₦airaland Forum

Nigerians received with great shock and trepidation the news of the relief of a notable broadcaster, Mrs Tinuke Oloruntoyin-Folami from her erstwhile role of a newscaster on Lagos Television (LTV), and turk into the production crew allegedly on the premise of her use of hijab.
This is yet another insult too many – an unjust victimization and persecution of an innocent soul, a disturbing case of gender inequality and discrimination against women.

It is also an unfortunate case of social segregation and radical profiling by people in position of power who have suddenly transformed into ‘colonial Missionaries,’ against the civil service code of her job descriptions. It is a case of fallen a victim to power play by the appointees of government in a democratic dispensation.

I dare ask: who is afraid of hijab? Who is developing high blood pressure because an innocent Muslim lady merely goes about her normal life, peacefully and dutifully? Who wishes to jump into the lagoon because of self-inflicted hatred and rage for other people’s way of life!

Reliable sources from within and outside confirm that Mrs Oloruntoyin-Folami was relieved of her role simply because a few top level management officials suddenly became ‘threatened’, irritated and uncomfortable by her hijab – her normal dress mode which every fan of hers has come to appreciate and identified with.

While her fellow newscasters, Muslims and Non-Muslims alike, attest to her brilliance and excellent performance on the job as a newscaster, it remains a mystery how and why her donning hijab – which she has always adorned – suddenly came to be a source of mortal insecurity to some bigots.

The Big Questions
The situation has indeed, thrown up a challenge of explanation to the Director of News, Ms Siju Alabi and her boss, the General Manager, Mr Deji Balogun for Oloruntoyin-Folami’s teaming fans, on why she was stopped from casting news. The management truly needs to come out and educate the populace how a publicly-funded entity and collective patrimony suddenly becomes the exclusive preserve of a particular faith and or a denomination.

Some of those who have followed the scenario have asked rhetorically, has LTV been handed over to a Christian Missionary establishment for exclusive control just as some schools were handed over in the past?

Some also inquired to be re-assured whether the implementation of the call for total ‘take-over’ of the country by the General Overseer, Pastor Enoch Adeboye in the wake of the FRC- RCCG impasse has not begun in earnest. Juxtaposed again with the persistent and incendiary call on Christians to resort to self-help by Bishop David Oyedepo in his numerous inciting sermons available online, Shouldn’t the Muslims be asking: ‘Are we safe’?



Read more http://www.rezponder.com/the-timely-warning-hijabophobia-and-ltv-intrigues/

Lagos State Governor Akinwunmi Ambode set to construct and deliver 181 roads to the 57 Local Government Areas and Local Council Development Areas (LCDAs) in the State. This he made known at the first quarter Town hall meeting #1stQtrY2017THM held at Ajelogo Housing Scheme, Mile 12 in Agboyi Ketu Local Council Development Area.

At the Town Hall meeting #1stQtrY2017THM which is the sixth in the series since he became governor of Lagos State 29 May 2015, Ambode implores Lagosian for be on the watch for the 181 inner roads that will be advertised in the National dailies in the coming week.

The construction of the inner roads, which is an initiative of the Ambode administration and in fulfilment of his campaign promise, was geared towards massive intervention on access and link roads, boost security and increase the socio-economic well-being of residents of the State.

He further said that though some Local Government Areas will have more than three roads to be constructed in the areas, the minimum of three roads will be completed in each Local Government and will be delivered before the end of 2017.


It would be called that Mr. Akinwunmi Ambode in September 2016 flagged off a week long commissioning of 114 roads newly constructed in all the 57 Local Government Areas and Local Council Development Areas (LCDAs) in the State, with a pledge to commence the construction of second round of another 114 roads across the State soon.



Read more http://www.rezponder.com/1stqtry2017thm-ambode-sets-to-complete-181-roads-in-2017/

Gambia’s Yahya Jammeh’s term extended for 90 Days

The Gambia’s parliament has on Wednesday extended President Yahya Jammeh’s term, which is due to end on Thursday following his defeat in elections, by 90 days. It also approved his decision to declare a 90-day state of emergency in the troubled West African state.

In his televised announcement on Tuesday, President Yahya Jammeh said “any acts of disobedience to the laws of The Gambia, incitement of violence and acts intended to disturb public order and peace” were banned under the state of emergency. He said security forces were instructed to “maintain absolute peace, law and order”.

The parliament passed a motion condemning what it called the “unlawful and malicious interference” of the African Union and neighbouring Senegal in The Gambia’s affairs.



Read more http://www.rezponder.com/gambias-yahya-jammehs-term-extended-90-days/

Vested Interest, FRC and Corporate Governance: where lies the future for Nigerian Youth.

The recent developments around the issue of instilling corporate governance in the conduct and administration of non-profits organisations in the country clearly confirm the adverse effects of vested interest in the administration of all spheres in the country. This position was prophesized by the current Emir of Kano, HRM Muhammadu Sanusi II, during his TedEx Maitama speech and his assertion that it is the major barrier to effective youth leadership in the country cannot be wished away again. Hence, our future is a youth in this country is clearly not secure.

Many of the articles I have read on this issue were either addressing the issue of appropriately of the law or the political implication of the federal government response by booting out the FRC helmsman. The implication on the youth was never considered. The youth is said to be the leaders of tomorrow, but the tomorrow in Nigeria may never come. The old are beloved to their position, hence there is no vacancy therefore no promotion for the youth. It is same old mentality that made a once ruling party in the country to parade seventy year old man as its youth leader, implying simply that there is absence of leadership development in the culture of the country.
“Though, that assertion may be wrong but our actions clearly point to that.”
Sometimes, I feel had Justin Trudeau born a Nigerian he won’t have had the opportunity to be a MP let alone the Prime Minister.

The next set of questions that come to mind are; why is corporate governance important to the youth? Is it new for religious bodies finance and operations to be regulated? Why is permanent attachment to leadership position high favoured by our leadership? When will the youth be given an opportunity to act, learn and develop need skills and competencies to govern their country? All these questions have only one practicable answers, Corporate Governance.
Corporate governance due is an organisation based concept which addresses an organisation’s core strategies and operations from the standpoint of the organisation’s performance to its survival (continuity). One which is lacking in the Nigeria policy environment.

“Corporate governance involves a set of relationships between a company’s management, its board, its shareholders and other stakeholders. Corporate governance also provides the structure through which the objectives of the company are set and the means of attaining those objectives and monitoring performance are determined.” – John and Anna, 2013.
Corporate governance is a key element of that framework because it helps create a fair level playing field among companies. Corporate governance can also become a focal point for reform of broader institutions needed for a well-functioning market economy: property rights, judicial system and enforcement mechanisms, securities markets, free press, rating agencies, and other checks and balances.



Read more http://www.rezponder.com/vested-interest-frc-corporate-governance-lies-future-nigerian-youth/

LAUTECH, Ajimobi, Constituted Authority and the Price of greatness

Two videos went viral last week and the main characters in that unfortunate videos was Senator Abiola Ajimobi, the Governor of Oyo State; The constituted authority of the Oyo state as he described himself and the students of LAUTECH, Ladoke Akintola University of Technology; a higher institution of learning that has been closed down for over 7 months.

The Students of LAUTECH had on 9th of January protested the continued closure of the university since June last year 2016. However, while addressing the protesting students, an angry Governor Ajimobi told them to do their worst. The Oyo governor, whose state jointly owns the university, miffed by the outbursts of the protesting students, said the closure of the University for almost a session was no big deal.

Constituted Authority AjimobiDespite series of reckless outburst by the Governor, one would not expect any wise office holder in refined society and under a democratic scenery where a Constituted Authority gets the power through the votes of the students and their parent that he would say that ‘’This is the constituted authority for Oyo State. Even if I don’t pay salary or I don’t pay this and that, the fact is that I am the constituted authority. It does not remove that authority.’’

It will not be out of place to remind the governor that Constituted Authority means power and authority vested in him through the mandate of the Oyo people, some of the students inclusive.

Nevertheless, Senator Abiola Ajimobi Should have known as Churchill put it, the price of greatness is responsibility. This is a reworded slogan made famous by Spiderman’s Uncle Ben, who told him, “With great power comes great responsibility.”



Read more http://www.rezponder.com/lautech-ajimobi-constituted-authority-and-the-price-of-greatness/

The National President of the Muslim Students’ Society of Nigeria, Muhammad Jameel Muhammad, has said the removal of Jim Obazee as the Executive Secretary of the Financial Reporting Council of Nigeria and suspension of the council’s regulations may not be unconnected to Vice-President Yemi Osinbajo.

Osinbajo is a prominent pastor of the Redeemed Christian Church of God.

Muhammad told SUNDAY PUNCH that no religious organisation should be averse to the FRC code which sought to ensure financial transparency and accountability.

“The suspension of the FRC codes by the government at this time is, in my opinion, a wrong decision. This is so because it literally translates to bowing to pressure or seeking to please certain interests. If people say it was done to please the Vice-President, Prof. Yemi Osinbajo, or the Redeemed Christian Church of God, they will be right because of the circumstance with which the suspension came,” the Muslim group leader said.

He added that the Federal Government’s decision had dealt a heavy blow to its anti-corruption crusade.



Read more http://www.rezponder.com/frc-boss-sack-code-suspended-e-osinbajo-rccg-muslim-student-leader/

The Mavrodi Mondial Moneybox, popular Ponzi scheme known as MMM Nigeria reopens a day ahead of the Jan 14 promised when payment was suspended for one month. It will be recalled that MMM was trending on google as many Nigerians reacted to the news of the suspension.

Nigerians had earlier been thrown into a sudden anxiety following a decision by promoters of deposit money scheme, MMM, to suspend new payouts on Dec 13, 2016.

The newsletter read in part ”The holidays are over, and we’re now open. Just as promised. (You might have already noticed that we always stick to our promises. :-)) Actually, we promised to be open on January 14, but we’re open now, January 13, as you can see, which is a day earlier. (Well, I hope, the members of the System will forgive us for that. :-))”



Read more http://rezponder.com/mmm-nigeria-reopens-day-ahead-jan-14/

The number of Nigerian women forced or lured to work as prostitutes in Italy almost doubled in 2016. Many Nigeria women were trafficked by boat from Libya to Italy with the vast majority of new arrivals victims of sex trafficking and exploitation, according to the International Organisation for Migration.

The IOM believes approximately 80% of the 11,009 Nigerian women registered at landing points in Sicily in 2016 were trafficked, and will go on to live a life of forced prostitution in Italy and other countries in Europe.

The figure is almost double that of 2015, when 5,600 women were registered by the IOM. The 2016 figures represent an almost eightfold increase from 2014, when 1,450 Nigerian women were registered at landing points in Sicily.

“We have seen a huge increase in the number of Nigerian women arriving last year,” said Carlotta Santarossa, a counter-trafficking project manager for the IOM.

“According to our indicators we believe the majority of Nigerian women who are arriving into Italy are victims of trafficking and are likely to end up exploited in Italy or other European countries. In Italy the numbers are too high to provide all of them with the services they need.”


The IOM said the increase reflected a dramatic rise in the overall numbers of Nigerian men, women and children being registered at landing points in Italy. According to the agency’s latest figures, 37,500 of the 180,000 migrants arriving in Italy by sea last year were Nigerian, the first time they have eclipsed Eritreans as the largest national group. The total number for 2015 was 22,000. About 3,000 of the 37,000 Nigerian migrants were unaccompanied minors.

Alberto Mossino, director of Piam Onlus, an anti-trafficking NGO working with Nigerian migrants, said the increase in Nigerians arriving by sea is indicative of the power of the highly organised trafficking gangs operating alongside Libyan militias to control migrant flows from north Africa.

“Before, migrants could arrive alone in Libya and make their way by boat to Europe,” he said. “Now, it is too dangerous: there is civil war and it is only the Nigerian and Eritrean trafficking gangs who are able to transport large numbers of people through the country, where militias are controlling the borders and ports.



Read more http://rezponder.com/nigeria-women-forced-to-work-as-prostitutes-italy-almost-doubled-in-2016/

The immediate past General Overseer of the Redeemed Christian Church of God in Nigeria and oversees, Pastor Enoch Adeboye recently ordered Christians to join politics with a view to ensuring their wishes are frequently pushed through at the national level.

He said this at the Annual Ministers Conference on Saturday as he decried what was described as government’s meddlesomeness on church matters in the country.

Adeboye was apparently reacting to the Corporate Governance Code of the Financial Regulation Council which made him step down and appoint a new General Overseer for Nigeria which led to the invention of a new title of the General Overseer of RCCG Worldwide.

Pastor Enoch Adeboye joined the RCCG in 1973 and was appointed General Overseer of the church in at the age of 36 in 1981 after the demise of an Ondo-born founder of the church, Reverend Josiah Akindayomi. As at the time, the church had 43 local branches and had just established the first overseas parish in Ghana.

It would be recalled that the Financial Regulation Council Act stipulates a maximum period of 20 years for the heads of registered non-governmental Organisations, including churches, mosques and civil society organisations.

With the development, the likes of Adeboye, Pastor Williams Kumuyi of the Deeper Christian Life Ministry, Bishop David Oyedepo of the Living Faith Ministries will have to go. The law is also applicable to Islamic organisations like: Nasrullahil Fatih NASFAT, The Muslim Congress, Ansarudeen, Jama’atu Taawun Muslimeen, Jama’atu Nasril Islam, the Ummah and any other religious organisations that engage in business activities or money making ventures.

Interest in church affairs
Speaking at the Redemption Camp along the Lagos-Ibadan Expressway, Ogun, Adeboye expressed worries over deliberate ‘anti-Christian laws’ being churned out by the Federal Government to interfere in church affairs.

He, therefore, challenged the ministers and members to go back home and get themselves involved in party politics by registering as card-carrying members of political parties of their choices.

“All of you should get back and encourage your members to join political parties of their choice, get membership cards and be very active at the ward levels. The government has been showing increasing interest in church affairs. Unfortunately, for us in RCCG, it might not be very helpful,”

The Pastor told the congregation that the only means to sustain the RCCG grip on government and prevent unfavourable laws and policies is to determine those who make laws and implement them.

“Some people believe that RCCG is becoming too influential and we’re going to be more influential. When you get home, tell members to join a political party. Join a party and become a card-carrying member of any party. Just join any party. We shall decide issues right from the ward level.

If you are not active at ward levels, you’ll do what they plan and say at the top. Enrol in any party of your choice and have a card. When holding meetings at ward level to choose delegates, be there”.

Adeboye particularly urged the Christian faithful to take advantage of their rising number in the society and beat their rivals to it.

“One Muslim in Ibadan said years ago that he didn’t know what’s wrong with Christians that we help them to occupy political positions and serve, refusing to capitalise on our population. That’s going to change from now,” he boasted.

The cleric who did not hide his anger to the developments alleged that other fresh laws had been enacted by the government to ruffle the feathers of church in the country, with a particular target on RCCG.



Read more http://rezponder.com/of-political-participation-and-adeboyes-anger-yinka-salaam/

Here is an unedited transcript of President Obama’s prepared remarks during his farewell address in Chicago, as provided by the White House.

It’s good to be home. My fellow Americans, Michelle and I have been so touched by all the well-wishes we’ve received over the past few weeks. But tonight it’s my turn to say thanks. Whether we’ve seen eye-to-eye or rarely agreed at all, my conversations with you, the American people – in living rooms and schools; at farms and on factory floors; at diners and on distant outposts – are what have kept me honest, kept me inspired, and kept me going. Every day, I learned from you. You made me a better president, and you made me a better man.
I first came to Chicago when I was in my early 20s, still trying to figure out who I was; still searching for a purpose to my life. It was in neighborhoods not far from here where I began working with church groups in the shadows of closed steel mills. It was on these streets where I witnessed the power of faith, and the quiet dignity of working people in the face of struggle and loss. This is where I learned that change only happens when ordinary people get involved, get engaged, and come together to demand it.

After eight years as your president, I still believe that. And it’s not just my belief. It’s the beating heart of our American idea – our bold experiment in self-government.

It’s the conviction that we are all created equal, endowed by our creator with certain unalienable rights, among them life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness.

It’s the insistence that these rights, while self-evident, have never been self-executing; that we, the people, through the instrument of our democracy, can form a more perfect union.

This is the great gift our Founders gave us. The freedom to chase our individual dreams through our sweat, toil, and imagination – and the imperative to strive together as well, to achieve a greater good.

For 240 years, our nation’s call to citizenship has given work and purpose to each new generation. It’s what led patriots to choose republic over tyranny, pioneers to trek west, slaves to brave that makeshift railroad to freedom. It’s what pulled immigrants and refugees across oceans and the Rio Grande, pushed women to reach for the ballot, powered workers to organize. It’s why GIs gave their lives at Omaha Beach and Iwo Jima; Iraq and Afghanistan – and why men and women from Selma to Stonewall were prepared to give theirs as well.

So that’s what we mean when we say America is exceptional. Not that our nation has been flawless from the start, but that we have shown the capacity to change, and make life better for those who follow.

Yes, our progress has been uneven. The work of democracy has always been hard, contentious and sometimes bloody. For every two steps forward, it often feels we take one step back. But the long sweep of America has been defined by forward motion, a constant widening of our founding creed to embrace all, and not just some.

If I had told you eight years ago that America would reverse a great recession, reboot our auto industry, and unleash the longest stretch of job creation in our history…if I had told you that we would open up a new chapter with the Cuban people, shut down Iran’s nuclear weapons program without firing a shot, and take out the mastermind of 9/11…if I had told you that we would win marriage equality, and secure the right to health insurance for another 20 million of our fellow citizens – you might have said our sights were set a little too high.

But that’s what we did. That’s what you did. You were the change. You answered people’s hopes, and because of you, by almost every measure, America is a better, stronger place than it was when we started.

In 10 days, the world will witness a hallmark of our democracy: the peaceful transfer of power from one freely elected president to the next. I committed to President-elect Trump that my administration would ensure the smoothest possible transition, just as President Bush did for me. Because it’s up to all of us to make sure our government can help us meet the many challenges we still face.

We have what we need to do so. After all, we remain the wealthiest, most powerful, and most respected nation on Earth. Our youth and drive, our diversity and openness, our boundless capacity for risk and reinvention mean that the future should be ours.

But that potential will be realized only if our democracy works. Only if our politics reflects the decency of the our people. Only if all of us, regardless of our party affiliation or particular interest, help restore the sense of common purpose that we so badly need right now.

That’s what I want to focus on tonight – the state of our democracy.



Read more http://rezponder.com/transcript-read-the-full-transcript-of-president-obamas-farewell-speech/

Ahead of the imminent cabinet reshuffle, in a press release made available to The Rezponder, Center for Global Peace Initiatives (CGPI), calls on the government of President Muhammadu Buhari to split the fused ministries of Power, Woks and Housing.

In the Press release signed by the Executive Director, Center for Global Peace Initiatives (CGPI), Mr Ayinde Yekinni, the group maintained that ''the need for this is embedded in the fact that these ministries are not only germane to the developmental fortune of the country and therefore in need of robust and clear directions, they also require different and specific competencies and expertise that are beyond the knowledge, skill and scope of an individual. This is why it will be counter-productive to place the three under one individual irrespective of perceived track record''.

Read the Press Release below

Ahead of Imminent Cabinet Reshuffle: Need to Split the Fused Ministries

Ahead of the imminent cabinet reshuffle, the Center for Global Peace Initiatives (CGPI), calls on the government of President Muhammadu Buhari to split the fused ministries of Power, Woks and Housing.

The need for this is embedded in the fact that these ministries are not only germane to the developmental fortune of the country and therefore in need of robust and clear directions, they also require different and specific competences and expertise that are beyond the knowledge, skill and scope of an individual. This is why it will be counter-productive to place the three under one individual irrespective of perceived track record.

If what we have seen in the last one year is anything to go by especially in the Power ministry, Nigerians have experienced only a reversal of fortune as neither there were increases in power generation nor availability even as the Distribution Companies (DISCOs) continue to threaten with increases in tariffs nonetheless rejected by Nigerians.

We have seen the hollowness and the lack of heart to do the needful that could produce the ‘knock on’ effects capable of uplifting the sector and invariably supporting the gradual development of the nation through small, medium, and cottage industries leveraging on the availability of power for entrepreneurial drive.

The expected discourses around the ministry such as using and harnessing all forms of power sources rather than reliance on one has not been ventilated; expected legislations which could enable other interested players and levels of government to generate and manage power has not been seen; and talks about generating appropriate partnership and funding have all been absent. Rather, and in the typical lazy and dubious ways, attempts have been made to make Nigerians fund the gap between the capital base of the operators and the humongous amount needed as injection into that sector to transform it into something meaningful through unjustifiable manipulation of tariffs.

Even as the Federal Government promises to pay its debt owed the operators of the sector, coupled with an injection of a fraction of the 2017 budget, it is doubtful that these can manifest into anything meaningful. It is obvious that the ‘inheritors’ of the unbundled PHCN now rely solely on either the counter-part funding from the Federal Government or rip-off from customers to continue to fund the epileptic service that they are too happy to provide.


Read more http://rezponder.com/press-release-cgpi-calls-split-fused-ministries/

President Buhari Orders Strong Actions To Deal With Violence In Southern Kaduna

President Muhammadu Buhari has, over the past week, given instructions for decisive measures aimed at bringing an end to the recurring acts of violence and destruction in the Southern Kaduna.

On the directive of President Buhari, the Inspector-General of Police was in the region on Saturday and Sunday to assess the situation at first hand. In addition to the conventional policemen deployed in the area, a squadron of mobile policemen has now been stationed there.

The Nigerian army is also in the process of setting up two battalions in Southern Kaduna while the military continues to carry out air surveillance across flash points of the area.

READ Also Military Sets to end herdsmen attacks
President Buhari has equally directed the National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA) to carry out a joint assessment of the situation with the sister agency in Kaduna, SEMA, to determine the level of response required for urgent aid to the victims of the violence.

These measures should soon ensure the return of normalcy to the region, while the Kaduna State government continues its peace building efforts.

The President commended efforts of the State government and the security agencies in the steps taken so far to curtail the violence.

President Buhari has, once again, sent condolences to the people of Southern Kaduna, who have lost loved ones in the recent violence.



Read more http://rezponder.com/president-buhari-orders-strong-actions-to-deal-with-violence-in-southern-kaduna/

It’s a boy! Janet Jackson Welcomes Son Eissa @50

Janet Jackson and husband Wissam Al Mana welcomed their first child, a son, on Tuesday, Jan. 3, her rep confirms to PEOPLE exclusively.

“Janet Jackson and husband Wissam Al Mana are thrilled to welcome their new son Eissa Al Mana into the world,” a rep for the singer, 50, says in a statement.

“Janet had a stress-free healthy delivery and is resting comfortably.”
Jackson married Qatari businessman Al Mana in 2012, and news of their first child’s impending arrival was reported in May. Speculation first began when the singer postponed her Unbreakable World Tour so, as she said in a video posted to Twitter in early April, she and Al Mana could focus on their family.

“We’re in the second leg of the tour, and there actually has been a sudden change,” she said in the clip. “I thought it was important that you be the first to know.”



Read more http://rezponder.com/boy-janet-jackson-welcomes-son-eissa-50/

“They have no knowledge of such a thing, nor their fathers. Grievous is the word that comes forth from their mouth. What they say is nothing but falsehood.” (Q.18:5)

If I were a Professor of English, I would have begun by repudiating the authors of the verbiage that generated this rebuttal, circulated on Wednesday and Thursday (December 28 and 29, 2016) with sadistic frenzy in traditional and new media, as deranged, reckless, mischievous and psychopathic nincompoops. But as I am not, I would only take recourse to the Prophet’s statement when he was unjustly persecuted on the day of Taif: God forgive them perhaps something good will come from their future generations.

In spite of the allusion to Prophet Muhammad’s approach, I would not have condescended to dignifying the defamatory statements issued against my person with a response on three counts. The first count is that one would not bite a dog simply because a dog has bitten one. The second is that the issue was claimed to have been reported to the EFCC, which has the means to take the right course of action after establishing the prima facie of the case brought before it. The third is the need to thwart the Satanic objective of distracting me from the national assignment which they protested against but failed.

Nevertheless, given the avalanche of text messages, mail and phone calls I have received from all over the world, I realize that if I do not set the records straight, at least for those who believe in me and what I represent, like Dr Mahfouz Adedimeji of the University of Ilorin, whose appreciated intervention was on point, I might not be fair to them. Secondly, the assassins did widely circulate and celebrate the “destruction” of the “victims” beyond the EFCC and across nations. I therefore deserve to be heard through the same routes.

In a period when common sense is no longer common, it would not be surprising that some people would not take effusions that are bereft of an iota of sense with a pinch of salt. So, the vituperations that “the 49 liars” and their mentors directed at me more than four years after I left office as Vice-Chancellor of the University of Ilorin are explained thus:

The Pension Act of 2004 provided that 7.5 per cent of emoluments should be deducted from staff salaries and remitted into their pension accounts with Pension Funds Administrators (PFAs). Most universities, including the University of Ilorin, based the calculation of 7.5 per cent on basic salary and transport allowance. This was the case between July 2004 and December 2006 before I became Vice-Chancellor. I know no PFA and if salaries were deducted and saved in employees’ accounts, I would not be the beneficiary.

Then, from January 2007, the Government that is matching the employees’ contribution with another 7.5 per cent directed that the deduction should be based on Consolidated Pay. Some universities were compelled by the fake and fraudulent campus hyenas not to comply with the directive of 2007. About two years into my tenure, my attention was drawn to the new decision which was of course advantageous to workers whose higher sum was being equally matched by the Government. I convened a meeting of stakeholders including the Unions on the Government directive and all parties agreed not only to commence the higher savings (which Government doubles rather than double lower contributions) but also to double the difference for a certain number of months to ensure full compliance with effect from the stipulated January 2007.



Read more http://rezponder.com/opinion-49-liars-rebuttal-prof-haq-oloyede/

The day before New Year 2017 will officially be one second longer for everyone on earth as a “leap second” will be added this year on Dec. 31 at 23 hours, 59 minutes and 59 seconds, Coordinated Universal Time, which is 6:59:59 p.m. EST.

What is a Leap Second?
All spatial objects including stars, planets, moons, asteroid and comets, demonstrate certain unique characteristics. Earth performs dual motions that include rotation (around one’s axis) and revolution (in one’s orbit). The Earth’s rotation is the key factor behind the concept of a leap second.

A leap second is the time added by the world’s timekeepers now and then, on either June 30 or Dec. 31. This event is necessary to keep clocks synchronised with the Earth’s consistently slowing rotation. It is a well-known fact that planet completes one full rotation in 24 hours, but in reality, it takes a little longer than that–86,400.002 seconds to be exact, noted Vox. Therefore, a leap second is added every few years to the world’s official clocks.

The concept of adding leap second was initiated in the year 1972. Since then the International Earth Rotation and Reference Systems Service (IERS) has been adding a leap second for the past 27 out of 44 years. The last time a leap second was inserted was on June 30, 2015.



Read more http://rezponder.com/2016-gets-leap-second-one-extra-second-affect/

Osun state Police command on Friday paraded a prophet, his prophetess wife and several others for the kidnap of a five-year-old boy.

Sunday Akinboye, the prophet in charge of Cherubim & Seraphim Church, Ileri-Oluwa Parish at Arubidi in ile-ife, and his wife Idowu Adewole, connived with four others, including a pregnant woman to abduct five-year-old Ojo Adegboyega in Ipetu-Jesa, police said.

Other suspects include Falope Lateef, Tope Akinboye and a 20-year-old nursing mother, Victoria Adebisi whose baby is one-month-old.

Victoria is the daughter of the Prophetess, Idowu and another man. Police commissioner Fimihan Adeoye said the boy’s father reported his son’s kidnap and demand for N2 million ransom before the suspects eventually took N550,000 from him.



Read more http://rezponder.com/pregnant-woman-paraded-kidnapping-osun/

…Compels CP to produce Oluwo in court

Magistrate Olusola Aluko on Friday said the implication of violating the order of the court by Oluwo of Iwo, Oba AbdulRasheed Adewale Akanbi, is that he should be arrested and kept in court until the next adjourned date.

When the case came up on Friday, counsel for the applicant, Mr. Soji Oyetayo, informed the court that counsel to the accused monarch sent a later that he would not come to the court.

But, Oyetayo said that the counsel did not state that the first respondent, Oba Akanbi, would not appear in court as ordered by the Magistrate.

The Magistrate, however, gave the last order to the Commissioner of Police, Mr Fimihan to produce Oba Akanbi, in court on Friday, January 6, 2017.

“By implication, he should be arrested and kept in prison till next adjourn date of sitting for his failure to appear as ordered by the court,” the Magistrate insists.

“He should be brought to court to explain if indeed he made the statement. I am also surprised that the Commissioner of Police is claiming ignorance of the order of this court.

The Magistrate, who was very furious when he learnt that the monarch refused to comply with his order to appear in court, stated that the claim of the Commissioner of police that he was not aware of the court order “is a joke of the century.”



Read more http://rezponder.com/oluwo-of-iwo-should-be-kept-in-prison/

2016 Year in Review: Scandal and Controversy

2016 will be remembered as a year that was also characterised with scandal and controversy ranging Facebook and fake news problem, Ryan Lochte Apologising for ‘Not Being More Careful And Candid’ In Rio, to the Panama Papers: and what’s been revealed so far. Outrage that grows after Gorilla Harambe was shot dead at Cincinnati Zoo to Save Tot and the Drug lord ‘El Chapo’ recaptured among others

Facebook and fake news problem
News stories are supposed to help ordinary voters understand the world around them. But in the 2016 election, news stories online too often had the opposite effect. Stories rocketed around the internet that were misleading, sloppily reported, or in some cases totally made up.

Over the course of 2016, Facebook users learned that the pope endorsed Donald Trump (he didn’t), that a Democratic operative was murdered after agreeing to testify against Hillary Clinton (it never happened), that Bill Clinton raped a 13-year-old girl (a total fabrication), and many other totally bogus “news” stories. Stories like this thrive on Facebook because Facebook’s algorithm prioritizes “engagement” — and a reliable way to get readers to engage is by making up outrageous nonsense about politicians they don’t like.



Read more http://rezponder.com/2016-year-in-review-scandal-and-controversy/

Panama Paper, global web of corruption and tax avoidance

The leak of 11 million confidential documents (in about 2.6 terabytes of data) from the Panamanian law firm Mossack, Fonseca and Co. was credited by some media outlets to a whistle-blower who wants to remain anonymous. Others have suggested it came from an attack by hackers. The unprecedented document leak known as the Panama Papers uncovered the hidden dealings of the world’s wealthiest people.

A quiet spring weekend was suddenly shattered when news of the “Panama Papers” investigation broke. The massive international project involved approximately 400 journalists across 75 countries.

The Panama Papers sent ripples across the globe after revealing that 140 politicians from more than 50 countries, including Russian President Vladimir Putin, Iceland Prime Minister Sigmundur David Gunnlaugsson and Nigeria Senate President Bukola Saraki were linked to offshore accounts set up by the Panamanian law firm Mossack Fonseca.



Read more http://rezponder.com/2016-year-in-review-panama-paper/

Zika Virus


The Zika virus dominated headlines for spreading not just throughout many countries in Latin America, but also in the US in cities like Miami, FL. This year we’ve learned an amazing amount about Zika — how it damages developing brains, how it spreads through sexual contact and where in the world it’s hiding out.

The Zika virus thrives in tropical climates. But it is also growing in this cold-weather city — up a flight of stairs, past a flier for lunchtime yoga and behind a locked door.

Zika virus is said to be more damaging during early pregnancy. The sooner a woman is infected with the Zika virus during her pregnancy, the more likely her baby will be damaged by the virus. Retinal damage Associated with Zika Virus Infection in Infants.



Read more http://rezponder.com/2016-year-review-zika-virus/

Berlin police said 9 people were killed and many others were injured when a truck ran into a crowded Christmas market on Monday.

Police said the truck driver was arrested near the scene.



The Associated Press, citing German media, reports the truck ran into the market outside the Kaiser Willhelm Memorial Church.

The market was in the center of the city, according to the AP.



Read more http://rezponder.com/truck-crashes-christmas-market-berlin/

Who was Andrey Karlov? What we know about the Russian ambassador to Turkey


Andrey Karlov, the Russian ambassador to Turkey since July 2013, has been killed in a gun attack. Russia’s state news agency said Andrey Karlov was shot several times while visiting an art exhibition opening in the Turkish capital Ankara on Dec 19, 2016, and died at the scene of his wounds.

Who is Andrey Karlov?
Born in Moscow in 1954, Karlov Andrey Gennadyevich was educated at the Moscow State Institute of International Relations and the Diplomatic Academy.

He began his career with the government at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the USSR in 1976. He went on to hold various diplomatic positions at the Russian embassy to North Korea. Mr Karlov has been Russian ambassador to Turkey since July 2013.

Ambassador of the Russian Federation to the Republic of Turkey
Full name: Karlov Andrey Gennadyevich
Born: Moscow, 1954
Education: Moscow State Institute of International Relations; Diplomatic Academy.

Career
1976 – Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the USSR and Russia
1979-1984 and 1986-1991 – Embassy of the USSR to the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea
1992 – 1997 – Embassy of the Russian Federation to the Republic of Korea
2001-2006 – Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary to the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea
2007-2013 – Deputy Director General, Director General for Consular Affairs
Since July 2013 – Ambassador of the Russian Federation to the Republic of Turkey



Read more http://rezponder.com/andrey-karlov-know-russian-ambassador-turkey/

At this rate Lagos will have more IGR next year just because the government is working and opening more frontiers.

“The tax payers are the ones giving us the little energy that we have and even though when they say Nigeria is in recession, but somehow Lagos has been able to do it and it is because people are paying their taxes.

“The truth is that the people have been carrying out their civic obligations and somehow we have been returning those obligations with the services that we have provided and you found out that this year; we have actually made more IGR than last year under a recession.

“So, somehow, we need to appreciate all the people that have made this to happen and then I look at the way I could use Arts, Entertainment, Tourism and Hospitality not only to promote the excellence that Lagos has always been known for but to provide another sector of revenue for Lagos State and I felt one of the ways to go about that was to invite our old celebrities that we seem to have forgotten and spend an evening with them,” Governor Ambode said.



Read more http://rezponder.com/despite-recession-lagos-generated-revenue-2016-ambode/

“leave MMM alone” MMM founder, Mavrodi writes Nigerian Media

Dear journalists, “analysts” and all kinds of “experts”!

Please stop using MMM to gain cheap popularity. Leave us alone and let us work without interference. I’m just astonished by your irresponsibility and cynical attitude. Interests of millions of people, your fellow citizens are at stake. Don’t you have any sympathy for them? Why are you fueling hysteria around MMM and provoking a panic? Why are you doing this so diligently and persistently, what is your purpose?

In fact, absolutely all your provocative and worthless articles and “analyses” (I said “worthless” because you do not have any real information about what happens in the System, and might have never had; you simply invent everything, fabricate it) are merely negative: “MMM has collapsed!!!.. MMM will not be working in January!!!..” etc. Are you intentionally presenting all of it in such a manner and whipping up tension by any means possible in order to increase the ratings of your publications and attract attention to them? Don’t you care about people at all?

So, nothing has collapsed, and MMM will safely resume its work in January, as announced. Suspension of work for holidays is a usual thing, merely working moment, no more than that. It would have remained a normal, just a part of the usual routine, and might have gone almost unnoticed if it were not for your totally cynical and irresponsible attempts to advertise yourself, create a scandal out of nowhere, and make the most of this news topic in any possible way.

Again, leave MMM alone and let us work. Nothing has collapsed, it will perfectly resume its work in January. We Can Change the World!

Sergey Mavrodi



Read more http://rezponder.com/mmm-mavrodi-writes-nigerian-media/

President Buhari says Gambia’s Jammeh was receptive to mediators

President Muhammadu Buhari said on Tuesday that Gambia’s President Yahya Jammeh had been very receptive to a delegation of West African leaders who were expected to urge the long-ruling leader to step aside following a poll defeat.

Asked if Jammeh had been receptive, he told reporters shortly after the meeting: “Yes, very much so.”

Earlier on Tuesday, Gambia’s security forces entered the building of the Independent Electoral Commission, instructed its chairman to leave and have since barred other employees from entering, the chairman, Alieu Momarr Njai, told Reuters.

Nigeria said on Tuesday Gambia’s veteran ruler seemed receptive to a message from West African leaders that he accept his election defeat and step down, even as Gambian soldiers took over the offices of the electoral commission.

Yahya Jammeh, who seized power in a coup in 1994 and has earned a reputation as a repressive leader, has refused to proceed with a handover of power despite initially conceding his loss to opponent Adama Barrow in the election on Dec. 1.

Jammeh cited irregularities in the official results, but his abrupt about-face drew international criticism, and a delegation of West African presidents under the auspices of the regional body ECOWAS arrived in the capital Banjul early on Tuesday on a mission to resolve the crisis.

The delegation is led by Nobel peace laureate Ellen Johnson Sirleaf, and includes Nigeria’s Muhammadu Buhari, Sierra Leone’s Ernest Bai Koroma and Ghana’s John Mahama, who lost an election last week and conceded defeat.

A photo provided by Gambia’s Information Ministry and taken before the meeting showed the five heads of state seated in Jammeh’s elaborately decorated office at State House wearing leaden expressions, with the exception of Jammeh who had a faint smile. A military officer looked on.



Read more http://rezponder.com/buhari-says-jammeh-receptive-mediators/

Ballon d’Or 2016: The rise of Cristiano Ronaldo from talented teenager to football icon

Ever since he burst onto the stage in 2003, Ronaldo has been in the spotlight. After winning his fourth Ballon d’Or on Monday, we reflect on his rise from talented teenager to global football icon.


Cristiano Ronaldo will have to find a little more space in his trophy cabinet as his personal collection of Ballon d’Ors expands to four, now just one short of his great rival Lionel Messi.

While the merits of an individual award for a team sport have long been debated, it has undeniably been a fine year for the Portuguese. He scored the winning penalty in Real Madrid’s Champions League final shootout against Atletico Madrid in May, and turned his tears of pain to tears of joy as he limped off in the final of the European Championship before watching his team claim the prize.

There is also the frightening tally of 48 goals in 52 appearances in the calendar year, a year he finishes as a 31-year-old. Wasn’t he supposed to be entering the twilight of his career? Not a chance.

Raw talent
Manchester United spotted Ronaldo as an 18-year-old when he starred in a 3-1 victory for Sporting CP in a friendly against the English giants in August 2003.







Read more http://rezponder.com/ballon-dor-2016-rise-cristiano-ronaldo/

Ogun State Governor, Senator Ibikunle Amosun, has called for a quick review of the 1999 Constitution in order for the country to achieve its desired socio-economic growth.

Governor Amosun who made this call in Abeokuta at the opening ceremony of the retreat organised by the House of Representatives Special Ad-Hoc Committee on the review of the 1999 Constitution, noted that the nation’s socio-economic and political life is largely affected by imbalances in the constitution.

He explained that previous attempts to amend the constitution have failed due to ethnic interest and mutual distrust among the federating unit.

The Governor said the retreat entitled, “The Imperatives of Constitution Review and amendment in nation building,” will do justice to issues such as derivation formula, revenue allocation, fiscal federalism, resource control, marginalisation, creation of Local government among others.



While expressing optimism that the Committee will justify its responsibility in achieving desired objectives, Governor Amosun urged it to guard against all actions that will compromise the unity of the country.

The governor urged the committee to produce an acceptable constitution that will serve as the blueprint for social economic and political development of the country.

Declaring the retreat opened, Speaker of the House of Representatives, Honorable Yakubu Dogara, who was represented by the majority leader of the House, Hon. Femi Gbajabiamila, said to make progress as a nation, issues such as local Government funding, functions, structure and elections need to be reformed.



Read more http://rezponder.com/amosun-calls-review-1999-constitution/

Steep rise in the number of Nigerian prostitutes working in Italy is being linked to the arrival in the country of well-organized Nigerian mafias, which are using violence and religious rites to terrify trafficked women into submission, police say.

Police say their operations this year have revealed the presence in Italy of a host of Nigerian gangs with names such as the , the Vikings, the Buccaneers, the Eiye and the Maphites.

The gangs have arrived in Italy as the number of Nigerian women sailing to the country from Libya has risen from 1,454 in 2014 to 10,624 between January and the end of November.

Of those, as many as 80% are forced to work as prostitutes, according to the International Organization for Migration.

With prices for sex with girls as young as 14 starting at around $10, 1 in 2 street prostitutes in Italy today is Nigerian.

I stayed on the street, pressured by my madam, to save my mother. My message to girls back in Nigeria is, ‘Don’t come.’— Anna, a Nigerian woman who said she was forced into prostitution
Seventeen members of the mafia were arrested last month, including the group’s “head of zone” for Italy, taken into custody in Verona, and the “minister of defense” in Palermo. The latter was said to be responsible for singling out errant members for machete attacks.

“Our probe showed how gangs like the are running the whole prostitution pipeline, which brings trafficked women from Nigeria to Italy,” said an investigator in Palermo who declined to be named because he was not allowed to speak on the record.

Women are usually fooled into believing they will be given regular jobs in Europe by traffickers who stage voodoo rites in which the women promise to pay back the cost of their travel, authorities said.

Upon arrival, police said, the women are told they must work as prostitutes until they pay off debts of about $30,000.

Refugees disembark the Topaz Responder, a Migrant Offshore Aid Station vessel, on Nov. 24 in Vibo Valentia, Italy.
The police official said former prostitutes often manage the women, but mafia members are on hand to punish them if they try to escape.

“If women rebel, it won’t be their madams who punish them, but ,” he said.

Anna, 40, who declined to give her last name because of the sensitivity of the topic, said she was forced into prostitution for three years after being told by traffickers she would pick fruit in Italy. She said she was warned that her mother in Nigeria would be hurt if she fled.



Read more http://rezponder.com/italy-says-thousands-nigerian-women-arrive-migrants-forced-work-prostitutes/

It was a mid-drama at the Osun state Standing Commission of Inquiry on Disturbance of Public Peace, as the Ataoja of Osogbo, Oba Jimoh Olanipekun, refused to swear on holy book.

The Muslim monarch who was given the Holy Quran to swear, however, demanded for water, which he held and swore.

After sweating with the water, Oba Olanipekun split the water on the land and handed over the cup to the court registrar.

The three Baloguns, Kujenyo, Fagbemi/Biiro and Balogun Agoro, had dragged the monarch and six others before the panel, claiming that only their compounds are entitled to the Chieftaincy title of Balogun and Otun Balogun.

The three petitioners also alleged that the lesser chiefs under the Balogun and Otun Balogun have just been added to the list of Chiefs by Oba Olanipekun.

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However, the monarch dispelled the claims of the petitioners, saying that the lesser Chiefs have been in the Chieftaincy Declaration in 1974 during the reign of Oba Samuel Adenle.

Oba Olanipekun also refuted allegation by the petitioners that the Chieftaincy Declaration was secretly made by Oba Adenle, saying the late monarch followed the existing law in the declaration.

He explained that the Balogun and Otun Balogun were not the only declaration made at the time, noting that many Chieftaincy declarations were also made.

Other Chieftaincy declaration made, according to Ataoja includes: Jagun and Otuun-Jagun of Osogbo, Eesa of Osogbo, Akogun of Osogbo, Ataoja of Osogbo, Olufon of Ifon, Olobu of Ilobu, Elerin of Erin-Osun, among others.

Ataoja also explained that the petitioners have lost in the three judgments of the High courts and Appeal court.

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He stated that the outcome of the judgment was that the position of Balogun and Otun Balogun were promotional, wondering why the petitioners have chosen to approach the panel of inquiry instead of going to the supreme court.

Justice Aderibigbe Adeigbe-led panel, however, adjourned the matter to December 17, 2016.



Read more http://rezponder.com/ataoja-osogbo-refuses-swear-holy-book/

Voting hasn’t even started yet in many U.S. states, but the stock market is clearly “With Her.” So investors are saying that she is the right choice for the market.
U.S. stocks snapped their nearly two-week losing streak on Monday, with the S&P 500 rising more than 2% after nine straight sessions of declines—its longest losing streak since the 2008 financial crisis, spurred by the narrowing of election polls. The reversal came after the FBI said on Sunday that it had found nothing to implicate Hillary Clinton in a new cache of emails, increasing the Democratic candidate’s odds of winning the presidential election.


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