₦airaland Forum

I am absolutely shocked at the hatred between a few Igbos and Yorubas -perhaps its only on Nairaland or for real? The insults and pettiness are simply incredible and unbelievable even when there is so much inter-marriage and even worshipping together. I know many on both sides dont share the hatred. I plead with those who are aggrieved and trading insults, dont poison your children and the rest of us. Whatever happened during the civil war or the last elections shouldnt reduce us to middle east-type hatred. I fear this resentment may someday blow out into real violence somewhere. Whatever happened to tolerance, love, forgiveness and forbearance? It is unjustiable, inexcusable and unacceptable to fight each other because of politicians who are ripping us off and ripping us apart to feather their own nest.

got back from a life-changing a 2-week adventure across Spain and Portugal a little over a month ago.

I explored Madrid, where my love of traveling first hit me. I met up with my friend who is teaching abroad in Nerja and ended my trip in the oh-so-charming Lisbon.

It was perfect and exactly what I needed. I was working all the time for months prior, so this vacation was my much needed break and a restart button on my life and debt repayment goals.

Whenever I tell people about traveling though, most people instantly ask me, “But isn’t traveling expensive?” Yes, it is. But it doesn’t have to be as expensive as you think. I managed to travel abroad for 2 weeks and spend just under $1,000.

Here’s how I did it.

I Travel Hacked the Flight

Airfare is often the biggest budget buster in anyone’s vacation. My flight would have cost $1,400 round trip, but instead it was $63. I signed up for an airline rewards credit card, got the sign-on bonus, and soon enough I had miles to go abroad.

Fun fact: you only need 40,000 American Airline miles to go abroad off-season, which is October 15 – May 15. I just had to pay taxes and fees, but I won’t complain about $63. This obviously cut out a huge portion of my budget and freed up a lot of money. If you are a responsible credit user — meaning you pay your balances in full every month and keep your balances low — travel hacking may be a sweet option.

If it’s not your thing, or you don’t want to be tempted by credit cards, I recommend sites like Travelzoo to find good deals.

Accommodations on the Cheap

I stayed in hostels for the majority of my time in Spain and Portugal. Hostels can get a bad rap, but I don’t mind them. Some of them are actually quite nice and wonderful, like the one I stayed at in Lisbon. It was a space that was inside a train station overlooking the city center.

I spent on average $20 per night to share a room with 4-6 other females. This even included breakfast in some cases. I am the type of traveler that likes to explore and be out, so I just wanted a place to rest my head and put down my stuff. The hostel was perfect for me. Most hostels even have private rooms, if you want some privacy or if you are traveling with a partner. If you are looking for free accommodations, you can CouchSurf, or volunteer at a hostel. I met many volunteers who worked fairly easy jobs a few hours a week for free food and accommodation.

In addition to staying in hostels, I also stayed with my friend for free. It was great to experience her town and stay with her.

Frugal Food

One of the hardest things about traveling is the prospect of eating out three times a day. That, plus traveling all day can easily lead to spending too much money. I know that one of my spending triggers is when I’m tired and hungry, so I packed up several granola bars and oatmeal packs for the road. I had no idea how much these little snacks would save me from easily spending $10 at a Starbucks for an easy and quick meal.

For example, I got to the airport at 5 am — a time I am generally never awake — and I was starving.

Instead of heading to Starbucks, I ate my granola bar. And the best part? I got free Starbucks coffee as soon as I boarded the plane. Bringing my own snacks and breakfast really helped keep costs low. I get lured into spending money on anything in sight when I’m hungry and tired — and when you are traveling, it’s usually quite expensive.

I kept my lunches frugal and generally had cheap sandwiches from the local shops. Dinner was my splurge.

Low-Cost Entertainment

You don’t have to spend a lot of money when traveling abroad to have fun. For me, walking around and getting lost is half the fun. I just like seeing things with new eyes and exploring new streets.

I went to many museums during their free hours for my culture fix. I saw live music in the park as part of their free programming. I went to festivals celebrating Saints. All of these activities were free and remarkably fun.

I still think my favorite activity is just walking for a very long time and finding myself in a cute cafe. Once there, I like to read or journal.

Traveling doesn’t have to cost an arm and a leg. Sure, your situation may be different depending on your family situation, goals, and travel preferences. But there are always ways you can save money on travel.

In my opinion, travel is always worth the expense.
http://businessdayonline.com/2015/07/going-to-europe-with-less-than-1000-2/

BizBayo:
There is difference between interbank exchange rate and the parallel market.

Interbank rate stands between 196 and 199. This is the official exchange rate.

The parallel markets are the bureau de change, all these hausas into exchange business. Don't mind those saying rubbish. The past administration has spoiled a lot of things that are just been uncovered to us now.

We should not be bothered by the parallel market.

Bros, thanks but why shouldnt we bother about the parallel market? Even my Bank is charging virtually parallel market rate for mastercard withdrawal overseas! I am not an economist, but some persons have argued that the parallel market reflects the true value of the Naira than the official rates.

The Chairman of the Nigeria Labour Congress, NLC, in Osun State, Comrade Jacob Adekomi yesterday announced that workers in the state would resume their suspended industrial action with immediate effect. Adekomi, who spoke on the Nigerian Television Authority, NTA, late evening of yesterday, insisted that workers should not resume as earlier directed.

The reason, according to him was that some workers were not even paid up to 50per cent of their salaries for the salary paid by the state government, while some received 50 per cent and many are yet to receive theirs. Earlier yesterday, Osun State labour leaders had said that they were poised for a fresh confrontation with the state government over what it described as government insincerity on the payment of the workers’ salaries in the state for the months of January and February. Leaders of the workers in the state argued that, the agreement reached in the memorandum of understanding signed with the government to suspend workers strike on Monday has not been adhered to by the government.

They lamented that the government has betrayed the agreement by paying level one to seven workers their full January salary while those on level eight and above were only paid half of their salaries for the same periods. The labour leaders stressed also that, some workers are yet to receive banks alert, indicating the payment of their salaries.

Adekomi had told journalists yesterday that workers in the state would meet today or tomorrow (Thursday) in a congress to determine the next line of action. He stated that, the 50 per cent salaries in the state was rejected and unacceptable to the generality of the state workers and assured workers that, there would be no retreat, until the government agree to their position.

The NLC chairman while addressing the issue of those who are yet to receive alert on their salaries, he charged them to remain in their various homes until, they are alerted. In its reaction, the All Progressive Congress (APC) Director Of Publicity and Director and Strategy, Barrister Kunle Oyatomi said: “the 50 percent received by the workers in the state was programmed before yesterday meeting with the labour leaders.”
http://newtelegraphonline.com/nlc-orders-osun-workers-to-continue-strike/

989900:
check page 3

Thanks a lot. Apparently, my Bank charges same rate as the prevailing blackmarket rate when you withdraw cash with debit master card abroad. In otherwords, in my case, the "Bank rate" is same as "Black market rate". Not a good one at all!

Can anyone clarify what rate the Bank uses for mastercard debit cash withdrawals abroad? My Bank (name withheld) seems to be charging same rate as blackmarket when you withdraw forex overseas!

Can anyone clarify what rate the Bank uses for mastercard debit cash withdrawals abroad? My Bank (name withheld) seems to be charging same rate as blackmarket when you withdraw forex overseas!

One man who was 99.99% certain of being appointed national security adviser (NSA) by President Muhammadu Buhari was Abdulrahman Bello Dambazau — until two weeks ago when his stock began to fall.

Dambazau, who was removed as chief of army staff and then retired as a lieutenant general in 2010 by former President Goodluck Jonathan, was one person whose appointment was thought to be a mere formality.

He was, in other words, the NSA-in-waiting and he was already behaving like one.

But Buhari surprisingly appointed Babagana Monguno, a retired major general, as NSA in the much-awaited shake-up of his security cabinet on Monday.

Presidential sources told TheCable that the case against Dambazau started building up a few weeks ago as Buhari began to finalise his list for the key security appointments.

One of the sources said: “Buhari initially wanted Ibrahim Coomassie, former inspector general of police, as NSA, but so much argument was made about Coomassie’s age. He is just 69, but it seems those who made that argument carried the day.
“That is how Dambazau moved to the top of the list as the favourite. However, several issues came up in the process of taking a final decision. One, Buhari does not want any officer who has held positions that exposed them to a lot of money. As it were, he wanted ‘innocent’ military officers to spearhead his security agenda. If you look at the new appointments, most of the security chiefs have never held what we call ‘plum’ positions in Nigeria.

“Buhari wants to re-professionalise the military. Those who have had questions asked about their past stewardship eventually fell down the list. He liked Dambazau a lot but he could not dismiss the case against him.”

Also, his tenure in the army was reviewed and some of the facts that emerged did not do him any favours.

“The Boko Haram insurgency budded under his watch as army chief, with Gen. Sarki Mukhtar as NSA. The No. 1 security priority of Buhari is to tackle Boko Haram. Dambazau’s CV was not glittering in that aspect. It was going to be a questionable appointment,” the source added.

Another presidential source said Buhari would still accommodate the retired general from Kano, who was the first chief of army staff to hold a PhD when former President Umaru Musa Yar’Adua appointed him in 2009.
“The fact that Dambazau did not get the NSA position does not mean he has been blacklisted by Buhari. He is still highly regarded. But you cannot question the choice of Gen. Babagana Monguno as the NSA. He comes highly recommended and he has an enviable record. He is upright.

“He was unfairly retired because Jonathan wanted to make Gen. Kenneth Minimah army chief. So Minimah’s mates and seniors had to go. It was not as if Monguno did anything wrong or was found wanting,” the source added.

Dambazau’s failure to get the NSA slot was all the more shocking because he seemed primed to play the role right from the campaign days.

He was the head of the security committee of the APC campaign organisation, and was always around Buhari in the days leading to the May 29 inauguration as well as after the president assumed office.

Dambazau toured Aso Rock together with Buhari in the last days of Jonathan, and appeared prominently in all the pictures.
He also travelled with Buhari to the G7 summit in Bavaria, Germany, on June 7 — before travelling with him to Johannesburg, South Africa, for the 25th African Union summit.

TheCable understands that he played a major role in the security arrangements for Buhari, including the appointment of Muhammed Lawal Abubakar, a lieutenant colonel, as ADC to the president.

Dambazau also prayed regularly with Buhari at the state house mosque.
https://www.thecable.ng/exclusive-dambazau-lost-nsa-race

Anazp:
u have no idea about wat u saying. Abacha was CDS before he became head of state. he was CDS to Babaginda and Shonekan. wat the heck are u talking about. abdulsalami abubakar was also CDS before he became head of state

I wont drag with you - of course you are right but I very well know what I am saying. I wish we were speaking offline. We are on the same page. CDS is the oga no doubt about it. He is senior but I restate that depending on the character and government, always watch the COAS too. We all know Abacha and I may add Domkat Bali too were powerful CDS but go an ask any insider for insight on when Dambazzau was Chief of Army Staff under Yar'Adua. Men, that guy had powers. Who was the CDS then? I cant even remember. Do you know why Jonathan kept Ihejirika as COAS when he could have made him CDS and why the new COAS is from Borno State? I have no further comments. You take CDS and give me Chief of Army Staff in Nigeria. Have nice day.

Anazp:
u dont know wat u saying stop spewing thrash. he's the CDS commanding the army navy ad air force. they all report to him and then him with the defence minister to the president

I fully agree with you and I also know what I am saying. CDS is the most senior and superior but go and dig into political history and find out from guys on the ground on how it works -there are unspoken vibes. Go into the history of coup making in Nigeria and you will know if push comes to shove whether it is better to have control of the Chief of Army Staff or CDS. In the real world of Nigeria, the C-in-C wont compromise the COAS but can allow a moderate to be CDS. COAS must be fiercely loyal. CDS for Naija na oga for name and salute!

topsyking:
haters who told you that;
anything done must pass throught the table of chief of defence staff that is why he is the highest ranking military officer of the Nigerian Armed Forces

Please what exactly have you said? You have ONLY affrimed what I said -that CDS is superior.

Prior to his appointment, he may not be the most senior but once appointed, the CDS is nearly always elevated to a rank above the Service Chiefs and he is the senior please. At anytime, the CDS is the most senior and he is the Chairman Joint Chiefs of Staff. The only thing is that in reality for Naija, the position no dey command troops oh. The real deal na Chief of Army Staff and thats why I was watching both the NSA and Chief of Army Staff appointments -no surprises at all!

astana1:
The people who were appointed where from the affected region (North east). You can not appoint someone from North-west to oversee something that doesn't affect him talkless of someone from the south east

A needless point because most JTF commanders in the Niger Delta have been from the North!

2muchopoTBdope:
The Changes happening are rily unpredictable and m enjoying dem buh my joy will be fullest d day I will start collecting CHANGE at filling station.

I dont see anything unpredictable sir. I long expected that either the NSA or Chief of Army Staff or both will be Northerners and as it is, both are! I'm not saying they aren't competent oh!

arabbunkum:
Final fulstop on BH

Amen!

dustydee:
I hope he's the serious and dedicated type.

Of course na! He is a competent Northerner and more of them will be announced.

Very competent Northerner has been named as replacement! Change!

[quote author=snadguy007 post=35816917]Ope oo. Public holiday on Monday and Tuesday. Can't wait [/quote
]
Please lets know quickly whether the holiday would be Thursday and Friday, Friday and Monday or Monday and Tuesday. All na long weekend sha!

NiftyViva:
I hope their replacements wont be one-sided like other appointments

Which one be one-sided na? Either the Chief of Army Staff or the NSA or both would still come from that side jor!

Sacking service chiefs isnt breaking news! The breaking news is that even after a long delayed sack, a formal announcement of immediate replacements has not been made? Are they still consulting about that? Dont tell me to be patient jor! This is completely unbelievable! The sack and replacements should be made in same immediate announcement.

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An ego war, arising from a spurned offer, which has pitted House of Representatives Speaker, Hon. Yakubu Dogara, against his rival for the speakership, Hon. Femi Gbajabiamila, is at the heart of the current impasse over the emergence of principal officers, New Telegraph has learnt.

Sources said at the weekend that the failure of Gbajabiamila, who lost the speakership to Dogara by marginal votes of eight, to yield to the demand of having Dogara as his deputy when the odds favoured the former Minority Leader to emerge as speaker, is at the root of the current impasse in the House. Despite a directive by the All Progressives Congress (APC) that Gbajabiamila should be the Majority Leader, the speaker and his supporters have kicked against it.

After a series of peace talks, the speaker’s group, last week, shifted ground a bit by conceding the position of House Leader to the Gbajabiamila group, but with a proviso that the former minority leader should not be the one to take the post. But the Gbajabiamila group has rejected the proposal, insisting on the sanctity of the APC list of principal officers sent to the House.

Following the impasse, the two opposing groups are calling for election for the emergence of the principal officers. It was also learnt that the leadership crisis rocking the two chambers of the National Assembly, Senate and House, has stymied efforts to constitute committees by the legislature. According to sources, when former Governor of Lagos State, Senator Bola Tinubu, enlisted the support of the then Speaker and now Governor of Sokoto State, Hon. Aminu Tambuwal, to make Gbajabiamila speaker of the Eighth National Assembly, the deal was to have Dogara as the deputy.

“Tinubu contacted Tambuwal to help with the project. Initially, Tambuwal expressed doubts about Gbajabiamila’s ability to manage the affairs of the House without being impeached. This is based on his not too cozy relationship with his colleagues. “Notwithstanding, the APC national leader asked Tambuwal to do this for him.

The governor met with Dogara and his group to accept the deputy speakership, which they accepted. But Gbajabiamila rejected the arrangement on the strength that his group had adopted Mohammed Monguno from Borno State. That was how the alliance broke down,” a lawmaker privy to the deal told New Telegraph. Tinubu was said to have been assured that without Dogara, the Gbajabiamila speakership was a done deal.

The last attempt by the Dogara group to broker a deal with Gbajabiamila failed on June 5 when the leadership of the APC conducted a mock election. With most APC members- elect on the side of Gbajabiamila, Dogara knew he could not win the mock election. At the venue of the election, Dogara again offered to be Gbajabiamila’s deputy. Again, Gbajabiamila turned down the offer, the source added. “We had already picked Monguno as deputy, so there was no way we could adopt Dogara as deputy.

This is strictly based on trust. As at that time, we were confident of winning. That informed our decision,” a pro-Gbajabiamila lawmaker told our reporter. Gbajabiamila had earlier rejected Hon. Abdulmumini Jibrin as deputy. A press conference to announce the alliance was cancelled at the last minute.

Today, Jibrin is one of the arrowheads of Dogara group. He is the spokesman of the group. A senior member of the APC confirmed to New Telegraph that the rejection by the Gbajabiamila group informed the current resistance by the speaker to have his rival as the House Leader.

“The position of leader of the House is sensitive. You can’t have your major opponent as the occupant of the office. Dogara will rather prefer someone else than having Gbajabiamila as the leader. If Dogara had not won the election, he would have lost out. So, this is just a payback time.

For someone to have denied him the privilege of serving as deputy speaker, there is no basis to have him as a principal officer,” a pro- Dogara lawmaker said. But a member of the House cited the case of Tambuwal and Hon. Mulikat Adeola-Akande in the Seventh Assembly.

The duo contested for the speakership. While Tambuwal emerged speaker in 2011, Hon. Adeola-Akande was the choice of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) for the Majority Leader and she was accepted. However, the argument of the Dogara group against the Adeola- Akande’s comparison is that the scenario did not deprive any of the six geopolitical zones of representatives in the principal officers produced by the majority party in the House.

They added that the South-West has already produced Dogara’s deputy in the person of Hon. Yusuf Lasun and if Gbajabiamila should emerge the House Leader, the geopolitical zone will have two slots in the principal officers’ positions while the North-Central, which also contributed immensely to the APC electoral success will have no representatives. Meanwhile, more than a month after the National Assembly was inaugurated, both Senate President Bukola Saraki and Dogara are yet to constitute standing committees due to absence of selection committees.

The selection committee is responsible for the nomination of members into standing committees of each chamber. Although, the standing orders of the two chambers stipulate that some special committees shall be established within the first 30 days after the first sitting, the presiding officers are handicapped because the selection committee is composed of principal officers yet to be decided, particularly in the House.

The committee on selection consists of all presiding and principal officers and other members representing the six geopolitical zones. Although the Senate president, two weeks ago, announced principal officials, he can’t appoint chairmen and member of standing committees. Besides, the leadership as announced by the Senate president, is still being contested by the APC.

Dogara, on the other hand, has set up five ad hoc committees without the selection committee because they are engrossed in a tussle over the constitution of majority principal officers. Order 18 Rule 118 (1) states that “there shall be a committee on selection appointed or constituted at the commencement of every assembly to perform the functions allocated to it by these rules, and for such other matters as the House may from time to time refer to it.”

Order 118(2) of the rule says “the committee on selection shall consist of the speaker, deputy speaker, House leader, House whip and minority leadership; provided that the speaker, if the need arises, may co-opt other members into the committee and shall, by so doing, reflect the equality of the geopolitical zones” According to Rule 118 (4) (a) to (d) “the committees’ jurisdiction shall cover nominating members to serve on standing committees and special committees; nominating such members as may be going on parliamentary delegations other than committees; monitor, review and evaluate, at least quarterly, the performance of committees, chairmen and deputy chairmen of committees.” It was learnt that until the leadership crisis is resolved, the legislature may not function optimally.
http://newtelegraphonline.com/reason-gbajabiamila-cant-be-majority-leader/

The race to succeed the Comptroller General of Customs, Alhaji Abdulahi Dikko Inde, has begun amid uncertainty over his tenure. Although it is unclear if President Muhammadu Buhari would remove him just as he is expected to oust other heads of arms of the military and paramilitary agencies, New Telegraph gathered at the weekend that some influential people have lined out their preferred candidates they would want the president to pick as Inde’s successor.

It was learnt that a former president and an influential member of the All Progressives Congress (APC) were pressuring the president to unseat Dikko, whose tenure was renewed in 2013. The duo, a source confided in New Telegraph, is pushing forward different candidates as a replacement for Inde.

The source said the APC chieftain and the former president became interested in the succession race after learning that Buhari might have agreed to allow the South West to fill the CG’s slot, whenever it became vacant. Dikko, from Katsina State, was first appointed as Comptroller General of one of the nation’s income spinners in August 2009 by the late President Umaru Musa Yar’Adua. But Buhari, who is said to be undecided about Dikko as a result of pressures from his kinsmen to retain him, is set to carry out a comprehensive overhaul of the nation’s security and paramilitary services.

The Presidency has, however, described the report as speculative. ‘Speculation needs no reply’, Presidential Adviser on Media and Publicity, Femi Adesina replied in a text message to our correspondent on the issue. The source said while the former president was rooting for Dr David Olusegun Agbaje, the APC bigwig was pushing for Mr. Ade Dosunmu, a Lagos prince, as a likely successor to Dikko. Both Agbaje and Dosunmu, aside from being from South West, are Assistant Comptrollers-General of Customs manning various strategic divisions in the agency.

“When people talk of the president being too slow, they do not seem to understand that care has to be taken when appointments are to be made. “For instance, some people from my zone came to me to insist that certain positions in some government agencies should be conceded to us, but you see, the intricacies of governance are such that the more you are hopeful, the less likely you are going to get the position due to certain factors. “In the case in point, that is the Customs issue, our people need to know the details of the politics there.

Yes we are good to go, but not good to have it for some reasons. “It is true we came to power as a party, but there are certain powerful forces in the country that contributed immensely to the change of government that we now have. Can you ignore such people in any way? Certainly not.

“That is why, rather than just saying the next in rank should be this and that, it is just impossible because there are deep rooted issues when we talk of things like that,” the source said. According to him, the next CG may come from the South-West as it appears the president has already made some commitments in that regard.

“The thing is like a fait accompli; the South-West might take it and the two big men (former president and APC bigwig) are already on each other’s throat for it; they want their choices which is understandable in lobbying”, he stated. But he expressed fears that Inde’s successor might not spend up to three years.

“I suspect that whoever comes in eventually might just spend less than three years and the thing returns to the North,’ he said. If the lobby sails through, the six Deputy Comptrollers-General of the service would be eased out. They are Ibrahim Mera from Kebbi State (North-West), Gabriel Aliu from Kogi (North-Central) and Tahir Musa from Yobe (North-East).

Others are Chukwuma Nwosu from Enugu State (South-East), Ade Adewuyi from Oyo (South- West) as well as John Atte, from Bayelsa (South-South). Also likely to be affected are rank mates of both Agbaje and Dosunmu in case either of them is considered by the president.

Those in this category are Dan Ugo from Benue, Patience Iferi from Cross River, Austin Warikoru from Bayelsa, Robert Alu from Nasarawa State; Paul Ukaigwe, Imo; Ahmed Mohammed, Jigawa; Adesina Odunmbaku, Lagos State; Bello Liman from Sokoto State, Monday Abueh from Rivers state and Ifeoma Okoli, Anambra.

Agbaje, who holds a PhD in English Studies, had served in various capacities in the Customs before he was promoted to the position of an Assistant Comptroller-General in January 2010. Agbaje will be due for retirement on October 13, 2017 when he would have attained the mandatory 35 years in service.

On his part, Dosunmu, considered within the service as equally brilliant, is lower in years of service than Agbaje. He is younger and has more years to serve in the Customs, having just been promoted to the rank of ACG in 2013. He has a minimum of five years to go in service.
http://newtelegraphonline.com/lobby-to-oust-customs-boss-begins/

The Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Defence, Ismaila Aliyu, is battling the National Security Adviser (NSA), Col. Sambo Dasuki, for the control of the nation's security apparatus, especially the counter-terrorism and counter-insurgency operations in the North-east.

Presidential sources, on Saturday, disclosed that there were spirited attempts to take the execution of the war against terror away from the Office of the NSA (ONSA), where it had been domiciled, to the Ministry of Defence anchored by the permanent secretary and other influential individuals around President Muhammadu Buhari.

The source noted that “the simmering cold war blew open recently when Dasuki reversed what seems to be an ill-advised announcement by Aliyu that all military checkpoints should be dismantled across the country.”

While responding to THISDAY enquiries, the source noted that similar to the rivalry between the Department of the State Security (DSS) and the military forces within the Aso Rock Villa, there is an orchestrated plan by some powerful individuals close to Buhari to hijack the coordination of the anti-terror war from the ONSA, using Aliyu as the arrow head.
http://www.thisdaylive.com/articles/defence-perm-sec-battles-nsa-for-control-of-counter-terrorism-operations/214383/

The source warned that the "ill-advised directive and apparent lack of a coordinated perspective in the President's security team could either backfire or jeopardise the whole security operations.”

According to the source, the rule of law is being jettisoned and security structures being handed over to those who have little knowledge or lacked the capacity to manage the country's counter-terrorism operations.

"I don't really know but from the feeling I am getting, it seems the President's current security operations is being handled by the Permanent Secretary of Defence under the supervision of the former Chief of Army Staff. But this should not be so, because according to the Terrorism (Prevention) Amendment Act 2013, NSA is the major coordinating body with the Attorney-General of the Federation/ Minister of Justice (AGF/MJ).

"However, what you are seeing today is confusion about who is in charge of the President's war against terror, and the law is very clear about this. Consequently, we have two camps right now; with the Permanent Secretary Ministry of Defence, the former COAS and other forces on one hand and the NSA and the Service Chiefs on the other hand.”

The source cited Section 2, sub-Section 1 of the Principal Act (amended), tagged: Coordinating Bodies, which spells out the roles of The Office of the National Security Adviser as follows:
“(a) provide support to all relevant security, intelligence, law enforcement agencies and military services to prevent and combat acts of terrorism in Nigeria;
(b) ensure the effective formulation and implementation of a comprehensive counter-terrorism strategy for Nigeria;
(c) build capacity for the effective discharge of the functions of all relevant security, intelligence, law enforcement and military services under this Act or any other law on terrorism in Nigeria; and
(d) do such other acts or things that are necessary for the effective performance of the functions of the relevant security and enforcement agencies under this Act."

Also, "the Section 2, sub-section (2) said: The Attorney-General of the Federation shall be the authority for the effective implementation and administration of this Act and shall strengthen and enhance the existing legal framework to ensure – terrorism laws and policies with international standards and United Nations Conventions on Terrorism;
(b) maintain international co-operation required for preventing and combating international acts of terrorism; and
(c) the effective prosecution of terrorism matters."

It would be recalled that Aliyu, after a security meeting last month, announced that the president had ordered the dismantling of military roadblocks and directed the police to take over internal security. But the NSA later clarified that President Buhari never ordered the dismantling of all the roadblocks, following a renewed onslaught of Boko Haram attacks.

Dasuki, had after meeting with top military and security chiefs in his office in Abuja on Thursday, clarified that the directive of the president was never a blanket order to remove all military checkpoints.

The NSA, in what seems like a direct swipe at the directive given by the Permanent Secretary, noted that the military roadblocks in flashpoints would continue to be maintained while those in relatively peaceful areas would be dismantled but soldiers would continue to be positioned in those areas while not blocking roads.

He said it was both conventional and in tandem with the global practice for governments to increase security measures whenever insecurity is heightened and appealed to citizens to endure the temporary inconvenience the roadblocks may cause.

He said that the essential security checkpoints in vulnerable areas were a “necessary inconvenience” to ensure criminals and terrorists do not have easy passage.

Not to be outdone, THISDAY gathered that the anti-Dasuki forces have also leaked some information and articles circulating in various online media alleging that President Buhari rejected NSA's resignation letter.
According to one of the reports, Buhari was said to have rejected the resignation letter of Dasuki on the grounds that he had to account for funds received under his tenure running into billions of dollars.

However on further inquiries, a source close to ONSA has dismissed the reports as rumours and fabrication to tarnish the image of Dasuki, while enhancing their own chances for political patronage and appointments.

THE Inspector-General of Police (IGP), Mr Solomon Arase, on Saturday evening, ordered the withdrawal of police from entrances into secretariats of the 23 local government areas in Rivers State.

Men and officers of the state police command, acting upon the order of the IGP, had, on Friday, barricaded the main gates of the various local government secretariats across the state.

The action followed the nullification of the council poll conducted on May 23, 2015 by the Rivers State Independent Electoral Commission (RISIEC), by a Federal High Court in Port Harcourt, on Thursday.

In his ruling, Justice Lambo Akanbi of the Federal High Court had declared that RISIEC flagrantly disobeyed the law by conducting the election and consequent upon the judgment, Governor Nyesom Wike sworn in 22 chairmen of caretaker committees to the affected 22 local government areas.

The governor also directed the caretaker chairmen to resume in their various offices last week Friday, only to see heavy presence of the police, barring movements into the secretariats.

Governor Wike, while alerting the people of the state to the action of the police, expressed worries that the law enforcement agency could act contrary to the decision of a court which nullified the local council poll.

However, in a news report monitored on a Port Harcourt-based radio station, on Sunday, the IGP said he directed his officers to take over the council secretariats in the state, oblivious of the court ruling.

Speaking on the latest development, the governor said he had a telephone conversation with the police boss who, he said, admitted that he (Arase) was not aware of the true picture of things concerning the court ruling.

The governor said his latest instruction to the caretaker chairmen was based on his discussion with Arase who, he said, had instructed his men to withdraw from the various local government secretariats in the state.

He said he made it known to the police boss that he (Wike) did not dissolve the elected local council chairmen, but that their election was nullified through a court pronouncement.

"I also made it known that, even if I was the one that dissolved the local councils, why is the case of Rivers State being treated in isolation, after all, some other states dissolved local councils and the police did not take over the council secretariats," he said.

Meanwhile, the state chapter of the All Progressives Congress (APC) has denied the allegation that it was the mastermind of the takeover of the local council secretariats by the police.

The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) had alleged that APC was behind the incident and called for the arrest of its state publicity secretary, Mr Chris Fynebone, who was reported to have instructed APC members to defy the new local council caretaker chairmen.

However, Rivers APC chairman, Dr Davies Ikanya, in a statement issued on Sunday, said the party had no hand in the police taking over the state local government secretariats.

“The accusation is watery, baseless and without foundation. APC, as a party, has nothing to do with the police taking over the local government secretariats in Rivers State.

"We are not a lawless party like PDP that used the police and other security organs to make the state virtually ungovernable during their time in power at the centre,” he said.
http://tribuneonlineng.com/igp-orders-withdrawal-police-rivers-lg-secretariats

AS the tenure of Mallam Ibrahim Mori Baba, the Post-Master General of NIPOST ends next month, a succession battle has surfaced among members of its hierarchy, over who takes over the top job.

Some of them are worried that the outgoing Post-Master General maybe scheming to hand over to his preferred candidate from the North-Central, thereby rubbishing the principle of Federal Character in such appointment.

Mori Baba, is from the North-West, a zone from where the last two occupants of the seat hailed from.

Abubakar Argungu held the post from 2000 to 2005 before being replaced by Mora Baba, who had remained in the position till date.

Record obtained from NIPOST on history of appointments showed that from 1985 to 1989, the post was zoned to the South-East under Thomas Ike; from 1989 to 1994, it was zoned to the North-West under Mr Nathaniel Zome; from 1994 to 1995 and 2000, it was zoned to South-West under Mr Bamidele (in acting capacity) and Mr Taiwo Olukolu.

The South-South region has never held the post of the Post-Master General in its 150 years of establishment.

It was gathered that those angling for the position were Deputy Post-Master General (Mail Operations), Osadolor Eboigbodin (Edo); Deputy Post-Master General (Special Duties), Richard Balami (Borno) and Deputy Post-Master General (Engineering and Technical Services) Arch. Ade Ogun (Kwara).

Others are Deputy Post-Master General (Human Resoures Managment); Chibiri Ndahi (Borno); acting Deputy Post-Master General (Finance and Investment) Joseph Ariyo (Ekiti) and Deputy Post-Master General (Counter Operations) Emmanuel Emem (Benue).

It was gathered that the struggle for the top job and the perceived marginalisation of a section of the country was causing apprehension in the organisation.

A NIPOST source, who wanted to remain anonymous, said if the outgoing Post-Master General handed over to the candidate from the North-Central, it would amount to sacrificing “professionalism, experience, exposure and integrity in the selection of Post-Master General.”

The source cited more qualified individuals for the post, including Eboigbodin from the South-South, who has never held the post, saying, “if you look at the records of all the contenders, he is way above them, as he has served in many stations and departments than others.”
http://tribuneonlineng.com/succession-battle-rages-nipost-boss-retires-soon

I wish you know the lawlessness and wickedness going on! Come here and tell me "to be patient" when lives are being wasted by agents of the satan and politicians are politicking even after elections.

mzceebaby:
Am having the same issues, I applied for a Netherlands visitation visa through the belgium vfs Lagos on the 1st of June, I was told to wait for 12-15 working days now it's almost 6 weeks my status still reads your application has been forwarded to the Belgium Embassy, my travel date is August 6th, I mailed the Embassy no response, reading you all were denied gives me the chills, how long do I have to wait? Please what were the reasons given after you were denied?

I dont know for those who were denied but my friend's own is still pending -he submitted since 14th May! It became 8 weeks last Monday and will be 2 calendar months on Tuesday. Its completely unacceptable and unbelievable.

freddie2014:
Hi Op,

Read your story and am WOW!!!

We applied for French visa, using the Vsf office same date you posted this topic, I had been pre-informed by friends about the annoying delay from the embassy. I called the Embassy and asked them that i heard that they do delay in issuing applicant visa if its true and if i should apply, They just asked that different strokes for different folks and if i choose to apply i should go ahead.

We did send in our application and it took exactly 15 days and the visa's were out. so i come dey wonder when i read your story ooo.

Just put am for prayer too!

Indeed someone who applied for French visa got his within same time frame as yours but Visa through the Belgium Embassy is something else I tell you! Anyone with contrary experience?

The gate of hell will never prevail.

While we can afford internet data to come online and insult each other, human beings like you and me are being wasted. These statistics are real flesh and blood. Shame on satan and his agents! They will always be defeated. Quit the politicking, excuse-making and blame game. Somebody needs to get to work!

We cannot make progress by wasting time comparing with Jonathan or castigating Buhari. We have a new President that promised sweeping and speedy changes. He should quickly constitute a full government and be more pragmatic. If you know what is happening in the affected States and they bring corpses of your family members home, you wont have time to post on Nairaland. We are praying for Buhari and we want him to succeed. Part of our duty is to communicate that in the last few weeks, the killings have clearly increased and is spreading. Telling us that the killings are "the last kicks of a dying horse" is to copy and paste what the last government told us and they were voted out.