₦airaland Forum

ufotty2001:
panicking and speculations abt MPC.. foreign investors are not happy

Thanks my bros.

ufotty2001:
today bear go carry weight ooohhh especially banks

Why sir?

Can he be sworn in without a deputy? Was he elected without a deputy?

Where is this?

The Kaduna State Kaduna Police Commissioner, CP, Umar Kofar-Naisa, has ordered, the Vice Chancellor, VC, Kaduna State University, KASU, Professor Willaims Quirix, to produce perceived anti-government lecturer, Dr. John Danfulani, over comments he claimed could cause violence.

This came as the University authorities since January 8, 2016, suspended the Political Science lecturer after querying him earlier.

But a group, Nerzit Patroitic Front, has kicked against the suspension of the lecturer, asking KASU to rescind its decision.

The group threatened to go to court, accusing KASU and state government of “persecuting Dr. Danfulani because he holds a different political ideology, ethnic and religious learning with the government of the day”.

A letter dated 21st January, 2015 with reference – CR: 000/KDS/X/D6/Vol.82/150 signed CP Umar Kofar-Niasa addressed to the VC of KASU, reads: “This Department is investigating the above mentioned case involving one of your lecturers, Dr. John Danfulani. You are kindly requested to release him to interview the undersigned through O/C General Surveillance State SCIID Kaduna on 25/01/2006 at about 1000hrs to enable complete our investigation.”

Perhaps unknown to the CP, Danfunali had been suspended by KASU.

The register of KASU, Mrs Talatu A. Kuri, had on January 8, written Danfulani to inform him of his suspension from the school.

The letter read: “We refer to our letter of query dated 5th January, 2016 requesting you to explain within 48 hours why disciplinary action will not be taken against you for gross misconduct and confirm that you failed to respond. In line with S15 (1) 4 of KASU staff Conditions of Service, the Vice Chancellor has suspended you from duty forthwith and will report the matter to Council.”
http://www.vanguardngr.com/2016/01/police-write-kasu-vc-to-produce-anti-government-lecturer-as-group-kicks/

INTERMAN:
sorry, it happened in Kebbi state.

Thanks. Really sad. I pray he is released swiftly.

I am writing this piece as Joe Igbokwe not as APC Publicity Secretary Lagos State. I am writing as an independent writer and a public commentator on national affairs. Please permit me to air my views before we swear in Alhaji Yahaya Bello who never won the governorship election in Kogi State. The System may have decided in their own wisdom to swear in Mr Bello but l want history to record that l saw a travesty and an aberration coming and raised an alarm. The alarm may be ignored but history which neither personal wealth or power can circumvent will be my witness.

The truth here and nothing but the truth is that the late Chief Abubakar Audu/ James Abiodun Faleke won the November 21 2015 Governor election fair and square before Audu's death in the early hours of Sunday,November 22 2015. When the news filtered into the public space that Audu had died what the State INEC Returning Officer, Professor Emmanuel Kucha would have done is to do an urgent truthful and honest consultations, carry out a simple Arithmetic, check the number of registered voters, check the number of those with PVCs in 91 polling Units. The world was told that there are 49,000 Registered Voters in the remaining 91 polling Units and out of that 49,000 Voters only 25,000 have PVCs. But the late Audu was leading with 41,000 votes. Assuming that all the 25,000 persons with PVCs voted for PDP, Abubakar Audu would still have beaten Governor Wada silly with 16,000 votes. This professor turned sound reasoning upside down by saying the election was inconclusive and ordered for supplementary election in the remaining 91 polling units. Now what was the result ? Only about 10,000 votes were garnered in the futile exercise that wasted everybody's precious gift of time, energy, money, strength and power.

Now a combination of ethnic politics, Primordial sentiments, and fear of the unknown led APC Kogi and APC National to do the unthinkable by pushing Alhaji Bello who lost the primaries, and may not have supported the APC candidate in the cause of the elections proper to steal the mandate won by Prince Audu and James Faleke in a keenly contested exercise fraught with excruciating pains , doubts, apprehension,anxiety, fatigue, panic and unease . What was their excuse? Faleke did not partake in the primaries. Now do Deputy Governors take part in Primaries? This is the absurdity that led to the emergence of an interloper and intruder, Alhaji Bello. After the travesty, I saw BELLO's Family members singing and dancing the music titled 'Na God Win'. No, No, our God is a God of justice and equity. You cannot reap where you did not sow . Another will not plant and another will harvest.

I rely like other eminent Lawyers in Nigeria who are not being economical with the truth on Section 181 (1)of the Constitution that says' if a person duly elected as Governor dies before taking and subscribing the oath of allegiance and oath of office, or is unable for any reason whatsoever to be sworn in , the person elected with him as the deputy governor shall be sworn in as governor and he shall nominate a new deputy governor who shall be appointed by the governor with the approval of a simple majority of house of the assembly of the state' I rely on this because the election had been won and lost before Prince Audu died. This has been proved beyond reasonable doubts by the miserable outcome of the useless supplementary election. This grave injustice and open stealing of another person's mandate taking cover in a confusing and complicated Document called the Electoral Act. They tell me in the Human rights community that when a law structured in such a way that it will encourage injustice the law must be broken. In international jurisprudence they say It is better to set 1000 criminals free that to convict one innocent person.

The shenanigans and ethnic champions in Kogi State never bothered to think about the huge sacrifices and pains Prince Audu went through to win the election. They have not cared to remember that he went into elections with ill health and still managed to come out victorious through dint of hardwork though he died thereafter. Did any of these people bother to think about the family he left behind? What about what he expended in the cause of the elections? Did Bello transverse the length ad breathe of Kogi State canvassing for votes as did Audu and Faleke ? Did Bello support APC during the election? What is going to happen in Kogi State on Wednesday January 27 2015 frightens me as an activist and believer in equity and social justice. It worries me to the marrows that there is deafening silence in town as if all the decent men and women who should speak out have suddenly lost their steam and voices. I am told that the truth that must be spoken never forgives silence. Evil triumph in any society when good men do nothing.

I know fully well that Supreme Court of Nigeria will do the needful when Faleke gets there in the fullness of time. Audu/ Faleke got the majority of votes in Kogi governorship election and got the mandate to preside over the affairs in that state for four years. That Faleke refused to accept the poisoned chalice as deputy governor should serve as a signal to the interlopers and intruders in Kogi that Wednesday event is not the end of the matter. Those dancing the music 'Na God Win' are using the name of God in vain. They will dance 'Our God Na God of Justice'when the chips are down. James Faleke please go to sleep. You are the owner of the game when common sense returns even though common sense is not common. I rest my case.

Joe Igbokwe

Lagos
http://saharareporters.com/2016/01/26/can-we-allow-travesty-kogi-state-stand-democracy-joe-igbokwe

Shehu Sani, chairman of senate committee on foreign and domestic debt, has said that corrupt people parading themselves as President Mohammadu Buhari’s friends would soon be interrogated and prosecuted.

Speaking in an interview with journalists on Monday in Kaduna while receiving a group of women who paid him solidarity visit, Sani, who is also the vice chairman of senate committee on foreign affairs, said some of the corrupt people are members of the All Progressives Congress (APC) who had their political upbringing in the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and whose hands were soiled by corruption.

He alleged that over $200bn stolen by some Nigerians was being stashed away in Dubai, the United Arab Emirates (UAE).

According to him, any corrupt person warming himself close to Buhari for cover would be exposed, investigated and prosecuted.

“Corrupt Nigerians have stashed unbelievable amount of monies in Dubai alone in the name of estates acquisition, purchase of exotic houses and business partnership in the last 16 years,” he said.

“Some have stashed raw cash. This is as a rresult the US and Europe making conditions for laundering of money into their countries very difficult. These crooks have now found it conducive to use the Middle East and South East Asia as their destinations.

“They use names of their cronies, family members and friends to siphon public funds out of Nigeria. Some of them are APC members who had their political upbringing in the then ruling PDP where they soiled their hands in the corruption pot.

“Sooner than later, those who are parading themselves as Buhari’s friends but are corrupt will be interrogated, prosecuted because the president does not know friend or relation as far as the fight against corruption is concerned

“It was based on the information on the quantity and quality of the assets of corrupt Nigerians that President Buhari had to sign that agreement with UAE at Abu Dhabi. I can tell you that it was a smart and patriotic move.

“Let me advise the president to steer clear of hypocrites, because it is better to live with an enemy than hypocrites because hypocrites derive joy from stabbing one’s back.

“Over $200 billion is stashed away from Nigeria to Dubai alone. This may be the monies stolen over the past 20 years. I am not talking about estates and bonds and other securities bought with Nigeria’s stolen money. Buhari is going to recover all these monies and assets with the help of UAE.

“If you notice now, since the agreement, some of the corrupt persons are now rushing to Dubai to effect changes in the ownership of the ill-gotten assets, but they are just wasting their time.

“President Buhari needs the support of all Nigerians to wipe out corruption from the country. The president is on rescue mission. He needs our support.

“We cannot sit down idly and watch people sabotage Buhari; and I can tell you that since Buhari went to Dubai, there have been three attempts to sabotage his government.

“The first one was that they planted a story in newspapers that there was crisis in Buhari’s government because he went to Dubai. The second one was that they planted fake list of Nigerians that have property in Dubai, while we were waiting for the original list of those who have houses in Dubai. And the third one was to sponsor foreign media to discredit Buhari’s economic policies.”
https://www.thecable.ng/sani-corrupt-ex-pdp-members-pretending-to-be-buharis-friends-will-soon-be-prosecuted

INTERMAN:
Report reaching now says that a deeper life state overseer Pastor Onubedo was kidnapped at his home resident yesterday immediately after the bible study.Let's pray for his quick release

Bro, which State or town did this happen? Any further details?

NuttyChoky:
Wow!!! All three of them currently on full offer, No bids!

What of GTB/Zenith?

DeRuggedProf:
Do not panic still...

What should we do sir?

DeRuggedProf:
ACCESS will hit below N4 .
FBNH will bleed .
UBA will struggle..

No vex sir. Is there something you know that we should know?

Where exactly in these places and how much?

There was pandemonium yesterday night at the Nnamdi Azikiwe Airport, Abuja, as a Medview aircraft en route to Lagos failed to take off several hours after boarding passengers due to engine failure.

The plane, Medview flight VL2107 was said to have boarded passengers at about 7pm and was billed to take of at 7:15pm only for the pilot to start the engine and turn it off after some minute.

Narrating their ordeal of having to wait endlessly for the airline to take them to their destination to no avail, one of the passengers, Mrs. Maureen Okoli told LEADERSHIP at about 10pm yesterday that at first they thought the delay was as a result of presidential VIP movement, but were later told by one of the pilots that the aircraft had developed engine problem.

She said, “We boarded Medview airline at about 7pm. The plane was billed to take off at 7pm. After boarding the plane, the cabin crew closed the door and we were in the aircraft for more than one hour. They put on the engine and turned it off again.

“We thought the president was making a movement, but we were very surprised when the pilot announced to us that the plane has developed engine problem. As I speak to you now, we are still at the airport stranded. I have a three- year old baby here and nobody has bordered to give food or anything to eat”.

She further said at point, instead of officially cancelling the flight, manager of the aircraft asked those complaining to go and collect their money they had booked for the flight ticket.

According to her, the passengers were left with no other choice than to quickly petition the Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA) at about 9:55pm, asking it to investigate the matter.

“If they knew the aircraft was not good, why did they ask us to board the plane in the first plane”, she queried, adding that the aviation authority must act fast to prevent future recurrence of such a risk.

But efforts made to get the reaction of the spokesperson to Medview airline proved abortive, as calls made by our correspondent to his line could not go through at press time.
http://www.leadership.ng/business/494877/medview-passengers-bicker-abuja-airpot-aborted-flight

lomaxbien:
Available

Available at what price sir?

It is either I do not understand economics and how exchange rates work or a vast majority of us Nigerians still don’t get how we have wrecked our country with our own curious choices. Just this morning I was listening to the radio and the lady on air went on and on about how she thought CBN governor Godwin Emefiele was incompetent and should be sacked because the naira was now exchanging at 309 or so to the USD. That view pretty much echoes the sentiments expressed by many people I know and it amazes me that there are Nigerians who actually think there is some magic POLICY that can make the Naira strong in the near term. If my economics and my understanding of the way the world works are right, then that is as far from the truth as Jesus Christ is black.

The simple fact of the matter is that apart from oil that accounts for over 90% of our revenues, we really don’t have much of an economy. We hardly produce anything, we import even toothpicks, so exactly what policy is going to be implemented that will turn Nigeria into a top exporting economy in the near term? Where are our Apples, IBMs, Disneys, GMs, General Electrics, Coca Colas, Empire State buildings, Statues of Liberties, Lockheeds, Citibanks, JP Morgans, ExxonMobils, NBAs, Super Bowls etc? Let me bring that closer home. There was a time long ago when Nigeria had a truly strong economy and the naira was one to the dollar – even exchanged for higher than the USD, but that Nigeria is not this Nigeria. Sadly that Nigeria was laid by the British, and this Nigeria (if you don’t believe in the nonsensical imperialist conspiracies like me) – fueled by the DAMAGING Indigenisation Decree, has been the creation of us Nigerians.Back then we had a booming economy.

We were either the top, or among the top exporters, of timbre, cocoa, groundnuts, rubber, palm oil, etc, in the world. Nigerians not only holidayed at home in their villages, at Yankari Games Reserve, at Obudu Cattle Ranch, at Oguta Lake, at Ikogosi springs, at Gurara Falls, at Mambilla Platueau, etc, we attracted international tourists who brought in loads of foreign exchange. Even Nigerian schools were foreign exchange earners because they attracted foreign students. We had different car assembly plants – Peugeot, Volkswagen, Anamco etc. Nigerian government officials only bought vehicles assembled in Nigeria for official cars. We had a thriving sports industry.

We were not Man United or Chelsea fans, we were Rangers or IICC fans. We had the Nduka Odizors, people made money from sports. We also had companies like Lennards and Bata producing school shoes in their thousands, we had the thriving Nigerian Airways and the Aviation School in the north that produced some of the best pilots in the world. In those days if you were brilliant you were respected much more than the crass money-miss-road contractors of today. Most of the Aje Butters I knew had fathers who were university dons. Back then it meant something to ‘know book’. Our textile industry was alive and well. Just recently I watched a news report on the textile industry in Nigeria on CCTV News. Though the main focus was on the comatose status of the industry, I was stunned by the gigantic Kaduna Textile Mill built in 1957. I could go on and on.

Today however, no thanks to our parents (and we must call them out the way Wole Soyinka did his generation) and many of us (and we should be remembered for failing our children if we continue like this), we have destroyed everything. Today for instance Nigerian football (which comes easy to me obviously) doesn’t appeal to us, we have to fly across thousands of miles to watch ‘our’ clubs play. Every year we collectively burn billions of Naira being fans of clubs that give us nothing back, but some ‘entertainment value’ – simple pleasures for which we are ready to destroy the future of our children. Well people, payback time is here. Even with our ta-she-re money we all want to wear designer clothes and carry designer bags, Armani, Givenchy, Louis Vuitton etc.

We all want to drive jeeps with American specs, our children must now school overseas and acquire the necessary accents to come back home and bamboozle their ‘bush and crass’ contemporaries that they left behind. Who holidays in Nigeria anymore, is there Disneyland here? No one buys made-in-Nigeria school bags for their children, after all no Superman or Incredible Hulk or Cinderella on them. We are no longer top exporters of anything and the demise of oil means we have zilch… zero. A country of 170m fashion-conscious people has no textile industry. We take delight in showing how our made-in-Switzerland Aso Ebi is different class to everyone else’s. When we help our musicians grow and pay them millions, they repay us by immediately shipping the monies overseas to produce their “i-don-dey-different-level”music videos. It makes no difference that distinctly Zulu dancers are dancing to a Nigerian highlife song. As stars concerned they also wed and holiday overseas to impress us all. All the musicians who acknowledge their Ajegunle roots now speak in a cocktail of strange accents to symbolise how much they have blown their monies overseas.

Were we a more serious people, the highly popular Kingsway Stores of the past would probably have a thousand outlets pan Nigeria today supporting a massive agriculture industry among others, but today we have the likes of SPAR, Shoprite, dominating the retail industry while Kingsway is dead. And we Nigerians make it a special point to shop from the Oyinbos who have ‘cleaner shops’, ‘better this and better that’. For our personal pleasure we don’t mind them dominating us in our own backyard and shipping proceeds overseas.

I could go on and on, but I don tire. Even as you are reading this, stop for a moment and look around you. What you see will probably explain why we are lucky it is not N1000 to the USD yet. And don’t think for a moment that it cannot get there. Just continue to wear your Armani gear and Swiss-made lace, continue to spend your money on Man United, Arsenal, Chelsea and Barca and encourage your children to do same. (My article tomorrow in my Saturday column in This Day is on the Nigerian champions Enyimba FC – Nigeria’s most successful club – not having a sponsor, yet Nigerian brands pay over N600m to Man United and Arsenal for sponsorship to impress us.) Ehhh, no problem, continue to tell me the NPFL is rubbish or the clubs should clean up their act if they want sponsorship, mo gbo. Don’t curtail your interest in choice wines ( we were the number one champagne consumers in the world in 2015), continue to love your American specs, cheer the education ministry for letting schools sink to pitiable levels, don’t fight them to improve our schools, don’t chide them for letting schools drop Nigerian history and embrace British, America and whatever else curricula.

Carry on with your love of French wines and Chinese silk, don’t bother about Jamiu Alli when there is Roger Federer. Stock up on your Italian, American, British products which you cannot live without, including the ‘baby soft’ toilet rolls produced only in that small unique village in England – the days are long gone since you were a broke student who used wet newspapers to wipe your butt. Don’t even consider holidaying in Nigeria, it’s too dangerous – you have to fulfill your dream of being Nigeria’s Henry Ford. Don’t listen to people like me who have a wardrobe full of only cheap adire that is actually cheaper than just one of your Tom Ford blazers. Please keep dressing in fine silk made in some exotic place so you can be addressed accordingly. Finally keep letting corrupt leaders who have looted your commonwealth and shipped all the monies overseas get away because to attack them does not fit your political narrative. Let us continue with the fine life, let us all continue to work for Oyinbo. But don’t forget that there is payback time and Emefiele is not your problem. Time for us all to look in the mirror and take responsibility.
http://thenakedconvos.com/plunging-naira-before-you-blame-emefiele-look-at-yourself/

How much sir?

It was a painful end for a 22-year-old housewife, Aisha Abdullahi, who was raped to death by unknown person(s) at her matrimonial home at Ungogo quarters, on the outskirts of Kano metropolis.

Police spokesman in Kano, DSP Musa Magaji Majia, told reporters in Kano that the incident, which occurred yesterday, was reported by the deceased’s husband.

Police said Abdullahi Muhammad, husband of late Aisha, reported that he met the deceased in a pool of her blood when he returned home.

DSP Majiya said detectives had commenced investigation to unravel the mystery behind the act, stressing that no stone would be left unturned.

Kano women under siege

Wednesday’s murder of Aisha Abdullahi brought to the fore safety concerns among women in the city as a similar incident was recorded a couple of weeks ago, when one Khadija Muhammad of Ja’in quarters was also killed in her home.

Already, two suspects, Nura and Haruna, are in court facing charges in respect of Khadija Muhammad’s death.

The latest incident generated condemnation by residents, as prayers had been held in several worship centres for divine intervention.

A similar incident occured at Unguwar Katsina of Ungogo LGA last December.

http://www.vanguardngr.com/2016/01/22-yr-old-pregnant-housewife-raped-to-death-in-kano/

Royal Air Maroc advertises a royal treatment for its passengers, from check-in to touch down. But Seun Akioye, who recently flew with the airline to Paris, writes that his treatment was far from being royal.

The Boeing 737-700 belonging to the airliner, Royal Air Maroc (RAM) touched down at the King Muhammed International Airport, Casablanca, Morocco with a thud slightly tilting passengers inside its cabin against one another. There was a creaking noise, resounding in the cabin as if some parts of the airplane on contact with the ground was about to disintegrate. This added to the displeasure of the passengers, nobody clapped in appreciation of the pilot or his crew; nobody smiled.

The passengers were huddled into the arrival hall of a crowded, uncoordinated and unfriendly airport. Three officials stood at the door, one of them clothed in a white protective suit with a thermometer in his hand. As passengers filed in, he checked their temperature to see if any one of them carried the deadly Ebola virus. The other officials maintained a discrete distance from the passengers. There was a look of worry mixed with terror on their faces.

When a passenger passes the check, the man in the protective suit would dismiss him with a nod of his head. Health checks over, the passengers moved into the arrival hall. There were hundreds of other passengers inside, many of whom looked lost and frustrated. All the signs in the hall were written in either Arabic or French and no official spoke English.

Several long and disjointed lines of passengers waited to pass through the security check. There was no coordination and intermittently an official would appear calling the name of a passenger who was about to miss a flight and taking such through security, other passengers looked on in frustration as stone faced officials moved around rebuffing enquiries from passengers by pretending to speak only French or the indigenous Moroccan language.



The nightmare of the travellers did not begin in Casablanca, it started at the Muritala Muhammed International Airport Lagos. RAM advertises its “royal” services to would be passengers, many fell for it. When the airline came to Nigeria, it boasted: “Royal Air Maroc flies its passengers on only the best airplanes, passengers are treated to the best bouquet of hospitality and comfort while onboard Royal Air Maroc Nigeria flight….. Royal Air Maroc Nigeria has engaged the services of well trained and adequately motivated staff to attend passenger’s needs.” However, nothing could be further from the truth.

On December 3, 2015, I travelled to Paris for the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) Conference of Parties 21 and had the “misfortune” of flying on the airline. Things unravelled pretty early, the departure time to Casablanca was an unusual and inconvenient 5:20 am, which means many of the passengers had to sleep at the airport. With no facility for early travellers, many of the passengers slept on the bare floor using their luggages as pillow. The lucky ones slept on the creaking and hard iron chairs. Ventilation was a luxury. Few could complained but all of the airport officials shared this cruel fate.

Check in began around 3: am and the officials perhaps infuriated at such an early call made life hell for the passengers especially those travelling for the first time. “Where is your birth certificate?” one yelled at a lady. You have to show me proof that you went to school like your degree certificate,” another told a lady who was going to join her husband in Brussels, Belgium. The officials also demanded to see all the documentations the passengers used in securing the visa. Some of these passengers later alleged to have parted with between N10,000 and N15,000 paid to several officials in order to board the flight.

But, the brutality of the officials paled in significance to the uncharitable flight RAM reserved for its Nigerian passengers. For an international flight, the Boeing 737 has capacity for 96 passengers in the economy class with three seats on either side of the aisle. The seats are cramped and there were no individual television sets. Instead, three overhead screens hung above the passengers. And throughout the flight, they would show only the map of the journey and that was also in French language.

Nothing about the flight followed the norm. There was over one hour delay and the pilot did not apologise nor give explanations. The pilot conversed for a long time in French, then another language before saying two sentences in English that were inaudible. Every aviation law known to me was flouted with passengers still using mobile handsets even during taxi. Handbags were not stowed under the seat and the cabin crew would take a look at them and move on.

The crew from hell

It became clear that the Nigerian government must have begged RAM to ply the Nigerian route and not the other way. The crew seemed to detest the Nigerian passengers as they showed no care and sometimes shouting at them. The airline it seemed, was grudgingly doing business in Nigeria and the crew of four showed no empathy nor did they pretend that part of their duty was to make the passengers happy. They were there to pass the time and would only be too glad to get rid of us in Casablanca.

Immediately after take-off, a child began to cry. Then he wailed. For several minutes, he was screaming, I half-feared the pilot would delay the flight as the scream had assumed a dangerous trend. In other airlines, the crew would have tried to pacify the child. A chocolate here, a toy there would surface. Not this crew. They walked past the child as he began to throw tantrums.

“Where is my mummy,” he screamed even though she was sitting beside him. The embarrassed mother tried to contain him. “Where is my baby?” the boy yelled and the plane lifted. Facilities in the plane was at best wicked. The toilet, which was tolerably clean, did not however have liquid soap. So, after doing your business, every passenger would slap on the same soap tablet leaving a part of their dirt on it.

But, the most unforgivable part was that throughout the almost five hour flight, RAM did not serve any meal. Instead, they gave the passengers a piece of croissant or cake-depending on your luck- and a tiny packet of juice.

The frustrated and hungry passengers devoured this pitiful “breakfast” which was ‘dropped’ rather than served on the tray tables of the passengers. Later, a lady passed around pestering passengers with the offer of a “very hot” coffee. As far as I could see, nobody took the bait. We were too bitter to respond.

Duty free sales contained only cigarettes and alcohol. But, even if one is tempted to buy, the scowl on the face of the seller would serve as deterrence. Immediately after the snacks were ‘dropped’ on us, the head crew, a tall big fellow went to the back of the plane collapsed three seats and slept off. His face to the roof, a part of his leg obstructing the free flow of traffic on the tiny aisle.

The flight from Casablanca to Paris was better even though it was the same small, old plane. But, at least the crew treated the almost entirely white passengers with respect and dignity and meal was served. The food, a substance resembling couscous and some funny soup was mostly abandoned by the passengers around my seat.

The smile, which was so rare on the flight from Nigeria was supplied in abundance to the Caucasian passengers. It was a great shock to me as I thought smiling was a strict taboo in the policy of RAM. But, it was evident that the airline had little regards for its Nigerian passengers and its services. Everything but pleasant reinforces the question: what is royal in Royal Air Maroc and why do they treat Nigerians with impunity?
http://thenationonlineng.net/what-is-royal-in-air-maroc/

Foremost Nigeria airline Aero Contractors appears to be on precipice following recurrent bickering between the management and labour unions in the company as another round of crisis brewed up yesterday in Lagos.

The airline management, one of the oldest airlines in Nigeria in recent time has come under attack by its staff who accused top officials of the company in collaboration with officials of the Asset Management Company of Nigeria (AMCON) of financial misappropriation.

Another round of labour protest yesterday at the airline cooperate headquarters in Ikeja almost disrupt it entire operations as labour unions in the sector vowed not to leave any stone unturned in ensuring that all labour related matters were resolved without victimisation of any worker to ensure the survival of the airline.

At present, the airline has six serviceable operational aircraft as against its 11 serviceable aircraft in its fleet, reports indicates the company is unable to ferry others abroad for routine maintenance.

Aero in a statement yesterday described the activities of the labour group as lacking procedure,

Saying “Air We find the attitude of these Associations unacceptable and their disposition towards our company in relation to their biased stand regarding the present issue has led the management of our company to conclude that, in future, these Associations will attempt to frustrate our company’s efforts towards maintaining staff discipline if left unchecked”.

Labour leaders have threatened a showdown with the management of the airline over recent unsavory developments in the company.

ATSSSAN President, Benjamin Okewu told journalists that the management would not be allow to kill the airline in order to cover up their misdeeds while the union request for a scrutiny of the company’s books.

Okewu disclosed AMCON has pumped in millions of naira into Aero Contractors but that the airline continued to nose dive.

Okewu said ” after investigation by the unions, it was discovered instead of acquiring more planes the airline was going down and that the money was not used for what it was meant for adding that records showed that the money was transferred into other ventures from Aero account.

The unions have called on EFCC to come in and investigate the activities of the airline, We discovered from our investigation that aircraft engine which ought to have been leased for $40,000 elsewhere were being leased by Aero Contractors for $70,000. A lot of fraudulent activities took place,”
http://www.peoplesdailyng.com/aero-labour-rift-deepens-as-aircraft-deplete/

Eighteen senior members of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in Kaduna state have condemned the suspension of Shehu Sani, the senator representing the central senatorial zone.

In a statement signed by the members and made public on Wednesday, they attributed the crisis to “the degeneration in the party”.

Sani was suspended by the Tudun Wada ward chapter for failing to appear before a disciplinary committee.

He was accused of criticising President Muhammadu Buhari and Nasir el-Rufai, the state governor, but there are insinuations that the subtext is the 2019 governorship race in which Sani is thought to have an interest.

The elders also accused el-Rufai’s of alienating the party and the people in his running of the state.

They wrote: “We are elders and leaders in Kaduna State All Progressive Congress (APC), in touch with popular concerns and sentiments, and concerned over the deteriorating state of our party in the State.

“We have earlier made public our advice to the national leadership of our party to exercise its responsibility to arrest the drift arising from the absence of an effective and functional party in Kaduna State.

“We have also advised the Governor, Malam Nasir el-Rufai to re-visit his governance strategies which are alienating large numbers of citizens from him and our party” the statement said.

The party leaders declared that the “the purported suspension of Senator Shehu Sani is one example of the result of the degeneration which is bound to occur as a result of the hijack of the remnants of our party by a clique that believes it owes its loyalty only to the Governor.

“The fiasco which this development is generating is placing our party in severe disrepute and our members in a state of intense grief and confusion.

“The questionable legality of the suspension and the childish reasons given for it demand that responsible members of the party speak up and demand a stop to the embarrassing melodrama that is unfolding.

“We are constrained to advise that these steps be taken to arrest the damage being caused.

“No Person shall exercise powers outside the party’s constitution. People claiming powers, including powers to query or discipline members should not themselves be holding powers that are illegal.

“The purported suspension of Senator Shehu Sani should be withdrawn. We advise that the Senator should not take legal steps to seek relief either.

“The right to free speech and to hold and express opinions are fundamental rights which our party should uphold, rather than breach. Every member should be free to express opinions on governance at all levels, subject to provisions of our party constitution.

“The national leadership of our party should, as a matter of urgency, facilitate the filling of fourteen existing vacancies in our party offices through constitutional and credible processes.

“Governor Nasir el-Rufai should lead with compassion and sensitivity to exclusiveness and respect for the citizenry.

“We will sustain our efforts to ensure that our party stays true to its ideals and commitments. We assure all members of the APC and other citizens in Kaduna State that we will continue to express views and opinions, as well as organize our fellow members to resist anti-people and dictatorial actions from all quarters.

“We remain loyal to our party, and committed to finding solutions to its problems.”

The statement was signed by Mataimaki T. Maiyashi, Stanley A. Mamman, Joel Giwa, Lawal Aliyu (Silver), Auwal Isah Got, Hauwa Baba-Ahmed, Yaro Makama Rigachikun and Mohammed Kabir Ajuji.

Others are Murtala Abubakar, Aminu Sani, Kabir Salihu, Hafsat Mohammed Baba, Aisha Galadima, Hakeem Baba-Ahmed, Sule Buba, Kabir Umar, Ibrahim Yaro and Abdullahi Tanimu.
https://www.thecable.ng/18-%e2%80%8eapc-leaders-seek-reversal-of-sanis-suspension

For a better New Year, repent of all your sins, give your life to Jesus Christ and be born again.

5000 members? Ha ha!

nnachukz:
In cases like this, they become one group in pursuit of a common goal which is to selfishly meek us dry. One deranged being will be here shouting that a politician cares for us all. They are all the same irrespective of political party affiliation, they only show disunity when a bill that will be beneficial to the masses brought to them. Hardship is biting hard but these people being insensitive to our plight want to buy more expensive cars after pocketing our money as allowances for same purpose.

Thanks my bro. I pity anyone who is fighting and insulting a fellow suffering citizen in the name of APC or PDP. When it comes to money, these people are one. I wish their supporters well!

The cars are being purchased four months after the senators were given N8m car loans each in August this year.
During the 7th Senate, the senators used Prado jeeps but this time around, they have opted for more expensive cars.
Senate spokesperson, Senator Aliyu Sabi Abdullahi said the cars are for committee use. However, it was exclusive gathered that the senators will get a car each.
Our correspondent reports that the headship of the 65 standing committees are appointed in such a way that each senator will chair a committee or serve as vice chairman.
It was gathered that during the 7th Senate, the cars acquired for the committees were sold to the senators at N1m.
“To the best of my knowledge the cars we used at the 7th Senate were monetised to us, I think, at N1m each and the money was deducted from our severance package,” a senator who benefitted said.
He also confirmed receipt of the vehicle loan in August, saying, “we were given three allowances in August and they are car loan, housing and furniture allowances, all amounting to N18m”.
At the House of Representatives, a source told Daily Trust that in line with the tradition of the House, vehicles would be bought for members to use for committee assignments.
Even during the immediate past 7th House, the 360 lawmakers got a Camry XL car each, which our source said was bought at the sum of about N12 million, including insurance.
Our source said: “yes, we learnt they want to do the same thing that was done during the last Assembly, where each member got a car, but they said it was for committee activities.”
The source said the Camry XL cars purchased for members during the last Assembly were monetized at the end of their tenure in June and the money was deducted from their severance packages, while few members opted not to buy the cars.
“Initially, they valued the cars at N1.750 million, but members protested, because most of the cars were not in good shape. In the end, they settled at N900, 000, so those of us who wanted to go with our own applied, and they deducted it from our severance, while a few members returned their own,” the source said.
But House spokesman Rep Abdulrazak Namdas (APC, Adamawa) said although leadership of the lower chamber plans to purchase cars to aid members during committees’ oversights, they were yet to reach a decision on the number and the brand of cars to buy.
“There’s no doubt that we’ll buy cars, but they will be for committee use. We haven’t decided on any brand or units to buy yet until we see our 2016 budget. We don’t want to do anything that cannot be realised at the end of the day,” he said.
Namdas said already, management of the National Assembly had advertised that it would purchase television sets, computers and photocopiers for lawmakers’ use.
“We want to have a transparent process based on the Procurement Act,” he said, adding that all the principal officers were completely excluded from the deal in order for the management staff to do their work”.
Asked if there is any plan to purchase new vehicles for Speaker Yakubu Dogara and his deputy Yussuf Suleimon Lasun, the House spokesman said he was not aware of any such thing.
It’s a fraud - CISLAC
Speaking to Daily Trust on the purchase of vehicles for individual lawmakers for committee work, Executive Director of the Civil Society Legislative Advocacy Centre (CISLAC) Auwal Musa Rafsanjani said as far as he was concerned, the vehicles were being bought for fun and not for any committee work.
He said for them, it is part of the process of “sharing national cake” that Nigerian politicians are known for, saying “it is all largess,” describing it as a fraud.
“Agreed there should be a car for every committee, but to buy a vehicle for every member out of the 360 legislators in the name of committee work is wrong. It’s all as a result of lack of transparency and accountability in the management of public funds,” he said.
Rafsanjani said so long as committees would be encouraged to do their work diligently and be provided with relevant facilities to aid oversight, individual lawmakers should only be given car loans, which they would repay before the end of their tenure.
“In other parliaments that I personally visited around the world, there’s nothing like vehicles for individual legislators to go for committee work. They only provide them with facilities where necessary, why should our own be different?” he said.
On auctioning the vehicles to the lawmakers at the end of their 4-year tenure, Rafsanjani insisted “it is a fraud” since they were given car loans from the beginning of their tenure.
The CISLAC director also said that even the oversight being carried out by lawmakers was just to “intimidate and harass government agencies” into succumbing to the demands of the legislators.
“Oversight is supposed to be for corrective measures, but that is not what they do. They only use it to intimidate and harass agencies, although I’m sure there won’t be any loose fund for agencies to be giving them under this administration.
“Most of the legislators don’t even understand what oversight is because they’re new. The committees themselves are not independent, so how do you expect them to perform their functions effective. So, for me, there should be a complete overhaul of the legislative work in Nigeria so that the legislators will understand what they are elected to do,” he said.
Read more at http://www.dailytrust.com.ng/news/general/after-collecting-car-loans-senators-reps-to-get-496-cars/126682.html#PRqTPRBVVRgYpVos.99

babyfaceafrica:
All politicians are crooks

Haba! Not all na! What of APC ones including decampee PDP members? Those are saints jor! Once you join APC, you become a progressive and a change agent!

Change of uniform is part of 'change' please!

I hope people appreciate the gravity of the situation we are in? A friend called me just now that fuel is now being sold at N1500 for a gallon in Jos, Plateau State. He has now joined a queue at NNPC Mega Station where the queue is over one kilometer. At this time, Nigeria needs out-of-the-box economic managers to get out of this. Oil price is collapsing very fast. Quit excuse-making, blame-shifting and move to strategic thinking cum problem-solving mode!.

I hope people appreciate the gravity of the situation we are in? A friend called me just now that fuel is now being sold at N1500 for a gallon in Jos, Plateau State. He has now joined a queue at NNPC Mega Station where the queue is over one kilometer. At this time, Nigeria needs out-of-the-box economic managers to get out of this. Oil price is collapsing very fast. Quit excuse-making, blame-shifting and move to strategic thinking cum problem-solving mode!.

A middle-aged man in Ochafu village Igbeagu community in Izzi Local Government Area of Ebonyi State, Nwedene Godwin, yesterday committed suicide in frustration.
The late Godwin, until his death,, had been traumatized which made him start behaving abnormally after he lost three of his motorcycles in Abuja as a commercial motorcyclist. The situation forced him to return home to his village.
Sources close to the deceased’s family revealed to Leadership that when he could not bear his sudden poor condition anymore, he chose to hang himself on a tree in a bush where his body was found dangling.
The wife, Kelechi, who is nursing a year and two-month-old baby said her husband had suffered setbacks in his motorcycle business on three occasions in Abuja where he was residing.
She noted that Godwin bought three motorcycles and lost all of them to hoodlums.
Kelechi who spoke in tears said since the incidents, her husband never recovered from the shock, even when she keep consoling him to hope in God for recovery.
“My husband has been behaving strangely since he lost all his motorcycles to robbers. He has been so traumatized, such that he can’t talk.
“At times I tried to force words out of him to tell me what his problem was, apart from the motorcycles he lost but he could not talk to me; he will just remain silent and look at me.’’
The woman disclosed that before she could return from an errand he sent her, he had gone to the bush and hanged himself on a tree.
On his part, Godwin’s father, Nwedene Aloji, said that he had been advising his son to forget what happened to his business and forge ahead as his future is bright so long as he lives.
He said Godwin had seemed to take the advice and nodded in appreciation only to later commit suicide.
A team of policemen from Iboko, Izzi local government division went to the bush where Godwin committed suicide and saw him hanging on a tree and later confirmed him dead.
http://www.leadership.ng/news/485232/suicide-man-kills-self-hardship-ebonyi

The Deeper Christian Life Ministry, DLCC has announced its national December retreat with the theme, ‘Readiness for Christ’s Return.’

The General Superintendent, Pastor William F. Kumuyi, said the focus this time around would be on preparing saints for Christ’s return, adding that it will also afford participants the opportunity of experiencing divine intervention in their lives.

Pastor Kumuyi stated that although the current socio-economic challenges in the country may have so much agitated the minds of many citizens, he nevertheless urged Nigerians to lessen their apprehension and fear about the coming year, urging them to place their absolute trust in God.

The cleric’s assurances were contained in a statement signed on his behalf by Pastor Jerry Asemota, the Church Secretary, which formally announced the national December retreat.

“At this time, we must emphasise, once again, the need for people to think beyond their existence here; we want them to know that there is a place far better than this present world. Whatever anyone may be enjoying here cannot be compared to what God has prepared for those who love Him in Heaven. Whether we eat or drink, we must, always, be conscious of the coming of the Lord Jesus Christ,” he said.

The retreat, which starts from December 24 will end on Sunday, December 27.

The programme will hold at the DLCC, Km 42, Lagos-Ibadan Expressway, and in all the states of the federation.

It will be streamed live via satellite from DLCC to other centres in Nigeria, Africa, Europe, America and other continents of the world where the church has its branches.
http://www.vanguardngr.com/2015/12/we-want-to-prepare-saints-for-christs-coming-at-this-retreat-kumuyi/