₦airaland Forum

THE Minister of State for Aviation, Senator Hadi Sirika, has declared that he would resign if the repair of Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport (NAIA) runway was not completed and reopened in six weeks as planned.

He spoke alongside Minister of Information, Alhaji Lai Mohammed, on Monday who accused some people of spreading misinformation about the repair.

The duo spoke this afternoon at a special session of Aviation Round Table, (ART) held in Lagos, adding that it was not true the work has been extended.

Sirika said he could not take a decision affecting the lives of over 150 million Nigerians and choose to disappoint them at the end of the day.

It will be recalled that the Federal Government had shut down the Abuja airport with effect from March 7 while Abuja bound traffic was diverted to Kaduna International Airport.

Lalasticlala

KADUNA State governor, Malam Nasir El-Rufai, has accused the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and some members of the ruling All Progressive Congress (APC) with 2019 Presidential ambition of twisting the content of his memo to President Muhammadu Buhari to achieve sinister motives.

He said: “This is a memo from an APC governor to an APC president, but who is shouting more than everyone? It is the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) people that are trying to describe who I am to an APC president. Many of these things going on are being driven by the PDP, who think that they have got something to mind.
Secondly, within our party, there are people that have started running for the presidency. There are people that think Buhari is finished and will not run for a second time, blah blah blah. They are running for 2019, so they will do everything to twist what is in that memo.

"I believe I am a target because there is a pattern and I can give you few examples in the last two weeks. I am a target because I made everyone that has the ambition to run for the president of Nigeria know that I am a Buharist. As long as Buhari is around, there is no point even talking to me. So I am a target. And those that have these ambitions know that when 2019 comes, by the grace of God and President Buhari says he wants to run, I will be at the frontline fighting for him.

"If by 2019 President Buhari says, ‘I am not running, this is the person I am supporting,’ they know I can die to make sure that person becomes the president. They know that I will follow Buhari," El-rufai was quoted by Daily Trust as saying.

Continuing he said, "I have no friends among those with presidential ambition. This is what is going on. I can go on and list examples. In the last three to four weeks, someone planted a story that the Kaduna State Assembly wanted to impeach me. It’s totally false. Someone planted a story on the social media that I collapse from time to time since I went for primaries in Kogi. And I said, ‘I have never collapsed in my life, never.’

"In the last three weeks again, this memo was leaked and there are stories that I leaked it because I want to distance myself from the government and I have this or that ambition. If you read that memo you would see that one of my concerns is that we need to clean up our political space so that President Buhari would run again. This is my aspiration. There were stories that I refused to receive the president.

"I have enrolled in a part-time PhD programme at the University-Merit in the Netherlands. It was the vice president that wrote the recommendation for me to get admitted into the programme, so I am not doing it without the knowledge of the authorities. It is a programme that requires me to go to the Netherlands for two weeks and most of it is research-based. I do the research in my spare time. That was where I was when I got a call from the president that he would be returning to Nigeria on Friday. I was in the Netherlands, but I did everything, including getting a friend of mine with a private jet to send me a plane so I could come back and receive the president, but it was simply impossible because even if he sent the jet, the pilot must rest for some hours. In this state, we already have a system in which whenever I am not around, the deputy governor becomes acting governor. This has happened at least 15 times. I write to the state Assembly just like the president wrote when he was going. So, I got the consent of the president to have the deputy governor receive him while I continued with my programme. That was what happened. Many of the things you see going on, even the situation in Southern Kaduna, there are people with presidential ambition that are investing in it to make it look worse, to target me.

"We read yesterday that my former chief of staff, Hadiza Bala Usman, had given people 25,000 dollars. Hadiza is in Senegal or somewhere attending some official events and I called her and told her: ‘You must sue the paper, let them prove their case.’"

THE Secretary to the Government of the Federation (SGF) Babachir David Lawal has denied involvement in contract awards in the Presidential Initiative on the North East (PINE) being investigated by the Senate.

He said Friday in a statement issued by the Director Press, in the OSGF, Bolaji Adebiyi, that newspaper reports linking him to alleged 'N1.3 billion Contracts' and 'contracts awarded to 20 ghost firms' were untrue.

"The general public should not be misled into believe that the Secretary to the Government of the Federation has the authority or power to award contracts. This, indeed, is not the case. As with all awards of contract in government, the PINE projects under investigation went through what is referred to as due process in public expenditure.

"The contracts were awarded only after the requisite clearances were obtained from the Bureau of Public Procurement (BPP). It is expected that these clearances are obtained only when all conditions precedent to the awards of contracts are met. Apart from the BPP huddle, the Tenders Board of the procuring agencies, in this instance, the OSGF has to approve of the contracts before they are awarded. At no time were these processes compromised in the award of contracts by PINE. It must be emphasized also, that the SGF is not even a member of the Tenders Board," Lawal said.

He added that he cannot award contracts despite his position in government as he was not even a member of the Tenders Board and that all contracts must pass the acid test of obtaining clearance from the BPP and the scrutiny of the Tenders Board.

"PINE contracts were awarded following strict compliance with public expenditure and procurement processes. It will interest everyone to know too, that all PINE projects were properly and satisfactorily executed. The beneficiaries have continued to express their appreciation to the Federal Government for PINE intervention, that in many cases, has accelerated the return of normalcy to hitherto ravaged communities," he said.

THE Ahmadu Bełlo University, ABU, Zaria has said it would not release information on the controversy surrounding the academic certificate Dino Melaye, the All Progressives Congress senator representing Kogi West District, until formally approached by the Senate.

Mr. Melaye, who says he graduated from the university with a degree in Geography, was last week accused of making false claim.

An online newspaper, Sahara Reporters, said Mr. Melaye did not graduate from ABU.

Mr. Melaye has denied the allegation.

“To say that I did not graduate from ABU is to say that I am not a senator of the Federal Republic of Nigeria,” Mr. Melaye said. “ABU is a very prestigious university in this country, and it is not possible for one to be running a master’s program in the university when one did not graduate from a university. I have successfully completed one, and I am doing the second one.”

The Senate says it is investigating the controversy.

The authorities of ABU had earlier promised to issue a statement on the matter on Wednesday, but failed to disclose its outcome.

“The management has decided not to address journalists on the alleged certificate issue since a committee has been set up to investigate the matter by the Senate of the Federal Republic Nigeria.

“As such, we will await request by any relevant authority, then we would respond accordingly,” Premium Times quoted Adamu Mohammed, the director of publicity of the university to have said.

Mr. Mohammed also said individuals or organization seeking information in respect of any of its student should follow the normal process of officially writing to the university management.

A meeting of the National Economic Council (NEC) is currently taking place inside the Council Chambers of the Aso Rock Presidential Villa, Abuja.

The meeting, which started at 11.00am, is being presided over by Vice President Yemi Osinbajo.

Many of the state governors are in attendance.

The governors of Rivers and Ekiti States, Nyesom Wike and Ayodele Fayose respectively are being represented by their deputies.

CATHOLIC Bishops, under the aegis of Catholic Bishops’ Conference of Nigeria (CBCN), have called on the Federal Government to uphold the rule of law and obey court orders.

The bishops stated that as a matter of urgent public importance, the Federal Government should release, without delay, the leader of the Islamic Movement of Nigeria (IMN), Sheikh el Zakzaky; the leader of the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB), Nnamdi Kanu and former National Security Adviser (NSA), Col. Sambo Dasuki (Rtd). The three of them have been in detention over charges preferred against them by the Federal Government.

Although several courts have granted them different bails, the government has been adamant, refusing to release them. The Bishops also called on the Federal Government to begin to uphold and protect the integrity of the judiciary by obeying court orders and pronouncements; and endeavour to free other Nigerians, who are unjustly languishing in detention across the country.

The demands were contained in the communiqué issued at the end of its first plenary meeting held at Daughters of Divine Love Retreat and Conference Centre (DRACC), Abuja.

The conference was held between March 4 and 10. The Bishops, in a communiqué titled:

“Nigeria: Citizenship Rights and Responsibilities” enjoined Nigerians to be patriotic, promote good neighbourliness and obey constituted authority.

The communiqué read in part: “We are aware of the indissoluble link between enjoyment of rights and exercise of duties. We, therefore, call for the corresponding responsibility of all to respect the rights of others.

“While urging the government to uphold the rule of law by obeying court orders, especially in relation to Sheikh el Zakzaky, Nnamdi Kanu, Col. Sambo Dasuki, and all those who are unjustly detained, we equally enjoin every Nigerian citizen to be patriotic, to promote good neighbourliness and to obey constituted authorities.”

In the communiqué cosigned by President CBCN, Archbishop of Jos, Ignatius Ayau Kaigama and Bishop William Avenya (Diocese of Gboko), the Secretary of the CBCN, the bishops decried the level of gross human rights abuses in Nigeria. They stated that the dignity of every human person stems from the fact that he or she is created in the image and likeness of God.

“That dignity is inalienable. It can neither be detached from the personality of the individual nor taken away by anyone, not even by the state.

“We affirm that the human person is an end and not a means. We insist, therefore, that the dignity of every Nigerian should be recognised, respected and protected by all,” the clerics stated.

The CBCN also called on the judiciary to rise up to its responsibility of not only being the last hope of the common man, but also the impartial and incorruptible arbiter for all.

The body of clergies urged government at all levels to regularly and promptly pay salaries and pensions to their workers and retirees in spite of the present economic hardship facing the country.

According to the bishops, “The period of Lent presents before us the opportunity to return to God with fasting, prayers and acts of charity.

“This is the time to stand together with one another and with God and work for a better Nigeria.

“The myriad of challenges our nation is facing obliges us to be more united to pray for the whole nation. Our democracy needs united and committed minds that can generate ideas that would walk us out of these hard times. “A nation cannot grow in the midst of chaos and ineptitude. We call on our politicians to patriotically invest more efforts in political dialogue,” the bishops said.

gbeseun:
So wearing uniform.will stop smugglers from.doing there business abi wearing uniform will stop arms fro..coming in through borders,though I don't support this man but if the energy these senators are channeling unto this man's effort is chanel on the budget ,we will be passing the budget by February

THE Senate President, Dr. Abubakar Bukola Saraki, on Tuesday evening held a closed session with the Comptroller-General of the Nigeria Customs service, retired Colonel Hameed Ali.

This is coming on a day Ali had written the Senate to say he would not honor the invitation extended to him to appear at plenary in uniform.

The senators however insisted he must appear in uniform on Wednesday at the Senate plenary.
In what appeared a dramatic turn around, Ali sought an audience with Saraki for about 50 minutes.

The meeting came hours after Saraki and the Speaker of the House of Representatives, Rt. Hon. Yakubu Dogara, met with President Muhammadu Buhari at the Aso Rock Presidential Villa.

Although, the details of the closed session between Saraki and Ali were still sketchy as at press time, but sources said it was to get a soft landing for the Customs CG, who some senators have vowed must go if he failed to heed the summons and appear in uniform.

IMMEDIATE-PAST Governor of Kano State, Dr. Rabi’u Musa Kwankwaso, may dump the APC for the PDP, a chieftain of the PDP in Kano, Alhaji Musa Iliyasu Kwankwaso, has said.

Daily Trust quoting the PDP chieftain hinted that the latter gathered from reliable sources that Kwankwaso had been contacting the national body of the PDP about his return to the party.

“I heard from reliable sources that the former governor is planning to dump APC for another party before the 2019 general elections and most likely he is coming back to PDP,” he said.

“It is not true. Kwankwaso has no plan to dump APC.”

“It is just mere speculations by some politicians that are envious of his political progress. Similar thing was said of Senator Bola Ahmed Tinubu and the former education minister, Malam Ibrahim Shekarau,” the State’s APC chairman, Alhaji Umar Haruna Doguwa, said while dismissing the suggestion.

As at press time, Kwankwaso could not be reached for comment.

peteregwu:
Oni ra ru. You see that this bunch of abokis mentality is that Nigeria belongs to them.

CHAIRMAN, Council of Ulama of Jama’atu Izalatul Bidi’ah Wa Iqamatus Sunnah (JIBWIS), Sheik Sani Yahaya Jingir has advocated for a fresh election in the event of death or incapacitation of a Nigerian President.

He said that the present arrangement as contained in the Nigerian Constitution where the vice president takes over, leaves much to be desired.



Jingir made the call in Bauchi at the matriculation of the students of Sunnah College Bauchi which took place, Daily Trust reports.

He added that the present arrangement has opened an avenue where the president is exposed to uncertainty while his vice is confident of becoming president whether Nigerians like him or not.

“If this arrangement is maintained as it is, it will pose a lot of political uncertainties and security threat to us as a nation. we elected the President as the President. If he dies or incapacitated, there should be a fresh election.



“If this anomaly is not addressed, then we are not secured because a dishonest Vice President may work against him to get his seat. Is the right to personal opinion guaranteed in our constitution? Then this is my personal opinion,” he said.

He also faulted the arrangement where all the 36 states produce three senators each regardless of their land mass and population which he said has placed the bigger and populated states at a disadvantage.

lalasticlala

THE Senate Committee on INEC has said it will support the 2019 election timetable recently released by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC).

Chairman of the committee, Senator Mohammed Ali Ndume (APC, Borno South) disclosed this on Tuesday while answering questions from journalists in Abuja on INEC’s early release of the 2019 general elections timetable.

Ndume said the Commission was doing the right thing by setting out target for elections so that it can be well prepared when the election proper takes place. He said he personally encouraged the commission to start early when its leadership.



He said: “When I took over as the chairman of the Senate Committee on INEC, I personally encouraged INEC to start preparing for 2019 now. When I looked at the budget of the INEC, I discovered that there was no provision for the 2019 election.

“I advised them to make provision for the 2019 election so that such items that are not sensitive and not perishable can be procured in time. It is not good for us to wait until a day or two to the election then we start running helter-skelter for the materials such as the data capture machine or another thing that should be in place.

“I personally believe that this INEC wants to improve on what has been done before and all encouragement and support should be given to them. So, let’s give them a chance.”

Ndume added that, this present government is determined to conduct a credible,free and fair elections, adding that the amendment of the Electoral Act in the National Assembly would give the Electoral Reform committee headed by Senator Ken Nnamani set up by the executive arm of government to come up with acceptable reforms that will take care of some loopholes.



“I know that the President and this government is determined to conduct a credible election because it is the government that has been shouting that the election was not credible and truly elections were not credible except the last one that met minimum acceptability.

“For the Senate, we only have two clauses left to conclude the amendment of the electoral Act. We have gone very far. In fact, I can say that I am the one that slowed the committee down because we have to do it together with the House and the executive has formed a Committee under the chairmanship of Nnamani, so let us work together in order to come up with generally acceptable reform that takes care of some of the loopholes,” he said.

A Kaduna magistrate court on Monday said it lack the jurisdiction to hear a suit brought before against the chief executive officer of Chocolate City Group, Audu Maikori.

Maikori and one Simon Joseph were arraigned over alleged criminal conspiracy and spreading falsehood.

They were both accused of inciting disturbance of public peace through the circulation of fake reports that five students of a Kaduna State-owned college of education were murdered by Fulani herdsmen during the Southern Kaduna crisis.

“This false information was inciting and capable of disturbing the public peace,” prosecution counsel, Dari Bayero said.



But Chief Magistrate Emmanuel Yusuf said his court lack the jurisdiction to hear the case and granted the accused persons bail in the sum of N100, 000 and one surety each.

He adjourned the case to April 20, for further mention.

The music mogul and lawyer was first arrested on February 17 by policemen attached to the inspector-general’s monitoring and intelligence team, over ‘inciting comments’ he made on social media on Southern Kaduna killings.

He was released on bail but was later picked up on last Friday.

In a series of tweets on January 23, he alleged that five students of Kaduna State College of Education, Gidan Waya, Kafanchan, were murdered by Fulani herdsmen.

“My driver’s younger brother and five others students of College of Education, Gidan Waya, were ambushed and killed by herdsmen yesterday #SouthernKaduna,” he said in one of the tweets.

But the school’s management denied that any of its students was killed. Kaduna State also condemned the misinformation and vowed to prosecute rumour peddlers.



Maikori later apologised for the wrong information contained in his tweets, claiming that he was misled by his driver, who himself was an indigene of Southern Kaduna. The driver, he said, was handed over to the police after he (Maikori) decided to further investigate the story to “ensure that all the facts of the case and evidence were presented to the authorities.”

“I hereby tender an unreserved and sincere apology to the Management of the College of Education, Gidan Waya, His Excellency the Governor of Kaduna State and the Kaduna State Government, and also to the people of Southern Kaduna and the Fulani community and also VANGUARD newspapers, whose source was my driver, for the false statement by my driver which I also publicized believing same to be true,” Maikori said in a statement on February 5.

He was arrested shortly afterwards.

Southern Kaduna, recently for a couple of months, was a scene of bloody conflicts between suspected Fulani herdsmen and indigenes of the area, with scores of the residents killed. The conflicts forced the state government to impose a 24-hour curfew on Zangon Kataf which was only relaxed on February 4 to “6 pm and 6 am”.

THERE was a twist on Monday in Lagos in the ongoing trial of Mohammed Belgore (SAN), and a former Minister of National Planning, Prof. Abubakar Sulaiman for alleged N450 million money laundering as the former Minister of Petroleum Resources, Diezani Allison-Madueke, was joined in the suit.

The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC)’s prosecutor had amended the five-count charge and joined Allison-Madueke, as an accused in the case at a Federal High Court, Lagos.

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that Allison-Madueke was charged in absentia alongside a one-time governorship candidate of the People’s Democratic Party (PDP), Belgore and Sulaiman.

Belgore and Sulaiman were first arraigned in February before Justice Mohammed Aikawa on a five-count charge bordering on money laundering.

At the resumed trial of the two accused persons on Monday, the prosecutor, Mr Rotimi Oyedepo, informed the court of an amended charge in which the name of Allison-Madueke had been joined as an accused.

Allison-Madueke was, however, described as being
“at large” in the new charge.

Oyedepo then urged the court to allow the amended charge to be read over to Belgore and Sulaiman who were present in court for their pleas to be taken afresh.

The application was not opposed by defence counsel as the court ordered the plea of the accused to be taken.

The accused again entered a “not guilty” plea. Upon their plea, the prosecution called on its first witness, Mr Timothy Olaobaju, a banker.

Led in evidence by Oyedepo, the witness informed the court that sometime in April 2014, a cash lodgement of about 115 million dollars was made lodged into the account of Allison-Madueke.

He said that subsequently on March 27, 2015, the accused issued payment instructions to convert the said sums into Naira, and paid to some beneficiaries including Belgore and Suleiman.

He told the court that the duo received the sum of N450 million and filled the payment form to acknowledge receipt.

The prosecutor tendered the form filled by the accused in evidence, urging the court to admit same as exhibit. Justice Aikawa admitted the form in evidence, and accordingly marked them as Exhibits 1 and 1a.

Furthermore, the witness told the court no cheque was issued in respect of the funds, adding that the the accused signed the form on March 26, 2015, while they received the money on March 27, 2015.

Meanwhile, counsel representing the accused — Mr B. O. Shofunde (SAN), and Chief O Ayanlaja (SAN) — urged the court to grant an adjournment to enable them cross-examine the witness.

Consequently, the court adjourned the case to March 14 for cross-examination of the witness and continuation of trial.

In the five counts, Allison-Madueke was alleged to have conspired with Belgore and Sulaiman on or about March 27, 2015, to directly take possession of the sum of N450 million which they reasonably ought to have known formed part of proceeds of unlawful act.

The accused were also alleged to have taken the said funds in cash which exceeded the amount authorised by law without going through a financial institution.

Belgore and Sulaiman were also alleged to have paid the sum of N50 million to one Sheriff Shagaya without going through any financial institution.

The offences are said to have contravened the provisions of Sections 1(a), 15, 16(d) and 18 (a) of the Money Laundering (Prohibition) (Amendment) Act, 2012.

PRESIDENT Muhammadu Buhari said on Friday that the performance of Acting President Yemi Osinbajo while he was away, was buoyed by his youthfulness and intellectual capacity.

The president, however, said of himself that he has age and military background going for him.

Mr. Buhari made these observations when he received political leaders in the State House shortly after he returned to Nigeria from medical vacation on Friday.
The president departed for London on January 19, in a trip that was initially announced as annual vacation but which later turned out to be an extended medical vacation.

The president handed over to Mr. Osinbajo, who has been acting president for the past 50 days.

Mr. Osinbajo’s capacity had seen him swear in a new Chief Justice of Nigeria, sign seven bills into law, criss-cross the restive Niger-Delta to appease the oil-producing communities, amongst other critical national assignments.

The vice president’s pace of action was commended by several Nigerians, prompting many to suggest that he should continue playing the major roles in the government.

“Youth and intellect is squarely behind him,” Mr. Buhari said while commending the work done by Mr. Osinbajo. “Continue to do the work, Nigeria will continue whether we are here or not.”

Mr. Buhari said he has his age and experience but strongly encouraged the vice president to step up activities in critical sectors of the country.

“Age and purely military experience is behind me,” he said. “ And my single most important advice is for you to take education of everybody under you very seriously.”
“We must do more on education.”

Mr. Osinbajo, in his response, acknowledged there were challenges but appreciated the trust his principal reposed in him, quipping that he found going around in borrowed robes most enchanting.

“I must say that it has been an interesting period going around the nation maybe in borrowed robes,” the acting president said. ” I must say I had a very interesting and challenging time but above all, the president gave us the good support.”

A statement from the State House said Mr. Buhari will officially write to the National Assembly to notify senators of his intention to reassume his opposition as president.

A civic group, CISLAC, had earlier commended the president for asking Mr. Osinbajo to act as president while he recovered.

In a statement by Auwal Rafsanjani, its executive director, CISLAC said the president’s personal acknowledgement of his health crisis and delegation of presidential powers to his vice president were unprecedented.

“We consider this decision very patriotic, confirming the president as a statesman and leader who places national interest above personal interests and does not possess the sit-tight mentality typical of many leaders on the continent,” the group said.
[NAN]

FastShipping:
Look at the heading and read the body, no correlation.

Dismissing media reports that Buhari had asked Vice President Yemi Osinbajo to continue as acting president, Adesina said the president would on Monday transmit a letter to the National Assembly to inform the legislators of his return to Nigeria.

The presidential spokesman said that would make President Buhari’s return to work formal and constitutional.

THE General Overseer of Omega Fire Ministries, Apostle Johnson Suleman, has alleged that Festus Keyamo and those he described as his paymasters have concluded plans to unveil cloned video clips to justify their claim he has had an amorous relationship with his accuser, Stephanie Otobo.

Suleman equally claimed that Keyamo and “his paymasters” have also decided to kill or terribly harm Otobo in the bid to frame him or his agents as being responsible for the heinous act.

The Communications Manager to Apostle Suleman, Phrank Shaibu, in a statement in Abuja said intelligence available indicated that Keyamo and his paymasters are bent on nailing the pastor for daring to stand and speak up against the ploy by leaders of a section of the country against Christians.



The statement, released on Friday, said: “We have it on good authority that some persons have been in a hotel in Lagos where they are daily undergoing voice training and learning how to speak like Apostle Suleman. Others are also recreating scenes and editing video clips to give the impression that our Senior Pastor is involved. All in a bid to want to nail him.”

Shaibu, therefore, urged Nigerians to regard the videos when they become public as counterfeit, pointing out that the plan by Keyamo and his paymasters to silence the General Overseer and thereby annihilate Christians in the country would fail.

He said: “Is it a coincidence that the so called scandal is coming up no soon after Apostle Suleman spoke against the persecution of Christians in Kaduna? Why is a matter purportedly perpetrated since 2015 coming up now. And who is paying for the high intrigue and drama daily injected into the process?.”

The spokesman is however worried that Otobo may be killed or severely harmed as a ditch effort to implicate Suleman, giving that all other plans to nail him has failed abysmally.



He said: “That is our fear. That they would not be patient to allow the courts do their job. In fact, they have not even gone to court. They are not ready to wait for the truth to come out. We are reliably informed that they may kill her or cause severe bodily harm and turn round to say that it is our pastor that did it. We cannot put anything past them at this stage.”

Shaibu reiterated the determination of the fiery pastor to defend his name and that of the church from attack by agents of Satan, pointing out that what is happening now did not come as a surprise to the ministry.

He said: “When Archbishop Olubunmi Okogie spoke forcefully against misrule of government, the military authorities unsuccessfully tried to nail him with a woman. When Pastor Tunde Bakare could not be cowed by an unpopular administration, they also tried to do same to him. So it is consistent for the same evil men to want to shut up Apostle Suleiman as a critical voice of reason against the persecution of Christians in a section of the country.”