Social Commentator and Human Right lawyer, Abdul Mahmud has condemned the alleged plan by the President Muhammadu Buhari led Federal Government of Nigeria to report Justice Taiwo Taiwo to the National Judiciary Council (NJC) for granting incarcerated SaharaReporters Publisher, Omoyele Sowore bail.

Justice Taiwo Taiwo of the Federal High Court in Abuja had on Tuesday admitted Sowore to bail on and dismissed the objection raised by the Department of State Security (DSS) to the bail.

The Nation Newspaper on Saturday reported that there were indications last night that the federal government was contemplating reporting Justice Taiwo Taiwo, to the National Judicial Council (NJC) on account of his decision to grant bail to the convener of #RevolutionNow protest, Omoyele Sowore.

A top government source, according to The Nation said that anyone standing trial for treasonable felony is not entitled to bail.

He said: ”Sowore’s bail is likely to bring trouble for that judge. A report has been prepared to report him to NJC in view of the fact that, as far as this country, it is known that a person charged treasonable felony has no bail option.

“So, the security and intelligence community in the country is shocked by the judgement.

“And there is a consensus that the judgement should not only be appealed, but that the NJC should be petitioned about the conduct and abuse of power by the judge.”

READ MORE: https://thebelltimesng.com/2019/09/28/legal-expert-ask-whats-justice-taiwo-taiwos-offence/

You can accuse Vice-President Yemi Osinbajo of being ‘’down-to-earth’’, considering his pint-size. You can also accuse him of intellectual exuberance, but you cannot tack corruption to him. It will not stick.

Over the years, the maelstrom of anger against Osinbajo has widened. The reason for this, perhaps, is the perception by some Nigerians that he is not standing up enough for his own – the Christian fold and the south — when it matters. Another reason is the amplification of this perception by some members of the opposition who deploy propaganda to ‘’divisive finale’’.

Osinbajo’s faith and calling – as a pastor – are sometimes juxtaposed with allegations of intellectual dishonesty, pretense and of enshrouding the wrongs in the Buhari administration.

As matter of fact, the vice-president often appears to be singled out for remonstrance for the lapses and controversial policies of the administration.

For example, in June, the vice-president was reported to have told Nigerians in New York that Nigeria had about 112.7million people living in extreme poverty as of 2010 – this was in response to reports of the country becoming the world poverty capital under Buhari.

One of those who drew blood from Osinbajo on account of this was Reno Omokri. The soi-disant “Buhari tormentor’’ vocalised the typical perception. He said the vice-president lies as much as the devil.

He said: “You see that no matter how far and fast Osinbajo’s regular falsehood travels, it will always be overtaken by truth.’

“I will like to say again that Mr Osinbajo has shown himself to be a man of very base character, who lies as much as the devil that he preaches against and whose behaviour has undermined the faith of genuine believers.”

Really, social media has made it facile to sculpt perceptions. All it takes is for a stentorian voice, with a strong capacity for babble, to make pronouncements on an issue or an individual, and the mob, which operates without the ‘’encephalon’’, go to town and bleat.

It is understandable that there are high expectations of Osinbajo being a man of the robe. But the tendency to diminish him for standing in support of the administration he serves is an act sanctimony.

I think, by being a strong support to Buhari, Osinbajo is giving to Caesar what belongs to Caesar.

Also, before the Ruga programme was pigeonholed, Osinbajo took much of the obloquy for the controversial initiative, even though he had nothing to do with it; he was already working on the National Livestock Transformation Plan with the governors of the 36 states.

READ MORE: https://thebelltimesng.com/2019/09/27/you-can-accuse-osinbajo-of-anything-but-not-corruption/

The Islamic State of West African Province, (ISWAP) has executed one of the six aid workers, working with the Action Against Hunger that were abducted two months ago in Borno, Independent Journalist, Ahmed Salkida has revealed.

One of the male aid workers was executed at close range in a short video clip seen by Salkida.

Salkida said, “The group, in a horrific video of the execution, said it took the action because “the government deceived them” following months of what is now known as secret negotiations between a team of intermediaries and unnamed officials.”

“ISWAP has also threatened to execute the other remaining staff of the International Non Governmental organization (ACF/AAH).”

Six aid workers of Action Against Hunger were abducted in July 2019 near the town of Damasak in northeast Nigeria by ISWAP.

READ MORE: https://thebelltimesng.com/2019/09/25/iswap-execute-abducted-action-against-hunger-aid-worker/

Social commentator and lead campaigner of EndSars, Segun Awosanya, also known as Segalink says President Muhammadu Buhari has no plan for the populous youth of the country he govern.

Awosanya said this in a series of tweets on his official twitter handle stating that the President lost the opportunity to sell Nigerian youths to the world during his address at the United Nations Climate Change Summit.

President Buhari had been asked during the summit what pathway Nigeria has for a resilient future for her young population.

Awosanya in reaction to the Prresident reply said, “each time you are asked questions like this the world is giving you an opportunity to sell the future of your country and why the world should take you seriously going forward.”

“If I tweet what I have in mind, I’m absolutely sure that another phantom treason charge will be filed. Not that I care though but it goes without saying that this could have been better handled by the PR team. Nigeria is better than this & you failed the President here. Period!”

“This right here demonstrates a total disconnect from society and lack of awareness of what actually goes on in the country as regards the populace. There is no humanity or life in this response to show the President is aware he’s got the highest population of youth in Africa.”

“This dearth of understanding and lapses in intellectual fecundity demonstrate globally that our President has no plan for the populous youth of his nation that is if he is actually aware humans live in Nigeria. There are better ways to manage this without shaming us all.”

READ MORE: https://thebelltimesng.com/2019/09/25/buhari-has-no-plan-for-the-nigerian-youths-activist/

By, Dr. Tayo Oyedeji

I chose to address this issue because of the pervasive belief that financial success is a by-product of hard work. My view is that hard work is not enough.

1/ I will address the 2 myths that perpetuate this belief and propose an alternative model.

2/ MYTH 1: Hard work leads to financial prosperity.

The hardest working people I know are construction workers. I work with them on my real estate business and have developed immense respect for their work ethics. Unfortunately, their hard work produces ONLY about $10 per hour.

3/ MYTH 1 (cont.) I have also worked with some incredibly hardworking people in the corporate world and we all know that they don’t always get that promotion or win that contract or get the recognition. There is obviously a lot more to financial success than hard work.

4/ MYTH 2: Don’t just work hard, work smart.

My problem with this myth is the unsaid meaning it often conveys. “Smart work” in many circles means taking shortcuts, skirting the edges of legality, playing unethical games, and speculative investments.

5/ MYTH 2 (cont.)
Shortcuts often lead to dead ends; illegal stuff eventually gets people in trouble; unethical work destroys reputations; and nothing kills capital faster than speculations. I obviously don’t advocate “smart work”

READ MORE: https://thebelltimesng.com/2019/09/22/hard-work-vs-smart-work-vs-strategic-work-how-to-build-wealth-with-strategic-work/

By Bamidele Ademola-Olateju

It is amazing how fast friends can become foes. I don’t want to lay any claim to self-righteousness but once someone has done me a single good in life, I don’t turn against them no matter the temptation. Before President Muhammadu Buhari won his election in 2015, he took Sowore’s call at the first or second ring. That is the background story. A lot of rain has fallen since 2015. Many of us who campaigned for Buhari when it was not fashionable to do so and when no one gave him a chance are no longer with him. That does not make Buhari our enemy. We left because we were disappointed at how he runs the country. We left because our hopes and aspirations of him as a change agent were mistaken. We are not enemies of Nigeria. We desire a Nigeria that works for everyone.

Sowore warts and all is a patriot. He is not a Traitor. Treason is a crime committed by traitors who betray their country, and or attempting to kill or overthrow the government.

I read the charge sheet and I was sad. What made me sad is that the government seem unable to distinguish between the threat of fear and their fear at being threatened. The government seem intent at jailing Sowore because they felt humiliated. That is not good because we know; when government want to get you, they will.

The press, critics and advocates in mainstream and online media, keep an eye on government to keep from being a victim of their own weaknesses and vanities. To mistake this for anything else is the onset of hubris which is destructive from within and from without.

The charge of treason, arrests and threats of arrest of critics flying around is not good for this government. When advocates, and critics are hounded, it gives the impression of a sinister move by government to strengthen its own narrative on politics, the economy and security at the cost of constitutionally guaranteed freedoms. That does no government any good and they should know better.

The shout of revolution by Sowore is an Aluta rhetoric. The “Days of Rage” is mere semantics meant to pressure the government to be more devoted to the cause of suffering Nigerians and no more. I urge “President” Abba Kyari to please #FreeSowore.

READ MORE: https://thebelltimesng.com/2019/09/22/is-omoyele-sowore-a-traitor/

A South African, Jason Jetnarayan based in Shibuya, Japan has shared how a Nigerian he met at a bar refused to share the same sit with him over the recent xenophobic attacks in South Africa.

Foreign nationals, especially Nigerians were early this month victims of xenophobic attacks by South Africans, with their business destroyed and looted.

Jason according to his bio, is an IT recruitment consultant after starting as an English teacher.

Jetnarayan shared the story om his Facebook page.

According to him, the Nigerian was visibly upset, and made a statement about South Africans not being his brother.

He said, “Last night something happened that’s really bothered me. I wanted to use this platform to hopefully get a message across.”

I walk into a pub in Shibuya with a friend to watch the football. The pub is busy and there aren’t any seats available, but I look around and spot a black gentleman in a Manchester United jersey with open seats at his table. I approach him to let him know my friend and I are Manchester supporters too and ask permission to join him. He gives us his approval in an African accent. As a proud African myself I’m excited about this because Africans are rare here. So I ask him where he’s from, he says Nigeria and reciprocates the question. I extend my hand and excitedly tell him I’m South African. He doesn’t believe me until I prove it to him, showing him my ID as I beat my chest with pride. However, he doesn’t seem to share the sentiment by the look of it.

He’s visibly upset, and makes a statement about South Africans not being his brother. I immediately realise he’s referring to the xenophobic attacks that have unfortunately occurred in SA for the last decade, and only seems to be getting worse.

READ MORE: https://thebelltimesng.com/2019/09/22/south-africans-not-my-brother-man-shares-how-a-nigerian-refused-to-seat-with-him-over-xenophobic-attacks/

President Buhari shares paternity with Paul Biya of Cameroon in leadership style. Both men are joined by the umbilicus of repression and abrasion.

In 2010, Bertrand Teyou, an author, was sentenced to two years’ imprisonment for insulting the wife of the president, Chantal Biya. The Cameroonian government filed charges against him for this spectacular reason.

Under Biya, Southern Cameroon has become the scene of a volcanic crisis – killings, illegal detentions and arrests. Specifically, the government is zeroing in on dissenting voices in effecting these violations.

I think, the situation is much more execrable in Nigeria than in Cameroon.

Amnesty International encapsulates it in these words: ‘’The human rights situation in Nigeria is marked by serious human rights violations such as extrajudicial executions, arbitrary arrests and detentions, torture and other ill-treatment, enforced disappearances, violence against women and girls, restrictions on the rights to freedom of expression, association and peaceful assembly, mass forced evictions, environmental pollution and lack of accountability for human rights violations and abuses.’’

As a matter of fact, the Buhari government has racked up egregious human rights records more than any other administration before it. In 2017, the US Department of State released a convicting exposition on this villainy.

“Impunity remained widespread at all levels of government. The government did not adequately investigate or prosecute most of the major outstanding allegations of human rights violations by the security forces or the majority of cases of police or military extortion or other abuse of power,’’ it said.

“Authorities generally did not hold police, military, or other security force personnel accountable for the use of excessive or deadly force or for the deaths of persons in custody. State and federal panels of inquiry investigating suspicious deaths generally did not make their findings public.’’

READ MORE: https://thebelltimesng.com/2019/09/21/alert-insult-buhari-and-get-charged-with-treason/

Former Minister of Education, Oby Ezekwesili, says the continued detention of Publisher of SaharaReporters and co-convener #RevolutionNow protest, Omoyele Sowore was not only unconstitutional but also unlawful.

Ezekwesili said this on Saturday in a series of tweets on her official and verified Twitter handle.

She described the government of the day, as one which is intolerant of criticism, which she said is guaranteed in the constitution.

Ezekwesili said, “We stand on with @YeleSowore and defend his constitutional right and freedom to protest any matter of governance that worries him. Mr Sowore’s convening of citizens to protest poor governance – via #RevolutionNow– is constitutionally guaranteed.

“Democracy and voice are Siamese twins. The good kind of Siamese twins. No one regardless of their position is given the right to shut down voices like @YeleSowore’s for daring to disagree. How long shall it take before the FG @NigeriaGov understands the basics of democracy?

READ MORE: https://thebelltimesng.com/2019/09/21/sowore-detention-not-only-unconstitutional-but-also-unlawful-ezekwesili/

By, Dr. Charles Omole

The CBN Governor gave a press briefing yesterday in which he defended the policy & timing of his unpopular charge on Cash deposit policy as essential for Nigeria to meets its International obligations.

According to The Nation; Emefiele gave the strategic reason why the decision to reintroduce the charges was taken by saying: “This is a strategic timing of these actions because on Monday, September 23rd, the mutual evaluation by Inter-Governmental Action Group against Money Laundering in West Africa (GIABA) on the country’s anti-money laundry and CFT regime will begin. Passing the mutual evaluation, positions Nigerian as a safe and credible destination for financial transaction across the world.”

Emefiele added that “GIABA will be in Nigeria to assess the rate at which Nigeria has embraced anti-money laundry and CFT regime. It is important that we display and show to them that Nigeria is indeed in conformity with their practices as enshrined in their anti-money and CFA laws. If we do not do what we are doing today, if they pass us negative, even your so-called cards that you carry abroad, you will not be able to use them.”

On one hand Emefiele is correct; but he is also wrong at the same time. Let me explain.

It is correct that if we are deemed Non-compliant by GIABA, it is not good for the country. But he is Incorrect to link the specific charges on Cash transactions measure he announced with the GIABA/FATF Assessment.

There is nothing in the assessment framework that FORCES a country to impose charge on cash transactions d way the CBN has done.
It is clearly stated on its website that GIABA conducts Mutual Evaluations of Member States in accordance with FATF standards & also in compliance with its enabling Statutes. GIABA has adopted the FATF procedure in the evaluation of Member States. The evaluated country is rated depending on the efficacy of measures put in place to detect, prevent or sanction cases of money laundering and terrorist financing.

READ MORE: https://thebelltimesng.com/2019/09/21/demystifying-cbn-response-to-cashless-policy-criticism/

Vice President Yemi Osinbajo on Friday said President Muhammadu Buhari inherited “a highly debased economy” from the immediate past administration of Dr. Goodluck Jonathan.

A situation which, he said, prevented some of the steps taken by President Buhari to manifest on the well-being of the poor Nigerians.

The Vice President spoke at Saint Luke’s Anglican Church, Ikere-Ekiti, Ekiti State, during the burial service for Mrs. Moroluke Fakoyede, mother of the Secretary to the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, Mr. Ola Olukoyede.

The Vice President also said the efforts of the incumbent administration could have been felt more if not for the activities of those he described as “saboteurs” allegedly working against the government.

He further disagreed with inference that selfishness is the bane of those in government, saying that the Buhari administration is doing its best for Nigerians.

READ MORE: https://thebelltimesng.com/2019/09/21/buhari-inherited-a-highly-debased-economy-from-jonathan-osinbajo/

America base Nigerian Professor of African History at Vanderbilt University, Nashville, Tennessee, Professor Moses Ochonu has described Kaduna State Governor, Nasir El-rufai as Nigeria’s most dangerous politician.

He said, said this on his official facebook page in reaction to Ikhide R Ikheloa post critising writers who attended the 2019 KABAFEST organised by the Kaduna State government.

According to Professor Ochonu, the governor is also Nigeria’s biggest inciter and peddler of incendiary fake news.

He said, “I know that Ikhide R Ikheloa can sometimes go overboard and paint with a broad brush. I also know that, for self-preservationist reasons, we cannot always “boycott all boycottables,” apologies to late Mazi Mbonu Ojike.

However, why is it difficult for intelligent people to get Ikhide’s core message that it is morally reprehensible to donate your hard-earned writerly reputation to, and legitimize, a raving tyrant who, if there was any justice in the world and if Nigeria were a sane country, should have been tried and convicted for genocidal incitement, gross human rights abuses, and abetting massacres?

For the writers who offer specious, self-serving, and unconvincing explanations for attending this year’s KABAFEST, which is funded by el-Rufai, search your conscience and see if you can find an excuse worthy of your values, if you have any.

In the past, it was possible to feign ignorance of the man’s crimes. Not anymore. For the record, here is what I wrote to wide affirmation as a comment on Farooq Kperogi’s epic takedown of the vile, divisive, authoritarian bigot a few days ago:

READ MORE: https://thebelltimesng.com/2019/09/21/el-rufai-is-nigerias-most-dangerous-politician-prof-ochonu/

By, Dr. Chalres Omole

A GLOBAL PERSPECTIVE

The exploitation of customers by their banks is a global phenomenon. In the USA, 6.5 percent of households are unbanked, meaning they don’t have a bank account at all Half of those affected report it’s because the fees are too expensive.

JPMorgan Chase, for instance, made $1.9 billion from overdraft charges alone in 2016. At some large regional banks, fees accounted for almost 40 percent of revenue that year, CNBC reports; U.S. consumers as a whole paid $34.3 billion in overdraft fees in 2017. In the West, the high costs associated with financial services from banking to borrowing eat away at many people’s incomes. So majority of the charges are for borrowing or unauthorised overdrafts.

Globally, banks love Fees and Charges. As a business model, the attraction is obvious. One $35 overdraft fee per year generates as much revenue as lending out $1000 at 3.5 percent for the year. The main difference in the proliferation of bank changes from Nation to Nation in the Western economies is Regulation. Where the regulatory frameworks is strong, bank fees are controlled as in many EU countries. But in a place like America, where there is little regulation (Trump has even waived some that were to come into effect), Bank charges are a major Revenue source for banks. But majority of the charges are customer habit contingent; unlike in Nigeria where you are charged multiple charges for doing basic banking without any borrowing involved. Many Western consumers don’t know it’s possible to avoid overdraft fees entirely by managing their finances better. So in d West where borrowing is easily available, charges are also on d rise as more folks borrow. But in Nigeria where there is little mass lending going on, majority of d charges are compulsory & apply even to all.

In many Western economies, Banks employ “trick-and-trap” fees by hiding them in the complicated terms of agreement that accompany many transactions, which effectively trick folks into unknowingly paying exorbitant costs & charges. So d bank charges rip off is a global phenomenon.

THE NIGERIAN FACTOR What is iniquitous about Bank Charges in Nigeria however, is the compulsory nature of many of them; their many titles & how most of d charges apply regardless of your banking habits. You can deposit N1millon into a current account in Nigeria, don’t use the account at all but come back in 5yrs to meet Thousands has been deducted in numerous charges by the bank. According to World Bank reports; up to 60% of Nigerians are unbanked. That is; they do not have bank accounts at all. Yet in Nigeria Bank charges represents as much as 75% of some Banks Revenue. In the USA, that is 20% on average, although it can be as high as 40% in some regional banks. Instead of earning money by borrowing and lending money to the real economy, banks in Nigeria simply turn to fees & charges to boost profits; with the acquiescence and even encouragement of d CBN. CBN is headed by a Banker who is sympathetic to his constituency (commercial banks) & their need for more profit. Hence even d restrictions imposed by Sanusi that reduced d burden of charges have been reversed by Emefiele.

SYMPATHY WITH D BANKS – THEIR HIGH COST OF DOING BUSINESS Banks will understandably argue they have a huge cost to cover if they are to operate successfully in Nigeria. While Nigeria needs 60,000 ATMs to serve the everyday cash needs of Nigerians, there are only about 18,000 ATMs across the country all owned by banks. So, to ensure the machines keep working fine maintenance is outsourced to companies such as Inlaks Computers, Computer Warehouse Group (CWG), NCR, and others. These companies are paid a fixed fee for the maintenance of each machine which may range from N200,000 to N550,000 per ATM. These cost pressures led to Banks successfully lobbying the CBN to allow ATM Charges under Emefiele. According to sources; GTBank pays the vendor in charge of its ATMs N250,000 per machine per year while UBA .pays about N280,000 per ATM per year. Diamond Bank pays over N300,000 per ATM per year to ensure the machines are in good condition. GTBank has at least 1,165 ATMs across Nigeria, which means it spends at least N291.3 million on maintaining the machines annually, while UBA’s 1,750 machines means it spends at least N490 million on maintenance. Diamond Bank could be spending as much as N350 million on maintenance of its ATMs per year. The banks feel customers need to help offset these costs through charges. This is a fair expectation.

READ MORE: https://thebelltimesng.com/2019/09/19/cbn-banking-charges-in-nigeria-a-regulator-gone-rogue-part-1/

A personal experience on subtle racism in a Canadian School system.

This thread seeks to shed light on some of the misconception that Canada is a holy land with no iota of racial discrimination whatsoever. A land where you can just come in and start plucking millions of dollars from maple trees.

Sometimes last week a lady uploaded a video of herself seeking help due to racism. Many downplayed whatever she was going through asking her to give full context of how the whole scenario played out arguing that the Canada they know is quite welcoming.

Back when I was in school studying Human Resources Management, I was open minded & was positive that a large percentage of Canadians are friendly while majority of them do not discriminate. That is true but doesn’t rule out the fact that racism does exist.

I had worked for a couple of months before starting school. Also, I had made a number of friends prior to starting so all the experience cemented my ideology of a less discriminatory society.

Fast forward to when I started school. Class was diverse having different types of races, religions and people you could think of. I loved it. Also, I was vocal and active as I loved the inclusiveness with the opportunity to learn from diff people who had various backgrounds.

Recall that before I started studying HR, I had almost 2 years HR experience. This comes with several skills that I love, one of which is having adequate knowledge on Non-Verbal Communication. This is where the type of racism that exists in Canada comes to play.

The type of racism that exists is much more insidious and that is why it so hard to recognize at times. This is why people will debate the legitimacy of calls of racism by immigrants or international students.

So this lecturer in question did not for whatever reason known to him, readily relate or exhibit any form of affinity for international students. From my non-verbal skills I had also noticed that he wasn’t readily welcomed with me answering questions in class.

READ MORE: https://thebelltimesng.com/2019/09/19/is-there-racism-in-canada-by-tunde-omotoye/

I get hundreds of emails daily asking me how to invest XYZ amount of money to “maximize returns while minimizing risk”. I will try to provide a 5-step framework that should help most people evaluate their investment models/strategies.

Step 1: Balance risk and returns. You can’t “maximize returns while minimizing risk”. Life doesn’t work that way. It’s “high risk, high returns” – stock, seed stage inv, crypto, day trading etc or “Low risk, low returns” – bond, money market, CDs, treasury bills etc.

Step 2a. Diversify. Luckily, you don’t have to chose “high risk, high returns” or “low risk, low returns”. Instead you can diversify your investment to incorporate elements of both strategies through an investment portfolio. A portfolio balances your risk and rewards.

Step 2b. Diversify. Don’t ever put all your savings in any investment instrument. Diversification is the only way to play the investment game. Don’t ever buy a single stock; a mutual or index fund diversifies your risk. Always diversify. Repeat after me…ALWAYS DIVERSIFY.

READ MORE: https://thebelltimesng.com/2019/09/17/how-to-invest-by-tayo-oyedeji/

By Fredrick Nwabufo

‘’What will Osinbajo do now?’’ I asked a senior colleague. He blurted: ‘’He has his role cut out for him already. He is in charge of Tradermoni and condolence visits.’’

Really, what is Yemi Osinbajo’s detail in the government now, considering the recent staggering upshots? Has he been lame-ducked and functionally vasectomised?

The last time Nigeria had a vice-president with the potency to make and execute decisions was under the Obasanjo administration. The extensive economic programmes initiated by the administration were machined by former vice-president Atiku Abubakar – before the fall out.

Atiku supervised the privatisation of public enterprises, and truly wielded power as the second man in the hierarchy of authority.

In August, after inaugurating his cabinet, President Muhammadu Buhari instructed his ministers to report to him through Abba Kyari, his chief of staff. He also asked that all federal executive council matters be channelled to him through Boss Mustapha, the secretary to the government of the federation (SGF). Expectedly, this untoward warrant effectuated a furore among citizens.

On Monday, the president constituted an economic advisory council to replace the current economic management team headed by Osinbajo.

According to Femi Adesina, presidential spokesman, ‘’the Economic Advisory Council (EAC) will advise the President on economic policy matters, including fiscal analysis, economic growth and a range of internal and global economic issues working with the relevant cabinet members and heads of monetary and fiscal agencies.’’

Also, the president has instructed Osinbajo to seek approvals for agencies under his supervision, henceforth.

Under the laws setting up the agencies, the president is empowered to give final approvals but this was not adhered to in the era of ‘’change’’. Perhaps it was politically convenient at the time.

READ MORE: https://thebelltimesng.com/2019/09/18/has-osinbajo-been-reduced-to-condolence-vice-president/

By, Farooq Kperogi

Kaduna’s Governor Nasir El-Rufai is straight-up Nigeria’s most bigoted and most dangerous public official alive. In a Nov. 9, 2013 tweet, he called Goodluck Jonathan a “lazy, docile, incompetent, clueless, hopeless, useless leader” using a photo of him praying in a church for illustration.

Yet this man detains and torments people who criticize him. Abu Hanifa Dadiyata, a critic of his, just disappeared in Kaduna without a trace. Several other critics are in detention. And he recently threatened: “If you want to tweet anything about Kaduna be very careful because I’m watching…”

BTW, would he also use a photo of Buhari praying in a mosque to call attention to Buhari’s own quality of being a “lazy, docile, incompetent, clueless, hopeless, useless leader”? Buhari is certainly a far more “lazy, docile, incompetent, clueless, hopeless, useless leader” than Jonathan ever was. There’s a consensus among all right-thinking people that Buhari is Nigeria’s absolute worst leader since independence.

READ MORE: https://thebelltimesng.com/2019/09/18/nasir-el-rufai-nigerias-most-dangerous-politician-alive/

By, Bamidele Ademola-Olateju

Oil price is at $70 per barrel due to Houthi rebel’s strike on Saudi Aramco installations. If Saudi hits back at Yemen and or Iran, we should expect oil to go up to $75. Unfortunately, whatever profit we get with the right hand, we will pay out in subsidy with the left hand. Why? Our refineries are not working. We import petroleum. The futures contract were executed in the last 3days.

For every barrel of oil we sell, 60% of the profit goes to oil majors and 40% comes to us. If refineries were working, we would have enjoyed the boom while it lasts. Personally, I am enjoying the scenario that is playing out in Nigeria. If we do not suffer, we will never learn.

Here is the situation. Nigeria for years has been living above its means. We keep borrowing and borrowing especially from China. No one wants to lend to us again. Now that China faces its own yawa from Trump, and its economy is forecasted to go into recession in two quarters, how long can it extend itself? Nothing forces discipline unto a man like the one in debt and is forced to adjust when he is no longer credit worthy. Same for us.

I saw the composition of the economic team and I am cautiously optimistic. There are strong advocates of free markets among them. I hope the government listens to them because the saboteurs in this country are powerful. How powerful? Follow me.

Petroleum Subsidy
This nonsense is a killer! We are buying petroleum and selling at N145. At $70 per barrel, we will still be paying N145 at the pump. Whatever gain we make selling crude is paid out in subsidy to importers. Do we consume all the fuel imported into Nigeria? No. How many fuel stations in the North sell fuel? The trucks are diverted and sold to our neighbors or not imported at all but receipts are submitted. The government pay subsidy and the citizens pay higher outside the Southwest. Must petrol price be equal across the country? The answer is deregulation.

Exchange Rate
Collapse the exchange rate and remove the arbitrage. There are many influential people who send their children to school abroad and fund extravagant lifestyle on our backs. How? These people burrow money in dollars. For example if one big guy borrows $1m. They are given $1m at N305 to a dollar. They sit in their homes and sell to Mallam at N355. That is a cool N50m! As long as there is arbitrage, they will continue to milk our cow.

Electricity Tarrif
The rates per kilowatt is ridiculous. It is unsustainable! We can’t buy back the DISCOS. Let Siemens, Marubeni and GE come in and do not peg price and see our power problem evaporate.

READ MORE: https://thebelltimesng.com/2019/09/17/nigeria-cannot-profit-from-the-rise-in-oil-price/

Folks, you get to the tipping point when the gods sit around you and say: your country is beyond salvation, redemption. Is that point, the point of nirvana- that transcendental point you no longer have desire, you no longer know suffering?

Or is it that point in which you recant beliefs and you seek redemption for the self, reconciliation for what resides within, than without? Whatever description you ascribe to it, it is the tipping point – the point of nirvana, redemption, reconciliation, rather than renunciation.

How do you arrive at that point without your country helping you to tip over? It is easy when hope is replaced by hopelessness, when answers become more questions, and life remains an illusion- or to put it more poignantly, life imitates death: you live by just dying slowly.

How does your country and its people help you? 1) When a people defend the killing of its youths and praise the country for saving their leaders from the stone-throwing youths; 2) When innocent citizens are detained, never to be heard, and the people praise the country for securing peace of the graveyard; 4) When a 70 years old woman protesting her poor condition is battered and people scream yes, she deserves it; 5) When the country becomes one big animal farm and the people turn into the characters, Boxer and Squealer screaming, “the leader is always right; four more years, four more years”. When tales of the good life are told by the new Squealers- bearers of tales of fantasies and the best lack conviction.

READ MORE: https://thebelltimesng.com/2019/09/15/how-can-anyone-defend-the-murder-of-students/

How do you measure the virility of an administration; its potency to impregnate the economy, infrastructure and welfare of citizens? Should it be in the first 100 days of its life; in two or four years? Well, I will measure in the little steps, in actions and in the agenda.

100 days may be too short to gauge the failure of a government, but it is certainly not brief to check for signs of health or of convalescence. In medical science, symptoms are typically expected to improve in three days after the administration of medicine.

In 2015, when President Buhari took charge of the country; his ‘’body language’’ was vaunted to be doing much of the governance. In the first few weeks of the administration, there was appreciable stability in power supply. This was largely credited to the president’s body language, even at the time there was no cabinet.

Also, the anti-graft agencies rammed up effort in naming ‘’looters’’ and making arrests – in the orthodox Nigerian style of ‘’eye service’’. There were reports of some civil servants returning their loot as well.

At the time, there was a prognosis of a healthy economy and claims of resilient security – the dispatch of Boko Haram insurgents and the recovery of captured territories. It all appeared to be a good start for the administration. A new sheriff was in town and his ‘’body language’’ is doing the magic.

Months after the ‘’spell of body language’’, Nigeria slid into a recession; herder-farmer clashes took on a frightening gait; bandits went on a rampage; Nigeria’s minister of power, works and housing was now dubbed, ‘’minister of darkness’’ for chronic power failures with the national grid collapsing as much as 21 times in a year (2016).

So, if the administration was to be examined by the positive noises in its first 100 days in 2015, it will have a relatively good score. But the overall score after a full term of four years is at best, abysmal.

And now that the myth of body language has been busted, what does the future portend for Nigerians judging by the actions/agenda of the second Buhari administration in 100 days?

READ MORE: https://thebelltimesng.com/2019/09/08/100-days-of-buhari-aka-baba-go-slow/

This was a technical judgement by the Tribunal & the Judges must be commended for the effort and hard work that went into this case. To make my comment easier to the layman; I will not comment on all aspects of the case but the salient points to me.

The tribunal rejected all of Atiku’s claims: that the election was marred by irregularities, that he received more votes than Buhari and that the president did not have a secondary school certificate, a basic requirement to contest the election.

On Case Management: First of all, Both PDP & APC made too many useless applications in this case. This led to a bloated legal case that was needlessly time consuming & laborious. The nonsense about Atiku not being Nigerian & INEC saying that Atiku’s lead counsel, Livy Uzoukwu is not a legal practitioner called to the Nigerian Bar. These were distractions in my view and the Tribunal gave them short shrift by rightly dismissing these spurious claims. And then the many objections filed by both parties enlarged the volume of work for the case.

It seems politicians throw every charge possible into the ring to see which one will stick. This is not efficient. In Kenya, Presidential Election was conducted in Aug 2017 & their Supreme court gave a final ruling on d election petitions in Sept 2017. That is efficiency.

General Observation: Anyway, let’s get back to Nigeria, Overall the Tribunal verdict seems correct in my view. Let us be open minded about this. The PDP’s failure at the Tribunal is due to a combination of some own goals by the PDP in making some mistakes in its prosecution of this case as well as the limit imposed on the Tribunal by the Constitution & current Electoral Act which meant only manual procedures are valid in law. In my analysis; INEC was edging its bet when it saw that d new Electoral Act was passed by the 8th Senate, which would have allowed electr transmission. But PMB vetoed new Act at d last minute; thus forcing INEC to scrap all its anticipatory electronic procedures that would have been lawful under d proposed Act. This anticipatory preps could have led to confusion about Server or no server.

On the allegations of police and military interference Read more: The PDP also alleged violence by the Police & Military was used to support rigging by the APC. But the PDP failed to join the Police & Military as parties in the suit. Hence, the Police & Military could not defend themselves in court as required by law. PDP’s claimed that as agents of the Govt, security forces acted on its behalf. So the Govt is vicariously liable. But Vicarious Liability is not known to Criminal Law. It applies only to civil wrong.

READ MORE: https://thebelltimesng.com/2019/09/12/verdict-of-pept-my-observations/

The Nigerian should get out of Ajaokuta Steel Company, sell the place and allow private sector capital and expertise restructure and own it, Financial Expert, Kalu Aja has said.

The Financial said this in a series of tweet on his official twitter handle on the 12th of September, 2019.

See his tweet below…

No Nigerian can visit Ajaokuta Steel Company ASC, see investments of more than $8b rotting in the African sun and not cry. i went there, I cried. what exactly is the problem? if I have written severally on this topic, but today let me do a comprehensive post.

Ajaokuta Steel is massive, 68km road network, 24 housing estates. Some of the estates have over 1,000 homes, a seaport, a 110mw power generation plant. There are 43 separate plants in Ajaokuta alone. It is estimated that if Ajaokuta becomes operational, it will create 500k jobs.

There is no industrialized nation on earth that does not have a steel sector it’s that simple. The Central Bank of Nigeria reports that Nigeria currently imports steel, aluminum products and associated derivatives of approximately 25 metric tonnes per annum estimated at $4.5bn.

Ajaokuta is an integrated steel company, it was designed by the Russian to be self-sufficient to get all its inputs from Nigeria and make steel. Ajaokuta strength is also its weakness, Ajaokuta can only work with all inputs available. A technical post, but please try and follow

Steel is an alloy of iron & carbon. Iron is the base metal in steel, to make steel, you need Iron Ore, Coke from Coal, Limestone as main components. These components are mixed in a blast furnace to make liquid steel which can be long steel for rail lines or flat steel for auto.

READ: https://thebelltimesng.com/2019/09/12/ajaokuta-steel-is-nigeria-biggest-failure-fg-should-sell-it-financial-expert/

By, Dr. Charles Omole

When it comes to political leadership, we need to learn a powerful thesis as Africans. In the West, most players fight to be in the Inner Circle of the Leaders. Either as Chief of Staff, Advisers or Ministers.

They know that this positions give them influence on the leader without the exposure and pain of political campaign. More importantly; they also know that once elected, a Leader becomes a hostage to his/her immediate team. They form the burble that shapes Leadership perception and influence. Some of d most influential people in Western politics are not elected, but appointed. In d UK right now, d most influential guy is not elected; but more surprisingly, he is also NOT a member of the ruling party either; yet the PM eats from his plate, literally.

But in Nigeria and most of Africa; folks always think being elected as the political leader is the most important role. Hence the do or die approach to political office elections. But the Lesson Abba Kyari is teaching Nigerians is similar to the Western scenario explained before.

He is d most powerful person in the Presidency of Nigeria today. More powerful than d VP. And PMB trusts him absolutely. This was not always the case. After d 2011 elections; Kyari challenged a friend of mine who supported PMB why he was supporting a “chronic loser like Buhari”.

So he has not been a close associate of PMB for long. But a man that PMB trusts more than his own wife is Daura. Daura and Kyari were in the same Bank. Daura was Chairman and Kyari was MD. So it was Daura that introduced Kyari to PMB as someone he could trust and Mr President simply projected the trust he has for Daura unto Kyari & appointed him as Chief of Staff (CoS). Kyari saw this as an opportunity of a lifetime. The CoS has therefore proven he is trustworthy to PMB, most especially during the weeks of ill health in the first term.

READ: https://thebelltimesng.com/2019/09/10/abba-kyari-lesson-in-political-leadership-in-nigeria/

Poor leadership is obviously a grave, enduring problem in Nigeria, but an even graver problem, in my opinion, is the country’s docile, acquiescent, and fatalistic citizenry. Most Nigerians are afflicted by a condition anthropologists call cargo cult mentality, that is, the superstitious belief, first recorded among pre-modern tribes in Melanesia, that all the fine things of this world will somehow magically and effortlessly appear because people who desire it wish it into existence.

It’s cargo cult mentality that drives and sustains the forlorn hope that “Atiku is coming” as Nigerians await the verdict of the Presidential Election Tribunal tomorrow. The verdict of the tribunal is, as British sports commentator Sid Waddell once said, as predictable as a wasp on speed: the electoral fraud that brought Buhari to power will be affirmed, and the verdict of the tribunal will be upheld by the Supreme Court, which is now an unashamed, remote-controllable extension of the presidency.

Frederick Douglass famously said, “Power concedes nothing without a demand. It never did and it never will.” No one has made any systematic, sustained demand on the Buhari junta after it audaciously stole an election that it clearly lost— and in the face of its infernal ineptitude, which is causing the nation’s smolder to transform into a consuming conflagration. Sowore attempted it, has been clamped in illegal detention, and everyone is carrying on as if nothing happened.

READ: https://thebelltimesng.com/2019/09/10/why-atiku-isnt-coming/

By, Tunde Omotoye

Here are few tips on how I got an overall band score of 8.0 and CEFR Level C1 (Advanced English User).

Perhaps, some points here can help.

Things is, I have seen folks score even 8.5 or 9.0.

It’s doable and if one approaches it practically, you’d get a score that increases your chances of schooling abroad or migrating.

This applies to both the Academic and General IELTS.

1. Listening:

The listening part is a tricky part of the exam. Tricky in the sense that if your state of mind is not present in the exam room. It’s a problem.

Forget the person owing you money. Forget the food you left in the fridge.

Your focus level has to be about 110%.

As you’d see it on the instruction, the narration won’t be repeated.

So, there won’t be anything like please play/repeat that part again. Hence, paying attention to the details of the info given by the narrator is key.

Write your answers to the questions of what is being narrated. This will help in case you forget main points while listening.

Giving a precise 1 or 2 word answer is key. Don’t go ‘oversabi’ and be writing all the sentences the narrator said. Just the key answers to the questions

Read More: https://thebelltimesng.com/2019/08/25/planning-on-taking-the-ielts-exam/

By, Bamidele Ademola-Olateju

Dateline 2016 – Ahmadou lives in New York. He works two jobs giving care to the aged. He is the first in his family to venture out of Mali, his native country. His brother had no job. As it is with immigrants, he became a regular at Western Union counters. In 2016, he sent home to his brother, Ousmane, the $1500 he had always ask for to buy a tricycle. When I spoke to Ahmadou this June, his brother has bought three more tricycles. In 2018, he wanted to pay Ahmadou back, but Ahmadou refused and told him to take the responsibility of taking care of their parents and sundry issues back home.

In contrast, Adeyinka started buying cars at auctions in 2014. He heard it was lucrative and returns at least $500-1000 on a car. His brother has been telling him how fast car sells and how they could make profit and good business from selling cars. The first set of four cars he bought from a popular car auction in upstate New York averaged about $5,300 each. He had $4200 in savings and took home equity loan to buy the cars, and ship them home. At the time, such cars were cleared for N250k each. Adebisi added N25k on clearing charges for each vehicle. Before clearing, he made N100k from his brother.

After clearing, he sold the first set really fast. He told stories and creamed off at least N100k from each vehicle. His brother suspected nothing. He gave him N50k on each vehicle as his share of profit. From the profit and capital, Adeyinka sent five cars again. Again clearing was billed at N275k instead of N250k. One of the cars was an Infiniti truck. He took a picture of it in many ways. He called in his friend to pose as a mechanic. They opened the trunk and pretending to work on it. He took the pictures. The cars went fast! He creamed off N100k each.

Read More: https://thebelltimesng.com/2019/08/25/scam-fraudulent-behavior-and-instant-gratification-i/

There is pain. There is anger. And there is collective rage in the land. Nigerians are empty of options and are seeking avenues for a purge; for catharsis. The season of retribution may be upon us sooner than we imagine.

The physical abuse of former deputy senate president Ike Ekweremadu at an Igbo forum by some young men in Germany, though condemnable, betokens the onset of nemesis. In a video recording in circulation, while the lawmaker was being assaulted, his abusers could be heard saying: “What have you done? People are dying.’’ This is the question most Nigerians have been asking their leaders helplessly.

Ekweremadu may be a victim of constrained anger – if one is to go by the confessions of his assaulters in the video. He may not be the worst of his ilk. But situating his antecedents and the expectations of most people from the southeast, he, perhaps, set himself up for criticisms.

He has been a senator since 2003. And he was deputy-senate president for 12 years. But the question is, in what way has his exalted position being of benefit to the area or the region he represents? What development has he influenced to the section?

Inland ports are an essential transportation need of the southeast, a bill to establish them has often been ignored at the senate, where Ekweremadu was the second most powerful man. Even in the 16 years of the PDP, a party the southeast bent obsequiously for, bills to have these facilities and other projects sited in the region were not considered.

I have often wondered aloud, ‘’what exactly did the PDP do for the southeast in 16 years besides empowering a few people in the neighbourhood of power?’’

However, a statement by the media office of Ekweremadu says the attack was orchestrated by members of the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB). This is plausible, but does it obviate the kindler of the outburst? Though, the lawmaker had run the gauntlet in certain cases, there is an assumption that he did not and has not taken up the responsibility providence surrendered into his hands.

Read more: https://thebelltimesng.com/2019/08/18/beating-of-ekweremadu-and-the-stones-awaiting-others/

The United State Federal Investigation Bureau (FBI), in 2018 arrested Twenty-nine Nigerians during the coordinated International Enforcement Operation Targeting hundreds of individuals perpetrating the Business Email Compromise (BEC) schemes.

BEC, also known as “cyber-enabled financial fraud,” is a sophisticated scam often targeting employees with access to company finances and businesses working with foreign suppliers and/or businesses that regularly perform wire transfer payments.

The operation by the United States security operatives was conducted over a six month period, culminating in over two weeks of intensified law enforcement activity, which resulted in 74 arrests in the United States and overseas, including 29 in Nigeria.

The world wide operation leading to the arrests of the Nigerians was supported by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC).

However, the FBI BEC operation surfaced online after the arrest of supposed Nigerian entrepreneur, Obinwanne Okeke, popularly known as Invictus Obi.

In a statement dated June 11, 2018, the FBI gave details of the intensified law enforcement operation overseas that lead to the arrest of the Nigerians, three in Canada, Mauritius and Poland.

The operation also resulted in the seizure of nearly $2.4 million, and the disruption and recovery of approximately $14 million in fraudulent wire transfers.

Read more: https://thebelltimesng.com/2019/08/18/in-2018-fbi-arrested-29-nigerians-for-alleged-fraud/

Every election cycle in Nigeria has three seasons. The campaign season belongs to the parties, the politicians and their godfathers. This is followed by the voting season, during which the security agencies and the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) hold sway. Thereafter, matters shift to the courts for the dispute resolution season, which belongs to the lawyers (mostly Senior Advocates of Nigeria, SANs) and judges.

Democracy may be about choices and decisions by citizens in theory. As practised in Nigeria, however, what is clear from these three seasons is that there is very little room in it for the average citizen. If they are anything, citizens are mostly spectators.

Election tribunals generally have about six months to decide on contested declarations by the INEC. With elections to federal offices concluded on 23 February and to state offices on 9 March 2019, we are now approaching the season where the courts must begin to announce their decisions. This is usually an uneasy time for candidates, parties, lawyers and judges alike.

Election petitions have become a major part of the work of judges around Africa and a defining moment in the public perception of the courts. Quite apart from being a moment of serious stress for the judges and lawyers who participate in them, election petitions are major sources of disagreements among judges.

In every election, the judges have the final votes. Of 1,490 seats contested federally and in the states in 2019, 776 (52.08%) will be decided by the courts. This is higher than 46.1% recorded in 2015 and 51% recorded in 2011 but lower than the high of 86.35% from the nadir of 2007.

Read More: https://thebelltimesng.com/2019/08/18/as-nigerias-judges-get-set-to-cast-the-final-votes-in-the-2019-elections/

Lawyer and Human Right Activist, Abdul Mahmud says scam in Nigeria is masked.

The lead Attorney for EndSars campaign statement was a reaction to a follower question on the arrest of supposed Nigerian entrepreneur, Obinwanne Okeke, popularly known as Invictus Obi in a series of tweets on his official twitter handle.

He said, “Yesterday, a tweep popped up in my DM, asking: Oracle, sir, you’ve not tweeted about Invictus. Why, sir? I was lost. I asked: what about, Invictus? Who is s/he? The tweep sent me series of tweets on the Nigerian wire scam.”

“See, ehh, scam has many levels in our country. Like Nigeria, it is masked. You’ve to heed Achebe’s advice by standing in many places to see through the mask and discern the scams. There are public scams- the ones our elected representatives perpetuate daily.”

“And the private scams- the ones ordinary citizens perpetuate every day in the name of hustle- let’s call it, “chairman, bless your boy/girl type”. Add the new CV review fad- dat na scam. Even Nigeria is a scam perpetuated by erstwhile British coloniser."

Read More: https://thebelltimesng.com/2019/08/18/scam-in-nigeria-is-masked-legal-expert/

The killing of three policemen, as well as a civilian in Taraba State on Wednesday, is still sending shock waves across the minds of many Nigerians.

Daily Telegraph in a report titled “Shocking video of soldiers’ killings: Please don’t kill me, policeman begged” shows the aftermath of the murder of the Police Officers.

A video in circulation shows the immediate aftermath of the murders of the police officers, attached to the Inspector General of Police Intelligence Response Team (IRT) with one of them, in the throes of death, not spared despite begging, with incalculable desperation.

The video begins with one of the slain officers in a red attire and alone beside their bus apparently turned over through an accident that must have occurred from the hot chase that ensued after the team was ambushed by the soldiers. Seconds later, it moves to the other side as three bloodied people lay dead while one, in a striped white and green Polo shirt, is on the floor and writhing in agony. A man in yellow tee shirt hands the ignition key of the white Toyota bus with number plate: Lagos MUS 564 EU, to a man not visible in the video. “Here is the key of the vehicle,” he said in Hausa language.

Read more: https://thebelltimesng.com/2019/08/11/shocking-transcript-of-video-showing-mob-soldiers-killing-irt-police-officers/