Presidency unveils Buhari’s economic team

The Presidency has disclosed that President Muhammadu Buhari has an economic management team.

 The Senior Special Assistant to the Vice President on Media and Publicity, Mr Laolu Akande, disclosed this in a telephone interview with our correspondent last light.

 Akande was reacting to a media report that quoted some economic experts as urging the president to form his economic team.

 According to him, the economic team of President Buhari has been put in place since the inauguration of the Federal Executive Council (FEC) last November.

EXCLUSIVE: Despite cash crunch, public outcry, Saraki takes delivery of new N330million exotic cars

The Senate President, Bukola Saraki, has taken delivery of new exotic cars purchased by the National Assembly management for his official use, brushing aside widespread criticisms against such lavish spending at a time of national economic crisis.
PREMIUM TIMES had exclusively reported that the Nigerian legislative body proposed to splash about N4.7 billion on at least 400 vehicles for leaders and members of the Senate and House of Representatives.

On Sunday Oliseh's resignation...

What are your thoughts concerning the Super Eagles coach? Will you miss him?

He tweeted his resignation today from his official account.

According to NFF spokesperson, its a good riddance to bad rubbish

Share your thoughts with us. Whats the way forward concerning Nigerian football?

Of Issuing Arrest Warrant To Lamorde

The Nigerian Senate is to begin the process of issuing an arrest warrant to  former EFCC Chairman, Mr Ibrahim Lamorde.

At the continuation of legislative proceedings on Thursday, the Senate directed its Committee on Ethics Privileges and Public Petition to begin the process of issuing a warrant of arrest to the former Chairman of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) over allegations of diverting EFCC’s recovered loot.

The Senate Committee on Ethics is recommending that an arrest warrant be issued to the former anti-graft agency boss for failing to appear before the committee, despite several invitations from the committee.

The Ethics Committee has been investigating allegations levelled on Mr Lamorde by a petitioner, Mr George Uboh, who is asking the Senate to investigate the Former EFCC Chairman over allegations of Financial Crime and Corruption while in office

[Channels]

Let exchange rate reflect market forces, IMF tells Nigeria

The International Monetary Fund has called on the Federal Government to let the exchange rate reflect market forces.

It also urged the government to remove its restrictions on access to foreign exchange while it works to improve the functioning of the interbank foreign exchange market.

In a statement made available to our correspondent on Wednesday by the global financial body, the President Muhammadu Buhari administration was urged to reduce the cost of doing business in the country through the promotion of transparency and accountability.

“Eliminating existing macroeconomic imbalances and achieving sustained private sector-led growth requires a renewed focus on ensuring the competitiveness of the economy. As part of a credible package of policies, the exchange rate should be allowed to reflect market forces more and restrictions on access to foreign exchange removed, while improving the functioning of the interbank foreign exchange market (IFEM).

 “It will be important for the regulatory and supervisory frameworks to ensure a strong and resilient financial sector that can support private sector investment across production segments (including SMEs) at reasonable financing costs. Staff is supportive of the authorities’ ongoing efforts to promote targeted and core infrastructure (in power, integrated transport network, housing); reduce business environment costs through greater transparency and accountability, promote employment of youth and female populations,” the IMF said.

The statement said Nigeria needed to make key reforms in areas such as the Petroleum Industry Bill, anti-money laundering and fighting the financing of terrorism.

[Punch]

See what the Senate President tweeted this morning

@NGRSenate took a resolution to terminate transaction fee of 1% for e-collection for TSA, saving Nigeria 25billion

Osinbajo, Tinubu, Atiku, Saraki, others in closed-door meeting

Senior leaders of the ruling All Progressive Congress, APC, are currently meeting with Vice President Yemi Osinbajo.

The meeting is taking place at the presidential villa.

Those in attendance include Senate President Bukola Saraki, former Vice President Atiku Abubakar; former Lagos State governor, Bola Tinubu; APC national chairman, John Odigie-Oyegun; Deputy Speaker of the House of Representatives, Yusuf Lasun; Senate Leader, Ali Ndume; Secretary to the Government of the Federation, Babachir Lawal; and a former interim chairman of the party, Bisi Akande, among others.

The meeting is behind closed doors, and its agenda was not immediately clear.

More details Shortly …….

[Daily Trust]

2 Foreigners + 1 Nigerian = Commonsense By Pius Adesanmi.

I like the spirit and the intent of the commonsense yarns. I have shown that I have been on that train since at least 2006. If we disagree with the man currently anchoring it, it should not be mistaken for disagreement with the vision and the ideal. It is the crass opportunism, inconsistencies, and contradictions of the current commander-in-chief of commonsense that are at issue.

For instance, without disturbing Nigeria's sleep, Wole Soyinka always publishes his Intervention Series books with a Nigerian publishing company.

But you, who have been disturbing our sleep with #BuyNaijatoGrowNaija, you entitle your own book, A Commonsense Revolution, only to print it in America. Ever heard of Onibonoje Press in Ibadan? They have been around since Ajayi Crowther!

No do no do, your own name, Ben Murray-Bruce, is a minority on the book cover which features a foreign majority of one American and one Britico. No Nigerians could have given you a Foreword?

No do no do, one of your foreworders, Joe Trippi, is a notorious American yam eater, former boss of Reno Omokri, who after crashing Howard Dean's presidential campaign, 'borrowed himself some brain' and realized that he was better off eating yams in Nigeria than working as a political consultant in his own country, the USA. Kia kia, he became a consultant to President Jonathan and the PDP, earned himself the dream identity of every white man in Africa, "expatriate", and began to rake in millions in Abuja. I once wrote an op-ed asking President Jonathan to tell us how much the Nigerian tax payer was paying Joe Trippi for his services.

Dasuki may not be a tribalist because he spread his ATM to every Nigerian ethnic group. However, I suspect he is a racist otherwise we should have heard Joe Trippi's name in the revelations by now. Dasuki probably denied him yams on account of race.

It is this same American yam eater that has been invited to co-write the foreword to a book telling Nigerians to 'borrow' themselves commonsense!

The Nigerian citizen - footmat of the Nigerian elite since 19 gbogboro!

Photo Speak: Senate committee on Capital Market oversight visit to the corporate head office of Securities & Exchange Commission.

Senate committee on Capital Market oversight visit to the corporate head office of Securities & Exchange Commission.

Dambazau travels to Cameroon, Chad to strategize against internal security threats

According to Daily Post,  the Minister of Interior, Lt Gen. Abdurahman Dambazau (rtd), yesterday departed the country for a three-day visit to Cameroon and Chad, taking along with him the Inspector General of Police, Mr Solomon Arase, Comptroller-General of the Nigeria Immigration Service, Mr. Martins Abeshi, the Director General of NEMA, the Solicitor General of the Federation and other top government officials.

He is scheduled to, in the course of the visit, interface with the Interior ministers of Cameroon and Chad so as to strategize on internal security threats, especially those with cross border effects.

This was contained in a statement issued in Abuja by the minister’s media aide, Osaigbovo Ehisienmen, who explained that the visit is expected to develop into a robust platform for collaborative action, information sharing and improved border security to check inflow of small arms and light weapons, drugs, illegal migration, human trafficking and movement of terrorists across borders.

Staff audit: Osun workers flay govt over BVN request

Some civil servants in Osun State have flayed the state government for requesting their Bank Verification Numbers and other information to be submit before Wednesday.

Some of the workers at the State Civil Service Secretariat argued that  the BVN was their personal number and should not be disclosed to anybody because the number could be used to defraud their account if it got to the wrong hands.

One of the workers said, “We have been on this staff audit for years yet it is still ongoing. Despite the daily staff screening, salaries are not regular and they are now asking us to disclose our BVN. I hope they won’t ask us to submit our ATMs and their PIN with the way they are going.”

Some of the workers said they would not submit the BVN because  they believed the numbers were not necessary for the exercise.

Our correspondent sighted the circular issued from the Department of  Planning, Research and Statistics of the Ministry of Finance on Monday asking civil servants in the state to fill a form indicating their names, Chams Identity card number, BVN and bank accounts. The BVN is one of the information marked as mandatory on the form.

The circular  with reference number AD/2/405/19 and dated February 18, 2016 pasted at the Ministry of Women Affairs is entitled ” Re: Cleaning of payrolls of state  and local government workers in State of Osun.”

The circular read, ” Further to the circular letter with reference number AD/2/405/7 dated 7th September 2015, on the above subject matter, I am directed to request every member of staff of your ministry/ department/ agency to complete the format bellow which should be forwarded to the Ministry  of Finance not later than Wednesday 24th February, 2016.”

Meanwhile, the Peoples Democratic Party has criticised the state government for requesting workers to disclose their BVN.

The spokesperson for the PDP in Osun State, Mr. Diran Odeyemi, who said this, accused Governor Rauf Aregbesola’s administration of planning to waste additional N35m on the payrolls cleaning aside N97m the administration had wasted on the same exercise since 2010.

The statement reads: “BVN is a sensitive private number to be kept secret for Bank transactions and not meant to be given out to anybody and we wonder why Osun Government is demanding for it”

 

[Punch]

How to save Nigeria’s economy – Otteh

The government must diversify the economy if Nigeria is to survive falling global oil prices, World Bank Vice President and Treasurer, Arunma Otteh, said on Monday.

She said Nigeria ranks 152 out of 188 in the Human Development Index, and ranks below the average for sub-saharan Africa.

Otteh spoke in Lagos while delivering the inaugural Philip Asiodu Lecture Series, with the theme: “The proper role of oil in the context of accelerating growth and development in Nigeria.”

It was organised in honour of a former diplomat and Minister of Petroleum Resources, Phillip Asiodu.

Life expectancy in Nigeria, Otteh said, is 53 years, eight years lower than in Ghana and 21 years lower than in Brazil.

On corruption, Otteh referred to the Transparency International’s 2015 report which placed Nigeria on 136 out of 168 most corrupt countries.

This, she said, affects the flow of foreign direct investment (FDI) to the country.

“Nigeria rapid GDP growth over the past decade has not translated into strong human development and competitiveness compared to the rest of the world even when compared to many of its Sub-Saharan African peers,” she said.

Otteh said Nigeria can no longer depend only on earning from oil, which now sells for as low as $26 per barrel, and which accounts for 95 per cent of the country’s foreign exchange.

“Given the level of price uncertainty and Nigeria’s dependence on oil, it is all the more important to diversify away from oil,” she said.

[The Nation]

Payment system records N49 trillion transactions, as BVN, TSA reduce fraud

PoS accounts for N54.3 billion
There were indications that despite the challenging economic situation and high-level sophistication of fraudsters, huge increase in the volume and value of transactions across all payment channels in the banking system has been recorded.

The development, which has been attributed to the implementation of monetary-fiscal policy measures, was said to have helped in strengthening the banking system, particularly, the payment system, as well as offered protection to customers’ identity and fraud exposure.

The Director of Banking and Payments System Department, ‘Dipo Fatokun, affirmed that there were 162.6 million transactions across all payment channels worth N48.9 trillion processed in 2015.

The figure however, was in contrast to 113.4 million transactions across all payment channels in 2014, worth N43.9 trillion and represented 43.4 per cent and 11.6 per cent increase in volume and value respectively.

He noted that the implementations of the Bank Verification Number (BVN), Treasury Single Account (TSA), the E-Dividend Project with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) and other fraud mitigation strategies, had reinforced security in the operations of agent banking and other electronic payment channels.

Already, the Federal Government has uncovered about 23,000 ghost workers in its payroll, through the combined application of BVN and TSA, which at the minimum wage of N20,000, is estimated at over N5.5 billion yearly.

Meanwhile, as at February 7, 2016, a total of 23.4 million customers have been enrolled in the BVN scheme, which enforcement commenced by November 1, 2015, for those residing in the country.

So far, about 28.3 million accounts, out of the estimated 55.3 million active accounts have been linked to their respective unique identities industry wide, totalling about 51.7 million accounts already captured into the scheme.

Fatokun explained that while the actual loss resulting from fraud was put at N2.3 billion in 2015, it was far from N6.2 recorded in 2014, while the attempted fraud also fell to N4.4 billion from N7.8 billion, with an increase in volume of attempt from 1, 461 in 2014, to 10, 743 in 2015.

According to him, the significant reduction in fraud losses in 2015 puts the country’s electronic fraud rate at less than that of Europe as a whole, and particularly Portugal, which boasts of the least fraud rate in Europe.

He pointed out that the success in blocking the leakages was possible by vigorous enforcement of the various CBN circulars released to industry operators in 2015 and released prior to the year under review.

However, the Nigeria Interbank Settlement System (NIBSS) has said that out of 139, 182 Point of Sales Terminals (PoS) registered in the country, only 116, 868 were deployed, while the value of transactions as at December 2015, was estimated at N53.4 billion in 3.95 billion deals.

NIBSS further disclosed that Internet banking was responsible for 34 per cent of electronic banking frauds with three per cent noticed on the PoS, while e-Commerce was responsible for one per cent of the fraud.
Meanwhile, in the drive towards financial inclusion, a World Bank study revealed last year that a total of 39.2 million adult Nigerians (46.3 per cent of the adult population) were financially excluded in 2010. It further revealed that 54.4 per cent of the excluded population was women, 73.8 per cent were younger than 45 years, 34.0 per cent had no formal education, and 80.4 per cent resided in rural areas.
Interestingly, it noted that financial inclusion is most advanced in Nigeria’s urban areas, especially in the southern parts of the country.
Northern Nigeria is particularly disadvantaged, with 68 per cent of adults excluded in both the North-East and North-West regions.

The study noted that formal inclusion rates range from 49 per cent in the South-West region to only 19 per cent in the North-West region. The “informally included”, primarily live in the North-Central region, where 23 per cent of adults have access to only informal services.

To bridge the financial inclusion gap, the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) has developed a multi-prong attack that will reduce the percentage of adult Nigerians that are excluded from financial services from 46.3 per cent in 2010 to 20 per cent by 2020.

The number of Nigerians included in the formal sector was expected to increase from 36.3 per cent in 2010 to 80 per cent by 2020.
The approach includes; the transformation of existing Know Your Customer (KYC) regulations into a simplified risk-based tiered framework that allows individuals who do not currently meet formal identification requirements to enter the banking system; development and implementation of a regulatory framework for agent banking to enable financial institutions to bring banking services to the unbanked in all parts of the country; development and implementation of a National Financial Literacy Framework to increase awareness and understanding of financial products and services, with the ultimate goal of increasing sustainable usage.

(Guardian)

I will restore naira back to N200/$ in one month – Capital Oil boss, Ubah tells Buhari

The Chairman of Capital Oil and Gas, Ifeanyi Ubah on Sunday said he had what it takes to restore the naira to 200 against the dollar in one month, if consulted by President Muhammadu Buhari.

Speaking with Channels Television, Ubah, however, dismissed the insinuation that the short fall in naira was as a result of the activities of the Bureau De Change, BDC, operators.

He said, “Look at the economy, look at the position of the naira today; some of us have ideas on how we can restore this.”

“It won’t take me one month, if Buhari gives me part of that consultancy, and naira would come back to 200.

“I can bet my life with it, naira would come back to N200. If you call me for that consultancy, I would put naira back to 200.”

“Look at the economy, look at the position of the naira today; some of us have ideas on how we can restore this,”

“Do you know how many Burea De Change people who food has been taken out of their families because of this? If you say they are the ones causing it, then where are you today?

On how he intends to go about achieving such feat, Ubah said: “Don’t worry, that’s my business and business is secret.”

[Daily Trust]

Ekiti leads in open defecation in Nigeria-UNICEF/EU

The international organization also said over 2.5b of the global population lacked access to improved sanitation and that of the figure, one billion people are engaged in open defecation.

These disclosures were made during a 2-day media networking and alliance building workshop organized by the European Union/UNICEF on Water Sanitation and Hygiene and Open Defecation Free campaign held at Ijero Ekiti, Ijero Local Government area of Ekiti State.

In one of the leading papers presented, a Community Led Total Sanitation(CLTS) facilitator and a staff of Rural Water Sanitation Agency in Ekiti , Mrs Lanre Ayeni, said 748 million of the global population, lacked access to hygienic water supply .

The world body lamented that 1.8 million Ekiti residents out of a total population of 2.7 million are engaged in open defecation, thereby contributing about 60.8% to the aggregate of this menace nationally.

Ayeni said it was regrettable that 1.8 billion people still use contaminated sources of water, which she said has caused a lot of damage to their health and body systems.

“When you take a water that has been contaminated by shit (faeces), the person will have ten million viruses, one million bacteria and one hundred thousand parasite eggs in her body system.

“Advocacy for open defecation free in Ekiti and good water sanitation is yielding results. Enforcement in the past by CLTS coordinators had failed , what we now use is persuasion and people are gradually changing their perception about this concept.”

The UNICEF/EU delegation , led by Mohsena Islam, a WASH specialist from UNICEF, went on a field trip with Ekiti Media WASH group to Asasa and Temidire Olojofi farm settlements in Aramoko Ekiti, to assess compliance with the campaign against open defecation .

Mohsena, who disclosed that several achievements had been recorded through UNICEF/EU WASH programme in Ekiti, using Gbonyin and Ekiti West as pilot councils in advocacy for open defecation Free and WASH, said the two international organizations have been funding the programme and rendering technical supports.

“In Ekiti , an estimated number of 180,000 people are gaining access to good source of water through provision of hand pump boreholes. In the same way, 29,582 people in Ekiti have gained access to safe water through rehabilitation of 65 hand pumps in Gbonyin. 965 pupils from four schools now have access to child and gender friendly water supply
.
“We have also brought improvement to 250 towns and communities in ODF by providing ten toilets per public. We have also provided technical supports in 313 communities, for them to know various ways to build and take ownership of low cost latrines and how to repair them in case of damage."

INEC declares David Mark winner of Benue South Senatorial rerun, amid protest

The Peoples Democratic Party has won the Benue South rerun election, making its candidate, David Mark, return to the 8th Senate, from which the court ejected him a few months ago.

In Saturday’s election, Mr. Mark, former President of the Nigerian Senate, (2007-2015), was declared winner amid protests by his challenger, who demanded that the election be declared inconclusive.

The former Senate President defeated his sole challenger, Daniel Onjeh, a 41-year old former students’ leader, who contested on the platform of the ruling All Progressives Congress.

The rerun was conducted after the Appeal Court annuled the March 28, 2015 election of which Mr. Mark was declared winner by the Independent National Electoral Commission.

Declaring the results of the rerun at 5.51am on Sunday, the Senatorial Returning Officer, Ishaq Eneji, said Mr. Mark garnered 84,192 votes, leaving margin of 12,571 between him and Mr. Onjeh who scored 71,621 votes.

“Having satisfied the requirement of the law, David Bournaventure is hereby declared winner, Mr. Eneji announced.

While 522, 713 were registered for the election, only 165, 093 were accredited, indicating voters apathy across the senatorial zone.

A further breakdown showed 159,557 was the number of total votes cast, of which 155,813 votes were held valid, while 3,744 were rejected as invalid.

According to the results declared by Mr. Eneji, out of the nine local government areas of which the district is composed, Mr. Mark secured victory in five local government areas: Ado, Agatu, Apa, Otukpo and Okpokwu.

Mr. Onjeh won in four, namely Ogbadigbo, his hometown, Ohimini, Obi and Oju LGAs.

Meanwhile, a total of 29,273 votes were cancelled, higher than the margin of win of 12,571 between Messrs Mark and Onjeh.

However, Mr. Eneji declared Mr. Mark winner despite protest by APC agent who asked that the election election be declared inconclusive.

(Premium Times)

Do you have any complaint?

As tweeted by the Nigerian Police

I am done playing - Omojuwa

He tweeted this some minutes ago...

Years of bad governance is responsible for our current economic situation - Wole Soyinka

According to the post extracted from the facebook page of Ministry of Information and culture, Prof. Wole Soyinka paid a visit to the Hon. Minister of Information and Culture, Alhaji Lai Mohammed in his office at the Head of Service today.

2016 Federal Budget: Fiddling While Nigeria Burns

The Nigerian media space has been recently suffused with trivia and jokes about the 2016 Federal budget. At first it was “missing”, then “padded”, and later “found”. This unfortunate drama enacted by the Executive and Legislative arms of government is an unwelcome comic relief as it does not in any way detract from the dire situation we currently find ourselves in as a nation.

One must be afflicted by a total numbing of all the sensory organs not to appreciate the frightfully bleak future staring Nigerians in the face. Starvation is a daily reality as basic foods have vanished from many households, as the Naira continues to bow meekly against international currencies and price of goods and services soar beyond the reach of the common man.

In addition to the ravaging insecurity, soaring rents, hiked electricity tariffs and the burden of paying for electricity not consumed, amongst others, Nigerians are suffering!

The National Association of Seadogs, Pyrates Confraternity wishes to express our profound disappointment that while the national economy is on the brink of total collapse, while Nigeria burns, the arms of government responsible for articulating and fashioning the fiscal policies and charting the direction that would guide the economy out of the doldrums would be fiddling.

This smacks of insensitivity to the plight of overwhelmed Nigerians who have had to endure the hibernation of the economy since INEC’s preparations for the general elections commenced in June 2015.

We are saying enough of this hubris and grandstanding!

The socioeconomic and security situation we find ourselves in as a nation today calls for sober reflection and strategic thinking, and those cannot happen in an atmosphere of rancour. This is hardly the time to play politics; Nigerians deserve and demand good governance.

The longer the 2016 Federal Budget stays without being passed into law and its implementation commenced, the more our economic miseries deepen. Hence, we implore the Executive and Legislative arms of government to quickly close ranks, discuss and resolve all issues and discrepancies in the budget. Whatsoever that is inimical to our collective national interest must be delisted without fail.

The time to start is now … as the despair spreading amongst Nigerians is gradually becoming deafening!

Prince Ifeanyi Onochie
NAS Cap’n

National Association of Seadogs
(Pyrates Confraternity)
February, 2016

CONSOLIDATING THE GAINS OF RESTORATION IN BAYELSA

INAUGURAL ADDRESS OF HIS EXCELLENCY,

HON. HENRY SERIAKE DICKSON,

GOVERNOR OF BAYELSA STATE ON SUNDAY,

FEBRUARY 14  2016

AT THE SAMSON SIASIA STADIUM, YENAGOA.

PROTOCOL:

 

1.   My good people of Bayelsa State. My victorious people of the Ijaw Nation who like our fathers before us have shown that this great and proud land of good and great people can never be conquered. Friends and fellow Nigerians.

 

2.   First and foremost, we thank God Almighty for making today’s historic event possible. Today’s event coming at the end of all the political trials and tribulations I have had to manage in the last four years from within and without manifesting in different shapes and forms is a testimony to Gods faithfulness and mercies and shows also that power comes from God and God alone. For who is he or she that will speak and it will come to pass if God has not commanded it. Truly God alone holds the key to the destinies of men and nations.
 

3.   Today is clearly the Lords doing and it is marvelous in our eyes. I thank you all for joining me in rejoicing and showing gratitude to God Almighty, from whom all power flow. I also thank you for joining me in gratitude to the good people of Bayelsa state for their confidence in me. Indeed this is the day that the Lord has made, let us rejoice and be glad in it.

 

Let the good people of Bayelsa State rejoice !
Let the sons and daughters of the Ijaw Nation rejoice!
Let all people of goodwill in our nation and beyond rejoice!

 

4.   As we gather here today, let us not forget the long and exciting journey that has brought us here. The electoral contest for the governorship of our state will undoubtedly go into the annals of Nigerian political history as a reference point both for study and inspiration on how a people can rise to defend their democratic rights and dignity against forces of desperation and oppression. After giving glory today to God, I thank all persons whom God used, in diverse ways, to make this day possible.

 

5.   I begin by specifically thanking my mother, wife, children and other members of my family whose incredible sacrifice, support and prayers made it possible for me to devote my life to public service all through these years.

 

6.  Let me express my profound gratitude and immeasurable  appreciation to you the good people of Bayelsa State who stood resolute in the frontlines across the length and breadth of this beautiful land to cast your votes and defend your dignity.

 

Armed only with your Permanent Voters Cards (PVCs), you confronted anti-democratic forces in their varied manifestations including savage violence of the most extreme kind and we prevailed together. I assure you that when the history of this period is written , generations unborn will accord each and every one of you a place of honour as a testimony to your courage for rising up to defend the pride and integrity of our people.This victory was not as a result of my might, prowess or intellect but purely by the hand of God through you the people. And so I dedicate this victory to God and you the people…

 

I salute you the good and resilient women and mothers of Bayelsa State!

          I salute you the brave and proud youths of Bayelsa State!

 I salute you our revered traditional rulers, elders and fathers of this great land!

 

7.  Permit me also to acknowledge the pivotal role of the elders, and leaders of our great party especially the acting National Chairman, members of the National Working Committee, acting chairman and members of the BOT as well as the National Vice Chairman of our zone and members of the zonal working committee, for their good sense of judgment in supporting my candidature and standing with me all the way.

 

 

 

 

 

8.   I thank the teeming members, leaders and officials of our party in the state beginning with our committed state chairman, the various caucus chairmen, and all the officials of the party down to the ward level for their support and contributions.

 

 

9.   I thank all the members of the Restoration Campaign Organization led by the Director General Hon Fred Agbedi, the deputy DGs, all officials and members of the campaign team. I want to salute the Chairman of the Campaign advisory team, Distinguished Senator Barigha Amange who stepped into the big shoes of late Chief D.S.P. Alamieyeseigha.

 

 

10.                      I want to particularly thank my brother governors in the PDP, ably led by Governor Olusegun Mimiko for their abiding support and encouragement.

 

 

11.     Let me appreciate the roles played by the relevant national institutions-the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), its ad hoc staff especially members of the National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) and the security agencies. You performed your statutory roles as best as you could in very challenging circumstances, in our very difficult terrain. 

12.                     I thank all NGOs, foreign and local observers as well as the Media for their keenly sustained interest and vigilance in the course of the elections. Your extensive professional reportage brought a state election into such profound national and international focus that made it difficult to manipulate. This should send a clear message to those who think that a man who lost in 7 out of 8 LGAs in full glare of the world can somehow snatch victory through the back door by hoping to manipulate the judicial process just because his party controls the central government. 

13.                     The recent posture and pronouncements of the highest court of the land gives us confidence that such antics and schemes would not succeed.

 

Politicians who seek authority to govern people in our democracy must derive power from the people's vote freely expressed through the supremacy of the ballot box and not through subterfuge, intimidation, blackmail or manipulation. That is subversion of the constitution itself   

14.                     Let me place on record, our immense appreciation to the diplomatic community, particularly the diplomatic delegations that visited Bayelsa State before and during the elections, for your interest and commitment in the development of Nigeria’s democracy.

 

15.                     To my dear friends from across the length and breadth of the country and beyond some of whom are here, I thank you sincerely for your continuing solidarity and support. To the clergy and my prayer partners across the country and beyond who stood firmly with us in prayers, I am deeply grateful. God bless and reward you all.

 

16.                     To all Nigerians and people of good will across the world, most of whom I have never and probably may never meet; for raising your voice to insist that the right thing be done, from a grateful Bayelsa State and the Ijaw Nation, we say thank you.

 

17.                     This victory is not for us alone.

This victory is for you the good people of Bayelsa State.

This victory is for you, the proud and resilient people of the Ijaw Nation.

This victory is for all lovers of democracy in Nigeria and beyond, who embarked on spontaneous celebration and flooded us with congratulatory messages following our victory.

 

18.                     I am not surprised that our electoral victory has spurred a rebirth of our party, the PDP and inspired a new sense of hope in Nigeria’s democracy.  Our experience from the last elections in Bayelsa shows that our system is far from being perfect. We must continually commit ourselves to work together to strengthen the internal processes of our parties and improve our electoral system.   Thankfully, this victory has helped to sustain the plurality of our democracy and discountenance fears that Nigeria could slide towards a one party state. Let a thousand flowers bloom in our garden of democracy!

19.                     In my inaugural address four years ago, I pledged not to play politics with your development. I also promised not to play politics with your security. I said so because of the inescapable truth that development is not possible without security. You are all living witnesses that before we assumed the leadership of this State in 2012, insecurity and violence was so prevalent that our people lived in fear while killings by state-supported cultists was a daily occurrence. Consequently, several businesses closed shop or moved out as the atmosphere in the state was clearly not conducive for commerce or any development to take place.

 

20.                     Four years down the road, you are witnesses to the enormous transformation that has occurred in our security landscape.  The return of night life, commerce, influx of visitors, new residents and businesses as well as atmosphere of peace and security that prevailed prior to the build- up to the last election, is eloquent testimony to this fact. The security strategy, architecture and infrastructure that we have put in place are second to none in Nigeria. In the next four years, we shall consolidate and expand on these by increasing our investment in security.

 

21.                     We totally condemn the violence visited on our people under the guise of politics and elections. Today, we acknowledge the sacrifice of our brothers and sisters who were victims of this mindless bloodletting. We honour the memory of those who paid the supreme price and empathize with those who still bear the physical and psychological scars. But let no one be in doubt of Government’s resolve to use all available legal and legitimate means to bring the perpetrators to book.

 

22.                     Now that elections are over, we must strengthen the synergy between citizens, the State Government and security agencies to recapture the peace and security that prevailed prior to the elections. Bayelsa is the epicenter of the Niger Delta, critical to the security, stability and economic prosperity of our country and the Gulf of Guinea region. Therefore, our government remains committed to working with the Federal Government and security agencies to secure our nation and its people.

 

We should work together to root out kidnappers, cultists and other criminals who vandalize national economic assets. The imperative of this partnership dictates for instance, that no government official or functionary at state or federal level should use their position to encourage or facilitate crime and criminality under any guise.

 

23.                     Similarly, security officials at federal or state levels should not be intimidated from executing their statutory functions for fear of retribution. Nobody, regardless of political persuasion should be allowed to subvert national institutions or undermine the security and stability of the State or the Nation. Our experience in Bayelsa State in the recent past has shown a tendency to misconstrue membership of the political party at the center as cover and license to kill, maim and destroy while security officials look on helplessly. Let us not allow partisanship to slide our country into anarchy. The consequences will be too grave.

 

24.                      With the conclusion of the elections, we are already beginning to see Bayelsa return to its prideful place as one of the most peaceful and secure states, due to measures we have put in place in collaboration with security agencies. I urge all our people to continue to support and cooperate with the security agencies, enduring whatever inconveniences some of the security measures we have put in place might cause. Elements of a more comprehensive security strategy would be unveiled in due course.

 

25.                     Building on our achievement in security, you are aware of our transformational programmes in human capacity and infrastructural development. I acknowledge that our pace was slowed down in the last one year because of the nation-wide economic downturn largely due to sharp drop in global crude oil prices. I thank you the good people of Bayelsa State and our development partners for your understanding in these trying times. In retrospect, it was a wise decision to have embarked on such ambitious and robust developmental projects at the time we did. Clearly there is no way we could have even embarked on projects of such magnitude and impact with current levels of funding.

 

While many of these legacy projects have been completed and put into use, this consolidation mandate will enable us complete on-going projects for the benefit of our people. The Airport project, schools, hospitals, roads, bridges and other infrsstrutural projects for instance are already at advanced stages of completion.

 

26.                     Faced with the reality of dwindling revenue, the wisdom in our strategy of diversifying our economic base beyond oil and gas to focus on agriculture and tourism is now justified more than ever before. We shall complete and put to use our fish farms, cassava starch processing plants, and other agricultural initiatives as well as hotels and tourism facilities to create jobs for our teeming youths and complement revenue from oil sources.

 

27.                     We have already laid the foundation for encouraging entrepreneurship amongst our people, through the establishment of the school of entrepreneurship, to arm our youths with the requisite skills to do business and create jobs for themselves. This should reduce over-dependence on government and political patronage. The establishment of theIzon-Ibe Microfinance Bank with presence in all the local government areas of the state will complement our entrepreneurship drive by promoting access to credit for small and medium scale businesses.
 

28.                     Our extensive tour and engagement with our people during the course of our campaigns has highlighted the critical need to focus on rural development and empowerment. Let me assure our people who dwell in our rural communities that this government will work for you and empower you more than ever before.

29.                     A key focus for us in the next four years is to expand ongoing rural electrification schemes and build on our massive investment in power to drive industrialization. We have already concluded a gas purchase agreement with SPDC to service our energy hub.  We call on investors to come and make additional investment in power and take advantage of our rich natural gas endowment.

 

We shall start the building of the industrial park and renew our invitation to investors to take advantage of the opportunities in Bayelsa- the world’s best kept secret. In this next four years, priority attention will also be paid to massive housing development projects for various segments of society.

30.                     Together with our investment in other sectors, Bayelsa is on course to realize the full benefits of our restoration agenda. This is the benefit of the continuity and consolidation you voted for. 

31.                     To the opposition, let me say I respect your right to hold different views. Your participation in the process made this contest more vibrant and our victory more worthwhile and legitimate. Yesterday we were opponents; today, we must be partners for the security, development and prosperity of Bayelsa State. I now invite you all to join me in this enterprise of consolidating the gains of restoration.  Let us work together to move our state forward.

 

32.                     I salute the leaders and members of the opposition majority of who are already amenable to this new thinking of building a united and prosperous Bayelsa. In the nearest future, we shall be convening an all-Bayelsa Summit to discuss our common challenges, aspirations and the way forward. Arising there-from, we should be in the vanguard of leading our region to engage our brothers in the Nigeria Project, and to build a stronger and more egalitarian country.

Ours is one of the greatest nations on earth and we should all be proud and equal citizens, respecting our diversity and accommodating our differences. This was what our founding fathers fought for – a Federal Republic of Nigeria.

 

33.                     No people or group has felt the burden of sustaining the Nigerian project like we have. We have over the years been forced to live with environmental hazards as the price for national prosperity and survival. Our heroes led by Isaac Adaka Boro joined the Nigerian military to fight for the Unity of the country, paid the supreme to keep Nigeria united.. Our leaders like late Ernest Ikoli, Harold Dappa Biriye and Melford Okilo built vital alliances with political leaders from other regions to forge the basis for the Nigerian project which has been mutually beneficial. So undoubtedly, we the Ijaw people are firm believers in the Nigerian project. Nigeria has also kept faith with us in various ways especially with the election of Dr. Goodluck Jonathan as president in 2011. The outcome of the last election in 2015 notwithstanding, our commitment to the Nigerian project remains.

 

We will not relent in working with other stakeholders and allies to perfect our union and address issues of environmental, economic and political inequities. Let me make this point clear again, the interest of the Ijaw nation is best served within the context of a united, democratic, egalitarian, peaceful and prosperous Nigeria.

 

34.                     Leaders at all levels should not destroy but work to strengthen these alliances to serve our country better. On our part, we will mobilize the Ijaw nation and the rest of our region to re-engineer these alliances, strengthen the foundation of our country, guarantee the survival of democracy and spread prosperity to all.

 

35.                     In conclusion, while thanking our people for their support, solidarity and prayers, we solicit your understanding and co-operation as we strive to consolidate on the gains made on security, peace, development and prosperity. As I said in my inaugural speech four years ago, Bayelsa and the Ijaw Nation will never be same after us. Bayelsa is still in safe hands.

 

I  thank you  and God bless you all.

Long Live Bayelsa State

 

Long Live the Ijaw Nation

 

Long Live the Federal Republic of Nigeria

 

Hon. Henry Seriake Dickson
Executive Governor, Bayelsa State,
Federal Republic of Nigeria

Constitutional Validity of Pre-charge Detention of Suspects, By Femi Falana

Introduction

Last month, some of the principal suspects implicated in the probe of the $2.1 billion and N643 billion armsgate were nabbed by the Economic and Financial Commission. As investigation of the complaints could not be completed within 24 or 48 hours, the EFCC filed ex parte applications at the magistrate courts of the Federal Capital Territory for the remand of the suspects pursuant to Section 293 of the Administration of Criminal Justice Act, 2015 (ACJA). Based on the gravity of the offences diclosed in the supporting affidavits, the applications were granted by the magistrate courts. Not a few judges and lawyers have challenged the constitutional validity of section 293(1) of the ACJA which has vested magistrate courts with the power to issue remand orders for the detention of criminal suspects pending arraignment in courts of competent jurisdiction.

The opposition to the pre-charge detention of criminal suspects is erroneously predicated on the belief that it is tantamount to a holding charge, which has been declared illegal and unconstitutional in a plethora of cases decided by the Court of Appeal. In this brief contribution to the debate, we shall highlight the difference between pre-charge remand and holding charge. We shall then conclude by drawing the attention of critics to the case of Lufadeju v Johnson (2007) 8 N.W.L.R (PT 1037) 535 wherein the Supreme Court laid the controversy to rest by upholding the constitutional validity of pre-charge detention of criminal suspects in Nigeria.

Illegal directive banning magistrates from issuing remand orders

Sometime last month, the Honourable Justice Ishaq Bello, the Chief Judge of the High Court of the Federal Capital Territory was reported to have directed all magistrates in the Federal Capital Territory to desist from issuing remand orders for the detention of very important personalities being investigated by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission for the criminal diversion of public funds to the looting the treasury of the country. Curiously, the Chief Judge neither accused the magistrates of exceeding their powers nor cited any law to justify the unwarranted directive.

Since the issuance of pretrial remand orders, which are designed to subject the detention of criminal suspects by law enforcement agents to the supervision of magistrates is not illegal, I was compelled to state that“the Chief Judge lacks the authority to countermand or invalidate the powers conferred on magistrate courts to issue remand orders by a valid and subsisting Act of the National Assembly. In other words, the directive issued ex cathedra by the Chief Judge has no binding effect on the powers of magistrates in the Federal Capital Territory to issue remand orders for the detention of criminal suspects.”

In justifying his stand the learned Chief Judge has said that his directive was not directed solely at the EFCC but meant to prevent abuse of such power by magistrates. His lordship advised the anti-graft agencies to apply to the High Court for remand orders as it has unlimited jurisdiction, unlike magistrate courts. With respect, the clarification has not addressed the allegation that the directive has violated section 293(1) of the ACJA. Contrary to his lordship’s contention the “unlimited jurisdiction of the Federal Capital Territory does not extend to cases of terrorism, money laundering, treason etc. which can only be tried by the Federal High Court.

Pre-Charge Detention or Holding Charge

Section 35 of the Constitution of Nigeria 1999 and Article 6 of the African Charter on Human and Peoples’ Rights guarantee the right to personal liberty of every person living in Nigeria. In a plethora of cases, the courts have upheld the fundamental right of citizens and foreigners alike to freedom from unlawful arrest and detention. To ensure that the right to personal liberty is respected, it can only be encroached upon in a manner permitted by law. In other words, a person may be lawfully arrested or detained if there is reasonable suspicion that he/she has committed a criminal offence. Any person whose right to personal liberty has been breached without recourse to law is entitled to apply to a high court to secure release from custody and payment of compensation accompanied by public apology.

Specifically, section 35(1) of the Constitution provides for the detention of any person “for the purpose of bringing him before a court in execution of the order of a court or upon reasonable suspicion of his having committed a criminal offence, or to such extent as may be reasonably necessary to prevent his committing a criminal offence.” It is further provided that any person arrested or detained “shall be brought before a court of law within a reasonable time” and shall be released either conditionally or unconditionally, if not tried within a period of two months from the date of arrest or detention in the case of a person who is in custody or not entitled to bail.

The term “reasonable time” within which a person shall be brought to court means a period of one day, where there is a court of competent jurisdiction within forty kilometre radius and in any other case, a period of two days or such longer period as may be considered by the court to be reasonable. To ensure that criminal suspects are not detained indefinitely, section 293 of the ACJA has vested Magistrate Courts with powers to order the remand of criminal suspects. To that extent, a pre-charge detention of a criminal suspect within the period allowed by the Constitution or on the order of a court does not constitute a violation of the right to liberty guaranteed by Section 35 of the Constitution.

In challenging pre-charge remand, some senior lawyers have contended that pre-charge detention is illegal. In a well publicised article, Chief Mike Ozekhome (SAN) stated that, “Aside the fact that Sections 293-299 of the Administration of Criminal Justice Act violently violate Section 35(4)(e) (5) of the Constitution… they also presumptuously create a ‘holding charge’ which has been declared by the highest courts of the land, to be patently illegal, unconstitutional, null and void.” Since these views are at variance with the current human rights legal regime in Nigeria, it is germane to point out that while holding charge remains illegal and unconstitutional, a remand order issued by a magistrate for the detention of criminal suspects for the purpose of investigation is not illegal.

The attention of the “critics” ought to be drawn to sections 293-299 of the Administration of Criminal Justice Act, 2015 (ACJA) which stipulate that a suspect arrested for an offence which a magistrate has no jurisdiction to try shall, within a reasonable time, be brought before a magistrate court for remand. The order which shall be for a period not exceeding 14 days may be further extended provided that if the investigation is not concluded, within 28 days the court may summon the appropriate authority to show cause why the suspect should not be unconditionally released. Suspects who are remanded in custody are at liberty to ask for bail or apply to the appropriate high court to secure the enforcement of their fundamental right to personal liberty.

With respect, Chief Ozekhome has equated pre-charge detention with a holding charge. A holding charge is the practice of filing a charge and arraigning a criminal suspect before a magistrate, which lacks the jurisdiction to try a case while pre-charge detention refers to a period of detention of a criminal suspect before the filing of a charge before a competent court. Chief Ozekhome’s submissions on the illegality of a holding charge cannot be faulted. In fact, one of the cases cited by him is that of Ogor v. Kolawole (1983) 1 NCR 342. In that case, my submission on the illegality of a holding charge was upheld by Ayorinde J. (as he then was). That was the first judicial pronouncement of the High Court on the matter. It was however adopted by the Court of Appeal in Enwere v. C.O.P (1993) 6 NWLR (PT 299) 333.

It is germane to point out that Section 293(1) of the Administration of Criminal Justice Act is in pari materia with section 364(1) of the Administration of Criminal Justice Law of Lagos State, 2011 (ACJL) Section 363(2) of the Lagos State Criminal Procedure Law, 2007 had provided that “If any person arrested for any indictable offence is brought before a magistrate for remand, such Magistrate shall remand such person in custody or where applicable grant him bail pending the arraignment of such person before the High Court.” The constitutionality of Section 363(2) of the repealed law was challenged in the case of Lufadeju v Johnson (supra).

In that case, the defendants were brought to the Magistrate Court on a holding charge of treason. The police prosecutor, Nuhu Ribadu Esq. applied for the remand of the defendants pending their arraignment at the High Court. Even though I vehemently opposed the application, it was granted by the learned Chief Magistrate. However, I did not appeal against the remand order as I felt that the Chief Magistrate was perfectly in order, having not taken the plea of the Defendants. But one of the Defendants, Evangelist Bayo Johnson did not agree with me. So, he briefed Norrison Quarters to challenge the legality of the remand order at the High Court. The application which was brought under the Fundamental Rights Enforcement Procedure Rules 1979 for the enforcement of the fundamental right of the Applicant to liberty was dismissed by the High Court on the ground that the remand order was valid.

But the Court of Appeal held that Section 363(2) of the Lagos State Criminal Procedure Law, 2007 was illegal and unconstitutional. Dissatisfied with the decision the Lagos State Government appealed to the Supreme Court. Upon hearing the matter, the constitutional validity of pre-charge detention was upheld by the apex court. According to Muktar J.S.C (as she then was):

“I do not see that there is conflict between the provision of Section 236 (2) of the Criminal law supra and the provisions of Section 32 of the Constitution supra. The fact is there was strong suspicion that the respondent and some others have committed an indictable offence to wit – treason. After their arrest by the police, there was the need to property and lawfully keep them in custody, and the only way to do this was to take them to a Magistrate court who would in turn remand them in custody. They couldn’t possibly continue to remain in police custody without the order of a court concluded, the legal advice of the Ministry of Justice-is sought…

On the presumption of innocence as laid down in Section 33 (5) of the supra Constitution, I fail to see anything in the record before us that there was a contrary presumption in respect of the appellant. The appellant and his co-accused were taken before the Magistrate Court for the purpose of lawful remand in custody; and that was exactly what the Chief Magistrate did. She did not ask him of whether he was guilty or not, so the issue of his innocence didn’t come to play at that stage of the proceedings.”

In his contribution to the leading judgment Akintan JSC (as he then was) explained the rationale for pre-charge detention of criminal suspects in Nigeria when he said say:

“But instead of applying to the High Court for bail, the appellant embarked on challenging the legality of the remand order made by the learned Chief Magistrate. It is necessary to state that section 236(3) of the Criminal Procedure Law is aimed at ensuring judicial control of those arrested by the police on criminal allegations. The power of the police to detain a suspect is restricted by law to specific number of days. They are therefore required within the period to bring the suspect before a court for the purpose of an order for further remand, if need be. The appropriate court for such request is the Magistrate Court. The purpose of bringing the accused to the court at that stage was not for a trial. It was for an order by the court for the suspect to be remanded in custody pending the time the police would be ready to arraign the suspect before the appropriate court or tribunal which has jurisdiction to try the suspect for the indictable offence.”

In the light of the foregoing, it is submitted that pre-charge detention of a criminal suspect is not illegal as Section 35 of the Constitution provides that a criminal suspect may be detained by the police for a maximum period of two days or for a longer period on the orders of a court. Where criminal suspects in custody are not promptly charged to court, the detaining authority is required to apply for a court order to legitimise the detention. This is to ensure that no one is held in custody without any legal basis or due process of law.

Conclusion

Having regard to the clear provision of section 293(1) of ACJA, it is undoubtedly that the challenge of the legality of pre-charge remand order is anchored on the erroneous belief that it is a holding charge. But in view of the lucid judgment of the Supreme Court inLufadeju v. Johnson (supra), a remand order made by a Magistrate for the detention of criminal suspects pending their arraignment in a court of competent jurisdiction is not illegal. Since the remand order is based on an ex parte application filed by the police or other detaining authorities the question of taking the plea of criminal suspects does not arise.

Finally, it should be noted that the provisions of the ACJA are not of general application in the country. Being a federal enactment, ACJA is only applicable in the federal capital territory. Apart from Lagos State and a couple of states with laws which are similar to the ACJA, the criminal procedure and penal code procedure applicable in the other states have not been amended. In view of the progressive provisions of the ACJA, the law ought to be adopted by other states to ensure uniformity in the administration of criminal justice in the country.

Femi Falana (SAN) writes from Lagos.

This paper was presented at the Presidential Advisory Council Training Session for Lagos State Magistrates on ACJL 2011 and ACJA 2015 at the Lagos State Judiciary Hall, Ikeja, Lagos, February 5, 2016.

Cameroon forces kill 162 Boko Haram extremists, retake town

Cameroon’s special forces have killed 162 Boko Haram militants in Nigeria’s northeastern town of Goshi, destroying bomb factories and weapons to retake the extremist stronghold, the government said.

The town is now under the control of Nigerian forces after the operation led by Cameroon special forces from Feb. 11 to Feb. 14, Cameroon’s communication minister Issa Tchiroma Bakary said late Monday.

Cameroon forces freed about 100 people being held by the insurgents, including Cameroonians and Nigerians, he said. Two members of Cameroon’s military were killed, he said. The two, including a senior commander, were reported killed after their convoy hit a vehicle Sunday.

“The town of Goshi in Nigeria was formally identified as one of the Boko Haram posts, hosting factories for the manufacturing of bombs and mines,” Bakary said. He added that the town was also used to house teenagers who are used as human bombs during suicide attacks.

Bakary said 162 Boko Haram fighters were killed, four mine factories dismantled, and special forces seized at least five readied mines, hundreds of explosive holders, suicide vests and triggers.

A previously identified training center, along with two vehicles were also set on fire, he said.

The operation took place under the banner of the multinational task force, and with intelligence and operational coordination with Nigerian forces, he said.

In its six-year insurgency, Boko Haram has killed more than 20,000 people and displaced 2.5 million in the region, according to the United Nations and Amnesty International.

Attacks across Nigeria’s borders increased by the extremists last year in countries such as Cameroon who are contributing to a multinational force to combat Boko Haram.

___
Associated Press writer Carley Petesch in Dakar, Senegal contributed to this report.
 

[Al Arabiya]

Annual Grammy Awards: Full List

The 58th Annual Grammy Awards just ended and a handful of your favorite pop, rock, rap and country stars have already been named winners for their work this past year. 
LL Cool J hosted this year's festivities, which was held at Los Angeles' Staples Center. See below for a full list of 2016 Grammy Awards winners: 
Best New Artist: Meghan Trainor 
Best Rock Performance: Alabama Shakes, "Don't Wanna Fight" 
Best Musical Theater Album:  Hamilton 
Song of the Year: Ed Sheeran, "Thinking Out Loud" 
Best Country Album: Chris Stapleton, Traveller 
Best Rap Album: Kendrick Lamar,  To Pimp a Butterfly 
Best Pop Duo/Group Performance: Mark Ronson feat. Bruno Mars, "Uptown Funk" 
Best Rap/Sung Collaboration: Kendrick Lamar feat. Bilal, Anna Wise & Thundercat, "These Walls" 
Best Traditional Pop Vocal Album:  Tony Bennett & Bill Charlap,  The Silver Lining: The Songs of Jerome Kern 
Best Pop Solo Performance: Ed Sheeran, "Thinking Out Loud" 
Best Rap Song: Kendrick Lamar, "Alright" 
Best Alternative Music Album: Alabama Shakes, Sound & Color 
Best Rock Album: Muse,  Drones 
Best Rap Performance: Kendrick Lamar, "Alright" 
Best Rock Song: Alabama Shakes, "Don't Wanna Fight" 
Best R&B Album: D'Angelo and the Vanguard,Black Messiah 
Best Urban Contemporary Album: The Weeknd,Beauty Behind the Madness 
Best R&B Performance: The Weeknd, "Earned It (Fifty Shades of Grey)" 
Best R&B Song: D'Angelo and The Vanguard, "Really Love" 
Best Traditional R&B Performance: Lalah Hathaway, "Little Ghetto Boy" 
Best Dance/Electronic Album: Skrillex and Diplo,Skrillex and Diplo Present Jack Ü 
Best Dance Recording: Skrillex and Diplo With Justin Bieber, "Where Are Ü Now" 
Best Music Video: Taylor Swift feat. Kendrick Lamar, "Bad Blood" 
Best Country Duo/Group Performance: Little Big Town, "Girl Crush" 
Best Country Song: Little Big Town, "Girl Crush" 
Best Music Film: Amy Winehouse, Amy 
Best Rap/Song Collaboration: Common & John Legend, "Glory" 
Best Pop Vocal Album: Taylor Swift, 1989 
Best Country Solo Performance: Chris Stapleton, "Traveller" 

Best Contemporary Christian Music Album: Tobymac, This Is Not a Test 
Best Roots Gospel Album: The Fairfield Four,Still Rockin' My Soul 
Best Latin Rock, Urban or Alternative Album: Pitbull, Dale 
Best Latin Pop Album: Ricky Martin, A Quien Quiera Escuchar (Deluxe Edition) 
Best Comedy Album: Louis C.K., Live at Madison Square Garden 
Best Spoken Word Album: Jimmy Carter, A Full Life: Reflections at Ninety 
Score Soundtrack for Visual Media: Birdman 

Best Gospel Album: Israel & Newbreed, Covered: Alive Is Asia [Live] (Deluxe)

Best Gospel Performance/Song: Kirk Franklin, "Wanna Be Happy?" 

Best Contemporary Christian Music Performance/Song: Francesca Battistelli, "Holy Spirit" 
Best Contemporary Classical Composition:Stephen Paulus, Paulus: Prayers & Remembrances 

Best Classical Solo Vocal Album: Joyce DiDonato and Antonio Pappano, Joyce & Tony - Live From Wigmore Hall

Best Classical Instrumental Solo: Augustin Hadelich, "Dutilleux: Violin Concerto, L'Arbre Des Songes" 
Best Chamber Music/Small Ensemble Performance: Eighth Blackbird, "Filament" 
Best Choral Performance: Charles Bruffy, "Rachmaninoff: All-Night Vigil" 

Best Opera Recording: Saito Kinen Orchestra; SKF Matsumoto Chorus & SKF Matsumoto Children's Chorus, "Ravel: L'Enfant Et Les Sortilèges; Shéhérazade" 

Producer of the Year, Classical: Judith Sherman 

Best Regional Roots Music Album: Jon Cleary,Go Go Juice 
Best Folk Album: Béla Fleck & Abigail Washburn,Béla Fleck and Abigail Washburn 
Best Blues Album: Buddy Guy, Born to Play Guitar 
Best Bluegrass Album: The Steeldrivers, The Muscle Shoals Recordings 
Best Americana Album: Jason Isbell, Something More Than Free 
Best American Roots Song: Jason Isbell, "24 Frames" 
Best American Roots Performance: Mavis Staples, "See That My Grave Is Kept Clean" 
Best Tropical Latin Album: Rubén Blades With Roberto Delgado & Orchestra, Son De Panamá 
Best Regional Mexican Music Album (Including Tejano): Los Tigres Del Norte, Realidades - Deluxe Edition 
Best Children's Album: Tim Kubart, Home 
Best World Album: Angélique Kidjo, Sings 
Best Reggae Album: Morgan Heritage, Strictly Roots 
Best Latin Jazz Album: Eliane Elias, Made in Brazil 
Best Large Jazz Ensemble Album: Maria Schneider, The Thompson Fields 
Best Jazz Instrumental Album: John Scofield,Past Present 
Best Jazz Vocal Album: Cécile McLorin Salvant,For One to Love 
Best Surround Sound Album: James Guthrie and Joel Plante, Amused To Death 
Best Remixed Recording, Non-Classical: Mark Ronson feat. Bruno Mars, "Uptown Funk (Dave Audé Remix)" 
Best Engineered Album, Non-Classical: Alabama Shakes, Sound & Color 
Best Historical Album: Various artists; The Basement Tapes Complete: The Bootleg Series Vol. 11 
Best Boxed or Special Limited Edition Package: Various Artists, The Rise & Fall Of Paramount Records, Volume Two (1928-32) 
Best Album Notes: Joni Mitchell, Love Has Many Faces: A Quartet, A Ballet, Waiting To Be Danced 
Best Recording Package: Sarah Dodds, Shauna Dodds & Dick Reeves; Asleep at the Wheel, Still the King: Celebrating the Music of Bob Wills and His Texas Playboys 
Best Arrangement, Instruments and Vocals: Maria Schneider, "Sue (Or In A Season Of Crime)" 
Best Arrangement, Instrumental or A Cappella: Avi Kaplin, Kirstin Taylor, Kevin K.O. Olusola; "Dance Of The Sugar Plum Fairy" 
Best Instrumental Composition: Arturo O'Farrill and the Afro Latin Jazz Orchestra, "The Afro Latin Jazz Suite" 
MusiCares Person of the Year: Lionel Richie 

Budget Padding Scandal: Buhari sacks Director General, Budget Office

President Muhammadu Buhari has approved the appointment of Tijjani Abdullahi as the new Director-General in charge of the Budget Office of the Federation.

The President also approved the appointment of Ben Akabueze as the Special Adviser on Planning to the Minister of Budget and National Planning.

Mr. Abdullahi, a fellow of the Certified National Accountants of Nigeria, and a banker of repute with experience in managing public finance, will replace the current Director-General (Budget), Yahaya Gusau.

Mr. Gusau, who replaced Bright Okogu (who completed two terms of office), was appointed to the office on August 18, 2015, for a term of four years that could have been renewed for another four years.

But he has now been sacked less than six months after, following the widespread irregularities detected in the 2016 budget presently under consideration by the National Assembly.

Presidency sources told PREMIUM TIMES Mr. Buhari believed that the sacked DG failed to effectively deliver on his mandate.

The new Director-General (Budget) is expected to work with the Minister of Budget and National Planning to efficiently deliver on the mandates of the Budget Office of the Federation, a statement by the presidency said.

Mr Akabueze, who is the immediate past Commissioner for Economic Planning and Budget in Lagos State, has worked in senior management positions in Citi Bank, Fidelity Bank, United Bank for Africa, NAL Merchant Bank, Sterling Bank and BIA Consulting Limited, among others.

He is Fellow of the Chartered Institute of Bankers; Fellow, Institute of Credit Administrators and Honorary Fellow, Chartered Institute of Bankers.
[Premium Times]

Gov Wike Recalls Suspended Commissioner, Accountant-General

Gov. Nyesom Wike of River has recalled the commissioner for Finance and Accountant- General of the state suspended last week.

This is contained in a statement issued on Monday in Port Harcourt by Mr Simeon Nwakaudu, Special Assistant to the Governor on Electronic Media.

It said the Commissioner, Dr Fred Kpakol and the Accountant-General, Sir Abere Dagogo`s suspension was lifted following interventions by different political leaders.

The statement quoted Wike as urging political appointees to differentiate between friendship and governance in the discharge of their functions.

“Governance is a serious business. It is not friendship. When it comes to governance I won’t know friendship.

“I will lift the suspension on the Finance Commissioner and the Accountant-General, but they must henceforth take their functions seriously.

“Next time, I will not take into consideration the pleas of political stakeholders,” Wike said.

The statement said the governor advised all political appointees to take their responsibilities seriously to enable government succeed in the delivery of projects contained in his administration`s development blueprint. (NAN)

Buhari orders sack of DG's of NTA,NOA and others

According to a statement shared on the facebook wall od Ministry of culture and Information:

The Federal Government has disengaged the heads of the six information-related parastatals under the Ministry of Information and Culture. The Minister of Information and Culture, Alhaji Lai Mohammed, announced the disengagement during a meeting he held with the Chief Executives of the Nigerian Television Authority (NTA), Federal Radio Corporation of Nigeria (FRCN), Voice of Nigeria (VON), News Agency of Nigeria (NAN), Nigerian Broadcasting Commission (NBC) and the National Orientation Agency (NOA) on Monday . The Minister directed the disengaged Chief Executives to hand over to the most senior officials in their various establishments. He thanked them for their service to the nation and wished them the best of luck in their future endeavours. The affected Chief Executives are the Directors-General of NTA, Mr. Sola Omole, FRCN (Mr. Ladan Salihu), VON (Mr Sam Worlu), NOA (Mr. Mike Omeri), NBC (Mr. Emeka Mba) and the Managing Director of NAN (Mr. Ima Niboro).

$2.1BN ARMS DEAL Ex-Airforce chief returns N66 million

By Kingsley Omonobi, Abuja

One of the Nigerian  Air Force (NAF) chiefs implicated in the $2.1 billion arms deal and put under house arrest at Niger Barracks, Abuja has returned N66 million of the N90 million, allegedly traced to him, to the Economic and  Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC).

Consequently, the officer, a  Principal Staff Officer at NAF Headquarters, was released from detention and asked to go and look for the balance of the money.

An EFCC source, however, said this did not mean he is completely exonerated.

Sunday Vanguard gathered that the other officers being detained by the NAF  High Command, on  behalf of  the EFCC, were not allowed the privileged because they had refused to  cooperate fully with the EFCC interrogation team even though some had returned exotic cars and other valuables.

It was also gathered that an Air Commodore, said to have benefitted from the arms deal  and has properties in Dubai, Kaduna and Abuja, has been arrested and is in detention.

One of the detained Air Vice Marshals (AVMs) is said to be the leader of the team that went to buy  aircraft  with  incomplete parts and also inflated the price from $6million to over $30million.

NAF  High Command had, on Thursday, stepped up its anti-corruption war with the removal of some officers including Air Officers Commanding and Principal Staff officers fingered in the arms deal and appointed  new Air Officers Commanding.

Meanwhile, the wife of a former Chief of the Air Staff, Mrs. Lara Amosu, detained overnight by the EFCC, has been freed.

Sunday Vanguard gathered that the wife was detained following certain accounts related to her husband,  being investigated in connection with the $2.1 billion arms cash, allegedly traced to her.

Although the exact figure and details of the accounts were not made public, EFCC was said to have interrogated her for hours last week in Lagos.

But a source close to the investigation confirmed the woman had been released on bail.

“She is not in our custody having been granted administrative bail. She will be asked to report back whenever we need her for further investigation,” the source said.

The source said the money allegedly recovered from the former air chief’s house in Lagos had been kept as exhibit to be used when the trial of suspects in the arms deal begins.

The source further alleged that some properties belonging to the former CAS were also held in trust for him by Lara and her children.

There were earlier reports that the anti-graft agency had uncovererd N17.5 billion in the accounts of wives of three airforce chiefs.

[Vanguard Newspaper]