₦airaland Forum

Op, ordinarily I may have criticized you but you are spot on! I didn't bother to watch the video you posted and whether the video shows it or not, a long-standing friend working in one of the security agencies confirmed that an APC candidate or official actually stormed this centre, demanding refund of N12 million which he claimed he paid to the election officer. He also confirmed that every effort was made to intimidate he and a few of his colleagues who insisted that the right results must be preserved and security provided for the EO to carry the result to Port Harcourt. When they eventually left in convoy for Port Harcourt, criminals attacked them. The most sordid thing is that some security agents played very suspicious roles. The whole incident should be investigated including the role of soldiers particularly during the Rivers elections. Results should be declared without delay! There is nothing inconclusive about this election and we cannot keep putting people in harm's way to conduct elections over and over. Is Rivers State the only one in Nigeria? And the current INEC leadership needs to ask itself some hard questions before 2019. Can they conduct a general election at all?

The murderous madness is creeping fast on West Africa. May we be delivered from agents of the devil. May we be on guard and not just be laid back, doing nothing and saying "it is not our portion"! May our leaders at various levels repent of playing politics and telling lies while we are under clear and present danger from criminals and terrorists.

The election officer that survived in Ikwerre LGA needs to be protected, if possible outside Rivers State. He was attacked by thugs of a defeated political party who were desperate to alter the results. He and a few security operatives refused. Some of the security agents who were assigned to escort him should be arrested and investigated for their suspicious role. Don't ask me for link or further details. My friend was in the convoy and if you know what politicians can do, you will be ashamed of ever insulting any fellow Nigerian for the sake of a politician or political party. Some of our politicians are ungodly and heartless. The result of the election in Ikwerre LGA is known to those concerned including the murderers who attempted to snuff life out of the EO and there is nothing inconclusive about it!

It's sad that people are insulting each other over politicians who only have permanent personal interest!

One of the best things that happened in this election, was the posting of the DSS Director who conducted the recent Bayelsa election to Rivers State. While they may be issues with DSS, that particular man is well known for his fearless and forthrightness. If the President wants to know what happened, that man will give him an accurate report. I wont say more but the elections were won and lost. The man was in Bauchi under a PDP federal government and APC swept the entire election in Bauchi. He was in Bayelsa and PDP won and now he is in Rivers. We still have a few good men and please don't give up on Nigeria!

There is nothing inconclusive about the elections! The results are well known. In Ikwerre LGA, all efforts to later the results failed and the IENC official, who was conveying the results to Port Harcourt may have been killed yesterday (yet to confirm his fate). Agents of the defeated party rammed into his vehicle and opened fire on it. My brothers and sisters, if you only know the ungodliness of many politicians, you will be ashamed of ever staking your neck for some of them on Nairaland.

Life is give and take. Sometimes you have to concede. Someone has to concede defeat in the Rivers State election and the results have to be declared. All said and done, it was a massive defeat and impunity must not be excused or celebrated. My friend who is in one of the federal security agencies was nearly killed by thugs of a defeated party because his own team insisted on escorting INEC official to convey the true results. The irony is that even a fellow federal security agent, was threatening his own colleagues from another agency for not agreeing to compromise. I weep for Nigeria. Some of these politicians forming saints are cold-blooded murderers. If you know about some of them, you will be ashamed of ever coming to Nairaland to identify with them, even to the extent of insulting others for the sake of self-professing agents of death.

The incursion of suspected Fulani herdsmen into parts of Benue state took a worrisome dimension Thursday afternoon when the invaders stormed Tombo in Buruku local government area of the state, killing no fewer than 15 persons. Vanguard learned that the marauders who razed part of the community also took over the deserted villages. According to a source who spoke to Vanguard on phone from the besieged community, “as I speak with you the people are shooting sporadically and the villagers are fleeing for fear of being killed. “The situation in Tombo at the moment is scarery and we are helpless, it’s as if we are in a war situation where the mission of the invaders is to occupy and tske over our villages. “It’s a pathetic situation because corpses are littering the community though one cannot give a specific number of the dead which should not be less than 15 but I know that the casualty figure could be huge because many have been wounded as bullets continue to fly around. “The people are also burning down houses, farms and food stuff as they move into the villages in what looked like a well coordinated attack.” When contacted, the Police Public Relations Officer, PPRO, Assistant Superintendent, ASP, Moses Yamu who confirmed that seven persons had been killed said the incident occurred at about 3pm Thursday. Yamu disclosed that the Commissioner of Police, Mr. Paul Yakadi had led a team to the crisis zone to ascertain the cause of the renewed clash in order to compel the feuding parties to cease hostilities.. Vanguard recalls that the attack on Buruku is coming on the heels of the recent attacks on Agatu and Logo lo local government areas of the state where hundreds of lives have been lost to the incursion of the herdsmen.

Read more at: http://www.vanguardngr.com/2016/03/15-feared-dead-fulani-herdsmen-storm-another-benue-community/

Despite the outcry that trailed the killings and sacking of Agatu communities by suspected Fulani militia, the marauders have, again, laid siege to Logo Local Government Area of the state, killing two and sacking over 25 villages. The attackers also rendered close to 3,000 homeless after several houses and huts were razed in the affected villages. Vanguard learned that the invaders have taken over the affected villages in an incursion that reportedly started about four days ago at Ukemberegya, Bwarer, Mbawar, Gov and Gambe Tiev communities. A victim of the attack, Mrs. Terungwa Torhemba, who spoke to Vanguard yesterday in Makurdi, through an interpreter, said the armed herdsmen had completely occupied Abiam Koya, Iordye, Nyakoo and Mkpikpa. Others are Afom, Uzaagir, Ugbende Mue, Dam, Shaausu, Ukme, Chenbe, Anwen, Sebungen Ubosha, Chia, Asemngoroko and Inderkar. According to Torhemba, “they attacked us four days ago, killing our people. So many cannot be located at the moment; we have also lost all of our belongings, farm produce and farmland to the well-armed herdsmen who have completely taken over our villages. “At the moment we have no source of livelihood because they have also converted our farm land to grazing settlements for their cattle.” Caretaker Chairman of the council, Simon Ugba, said two person had been confirmed dead in the attack, adding that his administration was overwhelmed by the number of displaced persons. Ugba, who asserted that no designated camp had been created for the displaced persons, said the council was working in close collaboration with the state government to provide succour to victims and sued for assistance from public spirited individuals and organisations. When contacted, Police Public Relations Officer, Assistant Superintendent Moses Yamu, said he was yet to get full details of the attack.

Read more at: http://www.vanguardngr.com/2016/03/fulani-herdsmen-kill-2-sack-25-villages-in-benue/

mayorjosh:
it is well

Amen!

ufotty2001:
just feeling bad... zenith and uba am totally disappointed...

Disappointed in the results? Dividend or what?

https://theeagleonline.com.ng/wp-content/uploads/2014/02/Aliko-Dangote-4.jpeg[img]http://i1.wp.com/www.mbcelebrity.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/01/unnamed-20.jpg.jpg?zoom=1.5&w=618[/img]

The Dangote Group, owned by Africa’s richest man, Aliko Dangote, has opened a tomato-processing factory near Nigeria’s northern city of Kano aimed at vying for the local market with imports from China.

“We have fully started operations today and the target is 1,200 metric tons per day,” the managing director of Dangote Farms Limited, which runs the plant, Abdulkareem Kaita, said Tuesday in an interview with Bloomberg.

“We are going to work with the farmers, they can afford to produce more because there’s a processing factory and they don’t have to suffer losses like they did before.”

The plant that will produce 1,200 metric tons per day was built following a 2011 Central Bank of Nigeria study that showed it was cheaper to process tomato paste locally than import from China, the source of about 300,000 tons a year worth $360 million.

Yet the country produces 1.5 million tons of tomatoes annually of which about 900,000 tons rot, according to the Agriculture Ministry.

Dangote’s facility will produce more than 400,000 tons of paste annually, with most of its raw material coming from farmers in the Kadawa Valley in Kano state.

Farmers will receive a guaranteed price of about $700 per ton compared to an average of less than $350 now, according to estimates by the central bank, which helped organise the farmers and arrange credit from banks.

The Dangote Group owns businesses including cement plants, flour mills, fruit canning plants, palm oil refineries, salt and oil assets.
http://www.thisdaylive.com/index.php/2016/03/16/dangote-opens-tomato-factory-to-vie-with-chinese-imports/

Samuel Ambe has been arrested by the police for allegedly killing his lover, Mata Jidonu.

According to reports, Ambe works at the Lagos State University, and was in a serious hot affair with the married woman. Narrating how the shocking incident happened, the woman's husband, Sunday Jidonu, who is a lawyer said he didn't know his wife was having an affair with the man until the day she was strangled to death.

Jidonu who lived in the Agric area of Ikogazebba, Badagry, revealed that on the day of the tragic incident, his wife had left home around 3pm on February 15, saying she was going to buy foodstuffs in the market, but reportedly headed for the lover’s house, a few kilometres away. That was were things turned ugly.

He said, “I came back from the court that day around 2pm because I was ill. On getting home, I found out that my wife was dressed up, ready to go out. I told her to prepare coffee for me because that it is what I normally take in the afternoon. She said I had been taking too much coffee and advised me to eat eba that was already prepared.

“She put the stew on fire while she went to pick our last child, Laura, from the school. I told her to help me buy drugs along the road. The same motorcyclist that took her to and from the school waited for her outside and took her again supposedly to the market to buy beans.

“I slept after taking the drugs. Laura woke me up around 5pm and I asked his brother where their mother was. I called her number but it did not go through. I called her mother, our church and the centre, where she was doing a post-literacy study; they all said she was not with them.”

That night, she didn't return home. The following morning, he rushed to the Badagry Police station to report that his wife had gone missing.

“I was at the station, when the head of the vigilante group in our community called me on the telephone that my wife had been found dead in a bush path. When I got to the scene, a crowd had gathered and policemen from Ado-Odo Ota, Ogun State, had arrived to pick her corpse. She was strangled and stabbed in the leg. Her private parts’ hairs had been shaved off,” he added.

Speaking further, the husband said he was suspicious of the manner of death and went to people around the area to ask about his dead wife's movement around the area. That was when he was told the wife had been coming to a particular man's house.

He said, “I was told that my wife had been sighted with Ambe on several occasions at his second house and that she entered the building on the day the incident happened. He is a non-teaching staff member at LASU. His family members do not live with him in that house. I reported to the police and eight days later, he was arrested.

“As we were going to the station in a police van, he called somebody on the telephone, telling the person in Egun language that the fat woman had been traced to his house. He did not know that I understand the language.

“The call logs we got from the MTN office revealed that he had been calling my wife every day since February 1. It was discovered that he had called her twice on February 15, the day she did not come back home,” he added.

Punch revealed that the police recovered some charms from the suspect’s house, while bloodstains were found on the wall of the building

Sunday said, “He (Ambe) begged me to forgive him. He said he was not the one who killed my wife and that he was only dating her.

“But there are enough indications for me to believe that he is behind the death of my wife. Since then, some elders in the community have been threatening me to let go of the matter. I have also been noticing strange movements around my house.”


The Ogun State Police spokesperson, DSP Muyiwa Adejobi, confirmed the story and assured that the suspect will be charged to court soon.
http://www.tori.ng/news/23680/lover-strangles-married-woman-to-death-shaves-her.html

The royal diatribe between the Alake of Egbaland, Oba Adedotun Gbadebo and the Awujale of Ijebuland, Oba Sikiru Adetona, worsened yesterday with the Alake insisting that the Awujale remained the last in the echelon of major Yoruba traditional rulers.

Alake said his earlier listing of the Awujale as occupying the last position after the quartet of the Ooni of Ife, Alaafin of Oyo, Oba of Benin and Alake of Egbaland “was supported by documentary evidence and I therefore stand by my position”.

Oba Adetona, at an event in Lagos last Thursday, claimed among other things that the Alake was a junior chief in Egba forest under the Alaafin and that Alake is also of the same status with some Ijebu obas such as the Ebumawe of Ago -Iwoye who are under his (Adetona’s) jurisdiction.

But yesterday, Oba Gbadebo, who spoke through 22 Egba chiefs, including 15 Ogboni chiefs who gathered in Ake Palace, Abeokuta, the Ogun State capital, to reply Adetona, said the ranking of the Yoruba traditional rulers was carried out in 1937 by the then Ooni of Ife.

Reading a prepared speech signed by the Balogun of Egbaland, Chief Sikirulai Atobatele at a briefing, the Baaroyin of Egbaland, Chief Layi Labode, said the ranking took place at the Central Native Council meeting in Lagos and was chaired by the Governor – General, Sir William Macgregor.

Labode added that those in attendance at the said 1937 meeting in the Government House, Lagos, were the Ooni of Ife, the Alaafin of Oyo, Oba of Benin, Alake of Abeokuta and the Awujale of Ijebu – Ode.

He said their concern about Awujale’s comment is predicated on the monarch’s “self – indulgence to churn out outright historical falsehoods in the presence of knowledgeable Nigerians”.

Labode said “historically speaking, Alake was higher by salary differentials paid by the Colonial Government” at the time.

According to him, the Alake of Abeokuta earned £2,250 while the Awujale of Ijebu – Ode earned £1,700 during the colonial era.

“Awujale (claimed he) made several calls to Alake to confirm if Alake actually made the statement on Yoruba Obas ranking. Awujale also claimed that Oba Rilwan Akiolu, the Oba of Lagos, also contacted Alake on the same issue which Alake again denied.

“(The fact) both Awujale and Oba of Lagos actually called Alake on the ranking of Yoruba Obas, Alake responded that his ranking was supported by documentary evidence and he therefore stands by his position,” Labode said.

The Baaroyin of Egbaland and Media aide of the Alake also refuted claims by Oba Adetona that the Alake was a junior chief in Egba forest under Alaafin where he (Alake) fled to Ibadan and later to Abeokuta and met the Osile, Olowu, Agura and Olubara on ground.

Labode said, on the contrary, 20 Alakes had reigned in Egba forest prior to the founding of Abeokuta, explaining that that there was also no Alake who fled to Ibadan or took refuge there.

According to him, the Egba arrived and settled in Abeokuta in 1830 with the first Alake installed in 1854 followed by the Olowu in 1855, the Agura in 1870 and Osile in 1897.

He stressed that by the Egba United Government Proclamation of February 1, 1898, and approved by the then Governor of Lagos, the Egba cabinet had Alake as President, Osile Minister of Justice, Agura Minister of Communications and Works and the Olowu, the Minister of Finance.

He also noted that some of the comments on Alake by Oba Adetona were “uncalled for and neither civil nor decent,” but said the Egba chiefs would not “defile the sacred Yoruba traditional institution and therefore, refrain from trading insult with a highly regarded monarch of his (Awujale’s) status”.

Also present were Bameto of Egbaland, Chief George Taylor, Balogun of Ilaho, Chief Adebayo Soyoye, and the Ilagbe of Egbaland, Chief Akin Akinwale.
http://thenationonlineng.net/alake-insists-awujale-last-ranking-yoruba-obas/

Newspaper vendors in Aba, Abia State, are counting their losses following the confiscation of their wares by soldiers yesterday.

The Nation gathered that the confiscated papers were both unsold and new editions of New Republic, Vesym, Freedom Journal and Authority.

Sources said the soldiers, believed to have come from 144 Battalion, which is under Ohafia 14 Brigade, stormed St. Michael’s Road at about 7am, in two Hilux vans and seized the papers bearing Biafra reports.

After attempts at arresting distributors and publishers failed, the soldiers packed the unsold and current editions of the papers and left.

A vendor said: “At about some minutes past seven, soldiers in two Hilux vans arrived with one of the vendors that they picked along Mosque, asking him to point at the person who gave him the paper. But the vendor could not, because the person who gave him the paper had gone.

“They asked to know the publishers or suppliers but got no response. Then they confiscated New Republic, Vesym, Freedom Journal and some copies of The Authority, which carried Biafra stories. “We are yet to be told the reason for the confiscation, but the truth is that we have lost money as many readers were disappointed.”

A publisher, who pleaded for anonymity, condemned the action of the soldiers. He said they were overstepping their bounds and vowed that “attempts by the military to gag the press will fail. We are publishing reports about Biafra like other national dailies do. Let them close down all the media houses because they are carrying Biafra stories, after all, we are not the only ones publishing stories on Biafra.”

Media Officer of the 144 Brigade, Major Sydney Mbanefo could not be reached for comments but a source at 144 Battalion confirmed the seizure, saying it was due to the hate and inciting reports allegedly being published by the papers.

The source added that they were on the trail of the publishers and suppliers with the aim of nipping circulation of such inciting materials. He warned vendors to desist from selling such publication.

A Non-Governmental Organisation and Civil Rights group, Foundation for Environmental Rights Advocacy and Development, in a statement yesterday condemned the action. It described it as anti-democracy.

The statement by Comrades Nelson Nwafor and Emmanuel Acha said soldiers have no right to confiscate newspapers, no matter what is published, except on the orders of a competent court. It called on the Chief of Army Staff to call the soldiers to order before they take laws into their hands.

“Nigeria is not a banana republic and therefore, the principles of democracy, as practiced elsewhere, should be respected.”
http://thenationonlineng.net/soldiers-confiscate-newspapers-aba/

The Station Manager of Forte Oil former African Petrol (AP), Alhaji Auwulu Hassan was on Saturday night beaten up by unidentified soldiers in Damaturu, the Yobe State capital for refusing to sale fuel to them in jerry cans. Residents and motorists of Damaturu decried the unwholesome activities of security personnel in the ongoing fuel crises, accusing them of using ‘brute force’ to jump queues and get fuel supplies only to sale at prohibitive prices to at black market at about N500 a litre. The Manager, Alhaji Auwulu Hassan who is now on admission with injuries at Gen. Sani Abatcha Specialist Hospital, Damaturu told newsmen; who visited him at the hospital that he was beaten up at the front of the Divisional Police Officer (DPO) of ‘A’ Division; where he ran. “I was about leaving the station when some soldiers approached me that they are coming from Buratai and going to Maiduguri so I should get them fuel. I told them we have closed but I can get them 30 litres that will take them to Maiduguri but they said no, they want the fuel in jerry cans. Then I told them I can’t give them in jerry cans accept the 30 liters that would help them to get to Maiduguri. “While we were arguing over this, one of them called one among them to go and bring the jerry cans. Within that time, I found a way of escaping from their sight because I noticed they were not ready to listen to me. “I went and did my evening prayers, came back and sat opposite the filling station then I saw five soldiers coming towards me. Before I could say anything, they started beating me up and everybody that was there became surprised. Somebody wanted to call with his phone and they collected the phone and started beating him too. “It was at this point that I ran to ‘A’ Division Police Station. They followed me to the Police Station and in front of the DPO they continued the beating,” said Auwulu. Meanwhile, the action of the soldiers could bring more fuel hardship in Yobe State as the Independent Marketers in the state through their Chairman Alhaji Audu Girgiri have vowed not to open their fuel stations or receive any supply if those soldiers are not apprehended. Alhaji Girigiri, told reporters at the General Sani Abatcha Specialist Hospital, Damauru where he went to sympathize with his member that the action of the soldiers was “primitive and uncivilized.” “We cannot condone this kind of treatment on our members. If the military authority does not take action to punish those soldiers within the next 48 hours, all fuel stations in Damaturu and the entire Yobe will be close,” Alhaji Girigiri warned. The Yobe IMPAN Chairman yesterday also expressed his reservation over the Petroleum Taskforce in the state describing it as; “a failure.” “I think the Petrol TaskForce in the state is a failure because it has created more problems than solutions. It is this task force that is causing scarcity and hardship for people in Damaturu presently unlike before when fuel us to be available,” explained Girigiri. The spokesman of 3 Division (Tactical Headquarters) Damaturu; Col. Ogunsanya in a short sms said that he was not aware of the matter. “I am not aware of this incident. I am currently in Port Harcourt. I will find out. Thanks, Col. Ogusanya’s,” he said yesterday in an SMS. However some military officers were said to have visited the hospital and apologised to Alhaji Auwulu Hassan on behalf of the soldiers and avowed to investigate and punished the soldiers who were responsible for his beating.

Read more at: http://www.vanguardngr.com/2016/03/unidentified-soldiers-beats-fuel-station-manager-over/

The Anglican Arch-Diocese of Enugu has officially banned wearing of topless dresses to Church weddings, reception and services.

The Archbishop of the Arch-Diocese, Most Rev. Emmanuel Chukwuma, disclosed this to the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Enugu on Monday.

Chukwuma said that the ban was to return moral chastity on persons, especially women, who attend such functions in the Church.

He said that t Arch-Dioceses had directed priests and senior clergymen to henceforth inspect wedding gowns and approve them before the solemnisation of weddings.

The cleric also said that using veils to cover topless wedding dresses would not be allowed again in Anglican Churches in Enugu.

“I have directed ushers and wardens in various churches in Enugu to ensure that no topless dressed girl, lady or women enters into the Church under any guise. “

He said the order would be in force: “Whether it is the Church wedding, reception or any other programme celebrated in the church or within the church premises. “

“We would collaborate with the governors’ wives to organise seminars and workshops for fashion designers in the zone for them to join this campaign.

“Fashion designers should be instrumental in dissuading our girls and mothers from the habit of wearing topless dresses, “ he said.

The archbishop said that the Church`s strong stance against indecent dressing would help to check sexual harassment and provocation, which lead to prostitution and rape in the society. (NAN)
http://leadership.ng/news/509119/church-bans-wearing-topless-dresses-wedding-reception-others

I hope this APC-PDP madness as it were will not destroy this country especially Rivers State. Others have moved on after the elections and court rulings but Rivers State in particular is being reduced to rivers of bloodletting, killing, kidnapping and cult violence, largely linked to politics. It is a pity that many people are risking their life on earth and even in eternity, for politicians whose typical priority and unspoken purpose is power, money and personal ambition/gratification. Some people even proudly describe themselves as e-warriors or e-sympathisers of politicians who shamelessly decamp and “re-camp” once their belly and body can be taken care of.

LEADERS of the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) appear sharply divided on the fate that should befall the Senate President, Dr Bukola Saraki, in view of his ongoing trial at the Code of Conduct Tribunal (CCT), sources close to the party have said.

Nigerian Tribune gathered that a stakeholders’ meeting of the APC, which held at the Presidential Villa, two weeks ago, was truncated as a result of the cracks in the top hierarchy of the party on the issue.

It was also learnt that while a number of party chiefs were of the view that the Saraki matter must be handled carefully so as not to cause an early implosion within the party, some were of the view that the Senate President should be allowed to carry his cross, while others were of the view that the ongoing trial could speak negatively about the party.

It was gathered that while Saraki’s matter was billed for discussion at the Villa meeting, which was presided over by Vice-President Yemi Osinbajo, some leaders, who were in attendance and who did not want the matter resolved by the party, sent out messages to some media, intimating them Saraki was going to the Villa to beg APC leaders.

A source in the know said the messages sent to some media outfits practically took the wind out of the sail of the meeting and largely culminated in the failure to reach any concrete conclusion.

“The party is largely divided on the Saraki issue and I can tell you this is affecting things down the line. It is affecting the way senators of the APC are also reacting to things. The Villa meeting was set up to ensure that the party could extract some commitments from Saraki and find a political solution to the issues at stake, but those opposed to a resolution apparently moved fast.

“They started sending messages to some media to indicate that Saraki was going to the Villa to be the APC even before the Senate President left the National Assembly. He got to the Villa late, but even before he left the chamber, his office had been bombarded by questions from several media. The meeting could not come to a concrete solution that day because of the antics of the leaders, who leaked the meeting, even though the absence of President Muhammadu Buhari also contributed to the meeting’s failure,” a source said.

Sources also confirmed that the division at the top echelon of the APC was also affecting the unity of its members in the Senate.

While the anti-Saraki forces are pushing for his replacement with another senator, who will have the backing of the party, senators loyal to Saraki are firming up together in case of any untoward development.

Loyalists of the Senate President, under the aegis of the Like Mind Senators (LMS), are insisting that even if the APC insists on removing Saraki, his supporters and the senators of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) would determine the emergence of the successor.

Sources said the LMS was relying on its number, which currently stood at 32 out of the 58 senators of the APC and the backing of the PDP senators, whose number stood at 45 right now, pending the conduct of some rerun.

“We just hope that reason will prevail and this matter would be resolved amicably. The APC needs to learn from recent history of the assembly. When former President Olusegun Obasanjo orchestrated the removal of Senator Adolphus Wabara, believing that he would not support the third term agenda, the senators rallied round and elected Senator Ken Nnamani, who was not his choice and the Enugu senator contributed to the defeat of third term,” a lawmaker said, on Sunday.
http://tribuneonlineng.com/cct-trial-apc-leaders-divided-over-saraki

NuttyChoky:
Zenith Bank! Zenith Bank! Hmmm

What about Zenith?

There is high tension in the Ministry of Petroleum following one year tenure extension granted to the Permanent Secretary, Federal Ministry of Petroleum Resources, Mrs. Jamila Shu’ara, by the Federal Government. Mrs Shu’ara was alleged to have retired from service on February 17, 2016, but seven days later, had her service extended to February 16, 2017 by the Office of the Head of the Civil Service of the Federation, OHSCF, for inexplicable reasons. The extension of tenure is said to have violated Public Service Rules, PSR, 020810 which states that “the compulsory retirement age for grades in the service shall be 60 years or 35 years of pensionable service whichever is earlier. Already the Association of Senior Civil Servants of Nigeria, ASCSN, has expressed surprise the extension and has rejected it, warning of its negative consequences. Vanguard investigations revealed that Mrs. Shu’ara requested for the extension, claiming that since she had since last year been part of the organising committee of a oil and gas conference scheduled to hold next week in Abuja, her disengagement from service would affect the success of the programme. The programme is the Sixth African Petroleum Congress and Exhibition, (CAPE VI) organised by African Petroleum Producers’ Association, APPA, and to be hosted by Nigeria between March 15 and 17, 2016. Though series of pre-conference meetings are currently ongoing in Abuja. It was gathered her request for extension of service was granted and her disengagement from service extended by an additional one year. According to the source “the extension is questionable as it should have been a six months extension. The decision to grant her extension for a year cannot be Rejecting the extension, through a statement yesterday in Abuja, ASCSN President, Bobboi Bala Kaigama and the Secretary-General, Alade Bashir Lawal, claimed the extension of tenure of the Permanent Secretary violated Public Service Rules, PSR, 020810 which states that: “the compulsory retirement age for grades in the service shall be 60 years or 35 years of pensionable service whichever is earlier.” According to the ASCSN, the PSR equally emphasizes that: “no officer shall be allowed to remain in service after attaining the retirement age of 60 years or 35 years of pensionable service whichever is earlier.” The union contended that recently, some Permanent Secretaries were retired on the ground that they were not good enough; yet, Mrs Shu’ara who was supposed to retire with them had her tenure allegedly extended by one year.

Read more at: http://www.vanguardngr.com/2016/03/uproar-over-perm-secs-tenure-extension-in-petroleum-ministry/

veecovee:
the bid is really something else

For which stock?

Yesterday, Nigerians were plunged into deep grief following the sudden death of Barrister James Ocholi, the minister of state for labour, in a car crash on his way to Kaduna, after taking off with his family from Abuja.

None of his family members survived the accident that occurred some 45km away from Kaduna, as his son and wife also died with him.

Ordinarily, such death would have passed as one of those daily occurrences, especially on Nigerian highways, but given the fact that the person involved was a serving minister of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, the news went viral. Kogi State is yet to fully recover from the sudden death of Prince Abubakar Audu who died recently on the verge of winning the governorship seat.

Of course, even as a minister, Nigerians would still have put his demise behind them in matter of days, because his was probably not the first of its kind. Many other top government and public officers had passed on in similar manner.

But Ocholi’s death brings to fore a very disturbing trend in Kogi State politics – sudden deaths of politicians – mostly in car crashes.

No one questions nature when it comes to life and death, but in this context, especially as it relates to unfolding political developments in the Confluence State, craves deeper reflection.

Since the return of democracy in 1999, Kogi’s checkered political history has been dotted with cases of sudden deaths of politicians, especially those with their eyes on bigger public offices in the state.

Barrister Ocholi, now of blessed memory, who became a Senior Advocate of Nigeria in 2007, was a governorship aspirant in Kogi State in 2011 on the platform of the defunct Congress for Progressive Change (CPC).

He later became deputy national legal adviser of the new All Progressives Congress (APC). He renewed his ambition of becoming a governor of his state in the last general election but lost the bid at the APC gubernatorial primary election, to the now late Abubakar Audu.

President Buhari appointed him minister in 2015, a position held till yesterday.

Ocholi’s demise came barely three months after the death of Late Prince Abubakar Audu, his arch-rival at the Kogi State APC gubernatorial primary, who gave up ghost on the brink of winning the last governorship election, which resulted in the emergence of the current of Governor Yahaya Bello as a replacement.

Audu’s death was a huge shock to Nigerians and the people of Kogi State in particular. Many of his admirers are yet to get over the tremor of the unusual way he departed this world. The former governor Audu was somehow the face of Kogi State politics and leader of the Igalas.

Before Audu’s death, Kogi had mourned several other deaths of prominent politicians in various motor accidents.

One of the prominent Kogi figures also killed in an auto crash was a political heavy weight in the person of the late Steven Achema who died in a ghastly car crash near Murtala Bridge along Lokoja- Abuja road on November 16, 1999.

Achema was a known political adversary of the late Prince Audu during the 1991 general elections.

Audu was of the defunct NRC while late Achema was the defunct SDP’s governorship candidate in the state.

Another prominent politician in Kogi State whose life was extinguished in a car accident was Late Senator Ahmed Tijjani Ahmed – popular known as A.T. Ahmed. He was elected Senator in a short-lived democratic experience in 1991 under the platform of the defunct Social Democratic Party (SDP), before it was later truncated by the military. With the return of democracy in 1998, the late A.T. Ahmed aspired to become the PDP governorship candidate for Kogi State. Ahmed competed with the late Achema, and Steve Oloruntoba but lost the ambition to Oloruntoba. However, the late Prince Audu of the defunct ANPP defeated the PDP candidate. A.T. Ahmed later ran for the Senate in the same election and won for his party, PDP.

Late Ahmed sustained his quest to become governor of Kogi State all through the 2003 elections but without success. He later died in a car accident in June 2006 while he was leading the campaign for power shift in the state.

In October 2006, the then Speaker of Kogi State House of Assembly, Muhammed Shaaba, was reported to have suddenly died after a brief stomach upset. Shaaba, who could not make it to the hospital before he gave up ghost, was billed to contest a House of Reps’ seat in the state. As a matter of fact, the 42-year-old speaker was expected to flag off his campaign in his Kupa Ward on the day he died.

Another Kogi Prominent female politician, Nana Ojeba, who made history as the only female legislator in the state House of Assembly, died in a road accident in 2004.

Another state lawmaker in Kogi who was taken by road accident in 2006 was Hon Mohammed Onusagba. The Ebira-born politician was aspiring to become governor of the state when he met his sudden death on the highway while traveling between Lokoja and Kano.

Also, the late Rapheal Adegbola, a then shining political star from Ogori-Magongo local government, died in a ghastly accident along Okene-Lokoja road in November 1998.

Other known politicians killed by car accident were a House of Representatives aspirant, Samuel Bagudu; chairman, Bassa local government area, Luke Shigaba, and a Commissioner for Commerce and Industry in the state, Hon Dan Kadiri.

LEADERSHIP recalls that two governors of the state, Idris Wada and Ibrahim Idris, had at different times, during their tenures, escaped death via car accident.

The immediate past Governor of Kogi State, Idris Wada suffered a ghastly accident that claimed the life of his Aide De Camp (ADC) while he was left with major fracture in his leg. His predecessor, Ibrahim Idris, had a terrific accident during the last election near Oshagbamu on his way to Ida.

The accident that claimed the lives of Barrister James Ocholi and that of his son and wife has rekindled the concerns of Nigerian who are asking – what exactly is happening in Kogi State?

Death, according to popular beliefs, is inevitable. But when its trend becomes serial, there are raised eyebrows.

Kogi is the most central state in the geography of Nigeria. It is the closest state to Abuja when traveling south. The state is amongst few states of Nigeria that do not have an airport, a reason why most of the politicians from the state travel by road each time they have to go out of the state.
http://leadership.ng/news/507129/news-analysis-kogi-politicians-mystery-sudden-deaths

The controversies trailing the 2016 budget resurfaced yesterday as it was discovered that the federal government budgeted a whopping N39.41 billion only for the purchase of cars in this fiscal year.

The huge sum seems to portray the government as being insincere with its earlier claim that the previous Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) government was wasteful and the All Progressive Congress (APC) government was determined to prune high cost of governance to the barest minimum level.

The 2016 budget contains mind- blowing figures which many had said implied that the government had no clear-cut roadmap to re-direct the economy of the country while others dismiss the claim of change as nothing but a ruse.
THISDAY checks revealed last night that of the N39.41 billion budgeted for vehicles in 2016 budget, N29.41 billion of them is meant for the purchase of vehicles by ministries, departments and agencies (MDAs).
http://www.thisdaylive.com/index.php/2016/03/07/fg-proposes-n39-41bn-for-vehicles-in-2016-budget/
It was also learnt that N24.38 billion of the N29.41 billion has been allocated for the purchase of cars; N1.67 billion allocated for the purchase of buses while another N362.65 million is earmarked for the purchase of vans.

It was also gathered that some agencies such as the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC), Nigeria Ports Authority (NPA), Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), Federal Inland Revenue Service (FIRS) have the combined budget of N10 billion for the purchase of vehicles.
The N39.41 billion budget is besides the budget for the planned purchase of vehicles by the judiciary which is not clearly stated in judiciary’s budget.

The Christian Association of Nigeria, CAN, weekend, condemned incessant attacks on many Nigerian communities by herdsmen, describing their actions as more devastating than Boko Haram.

In its resolution after a meeting by the CAN, South-East zone in Enugu, the Christian body said it was high time the government took decisive action towards curtailing the scourge of the Fulani herdsmen.

Referring to the recent killing of hundreds of villagers in Agatu, Benue State, the South East CAN said it was surprised that the herdsmen were murderously attacking communities with AK47 riffles while security agencies looked the other way.

President of CAN in the zone, Most Rev. Prof. David Eberechukwu and the National chairman, Christian Enlightenment and Welfare Organization, CEWO, Dr. Ajujungwa Joseph, who signed the resolution, said the question in the lips of Nigerians had remained “where do herdsmen get AK47 guns they carry and does it mean that both the police and the Army are not seeing them?”

According to CAN, “It has been a great burden on the church in the East with regards to the attack by Fulani herdsmen on every part of the six geo-political zones in the country, with much emphasis on the southern Nigeria and the North central zones.

“The attacks of the Fulani herdsmen on the innocent citizens of this country have become a nightmare on their host communities. The incessant rapes and murder of peace loving Nigerians is highly condemnable.”

The group equally said it would vehemently resist any attempt to allocate grazing reserves for the herdsmen, stressing that “we condemn the idea of grazing fields and ask the sponsors of such bill to desist from it. This is clearly importation of terrorists into the nation and peace will elude the entire country.”

While urging the National Assembly never to pass such bill, the Christian body equally called on the Federal government “to come to the aid of the terrorized communities, where the herdsmen have created more problems than the Boko Haram.

“We advocate the building of ranches, which will in turn provide schools, hospitals and employment to the teeming unemployed youths. This is what is obtainable in developed countries.

“We also call on the State Governors to protect the communities under such threat and also strengthen community policing through the traditional rulers”.

http://dailypost.ng/2016/03/07/fulani-herdsmen-more-deadly-than-boko-haram-can/

LMFashions:
Is this the same James Ocholi dat wowed the entire nation during his ministerial screening?

Yes he is.

Some of the girls and women recently rescued by troops on Tuesday said the Chibok schoolgirls who were kidnapped about two years ago by insurgents are still alive.

Specifically, one of them simply identified as Zara, said she and other abducted girls came across some of the girls at a village called Njimiya when they were escaping from insurgents during a military onslaught.

‘‘When we got to Njimiya, we saw some girls fetching water. We spoke Kanuri to them. One of them later said in Hausa that they cant speak Kanuri because they are from Chibok.’’

Zara, who is 5-month pregnant for a sect member, said some of the schoolgirls were kept under a tarpaulin erected in thick foliage.

The girls said some of the girls seemed ‘married’ because they were pregnant.

“One of the Chibok girls who now called herself Hauwa, because Boko Haram had given most of them new Islamic names, had recently delivered a baby. Some of the girls were looking traumatized while some looked okay and not worried about their conditions,’’ Zara said.
http://leadership.ng/news/505694/chibok-girls-still-alive-rescued-girls-insist

The massacre of innocent villagers in Agatu Local Government, Benue State, continued unabated, on Monday, in spite of the directive of President Muhammadu Buhari that a panel of Investigation into the Fulani attacks on the villagers be established and the announced establishment of an inter-agency security team to forestall further attacks. A survivor, Mr. Ada Ojechi, told Vanguard that Monday’s massacre which took place at Odugbeho-Agatu, was one of the worst ever witnessed in the series of attacks by the herdsmen. He said that the casualty rate was very high but could not put a figure to it because no survivor could take the risk of counting the dead. According to him, the news of Federal and Benue State governments’ intervention made the villagers to relax and that many of those who had earlier fled Odugbeho returned to the village on Sunday. He said, “As we speak, Odigbeho-Agatu has been razed. The massacre there today (Monday) had no equal because Odigbeho is one of the most important and well-populated villages in Agatu. Our people were caught napping because we relaxed when we heard what we considered the cheering news that the federal government has intervened. “Unfortunately, the Fulanis knew we had relaxed and took advantage of us to unleash a terrible massacre on us. As we speak, corpses litter everywhere in the village. I have been trying to reach many of my family members without success. We feel terribly let down by the government that announced a joint security team. We have not seen the security men- be they policemen or military, as I speak.”

Read more at: http://www.vanguardngr.com/2016/02/agatu-massacre-continues-unabated-despite-president-buharis-directive/

Sanchase:
Exchange rate is dropping further, just bought N265 for $1.

Thanks bro

People, please anyone has idea of current USD/Euro rate as at today? Thanks.

As the nation awaits the release of the year-end financials from this week, there are worries over the likely poor outings by the banks, BusinessDay interactions with industry operators have shown.
http://businessdayonline.com/2016/02/shareholders-brace-up-as-economic-headwinds-expected-in-2015-bank-earnings/

INDIGENOUS oil companies that acquired the divested interests of Shell, Total and Chevron in Nigeria, between 2013 and 2015 are at r isk of going bankrupt and may find it difficult to repay the loans they borrowed from financial institutions to acquire these assets, thereby putting the banks in dire straits also. crude-oil-pipe-702x336-436x336According to a report in Forbes, most of these deals were consummated during the period when crude oil was selling for about $100 per barrel, meaning that these firms would be faced with serious challenges in meeting their financial obligations to their lenders now that crude oil is selling around $30 per barrel. The companies, mostly affected are Newcross Exploration and Production Limited, First Exploration and Petroleum Development Company, Seplat and Aiteo Group. The report stated that oil companies that are particularly at risk of default are those that raised debt financing in 2014 to buy shares in Shell’s Oil Mining Leases (OMLs) 18, 24, 25 and 29. According to the report, at the time the acquisition deals were concluded for these assets, oil prices soared above $110 a barrel and local banks— less risk-adverse than their international counterparts – readily lent on a price basis of about $80-$90 per barrel. It further stated that Nigerian banks’ ability to maintain the lines of credit in place is now under question, given their exposure to the sector and also considering the rising cost of US dollar-denominated funding, adding that write-offs seem unlikely right now.

Read more at: http://www.vanguardngr.com/2016/02/price-slump-oil-firms-banks-risk-bankruptcy-over-iocs-assets-acquisition/