://www.akelicious.net/2018/07/mtn-partners-nokia-on-customer.html

Ekiti State Governor-elect Dr Kayode Fayemi was on Wednesday presented with the Certificate of Return by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), with the promise to deliver good governance to the people of the state. Speaking after he was presented with the certificate, at a ceremony held at the INEC state headquarters office, in Ado-Ekiti, the state capital, Fayemi pledged not to disappoint the people of the state who gave him the mandate in the last Saturday’s poll. Fayemi said the people of Ekiti State will start enjoying the real dividends of democracy from October 16 when he will formally assumed mantle of leadership of the state. The National Commissioner in charge of Oyo, Ekiti and Osun States, Prince Adedeji Soyebi, presented Fayemi and Deputy Governor-elect Otunba Bisi Egbeyemi with the Certificate of Return at the event. While commending the INEC for doing an excellent job Fayemi contended that the election which returned him as winner was “seamless, free, fair, credible and violence-free.” He said INEC should be commended for conducting a process of 14 steps which climaxed with the presentation of the Certificate of Return. Fayemi maintained that the electoral body delivered the election in a credible and professional manner, despite fears being expressed in the build-up to the poll. The governor-elect also commended the security agencies for securing the process which gave the voters courage to turnout massively and exercise their civic responsibility. Fayemi hailed the APC National Working Committee (NWC) led by the National Chairman, Mr. Adams Oshiomhole and the State Executive Committee led by the State Chairman, Chief Olajide Awe. He said: “For INEC, the work has just ended and for us, the work has just started. We have a responsibility not to disappoint our people. “Ekiti people will see the benefit of good governance by the grace of God as from October 16.” In his remarks, INEC National Commissioner, Soyebi noted that the presentation of Certificate of Return marked the end of the process of the Ekiti governorship election. Soyebi who described Ekiti as a homogenous state, urged the people of the state to continue being one another’s brother’s keepers. He said, “Today marks the end of the election in Ekiti State on the part of the Commission while is the presentation of Certificates of Return to the governor-elect and the deputy governor-elect. “If there are issues arising from the election, there is another arm of government that will take care of that. This is another important day in the history of the state. “On behalf of the Commission, I congratulate everybody. Ekiti has pointed the way forward in conducting elections in Nigeria.” The Resident Electoral Commissioner (REC), Prof. AbdulGaniy Raji, commended the people of Ekiti State for the maturity displayed before during and after the election which he was successful.

http://www.akelicious.net/2018/07/fayemi-gets-certificate-of-return.html

The Senate has resolved to investigate the ongoing oil and gas lease renewal after a committee of the upper chamber reported alleged illegal rebates and discounts were denying government revenue in excess of N10 billion.

It mandated its Committee on Petroleum Resources Upstream to investigate all issues relating to the lease renewal being undertaken by the Minister of State for Petroleum Resources, Ibe Kachikwu, and the Department of Petroleum Resources and to report to the Senate the anomalies in the process and identify appropriate measures to correct the said anomalies.

The resolution was made after a deliberation on a motion sponsored by Omotayo Alasoadura (APC, Ondo Central) and three other senators.

Mr Alasoadura alleged multiplicity of irregularities surrounding the leases , which he said has led to massive loss of government revenue.

He accused Mr Kachikwu of granting all manners of illegal discounts and rebates in the process, saying the alleged action was capable of shortchanging the country and denying it the appropriate revenue accruable from the renewal of the said leases.

“The Honourable Minister of State for Petroleum Resources and Department of Petroleum Resources is proceeding to renew leases of companies that have brazenly and illegally refused to pay royalties due to government from oil and gas lifted by the said companies in contravention of extant laws.
“The irregularities being perpetrated by the Honourable Minister of State for Petroleum Resources and the Department of Petroleum Resources in the ongoing lease renewal process is capable of denying government revenue in excess of $10 Billion as a result of illegal discounts and rebates in the process of lease renewal.”

Mr Alasoadura, who is the Chairman of the Senate Committee on Petroleum Resources (Upstream) further said the DPR had willfully and deliberately refused to provide the committee with relevant information and data related to the renewal.

In his remark, Shehu Sani (APC, Kaduna Central) stressed the need for the Senate to intervene “when issues are raised about transparency and accountability in the oil and gas sector.”

“It is very clear that the Minister of State has, in every possible way, been engaged in acts that contravene the law and I believe this is the very person who, over a year ago, wrote an open letter, raising issues about transparency and impunity in the oil sector.
“What this panel can do is to once and for all, bring the minister to make a clarification about the actions he has taken. Ten billion dollars is no small amount of money. I believe that we can get to the root of this matter to open other can of worms in the petroleum sector,” he said.

He further urged the Senate to summon the minister of state and other officials in the petroleum sector for questioning.

Rafiu Ibrahim (APC, Kwara South) asked that the Chief of Staff to the President be summoned as well as he was “rumoured” to be on the board in the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC) as well as the Ministry of Petroleum Resources.

“We are aware that the Minister of State, ordinarily, does not have final approval of this type of cases; there’s a board of the NNPC.

“It is in the rumour mill that the Chief of Staff to the president is a member of the board and literally in charge of the ministry and NNPC. Let us expand those to be called, maybe the board. So that the Minister of State will not just come and say he is not the one in charge,” he said.

On his part, the Deputy Senate President, Ike Ekweremadu, stated that the issue of transparency has been a major setback in the oil and gas sector.

“We must ensure, using our oversight, that there is transparency in the management of our oil resources.

“One of our major problems is the issue of enforcement and regulations because we have sufficient rules to guide us in almost all sectors. I want to appeal to regulatory agencies and enforcement agencies to wake up to their responsibilities to ensure that the right things are done irrespective of who is involved,” he said.

http://www.akelicious.net/2018/07/senate-to-probe-10-billion-fraud-in.html

The Lagos State Government has called on parents to monitor their children, during the long holiday, saying there is going to be an increase in the rate of child molestation, sexual abuse and rape.

The Commissioner for Youth and Social Development, Mr Agboola Dabiri, made the call on Tuesday at a stakeholders’ meeting with owners of day care centres in the state in Ikeja.


He said, “Some people are in the habit of using the school holiday period to perpetuate evil against schoolchildren; so beware.”

Dabiri also said the government prioritised the welfare of children and recognised the roles played by owners of crèches and day care centres in nurturing children for the challenges of tomorrow.

Dabiri stated that the government was aware of the proliferation of different day care centres and crèches, saying they posed a threat to the activities of trained and certified operators.

He said, “Soon, their activities will be checkmated to give a chance to only certified and trained persons to operate crèches and day care centres.”

He added there was the need for day care centres and crèches to register with the government in order to standardise their operations.

The Permanent Secretary in the Ministry, Mr Hakeem Muri-Okunola, said the theme of the meeting, “Towards Achieving Best Practices in Early Childhood Care in Lagos State, was in line with the executive order on child protection.

The Director of Compliance, Monitoring and Enforcement, Lagos State Safety Commission, Mrs Ronke Odeneye, urged owners of crèches and day care centres to be aware of the legal implications of their operations.

http://www.akelicious.net/2018/07/monitor-children-during-holiday-lasg.html

The Africa Finance Corporation, (AFC) has signed a $35 million debt facility agreement with Waltersmith Refining and Petrochemical Company Limited, for a proposed 5,000 barrel per day (bpd) refinery project to be situated in Imo state.

The agreement, which was signed yesterday, expected to produce 5,000 bpd as early first quarter of 2020, would contribute 271 million litres of refined products annually. It would cater to states in the eastern region.


Speaking yesterday at the signing ceremony, the Chairman/Chief Executive officer Waltersmith refining and petrochemical company, Mr. Abdulrazaq Isa said, “The investment by Waltersmith, AFC and Nigerian content development and monitoring board (NCDMB) into this refinery project is clearly strategic and cannot be coming at a better time.

“On our part, we have been plagued by the frequent unrest in the Niger Delta area, which has hampered our production for a cumulative period of 747 days.

“This is equivalent to two years out of out 10 years of operational existence beginning in March 2008. Our investment in this project became imperative to enable continuous production from our upstream business all year round without interruptions arising from vandalisation of crude oil pipelines.

“In addition, Waltersmith will be able to contribute about 271 million litres of refined product annually to the Nigerian economy, serve as an import substitution for meeting domestic demand for petroleum products, create both direct and indirect employment opportunities as well as reduce the amount of foreign exchange demand on the country’s treasury needed to import these products.”

The NCDMB investment in the project was in line with the federal government initiative of enabling local refinery capacity in the downstream sector, as well as generating more employment opportunities for Nigerians.

The NCDMB also recognises the opportunity to create a long term multiplier effect on the Nigerian economy through the realisation of the project.

Furthermore, he added: “The AFC, a foremost Development Bank, has continued to demonstrate a strong commitment to infrastructural development in Nigeria and Africa.

“This is evident in the commitment and immense contribution they have made to the success of the development phase of the refinery project. In the course of out transaction, AFC has strengthened the risk management framework of the overall project, thereby ensuring timely delivery of project within budget.”

Speaking further on the sidelines of the event, he said, “It would take 18 months. It is a turnkey project and we have started counting down and the work has already started, and we are expecting to have the refinery commissioned in January or February 2020.”

On his part, the Senior Director Investments Group at the Africa Finance Corporation (AFC)Mr. Taiwo Adeniji said the AFC had been working with Waltersmith for close to four years in trying to get the project off the ground.

“We know that Nigeria spends an enormous amount of foreign currency in importing petroleum products.

“Companies such as Waltersmith are making an effort to reverse this trend of using our currency to reverse this strength of using our scarce foreign currency to import refined petroleum products deserve all our support and that is exactly what AFC is doing by supporting the development of this project.

“We have found Waltersmith a very credible company that deserves our support and we sincerely believe that this particular project would be the first phase of many more,” he added.

http://www.akelicious.net/2018/07/afc-grants-waltersmith-35m-facility-for.html

This is the sitting Arrangement/Position for Exams in Unizik.

More photos at http://www.akelicious.net/2018/07/checkout-sitting-arrangement-and.html

The Independent Petroleum Marketers Association of Nigeria (IPMAN) has petitioned the Attorney General of the Federation (AGF) and Inspector General of Police (IGP), seeking to stop the Managing Director, NIPCO Plc, Bestman Anakwe, from presiding over its July 19 Annual General Meeting (AGM).

It sent copies of the petition to the Director General, Department of State Services (DSS) and Chairman, Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC).

IPMAN’s letter, dated July 6, 2018 and addressed to Anakwe, was also copied the Director General, Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) and Registrar General, Corporate Affairs Commission (CAC) Abuja.


In the petition written by Reuben Wanagho on behalf of Chinedu Ukadike and four others, IPMAN notified the recipients of the pendency of suit number FHC/PH/CS/06/2018, filed by Ukadike, Owonye Edheigho, Ugochukwu Duruaku, Ezekiel Eletuo and Victor Etefia.

In the suit filed both for themselves and as representatives of concerned members of IPMAN with Anakwe, NIPCO PLC, SEC and CAC as defendants, the plaintiffs are seeking the interpretation of section 252 of the Companies and Allied Matters Act (CAMA).

They are praying the court to determine whether or not under Section 252 (1) and (2) of CAMA, having failed to disclose to NIPCO (the second defendant) that he was above 70 years, Anakwe (the first defendant) was still eligible to continue as director and chairman of a publicly quoted company.

They are also seeking whether or not having breached the provisions of section 252 (1) of CAMA, he ought not to be removed as director and chairman of NIPCO.

However, in view of the pendency of the suit, the AGF, Police, DSS and EFCC, among others, were reminded of the need for NIPCO to respect the sanctity of judicial proceedings by not allowing him to preside over the AGM scheduled for July 19, as doing so would amount to contempt of court.

The petitioners had stated that they had filed a motion on notice for an order of interlocutory injunction on January 12 to restrain Anakwe from acting as a director and chairman of NIPCO in any manner whatsoever.

The plaintiffs also prayed for an order restraining him from presiding over any meeting including NIPCO’s AGM in his capacity as director or chairman pending the determination of the suit.

http://www.akelicious.net/2018/07/ipman-petitions-agf-igp-efcc-others.html

The Federal Road Safety Corps (FRSC) has said that efforts are being made to place bars on some Lagos bridges to prevent indiscriminate parking of tankers and articulated vehicles.

Hyginus Omeje, the FRSC Lagos State Sector Commander, made this known in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Lagos on Monday.

Mr Omeje said a committee had been inaugurated to look into how owners of trucks and tankers could do their business without climbing bridges in the state.

“We are working on how truck drivers can use the ground instead of climbing bridges in Lagos State to prevent accidents and gridlock.

“It has been proposed by the government that we can bar the bridges to prevent accidents and indiscriminate parking of trucks and tankers on the bridges,’’ he said.

According to him, putting bars on the bridges will curtail gridlock and crashes involving cars and articulated vehicles especially the ‘over-aged’ ones.

The FRSC boss said that many of the tankers and trucks had been on the road for more than 25 years, saying that some of the vehicles could not withstand the load placed on them.

“Many of them break up on top of the bridges and cause traffic jam.

‘’Many truck and tanker drivers deliberately park on the bridges on their way to Apapa Port and obstruct vehicular movement. All these acts will end soon. We are more concerned about the menace of gridlock on roads leading to Apapa Port.

“The state government inaugurated the task force to ensure that the trucks are streamlined to allow free flow of traffic along the corridor,’’ Mr Omeje said.



He said that the gridlock created by trucks and articulated vehicles on bridges in Lagos were dangerous and had damaging effects.

“We are sitting on a keg of gunpowder because the bridges are weak as tankers, trucks and articulated vehicles are parked on them.

“When these vehicles are stationary on the bridges for a long time, they have a negative impact, including deterioration, bridge-fatigue, damage or even collapse.

“The Ijora, Eko, Carter and Third Mainland bridges were expensive projects that cost huge capital to execute,’’ Mr Omeje said.

NAN reports that the state government had mandated all owners of articulated trucks coming into Lagos to obtain the Ministry of Transportation’s Road Worthiness Certificate at any of the designated centres within 30 days.

The ultimatum on roadworthiness certificate followed the recent tragic tanker explosion on Otedola Bridge inward Ojodu Berger along Lagos-Ibadan Expressway.

Fuel tanker drivers were also directed to ply designated trailer routes – Apapa-Oworonshoki Expressway via Ogudu to Lagos-Ibadan Expressway.

http://www.akelicious.net/2018/07/trucks-to-be-barred-from-lagos-bridges.html

The Managing Director, Bank of Industry, Olukayode Pitan has said that the $750m (N250bn) syndicated loan facility which the bank received from the African Export-Import Bank would be disbursed to Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises at single digit interest rate. Pitan said this during an interview with our correspondent at the sidelines of the AFREXIM Bank Annual Meetings held in Abuja.

He said the loan to be given to entrepreneurs in Nigeria for a period of between five and seven years, would enable the bank bridge the funding gap for MSMEs which he estimated at about N700bn. Pitan explained that the N250bn is the single largest syndicated facility to be received by a development finance institution in Nigeria, adding that a total of 16 banks financed the deal.

Some of the banks that provided the fund are Africa Export-Import Bank, the ECOWAS Bank for Investment and Development, and British Arab Commercial Bank Plc, among others. He said, “There were 16 international banks that took park. Four Nigerian banks that were based in the UK were a part of it. “This money is medium term, which is three years and the interest is very good when you look at the rate Nigeria usually borrows. “The idea is to support industries. What this loan allows us to do is, it gives additional N250bn depending on the exchange rate that is used, between N230bn to N250bn to deploy to the industrial sector.

We have done our own study. “There is gap in the funding of industrial sector, to the tune of N704bn. This is our way to reduce that gap.” He said the fund would be given to companies operating in the creative industry, manufacturing and gender based businesses. This, he noted, would help reduce the unemployment rate in the country and create wealth for small and medium scale entrepreneurs. He said, “We are looking at small, medium and large enterprises.

We are looking at enterprises or companies that have a focus in using local raw materials, companies that generates that generates employment and bring down their cost of borrowing. “This loan will be deployed at less than ten per cent interest per annum. We are looking at the creative industry, light manufacturing, mining, gender business etc to promote Nigerian industrial sector.” “We are working with the Central Bank of Nigeria is that the loan we will give to Nigerian businesses will be a longer term loan of between seven to eight years for the industrial sector.”

http://www.akelicious.net/2018/07/boi-to-distribute-n250bn-afrexim-loan.html