THE Federal High Court in Abuja, on Friday, said the sureties of Nnamdi Kanu, the skedaddle leader of the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB) must produced him.

This is just as the court dismissed an application before it seeking the Chief of Army Staff, Lt.-Gen. Tukur Buratai, to produce Mr. Kanu.

The ruling was delivered by Justice Binta Nyako.

Kanu lawyers, led by Mr. Ifeanyi Ejiofor, told the court that they have not seen or heard from their client since September 14, 2017, when the Nigerian Army invaded his house “on a murderous raid, where life and mortar bullets were fired on unarmed and defenceless populace, leaving 28 persons dead and abducting many”.

Pursuant to section 40 of the Federal High Court Act, F12, LFN 2005 and section 6(6) (1) (4) of the 1999 constitution, as amended, Kanu’s lawyers applied for “an order of Habeas Corpus ad subjiciendum, commanding the Respondent (Buratai), to produce the Applicant in Court”.

Mr. Buratai, in a counter-affidavit he filed in opposition to the suit, told the court that Kanu was never in custody of the Nigeria Army.

The Chief of Army Staff told the court that the Nigerian Army did not at any time arrest or took Kanu into custody within the period the military operation lasted, even as he denied allegation that soldiers invaded the IPOB leader’s house in Afara-Ukwu Ibeku, Umuahia, Abia State.

A colonel attached to the Chief of Army’s office in the Army Headquarters, Abuja, Col. A.A Yusuf, who deposed to the counter-affidavit on behalf of Buratai, said the alleged invasion of Kanu’s house was totally false.

The Army boss told the court that his men only chased a truck he said was laden with arms and explosives of different kinds, into a compound he said was later discovered to belong to Kanu and his father.

In her ruling, Justice Nyako held that no evidence was placed before the court to prove that Kanu was in Army custody, adding that Ejiofor failed to convince the court that Kanu was seen with soldiers at any time.

She said “the doctrine of last seen”, which the applicant relied upon, eventhough applicable in murder cases, has no statutory backing.

Besides, the Judge noted that Kanu was listed in the suit as the main applicant.

Justice Nyako said she was surprised that someone that was said to be missing was the one seeking reliefs from the court, adding that the lawyers ought to have rather commenced the action “in the name of applicant”.

“Has the applicant placed enough evidence to show that the respondent was the last to see the applicant? Was there any evidence that he was last seen with even one soldier? The onus of proof will not shift from the applicant to the respondent except the applicant is able to prove that he was last seen by the respondent. This they have failed to do.

“This application fails and it is hereby dismissed. Be ready for your case”, the Judge held.

Immediately the ruling was delivered, Ejiofor demanded to know from the court what the next line of action would be in respect of Kanu’s pending trial, since his whereabouts has remained unknown.

Replying Ejiofor, Justice Nyako said: “As far as I am concerned, the applicant is on bail. Was he not released on bail based on an undertaking by sureties?

“The sureties guaranteed to produce the applicant in court for his trial, so three of them should produce him. They made an undertaking and deposed to the fact that they will produce him to stand trial.

“If there is any reason they cannot produce him, they should tell me on that date”, the Judge added.

The court had earlier fixed February 20 for continuation of Kanu’s trial.

The IPOB leader is facing a five-count treasonable felony charge the Federal Government preferred against him and four other pro-Biafra agitators, Chidiebere Onwudiwe, Benjamin Madubugwu, David Nwawuisi and Bright Chimezie.

Already, Senator Enyinnaya Abaribe who was one of the three persons that stood surety for the IPOB leader has applied to be discharged by the court, insisting that he lacks the capacity to produce the defendant for continuation of his trial.

The court had on October 17, 2017, ordered Abaribe, a Jewish High Priest, Emmanu El- Salom Oka BenMadu, and an accountant, Tochukwu Uchendu, to produce the IPOB leader or face jail term/forfeiture of N100million they each deposited as bail bond.

THE Attorney General of the federation and minister of Justice, Abubakar Malami, has said the reinstatement of former pension czar, Abdulrasheed Maina is not an issue.

The minister stated this in a discussion with TheInterview.

When asked what prompted his role in the scandal, Malami who said he doesn’t regret meeting with Maina in the United Arab Emirates insist that whatever role he played, in the latter’s case was done solely in public interest.

“The office of the Attorney General is the custodian of public interest and if the public interest demands that I should bring Maina back for the purpose of enhancing the capacity of the office to prosecute the pension syndicate, I could unilaterally exercise that decision. That decision has been vested in the office of the Attorney General. The idea of bringing Maina back is not an issue provided it is done in public interest, if indeed I have taken steps to do that.

“If a hundred Mainas that believe they have information to offer as far as the protection of national interest is concerned, I will meet them and I will do so again,” he said.

He also dismissed rumors making round that he intends to contest for the governorship election of his State, Kebbi, in the coming general election.

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See Major Items APC Restructuring Committee Recommended In It’s Report
By Yohance Hasan - January 26, 20180


Nasir El-rufai


THE All Progressive Congress (APC) Restructuring Committee has submitted its report to National Working Committee of the ruling party.

The committee which called for more devolution of powers to states recommended major items be moved from the Exclusive Legislative List to the Concurrent List.

The items includes;

Foods, Drugs, Poison, Narcotics and Psychotropic Substances;
Fingerprints and Identification of Criminal Records;
Registration of Business names;
Labour;
Mines and Minerals, including oil fields, oil mining, geological surveys and natural gas;
Police;
Prisons;
Public Holidays (to be classified as National Public Holidays and State Public Holidays);
Railways and
Stamp Duties, among others.

This is according to a report on Vanguard Newspapers.

The committee headed by Kaduna State Governor, Nasir El-rufai, also recommended that the current Presidential System of Government with all its limitations be upheld but said the associated twin issues of corruption and high cost of governance must be urgently addressed.

The committee kicked against the creation of more states, saying any action to the contrary would amount to “merely creating new sub-national bureaucracies and their attendant costs, while reducing the share of federal statutory allocation accruing to existing and proposed new states.”

On Autonomy for LGAs – It also kicked against local government autonomy, saying since “one size does not fit all,” the states should be allowed to legislate for local governments, including creating more councils.

“We recommend that the current system of local government administration provided for by the constitution should be amended and that states should be allowed to develop and enact laws to have local government administration system that is peculiar to each of them.”

On Resource control – the report proposed that mining, minerals, oil should go to the states.

“Then there will be certain constitutional amendments. The Petroleum Act will be amended to show that states can now issue oil mining licences; the Land Use Act, Nigeria Minerals and Mining Act, the Petroleum Profit Tax Act 2007 would all need to be amended. So, we have proposed amendment that will ensure that minerals, mining and oil are vested in the states except offshore minerals.”

On Referendum – “We also propose a constitutional amendment to allow for a referendum to be conducted on burning national or state issues before decisions are taken. Right now, the constitution has no room for referendum, but only in the creation of states.”

On Citizenship – it said “the issue of local government or state of origin is discriminatory and should be replaced with state of residence. It is around this that we have proposed an amendment to the Federal Character Commission Act to allow people domiciled in a place to be considered as indigenes.”

On Stamp Duties – “We are recommending that legislation on Stamp Duties should be moved to the concurrent list but the state will only legislate on stamp duties only for transactions involving individuals and businesses but not limited liability companies that were incorporated by the government of the federation.

On Public Holidays – “Item 8 is Public Holidays. We want public holidays to be removed from the exclusive list to the concurrent list so that there will be federal public holidays for the entire country and then states can have their public holidays. This is already happening unconstitutional. This will just make the actions of the state governments lawful and legal and avoid confrontations with the federal government on this subject.”

Police and Prisons – “Most of the prisons in Nigeria, historically, were owned by the local governments, native authorities and the state of Nigeria. They were taken over by the federal government after the coup of 1966. We are recommending a reversal to the state of things as at 1966 but an additional responsibility is that the federal government will continue to have federal prisons while we have state prisons. Again, this is a major recommendation because right now we do not have enough prisons; our prisons are congested because only the federal government can build prisons. We think that sharing this responsibility with the state will make prisons available and reduce the burden on the federal government”.

Receiving the report, National Chairman of the APC, Chief John Odigie-Oyegun said by middle of February, all structures of the party would have met and considered the report.

THE Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has described the All Progressive Congress (APC) led federal government’s reply to the letter of former president Olusegun Obasanjo’s letter as ‘cooked up indices.’

Mr. Obasanjo had on Tuesday in an open epistle written to President Muhammadu Buhari urged him not to seek a second term in office because he underperformed.



Mr. Buhari through the federal government replied Mr. Obasanjo with detailed list of his achievements stressing that the former president might have been to busy to notice the success recorded by his administration.

Reacting to the government’s reply to Obasanjo, the PDP said the list of achievements presented by the Buhari’s administration was cooked up as it will not save the president.



The PDP said it amounts to executive rascality for the APC Federal Government to use its Minister of Information, Alhaji Lai Mohammed, to falsely claim that the economy, which it wrecked, has come out of recession, when the glaring reality shows skyrocketing costs, soaring unemployment rate, unabating closure of businesses as well as accumulation of foreign and domestic debts.

The party stated this in a statement signed by its National Publicity Secretary, Kola Ologbondiyan on Thursday.

“In its attempt to further hoodwink Nigerians, the Federal Government through the minister of information cleverly stated that the nation’s Foreign Reserves had risen to $40bn, while covering the fact presented by the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS) that our foreign debt has also escalated to $15.2bn under APC’s misrule.

“This is also a government whose domestic debt profile has scared many contractors off their sites and forcing millions of Nigerians into the labour market while development projects initiated by the PDP across the nation remains stagnated.

“The Federal Government also failed to inform Nigerians that other foreign financial instruments are being depleted, including the Excess Crude Account (ECA), from which they attempted to pilfer $1bn last year.

“It is ridiculous for the APC-led Federal Government to rely on an NBS report in giving an impression that the nation’s inflation rate has fallen at 15.37% while hiding the fact that inflation rate as at May 2015, when it took over rein of governance from the PDP, was 13.7%.

“This is even as the soaring price of commodities exposes the fact that 15.37% is not positive, as the APC government wants Nigerians to believe. The fact is that the APC is plunging the nation into deeper economic woes while trying to sugarcoat the issues with figures.

“Furthermore, the Federal Government attempted to delude Nigerians by claiming that the naira has become stable while glossing over the fact that it fell from about N165/1USD in 2015 to the current appalling N360/1USD.

“This is in addition to phony claims of increase in foreign capital inflow of $1.8bn, while refusing to address facts from NBS that under their misrule, 16 million Nigerians are unemployed, 18 million more are underemployed while another 27.44 million refused to work in 2016 for various reasons not unrelated to frustration in the polity.

THE Federal Government has concluded plan to henceforth monitor social media posts and comments of notable Nigerians.

This move HEADLINE understands is to checkmate the propagation of hate speeches through various social media platforms.

The resolution is the outcome of a security meeting presided over by President Muhammadu Buhari at the presidential villa in Abuja on Thursday.

Minister of Defence, Mansur Dan Ali, who spoke at the security meeting about the disturbing trend of hate speeches across the nation, also described the situation as worrisome.

The government had last year through the Minister of Information, Alhaji Lai Mohammed, promised that the Buhari’s administration would not regulate social media.

“We have said it before and we want to re-state it: the federal government has no immediate or long-term plan to stifle press freedom. Even the social media, with its warts and all, will neither be regulated nor have its operations tampered with,” he had said in January 2017.

Backtracking on it earlier promise, Ali who stood in for the government said, “Relevant security agencies should as a matter of urgency tackle the propagation of hate speeches through the social media, particularly by some notable Nigerians.”

SENATOR representing Bayelsa-East Senatorial District at the National Assembly, Ben Murray-Bruce, has raised alarm of possible threat to his life.

This HEADLINE understands is because of his stance against the menace of herdsmen across the country.

The lawmaker had recently mocked President Muhammadu Buhari’s government over its delay in arresting killer herdsmen in Benue.

He cited how killers of Nigerian man in South Africa were apprehended in 72 hours.

According to him, the prompt arrest of the killers in South Africa should serve as a pointer to Buhari’s government of its inability to arrest perpetrators of herdsmen attacks.

“The killers of a young Nigerian killed in South Africa have been arrested within 72 hours by the South African police.

”But back home in Nigeria, the killers of 73 people murdered in Benue haven’t even been identified much less arrested. Let the Giant of Africa soberly reflect on this,” he tweeted.

Raising the alarm on Wednesday through his verified Twitter handle @benmurraybruce, Bruce said he received text messages from an unknown number informing him of the impending threat to his life

“Received these texts from an unknown number. With what has been happening in Nigeria in the last few years, and with the fact that I don’t move about with security, let me use this medium to alert Nigerians and the international community of a possible threat to my life.”

He was voted to fix things that were bad and not engage in the blame game. - Obasanjo

Mohammed said Obasanjo may not be aware of the damages the immediate past government under Goodluck Jonathan plunged the country into in the last couple of years.

THE Federal Government has described the letter of ex-president Olusegun Obasanjo asking President Muhammadu Buhari not to seek a second term in office as a “distraction”.

The Minister of Information and Culture, Lai Mohammed, who stood in for the government also hinted that Obasanjo was ignorant of Buhari’s achievements.

He stated this while briefing State House correspondents at the end of the Federal Executive Council.

The meeting was presided over by the president.

Mohammed said Obasanjo may not be aware of the damages the immediate past government under Goodluck Jonathan plunged the country into in the last couple of years.

According to the Minister, Nigeria wouldn’t have exited recession if not for the ingenuity of the current administration,

He said Buhari’s achievement in office speaks volumes, especially when viewed from economic, security and agricultural perspectives.

THE Nigeria Police on Wednesday explained why it ferried the convener of the Bring Back Our Girls (BBOG), Obiageli Ezekwesili, and some of her group members from the Unity Fountain to its headquarters in Abuja on Tuesday.

Ezekwesili, a former minister, yesterday through her verified Twitter handle, @obyezeks, alleged that she alongside other members of her group was been arrested and detained by the police.



She and her group members were later ferried in a hilux van to the police command at the Federal Capital Territory (FCT).

But the police in a statement by it spokesman, DSP Anjuguri Manzah said they were only brought to the Abuja command to forestall breakdown of law and order.



“The FCT Police Command wishes to clear the air and set the record straight that it did not arrest or detain Prof Oby Ezekwesili and some members of the Bring Back Our Girls group (BBOG) as being speculated on some social media platforms.

“It is pertinent to state that they were only brought to the Command to ensure there was no breakdown of law and order as some members of the group reacted violently and broke down security barriers set up by the police to restrict their protest to Unity Fountain.

“The members of the group were addressed by the Commissioner of Police FCT, CP Sadiq Abubakar Bello who reiterated the commitment of the Command to protect lives and property and enjoined the Bring Back Our Girls members to go about their lawful businesses.

“After the briefing by the Commissioner of Police, the members of the group left the Command”.

THE scarcity of petroleum products may linger up to June next year before a permanent solution to it when government-owned and private refineries would fully come on stream, Minister of State for Petroleum Resources, Dr. Ibe Kachikwu has said.

Mr. Kachikwu made the revelation when he appeared before the Senate Committee on Petroleum Downstream on Thursday.

Under the arrangement, the Nigeria National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC) would sell at N145 while independent marketers would import and dispense at their own rate.

“What this country needs is to ensure that the refineries work. It is shameful that after more than 50 years, we still do not have working refineries. Selling crude is like selling raw agricultural materials. Once the private refineries start working, this scarcity issue will be behind us. Before we get there, we have 18 months to manage this problem,” he said.

Other recommendations Kachikwu proffered as possible solution to the fuel crisis, which peaked during the Yuletide included a special foreign exchange price modulation as well as special tax consideration for independent oil marketers to reduce their financial burden.

He said if any of the three recommendations was adopted, fuel scarcity would be temporarily handled until refineries come on stream.

In addition, Kachikwu also called for a better border policing, arguing that since it was more lucrative to sell PMS in neighbouring countries, marketers will likely divert their products to those places.

“During the 18 months emergency period, we need to look at pricing. We need to find a way to get marketers back to importation. Landing cost is about N170-175. We sell at N145. We need to address this problem. There are series of items. But the key item is the international selling price for sale of refined product.

“There is a gap. How do we deal with the gap? Whatever we do, we need to free the marketers to do their business. Exchange rate was N145 when price was tagged in 2015. One model is for the CBN to create a special exchange rate for independent oil marketers to import their products. This will help.

“Is there a way to grant tax holiday for them? Government can look into the taxing system. If they do that, marketers will have more funds to import products. Potential of having a plural pricing system? That is, NNPC outlets can sell at N145, while independent marketers can import at their rate and sell at their own rate. Until we deal with this issue, we will not get out of the problem.

“We have not been able to deal with the issue of border policing. It is still more lucrative to sell this product outside the country. I am proposing that trackers be placed on trucks leaving the depots. That is one way to deal with this issue.”

Kachikwu who was accompanied by the Group Managing Director (GMD) of the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC), Mr. Maikanti Baru and other officials of his ministry, on behalf of President Muhammadu Buhari, apologised to Nigerians for the difficulties they went through over the fuel scarcity during the festive seasons.

“Our sympathies go the Nigerian people. I will not say much,” he stated.

Baru, however, had a different explanation, as he told Senators that “false media reports” that the Federal Government was planning to increase price of Premium Motor Spirit (PMS) was responsible for the crisis.

He claimed that 4,500 trucks loaded with PMS had been diverted within the period, a development which he said aggravated the continuous scarcity.

The GMD said NNPC was yet to get a mandate to increase pump price, but did not rule out any possible future increment.

Chairman of the committee, Senator Kabiru Marafa, in his earlier remarks, said fuel scarcity has become a reoccurring decimal in the nation’s history. He described it as worrisome and urged those concerned to get to the root causes of the problem.

Executive Secretary of DPR, Mr. Dantani Baba Ladan claimed that almost all the filling stations nationwide were found wanting in hoarding of petroleum products. He said products were hoarded in villages and communities. He, however, warned that those caught would be compelled to pay N275 per litre to the Federal Government.

Other stakeholders who spoke, called on the National Assembly to pass the Petroleum Industry Bill (PIB) and the Federal Government to deregulate the petroleum downstream sector to allow private sector players come in.

Attempts by lawmakers to bring up the issue of payment of N26 per litre subsidy on petroleum product was opposed by Marafa, who said it was not part of the deliberations.

lalasticlala:


Do you know his name?

THE Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) on Thursday demanded the immediate resignation of the Minister of Transportation, Rotimi Amaechi, from the federal executive council.

The PDP, in a statement signed by its national publicity secretary, Kola Ologbondiyan, hinged its demand on the appointment of Amaechi as the Director-General (DG) of President Muhammadu Buhari’s second term campaign.

The opposition party also accused the All Progressives Congress (APC) of being insensitive to the plight of Nigerians.

“If APC has any strand of dignity, then Amaechi must resign as the Minister of Transportation having been appointed and already functioning as the DG of President Buhari’s Campaign.

“Under the constitution of Nigeria, Mr. Amaechi cannot combine the job of a minister of the Federal Republic with another responsibility such as the DG of a campaign organization.

“Amaechi’s action in accepting the job while still holding office as minister is in clear breach of the oath of office and the oath of allegiance which he swore in line with the provisions of the 1999 Constitution (As Amended). He should therefore resign his office as minister with immediate effect”, it said.

The party noted that Amaechi, perhaps in his desperation for recognition, has already began to function as the DG Campaign for Buhari second term, adding that, he already held meetings with some of the governors elected on the platform of the APC.

It recalled that when as a serving Minister of Works, Chief Tony Anenih was appointed to head the campaign of then President Olusegun Obasanjo, Chief Anenih resigned as Minister.

Accusing APC of being insensitive to the plight of Nigerians, the PDP expressed shock that APC is more interested in setting up an electoral structure for a second term when Nigerians are dying daily of hunger and poverty while others are being slaughtered in their communities by mauraders, all owing particularly to APC’s dismal performance in its nearly three years in office.

“Is it not instructive for Nigerians to now know that the APC has not the littlest agenda on governance for our people and do not have the interest of Nigerians at heart. They have shown that all they care for is their selfish political and pecuniary interests”, the PDP said.

The party therefore urged Nigerians to respond with the full force of the votes and kick out the selfish and incompetent APC out of office come 2019.

TROOPS of Operation Lafiya Dole has rescued a Chibok girl abducted by Boko Haram terrorist in 2014.

The girl said to be the 86th on the list of the Chibok girls abducted on April 14, 2014 goes with the name, Salomi Pagu.

She was rescued alongside another young girl, Jamila Adams, about 14 years old, with a child, both are under the care of the troops as at press time.

Colonel Onyema Nwachukwu, Deputy Director Public Relations, Theatre Command Operation Lafiya Dole, confirmed this to news men.

According to Nwachukwu, Pegu was rescued in Pulka on Thursday.

“So far, preliminary investigations reveal that the young girl identified as Salomi Pagu is the same as the Chibok girl published on serial 86 of the online list of abducted Chibok girls,” he said.

PRESIDENT Muhammadu Buhari has promised to link all the economic zones and state capitals across the country by rail.

This according to him, would help to facilitate businesses and human movement.

Mr. Buhari stated this on Thursday in Kaduna while commissioning two locomotives and 10 executive passenger coaches procured by the Nigerian Railway Corporation (NRC), to be deployed on the Abuja-Kaduna train service.

He also ordered that the concession for the narrow gauge to General Electric should be completed.

The president also promised to ensure all the other railway expansion projects are executed.

He said the railway laws will be amended to provide private sector in railways.

FRESH PDP have proscribed the governors forum of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP).

The group is also known to be Concerned Candidates and Stakeholders of the party.

The Fresh PDP also stated that they would inaugurate the National Working Committee (NWC) of the party on January 22.

Director General of the Forum, Emmanuel Obi-Nwosu while speaking said there must be restitution along the lines of nullification of the outcome of the convention.

The members stated this yesterday at their national headquarters in Abuja at a press conference, while maintaining that they believed in a united PDP.

They insisted on the nullification of the outcome of the December 9 national convention and rejected plans for reconciliation which they said was premeditated ahead of the convention.

While they declared that it is within their fundamental right as enshrined in the freedom of association to form a faction, they however said they were not out to pull down the party.

Obi-Nwosu said: “Finally, the inauguration of the authentic National Working Committee (NWC) of our great party will take place on Monday, the 22nd of January, 2018. This is to enable all members of the NWC who travelled out for holidays to return.

“Only organs of the party as duly recognised by the party constitution shall henceforth function as stipulated in the constitution. To this end, the hitherto oppressive and retrogressive anti democratic PDP Governors Forum; which is completely alien to the party constitution is hereby proscribed.

“The recommendations of the well constituted strategy and Inter-Party Committee; which was jettisoned by the defunct National Caretaker Committee (NCC) of the party will be revisited with a view to ensuring its full implementation.”

They assured that under their watch, all presidential and other elective office aspirants will be guaranteed level playing field during the forthcoming primaries.

“No more shall our party entertain any form it list, whether unity or divisive. The party constitution hall be followed to the letter in the conduct of all future party elections.”

THE All Progressive Congress (APC) has said President Muhammadu Buhari has not rejected the idea of restructuring the country as earlier stated in his new year message to Nigerians.

The party on Monday said the president was erroneously quoted.

The APC constituted a committee last year to look into calls for restructuring and prepare modalities for the parties approach to the issue.

The panel is led by Nasir El-Rufai, an APC governor and key ally of the president, and its work is said to be ongoing.

Mr. Buhari in his broadcast had said he strongly believes that Nigeria’s existential issues are not necessarily due to any defects in its structure.

The president said Nigeria should continue to operate its current presidential system, but welcomed ideas on how to make it less permeable to extravagance, waste and corruption.

The problems he said could be addressed by merely checking abuse of process and corruption.

“When all the aggregates of nationwide opinions are considered, my firm view is that our problems are more to do with process than structure.

“No human law or edifice is perfect,” the president said.

Reacting through its publicity secretary, Bolaji Abdullahi, the APC argued that Mr. Buhari’s position cannot be taken to mean that he’s unwilling to restructure.

“From this address, we are not able to reach the conclusion that the President has rejected restructuring,” Abdullahi had told Premium Times.

“Rather, we are delighted to hear the President sharing the views of Nigerians that every (system) needs to be periodically reviewed in the context of emerging social and economic circumstances.

“By saying that the major problem is with processes rather than systems, he appears only to (be) telling us to bear in mind that no matter the choices we make on restructuring, it is how we manage our systems that would ultimately give us the kind of country we want to build.

“Quite significantly, by saying the government welcomes all ideas on how to make the country better, he has opened the door to all conversations including those on restructuring.

“Rather than serve as evidence of rejection therefore, we believe Mr. President’s speech has shown a significant disposition towards the idea of restructuring, which remains a cardinal philosophy of our party,” the spokesperson said.

THE Special Anti-Robbery Squad of the Nigeria Police has arrested an online publisher, Daniel Elombah.

Elombah was reportedly said to have been arrested alongside his brothers in their family house in Edoji-Uruagu Nnewi, Anambra State.

He is the publisher of online news portal, Elombah.com.

The UK-based publisher was arrested in the wee hours of Monday.

TheWill reports that Elombah was arrested by the SARS operatives based on “orders from above” and in a commando-style operation.

His wife, two kids and aged mother were said to have witnessed the arrest of the family’s bread winner.

As at press time, HEADLINE could not ascertain the whereabout of Elombah and his brother who were arrested in handcuffs.

PRESIDENT Muhammadu Buhari has dismissed calls for restructuring of the country stating that it is not the problem with the country.

Mr. Buhari in his traditional New Year address to the nation, however, contended that what is wrong with the country at the moment is not its structure but the process.

Dismissing hopes of restructuring under his watch, the president assured that his administration will revisit the cost of governance, which he admitted is extravagant.

“In respect of political developments, I have kept a close watch on the on-going debate about “restructuring.” No human law or edifice is perfect. Whatever structure we develop must periodically be perfected according to changing circumstances and the country’s socio-economic developments. We Nigerians can be very impatient and want to improve our conditions faster than may be possible, considering our resources and capabilities. When all the aggregates of nationwide opinions are considered, my firm view is that our problems are more to do with process than structure.

“We tried the Parliamentary system: we jettisoned it. Now, there are shrill cries for a return to the Parliamentary structure. In older democracies, these systems took centuries to evolve; so, we cannot expect a copied system to fit neatly our purposes. We must give a long period of trial and improvement before the system we have adopted is anywhere near fit for purpose,” he said.

THE opposition Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has clashed with the ruling All Progressive Congress (APC) over appointment of dead appointees by President Muhammadu Buhari.

While the opposition party yesterday said the gaffe is a further confirmation that the APC administration is completely confused, disorganized and grossly incompetent, the ruling party has in turn labelled PDP ridiculous and an embarrassment to see everything as an opportunity to attack the administration “without looking at the seriousness of their claims.”

The National Publicity Secretary of the PDP, Mr. Kola Ologbondiyan, in a statement in Abuja said: “Nigerians can now see why the nation’s economy has been in shambles in the last two years. When we say that this government is completely inept, some Nigerians did not know to which level, but now they do.

“This inability to tidy up a simple issue of list of 209 appointees has completely exposed the extent the APC government is bereft of simple organizational skills to manage a country like Nigeria, which is in dire need of development.

“How on earth can a government that cannot compile a common list handle intricate issues of national planning and budgeting; issues of health, education, aviation, agriculture, infrastructure and management of the huge civil service?

“How can they possibly initiate and successfully implement national and international instruments for national development in today’s competitive world?

“This also explains why nothing has been working under the APC government. Furthermore, the mix up in the list also exposes the corruption in the APC government.

“The fact is that the government of our dear country has been in wrong hands in the last two years and the situation will continue to worsen unless the nation is rescued from them in 2019.

“Finally, we urge Nigerians to disregard the lame excuses by the APC government and hold them responsible for the woes that have befallen our country under their inept and undesirable regime.”

However, in reacting to the PDP statement last night, the APC National Publicity Secretary, Mallam Bolaji Abdullahi said the opposition party was only belittling governance and embarrassing itself with the way it seeks to use every opportunity to attack the Buhari administration.

He said “it is embarrassing that the PDP sees every move as evidence of APC’s inability to rule the country.

“Things happen. I don’t think the PDP which has governed the country before should respond in such embarrassing manner to a situation where in a list of over 200 a few names, which ought to have been removed, escaped scrutiny.

“These people died while the process of compiling the list was still on. It is nothing more than an honest mistake.

“With the way it is trivializing every issue, PDP is embarrassing itself and belittling governance. If after several years in power, they still don’t know that governing a country is more than the trivial things they take so serious, then it is quite embarrassing. How on earth can a party like PDP say because of such honest mistake, APC is not qualified to rule Nigeria?

“But we understand their desperation to take advantage of everything to gain prominence and seek political mileage.

“But it is ridiculous for them to now see everything as an opportunity to attack this administration without looking at the seriousness of their claims. It is quite embarrassing.”