Thursday, March 31, 2016

Nigeria billionaire, Ifeanyi Ubah, gets 10-match ban, N2.5 million fine for slapping goalkeeper

Nigeria’s League Management Company has slammed a N2.5 million fine and a 10-match ban on billionaire businessman, Ifeanyi Ubah, who was caught on camera slapping Heartland FC goalkeeper, Ebele Obi.

The LMC toughened its punishment for Ubah after video evidence nailed him.

The regulator however said in a statement on Thursday that the billionaire businessman can appeal against the ruling if he deems so.

The statement read: “Chief Dr Ifeanyi Ubah, proprietor of FC Ifeanyi Ubah, is suspended from all NPFL match venues for the next 10 matches.

“He has now been fined N2.5m because LMC found him guilty of encroaching field of play & assaulting Heartland player Ebele Obi.

“The fabled billionaire is expected to offer a letter of apology & an undertaking to be a good ambassador of the NPFL.

“The LMC further bans all self- procured security services other than those sanctioned by the LMC from all NPFL match venues henceforth.

“Four of the 10-match NPFL ban is suspended for a probationary period till the end of the season.

“Ubah has up till 5pm on Saturday to appeal this decision if he objects the ruling,” the statement concluded.

(Premium times)

The Price of Iranu By Pius Adesanmi

Mama Isanlu told me the story of Pa Alainikanse ton f'ari fun aja. So idle was Pa Alainikanse that he spent much of his life shaving the head of his dog. The neighbours got used to the fact that Pa Alainikanse's blades and clippers were meant exclusively for the head of his dog.

Then came the day when lice, dandruff and other scalp problems reminded Pa Alainikanse that he needed a haircut badly. Alas, all his blades and clippers had been blunted by years of use on his dog's head. So, he screamed and appealed desperately to his neighbours, begging them to lend him blades and clippers because he needed a haircut.

The neighbours did yinmu and moju. Nobody believed him. Nobody trusted him. See Pa Alainikanse o, they said. Who does not know that he wants to use our blades and clippers to shave his dog's head? He thinks we are mumu like him? Shior!

Pa Alainikanse paid the price of iranu.

In Washington DC, President Buhari is paying the price of iranu.

For one year, he has operated an aletilapa Presidency, listening to nobody and playing Gulliver all over the world because he has eleven jets he had promised to reduce during campaign.

On the positive side, many of those trips have been humiliating and embarrassing for Nigeria - beneath the status and dignity of the Nigerian presidency.

On the negative side, many of those trips have been totally useless - like the useless gallivanting of his predecessors.

That trip to a diary farm in Kenya is beneath the dignity of the Vice President's office. It should have been undertaken by the Permanent Secretary and some Directors in the Ministry of Agriculture. Yet, the Nigerian President put one leg after another leg and went to Nairobi.

That trip to Equatorial Guinea? I am still trying to tell what the heck it was about beyond the preoccupation of Baba Alainikanse with shaving his dog's head in the folktale.

Now he is in Washington DC - on the only trip that he should perhaps have undertaken out of Nigeria since his election and he is being criticized and hit by 180 million people who have become too used to his useless foreign trips undertaken to shave the head of a dog.

Even the most sophisticated critics are asking: what is he doing in a nuclear summit?

Well, he is doing everything that is relevant. This summit is not about nuclear powers. President Obama convened it to address the perennial danger of loose nuclear material - a consequence of the collapse of the Soviet Union - getting into the hands of terrorists.

If you are the leader of any of the countries that is helpless in fighting terrorism, this summit is for you. How do we prevent Al Qaeda, ISIS, Al Shabab, and Boko Haram from gaining access to nuclear material and allied dirty bombs?

Combating nuclear proliferation and the spread of fissile material: this is what this Washington summit is about in the main. It is not about  states with nuclear capability. If it was about that, Nigeria would have no business there. It is about weak and underdeveloped states, ravaged by terrorism, that are vulnerable to loose fissile material.

Imagine Boko Haram getting fissile material. Even with their conventional weapons, you have only defeated them technically in two administrations after your soldiers did technical maneuvers.

If you are defeating them only technically when they have conventional weapons, how are you going to defeat them when they get fissile material? Professionally?

That is why Buhari is in DC. This, for me, is the first non-useless trip of his entire Presidency.

Of course, the ineffectual buffoons in his media team have been unable to sell this straightforward narrative. They are too busy reprimanding Nigerians for complaining about fuel scarcity and darkness to know how to provide a logical basis for their Oga's only worthwhile foreign trip.

But what do I know? Nigeria being Nigeria, President Buhari is perfectly capable of returning from this DC trip and heading out the next day to attend the birthday of the President of Djibouti.

When you have 11 planes, your ways are not like the ways of those queuing for fuel in Lagos and Abuja.

Your reasoning is different from theirs...

Wednesday, March 30, 2016

Buhari jets off to Washington for nuclear security summit

President Muhammadu Buhari will leave Abuja for Washington DC tomorrow, Wednesday, to join President Barack Obama and about 60 other world leaders and heads of international organisations at the 4th Nuclear Security Summit which opens there on Thursday, presidential spokesperson, Femi Adesina, has said.

Mr. Adesina said in a statement that at plenary sessions of the summit, which is dedicated to reinforcing international commitment to the non-proliferation of nuclear weapons, President Buhari will insist that while Nigeria will continue to sustain that commitment, world powers must respect the right of other countries to the peaceful use of nuclear energy for development purposes.

The president will reaffirm Nigeria’s stance that international efforts to ensure greater security of nuclear materials should maintain a balance between nuclear non-proliferation obligations and the indisputable right of Nigeria and other countries to harness nuclear energy and technology for socio-economic development.

“It will be recalled that at a meeting with him in Abuja earlier this month, President Buhari told the Director-General of the International Atomic Energy Agency, Yukiya Amano, that the Federal Government will welcome greater support from the agency for Nigeria’s aspiration to begin the generation of electricity with nuclear energy,” the statement said.

While in Washington DC for the Nuclear Security Summit, Mr. Buhari and his delegation which includes Governor Mohammed Abubakar of Bauchi State, Governor Abdulfatah Ahmed of Kwara State, the Minister of Foreign Affairs, Geoffrey Onyeama, the National Security Adviser, Babagana Monguno, and the Director-General of Nigeria’s Nuclear Regulatory Agency, Lawrence Anikwe Dim, will also hold bilateral meetings with other participating Heads of Government and high-ranking United States Government officials.

President Buhari will depart Washington DC for Abuja on Sunday

- Premium Times

Monday, March 21, 2016

Buhari tables proposal for rescuing Nigeria’s troubled economy

As the National Economic Council begins a two-day retreat in Abuja, President Muhammadu Buhari has proposed ways of reinvigorating Nigeria’s wobbling economy.

The NEC is chaired by the Vice President, Yemi Osinbajo, and its membership include the 36 state governors and some Ministers and heads of relevant government agencies.

The President, who delivered the keynote address at the opening of the retreat said there is unanimity of opinion in Nigeria that the nation’s economy is in bad shape.

The president said based on the generality of opinion of Nigerians at his disposal, four key areas, namely agriculture, power, manufacturing and housing requires urgent attention to revive the economy.

He, however, said he was making no suggestions on “Education, Science and Technology pointedly because these related subjects require a whole retreat by themselves”.

He subsequently made some proposals to NEC to consider as the body seeks solution for the country’s ailing economy.

On Agriculture, Mr. Buhari said both peasant and mechanized farmers in Nigeria agree that food production and self-sufficiency require urgent government action.

“For too long government policies on agriculture have been half-hearted, suffering from inconsistencies and discontinuities,”he said.

The president said what was most worrying to Nigerians with regards to Agriculture was the rising food prices, lack of visible impact of government presence on the sector, lack of agricultural inputs at affordable prices, high cost of fertilizers, pesticide as well as labour.

He also said extension services were virtually absent in several states.

He identified the importation of subsidized food products such as rice and poultry and the wastage of locally grown foods, notably fruit and vegetables, which go bad due to lack of even moderate scale agro-processing factories and lack of feeder roads.

“These problems I have enumerated are by no means exhaustive and some of the solutions I am putting forward are not necessarily the final word on our agricultural reform objectives,” he said

The president thereafter, said the Nigerian government needed to carry the public along in the new initiatives being introduced.

He said the Federal Ministry of Agriculture, in collaboration with the States, should convene early meetings of relevant individuals and bodies to identify issues with a view to addressing them.

He also said there was need to “inform the public in all print and electronic media on government efforts to increase local food production to dampen escalating food prices”.

He also suggested that banks should be leaned upon to substantially increase their lending to the agricultural sector.

“(The) Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) should bear part of the risk of such loans as a matter of national policy,” he said.

Mr. Buhari advised state governments to increase their financial support through community groups. He said the appropriate approach should be through leaders of community groups such as farmers cooperatives.

He also advised the governors to provide feeder roads to enable more effective evacuation of produce to markets and processing factories.

“ When I was a schoolboy in the 1950’s the country produced one million tons of groundnuts in two successive years,” Mr. Buhari recalled. “The country’s main foreign exchange earners were groundnut, cotton, cocoa, palm kernel, rubber and all agro/forest resources.

“Regional Banks and Development Corporations in all the three regions were financed from farm surpluses. In other words, our capital formation rode on the backs of our farmers. Why was farming so successful 60 years ago?”

The president said that was possible because there were small scale credits to farmers, while inputs such as fertilizers and herbicides were readily available, complemented by adequate extension services.

“Now we have better tools, better agricultural science and technology, and greater ability to process. With determination we can succeed,” he said.

With regards to the Power sector, Mr. Buhari admitted that “Nigerians’ favourite talking point and butt of jokes is the power situation in our country. But, ladies and gentlemen, it is no longer a laughing matter. We must and by the grace of God we will put things right.

“In the three years left for this administration we have given ourselves the target of ten thousand megawatts distributable power. In 2016 alone, we intend to add two tgousand megawatts to the national grid,” he said.

The president said the privatisation of the power sector was yet to translate into improvement in the quality of service.

He identified common public complaints on the sector to include constant power cuts, high electricity bills despite the cuts, low supply of gas to power plants due to vandalization by ‘terrorists’, obsolete power distribution equipment and low voltage he said could not industrial machinery.

Mr. Buhari said some of the problems had defied successive governments, adding however that his administration “must and will, insha Allah, put a stop to power shortages.”

He lamented that Nigeria was currently facing a dilemma of privatization which pitches public interest against profit motive.

“Having started, we must complete the process. But National Electricity Regulatory Commission (NERC), the regulatory authority, has a vital job to ensure consumers get value for money and over-all public interest is safe-guarded,” he said.

He also said the government would fast-track the completion of pipelines from Gas points to power stations and provide more security to protect gas and oil pipelines.

He added that “Power companies should be encouraged to replace obsolete equipment and improve the quality of service and technicians”.

In the manufacturing sector, Mr. Buhari said many manufacturing industries in the country were groaning and frustrated because of lack of foreign exchange to import raw materials and spare parts.

“Painful though this is, I believe it is a temporary phase which we shall try to overcome but there are deeper, more structural problems bedeviling local industries which this Retreat should identify short and long-term answers to,” he said.

He said NEC should look at the problems of inadequate infrastructure such as power, roads and security; high cost of borrowing money and lack of long term funding.

President Buhari said the Nigerian Capital Market had not completely recover from the 2008 worldwide crisis.

He said Banks’ funding sources remained short-term in nature due to sources of the liabilities.

The president also said there was need to protect workers from exploitation, adding that unions must cooperate with entrepreneurs to substantially improve productivity and quality of products if the nation is to move forward.

The president recommended that the infrastructure Development Fund should be fast-tracked to unlock resources so that infrastructural deficiencies could be addressed.

He also said there should be more fiscal incentives for Small and Medium Enterprises, SMEs, which prove themselves capable of manufacturing quality products good enough for export.

“(The) Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) should create more incentives and ease credit terms for lending to manufacturers,” he said

He also said a fresh campaign to patronize Made-in-Nigeria goods should be launched. He suggested all uniforms in government-sponsored institutions should be sourced from local factories.

As for the Housing sector, President Buhari said some estimates put Nigeria’s housing deficit at about sixteen million units.

“In our successful campaign to win the general elections last year our party, the APC, promised to build a million housing units a year,” he said.

Mr. Buhari however, said that campaign promise might turn out a tall order unless government builds two hundred and fifty thousand units and the 22 APC States together manage another two hundred and fifty thousand units.

He also urged “foreign investors together with local domiciled big construction companies to enter into commercial housing building to pick up the rest”.

The President said the most frequent public concerns brought to his attention as regards the housing sector include severe shortage of housing, high rents and unaffordable prices for prospective buyers especially middle and low-income earners.

“In addition, red tape, corruption and plain public service inefficiency lead to long delays in obtaining ownership of title documents.

“Again, there are no long term funding sources for mortgage purposes.

“These hurdles are by no means easy to scale, but we must find solutions to the housing deficit. This Retreat might start by looking at the laws,” he said.

President Buhari said the relevant laws as regards Housing should be reviewed to make the process of acquiring statutory right of occupancy shorter, less cumbersome and less costly.
He said Court procedures for mortgages cases should make enforcement more efficient.

President Buhari also spoke about the health sector, lamenting that “Nigerians travel abroad, spending an estimated One Billion US Dollars annually to get medical treatment.”

“Despite huge oil revenues the nation’s health sector remains undeveloped,” he said

Mr. Buhari said in attacking the challenges in the health sector the government could start with more funding for health centres to improve service delivery. He also said the World Bank and World Health Organization, WHO, could be persuaded to increase their assistance.

He also advocated the strengthening of public health propaganda in primary prevention areas to intimate Nigerians in areas such as environmental sanitation, need to stop smoking, better dieting and exercising.

He also advocated a secondary prevention inputs such as the screening and early diagnosis of diseases.

He challenged NAFDAC to intensify efforts at reducing or stopping circulation of fake drugs in Nigeria, while the Ministry of Health should work closely with the Nigerian Medical Association to ensure that unqualified people are not allowed to practice.

[Premium Times]

STATEMENT BY THE INDEPENDENT NATIONAL ELECTORAL COMMISSION(INEC) ON THE NATIONAL AND STATE ASSEMBLY ELECTIONS IN RIVERS STATE


Pursuant to the Orders of the Court of Appeal, the Independent National Electoral Commission(INEC) conducted elections into various seats in both the National and the Rivers State House of Assembly yesterday, the 19th of March, 2016.

Rather unfortunately, some of these elections witnessed the disruption of the process, including the barricading of some of the INEC Local Government offices and Registration Area Centres(RACs) used for the distribution of Electoral materials which led to the late commencement of the exercise in some places and consequently, its smooth take off.

Of more serious concern was the level of threats, violence and intimidation of election officials and voters by well armed thugs and miscreants allegedly acting on behalf of some politicians, which marred the elections in some areas. There were reports of numerous attacks resulting in fatalities, kidnappings, ballot snatching, diversion of officials and materials, amongst others, which necessitated its suspension in 8 Local Government Areas.

Regrettably, such deviant behaviour has continued today. Several permanent and ad hoc staff engaged have been attacked, again resulting in fatalities, while some have been forcibly abducted and taken to presently unknown destinations.

Under such difficult circumstance, the Returning Officers were only able to collate and declare results in 1 Federal and 9 State constituencies where the disruption and malpractices were not so widespread.

Having reviewed the situation, the Commission is compelled to suspend all further action concerning the exercise in all the other constituencies in the State pending the receipt of a comprehensive report from its Field Officials and Monitors. For the avoidance of doubt, it should be noted that the suspension does not affect the constituencies where the exercise has been completed and the results declared by the Returning Officers.

Oluwole Osaze- Uzzi,
Director, Voter Education and Publicity. INEC

Saturday, March 19, 2016

Attacks On Buhari: How Pathetic They’ve Become! By Frisky Larr

It's  been quite amusing since the inception of the Buhari administration barely one year ago, observing self-styled critics of the new government, who are driven by diverse motivations. I have identified them in three different categories. The first group comprises those, who have set out to criticize the government from the very beginning, no matter what the regime does. This group has now become popularly christened as “The Wailing Wailers” very much in disrespect to “Bob Marley and The Wailers” of classical Reggae fame! The second group includes those who believe that they are being objective by being seen as criticizing the government after throwing their full weight behind Buhari’s watershed election in a juicy grand style. The third and final group comprises those, who are genuinely angry that things are not proceeding the way they had hoped would uplift the common man in a very short time.

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I have issues with all three groups with varying degrees of understanding. I tend to show the least understanding of the position and attitude of the first group, which set out from the very beginning, to attack and disparage the government at all costs no matter what it does. It is the group that exemplifies the “ideal” form of despicable attacks and criticisms like it should never be practiced in a healthy democratic culture. Confronted with the levity of their actions and illogicality of their utterances, their most commonly advanced argument is “What does it now feel like getting back a taste of what you dished out to Jonathan?”

This extremely infantile and pubescent approach to important matters of state and the destiny of a nation can hardly be qualified by any discerning mind, with any flattering or polite adjective for the sake of decency. The actors are aware of the sense of immaturity that their actions reflect but they are very well driven by the impact of Group dynamics. What an individual would never do, left to himself, he will now do very easily with a sense of justification and righteousness, feeling not alone in the company of like-minds. Educated minds that would ordinarily weigh the pros and cons in words and deeds simply metamorphose into cyber touts and rabble-rousers, spewing hate and mischief for the simple sake of angering the state because they feel secure in the comfort of a mob group. Their most popular stock in trade so far, has been the habit of jumping on every issue perceived as negative in relation to the government of Muhammadu Buhari and ripping all facts apart and out of context if need be, as long as it serves the purpose of boosting a negative perception of the government in public view.

They celebrate in ecstatic fascination, the shortage of cash in the state’s treasury as incompetence in the management of financial and economic affairs knowing too well what the impact of dwindling prices can be when it affects the mainstay of the economy. They celebrate the padding of a budget as incompetence and hypocrisy, conveniently ignoring the criminal dimension to the despicable act perpetrated by remnants of decadence and the preparatory environment under which the habit thrived. They celebrate the emergence of buyers’ queues at filling stations as an opportunity that can never be missed to cut a pound of flesh, willfully negating the reality that the folks also suffered same in the reign of their hero. They suddenly find the megaphones to announce the random criminal killings perpetrated by northern cattle rearers as a new crime-in-town introduced by the hated northern President. The truth that they know so well, however, is that the problems have existed in varying degrees over several governments. They know so well too, that it is one thing to point out the urgent need for a solution and another thing entirely, to label a problem as the poster-problem of a hated regime.

Then they are led by people who should have known better with an intimidating background of academic experience and financial resources, lending credence to pettiness and idiosyncrasies. They tweet half-truths and sponsor ads for political ambitions and clearly negate the consequences of the political tradition they are breeding for future generations within and outside the senate.

The tweeting senator with a not-so-covert presidential ambition simply ends up spearheading a movement of half-truths and willful manipulation in reckless abandon and reminds me of the foul seed of journalistic analyses that was sown by the likes of Reuben Abati, Okey Ndibe and Simon Kolawole at the peak of their activism against Olusegun Obasanjo. Today, the behavior of the so-called Wailers is a partial manifestation of this academically misplaced tradition that I strongly condemned in vain at that crucial point in time.

The tweeting senator who saw all the ills of the preceding government and made no commonsense to challenge the fundamental spread of decay has now suddenly rediscovered and redefined the word “commonsense”. In all his tweets and rants, he cleverly forgets to make commonsense on Dasukigate or Badehgate. He makes no commonsense on the financial recklessness of the red chamber. Femi Fani Kayode has long gone silent under the yoke of a corruption cover-up that went awfully wrong and no tweeting senator saw a commonsense factor to tweet about.

Then it dawned on me that the folks are trapped in a state of mind from which they have failed to free themselves. They are yet to grow past the problem of the North-South dichotomy that has plagued Nigeria for several decades past. To them, Buhari is always a Northerner before being Nigerian and they themselves remain Southerners before being Nigerians. It “Us” versus “Them”! It does not matter to them that even President Muhammadu Buhari, who in the past, was a personification of sectionalism with reckless pro-Northern utterances, has now grown past that stage and continued on the footpath of former President Olusegun Obasanjo, embracing the Federal Character mandated by the constitution for the good of the country. No.

In their perception, a Southerner who embraces the anti-corruption project of the President (which, in their view, is nothing but hypocrisy because Buhari is also a thief) is nothing else but a traitor and a sellout. The fight against corruption has suddenly become a misplaced priority of governance as long as the thieves may end up being predominantly Southerners. Never mind though that the hated government has so far, focused far more disproportionately, on his northern kindred.

This is the point in time, in which we recognize the pitiable state of mind that the critics have long degenerated into.

The second group of critics for which I show a limited dose of understanding seeks to wear the cloak of objectivity by being seen to be criticizing the administration having staked a lot of energy backing the same regime. I am sometimes irked by this group for the simplicity, to which it reduces itself to be loved and adored as everybody’s darling. For want of subjects to criticize, they hop aboard the bandwagon of trivialities and irrelevance. With a vast and radiant array of positive mental and rational energy, they unwittingly obscure their hard-earned reputation needlessly flip-flopping on the murky stream of dirty water lilies. They suddenly find favor in unleashing attacks on a President’s honesty that promises foreign partners the resolve to rein in the rampant culture of crime and dishonesty, for which a section of Nigerians is known all over the world. They dance upon the carnival wagon showcasing budgetary irregularities to be seen as fair and square. Then they fail to make amends when news unfolds, of the criminal syndicate underlying the embarrassing plot. They suddenly begin to hinge on the President’s distinctive slow pace in prosecuting his signature policy of War Against Corruption. They occasionally stray into the Wailers’ terrain, illogically asking if this was the Change they sought with their votes only to provide the relevant answer when they start defending the President again.

This is a group that basically, means no harm to the national interest, but seems to crave the notion of advancing their personal image with a simplistic approach to popular appeal.

The last group, with which I sympathize and empathize, is the group that is simply reacting authentically, to the persistence of pains against all expectations. My grudge with this group, however, is bedded in its involuntary supply of needless ammunition to the camp of the grumbling wailers. This is the group that heaved the most sigh of relief when power supply suddenly surged upon the assumption of the Presidency by Muhammadu Buhari. It enjoyed every bit of the moment, in which our comatose refineries swung into action and did outlandish magic. We called it all the body-language impact. Deep within though, we all knew, it was a transient knee-jerk reaction. After all, the fear of the unknown was leaving a livid track on the comportment of those who had axes to grind. With revenues dwindling, however, and culprits compelled to spit out the “yam” that they have eaten, the fear of who may be the next person in line, now seems to drive the panic reaction of overnight saboteurs.

Yet, I must not fail to pay tribute to all these men and women in this last category of involuntary critics, who live in Nigeria and bear the brunt of hardship that daily life demands and still remain level-headed enough to separate the wheat from the wasteful chaff. I doff my hat for all courageous men and women who go through hours and days of power failure, weeks and months of fuel shortage, unpredictable days of armed robbery, and the uncertain days of kidnapping. I adore their resilience and doggedness for making ends meet in extremely challenging conditions. Yet, they keep their cool and know where to lay the blame and help to craft a blueprint.

The missing link of added patience that is required in the face of mounting pressure signals the weight of the burden that they bear. Yet, it will all get worse before it becomes better.

Little wonder then that the group of the Wailers, in its isolation and desperation, seeks to capitalize on the pains of the vulnerable third group in the hope that it will bring it relief. But the nagging and wailing of the third group is as transient as the pains that it endures. It simply requires a heightened dose of reality check.

By the way, if I were a tweeting senator, I’d imagine myself saying right away, “My name is Frisky Larr, I’m just trying to do some reality check”.

Coming up soon: Watch out for my exclusive Interview with former President Olusegun Obasanjo!

Thursday, March 17, 2016

Caught in employment scam, CBN explains ‘secret recruitment’

The Central Bank of Nigeria has said it opted for a secret process of hiring new staff in the past two years because the bank was doing “targeted recruitment”.

The apex bank is at the centre of a recruitment scandal exposed by two newspapers.

A news report published Wednesday by Daily Trust, said the CBN secretly recruited 909 staff between June 2014 and February 2015, in violation of due process and federal character principles.

The report followed a news story by news website, SaharaReporters, on Tuesday, showing how children and relatives of some influential Nigerians, including a nephew of President Muhammadu Buhari, were dubiously and secretly hired by the CBN.

The CBN’s acting Director of Corporate Communications, Isaac Okorafor, told PREMIUM TIMES that the bank did nothing illegal or wrong in hiring without advertising.

“In the last two years, we have had cause to recruit specialists, and what the law says is that if we are going for that kind of recruitment we should apply for waiver, so that we can do targeted recruitment,” Mr. Okoroafor said.
He said the bank obtained waiver from the Federal Character Commission.

“The other issue is that there are states that are not well represented (in the CBN), and in this case we focus on those states to recruits people of certain classes that we used to cover the shortfall in those states,” Mr. Okoroafor said.

Mr. Okoroafor however said he was not ready to confirm or deny the names on the list.

“Is there any qualified Nigerian who does not have the right to work in the CBN?” he asked.

[Premium Times]

Wednesday, March 16, 2016

Press Release By NNPC: Re: NNPC Failed To Remit N3.235 Trillion In 2014 – By Auditor General Of The Federation

Press Release By NNPC:

Re:  NNPC Failed To Remit N3.235 Trillion In 2014 – By Auditor General Of The Federation

EXCLUSIVE: Inside National Assembly’s N115 billion budget for 2016; House of Reps gets biggest share

The House of Representatives is to receive the highest allocation in National Assembly’s N115 billion budget for 2016, details of the proposal exclusively obtained by PREMIUM TIMES ahead of an official release, shows.

The public release of specific allocations to the various arms of the assembly will be the first time in five years.

Despite public criticisms against the assembly’s huge budget, details seen by this newspaper show the N115 billion aggregate may be retained after all.

In the budget President Muhammadu Buhari presented to the joint sitting of the Senate and House of Representatives December 22, the sum of N115 billion was allocated to the National Assembly without breaking down the details of the allocations to its arms.

The bulk allocation to the National Assembly began in 2011. Since then the legislature has resisted demands for a breakdown of allocations to its arms and has rebuffed calls for transparency in its annual spending.

Since taking office in 2015, the Senate President, Bukola Saraki, who is the chairman of the National Assembly, repeatedly assured that henceforth the details of its budget would be made known to Nigerians as part of the efforts to ensure transparency in its operations.

The draft budgetary allocations to the National Assembly shows that out of the N115 billion allocated to the legislature, N105.4 billion has been set aside as recurrent expenditure while N9.6 billion is for capital projects.

The draft breakdown, expected to be adopted by the Senate and House of Representatives at their plenary sessions Thursday barring any last minute change of mind, also shows that the 360-member House of Representatives will get N47.2 billion.

Of that figure, proposed recurrent expenditure is N44. 6 billion while the capital expenditure is N2.7 billion. The personnel cost for the lower chamber is N4.9 billion while the overhead cost is N39.6 billion.

The proposed allocation to the Senate is N30. 2 billion. The breakdown shows that the upper house would spend N3.3 billion on capital projects and N26.97 billion on recurrent. Its personnel cost is N1,856,510,517 and overhead cost is N25,111,332,147.

The Public Accounts Committee of the Senate was allocated N115,008,000 while its House counterpart got N138,009,000.

The management arm has a total allocation of N11,625,392,906 with N10,048,616,823 as recurrent expenditure and N1,576,776,083 as capital votes. Its personnel cost is N6,372,434,997 and overhead cost N3,676,181,826.

The sum of N9458,800,803 was allocated for General Services. When broken down, the recurrent profile is N,669,079,143 while the capital expenditure profile stands at N789,721,660.

Other arms of the federal legislature that received allocations are National Assembly Service Commission and the National Assembly Legislative Institute.

The NASC got N1,971,833,327 with N1,858,033,532 as recurrent expenditure and N113,799,795 for capital projects. Its personnel cost is N810,084,566 while the overhead is N1,047,950,966.

On its part, the NALI secured a total of N4,208,813,051 with N3,844,990,172 as capital and N363,822,879 as recurrent. A further breakdown shows that its personnel cost is 363,522,879 while overhead is N3,019,355,811.

A total of N9,668,983,512 has been set aside for the legislative aides of the lawmakers while the Service Order Vote is N374,405,631.

Past Assurances

The expected release of the detailed budgetary allocations to the various arms of the National Assembly will be the first since 2011.

Until that year, allocations to the arms had been detailed in the budget presented by the past presidents to the legislature.

The budgets prepared by the Goodluck Jonathan administration for the National Assembly between 2011 and 2015 did not provide specifics.

Similarly, the then Senate President, David Mark, and Speaker of the House of Representatives, Aminu Tambuwal, never bothered to disclose the details of the budgetary allocations to the National Assembly, which came to N715 billion.

The sum of N150 billion each was allocated to the legislature in 2011, 2012, 2013 and 2014 while it got N115 billion in 2015.

The secrecy with which the National Assembly engaged in financial transactions attracted public outcry with many demanding that such transactions should be made open.

In January, a former president, Olusegun Obasanjo, in a letter he addressed to Mr. Saraki and the Speaker of the House of Representatives, Yakubu Dogara, said the practice in the National Assembly “detracts from “distinguishness” and “honourability” because it is shrouded in opaqueness and absolute lack of transparency and could not be regarded as normal, good and decent practice in a democracy that is supposed to be exemplary.”
Since he assumed office last year, Mr. Saraki had repeatedly assured that the financial transactions of the National Assembly would be open.

In an interview with a team of editors of the London based magazine- the Economist last Sunday, the senate president said the budget breakdown of the lawmakers would be published this week.

He said the decision to publish the details of the budget was in line with the anti-corruption stance of the 8th National Assembly, adding that the legislature would not cover any form of corruption.

“For the first time we promised Nigerians that the Senate will disclose its budget breakdown, the committee will make its report available by next week. We are resolved to break the tradition of one line item,” he said.
Mr. Saraki said that the Senate would partner with President Muhammadu Buhari to ensure the success of the anti-corruption war.‎

He had made similar promises in the past. In his inauguration speech on June 9, 2015, the senate president told Nigerians that the era of impunity and arrogance in the country was gone.

He said there would be “a change from impunity and elite arrogance to a life of accountability and respect for every citizen, regardless of tribe, gender, religion and political persuasion. We must justify the privilege of representation conferred in us by the people.”

“As the President of the 8th Senate and chairman of the National Assembly, I shall be guided by the enormity of the responsibilities that this moment imposes on all of us,” he stressed.

In another media interview, Mr. Saraki, He said, “By the time we come in to the 2016 budget at the end of the year, it will be even clearer because people just see one item line.

“But that is not going to happen now, you will see what goes to the Senate, what goes to the House of Reps, you are going to see what goes to management, what goes to Legislative Institute, we are going to make all these open and clear. That is part of the openness we promised.”

Again, while receiving the leadership of the All Progressive Congress Youth Forum in his office as part of the celebration of this year’s International Youth Day in August, Mr. Saraki said the Senate had nothing to hide.

He said, “I want to assure you, despite all what you read in the papers, be rest assured that we are here for serious business. We are all committed to make a difference and my doors are open.

“Very soon, from what I am being told from the Senate Committee on Rules and Business, we are trying to move fast about the e-parliament so that everybody here can know what we are doing and they can also contribute to some of the discussions.

“We want to make this place as open as possible. There is nothing here we are hiding. What is our great motivation? Nigerians spoke at the last elections and I don’t think they spoke for things to be the same and we must not let it be the same. We must ensure that it is positively different.”

[Premium Times]

STATE BROADCAST BY HIS EXCLLENCY, NYESOM EZENWO WIKE, CON, ON THE RERUN NATIONAL AND STATE ASSEMBLY RERUN ELECTIONS.


My Dear people of Rivers State.

As we all know, the court ordered National and State Assembly Elections will take place on Saturday March 19, 2016 to fill the State's senatorial seats; 12 out of 13 House Of Representatives seats and 22 out of the 32 State House Of Assembly seats.

The rerun elections are pivotal to us as a state and as a people.  As you cast your votes,  you will be making fundamental decisions and choices on who gets elected to stand for our rights and promote our collective interest in the  National Assembly.

You will be electing worthy  representatives to the State House Of Assembly to join me to deliver our developmental agenda and help chart the future of our state through legislation and oversight.

Now that the Independent National Electoral Commission  (INEC) is set to conduct the court ordered National and State Assemblies rerun elections in Rivers State,  it is incumbent that we take full advantage of the opportunity to, once gain, exercise our democratic rightsto vote for the candidatesof our choice.

It is important to reiterate that the will of the people freely expressed through the ballot in root of democratic process and Rivers State cannot be an exception.
Thankfully,  l have received concrete assurance from the INEC that the rerun in the state shallbe free, fair and credible.  I believe that we can all trust on INEC to live up to this solemn promise.

However,  let me warn that political party leaders and candidates must come terms with the  fact that elections are not and must not be turned into a do or die affair, just as no political ambition warrants any person,  no matter his position,  to threaten the peace of the State by inciting and making unguarded statements in their desperation to win the rerun elections for their parties and candidates.

As the chief of staff of the State and Chairman Of security council,  I assure everyone of us of our security and safety before, during and after the rerun elections.
The Nigerian Police and other security agencieshave put adequate to keep the peace and ensure an orderly conduct of the rerun elections throughout the state.

I have also received assurance from the armed forces that they will not deviate from their constitutional role of maintaining law and order before,  during and after the rerun elections and I am satisfied with this assurance and believe that it would not be broken .

However,  in line with the ongoing security operations to rid the state of cult-induced violence and criminality, I have requested the armed forces to increase security surveillance around some identified flashpoint of cultism and banditry in Abua/ODUAL, Andoni, Asari Toru, Ahoada-East , Ahoada-West, Emohua, Ikwerre, Opobo/Nkoro and Ogba/Egbema/Ndoni Local Government Areas of the State.

There is really nothing to fear for every law abiding citizen of the State while exercising rights to vote.  On the Election day, simply take your permanent voters card  (PVC) , walk to your polling units to be accredited,  peacefully cast your vote and wait at a reasonable distance as allowed by law until the results are counted, announced and documented.

Do not submit to any intimidation by those who seek to scare you away from voting with the military . Take note that no person is allowed to go to the voting areas with uniform security personnel or thugs.

The security agencies have definite instructions to strictly enforce the restrictions on human and vehicular movement on Election day and consequently arrest any person or group of persons, including government vehicles,  that violate this order and attempt to act in any way to undermine the peaceful conduct of the rerun elections in the  State. 

Finally,  I hereby declare Thursday March 17th and Friday March 18th 2016 as work free days in Rivers State to enable workers from the public and private sectors fully participate in the rerun elections and exercise their franchise. 

Consequently,  all public service offices and institutions,  including banks and schools must remain closed for the duration of the holidays.

Thank you and God bless Rivers State.

STATE BROADCAST BY HIS EXCLLENCY, NYESOM EZENWO WIKE, CON, ON THE RERUN NATIONAL AND STATE ASSEMBLY RERUN ELECTIONS.


My Dear people of Rivers State.

As we all know, the court ordered National and State Assembly Elections will take place on Saturday March 19, 2016 to fill the State's senatorial seats; 12 out of 13 House Of Representatives seats and 22 out of the 32 State House Of Assembly seats.

The rerun elections are pivotal to us as a state and as a people.  As you cast your votes,  you will be making fundamental decisions and choices on who gets elected to stand for our rights and promote our collective interest in the  National Assembly.

You will be electing worthy  representatives to the State House Of Assembly to join me to deliver our developmental agenda and help chart the future of our state through legislation and oversight.

Now that the Independent National Electoral Commission  (INEC) is set to conduct the court ordered National and State Assemblies rerun elections in Rivers State,  it is incumbent that we take full advantage of the opportunity to, once gain, exercise our democratic rightsto vote for the candidatesof our choice.

It is important to reiterate that the will of the people freely expressed through the ballot in root of democratic process and Rivers State cannot be an exception.
Thankfully,  l have received concrete assurance from the INEC that the rerun in the state shallbe free, fair and credible.  I believe that we can all trust on INEC to live up to this solemn promise.

However,  let me warn that political party leaders and candidates must come terms with the  fact that elections are not and must not be turned into a do or die affair, just as no political ambition warrants any person,  no matter his position,  to threaten the peace of the State by inciting and making unguarded statements in their desperation to win the rerun elections for their parties and candidates.

As the chief of staff of the State and Chairman Of security council,  I assure everyone of us of our security and safety before, during and after the rerun elections.
The Nigerian Police and other security agencieshave put adequate to keep the peace and ensure an orderly conduct of the rerun elections throughout the state.

I have also received assurance from the armed forces that they will not deviate from their constitutional role of maintaining law and order before,  during and after the rerun elections and I am satisfied with this assurance and believe that it would not be broken .

However,  in line with the ongoing security operations to rid the state of cult-induced violence and criminality, I have requested the armed forces to increase security surveillance around some identified flashpoint of cultism and banditry in Abua/ODUAL, Andoni, Asari Toru, Ahoada-East , Ahoada-West, Emohua, Ikwerre, Opobo/Nkoro and Ogba/Egbema/Ndoni Local Government Areas of the State.

There is really nothing to fear for every law abiding citizen of the State while exercising rights to vote.  On the Election day, simply take your permanent voters card  (PVC) , walk to your polling units to be accredited,  peacefully cast your vote and wait at a reasonable distance as allowed by law until the results are counted, announced and documented.

Do not submit to any intimidation by those who seek to scare you away from voting with the military . Take note that no person is allowed to go to the voting areas with uniform security personnel or thugs.

The security agencies have definite instructions to strictly enforce the restrictions on human and vehicular movement on Election day and consequently arrest any person or group of persons, including government vehicles,  that violate this order and attempt to act in any way to undermine the peaceful conduct of the rerun elections in the  State. 

Finally,  I hereby declare Thursday March 17th and Friday March 18th 2016 as work free days in Rivers State to enable workers from the public and private sectors fully participate in the rerun elections and exercise their franchise. 

Consequently,  all public service offices and institutions,  including banks and schools must remain closed for the duration of the holidays.

Thank you and God bless Rivers State.

You can reintroduce Gender Equality Bill, says Saraki

[Guardian ]Senate President Bukola Saraki has advised Nigerian women to re-introduce the Gender Equality Bill, which was turned down by the National Assembly on Tuesday.

This is contained in a statement signed by Ms Fatima Kakuri, Special Assistant on Gender and Equality to the President of the Senate and made available to the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) on Wednesday in Abuja.

NAN recalls that the bill seeking gender equality, sponsored by the Deputy Minority Whip of the Senate, Biodun Olujimi, was rejected by the Senate over alleged constitutional violations.

Saraki therefore said that although the bill had suffered setback, it could still be amended and re-introduced.

“Unfortunately, the bill suffered a slight set back because there were some parts of the bill that some senators disagreed with along the lines of religion and tradition.

“The beauty of democracy is that it gives us the opportunity to consider different opinions and this bill can still be represented and reconsidered on the floor of the Senate.

“I have it on good authority that Sen. Biodun Olujimi, who introduced this bill will reintroduce it after re-drafting it to address some of the reservations that were expressed on the floor of the Senate.

“As I said during the International Women’s Day last week, I am of the opinion that there are substantial parts of the bill that are crucial to the development of our nation.

“Such bills like the Equal Access to Education, Strengthening of the laws on Violence against Women, Ending Abduction of Girls, Sustenance and Promotion of Entrepreneurship Opportunities, Gender Mainstreaming and Gender equality are equally important,” he said.

NAN reports that this is the third time the Gender Equality Bill would be rejected by the National Assembly, and the recent rejection has generated a lot of reactions from women groups.

Tuesday, March 15, 2016

PSquare’s Peter Okoye goes solo, signs new management

Peter Okoye, one half of the Nigerian RnB act, PSquare has gone solo.

Peter’s solo debut is coming after several (social media) confrontations between him and the duo’s management, headed by their elder brother, Jude Okoye.

Read also: Family feud: Peter Okoye fires brother, Jude as PSquare’s manager

PSquares’ Peter Okoye apologises for Twitter outburst

I apologised to the fans only – Peter Okoye

Peter announced a new management for himself on his Instagram page on Monday.

“Work mood, thanks for all the love support and concern, please continue to remain blessed as always,” Peter wrote before adding the new management’s contact.

Before making the announcement, the outspoken half of PSquare had released and self-promoted a single titled Look Into My Eyes on Tuesday last week. He had also performed alone at night club in Abuja with the stage name, ‘Mr P’.

[PUNCH]

Monday, March 14, 2016

Agatu Killings: Nigerian govt vows “decisive action” against perpetrators

Nigeria’s Interior Minister, Abdurrahman Dambazau, has vowed to deal with the perpetrators of violence in Agatu community, Benue state, where hundreds were killed weeks ago by suspected herdsmen.

Former Senate President David Mark said Saturday that over 500 people were killed and 10 communities in Agatu LGA razed in what seemed like a “genocide”.

In a statement Monday, Mr. Dambazau commiserated with the government and people of Benue State and said the government would deal “decisively” with perpetrators.

The comment came more than two weeks after the attacks, and was the second official reaction by the Nigerian government. President Muhammadu Buhari had earlier ordered an investigation into the killings.

“Minister of Interior has received with shock the sad news of incessant attacks on innocent Nigerians in Agatu and other Communities in Benue State by unknown gunmen,” a statement by Osaigbovo Ehisienmen, the chief press secretary to the minister, read.

The statement said Mr. Dambazau had earlier directed the Inspector General of Police, Solomon Arase, to carry out an on-the-spot assessment of the situation in the communities. It said the government would not relent in its responsibility to protect its people.

The statement said the perpetrators of the dastardly acts were “unwittingly testing the will and capabilities” of the government, and that the present administration would not fail in its duties to ensure the security and welfare of the people as enshrined in the Constitution.

“The Minister has therefore vowed to mobilize security forces to decisively deal with the perpetrators of these dastardly acts,” the statement said.

“To this end, the nation’s Interior Minister has directed the Inspector General of Police and other Heads of Security Agencies under the Ministry to synergize with other security services to speedily arrest this ugly tread and bring its perpetrators to justice,” the statement said.

[Premium Times]

Sunday, March 13, 2016

BUHARI ENTERS SHOCK AS HE FINDS ONE SINGLE OIL CABAL LOOTED $16 Billion.

Apparently believing that he had heard and seen the worst of how corrupt practices have brought Nigeria to her knees, President Muhammadu Buhari, last week, almost lost his cool when it was brought to his attention that a whopping $16 billion – at the official exchange rate of N196, this comes to N3.136 trillion; while, with the parallel market rate of N315, it comes to a whopping N5.04trillion) of the nation’s crude oil revenue loss could be traced to some sharp practices by some individuals in Nigeria’s oil and gas sector.
The quantum of funds in question are revenue that ought to have accrued to the Federal Government of Nigeria through oil-lifting deals which are now subject of intensive investigations. Specifically, one of the arrow heads of the crude oil lifting scam, who has been invited and interrogated by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, at least twice before, has been granted administrative bail, and “who is alleged to be warehousing a sizable chunk of the money, drew the ire of Mr. President”, an Aso Rock Presidential Villa source disclosed. Sunday Vanguard learnt that even visiting South African President, Jacob Zuma, was caught in the cross winds of Buhari’s reinvigorated mode of anti-corruption, as he ordered that every kobo of the stolen funds must be recovered.

Similarly, information suggests that the government of the United States of America is helping in the provision of intelligence on how to trace some of the stolen funds from Nigeria. Benin Republic and South Africa have both become safe havens for Nigeria’s stolen funds. Investigations have revealed.

$16BILLION
Sunday Vanguard learnt that once the revelations were made to Buhari, he ordered that EFCC must ensure that the looted funds are recovered. According to Aso Rock insiders, the funds were “supposed to be proceeds from some of the crude oil sold on behalf of the Federal Government of Nigeria by these people and for which they were said not to have made the necessary returns to the coffers of the country”.

Continuing, one of the sources said: “You needed to have been there. You needed to have seen Mr. President. He was almost moved to tears at the colossal fraud that had taken place in the country.
“He became dejected because at a time when the nation’s resources had gone down badly, at a time when the foreign reserves are also not as much as would be befitting of a nation with vast potentials, such a huge amount of money can be traced to the illegal activities of some people.

The simmering diplomatic row between Nigeria and South Africa, sources disclosed, has more to do with the seeming unwillingness of the South African government to repatriate alleged stolen funds that have been traced to that country.

“This was part of what President Zuma came to resolve with Nigeria during his visit last week,” Sunday Vanguard said.

[Vanguard]

SON Prosecutes 40 Suspected Substandard Goods Dealers In Ondo

The Standard Organisation of Nigeria (SON) in Ondo State said on Sunday that it had prosecuted 40 persons for allegedly selling fake and substandard goods.
The Coordinator of the organisation, Mr Paul Oke, told the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Akure that SON also helped 20 consumers to either retrieve from the dealers, the money they paid for the substandard goods, or be supplied with quality goods as replacement for the substandard ones.
He said that the dealers were prosecuted for selling products, which did not carry SON’s cap.
“We have prosecuted 40 offenders for engaging in businesses involving fake and substandard products in recent years.




Standards Organisation of Nigeria (SON)

FRSC Insists Fake Driver’s License is No License


 Mr Bisi Kazeem, Head, Media Relations and Strategy, Federal Road Safety Commission(FRSC), insisted that Late Mr James Ocholi’s driver had no driver’s license record with the commission.
Kazeem said this on Sunday in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria(NAN),in Abuja.
According to him, the news making round in the social media that Mr Taiwo Elegbede, driver of the ill-fated vehicle that claimed the lives of Ocholi and his family members has a driver’s license is not true.
“Elegbede is not captured in our driver’s licensing data, so the license he claimed to have expired must be a fake one.

In this same Country ..... Reuben Abati

There is today in Nigeria an entire generation of Nigerian-passport wielding men and women who do not actually know, to borrow Achebe’s words that indeed “there was once a country”. These children born in a season of austerity, and raised during the years that the locusts ate, have become angry citizens. They are angry because they live in a country that makes them feel less worthy than the human standard.  The only Nigeria that they know is a country that makes them feel ashamed of their own origins. Many of them have enjoyed the privilege of foreign education and exposure to some of the best traditions in other parts of the world, but when they return to their own country, right from the airport, the snow of failure and inefficiency strikes them in the face, leaving them with no option but to wonder quo vadis Nigeria? It is the same question that their parents asked and the tragedy is that their own children except something else happens, are likely to ask exactly this same old and vexed question.

Why we flogged protesting women in Delta —Army Unit Commander

EKU—THE Nigerian Army Unit Commander stationed at Ovre-Eku community, Ethiope East Local Government Area, Delta State, Lt. E. D. Oworobo, has told a police source that the reason he ordered his men to flog the women who had embarked on a peaceful protest over a disputed land claimed by PRESCO Oil Company, was because they attempted to disarm his men. 
 Chief of Army Staff, Lt-Gen. Tukur Buratai

Saturday, March 12, 2016

Power Situation: FG blames sabotage, vandalization; apologizes to Nigerians

The Federal Government has blamed the prevailing power situation in the country on gas failure as well as sabotage and vandalization of power infrastructure, while apologizing to Nigerians for the hardship which the situation has imposed on them. File photo File photo In a statement issued in Abuja on Friday, the Minister of Information and Culture, Alhaji Lai Mohammed, said all efforts are being made to rectify the situation and ensure a gradual improvement in the power situation. ”There will be a decent improvement in the power situation from this weekend, thanks to ongoing remedial efforts that will double the current power supply to 4,000WM. Getting back to the 5,074MW all-time high that was reached earlier will take a few more weeks,” he said. Alhaji Mohammed said at a time the routine maintenance by the Nigeria Gas Company has affected the supply of gas to power stations, forcing down power supply from an all-time high of 5,074 MW to about 4,000MW, a combination of unsavoury incidents further crashed the power supply to about half that figure. ”The vandalization of the Forcados export pipelines forced oil companies to shut down, making it impossible for them to produce gas.

35 suspects arrested in arms mop-up operation in Delta

A combined team of security agencies has apprehended 35 suspected criminals in Ekpan and neighbouring communities in Uvwie Local Government Area of Delta. The security operatives, which comprised of the Nigerian Army, Navy, Airforce, the Nigeria Police and Department of States Security, raided the communities in the early hours of Friday, to mop up illegal arms. IGP-Solomon-Arase IGP-Solomon-Arase Parading the suspects on Friday at the 3 Battalion, Nigerian Army, Effurun, Brig.-Gen. Farouk Yahaya, Commander, 4th Brigade, said that the security agencies were determined to rid Delta of illicit arms. 

He said that those arrested would be investigated, while the operation would be continuous. “In the early hours of this morning, a joint operation codenamed “Operation Yankari’’, was carried out by the military, Police and Department of State Security. “It was an operation to check the spread of small arms in our midst. “During the exercise, arms and ammunition were recovered and suspects were arrested,’’ he said. The commander called on those involved in the trafficking of illicit arms to surrender them as the law would catch up with them. “You just cannot escape us; better find legal means of doing your business. “If you have arms, just willfully surrender them,’’ he advised. Also speaking, the Delta Commissioner of Police, Baba Alkali, said that the exercise became necessary because of incessant complaints that criminals were terrorising Ekpan, Eburumede, Ogbomro and some other communities in Uvwie. Alkali said: “A total of 35 suspects were arrested and during our preliminary screening, three persons were identified and have been released.

Thursday, March 10, 2016

Rafael Nadal says weary of doping rumors

Indian Wells (United States) (AFP) - Rafael Nadal on Wednesday defended his training methods and vehemently denied he had ever used a banned substance to get an edge or to speed up recovery from injury.

Nadal was at the Indian Wells tournament discussing Maria Sharapova's failed drug test -- "She should be punished" -- when he seized the opportunity to scotch unfounded rumors that he had used performance-enhancing drugs.

"I have never had the temptation of doing something wrong. I am very far from that, doping," said the 14-time grand slam winner, who has been hard hit in recent years by injury.

"I am a completely clean guy. I worked so hard during my career that when I get injured I never take nothing (banned) to be back quicker."

Throughout his trophy-laden career Nadal, 29, has been periodically dogged by whispers of doping.

"I heard it a few times again about doping from my person and I am a little bit tired with that," Nadal said, adding that he sees himself as an ambassador for tennis and wouldn't tarnish his image as a role model for young players.

"I believe in the sport and the values of the sport," the Spaniard said.

"The sport is an example for society. It is an example for the kids and if I am doing something that goes against that, I will be lying to myself, not lying to my opponents."

Nadal said over the course of his career he has taken advantage of some new treatments for his knee problems, like stem-cell therapy and Platelet Rich Plasma (PRP) therapy, often known as blood spinning.

"I have been open all my career. I never tried to hide nothing that I did," Nadal said. "I did PRP and then I did stem cells.

"The first time with PRP it worked fantastic and the second time it was bad. I had to stop playing tennis for seven months.

"And with stem cells I used it two times on my knees and it worked very well.

"I am not doing, never did, and never going to do something wrong."

Nadal added there is a Spanish team doctor who monitors what medication the players are taking to make sure it is safe.

"He has been the doctor for all the Spanish players for a number of years. I would never take nothing that he doesn't know about," he said.

Former world number one Sharapova announced Monday that she failed a drug test at the Australian Open in January.

Sharapova tested positive for Meldonium, which was added to the World Anti-Doping Agency's banned list this year.

Nadal said Sharapova deserves to be punished as an example to others.

"It is difficult to imagine that something like this can happen. But mistakes happen," he said. "She should be punished.

"I want to believe it is a mistake for Maria. She didn't want to do it. But obviously it is negligence. She must pay for it."

Wednesday, March 09, 2016

Investigate, prosecute those behind forex crisis, AGF tells EFCC

IN a bid to stabilise the exchange rate of the naira against major foreign currencies in the foreign exchange market, the Federal Government has mandated the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) and other security agencies to investigate and identify and prosecute those behind the crisis experienced in the foreign exchange operations.

 

The Attorney-General of the Federation (AGF) and Minister of Justice, Abubakar Malami, who disclosed this to newsmen on Wednesday, blamed the current state of the naira on the activities of unscrupulous elements, whom he said were hiding under the cloak of “market forces” to deliberately undermine the national currency.

 

According to him, “certain forces have now aligned to create an artificial currency situation, whose primary purpose is to undermine the economic programme of the Muhammadu Buhari-led administration.

 

Those targeted in the investigation included regulatory agencies, businessmen and Bureau De Change operators, some of whom he alleged had been sabotaging the economic agenda of the government.

 

 The AGF said the government could not afford to allow such a situation anchored on unlawful alliance and criminal enterprise to continue unchecked, when it was apparent that its primary objective was to sabotage the economic agenda of the government.

 

He disclosed that certain elements within some strategic national institutions, who rather than exert their regulatory powers, had chosen to use their strong accomplices within the system to manipulate the foreign exchange market for personal corrupt gains and to the detriment of the national economy.

 

“Let me restate in the strongest terms, that these neferous malpractices by unscrupulous individuals and institutions will no longer be tolerated,” the AGF stated, adding also that measures were already in place to deal with infractions decively, as relevant security agencies were on red alert to investigate these infractions and appropriate sanctions shall follow accordingly.

 

The Chief Law Officer of the federation said: “We are witnessing manipulative, coordinated and speculative activities in the foreign exchange market, leading to the current wide deferential between official rate at the Central Bank of Nigeria and the parallel market rate, respectively, in a manner that defies rational economic analysis.”

 

 The minister explained further that these nefarious speculative activities exert further pressure on the naira exchange rate and had created a very wide artificial deferential between the aforesaid two rates, which were now being exploited by unscrupulous individuals and institutions.

 

He maintained that the activities of those behind the foreign exchange crisis amounted to economic terrorism and that anybody indicted, must be brought to book.

[Tribune]

Switzerland to transfer another $300 million Abacha loot to Nigeria – Minister

The government of Switzerland is prepared to transfer to the Nigerian government, another $300 million recovered from the family of former military ruler, Sani Abacha, foreign minister, Geoffrey Onyeama, announced Monday.

The money is part of an estimated $5 billion stolen and stashed in foreign accounts by the late dictator.

Nigeria has in the last 10 years received over $1 billion from the Swiss and American governments, but there are growing concerns past administrations misused the huge sum.

PREMIUM TIMES reported in December 2015 how former finance minister, Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, with the approval of former President Goodluck Jonathan, authorised the diversion of at least N61.4 billion ($300 million and £5.5 million) from funds recovered from Mr. Abacha, to the Office of the National Security Adviser, Sambo Dasuki, few weeks before the 2015 presidential election.

The former minister said the money, which was not approved by the National Assembly, was meant for purchase of military equipment for the fight against Boko Haram.

The money is believed to be part of at least $2.1 billion slush fund later distributed by Mr. Dasuki to politicians ahead of the polls. An ongoing investigation into the scandal as led to the indictment of several high profile figures.

Premium Times

Tuesday, March 08, 2016

Housemaids, artisans to pay taxes in Lagos

The Lagos State Government on Tuesday announced that it had widened its tax net to include domestic workers and artisans.

The Chairman of the Lagos State Internal Revenue Service (LIRS), Mr Olufolarin Ogunsanwo, made the announcement at a news conference in Alausa.

He said that the new tax regime was in line with Gov. Akinwunmi Ambode administration’s inclusion of every resident to the growth of the state.

Ogunsanwo said the agency had commenced the process of overhauling the informal sector with a view to ensuring voluntary compliance by all tax payers.

He said the agency had identified three categories of tax payers in the sector.

According to him, they include market men/women, artisans, micro, small and medium-scale enterprises and domestic staff.

He said these categories of people were expected to remit one per cent of what they earned to government’s coffers.
Ogunsanwo said that a directorate had been created in the agency to oversee the sector, while modalities for taxing these categories of people had been worked out.

According to him, the declining national revenue as a result of the fall in the global price of oil and the need for government to provide and maintain basic infrastructure necessitated the regime.

Ogunsanwo said that in addition to the traditional bank portal, new payment platforms, including POS, online and other electronics multi-modal system had been introduced to make it easier for residents to remit their taxes.

He said a review of the tax Form A of the Personal Income Tax Act had also been conducted.

The chairman said the guide notes would be translated into pidgin and Yoruba for all to understand.

He said that disciplinary measures, including outright dismissal had been introduced to check corrupt practices among LIRS staff.

Besides, he said, a customer care desks would soon be created in all the 38 tax stations within the state to enlighten residents.

The Commissioner for Finance, Mr Mustapha Akinkunmi, disclosed that despite the harsh economic conditions, the LIRS contributed 79 per cent to the state’s Internally Generated Revenue in 2015.

He said the percentage amounted to over N20 billion in January 2016 alone.

Also the state’s Attorney General, Mr Adeniji Kazeem, said the ministry of justice would provide adequate support to LIRS in its quest to ensure that tax payers complied with tax laws.

-  Guardian News

Terrorism: Navy to establish operational base in Lake Chad

As part of efforts to rid the country of terrorists, the Nigerian Navy (NN) has commenced plans for the establishment of a Forward Operation Base (FOB) in Lake Chad.

This disclosure was made on Tuesday in Lagos, during a training seminar organised by the Naval Training Command (NAVTRAC) themed ‘the future of professional training in the Nigerian Navy’.

In his opening remark, the Chief of Naval Staff (CNS) Vice Admiral Ibok Ette-Ibas noted that conventional security challenges have forced the navy to move towards adopting new strategies.

Using the navy’s participation in the northeast operation against terrorist sect, Boko Haram, as well as the force’ battle against militants and vandals in the creeks as examples, Ibas said he directed a review of the navy’s training curriculum to address the challenges.

According to Ibas, the establishment of an FOB in Lake Chad, creation of choke-points by placing house boats around the creeks, as well as the enhancement of surveillance capacities were among the new strategies adopted.

He said: “For over five years we have relied majorly on the Regional Maritime Awareness Capability (RMAC) that gives us an eye over the horizon.

“We have commenced the process of emplacing a more robust surveillance system, FALCON EYE, which when completed, will provide surveillance on the entire 200 nautical miles of our Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ).

“This will therefore boost our ability to contain the notorious maritime challenges that we presently have out there.

“The navy in particular has been obliged in the context of the prevailing national emergency to transit a complicated range of a full spectrum of warfare. From her traditional maritime environment in which she engages in ensuring order in the EEZ and territorial waters, washing ashore to be occupied by complex riverine and brown water operations, to a completely new challenge of engaging in fighting in build-up area and desert warfare, as obtained in the northeast theatre.

“On account of the foregoing, the navy has in the last couple of years found herself increasingly assuming operational responsibilities in the continental theatre. Even more profoundly is the asymmetric characteristics of the engagement.

“Suddenly, the navy has had to find herself fighting an adversary who uses unconventional weapons and tactics, employing terrorism to exploit the vulnerabilities of own forces.

“All of these have impacted a compelling need to admit new weapons and technologies, tactics, doctrinal shift and logistics management.

“The evolving scenario has necessitated significant changes in our operational procedures, particularly in addressing the spate of crude oil theft, illegal bunkering and attacks on shipping.”

He also hinted on plans by the navy to establish a maritime university for the training of its personnel and other maritime stakeholders within and outside the country.

Earlier, the Flag Officer Commanding (FOC) NAVTRAC, Rear Admiral Adeniyi Osinowo who noted that the command conducts over 120 courses in its 11 colleges and schools, added that the naval training was a function of operational realities, technological changes and fleet renewal.

“As we have witnessed in the past two decades, the operational doctrine of the NN has been challenged by emerging threats in our maritime environment.

“With attendant need for new technologies and fleet recapitalisation. As a result, it became apparent that we need to devote significant efforts towards reflecting on extant doctrine as well as the future direction of training in the NN,” he said.

Osinowo disclosed that the command has in the last six months embarked on a comprehensive review of the existing curricula in all NN training institutions.

“The review involved identifications of additions, retentions and deletions as well as recognition of new fleet and technologies. Apart from generating inputs from the operational command’s, an effort was made to align the courses conducted with global maritime training standards while new and more impactful teaching methods are being integrated into our practices,” he said.

At the seminar were Commandant, National Defence Academy (NDA), Rear Admiral Ilesanmi Alade; FOC, Western Naval Command (WNC), Rear Admiral Raphael Osondu; Director of Operations, Naval Headquarters, Rear Admiral Uduak Essien; Admiral Superintendent, Naval Doctrine and Assessment Centre, Rear Admiral Jacob Ajani; Director of Naval Information, Commodore Chris Ezekobe and Commodore, among others.

Retired naval officers including Rear Admirals Ndubuisi Kanu, O.O. Joseph and Francis Akpan were also at the event.

The Nation

Jacob Zuma Addressing Joint NASS Session

President Zuma arrived on Monday night through the Nnamdi Azikiwe Airport in Abuja and was received by a delegation led by former Vice President, Atiku Abubakar.

He arrived aboard a South Africa Air Force plane, which touched down at about eleven o’clock in the night at the Presidential Wing of the airport.

President Zuma and his host, President Muhammadu Buhari, after addressing the National Assembly will also address the South Africa Business Forum.

The South African President arrived with six ministers and a huge business delegation.

In the delegation are the Minister of Trades and Industry, Rob Davies, Minister of International Relations and Cooperation, Maite Nkoana-Mashabane, Minister for Energy, Tina Joemat-Peterson, Minister of Home Affairs, Malusi Gigaba, Minister of Defence and Military Veterans, Nosiviwe Mapisa-Nqakula and Minister of Mineral Resources, Mosebenzi Zwane.

Talks are expected to centre on both countries’ bilateral relations and probably the fine on MTN communications by Nigeria as well as Nigeria’s arms money seizures by South Africa.

The Acting Nigerian High Commissioner to South Africa, Martins Cobham, said areas that were perceived to have created some concerns would likely be addressed.

Nigeria is South Africa’s seventh largest trading partner, with crude oil as its major export to South Africa while South Africa has investments in Nigeria in diverse sectors.

South Africa-Nigeria bi-national Commission was established in 1999 and both countries have 34 standing bilateral agreements & Memorandum of Understanding.

[Channels News]

Policy Imperatives for Boosting Global Growth and Prosperity


By David Lipton
First Deputy Managing Director, IMF
National Association for Business Economics
Washington, D.C.
March 8, 2016
Let me start by thanking the National Association for Business Economics and Tom Beers for inviting me to speak to you today.
At the recent G20 meeting in Shanghai, countries recognized the challenges facing the world economy, acknowledged that the recovery remains too weak and uneven, and recognized the downside risks. The meeting’s message provided some reassurance that countries stand ready to act if necessary. Today I want to make the case for action now.
The IMF’s latest reading of the global economy shows once again a weakening baseline. Moreover, risks have increased further, with volatile financial markets and low commodity prices creating fresh concerns about the health of the global economy.
These concerns are partly being fed by a perception that policymakers in many economies have run out of ammunition or lost the resolve to deploy it. For the sake of the global economy, it is imperative that advanced and developing countries dispel this dangerous notion by reviving the bold spirit of action and cooperation that characterized the early years of the recovery effort.
What is needed is a three-pronged approach through monetary and fiscal policies, as well as structural reforms to strengthen the baseline and guard against the risks. In addition, collective global action should play a supporting role in helping leverage individual country action and seeking to make the international monetary system more stable and hence supportive of growth.
1. Global Economic Outlook
What do we know so far?
The weak recovery is taking place in the context of unresolved legacies. In many parts of Europe, for instance, sovereign and private sector balance sheets remain highly leveraged and banks’ non-performing loans high. In the US, aging-related spending pressures and unfulfilled infrastructure needs diminish economic prospects. And in Japan, deflation is putting the recovery at risk.
At the same time, we are witnessing an emergence of new risks. The global economic slowdown is hurting bank balance sheets and financing conditions have tightened considerably. In emerging markets, excess capacity is being unwound through sharp declines in capital spending, while rising private debt, often denominated in foreign currency, is increasing risks to banks and sovereign balance sheets.
Concerns about the global outlook have weighed heavily on world financial markets. The decline in equity price indices in 2016 so far this year has averaged over 6 percent, implying a loss of global market capitalization of over US$ 6 trillion (or 8.5 percent of global GDP). This is roughly half the US$ 12.3 trillion loss incurred in the most acute phase of the global financial crisis. Some Asian markets, such as in China and Japan, have been particularly hard hit, with losses of over 20 percent since the beginning of the year. Meanwhile, emerging market currencies have weakened, while their sovereign credit spreads have continued to widen—in Latin America and Africa by over 300 basis points over the past year.

What may be most disconcerting is that the rise in global risk aversion is leading to a sharp retrenchment in global capital and trade flows. Last year, for example, emerging markets saw about $200 billion in net capital outflows, compared with $125 billion in net capital inflows in 2014. Trade flows meanwhile are being dragged down by weak export and import growth in large emerging markets such as China, as well as Russia and Brazil, which have been under considerable stress.
Furthermore, inflation has fallen to historical lows. Headline inflation in advanced economies in 2015, at 0.3 percent, was the lowest since the financial crisis, and in emerging markets core inflation remains well below central bank targets.
Why should we be concerned about these developments?
First, because protracted low global demand, and adverse feedback loops between the real economy and markets may generate additional deflationary pressures, putting us at risk of secular stagnation. Second, and equally relevant, is that labor supply and labor productivity growth have fallen considerably over the past decade, further aggravating these adverse dynamics.
While some aspects of the weak recovery are clear, we and many others in the policy world and in the markets are still debating and analyzing the role and the severity of several key transitions now underway:
How will China’s transition—with the deceleration in export oriented manufacturing activity and a pickup in sectors satisfying household demand —alter patterns of global trade and investment?

Will the transition to lower oil and commodity prices be a plus, as predicted, or a minus? The expected pickup in consumption in commodity importers has been weaker than expected, possibly reflecting continued deleveraging in some of these economies and a limited pass-through of price declines to consumers. At the same time, declining prices have reduced investment in extractive industries, pushed some producers to or beyond the edge of profitability, and weighed on growth prospects for commodity exporting countries.

Will geopolitical tensions, the related refugee crisis, and global epidemics further increase uncertainty and weigh on economic activity?

With all these uncertainties, even our latest baseline for global growth may no longer be applicable. In any case, the downside risks are clearly much more pronounced than before, and the case for more forceful and concerted policy action, has become more compelling.
2. Policy priorities
Let me turn to three realities of the present situation.
(i) The inescapable task of building resilience in emerging markets
Emerging markets face the task of reducing vulnerabilities where those have built up, and rebuilding resilience to deal with what may come.
Commodity exporters need to recognize that commodity prices may well be permanently lower. Fiscal buffers can help smooth the adjustment to lower commodity prices, but it will be important to plan for more resilient fiscal models by upgrading the efficiency of spending, strengthening fiscal institutions, and increasing non-commodity revenues.
Exchange rate flexibility, where feasible, should be used to cushion the impact of adverse shocks these countries are facing. Macro prudential tools should also be employed to mitigate risks, for instance by raising provisioning requirements on risky loans, and ensuring adequate safeguards are in place to cover banks’ foreign exchange exposures.
While many commodity importers have benefited from reduced inflation, monetary easing may be constrained by tighter external financing conditions, and in some cases, still high inflationary expectations. In many cases, these countries will be well served by strengthening public and private sector balance sheets by pressing ahead, for instance, with energy subsidy reforms and addressing corporate sector vulnerabilities.
(ii) Only positive sum policies will strengthen global growth
History has taught us a few things not to do. We need to avoid negative sum and zero sum economic policies. We know that restrictive policies on trade and capital flows are suboptimal and in the long run will make all countries worse off. And we know that competitive devaluations are a zero sum game, since they merely switch demand from one country to another.
To avoid this, countries should bolster aggregate demand, not just attract it from abroad. That does not mean abandoning accommodative monetary policy where inflation is too low and slack is too high, just because it has been pushed to extremes. Premature withdrawal of monetary support would not only undermine policy credibility, it would risk precipitating the very outcome we all wish to avoid. It would lower aggregate demand and increase the degree of slack in the global economy. As a result, the world could fall into deflation, whose vicious and self-reinforcing dynamics―in the form of higher real interest rates, falling nominal GDP, worsening public debt ratios, and rising unemployment―are notoriously difficult to combat once they become entrenched.
However, with negative policy rates taking hold in some countries, the scope for monetary policy to boost domestic demand further is limited, so its remaining potency may lie mainly in weakening currencies and attracting demand from the rest of the world in a way we should avoid.
Therefore, fiscal policy has to take a more prominent place in the policy mix. Here I am thinking of two aspects: first, making fiscal policies more growth-friendly, by changing the composition of budgets; second, countries with fiscal space should use it to boost infrastructure investment, for example. This is particularly the case in advanced economies given, as I said a moment ago, that the need to build resilience in emerging markets will in many cases require sustained adjustments that will likely prove pro-cyclical. So, the burden to lift growth falls more squarely on advanced economies.
Let me develop the case for thinking again about fiscal policy. We know that infrastructure investment can be particularly beneficial, not only because it is deeply needed in some advanced economies, but as it has positive spillover effects to the rest of the economy. Raising wages and tax cuts to promote spending can also be effective, particularly in countries that have current account surpluses. These need to be carefully designed and directed to those that are most likely to spend the proceeds. Measures to reduce debt bias in favor of equity through tax incentives can also be effective in promoting growth, while reducing leverage.
Of course, given the highly uncertain outlook we need to balance risks to public debt against those to growth. Such a risk management approach argues for a dynamic assessment of the potential use of fiscal policy: what will be the evolution of debt and GDP along the present trajectory, accounting for risks of further slowdown and stagnation versus what risks will be avoided and growth ensured with a more forceful approach. We see valuable potential for pre-empting risks and spurring growth at this critical stage of the global recovery. Combined with monetary accommodation supporting continued low interest rates as well as the beneficial impact on growth, the near term impact on debt would be manageable in some advanced economies, as well as selectively within the G-20.
(iii) Without structural reform long run growth prospects will be inadequate
In tandem with demand-side policies, we need to strengthen supply. Both advanced and emerging market economies have to redouble their efforts to raise potential output through structural reforms.
We know that structural reforms are often times politically difficult to implement and can take time to produce results. Moreover some reforms may idle resources for a transitional period and temporarily add to slack when that is undesirable. It is therefore important to prioritize reforms, while tailoring efforts to country circumstances.
With this in mind, we have found that lowering barriers to entry in product and services markets can be particularly effective as they deliver gains already in the short run. Furthermore, fiscal structural reforms in labor markets, such as reductions in labor tax wedges, can be particularly effective during periods of economic slack, as they usually entail some degree of fiscal stimulus.
More is also needed to foster innovation—by removing barriers to competition, cutting red tape, enhancing labor mobility, and investing more in education and research. This is key to raising entrepreneurship, productivity and potential output. For the same reason, technological sharing need to be encouraged by, for instance, removing barriers to foreign direct investment.
These are just some examples where we think progress is urgently needed. Other key areas include further integrating capital markets, reforming state owned enterprises, enhancing corporate governance and transparency, improving public investment efficiency and removing impediments to private investment.
A three-pronged approach
So, in sum, a three-pronged approach of monetary, fiscal, and structural policies is needed. Together with bank repair, where needed, and with proper targeting on infrastructure, this approach would create jobs, and likely reduce public debt-to-GDP ratios in the medium term by stimulating nominal GDP, and supporting credit and financial stability. By strengthening the global outlook, such coordinated action would speed up healing in the banking sector and forestall contingent liabilities for governments that loom in the face of inaction. It would also have substantial positive spillovers to vulnerable emerging economies, including commodity exporters that may not be able to participate directly in the fiscal expansion.
3. Need for a global approach to action
Acting collectively to leverage impact
In addition to country action, concerted action is required to go from zero sum to positive sum and avoid secular stagnation. I am thinking here, for instance, of promoting better trade integration through multilateral trade initiatives. The Trans-Pacific Partnership is a significant and welcome initiative but further trade integration is needed on a global basis. The challenge now is to establish a clear path forward for the multilateral trade system, post-Doha, to advance integration at a global level.
Collective efforts are also needed to further strengthen the global financial system. New financing mechanisms to address risks by commodity exporters and emerging markets that have strong fundamentals but are susceptible to shocks are needed. Broadening the web of central bank swap lines to include a wider range of well managed advanced and emerging markets could fill an important void, while reducing the need for emerging markets to hold excess reserves. This capital could be put to better use for much-needed investments in infrastructure, education and health.
At the IMF, we will need to revisit how we can help strengthen and broaden our global precautionary financing instruments so that they can work for all. We will also be taking another look at policies to address financial account risks, including macro-prudential and capital flow management measures. Moreover, the regulatory reform agenda needs to be completed, including strengthening regulation and supervision of financial activities outside the banking sector.
4. Conclusion
These are the key messages that I wanted to convey to you all today. Global economic recovery continues, but we are clearly at a delicate juncture, where risk of economic derailment has grown. Again, I think that at the recent G20 meetings in China there was broad recognition of these risks and priorities.
Now is the time to decisively support economic activity and put the global economy on a sounder footing. This requires some tough choices, with advanced economies in particular needing to step up to the plate through the three-pronged approach I have described, as well as measures to make the global financial system more efficient and resilient.
Winston Churchill said, “I never worry about action, but only inaction.” This is one of those moments where action—concerted action— is needed