₦airaland Forum

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Deputy minority leader of the House of
Representatives Hon. Suleiman Kawu has
commended the incoming president, General
Mohammadu Buhari for resolve not to interfere in
the process of electing the leadership of the
incoming 8th National Assembly.

It will be recalled that Buhari on Wednesday
declared that he was not interested in who
emerges as Senate President or the Speaker of
the House of Representatives.

In a statement in Abuja, Kawu who is a three-
term member of the House and a principal officer
for 8 years distinguished Buhari for former
President Olusegun Obasanjo and Goodluck
Jonathan.

He added that Buhari by his resolve has
demonstrated the that he was a true democrat.

He said: “As a three-term member of the House,
and principal officer for eight years, I know that
history has shown that all attempts by presidency
or the ruling party to impose their stooges as
leaders of the National Assembly have been
unsuccessful.

“By deciding not to impose leadership on the
lawmakers in the 8th Assembly, Buhari has once
again proven to Nigerians that he is an honest,
sincere and patriotic leader who puts the interest
of Nigeria and Nigerians over and above any other
interest.

“It shows that unlike former president Olusegun
Obasanjo and president Goodluck Jonathan,
Buhari is a man of his word, and even democratic
than the others before him.

“He has started demonstrating the change he
promised Nigerians as this will be the first time
that a Nigerian president is given the National
Assembly members free hand to choose their
leaders.

Kawu also called on the leadership of the All
Progressives Congress, APC to respect Buhari’s
declaration, stressing that the first position in
the two chambers were not for the party to
decide.

“I call on the leadership of our party the All
Progressives Congress (APC) to abide by the
decision taken by the president and not to do
anything that will undermine his position as the
leader of the party and father of the nation.

“Both senators and House of Representatives
members should be allowed to elect leaders of
their choice.

“The two presiding officers of senate president
and speaker of the House of Representatives are
not party positions which is why all MPs
participate in their election.

“The APC, can after the emergence of the
presiding officers, zone the principal positions
since that falls exclusively within the power of
the party or that of its caucuses in the National
Assembly”, he said.

Going into memory lane, the deputy minority
leader reminded APC that the imposition of
candidate has always been resisted by the
lawmakers who prefer to elect their own leaders,
warning that the party must avoid the mistakes of
the PDP.

He also urged the contenders of the positions to
note the challenges inherent in the offices.
“We are all witnesses to what happened in 2011
when the House rejected imposition of leadership
by both the presidency and the People`s
Democratic Party (PDP).

“The House project was a bipartisan movement of
members from all political parties which helped
installed the outgoing leadership of the
contributed to the formation of the APC and the
change we now have.

“It is worth mentioning that the major political
problems of the Goodluck Jonathan administration
started with the attempt to impose a leadership
on the House which was resisted. APC as a party
which came to power with the mantra of change
and we should not be quick to forget this.

“In 2007, both the presidency and the PDP
imposed Patricia Etteh on the House but she had
to resign four months after. Not deterred they
unsuccessfully again attempted to impose another
stooge as Speaker but members resisted it and
elected Dimeji Bankole.

“APC should thread the path of caution so as to
avoid being humiliated by members if it tries to
impose leadership on them.

Nigerians embraced the APC because of the
calibre of leaders like Buhari, Alhaji Atiku
Abubakar, senator Bola Tinubu, Chief John
Oyegun and many others who inspired them to
accepted the party.

“We signed a promissory note of bringing change
to Nigerians which brought us to power , we
should not start failing even before we commence
the journey.

“APC should not repeat the mistakes of the PDP
which ousted it out of power after 16 years as
this will have great consequence on the future
political fortunes of the party.

“Our leader, the president-elect has spoken and
the APC National Working Committee and the
National Executive Committee should not do
anything to undermine his stance.

“I must appreciate zeal, enthusiasm and
determination of the gladiators who are in the
race for the Speakerahip. They are all competent,
capable and possess the requisite knowlege of
leading the house

“However, i urge them to do it with caution as
the challenges before us as a party are enermous.
“I urge all stake holders to put their hands on
deck to deliver on the promisess made to Nigerians
during the campaigns”, Kawu said.

http://www.vanguardngr.com/2015/05/unlike-obasanjo-jonathan-buhari-is-a-man-of-his-word-kawu/

l refrain from sounding in this tone but the vice
chancellor has declared war. As the president of
the student's union Government,the peace of the
university community and environs is my utmost
priority but with the denigrating situation l can
see that the university management is less
concerned.

Information reaching me confirms that the
students Representative council has been
compromised and the speaker has been given an
Ultimatum to impeach a sitting president before
the 19th of this month,they will need to follow
layed down constitutional procedures but more
than 4 stages of that procedures has been
breached at the time of writing this.

It is disheartening that PRO of this great
institution in whom l had revered is busy releasing
bunch of lies to the press what do l expect? He's
trying not to get fired.

Let it be noted that dialogue has failed as access
to the vice chancellor has been denied by his
Personal Assistant,the vice chancellor is bent on
winning. He is taking it as a fight.

Gone are the days when students ask Questions
these day students are wanted dead because a
lecturer doesn't want to answer a Question,
please what else are we doing in UNIZIK? it's
indeed pathetic.

Dear Zikites,if l eventually go down ,be rest
assured l did what you sent me to do.
My removal from office will be the genesis of the
worst to befall our great institution under the
present administration.

I really can't stand aside and look ,human rights
going down the drain.

Let Aluta continua,the spirit is within.

http://myschool.com.ng/imsu/news/36548/unizik-sug-presidents-letter-to-the-students-on-the-ongoing-crisis.html

The First Lady, Dame Patience Jonathan,
has challenged women to always be responsible
and to use their positions to positively impact on
the society and the less privileged.

Represented by Mrs Peace Nnaji, the first lady
gave the advice at the Miss United Nations
Nigeria Pageant 2015 in Abuja on Sunday.
Jonathan congratulated Miss Precious Chikwendu,
who won the 2014 edition of the pageant in
Kingston, Jamaica.

She expressed optimism that such pageants would
enable contestants develop their personalities and
make them stronger and passionate to positively
impact on the society.

She said Chikwendu brought honour to Nigeria by
virtue of her not only winning the crown, but the
hosting right for the Nigerian version of the
pageant.

She added that being a beauty queen, was not
easy as it seems because the queen had to be the
best in whatever she does in order to achieve her
goals.

The first lady, however, said that the beauty of a
woman grows with the passing years.

“Remember, looking good is worth all the
troubles, this is because beauty is the totality of
the state of a woman’s health, physically,
psychologically and mentally,’’ she said.
Jonathan reminded the contestants that it was all
right to lose because there were no losers in
pageants as all contestants were winners.

She also added that pageant was not only about
winning the crown but about what was done after
the victory, and charged the contestants to be
responsible and useful to the society.

A quality, she said, the outgoing queen Chikwendu
had exhibited during her tenure.

She added that on her part, she had through non-
governmental organisations and programmes
encouraged the girl-child and women generally to
be who they want to be and express their natural
talents.

Jonathan assured the outgoing queen of her
continued support in her determination to make
young women better citizens.

Chikwendu said her NGO “Snow White Foundation’’
adopted a lifecycle approach of development,
focusing its interventions on children, their
families and the larger community with emphasis
on the less privileged.

According to her, beauty transcends the physical,
is not just an outward thing but the inner
qualities of an individual.

Chikwendu maintained that beauty pageant had
moved beyond wearing crown and cat-walking to
impact positively on the society.

The outgoing queen explained that the main focus
of the pageant was to have volunteers who were
ready to use beauty to add value to humanity.
She held that it focused on volunteer work,
adding that each contestant must have a
background in volunteer work for her community.
“This sisterhood strengthens them to see beyond
their immediate surroundings and situations and
extends their services across the globe.

“As each contestant shares ideas of how she
serves her community, more women will be
strengthened and edified because their paths
have crossed for good,” Chikwendu said.

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that
contestants at the 2015 Nigerian version of the
pageant were accessed on the basis of character,
personality, conversational skill, beauty, fashion
and intelligence.

The pageant had a category for singles; married
women, single mothers and teens because of it
believe that every woman had a voice at any stage
of her life.

Winners of the teens and married women
categories will be further groomed and will join
Miss United Nations (Nigeria) to represent
Nigeria at the main Miss United Nations Pageant
holding in July in Kingston, Jamaica.

Miss Vivian Nnamani, who represented the
Federal Capital Territory (FCT), emerged as Miss
United Nations (Nigeria) while Miss Kessy Isong,
representing Akwa Ibom, emerged as first runner
up.

However, the winners were expected to go home
with a cash reward and a brand new car.

A formal Minister of Aviation, Mr Femi Fani-
Kayode, who was one of the special guests at the
pageant, described it as exceptional.

“This is a pageant with a different, am excited to
be here and so proud about the contestants and
the organisers of the event.

“Am particularly happy that the first lady said
such nice things about the pageant and the
organisers and her assurance of continues
support,’’ he said

The 2015 Miss United Nations Nigeria Pageant
was sponsored by Chikwendu, the outgoing queen.
(NAN)


http://www.vanguardngr.com/2015/05/patience-jonathan-urges-women-to-be-responsible-always/

Jim Iyke has never had it easy with the
womenfolk. Most issues he has had with them he
never bargained for. Just like last Monday, the
actor was doing the regular thing everyone would
do after meeting with who you consider your
favourite governor in Nigeria. He posted a picture
of himself with Governor Godswill Akpabio of Akwa
Ibom State, with catchy captions to show how
much he respects the governor for his wonderful
achievements in his state.

His post was as harmless as it could get but one of
the comments he got in return must have stopped
him in his tracks. It was from a woman. Whatever
Jim had done to them? None would marry him, just
yet and this one wouldn’t let him be.

“Jim I beg you in the name of God,stop getting
married to me in my dreams. For more than three
years now I have always seen you in my dreams,
married to me. I have been praying every time
about it but it always reoccurred. Even last night
it happened again. I am tired of this. If you are
his PA show him this text message and if this is
you, I beg you in the name of God, to do something
about it” she fired in her comment to Jim Iyke’s
post of himself and Governor Akpabio in Ikot
Ekpene at the commissioning of Ritman University
last Monday.

The comment definitely got attention of Potpourri
who decided to seek the girl out who simply signed
her name as Jackiify. We got lucky again.
In a BBM chat with her later on, Potpourri found
out that the girl is a Nigerian schooling in Kuala
Lumpur, Malaysia. She goes by the name Ify
Jacob. The first thing that struck me about her
comment was that this could be a girl acting out
her fantasy and laying it out in a dramatic way.
Then I asked her if she had ever had any crush on
Jim, many girls do.

“That is where the problem is” she told me
bluntly. “ I never had a crush on him before but
all of a sudden I started having dreams that I am
married to him for more than three years now.
You cannot understand because you are not Jim or
a pastor. I don’t like it. It is disturbing to me”
she says

http://www.vanguardngr.com/2015/05/jim-iyke-stop-marrying-me-in-my-dreams-cries-nigerian-malaysian-student/

The Adamasingba Stadium Ibadan will
witness a re-enactment of the legendary rivalry
between two of Nigeria’s most successful clubs
in the 80s as Shooting Stars Sports Club(3SC)
host Rangers International of Enugu in the Glo
Premier League week 9 fixture.

Although the clubs have suffered mixed fortunes
in the ongoing season, they still enjoy a large
following among Nigerian football fans. The
two teams are in the bottom half of the table,
it is expected that the battle tomorrow is
beyond the three points at stake. History has
shown that any match between these two sides
ignites a high level of passion, particularly
among their teeming fans.

With 3SC lying 17 in the log and Rangers 13,
the match would therefore offer the two teams
the opportunity to re-enact hope in the
managements and fans. Already, Rangers
Coach, Kelechi Emeteole has been under
immense pressure to perform. Last weekend’s 1-0
victory over Heartland of Owerri provided a
breather for the embattled coach. On his part,
3SC Coach Franklin Howard who just led the
team back to the topflight at the end of last
season is under pressure to ensure they do not
return to the lower division at the end of the
season. He would want to use Rangers to kick-
start that revival.

http://www.vanguardngr.com/2015/05/shooting-stars-renew-rivalry-against-rangers/

Elated by the successful outcome of the last
general elections, former Head of State, General
Yakubu Gowon, Thursday, said that despite the
assertions of naysayers and uncertified
futurologists who predicted the break-up of
Nigeria in 2015, the effective prayers of the
people of faith moved the hands of God to
intervene in the affairs of the country.

In his remark, at a lecture entitled: “The Church
and Nigerian Nation: Impact, Challenges and the
Way Forward,” to mark the 60th Anniversary
of the Foursquare Gospel Church in Nigeria
(FGCN), held at the National Headquarters of the
Church in Lagos, Gowon who chaired the occasion
said, that Nigeria has remained together should
surprise no one because God has given the nation
the assurance that He would always answer
Nigerians whenever they call upon Him.

Recalling the events that led to the civil war in
1967-1970, he jokingly said that his colleague
Chukwuemeka Ojukwu never believed he (Gowon)
would call out Nigeria’s fighting forces to fight
against the Biafran side in order to keep Nigeria
one.

According to Gowon, the Bible has consistently
been his companion from his childhood till date,
adding that his colleague, Ojukwu had said then,
he (Gowon) was a Christian, who carries around
suitcase with a Bible inside, and so wouldn’t like
to call out the Nigerian Federal forces to war in
order to stop the secession.

Gowon said: “All my life, from childhood to this
present day, the Bible has consistently been my
companion. I discovered quite early that every
word of God contained therein speak to every
situation in the life of every man or woman, great
or small and to occurrences in every nation, big or
small. Since these words are self-evidently
true, they are reliable and unfailing. This should
surprise no one because God Himself gave us the
assurance that He would always answer when
we call upon Him.

“You will agree that, across time, happenings in
our fatherland have almost always ensured that
people of faith across denominations
in Christendom and in Islam kept unending vigil for
the love of country. Let me share a joke of what
happened before the civil war in 1967-1970. I
think it was my colleague Emeka Ojukwu that said
I know Jack, he is a Christian, who always carries
a suitcase around with the Bible inside. He
wouldn’t like to fight. Unfortunately, he was
proved wrong. However, it was through the grace
of God, that we were able to keep Nigeria one.
“It was the prayers of people of God and the
bravery of our fighting forces that kept this
country together. After the civil war, it
was wisdom from God to willing and obedient
hearts that helped us to initiate and implement
programmes that best served the interest of
the people. It was God that helped to stem the
tide of bloody coups in Nigeria so that we can
enjoy democracy today.

“Even when naysayers wrote off this nation and
various uncertified futurologists predicted the
break up of Nigeria by 2015 as a bye-product of
the recently concluded general elections, the
effective prayers of people of faith moved the
hands of God and He once more intervened in the
affairs of our dear country.”

He added: “I was in Addis Ababa for a conference
and when the news came that the incumbent
president had congratulated his
opponent, everyone at the conference was happy
and they started congratulating me and other
Nigerians at the conference. Let us imagine what
would have happened if President Goodluck
Jonathan had refused to do that.”

Speaking further, Gowon, who congratulated
Foursquare Gospel Church on the occasion of its
Diamond Jubilee celebrations, however said
religious leaders in Nigeria must stand in the gap
between temporal power and the people and must
never cease to speak the truth to those
in power, adding that religious leaders must
positively advise leaders on the way forward and
must be fair and honest in their dealings with
both sides.

He further said they must be conciliatory, not
condemnatory and help the leadership to correctly
interpret policies to the people.

According to the retired General, this will ensure
that the polity is not heated up for no reason
than the protection of the self-interest of a few
powerful elite members of the society.

In his lecture, the Guest Speaker and Vice
Chancellor, McPherson University (McU), Seriki-
Sotayo, Ogun State, Prof. Adeniyi Agunbiade, who
noted that the role of the Church and the
Nigerian State should be complimentary, urged all
Nigerians to put hands on deck with
the President-elect, Maj-Gen. Muhammadu
Buhari and his Vice, Prof. Yemi Osinbajo to bring
about the much needed change in Nigeria.

According to Agunbiade, “It’s never too late for
the Church to lay the right foundation for
leadership. The Church must partner
with government in the social advocacy to instil
moral value and honesty among Nigerians.”

Meanwhile, the General Overseer, FGCN, disclosed
that within six decades of the church’s existence,
it has been positioned as one of the country’s
leading Pentecostal movements, highly regarded
for its scrupulous adherence to the immutability
and sanctity of the word of God.

http://www.vanguardngr.com/2015/05/ojukwu-never-believed-ill-go-to-war-over-biafra-gowon/

Barely 24 hours after the Inspector-General of
Police, Mr Solomon Arase, dispatched a special
squad to Edo State to tackle the spate of cultism,
kidnapping, robbery and other related crimes, the
team has arrested 11 suspected leaders of cult
groups in the state, among them, four state
government functionaries.

Police sources said the team, led by the Deputy
Commissioner of Police in-charge of Federal
Special Anti-robbery Squad, FEDSARS, Chris
Ezike, stormed the hideout of the cultists few
hours after arriving Benin City and successfully
arrested leaders of cult confraternities for
alleged complicity and murder of 10 Nigerians in
the last one month in Edo State.

The cult leaders were arrested on suspicion of
conspiratorial involvement in alleged murder of
one Ojo Ayeadu, 55, at old Benin-Auchi Road and
nine other persons at different locations in Benin
City and its environs.

Reacting to the development, an Edo State
Government official, who spoke on the condition
of anonymity, said: “Those arrested, from what
we gathered, are junior workers of the War
Against Indiscipline. The state governor does not
condone cultism, which explains why when one of
his bodyguards was accused of being involved in
cultism, he ordered his arrest, which was done
immediately.”

Confirming the arrests, Force Public Relations
Officer, Ag Commissioner of Police, Mr Emmanuel
Ojukwu, told Vanguard on phone: “Yes, a good
number of arrests has been made, irrespective of
their status. The figures are still coming in. The
thrust of the IG is yielding positive results.”
Sources said the suspects include Engr. David
Olukoga, 46, who is the Chairman, Edo State
Committee on War Against Indiscipline and Senior
Special Assistant on Youth Enhancement to the
Governor of the State, Osunde Aigbedo, 48;
Executive Director, Special Duties, Government
House, Edo State, Dr. Salako Adebowale, 43, of
UBTH, Benin-City; Ernest Amadasun, 49, the
Managing Director, Pohien Investments and
National Coordinator, Human Assistant Initiative
and Adebo Ejuaoje, 46, of the Ministry of
Education, Science and Tech Vocational, Iyaro,
Benin City.

Other arrested suspects, according to police
sources, include Isabor Larry, 34, staff of Edo
State House of Assembly; Totti Omonuwa, 42, of
No. 97, Igun Street, Benin-City, Ahunwan-ID
Orlando, 39, of No. 2, Ighodalo Street, Benin-
City; Josuah Ehiabhi, 36, of No. 11, Upper Mission
Road, off Ewa Raod, Benin-City; Felix Evbodi, 46,
of No. 12, Aibelegbe Street, Benin-City and Uche
Chukwuka, 36, the Private Secretary to the
Chairman, Committee on Environment, Ministry of
Environment, Edo State.

They were alleged to belong to Eiye, ,
Buccaneers, Aiye and Jurist confraternities.
The suspects, Vanguard gathered, denied
complicity in the murder charge but made very
useful statements to the police. It was learned
from sources that the suspects, with others at
large, have been fingered as brains behind the
sustained and vicious inter and intra-cult war
that engulfed Edo State in recent times leading to
avoidable loss of lives.

It was gathered that following the development,
the Inspector-General of Police ordered that
robust and coordinated anti-robbery patrols of
identified black spots along Isua – Ibillo Road,
Ibillo –Lakpese – Okene roads while all Area
Commanders and Divisional Police Officers in the
area are to partake in the special operation.

http://www.vanguardngr.com/2015/05/four-edo-govt-officials-arrested-over-cult-activities/

ENUGU—Passengers in Enugu State and its
environs have expressed worry over the crash in
prices of air fares against the projections of
economic indicators.

A passenger, Mr. Emeka Dinobi, wondered why
Arik Airline and Air Peace would charge N31,000
and N28,500 respectively for a return Enugu-
Abuja ticket when a dollars sells for N220 against
N160 as at November last year.

He said: “Something must be wrong. There is no
aviation fuel,the dollar has increased by 40 per
cent and there is a crash in air fares.

“If you are rendering service to somebody and the
cost is far bellow the service, then you should be
suspect. As at last year when aviation fuel was
not scarce and dollar was N160, air fares stood at
N50,000 to and from.

“I think they are compromising standards
somewhere to bridge the gap. Safety of
passengers should be paramount in all
consideration. We would not want to hear of any
air mishap.”


http://www.vanguardngr.com/2015/05/air-passengers-in-enugu-worry-over-low-fares/

An Ikorodu Customary Court in Lagos on Friday
dissolved a 10-year-old marriage over wife’s
penchant for stealing.

The plaintiff, Mr Olawale Akanji, who resides at
Akinwale St.,Igbogbo,Ikorodu, had filed an
application seeking to divorce his wife, Afusat,
over her stealing habit, disobedience and
adultery.

In the application filed at the court in October
2014, Akanji, a carpenter, said he could no longer
tolerate his wife in the house any longer.

Akanji, 34, said the latest incident, which
informed his decision to seek divorce was the
pregnancy his wife was carrying which he
suspected did not belong to him.

The complainant, who also alleged that Afusat,
33, was constantly stealing his money from his
wardrobe, urged the court to dissolve the
marriage.

The respondent, who is a hairdresser, denied all
allegations against her.

“I don’t steal my husband’s money, even though
he is very tight fisted.

“He gives us N300 feeding allowance daily and I
will be the one to feed his old-aged mother and
father that lived with us.

“I usually fetch water for sale, that’s where I
get money to feed the family.

“He was always thinking that I am stealing his
money or I have been engaging in extra- marital
affairs, please help me save my marriage,’’ she
said.

Delivering her judgment, the President of the
Court, Mr Olu Adebiyi, said he was convinced that
the couple could no longer live together as the
petitioner insisted on divorce after several
interventions.

Adebiyi ordered the parties to go their separate
ways. He also ruled that the petitioner should
enroll the defendant in ante-natal clinic.

“The paternity of the pregnancy cannot be
established now until a DNA test proves its
ownership after delivery”.

He further directed that Akanji should pay
accommodation fees to the woman and also be
responsible for the schooling, feeding and medical
allowances of their two children.

http://www.vanguardngr.com/2015/01/court-dissolves-10-year-old-marriage-wifes-stealing-habit/

ewizard1:
All these institution has turned student to cows...

They just find one way or another to milk students.

#Imagine N7500 for Biometric Data Capturing? Na Jesus eye dem wan use dey Scan?

no be say we do anything o

ewizard1:
All these institution has turned student to cows...

They just find one way or another to milk students.

#Imagine N7500 for Biometric Data Capturing? Na Jesus eye dem wan use dey Scan?

no be say we do anything o

The worst is that the SUG President's mom is a top personality in the school

Dame Patience Jonathan, Tuesday, denied claims
that she was planning ways of preventing Hajiha
Aisha Buhari, the wife of the President-elect,
from replacing her as President of the African
First Ladies Peace Mission (AFLPM).

This was made known in statement by the Office
of the First Lady Federal Republic of Nigeria were
she declared that hosting of the 8th AFLPM
Summit slated for the 15th of May in Abuja was
not intended to prevent Aisha Buhari from taking
over from her.

Rather that AFLPM jointly agreed to hold the 8th
Summit after the Nigeria general elections and
with the understanding that if her husband did
not succeed in his re-election bid, she would
convene the summit in May 2015, to enable the
election of a new President and ensure a smooth
handover since her tenure has ended.

She said further that it is mischievous for anyone
to scheme to cause disaffection between her and
and Hajia Aisha Buhari.

The statement reads: “Our attention has been
drawn to various newspapers and social media
reports alleging that Nigeria hosting of 8th
Summit of the African First Ladies Peace Mission
Summit on May 15, 2015 is a grand design by the
First Lady, Dame (Dr) Patience Faka Jonathan to
either “rig out” or “deny” the in-coming First
Lady, Hajia Aisha Buhari the opportunity to
assume the Presidency and host the said summit in
the absence of the incumbent.

“We would have ignored this barrage of
uncharitable fallacies, but for the fact that the
mischief makers have not relented in their efforts
to deceive the unsuspecting members of the public
with lies and half truth, hence this clarification
to set the record straight.

“It would be recalled that Nigeria’s Hajia Turai
Yar’Adua was elected President of the African
First Ladies Peace Mission during the 6th Summit
in February 2008 in Congo Brazzaville for a term
of two years.

“Her tenure ought to have come to an end in 2010
when she should have organized a Summit to elect
a successor and hand over accordingly. The
unfortunate incident that led to her sudden exit
from office is well known and need not be
mentioned here,”

“This inability of the former President to
officially hand over created a leadership vacuum
in the African First Ladies Peace Mission for some
time until Her Excellency, Dame Patience
Jonathan was prevailed upon by her colleagues,
the African First Ladies to convene the Summit in
July 2012 at which she was subsequently elected
President to serve for two years.

“For the avoidance of doubt, according to its
internal regulation, the tenure of office of
President of African First Ladies Peace Mission is
for a period of two years only. This therefore
implies that the tenure of office of the incumbent
President ought to have ended in 2014, when a
fresh election should have held for a new
Executive.

“However, at the 3rd Executive Bureau meeting
of the AFLPM in Pretoria, South Africa in 2014,
Her Excellency, Dame Patience Jonathan drew the
attention of members to the then forthcoming
election in Nigeria, which preparation would not
enable her host the summit to facilitate the
election of new Executives and a handover.

“She therefore proposed that the 8th Summit
holds after the Nigeria general elections and it
was accordingly agreed that the Summit would
hold in July in Abuja with the understanding that
if her husband did not succeed in his re-election
bid, she would convene the summit in May 2015, to
enable the election of a new President and ensure
a smooth handover since her tenure has ended.

She said that the emergency Summit is to
forestall a misunderstanding that Nigeria
intentionally plans to remain in office as
President, a position it has held for the past 7
years instead of two year tenure.

“Arising from the above, it is therefore clear
that this is not a personal matter nor a
specifically a Nigeria sole affair but a continental
platform governed by its own rules and protocols
just as similar International Organizations.

“It would therefore be out of place for anyone to
insinuate that it is intended to shut out the in-
coming First Lady. This cannot be father from the
truth.

“We state therefore without any iota of
equivocation that it is mischievous for anyone to
scheme to cause disaffection between the out-
going and in-coming First Ladies, Dame Patience
Jonathan and Hajia Aisha Buhari.

“Let us therefore come together in our tradition
of hospitality to heartily welcome our guests, the
African First Ladies as they arrive Abuja for the
8th Summit of the Mission.

“Let us always remember that the personal
ambition of anybody is not worth destroying the
image of the nation. It is about Nigeria not about
Dame Patience Jonathan,”


http://www.vanguardngr.com/2015/05/patience-jonathan-denies-plans-to-rig-out-aisha-buhari-of-aflpm-presidency/

1

*Says a gentleman left a turbulent world

Abuja- President-elect, General Muhammadu
Buhari has described the death of Ambassador
Chukwuma Bamidele Azikiwe as a sad development
and an exit of a great Nigerian who was brought
up in the best tradition of national unity and
genuine African values.

General Muhammadu Buhari in a condolence
message made available to the media in Abuja
yesterday said that “with the demise of
Chukwuma Azikiwe, a gentleman has left a
turbulent world. Ambassador Azikiwe was a
thorough –bred Nigerian citizen who chose a
private life after a distinguished diplomatic
career in Nigeria’s Foreign Service. There is no
doubt that it was Ambassador Azikiwe’s humane
and refined qualities that made it possible for him
to step into the big traditional shoes of his great
father – Dr Nnamdi Azikiwe as the Owelle of
Onitsha.”

The President-elect said with the demise of the
Owelle, he had lost a friend who cared for him and
often found the time to visit at home in Kaduna.

While condoling with the Azikiwe Family, General
Muhammadu Buhari urged the Obi of Onitsha, Igwe
Nna’meka Ugochukwu Achebe and the entire
people of Onitsha Royal Kingdom to take heart and
bear the loss with fortitude.

http://www.vanguardngr.com/2015/05/buhari-mourns-chukwuma-azikiwe/

Are you aiming to enter the higher institution and
you always read and hear juicy things about
university.

There are some things which you may not like
about Nigeria university .

Poor classroom: The state of the lecture room of
some school are nothing to talk about. Some are
without windows and door due to poor
management or shortage of renovation fund.

In some school, student will have to send out
domestic animals out of their lecture room on daily
basis.

Lack of professional and qualified staff: When
you see the lecturer of some schools, you will
wonder if you are in a secondary.

Some lecturer are not up to the standard of
lecturing in the university. Some lecturer can not
do without their handbook or test book despite
been in the profession for many years.

Exploitation: Some university have created a
mechanism to suck the student dry.
You pay for almost everything either necessary or
not.

Imagine paying for sport fees even when there is
no sport activities in the school.

Poor Marking and exam standard: In the
polytechnic I attended, most of the lecturer give
out candidate exam paper for outsider or other
student to mark. This is not appropriate and this
is also common in the university. Only the
candidate that knows how to cram and pour will
benefit from this approach.

Also the method of exam timetable of some school
is Bad. Imagine a timetable where you have two
paper daily for next 5 day.

University as the lawless city: the right of the
student is dead in most of the Nigeria university.
Even when you are right you may not be able to
win against the wrong. Imagine a lecture
boasting of failing any student that fails to
appear on Sunday lecture or pay for his handout.
Some lecturer will even threaten the female
student to have intimate affair with them or
consider failing their course.

Poor standard and lack of superior check:
Sometimes ago when I was still in the schooling
environment, in my 2nd year precisely. There was
a compulsory payment which must be paid a week
to the exam and thousands of student were eager
to see that they made the payment. While we wait
outside to pay in the school designated payment
office, the staff in this office were busy
watching films and discussing irrelevant issue:


This happens in many institutions and will
continue to exist whenever the superior check is
missing or omitted.

Also the state of the electricity in some school is
poor. There should be constant electricity to
better enhance the quality of Education.[b]Are you aiming to enter the higher institution and
you always read and hear juicy things about
university.

There are some things which you may not like
about Nigeria university .

Poor classroom: The state of the lecture room of
some school are nothing to talk about. Some are
without windows and door due to poor
management or shortage of renovation fund.

In some school, student will have to send out
domestic animals out of their lecture room on daily
basis.

Lack of professional and qualified staff: When
you see the lecturer of some schools, you will
wonder if you are in a secondary.

Some lecturer are not up to the standard of
lecturing in the university. Some lecturer can not
do without their handbook or test book despite
been in the profession for many years.

Exploitation: Some university have created a
mechanism to suck the student dry.
You pay for almost everything either necessary or
not.

Imagine paying for sport fees even when there is
no sport activities in the school.

Poor Marking and exam standard: In the
polytechnic I attended, most of the lecturer give
out candidate exam paper for outsider or other
student to mark. This is not appropriate and this
is also common in the university. Only the
candidate that knows how to cram and pour will
benefit from this approach.

Also the method of exam timetable of some school
is Bad. Imagine a timetable where you have two
paper daily for next 5 day.

University as the lawless city: the right of the
student is dead in most of the Nigeria university.
Even when you are right you may not be able to
win against the wrong. Imagine a lecture
boasting of failing any student that fails to
appear on Sunday lecture or pay for his handout.
Some lecturer will even threaten the female
student to have intimate affair with them or
consider failing their course.

Poor standard and lack of superior check:
Sometimes ago when I was still in the schooling
environment, in my 2nd year precisely. There was
a compulsory payment which must be paid a week
to the exam and thousands of student were eager
to see that they made the payment. While we wait
outside to pay in the school designated payment
office, the staff in this office were busy
watching films and discussing irrelevant issue:


This happens in many institutions and will
continue to exist whenever the superior check is
missing or omitted.

Also the state of the electricity in some school is
poor. There should be constant electricity to
better enhance the quality of Education.[/b]Are you aiming to enter the higher institution and
you always read and hear juicy things about
university.

There are some things which you may not like
about Nigeria university .

Poor classroom: The state of the lecture room of
some school are nothing to talk about. Some are
without windows and door due to poor
management or shortage of renovation fund.

In some school, student will have to send out
domestic animals out of their lecture room on daily
basis.

Lack of professional and qualified staff: When
you see the lecturer of some schools, you will
wonder if you are in a secondary.

Some lecturer are not up to the standard of
lecturing in the university. Some lecturer can not
do without their handbook or test book despite
been in the profession for many years.

Exploitation: Some university have created a
mechanism to suck the student dry.
You pay for almost everything either necessary or
not.

Imagine paying for sport fees even when there is
no sport activities in the school.

Poor Marking and exam standard: In the
polytechnic I attended, most of the lecturer give
out candidate exam paper for outsider or other
student to mark. This is not appropriate and this
is also common in the university. Only the
candidate that knows how to cram and pour will
benefit from this approach.

Also the method of exam timetable of some school
is Bad. Imagine a timetable where you have two
paper daily for next 5 day.

University as the lawless city: the right of the
student is dead in most of the Nigeria university.
Even when you are right you may not be able to
win against the wrong. Imagine a lecture
boasting of failing any student that fails to
appear on Sunday lecture or pay for his handout.
Some lecturer will even threaten the female
student to have intimate affair with them or
consider failing their course.

Poor standard and lack of superior check:
Sometimes ago when I was still in the schooling
environment, in my 2nd year precisely. There was
a compulsory payment which must be paid a week
to the exam and thousands of student were eager
to see that they made the payment. While we wait
outside to pay in the school designated payment
office, the staff in this office were busy
watching films and discussing irrelevant issue.

Some staff will resume late and close early:
This happens in many institutions and will
continue to exist whenever the superior check is
missing or omitted.

Also the state of the electricity in some school is
poor. There should be constant electricity to
better enhance the quality of Education.

http://myschool.com.ng/school/news/36401/7-things-you-will-dislike-about-nigerian-higher-institutions.html

…tasks him on dividends of democracy

Abuja – The European Union (EU) on Saturday
urged the President-elect, retired Maj.-Gen.
Muhammadu Buhari to ensure that Nigerians
enjoyed the democracy dividends.

The EU Ambassador to Nigeria and ECOWAS, Mr
Michel Arrion, made the call at the Europe Day
2015 in Abuja.

Arrion explained that democracy meant nothing to
the common man except it led to the improvement
in their standards of living.

“But democracy only makes meaning to the
common man to the extent that it delivers good
governance, creates opportunities and improves
the quality of living.

“Nigeria is rich, but Nigerians are poor. The
incoming administration will have a lot to do in this
regard.

“It must ensure that Nigeria’s massive population
is galvanised into a formidable productive force
that will generate wealth that is equally or rather
equitably shared among all citizens,” he said.
According to Arrion, as the new government
comes on stream, the world will want to see a
Nigeria with the basic freedoms that distinguish
democratic societies.

“The government must ensure that the basic
freedoms including economic rights and welfare
are not the exclusive preserve of a privileged
few.

The EU envoy reminded Buhari of his promises
before and after his election to pursue three
priority objectives.

He said the first objective set by the President-
elect was “to swiftly end the insurgency in the
North East and restore peace and stability.
According to him, the second is to eradicate
corruption, while the third is to put policies in
place to put Nigeria’s economy on a proper
footing.

He said that these goals set for the incoming
government match closely the European Union’s
vision for the country.

“Let me add a fourth objective that is very
important for the European Union: regional
integration,” he said.

Arrion said the EU strongly believed that peace
and stability, as well as the economic development
of Nigeria were achievable.

According to him, they will be better achieved
within the framework of a closer and deeper co-
operation of Nigeria with its neighbours in West
and Central Africa.

“It is in that global context that the partnership
between Nigeria and the EU is taking place.
“I am delighted to state that Nigeria and EU do
share very strong relations of mutual trust and
partnership.

“And I am very happy to confirm the excellent
quality of our local political and policy dialogue
between the 21 European Ambassadors and High
Commissioner and the Government of Nigeria.”

He commended Nigeria and Nigerians for the
success of the general elections, saying the last
three months were very special for Nigerian
citizens.

“We are happy that Nigeria has got it right, and
look forward to other African countries following
its good example,” he said.

The EU envoy commended outgoing President
Goodluck Jonathan for gracefully “accepting the
outcome of the election so that his country can
move on.”


http://www.vanguardngr.com/2015/05/nigeria-is-rich-but-nigerians-are-poor-eu-tells-buhari/

Adeogun Adeola, the Chief Organiser
of 2015 Lagos State Carnival, has projected that
Saturday’s carnival involving elaborate costumes,
pomp and pageantry would generate N1 billion to
government’s purse.

Adeola, also the Special Adviser to the Lagos
State Commissioner for Tourism, said this in an
interview in Lagos.

The 2015 Lagos State Carnival will be held at the
Tafawa Balewa Square in Lagos from 6.30 a.m. on
May 9.

He said the N1 billion would be generated from
sales of handcraft and cultural memorabilia.
“Most of the items that will be sold there are
made by the special skill acquisition centres
established by the state government.
“We have invested so much in this year’s carnival
and we look forward to great harvest and
satisfaction of tourists.

“We have many products to be sold to most of the
attendees and lovers of traditional attires.
“Students from the state’s special skill
acquisition centres will have an exhibition of their
products,“ Adeola said.

He said that the carnival would commence at 6:30
a.m. with a procession from Bourdilon through
Campus Square to Tafawa Balewa Square, all on
the Lagos Island.

According to him, 35 carnival groups in Lagos will
participate in the procession.

He said that the yearly carnival, which started in
2010, was aimed at celebrating the state’s
ancestry and her economic growth.

“Lagos State is known as the centre for commerce
and has been experiencing spontaneous growth in
the past years.

“This carnival is another avenue to celebrate the
rapid economic growth and Lagos’s rich culture.
Adeola also said that necessary facilities had been
put in place to ensure that tourists were
comfortable during the festival.

“We have made arrangements too for the LAGBUS
to convey tourists to the site from different
locations within the state.

“Fifteen thousand cartoons of noodles will to be
dished out to the first 15,000 tourists who get to
the venue early enough,“ he said.

http://www.vanguardngr.com/2015/05/lasg-to-generate-n1b-from-2015-lagos-state-carnival/

ABUJA — The Department of Petroleum
Resources, DPR; Nigerian National Petroleum
Corporation, NNPC, and its downstream
subsidiary, the Pipelines and Products Marketing
Company, PPMC, yesterday assured Nigerians that
the ongoing fuel scarcity will thin out in the next
couple of days.

This was even as the fuel crisis continued
unabated across the country as majority of the
fuel stations remained shut, while motorists
struggled to purchase the commodity from the few
petrol stations that were selling.

The DPR blamed the scarcity on a shortfall in fuel
supply, stating that over the last couple of days,
product lifting to the FCT had dropped
significantly compared to actual demand.

Speaking in an interview with Vanguard, Mr.
Mohammed Saidu, Head, Public Relations, DPR,
Abuja, blamed the scarcity partly on the strike
embarked upon by the Nigerian Association of
Road Transport Owners, NARTO and Petroleum
Tanker Drivers, PTD, stating that despite the
fact that the strike had been called off, it will
take between seven to eight days for supply to
stabilize.

Saidu further stated that the DPR had constituted
a task force to enforce the sale of the product to
motorists and also to eliminate sharp practices.
He said: “The function of the taskforce is to
ensure that the limited quantity supplied to the
FCT is sold to motorists. Though, we get reports
that most petrol stations are engaged in illegal
activities at night, due to the fact that the
taskforce do not work at night. We hope to deal
with such cases decisively.”

He expressed optimism that fuel supply to the FCT
will improve in the next couple of days, projecting
a rise in fuel supply to meet actual demand by next
week.

According to him, fuel import has improved, adding
that the only challenge is in the lifting of the
products from the depots.

We have 31 days fuel supply — NNPC, PPMC
Also, the NNPC and the PPMC stated that they
have 1.2 billion litres of premium motor spirit
(PMS) otherwise known as petrol, in stock.

The quantity, according to a statement by Mr. Ohi
Alegbe, Group General Manager, Group Public
Affairs Division, NNPC, translates to 31 days
sufficiency going by the 40 million daily
consumption of the product in the country.
Managing Director of the PPMC, Prince Haruna
Momoh, further stated that 21 additional vessels
laden with petroleum products are offshore Lagos
waiting to berth.

He said the NNPC had made adequate
arrangements to ensure energy sufficiency in the
country and reassured motorists that the
noticeable queues at the filling stations would
thin out in the days ahead.

Momoh noted that the NNPC has 21 days
sufficiency of Automative Gas Oil (AGO) otherwise
known as diesel and 18 days sufficiency of Dual
Purpose Kerosene (DPK) otherwise known as
kerosene.

He announced that as part of efforts to ensure
petroleum products sufficiency and distribution,
the NNPC embarked on aggressive Reception
Depots rehabilitation in 2011, adding: “As at
today, 18 depots out of the 23 depots have been
fully recovered with the exception of Makurdi,
Yola and Maiduguri due to the activities of
pipeline vandals.”

N41bn lost to pipeline vandalism in 2014

Momoh further stated that the corporation
suffered petroleum products losses worth N40.8
billion through pipeline vandalism in 2014,
stressing that no business could survive such a
loss and still remain a going concern.

Momoh noted that there was a marginal increase
in pipeline vandalism, stressing that in 2013, the
corporation recorded 3517 vandalized points but
in 2014 the figure increased to 3774.

He observed that as at today, 97 pipeline vandals
are undergoing prosecution and regretted that
since the cases started a few years ago none of
the accused persons has been convicted for
economic sabotage.

He called on Nigerians from all walks of life,
especially those living in communities where the
pipelines run through, to protect the pipelines in
the national interest.

http://www.vanguardngr.com/2015/05/fuel-crisis-ends-in-days-dpr-nnpc-ppmc-assure/

Gov.Tanko Al-Makura of Nasarawa state on
Tuesday, promised automatic employment to any
newly deployed corps member who marries an
indigene of the state. He made the pledge while
addressing 2015 NYSC Batch ‘A’ corp members,
during their swearing in- ceremony at Magaji Dan
Yamusa permanent NYSC Orientation camp in Keffi
Local Government Area of the state.

He said that inter-marriage by corps members
would not only foster unity, also promote peaceful
co-existence among the people of the state and
others states of the federation. He congratulated
the corps members for the successful completion
of their academic programmes at their various
institutions of learning.

“I urge you to use the lessons and experience you
gained during this orientation course to develop
yourselves, your host communities, the state and
the Nigeria at large.

“You should see yourselves as agent of positive
change in the society. “I want to advise you to
discharge your duties without fear or favour, and
relate freely with your host communities. “I
promise automatic employment to any NYSC Batch
‘A’ corps member who marries an indigenes in
order to promote peaceful co-existence among
the people of the state and others states of the
country.” Al-Makura said.

Al-Makura also assured the corps members of
adequate security throughout their service year
in the state. He urged them to be security
conscious, and to report any security breach to
the appropriate authorities for necessary action.
He urged them to be agents of national unity, and
to shun all forms of violence capable of
threatening the existing peace of the state and
the country at large.

The governor reinstated the state government’s
determination to continue to support the scheme,
in order to better the welfare of the corps
members. Earlier Mrs. Christy Uba, the Nasarawa
state NYSC director, commended Gov.Al-Makura
for his support to the scheme in the state. She
said since the beginning of this orientation
course, the corps members had exhibited good
conduct. A total of 1931 corp members have so far
registered at the orientation camp.


http://www.vanguardngr.com/2015/05/gov-al-makura-promises-automatic-employment-to-any-corps-member-who-marries-an-indigene-of-the-state/

Kaduna—Kaduna State governor-elect, Malam
Nasiru El-Rufai, yesterday alerted the general
public to apprehend any person solicing for fund in
his name.

The alert, sent out in a statement in Kaduna by
Mr Samuel Aruwan, the governor-elect’s
spokesperson, said such persons were criminals
and should be treated as such.

According to Aruwan, an impostor has created an
e-mail address in the name of the governor-elect
and is criminally soliciting money from the general
public.

The statement reads: “Some fraudster with email
address: nelrufai@hotmail.com claiming to be
Malam Nasir Ahmad El-Rufai, Kaduna State
Governor-Elect, has sent scam messages asking
people to remit N150,000 to a Mainstreet Bank
account.

“This is not only a theft of identity; but case of
fraud, impersonation and total misrepresentation
of the person of the Kaduna State Governor-
elect, Malam Nasir Ahmad El-Rufai.

“We are by this notice calling on the general
public to disregard any electronic message and
others received in this regard, it is criminal and
not from the person of the governor-elect.
“The public should not only disregard fraudster(s)
impersonating Malam El-Rufai; but report him/
her/them to security agencies or alert office of
the governor-elect for prompt action.

“This is a clear case of impersonation as the
governor-elect will never ask anyone for money in
this way. Anyone that receives this kind of email
request should know it is not from Malam El-Rufai
but fraudulent elements.

“The case has been reported to Hotmail and the
relevant law enforcement agencies for further
necessary action,” it stated.


http://www.vanguardngr.com/2015/05/arrest-any-person-soliciting-for-fund-in-my-name-el-rufai/

Former Secretary-General of
Commonwealth, Chief Emeka Anyaoku,Wednesday
told president-elect, General Mohammadu Buhari
that the expectations of Nigerians from the
incoming government were high, urging him not to
fail the people.

The expectations, Anyaoku said, were hinged on
the campaign promises of the president-elect.
Speaking to Journalists during his congratulatory
visit to Buhari at the Defence House in Abuja,
Anyaoku also extolled the virtues of the incoming
president, saying he was a discipline man who was
averse to corruption.

He said: “I had useful discussions with president-
elect, congratulated him on his victory and told
him he’s coming in as president on a very high
wave of expectations throughout the country. I
also told him that the high expectations are based
on the promises he made during his campaign to
the people but more importantly on the general
perception of his character.

“He is perceived as a man with very strong sense
of discipline, a man who is truly averse to
corruption, a man whose lifestyle has been frugal
not ostentatious or opulent and above all a man
who is very committed to the welfare of the
masses. I believe that if his administration
reflects these qualities that the country’s
challenges and problems would be effectively
tackled.”

Asked by Journalists to offer a diplomatic advise
to the incoming government with regards to the
xenophobic attacks in South Africa, Anyaoku
stated that the president-elect should continue
to work with the South Africa president.

He advised Nigerians living in Indonesia to be law
abiding in their host country.

“I think that Nigeria’s relations with the world at
the moment is quite good. We have had a tiff with
the South African situation but not with the
South African government. I think the xenophobic
attacks on foreigners in SA has been condemned
by the SA government.

http://www.vanguardngr.com/2015/05/nigerians-are-counting-on-your-campaign-promises-anyaoku-tells-buhari/

A GROUP, United Nigerians In Diaspora, UNID, has
called on the Federal Government to prevail on
the Indonesian government to stay action on its
plans to execute eight more Nigerian citizens for
drug related offences.

Briefing newsmen in Lagos, the group’s
president, Mr. Paschal Okolie, condemned what it
described as the poor attitude of the government
towards the recent execution of four Nigerians in
Indonesia.

His words: ”Considering that the next batch of
execution will take place in no distant time in
Indonesia, we urge the good people of Nigeria and
our government to rise up with the entire world to
stop further executions of Nigerians. Enough of
the killings. Nigeria should leverage on the strong
bilateral relationship it has with Indonesia and
negotiate to stop the execution of the eight
waiting to be killed. In as much as we totally
condemn drug trafficking and wish to sensitise
intending traffickers on the consequences that
awaits offenders, we also condemn capital
punishment especially since it has not been able to
quell the issue of drug trafficking in Indonesia.”
Okolie who gave names of those awaiting further
execution as, Michael Titus Igwe, Kingsley
Okonkwo, Uchenna Onyewuru, Eugene Ape,
Hunphery Ejike, Obinna Nwajiagu, Benjamin
Onuoha and Ikenna Abanukwu, said, ”Nigerian
Embassy in Indonesia is longer concerned with
passport renewals than the welfare or security of
Nigerians. Those Nigerians killed were not giving
fair trial, there is language barrier which made it
impossible for them to defend themselves
properly, Nigerian embassy did not even send
representatives to court to assist them, so they
were left at the mercy of Indonesia which was
bent on killing them.”

‘’Most times Nigerians are thrown into prisons for
more than four months without anyone knowing
about it. They are tortured and some even die in
the process. The way a country treats her
citizens, is a reflection of how the citizens will be
treated in foreign lands. Therefore, we feel it is
high time our government rose to the occasion to
ameliorate the plight of its citizens.’’

“we expected our government to show concern
just like other countries whose nationals were
involved. The way a government treats its
citizens, is a reflection of how the citizens are
likely to be treated in foreign lands. Therefore,
we feel it is high time our government rose to the
occasion to ameliorate the plights of its citizens
no matter the circumstance.

We use this opportunity to appeal to the youth, to
beware of the kind of friendships they keep as
well as activities they engage themselves. One of
the reasons there are many young Nigerians in
prisons in different countries of the world today,
is due to get rich quick syndrome, fast track. But
in the end, they lose everything including their
lives.”


http://www.vanguardngr.com/2015/05/8-more-nigerians-face-execution-in-indonesia-diaspora-group/

ABUJA—The House of Representatives is to
commence consideration of the Petroleum
Industry Bill, PIB, next week.

Deputy speaker of the House, Rep Emeka
Ihedioha who disclosed this at yesterday’s plenary
announced that clean copies of the report of its
ad hoc committee on the bill has been circulated
to lawmakers.

Vanguard recalls that the ad hoc committee led by
the House Chief Whip, Rep Ishaku Mohammed
Bawa, PDP, Taraba had presented the report, in
March 2015 after almost three years of its
assignment.

The committee had scrutinised the whole 363
sections and annexures of the original bill and
made some amendments and recommendations.
The 23-member ad hoc committee had held public
hearings in the six geopolitical zones, including
the Federal Capital Territory ,FCT, which
afforded stakeholders and general public the
opportunity to make contributions to the law.
The original bill covered salient areas such as
establishment of the Petroleum Equalisation Fund,
incorporation of National Gas Company,
establishment of petroleum directorate and
National Asset Management Company as well as
imposition of new tax regime such as Nigeria
Carbon Tax.

In the report, the committee recommended the
“complete removal” of section 191 of the bill that
gives the president discretional powers to grant
petroleum licences and lease and instead proposed
biddings for the award of licences.

Vanguard recalls that the 7th Assembly killed the
PIB at the very last minute of its existence in
June 2011.

http://www.vanguardngr.com/2015/05/reps-set-to-consider-petroleum-industry-bill-next-week/

One of the first major tasks the administration of
Gen. Muhammadu Buhari will have to contend with
will be how to finance the 2015 budget in the
wake of low oil price and rising threats from
declining revenue.
This becomes very critical when viewed against
the backdrop of the tough economic conditions
witnessed over the last couple of months in the
country, especially in the area of declining crude
oil and gas receipts and Federal Government’s
inability to meet some of its financial obligations.
Budget highlights
It was bad enough that the 2015 budget was
being passed more than four months into the
year, and was passed by the House of
Representatives some days ago at a higher spend
rate. The House increased the budget to N4.493
trillion from the N4.358 trillion proposed by the
Executive, without taking into consideration the
prevailing volatility in crude oil prices. The House
also removed the provisions for petroleum subsidy.
Key highlights of the budget passed by the House
of Representatives include: N2.607 trillion for
recurrent (non-debt) expenditure; N556.995
billion for capital expenditure, N375.616 billion
for statutory transfer while N953.620 billion was
allocated for debt service.
The budget was passed on the basis of crude oil
sales at $53 per barrel, production estimate of
2.2782 million barrels per day, and an exchange
rate of N190 to the dollar. This led to a deficit of
N1.075 trillion, representing 1.12 per cent of the
country’s Gross Domestic Product, GDP.
Initial proposal
Nigerian Government, guided by the declining oil
price, had proposed aggregate budget revenue of
N3.602 trillion made up of oil revenue of N1.918
trillion and non-oil revenues of N1.684 to fund
aggregate budget expenditure of N4.46 trillion
inclusive of SURE-P.
The expenditure figure, according to the Minister
of Finance, Dr. Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, comprised
N412 billion for Statutory Transfers, N943 billion
for Debt Service, N2.616 trillion for Recurrent
(Non-Debt) and N634 billion for Capital
Expenditure (inclusive of SURE-P).
The Government had earlier envisaged a fiscal
deficit of N755 billion, or 0.79 per cent of GDP in
2015, down from N994 billion or 1.24 per cent of
GDP in the 2014 Budget.
According to the Finance Minister, this deficit is
well under the three per cent of GDP encapsulated
in the Fiscal Responsibility Act 2007, which is also
the international norm.
She said, “Projected fiscal deficit in 2015 is 0.79
per cent of GDP and it will remain under one per
cent of GDP in the medium-term. This 2015 deficit
of N755 billion, is to be financed by domestic
borrowing of N570 billion, and N255 billion from
other sources such as the Stabilisation Fund,
signature bonuses, sale of government
properties, and privatisation proceeds.”
Palliatives for oil crash
To fund the budget and prevent a decline in the
country’s revenue, the Goodluck Jonathan’s
administration lined up a number of initiatives to
cushion against the effect of the low oil price.
Specifically, Okonjo-Iweala had announced a
number of austerity measures, including ban on
foreign travels by civil servants unless for
purposes that could be fully defended as
absolutely necessary.
The Government also cancelled foreign training
programmes, proposing that all trainings will be
done in-country, while it envisaged the
elimination of duplication among the functions of
the Ministries, Departments and Agencies, mass,
by working on the Steve Oronsaye Report.
Part of the immediate steps to cushion the fall in
oil revenue Okonjo-Iweala said, was to
significantly increase non-oil revenue in the
country, while announcing an aggressive tax
administration in which private jets, yachts,
champagne and a list of others to be announced
would be taxed.

It is anticipated that the Senate’s version and
the harmonised version of the budget might be
slightly different from the one passed by the
House. The challenge however is how the proposed
aggregate revenue of N3.602 trillion made up of
oil revenue of N1.918 trillion in the budget would
be achieved in the face of dwindling revenues due
to the volatility in oil price.

Immediate impact

The low crude oil price has started to take its toll
on Nigeria’s economy, triggering a huge decline in
the country’s foreign reserves and engendering a
free fall of the naira, and a host of others.
Already, in the April Federation Account
Allocation Committee, FAAC, meeting, it was
stated that the country recorded a revenue
shortfall of N 86.42 billion, due to a N78.36 billion
decline from oil revenue.

To make matters worse, oil majors recently
warned that the country risks losing up to $10
billion about N2 trillion in revenue from oil and
gas if oil traded around an average of $53 per
barrel in 2015.

The average oil price between January and April
2015 was about $50 per barrel, with concerns
that it might slide even lower.

Particularly, oil and gas companies in the country
are already considering cutting down on their
investments in the country, while a number of oil
and gas projects in the country have been
suspended. These are grave signs that financing
the budget would pose a herculean task.

Also few of the oil companies have already begun
to cut down on their staff strength as well as
slashing salaries, a development that portends a
dangerous signal for the economy.

Furthermore, oil companies are now giving
conditions for additional investments in Nigeria,
warning that they might be forced to discontinue
some of their operations and activities unless
certain conditions were met by the Federal
Government.

Predictions of gloom

Specifically, PricewaterhouseCoopers, PWC, in a
report titled, ‘Fit for $50 oil in Africa: Will the
boom go bust?” warned that countries in West
Africa, which are already highly dependent on oil
exports will be faced with potential austerity
measures and budget reviews.

According to the report, oil revenues make up a
large portion of the GDP for many African
countries and if the current price environment
persists, this could result in slowed development.
Written by Chris Bredenhann, PwC Africa Oil &
Gas Advisory Leader, and Derek Boulware, Senior
Manager, Oil & Gas Africa, the report maintained
that oil and gas explorers will be scrutinising and
likely reducing their budgets and deciding where
to allocate their limited capital spend given the
new price environment.

It added that this might include rationalisation of
portfolios, in addition to adopting general cost-
cutting measures on discretionary capital
expenditure.

PwC further stated that areas where limited
infrastructure is currently in place are also likely
to suffer, due to the fact that external
investment is needed to develop the requisite
infrastructure.

It said, “In these areas, development of existing
discoveries may end up on ice unless there is a
domestic need for the resource. Host governments
in Africa could also see a major impact on their
bottom lines caused by the suppressed price
environment.

“Those whose economies are not well diversified
will be hardest hit and may have to consider
austerity measures and a revision of the
government’s budget.”

It further stated that Oilfield service (OFS)
companies, in spite of cutting back on their
spending, would also be under extreme pressure
by oil companies to drop their prices.
“The cost of contracting to conduct data
acquisition, such as 2D and 3D seismic surveys
already dropped by 65 per cent between 2013 and
2014. Some predict that the cost of hiring
offshore rigs may fall by nearly 40 per cent,” they
said.

In general, PwC agreed that additional
exploration may be put on hold, adding however
that development projects are expected to
continue as planned.

IOCs’ chiefs speak

Also commenting on the development, Chairperson
of the Oil Producer Trade Section, OPTS of the
Lagos Chamber of Commerce and Industry, LCCI,
Ms. Elisabeth Proust, noted that Nigeria has
already started feeling the impact of the low oil
price. She said this was evident in the dwindling
revenue and the slowing down or outright
cancellation of a number of infrastructure
projects across the country.

She said, “We estimate that if crude oil prices
average $53 per barrel in 2015, compared to
$77.5 per barrel in 2014, the Federal Government
of Nigeria’s oil and gas revenue will decline by an
equivalent of $10 billion this year, or a gut-
wrenching equivalent of 30 per cent.”

Proust further stated that low crude oil prices
have significantly reduced the level of investable
funds of oil and gas operators, especially at a
timewhen competition for investments is
sharpening, and has also made it very difficult for
Nigeria to meet its Joint Venture funding needs.
To continue investing in Nigeria and for the oil
and gas industry to unlock its potential,
positioning Nigeria to attract the required
investment, Proust urged the Government to
create a conducive business environment. It
should also provide the necessary funding of joint
ventures, JVs, with the Nigerian National
Petroleum Corporation, NNPC, and ensure globally
competitive fiscals and domestic gas process.
According to Proust, unlocking the oil and gas
industry’s potential could add about 1.5 million
barrels of oil equivalent production by 2020,
thereby growing the country’s revenue profile.
Similarly, Vice President, Nigeria and Gabon, Shell
Upstream International, Markus Droll, said the low
oil price has brought about a changing economic
environment and rising cost.

For oil majors to continue investing in the
country, Droll called for a review of the fiscal
environment in order to ensure an attractive
investment climate for all stakeholders in the
industry.

He argued that fiscal stability and fiscal
predictability remain even more crucial today than
they did last year, adding that government
revenue can be forecast reliably and all parts of
the sector can actually plan their work load.
“If we succeed in this, then I am confident that
Nigeria will be able to attract the capital that is
needed. If we fail our few investments will dry up
fast and production level will decline shortly after
that,” he stated.

He further called for increased security around oil
facilities, deployment of effective strategies to
curb oil theft, increased funding for capital
projects and ongoing projects.

“Nigeria has one of the oldest and most
impressive oil industries in Africa but requires
focus on effective management of the industry
and alignment of all the key players. The success
is there to be achieved, but it will require hard
work and importantly it will require cooperation,”

Droll added.

On his part, Managing Director, Shell Petroleum
Development Company, SPDC, Mr. Osagie Okunbor,
called for a renegotiation of terms among the
operators and the government, as majority of the
contracts were entered into before the decline in
oil prices.

According to him, if the basic issue of
proliferation of regulatory agencies, tenure of oil
licences and renewals are not resolved, no
shareholder will agree to commit investment,
especially at this period of lower oil prices.

He said, “With oil prices where they are and with
all the uncertainties around, this is hardly the
time for parties on the government and industry
sides to be doing their individual things. We really
need to come together and agree on the priorities
we have.

“We all have a programme that we have agreed
for 2015. Most of that essentially started before
this radical drop in prices. So, both sides need to
sit together and say what is the impact of this or
what do we sensibly do going forward such that we
don’t get into the business of stopping projects
half-way and we end up incurring more cost.”

Managing Director, ExxonMobil Companies in
Nigeria, Mr. Nolan O’Neal, decried the prolonged
tendering process in Nigeria compared to other
countries, and called on the authorities to put in
place efforts to address this issue.

NNPC stresses prioritisation

However, the Group Coordinator, Corporate
Planning & Strategy, NNPC, Mr. Tim Okon,
emphasized the need for Government to identify a
clear set of scenarios for where oil prices may go.
He also stressed the need to develop a set of
practical options on how to respond to continuous
evolutions in the prices at present and in the
future.

According to him, hard times call for a hard-nosed
examination of existing plans to spend large
significant capital in the oil and gas sector.

He said, “It will be important for the Federal
Government of Nigeria and for the NNPC to
maintain a prudent level of capital spending to
support cash generation in the medium term and
to develop critical infrastructure to build the
country’s gas and power sector.

“However, we also believe projects in Nigeria
currently exhibit low capital productivity and
there is much you can do in terms of right
scoping, design-to-value, more effective
contractor management and lean construction in
order to deliver projects at lower cost.”

He maintained that even with falling gas prices
Nigerian liquefied natural gas, LNG projects are
likely to be profitable, noting however, that this
will depend on their ability to come on stream on
time and on budget.

According to him, the continued uncertainty
around the future of Brass, Olokola LNG, and
Train 7 of the NLNG will not help Nigeria establish
itself as a credible seller of LNG in the global
markets.

Okon also called on the NNPC to take a rigorous
look at its overall capital expenditure, CAPEX
programme so that non-critical projects are
cancelled or deferred while the truly critical
project portfolio is pursued with an intensive cost
optimisation approach.

According to him, now is the time to challenge and
overhaul expensive design, procurement and
construction practices and agreements to
aggressively strip out costs and reset
performance targets to get the best return on
investment.

He said, “Falling global prices for oil and gas
means countries as well as companies come under
pressure to reduce costs. With global investors
critically re-examining their asset and
investment portfolio, there will be increasing
pressure on governments to reduce their take.
However, as important as the level of taxation is
the predictability of the regulatory regime.

http://www.vanguardngr.com/2015/05/oil-crash-dwindling-revenue-threaten-nigerias-2015-budget/

UNITED States Ambassador to Nigeria, James
Entwistle, has hailed Nigerian media’s
enlightenment on the use of card readers and
permanent voter cards for the just concluded
2015 election, saying that the innovations helped
in ensuring the success of the national and state
elections.

The ambassador spoke at an event organised at
the American Embassy in Abuja to mark this
year’s World Press Freedom Day.

Entwistle applauded the Nigerian media for its
nationalistic approach, particularly in ensuring
that the electorate was duly informed of the
importance of the card readers and the PVCs,
which held to make the difference in the polls.
The envoy also praised the media for helping to
propagate the message of peace before, during
and after the elections, thereby bringing about
non-violent outcomes.

Entwistle said: “I was also impressed with the
manner in which Nigeria media took up the cause
of non-violence and regularly called the on
candidates to publicly take what I call the non-
violence pledge. Freedom of the press in the First
Amendment of the Bill of Rights, states that in as
much as this freedom is backed up, it should not
be seen as something at one’s disposal.”

The ambassador urged the media to avoid single
sources and push for a balanced opinion, no
matter how reliable the source may be. According
to him, the approach would help to reduce
misinformation of facts, which may taint the
image of the press.

Entwistle said that the Press Freedom Day was a
celebration of an important freedom for the
press, as it brings to the fore the significance of
the freedom of the press and remind the
governments of their duty to respect and uphold
the right to freedom of expression enshrined in
Article 19 of the Universal Declaration of Human
Rights.

Mr Samson Itodo, who is the Head Research Policy
and Advocacy of the Youth Initiative For
Advocacy, Growth and Development, said the
media did credibly well in raising the confidence of
the electorate and also commended the US envoy
for his campaign of non-violence before the
elections. Itodo also criticized the National
Broadcasting Commission over failure to regulate
the hate and vitriolic speeches that dominated
the airwaves stressing that the media should
assist in building institutions for the interest of
the people rather than the government in power.
Managing Director, Daar News Services, Mr Imoni
Amarere, in his contribution sought to play down
on the attack on his organisation for being
partisan, claiming that the station played by the
rule during the campaigns. Amarere, however,
accused sections of the media of succumbing to
partisanship and throwing professionalism to the
winds, adding that some others succumbed to
political pressure, proprietary interest and the
lure of advert revenue to do some unethical
things.

He noted that useful lessons were learnt from the
elections stressing that it is possible for the
people to wrestle power and sovereignty and hand
same to who they please.


http://www.vanguardngr.com/2015/05/2015-polls-medias-role-on-pvc-use-card-readers-made-difference-entwistle/

hilarious

The National Association of Nigerian
Students (NANS), Monday, warned the President
elect, Gen. Muhammadu Buhari against any
attempt to remove fuel subsidy, saying such
action would be vehemently resisted.

Similarly, it called on the out going President
Goodluck Jonathan not to assent to the budget
when it gets to his table, if there was no
provision for fuel subsidy in it.

In a statement signed by its Public Relations
Officer, Com. Nwanko Ezekiel, in Abuja, the group
said removing fuel subsidy was anti-people.
The statement said NANS took the decision a
fter
wide consultations with the majority of its
affiliate member unions, all its structures as well
as past leaders.


“We enjoin the National Assembly to have another
look at their approved budget and make provisions
for fuel subsidy before forwarding it to the
President for his assent.

“The incoming administration has said so much
about blocking leakages and we believe that the
subsidy provisions are not part of the leakages to
be blocked.

“The subsidy is almost the only benefit the poor
Nigerian masses derive from our abundant
petroleum resources.

“We hereby remind the government that in 2012,
Nigerians rose in unison against the removal
leading to the ‘Occupy Protest’ that almost
crumbled our national economy,’’ it said.

Nwanko maintained that Nigerian students were
ever ready to once again be in the fore front of
agitation against removal of fuel subsidy and
would not shy away from such responsibility.

According to him, Nigeria’s economy was still a
mono economy; solely dependent on oil, and any
increase in price of fuel would trigger hyper
inflation and hardship.

He called for diversification of the country’s
economy and broaden the foreign exchange
earnings.

http://www.vanguardngr.com/2015/05/dont-remove-fuel-subsidy-students-warn-buhari/

A Federal High Court in Lagos on Monday fixed
June 18 for judgment in the trial of a former
Minister of Aviation, Femi Fani-Kayode, charged
with money laundering.

Justice Rita Ofili-Ajumogobia fixed the judgment
following the adoption of final written addresses
and arguments by the counsel to the Economic and
Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) and the
accused.

Fani-Kayode, whose trial began in 2008 before
Justice Ramat Mohammed, was accused by the
EFCC of laundering about N100 million while he
was the Minister of Culture and Tourism and
later, the Minister of Aviation.

The laundered sum was, however, reduced to N2.1
million on Nov. 17, 2014 after Ofili-Ajumogobia
had dismissed 38 of the 40 counts leveled against
Fani-Kayode by the EFCC for want of proof.

At the resumed trial of the case on Monday, the
EFCC prosecutor, Mr Festus Keyamo, urged the
court to uphold the remaining two counts and to,
accordingly, convict Fani-Kayode.

He said the former minister had failed to
exonerate himself of the allegations.
Keyamo pointed out that the object of the charge
was that Fani-Kayode transacted in cash sums
above N500,000 which was the threshold
stipulated by the Money Laundering Act.

He said that Fani-Kayode had personally admitted
making such transactions in his confessional
statement of Dec. 22, 2008 to the EFCC.

Keyamo said:“In this statement, he admitted that
he transacted in cash above N500,000. My Lord,
this statement went in without objection by the
accused and the statement was voluntary.

“With the combination of this confessional
statement and the statement of the nvestigating
police officer that investigated the allegations,
we rely on all of these to submit that we have
discharged our burden that monies were received
by the accused in cash and were not done through
any financial institution.”

Keyamo argued that the prosecution had
discharged its duty once it established that Fani-
Kayode transacted large sums above the Money
Laundering threshold, adding that it was left for
Fani-Kayode to explain the source of the money.
“Once you cannot explain the source of the large
sums of money found on you, you are guilty of
money laundering.

“If the prosecution must show where the money is
coming from, then the whole essence of the
money laundering law is defeated.

“It is not in all cases that the burden of proof lies
on the prosecution; the burden at this point
shifts to the accused,” Keyamo added.

He further argued that the court could not simply
believe that the large sums that Fani-Kayode
allegedly transacted were proceeds from his
father’s estate.

According to him, the accused should have called
the tenant who paid in the money to testify in
court and also back it up with his bank’s
statement.

But Fani-Kayode’s counsel, Mr Adedayo Adedipe
(SAN), in his summary argument, maintained that
Fani-Kayode made no confession to the EFCC,
adding that the anti-graft agency had failed to
show that Fani-Kayode actually accepted cash
amounting to N1million as alleged in one of the
counts.

Adedipe said the EFCC also failed to show to the
court the person who handed over the money to
the accused persons.

He said for the case of the prosecution to succeed
it must be proved beyond reasonable doubts.
“My Lord, it is our submission that the accused
does not have to prove his innocence; it is the
prosecution that must prove its case beyond all
reasonable doubts.

“In this particular case, the prosecution has
failed to give the evidence of acceptance of N1
million in the entire trial, and none of the
witnesses brought by the prosecution gave
evidence of giving the accused cash,” Adedipe
said.

The lawyer said the defence had raised doubts in
the mind of the court regarding the veracity of
the testimony of the EFCC’s witness, Supo
Agbaje.

He said that Agbaje had earlier been declared
wanted by the EFCC and subsequently listed as a
prosecution witness.

Adedipe added:”My Lord, reasonable doubt exists
as to what happened and that doubt should be
resolved in favour of the accused.

“Do we believe Agbaje, a man fighting for his
liberty, for his life, who was remanded?

Reasonable doubt exists in the testimony given by
Supo Agbaje, who was declared wanted by the
EFCC and later used as a witness.”

Adedipe, while urging the court to discharge and
acquit Fani-Kayode, said the EFCC had no case
against him, but it was only striving to “show to
the world that we have caught a big fish; but My
Lord, there is no big fish here.”

Ofili-Ajumogobia, while fixing judgment for June
18, also granted an application to substitute Wale
Ajisebutu with Ogbor Elliota as surety for Fani-
Kayode. (NAN)

http://www.vanguardngr.com/2015/05/money-laundering-fani-kayode-knows-fate-on-june-18/

1. He is the second Super Eagles player and
first goalkeeper in Nigeria to earn a 100 caps
for Nigeria.

2. He has conceded six goals in a game twice in
his career so far. His first, and previously only
such experience, was on August 22, 2003 when
his former club, Enyimba, suffered a 6-1
hammering at the hands of Egyptian club,
Ismaily, in the CAF Champions League.
The second time he conceded six goals was
against PSG in a Ligue 1 game. EVER SINCE
THAT FIXTURE, HE HAS FAILED TO POST A
COMMENT ON HIS SOCIAL MEDIA PLATFORM
@viny2908, ON INSTAGRAM.

3. Enyeama has featured for the Super Eagles
in three World Cups. Japan /Korea 2002; South
Africa 2010 and Brazil 2014. He has conceded
ten goals in seven appearances at the World
Cup stage.

4. In 2013–14 Ligue 1 season, the Eagles
skipper came within 114 minutes of equaling
Gaëtan Huard's Ligue 1 goalkeeping record, of
playing 1,176 minutes without conceding a goal
set in 1993.

5. He has featured for the Super Eagles in five
African Nations Cup tournaments. Winning the
title once in 2013 and finishing third in 2004,
2006, 2010.

6. He has only played for seven clubs since he
began his career. Ibom Stars 56 (1),Enyimba
100(10),Iwuanyanwu Nationale 36 (0),Bnei
Yehuda 56 (0),Hapoel Tel Aviv 113(9),Lille
65(0) and Maccabi Tel Aviv (loan)27(0).

7. In 2004, Enyeama was involved in a car
accident in Uyo, in which two motorcycle
passengers were killed. The driver of the car
of which Enyeama was in, was left in critical
condition but the shot-stopper came out with
bruises even though the car somersaulted
twice as it swerved to try and avoid the
motorbike.

8. He is being kitted by Adidas and he has a car
collection of a Bentley, a Range Rover
Evoque and Chrysler in his garage.

9. He is blessed with three kids, a boy and two
charming girls.

10. He told a lie that he was injured when the
Nigerian Football Federation told the players
there will be no appearance fee for the
international friendly against South Africa,
after the loss to Uganda in Uyo.