Don’t Blame Us For Not Funding Murderers And Rapists In The Nigerian Military” – American Senator Replies President Buhari

<div><div class="image-container" itemprop="image"> <img alt="WASHINGTON - JUNE 29: Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Sen. Patrick Leahy (D-VT) gestures during the second day of confirmation hearings for U.S. Supreme Court nominee Elena Kagan on Capitol Hill June 29, 2010 in Washington, DC. Kagan is U.S. President Barack Obama's second Supreme Court nominee since taking office. (Photo by Mark Wilson/Getty Images) Original Filename: GYI0060923701.jpg" class="attachment-full wp-post-image" height="357" src="http://4a7jjc25uykf24u8sd3k8m5n.wpengine.netdna-cdn.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/07/patrick-leahy-5-485x357.jpg" width="485" /> <div class="caption">WASHINGTON - JUNE 29: Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Sen. Patrick Leahy (D-VT) gestures during the second day of confirmation hearings for U.S. Supreme Court nominee Elena Kagan on Capitol Hill June 29, 2010 in Washington, DC. Kagan is U.S. President Barack Obama's second Supreme Court nominee since taking office. (Photo by Mark Wilson/Getty Images) Original Filename: GYI0060923701.jpg</div></div><div class="entry-content inside_single" itemprop="description"><div style="text-align: justify;">Patrick Leahy, the American Senator who sponsored the famed Leahy Law said President Muhammadu Buhari is not in bit to blame the United States for not cooperating the Nigerian Army.</div><div style="text-align: justify;">The Leahy amendment prohibits the US State Department and the Department of Defence from providing military assistance to foreign military units that violate human rights.</div><div style="text-align: justify;">Nigeria’s military has been accused of alleged human rights crimes in its war against Boko Haram, hence the United States had refused to assist the country with weapons and training expertise.</div><div style="text-align: justify;">Buhari had said on Wednesday at the United States Institute for Peace that the law <a href="http://www.ekekeee.com/buhari-accuses-the-united-states-of-aiding-and-abetting-boko-haram/" target="_blank">“aided and abetted” the campaign of bloodletting by the Islamist sect</a>.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><a href="http://www.leahy.senate.gov/press/reaction-of-senator-patrick-leahy-d-vt-to-nigerian-president-buharis-mis-directed-criticism-of-the-leahy-law-on-human-rights">In a response posted on his website</a>, Leahy said he could not be blamed for the atrocities committed by the murderers and rapists in the Nigerian military.</div><div style="text-align: justify;">In his words: “It is well-documented by the State Department and by respected human rights organisations that Nigerian army personnel have, for many years, engaged in a pattern and practice of gross violations of human rights against the Nigerian people and others, including summary executions of prisoners, indiscriminate attacks against civilians, torture, forced disappearances and rape. Rarely have the perpetrators been prosecuted or punished.”</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">“This abusive conduct not only violates the laws of war, it creates fear and loathing among the Nigerian people whose support is necessary to defeat a terrorist group like Boko Haram.</div><div style="text-align: justify;">“President Buhari ignores the undisputed fact that most Nigerian army units have been approved, under the Leahy Law, for U.S. training and equipment. Only those particular units against which there is credible evidence of the most heinous crimes are ineligible for U.S. aid. And even those units can again become eligible if the Nigerian Government takes effective steps to bring the responsible individuals to justice.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">“I strongly agree with President Buhari about the need to defeat Boko Haram, and I have supported tens of millions of dollars in U.S. aid to Nigeria for that purpose. But rather than suggest that the United States is at fault for not funding murderers and rapists in the Nigerian military, he should face up to his own responsibility to effectively counter Boko Haram. He should direct his attention to the Nigerian military, and the Nigerian courts, and clean up the units implicated in such atrocities.”</div><div style="text-align: justify;"></div><div style="text-align: justify;">Source – ekekeee.com</div><div style="text-align: justify;">Culled From Omojuwa.com  </div></div></div>

President Buhari to Wipe Out Corruption and split NNPC into two

<div><div class="image-container" itemprop="image"> <img alt="buhari (1)" class="attachment-full wp-post-image" height="321" src="http://4a7jjc25uykf24u8sd3k8m5n.wpengine.netdna-cdn.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/05/buhari-12.jpg" width="400" /> </div><div class="entry-content inside_single" itemprop="description"><div style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, Verdana, 'Bitstream Vera Sans', sans-serif; margin-top: 0px; padding: 0px 0px 5px; text-align: justify;">Muhammadu Buhari has finally revealed what will be the fate of the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation, saying the national oil company will be divided into two successor entities under his administration.</div><div style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, Verdana, 'Bitstream Vera Sans', sans-serif; margin-top: 0px; padding: 0px 0px 5px; text-align: justify;">The President, who stated this in an interview with journalists in Washington DC during a four-day visit to the United States, an extract of which was made available to <em><a href="http://www.punchng.com/news/buhari-to-split-nnpc-into-two-plans-fresh-bid-round-for-oil-blocks/">Saturday PUNCH</a>,</em> explained that the decision would form one of the key steps of his reform of the country’s oil and gas sector.</div><div style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, Verdana, 'Bitstream Vera Sans', sans-serif; margin-top: 0px; padding: 0px 0px 5px; text-align: justify;">The NNPC is considered a cesspool of corruption and fraud signposted by the non-remission of revenues from oil sale to the Federation Account. Hence, one of the first reform moves by All Progressives Congress –led administration is expected to start at the NNPC.</div><div style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, Verdana, 'Bitstream Vera Sans', sans-serif; margin-top: 0px; padding: 0px 0px 5px; text-align: justify;">There had been insinuations that Buhari would unbundle the NNPC into four companies but the President, in the Washington interview, said rather than breaking the NNPC into four companies, it would be divided into two – regulator and investment vehicle.</div><div style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, Verdana, 'Bitstream Vera Sans', sans-serif; margin-top: 0px; padding: 0px 0px 5px; text-align: justify;">While one of the successor companies will be an independent regulator, the President said the second would operate as an investment vehicle for the country.</div><div style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, Verdana, 'Bitstream Vera Sans', sans-serif; margin-top: 0px; padding: 0px 0px 5px; text-align: justify;">He said, “I am reforming the oil and gas sector, breaking up the NNPC into two parts – the first will become an independent regulator for the sector, while the second will act as an investment vehicle for the country.”</div><div style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, Verdana, 'Bitstream Vera Sans', sans-serif; margin-top: 0px; padding: 0px 0px 5px; text-align: justify;">Buhari also said there would be a new bid round for oil blocks in the country, adding that he favours transparent auction process.</div><div style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, Verdana, 'Bitstream Vera Sans', sans-serif; margin-top: 0px; padding: 0px 0px 5px; text-align: justify;">“I will also end political control of the awarding of drilling and exploration rights by introducing a system of independent, transparent auctioning for licences,” the President said.</div><div style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, Verdana, 'Bitstream Vera Sans', sans-serif; margin-top: 0px; padding: 0px 0px 5px; text-align: justify;">More excerpts from the interview below…</div><div style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, Verdana, 'Bitstream Vera Sans', sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 19.5px; margin-top: 0px; padding: 0px 0px 5px; text-align: justify;"><strong><em>Boko Haram has killed over 400 people in the first half of July alone, and managed to further expand its reach beyond its core areas. You were elected on a promise to destroy the insurgency, what’s gone wrong?</em></strong></div><div style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, Verdana, 'Bitstream Vera Sans', sans-serif; margin-top: 0px; padding: 0px 0px 5px; text-align: justify;">Boko Haram is on the run. We are beginning to turn the tide against Boko Haram. Yes, we have seen a recent increase in civilian deaths, but that is because Boko Haram members are now desperately changing tactics to avoid confronting a renewed and more effective military effort. Instead, they are now targeting civilians. It is a sign of their weakness, not their strength.</div><div style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, Verdana, 'Bitstream Vera Sans', sans-serif; margin-top: 0px; padding: 0px 0px 5px; text-align: justify;">Defeating Boko Haram will not happen overnight – it needs a combined military and social answer that will defeat and address the underlying social issues that are driving it. I am putting these measures into place step by step.</div><div style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, Verdana, 'Bitstream Vera Sans', sans-serif; margin-top: 0px; padding: 0px 0px 5px; text-align: justify;">First, I have moved the centre of military operations from Abuja to the heart of the insurgency in Maiduguri, the capital of Borno State, so that the military leaders are on the ground to lead the effort at the frontline.</div><div style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, Verdana, 'Bitstream Vera Sans', sans-serif; margin-top: 0px; padding: 0px 0px 5px; text-align: justify;">Secondly, I have revamped the nation’s military leadership with a new team that has the skills, experience and commitment to defeat the terrorists on the ground.</div><div style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, Verdana, 'Bitstream Vera Sans', sans-serif; margin-top: 0px; padding: 0px 0px 5px; text-align: justify;">Thirdly, I am working to improve the professionalism and accountability of the armed forces, including clamping down on the misappropriation of funds that has led to serious lack of resources and equipment in the battle against Boko Haram.</div><div style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, Verdana, 'Bitstream Vera Sans', sans-serif; margin-top: 0px; padding: 0px 0px 5px; text-align: justify;">Lastly, I am seeking to work with Nigeria’s partners, both our neighbours in the region and internationally such as the United States to develop a package of measures to tackle the entrenched marginalisation in North Eastern Nigeria and the surrounding areas in neighbouring states – where poverty levels are over 75 per cent.</div><div style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, Verdana, 'Bitstream Vera Sans', sans-serif; margin-top: 0px; padding: 0px 0px 5px; text-align: justify;">We need a marshal programme for the Sahel region to be able to prevent further radicalisation and insecurity in the long-term.</div><div style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, Verdana, 'Bitstream Vera Sans', sans-serif; margin-top: 0px; padding: 0px 0px 5px; text-align: justify;">The shocking truth is that Nigeria’s cupboard is bare. Despite receiving $400bn in oil revenue in the last 40 years, Nigeria’s treasury is almost empty. Partly, that is because of falling oil prices; it is also because money has been stolen – shipped out of the country by corrupt officials into foreign bank accounts.</div><div style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, Verdana, 'Bitstream Vera Sans', sans-serif; margin-top: 0px; padding: 0px 0px 5px; text-align: justify;">Some of that money is here in the United States. One of the things America can do is help recover those stolen funds so that we can reinvest them in Nigeria to combat the poverty that is driving insecurity.</div><div style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, Verdana, 'Bitstream Vera Sans', sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 19.5px; margin-top: 0px; padding: 0px 0px 5px; text-align: justify;"><strong><em>It’s been over a year since the Chibok girls were kidnapped and there has been no real progress made in recovering them, what measures are you taking to bring the girls home?</em></strong></div><div style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, Verdana, 'Bitstream Vera Sans', sans-serif; margin-top: 0px; padding: 0px 0px 5px; text-align: justify;">The kidnap of the Chibok girls is a stain on our national honour and my government will leave no stone unturned in our efforts to rescue them. However, I will not lie to the Nigerian people. After the time that has passed, it is increasingly difficult to know whether we will be able to find all of them as they are likely to have been split up and married off or hidden deep in the forest or countryside.</div><div style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, Verdana, 'Bitstream Vera Sans', sans-serif; margin-top: 0px; padding: 0px 0px 5px; text-align: justify;">Nonetheless, my government will not give up. We will do everything in our power to bring back our girls.</div><div style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, Verdana, 'Bitstream Vera Sans', sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 19.5px; margin-top: 0px; padding: 0px 0px 5px; text-align: justify;"><strong><em>You have said that the solution to the Boko Haram insurgency will not just be a military one; does that indicate that you are prepared to negotiate with the group?</em></strong></div><div style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, Verdana, 'Bitstream Vera Sans', sans-serif; margin-top: 0px; padding: 0px 0px 5px; text-align: justify;">Yes, we are prepared to talk to the more moderate elements of Boko Haram. We are prepared to address the legitimate concerns over unemployment, poverty and marginalisation that have driven the insurgency.</div><div style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, Verdana, 'Bitstream Vera Sans', sans-serif; margin-top: 0px; padding: 0px 0px 5px; text-align: justify;">We are even prepared to consider some form of amnesty, similar to what is in place in the Niger Delta, for the rank and file who lay down their arms and commit to the peaceful reintegration into society.</div><div style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, Verdana, 'Bitstream Vera Sans', sans-serif; margin-top: 0px; padding: 0px 0px 5px; text-align: justify;">However, there can be no forgiveness for the barbaric leadership that has pursued a deliberate policy of diabolical war crimes and terror against the innocent civilian population of Nigeria.</div><div style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, Verdana, 'Bitstream Vera Sans', sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 19.5px; margin-top: 0px; padding: 0px 0px 5px; text-align: justify;"><strong><em>Last week, you replaced the service chiefs and the chief security adviser over the failure to defeat Boko Haram. However, there is some concern that you have replaced many of them with your own supporters from the North. Are you using the pretext of Boko Haram to politicise the leadership of the Nigerian armed forces?</em></strong></div><div style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, Verdana, 'Bitstream Vera Sans', sans-serif; margin-top: 0px; padding: 0px 0px 5px; text-align: justify;">I am the Commander-in-Chief. It is my job to ensure that the best and most qualified leaders are in charge of the armed forces, so that we can keep the Nigerian people safe.</div><div style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, Verdana, 'Bitstream Vera Sans', sans-serif; margin-top: 0px; padding: 0px 0px 5px; text-align: justify;">We will only defeat the military threat of Boko Haram if we have the right leadership team in place leading from the frontline.</div><div style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, Verdana, 'Bitstream Vera Sans', sans-serif; margin-top: 0px; padding: 0px 0px 5px; text-align: justify;">Having the right military leadership in place, who know and understand the local terrain, together with the counter-insurgency team in the North, is vital to winning the military battle.</div><div style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, Verdana, 'Bitstream Vera Sans', sans-serif; margin-top: 0px; padding: 0px 0px 5px; text-align: justify;">These new officers have been selected strictly on merit, on the basis of their record and skills. Other than the new Chief of Army Staff, of whom I have prior experience, I have no prior relations with the other heads before I appointed them – it was their track record that recommended them.</div><div style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, Verdana, 'Bitstream Vera Sans', sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 19.5px; margin-top: 0px; padding: 0px 0px 5px; text-align: justify;"><strong><em>Turning south to the Niger Delta, the amnesty for former combatants which has helped to keep the peace in the Niger Delta is due to end in December this year. What measures do you propose to replace it?</em></strong></div><div style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, Verdana, 'Bitstream Vera Sans', sans-serif; margin-top: 0px; padding: 0px 0px 5px; text-align: justify;">The amnesty still plays an important part in ending the insurgency in the Niger Delta and I am committed to continuing it as long as it is necessary to do so. However, it is not a long-term answer to the problems there.</div><div style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, Verdana, 'Bitstream Vera Sans', sans-serif; margin-top: 0px; padding: 0px 0px 5px; text-align: justify;">Just as in the North, the Niger Delta requires long-term investment in both economic and social infrastructure – from roads and railways, to schools, hospitals and housing. That is what people want, a fair share of the resources that their region is producing.</div><div style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, Verdana, 'Bitstream Vera Sans', sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 19.5px; margin-top: 0px; padding: 0px 0px 5px; text-align: justify;"><strong><em>But you have already said that Nigeria’s cupboard is bare – how can you afford such programmes?</em></strong></div><div style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, Verdana, 'Bitstream Vera Sans', sans-serif; margin-top: 0px; padding: 0px 0px 5px; text-align: justify;">Nigeria is not a poor country: we have the natural resources and ingenuity to be an economic superpower. It is our people who have been made to be poor because of incompetence and corruption.</div><div style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, Verdana, 'Bitstream Vera Sans', sans-serif; margin-top: 0px; padding: 0px 0px 5px; text-align: justify;">If we can recover the stolen money, attract private sector investments, and tackle corruption, then we will be able to provide the economic growth and development; that is the long-term answer to insecurity.</div><div style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, Verdana, 'Bitstream Vera Sans', sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 19.5px; margin-top: 0px; padding: 0px 0px 5px; text-align: justify;"><strong><em>An NGO, Global Financial Integrity, recently calculated that $150bn was illegally shipped out of Nigeria over the last decade, what measures do you intend to adopt to clamp down on the industrial scale corruption that has bedevilled Nigeria and held back its economic growth and social development?</em></strong></div><div style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, Verdana, 'Bitstream Vera Sans', sans-serif; margin-top: 0px; padding: 0px 0px 5px; text-align: justify;">Corruption is one of the top three issues facing Nigeria, along with insecurity and unemployment. We must act to kill corruption or corruption will kill Nigeria. I am determined to lead that fight.</div><div style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, Verdana, 'Bitstream Vera Sans', sans-serif; margin-top: 0px; padding: 0px 0px 5px; text-align: justify;">My government is already taking several steps to cut out the cancer of corruption that has been eating away the state for so long.</div><div style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, Verdana, 'Bitstream Vera Sans', sans-serif; margin-top: 0px; padding: 0px 0px 5px; text-align: justify;">First, we are reorganising the existing plethora of anti-corruption bodies into a single powerful agency that will have the focus, power and budget to clamp down on corruption at the federal and state level.</div><div style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, Verdana, 'Bitstream Vera Sans', sans-serif; margin-top: 0px; padding: 0px 0px 5px; text-align: justify;">Secondly, I have already acted to remove political control over awarding of contracts from ministers who use them to get favours and kickbacks.</div><div style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, Verdana, 'Bitstream Vera Sans', sans-serif; margin-top: 0px; padding: 0px 0px 5px; text-align: justify;">Thirdly, I will introduce a new system of plea bargains, that will allow those who have stolen assets and funds to return them – but if they do not take that opportunity, we will pursue them through the courts.</div><div style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, Verdana, 'Bitstream Vera Sans', sans-serif; margin-top: 0px; padding: 0px 0px 5px; text-align: justify;">Fourthly, I am reforming the oil and gas sector, breaking up the NNPC (the state oil company) into two parts – the first will become an independent regulator for the sector, while the second will act as an investment vehicle for the country.</div><div style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, Verdana, 'Bitstream Vera Sans', sans-serif; margin-top: 0px; padding: 0px 0px 5px; text-align: justify;">I will also end political control of the awarding of drilling and exploration rights by introducing a system of independent, transparent auctioning for licences.</div><div style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, Verdana, 'Bitstream Vera Sans', sans-serif; margin-top: 0px; padding: 0px 0px 5px; text-align: justify;">Lastly, we shall be asking foreign countries, including authorities here in the United States, to work with us to return stolen funds that are now sitting in private accounts in their banks and rightfully belong to the people of Nigeria.</div><div style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, Verdana, 'Bitstream Vera Sans', sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 19.5px; margin-top: 0px; padding: 0px 0px 5px; text-align: justify;"><strong><em>But you have also said that you will “draw a line” under past corruption – doesn’t that mean that some of the worst offenders will now go scot-free?</em></strong></div><div style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, Verdana, 'Bitstream Vera Sans', sans-serif; margin-top: 0px; padding: 0px 0px 5px; text-align: justify;">We will vigorously pursue any and all anti-corruption cases and investigations that are currently ongoing, but the government has to be realistic; we are not going to mount a new wave of prosecutions over historic cases.</div><div style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, Verdana, 'Bitstream Vera Sans', sans-serif; margin-top: 0px; padding: 0px 0px 5px; text-align: justify;">So, yes it is inevitable we will indeed draw a line under some historic abuses, but there will be zero tolerance for corruption going forward.</div><div style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, Verdana, 'Bitstream Vera Sans', sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 19.5px; margin-top: 0px; padding: 0px 0px 5px; text-align: justify;"><strong><em>Does that apply to everyone; will you take action if it is found that your supporters, leading members of the APC have been involved in corruption?</em></strong></div><div style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, Verdana, 'Bitstream Vera Sans', sans-serif; margin-top: 0px; padding: 0px 0px 5px; text-align: justify;">You cannot cure a sick patient by only treating one half of them. There will be no political interference in the fight against corruption – and no political favours to protect the corrupt from justice.</div><div style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, Verdana, 'Bitstream Vera Sans', sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 19.5px; margin-top: 0px; padding: 0px 0px 5px; text-align: justify;"><strong><em>There is some concern that despite spending 14 years trying to become president, you did not exactly hit the ground running and that you will not now be appointing members of the cabinet until September. Why is it taking you so long to get started and put your team in place?</em></strong></div><div style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, Verdana, 'Bitstream Vera Sans', sans-serif; margin-top: 0px; padding: 0px 0px 5px; text-align: justify;">We cannot clean up 16 years of mess in a few months of frantic activity. I know that people are impatient for change, but it is far more important to take your time and take the right steps and appoint the right people than to run around pretending to be doing something, yet achieve nothing.</div><div style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, Verdana, 'Bitstream Vera Sans', sans-serif; margin-top: 0px; padding: 0px 0px 5px; text-align: justify;">First, I will make sure that the right rules and management structures are in place to ensure good government.</div><div style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, Verdana, 'Bitstream Vera Sans', sans-serif; margin-top: 0px; padding: 0px 0px 5px; text-align: justify;">Only then will I appoint credible ministers, with the track record of delivery and probity in good time. After all, President Obama did not complete the appointment of his first cabinet until five months after he was elected and America did not cease functioning in the meantime.</div><div style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, Verdana, 'Bitstream Vera Sans', sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 19.5px; margin-top: 0px; padding: 0px 0px 5px; text-align: justify;"><strong><em>Nigeria’s economy is heavily over-dependent on the oil and gas sector, accounting for over 80 per cent of GDP and 90 per cent of government revenues. What measures are you putting in place to diversify the economy?</em></strong></div><div style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, Verdana, 'Bitstream Vera Sans', sans-serif; margin-top: 0px; padding: 0px 0px 5px; text-align: justify;">Nigeria is blessed with a rich array of natural resources, not just oil and gas, but abundant solid minerals and huge tracts of arable land.</div><div style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, Verdana, 'Bitstream Vera Sans', sans-serif; margin-top: 0px; padding: 0px 0px 5px; text-align: justify;">Forty years ago, Nigeria was a net exporter of food; today we are an importer. We should not only be self-sufficient, we should be the bread basket for Africa.</div><div style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, Verdana, 'Bitstream Vera Sans', sans-serif; margin-top: 0px; padding: 0px 0px 5px; text-align: justify;">We have only become over-dependent on oil because of the incompetence and corruption of government that concentrated on how best to steal oil revenues instead of how best to use our oil windfalls to invest in a modern, growing economy.</div><div style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, Verdana, 'Bitstream Vera Sans', sans-serif; margin-top: 0px; padding: 0px 0px 5px; text-align: justify;">However, we cannot be content to just export raw materials and commodities abroad: we must become a manufacturing giant. I will not be satisfied until the label “Made in Nigeria” is as common globally, as the label “Made in China.”</div><div style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, Verdana, 'Bitstream Vera Sans', sans-serif; margin-top: 0px; padding: 0px 0px 5px; text-align: justify;">My government has a clear plan to diversify and rejuvenate Nigeria’s economy. We are shifting our economic focus to expanding and modernising our agricultural and mining sectors by attracting new private investment – moving away from the overdependence on oil.</div><div style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, Verdana, 'Bitstream Vera Sans', sans-serif; margin-top: 0px; padding: 0px 0px 5px; text-align: justify;">We will use our oil revenues to upgrade our decaying infrastructure – boost electricity generation and build new road and rail networks while upgrading our ports.</div><div style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, Verdana, 'Bitstream Vera Sans', sans-serif; margin-top: 0px; padding: 0px 0px 5px; text-align: justify;">We will also focus on improving education and skills training so that we can take advantage of the growing global trend for new sources of labour and tackle the crisis of youth unemployment and create a new value-added manufacturing sector.</div><div style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, Verdana, 'Bitstream Vera Sans', sans-serif; margin-top: 0px; padding: 0px 0px 5px; text-align: justify;">We are reforming the out-of-date and bureaucratic land laws, giving title deeds to millions of ordinary farmers, so that they will finally be able to use their land to raise capital to invest in modern agricultural equipment and transform production throughout the country.</div><div style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, Verdana, 'Bitstream Vera Sans', sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 19.5px; margin-top: 0px; padding: 0px 0px 5px; text-align: justify;"><strong><em>The global fall in oil prices has hit Nigeria hard, with the Federal Government losing up to half of its revenues in the past year. How is this affecting your reform plans?</em></strong></div><div style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, Verdana, 'Bitstream Vera Sans', sans-serif; margin-top: 0px; padding: 0px 0px 5px; text-align: justify;">Nigeria cannot spend what it doesn’t have. However, given the previous levels of waste and corruption, if we spend what we have more wisely and effectively, we can achieve a great deal more.</div><div style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, Verdana, 'Bitstream Vera Sans', sans-serif; margin-top: 0px; padding: 0px 0px 5px; text-align: justify;">One step I have already taken is to pay the salaries of civil servants, some of whom had not been paid for over 10 months.</div><div style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, Verdana, 'Bitstream Vera Sans', sans-serif; margin-top: 0px; padding: 0px 0px 5px; text-align: justify;">In the long-term, we must sort out Nigeria’s chaotic finances – we have to diversify government income – both by increasing the size of the non-oil economy and by expanding the tax base, so that the wealthy pay their fair share of taxes.</div><div style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, Verdana, 'Bitstream Vera Sans', sans-serif; margin-top: 0px; padding: 0px 0px 5px; text-align: justify;">However, we must also sort out spending – we cannot have a situation where half the government’s expenditure goes on the salaries of just two per cent of the population. That said though, we must first pay people the salaries that they have earned.</div><div style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, Verdana, 'Bitstream Vera Sans', sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 19.5px; margin-top: 0px; padding: 0px 0px 5px; text-align: justify;"><strong><em>What about the fall in the Naira, how will you prevent another run on the currency further depleting Nigeria’s reserves?</em></strong></div><div style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, Verdana, 'Bitstream Vera Sans', sans-serif; margin-top: 0px; padding: 0px 0px 5px; text-align: justify;">Nigeria has to win the confidence of the markets; we will only do that by demonstrating our commitment to probity and prudent public spending.</div></div></div>

Another ALBAZ Student Blast “Denying an absolute right was a mistake”

<div> By <br />Gaddafi Gwampo. <br /><br /><br />                                                    <br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh48NVZJ8X8PlHnM8A88GjLhW7GBnORku5jYfkKwwXxAmyuG5bxunZ_FtgPZVYQfGVFgo8Sfq_y6EUZuOPcimHPC5JqACuYNHAohQpzMmOMThgvzl9TkSt8EEPGWwALVLHGEzESazmip-Q/s1600/weareone_respect.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh48NVZJ8X8PlHnM8A88GjLhW7GBnORku5jYfkKwwXxAmyuG5bxunZ_FtgPZVYQfGVFgo8Sfq_y6EUZuOPcimHPC5JqACuYNHAohQpzMmOMThgvzl9TkSt8EEPGWwALVLHGEzESazmip-Q/s320/weareone_respect.jpg" width="237" /></a></div><br /><br /><br />Anticipation, passion, excitement and jubilation all turned down to anger, despair, discontent and sadness in what is the final chapter of the cancellation of the Albaz academy graduation ceremony.<br />Albaz academy is one of the best schools in Taraba state with outstanding academic performances. It is a school with reasonable and standard teaching mechanism. It has the best staff in the whole of Taraba State. In fact, going down history lane, it holds the best WAEC and NECO records so far in the state. Reflecting on the competitions won by the school are so many which I long ago lost my count. The state COWBELL that was held recently which a student by the name Abdulsalam Nuhu comfirmed second in mathematics. Sumayya Jibril also won both the state and national science expo which took her to a tour in South Korea and so many other awards of such to the school. These are just two out of hundreds. In fact, Albaz Academy is the best school in Taraba state. <br />Despite Albaz Academy being the best school in Taraba state, it has its uncountable flaws which I will let the capsizing management handle it. Nevertheless, I am not here to help them resolve their major diseases but rather outline them.<br /><br />First on my mind is the sudden cancellation of the school Graduation ceremony of the 2014/2015<br />Academic Session. Logically, this is incorrect. If history truly speaks for itself, Albaz academy could have use the first graduation ceremony as a medium to honor the past sets and present set for their hard work and effort in keeping the Albaz flag flying. Even though, Albaz has good staff, yet the students are the ones always defending it in various stages and regions of the country and the globe at large. At least a big event like this should be done to recognize their efforts. The questions are why did you decide to end a moving graduation plan that has already a fixed date? Will you ever do it again if you don’t start now? What is wrong with you? Are you collapsing already? Are you not that financially capable? Well, I believe you have brains to reason those answers out.<br /><br />Let’s take financial incapability as a subject matter, which everyone knows is not an excuse. Even though it is a written fact that some of your students don’t pay school fees but yet attends the academic session completely. But these students are much in number but just few in percentage. What is the total estimate of a school graduation ceremony? It will never be close to 1.5million million in  naira. How much do you get in a whole academic session? What are you using the money for? I believe it is being spent on irrelevances. Shame on you! Shame on you!! Shame on you!!!<br /><br />We have just started and we will continue. Next time we will observe if you will change or not. My colleagues and I have completely expressed their disappointment and fully condemn you for such an act. You have failed us yet again. Try us next time and we will keep the pen moving…<br />Article </div>

AN OPEN LETTER TO ALBAZ ACADEMY

<div><br />By Abdulsalam M. Nuhu<br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjhlyyVZ_4cBXrqs3_nl4EA6MFq6G48m_J-jS4ri6SAaikZi1H9kIdSfYsPRUDgtc28IhwPBHAubQF-uTyPKPOrIvEsrZpE2_dayld4EZ3AX8pilAA8iWvH9sOxJTtgYPDydtaGYXGp4kQ/s1600/Al.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjhlyyVZ_4cBXrqs3_nl4EA6MFq6G48m_J-jS4ri6SAaikZi1H9kIdSfYsPRUDgtc28IhwPBHAubQF-uTyPKPOrIvEsrZpE2_dayld4EZ3AX8pilAA8iWvH9sOxJTtgYPDydtaGYXGp4kQ/s1600/Al.jpg" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><br /><br />It is with disappointment, dissatisfaction and unregrettable humour that I write this piece. No matter the degree of our love for something, we will not close our eyes and shut our mouths as it goes the wrong way. I believe constructive criticism speeds up the rate of development and does not retard it in any democratic setting and any setting which is after the progress of its people.<br />Despite our solidarity, our gratefulness and the high estee<span class="text_exposed_show">m in which we hold for Albaz Academy, we will not shut our mouths as it takes the wrong step, we have done that before but we will do it no more otherwise its termed cowardice.<br /> </span><br /><span class="text_exposed_show">All our comments on this platform regarding Albaz has always been good even though not all of its moves were unanimously satisfactory to all of us. we have always immersed the flaws of the school in its perfects. we have always tried to defend the school even though some allegations are just defenceless.</span><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><span class="text_exposed_show">All these didn't yield anything out of it, the more the school ages the worse it becomes.<br /> It is a common knowledge that one cannot claim to be defending or protecting people's rights while he is at the same time cheating on others under his custody. Many a time we were not given what we deserve by the school but we have always remained calm and mute just like fools and perhaps that is exactly what we are taken, all in the name of peace. Part of our consideration for this silence has been that the school has done a lot for us academically. At a point in time we would be used to generate good name for the school and would be dumped afterward. We worked, others consumed the yield. We remained mute upon all these.<br /> </span><br /><span class="text_exposed_show">It is now time for the school to organize a ceremony and call us "Graduates" of it, what are we hearing afterwards?? We were deceived it would hold on 25th July but was later shifted to 1st August. We were made to write articles concerning our magazine but as usual, the school has failed us again. It has taken a U-turn not to organize the event again for the usual reason of lack of funds. The question is who asked anybody to organize it from his own pocket??Has the school being run from your pocket?? The students paid. Where is the money being paid as school fees going to when the same structures are found in the school year in year out. We hereby express our dissatisfaction for this decision as we happen to be the first absolute set of this school. We are using this platform to say NO to this decision and we reject in totality any moves to cancel our graduation ceremony because we are entitled to it. Meanwhile we recognize and appreciate the efforts of our teachers that have tried hard to see that this event holds but all efforts in vain.</span></div>

ARTICLE: SOCIAL MEDIA AND READING CULTURE IN THE 21ST CENTURY

<div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 150%;">By Abdulsalam M. Nuhu</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 150%;">dabsman63@gmail.com</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; text-align: justify;"><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQDunCKt93zrGYTCWniNCbzhfixSFtP8YkxQFqE2H40zGTunEBj-5eht8Dmo7wi0h1I_LHixCcousg6dlWZTGKH6fcBbCCF9dELPfLZiNTpcTJ4mPoG5va2ySVdlqx7eSksVQD8BK4kjM/s1600/articles.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="233" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQDunCKt93zrGYTCWniNCbzhfixSFtP8YkxQFqE2H40zGTunEBj-5eht8Dmo7wi0h1I_LHixCcousg6dlWZTGKH6fcBbCCF9dELPfLZiNTpcTJ4mPoG5va2ySVdlqx7eSksVQD8BK4kjM/s320/articles.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br /><br /><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 150%;"> Social media is the general term used for all kinds of online arenas that give room for social interactions which include chatting, sharing of ideas and opinions and of recent, news updates.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 150%;">           Not long had the social media been invented than it got popular especially among the youths and the students. Despite the tremendous developments social media have come with, it also came with devastating effects especially on the side of students worldwide.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 150%;">             Facebook, Twitter, Whatsapp, BBM, 2go, etc. make the most popular social Networks in Africa and perhaps world at large majorly because of their ability to be supported by almost all internet–abled phones.  Social media has done much damage to students of this century virtually because of its invention in the said generation. Not withstanding, whatever has disadvantages has advantages as well and vice versa. Social media has done little good to people and the students. Social media has done a lot in bringing students or people at large together irrespective of their geographical location. It helps people in getting fast access to information and it widens people’s horizon of understanding of certain issues as it is a pool of ideas and opinions. It gives serious students a room to interact and come up with possible solutions to their educational problems. It encourages group studies if possible at all.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 150%;">In viewing the negative effects of social media on the students of this generation, it has to be classified into different classes viz:</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 150%;">COMMUNICATION SKILLS: As students more often chat online on their social media platforms, their communication has kept on diminishing to the extent that they no longer communicate and interact effectively in person with other people. More often, employers have complained about lack of good communication skills of the fresh graduates of this century which results from the same reason. To be honest, effective communication skill is one of the keys to success in the real world.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 150%;">REDUCES LANGUAGE USAGE AND CREATIVE WRITING SKILLS:  As it is widely known, correct spellings of words are not used in chatting, use of slangs or shortened forms of words is preferred. Students now rely on computer grammar and spelling check features and ignorantly, this reduces their language skills and performance. The culture of checking up meaning or correct spellings of words in the dictionary is brought to rest all because of this reason. Students now rely on their phones for virtually everything which is not very right as it has lots of distractive abilities.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 150%;">MULTI TASKING: Nowadays, students do chat while studying and some even claiming it helps them get things into their heads faster which is just a blatant lie. Even under normal circumstances, while you are focused, some things hardly get into the memory not to talk of when your attention is being divided. Chatting while studying is nothing but an obvious distraction to studies. This habit has contributed immensely to students poor performance in schools.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 150%;">TIME WASTAGE: While claiming to be searching and studying online, students are distracted because they are attracted to their social media sites and before they realize, time is gone when they have not completed half their research. A lot of things are there that will make you forget about what you are actually there for.  This has caused students not delivering their home works in the specified time and end up with poor grades.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 150%;">REDUCED  LEARNING CAPABILITY: students prefer using their easily accessible social media to make research which obviously is not the best as even people with no authority can put up their lame ideas. The habit of going to the Library is now like a thing of the past. Library is a place one can get  reliable answer to his problem because care is taken while introducing books in the library as regards authority of the books in it. But student’s learning and research capability are killed by social networks.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 150%;">ADDICTION: This is the ultimate effect of social media. Students become addicted to it because they can not do without it. They end up with very poor performance in school and finally find the school uninteresting. Students are more concerned about number of LIKES on their Facebook accounts or  FOLLOWERS on their Twitter handles than their GRADES in the school. This results in students dropping out of school and consequently becoming internet fraudsters and other related offences.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 150%;">Comparing the negative effects of social media on students to the positive effects, we can easily see that the goodies the positive effects do comes no where close to the harms  the negative effects do to students. There are alternatives to the positive sides while no alternative is there for the negative effects as they are almost unavoidable. Therefore, as students, the social media is not a good arena for us as it goes a long way in causing damage to our academics and consequently to our lives. </span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; text-align: justify;"></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; text-align: justify;"><br /></div></div>

Amazing: Why Ace Comedian, I Go Dye Dumped Helicopter Building For Comedy

<div><br /><ins class="adsbygoogle" data-ad-client="ca-pub-4048115590530874" data-ad-slot="7634747147" data-adsbygoogle-status="done" style="display: inline-block; height: 90px; width: 200px;"><ins id="aswift_3_expand" style="background-color: transparent; border: none; display: inline-table; height: 90px; margin: 0; padding: 0; position: relative; visibility: visible; width: 200px;"><ins id="aswift_3_anchor" style="background-color: transparent; border: none; display: block; height: 90px; margin: 0; padding: 0; position: relative; visibility: visible; width: 200px;"></ins></ins></ins><div style="float: none; margin: 10px 0 10px 0; text-align: center;"></div><img alt="" class="alignnone" height="320" src="http://stargist.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/04/I-go-dye-Main.jpg" title="I-go-dye" width="639" /><br /><b><i>What have you been up to lately?</i></b><br />I am working on a youth initiative programme that will be unveiled soon. Also, I will be celebrating my 20th anniversary on stage soon.<b><i> </i></b><br /><b><i>What inspired you to go into comedy?</i></b><br />I have always had a hilarious disposition; people considered my utterances funny. It is a talent God bestowed on me and I developed the gift. There wasn’t any financial motivation at that time, but my expression got most people interested in me.<br /><b><i>You started comedy in 1991; what improvements can you identify in that facet of entertainment in Nigeria?</i></b><br />There has been a huge improvement in the comedy industry over the last one decade. We have witnessed some accomplishments and it ranges from high-profile events organised by comedians to endorsements. Comedians now exude an aura that inspires people and arouses interest. The affluence that now comes with the job is encouraging.<br /><b><i>As a successful comedian, do you still encounter any challenges?</i></b><br />Yes, I still do. There is always a difficult and motivational aspect of every human endeavour. In entertainment, the need to be professional while observing public decorum on stage could be challenging. More so, as one of the inspiring comedians, I try to maintain certain conducts off and on stage in addition to balancing my personal life with the artistry. The most important challenge is having an industry that is regulated and where one’s intellectual property is protected. There is a great need for government to strengthen agencies against piracy and other forms of intellectual abuse.<br /><b><i>     </i></b><br /><b><i>           How do you define success?</i></b><br />Success has no general or universal definition. I believe success is measured from different perspectives. What you call success today can destroy you tomorrow. So, I define success as contentment within the limitations of one’s knowledge, knowing and accepting the fact that no matter the accomplishment, it could all end in vanity. I believe in ‘live and let live’ while maintaining a high sense of honesty and integrity.<br /><b><i>Which do you consider more lucrative- construction or entertainment?</i></b><br />Each of them complements the other. None is complete without the other.<br /><br /><b><i>                             You built a helicopter at a young age, why didn’t you continue in that line as a choice of career?</i></b><br />There are always two sides to everything. The choice to decide which one to choose is personal but nature has a way of separating mere desires from rare talent. I did not make the choice, but I allowed natural circumstances to lead me through the path; creativity is a tree with many branches. Once the natural skill is inherent in an individual, it will translate positively in the activities that he or she decides to do. It is a rare privilege to work in the paths which are naturally defined.<br /><b><i>Looking back, would you say you regret not accepting the scholarship to study abroad?</i></b><br />I am yet to regret any decision I have made. Every endeavour in life leads to one ultimate aim which could be financial remuneration, fame, honour, prestige, popularity or wealth. Although I declined that opportunity, I have also reciprocated that today by supporting others with the same offer I had years ago. We are reminded to give thanks in all things. Being famous to walk in this path, I am a happier person today.<br /><b><i>Sometimes, do you find your jokes boring?</i></b><br />The battle of life is won within. Any feeling that has not overwhelmed you cannot impress or subdue the consciousness of another person’s word. The heart and soul must feel your vibes with the sounds of the rhythm, and every good dance starts from the first drumbeat. My jokes amuse me comedy starts from within me.<br /><b><i>How were you able to handle competition in the industry as a beginner and now?</i></b><br />I do not believe I am in a quest for glory so I don’t contend with other personalities. The comedy industry is filled with different actors but the spotlight beams on who goes on stage at every moment and there is always one actor on stage. We all have unique qualities and personalities that distinguish us as humans but we all express the diversity of God in our little ways.<br /><b><i>How do you get inspiration to tell your jokes?</i></b><br />It’s just a natural phenomenon. I always relate with my environment; by picturing real life issues and locating the puzzle in between the lines.<br /><b><i>Do you recycle your jokes?</i></b><br />There is always a premise before every conclusion. The ultimate aim of performance is to satisfy your audience by relating with them; it’s like a motivational speaker telling his audience that hard work and commitment to one’s desire is more important than just dreaming and having an unused talent. The display of these qualities is like a preamble.<br /><b><i>How do you strike a balance between family and work?</i></b><br />The family comes first. Once family values and needs are maintained, then proficiency at work can be certain. There is really not much difference between both because they compliment each other; body and soul are one property.<br /><b><i>How do you handle female fans?</i></b><br />I treat my fans with utmost regard, especially those that are able to express their love and appreciation for my work.<br /><br /><b><i>                 Having had a not-so-smooth background, are there lessons you have learnt from that experience?</i></b><br />There is always a lesson to learn from any experience, its either you use it to motivate yourself positively or negatively. One’s family and social background actually define your perception of life. Those early experiences made me reason and visualise the shortcomings ahead. Life has taught me that yesterday is the seed that gives birth to today. So, sow a seed today so that tomorrow will remember you and you can live in peace with your friends and strangers.<br /><b><i>What were the traits that endeared you to your wife?</i></b><br />Simplicity, courage and an overwhelming desire to conquer.<br /><b><i>With your recent involvement in politics, do you plan to make career out of it? </i></b><br />Politics is an engagement either at home or at work. How serious can it get when you give orders, hire and fire your gateman without due process, or struggle for the majority vote between you and your wife? All are personal political decisions.<br /><b><i>There have been complaints about comedians who steal jokes, have you been a victim?</i></b><br />We all crave for excellence, and every professional artiste would admit to this. As much as there is originality in the field, there is nothing new under the sun. The jokes of today were inspired by yesterday. No one can claim the right to invention of any language. I respect those who have the unique dexterity to redesign a joke already told because it’s not an easy task.<br /><b><i>What are your greatest assets, your cars or your houses?</i></b><br />My greatest asset is my life.</div>

See: Beggars To Sue Governor El-Rufai Over Ban On Street begging

<div><br /><div style="float: none; margin: 10px 0 10px 0; text-align: center;">  <img alt="" class="alignnone" height="330" src="http://informationng.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/09/beggars.jpg" title="beggars" width="495" /></div><br />Beggars in Kaduna State on Saturday threatened to sue the Nasir el-Rufai led government over the ban on their activities.<br /> They also gave the state a three-day ultimatum to rescind its decision.<br /> <div style="float: none; margin: 10px 0 10px 0; text-align: center;"> They said the legal action was to protest against what they termed violation of their rights to life and defamation of character.</div>They added that by the ban, the government was indirectly referring to them as “terrorists,” because the action was taken after the bomb blast in Zaria, a major city in the state.<br /> They also threatened that after the expiration of the ultimatum, they would return to the streets to continue their normal business.<br /> The beggars insisted that the ban on their activities in the wake of the Zaria bomb blast which claimed about 40 lives and property worth millions of naira, was a wrong step in the wrong direction.<br /> While protesting on Saturday, one of the beggars, Abdullahi Jugunu, said they were merely expressing their rights to fair hearing.<br /> Jugunustated, ‘‘We are not deterred by the government ban. We are giving the state a three-day ultimatum to reverse its decision.<br /> “After three days, if nothing happens from the side of government, we will have no choice than to come to the street for our normal business.”<br /> The beggars were joined by women and their children who chanted songs against the government.<br /> The beggars who spoke in unison noted that they felt insulted by the action of the government.<br /> Meanwhile, the governor on Saturday said the ban was necessary for security reasons.<br /> He said the decision to temporarily restrict the activities of beggars and hawkers was for their safety.<br /> The governor, who spoke through his Special Assistant on Media and Publicity, Samuel Aruwan, at a press conference, added that the ban on hawking and begging was to ensure the security of lives and property.<br /> Aruwan said the decision was not targeted at the beggars or hawkers in the state.<br /> He also appealed to the affected persons to cooperate with the government.<br /> He said: “Kaduna State Government’s decision to ban hawking and begging in the state following last week’s bomb attack that killed 26 innocent citizens and injured 32 persons at the secretariat of Sabon Gari Local Government area of the state.<br /> “The ban was necessitated by the security situation in the state and to ensure maximum protection of lives and property. The Kaduna State Government under, Governor Nasir Ahmad el-Rufai, will never unleash pains on beggars and hawkers in the state.”<br /> He added that the government decision’s was not targeted at the beggars but to protect the citizens.<br /> He said, “As painful as it could be or misrepresented, the decision was taken in the best interest of our citizens and government appreciates support from all sections of the state regarding the reality of our security situation.”<br /> He noted that the government was conscious of its constitutional role to protect citizens and to ensure law and order for common good.<br /> According to him, the state government will not fold its arms and allowed citizens to be killed hence the decision.</div>

ChairManship: Dark Days Ahead For APC

<div><ins class="adsbygoogle" data-ad-client="ca-pub-4048115590530874" data-ad-slot="7634747147" data-adsbygoogle-status="done" style="display: inline-block; height: 90px; width: 200px;"><ins id="aswift_3_expand" style="background-color: transparent; border: none; display: inline-table; height: 90px; margin: 0; padding: 0; position: relative; visibility: visible; width: 200px;"><ins id="aswift_3_anchor" style="background-color: transparent; border: none; display: block; height: 90px; margin: 0; padding: 0; position: relative; visibility: visible; width: 200px;"></ins></ins></ins> <img alt="Atiku-Buhari-Tinubu" class="alignnone wp-image-5494 size-full" height="608" src="http://www.234forum.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/07/Atiku-Buhari-Tinubu.jpg" width="1024" /><br /> <em>The battle for the chairmanship of the All Progressives Congress Board of Trustees may be a fierce one among former Vice President Atiku Abubakar; former interim National Chairman of the APC, Bisi Akande; and a chieftain of the party, Audu Ogbeh, writes </em>TOBI AWORINDE<br /> Article 13.2 (X) of the APC Constitution (October 2014 as amended), which deals with the powers of the BoT, stipulates: “The Board of Trustees shall elect its chairman, deputy chairman, secretary and other officers as it deems necessary, and formulate its own rules and procedures to regulate its meetings and activities.”<br /> <div style="float: none; margin: 10px 0 10px 0; text-align: center;"> This must have prompted the National Executive Committee of the All Progressives Congress, to ratify proposals made for the inclusion of some members of the party’s Board of Trustees. No sooner had the NEC approved proposals made by the party’s National Legal Adviser, Dr. Muiz Banire, that some contenders emerged for the chairmanship of the BoT.</div>Last Monday, it was gathered that three party chieftains desired to give it a shot. They are: former Vice-President Atiku Abubakar; a former interim national chairman of the APC, Bisi Akande; and an ex-national chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party, Audu Ogbeh.<br /> When asked in a recent interview with <em>SUNDAY PUNCH</em>, if amending the party’s constitution may hold the key to resolving the ongoing leadership crisis at the National Assembly, Ogbeh, who is the former national chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party, and also a founding member of the APC, expressed disappointment in the party’s delay in inaugurating the BoT, adding that the board is the answer to the party’s woes.<br /> Ogbeh said, “It isn’t the constitution that is the real problem. Constitutions are run by human beings. We have our constitution; we have a certain understanding among ourselves about what we should do and shouldn’t do. I think there are some managerial lapses somewhere.<br /> “For instance, we have not yet formally inaugurated our Board of Trustees. What are we waiting for? This is the kind of crisis that the Board of Trustees should have taken over and resolved and not the National Working Committee or the National Executive Committee of the party. Why is the Board of Trustees still not in place?”<br /> The party’s NEC, which is its highest decision-making body, reportedly took nominations for membership of the BoT from the various state chapters during a NEC meeting which held penultimate Friday.<br /> On June 20, <em>Saturday PUNCH</em> had reported that a fresh power tussle between Atiku and Akande was on the horizon over the party’s BoT chairmanship. According to findings, the tussle is an episode in the supremacy war between power blocs in the APC.<br /> Atiku and the National Leader of the party, Asiwaju Bola Tinubu, were reported to have been the primary contenders in a fierce battle to control the party. With these two camps, clinching the BoT chairmanship would go a long way in assisting them to control the party.<br /> Both camps were said to have started reaching out to members of the board, who will elect the chairman. Further investigations showed that Akande had the backing of Tinubu, who is reportedly angry with Atiku’s role in the National Assembly leadership elections.<br /> The struggle for the chairmanship of the APC’s BoT, it was learnt, became intense following the inauguration of the eighth Assembly which witnessed the controversial emergence of Bukola Saraki as Senate President and Yakubu Dogara as Speaker. They were said to have won with the support of Atiku.<br /> Tinubu and the party’s National Working Committee, on the other hand, were voting for Ahmad Lawan for the Senate presidency and Femi Gbajabiamila for the House speakership.<br /> Political observers have since highlighted that Saraki’s election would enable the Atiku camp take control of the party’s National Executive Committee since the Senate President and the Speaker of the House of Representatives are members of the NEC.<br /> However, Tinubu is believed to be in control of the party’s NWC, as many of its members are said to be loyal to him. Thus, the contest for the control of the BoT is clearly between both camps.<br /> Atiku, who has held the number two office in the country for two consecutive terms and contested in the party’s first ever presidential primary which produced President Muhammadu Buhari as the APC candidate for the March 28 election, is widely regarded as a political heavyweight in the APC. Pundits, however, note that Atiku’s chances are slim.<br /> The executive chairman of the Coalition against Corrupt Leaders, Debo Adeniran, in an interview with <em>SUNDAY PUNCH</em>, argued that Atiku was not as all-embracing as the job of BoT chairmanship demands. Recalling Atiku’s political history with concern, the activist said the APC may not last long with the ex-vice president at the helm.<br /> He said, “When we look at Atiku, especially with regard to the controversy surrounding his activities as vice-president, he has not yet convinced Nigerians that he didn’t soil his hands. Moreover, the kind of divisive politics that he plays may not put him in a good position to be the best BoT chairman that can satisfy the yearnings of rank-and-file members of the party.<br /> “One would not want the ruling party to succumb to the whims and caprices of somebody who already has an open agenda that once was hidden. We must not forget the influence of the Peoples Democratic Movement in the PDP and the prominent role it played in the breakup of the PDP. The same thing happened when the New PDP emerged. That means that with an Atiku in the saddle, the APC may not last the tenure of the current regime before they break it into pieces.<br /> “The divisive politics of Atiku puts him at a disadvantage. I don’t see him as having a sectional agenda; his agenda cuts across, but he plays opportunistic politics and that is not fair. People like Saraki and Dogara need somebody who is courageous enough to confront them. Atiku is hand in glove with them, and if he becomes BoT chair, he will tolerate whatever they do.”<br /> Similarly, a professor of political science in the University of Nigeria, Nsukka, Onyebuchi Ezeani, agreed with Adeniran, adding that Atiku could not be held to the commitment of the party’s founding members because he formed the party late.<br /> “Most of the groundwork that was laid for the party’s formation was already there long before he arrived. As a result, I don’t think he has what it takes to hold such a position. Atiku is what I call a latecomer,” the professor opined.<br /> But the Director-General of the Atiku Media Office, Mr. Paul Ibe, when contacted on Monday, said the former vice-president “is eminently qualified to occupy the position.” He added, “We are not aware that the APC has thrown open the race for the chairmanship of the party’s BoT. But if, in the wisdom of the party, it elects to appoint (Atiku) Abubakar as chairman of its BoT, the Turaki Adamawa will be amenable and well-disposed to it because he is eminently qualified to offer his services to the party at that level.”<br /> For Akande, the battle for a top job in the APC is not entirely new. On June 11, 2013, the erstwhile national chairman of the now defunct Action Congress of Nigeria was reported to have been in a fierce contest with Tom Ikimi, another chieftain of the party, for the position of interim national chairman of the newly formed APC.<br /> The battle between Akande and Ikimi followed the decision by stakeholders of the APC — a merger between the ACN, the Congress for Progressive Change, and the All Nigeria Peoples Party — to cede the chairmanship to the ACN.<br /> But the APC, following a meeting behind closed doors in Abuja on June 26, 2013, named Akande its national chairman.<br /> Spokesman for the Congress for Progressive Change, Rotimi Fasakin, said the appointment, which was, “part of the requirements (set by the Independent National Electoral Commission) for the registration of the new party was a collective decision of all the merging parties.”<br /> The APC was then registered by INEC on July 31, 2013, after which the party was joined by aggrieved PDP members, including Atiku, Saraki, and seven governors, between November and December of the same year.<br /> On June 14, 2014, Akande handed over his seat as chairman to a former Governor of Edo State, John Odigie-Oyegun, who became the first substantive national chairman of the APC, following a consensus arrangement by the leadership of the party at the inaugural national convention of the APC.<br /> By August 21, 2014, the party was reported to have appointed no fewer than 74 persons, including Buhari and Tinubu, as members of its BoT. Others listed were Atiku, Ikimi, Akande and Ogbeh.<br /> The BoT also comprises serving and former APC governors still in the party as well as two senators representing each of the six geopolitical zones and a member representing each state and the FCT.<br /> However, in a provocative statement on June 28, Akande alleged that the members of the APC, who left the PDP, came into the ruling party with vested interests, which he claimed were fuelling the APC crisis.<br /> The APC chief said, “What began as political patronages, which was to be shared into APC membership spread among ethnic zones, religious faiths, (as well as) political rankings and experiences, has now become so complicated that the sharing has to be done by and among PDP leadership, together with cohorts of former New PDP affiliations in the APC, by and among gangs against Buhari’s presidency, and certain APC legislators and party members who dance round the crisis arena to pick some crumbs.<br /> “After the elections, which saw the APC to victory all round, a meeting was reported to have been held by certain old and new PDP leaders in (former National Chairman of PDP) Kawu Baraje’s house in Abuja to review what should be their share in this new Buhari’s government and resolved to seek collaboration with the PDP with a view to hijacking the National Assembly and, having got rid of Goodluck Jonathan, with an ultimate aim of resuscitating the PDP as their future political platform.”<br /> But Baraje, in a summary rebuttal, described Akande’s claims as unfortunate and expressed disappointed that the former interim chairman of the APC would make such claims.<br /> Baraje was not the only one who had a bone to pick with Akande. The APC chieftain’s claims also drew the ire of party chairman, Oyegun, Saraki, Dogara, the Arewa Consultative Forum and the northern caucus of the party, among several others, leading to speculation that Akande’s chances of emerging the APC BoT chairman had been hurt.<br /> But Adeniran disagreed. On the contrary, he argued, the same reason that made some party members allege that Akande was being sponsored by Tinubu proved his suitability for the job.<br /> “He told no lie within the submission he made. He has said he didn’t make any sectional statement that was credited to him and nobody has disproved him since. Confronting them with past records that they have is not supposed to be seen as a disadvantage. It should, instead, be seen as an index of courage, which is why I believe he has adequate courage to confront anybody that wants to sabotage the good fortune of the party,” Adeniran told <em>SUNDAY PUNCH</em>.<br /> Commenting on speculation that Tinubu is behind Akande’s candidature, the activist said the national leader of the APC is a proven political tactician whose prowess would serve as an advantage.<br /> “Take it or leave it, Tinubu is a political strategist with a level of sagacity that no other politician has been able to achieve in the (Nigerian) political landscape. If Tinubu is supporting Akande, it should be seen as a plus, rather than a minus,” he opined.<br /> Citing Akande’s tenure as governor of Osun State, Adeniran described Akande as an articulate leader and a Cicero in his own right, whose wealth of experience would position him well for the job.<br /> Akande’s former Chief Press Secretary, Adelani Baderinwa, also expressed conviction of Akande’s capability to lead the APC’s BoT.<br /> Baderinwa, in an interview with <em>SUNDAY PUNCH</em>, described the party chieftain as well qualified for the position. He highlighted Akande’s run at the party’s interim national chairmanship, and his role in laying the groundwork for the party’s formation.<br /> “He knows Nigeria very well and so there is nothing so spectacular about being the BoT chairman. By virtue of being the (interim) national chairman of the political party, he must have met quite a lot of the stakeholders in the process of managing the party, especially to the level that it became a success in terms of what the APC is. My take is therefore that he is found to have an advantage,” he said.<br /> But Ezeani expressed opposition to Akande’s advantage, arguing that Ogbeh is the candidate to beat.<br /> The professor of political science said, in comparison to Akande and Atiku, Ogbeh stands out because, “he does not have the baggage that comes with being linked to Tinubu. He is untainted, which is a crucial consideration in picking the man for the job.<br /> “If we are talking about those who have experience and contributed to the formation of the APC, Audu Ogbeh has the advantage. Let us not forget that he has held top positions in the PDP, so he has the most experience and the best understanding of what the party needs to.”<br /> Adeniran, however, expressed mixed feelings about Ogbeh’s candidature, arguing that though Audu Ogbeh is not known to accumulate wealth, his gentlemanly disposition would translate to a reluctance to want to rock the boat, which the political expert believes, is contrary to the demands of politics in Nigeria.<br /> “Save for the possibility that he might be too conservative for the dynamism that Nigerian politics deserves, he could have been the best candidate. But he may not have the guts, courage or political will to discipline erring party members and he doesn’t have the charisma with which he can carry everybody from different sections of the country together the way some other leaders are expected to. He is likely to tolerate the intolerable and that would be a minus against him,” Adeniran opined.<br /> Attempts to get Ogbeh’s reaction were unsuccessful, as he did not answer calls by our correspondent to his mobile telephone number on Wednesday.<br /> On the consequences of a fierce BoT chairmanship race to the already embattled part, Ezeani told <em>SUNDAY PUNCH</em> that the crisis in the APC came as a shock to many political observers.<br /> According to him, the rift in the party is proof that the parties that came together to form the APC did so out of selfish interests, rather than a shared ideology.<br /> “I would advise the President to maintain his objective position and not meddle in the political dealings of the party. That is the right decision; I think that it is best that he stays away from the crisis rocking the APC so as not to be distracted from governance,” he added.<br /> But Adeniran argued: “Everybody was surprised that the (primary) election conducted by the APC went as smoothly as it did and that the general elections also went smoothly. It could be yet another surprise that, after this race, everybody will go back to his camp calmly without any strife.”</div>

True?? Insurgency Worsens Under Buhari – Says Deputy Senate President, Ekweremadu

<div><img alt="Ekweremadu Must Resign" class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-3927" height="653" src="http://www.234forum.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/06/ike.jpg" width="980" /><br /> Deputy Senate President, Ike Ekweremadu, avoided comments on his current ordeal concerning his alleged role in the amendments made to the Senate Rules during an interaction with journalists in Abuja on Thursday.<br /> <div style="float: none; margin: 10px 0 10px 0; text-align: center;"> </div>Ekweremadu, who had yet to make public comments on his alleged involvement in the alterations imputed in the document which was used to conduct the election that led to his emergence as the DSP on June 9, however, expressed worry over the frightening spate of insurgency in the country.<br />He noted with dismay that the unfortunate development had attained a worrisome dimension since President Muhammadu Buhari took over power on May 29, 2015.<br /> He said, “I am worried about the insurgence of the Boko Haram activities in Nigeria. Shortly before the inauguration of the present government, the country had almost rolled back Boko Haram and its activities in every part of Nigeria – from Adamawa to Borno to Yobe.<br /> “I was hoping that when we come back in the 8th Assembly, that I will work with our colleagues from the North-East to develop a plan of action that will help to rehabilitate that part of Nigeria. I feel so concerned about the suffering of our people from the North-East of Nigeria.<br /> “I had hoped that by now we would be tasking ourselves on how best to rebuild that part of Nigeria. Regrettably the actions of Boko Haram seems to have resurfaced now not only in Borno, they have carried out their activities also in Plateau, they have gone to Adamawa, Kaduna.<br /> “I am worried that if nothing is done, the next target would be Abuja. Maybe they start going to South. It is important for us as those in government, whether Executive or Legislature, to come together to find solutions to these problems.”<br /> He therefore appealed to neighbouring countries and the international community to support the country to roll back the activities of Boko Haram, stressing that there was no way the nation could achieve progress in the country when there were security problems.<br /> He said the Buhari administration should, as a matter of urgency, “deal with this security challenge no matter what it would cost us.”<br /> He also called for a collaboration between the Executive and the Legislature in order to deal with the scourge.<br /> Ekweremadu said, “We must be on the same page on this matter. I believe that it is time for us to have meetings with the Executive as well as the security agencies in order to find out exactly what has happened – why the resurgence of these Boko Haram activities and what we can do as a people to ensure that this matter is dealt with decisively.”<br /> He expressed sympathy with the Boko Haram victims and called for an immediate action to stop the menace</div>

SARAKI: "EFCC Did Not Attend Senator Bukola Saraki's Briefing With Anti-Corruption Agencies" - Spokesman

<div><span class="ds-1col file file-image file-image-jpeg view-mode-embedded centered clearfix block-story-object block-story-object-resource block-story-object-resource-image"> <span class="block-story-object-asset"><img alt="" class="media-element file-embedded" src="https://secure.saharareporters.com/sites/default/files/styles/normal_medium/public/Senator-Bukola-Saraki.jpg?itok=IgLfoxol" /></span><span class="block-story-object-content"><span class="block-story-object-content-header"><span class="block-story-object-content-header-description">Senator Bukola Saraki </span></span><span class="block-story-object-content-footer"> </span></span> </span> <span class="container container-pod container-pod-short"></span><br /><span>Officials of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) told SaharaReporters that the agency has not honored the invitation by Senate President Bukola Saraki to brief him on ongoing anti-corruption efforts. One senior official of the EFCC stated that the agency saw very little use in taking up Mr. Saraki’s invitation, hence the decision to distance the agency from the so-called briefing.</span><br /> <span>Another official of the agency defended the EFCC’s decision. “We would ordinarily welcome an invitation to inform lawmakers about our work,” he said. “But we felt that this particular briefing has a political undertone,” he added. “We believe the senator was calling us so that he could claim that he is supporting the ongoing anti-corruption efforts,” he explained. </span><br /> <span>At the briefing, Mr. Saraki declared that he was committed to “zero tolerance” for corruption in the National Assembly. </span><br /> <span>Mr. Saraki’s July 6, 2015 meeting featured Senator Saraki, some members of the National Assembly, and the chairman of the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offenses Commission (ICPC). </span><br /> <span>Officials of the EFCC, who first tipped off SaharaReporters that Senate President Saraki had invited them to the briefing, stated that the senator has no right to summon the anti-corruption agencies, in part because the current National Assembly has not made committee appointments. </span><br /> <span>Mr. Saraki has a long dossier of alleged corrupt acts, both as a director in the moribund Societe Generale Bank of Nigeria, and as a two-term governor of Kwara State. He and associates, including his sister, Gbemi Saraki, were accused of defrauding Societe Generale Bank of various sums of money. </span><br /> <span>EFCC agents also have allegations that former Governor Saraki plundered billions of naira during his term as governor. </span></div>

Al-Shabaab Terrorists Kill 14 In Kenya, Lawmakers Demand Action

<div><div class="first"><span class="ds-1col file file-image file-image-jpeg view-mode-embedded centered clearfix block-story-object block-story-object-resource block-story-object-resource-image"> <span class="block-story-object-asset"><img alt="" class="media-element file-embedded" src="https://secure.saharareporters.com/sites/default/files/styles/normal_medium/public/al-shabaab-baabuur.jpg?itok=XMjQjdnO" title="Al Shabab Fighters" /></span><span class="block-story-object-content"><span class="block-story-object-content-header"><span class="block-story-object-content-header-description"> </span></span></span></span><br /><br /><span class="ds-1col file file-image file-image-jpeg view-mode-embedded centered clearfix block-story-object block-story-object-resource block-story-object-resource-image"><span class="block-story-object-content"><span class="block-story-object-content-header"><span class="block-story-object-content-header-description">Al Shabab Fighters </span></span><span class="block-story-object-content-footer"><span class="block-story-object-content-footer-item block-story-object-content-footer-item-attribution">www.kenya-today.com </span></span></span> </span> </div><span class="container container-pod container-pod-short"></span>              Al-Shabaab terrorists killed 14 and injured 8 in Mandera, Kenya on Tuesday, according to the Daily Nation. The publication quoted details given by Kenyan Interior Cabinet Secretary Joseph Nkaissery, who emphasized that swift police action saved the remaining 136 villagers targeted by the attack.<br />Around 1:30 AM armed attackers from Somalia raided the Mbuzi village of Mandera while residents slept in tents. They entered by blowing up a gate using a homemade bomb and immediately started shooting once inside the village.<br />"The swift response by the police repelled the attackers who fled back to Somalia,” Nkaissery said. “Unfortunately, 11 Kenyans were killed during the attack while three others succumbed to injuries while undergoing treatment" in Nairobi. Kenya Defence Forces and police launched a joint investigation to track down the terrorists.<br />In the wake of the attack, Mandera lawmakers questioned the government's relaxed response to repeated terrorist attacks in the region and their obligation to protect the lives of workers across the country.<br /><br />“We have suggested various ways to stop the attacks, but we have not been listened to,” Mandera Senator Billow Kerrow said, commenting that the government has not done enough. A previous Al-Shabaab attack in December 2014 killed 36 non-Muslim quarry workers in Mandera.<br />The Central Kenya Parliamentary caucus reprimanded the killings of the 14 quarry workers as a terrorist act attempting to separate Kenyans by religion. Guided by Senator Kiraitu Murungi, the lawmakers sent appeals to President Uhuru Kenyatta to throw away all precaution and mercilessly deal with Kenya's frequent attacks.</div>

READ: T.B. Joshua Indicted In Deadly Collapse Of Church Building

<div><div class="first" style="background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; color: #606263; font-family: calluna, 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 18.7px; line-height: 30.8px; margin-bottom: 16.5px; text-rendering: optimizelegibility; text-shadow: none;"><span class="ds-1col file file-image file-image-jpeg view-mode-embedded centered clearfix block-story-object block-story-object-resource block-story-object-resource-image" style="box-sizing: border-box; clear: both; display: block; margin: 28px auto; max-width: 500px; width: 500px;"><span class="block-story-object-asset" style="box-sizing: border-box; display: block;"><img alt="" class="media-element file-embedded" src="https://secure.saharareporters.com/sites/default/files/styles/normal_medium/public/Temitope-B-Joshua.jpg?itok=ZZcvmUQH" style="border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; height: auto; margin: 0px; vertical-align: middle; width: 500px;" typeof="foaf:Image" /></span><span class="block-story-object-content" style="background: rgb(34, 35, 35); box-sizing: border-box; display: block; padding: 14px;"><span class="block-story-object-content-header" style="box-sizing: border-box; display: block;"><span class="block-story-object-content-header-description" style="box-sizing: border-box; color: #898c8d; display: block; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; line-height: 15px; text-shadow: none;">TB Joshua</span></span><span class="block-story-object-content-footer" style="box-sizing: border-box; display: block; margin-top: 7px;"></span></span></span></div><div style="background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; color: #606263; font-family: calluna, 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 18.7px; line-height: 30.8px; margin-bottom: 16.5px; text-rendering: optimizelegibility; text-shadow: none;"><span style="box-sizing: border-box;">The inquest, presided over by Magistrate Oyetade Komolafe, decided to indict the building contractor, a Divisional Police Officer (DPO), and Mr. T.B. Joshua's church. </span></div><div style="background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; color: #606263; font-family: calluna, 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 18.7px; line-height: 30.8px; margin-bottom: 16.5px; text-rendering: optimizelegibility; text-shadow: none;"><span style="box-sizing: border-box;">The coroner recommended that the contractor be prosecuted for doing a shady and unprofessional job. The magistrate also ruled that the DPO in Ikotun area, Alaba Haruna, should be transferred out of the area for not allowing proper investigation into the case.</span></div><div style="background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; color: #606263; font-family: calluna, 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 18.7px; line-height: 30.8px; margin-bottom: 16.5px; text-rendering: optimizelegibility; text-shadow: none;">Also, the magistrate said the Church, headed by Prophet T.B. Joshua should be duly investigated for culpability in the faulty building construction.</div><span class="container container-pod container-pod-short" style="background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; color: #898c8d; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 16.7999992370605px; line-height: 24px; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; max-width: 956px; padding-bottom: 28px; padding-top: 28px; position: relative;"></span><span style="background-color: white; color: #898c8d; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 16.7999992370605px; line-height: 24px;"></span><br /><div style="background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; color: #606263; font-family: calluna, 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 18.7px; line-height: 30.8px; margin-bottom: 16.5px; text-rendering: optimizelegibility; text-shadow: none;"> The powerful Lagos-based prophet did everything he could to frustrate the inquest, including publicy claiming the building collapsed due to a "supersonic boom" emitted from a jet flying in the area during the fatal collapse of the church building.</div></div>

Breaking: FAAC Faults Okonjo-Iweala's Comments On Excess Crude Account

<div><div class="separator" style="background-color: white; clear: both; color: #555555; font-family: verdana; font-size: 11.9999990463257px; line-height: 19.1999988555908px; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjvPM5U7HbXkgf-Pmzg_5H3RoY_iZoWq0rXXDhfmE_tLT7RfYYoa6D4VeRy2OT4Ro_e5CSqsLWl_IRGNYdxJHQp7hNpYLbUB40fOQVlyRW9oXvlyLcwoXQ3FMKEu_YqRc6M8y-rrdZfEXU/s1600/Dr.-Ngozi-Okonjo-Iweala-360x225.jpg" style="color: deeppink; margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-decoration: none;"><img border="0" height="250" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjvPM5U7HbXkgf-Pmzg_5H3RoY_iZoWq0rXXDhfmE_tLT7RfYYoa6D4VeRy2OT4Ro_e5CSqsLWl_IRGNYdxJHQp7hNpYLbUB40fOQVlyRW9oXvlyLcwoXQ3FMKEu_YqRc6M8y-rrdZfEXU/s400/Dr.-Ngozi-Okonjo-Iweala-360x225.jpg" style="border-width: 0px; max-width: 100%;" width="400" /></a></div><div class="tr_bq" style="background-color: white; color: #555555; font-family: verdana; font-size: 11.9999990463257px; line-height: 19.1999988555908px; text-align: justify;">The Federation Account Allocation Committee on Tuesday faulted comments credited to a former Minister of Finance, Dr. Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, that it approved the withdrawal of $2bn from the Excess Crude Account.</div><div style="background-color: white; color: #555555; font-family: verdana; font-size: 11.9999990463257px; line-height: 19.1999988555908px; text-align: justify;"></div><br style="background-color: white; color: #555555; font-family: verdana; font-size: 11.9999990463257px; line-height: 19.1999988555908px; text-align: justify;" /><a href="https://www.blogger.com/null" name="more" style="background-color: white; color: deeppink; font-family: verdana; font-size: 11.9999990463257px; line-height: 19.1999988555908px; text-align: justify; text-decoration: none;"></a><div style="background-color: white; color: #555555; font-family: verdana; font-size: 11.9999990463257px; line-height: 19.1999988555908px; text-align: justify;">The committee, in a statement issued on its behalf by Forum of Finance Commissioners in Abuja, stated that the law setting it up did not give it the power to approve withdrawals from the ECA.</div><br style="background-color: white; color: #555555; font-family: verdana; font-size: 11.9999990463257px; line-height: 19.1999988555908px; text-align: justify;" /><div style="background-color: white; color: #555555; font-family: verdana; font-size: 11.9999990463257px; line-height: 19.1999988555908px; text-align: justify;"></div><div style="background-color: white; color: #555555; font-family: verdana; font-size: 11.9999990463257px; line-height: 19.1999988555908px; text-align: justify;">Okonjo-Iweala had while responding to allegations made by state governors that she made withdrawals from the ECA without authorisation, said issues relating to expenditure were usually discussed at FAAC meetings attended by finance commissioners of the 36 states of the federation.</div><div style="background-color: white; color: #555555; font-family: verdana; font-size: 11.9999990463257px; line-height: 19.1999988555908px; text-align: justify;"></div><div style="background-color: white; color: #555555; font-family: verdana; font-size: 11.9999990463257px; line-height: 19.1999988555908px; text-align: justify;">She had said through a statement issued by her spokesperson, Paul Nwabuikwu, “The allegation by some governors that former Minister of Finance, Dr. Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, spent $2.1bn out of the Excess Crude Account ‘without authorisation’ is false, malicious and totally without foundation.</div><blockquote class="tr_bq" style="background-color: white; border-color: rgb(255, 20, 147); border-style: solid; border-width: 1px 10px; color: #555555; font-family: verdana; font-size: 11.9999990463257px; line-height: 19.1999988555908px; margin: 10px; padding: 10px; text-align: justify;">“It is curious that in their desperation to use the esteemed National Economic Council for political and personal vendetta, the persons behind these allegations acted as if the constitutionally recognised FAAC, a potent expression of Nigeria’s fiscal federalism, does not exist.</blockquote><div style="background-color: white; color: #555555; font-family: verdana; font-size: 11.9999990463257px; line-height: 19.1999988555908px; text-align: justify;">“But Nigerians know that collective revenues, allocations and expenditures of the three tiers of government are the concern of the monthly FAAC meetings.”</div><div style="background-color: white; color: #555555; font-family: verdana; font-size: 11.9999990463257px; line-height: 19.1999988555908px; text-align: justify;"></div><div style="background-color: white; color: #555555; font-family: verdana; font-size: 11.9999990463257px; line-height: 19.1999988555908px; text-align: justify;">But reacting to the ex-minister’s comments, the committee said in its statement that Okonjo-Iweala’s expalnation “is far from the fact and is misleading.”</div><div style="background-color: white; color: #555555; font-family: verdana; font-size: 11.9999990463257px; line-height: 19.1999988555908px; text-align: justify;"></div><blockquote class="tr_bq" style="background-color: white; border-color: rgb(255, 20, 147); border-style: solid; border-width: 1px 10px; color: #555555; font-family: verdana; font-size: 11.9999990463257px; line-height: 19.1999988555908px; margin: 10px; padding: 10px; text-align: justify;"><div>It said, “It has come to our notice the statement credited to the former Coordinating Minister of the Economy and Minister of Finance, Dr. Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, that the Federation Account Allocation Committee approved the withdrawal from Excess Crude (Foreign) Account the sum of $2bn. This statement is far from the fact and is misleading.</div><div>“We wish to state unequivocally that FAAC does not have the authority to approve withdrawals from the ECA and, therefore, could not have approved the withdrawal from the Excess Crude (Foreign) Account the sum of $2bn.</div></blockquote><div style="background-color: white; color: #555555; font-family: verdana; font-size: 11.9999990463257px; line-height: 19.1999988555908px; text-align: justify;"></div><div style="background-color: white; color: #555555; font-family: verdana; font-size: 11.9999990463257px; line-height: 19.1999988555908px; text-align: justify;">“According to the law setting up FAAC, which pre-dates the ECA, it cannot approve withdrawal and has not done so in the past.</div><div style="background-color: white; color: #555555; font-family: verdana; font-size: 11.9999990463257px; line-height: 19.1999988555908px; text-align: justify;"></div><div style="background-color: white; color: #555555; font-family: verdana; font-size: 11.9999990463257px; line-height: 19.1999988555908px; text-align: justify;">“If anything, FAAC, as records of its meetings indicate, had often queried the activities on the ECA, and, therefore, did not decide any withdrawal.”</div><div style="background-color: white; color: #555555; font-family: verdana; font-size: 11.9999990463257px; line-height: 19.1999988555908px; text-align: justify;"></div><div style="background-color: white; color: #555555; font-family: verdana; font-size: 11.9999990463257px; line-height: 19.1999988555908px; text-align: justify;">The statement noted that while FAAC had in December 2014 observed the withdrawal of $2bn from the ECA, the then Minister of State for Finance and Chairman of FAAC, Bashir Yuguda, had when asked during the plenary of FAAC meetings of the respective months explained that former President Goodluck Jonathan gave approval for the withdrawals to pay oil marketers’ subsidy claims.</div><div style="background-color: white; color: #555555; font-family: verdana; font-size: 11.9999990463257px; line-height: 19.1999988555908px; text-align: justify;"></div><div style="background-color: white; color: #555555; font-family: verdana; font-size: 11.9999990463257px; line-height: 19.1999988555908px; text-align: justify;">Yuguda reportedly stated that the action would be ratified by NEC.</div><div style="background-color: white; color: #555555; font-family: verdana; font-size: 11.9999990463257px; line-height: 19.1999988555908px; text-align: justify;"></div><div style="background-color: white; color: #555555; font-family: verdana; font-size: 11.9999990463257px; line-height: 19.1999988555908px; text-align: justify;">FAAC stated in the statement, “It should be noted, therefore, that FAAC did not and could not have approved nor taken the decision to withdraw the sum of $2bn from the ECA.</div><div style="background-color: white; color: #555555; font-family: verdana; font-size: 11.9999990463257px; line-height: 19.1999988555908px; text-align: justify;"></div><div style="background-color: white; color: #555555; font-family: verdana; font-size: 11.9999990463257px; line-height: 19.1999988555908px; text-align: justify;">“We would want to excuse Dr. Ngozi Okonjo Iweala on this misrepresentation because she was not in attendance during FAAC plenary and may not have been fully and adequately made abreast of every FAAC activity.”</div></div>

Read: Odegbami vows to lead Nigerians to resist foreign coach

<div>Says Oliseh’s our foreign coach<br />                    Odegbami vows to lead Nigerians to resist foreign coach 1980 Africa Cup of Nations winner, Segun Odegbami has kicked against the hiring of a foreign coach for the Super Eagles following the dismissal of Stephen Keshi. <br />Keshi was relieved of his duties by the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) on Saturday night, for allegedly applying to coach African champions Cote d’Ívoire.<br />Technical Director of the NFF, Shuaibu Amodu has been mandated to handle the team on an interim basis before a substantive coach, preferably a foreigner is named by the Amaju Pinnick-led NFF Executive Committee.<br />But speaking in an interview with Sports Vanguard yesterday, Odegbami warned that he would lead Nigerians to resist the hiring of an foreigner for the Eagles, insisting that our ‘foreign coach is a Nigerian living in Nigeria’.<br /><br /><div class="wp-caption alignright" id="attachment_113774" style="width: 410px;"><a href="http://www.vanguardngr.com/2010/11/eagles-odegbami-calls-for-patience-with-siasia/odegbami/" rel="attachment wp-att-113774"><img alt="Chief Segun Odegbami" class="size-full wp-image-113774" height="240" src="http://cdn2.vanguardngr.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/11/Odegbami.jpg.pagespeed.ce.7QvKMq2PSA.jpg" width="400" /></a><br /><div class="wp-caption-text">Chief Segun Odegbami</div></div>                          Odegbami, while raising the alarm of an hidden agenda behind the hiring of a foreign coach, said that the NFF does not need to go outside the shores of the country to get a coach for the Eagles as there was one in Nigeria, in the person of former Eagles captain, Sunday Oliseh, who he backed to do better than the foreigner the NFF was shopping for.<br />“We don’t need a foreign coach for the Eagles. If the NFF has plans to hire a foreign coach, it does not need to go abroad as we have a technical qualified, intellectually sound and world-acclaimed pundit in Sunday Oliseh.<br />                           “‘The world recognises the immense knowledge of Oliseh on football matters. He has the education and knows about tactical formations. He has worked with academies in Europe and has a deep knowledge of the game and knows how to manage players. Super Sports recognises him. He has distinguished himself amongst his peers. We have gone beyond the level of going overseas to look for coaches for our national team as Nigeria has its own foreign coach in Oliseh.<br />“There would be an hidden agenda behind the hiring of a foreign coach. So the best option for us is to make use of Oliseh as he possesses all the requirements to succeed on the job. Oliseh is the right candidate, so they should give the job to him’’, added Odegbami.<br />While frowning at Amodu’s appointment as the temporary coach of the Eagles , Odegbami said that the recent appointment was in direct conflict with his job as the technical director of the NFF.<br />“I really have issues with his appointment as he is the technical director of the NFF, with its clear mandate and responsibilities. Now he is being saddled with additional job. It looks untidy”, added the former Shooting Stars of Ibadan striker. </div>