where u at??

GeneralShepherd: Even Rick Ross talks to the holysppirit

lol,you're not serious!

Pastor Olu T:

Are u sure u have the same regular bible?

Uhhh n what's that's suppose to mean?

Have any of u noticed that where hell is used in the bible,fire isn't attached? So why do pple attach fire? Hell is a greek word which simply mean "common grave of mankind" , if hell was a fiery place of torment,why did job pray to go there?? Read rev 20 : 13 , 14, tht place said hell n hades were cast in the lake of fire, imagine how can u cast hell fire(if anything like that did exist) into fire? Tht place simply means death will be no more neither will there be graves (hell)it'll all be gone, pls try to read n understand ya bibles


Added read 2 thes 1 : 8,9 ,tht place say destruction oo! Ahno see hell fire

Op, are u the one in tis position?? *coughs*

JustifiedChild: Alright. Noted. Ese gaan!
In the mean time
*singing* If you want to make a million, first you make a hundred , then you make a thousand then a hundred thousand, do the same thing and you have half a million..then before you know it oh you gat a millie!!! *
I'm so sorry, I can't get this song out of my head!
*Runs away*

plz whats d name of that song??

tobillionaire: meehn..... seun don deport am

Y na? Dem get beef?

Just noticed that one of our moderator "sexkillz" is missing, I went to his account and it said "this user account has been deactivated' where's he? What do you think might have happened??

Is it free?

.

Abeg wen clearance dey start? Ahno wan travel nw den cum dey run cum back cus of clearance!!!!!


Emmm



Add me on bbm too 296C90A9

Fairfax: ur source pls

Breaking News!!!uniben Pulls Out Of ASUU Strike!!

That's a picture of their amended time table abi na calendar

The Academic Staff Union of Universities has said the Federal Government’s December 4 ultimatum issued to universities teachers to return to the classrooms is a clear indication that the government is not committed to implementing any of the resolutions it reached with the union.

While reacting to the threat of the Federal Government to sack the lecturers if they fail to call off their five-month strike by Wednesday nest week, ASUU National Treasurer, Dr. Ademola Aremu, said the union was shocked that the government could have such plan when there was a shortfall of 60,000 lecturers in Nigerian universities, owing to the government’s failure to employ enough teachers.

He added that the threat would not hinder the union’s determination to ensure that Nigerian universities were well funded.

He said, “It is a pity if the Federal Government is not willing to perfect the resolutions reached with the union. This is why we find it difficult to trust our leaders by their words. How can someone be threatening to sack lecturers when universities are already short-staffed by almost 60,000? We are not in a military era. The military tried it and failed. This one will fail again. They can re-open the schools. ASUU did not shut the universities; it was the school management that ordered the students to go back home.”

ASUU added that the FG was wasting the time of Nigerians and youths in the country by failing to perfect the resolutions so that classes could resume in the schools.

Making reference to the failure of the government to honour the agreements it entered with resident doctors and health workers after they suspended their strikes, the union said it had reasons to be wary of the government, adding that the threat was an insult to the sensibilities of Nigerians who were waiting for the government for a positive reaction.

“With the latest action, the government has shown that it is not committed to all it has been saying. We are saying that since we agreed at the meeting that the sum of N200bn is for 2012 and 2013 revitalisation, the government should deposit same in the Central Bank of Nigerian. We are already in November and December is around the corner. If they don’t do that now, when do they want to do it?” Aremu said.



Source http://www.punchng.com/news/ASUU-dismisses-fgs-threat-to-sack-lecturers/

.

lymelyte: They have lost Public sympathy. Why did they vote between themselves at the first place? Noow I see why they head a secret meeting

"HEAD a SECRET MEETING"

ASUU Sha

Soldiers of the Special Forces have raided a hideout of members of the violent Islamic sect, Boko Haram, at Yaurakura, in the Bagudu Island of Lake Chad area of Borno State and killed 20 insurgents.

A highly placed military source, who disclosed this to one of our correspondents on Wednesday in Abuja, described the raid as a major victory against the insurgents.

It was learnt that the raid, which began on Saturday, consisted of both attack by land troops and aerial bombardment by the air force.

The raid was said to have been made possible as a result of intelligence reports and air reconnaissance operations in the area.

The source described Yaurakura as a major stronghold of the insurgents and that the area also served as an escape route on water.

The source said that the troops also seized several arms and ammunition from the Boko Haram fighters.

Among the items said to have been seized from the insurgents were sub- machine guns, BMG machine guns, rifles, rocket propelled bombs and assorted ammunitions as well as four vehicles said to be laden with Improvise Explosive Devices.

The source said, “The troops captured a stronghold of the terrorists at Yaurakura, Bagudu Island of Lake Chad and about 20 of them were killed while many were wounded.

“The arms seized from them include sub machine guns, rifles, rocket propelled bombs, assorted ammunitions, five  speed boats, a welding machine and four vehicles. The vehicles were loaded with IEDS.”

Director of Defence Information, Brig. Gen Chris Olukolade, said that the Special Forces would continue the raids on the camps of the insurgents and would not allow them operate any base in and around the country.

He said that the main focus of the ongoing military raids was to ensure that the insurgents were prevented from establishing or reactivating any camp in the country.

“The onslaught against the terrorists is continuing in every direction, they will not be allowed to operate any base in Nigeria,” he said.

Meanwhile, the Christian Association of Nigeria on Wednesday raised the alarm over the continued killing of Christians in the north by members of the Boko Haram Islamic sect.

The association in a communiqué issued at the end of its Special Meeting in Abuja and signed by its General Secretary, Dr. Musa Asake, expressed worries that despite the state of emergency declared in the North-Eastern part of the country to curtail insurgency, the attacks on Christians had continued unabated.

The communique reads in part, “On the 3rd of this month at about 8pm, Boko Haram members attacked Ngoshe village in Gwoza Local Government Area of Borno State and killed eight Christians: Baba Ayuba, Baba Bitrus and Baba Isa Biyabra, the security guard and four others whose names we are yet to get.

“They burnt 11 houses owned by the Christians and three churches: EYN church, Deeper Life Bible Church and the Redeemed Christian Church of God. We were informed that when the Christian community sought to meet the state governor on this issue, he said he does not have the time to see them until February next year.”


Source www.punchng.com

THERE was a sharp disagreement in the Peoples Democratic Party on Wednesday over the  November 16 governorship election  in Anambra State  as the party’s candidate, Tony Nwoye, openly  flayed the  national headquarters and state chapter of the party  for  praising the conduct of the poll.

The National Publicity Secretary  of the PDP, Mr. Olisa Metuh,  had on Sunday described the election as ‘free and fair’ even when Nwoye joined his All Progressives Congress  and Labour Party  counterparts, Chris Ngige and Ifeanyi Ubah,  respectively in calling for its cancellation.

On Wednesday in Awka, the  Chairman of the state  chapter, Mr. Ken Emeakayi, did the same as Metuh by  describing the poll as  credible.

Emeakayi  had told a news  conference that   the  PDP would participate in the supplementary election, which Nwoye is against.

Emeakayi had told the journalists that  the decision to commend and participate in the supplementary election was taken at an emergency meeting of the state working committee of the party.

He said, “We state categorically and unequivocally that the  PDP will participate in the supplementary election in the contentious areas of the state as announced by INEC(Independent National Electoral Commission), and we charge our members to continue to remain calm and focused.”

He accused the  APC of trying to cause disaffection within the PDP by using some members to make statements that were inimical to the position of the PDP on    the election.

But a  miffed Nwoye, through his campaign organisation,  said he was surprised  “that certain highly placed officers of the party”  could  go to the press to make comments  about the election without consulting  him.

 Nwoye, through his   campaign organisation,   dissociated  himself  from the position of the state working committee of the PDP.

At a separate  news conference also on Wednesday,    the Director-General of the   organisation, Mr. Osita Ezenwa,  said, “The election has been poorly conducted and what remains is for INEC to conduct a fresh election. If we win, fine. If we don’t, we will congratulate the winner.”

Ezenwa, in company with Ken Arinze and Clems Ezika, added, “I don’t see why someone should be in a hurry to congratulate INEC or any other person on an election that has not been concluded.”

The organisation later released a statement in which it  condemned  Metuh  for commending the  election without consulting it.

The statement from its    ICT and Communication Unit  was signed by Ikeagwuonwu Chinedu,  Okwu Okwu, Ikechukwu Onyia and Orjika Chidi.

The statement reads in part  , “It is a common knowledge that the Anambra State  governorship election that held across the state on   November 16, 2013, was  marred by irregularities.

“There has been widespread condemnation of the exercise by members of the civil society groups, Anambrarians,  the Conference of Nigerian Political parties and election observers and monitors.

“Even Prof.  Jega went on air to apologise to Anambrarians on the poor conduct of the election.

“In spite of these flaws and more witnessed during the exercise,   Metuh  went on air to announce that the election  was free and fair

“In a show of shame, Metuh made his statement giving credibility to an election in which his candidate and all his family members,  including some of his cousins were disenfranchised and prevented from voting.”

It wondered why the PDP spokesperson did not contact Nwoye before making  his “shameful statement.”

The organisation also accused him of   sabotaging the PDP  during the election.



Source www.punchng.com

Sleep dey cash Me •yawns• •leavesthreadandliedown•

The Academic Staff Union of Universities is set to convene its National Executive Committee this weekend to discuss the offer made to the union by the Federal Government to develop public universities, it was learnt on Wednesday.

ASUU President, Dr. Nasir Faggae after a meeting with President Goodluck Jonathan which ended in the early hours of Tuesday had told reporters that the union would take back an undisclosed message to the striking lecturers.

The Federal Government had offered to inject N1.1tn into public universities in the next five years.

The Punch gathered that the union had concluded arrangement to hold the meeting to collate the views of members before a final decision would be taken on whether to accept or reject the offer.

Usually, the decision to embark on or to call off strike is taken at the union’s NEC meeting.

It was gathered that the meeting might hold any day between now and next week Friday.

In the hierarchy of ASUU, the zonal coordinators after a meeting of the national officers are to brief the branch chairmen who would consequently call for congress in their respective universities.

But a source who spoke on condition of anonymity said a meeting with the zonal coordinators usually take place two days after a major meeting with the Federal Government because they have to come from the nine zones of the country.

He said, “There is a national strike coordinating committee comprising the national principal officers and the zonal coordinators which is the highest decision-making body. In the country, we have nine zones. After the meeting, the zonal coordinators will brief the branch chairmen who will now call for a congress to brief all members.”

Asked if the strike would be called off soon, the source replied, “It is not a decision that could be taken in a hurry. All members must be carried along. We have a mandate which is very clear – that is the implementation of the 2009 agreement. Anything other than that, they will have to relate to members. The zonal coordinators will collate the decision of the branches and forward them to the national officers.”

A chairman of a local branch of ASUU in a university in the South-West confided in one of our correspondents that the date for the NEC meeting would be communicated to all the chapters on Thursday (today).

Another source said, “Before we embarked on the strike, there was a referendum. The referendum did not emanate from the principal officers but from the branches. Members must be briefed before any final decision could be taken.”

Meanwhile, strong indications emerged on Wednesday that ASUU may soon call off its four-month old strike as the Nigeria Labour Congress described the meeting between President Jonathan and the leadership of the union as the most meaningful since 2009.

The Acting General Secretary of the NLC, Mr. Chris Uyot, in a telephone interview with one of our correspondents on Wednesday, urged ASUU to explain to its members the offer the Federal Government had made to the striking lecturers in order to arrive at the next line of action.

According to him, since ASUU is an affiliate of the NLC, it is the responsibility of the union to decide on whether to call off the strike or not in accordance with standard labour procedure.

He said, “We simply advise that they carry out meaningful consultation with their members and ensure that whatever was offered was explained in totality to members of ASUU.

“I want to say that since the agreement of 2009 was signed, and of the various negotiations that have taken place, this was the most meaningful of the meetings.

“All discussions were taken aside and the issues in the 2009 agreement were examined, discussed and analyzed in totality.

“Let the ASUU explain in totality the offer that was made to its members. Even the NLC has to explain to the members of the National Executive Council of the Congress before taking decisions in such matters. I can only say that calling off the strike depends on ASUU,” he added.


Source http://www.punchng.com/news/strike-ASUU-begins-consultation-over-fg-offer/

sikells: wetin i want be say,wen dem call off d strike..make dem give us One month b4 exams commence sha...cos if dem rush us..people results go bloody O

True

sikells: D lecturers will be afraid to lose their jobs if they are threathened..especially d young ones and dont U know so many Graduates are looking 4 lecturing Jobs?

Let's see how it goes na , n by d way I don't want dem to call of d strike o!

sikells: Make Una nor worry,by d time dem reopen Universities and una nor come teach..sack letter go visit Una 4 house

If FG sack dem, who will teach? Or how do they want to start employing new lecturers?? N where will d lecturers continue from? Infact its not possible,like ASUU said it wud only depeen the crisis!

PRESIDENT Goodluck Jonathan will meet the leadership of the Academic Staff Union of Universities on Monday (today), apparently with a view to resolve the Federal Government-ASUU face-off that has left varsity gates shut since July 1.

But the union said it had got wind of Presidency’s plan to direct that universities be reopened, saying such directive without amicable resolution of the current strike would deepen the crisis.

Chairman of ASUU, University of Uyo chapter, Dr. Nwachukwu Anyim, said this in a statement in Uyo, Akwa Ibom State, on Sunday, saying that the union leaders were invited by the President.

Anyim said the invitation by Jonathan should ordinarily inspired hopes that the four-month-old strike by the lectures would soon end but that the union needed to be cautious in its optimism.

His statement read, “We are aware that President Jonathan intends to meet with the leadership of ASUU tomorrow, Monday, November 4, 2013, in a bid to address the deadlock in the ongoing strike by the members of the union.

“Ordinarily, the invitation by the President to the union would give the impression that the resolution of the strike was on the horizon. While we appreciate the present show of concern from the high office of the Presidency, we are, however, cautious in our optimism that the meeting between the President of the country and the union would yield desired results.

“The apparent lack of enthusiasm among our members concerning the outcome of the meeting is based on government’s lack of commitment towards the implementation of the 2009 FGN/ASUU Agreement and the memorandum signed with ASUU. While we hope that the Federal Government would see reason to finally resolve the issues in contention, we urge well -meaning Nigerians and stakeholders to persuade government to implement the agreement with the union in order to save Nigeria’s public universities.”

It added, “We have received information that President Jonathan intends to direct that universities should be re-opened immediately. As a branch, we do not think that such a directive would resolve the issues at stake. Rather, such a directive would deepen the prevailing crisis. A show of force by the president could only, at best, result in a “pyrrhic victory.”

“We stand on the existing agreement between the union and the Federal Government. The MoU between government and ASUU and also the NEEDS Assessment Report should provide the road map for the resolution of the ongoing strike by ASUU.”



Source www.punchng.com

Simple! Goto the bank n tell them what's on ground! What's confusing there , maybe you're confused cus u want the money so you're hiding it! ,HONESTY pays oooo!

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fimbar25: The thunder arrestor was stolen since early this year and since then ,had not been replaced? Nigeria.

I just tire for them! Smh!

Retired President of the Court of Appeal, Justice Ayo Salami, on Thursday said fellow judges as well as the National Judicial Council betrayed him in the twilight of his career, especially after his suspension by the NJC.

Salami likened his travails to that of the Biblical Joseph, who was sold into slavery by members of his family.

He said, “The last three years of my career were dogged by travails which are not dissimilar to the fate of Joseph in the book of Genesis in the Bible.

“As his brothers conspired to destroy him by throwing him into a well and selling him into slavery, my learned brothers and friends in the legal profession planned and executed doing evil to me.”

He spoke at a valedictory session organised to mark his retirement from the Court of Appeal.

The retired PCA was suspended after a clash with the then Chief Justice of Nigeria, Justice Aloysius Katsina-Alu.

He was still serving the suspension until he left the service, having reached the mandatory retirement age of 70 years.

Justice Salami informed the gathering, which included top serving and retired judicial officers that the NJC sold out to the Executive and failed in its duties and functions.

He said, “The National Judicial Council created by the Constitution to protect me, nay any judicial officer was on the vanguard of my travails. The NJC failed in its duties and thereby surrendered its functions to the Executive arm of government thus, ingratiate itself to the Executive.

“For instance, the NJC, having cleared me of any wrongdoing, following the recommendations of Justice Aloma Mukhtar’s committee, ought to have recalled me to office without asking the President to exercise the power that he does not possess, on the flimsy excuse that it had earlier referred the matter to him.

“In truth, as a matter of courtesy, all it needed to do was to write the President that in view of its recent decision, this matter was now outside his purview.

“After so informing him, NJC would be free to take the necessary step to implement its decision.”

Continuing, Justice Salami said, “The position in which NJC has found itself is similar to that of the proverbial cock that betrayed itself to the fox that what was on his head was not fire and encouraged the fox to touch it.

“The fox, having satisfied itself that truly it was not fire, has since been hunting cocks to make menu of them.

“Also, when the report of the committee the NJC set up to make recommendation on Umaru Abdullahi’s report was submitted to it for ratification, neither the CJN nor the next most senior Justice of the Supreme Court was present at the meeting.

“Justice Moses A. Bello, who was neither the CJN nor the most senior Justice of the Supreme Court, took it upon himself to preside at the meeting contrary to the express provisions of sub-paragraph (a) and (b) of paragraph 20 of the Third Schedule of the Constitution.

“No other members of the NJC, including statutory members, could be chairman.”

The retired judge noted that Justice Bello was an impostor for claiming to be the Acting Chairman of NJC in the two letters he (Justice Bello) wrote to him, dated August 9 and 18, 2011.

This, he said, was because Bello was “neither a Justice of the Supreme Court, next most senior Justice of the court nor the CJN.”

He also accused the Council of treating matters of national importance with levity.

“This is the levity with which the NJC treats matters of national importance. Clearly, Justice Bello has not only behaved irresponsibly, but also recklessly,” he said.

He pointed out that the NJC took the decision to suspend him when his application for an order restraining the Council from deliberating on his case was pending before the Federal High Court.

Arguing that the matter was sub judice, he said, “It is this illegal decision that the NJC had been relying upon to keep me out of office from August 18, 2011.”

Salami noted that the Council treated him in a most cruel manner, employing all manner of tricks to sustain his suspension.

He said, “The NJC, a body set up to protect judicial officers, has dealt so cruelly with me.”

But he insisted that he had no regrets for his actions.

“I have no regret whatsoever over all that I did, having acted according to the dictate of my conscience and in the fear of Almighty God.

“I swore to uphold the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria and to do justice to all manner of people without fear or favour; God has helped me so to do.”

Acting President of the Court of Appeal, Justice Zainab Bulkachuwa, praised Justice Salami for his achievements in office.

The President of the Nigerian Bar Association, Okey Wali, SAN, who was represented by Sunday Ameh, SAN, urged the Bar and Bench to reject attempts to compromise the independence of the Judiciary.

The Attorney General of the Federation, Mohammed Adoke, SAN, was absent at the event and was not represented.

Adoke had advised Jonathan not to approve the NJC’s decision to reinstate Justice Salami on the grounds that the matter was sub judice.

The CJN, Justice Aloma Mukhtar; a former CJN, Justice Mohammed Uwais; Justice Mahmood Mohammed of the Supreme Court; and the President of the National Industrial Court, Justice Babatunde Adejumo, were among the dignitaries at the event.



Source www.punchng.com

The embattled Minister of Aviation, Ms Stella Oduah,   has been   accused by the  House of Representatives Committee on Aviation of approving  N564m for the purchase of 54 cars   beyond her power.

The committee alleged that Oduah, who  finally appeared before it  on Thursday after  failing to honour  earlier invitations,  did not follow the budget approved for the Aviation ministry and its agencies  by the National Assembly.

  The minister, who wore a striped blue ankara dress with a matching blue head scarf, walked into the hall at 11.42am looking somewhat disturbed.  She also wore white beaded jewellery to complement her embroidered blouse.

Oduah   first walked to take a seat facing the committee  members and made to sit but changed her mind.  She    went halfway between her seat and the high table, where she exchanged pleasantries with the Chairman of the committee, Mrs. Nkiruka Onyejeocha.

After that she walked out of the hall, spending about 10 minutes before returning   to   her seat to make a presentation.

A few seconds after, the committee chairman while giving her opening speech,  tried to douse the tense atmosphere at the venue of the hearing.

“We are not mourning here, there is no aeroplane crash; I want to see everyone smiling. Please  feel  free and relax,” she counselled.

- Oduah on the hot seat

Thereafter, Oduah  was  called upon to testify on her role in the purchase of two bulletproof cars at a whopping N255m and other vehicles by the Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority.

She took an  oath,  promising to say  “nothing but the truth, the whole truth.”

  The  minister,  who seemed to have regained confidence   looked   the committee members   in the face and then   apologised for  her  failure  to  honour  their earlier summons.

She  denied that the NCAA  bought  the two   bulletproof cars   for her use.

Her audacity took the lawmakers aback a bit, as she also rationalised the action of the NCAA, claiming that its decision to buy  the  54 cars did not breach any law of the land.

She stated that the NCAA  bought  the bulletproof cars  for its own operations in line with the rising profile of Nigeria as an ICAO member.

The minister, who sounded impatient as she gave her testimony, added that there was a required international standard for state-of-the cars to provide security for visitors and certain category of passengers   visiting  any  country.

According to her, she was alarmed by media reports tying the purchase of the cars to her personal comfort.

She said, “It is not true that NCAA spent N255m to purchase the bulletproof cars for the minister.

“It is totally untrue; there is nothing reflecting my name.  The cars were not registered in my name.

“All I did was approve based on the proposal sent to me on lease financing by the NCAA.”

She defended the NCAA, saying that it bought the cars as part of its three-year budgetary plan to beef up its operational fleet.

But, there was a mild drama when the committee questioned her over the approval of  N564m  for the   54 cars above  the   N100m which ministers could approve.

Oduah said the expectation was that because the NCAA entered into a “lease financing” agreement with the First Bank of Nigerian  to span 36 months, the amount of money it would have paid to the bank by December was N100m.  According to her, the N100m is still within the spending limit.

The Head, Lagos Mainland branch  of First Bank, which handled the transaction, Mr. Seyi Ojefeso,  had on Tuesday told the committee that    the NCAA approached the bank for a loan to purchase vehicles for its management staff.

Ojefeso claimed that it was possible that the NCAA “got it mixed up” when it  described it as a lease agreement.

He explained that the NCAA applied for a loan package of N643m to finance the purchase of  54 vehicles.

For the bulletproof cars, he said there was a Coscharis pro forma invoice attached to the application in the value of N255m.

He added, “We offered an auto loan to the NCAA in May to purchase cars for its management staff.

“The application was for N643m; we financed the purchase of the cars based on the application they submitted to us.”

But the  committee observed that the original request of the NCAA to the  minister   was N564m, but First Bank eventually approved a loan of N643m.

 When asked to explain how the difference came about, Ojefeso said only the NCAA could answer the question since N564m was not in the agency’s communication with the bank.

When the committee members  accused her of giving anticipatory approval for expenditure beyond her power, Oduah  said  she expected the NCAA to go back and do “the needful” by complying with procurement regulations.

Leading the barrage of questions,   Mr. Jerry Manwe stated, “You did not follow the budget approved for you by the National Assembly because when you calculate the total expenditure, the  NCAA would have paid over N1bn for the 54 cars.

“The agency would have paid N160m which is above your approval limit  by December as part of the instalments and not N100m, which is  within your power.

“The committee refused to approve the N140m the NCAA proposed for bulletproof cars because we said you cannot use bulletproof cars to patrol  the perimeter fencing at the airports.

“Nowhere in the budget did we approve bulletproof cars, but you went ahead to spend money in anticipation of budgetary provision.”

But, the minister countered that the interpretation of her approval was that the NCAA should do the appropriate thing by complying with the requirement of procurement laws.

  “My memo says, approved. Please, do the needful; what does that mean? What does that tell you?”, Oduah asked Manwe.

She implied that her approval was not final, to the dismay of lawmakers.

There was more drama when the committee turned the heat on the bureaucracy of the Ministry of Aviation and the management of  the NCAA.

The  Permanent Secretary of the ministry, Mr. George Ossi, and a former Acting DG of the NCAA, who supervised the transaction, Mr. Joyce Nkem-Akonam, both admitted that the approval implied that they were to comply with due process regulations.

Nkem-Akonam stated, “What the approval means is that we go through due diligence in our system.

“We did that in our procurement department and complied with the law.

“From the point the minister’s approval came, we went ahead with the mindset that we already had a budgetary approval by the National Assembly.”

In the ensuing buck-passing and confusion, the committee read out the portion of the 2013 NCAA budget where the National Assembly “clearly approved only N240m for the purchase of 25 operational vehicles.”

Manwe then  tried to blast the NCAA and the permanent secretary for allegedly “misleading the minister.”

He noted that they ignored the budgetary approval of N240m for 25 cars and made their own proposal of 54 cars for N564m which  was  “far above the approval limit of N100m” without recourse to the Federal Executive Council.

Another member of the committee, Mr. Adeyinka Ajayi, sought to know the date the Board of the NCAA approved the transaction, but there was no answer.

Neither Nkem-Akonam nor Osi could give the date of the approval. They promised to consult and get the date.

Adeyinka again asked, “Where are the bulletproof cars now since the minister has said they were not bought for her?”

Nkem-Akonam replied that the vehicles were “pool cars” that could be used by any officer, including Oduah.

“They are pool cars for VIP movement, including the minister; including you, honourable member”, he added.

- Minister apologises, says issues muddled up

Earlier, Oduah had apologised for her failure to appear before yesterday, blaming it on  her  trip abroad  to sign a Bilateral Air Services  Agreement   between Nigera and Israel .

She also admitted that attempts made by some officials to clarify the car scandal were “muddled up.”

She spoke further, “You may recall that there have been attempts at clarifying issues pertaining to this particular procurement. In the process, some of the issues were further muddled up.

“I mention in this regard the first attempt at clarifying the issue by the Coordinating Spokesperson for the parastatals when he was first confronted with the allegation, without recourse to the Minister or the Principal Officer of the Ministry and its agencies, described the information as a mere rumour.

“This was followed by the statement of my Special Adviser, Media, who was himself guided by his own perception of the duties and challenges of my office and possibly, even the danger to the person and office of the minister.

“This is made evident by the fact that his statement focused on my personal security and safety without recourse to procurement process and policy file to which he had no access.

“Although both inaccurate and innocently misguided, I understand the urgency and aggression considering the sources the information was breaking from.

“The last official intervention in this matter came from the Director-General of NCAA, the agency charged with the oversight of the aviation sector and the agency that actually undertook the procurement.

“Whereas the DG was right in saying that the vehicles were not bought for my office, the anticipated positive effect of this correct piece of information was marred by remarks credited to the DG suggesting that the agency was more concerned about issues of administration and information security that had no bearing on this issue.”

Meanwhile, Coscharis Motors insisted on Thursday that the cars it supplied were the same quoted on the transaction documents.

Lawmakers, who  inspected the bulletproof cars at the Nnamdi Azikiwe Airport on Tuesday, reported that they bore different chassis numbers from those quoted in the transaction documents.

- Coscharis says “transposition error” occurred

However, on Thursday, the Chairman of the company, Mr. Cosmos Maduka, and his team blamed the discrepancy on “transposition error.”

“The cars you inspected are the correct cars. There are 12 cars on the end-user certificate and the DW68011 you are referring to is one of them”, he said.

Amidst heated disagreement between the two sides, Coscharis offered to access the BMW factory online, using the chassis numbers to prove that they were the right cars.

But the committee members   overruled  him  and directed  Coscharis  to produce more documents to defend  his claim.

Having heard from all the parties to the controversy, the committee made what sounded like a preliminary report.

- We’ve established some facts – Committee

Onyejeocha, who closed the session, said, “Facts speak for themselves.

“We have listened to the NCAA, Coscharis, First Bank, Customs and the minister.

“It has been established that N240m was budgeted by the National Assembly for 25 cars; we have seen that N255m was used to buy bulletproof cars.

“We have seen another approval of N643m for the purchase of 54 cars.

“We will consider all our findings to see whether they are in line with extant laws and financial regulations and  then write our report.

“We assure Nigerians that we will report to them.”

Oduah too spoke briefly with reporters on her way out. She  thanked  the House for giving a “platform for my own side to be heard on this issue.”

She said she was happy that the “truth” came out that bulletproof cars were not bought for her.



Source www.punchng.com

There was confusion at Ogba Junior Grammar School, Lagos, on Thursday after about 22 pupils fell unconscious.

PUNCH Metro learnt that the incident was caused by a gaseous substance emitting from a neighbouring laboratory, close to the school. The chemical was said to have engulfed the entire school.

When our correspondent visited the school premises, it was deserted. However, a security guard, who did not identify himself, said the incident occurred around 1pm.

He said, “I was just by the gate when I perceived this offensive smell. I quickly ran to a corner and covered my nose with my shirt.

“Pupils came running, saying some of their colleagues had fainted. When the smell subsided, teachers rallied around and rushed them to a hospital.

“I don’t know the exact number of pupils affected but they were over 20. A few minutes later, emergency officials came around to attend to the victims.”

Panic-stricken teachers reportedly fled in different directions, using clothes to cover their nostrils so as not to be affected by the foul smell.

Moments later, the teachers rushed four of the pupils to Blue Cross Hospital, Ijaiye Road, Ogba, Lagos, while the others were attended to by emergency officials.

PUNCH Metro learnt that the rescue officials went around the compound in a bid to identify where the smell emanated from.

Our correspondent learnt that the odour was traced to Ogba Shopping Arcade, Ijaiye Road, which shares a fence with the affected school.

Director, Lagos State Fire Service, Razaq Fadipe, said it was discovered that a photo laboratory located in the complex was emitting the substance.

He said, “On getting to the school, 22 students were unconscious. LASAMBUS was able to revive most of them and their parents took them home.

“Four were not alright and had been taken to Blue Cross Hospital. We were able to trace the odour to the complex which shares a fence with the school.

“We spotted the laboratory where the smell was coming from and the place has been cordoned off. Investigations are still on.”

When asked why it was only those in the school that were affected by the chemical, Fadipe said it was probably because the lab faced the school directly.

PUNCH Metro learnt that the matter had been reported to the police while the Lagos State Environmental Protection Agency had taken up the case.

An official of LASEPA, who wished to remain anonymous, said, “We will revisit the laboratory on Friday (today). If it is discovered that the laboratory was run illegally, then those running the place will be prosecuted.

“However, it is too soon to jump into conclusions; we will inform the public of our findings.”

When our correspondent visited Blue Cross Hospital, a nurse on duty said the pupils had been revived and transferred to the Lagos State University Teaching Hospital.

“Four children were brought here and we were able to stabilise them before transferring them to LASUTH. We don’t know the nature of the chemical they inhaled,” she said.


Source www.punchng.com