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may God av mercy on Africa

Read more at punchng.com/best-graduating-law-school-student-gets-n200000-from-ikeja-nba/

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Read more at punchng.com/my-confidence-is-better-for-scoring-goals-says-jesus-in-pursuit-of-title-chase/

Good bye Cech

Read more at punchng.com/alexander-arnold-injury-leaves-liverpool-short-of-defensive-options/

Surprising

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ASUU we re begging

Sorry to the girl

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Good 4 him

Peace be unto them

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The Independent National Electoral Commission on Monday said it had discovered new methods to be used by some politicians to buy votes in the forthcoming general elections .
Speaking at an interactive session with traditional rulers in Osun State , the INEC National Commissioner, Mr Festus Okoye , however , warned that any politicians caught buying votes or engaging in acts that could have negative effects on the elections would be punished .
Okoye , who was represented by the Osun State Resident Electoral Commissioner, Mr Segun Agbaje , said the commission had been informed that some people were inducing voters to release their PVCs or Voter Identification Numbers.
He said the intention behind the moves was to either stop the owners of the cards from voting or to attempt using the VIN to hack into the commission ’ s website and preload card readers ahead of the elections .
He said, “ We have introduced a partial ban on the use of mobile phones and other photographic devices by voters while in the voting cubicles . Also, we are introducing the rolling and flattening of ballot papers by voters before casting them into the ballot boxes .
“ However, new methods of vote -buying are being devised . We have received credible information that some partisan actors are now buying PVCs from voters or financially inducing them to collect the Voter Identification Numbers on their PVCs . In some instances, telephone numbers and details of bank accounts of voters have been collected. ”
He, however , assured the public that the commission would work with the security agents to deal with the violators of electoral laws .

Agbaje said anyone found guilty of buying votes would pay either a fine of N 1m or be sentenced to one year in prison, adding that multiple registration, impersonation and being in possession of more than one PVC would attract N 1m fine or a 12 -month jail term or both.
The Ooni of Ife, Oba Enitan Ogunwusi, urged royal fathers in the state to ensure that there was peace before and during the elections in their areas.
Source-punchng.com/inec-uncovers-new-methods-of-vote-buying/

NYC post

Read more at thenationonlineng.net/ogun-governorship-court-dismisses-adebutus-suispam blocked by adminashamu-2/

Good for her

Title Challengers

Read more at -www.thisdaylive.com/index.php/2019/01/14/atiku-appoints-ekweremadu-dogara-makarfi-lamido-technical-advisers/amp/

Elections will be tough

View at-www.legit.ng/1215395-inec-releases-guidelines-conduct-2019-general-elections.html

Man City cruise to a convincing victory over Wolves in Monday night Premier League clash
- Gabriel Jesus netted two first half goals with an own goal from Conor Coady in the 78th minute to power the hosts to 3-0 win
- They are however second with just four points behind Liverpool on the EPL table
Manchester City keep their Premier League title challenge on track after beating Wolverhampton Wanderers 3-0 at the Etihad Stadium on Monday night.
21-year-old striker Gabriel Jesus powered the Citizens ahead just ten minutes into the game after sliding to tap in Leroy Sane's cross.
Wolves were reduced to ten men in the 19th minute following the red card issued to Willy Boly by referee Craig Pawson following a rough challenge on Bernando Silva.
The Citizens quickly took advantage of the numerical disadvantage and increased their lead in the 39th minute through the Brazilian.
Jesus completed his brace in the match with just six minutes to the end of the first half of the encounter.
And Pep Guardiola emerged winners of the first half of the meeting as they continue to mount pressure on table toppers Liverpool.
The Citizens benefited from Conor Coady's own goal to increase their tally in the game to three goals in the 78th minute.
Man City however maintained their second position with just four points behind Liverpool after the game.
They will battle Huddersfield in their next Premier League encounter away from home, and also hope that the Reds drop points in their next gamewww.legit.ng/1215399-gabriel-jesus-brace-sink-wolverhampton-wanderers-etihad-stadium.htmlhttps://www.legit.ng/1215399-gabriel-jesus-brace-sink-wolverhampton-wanderers-etihad-stadium.html
Source-www.legit.ng/1215399-gabriel-jesus-brace-sink-wolverhampton-wanderers-etihad-stadium.html

The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission has arrested a Bishop and suspected fraudster, Giniko Obi , in Benin City , for allegedly defrauding thousands of people of various sums of money running into millions of naira .
The suspect allegedly collected the money from his victims in the guise of helping them to ‘ fight poverty. ’
Obi , founder of Beloved Gideon Foundation , based in Agbor , Delta State , with outreaches in Bayelsa , Onitsha, Lagos, Port Harcourt, Abuja, and Benin City , however , denied any involvement in fraud claiming that he was only “ doing the will of God by trying to help the people fight poverty . ”
According to a statement by the acting EFCC spokesman, Tony Orilade , in Abuja on Monday , Obi said it was his desire and God’ s will to see people prosper that led him into operating what appears to be a Ponzi scheme .
Obi, who claimed to be a consecrated Bishop with a diploma in theology explained that he was selling what he called nuggets for successful living to subscribers to the scheme .
He said, “ We write books such as ‘ 24 Nuggets for Successful Living’ , ‘ 36 Nuggets for Successful Living’ , ‘ 48 Nuggets for Successful Living’ . We organise seminars and conferences on how to be successful and tell the people to subscribe to these publications.
“ If you subscribe with N 10 , 800 , we give you N 15 , 000 . If you subscribe with N 18 , 000, we give you N 23 , 000. I had about 30 , 000 subscribers and I was paying them . ”
According to him, when he left Agbor for Lagos , his desire was to expand his subscription base but his subscribers were impatient.
“ If they had allowed me to hold the conference in Lagos , I would have paid them , ” he claimed.
However, some of his victims who thronged the EFCC office since his arrest , described him as a fraudster, claiming he defrauded them .
A victim , Janet Okafor reportedly told the EFCC that Obi claimed to be a representative of Gideons International , an organisation that distributes Bibles and Christian literature .
She said, “ He organised seminars in Agbor market and claimed that he was from Gideons International and that their mission was to help eradicate poverty in Nigeria. He told us that unlike in the past when Gideons International distributed Bibles and Christian literature , their mission now was to eradicate poverty. ”
On how she became a victim of the scheme , Okafor , 35 , who claimed she had never participated in any ponzi scheme in the past said she fell for his tricks because “ the Bishop swore with the Bible. ”
“ The Bishop knelt down and swore with the Bible ; He convinced us that he was from Texas, USA and we believed him. I subscribed with N 10 , 800 and he paid me N 15 , 000. It was after this that he engaged over 60 of us as canvassers . I brought many people including my relations and friends . All together , they invested over N 5 million , ” the victim was quoted as saying.
Source-punchng.com/efcc-arrests-benin-bishop-for-fraud-operating-ponzi-scheme/

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He would be released

Always appointing Northerners

The President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, President Muhammadu Buhari has appointed an Acting Inspector General of Police, Abubakar Adamu Mohammed to replace the now former Inspector General of Police (IGP) Ibrahim Idris who is retiring from the service tomorrow January 15th, 2019.

Adam who was the Assistant Inspector General of Police (AIG) at the National Institute of Policy and Strategic Studies (NIPSS) will be officially announced as the new Police Boss tomorrow.

the choice of Adamu was made from a list of names of officers presented to the President.

Our correspondent learnt that the Presidency would officially announce the new appointment tomorrow.

Assistant Inspector General of Police (AIG) brought from the National Institute of Policy and Strategic Studies (NIPSS), but would wait for an official announcement to be made tomorrow as the sources at the Presidency would not like to be quoted.
Source-www.sunnewsonline.com/breaking-buhari-appoints-new-police-boss/

NYC post

Dey re trying to curtail the Spread

Atikulated

The Nigerian man arrested in India

The India Narcotics Control Bureau (NCB) has nabbed a Nigerian national at the Kolkata airport after he was found in possession of cocaine worth Rs 1 crore weighing around 170 gram.

According to Narcotics Control Bureau Kolkata Zonal Director, Dilip Kumar Srivastava, the Nigerian suspect identified as Kevin Edward James, arrived the Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose International Airport in Kolkata from Mumbai on Thursday afternoon.
Source-nnu.ng/post/face-of-nigerian-man-arrested-with-cocaine-at-indian-airport-photo

Top Nigerian actor and politician, Emeka Ike, was on song recently in far away Monrovia, the LIberian capital, when he was celebrated during the commissioning of the new CDC Pavilion by Liberian President, George Opong Mannah Weah.
The Nollywood actor, who is vying for the slot of Representative, Okigwe South Federal Constituency under the umbrella of the Young Progressive Party (YPP) commended President Weah for his notable works in Liberia and his leadership style where youths are at the helms of affairs.
He said: “President Weah is an upright role model and a proactive leader who believes Liberia will develop and be like South Africa in the nearest future and other African countries making waves globally. Travelling to Liberia has afforded me the opportunity of interacting with the youths and learning more on youth representation as I hope to reciprocate such when elected to represent the youths and people of Okigwe South Federal Constituency.”
Top Liberian officials who graced the event included Nathaniel McGill, Minister of State for Presidential Affairs, Samuel Tweah, Finance Minister, Andy G. Quamie, Deputy Minister for Sports, Sam Mannah, Press Secretary, Emmanuel Johnson and Ambassador Moses Brown and other CDC chieftains.
Source-www.sunnewsonline.com/emeka-ike-celebrated-in-liberia/

Peoples Democratic Party presidential candidate , Atiku Abubakar, on Monday assured Ekiti people that he would not abandon them if given the opportunity to become the president .
Atiku, who said the All Progressives Congress government had abandoned the state in the areas of roads and federal presence, said he would rehabilitate all the Federal roads leading in and out of the state.
The PDP presidential candidate , who spoke at the Ekitiparapo Pavillion , Ado Ekiti, during his campaign in Ekiti State , said: When we were in the palace of the Ewi of Ado Ekiti, the traditional rulers made a case for roads . My administration will tar all the inter-state roads .
“ We will complete all Federal Government projects in the state. Our government will not promise and fail like President Muhammadu Buhari . We will also restore standard and quality education so that we can give you jobs . ”
Atiku said the Buhari administration was bereft of creative ideas to create jobs, hence the job losses that Nigerian youths had contended with since the present administration got to office .
He said : “ APC doesn’ t know how to create jobs and doesn’ t know how to give you same .
“ We have promised that 40 per cent of our portfolios will go to youths, while 30 per cent will go to women ; that is 70 per cent for youths and women .
“ We know how to do it; we have done it before , we will do it again , ” he assured.
PDP National Chairman , Prince Uche Secondus, cautioned the Independent National Electoral Commission and the Inspector General of Police, Idris Ibrahim, against “ plunging the nation into unnecessary chaos by attempting to subvert the mandate of the people in the general elections . ”
Secondus, who expressed optimism that his party would win the February 16 presidential race , alleged that President Buhari failed to fulfill his promises of job creation , fighting insecurity and surmounting the challenge of corruption “ because he is too weak to rule a country as complex as Nigeria. ”
The PDP chairman urged Ekiti people and Nigerians to vote for Atiku to free the country from hunger and suffering, saying: “ We are going to win this election. Look at Atiku, he is tested and trusted in public and private sectors. He is a man that can turn economy around. He has the energy for the job . ”
Senate President Bukola Saraki , urged the people , particularly the youths , to vote Atiku , saying : “ There is no story. Youths , you are the future we need .
“ A leader has to make good his promises , but Buhari promised you jobs, security and to fight corruption . Has he fulfilled his promises ? No !
“ To do all these, you must know how to do it. Atiku is a man who knows how to create jobs , secure the country and also fight corruption. ”
Former Ekiti State Governor , Mr . Ayodele Fayose , promised PDP the votes of Ekiti people, saying : “ In Ekiti, we will deliver.
“ He that the gods will destroy , he will first make to run mad . That is the case of the current Federal Government, but PDP will deliver Nigeria from their poverty and misrule. ”
Among PDP chieftains at the campaign are PDP South West Chairman , Dr . Eddy Olafeso; former Ogun State Governor , Mr . Gbenga Daniel ; Senate Minority Leader, Biodun Olujimi ; former Ekiti State Deputy Governor , Prof. Kolapo Olusola; former Nigerian High Commissioner to Canada, Ambassador Dare Bejide ; and Ogun State PDP governorship candidate , governorship candidate , Ladi Adebutu.
Source -punchng.com/my-govt-will-not-promise-and-fail-like-buharis-atiku-tells-ekiti-people/

The Independent National Electoral Commission National Commissioner for North -Central Malam Mohammed Haruna has said that 22 , 643 candidates would contest 1, 504 positions during the forthcoming general elections in the country.
Haruna, who is in charge of Kwara , Kogi and Nasarawa States made this known on Monday in Ilorin during an interactive session with the traditional rulers in the state ahead of 2019 general elections .
The national commissioner said that 73 candidates would contest for the post of the President while 1, 158 would slug it out for the governorship positions in 29 states.
He added that 1, 886 candidates would contest the 109 senatorial districts in the country and 4, 634 candidates contesting for the 306 House of Representatives seats .
READ ALSO : Extradition: Court hears Kashamu’ s fresh suit against FG Feb 5
Haruna said 14 , 643 candidates would contest for 991 posts in the various State Houses of Assembly.
“ In addition, the elections will hold for the six chairmen and 62 councillors of the Federal Capital Territory Area Councils because the end of their tenures has coincided with this year ’ s general elections , ” he said .
Haruna said the governorship elections would hold in 29 states , adding it would not hold in seven states including Kogi , Bayelsa, Rivers , Edo , Ondo, Ekiti and Osun States . He added that elections in those states had been held , based on Court ’ s order .
He said INEC would deploy between 750, 000 and 1 , 000, 000 ad -hoc staff to be sourced mainly from NYSC, Federal tertiary institutions and Ministries Departments and Agencies .
The national commissioner told the royal fathers that 84 , 004 , 084 voters would participate in the general elections .
“ The commission has been diligently implementing the timetable and schedule of activities for the 2019 general elections .
“ We have so far implemented 9 out of the 14 activities. Soon , we shall implement all activities and fulfill the mandate thrust upon us by the Constitution.
“ The Commission has made available to each political party a copy of the entire national register of voters . ”
He said the Commission had printed and delivered the Permanent Voter Cards to the states for collection by registered voters .
“ We urged registered voters who have not collected their PVCs to pick their cards.
“ For this, INEC has specially arranged for those who are yet to collect their cards to do so from January 16 to January 21 , at the designated centres in their wards . ”
Haruna emphasised that INEC would use the Smart Card Readers for the general elections . He added that the Commission had procured additional 27 , 327 card readers and enhanced the performance of 164, 763 old ones.
According to him, the performance of Card Readers has improved from 93 . 1 per cent in Kogi in 2015 to 99 per cent now.
The national commissioner , who expressed concern on the low turnout of voters during elections in the country, appealed to the royal fathers to always mobilise their subjects to vote during elections .
“ One cause of concern is our low turnout. For instance , the Kogi Governorship Election in November 2015 was 36 per cent .
“ Bayelsa was 35 per cent , Edo 32 per cent , Ondo 35 per cent ; Anambra was 21 per cent ; Ekiti 44 . 2 per cent and Osun was 42 . 6 per cent .
“ So far , the worst case was that of Eti -Osa Federal Constituency in Lagos State with less than 3 per cent . ”
Haruna said that to discourage vote buying , the Commission had altered the configuration of the polling units by moving the ballot boxes closer to the voting cubicles .
This, he said would make it difficult for voters to expose their marked ballot papers to party agents for payment .
“ We have introduced a partial ban on the use of mobile phones and other photographic devices by voters while in the voting cubicles .
“ We are also introducing the rolling and flattening of ballot papers by voters before casting them into the ballot boxes . ”
Haruna, therefore , appealed to royal fathers in Kwara to help in enlightening the people of their domains about various aspects of elections .
“ These include the voting procedures , the importance of voting, mobilisation of voters especially the women , youths and people living with disabilities .
“ There is also the need to speak about the importance of maintaining peace within our environment and domains"

Source-punchng.com/22-643-candidates-contest-for-1-504-posts-in-2019-general-elections-inec-reveals/

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Uganda has intensified Ebola screening at Entebbe International Airport to prevent the disease from spreading from the neighbouring eastern Democratic Republic of Congo .
Emmanuel Ainebyoona, ministry of health spokesperson , told Xinhua by telephone on Monday that all passengers arriving through Entebbe airport, about 40 km south of the capital, Kampala are screened of Ebola.
Previously , the medical people at the airport have been screening passengers on direct flights from DRC .
“ We realised that some passengers from DRC were using connecting flights from other airports on their way to Entebbe, ’’ Ainebyoona said.
In September 2018 , the east African country installed Automated Temperature Scanners at the airport to screen passengers mainly coming from DRC.
According to Ayinebyoona , the screening at the different border entry points between Uganda and DRC is still ongoing.

Uganda is on an Ebola alert as parts of neighbouring eastern DRC are facing an outbreak of the deadly hemorrhagic fever .
According to the World Health Organisation, the highly contagious Ebola virus causes a range of symptoms including fever , vomiting, diarrhoea , generalised pain or malaise and in many cases internal and external bleeding.
Mortality rates of Ebola fever , according to the global health body , are extremely high, with the human case -fatality rate ranging from 50 per cent to 89 per cent , depending on viral subtype.
(Xinhua/NAN)
Source-punchng.com/uganda-intensifies-ebola-screening-at-international-airport/

D economy is draining

Controversy has greeted the use of hijab by some female Muslim pupils of Ladoke Akintola University of Technology International School, Ogbomoso.
About 50 pupils of the tertiary institution’ s secondary school , on Monday, appeared in hijab .
However, the school ’ s authorities responded swiftly, as the pupils were either locked out of the school gate or asked to remove the unofficial items of dressing.
An academic staff who seems to be interested in the case (names withheld) leaked the development to journalists in Ibadan, the Oyo State capital.
The statement he sent via e -mail reads , “ Hijab imbroglio : Welcome to LAUTECH Secondary School, Ogbomoso, Oyo State .
“ The story dates back to 2011 , when the first request was made to the Governing Board of the school to allow our willing Muslim female children to use hijab as part of their school uniform in line with Islamic dictates.

“ Since 2011 , several letters of appeal have been written to the Governing Council , while we wait endlessly without any concrete positive response to our simple request .
“ Our Muslim girls, over the period, have been using beret instead of hijab in their own case , contrary to the Islamic dictates.
“ Our patience , over time , as law abiding citizens , was premised on our belief that the management of the school will do the needful and give regard to the rule of law and provision of the Constitution guaranteeing fundamental human rights of everybody.
“ Having waited endlessly since 2011 , it was decided on the 4 th of January, 2019 that our willing Muslim female children should commence the use of hijab as school resumed on 7 / 1/ 2019 . ”
Confirming the development, the principal of the school, Mr . Ibrahim Animashaun, sued for peace.
He said in a telephone conversation with our Correspondent that, “ The school board of governors is yet to approve the use of hijab .
“ And the board is looking at their letter . So, we are yet to communicate to them .
“ Until we communicate with them . The status quo remains until the board approves their request .
“ We spoke with the aggrieved parents that their letter is still with the board.
“ LAUTECH International School Board of Governors is looking at their letter . ”
Source-punchng.com/lautech-international-school-in-a-meltdown-as-pupils-don-hijab-over-uniform/

This may not be the best of times for President Muhammadu Buhari as Nigerians have come down hard on him over the provision of $1 billion (about N305 billion) for payment of fuel subsidies in the 2019 budget despite his administration earlier claim it has stopped the infamous subsidy regime.

The move to reintroduce the controversial Petroleum Subsidy Fund (PSF) may have opened a fresh can of worms as stakeholders have queried the rationale behind the decision.

Those opposed to it have, however, submitted that the reintroduction of PSF under a new name of under-recoveries may have reopened a cesspit of corruption for the country’s lean resources considered no longer sustainable for the moment.

Contrary to popular belief, it is the rich not the poor who disproportionally benefit from Nigeria’s fuel subsidy. With the government subsidising the market to keep domestic fuel prices artificially low, it is those who consume the most that have a greater benefit from the subsidy.

President Buhari had last December shocked millions of Nigerians when he revealed that his administration has earmarked $1 billion (N305 billion) to settle petrol subsidy payouts in 2019.

The revelation was in contrast to his administration’s repeated denial that it was not cut out for subsidy payment, having jerked up petrol price from N87/litre to N145/litre at the beginning of his tenure in 2015.

Speaking to the joint session of the National Assembly last December in Abuja, the President captured the $1 billion as under-recoveries of the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC).

Buhari said, “we have allowed N305 billion, equivalent to $1 billion, for under-recoveries by NNPC on Premium Motor Spirit (PMS) in 2019. We will continue working to bring it downwards so that such resources are freed to meet the developmental needs of our people.

“Let me also use this opportunity to address and clarify the under-recoveries or subsidies on petrol in a period of economic challenges. Our purchasing power is weak, we must reduce some of the burden on Nigerians.”

According to him, subsidy payouts today are much more different from what they used to be in the past. He justified his assertion by pointing out that the NNPC is the sole importer of oil today.

“The problem in subsidies in the past was abuse and corruption. Today, the government, through the NNPC, is the sole importer of PMS. Therefore, the under-recovery is from the NNPC trading account. This means the possibilities of some marketers falsifying claims are removed.”

In 2017, NNPC recorded N144.5 billion under-recoveries and N623.16 billion between January and November 2018.

According to the Minister of State for Petroleum Resources, Dr. Ibe Kachikwu, subsidy on PMS, currently stands at over N1.4 trillion.

But reacting to the debate, Partner, Bloomfield Law Practice, Mr. Ayodele Oni, said the whole issue around subsidy is upsetting, non-transparent and should be stopped forthwith.

Oni maintained that the N305 billion budgeted for subsidy in the 2019 budget will definitely balloon before the year ends because it is subjected to market dynamics as oil prices are never static.

He said rather than paying subsidy, government should come up with social safety nets, infrastructure and other means of transportation that would make life meaningful for Nigerians.

The energy expert warned that the time for Nigeria to reduce its dependence on oil is now, stressing that developed economies are beginning to move away from fossil fuels to renewable, which are more sustainable.

‘‘There is no clarity as to how much we spend on subsidy. The whole process is shrouded in secrecy as we keep hearing different figures and that to me is worrisome because there are other sectors of the economy that the spending on subsidies could be channeled to,’’ he stated.

He said Nigeria should exit the concept of subsidy and allow the downstream sector to be market-driven, saying the Dangote refinery and the plan of Femi Otedola to go into refining of petroleum products will compel government to dump subsidy administration.

A member of the Major Oil Marketers Association of Nigeria (MOMAN) who pleaded not to be named said it remained regrettable that rather than government to concentrate its efforts towards reforming the downstream sector, it was more interested in setting aside subsidy.

She said government should place in place mechanisms that would engender discussions among all stakeholders in the downstream sector which will eventually led to the deregulation of the sector.

According to her, the incursion of too many briefcase businessmen in the downstream sector was a major disincentive to serious players who have invested so much in asset acquisition but are now operating far below their capacity utilization due to the activities of rent seekers.

Subsidy is fraud. Sometimes they say the fraud associated with subsidy is perpetrated either by government or marketers. The people who are supposed to be gate keepers eventually become rent seekers. The genuine business owners do not like subsidy because they don’t like giving back because such kick backs affects their bottom line.

For his part, Director General of the Lagos Chamber of Commerce and Industry (LCCI), Mr. Muda Yusuf, lamented that the biggest burden on the country’s economy today is the petroleum subsidy regime.

Yusuf said the government should encourage private sector players to take over the downstream sector of the petroleum business.

“When this is done, most of the challenges we see today regarding subsidy, refineries and others will be adequately addressed. The government should only play a regulatory and not an operational role. Government has no business refining petroleum products, retailing or distributing fuel as well as the marketing of these products. We cannot continue to carry that kind of burden in the oil sector,” he said.

Yusuf regretted that subsidy has left a big hole in the finances of government, adding that it has also put tremendous pressure on the foreign exchange market and Nigeria’s foreign reserves, while exerting immense stress on the nation’s treasury.

“It remains a cause for concern that the subsidy regime has subsisted, especially at a time when the economy is facing unprecedented fiscal challenges. At a time when productivity in the economy is constrained by acute infrastructure deficit; when public institutions are finding it hard to pay salaries; there cannot be a better example of resource misapplication than payment of fuel subsidy.

“There are two components to this; the first is the genuine subsidy, which is the differential between the pump price and the landing and other costs of fuel.” The stakeholders said it had become imperative for government to embark on total deregulation of the downstream sector to attract investors and also save the country from the huge amount spent on subsidy.

Also commenting, Executive Director, Blue Sea Energy Limited, Mr. Felix Andrew, lamented that the continuous payment of subsidy was not sustainable, urging government to liberalise the downstream market and encourage “free entry, free exit” to attract investors in the sector.

He said it remained worrisome that Nigeria spends about N1.7 trillion on fuel subsidy annually while its education and health sectors can only access a paltry budget of N300 million and N400 million respectively. According to him, it is obvious that the fuel subsidy programme is placing a huge financial burden on the nation’s resources.

“There is no better time to deregulate as this initiative is an enabler in freeing up scarce resources to address the concerns clearly expressed by the citizens, which political leadership is unable to find the resources to satisfy, such as providing adequate funding to support the health and education sectors; improved infrastructure and better working conditions for the average Nigerian worker, among others.”

To compound the woes of the Federal Government, oil marketers recently threatened to shut down depots across the country over N800 billion fuel subsidy debts owed them.

But to douse the tension, the Federal Government made available N236 billion to oil marketers through promissory notes, a development that did not go down well with them as they preferred to have the money in cash.

Despite the payment, there is still a shortfall of N564 billion in fuel subsidies, which is not captured in the 2019
Source-www.sunnewsonline.com/2019-budget-shocker-nigerians-query-fg-over-n305bn-fuel-subsidy-provision/

Wonderful

Chukwudi Nweje

Professor Chidi Odinkalu is the former chairman of the National Human Rights Commission (NHRC). He speaks about Nigeria’s lost opportunity to legitimise innovations to enhance credibility of the elections, possible dangers lurking around 2019 and need for vigilance.

2019 is a significant year for Nigeria. It is the 20th anniversary of the return to civil rule and also an election year. How do you firstly assess the two decades of democracy in the country, and secondly, what is your expectation as we go to the polls?
The year 2019 is indeed significant for Nigeria for two reasons not one. In February, the country will have the fifth in the cycle of elections since 1999 to determine who governs Nigeria and under what programme. That is a significant milestone. It is the longest period of unbroken civilian rule in the country, much longer than any period of unbroken civil or military rule. That is one. The second is 19 July 2019 will make it 10 years since the police extrajudicially executed Mohammed Yusuf, founder of the Boko Haram movement. It is not out of place to speculate that his followers may seek to use that anniversary to up the ante or enact some spectaculars. The anniversary of Yusuf’s murder will come shortly after the inauguration of the government that will result from the first. These are two good reasons why 2019 is a year in which Nigerians should be vigilant.

Prior to now, Nigerians were expectant that the Electoral amendment bill would bring some level of credibility to elections in the country. As it turns out, President Muhammadu Buhari withheld assent to the bill four times. How do you think this would impact the general election?
The president repeatedly withheld assent, in the full knowledge, I suspect, that the National Assembly did not have the arithmetic to override him. That has proved to be the case. If he had calculated that the National Assembly could override him, my sense is that he would have been more conciliatory in the way he went about the vetoes. As it is, we have lost the opportunity to bed in legislatively some of the innovations that enhanced the credibility of the elections in 2015. The electronic transmission of results from the polling units to central collation, for instance, would have been a major advance in ensuring more credible polls. As it is, INEC will now be compelled to organise the elections on the basis of the 2015 Electoral Act but with a much more constrained administrative and legal atmosphere. INEC is more poorly funded at the moment, the jurisprudence from the 2015 cycle of elections panned some of its innovations and the conflict and security environment in the country is much worse.

There are concerns over the security situation in the country, which INEC has also acknowledged. The fear of an imminent strike by organised labour is also there and the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) is on strike. In all these, some people insinuate there is a ploy to cause confusion and have the election postponed. What is your take on that line of reasoning?
Nigeria’s elections have historically been tensed and violent. In 2011, if you recall, the then President Goodluck Jonathan constituted the Sheik Lemu Panel to look into the post-election violence. The panel in its report traced the history of election-related violence in Nigeria back to the first elections in the colonial territory in 1922. It said violence had become a culture of elections in Nigeria and the nature of this violence evolves from election to election. What we have done at the level of civil society in the #NigeriaMourns Coalition is to set up a Violent Incidents and Election Atrocity Fusion Centre (VIEAFUC) to track what could happen with violence and try and prepare for the possibility of making those who want to profit from it realise that there could be a high price for that in this cycle.

Still talking about credibility of the election, INEC has reportedly shut out election observers from its situation room. Will this impart on the polls in any way?
Let me clarify, INEC distinguishes between election observers and election monitors. Only INEC can monitor but Non-Governmental Organisations (NGOs) and internationals can observe. Now, the problem with Nigeria’s elections historically is not in the voting, it is always in the collation and counting. The only way to guarantee that the process is credible and that figures announced are faithful to the votes cast is to ensure that accredited and credible observers track it all the way from the polling unit, through the intermediate collation points at the ward, local government and state levels, to the headquarters in Abuja. So, any effort to exclude observers from collation or the situation room, in my view, would be adverse to the credibility of the ballot. INEC has recently inflicted some serious injuries on its own credibility. So, it needs to get this one right.

The ruling party has been accused of engaging in vote buying with its ‘trader moni’ scheme. What is your reaction to that?
Government programmes to end or alleviate poverty should generally be supported. However, the suspicions about ‘trader moni’ are difficult to easily bat away. I would have thought that government could more profitably have institutionalised ‘trader moni’ through the Bank of Industry (BoI) or even the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), working with community banks. My general view is two-fold. First, that the position of Vice President is a rather important and serious constitutional responsibility and going around doing these hand outs may not be the optimal use of the role of the office or of its occupant. Launching it once or even twice in different hemispheres of the country may be okay, but going from state to state to do these handouts, especially so close to the elections, in my view diminishes the office and makes it more likely that the allegations of vote buying will be more difficult to bat away. Secondly, the optics of the way this is being organised so close to the elections don’t look too good.

The Nigeria military in recent times has been under criticism over alleged rights abuses. Not long ago it accused Amnesty International (AI) of trying to demoralise its personnel and undermines the country. What do you make of that?
Amnesty International, Nigeria is doing its job. The military should try and do theirs which is to defend Nigerians against enemies. It is finding enemies in the wrong place. Early last year, it was humanitarian workers in the North-East. Early December, it was UNICEF. Then the week after that was Amnesty International Nigeria. It is now Daily Trust. This is just messed up. All this while, Boko Haram has been taking down one military outpost after another, decimating our units and massacring hundreds, if not more, of our military assets. The military have become their own worst enemies in this fight against insurgency and insecurity in the country.

The military is launching Operation Egwu Eke III nationwide at a time it seems to be struggling to contain the insurgency in the North East. Would it not have been better to concentrate this exercise in the North East?
And, you ask yourself, what is the Police established to do? The constitution recognises that the Army may assist civil authorities – like the police – to maintain peace. But a situation in which the police is retrenched from internal security and the responsibility taken over by the military is well beyond that contemplated by the constitution. It promotes the idea that somehow the country can shoot its way out of the consequences of our very many failures of leadership. That is worse than fantasy. Right now, that is where we are.

Over time, you have voiced out reasons why you think President Buhari should not do a second term. Are there reasons why you think Atiku Abubakar is the messiah as the race is obviously between APC and PDP?
It’s not my business to tell Nigerians who to vote for or not vote for. President Buhari is on his first term and constitutionally, has the right to run for a second term. It is up to Nigerians to decide whether or not he should get it that is assuming INEC does a credible job of organising decent elections. I am not so arrogant as to claim a capacity to expropriate from Nigerians their entitlement to make that decision. All I can is one vote and a voice to sell my views, should I wish to do so. That said, I have been critical of the Buhari administration, yes; just as I have been of the dispensations before him. There is a toxification of the political environment by the Buhari supporters who seem to promote a notion of the infallibility of their man and the idea that anything wrong with his administration is the work of some other people. Their response to criticism of government is name-calling. The presidency is overpopulated by media hands and hacks. Then there is the Buhari Media Centre which just dishes abuse and vitriol and quite often also threats of violence. That is a major part of the Buhari legacy.

The South-East and South-West zones are presently at loggerheads over 2023 and which zone Buhari will handover to. Is it necessary?
Look, Nigeria is an interesting piece of real estate and all manner of things happen in the country’s electoral arithmetic. So, I will not rule out the kinds of assumptions that are in your question. Speaking for myself alone and none other, however, I can only say that I am not in the business of encouraging politicians to mistake themselves for some deity.

What do you make of INEC’s position on IDPs voting during the election?
INEC has clarified that it is IDPs within the country that will vote. As you well know, there is no legal authority for INEC to organise ballots outside Nigeria. However, the mistake is the assumption that IDPs only exist in northern Nigeria where there are serious patterns of deadly conflicts. The fact is that we also have serious displacement in many parts of southern Nigeria caused by drastic ecological conditions as well as by some conflicts. Anambra State has tens of thousands of IDPs displaced by erosion in Nanka for instance. Ndiegoro in Abia is still there as is Njaba in Imo. There is still massive inundation in many parts of Bayelsa. But we seem not to reckon with these, focusing only on conflict-related displacements in northern Nigeria. In reality, the consequences are the same irrespective of how the displacements arise.Read more at www.sunnewsonline.com/2019-why-nigerians-should-be-vigilant-odinkalu

Tough match

Which one be witches

NAN

Prime Minister Theresa May on Monday makes a last ditch effort to convince rebel lawmakers to back her Brexit divorce deal, warning them that Britain’s exit from the EU is now in peril from politicians seeking to thwart it.

She would also set out new assurances from the EU that it does not aim to sever Northern Ireland from the rest of Britain under the deal’s most contentious term – a “backstop.”

The British premier also required EU rules in the province until a better free trade plan emerges.

The fate of the UK’s March 29 exit from the EU is deeply uncertain as parliament is likely to vote down May’s deal on Tuesday, opening up outcomes ranging from a disorderly divorce to reversing Brexit altogether.

May will use a speech in the leave-supporting city of Stoke-on-Trent in central England to say that lawmakers blocking Brexit is now a more likely outcome than leaving without a deal.
Read more at s://www.sunnewsonline.com/may-tries-to-pull-lawmakers-behind-brexit-deal-with-warning-eu-letter

Politics is a game of interest

Well constructed post

Handsome son

Messi d best

Congrats to her

Strongly Atikulated

image: images.tribalfootball.com/default/0001/02/thumb_1957_default_logo_large.png




COMMENT: A 1-0 win in London. At Tottenham. On paper it reads like a real smash-and-grab. And it was. But the way Manchester United nicked these three points was a complete 180 to the tale such a result would've demanded just a month ago...

Jammy. Lucky. Yeah, Spurs fans can feel aggrieved today. Mauricio Pochettino, the home manager, had no complaints in the aftermath. They simply came up against an inspired goalkeeper.

But David de Gea would also pull off such performances pre- Ole Gunnar Solskjaer. The Spaniard was outstanding. Inspirational. But so was what he saw in front of him. As mentioned, this was a smash-and-grab. But it was done by a United on the front foot. In their best traditions. Spurs weren't locked down. Their play wasn't stifled. Strangled. It was the opposite. Pochettino's greatest concern wasn't breaking down a packed defence. It was the two forwards Solskjaer insisted stayed on the halfway line. No matter the pressure. No matter the time Spurs had in possession. United's manager always had two attackers waiting to turn Tottenham's defenders around.

Six wins from six. With a bit of luck to help things along. But what's wrong with being a lucky manager? Especially when it's his initiative which is bringing this change of fortune.

It's not luck that Solskjaer has decided to go all in with Marcus Rashford as his prime - central - striker. It's not luck that the Norwegian has realised the best way to win with this group of players is by backing their attacking strength. And it wasn't luck that produced the winner - via Rashford - at Wembley on Sunday. The reaction of the manager and his staff a clear indicator that a week's work in Dubai had just come off. Something which the matchwinner would later confirm.

“We've done a lot of work in training on switching the play and little things like that," Rashford revealed in the aftermath. “We've had a long week in training (in Dubai) and it's been tough in training, but that's the type of thing we've been working on. So for it to come out in a game is good for us as players and good for the staff as well."

Claims that Solskjaer is simply the beneficiary of player power - that they're now performing because Jose Mourinho isn't around - is insulting to the caretaker boss. When he and his staff review Sunday's win, they'll be confronted by the same problems as what Mourinho struggled with. A loose back four. An even looser midfield. By rights, Spurs should have taken the three points. But Solskjaer has made a difference. On the training pitch. In team selection. He's giving this group of United players a tactical platform to go out and win.

And as this column has already stated, it's a platform over 11 years in the making. From the highs with Molde. To the lows with Cardiff City. And everything inbetween. These United players are the recipient of the decade long apprenticeship served by Solskjaer.

They may get torn to shreds at the back. But United will always have a chance with De Gea between the posts and the pace they have up front. In the Mourinho era, we'd say the manager can't trust his back four. But this is Solskjaer's time, though the sentiment remains the same. He's leaning on those players regarded as the best inside his squad. And they all happen to be attackers. It's a cliche, but it's working for this United manager: attack is the best form of defence.

And suddenly this lot do have the makings of a great United team. And in the very best traditions of Sir Alex Ferguson. A great goalkeeper. Attacking, edge-of-your seat pace in attack. If Ed Woodward, United's vice-chairman exec, can find his manager a new centre-half, they'll be a step closer to completing the revival.

From Gary Pallister. To Jaap Stam. And Rio Ferdinand. Sir Alex broke transfer record after transfer record to find the right centre-half to B*ttress the style of football he wanted to employ.

Five years since the Scot's retirement and Solskjaer is bringing back that approach. It might as well have been Fergie himself when the manager declared late Sunday afternoon: "We've got the best goalkeeper in the world. We've got blistering pace..."

And now he just needs that centre-half. If Woodward is still hesitating this smash-and-grab should strengthen the manager's case. Give him what he needs and Solskjaer is proving he can deliver.


Read more at www.tribalfootball.com/articles/solskjaer-s-smash-and-grab-why-this-man-utd-manager-has-more-than-luck-going-for-him-4264796#jGr7wWCE1psdAGEi.99

Dats good

She's lucky

GOAT

Klop d master planner

18 yrs and above

Well constructed post

Willian is a good player