Villa Updates - Politics (2) - Nairaland
Nairaland Forum › Nairaland General › Politics › Villa Updates (3380 Views)
| Re: Villa Updates by benzyluv(op): 10:19pm On May 23, 2021 |
First Lady, Aisha Buhari and her children paid a condolence visit to the family of the late Chief of Army Staff. Lt. Gen. Ibrahim Attahiru on Sunday afternoon, May 23. The late Chief of Army Staff and 10 other military officers died in an aircraft crash on Friday May 21. More photos below.
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| Re: Villa Updates by benzyluv(op): 10:23pm On May 23, 2021 |
SOUTHWEST APC LEADERS MEETING..... Statement by South-West APC Leaders Concerned about the state of the nation particularly the serious security challenges facing the country, All Progressives Congress leaders in the South-west met in Lagos on Sunday May 23, 2021. The meeting was characterized by open and frank discussions of the difficulties now facing Nigeria. Based upon these deliberations, the following points of agreement were reached: 1. The Leaders commiserate with and condole the President and Commander-in-Chief, President Muhammadu Buhari, the military authorities, families of the Chief of Army Staff and other officers who died, and indeed the entire nation over last Friday’s tragic plane crash in Kaduna. 2. They express their strong opposition to separatist agitations and hate speeches. While urging those indulging in such to desist forthwith, they renew their belief in the unity, stability and sustainability of the country. 3. We note with significant concern the security situation in the country. Terrorism and violent criminality threaten many areas, adversely affecting the lives and livelihoods of too many innocent and peace-loving Nigerians. While mindful of the resource and other constraints facing the nation, we urge the federal government to continue to make the necessary expenditures and allocate sufficient resources to enable the military and security agencies to tackle the difficult security challenges confronting us. 4. For Nigeria to overcome these challenges, we must do so with unity of purpose and action. The desire for peace and the chance for a prosperous and just society is universal and transcends all regional, religious or ethnic divisions. Sadly, many public figures have made statements that spark division and undermine the needed unity of purpose. We urge government at all levels, security agencies, and public leaders across the country to do everything possible to prevent tension so that we sustain the necessary unity to defeat these challenges to our national security. All responsible Nigerians must speak and act in a manner that strengthens our common cause against these common threats to our collective peace, justice and development. 5. We restate our abhorrence of violence as a means to achieve either political or economic power and influence. We strongly condemn violence of any form in any part of the country, regardless of ethnic or regional identity of the perpetrators of the violence or of the victims. Government must do all it can to protect potential victims and to assist those who have previously been victimized by terrorism or widespread banditry. 6. We hold to the view that true federalism where more power and resources are allocated to the states will be an essential part in strengthening society and improving democratic governance so that we beat the present challenges but also engender durable peace and security. True federalism and the reallocation of resources and authority that comes with it will empower the states to solve localized issues before they spread and transform into national ones. In addition to mitigating political competition for control of the national government, greater federalism will empower grassroots economic development and political reforms that will stand as bulwarks against the terrorism and criminality now experienced in too many parts of the nation. A hallmark of this enhanced federalism will be the establishment of state police forces. 7. We endorse the position of the Southern Governors taken at their May 11, 2021 summit in Asaba, Delta State, regarding ranching. We do so because such a decision will lessen tensions between farmers and herders while also helping the long-term economic viability of both the farming and herding communities. We are mindful of the short-term dislocation this might cause but are also mindful that this position is in the best interests of all parties concerned. We, therefore, recommend that the federal and state governments cooperate fully with each other to enact the necessary measures to encourage this more effective and modern method of cattle-rearing so that both farmers and herders can pursue their livelihoods with greater productivity and in a more cooperative relationship that minimizes the friction between these two important pillars of our agricultural economy. 8. We also thank traditional rulers for their important role in the polity and appeal to them to keep intervening to maintain peace and stability. 9. And finally, we use the opportunity of the meeting to urge the Federal Government to provide, through the CBN, short, medium and long term financing for states and those who may wish to set up ranches as part of the agricultural sustainability policy.
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| Re: Villa Updates by benzyluv(op): 10:27pm On May 23, 2021 |
'It's Time to Stand with the Yoruba nation,' By Prof. Banji Akintoye We welcome the meeting of significant leaders of Southwest APC in Lagos on Sunday May 23rd 2021 to discuss the unsavoury state of Nigeria. By the grace of God your political party APC is the strongest political party in the Yoruba southwest. It is the party of the most important Yoruba political leader of today. Of the six states of the Yoruba southwest your party controls five of the state Governorships and State Assemblies. In this party also are most Yoruba high officials in the Nigerian federal government. Therefore the APC is the party that is in charge of the Yoruba wellbeing and future today. Because of these important realities we ask you to give serious considerations to the following at your meeting: In the interest of our Yoruba nation and your own political future you cannot and must not continue to keep quiet while the Yoruba nation is seriously endangered by Fulani marauders, militia and terrorists that have invaded the Yoruba homeland for over five years raping, maiming, killing, kidnapping, destroying their farms and other means of livelihood and generally brutalizing your people. We Yoruba people remember the enormous pride we felt when you accomplished what looked impossible by helping Gen Buhari win the presidency. We had good reasons to expect at the time that many good things will follow upon your victory into our homeland, but since then your people have been going through unbelievable brutalities at the hand of the Fulani terrorists now joined by international terrorists such as isis, iswap and al-qaeda. In the face of the killings, maiming of the people and destruction, extortion of ransom- something unknown before in the history of the Yoruba, namely the fleeing of large numbers of Yoruba people abroad as refugees is now happening. As you illustrious sons and daughters of Yoruba nation meet on Sunday, please we urge you to accomplish a number of things in the interest of the Yoruba nation and your selves. 1). You must demand the security of life and property in Yorubaland. 2). You must demand that Fulani marauders and terrorists vacate Yorubaland unconditionally and immediately. 3). To achieve 1 and 2 above, you must demand that all obstacles and encumbrances placed on the path of Amotekun by the Federal Government be removed forthwith. 4). You must declare your unclouded support for the accepted norm in all the world today that all ethnic nationalities have the right of self determination, and that that right is inalienable according to the constitution of the United Nations, The United Nations’ declaration of the rights of indigenous peoples and the various instruments of the African Union. All of which constitutions and conventions and declarations Nigeria is signatory to and therefore constitute parts of the laws of Nigeria. 5). As is the norm of federalism the world over, you must demand for the right of each component Nationality of Nigeria, to exercise their right of self determination without let or hindrance. 6). You must demand the convocation of a negotiation conference to settle the raging controversies over the future of Nigeria before any 2023 general elections. 7). You illustrious sons and daughters of the Yoruba people must be careful not to continue to appear to be swimming against the tide of Yoruba desire in the world; you must be careful not to make your selves enemies of your Yoruba nation. We close this fraternal letter by wishing you success in your meeting and pray that you will emerge heroes among your people. For too long the Yoruba people have been sold cheaply by their own leading citizens, we pray that you will so conduct yourselves on Sunday that you will emerge as true leaders of the Yoruba nation and worthy sons and daughters of your people. Prof. Banji Akintoye. President, Ilana Omo Oodua |
| Re: Villa Updates by benzyluv(op): 10:30pm On May 23, 2021 |
benzyluv:
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| Re: Villa Updates by benzyluv(op): 10:53pm On May 23, 2021 |
STATEMENT To honor the memory and services of the late Chief of Army Staff, Lt. Gen. Ibrahim Attahiru and other military officers, who lost their lives in an unfortunate plane crash on Friday, President Muhammadu Buhari has authorized that the National Flag should be flown at half-mast in all public buildings, facilities and official residences with effect from 24th to 26th May, 2021. Similarly, the President has also approved a work free day for members of the Armed Forces on Monday, 24th May, 2021. Secretary to the Government of the Federation, Boss Mustapha announces in a statement, today. |
| Re: Villa Updates by benzyluv(op): 11:46pm On May 23, 2021 |
++ STILL ON THE ILL-FATED AIRCRASH: COMMENTS ON FLT-LT TO ASANIYI'S FIANCEE. "Femi I have no regrets walking this journey with you, you asked me to be your wife last year in August and I gave you a resounding yes. One of the last things you said to me was to keep on being humble and continue to give. You were a giver, oh you were such a giver. Femi mi... Femi mi, Olowo ori mi, who will hype me now when I make a new hair, who will call me fine girl, who will call me the most beautiful woman in the world. I have cried and cried and cried. People have spoken to me, James and Kamal have told me you wouldn't want me to be sad ...and I know that for sure because whenever I am sad and I cry, you will be like "what's the meaning of this now". The world deserves to know how great you are. To Nigerians and the world at large, my fiance FLIGHT LIEUTENANT TO ASANIYI was a great man who dedicated his life to... serving this country. Pls pray for him, pray for his family and pray for me. Adigun miiiiii, Femi miiiiii, Hot choco miiii sun re o!!!! I want your blue diary so bad because you had lots of intelligent things written in there. You treated me already like we were married. ...You would always say "babe don't worry, everything will be fine, don't worry" Hot choco miii, jo ma fimisile OLUFEMI TAIWO ASANIYI I love you now and forever..." ~Bunmi Oladuntoye.
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| Re: Villa Updates by benzyluv(op): 10:51pm On May 30, 2021 |
STATE HOUSE PRESS RELEASE THE BUHARI ADMINISTRATION AT 6: COUNTING THE BLESSINGS ONE BY ONE The Muhammadu Buhari administration clocks six years May 29, 2021. This milestone affords the opportunity to reflect, and recount the impact that has been made (and is being made) on different sectors of national life. From infrastructure, to finance, education, healthcare, sports, anti-corruption, human development , housing, oil and gas, foreign relations, and many others, the Administration is recording giant strides, enough to make Nigerians proud. That is, those who are dispassionate and fair-minded, not beclouded by political partisanship and undue cynicism. Some people claim: we don’t see what they are doing. We don’t hear about it. Well, here it is. A Fact Sheet, a report card on the Buhari Administration, just a bit of the successes, as the milestone of six years is attained. As it is said, the past is but a story told. The future may yet be written in gold. When the Administration breasts the tape in another two years, by the grace of God, the applause will be resounding, even from the worst of sceptics. Facts are undeniable, and always remain so. They are stubborn things. Femi Adesina Special Adviser to the President (Media and Publicity) May 28, 2021 |
| Re: Villa Updates by benzyluv(op): 10:53pm On May 30, 2021 |
benzyluv:INFRASTRUCTURE -Presidential approval, in 2020, for the establishment of InfraCo Plc, a world class infrastructure development vehicle, wholly focused on Nigeria, with combined debt and equity take-off capital of N15 trillion, and managed by an independent infrastructure fund manager. - Establishment in 2020 of the Presidential Infrastructure Development Fund (PIDF), with more than $1 Billion in funding so far. - The Nigerian Sovereign Investment Authority (NSIA) has seen total additional inflows from the Government of around US$2 billion under the Buhari Administration – since the original US$1 billion which the Fund kicked off with in 2012. - Launch of the Nigeria Innovation Fund, by the NSIA, to address investment opportunities in the domestic technology sector: data networking, datacenters, software, Agri-tech, Bio-tech, etc. RAIL - 156km Lagos-Ibadan Standard Gauge Rail nearing completion - 327km Itakpe-Warri Standard Gauge Rail completed and commissioned 33 years after construction began. - Abuja Light Rail completed in 2018. - Ground-breaking done for construction of Kano-Maradi Standard Gauge Rail, and revamp of Port-Harcourt-Maiduguri Narrow Gauge Rail. - Financing negotiations ongoing for Ibadan-Kano Standard Gauge Rail project ROADS - Presidential Infrastructure Development Fund (PIDF), investing over a billion dollars in three flagship projects: Lagos-Ibadan Expressway, Second Niger Bridge, Abuja-Kaduna-Zaria-Kano Expressway. - Executive Order 7 mobilizing private investment into the development of key roads and bridges like Bodo-Bonny in Rivers and Apapa-Oshodi-Oworonshoki-Ojota in Lagos - Highway Development and Management Initiative (HDMI), a public-private partnership program to mobilise, in its first Phase, over a Trillion Naira in private investment into the development and maintenance of 12 Roads, amounting to 1,963km in length. - More than 360 billion Naira worth of Sukuk Bonds raised since 2017 for dozens of critical road projects across all six geopolitical zones. PORTS - Completion of New Terminals for International Airports in Lagos, Abuja, Kano and Port Harcourt - Construction of New Runway for Abuja and Enugu International Airports - Presidential approval for four International Airports as Special Economic Zones: Lagos, Kano, Abuja and Port Harcourt. - Approval for new private-sector funded deep sea ports: Lekki Deep Sea Port (Construction already well underway, for completion in 2022); Bonny Deep Sea Port (Ground-breaking done in March 2021); Ibom Deep Sea Port; and Warri Deep Sea Port - Development of capacity at the Eastern Ports: o In December 2017, Calabar Port commenced export of bulk cement to Tema Port in Ghana o In 2019, three container ships berthed at Calabar Port, for the first time in eleven years o Dredging of Warri Port (Escravos Bar—Warri Port channel) completed in 2018 o On October 30, 2019, an LPG Tanker operated by NLNG, berthed in Port Harcourt – the first time ever an LPG ship berthed in any of the Eastern Ports o On December 8, 2019, Onne Port received JPO VOLANS (owned by Maersk), the FIRST gearless and largest container vessel (265.07 metres) to call at any Eastern Port in Nigeria. o On August 1, 2019, Onne Port’s Brawal Terminal received MSC GRACE, its first container vessel since 2012. |
| Re: Villa Updates by benzyluv(op): 10:54pm On May 30, 2021 |
benzyluv:POWER Energizing Education Programme: Taking clean and reliable energy (Solar and Gas) to Federal Universities and Teaching Hospitals across the country. Four Universities completed and commissioned already: BUK (Kano), FUNAI (Ebonyi), ATBU (Bauchi) and FUPRE (Delta); others ongoing. Energizing Economies Programme: [/b]Taking clean and reliable energy (Solar and Gas) to markets across the country. Completed projects include Sabon-Gari Market in Kano, Ariaria Market in Aba, and Sura Shopping Complex in Lagos. [b]National Mass Metering Programme: Nationwide rollout of electricity meters to all on-grid consumers, launched in August 2020. The Central Bank of Nigeria is providing 60 billion Naira for the first phase, with a target of 1 million meter installations. So far more than 500,000 meters have been delivered to the Discos, and more than 280,000 installed. Solar Power Naija: Launched in April 2021 to deliver 5 million off-grid solar connections to Nigerian households. The program is expected to generate an additional N7 billion increase in tax revenues per annum and $10 million in annual import substitution. In May 2021, the Rural Electrification Agency announced the planned deployment of solar-powered grids to 200 Primary Health Centres (PHC) and 104 Unity Schools nationwide. Presidential Power Initiative (PPI), aka Siemens Power Program: A Government-to-Government initiative involving the Governments of Nigeria and Germany, and Siemens AG of Germany, to upgrade and modernize Nigeria’s electricity grid. Contract for the pre-engineering phase of the Presidential Power Initiative (PPI) was signed in February 2021, following the 2020 approval for the payment of FGN’s counterpart funding for that phase. Nigeria Electrification Project (NEP) has provided grants for the deployment of 200,000 Solar Home Systems, impacting one million Nigerians. The NEP is also delivering mini-grids across the country. HOUSING - The Family Homes Fund Limited (FHFL), incorporated by the Federal Government of Nigeria in September 2016, is the implementing agency for the Buhari Administration’s National Social Housing scheme. - More than two thousand (2,000) hectares of land with titled documents have been given by 24 States for the Buhari administration’s Social Housing programme, with the capacity to accommodate about 65,000 new homes. - Under the National Social Housing programme, Nigerians will be given at least a 15-year period with a monthly payment at 6 percent interest rate, to pay for each housing unit. The Central Bank of Nigeria is providing a N200 Billion financing facility, with a guarantee by the FGN. OIL AND GAS The Buhari Administration has declared this decade the “Decade of Gas.” - Ground-breaking on 614km Ajaokuta-Kaduna-Kano Gas Project. - Successful completion of Nigeria’s first Marginal Field Bid Round in almost 20 years, expected to raise in excess of half a billion dollars, and open up a new vista of investment in oil and gas. - Launch of National LPG Expansion Programme (including Removal of VAT from the domestic pricing of LPG) - Financial close and signing of contract for NLNG Train 7, which will grow Nigeria’s production capacity by about 35% - Nigeria and Morocco have in 2021 signed an agreement to develop a US$1.4 billion multipurpose industrial platform (Ammonia and Di-Ammonium Phosphate production plants) that will utilize Nigerian gas and Moroccan phosphate to produce 750,000 tons of ammonia and 1 million tons of phosphate fertilizers annually by 2025. It will be located in Ikot-Abasi, Akwa-Ibom State. - Commissioning, in December 2020, of the new NPDC Integrated Gas Handling Facility in Edo State, the largest onshore LPG plant in the country, with a processing capacity of 100 million standard cubic feet of gas daily, producing 330 tonnes of LPG, 345 tonnes of propane and 2,600 barrels of condensate, daily. - Establishment of a $350m Nigerian Content Intervention Fund, to finance manufacturing, contracts and assets in the oil and gas industry - Financial Close on the following NNPC-involved projects: o A 10,000 tonnes per day methanol plant and a 500 million standard cubic feet per day gas processing plant, in Odeama, Brass, Bayelsa State. o The ANOH gas processing plant, with a processing capacity of 300 million standard cubic feet of gas, in Imo State. It is a Joint Venture between Seplat Petroleum Development Company and the Nigerian Gas Company, a wholly owned subsidiary of Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC). It also has the potential to deliver 1,200MW of power when completed. o Comprehensive Rehabilitation of the Port Harcourt Refinery (PHRC). Sign-off Ceremony of Engineering, Procurement & Construction (EPC) Contract held in April 2021, marking the commencement of site handover and full mobilization to site. - Policy, Regulatory and Funding Support for the establishment of Modular Refineries across the Niger Delta. When the Administration took office in 2015 Nigeria had only one functioning Modular Refinery. Today there are at least six ongoing brownfield and greenfield Modular Refinery Projects across the Niger Delta. In 2020 President Buhari commissioned the first phase of the Waltersmith Modular Refinery, in Imo State. - Launch of the Nigerian Upstream Cost Optimization Programme (NUCOP), to reduce operating expenses through process enhancement and industry collaboration. |
| Re: Villa Updates by benzyluv(op): 10:56pm On May 30, 2021 |
benzyluv:AGRICULTURE - Anchor Borrowers Program (ABP): [/b]The Anchor Borrowers Programme (ABP) of the Central Bank of Nigeria, launched by President Muhammadu Buhari on November 17, 2015, has made more than 300 billion Naira to more than 3.1 million smallholder farmers of 21 different commodities (including Rice, Wheat, Maize, Cotton, Cassava, Poultry, Soy Beans, Groundnut, Fish), cultivating over 3.8 million hectares of farmland. - [b]Presidential Fertilizer Initiative: Launched as a government-to-government partnership between the Nigerian and Moroccan Governments, in December 2016, the Presidential Fertilizer Initiative (PFI) produced ~12million 50kg bags of NPK 20:10:10 equivalent in 2020, bringing total production since inception to over 30 million 50kg bags equivalent; and number of participating blending plants increased to 44 from three at inception. - Special-Agro Industrial Processing Zones (SAPZ) Programme: A partnership between FGN, AfDB Group, and other stakeholders including IFAD and BOI. Under the SAPZ programme, agro-processing centres will be established across the country. The agro-processing centres will be provided with basic infrastructure such as water, electricity and roads as well as facilities for skills training. Seven (7) States and the FCT selected for the pilot phase, due to commence 2021: Ogun, Oyo, Imo, Cross River, Kano, Kaduna, Kwara. - The Green Imperative – a Nigeria-Brazil Agricultural Mechanisation Programme aimed at boosting agricultural production in Nigeria. The National Assembly has approved a loan for the financing of the program, which will involve the development of 632 privately-operated primary production (mechanisation) Service Centers and 142 Agro processing (value addition) service Centres across the 774 LGAs, and the reactivation of 6 privately owned partially-operational or moribund tractor assembly plants nationwide. It will also train 100,000 new extension workers. SOCIAL INVESTMENT AND POVERTY ALLEVIATION - In 2016, President Buhari launched the National Social Investment Programme, currently the largest such programme in Africa and one of the largest in the world. Currently, the National Social Register of poor and vulnerable Nigerians (NSR) has 32.6 million persons from more than 7 million poor and vulnerable households, identified across 708 local government areas, 8,723 wards and 86,610 communities across the 36 States of the country and the FCT. - From this number, 1.6 million poor and vulnerable households (comprising more than 8 million individuals, in 45,744 communities from 5,483 Wards of 557 LGAs in 35 states and the FCT are currently benefiting from the Conditional Cash Transfer (CCT) program, which pays a bimonthly stipend of N10,000 per household. - In January 2019, President Buhari launched Nigeria’s Micro-Pension Scheme – which allows self-employed persons and persons working in organisations with less than 3 employees to save for the provision of pension at retirement or incapacitation. - Establishment of Survival Fund, National Youth Investment Fund, and National Special Public Works Program (774,000 beneficiaries across 774 LGAs nationwide), and the Central Bank’s Covid-19 300 billion Naira Targeted Credit Facility (TCF) – more than 150 billion Naira disbursed so far – to support millions of small businesses, households and young people, with federal grants, loans and stipends. - The Buhari Administration’s Survival Fund has provided its grants (Payroll Support, Artisan and Transport Sector grants, and General MSME grants) to more than 800,000 beneficiaries, since the last quarter of 2020. It has also provided free business registration to more than 200,000 MSMEs across the country. - Presidential approval for the establishment of the Nigeria Investment and Growth Fund (NIG-Fund), in 2021. - As at the end of 2020, Development Bank of Nigeria (which commenced operations in 2017) had disbursed 324 billion Naira in loans to more than 136,000 MSMEs, through 40 Participating Financial Institutions (PFIs). (57% of the beneficiaries are women-owned MSMEs while 27% are youth-owned). - Bank of Industry has disbursed more than 900 billion Naira in loans to over 3 million large, medium, small and micro enterprises, since 2015. - In January 2019, President Buhari launched Nigeria’s Micro Pension Scheme – which allows self-employed persons and persons working in organisations with less than 3 employees to save for the provision of pension at retirement or incapacitation. EDUCATION AND HEALTH - Since assuming office, the Buhari Administration has committed more than N1.7 trillion of capital intervention to Nigeria’s tertiary institutions, through various means, including TETFund – with the universities taking the lion share of the total amount. - The Federal Government has disbursed more than 170 billion Naira in UBE Matching Grants to States and the FCT since 2015, 8 billion Naira in Special Education Grant to States and private providers of Special Education, and 34 billion Naira from the Teachers Professional Development Fund to States and the FCT. - Launch of the Alternate School Programme (ASP), designed to ensure that every out-of-school child in Nigeria gains access to quality basic education, irrespective of social, cultural or economic circumstance, in line with the aspirations of Sustainable Development Goal 4 (SDG-4). - Presidential approval for a new (extended) Retirement age of 65 and Length of Service of 40 years for Teachers in Public Basic and Secondary Schools in Nigeria (both effective January 1, 2021), as well as a new Special Teachers Salary Scale (effective January 1, 2022), and also a new Special Teachers Pension Scheme. - Reduction in number of out-of-school children, by 3,247,590, as at 31st December, 2020, achieved through a World-Bank financed program known as ‘Better Education Service Delivery for All’ (BESDA). 1,792,833 of that number achieved through formal schools while 1,454,757 are through non-formal interventions such as Almajiri, Girl-Child, Nomadic/Migrant and IDPs Education). - Under the World Bank-supported Innovation Development & Effectiveness in the Acquisition of Skills (IDEAS) Project, approved in 2020, US$200m will be invested in 6 participating States (Abia, Benue, Ekiti, Gombe, Kano, Edo) as well as 20 Federal Science and Technical Colleges nationwide. Implementation will be stepped-up in 2021 to afford millions of Nigerian youths the opportunity to acquire hands-on skills to effectively contribute to national development. - Presidential approval for the establishment of the following: • Federal Maritime University, in Delta State • Nigerian Army University, in Borno State •Six new Colleges of Education (one per geopolitical zone: Odugbo, Benue State; Isu, Ebonyi State; Ekiadolor, Edo State; Gidan Madi, Sokoto State; Jama’are, Bauchi State; and Iwo, Osun State). • Six new Federal Polytechnics in Kaltungo, Gombe State; Ayede, Oyo State; Daura, Katsina State; Shendam, Plateau State, Ohodo, Enugu State; and Ugep, Cross River State. • Under the phased implementation of the National Youth Policy, 6 Federal Science & Technical Colleges (FSTC) were established in 2020, as follows: FSTC Ogugu, Kogi State; FSTC Hadeija, Jigawa State; FSTC Umuaka, Imo State; FSTC Igangan, Oyo State; FSTC Ganduje, Kano State; FSTC, Amuzu, Ebonyi State. Five (5) additional Federal Science and Technical Colleges (FSTC) will come on-stream in 2021, and will be located in Bauchi, Plateau, Sokoto, Enugu and Cross River States. - Grants to State Governments: At least $2.5 million disbursed to each State of the Federation and the FCT, under the Saving One Million Lives (SOML) initiative, to improve health outcomes. - Basic Health Care Provision Fund (BHCPF): For the first time since the National Health Act was passed in 2014, the Federal Government in 2018 began including the 1% minimum portion of the Consolidated Revenue Fund – amounting to 55 billion Naira in 2018 – to fund the Basic Health Care Provision Fund (BHCPF). The Fund is designed to deliver a guaranteed set health services to all Nigerians, through the national network of Primary Health Care centers. - Passage of enabling legislation for the Nigeria Center for Disease Control (NCDC), for the first time since it was founded in 2011. President Buhari approved a grant of 5 billion Naira for the NCDC in March 2020, as part of the response to the Coronavirus pandemic. - Tertiary Healthcare Upgrade Programme: A number of key Federal Hospitals across the country are being upgraded to effectively manage cancer and other major health challenges. Cancer Radiotherapy machines and other equipment are being provided to these hospitals. The National Hospital in Abuja has already received two LINAC (cancer treatment) machines. - Nigeria Sovereign Investment Authority (NSIA) in March 2018 invested US$10m to establish a world-class Cancer Treatment Center at the Lagos University Teaching Hospital (LUTH), and US$5m each in the Aminu Kano University Teaching Hospital and the Federal Medical Centre, Umuahia, to establish modern Diagnostic Centres. These Centers have all been completed and are now operational. - Launch in 2019 of a Cancer Treatment Support Programme, ‘Chemotherapy Access Partnership’, as a public-private partnership between the Federal Government of Nigeria and a Private Sector coalition, to enable Nigerians access lower-cost, high-quality medications for the treatment of several types of cancer. CREATIVE INDUSTRY AND SPORTS SPORTS - Long overdue renovation of the Lagos and Abuja National Stadiums kicked off in 2020, ahead of concessioning for private management. - In 2018, the National Sports Festival held for the first time since 2012. - Nigeria national U-17 football team, the Golden Eaglets, won the FIFA U-17 World Cup for the fifth time, in 2015. Their first ever win was 30 years earlier, in 1985, when President Buhari was military Head of State. - Nigeria’s participation at the 2016 Paralympic Games yielded her best gold medal result since Nigeria started taking part in the Games in 1992. - D’ Tigress, Nigeria’s Female National Basketball Team won the 2017 FIBA Africa Women's Championship, the continental championship Cup, for the first time in 12 years, and earned qualification for its first FIBA Women’s World Cup appearance since 2006. - In 2018, D’ Tigress, Nigeria’s Female National Basketball Team earned its first-ever win at the FIBA Women’s World Cup, and went on to advance to the quarterfinals. The Team finished in 8th place – the best ever performance by an African Team. - In 2019, D’ Tigress successfully defended its 2017 Afro Basketball Women Championship Title. - In 2020, D’ Tigress became the only female African Team to qualify for participation in the 2020 Summer Olympic Games. - Nigeria’s Women’s Football Team, the Super Falcons, won the African Women Cup of Nations (AWCON) in 2016 and 2018. - In 2018, Nigeria hosted a FIFA Executive Football Summit, one of twelve worldwide. - In 2019, the Super Falcons advanced to the group stage of the Women’s World Cup, for the first time in 20 years. - In 2019, Nigeria won its first Athletics World Championship Medal in six years. |
| Re: Villa Updates by benzyluv(op): 10:59pm On May 30, 2021 |
benzyluv:YOUTH AND CREATIVE INDUSTRY SUPPORT - Establishment of the 75 billion Naira National Youth Investment Fund (NYIF), approved by President Buhari in 2020 - Establishment of the Creative Industry Financing Initiative (CIFI), by the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) in collaboration with the Bankers’ Committee, to provide single-digit financing to young Nigerians in the fields of Fashion, Film, Music and Information Technology. - In 20197, the Federal Government added Creative Industries to the list of qualifying sectors for ‘Pioneer Status’ Incentives – which grants relief from Corporate Income Tax for a specified period of time. - Presidential Approval for the handover of the National Theatre, Lagos, to the Central Bank of Nigeria and the Bankers Committee, for redevelopment into a world-class Creative Park serving the theatre, film, fashion, music, and ICT sectors. The handover has been done, and redevelopment work (valued at about 20 billion Naira) has now kicked off. FISCAL, TRADE, MONETARY AND INVESTMENT REFORMS - The Nigerian Investment Promotion Council (NIPC) in 2017 completed a long-overdue revision of the list of activities that can benefit from Nigeria’s Pioneer Status Incentive, which grants beneficiary companies a 3 to 5-year tax holiday. The revision, done more than 10 ten years after the last one, has modernized the List, expanding the tax holiday incentives to qualifying companies in E-commerce, Software Development, Animation, Music, Film and TV. - Restoration of Federal Budget to January-December cycle, with the 2020 Budget, for the first time in 12 years. - Introduction, since 2020, of annual Finance (Reform) Bills to accompany the annual Federal Appropriation Bill - Negotiation of the billions of dollars in arrears of Cash Calls we inherited when the administration assumed office, resulting in an agreement for a significant discount of more than a billion dollars. Since 2017 the NNPC has commenced payment of the arrears to the Oil Companies. As at Q4 2020, more than $3 billion of the ~$5 billion arrears had been cleared. - Launch of a Visa-on-Arrival Policy, as part of Ease of Doing Business Reforms. In addition, a comprehensive reform of the existing Visa Regime, leading to the rollout in 2020 of a new and enhanced Visa Policy for Nigeria (including expansion from 6 visa categories to 79; each tailored to a specific type of traveller – 36 Temporary Residence Visas, 15 Permanent Residence Visas, 24 Short Visit Visas, etc. PRESIDENTIAL ASSENT TO LEGISLATIVE BILLS - Deep Offshore and Inland Basin Production Sharing Contracts Act, 1993 (Amendment) Act, 2019, which will deliver increased revenues to the Federation. - Federal Competition and Consumer Protection Commission (FCCPC) Bill, the first legislation in Nigeria’s history focused on curbing anti-competition practices; establishing the Federal Competition and Consumer Protection Commission. - Nigeria Center for Disease Control (NCDC) Establishment Act, 2018 - Mutual Assistance in Criminal Matters Bill, an Executive Bill, signed into law in 2019. The Bill facilitates the identification, tracing, freezing, restraining, recovery, forfeiture and confiscation of proceeds, property and other instrumentalities of crime, as well as the prosecution of offenders in criminal cases regardless of where in the world they might be. - Bill establishing the Police Trust Fund, which will significantly improve funding for the Nigeria Police Force (2019). - Nigeria Police Act, 2020 – the first comprehensive reform of Police legislation since the Police Act of 1943. - Repeal and Re-Enactment of the Companies & Allied Matters Act (CAMA), 2020 – the first comprehensive reform since 1990. - Not Too Young to Run Bill (2018) – a Constitution Amendment Bill, to reduce the age of eligibility for running for elective office in Nigeria. - Nigerian Correctional Services Bill, 2019 – the first comprehensive reform of prison legislation in close to five decades - Suppression of Piracy and other Maritime Offences Bill, 2019 – the first anti-piracy legislation in West Africa. - A Bill to grant financial autonomy to States’ Houses of Assembly and States’ Judiciary (2018) - Banks and Other Financial Institutions Act (BOFIA) 2020 - Finance Act 2019 and 2020 - The Discrimination Against Persons with Disabilities (Prohibition) Act, 2018. EXECUTIVE ORDERS - The Buhari Administration has, since 2017, issued a number of landmark Executive Orders: • Executive Order on Promotion of Transparency and Efficiency in the Business Environment (2017) • Executive Order on Promoting Local Procurement by Government Agencies (2017) • Executive Order on Submission of Annual Budgetary Estimates by all Statutory and non-Statutory Agencies, including Incorporated Companies wholly owned by the Federal Government of Nigeria (2017) • Executive Order on the Voluntary Assets and Income Declaration Scheme (2017) • Presidential Executive Order on Planning and Execution of Projects, Promotion of Nigerian Content in Contracts, Science, Engineering and Technology (2018) • Executive Order (and Amendment) on the Voluntary Offshore Assets Regularization Scheme (VOARS) (2018) • Executive Order on Road Infrastructure Development and Refurbishment Investment Tax Credit Scheme (2019) • Executive Order Implementing Financial Autonomy of State Legislature and State Judiciary (2020) |
| Re: Villa Updates by benzyluv(op): 11:00pm On May 30, 2021 |
benzyluv:SUPPORT TO STATES - The Buhari Administration has extended more than N2 Trillion Naira in bailout packages to State Governments, to enable them meet their salary and pension obligations, especially in the face of dwindling oil revenues in the first 3 years of the Administration. The support has come in the form of the following: - Budget Support Facility (Total of 614 billion Naira extended to the States. - Paris Club Refunds ($5.4 billion) - Infrastructure Loans & Refunds: More than 700 billion Naira in refunds for Federal Road projects embarked upon by State Governments. - Loan Restructuring for Facilities with Commercial Banks: In 2015, the DMO restructured Commercial Bank loans with a total value of N575.516 billion for 23 States to reduce the debt service burden on the states. In exchange for their loans to State Governments, the banks were issued 20-year FGN Bonds at a yield of 14.83% per annum. The Restructuring Exercise benefited the States through: • Reduction in the monthly debt service burden of States from between 55% to 97% for various States; • Interest rate savings for the States ranging from 3% to 9% per annum; • Longer repayment period for the loans now converted into Bonds; and, • Freeing up of needed cash to run the machinery of Government. NIGER DELTA - Take-off of the Nigerian Maritime University in Okerenkoko, Delta State. The University was granted approval in January 2018 by the National Universities Commission (NUC) to commence undergraduate degree programmes effective 2017/18 session, and commenced academic activities on April 12, 2018. - Resumption of work on the 337km East-West Road project, originally awarded in 2006. The Buhari Administration expects to complete the project by Q1 2022. - President Buhari approved 5 billion Naira in take-off grant for the Maritime University. - Ogoni Clean-Up: Setting aside of US$170m seed funding for the Ogoni Clean Up, in an Escrow Account established for that purpose. The Escrow Agreement Signing Ceremony took place in April 2018. The Clean-Up commenced in January 2019, with the handover of the first batch of 21 sites to the selected remediation firms, after a painstaking procurement process. As of March 2021, 16 of the first 21 sites had been certified cleaned. - Approvals for the establishment of private-sector-led Modular Refineries across the nine States of the Niger Delta – the first three Refineries have now been completed, while construction is ongoing on others. ANTI-CORRUPTION AND TRANSPARENCY EXPANSION OF TSA AND IPPIS COVERAGE - On August 7, 2015, President Buhari issued a directive to all Ministries, Departments and Agencies (MDAs) to close their accounts with Deposit Money Banks (DMBs) and transfer their balances to the Central Bank of Nigeria on or before 15th September 2015. - The TSA system was launched in 2012, but failed to gain traction until President Buhari’s executive order in August 2015. The TSA system has now been implemented in more than 90 percent of all Federal MDAs. - This decision to fully operationalize the Treasury Single Account (TSA) system—a public accounting system that enables the Government to manage its finances (revenues and payments) using a single/unified account, or series of linked accounts domiciled at the Central Bank of Nigeria — has resulted in the consolidation of more than 17,000 bank accounts previously spread across DMBs in the country, and in savings of an average of N4 billion monthly in banking charges. - In spite of great opposition, the Buhari Administration has expanded IPPIS coverage to the Armed Forces, as well as Federal Universities and other academic institutions. |
| Re: Villa Updates by benzyluv(op): 11:02pm On May 30, 2021 |
benzyluv:BVN DEPLOYMENT FOR SOCIAL INVESTMENT PROGRAMMES AND OTHERS: - Considering that personnel costs are the Federal Government’s largest expenditure line, the Federal Government has given priority to the deployment of the BVN for payroll and pension audits. The use of BVN to verify payroll entries on the Integrated Personnel Payroll Information System (IPPIS) platform has so far led to the detection of 54,000 fraudulent payroll entries. - The Federal Government has also ensured the deployment of BVN system to serve as the verification basis for payments to beneficiaries and vendors in the Anchor Borrowers Programme (ABP), the N-Power Scheme and the Homegrown School Feeding Programme (HGSFP) OPEN GOVERNMENT PARTNERSHIP - In May 2016, President Buhari attended and participated in the International Anti-Corruption Summit organised by the UK Government. At that Summit he pledged that Nigeria would join the OGP, an international transparency, accountability and citizen engagement initiative. - In July 2016, Nigeria became the 70th country to join the OGP. Following this, Nigeria constituted an OGP National Steering Committee (NSC), which went on to develop a National Action Plan (2017–2019) that aims to deepen and mainstream transparency mechanisms and citizens’ engagement in the management of public resources across all sectors. - In 2018, Nigeria was elected to lead the OGP, alongside Argentina, France, and Romania. All four new members of the OGP Steering Committee will serve for three years starting on October 1, 2018. ASSET RECOVERY - Presidential Advisory Committee Against Corruption (PACAC) has helped anti-corruption agencies devise clearer strategies for obtaining forfeiture of assets suspected to have been acquired fraudulently, mainly from State Coffers, before prosecuting suspected culprits. Part of this work has involved painstakingly reviewing existing Laws (like the Money Laundering Act, 2004, the EFCC Act, 2004 and the ICPC Act, 2000), to identify and highlight sections directly conferring powers of forfeiture on Nigeria’s anticorruption agencies. This advocacy has led to a significant increase in the use of Non-Conviction Based Asset Forfeiture Mechanisms by anti-corruption agencies - ICPC scrutiny of practices, systems and procedures of MDAs’ personnel cost from 2019 to 2020, yielded 189 billion Naira in recoveries from inflated personnel budgets. - In 2019 alone ICPC also recovered 32 billion Naira worth of Land, Buildings and Vehicles. - ICPC’s audit of Constituency Projects covering 2015 to 2018 helped recover 2 billion Naira of diverted funds and assets. SECURITY AND JUSTICE REFORM - Nigerian Air Force has acquired 26 brand new aircraft since President Buhari assumed office in 2015, and is expecting another 12 (the twelve Super Tucano currently on order from the United States Government, due for delivery starting July 2021). The NAF is also locally re-activating several previously unserviceable planes. - The Nigerian Navy has acquired close to 400 new platforms since 2015, including 172 Riverine Patrol Boats (RPBs), 114 Rigid- Hull Inflatable Boats (RHIBs), 2 Seaward Defence Boats (SDBs), 12 Manta Class/Inshore Patrol Craft (IPC), 3 Whaler Boats, 4 Barges / Tug Boats, 22 Fast Attack Boats, 14 Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs), 4 Helicopters, 14 River Town Class, 14 House Boats and 4 Capital Ships. - In line with the President’s directive, the Nigerian Navy has established a Naval Base Lake Chad in Baga, Borno State, as well as deployed 14 Naval Security Stations along the nation’s coastline in areas prone to criminal activity. - President Buhari signed into law, in 2019, the Bill establishing the Police Trust Fund, which will significantly improve funding for the Nigeria Police Force. - Nigeria Police Force launched a new National Command and Control Center in Abuja in 2019 - As part of Criminal Justice Reforms, President Buhari in 2020 granted amnesty to 2,600 prisoners nationwide, representing about 3.5 percent of all inmates, in a bid to decongest Nigeria’s prison population. The beneficiaries were those 60 years and above; those suffering from ill-health that might likely lead to death; convicts serving three years and above and have less than six months to serve; inmates with mental health defect; and inmates with a pending fine not exceeding N50,000 and with no pending cases. - Presidential approval for commencement of Community Policing Programme nationwide, and release of take-off funding. The Community Policing Programme has now been enshrined into the Police Act, 2020. - The Nigerian Immigration Service (NIS) is deploying a Migration Information and Data Analysis System (MIDAS) at five International Airports. MIDAS is a global real-time border management system developed by International Organization for Migration (IOM), and is linked to INTERPOL & other watchlists. The implementation of MIDAS at the International Airport in Abuja was described by the IOM as “the largest deployment of MIDAS at any airport globally, to date.” |
| Re: Villa Updates by benzyluv(op): 11:03pm On May 30, 2021 |
benzyluv:DIPLOMACY AND INTERNATIONAL RELATIONS Re-establishment of Nigeria’s position and influence in the regional and global arena. Fragile/broken relations with the United States, United Kingdom, South Africa, and with neighbouring countries (Chad, Niger, Cameroon) have been revived and strengthened since June 2015. Major outcomes/results/manifestations of Nigeria’s renewed visibility and respect on the International Stage include: - The positions of Deputy Secretary-General of the United Nations, Director-General of the World Trade Organization, Secretary-General of the Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC), African Development Bank, and African Export–Import Bank are all currently held by Nigerians. - The signing, in August 2016, of an MoU with the UK Government on modalities for the return of Nigeria’s stolen assets in the UK. - The establishment of a Global Forum for Asset Recovery (GFAR), hosted by the governments of the US and UK in December 2017, to focus on assisting Nigeria and three other countries to reclaim their stolen assets. - Nigeria joined the Open Government Partnership (OGP) in 2016 and developed a National Action Plan, which is already being implemented. - In 2016 Nigeria signed an Agreement on the identification and repatriation of Illicit Funds with the United Arab Emirates during President Buhari’s Visit to that country. - The Federal Government under President Buhari has successfully engaged the governments of Switzerland, Jersey Island, United States, United Arab Emirates, and Liechtenstein among others, in an effort to ensure the repatriation of Nigeria’s stolen assets. - A total of US$622 million in looted Abacha funds repatriated to Nigeria in two tranches in December 2017 and April 2020. The first tranche ($322m) is being disbursed as part of the Buhari Administration’s Social Investment Programme interventions, while the second tranche ($311m) is being invested in the Presidential Infrastructure Development Fund (PIDF), managed by the Nigeria Sovereign Investment Authority (NSIA). - Under President Buhari’s watch, Nigeria has been playing an active and stabilizing role in OPEC. In 2017 Nigeria was able to successfully negotiate a vital exemption from production cuts agreed at the time, a move that helped shore up revenues and foreign reserves. - The Buhari Administration has mobilized International Support for the War against Boko Haram, forging strong partnerships with key countries, including the United States, the United Kingdom, France and Germany, ECOWAS, the AU, the UN, and others. After years of stalemate, the United States finally agreed to sell – and has sold – weapons to Nigeria (12 Super Tucano Aircraft) - Revamp of the Multinational Joint Task Force (MNJTF) comprising troops from Nigeria and Chad, Niger, Cameroon and Benin. - The designation of President Buhari as the African Union (AU) Anti-Corruption Champion for 2018 - The designation of President Buhari by ECOWAS Heads of State as West Africa’s Covid-19 Champion in 2020. - President Buhari’s interventions have helped restore and strengthen democracy in The Gambia and Guinea Bissau. He authorized the deployment of troops, fighter jets and warships to The Gambia during the impasse that followed the December 2016 Presidential elections. - Successful evacuation and repatriation of more than 10,000 Nigerian migrants from Libya, with the support and partnership of the International Organization for Migration (IOM). BILATERAL RELATIONS: CHINA - Billions of dollars in concessional infrastructure funding for critical road and rail projects. President Buhari’s April 2016 official visit to China has unlocked billions of dollars in infrastructure funding, primarily for road, rail and port projects; - Implementation of a Chinese Yuan (CNY) 15 billion Currency Swap Agreement between the Peoples Bank of China and the Central Bank of Nigeria. GERMANY - Support for the Presidential Power Initiative (PPI), six-year Programme to modernise Nigeria’s electricity grid, under a Government-to-Government framework between the Nigerian and German Governments; to be managed and implemented by Siemens AG. - Signing of a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) between Nigeria Incentive-Based Risk Sharing System for Agricultural Lending (NIRSAL) and Petkus Technologie of Germany, aimed at significantly reducing the incidence/impact of post-harvest losses in Nigeria’s Agriculture Value Chain. - Signing of a MoU with Volkswagen of South Africa (VWSA) to develop a joint vision for an automotive hub in Nigeria. UNITED STATES (USA) - Renewed cooperation in Security and Anti-Corruption. The US Government has approved the sale of 12 Super Tucano Aircraft to Nigeria, as well as repatriation of recovered looted monies and assets stashed in the US. In 2020 the United States and the Bailiwick of Jersey repatriated $311 million to Nigeria - Nigerian and U.S. militaries collaborated to host, April 2018 in Abuja, the 2018 African Land Forces Summit, the largest gathering of African Army chiefs, to discuss cooperation aimed at improving security on the continent. UNITED KINGDOM (UK) - 2018: Nigeria commenced the implementation of Automatic Exchange of Tax Information (AETI) protocol with the United Kingdom. This Protocol will provide the Nigerian Government with data on bank accounts, property and trusts held in the UK by Nigerian nationals, and will support the Voluntary Assets and Income Declaration Scheme (VAIDS) by allowing Nigerian tax authorities to check the accuracy of declarations received regarding overseas assets and income. - 2018: Launch of a UK-Government funded £13 million education programme that will provide training for teachers, school equipment, and security for schools, for 100,000 children living in parts of the Northeast affected by Boko Haram. - 2021: Repatriation by the United Kingdom of GBP 4.2 million being recovered loot from the Ibori family, to Nigeria. |
| Re: Villa Updates by benzyluv(op): 5:17pm On Jun 04, 2021 |
PRESS RELEASE FG Suspends Twitter's Operations in Nigeria The Federal Government has suspended, indefinitely, the operations of the microblogging and social networking service, Twitter, in Nigeria. The Minister of Information and Culture, Alhaji Lai Mohammed, announced the suspension in a statement issued in Abuja on Friday, citing the persistent use of the platform for activities that are capable of undermining Nigeria's corporate existence. The Minister said the Federal Government has also directed the National Broadcasting Commission (NBC) to immediately commence the process of licensing all OTT and social media operations in Nigeria. Segun Adeyemi Special Assistant To The President (Media) Office of the Minister of Information and Culture Abuja 4 June 2021 |
| Re: Villa Updates by benzyluv(op): 11:52pm On Jun 04, 2021 |
Ministry of Interior Press Statement FG institutes disciplinary action against Registrar of Benin Marriage Registry The Federal Government has taken immediate disciplinary action against Mr. Ozuruonye Chukuma, the Registrar of Benin Federal Marriage Registry due to what it termed gross negligence of duties, absence from duties without leave and acts unbecoming of a public officer-all in negation of the Public Service Rules. The Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Interior, and Principal Registrar of Marriages in Nigeria, Dr. Shuaib Belgore said the decision was in line with the ethics of the Civil Service which encourages, diligence and discipline for public officers. "This will serve as deterrent to others who are careless with their official duties," Belgore said. Belgore said he had directed immediate investigation into the incident and ordered that Mr. Ozuronye Chukuma be relieved of his duties as a Marriage Registrar in Benin Federal Marriage Registry and recalled to the Headquarters in Abuja immediately, pending the conclusion of investigation. It would be recalled that some sections of the media reported that the said officer was not at his duty post to carry out his statutory role when, on Friday 28th May, 2021, an intending couple and their family members were at the Marriage Registry for the event, but the Registrar was not on ground to conduct the Marriage. The Permanent Secretary and Principal Marriage Registrar of Marriages in Nigeria noted that the Minister of Interior, Ogbeni Rauf Aregbesola has warned all Federal Marriage Registrars who handle their official duties with levity to desist from such acts or be ready to face disciplinary actions. The Permanent Secretary and Principal Registrar of Marriages in Nigeria, on behalf of the Minister of Interior, Ogbeni Rauf Aregbesola, and the entire Ministry, tenders an unreserved apology to the Couple, Mr. Abel Ugiagbe, Miss Marian Obire and their family members who were made to face disappointment on a day that should have been for joyful celebration. Barr. Mrs. M. Soyinka-Onijala Director Citizenship & Business For: Permanent Secretary/ Principal Registrar of Marriages in Nigeria 4th June, 2021 |
| Re: Villa Updates by benzyluv(op): 11:54pm On Jun 04, 2021 |
Social media trends for Friday 4th June, 2021 Tompolo The Minister of Niger Delta, Senator Godswill Akpabio, was on the trend following his visit to Delta state, allegedly to plead with ex-militant leader, Chief Government Ekpemupolo also known as Tompolo over a seven-day ultimatum he had issued. Tompolo had called on the Federal Government to set up a board for the Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC) or else there will be a breakdown of law and order in the region. Many people who reacted to the development criticized the minister, saying it is sad how the government trembles at the threat of violence from non-state actors. Some of the opinions are captured below: @AbiolaTalks80: "This administration's admiration for non-state actors make me wonder if #Nigeria will ever emerge a one united nation from this political and economic quagmire." @MooAkee: "Perhaps, Tompolo should come out of hiding and serve on the board. If you want something to be done properly, do it by yourself. "Keep running away from taking responsibilities openly and then turn back to complain of mismanagement while in hiding. Who are you deceiving?" @LongwilliamsT: "Tompolo you are doing a good job. Carry on." @king_Zule: "Niger Delta can’t be underdeveloped while we feed the nation. People who aren’t from the region getting employed into top offices in NDDC; it must stop!!!!" Over 20,000 reactions followed the trend. *Gumi* Social media users have slammed popular Islamic cleric, Sheik Ahmad Gumi for advising the Federal Government to support splinter groups among bandits as a way to end mass abductions of school pupils. Gumi was reported to have given the advice on Wednesday while reacting to the abduction of 200 Islamiyya school children in the Rafi Local Government Area of Niger State. He said many bandits were ready for a dialogue, and that the government could use them to fight the ugly ones. But many took to Twitter to disagree strongly with Gumi's postulation, arguing that there are no good bandits. Below are some of their arguments: @Morris_Monye: "So according to Sheik Gumi, there are good bandits and bad bandits. "My man, a bandit is a bandit no matter how you colour the bandit. It's like saying good armed robbers and bad armed robbers." @BChocolait: "Sugarcoating is a tactic used to caramelize evil to justify the kidnapping and killings done by these terrorists by a renowned Islamic cleric. "So tay now, we see killings as a thing to just argue about on social media and forget it ever existed." @hammedmusa: "I don't know why that man is still walking free despite uttering ridiculous and annoying comments. If a southerner tries that, he would have become a regular guest in prison." @ROyekulehin: "Why are some people so methodologically unfortunate? What’s the meaning of good bandits and bad bandits. That man will be shamed to death." @shalomhans: "So Gumi is telling me that we have good and bad witches, good and bad armed robbers." @FabianKenni: "Bad is bad. Outlaws are outlaws... Evil is evil... Crime is crime... I don't think he understands the realities of his statement..." The trend gathered about 30,000 engagements. *Femi Adesina* A piece written by the Special Adviser to the President on Media and Publicity, Mr Femi Adesina, titled: 'I Suddenly Remembered Why I Fell In Love With The President’, has been mired in the murky waters of criticism, as many Nigerians on social media read different meanings to it. They averred that the presidential aide was endorsing the high-handedness of his principal. *USSD* Many users of USSD services in Nigeria on Friday complained about the notice to pay N6.98 for each transaction session. They took to Twitter to express their dismay over the charges. USSD is a critical channel for delivering financial services, especially for those who do not have access to physical banking infrastructure or internet services. Meanwhile, the CBN had stated in March that “The general public is reminded that the USSD channel is optional, as several alternative channels such as mobile apps, internet banking, and ATMs may be used for financial transactions." However, there are concerns about how the new charge will affect financial inclusion, particularly for people who do not have access to internet services. 18,000 tweets followed the trend. *Twitter Nigeria* Many people are protesting the suspension of Twitter operations in Nigeria by the Federal Government. There are also others who are expressing support for the suspension as they agreed with the reason being given by the government for the action. They say Twitter has done more harm than good to the corporate existence of Nigeria, citing instances such as the EndSARS protests that resulted in unprecedented destruction of lives and property and the attendant breakdown of law and order that almost destabilized the country. Reactions to this trend and several other related hashtags are still pouring in. |
| Re: Villa Updates by benzyluv(op): 8:55pm On Jun 05, 2021 |
RE: GIANT OF AFRICA IS FALLING: STATING THE FACTS Please find below the response of the Presidency to the publication in Foreign Affairs magazine that appeared in the current edition as sent to the publishers: Dear Sir, The latest article on Nigeria in Foreign Affairs titled ‘The Giant of Africa is Failing’ is unfair both to a magazine with such an esteemed pedigree and to its readers. Ambassador Campbell has been predicting the collapse of Nigeria for several years. He is of course entitled to his opinions, even where events consistently prove him wrong. But facts should not be bent to support distorted opinions. Let me give you one example. The authors write: ‘At an April meeting with U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken, Buhari reportedly requested that the headquarters of the U.S. Africa Command be moved from Germany to Nigeria so that it would be closer to the fight against jihadi groups in the country’s north.’ President Buhari did not request that AFRICOM move to Nigeria. The transcript of the call with Secretary Blinken is available on the State Department’s own website. It’s not just a question of the invented addition of ‘to Nigeria’ with regard to AFRICOM. It sums up a piece that attempts - subtly but revealingly - to shift facts to suit an argument. Nigeria faces multiple challenges, not least of which is the dissemination of fake news and prejudiced opinion. This is something we have come to expect from partisan blogs and politically motivated lobbies. It is still a surprise, and a disappointment, to see them joined by Foreign Affairs. Yours sincerely, Garba Shehu Senior Special Assistant to the President (Media & Publicity) 03 June, 2021. |
| Re: Villa Updates by benzyluv(op): 5:31pm On Jun 07, 2021 |
TWITTER, NIGERIAN GOVERNMENT AND THE REST OF US. By Babatunde Ajose DCOB. In 2017, Farhad Manjoo, New York Times Tech Columnist warned that Tech companies are becoming more powerful than Government and might spell doom if nothing is done to curtail their activities. The Nigerian Government just banned the operation of Twitter indefinitely and compatriots are complaining bitterly. Those complaining don't want their freedom of speech trampled upon. I share their position and acknowledged that the Nigerian Government took an extreme position on Twitter no doubt, but these Nigerians should also remember that there can only be citizenship rights if there's a country . Looking at the activities of these Tech Giants around the world, various governments will have no choice than to take unpopular position on their activities regardless of their benefits especially in Nigeria where Twitter was openly soliciting funds for the Anti-Government movement called #EndSars , where the President's Obituary was published and nothing was done, where millions upon millions suffer abuses and bully on daily basis and Twitter only cares about their profit. I was in the Manchester Court room when a man was sentenced for insulting Rooney's Wife on Twitter and there was no mention of failed state in England, but reverse is the case here, anything goes in our media space. We have forgotten that every right comes with an obligation. I appreciate the fact that this Government failed on almost all the promises that brought them to power, the reasons for the failure is a topic for another day. But should we lose a country because a government failed? Buhari will leave in 2023 but the damages we're doing to our country will hunt us in decades to come. Is it not possible to see this country beyond Buhari and rally round our God-given land, or have we gotten any other place we want to pass to our children unborn? We all know that the Indigenous People Of Biafra (IPOB) is a proscribed organization in Nigeria and classified as a terrorist organization by Nigerian laws and even in some South-Eastern States of Nigeria as at the last time I checked. The fairness and legality of this proscription is left to the legal practitioners to argue in courts or the lawmakers from Biafra Region to lobby on the floor of the Parliament. What we have seen is that the Leader of a Proscribed IPOB has chosen Twitter as his mouthpiece which has brought about arson, carnage and killings on the streets of the supposedly Biafraland and Twitter doesn't see anything wrong in it. It's like an organization providing a platform for Al-Qaeda or ISIS to disseminate messages to their sympathisers in America....Who does that? Yet, my people love and hail Twitter because a government failed us. Few months ago, Twitter announced the opening of their office in Ghana citing Freedom of Speech for their reasons for shunning Nigeria and my people fell for it. All around the world, multinationals especially Tech Giants look for Tax Haven to do their businesses; my people forgot to investigate if freedom of speech is actually the reason Twitter went to Ghana as they told us. The simple reason is the repatriation of profit and taxes which Nigerian Government is now taking serious. MTN the South African telecommunication giant had same issue; ShopRite, the South African stores, is another multinational that tried to mess with our tax laws, thank God Egbon Tayo Amusan came to our rescue and I'm happy those cash they have collected from Nigerians over the years will remain in Nigeria. Apple Inc. the makers of world's most expensive gadgets moved their Head Office to Ireland in an attempt to avoid the American tax or are we saying there's no freedom of speech in America? Same Apple moved their factory to China because of cheap labour, should we then say America does not have the right infrastructure like Nigeria? Have you forgotten the legal war between the FBI and Apple in respect of privacy right over American security? How about the court drama between EU/Ireland & Apple Inc. over unpaid €14 Billion taxes. All notable and luxury clothing lines in the Western world moved their production outfits to Asian countries because of labour laws of the West or should we assume they went there because of NEPA and Bad leadership in their home countries? Nigerians should wake up please, we are the second largest English speakers in the world after United States of America; Facebook, Instagram, Twitter etc cannot afford to lose the Nigerian Market, they need us more than we need them but will develop a funny narrative to appease the their Nigerian followers as their reasons. That is the style of multinationals especially the Tech Giants. Egypt is the largest Twitter user in Africa, did Twitter establish in Egypt? They will not because the Egyptian tax laws don't permit their "Wayo Activities". By the way how many Ghanaians will Twitter employ in their new Ghana office? I'm very sure, it's less than 200 compared to the 5000 jobs Microsoft is creating with its partnership with Nigerian Government, but Nigerians prefer to mourn the loss of 200 jobs over 5000 created here. I have the privilege to have worked in the Nigerian Embassy in London where I met several business delegation wanting to come to Nigeria and I know how robust some of our investment laws are. I acknowledge the fact that there are several rooms for improvement in these laws but we're not doing badly as we're being made to believe. The chat below shows you that your preferred Ghana is not as popular as Nigeria in the Foreign Direct Investment Market so guys learn to support your country against this tax evaders. The simple truth is that Twitter wants to evade tax by being in Ghana and enjoy the biggest Market in Africa, Nigeria, through ECOWAS Treaties and AFCTA Agreement and let's be guided more multinationals will still do the same thing in future. Do you know how much Twitter is making in Nigeria? Are you aware Twitter is having similar problem in India? Do you know Twitter and other social media companies don't pay any tax in Nigeria? Do you know they will prefer to go to Ghana because the Nigerian Government just came up with a tax reform that compelled them to pay our taxes they've been pocketing? Check the new Financial Act 2020 for details. Finally, I want to submit that the Nigerian Government took this extreme decision at a wrong time and for wrong immediate reasons but we should not forget the remote reasons and the underlying factors. Twitter is just out to make profit and not to protect anybody's right as portrayed in Nigeria; Twitter should realize that having a dominant share of 200million people Market comes with a lot of caution and decorum. The Nigerian Government should also have a legal framework to register and regulate these Tech Giants and institute deterrent punitive measures like fines and the likes instead of outright ban. Thank you for reading. Babatunde Ajose DCOB is a Sustainable Development Strategist from Badagry with specialisation in Tourism, Foreign Investment, Microfinance. He is a Fellow of several professional bodies in the UK. |
| Re: Villa Updates by benzyluv(op): 2:39pm On Jun 08, 2021 |
T[b]he road to perdition — Nigerian business edition Editi Effiong [/b] The business journey of most young Nigerians often begins with them tired of being broke, hungry, and a disgrace to their family. To alleviate the situation, they decide to do something. Now, “something” here is to be taken exactly at face value. If you’ve ever met a young Nigerian who has been looking for a job for 3 years after graduating from university or college, you would probably hear phrases along the lines of “I just need something to do. Anything.” This is the kind of something that comes to mind when the young person decides to start the small something. It could be anything. Human hair, point and kill, makeup, fabric sales, pure water etc. For the sake of this post, I’m going to go with web design, since this is the one I know well. So our friend, let’s call him Akpos, has decided to start a web design business because, ahn ahn, this hunger is too much. Also because he ran into his old schoolmate, Bayo, the other day and felt so ashamed. Bayo looked very clean, coming out of his original Tokunbo Toyota Highlander (TTH). He even had a small accent. Bayo that used to wear those silly striped shirts with a worn out belt back in university, was now wearing a well-starched white kaftan with an Apple Watch, balling like Bolanle (no relation of Bayo’s). Whatever Bayo was doing to blow, he will try it too. That’s how he decided to start web design. It begins. Web design is not very hard to learn. Akpos spent the next few days in an internet cafe, learned the basics of HTML. Then he learned the other one, CSS, before trying out javascript. This one was a little hard, but the effects you could do with it na die. As soon as he could use javascript to make letters jump on the web page, he knew he was ready. He went home and proudly told his mother “Mummy, I am now an entrepreneur”. To show how serious he was, Akpos took his transparent “job application file” and pushed it under the bed. Never again! The next day, Akpos started looking for someone who was willing to pay for web design. He tried the big hotels, then the big schools, but no one wanted to give him business. Dejected, hungry, he walked back home. His mother had warned him about this entrepreneur business, but he wouldn’t hear. But one month of entrepreneurship, it turned out, was as hard as job search. It’s kuku the same thing. A month to the day after he started his entrepreneurial journey, Akpos reached under his bed and retrieved his old transparent folder. On the way out to nowhere, Akpos decided to stop by Prophet Akpan Power’s Ministry, so Prophet Akpan Power (PAP) could pray on his folder. The prophet had previously prayed on the folder, but a month under the bed probably weakened the efficacy of the old prayer, so Akpos needed reinforcement. Outside PAP’s church building, there was a sign announcing yet another 3-day power packed crusade, titled “We Will Win By Force” AKA “WWW By Force”. Just the kind of encouragement Akpos needed. By force work. By force business. WWW By Force… That was when it hit him. He ran into the church. PAP was kneeling at the alter, praying. Akpos ran up to him, almost out of breath, shouting “Sir, PAP, let me build ya website” Two weeks later, Akpos launched the website www.prophetakpanpowerministries.com in front of the PAP congregation. The website was really nice. It had a really fine picture of the prophet with his hands pointing to heaven. At the tip of his pointing finger, Akpos used javascript to put a flame of blue fire to show that this man of God was powerful. Everyone loved it. (If you actually clicked on the PAP website link, LOL). PAP was so happy, he paid him N10,000 more than the N20,000 they had agreed. He also prayed an extra prayer for Akpos’s transparent folder, but Akpos knew the time for the folder was gone. He spent N10,000 of his new stash on new clothes — new shirt, new second hand suit and a nice pair of original fake Italian shoes. He was an entrepreneur now, he had to represent. Two weeks after launching the website, PAP called Akpos. A brother-in-ministry also wanted a website. He gave Akpos the fellow prophet’s number. Just before Akpos left, PAP warned him, “Do a good job for my brother, but don’t put fire on his finger. His anointing is great, but it is not on the same level as my own”. An entrepreneur is born. A year after learning web design, Akpos was going places. Like he really was going to different places to build websites, including those places that didn’t want to talk to him before. All e had to do was show that PAP site — everyone loved the fire thing. He started buying foodstuff for his mother on his way from business, so his mother respected him now. Once a week, he would buy fuel for the gen. Three months after is first website job, he bought himself a laptop with a nice black Targus bag to go with it. He joined twitter and wrote a small article about javascript and the tech cool kids all over twitter were replying him . Life suddenly wasn’t so bad. He stopped calling himself a web designer. He was an entrepreneur now. The only downside to his new life was the constant arrest by police, who called him a Yahoo boy. Every time he got arrested, he would pay a little something before he got released — the police said if he really has a job like he said “where your ID card”. That’s why Akpos decided to start a company — MegaKP Technology Company. He printed an ID card, business card and letterheads. The next time the police stopped him, he proudly showed is ID card. When they asked him what he did at the company, he proudly smiled, “Managing Director”. The next time he passed the police post, they didn’t stop him. He was driving his new Toyota Corolla. So police can have respect, he thought. “Their collective fathers”. +1 Hiring is not easy. Every new entrepreneur struggles with that moment where there is too much work to do, but there is worry that there isn’t enough money coming in to support hiring. Akpos realized however, that writing code takes so much time, it was hard to chase for new business. He started looking for someone just like him — designer, coder, business maven. He couldn’t find someone. The young people these days don’t work hard to gain multiple skills, yet ask for N100k a month. He settled for a guy who had decent web design skills and could use photoshop, but wasn’t too greedy — N50k. No brothers in business That week after he hired his first staff, Bayo called him. A bank he worked for had given him a couple of jobs and he could not deliver all of them. He needed someone he could trust. The deal was simple — Akpos would attend the bank meetings with Bayo, deliver on his part of the business and get paid 50% of what Bayo gets when the bank pays. Agreed. On Tuesday, the day of the meeting, Akpos was in front of the bank an hour ahead of the meeting, wearing a new suit. Bayo didn’t show up until 5 minutes to the meeting, wearing a well starched white kaftan. Akpos was more than a little impressed. Only people who hcaave arrived wear kaftans to business meetings. The meeting went well. Akpos helped Bayo answer some questions and the client was happy. One of the men in the room, the bank’s head of technology — Mr Smith, was so impressed with Akpos, he gave him his business card. It took Akpos one week of sleepless nights to deliver the project. His new staff grumbled a lot, but stayed with him and they delivered right on schedule. Bayo called to say the client was very happy. They will pay in two weeks. Two weeks came and passed, Bayo did not call. Akpos called, but Bayo didn’t pick up. The third week came and went. Frustrated, he called that man at the bank who had given him his business card. The man was happy Akpos called. He was surprised that Bayo’s employee would call, but confirmed their company had been paid weeks back. When Akpos honestly explained that he was not Bayo’s employee, Mr Smith understood, and asked Akpos to meet him the next day. At that meeting, Mr Smith, told Akpos he liked how his mind worked, and would like to work with him on another project. He asked Akpos to forward his company details to him. Akpos left the bank, happy, but in two minds. He wanted this new business, but he didn’t want to offend Bayo. He tried calling Bayo again, to tell him about the new bank project, and also to offer him a cut from the new business. Bayo did not pick up. Akpos went about his business that day. He also put together a very nice profile and sent to Mr Smith. That evening, Bayo called. He abused Akpos for cutting him to get business from his client. Akpos tried to explain, but Bayo wouldn’t listen. Bayo told him to never ever call his phone again, then hung up. Akpos didn’t call Mr Smith for two weeks. Then Mr Smith called. He listened to Akpos, then told him “Life happens. Send me your CAC documents so we can list you as a vendor”. Akpos confessed that his company was only in name, he was not registered with the Corporate Affairs Commission. Mr Smith gave him a lawyer’s number. “Call him, he can get you registered in 2 days. Send me the documents immediately they arrive”. Baller. Akpos’s story was a miracle. He told this story to every employee he hired. With every telling, the story got sweeter, and by the 20th telling, Akpos himself had come to believe the newer, sweeter version, which deleted Bayo and replaced Mr. Smith with the CEO of the Bank. He was traveling abroad on vacation and generally enjoying life. Everyone loved Akpos. And his story. Three years down the road, he was running one of the biggest software businesses in the city, attended TED Talks and had a regular blog. People read his blogs about how to build successful businesses, and asked him to come and talk to their teams. One of his readers worked at the Federal Internal Revenue & Extortion Service, FIR(E)S. A week later, Akpos received a letter saying he owed the government N35 million in taxes. “WHAT?” Akpos called his friend, Ray, a lawyer. “So have you been remitting taxes?” “No”. “But you have been putting tax in your invoices to clients?” “Yes now. But everybody does it just to increase how much the client pays” “Ah, this is serious o, because every business you do, every payment that you client makes to your bank account registers with FIR(E)S.” “So what do we do?” First contact with the devil The first visit by the FIRS was very formal. They gave Akpos a deadline, after which he would be shut down. Akpos didn’t have that kind of money. He had been generous with his profits. He paid his staff well, gave to church, took care of family, enjoyed life and bought a house. When Akpos started the business, he knew nobody to open doors for him. He got lucky when he met a few a man who introduced him to the big ogas, and took a percentage of his contract fees. Unknown to him, those kickbacks were leaving him with huge tax liabilities. Of course he couldn’t call Alhaji Jamil to please send back the tax on that N5 million he got as “marketing commission”. He called his mother to talk and she took him to PAP for prayers. As PAP was prophesying, Akpos was seeing himself in chains, being led to jail. He was in soup. The next morning, he got a Whatsapp call from the tax man. He said there is a way out. They needed to meet in person. At the meeting, no words were spoken — the tax man would write a number of the paper, hand it to Akpos, Akpos would shake his head, write on the paper and pass it back. After a short while, a compromise was set — the penalty was reduced by over 80%, but he would pay 10% of the original obligation to a private account. The paper notes were burned. Akpos was relieved. He was a good guy, but the trouble he was in could ruin the entire business. So he hustled some funds and did as he was told. More letters The FIR(E)S problem was gone and he had received his first ever tax clearance. But that was the same week he got a call from the Pension Commission. An old staff had reported his business to the commission for failing to remit pensions. He had also made a similar report to the State Internal Revenue Shakedown. All of a sudden, Akpos was in trouble. There were troubles as far as he could see. For the first time, he missed pay day, and a few more staff were threatening to leave if he didn’t pay on time. He was being featured on blogs after the State IRS had arrested him. Nobody knew that the SIRS had offered the same deal as the FIR(E)S, but because he didn’t have money, the state people arrested him to teach a lesson. Akpos had been having headaches off and on since his troubles started. He took pain medications, but the headaches always did not go away. He finally went to see a doctor, who ordered tests. The doctor asked how old he was, then shook his head. Akpos had developed high blood pressure. Three years after his life had turned around for good, Akpos didn’t want to be an entrepreneur anymore. There are many Akpos stories There are so many stories like those of our friend, Akpos. People who just wanted to hustle, but business happened to them along the way. People who weren’t trained about taxes, pensions and other deductibles. People who set staff salaries, trying to pay decently so bigger companies would not steal their best staff, only to realize that they are building up a backlog of back taxes on account of that. Too many entrepreneurs have unknowingly entered the Fowler’s net, while trying to hustle. Some found themselves heavily indebted to staff because their clients owe them. Some are in trouble because they rushed to buy that TTH to show they have arrived, then business stopped flowing. It’s hard out there. Really hard. This story has no happy ending www.editieffiong.medium.com/the-road-to-perdition-nigerian-business-edition-80ccb8fca862 1 Like 1 Share |
| Re: Villa Updates by benzyluv(op): 2:40pm On Jun 08, 2021 |
The road to perdition — Nigerian business edition Editi Effiong The business journey of most young Nigerians often begins with them tired of being broke, hungry, and a disgrace to their family. To alleviate the situation, they decide to do something. Now, “something” here is to be taken exactly at face value. If you’ve ever met a young Nigerian who has been looking for a job for 3 years after graduating from university or college, you would probably hear phrases along the lines of “I just need something to do. Anything.” This is the kind of something that comes to mind when the young person decides to start the small something. It could be anything. Human hair, point and kill, makeup, fabric sales, pure water etc. For the sake of this post, I’m going to go with web design, since this is the one I know well. So our friend, let’s call him Akpos, has decided to start a web design business because, ahn ahn, this hunger is too much. Also because he ran into his old schoolmate, Bayo, the other day and felt so ashamed. Bayo looked very clean, coming out of his original Tokunbo Toyota Highlander (TTH). He even had a small accent. Bayo that used to wear those silly striped shirts with a worn out belt back in university, was now wearing a well-starched white kaftan with an Apple Watch, balling like Bolanle (no relation of Bayo’s). Whatever Bayo was doing to blow, he will try it too. That’s how he decided to start web design. It begins. Web design is not very hard to learn. Akpos spent the next few days in an internet cafe, learned the basics of HTML. Then he learned the other one, CSS, before trying out javascript. This one was a little hard, but the effects you could do with it na die. As soon as he could use javascript to make letters jump on the web page, he knew he was ready. He went home and proudly told his mother “Mummy, I am now an entrepreneur”. To show how serious he was, Akpos took his transparent “job application file” and pushed it under the bed. Never again! The next day, Akpos started looking for someone who was willing to pay for web design. He tried the big hotels, then the big schools, but no one wanted to give him business. Dejected, hungry, he walked back home. His mother had warned him about this entrepreneur business, but he wouldn’t hear. But one month of entrepreneurship, it turned out, was as hard as job search. It’s kuku the same thing. A month to the day after he started his entrepreneurial journey, Akpos reached under his bed and retrieved his old transparent folder. On the way out to nowhere, Akpos decided to stop by Prophet Akpan Power’s Ministry, so Prophet Akpan Power (PAP) could pray on his folder. The prophet had previously prayed on the folder, but a month under the bed probably weakened the efficacy of the old prayer, so Akpos needed reinforcement. Outside PAP’s church building, there was a sign announcing yet another 3-day power packed crusade, titled “We Will Win By Force” AKA “WWW By Force”. Just the kind of encouragement Akpos needed. By force work. By force business. WWW By Force… That was when it hit him. He ran into the church. PAP was kneeling at the alter, praying. Akpos ran up to him, almost out of breath, shouting “Sir, PAP, let me build ya website” Two weeks later, Akpos launched the website www.prophetakpanpowerministries.com in front of the PAP congregation. The website was really nice. It had a really fine picture of the prophet with his hands pointing to heaven. At the tip of his pointing finger, Akpos used javascript to put a flame of blue fire to show that this man of God was powerful. Everyone loved it. (If you actually clicked on the PAP website link, LOL). PAP was so happy, he paid him N10,000 more than the N20,000 they had agreed. He also prayed an extra prayer for Akpos’s transparent folder, but Akpos knew the time for the folder was gone. He spent N10,000 of his new stash on new clothes — new shirt, new second hand suit and a nice pair of original fake Italian shoes. He was an entrepreneur now, he had to represent. Two weeks after launching the website, PAP called Akpos. A brother-in-ministry also wanted a website. He gave Akpos the fellow prophet’s number. Just before Akpos left, PAP warned him, “Do a good job for my brother, but don’t put fire on his finger. His anointing is great, but it is not on the same level as my own”. |
| Re: Villa Updates by benzyluv(op): 2:41pm On Jun 08, 2021 |
benzyluv:An entrepreneur is born. A year after learning web design, Akpos was going places. Like he really was going to different places to build websites, including those places that didn’t want to talk to him before. All e had to do was show that PAP site — everyone loved the fire thing. He started buying foodstuff for his mother on his way from business, so his mother respected him now. Once a week, he would buy fuel for the gen. Three months after is first website job, he bought himself a laptop with a nice black Targus bag to go with it. He joined twitter and wrote a small article about javascript and the tech cool kids all over twitter were replying him . Life suddenly wasn’t so bad. He stopped calling himself a web designer. He was an entrepreneur now. The only downside to his new life was the constant arrest by police, who called him a Yahoo boy. Every time he got arrested, he would pay a little something before he got released — the police said if he really has a job like he said “where your ID card”. That’s why Akpos decided to start a company — MegaKP Technology Company. He printed an ID card, business card and letterheads. The next time the police stopped him, he proudly showed is ID card. When they asked him what he did at the company, he proudly smiled, “Managing Director”. The next time he passed the police post, they didn’t stop him. He was driving his new Toyota Corolla. So police can have respect, he thought. “Their collective fathers”. +1 Hiring is not easy. Every new entrepreneur struggles with that moment where there is too much work to do, but there is worry that there isn’t enough money coming in to support hiring. Akpos realized however, that writing code takes so much time, it was hard to chase for new business. He started looking for someone just like him — designer, coder, business maven. He couldn’t find someone. The young people these days don’t work hard to gain multiple skills, yet ask for N100k a month. He settled for a guy who had decent web design skills and could use photoshop, but wasn’t too greedy — N50k. |
| Re: Villa Updates by benzyluv(op): 2:41pm On Jun 08, 2021 |
benzyluv:No brothers in business That week after he hired his first staff, Bayo called him. A bank he worked for had given him a couple of jobs and he could not deliver all of them. He needed someone he could trust. The deal was simple — Akpos would attend the bank meetings with Bayo, deliver on his part of the business and get paid 50% of what Bayo gets when the bank pays. Agreed. On Tuesday, the day of the meeting, Akpos was in front of the bank an hour ahead of the meeting, wearing a new suit. Bayo didn’t show up until 5 minutes to the meeting, wearing a well starched white kaftan. Akpos was more than a little impressed. Only people who hcaave arrived wear kaftans to business meetings. The meeting went well. Akpos helped Bayo answer some questions and the client was happy. One of the men in the room, the bank’s head of technology — Mr Smith, was so impressed with Akpos, he gave him his business card. It took Akpos one week of sleepless nights to deliver the project. His new staff grumbled a lot, but stayed with him and they delivered right on schedule. Bayo called to say the client was very happy. They will pay in two weeks. Two weeks came and passed, Bayo did not call. Akpos called, but Bayo didn’t pick up. The third week came and went. Frustrated, he called that man at the bank who had given him his business card. The man was happy Akpos called. He was surprised that Bayo’s employee would call, but confirmed their company had been paid weeks back. When Akpos honestly explained that he was not Bayo’s employee, Mr Smith understood, and asked Akpos to meet him the next day. At that meeting, Mr Smith, told Akpos he liked how his mind worked, and would like to work with him on another project. He asked Akpos to forward his company details to him. Akpos left the bank, happy, but in two minds. He wanted this new business, but he didn’t want to offend Bayo. He tried calling Bayo again, to tell him about the new bank project, and also to offer him a cut from the new business. Bayo did not pick up. Akpos went about his business that day. He also put together a very nice profile and sent to Mr Smith. That evening, Bayo called. He abused Akpos for cutting him to get business from his client. Akpos tried to explain, but Bayo wouldn’t listen. Bayo told him to never ever call his phone again, then hung up. Akpos didn’t call Mr Smith for two weeks. Then Mr Smith called. He listened to Akpos, then told him “Life happens. Send me your CAC documents so we can list you as a vendor”. Akpos confessed that his company was only in name, he was not registered with the Corporate Affairs Commission. Mr Smith gave him a lawyer’s number. “Call him, he can get you registered in 2 days. Send me the documents immediately they arrive”. Baller. Akpos’s story was a miracle. He told this story to every employee he hired. With every telling, the story got sweeter, and by the 20th telling, Akpos himself had come to believe the newer, sweeter version, which deleted Bayo and replaced Mr. Smith with the CEO of the Bank. He was traveling abroad on vacation and generally enjoying life. Everyone loved Akpos. And his story. Three years down the road, he was running one of the biggest software businesses in the city, attended TED Talks and had a regular blog. People read his blogs about how to build successful businesses, and asked him to come and talk to their teams. One of his readers worked at the Federal Internal Revenue & Extortion Service, FIR(E)S. A week later, Akpos received a letter saying he owed the government N35 million in taxes. “WHAT?” Akpos called his friend, Ray, a lawyer. “So have you been remitting taxes?” “No”. “But you have been putting tax in your invoices to clients?” “Yes now. But everybody does it just to increase how much the client pays” “Ah, this is serious o, because every business you do, every payment that you client makes to your bank account registers with FIR(E)S.” “So what do we do?” First contact with the devil The first visit by the FIRS was very formal. They gave Akpos a deadline, after which he would be shut down. Akpos didn’t have that kind of money. He had been generous with his profits. He paid his staff well, gave to church, took care of family, enjoyed life and bought a house. When Akpos started the business, he knew nobody to open doors for him. He got lucky when he met a few a man who introduced him to the big ogas, and took a percentage of his contract fees. Unknown to him, those kickbacks were leaving him with huge tax liabilities. Of course he couldn’t call Alhaji Jamil to please send back the tax on that N5 million he got as “marketing commission”. He called his mother to talk and she took him to PAP for prayers. As PAP was prophesying, Akpos was seeing himself in chains, being led to jail. He was in soup. The next morning, he got a Whatsapp call from the tax man. He said there is a way out. They needed to meet in person. At the meeting, no words were spoken — the tax man would write a number of the paper, hand it to Akpos, Akpos would shake his head, write on the paper and pass it back. After a short while, a compromise was set — the penalty was reduced by over 80%, but he would pay 10% of the original obligation to a private account. The paper notes were burned. Akpos was relieved. He was a good guy, but the trouble he was in could ruin the entire business. So he hustled some funds and did as he was told. More letters The FIR(E)S problem was gone and he had received his first ever tax clearance. But that was the same week he got a call from the Pension Commission. An old staff had reported his business to the commission for failing to remit pensions. He had also made a similar report to the State Internal Revenue Shakedown. All of a sudden, Akpos was in trouble. There were troubles as far as he could see. For the first time, he missed pay day, and a few more staff were threatening to leave if he didn’t pay on time. He was being featured on blogs after the State IRS had arrested him. Nobody knew that the SIRS had offered the same deal as the FIR(E)S, but because he didn’t have money, the state people arrested him to teach a lesson. Akpos had been having headaches off and on since his troubles started. He took pain medications, but the headaches always did not go away. He finally went to see a doctor, who ordered tests. The doctor asked how old he was, then shook his head. Akpos had developed high blood pressure. Three years after his life had turned around for good, Akpos didn’t want to be an entrepreneur anymore. There are many Akpos stories There are so many stories like those of our friend, Akpos. People who just wanted to hustle, but business happened to them along the way. People who weren’t trained about taxes, pensions and other deductibles. People who set staff salaries, trying to pay decently so bigger companies would not steal their best staff, only to realize that they are building up a backlog of back taxes on account of that. Too many entrepreneurs have unknowingly entered the Fowler’s net, while trying to hustle. Some found themselves heavily indebted to staff because their clients owe them. Some are in trouble because they rushed to buy that TTH to show they have arrived, then business stopped flowing. It’s hard out there. Really hard. This story has no happy ending www.editieffiong.medium.com/the-road-to-perdition-nigerian-business-edition-80ccb8fca862 |
| Re: Villa Updates by benzyluv(op): 11:47am On Jun 10, 2021 |
ON THE VIRAL VIDEOCLIP OF GOV. DAPO ABIODUN'S BROADCAST A videoclip of the Governor of Ogun State, Prince Dapo Abiodun appearing to correct errors in his speech during a rehearsal or recording of a broadcast has been trending online. Before the matter is allowed, yet again, to snowball into an avoidable storm, a few observations need to be made. The first is that speechmaking is a vital component of the executive functions of the Governor. Because of its key representational role in projecting the State chief executive and his administration, utmost priority must be accorded to it in the schedule of the Governor. Much more than meeting with contractors, commissioning projects and hosting dignitaries, the reputational damage resulting from the mismanagement of the Governor's Office speech function could echo far and be long lasting. A state broadcast has an even more elevated importance because it purports to communicate with the people at key moments in the life of the state. The point that many of the needlessly defensive comments that I have read on this controversy seem to miss is that the speech of the Governor that would be recorded for broadcast must, first and foremost, be camera-ready. The recording session is not the time and place that you start to struggle with the right words to use, sentence construction, syntax and suchlike. Before the Governor presents himself in front of a camera to rehearse or record a speech, all of that should have been sorted out between him and his speechwriter prior to his showing up for the kleig lights. This would limit the circle of mischief makers lurking in the shadows to ridicule the process like the people behind the sharing of this tape have obviously done. The corrections to be made on camera should be with regard to takes, effects, carriage, ambiance, cadence, tonality, comportment, flow, etc. A situation where the Governor is wondering, as Prince Abiodun is seen to do in the said video, whether "Information" (I presume by that he means the Information Ministry) did not go over the draft is just below par. With due respect, Mr. Governor should have familiarised himself with the speech draft prior to going before a camera for its recording. It is his broadcast afterall - not that of "Information"! In the six-and-a-half years that I served in Ogun State, one of my core assignments was to be the Governor's speechwriter. It was a role that Governor Gbenga Daniel insisted I play, regardless of whatever portfolio I occupied - be it Communication Adviser, Information Commissioner or Chief of Staff. And the process of implementing a speech draft is really a simple one. When a major speech is to be made, the Governor tells his speechwriter what he wishes to say and after this has been captured into a draft, he then goes over the draft. It is at this point of going over the initial draft that grammatical and other constructional corrections are made. Never before the camera - whether in rehearsal or actual recording! Just imagine that the speech under reference here was not for recording but had to be delivered to a live audience. Would Governor Abiodun be pausing at the podium to correct the "is" and "was" of the draft and the sentence constructions? The upshot of all of this is that the Governor and his aides must take this episode as a lesson. And they should cure themselves of the victim mentality that seeks to excuse sloppiness by blaming lapses on the opposition. It is the duty of the opposition to score points against the government. It is also the duty of the government to reduce the opportunities for the opposition's points-scoring against it to the barest minimum. In conclusion, my advice is that the government should quickly put this episode behind it, take the lessons in good faith, sanction whatever lapses occasioned the embarrassment and just forge ahead. I left the service of Ogun State nearly twelve years ago. But I want to believe that there is still sufficient resident capacity within the civil service and appointee cadres of the state administration to ensure that things are done right in a manner that befits of the pioneering and frontline role of our dear state and the labours of its Founding Fathers. May God in His infinite mercies continue to grant Governor Abiodun and his administration the wisdom and presence of mind to steer the ship of Ogun State. Kayode Samuel |
| Re: Villa Updates by benzyluv(op): 12:30pm On Jun 10, 2021 |
BIAFRA PARADOX They so love Biafra that they will not live or invest there. They love Biafra so much as to ignite conflagration inside it, while living safely abroad. They so love Biafra that they go to any length to run away from it in droves and scatter into Europe, the US, Canada, etc, dying like flies in the process; in the perilous Sahara desert or drown in the Mediterranean sea. They love Biafra to the extent of forming an army of wayward, jobless youths to visit mayhem and destruction on the Eldorado country. They love Biafra so much as to make the 'country' hostile to any sane investors, including the Biafrans themselves. Biafra has the highest number of its citizens living outside, yet, it is the most inhospitable to outsiders. Whenever Biafra comes, it is going to be destroyed, not by outside forces, but by its internal contradictions. A dead-on-arrival country. |
| Re: Villa Updates by benzyluv(op): 10:31pm On Jun 10, 2021 |
CELEBRATING DEMOCRACY DAY, 2021 In commemoration of DEMOCRACY Day, June 12, 2021, a one hour documentary titled “NIGERIA: Consolidating Democracy and National Unity,” will debut simultaneously on the Nigerian Television Authority (NTA) and Channels TV networks this Saturday at 8:00-9:00pm. TVC will be showing at 4:30-5:30pm the following day, Sunday June 13th. The film features President Muhammadu Buhari and dignitaries who were central to the annulled June 12 election and the events that followed, including General Abdulsalam Abubakar, Asiwaju Bola Tinubu, Kola Abiola, Hafsat Abiola-Costello and Mohammed Fawehinmi, son of legal luminary, Chief Gani Fawehinmi who along with Amb. Babagana Kingibe, was also recognized with a Grand Commander of the Order of the Niger (GCON) national honor. With sections dedicated to the annulled election, recognition process and evolution of Nigeria’s democracy and continuing quest for its consolidation and national unity from Independence in 1960, the documentary was filmed exclusively in Nigeria and directed by the award winning, Nigerian-American, Hollywood-based filmmaker Ose Oyamendan. Also featured are President Goodluck Jonathan, children of Sir Abubakar Tafawa Balewa, the country’s first and only Prime Minister, those of Chief Obafemi Awolowo, the first republic opposition leader and Dr Nnamdi Azikiwe, Nigeria’s first President as well as Amb. Shehu Malami, nephew of Sir Ahmadu Bello and son of Sultan Abubakar III, as they capture the spirit of Nigeria’s Independence Day in 1960. The documentary will be shown at 8:00pm on Saturday, June 12, on both the NTA and Channels TV. TVC will be showing at 4:30-5:30pm on Sunday June 13th. Garba Shehu Senior Special Assistant to the President (Media & Publicity) June 9, 2021 |
| Re: Villa Updates by benzyluv(op): 10:49am On Aug 02, 2021 |
Wole Akande writes : Starboy! The Vice President of Nigeria. Nothing but a kind, humble and decent man. So here he is, with his wife, walking out of an engagement with an entourage including security and all the accoutrements of power and he spots an old friend (me) and instead of just waving and walking on, stops, slightly diverts to ask the old friend how he was and why he had not since come to visit! Wow! Who does that? I was so touched and honored that I promised to come visit soon. These are the qualities that has endeared Professor Yemi Osinbajo to a whole lot of Nigerians and why I have the greatest respect and love for him❤️. His humility and kindness are the exact examples much required and so much missing from a country that is power drunk on itself. I would very much wish he became President of Nigeria but I am unsure if he has the needed ruthlessness that is needed to give Nigeria the restructuring it so desperately needs. I know the moniker or appellation ‘Starboy’ irritated some people which directly led to their attempt to discount him but the forgot that God protects his own. Then again, God has a sense of everything and I understand some in his church have a vision thing. We will know what it is by 2023, yes? Please help me salute and pray for the successful tenure of Starboy. He deserves every accolade.
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| Re: Villa Updates by benzyluv(op): 10:56am On Aug 02, 2021 |
Osinbajo Day and the Rest of Us By Ayodeji Seriki On August 8, 2021, exactly a week away, some Nigerians would roll out the drum to celebrate the Vice President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria. The event, tagged Osinbajo Day, which is the second edition, is a brain child of a pressure group –Osinbajo Grassroots Organisation (OGO). Yes, not much is known about OGO, the organization that has consistently drummed support for the nation’s number 2 citizen but a lot is known about the subject of the celebration, Professor Yemi Osinbajo. In the last two weeks, the entire social media landscape has been awash with short videos by young spirited Nigerians who are obviously members of the organization and others who have keyed into the initiative.
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| Re: Villa Updates by TheRareGem1(f): 12:01pm On Aug 02, 2021 |
benzyluv:Nice one 1 Like |
| Re: Villa Updates by benzyluv(op): 7:59pm On Aug 02, 2021 |
Hushpuppi Paid Abba Kyari N8m To Detain Chibuzo – FBI Alleges The Federal Bureau of Investigation has alleged that money laundering suspect, Abass Ramon, aka Hushpuppi, paid N8m or $20,600 to the embattled Deputy Commissioner of Police, Abba Kyari, to arrest and detain a “co-conspirator,” Chibuzo Kelly Vincent. A document issued by the United States District Court for the Central District of California and dated February 12, 2021, alleged that Hushpuppi contracted the services of Kyari after Chibuzo allegedly threatened to expose an alleged $1.1m fraud committed against a Qatari businessman. “Kyari provided the account information for a bank account at a Nigerian bank, Zenith Bank, in the name of a person other than Kyari himself,” Page 59, item 145 of the document stated. FBI Special Agent, Andrew John Innocenti, made the allegation in the ‘Criminal Complaint By Telephone Or Other Reliable Electronic Means’ filed before the United States District Court for the Central District of California. Detailing the events leading to the alleged payment, the document stated, “On January 16, 2020, Abbas sent a message to Kyari on WhatsApp, and then placed five calls to another phone number (+2348060733588) that was listed as ‘Abba Kyari.’ Call records show that the last three of the calls were answered and that one of the calls lasted more than two minutes. “Shortly after that, Abbas received a message from Kyari, confirming ‘We would pick him today or tomorrow.’ Abbas wrote, ‘I will take care of the team also after they pick him up.’ Kyari confirmed ‘Yes ooo.’” The document averred that, based on the conversation described in paragraphs 143 to 145, Abbas planned to pay the Nigeria Police Force officers who arrested Chibuzo for that service. It alleged that “This was not the only time that Abbas arranged payments with Kyari”, adding, “On May 20, 2020, Abbas sent Kyari transaction receipts for two transactions from accounts at Nigerian banks (GTBank and Zenith Bank) of a person Abbas knew in the U.A.E.— a person also arrested with Abbas in Abbas’ apartment in the U.A.E. by Dubai Police on June 9, 2020 — to the Nigerian bank accounts of another person in Nigeria. “The amounts on the transaction receipts totalled 8 million Nigerian Naira, which was approximately $20,600 based on publicly available exchange rate information.” The FBI document noted that, “Attempting to reason with Abbas, on January 18, 2020, Chibuzo recounted for Abbas all the assistance he had provided in the scheme to victimize the victim Businessperson, including creating the “power of attorney” document, devising a story to tell the victim Businessperson, and facilitating the creation of the “telephone banking” number and fake Wells Fargo website. “On January 20, 2020, Kyari sent to Abbas a biographical, identifying information for Chibuzo, along with a photograph of him. In a conversation immediately following, Abbas confirmed, ‘that is him sir.’ “Kyari stated, ‘We have arrested the guy. He is in my cell now. This is his picture after we arrested him today.” According to the document, Kyari then sent the biographical information about, and photograph of Chibuzo to Abbas, using two different WhatsApp numbers — the second of which Kyari said was his “private number.” “From that point on, Kyari and Abbas primarily discussed the arrest and detention of Chibuzo through WhatsApp on this ‘private number,’” the document stated further. “After receiving the photograph of Chibuzo, Abbas stated, ‘I want him to go through serious beating of his life.’ Kyari responded, ‘Hahahaha,’ and Abbas replied, ‘Seriously sir.’ “Kyari then asked for details about what Chibuzo did on audio, which Kyari said was ‘So that we will know what to do.’ “In response to Kyari’s question about what Chibuzo had done to Abbas, Abbas sent Kyari an audio message, which is transcribed here, describing how Chibuzo had tried to steal away a fraud victim (i.e., “the job”) from him: What he did is, I have one job. The job want to pay me 500, umm, 75,000 dollars [i.e., $575,000]. He went to message the job behind me because I told him to help me make one document for me to give the job. Then he went—he has a—I gave him the details. Then he went to message the job behind my back and try to divert the money and in this process, he tell the job because of the documents he gave me that I gave the job, he tell the job, ‘These document they sent to you before. These people are fake. This money—is me who can help you to get it. Come to me le—bring this money you want to pay these people to me. I’m the only one who can help you,’ and all these things to divert the job for himself. “After listening to the message, Kyari wrote, “Ok I understand. But he has not succeeded.” Abbas claimed Chibuzo had taken some money, and provided Kyari with two screenshots, one of which contained the phone number 3054405586 (the phone number Chibuzo used to contact the Victim Businessperson). “Abbas then told Kyari, ‘Now the [Victim Businessperson] was skeptic to pay me the money cos he keep attacking the [Victim Businessperson] from his end. Now I can handle the [Victim Businessperson] correctly.” The document further alleged that “Abbas further told Kyari that he wanted to pay money to send Chibuzo to jail for a long time, stating, ‘Please sir, I want to spend money to send this boy to jail, let him go for a very long time.’ “Kyari responded, “Ok bro, I understand; I will discuss with my team who arrested him . . . And handling the case We will do something about it.’ “Abbas responded, ‘Let me know how I can send money to the team sir. Let them deal with him like armed robber.’ Kyari responded, ‘OK I will send their account details to u.’” “Abbas further wrote, ‘He betray me and try to take food out my mouth, this is great punishable sin,’ and Kyari responded, ‘Yeah bro.’ “Abbas then continued, ‘I want him to suffer for many years.’ Kyari responded, ‘Hahahaha! Hahahaha.’” The document alleged that, “Approximately six minutes later, Kyari provided the account information for a bank account at a Nigerian bank, Zenith Bank, in the name of a person other than Kyari himself. “Abbas responded, ‘Ok sir, tomorrow by noon,’ indicating that he would make the payment to Kyari’s team by the next day. “Approximately a month later, on February 19, 2020, Kyari sent a message to Abbas, saying, ‘Hello hush with [sic] need to talk about the subject under detention with me.’ “Abbas asked, ‘Should I call u on this number sir?’ to which Kyari replied ‘Yes call me.’ “The following day, Kyari sent Abbas multiple photographs of Chibuzo to Abbas, including close-up photographs showing a rash or skin disease on Chibuzo’s torso and arms. “Abbas responded, ‘I don pity am, make them leave am from Tuesday.’ Kyari wrote, ‘Ok bro, they just brought him from hospital. The fever and the rashes is giving him serious wahala. He got the disease from other suspects in the cell.’ “Abbas responded, ‘I see am, I no too pity am. That’s what people like him deserve, but I go forgive am for God sake.’ “Abbas then said, ‘No problem sir from Tuesday he can go,” apparently giving Kyari his blessing to release Chibuzo from custody. “Kyari responded, ‘Ok bro. We will also keep his phone and other gadgets for some weeks.’ Abbas responded, “Yes those ones they should not give him again, those ones are gone . . . Make he no see those ones again for life.’ “Kyari responded, ‘Yes he will not see it again,” indicating that he would accede to Abbas’ request.” Kyari has been suspended by the Police Service Commission as Head of the Intelligence Response Team based on the recommendation of the Inspector-General of Police, Usman Baba. A panel has also been established to probe the matter.
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| Re: Villa Updates by benzyluv(op): 8:10pm On Aug 02, 2021 |
IGP APPOINT DCP TUNJI DISU TO REPLACE ABBA KYARI. The Inspector-General of Police, IGP Usman Alkali Baba, psc (+), NPM, fdc has today, 2nd August, 2021 approved the posting of DCP Tunji Disu as the new Head of the Police Intelligence Response Team (IRT). The posting of the officer is on the heels of Management’s decision to fill the leadership gap within the IRT and refocus the Unit for better service delivery. 2. The IGP has charged the new Head of the IRT to demonstrate his professional competence in his leadership of the Unit. He also assured citizens that the IRT will remain focused in the discharge of its duties in line with national statutes and international best practices. 3. Prior to his appointment as the new Head of the IRT, DCP Tunji Disu, a former Commander of the Rapid Response Squad (RRS) Lagos State, was the Deputy Commissioner of Police, Department of Operations, Force Headquarters, Abuja. He had also previously served at the State CID, Rivers State as the Deputy Head of the Unit. He was also a former Commander of the Nigeria Police Contingent to the African Union (AU) Peace Keeping Mission in Dafur, Sudan. 4. DCP Disu holds a Bachelor of Arts degree in English from the Lagos State University (LASU) and a Masters Degree in Public Administration from the Adekunle Ajasin University, Ondo State. He has also attended several professional courses both at home and abroad: Small Arms Smuggling Training in Botswana, Internet Fraud Training at the Cambridge University, UK, Strategic Leadership Command Course at the Police Staff College, Jos, Forensic Investigations and Criminal Intelligence Course at the University of Lagos, amongst others. He is a member of the International Association of Chiefs of Police, Nigeria Institute of Public Relations and Chattered Institute of Personnel management, amongst other professional bodies. His posting is with immediate effect. CP FRANK MBA FORCE PUBLIC RELATIONS OFFICER FORCE HEADQUARTERS ABUJA
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| Re: Villa Updates by benzyluv(op): 3:09pm On Aug 03, 2021 |
APC CRISIS: COURT ASKED TO NULLIFY STATE CONGRESSES ... To dissolve Buni-led Caretaker Committee The All Progressives Congress (APC) has begun to feel the impact of the minority judgment of the Supreme Court on the Ondo State governorship election following a suit seeking the nullification of all the actions taken by the party’s Caretaker/Extraordinary National Convention Planning Committee (CECPC), headed by Yobe State Governor Mai Mala Buni. The suit which was filed before the High Court of the Federal Capital Territory(FCT), Abuja, by an aggrieved member of the party, Okosisi Emeka Ngwu, poses a threat to the legality or otherwise of the just-concluded State Congresses of the party. It is coming on the heels of the dissenting judgment of the Supreme Court on the petition filed by the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) candidate in the 2020 Ondo State governorship election, Eyitayo Jegede, SAN, against the incumbent governor of Ondo State, Rotimi Akeredolu, and the APC. The apex court had in a minority judgment of three justices, questioned the validity of the Buni-led Caretaker Extraordinary Convention Planning Committee and declared it illegal. It held that the party erred by allowing a sitting governor to hold the position of party national Chairman in clear breach of section 183 of the 1999 constitution (as amended). The fresh suit marked FCT/HC/CV/1824/2021 and dated August 2, listed the APC and all members of the party’s Caretaker/Extraordinary Convention Planning Committee as defendants. They are Mai Mala Buni; Isiaka Oyebola; Ken Nnamani; Stella Okorete; Governor Sani Bello; Dr James Lalu; Senator Abubakar Yusuf; Hon. Akenyemi Olaide; David Leon; Abba Ali; Prof Tahir Mamman; Ismail Ahmed and Senator Akpan Udoedehe. The claimant in his originating summons filed by his counsel, Chief Oba Maduabuchi, SAN, is further asking the court to dissolve the Committee known as and called caretaker/extraordinary convention planning committee as there is no organ of the party or any such organisation in the party’s constitution. He further sought a declaration that pursuant to section 87(4)(b)(1) of the Electoral Act (as amended), only the National Executive Committee of a political party can validly appoint a date for the holding of primaries for the nomination of the gubernatorial or other candidates of the political party. A declaration that unless an election is conducted in accordance with the Electoral Act and by an organ known to and created by the constitution of the APC, no valid candidate can emerge from such a primary. Ngwu, who stated that he wanted to contest the position of the national chairman of the party in 2018, has further urged the court to grant an order set tong aside all actions and decisions taken by members of CECPC of the party. Before seeking the above declaratory reliefs, the claimant posed the following questions to be determined by the court: “Whether there is any organ of the APC known as Caretaker/Extraordinary Convention Planning Committee created in or by the constitution of the party. Whether the organisation known and called caretaker/extraordinary planning committee is one of the organs created by Article 11 of the constitution of the political party known and called the APC. Whether pursuant to section 87(4) (b) (1) of the Electoral Act (as amended) any other organ of a political party can validly appoint a date for the holding of a congress for the purpose of nominating the governorship candidate of the political party Including the APC apart from the National Executive Committee of the party. Whether a valid candidate or officer of the party can emerge from a congress fixed by any other organ of a political party outside the National Executive Committee of a political party including the APC. The originating summons is supported by a 10-paragraph affidavit wherein, the claimant averred that in 2018, he had wanted to contest for the National Chairman of the party after the tenure of the then national chairman of the party expired but was prevailed upon to allow Adams Oshiomhole to be returned unopposed. That he was prevailed upon to sheath his ambition because he (Oshiomhole) had only four years to be in office and then he will contest the election for the position of the national chairman. That after just two years, I was surprised to hear that the National Executive Committee and National Working Committee had been dissolved and a contraption known as Caretaker/Extraordinary Convention Planning Committee had been created by an unknown person and Mai Mala Buni asked unilaterally to head the committee. That I was surprised as by the constitution of the party, the National Executive Committee would be in office for four years until June 22, 2022. That my supporters and I also knew that only a duly elected National Executive Committee could validly hold any primaries to nominate candidates for the party for the various elections to be held between the day of the dissolution of both the National Executive Committee anf National Working Committee. That the CECPC is unknown to our party’s constitution and it is operating without reference to the party’s constitution. |
Top Presidency Aides Denied Access To Aso Villa After Violating NCDC Guidelines • President Buhari Addresses Nigerians On Coronavirus (Live Updates) • Aso Villa Shut Down As Kyari Tests Positive, Shehu, Others Self-Isolate • 2 • 3 • 4
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