₦airaland Forum

Bandits have on Wednesday attacked two villages in Anka Local Government Area of Zamfara, killing some people. The bandits attacked a mining site at Kuru-kuru village and also ambushed some people from the neighbouring Jarkuka village as they mobilised to bring help to Kuru-kuru. A witness, Sadi Musa, said scores of people were killed at the mining site on Wednesday evening which forced the miners to flee for safety. Musa said when residents from the nearby Jarkuka came later to join the Kuru-kuru survivors in burying the dead, the gunmen attacked again, and killed more people. Confirming the incident, the Police Public Relations Officer (PPRO) in the state, DSP Mohammed Shehu said,’’ we are aware of the attack but I cannot give you details now until my commissioner is fully briefed’’. Newsmen report that the bandits had attacked Bawan Daji village in the same Anka Local Government Area two weeks ago and killed over 30 people. They returned the following day and killed mourners at a grave yard. This led to the deployment of Air Force and Army personnel to the area to contain the situation. The soldiers had since swung into action and killed several bandits.

Read more at: https://www.vanguardngr.com/2018/04/bandits-attack-2-zamfara-villages-kill-scores/

The Presidency yesterday denied alleged secret recruitment of children and cronies of government functionaries at the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), Federal Inland Revenue Service (FIRS) and other agencies and parastatals of government, describing such reports as “inaccurate”.
This is even as it gave reasons behind the exclusion of the private sector in the current Economic Management Team (EMT) headed by the Vice President, Yemi Osinbajo, saying the President Muhammadu Buhari administration considers managing the economy its responsibility.
Recent media reports had alleged that cronies of officials of the present government including President Muhammadu Buhari and his vice, are being secretly employed in government agencies described as lucrative.
But the Senior Special Assistant to the Vice President, Mr. Laolu Akande, told State House correspondents that there was no iota of truth in the reports. According to him, the government was rather sanitising the recruitment process and the public service systems to make them more transparent. “These reports are inaccurate. What we heard is that government is working to ensure that we develop, going forward, a more transparent process. We are committed in going forward to ensure that some of these procedures are refined, fine-tuned and made to become more transparent,” he said.
On the national economic management team, Akande said that it was government’s responsibility to take on the economy.
He said, ”we have to understand that the attitude of this Presidency is to consider the management of the economy as a government responsibility. It is not something that this government believes should be done by bringing in some of the private interests into the economic team to take a decision that they will be directly involved with. So our stand is that the management of the economy is a government responsibility,” he said.
Akande, however, added that the private sector was not totally excluded as other stakeholders such as the Manufacturers Association of Nigeria (MAN) and the Nigerian Economic Summit Group (NESG), have also been engaged by the government.
“For instance, we have started meeting on constant basis with MAN and there have been meetings with arms of the economic sector of the country. There have been meetings with the Nigerian Economic Summit Group (NESG) and some other economic interests with companies making presentations.
“But generally, this thing is a government team and the team has been able to set out before the budget trying to figure out what the budget ought to focus on. After the budget was presented and eventually signed, there was also the publication of the strategic implementation plan, which was produced in a reader friendly format.
“All of these are the outcomes of what EMT does and it is also in the team that you have the heap of the whole physical and monetary policy and don’t forget that the monetary policy is always the duty and responsibility of the central bank, which is an economic arm of government,” he said.
When asked to put a timeline when Nigerians will begin to feel the impact of the economic team, the Vice President’s media aide said the present administration was committed to charting a new course for the country.
According to him, the corruption fight is a laudable feat of the administration. “As much as we try not to say this, we know as a matter of fact that members of the past administration, most of them have come out to say they did not save for the rainy day. So we are dealing mostly with situations that have been caused even before this administration took over power. The President and his team have worked hard and planned not only to save cost, not only to tighten public expenditure but to also diversify the

The Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB) on Monday announced the release of its guidelines for admission process this year.
The announcement followed a week of meeting with universities and other tertiary institutions in Nigeria.
Announcing the guidelines on its website, the board said that the modalities was going to be based on point system.
The board, which explained how the admission process would work for JAMB candidates and direct entry students, also stated that universities were going to charge fees for screening of candidates at the end of the process for admission.
According to the board, the new method uses a point system, which is divided into other processes, that is easy to understand.
For instance, it noted among others: “Before a candidate can be considered for screening, he/she must have been given provisional admission by JAMB. The JAMB admission checker portal is going to be opened soon for this process, so praying is all you can do now,” the statement on JAMB’s website said.
The second process, the board said, was the point system where admission would depend on the point tally of the candidate.
“JAMB’s provisional admission no longer makes much sense this year, your points tally will decide your faith.
“The points are evenly spread out between your O’level and JAMB results to provide a level playing field for all.
“In the first case, any candidate who submits only one result which contains his/her relevant subjects already has 10 points, the exam could be NECO, WAEC, GCE etc, but any candidate who has 2 sittings only gets 2 points. So this means that aspirants with only one result are at an advantage but only just,” the statement said.
The board explained that the next point grades fell into the O’level grades where each grade has it’s equivalent point; A=6 marks, B=4 marks, C=3 marks, so the better the candidates’ grades, the better his or her chances of securing admission this year.
The next point is the UTME scores where each score range has its equivalent point which can be summarized thus, 180-200=20-23 marks, 200-250=24-33 points, 251-300=34-43, 300-400=44-60 points.
Giving a breakdown, JAMB explained that each categories contains five JAMB results per point added. For example a candidate with 180-185 gets 20 points, a candidate with 186-190 gets 21 points etc, adding that points system for direct entry will be released soon.
The board stated that fees would still be charged for screening which has replaced the Post UTME.
“It then comes down to the fact that fees will still be charged for screening, it depends on the school as well,” the statement said.
It also disclosed that catchment and ELDS will still be used!
“Merit contains 45% of the total candidates for a particular course, Catchment contains 35% and ELDS and staff lists contains the rest.
“Cut off marks will be released by schools this year in the form of points and not marks. If a school declares it’s cut off mark for Medicine as 90 points and JAMB grants a candidate with 250 a provisional admission but his/her total points falls short of the 90 points, then he/she will lose the admission. So the provisional admission is just a means to an end, not the end in itself,” the statement added.
http://thenationonlineng.net/jamb-releases-guidelines-admission/

You are on point your highness. Let whoever disagree with you should go and by brain.

EXECUTIVE Secretary of the National Universities Commission (NUC) Professor Julius Okojie has said the grading system in all universities will be harmonised to have a common grading system. The move will help enhance understanding of the grading system of Nigerian Universities internationally.
He said this at a workshop on review of grading system in Nigerian Universities, in Abuja, yesterday. Okojie said when the Benchmark Minimum Academic Standard (BMAS) documents were reviewed in 2007, the document did not take into consideration the technical implications of the policy to allow individual institutions and disciplines to implement different minimum requirement for a student
to graduate. He said having different grading system within the
system is an issue that needs to be addressed as it has some technical implications on the grading of students.
“While some disciplines used the six grade points of 5, 4, 3, 2, 1, 0 for letter grades of A,B, C, D, E, and F respectively, other disciplines removed the E grade altogether having a system with grade points of5,4,3,2,0forlettergradesofA,B,C,D,and F respectively. These systems have incontrovertibly introduced two systems of grading within the Nigerian University System that have some technical implications on the grading of students.”
He said the workshop will provide an avenue for the NUC and all universities to review the existing grading systems in a bid to review the existing grading system to arrive at a generally acceptable method of computing CGPA. http://sunnewsonline.com/new/fg-to-harmonise-university-grading-system/

Good observations

The Federal Government has declared Thursday 24th and Friday 25th September as public holidays to mark this year’s Eid-el- Kabir celebration.
The Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Interior, Abubakar Magaji, announced this in a statement issued on behalf of the federal government.
Magaji enjoined all Muslim faithful and Nigerians to extend the religious benefits of the Eid-el-Kabir which include love, peace, empathy and tolerance for the overall development of the nation. http://thenationonlineng.net/fg-declares-thursday-friday-as-public-holidays/

The embattled Senate President, Bukola Saraki, is set to face trial at the Code of Conduct Tribunal on Monday after returning from a trip to his home town, Ilorin, Kwara State, on Sunday.
The PUNCH learnt that the Senate president, who visited Ilorin on Saturday to meet with his political supporters, was expected back in Abuja on Sunday.
Saraki is facing imminent arrest by the police following a bench warrant that was issued for his arrest on Friday by the tribunal in Abuja over his failure to appear in court for trial for not declaring his assets.
The police had said they were yet to get the bench warrant, adding that Saraki would be picked up once the order was served on the Inspector-General of Police, Solomon Arase.
The tribunal had specifically directed the IG to arrest Saraki and bring him to court on Monday when his trial was expected to resume.
The Force Public Relations Officer, Olabisi Kolawole, told our correspondent on Sunday that the police were yet to get the warrant.
She said, “We have not received the warrant, you know today is Sunday and the courts don’t work on weekends. So, it’s likely that the order would get to us on Monday.” www.punchng.com/news/we-havent-received-warrant-for-sarakis-arrest-police/

President Muhammadu Buhari has said that the attempts to link the ongoing trial of the Senate President Bukola Saraki to him are unacceptable.
President Buhari said this in a statement on Sunday by his Senior Special Assistant on Media and Publicity, Mallam Garba Shehu.
He said views to the effect that the Code of Conduct Bureau (CCB) and the Code of Conduct Tribunal (CCT) could only act upon external instigation were equally uninformed.
According to the presidential aide, there is no place in law that the Bureau and the Tribunal should take instructions from any quarters.
He said as an independent institution equal to any superior court of record; the tribunal is set up by the constitution to determine the issue of default, false declaration or forgery in assets declaration.
"This therefore is purely a judicial process and has nothing to do with the Presidency", he said.
He said those who had an axe to grind with what they are doing should do it in a judicial manner by challenging those actions in a proper court of law.
"Let them hire a good team of lawyers to prove their innocence," Shehu said.
"Government has no desire to persecute anybody. The President has vowed to respect the rule of law and this is what he is doing by staying out of this matter. He has said times without number that the war against corruption has no sacred cows," he added.
Shehu noted that "Even if the president wants to help, there is no way he can do anything. Is he going to ask the judge to stop the trial? www.dailytrust.com.ng/news/news/buhari-to-saraki-leave-me-out-of-your-trial/111585.html

Congrats. Mikel O.

Thats good

The Senate President, Senator Bukola Saraki, has said he has no plans of leaving his party, All Progressives Congress.
Saraki was responding to questions on his official Twitter handle after he was accused of planning to defect to another party because he removed his party’s name from his twitter bio.
In a terse statement posted on his twitter handle, Saraki said, “I remain a card carrying member of my dear party. But I’m also honoured to serve as Senate President of all Senators.”
I remain a card carrying member of my dear party. But I'm also honoured to serve as Senate President of all Senators.
— Bukola Saraki (@bukolasaraki) http://www.ngrguardiannews.com/2015/09/no-plans-to-dump-apc-says-saraki/

It is no longer news that former Super Eagles attacker, Daniel Amokachi left the most financially backed team in the league and his decision to resign from the club he signed for just five weeks after has created a lot of controversy on the local scene.
Daniel Amokachi and Chief Ifeanyi Ubah at his unveiling as coach of the club on August 9
Club forward, Solomon Eludi who spoke with a Naij.com correspondent on Saturday, September 20th at the Nnewi all stars vs Ifeanyi Ubah FC feeders club match said the players in the team appreciated Amokachi during the time at the club.
When asked why, he said Amokachi’s training’s were more technical and tactical compared to John Obuh training which was more physical.
He also said the former trainer had lots of important advises to give the players as he (Amokachi) was a former professional who had a very successful career.
He said John Obuh is currently in charge of first team affairs.
Addressing rumours that Amokachi resigned because the club owner asked for their return to Nnwei in Amanbra state the same night they were defeated by Dolphins FC of Port-Harcourt, Eludi said: “It was actually oga that asked for our return.”
“Oga said we should come back that day but Amokachi said we cannot and it is not safe. The players also said they cannot return so we decided to stay.”
Asked if the incident was what led to confrontation between Amokachi and Ifeanyi Ubah which led to the former’s resignation, Eludi denied that single incident could have led to such move.
READ ALSO: Amokachi Moves To Sack Ifeanyi Ubah FC Coach
He said the most likely scenario would be disagreements between the manager and the former club trainer.
Asked to further delve into the resign behind Amokachi’s resignation, Eludi said Amokachi’s resignation could not be properly discussed as the players were left in the dark.
Speaking further, Eludi said the players were always paid their salaries when due and thanked the club chairman for his management of the team.
Finally, he addressed the fact the club was languishing in 9th place on the log despite spending huge sums of transfer fees on players and bringing in three coaches.
He said: “You cannot expect us to become top of the league like that. This is our first season in the top league division and there are more experienced teams there.”
Meanwhile, senior officials at the club say Amokachi was forced out of his position as coach of the club
because of poor results and baffling team selections. https://www.naij.com/556368-ifeanyi-ubahs-relationship-amokachi-deteriorated.html

The Senate unity forum who can be referred to as Mr Saraki’s main opposition in the Senate has started moves to impeach the Senate president and will properly announce that he steps down after the Salah celebrations sources has revealed to New Telegraph

Senate president, Bukola Saraki is facing trial at the Code of Conduct Bureau (CCB) for allegedly declaring false assets and the body’s tribunal has ordered the Inspector General of police to arrest and bring him to court on Monday. Mr Saraki has however denied any wrongdoing and has claimed that his trial is politically motivated

But members of the unity forum whom fell out with Saraki after he disobeyed the APC orders to become senate president after forming an alliance with the PDP have immediately moved to use this opportunity to push for his impeachment

A member of the anti-Saraki senators said the Senate president lacked the morality to continue in office.

“We don’t want to rock the boat, we all want to celebrate the festivity but as soon as we resume, common sense should prevail on Saraki to abdicate the office. “This country at this crucial stage that we are beginning to have a renewed attention from the global village, cannot afford to have a Senate President with such garbage.

“The same man had his wife, Toyin, invited and interrogated by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC). That alone was strong enough for him to step aside. “Assuming it was not, what about this CCT trial? We will not condone this anymore except we are deceiving ourselves with the so-called anti-corruption and change slogans.

We must start with ourselves and the only way is for the man to quietly leave and allow some without such moral burden to mount the saddle,” he said.http://breakingnews.ng/2015/09/19/senators-begin-moves-to-impeach-saraki/

Eight suspected Boko Haram terrorists on Saturday surrendered to troops of 21 Brigade of the Nigerian Army, the army said.
A statement by army spokesman, Sani Usman, said the suspected terrorists were being investigated and screened for more information.
Mr. Usman said the army had also apprehended another person whose arm was chopped off by the terrorists on the suspicion of theft.
“Bulama Bukar, whose right hand was amputated by the terrorists in Sambisa about a year ago based on allegation of stealing a bag of beans, was intercepted by our troops at Jebra bridge today with his family,” he said.
The spokesman also revealed that the military was pushing for the final defeat of Boko Haram terrorists, the fight against the terrorists as most of the camps were falling to government troops.
“The advancing troops have captured the villages of Jerre and Dipchari and have destroyed the terrorists camps located in those areas.
“The troops in the Bama axis have rescued yet another 62 people fleeing from Bitti and Pulka. The troops are also combing all known enclaves of the terrorists within Bama, Banki and Pulka general area.
“In addition, due to the offensive action of the military, another fleeing 22 women 15 men and 40 children arrived Bama today.
“The rescued persons looking haggard, dejected and obviously malnourished are being catered for by the troops pending the intervention of the National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA).
“Meanwhile, the persons have been cooperating with the military as they have been giving useful information that is assisting our troops in their offensive operations,” Mr. Usman said.
He also said military engineers were making tremendous progress in the repairs of the bridge linking Maiduguri and Gamboru Ngala that was blown by Boko Haram terrorists.
Mr. Usman, a colonel, said the bridge repairs would soon be completed. www.vanguardngr.com/2015/09/8-boko-haram-members-surrender-to-army/

A newly-released report “Islamic Finance in Africa: A Promising Future” by the Islamic Corporation for the Development of the Private Sector (ICD) takes an in-depth look at the tremendous growth opportunities for Islamic finance to flourish in the region. The new report was released during the Africa Islamic Finance Forum 2015 in Abidjan.
The report is being published as the global banking community comes together to define a transformative new landscape to integrate Islamic finance into the mainstream. Once of interest only to a niche market of Muslim investors, Islamic finance is now venturing beyond its traditional sphere, and is slowly gaining widespread acceptance in Africa.
The birthplace of a quarter of the global Muslim population, the report highlights that Africa features a potentially strong demand for Islamic financial services and products. While still comparatively under-developed, Islamic finance is expanding in many parts of the region, and is now present across most of North Africa and in many countries of East and West Africa, particularly those with sizeable Muslim communities.
One of the recommendations of the report is that Islamic finance can act as the catalyst in mobilising funding into Africa, thereby resulting in economic growth and sustainable development. It is estimated that the region needed USD93.0bln per year to finance large-scale infrastructure and manufacturing projects, while external funding is also needed to offset ballooning fiscal deficits. Meanwhile, 2 billion adults remain unbanked globally, and currently, sub-Saharan Africa alone accounts for as much as 17.0% of the world’s unbanked adults. In addition, there is a significant funding potential opportunity for Islamic banks in view of the increasing emergence of small-to-medium enterprises (SMEs) across Africa. In light of relatively low-income levels, a large informal sector and the prevalence of small businesses in Africa, Islamic microfinance is also a growth area worth looking into.
The report also highlights notable progress in the sukuk sector, where recent developments have seen governments focusing more on creating a more enabling environment for sukuk issuances. Some countries which have issued sukuk include Gambia, Sudan, Senegal and South Africa, while Ivory Coast is lining up to issue its debut sukuk at the end of the year. Moving forward, several countries such as Tunisia, Egypt and Morocco have expressed keen interest in tapping the sukuk market for infrastructure financing and have finalized or are in the midst of finalizing their legal frameworks to promote sukuk issuances. Although the Islamic financial services industry in Africa is currently dominated by the banking and sukuk segments, growth potential remains in the asset management and takaful spheres.
In its key recommendations, the report underlines that to capture the tremendous potential, the regional industry must overcome various challenges which are broadly similar with challenges faced in other parts of the world. These include challenges on the regulatory front such as regulatory inconsistency, the shortage of qualified human capital, the lack of awareness and financial literacy by many end-users and consumers, and a conducive business landscape which will support the growth of Islamic finance.
Distributed by APO (African Press Organization) on behalf of Islamic Corporation for the Development of the Private Sector (ICD). http://desertherald.com/new-report-from-icd-unveils-encouraging-islamic-finance-prospects-in-africa-2/#

The Subsidy Reinvestment and Empowerment Programme, SURE-P, received no budgetary provision for 2015, amid concerns whether President Muhammadu Buhari would retain the programme.
SURE-P was established by former President Goodluck Jonathan in the wake of the 2012 fuel price increase and nationwide strike, to reinvest savings from the reduction of subsidies on petroleum products.
The scheme has however come under increased scrutiny lately over allegations of corruption.
Its former chairman, Christopher Kolade, said last week that he resigned his position in 2013 because its operations were becoming tainted with corruption and politics, thereby losing its credibility.
In 2014, SURE-P received N180 billion as budget in addition to N88.3 billion unspent money from 2013.
This year, the government made no new funds available for the programme as a result of the fall in oil prices, the programme director, Ali Fatoma, told PREMIUM TIMES.
He said the funds currently expended for SURE-P programmes were from the N21 billion rolled over from last year’s unspent budget.
“The beauty of it is that unspent monies are rolled over to the next year,” he said.
He said as a result of lack of funds some interns of SURE-P’s Graduate Internship Scheme, GIS, were not paid between January and April.
The GIS had a budget of N10 billion in 2014, out of which N2 billion was rolled over to 2015.
“The information we received is that Project Implementation Unit, PIU, has gotten some funds to pay its backlog. And now they are battling with May June and July salaries,” Mr. Fatoma said.
The head of communication of Graduate Internship Scheme, GIS, Haruna Suleiman, said interns were later paid from funds provided by the Ministry of Finance.
He added that the previous administration took the measures in preparation of a possible change in government.
“The GIS was supposed to run up to December; to allow government decide whether to continue with the program.
“The 2016 budget will now be determined by the federal government, whatever they decide to do. That is if they decide to retain the program or scrap it. But we believe they will continue, because of the number of graduates that are involved in it,” he added.
Mr. Suleiman said programmes like the GIS could only be rounded up in December, which was the reason the ministry allocated money for it to continue till the end of the year. www.premiumtimesng.com/news/top-news/190304-low-oil-prices-sure-p-excluded-from-2015-budget.html

What Happens In The First 24 Hours After You Drink Alcohol!
In The First 5 minutes: Within minutes of taking a sip the alcohol travels to your stomach where it is absorbed into your bloodstream, it then travels all over your body including to your brain and around your muscles.
10 minutes: Your body sees the alcohol as a poison, it doesn’t want to store it and aims to break it down and get rid of it as quickly as possible.
15 minutes: Your stomach now is trying to breakdown and remove the alcohol, it now produced the enzyme Alcohol dehydrogenase which converts the alcohol into chemicals including Acetaldehyde (which is quite toxic and is a big contributing factor to your hangover the next day), then into acetic acid and finally fatty acids and water (the final two the body likes). This then sobers you up, however if you drink more than your liver can deal with you will become drunk.
20 minutes: You generally start to feel the alcohol affecting you after 20 minutes, this includes a light head, feelings of happiness or other emotions
45 minutes: Between this time and 90 minutes is when the alcohol level will peak in your blood
60 Minutes: You wll likely need to go to the toilet, as alcohol is a diuretic the kidneys direct drink directly to the bladder, this causes you to need the toilet more often and dehydrates you. If you stop drinking you are likely to feel sleepy or crash out, although you will get to sleep quickly, due to dehydration your quality of sleep is not good.
12-24 hours: When you are awake you will likely feel one of the many symptoms of a hangover such as headaches, dizziness, thirst, paleness and tremors, most of which are caused by dehydration. Your body will still be trying to deal with any excess alcohol in your system.
It is well known that a large meal before drinking known as “lining your stomach” can help, this is because the alcohol does not enter the blood as fast due to food being absorbed too.
If you drink some Champagne or something with bubbles this can make you feel the alcohol faster due to the bubbles causing pressure in your stomach to increase and forcing the alcohol to go into your bloodstream quicker.
Women’s body will process alcohol slower than men, this is due to men having more muscle tissue. Muscles have more water in them and this dilutes the alcohol, it is also said that women have less of the enzyme that breaks down alcohol.
Your age, Generally your body processes alcohol faster the older you are, as your body and liver get used to it and the key enzymes which break down the alcohol are increased with age.
Stress, when you are stressed you will find that increased levels of hormones in your body which affect your metabolism and your body absorption of alcohol.
Alcohol can affect the ‘neurotransmitters’ in your brain which are responsible for carrying messages around your body, hence why you can lose your balance, slur your words, slow your reaction speeds and affect your judgement. It also makes you more likely to take risks as the chemical Gaba is produced which reduces your communication between cells in your brain
The only real way is to let the body do it’s natural functions, this includes the liver burning the alcohol which it will do at a rate of 1-2 units an hour, this varies depending on your body, build and many other factors. Typically a unit of alcohol equates to half a pint of beer, a small glass of wine or a single shot of spirit. https://www.tell.ng/what-happens-in-the-first-24-hours-after-you-drink-alcoholics-infographic/

President Muhammadu Buhari is in a dilemma over how to ensure the judiciary does not frustrate his plans to stem corruption in the country, THISDAY has learnt.
Investigations revealed that the president is trying to figure out how the judiciary can be reformed to execute his agenda on the prosecution of corruption cases.
The president’s fears are not without basis. Many corruption cases filed by anti-corruption agencies have been pending at the courts several years after they were filed. The judiciary is often blamed for the delay.
If past experiences are anything to go by, the president’s plan to embark on the mass prosecution of corruption cases may end up dead on arrival.
The president fears that the judiciary, as presently constituted, is an impediment to the fight against corruption.
However, the president is relying on Vice-President Yemi Osinbajo to come up with a solution.
In this wise, a select group comprising Justice Olubunmi Oyewole of the Court of Appeal, the Deputy Chief of Staff to the Vice-President, Mr. Rahman Adeola Ipaye, two lawyers based in Lagos — Messrs Femi Falana (SAN) and Tunde Irukera — managing partner of Osinbajo’s law firm SimmonsCooper Partners, Professor Bolaji Owasanoye, and Mrs. Maryam Uwais, has been constituted by the vice-president.
The committee, THISDAY gathered, has been making suggestions on how to handle the judiciary.
Investigations revealed that one of the group’s proposals culminated in the constitution of the Presidential Advisory Committee on Anti-Corruption recently set up by Buhari which has Professor Itse Sagay (SAN) as its chairman.
To ensure continuity, Owasanoye was made the secretary of the committee.
The advisory committee has no judge serving or retired as its member even though part of the committee’s remit is to advise the president on how to reform the criminal justice system.
It was also learnt that the committee’s mandate remains nebulous. When THISDAY contacted the secretary of the committee, Owasaoye, he claimed that the committee had terms of reference and promised to email a copy.
But several weeks after, no term of reference has been sent despite several reminders.
Moreover, statements by the chairman of the committee have left no one in doubt as to the fact that the committee has no clear terms of reference.
Since he assumed office, Buhari has not hidden his dissatisfaction with the judiciary. It is not surprising, said a source in the presidency, that no serving or retired judge has made it into his numerous appointments so far.
It was also learnt that the group coordinated by Osinbajo but led by Justice Oyewole came up with the suggestion that practising lawyers should be appointed directly into the Supreme Court and consequently one of such new appointees could be appointed the Chief Justice of Nigeria (CJN) who will in turn drive the reform envisaged by the president.
This will enable the president bypass the age long practice of elevating a justice of the Court of Appeal to the Supreme Court.
However, a source familiar with the issue said that some retired CJNs kicked against the move.
The former chief justices were said to have advised that experience and background in handling cases as judges must be one of the criteria for anyone to be appointed to the highest bench.
They however agreed that the president could make appointments directly into the Court of Appeal, but opposed doing the same for the Supreme Court, saying that it would set the wrong precedent at this time when there are more than enough qualified judges.
But analysts fear that the continued alienation of the judiciary will do the president no good.
“Some of the issues the president wants resolved can be handled administratively by the leadership of the judiciary, if only he will engage those at the helms of affair,” a senior lawyer who did not want to speak on the record, said.
The lawyer cited the amendments to practice direction proposed by the only female CJN, Justice Mariam Alooma Mukhtar, who retired last year.
Before her departure, Mukhtar initiated sweeping changes in practice direction across the courts that would enable courts to conclude criminal cases on time as against the present system where it takes years to conclude such cases.
She worked with chief judges of high courts, the Abuja High Court, and presiding justices of the various divisions of the Court of Appeal to put in place a system that could reduce the time it takes to conclude cases.
Under the scheme, a model practice direction was developed for all courts to fast-track trials of offences involving terrorism, rape, kidnapping, corruption, money laundering, human trafficking and related matters.
The practice directions also cover appeals to the Supreme Court and the Court of Appeal.
The new practice direction for the Supreme Court requires lawyers to leave their phone numbers and emails so that notices of court sitting can be communicated to them quickly.
Titled: "Criminal Appeals Relating to the Offences of Terrorism, Rape, Kidnapping, Corruption, Money Laundering, Human Trafficking and Related Matters," the new practice direction seeks to establish a specialised system of case management in the Supreme Court that will provide for fair, impartial, expeditious administration of criminal appeals arising from cases listed above.President Muhammadu Buhari is in a dilemma over how to ensure the judiciary does not frustrate his plans to stem corruption in the country, THISDAY has learnt.
Investigations revealed that the president is trying to figure out how the judiciary can be reformed to execute his agenda on the prosecution of corruption cases.
The president’s fears are not without basis. Many corruption cases filed by anti-corruption agencies have been pending at the courts several years after they were filed. The judiciary is often blamed for the delay.
If past experiences are anything to go by, the president’s plan to embark on the mass prosecution of corruption cases may end up dead on arrival.
The president fears that the judiciary, as presently constituted, is an impediment to the fight against corruption.
However, the president is relying on Vice-President Yemi Osinbajo to come up with a solution.
In this wise, a select group comprising Justice Olubunmi Oyewole of the Court of Appeal, the Deputy Chief of Staff to the Vice-President, Mr. Rahman Adeola Ipaye, two lawyers based in Lagos — Messrs Femi Falana (SAN) and Tunde Irukera — managing partner of Osinbajo’s law firm SimmonsCooper Partners, Professor Bolaji Owasanoye, and Mrs. Maryam Uwais, has been constituted by the vice-president.
The committee, THISDAY gathered, has been making suggestions on how to handle the judiciary.
Investigations revealed that one of the group’s proposals culminated in the constitution of the Presidential Advisory Committee on Anti-Corruption recently set up by Buhari which has Professor Itse Sagay (SAN) as its chairman.
To ensure continuity, Owasanoye was made the secretary of the committee.
The advisory committee has no judge serving or retired as its member even though part of the committee’s remit is to advise the president on how to reform the criminal justice system.
It was also learnt that the committee’s mandate remains nebulous. When THISDAY contacted the secretary of the committee, Owasaoye, he claimed that the committee had terms of reference and promised to email a copy.
But several weeks after, no term of reference has been sent despite several reminders.
Moreover, statements by the chairman of the committee have left no one in doubt as to the fact that the committee has no clear terms of reference.
Since he assumed office, Buhari has not hidden his dissatisfaction with the judiciary. It is not surprising, said a source in the presidency, that no serving or retired judge has made it into his numerous appointments so far.
It was also learnt that the group coordinated by Osinbajo but led by Justice Oyewole came up with the suggestion that practising lawyers should be appointed directly into the Supreme Court and consequently one of such new appointees could be appointed the Chief Justice of Nigeria (CJN) who will in turn drive the reform envisaged by the president.
This will enable the president bypass the age long practice of elevating a justice of the Court of Appeal to the Supreme Court.
However, a source familiar with the issue said that some retired CJNs kicked against the move.
The former chief justices were said to have advised that experience and background in handling cases as judges must be one of the criteria for anyone to be appointed to the highest bench.
They however agreed that the president could make appointments directly into the Court of Appeal, but opposed doing the same for the Supreme Court, saying that it would set the wrong precedent at this time when there are more than enough qualified judges.
But analysts fear that the continued alienation of the judiciary will do the president no good.
“Some of the issues the president wants resolved can be handled administratively by the leadership of the judiciary, if only he will engage those at the helms of affair,” a senior lawyer who did not want to speak on the record, said.
The lawyer cited the amendments to practice direction proposed by the only female CJN, Justice Mariam Alooma Mukhtar, who retired last year.
Before her departure, Mukhtar initiated sweeping changes in practice direction across the courts that would enable courts to conclude criminal cases on time as against the present system where it takes years to conclude such cases.
She worked with chief judges of high courts, the Abuja High Court, and presiding justices of the various divisions of the Court of Appeal to put in place a system that could reduce the time it takes to conclude cases.
Under the scheme, a model practice direction was developed for all courts to fast-track trials of offences involving terrorism, rape, kidnapping, corruption, money laundering, human trafficking and related matters.
The practice directions also cover appeals to the Supreme Court and the Court of Appeal.
The new practice direction for the Supreme Court requires lawyers to leave their phone numbers and emails so that notices of court sitting can be communicated to them quickly.
Titled: "Criminal Appeals Relating to the Offences of Terrorism, Rape, Kidnapping, Corruption, Money Laundering, Human Trafficking and Related Matters," the new practice direction seeks to establish a specialised system of case management in the Supreme Court that will provide for fair, impartial, expeditious administration of criminal appeals arising from cases listed above.President Muhammadu Buhari is in a dilemma over how to ensure the judiciary does not frustrate his plans to stem corruption in the country, THISDAY has learnt.
Investigations revealed that the president is trying to figure out how the judiciary can be reformed to execute his agenda on the prosecution of corruption cases.
The president’s fears are not without basis. Many corruption cases filed by anti-corruption agencies have been pending at the courts several years after they were filed. The judiciary is often blamed for the delay.
If past experiences are anything to go by, the president’s plan to embark on the mass prosecution of corruption cases may end up dead on arrival.
The president fears that the judiciary, as presently constituted, is an impediment to the fight against corruption.
However, the president is relying on Vice-President Yemi Osinbajo to come up with a solution.
In this wise, a select group comprising Justice Olubunmi Oyewole of the Court of Appeal, the Deputy Chief of Staff to the Vice-President, Mr. Rahman Adeola Ipaye, two lawyers based in Lagos — Messrs Femi Falana (SAN) and Tunde Irukera — managing partner of Osinbajo’s law firm SimmonsCooper Partners, Professor Bolaji Owasanoye, and Mrs. Maryam Uwais, has been constituted by the vice-president.
The committee, THISDAY gathered, has been making suggestions on how to handle the judiciary.
Investigations revealed that one of the group’s proposals culminated in the constitution of the Presidential Advisory Committee on Anti-Corruption recently set up by Buhari which has Professor Itse Sagay (SAN) as its chairman.
To ensure continuity, Owasanoye was made the secretary of the committee.
The advisory committee has no judge serving or retired as its member even though part of the committee’s remit is to advise the president on how to reform the criminal justice system.
It was also learnt that the committee’s mandate remains nebulous. When THISDAY contacted the secretary of the committee, Owasaoye, he claimed that the committee had terms of reference and promised to email a copy.
But several weeks after, no term of reference has been sent despite several reminders.
Moreover, statements by the chairman of the committee have left no one in doubt as to the fact that the committee has no clear terms of reference.
Since he assumed office, Buhari has not hidden his dissatisfaction with the judiciary. It is not surprising, said a source in the presidency, that no serving or retired judge has made it into his numerous appointments so far.
It was also learnt that the group coordinated by Osinbajo but led by Justice Oyewole came up with the suggestion that practising lawyers should be appointed directly into the Supreme Court and consequently one of such new appointees could be appointed the Chief Justice of Nigeria (CJN) who will in turn drive the reform envisaged by the president.
This will enable the president bypass the age long practice of elevating a justice of the Court of Appeal to the Supreme Court.
However, a source familiar with the issue said that some retired CJNs kicked against the move.
The former chief justices were said to have advised that experience and background in handling cases as judges must be one of the criteria for anyone to be appointed to the highest bench.
They however agreed that the president could make appointments directly into the Court of Appeal, but opposed doing the same for the Supreme Court, saying that it would set the wrong precedent at this time when there are more than enough qualified judges.
But analysts fear that the continued alienation of the judiciary will do the president no good.
“Some of the issues the president wants resolved can be handled administratively by the leadership of the judiciary, if only he will engage those at the helms of affair,” a senior lawyer who did not want to speak on the record, said.
The lawyer cited the amendments to practice direction proposed by the only female CJN, Justice Mariam Alooma Mukhtar, who retired last year.
Before her departure, Mukhtar initiated sweeping changes in practice direction across the courts that would enable courts to conclude criminal cases on time as against the present system where it takes years to conclude such cases.
She worked with chief judges of high courts, the Abuja High Court, and presiding justices of the various divisions of the Court of Appeal to put in place a system that could reduce the time it takes to conclude cases.
Under the scheme, a model practice direction was developed for all courts to fast-track trials of offences involving terrorism, rape, kidnapping, corruption, money laundering, human trafficking and related matters.
The practice directions also cover appeals to the Supreme Court and the Court of Appeal.
The new practice direction for the Supreme Court requires lawyers to leave their phone numbers and emails so that notices of court sitting can be communicated to them quickly.
Titled: "Criminal Appeals Relating to the Offences of Terrorism, Rape, Kidnapping, Corruption, Money Laundering, Human Trafficking and Related Matters," the new practice direction seeks to establish a specialised system of case management in the Supreme Court that will provide for fair, impartial, expeditious administration of criminal appeals arising from cases listed above. http://www.thisdaylive.com/articles/anti-graft-war-buhari-in-dilemma-over-judges/220579/

How Adamawa Politicians Plan to Plant Their Children

In line with the law of nature which detests vacuum, some influential elites and politicians in Adamawa state have seemingly started grooming their children to inherit their political dynasties so that in the event they died or became mortally incapacitated by age, the dynasties they established will not crumble like a badly arranged pack of cards.
Since the beginning of the current political dispensation about 16 years ago, there seems to be heightened foray of the children of very powerful and influential people in the state into the murky waters of politics seemingly to continue from where the parents stopped.
The trend, which seems to be more espoused and rooted as the years passed by, has portrayed a tendency that in the near future, the children of the high and mighty will continue to hold the reins of power in the state at home and national levels.
Some of the children of influential citizens who are on the path of inheriting the political dynasties bequeathed to them by their powerful parents include;
Awwal D Tukur: Awwal D. Tukur, the scion of former national chairman of the then ruling People’s Democratic Party PDP and former governor of defunct Gongola state Alhaji Bamanga Tukur, forays into politics in the aftermath of Nigeria’s switch to democratization process in 1999.
Awwal was believed to have the full backing of his influential father who was believed to have used his connections and gargantuan influence in the polity to help him secure the ticket of House of Representatives membership representing Yola North, Yola South, and Girei Federal constituency where he chaired the juicy committee on aviation.
After his sojourn in the National Assembly, Awwal’s interests shifted from lawmaking to the executive arm where he sought to lead Adamawa state though his dream was short lived due to the many obstacles his ambition encountered along the line.
But his closeness to fulfilling his gubernatorial ambition was when his father became the National Chairman of the ruling party as many observers believed that nothing will prevent Awwal from realizing his lifetime ambition should his father remain in office up to the time elections will be conducted.
What apparently put a cog in that arrangement, however, was the impromptu sacking of Tukur as the national chairman of the party about two years into his stewardship following intractable conflagration that led five governors including the governor of his state Murtala Nyako to dump the party for the rival All Progressives Congress.
But before that epic development, many people believed that nothing will stop Awwal from leading the state in view of the unwavering support of the patriarch of the family Alhaji Bamanga Tukur.
At a point it became very glaring that the ambition of Awwal got the imprimatur of his father as Bamanga Tukur never mince words in supporting his son’s ambition to lead the state as he reiterated on many fora noting that his son has met all the criteria of leading the state as its governor as such his ambition enjoys his full backing.
To ensure that Awwal realizes his ambition, Bamanga Tukur has allegedly bankrolled all his campaign activities on the three occasions he took a shot at the plum office in the state as sources close to the family told this reporter that every time Awwal made a trial at the position, he usually gets a huge war chest from his rich father.
With the change of guard from PDP to APC, the ability of Awwal to fulfill his life ambition has now become a subject of conjectures.
Dr. Fatima Atiku Abubakar: Dr Fatima Atiku Abubakar daughter of former Vice President Atiku Abubakar was the latest entrant among the children of hyper influential politicians in to the game of numbers.
Dr Fatima Atiku Abubakar who was a carbon replica of her father was said to be a chip off the old block as she was said to posses the magnetic influence of her father.
Fatima was introduced into politics following her appointment as a commissioner of health by Governor Muhammadu Umaru Jibrilla Bindow of Adamawa state.
Although the governor has on many occasions defended her choice to be purely on merit, many in the state who have contrary opinion are bound to swear that they saw the hand of her influential father in her appointment.
Some people even went a bit further by insinuating that her appointment was consummated by her father in order to protect his interests as they noted that the former Vice President has a link and interest with a Dubai company which the governor has had talks to established a 300 bed hospital in the state and also to enjoy other sundry contracts in the state.
But while repudiating insinuations that Atiku influenced his daughter’s appointment, the Chief of Staff to Governor Bindow, Alhaji Abdurrahman Abbah Jimeta, has on many occasions said that the former Vice President was never instrumental to the appointment of Dr Fatima Atiku Abubakar, noting that in effect, the Vice President was against her selection to serve as commissioner in the state.
Abdurrahman, who made the position in a breakfast meeting with members of NUJ and NLC during the last Ramadan fast and during the traditional courtesy call by emirs and chiefs in the state on the occasion of last Eid El Fitri, noted that the appointment of Dr. Fatima Atiku Abubakar even caused a friction between Atiku and the mother of Dr. Fatima which was later resolved in favour of the mother as she insisted that her daughter should be allowed to take the appointment so that she can be close by which may even facilitate the chances of her daughter getting a husband from the state.
Abdul’Aziz Nyako: The road to Abdul’Aziz Nyako’s foray into politics started when his father Admiral Murtala Nyako Rtd became the governor of Adamawa state.
Having weighed his chances very well, Abdul’Aziz dumped his profession as a commander in the Nigerian Navy where he started shaping and rooting his political structures through the instrumentality of the title of Emir of the Youth (Chief Matasa) given to him by Lamido of Adamawa, Dr Muhammadu Barkindo Mustapha.
Through the instrumentality of the traditional title, Abdul’Aziz Nyako popularly addressed asSarkin Matasa, ensured the formation of a formidable political spring board that he used in rooting a structured political force across all nooks and crannies of the state which tricked down from the center to all the 226 wards of the state.
Abdul’Aziz succeeded in launching his political structure via the replication of the appointment of the emir of youths (Sarkin Matasa) in all districts, local governments and even ward level, a structure which he intended to use to succeed his father as governor of Adamawa state.
Even though the dream of Abdul’Aziz to lead Adamawa state as governor was truncated following the impeachment of his father from office few months to the expiration of his tenure, he nevertheless, used his well structured political machinery to become the senator representing Adamawa central against all odds.
One thing that was very glaring in the rise of Abdulaziz’s political destiny was the ample support he got from his father as Nyako glaringly relinquished enormous powers and political war chest to Abdul’Aziz which even earned Abdul’Aziz the sobriquet of the de facto governor then.
Governor Bindow: The political trajectory of Governor Muhammdu Umaru Jibrilla Bindow would have been a mirage without the goodwill and support he enjoys courtesy of his philanthropic father and business tycoon late Alhaji Umaru Jibrilla.
His sojourn into politics when he aspired to become the senator representing Adamawa North under the banner of then ruling PDP encountered some obstacles as the then governor Murtala Nyako who supported the candidature of Muhammadu Mana was not disposed to Bindow’s aspiration. But despite governor Nyako’s cold feet to his ambition, Bindow trounced Mana at the primary election and also defeated another big name and former governor Boni Haruna to clinch the senatorial ticket of his constituency. His success which prepared him to contest for the state’s plum position, was highly accentuated by the goodwill bequeathed to him by his father.
Similarly, the same goodwill was ascribed to help Bindow to defeat Atiku’s favorite candidate twice during the party primaries of the All Progressives Congress in Adamawa state and also helped him to beat big names at the general elections to emerge victorious in the April gubernatorial polls in the state.
Sa’ad MC Tahir: The political feats scored by Sa’ad Muhammadu Chubado Tahir, the immediate past deputy governor, would have been impossible without the role played by his father who was a successful businessman that cut his niche in the hospitality industry.
Sa’ad served as the federal lawmaker representing Yola Noth, Yola South and Girei constituency and was defeated by Hajiya Aishatu Ahmed Binanai in 2011. However, providence made him to be selected to serve Governor Bala James Nggilari in the capacity of a deputy following a court pronouncement which reinstated Ngilari as substantive governor of the state following anomalies in his removal from office by the state lawmakers.
The influence of Sa’ads father, MC Tahir ,was believed to have played significant impact in his success as a politician.
Muhammad Mustapha Barkindo: Muhammad Mustapha Barkindo, the eldest son of Lamido of Adamawa began his political sojourn during the administration of former governor Murtala Nyako of Adamawa state.
It was rumored that as a payback to the unwavering support the monarch has been rendering to Nyako, the governor appointed the eldest son of the Lamido into his cabinet.
Also in order to be on the good books of Lamido, incumbent governor of Adamawa also absorbed the eldest son of the monarch into his cabinet so as to equally enjoy full support of the Adamawa emirate council. http://desertherald.com/how-adamawa-politicians-plan-to-plant-their-children/

Nigerian Army Redeploys Pardoned Soldiers to North East to Battle Boko Haram

The Nigerian Army has sent back the over 3,032 pardoned soldiers in the North-East to fight Boko Haram insurgents.
The soldiers were earlier relived of their job from the military in 2014 over offences allegedly committed as part of the troops involved in counter insurgency operations in the North-East.
The soldiers were dismissed by their unit commanders at the peak of the Boko Haram attacks in the North-East in 2014.
Reportsindicate that the soldiers had been sent to the 7 Division of the Nigerian Army, Maiduguri, following the completion of a two-week re-orientation training programme organised for them at the Nigerian Army Training Centre, Kontagora, Niger State.
It was learnt that the soldiers were deployed last week to strengthen the ongoing fight against the Boko Haram insurgents.
A military source said that the soldiers were moved to the headquarters of the 7 Division, Maiduguri, for deployment in the North East.
The source said, “The Army authorities have re-launched the 3032 soldiers who were granted pardon by the review panel into the mission area. http://desertherald.com/nigerian-army-redeploys-pardoned-soldiers-to-north-east-to-battle-boko-haram/#

whatever have a beggining it must definately has an end! time will surely come when all of them will regrate.

well done
hope you will capture UDUTH, sokoto Central Market, motor pack, Bello way, emir yahaya road and rima radio.

It is not a new thing to celebrate death in Nigeria. When Abacha dead some part of Nigeria celebrated and when Yar'adua dead also same happened. So let Kaduna muslims celebrate.

To check NECO June/July 2012 result, go to NECO State Office and obtain a result checkers card at N300. Then, logon to http://www.mynecoexams.com

Uzor Kalu should know that Nigerian President is not a MUST but by VOTE by the majority of Nigerians.

Okorocha or what ever you call him can't win north and Igbo extraction can't rule this nation. Cuz igbo betrayed north and the north will also do thesame.

Igbo people are just pulling themself, let GEJ continue till 2019 whose care. But they should know that if he succeed in 2015 power must be return to the north in 2019. Then, in 2027 north will like to return power to the people they have always trust i.e South-west. So hate me or like me it will be difficult for an Igbo extraction to rule this nation.

Prof go and rest we are tired with all these your noise.

If u like make u go hug transformer northern leaders are brother's keeper. Gawon, Shagari, IBB, Buhari, Gusau, Atiku, , Sambo, Mark, Tambuwal, Useni, Jerry Gana, Ciroma, SLS, El-rufa'i, etc .