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Tinubu, who spoke at the 11th Colloquium marking his 67th Birthday at a colourful event in Abuja, cautioned that whatever the administration intended to do must be done in such a way and manner that takes Nigerians away from penury and empower them economically.
Tinubu, whose speech was entitled, “Work for the people that the people may work for themselves”, pointed out that in a bid to achieve the desired economic boom for Nigeria, the government must resist the temptation to blindly follow the economic path of other nations.
At the ceremony presided over by Vice President Yemi Osinbajo on behalf of President Buhari, Tinubu also warned against the planned increment of taxes by the government, saying it would worsen the poverty lives of the common people.
The former Lagos governor suggested that the government could widen its tax nets rather than raising taxes in order not to exacerbate the plight of the people.
After assessing the economic models and performance of many leading countries and highlighting the challenges associated with them, Tinubu counselled Buhari that a conscious effort must be made to build the Nigerian economy to work better for Nigerians as he assumes his second term in office.
What Buhari must do in Next Level
Tinubu said: “Our pursuit of the Next Level cannot be achieved by blindly following the economic path of other nations. That would be tantamount to race to live in a building just as its long-term occupants were frantically rushing out, screaming that the edifice was mean and crumbling. If we are smart, we dare not enter.
“Instead, we must construct our Next Level on a progressive ideology and vision that will take our people out of penury, diversify our economy more aggressively, and empower and retrain our youth.
To be the great nation we purport to be, we must reform and retool our economy according to our definition of what is best for our own people. We cannot assign that duty to anyone else.
“Here, I must ask for a little liberty to amend the fine title of this colloquium: “Work for the people.” We must do more than simply work for the people. The government must “work for the people in a way that enables them to better work for themselves.
“We must amend our basic ideas about the economy. We must divorce ourselves from our fixation with GDP rates and similar statistics. These things were initially intended to be indicators, suggestive measurements. However, we have misinterpreted these road maps by treating them as if they were the destination itself.
“This has caused us to distort the organic relationship between the people and the economy.
This dominant train of thought has made the people servants to the dictates of abstract economic theories. In a more effective system, the economy would be fashioned to serve the concrete needs and legitimate aspirations of the people.
“Our economy must be redefined to be an efficient yet moral social construct with the primary goal of optimizing the long-term welfare of the people through the sustained, productive and full employment of labour, land, capital and natural resources.
“In the current global context, the best translation of laissez-faire economics is “let’s stay poor” economics. To believe that we are at our best when everyone focuses solely on maximizing their own position is to believe that one hundred hands can clutch at the same naira note but no one will get scratched.
“To pull the nation from poverty, the government must play a decisive role. It must at times direct and even develop markets and opportunities. This is nothing novel. I am only restating what the established economies did when they were young and assumed their trajectories toward growth.
Yet, how do we organize ourselves to meet this task?
While praising Buhari for taking bold steps to improve the economy, he nonetheless pleaded with him to dedicate his second term to change the very structure of our economy for the better.
Provision of Infrastructure
Tinubu also identified the provision of infrastructure as the single most important sector which the government must pay priority attention to, saying the provision of stable power would speed up development across the land.
He stated, “Affordable and reliable power will drive the industrialization that shall provide jobs in our cities and produce needed goods for all our people. In a more poetic rendering, it will take our people out of the dark ages and bring the nation into the light of a better day.
“I believe the second Buhari administration will work to increase electricity generation, transmission and distribution by more than 50 per cent within the next four years.
Re-founding The Nigerian State And Buhari’s Next Level
“We require serious and bold reforms to achieve this. What is happening to our gas pipelines? Whatever we have to invest now for our future is a task that must be done boldly. The PDP administration shared out generation, distribution and transmission to their friends and cronies without very deep and thoughtful research and evaluation. It has now become pork chops. This privatisation must be revisited. Put experts together for a more constructive reform to improve generation, transmission and distribution by any means necessary. We cannot afford to be too legalistic about this.
“Also, we should push to end the practice of billing people for electricity they never received. This practice is a vestige of the past that should not accompany us into the future. A person should be charged accurately and only for the power that they use.
“Government should continue to aggressively implement its national infrastructure plan. We must commit ourselves to a national highway system linking our major cities and towns, our centres of commerce, with each other. This will save lives, spur commerce, cut costs and bring Nigerians closer together.
How to tackle incessant flooding
“Water catchment and retention systems in strategic locations should also be introduced to end the destructive cycles of flood and drought affecting many areas.
“In working to transform the face of our economy, the government must also enact policies that encourage industrialization and modern agricultural practices. We must applaud President Buhari for the historic innovations made in the agricultural sector. We must further encourage him to do even more. Government-funded social security for the aged and government-backed affordable housing and mortgage facilities are things we must continue to explore in an aggressive manner.
“In the end, our future is uncertain until we enter it and make of it what we will. We can either let the future happen to us or summon the courage to make the future belong to us as other nations have done. I don’t think we really have a choice in the matter. We must take the people to the next level. It is a promise made and thus a promise that must be kept.
“Our goal is nothing less than enabling people to enjoy lives free of penury and lack. We seek to constitute a nation where all have basic sustenance and sufficient food on their tables, a sturdy and sheltering roof over their heads and the fair chance and means to sustain and further enrich their lives as they see fit. Let it be that all may live in social contentment and tranquillity with his neighbour as well as with himself. This is what we mean by the Next Level.
“I want to thank President Buhari for sharing this special day with me. The pressure of affairs facing the leader of a nation is such that you could have easily found reasons why you could not participate. Instead, you chose to be here and to even give me the compound honour of accepting to be the Chairman of this occasion.
“Mr. President, you have gone far these past few years in laying a good foundation for the economic recovery of the country. We shall go farther still so that Nigeria truly reaches the next level with you leading the way,” Tinubu said.
Integrity-deficient leadership caused Nigeria’s woes-Osinbajo
Vice President Yemi Osinbajo, who stood in for Buhari at the event, took a swipe at previous administrations in the country for wasteful spending and for leadership deficiency, which resulted in the diversion of huge revenue without anything tangible to show for the huge cash.
“I have said it before, Nigeria’s main problem is not a lack of ideas, it is not. Most of the time, especially with the leadership of the past, it is lack of integrity in leadership and corruption in particular and it is the reason we are finding it difficult to make any progress.
“That is why we earned $383 billion in four years – 2010 to 2014 – the highest ever in the history of our country and yet Lagos-Ibadan expressway not done, all of what is being done today not done.
“We cannot point to a single major project, a single major infrastructure project that was completed in the ten years period despite the high wealth, including power. So, a government coming after so many years of waste must be a government that first, emphasises fiscal prudence, a government that emphasises integrity in public finance so that we manage the little resources we have to achieve the maximum that can be achieved and that is what President Muhammadu Buhari has set out to do.”
Mr Osinbajo, who served as Attorney-General and Commissioner for Justice in Lagos State during Tinubu’s administration, paid glowing tribute to the celebrant, describing him as a leader who has championed democratic and economic reforms both in Lagos and Nigeria.
The Vice President noted, “We are here today to celebrate a man who has spent the last 30 years of his life in creative public service. Right from the days of being Lagos governor, he provided clarity of thought and rare vision in all aspects of life.
“Once in a while, I think that history gives us people who are gifted transformative leaders and I believe that our country has been gifted by this transformative leader, Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu,” he said.
Outgoing Lagos State Governor, Akinwumi Ambode; his Kano State counterpart, Abdullahi Ganduje; Kogi State governor, Yahaya Bello; Zamfara State Governor, Abdulaziz Yari; Tinubu’s wife and a senator representing Lagos Central, Oluremi Tinubu; APC chairman Adams Oshiomole, attended the event.
source: www.vanguardngr.com/2019/03/tinubu-to-buhari-give-nigerians-better-life-in-your-next-tenure/

THE Nigeria union of journalists NUJ Nasarawa state Correspondent chapel chairman Suleiman Abubaka said in Lafia Thursday that the abductors of his wife and three others on Wednesday evening are demanding N5m ransom for her release.
Abubakar told journalists in Lafia that he narrowly escaped from the bus conveying his wife and three other occupants of the vehicle while the abductors went his wife and other victims.
According to Abubakar, the women were abducted by the gunmen, following an attack on Gudi-Garaku Road in Akwanga Local Government Area of the state on their way to Lafia, the state capital.
He said the assailants shot at the union’s bus conveying him, his wife and the victims from Keffi, where his wife had gone to register at the National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) orientation camp, at about 7pm.
“They called me this morning demanding N5 million in order to secure the release of my wife, however, I told them that I can only afford N50,000 and they said I was not serious. They also allowed my wife to speak with me on the phone to ascertain that she was alright,” he said.
“One of the women is a wife of a former State House of Assembly member who they offered free ride.
Meanwhile, ASP Samaila Usman, the Police Public Relations Officer Nasarawa state Command, said that the command was working assiduously to secure the release of the victims unhurt.
source: www.vanguardngr.com/2019/03/abductors-of-journalists-wife-ask-for-n5m-ransom/

Success Adegor is the latest face of Nigeria’s poverty-porn, a tale that excites as much as it outrages. Success became a sensation, the Nigerian Malala Yousafzai who wanted to risk flogging so that she does not miss a Mathematics examination. Her story – and that of other viral Nigerians – is relevant for evaluating the worth of the feral nature of outrage , emotionalism and knee- jerk responses in the age of social media . We seem to be getting better at summoning the necessary indignation to react to these viral videos, but that is about how far it goes. We are not doing enough to follow these stories to a reasonable conclusion.
Recorded without parental consent , Success’ defiance and desire not to miss a minute of learning got the attention of celebrities, other Nigerians , her local government honchos and the state governor. Consequently , her fortunes swelled beyond what might have been imagined if the viral video had not been made . Even the state government was forced to pay attention to the sham they pass off as “ free education ” in Delta .
Success is the latest in the series of Nigeria ’s poorest who have recently been saved from Nigeria’ s mal-management, thanks to the power of social media to amplify issues and play on the most primal part of us. Less than a year ago, there was Tajudeen Ibrahim Agbabiaka, a five -year -old from Ibadan , Oyo State, whose video went viral because of his inability to use the English language. There is even one Ugochukwu Ibere , a selfless young man hawking sausage in traffic, who gave his wares to court -bound prisoners entrapped in a baking Black Maria in Lagos traffic .
Tajudeen , like Success, was showered with gifts by other Nigerians , met his state governor and was adopted by the state with promises of academic scholarship. Ugochukwu’ s generosity paid off . The last time we heard of him , the manufacturers of the sausage he gave to the beleaguered prisoners had not only stocked a shop for him to sell their products , but also paid two years rent. In addition to those , I can give at least a dozen other examples of Nigeria’ s poor who have been exhibited with varying diseases and needs on social media . The stories are all curated to appeal to the angel of our beings . The parents or sponsors do not just beg for help; they wear countenances that tug on every string in our hearts.
Many kind -hearted Nigerians , of course , respond , and for the most part, that is where the story ends. Most people hardly bother to find out how much was collected; if it was dispensed on the needy in a sustainable manner or what became of the person after a year or two . What seems to matter to donors is how they are swayed by the narration of suffering and the immediacy of response to save this one person from Nigeria and her many problems . There is often no strategic or long-term interest in saving the person .
Each time Success’ and Tajudeen ’s stories occur , some people manage to look beyond the mushiness these sensational stories generate and point to the larger structural problems that created them . They have been the ones to call out the Delta State Government when it hastily suspended the head- teacher of Success’ school, as if they just woke up to realise that those kids were schooling in a pigsty! Where were they when the roof and windows became so decrepit that the elements had a fair game on the kids ? What moral grounds do they have to blame anyone when they run a school like Okotie -Eboh Primary School 1 in Sapele Local Government Area? The abandonment of the school by the relevant authorities is symptomatic of other public schools in the state . And , for the record , Delta is one of the wealthiest states in Nigeria . Paradoxically, they also have some schools with infrastructure as ignoble as some of the poorest countries in the poorest regions of the world.
None of the grandiose promises and platitudes fed the public via the opportunistic photo-op and public relations mileage they got with Success Adegor changes the reality of millions of other children who have no choice but to attend such hovels called schools. Tajudeen ’s startling illiteracy did not elicit an urgency to develop a sustainable policy that will boost early child education statewide and take children like him back to school. Instead, the Oyo State Government responded to the social media hysteria and made him an icon of their administration’ s good- heartedness.
Let me first acknowledge this : When we all fall over ourselves to save that one child from Nigeria, it makes a difference to that child. However , in the long run, the good we do is not good enough. We allow governments who have long abdicated their responsibilities to take advantage of the emotional rush of those viral stories, swoop in to save the day and walk away after playing the hero. Nothing gets resolved eventually. We may get some moral and psychological gratification from donating to individual causes, but we are not saving the poor. We might even be making things worse for those at the centre of our generosity . None of these projects are sustainable in the long run . After the cameras are turned off and all the do- gooders go home , the poor will have to face the reality of living on the pedestal we put them. Some years ago, the buzz was all around Olajumoke Orisaguna, the bread -seller . The aftermath of that moment has perhaps turned her story into a sociological study of how the rich should not save the poor.
The gift economy, through crowdfunding , that Nigerians bestow on the chosen few is by no means unique . All over the world, people give to such causes. Thanks to technology , philanthropy is now cheap. We no longer need a single wealthy hero to save the day ; we can all use our electronic devices to wire money. In the wake of the Christchurch terrorist attack , more than $ 11m have been raised. They collected the sum by bypassing traditional charity organisations who have institutionalised alms -giving. In the USA , the cost of health care is so prohibitive that people without insurance go online to beg for donations to pay their hospital bills .
While the practice is global, those of us in societies where basic infrastructure are virtually non -existent need to be wary of sentiment mongering . Countries that have social and physical infrastructure guaranteed can afford to give to single causes . For Nigeria, unfortunately such efforts can paralyse us . Rather than deploy our civic energies to advocate structural reforms, we all merely shower one person with gifts and move on . Those that have been most guilty of saving one child at a time – the tribe of the elite , the rich , and the so- called “ social media influencers ” – are folk with enough gravitas to advocate for better conditions for Nigeria’ s poor. They should not fritter away their social influence by doing the least possible . If the Delta State and Oyo State governments could react to Success’ and Tajudeen’ s videos, it means they can also respond to social pressure to make more meaningful gestures at sincere reforms .
There are times I wonder if the manner we give to causes like Success and co is also not an indication of our growing pessimism about the state of the society . Nigerians , it seems , are hoarse from regularly shouting about their living conditions and have accepted that some things are not going to change. They want things to be better , but they also despair because they do not see a defined path to the resolution of Nigeria’ s situations . They are probably so jaded by the seeming intractability of these problems that they have resorted to saving Nigeria one child at a time, especially ones that go viral.
source: punchng.com/how-not-to-save-poor-nigerians/

Stacey Abrams on Wednesday told "The View" she is not interested in running on a ticket with former Vice President Joe Biden as a vice presidential candidate.
"I think you don't run for second place," Abrams said.
Abrams gained national prominence via her campaign for governor in Georgia in 2018, and continues to be a big topic of conversation in discussions surrounding 2020.
Stacey Abrams on Wednesday pushed against those who've suggested she could hop on a 2020 ticket with former Vice President Joe Biden and run for vice president.
Speaking with hosts on ABC's "The View," Abrams said, "I think you don't run for second place...If I'm going to enter a primary, then I'm going to enter a primary."
Read more: Stacey Abrams thinks Democrats need to totally change their playbook to beat Trump in 2020 — here's how
Abrams, who gained national prominence via her campaign for governor of Georgia, added, "I do not know if I'm running...I'm thinking about everything."
She did not make any overt jabs at Biden or his record, but maintained that if she runs it will be for the 2020 nomination first and foremost.
Abrams met with Biden in Washington, DC, in mid-March . The former vice president has not yet declared for 2020 but is widely speculated to be on the verge of announcing. The meeting prompted speculation they were discussing a 2020 collaboration.
Abrams 2018 gubernatorial campaign was ultimately unsuccessful, but made her a national figure for Democrats.
Earlier this year, Abrams gained even more notoriety by
delivering the Democratic reB*tta l to President Donald Trump's State of the Union address. Meghan McCain, a host on "The View," complimented Abrams' performance and said she was far more impressive than those who'd delivered the reB*ttal in the past.
The 2018 race for governor in Georgia, ultimately won by Brian Kemp, was plagued with allegations of voter suppression.
Kemp was Georgia's secretary of state, overseeing the state's electoral process even as he ran for governor. He'd controversially purged over half a million people from the voting rolls in Georgia in July 2017, including 107,000 because they'd not participate in past elections .
source: www.businessinsider.com/stacey-abrams-pushes-back-on-2020-vice-president-joe-biden-rumors-2019-3

Manchester United has appointed Ole Gunnar Solskjaer as the club’ s permanent manager on a three - year contract on Thursday , following a highly successful caretaker spell in charge .
The Norwegian has inspired a revival of United ’s fortunes since taking over from the sacked Jose Mourinho in December , winning 14 of his 19 games and leading the Red Devils to the quarter- finals of the Champions League.
Solskjaer, who scored 126 goals in 366 appearances for United , was already a hero to fans as the man who scored the stoppage- time winner in the 1999 Champions League final to complete the treble.
“ From the first day I arrived, I felt at home at this special club, ” Solskjaer said in a statement on the club’s website . “It was an honour to be a Manchester United player , and then to start my coaching career here.
“ The last few months have been a fantastic experience and I want to thank all of the coaches , players and staff for the work we’ ve done so far.
“ This is the job that I always dreamed of doing and I ’m beyond excited to have the chance to lead the club long-term and hopefully deliver the continued success that our amazing fans deserve. ”
United ’s executive vice- chairman Ed Woodward said , “ More than just performances and results , Ole brings a wealth of experience, both as a player and as a coach, coupled with a desire to give young players their chance and a deep understanding of the culture of the club.”
( AFP)
See tweet:
Ole’ s at the wheel! We can confirm that Ole Gunnar Solskjaer has been appointed as # MUFC manager.
— Manchester United (@ ManUtd ) March 28 , 2019
source: punchng.com/breaking-manchester-utd-names-solskjaer-as-full-time-manager-club/

Mamelodi Sundowns captain Hlompho Kekana says he is looking forward to the challenge of facing eight-time African champions Al Ahly.
The Brazilians will take on the Red Devils in the quarterfinals of the CAF Champions League next month.
It will be the third time that ‘Downs and Al Ahly face each other in continental competition, though the South African club has ended up on the losing side both in 2001 and 2007.
Kekana, one of the most prominent players of the current generation of Sundowns players, says he is eager to test himself against one of the great clubs of African football.
"Al Ahly is one of those clubs that we always heard about when we were kids and we knew that it has been the powerhouse of African football for so many years," the midfielder told Kick Off.
"If I start telling you the history of Al Ahly I'm sure I would not be able to tell you all of it because I know a little. We all know what type of club they are and we know what they are famous for. So for me these are moments I will cherish for the rest of my life.
"I have been very fortunate in my career to experience such beautiful moments. It's a game I am looking forward to.”
Sundowns will host Al Ahly on April 5 (next Friday) for the first leg, with the return game set for the following weekend.
source: africanfootball.com//news/764393/Hlompho-Kekana-looking-forward-to-Al-Ahly-challenge

WARNING WARNING WARNING TO
THE SINGLE LADIES:
If you are a single lady, please hear
me loud and clear stop taking
tablets or injection to prevent
pregnancy, when you are still
dating, how could you involve
yourself in family planning when
you are still single.
Don't you know that family
planning is made only for the
married couples who are no longer
interested in having more kids.
Some ladies always take injection
that last 6months or 1yr, One thing
you don't know about these drugs
is that they are only made to kill
your eggs and immobilize your
hormones and it weakens your
circles,
if you would believe with me that
since you started taken it , you
have noticed that anytime you are
to see your menses, it won't be as
regular as it use to be,
sometimes these drugs will hold
your menstruation for up to 3 to
4months before it will normalize
again, You know exactly what am
saying my dear.
I know some ladies may have living
this type of life for over 6 or 10yrs
now.
You are single and in school but
you prefer gong into family
planning when you know you are
not married, my dear sister, you are
calling yourself into a seriously
Barrenness to come and take over
your life in the nearest future.
And by that time your chewing
gum boyfriend won't be there
again for you, by now he will be
going home with his new wife and
children while you run from pillar
to post in search of a child.
If you don't have any other natural
way of preventing that, then come
let me give you super glue to close
the Hole. Even as am writing this
now they are still millions of single
ladies who are in the Universities
carrying carrying out Family
planning ropes inside their womb.
Just because I want to be the
happening Girl in the campus.
Shame shame shame, such life does
not last, am sorry to have exposed
you but I have to tell you the truth.
Ladies, protect your eggs, protect
your womb and protect your
future...God bless u all.

HJ CLAIROOWEN Medical Centre and Maternity in Egbeda where 15-month-old Taye died on Sunday during a blood transfusion is not registered, The Nation learnt on Wednesday.
Officials at the State Ministry of Health told our Correspondent that the details of the hospital could not be found in the Health Facility Monitoring and Accreditation Agency (HEFAMAA). HJ CLAIROOWEN situated at 10, Busari Street became embroiled in scandal following the death of the twin girl, whose parents alleged that she was infused blood without screening.
The child’s father, Adeola Adetunji had accused a paediatrician at Igando General Hospital identified simply as Dr. Joy of luring his wife from the government hospital to her private clinic on Sunday night where his daughter died due to negligence.
At the state secretariat Alausa, it was gathered that Health Commissioner Dr. Jide Idris had directed HEFAMAA, the Hospital Service Commission (HSC) and the Permanent Secretary Ministry of Health to get to the root of the case.
It was gathered that the doctor might be dismissed for breaching the rules of engagement at the government hospital since it was unacceptable to refer a patient from public to private hospital.
“There are too many issues involved here. It was an offence for the doctor to refer the patient to a private clinic. What the rule says is that if there is need for referral, such patient should be referred to another government facility that had the ability to manage the particular case.
“I am a civil servant and cannot speak to you officially but I can tell you that heads will roll over this issue. The report will be submitted to the Commissioner and he is the one to talk to you on it,” said a source who craved anonymity.
An official of the agency who contacted our Correspondent for details on the issue said HEFAMAA agents were already deployed to the area for investigation.
She stated that there were certain standards that must be met before any hospital or clinic is approved by the agency, adding that if the logo or symbol of HEFEMAA was not engraved in the hospital, then it was not a recognised place.
“I can tell you that serious investigation is going on. The Honourable Commissioner is interested in this case and has directed comprehensive findings. Be assured that nothing will be covered.
“When you first told me the name of the hospital, I went to HEFAMAA office and they checked their system but it is not there. Now that we have the correct spelling, I have also given it to them. They are investigating.
“One thing is certain, if it is a registered or approved centre, it will have HEFAMAA logo. Once the logo isn’t there, then, it is not a registered or recognised place,” she said.
The woman also requested for the mobile number of the bereaved family so that they could be contacted, which our Correspondent availed her.
Already, the Child Protection Network (CPN) and the Public Advice Centre (PAC) have reached out to the bereaved family and pledged to help them get justice.
Similarly, the Nigerian Medical Association (NMA) had commiserated with the bereaved family, empathising with them in their moment of grieve.
NMA President Franscis Fadule stated this during a phone conversation with our Correspondent Wednesday evening.
Asked what the association was doing in respect of the issue, Fadule said NMA would await the outcome of the findings by the Lagos State Government which would be forwarded to the Medical and Dental Council of Nigeria (MDCN).
According to him, the allegations against the doctor were not just on alleged professional misconduct, as two of them fell within the purview of the state government to probe.
He said: “If the doctor had erred, it could either be professional misconduct or that she treated wrongly. The doctor is employed by the state and the state has its own process of dealing with anyone who has gone against their rules of engagement. I know the state has set up an investigative panel to deal with that.
“If she transfused a blood that is not cross-matched, then, that is against professional ethics and the NMA will take action after the investigation by the state government.
“Thirdly is the registration of the private clinic. That one is totally within the purview of the Lagos State Government under the HEFAMAA and they have a process to deal with that.
“Two of the processes have the state government to look into. After the findings by the government, it will go to the Medical and Dental Council of Nigeria and once the doctor is found culpable, she will face the disciplinary tribunal which is at the stage of a Federal High Court and pronouncement will be made. Those are the ways the medical professional checks practitioners.
“I want to use this opportunity to commiserate with the family of the deceased. As NMA, we feel pained that one of the twins has died. NMA stands for professionalism. We shall make our stand known and we shall proffer ways of dealing with such situations after receiving the report of the investigation that has been set up.”
Contacted, Dr. Idris told our Correspondent he would revert back today (Thursday) after he must have seen the report of the investigation.
source: thenationonlineng.net/private-clinic-where-baby-died-not-registered/

The All Progressives Congress (APC) on Wednesday reacted for the first time to the decision of the independent national Electoral Commission (INEC) not to issue certificate of return to Imo state Governor Rochas okorocha.
It said the party has no official position on the issue since the governor is still under suspension.
National publicity Secretary of the party, Mallam Lanre Issa- Onilu, said at an interactive session with reporters that the governor has also not informed the party of the problem with the electoral management body probably because he is aware of his suspension.
INEC has said it will not issue certificate of return to Okorocha, who was declared Senator-elect, insisting he was declared winner under duress.
Asked whether the party planned to intervene in the matter, Issa- Onilu said Okorocha is still under suspension, adding until such is vacated the party will not intervene.
“On the refusal of INEC to issue Certificate of Return to governor of Imo state, Rochas Okorocha, who was announced winner of the Imo West senatorial ticket, this party cannot take any action.
“Don’t forget that he is on suspension and as far as this party is concerned, that situation remains because there is no way we can say that somebody is on suspension and still go ahead to intervene in his case.
“In any case, he has not even come up to inform the party of his problem because he has realised that he is on suspension.
“Therefore, until it is vacated, the party will now step in to intervene as a party member who has problem to resolve.”
On whether former Rivers state governor Rotimi Ameachi had committed anti-party activity for allegedly supporting governorship of African Action Congress (AAC), Issa- Onilu said: “I will emphatically say no because if you liken it to the situation in Imo and or Ogun states, it will be wrong.
“In Rivers state, APC does not have any candidate and as a party, Rivers state is very important to us. The state has been in the hands of pillagers for too long.
“If we have the opportunity of working with party willing to abide by our principles, then it is within our right to work with such a party to ensure we free the people of Rivers state from the locust.
“In this case, he has not abandoned a particular candidate that belongs to the APC for a candidate of another party.
“They are entirely different issues and in that case, there is no anti-party. Whatever Amaechi has done is completely normal and acceptable to this party as far as working with other party is concerned.
On the supposed suspension of Senator Kabiru Marafa by his ward in Zamfara, Onilu said: “It’s within the powers of the party executives at the ward level.
“If they have good reason to take punitive action against a member that they considered to have flaunted the rules of the party.
“In this case, we don’t have all the facts because it has not been brought to NWC attention and they don’t really need to come that far before they can take that decision.
“Whoever that has happened to has the window to seek redress. So, we are watching to be sure that they stay within the rule.”
source: thenationonlineng.net/okorocha-on-his-own-on-non-issuance-of-certificate-of-return-says-apc/

Spokesman of the Senator Ahmad Lawan for Senate President Group, Senator Aliyu Sabi Abdullahi, Wednesday described as fake news, a story making the rounds that Ahmed Lawan, if elected as Senate President, will amend the constitution to allow President Muhammadu Buhari stay in office beyond 2023.
Senator Abdullahi, in his reaction to the story, described the story as a desperate plot concocted by “evil and desperate politicians” bent on frustrating the emergence of Senator Lawan as Senate President in the 9th National Assembly.
Senator Abdullahi said, “This is just a very desperate attempt by detractors and some politicians who want to taint the good image of the Senate Leader, and the future Senate President, Senator Ahmad Lawan.”
He added, “When we (Senators) met the President two days ago, he (President) was very emphatic that he has stood for election five times, and this is his last.
“The President made it clear that he wants to retire quietly to his home, on the basis of which he is going to work very hard these four years since Nigerians have given him this opportunity, to leave a lasting legacy behind.”
“The President’s statement clearly shows that he is a full democrat who knows that our constitution only provides for second term which he has gotten, and for which he is grateful to Nigerians.
“Therefore, to come back to say that Senator Ahmad Lawan will amend the constitution to keep him in office beyond 2023 is just the height of evil thinking and bad politics taken too far.
“The public should discountenance that and focus on supporting a very genuine and transparent process that will lead to the emergence of our own choice leaders as Senators-elect when the 9th Senate unveils,” Senator Abdullahi added.
source: thenationonlineng.net/no-plan-to-amend-constitution-to-keep-buhari-beyond-2023/

In a statement released in Abuja on Monday, EU EOM explained logistical arrangements and procedures were mostly followed in areas observed by the mission.
“INEC improved logistical arrangements with most polling units observed, open within half an hour of the official opening time.
“In the polling units that could be fully observed, there were improved logistical arrangements and procedures were mostly followed.”
“Smart card readers were used to accredit voters in all polling units observed.
“However, manual accreditation procedures were not always correctly followed if card readers failed to authenticate fingerprints.”
The group observed that collation process was followed and finalised within 24 hours in many states.
“The collation process was finalised in Bauchi, Benue, Plateau and Sokoto within 24 hours, but in Kano it was suspended for several hours due to concerns over the safety of lower-level collation staff.
“For security reasons, collation of results in two of 29 LGAs in Kano had to be undertaken at the state collation centre.
“Similarly, ward collation had to be undertaken at one Local Government Area (LGA) in Bauchi.
“EU observers noted that overall collation procedures were followed and the process was generally transparent.”
The mission added that the media played a vital role in enhancing the credibility of the election.
“Adding to transparency of the process, the media provided live coverage of state-level collation.
“Positively, national and state-level media in Benue, Plateau and Sokoto regularly updated the public about the supplementary elections.

“Media and social network users also scrutinized and debated the use of state resources in the days before the supplementary elections.”
The Chief Observer, Maria Arena, will return in June to present the mission’s final report, which will include recommendations for future electoral processes.
EU observers visited 12 collation centres and observed party agents present in all.
source: www.vanguardngr.com/2019/03/eu-eom-commend-inec/

Oyo State Governor, Abiola Ajimobi, on Monday approved the appointment of Prof. Kazeem Adebiyi as the Rector of The Polytechnic, Ibadan.
The governor also approved the appointments of other principals officers of the institution.
According to a statement, by the Commissioner for Information, Culture and Tourism, Mr. Toye Arulogun, other appointments approved by Governor Ajimobi are Mrs. Modupe Theresa Fawole as the Registrar, Mr. Olawale Adebayo Ojesola as the Bursar, Dr. Samuel Folaranmi Ajala as the Chief Librarian while Engr. Stephen Folorunsho Ipadeola as the Director of Works and Services.
Arulogun explained that the appointments became imperative following the expiration of the tenure of the erstwhile Management Staff of the institution on February 13, 2019, noting that interviews were conducted by the institution’s Governing Council and the selection process moderated by some external faculties.
He said that the appointments take immediate effect, stating that the government looks forward to their hardwork, diligence and professionalism in realizing its mission for the institution.
The government spokesman said that Prof. Adebiyi, who is 50 years old and an alumnus of the institution, holds an Ordinary National Diploma in Mechanical Engineering from The Polytechnic Ibadan, B. Mechanical Engineering, M. Sc Industrial Engineering and Ph.D Industrial Engineering. He added that Adebiyi is a member of COREN, Nigerian Association of Engineers and Nigerian Society of Engineers.
According to Arulogun, the new Registrar, Mrs. Fawale, 56, was until her appointment a deputy registrar in the institution. She holds the degree of B. Ed Teacher Education and Religious Studies and M. Ed Guardian and Counselling. She is a member of Nigerian Institute of management and Association of University Administrators.
The Commissioner added that the new Bursar, Mr. Ojetola, 51, holds the degrees of B.Sc (Accounting), MBA, a fellowship Institute of Chartered Accountants of Nigeria as well as a Certified Information System Auditors and was a Deputy Director, Audit, at the Oyo State College of Agriculture, Igbo-Ora before his appointment.
Arulogun stressed that the Chief Librarian, Dr. Ajala, aged 60, was until his appointment the deputy Librarian in the institution while the Director of Works and Services, Engr. Ipadeola, aged 52, was until his appointment the Chief Engineer at the Emmanuel Alayande College of Education, Oyo.
source: thenationonlineng.net/ibadan-poly-gets-new-rector-registrar/

The Police Command in Anambra on Monday paraded one Monday Onyikwa from Umuefi Village, Nteje in Oyi Local Council Area for allegedly selling a six-year-old girl for ritual purposes.
CP Rabiu Ladodo, who briefed newsmen in Awka, said the suspect was arrested in the bush with the victim, Chisom Egbunu.
Ladodo said Onyikwa confessed that he was taking the child to one Nnamdi, a native doctor in Nando Village, Anambra Council Area who was also arrested.
He said the man also confessed that he was paid N100,000 for the trafficking business, adding that the matter was still under investigation.
The CP also paraded the masterminds of the viral video of a nude woman, Ogochukwu Okafor, who allegedly visited her Facebook friend, Ifeanyi Azotani and was humiliated by his wife and her friend.
Azotani, his wife Toochukwu and her friend Nwankwo posted the nude video on the internet after the victim refused to pay them the sum of N60, 000 they demanded from her to kill the video.
The command said it recovered seven cars including one black Toyota Venza, three Toyota Corolla, two Lexus-350 Jeep and a Toyota Rav 4 Jeep from an Asaba based robbery syndicate led by one Paul Chukwuezugo and an accomplice Michael Obinna.
The commissioner said the syndicate had earlier robbed one Chinyere Onwuzulike of her Lexus Jeep in Orumba North council area.
Items recovered from them include one Barreta pistol, three IPhone and a Samsung phone.
He said the suspects have voluntarily confessed to the crime.
Ladodo said a total of 113 suspected cultists were arrested with 45 of them already charged to court and 33 under investigation.
According to him 35 of the cultists were screened out. (NAN)
source: thenationonlineng.net/police-rescue-six-year-old-child-sold-to-ritualist/

Police Command in Enugu State has arrested two suspects over the murder of one Maria Amadi at the Federal Housing in Trans-Ekulu in Enugu.
The Police Public Relations Officer of the Command, SP Ebere Amaraizu, said in a statement in Enugu on Monday that the incident happened on March 21.
Amaraizu said the suspected killers, who were operating on a navy blue vehicle, allegedly shot at the victim severally as she was gaining access into her compound and left her unconscious before they escaped.
He said that the victim was subsequently rushed to the Enugu State Teaching Hospital, (ESUTH) for medical attention but was confirmed dead on arrival by the doctor on duty.
He added that on receipt of the report, the Commissioner of Police, Sulaiman Balarabe directed the Criminal Investigations Department of the command to commence full-scale investigations into the incident.
The spokesperson said the investigation so far led to the arrest of two vital suspects in connection with the killing.
Amaraizu said the suspects were now helping the operatives in their investigations.
He said that the commissioner of police had initiated a manhunt on the remaining fleeing suspects. (NAN)
source: thenationonlineng.net/police-arrest-two-suspects-over-alleged-murder-of-woman-in-enugu/

Nigeria’s capital market may soon transit from the manual-intensive, paper-based process of issuing securities to electronic offering. When the initiative is operationalised, shares will be issued and bought through electronic platforms and electronic devices, such as Unstructured Supplementary Service Data (USSD).
The market regulators, operators and other stakeholders have endorsed the transition to electronic offering (e-O) and are reviewing a draft framework for the implementation of automated electronic issuance system.
The Capital Market Committee (CMC), the largest consultative assembly of the capital market, has given its support to the transition. The CMC, chaired by the director-general of Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC), consists of chief executives of all registered capital market operators including stockbrokers, solicitors, custodians, fund managers, issuing houses, rating agencies, registrars, reporting accountants, trustees and consultants among others.
Other members included chief executives of the Chartered Institute of Stockbrokers (CIS); Nigerian Stock Exchange (NSE), Abuja Securities and Commodity Exchange (ASCE) and Central Securities Clearing System (CSCS).
The CMC also included two members each from observer groups, which included Asset Management Corporation of Nigeria (AMCON), Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), Corporate Affairs Commission (CAC), Debt Management Office (DMO), Federal Ministry of Finance, Federal Mortgage Bank of Nigeria (FMBN) and Federal Inland Revenue Service (FIRS). Others are Nigerian Deposit Insurance Corporation (NDIC), Investment and Securities Tribunal (IST), Nigerian Investment Promotion Council (NIPC), National Insurance Commission (Naicom), National Pension Commission (Pencom) and FSS2020.
SEC Acting Director-General Ms Mary Uduk, at the weekend confirmed that the draft framework for the electronic offering was discussed at the just-concluded meeting of the CMC. CMC had met in Lagos on Thursday.
Speaking on the deliberations at the meeting, Uduk said the capital market community recognised the importance of the electronic initial public offering (E-IPO) project. The automated system will improve issuance processes and encourage more investor participation in the market.
She said the framework and rules guiding the e-IPO have been presented to stakeholders, who now have up till March 29, 2019 to review and send their suggestions as part of the rule-making process. After the review, SEC will consider the comments from stakeholders to finalise its framework and subsequently present the final framework to its board and supervising Ministry of Finance for approval.
A copy of the draft framework obtained by The Nation indicated that electronic offering will be done on a platform purposely established by an eligible service provider registered with SEC.
The framework described electronic offering (e-O) as the use of internet or other electronic means including mobile or USSD platforms to provide access to prospectuses, offering memoranda, subscription forms and other documentation for the subscription to securities and related documentation as well as payment for such subscription.
The e-O platform will translate the current paper-based process of securities offerings into electronic form through electronic display of offer documents, subscription and payment through a combination of web portals, mobile applications, USSD and other electronic means.
Under the e-IPO and other electronic public offers, investors will get allotment and value for their subscriptions within few days as against the current cycle of nearly four months.
The full automation of primary issuance will involve automation of the process, approval, documentation, subscription and allotment of all issues, especially IPOs and public offers. With this, investors will be able to subscribe and make payment for IPOs and public offers online with such orders being matched and allotted electronically and directly to the investment accounts of the investors at the CSCS and any other designated clearing centre.
The full automation will enable the primary market to operate within a designated transaction cycle, possibly within the T+3 four-day trading cycle being operated at the secondary market.
According to the draft guideline, the e-O platform shall give subscribers access to general information regarding the offer, the application input screen, download, view and print the offer documents, provide for electronic online payment options which shall be seamlessly integrated with the e-O platform, allow integration with identity management systems such as Bank Verification Number (BVN) database for the Know Your Customer (KYC) verification and integrate with the depository to enable electronic crediting of approved allotments to subscribers’ depository accounts.
The platform shall also permit subscribers to select a broker of their choice for the purpose of the electronic crediting of the approved allotment while providing mandatory information fields for subscribers to supply surname and other names, full company name and registration number, BVN or any other SEC-approved biometric numbering system, bank name and account numbers of subscribers and mobile telephone number and email address.
The platform is also expected to provide for the upload of provisional rights allocation for rights issues by the relevant registrar to the issue.
To strengthen investors’ protection, the platform must mandatorily require subscribers and end-users to confirm that the subscriber has been provided with sufficient opportunity to access the offer documents and the information disclosed therein and that the information provided by the subscriber is to the best of the applicant’s knowledge, true and accurate in all material respects before submitting the application.
source: thenationonlineng.net/ussd-mobile-devices-to-drive-nigerias-electronic-offers/

The Federal Executive Council (FEC) has approved a loan variation of $461,795,551.02 for building new airport terminals in the country.
Minister of State Aviation, Hadi Sirika, stated this on Monday when he appeared before the Senate Committee on Aviation to defend his ministry’s 2019 budget proposals.
The $461.8 million variation, he said, is required in addition to the $500 million loan already received from the China Exim Bank.
The minister explained that the variation became necessary to deal with some challenges in the building of the terminals.
According to him: “there are challenges with the new terminals being built with the $500 million loan from the China Exim Bank.”
He listed some of the challenges to include change in the structural design of the airports, foundation footing and escalators.
Sirika also listed the need to make provisions for the biggest modern aircraft, change in departure and arrival floors to rhyme with railway station, provision of adequate power supply and relocation of control tower and fire service station, as other challenges.
He said: “The challenges have resulted in the need for variation and additional works to the tune of $461,795, 551.02, which has been approved by the Federal Executive Council (FEC).”
The minister told the committee that the China Exim Bank had indicated willingness to consider funding additional works.
He said he had written to the Ministry of Budget and National Planning to provide for the sum of $73.9 million as counterpart fund in 2019 outside the ministry’s proposed budget.
The Minister said that the airports where work took place already wearing new looks befitting of modern airports.
He also told the committee that two of the new terminals, in Port Harcourt and Abuja have already been commissioned, while Lagos and Kano will soon be completed.
Sirika noted that adequate provision had also been made to complete the new terminal buildings in at Akanu Ibiam International Airport, Enugu.
He sought the support of the National Assembly and other stakeholders to ensure needed equipment for safety and security were provided to meet the Standard and Recommended Practices (SARPs) as outlined by regulatory aviation bodies.
The minister noted that more bilateral and multilateral air service agreements would be signed for the benefits of or travellers.
On the 2019 budget, the minister said the sum of N47.5 billion was proposed for Capital Expenditure at the headquarters.
The amount, he said, would be used to sustain infrastructural renewal at the airports especially re-modeling of projects to upgrade of air navigational equipment, safety and security infrastructure.
On the implementation of the 2018 budget, the minister said that N26.9 billion was budgeted for the Aviation sub-sector out of which the sum of N3.12 billion representing 11.6 per cent was released to the sector.
He said that N2.99 billion representing 96 per cent had been expended as at March 15.
According to him, the sum of N508.8 million was appropriated for overhead expenditure for the whole Ministry of Transport, which includes Aviation, Marine and Land sectors.
He said that N296.8 million, representing 58.3 per cent was released, while N296.8 million representing 99.9 per cent was expended as at December 2018.
The minister said the ministry was funded from national budget, while agencies like Nigeria Meteorological Agency (NIMET), Nigerian Airspace Management Agency (NAMA), Nigeria College of Aviation Technology(NCAT) and Accident Investigation Bureau were also funded from Internally Generated Revenue(IGR) .
source: thenationonlineng.net/fg-seeks-461-8-loan-variation-for-airport-terminals/

The Acting Chairman of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, Ibrahim Magu on Monday said public funds stolen by 32 entities (human and corporate) between 2011 and 2015 was well over N1.3 trillion.
Magu disclosed this in his keynote address at the opening ceremony of the 2019 First Batch Conversion Training Programme to Procurement Cadre for Federal Parastatal and Agencies, organised by the Bureau of Public Procurement (BPP) in Lagos on Monday, March 25, 2019.
In the paper delivered on his behalf by the Commission’s Secretary, Ola Olukoyede, Magu decried this huge financial loss on the country.
He said: “One third of this money, using world bank rates and cost, could have comfortably been used to construct well over 500km of roads; build close to 200 schools; educate about 4000 children from primary to tertiary levels at N25million per child; build 20,000 units of two-bedroom houses across the country and do even more.
“The cost of this grand theft, therefore, is that these roads, schools and houses will never be built and these children will never have access to quality education because a few rapacious individuals had cornered for themselves what would have helped secure the lives of the future generations, thereby depriving them of quality education and healthcare, among others.”
He said the poor state of procurement process in Nigeria was one of the major reasons why corruption has continued to thrive in government agencies and parastatal.
He identified some of the fraudulent practices in procurement process in Nigeria to include: kickbacks, conflict of interests, fraud in the bidding process, bid suppression, collusive bidding, bid rotation and market division.
Others, according to him, are: co-mingling of contracts, change order abuse, cost mischarging, defective pricing, false statement and claim, phantom vendors, product substitution, unnecessary purchases and purchases for personal use or resale.
Magu expressed confidence that Nigeria still has patriotic and credible individuals who would do all within their abilities to uphold the credibility and honesty required for leadership in public offices .
source: thenationonlineng.net/n1-3trn-stolen-in-four-years-by-32-entities-magu/

Sen. Hadi Sirika, the Minister of State for Aviation on Monday said that plans were underway by the Federal Government to revisit the national carrier project.
The minister made this known while defending the ministry’s budget before the Senate Committee on Aviation in Abuja.
He said that the ministry only suspended the project to put adequate measures in place, promising that the project would be delivered soon.
He said the project, which was President Muhammadu Buhari’s brainchild would not be allowed to die.
He expressed concern that despite being a huge aviation market, Nigeria could not boast of a national carrier.
He said; “We have to suspend the earlier plans for the national carrier for strategic reasons. The move was not killed.
”Provisions have to be made to continue to fund activities of advisers and so on, to ensure that it is delivered.
”The carrier will be delivered within the life of this administration, this I can assure you.
”It is not forgotten by government. It will continue and we are doing everything we can to deliver it,” he said.
The minister, however, stated that the carrier would not be funded solely by government.
”It is Public Private Partnership (PPP). The private sector will lead and deliver while the government will play its role.
“Viability funding is also being addressed. After that, then the full business case which is the implementation stage. It is at that point that it will be advertised for people to come in and participate,” he said.
He said that the process would be transparently done through local and international fora and media.
He added that anybody who was interested in getting in information on funds spent and other processes was free to do so, stressing that the ministry would be willing to respond.
The minister lamented that besides the huge revenue loss due to absence of a national carrier, Nigerians still pay exorbitantly to use air carriers belonging to other countries.
According to him, one of the major ways to save Nigerians of exorbitant airfares is to have a national carrier.
”When I was in the House of Representatives in 2006, we did invite British Airways to discus and the answer we got was that they charge exorbitantly because Nigerians can afford it.
“They charge these fees without corresponding challenge. It is very difficult for the ministry to tell entrepreneurs what they should charge.
“This is the whole importance of having a national carrier. It is about competition. Nigerians are highly mobile people with very huge businesses. You find out that the first class and business class is always full,’’ he said.
The Chairman of the Senate Committee on Aviation, Sen. Adamu Aliero, commended the minister for his efforts at repositioning the aviation sector.
He, however, said that the sector was capable of generating huge revenue for the country if well positioned.
He advised the minister to engage more often with critical stakeholders including the National Assembly for advice in carrying out his mandate.
He further advised agencies under the ministry to be up and doing in securing the lives of Nigerians, who often use air transport as well as ensuring that they complied with international best practices.
source: thenationonlineng.net/fg-to-revisit-national-carrier-project-says-sirika/

The Federal Government Monday closed its case against five men who allegedly imported 661 pump action rifles without license.
The Attorney-General of the Federation (AGF) arraigned the defendants at the Federal High Court in Lagos on June 14, 2017 for illegally importing double barrel short guns, pump action rifles and single barrel shotguns (firearms) without authorisation.
Count one of the charge said the defendants “on or about January 21, 2017, at Apapa, Lagos conspired to illegally import into Nigeria 661 pump actions rifles.”
The prosecution said they brought the arms from Turkey through the Apapa Port in Lagos, using a 40-feet container, which they falsely claimed contained steel doors.
Prosecuting Counsel Mr. Julius Ajakaiye, a Deputy Director in the Federal Ministry of Justice, said the defendants attempted to bribe Customs officials.
Hassan Mahmud, Salisu Danjuma, Oscar Orkafor, Donatus Achinulo and Matthew Okoye, said to be at large, and a company, Mahmud Hassan Trading Company Limited, are the defendants.
They were charged with illegal importation of fire arms, conspiracy, forgery and “uttering” of documents, offering of graft to government officials and importation of prohibited goods.
The alleged offence contravene sections 3(6), 1 (14)(a)(I) 1(2) of the Miscellaneous Offences Act of 2004 and Section 98(1) (b) of the Criminal Code Act.
The court heard from a ballistic expert that forensic analysis was conducted on the guns on June 1, 2017.
The Officer-In-Charge of Ballistic Section, Force Criminal Intelligence and Investigation Department (Force CIID) Alagbon-Ikoyi, Lagos, Tanimu Jeremiah, said he identified the guns.
He said the analysis followed a request via a May 25, 2017, letter from the Lagos office of the Department of State Services (DSS)
He said the firearms include a Gorgev Magnum Black 502, Gorgev Magnum Silver 137, Alpha Silver 10, Strong Silver 10 and tornado pump action two, numbering 661.
The witness said the pump action guns, which had serial numbers, were prohibited.
Hassan, a retired Assistant Comptroller of Customs, had earlier claimed that he was chained and threatened him with a gun in bid to force him to confess to the crime.
In a trial-within-trial, he denied confessing to conspiring with others to use his company, Hassan Trading Limited, to import the arms.
Justice Ayokunle Faji adjourned until April 4 and 5 for defence.
source: thenationonlineng.net/fed-govt-closes-illegal-arms-importation-case/

Edo State Deputy Governor, Rt. Hon. Comrade Philip Shaibu has assured the World Bank that the state government will sustain its land reforms to attract investment that will further consolidate socio-economic development and generate job opportunities for Edo people.
The deputy governor, who is acting as governor of the state following the transfer of power by the governor, who is currently on annual vacation, gave the assurance during a courtesy visit by a delegation of the World Bank, headed by Ms. Edda Ivan-Smith, at the Government House, in Benin City.
He said the Governor Godwin Obaseki-led administration will strengthen the existing partnership with the World Bank, and assured the delegation that the state government has resolved issues relating to land grabbing by proscribing the activities of the Community Development Association (CDA), a move that received the backing of the revered Omo N’Oba N’Edo Uku Akpolokpolo, Oba of Benin, Oba Ewuare II.
According to him, “We are already partners with the World Bank in terms of development. We are set to break new ground in Edo, which other states will emulate. As regards the research on land management by the World Bank, we have already put mechanisms in place to create an enabling environment for businesses to thrive. This is because we are determined to create job opportunities for youths.”
He noted that research on land reforms and allocation to encourage private sector development being promoted by the World Bank showed that Edo is already working hard to ensure transparent and trusted land management across the state.
Leader of the World Bank delegation, Ms. Edda Ivan-Smith, said their research in the state will enable the Bank understand the land ownership system in Nigeria, with a view of providing solutions to current challenges.
Ivan-Smith said the World Bank is working with governments to improve land administration in the country, noting that the findings of the team’s research is targeted at stimulating dialogue in government, especially on how land is allocated to encourage private sector investment.
She said the team is carrying out similar research in Lagos, Ogun, Jigawa and Kaduna states.
source: thenationonlineng.net/shaibu-assures-world-bank-on-sustainable-land-reforms/

The All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA) on Monday scored President Muhammadu Buhari high on his economic policies.
APGA said Nigerians with the result of Buhari’s economic initiative will soon begin to enjoy stable economy and better living standard.
Briefing reporters in Abuja, its chairman, Victor Oye, said the President deserves complete eight years as provided by the Constitution.
He lamented some Nigerians spend their time criticising the President, warning politics is not a do- or- die affair.
Oye charged Nigerians to learn how to cooperate with those in leadership positions, saying it is by this understanding that the unity and peace of the country can be promoted irrespective of race and religion.
He further emphasised the needs for Nigerians to offer valuable advice to the President to enable him succeed in office.
Commenting on the 2019 general elections, Oye said the party believes that the election was generally free, fair and credible, noting that even the international community adjudged the process as such.
He said the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) was not given such benefit of the doubts by Nigerians to conduct credible general elections.
“We have our own misgivings but in our own thinking, the outcome of the election was fair. Nobody gave INEC the chance to perform the little it has done.
“INEC showed immeasurable courage by ensuring that the elections went the way they did, especially the Presidential elections. In our own estimation, the election was free and fair and APGA is happy with the outcome of the elections,” he said.
Oye further said that APGA has made in-route into the north by winning three House of Representatives in Benue state, one House of Representatives seats in Taraba state and another House of Representatives seat in Imo state.
While pointing out the party has done very well, the APGA chairman said the party had won the Gwagwalada Area council election, three seats in Taraba House of Assembly and another three seats in Bayelsa House of Assembly, among others.
source: thenationonlineng.net/apga-hails-buharis-economic-policies/

Air Peace on Monday elevated two members of its flight crew to the rank of captain, urging them to sustain the high safety standards the carrier is reputed for.
Speaking during the decoration of Mr. Oluwasegun Fatonade and Mr. William Devine as captains at Air Peace Corporate Headquarters in Lagos, the carrier’s Chairman/Chief Executive Officer, Mr. Allen Onyema said he was proud that they scaled the tough tests for donning the four-bar epaulette.
The rigorous requirements the new captains were subjected to, he insisted, were necessary to ensure they were qualified for the high quality of the airline’s flight operations.
He assured that Air Peace would continue to reward excellence as a pro-staff organisation and ensure that its workers were promoted without regard to ethnicity and favouritism.
“I’m one of the happiest persons today. I take pride in seeing people grow. We are pro-staff. In our own little way, we try to ensure that staff enjoy their time here. Anyone can become anything they want to be here without discrimination.
“I don’t meddle in matters involving selection and elevation of our flight crew. It is strictly on merit. For the flight crew training team to have adjudged the new captains worthy of flying for Air Peace, they really must be good. It says a lot about their quality. The tough tests they passed through before being selected for elevation as captains was necessary to ensure the sustenance of the high standards of our flight operations.
“It’s not everyone that was tested that made it. I urge the new captains to continue to work hard to sustain the high quality of our flight operations. The position of a captain is one that comes with huge responsibility, but I have no doubt they will excel in their new roles,” Onyema said.
For his part, Air Peace Head of Training, Captain Ndubisi Ekwempu, who presented the new captains to Onyema for decoration, described them as hardworking and dedicated members of the flight crew.
Their elevation to the left seat, he said, was well deserved. He, however, urged Captains Fatonade and Devine not to rest on their oars.
He commended Air Peace chairman for giving the training team the liberty to do their job uninfluenced.
Ekwempu praised the flight crew training team for working hard to produce the new captains.
source: thenationonlineng.net/air-peace-decorates-two-new-captains/

Rep. Nkeiruka Onyejeocha (APC-Abia) Chairman, House Committee on Aviation, on Monday declared her intention to contest the post of Speaker of the 9th House of Representatives.
Onyejeocha, who is the only female so far in the contest made the declaration at a media briefing in Abuja.
She said that she is in the race to improve lawmaking and to help advance the party’s developmental policies.
According to her, legislative oversight will be given priority attention to ensure effective policy and budget implementation.
The parliamentarian said that if elected speaker, she would improve the communications among members of the house and the general public.
Onyejeocha said that she would adopt a legislative agenda with clear framework for compliance and monitoring.
The rep said that she would ensure the house committees and processes would be strengthened for the over growth of democracy.
Onyejeocha who represents Isiukwuato/ Umunneochi Federal Constituency of Abia would be returning to the house for the fourth time in the 9th Assembly.
source: thenationonlineng.net/9th-assembly-onyejeocha-declares-for-speaker/

The Senior Special Assistant to the President on Foreign Affairs and Diaspora, Mrs Abike Dabiri-Erewa, has described the success of Tanitoluwa Adewunmi, an eight -year old Nigerian Chess champion in U. S. as a pride to the nation.
Dabiri-Erewa said this in a statement by her Special Assistant on Media Affairs, Abdur-Rahman Balogun, on Monday in Abuja.
The Presidential Aide, said the feat performed by the young Tanitoluwa in the Chess tournament was unparalleled and unique.
”The young Nigeria diasporan recently won the New York State Chess championship for his age bracket.
”To this, former U.S President, Bill Clinton, has congratulated the eight year-old Nigerian chess champion, Tanitoluwa Adewunmi and also invited him and his parents to his office for personal introduction,” she said.
Abike Dabiri-Erewa, who expressed pleasure over the development, said Tanitoluwa should be celebrated and encouraged to serve as role model for his peers.
She said the outwitting of other children by Adewunmi in the Chess tournament in U.S. showed that irrespective of age, determination and focus would earn one the desired goal.
Dabiri-Erewa expressed determination to arrange a meeting with Tanitoluwa and his parents to serve as an encouragement to other young Nigerians, especially in the diaspora.
Adewunmi had won seven chess trophies including the state tournament, where he outwitted other children.
The young chess champion’s family are taking asylum in a homeless shelter in Manhattan after they fled the Boko Haram insurgency in Nigeria since 2018.
He went undefeated at the state tournament, outwitting children from elite private schools with private chess tutors.
Adewunmi’s rating is now 1587 and rising fast and he is being compared with the world’s best player, Magnus Carlsen, who stands at 2845.
He placed first in the New York State Scholastic Championships tournament for kindergarten through third grade, a remarkable win for anyone.
source: thenationonlineng.net/fg-lauds-8-yr-old-nigerian-chess-champion-in-u-s/

The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has asked President Muhammadu Buhari and the All Progressives Congress (APC) to stop their unnecessary fabrications, smear campaign and prepare to face the opposition’s legal team at the presidential election tribunal.
Responding to a petition by the spokesman for the President’s campaign, Mr. Festus Keyamo, the PDP said President Buhari is overweighed by the burden of “illegitimacy”, following overwhelming evidence before the tribunal that he “stole” the presidential mandate.
In an email exchange with our correspondent Monday night, stage spokesman for the PDP, Mr Kola Ologbondiyan the allegation was a lame one.
Ologbondiyan described it as an attempt at blackmailing the tribunal by engaging in clear acts of subjudice.
The party spokesman further stated that the facts and issues touching on the INEC server, were already within the public domain and Nigerians are already at home with them.
Ologbondiyan continued, “By resorting to shadow-boxing outside the tribunal, President Buhari and the APC have shown that they have no defence to present to the court against PDP’s submission that they stole our mandate.
“It is even more appalling that Festus Keyamo, a Senior Advocate of Nigeria (SAN) and a member of Buhari’s legal team, who should know better, would engage in this act of subjudice designed to distort facts already known to Nigerians, that our Presidential Candidate and former Vice President, Atiku Abubakar, clearly won the February 23 Presidential election.
“Since it has become clear that President Buhari has no defence to present to the court, we counsel him to save the nation further stress by surrendering our mandate, which was freely given by majority of Nigerians to Atiku Abubakar”.
source: thenationonlineng.net/alleged-hack-into-inec-server-you-are-jittery-pdp-tells-apc-buhari/

The Buhari Media Organisation (BMO) says Abubakar Atiku’s suit challenging the victory of President Muhammadu Buhari would fail because it lacks merit.
The group said this in a statement signed by its chairman Niyi Akinsiju and Secretary Cassidy Madueke on Monday in Abuja, adding that the suit is a waste of time.
The group said that Atiku knew that he had no chance of victory even before the elections and is only attempting this suit to hoodwink Nigerians and ultimately waste the time of the country’s judiciary.
“Atiku Abubakar has yet to wake up from his hallucination that he can steal a chance to defeat Buhari in an election.
“If the Presidential elections were to hold ten times, Atiku will lose ten times to Buhari.
“Atiku knew it, even before the elections were held, that he never stood a chance at beating Buhari at the poll,’’ the group said.
BMO noted that Atiku’s loss at the 2019 Presidential Poll was evidence of Nigerians rejecting the former Vice President.
The group said that the majority of Nigerians have rejected Atiku and he must come to terms with that.
The group also said it is not against Atiku exercising his constitutional right to seek justice in a court of law.
It therefore insisted that Nigerians are aware that his claim to seeking a mandate in the court is only a pipe-dream as the entirety of his observations lack merit, false and only a waste of time.
The group noted that what the courts would eventually do would be to stamp the authority of victory on Buhari at the end of the day.
The group reiterated that Atiku’s loss started at his polling unit where Buhari beat him.
“The signs were very clear before the elections, during the elections, and with the eventual victory of Buhari been the popular appeal across the country.
“Atiku’s rejection by Nigerians started with his own household,’’ he said.
source: thenationonlineng.net/atikus-suit-lacks-merit-bound-to-fail-bmo/

National Chairman of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Comrade Adams Oshiomhole on Monday gave an insight into the 9th National Assembly, saying the party is not ready to share power with the opposition in the National Assembly.
Oshiomhole said the party will not allow what happened in 2015 to reoccur in 2019 as the party will need a collaborative legislature to provide good governance to the people, adding that the leadership of the Assembly give all committee members critical positions as committee chairmen.
He said the party leadership will carry out extensive consultation with the President and leadership of the party at all level to arrive at a zoning formula that will be acceptable to all members and the party.
source: thenationonlineng.net/we-wont-share-power-with-pdp-says-oshiomhole/

The NNPC, in a statement in Abuja, stated that the recognition was conveyed to its Group Managing Director, Mr. Maikanti Baru, through a letter endorsed by Waziri Adio, Executive Secretary of the Nigeria Extractive Industries Transparency Initiative, NEITI, on behalf of its parent global body.
The NNPC added that conferment was as a result of the gale of transparency and probity which had pervaded its operations under the current dispensation.
According to the NNPC, the global extractive industries transparency watchdog explained that the laurel was a milestone for Nigeria and a clear recognition and appreciation of the invaluable role of NNPC.
It quoted NEITI as saying, “We particularly note and commend the increasing collaboration and cooperation from NNPC and its subsidiaries and the new wave of reforms which your organization exemplifies by the monthly disclosure of operational and financial data of the National Oil Company’.
“We pledge to work with the NNPC to ensure that it continues to sustain its leadership as champion of transparency.”
Commenting on the development, Baru, said the global recognition was a testament to the far reaching reforms his management was carrying out in the corporation to inculcate probity and accountability in all tiers of its operational value chain.
He stated that the NNPC would sustain its adherence to transparency and accountability, saying the corporation was committed to full disclosure of its activities.
The NNPC noted that the decision to confer the award on it was reached at EITI’s Board meeting in Kiev, Ukraine, on 27 February, 2019, having adjudged Nigeria to have attained “Satisfactory Progress in implementing all EITI requirements”.
The NNPC also quoted the EITI report as saying that, “Nigeria is the first Anglophone African country and one of the seven countries within the EITI community to have attained this status so far.’’
source: www.vanguardngr.com/2019/03/eiti-ranks-nnpc-as-transparent/

Chairman of Senate Committee on Labour and Productivity, Senator Abu Ibrahim, has thrown light on why the Senate passed N30,000 national minimum wage instead of adopting N27,000 proposed by the Federal Government.
Senator Ibrahim, who was a member of the Senate ad-hoc committee assigned to work on the minimum wage bill, said the upper chamber concurred with the House of Representatives on the bill to avoid unnecessary delay and bickering in passing the bill.
The House of Representatives passed N30, 000 new national minimum wage bill higher than the N27, 000 minimum wage bill President Muhammadu Buhari submitted to the National Assembly for consideration and passage.
Ibrahim said that the passage of N30, 000 minimum wage was informed by the need to avoid the commotion likely to result from harmonization of the differences by the two chambers.
The Katsina South senator noted if there was disagreement between the two chambers, it may lead to the National Assembly not passing the new national minimum wage for workers.
He said when members of the Senate committee, during its deliberation on the bill, considered the difference between what the House of Representatives passed and what was submitted by the executive, a difference of N3000, the committee felt that it could be addressed after the passage of the Bill.
Ibrahim noted that it was in view of this the committee recommended that after the passage of the new wage bill, the Revenue Mobilisation, Allocation, and Fiscal Commission, could review the federal allocation formula to give more fund to the States and Local governments.
The review of the allocation formula, Ibrahim said, would enable the States and Local Governments to pay the new national minimum wage rather than waiting for the federal government to come to their rescue through granting them interventions funds.
Ibrahim said, “We looked at it (bill), the difference of what the executive asked for is N3, 000 and the commotion that it will create if we disagree with the House of Representatives, we may not pass it, because we may have to go back and start again and go into harmonization
“We are closing for budget defence. So we may end up leaving the National Assembly without finishing the minimum wage.
“So we felt at the committee that it does not worth it, the problem that it will create for saving N3, 000.
“Then, we brought another solution that the federal government revenue allocation should be looked into to make it possible for the states to be able to pay.
“So, rather than the federal government giving them interventions, we can change the revenue allocation formula to give them more money, both local and state governments.”
He went on: “We came up with additional suggestion after the N30, 000 minimum wage, we suggested that the revenue allocation should be looked into to make the states and local governments more viable.”
The lawmaker promised to contribute his quota as Chairman of the Senate Committee on Labour to ensure that there is stability between the government and Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC).
He also stressed the need to develop a system of industrial harmony between NLC and the Federal Government.
source: thenationonlineng.net/why-senate-passed-30000-minimum-wage-by-ibrahim/

A group of eminent personalities in Ondo state under the aegis of Akoko Development Group(ADG) at the weekend pleaded with the state governor, Oluwarotimi Akeredolu to compensate the families of those affected during the recent bloody political violence in Oba-Akoko, Akoko southwest local government area of the state.
The non-partisan group condemned in strong terms, the mayhem witnessed during the March 9, House of Assembly elections in the sleepy community.
Two persons were reportedly killed during the mayhem while many houses and vehicles worth millions of Naira were burnt by irate youth.
The development forced the state government to impose a curfew that paralysed economic activities in the community for almost two weeks.
ADG blamed the politicians that fueled the crisis, stressing that the development fell below accepted norms of human behaviour at both local and international levels.
It commended the state government for its quick intervention in dousing the tension and restoring normalcy in the town.
Besides,the group called for compensation to the families of those killed,injured or having their businesses and properties destroyed.
Akeredolu had instituted a probe panel to investigate those behind the attack particularly politicians and their ‘minions’.
The group urged parents and politicians who promoted the ‘miscreants’ to desist from such act,stressing that such incidence should not be allowed to happen in any part of Akoko land again.
It also advised politicians to always play the game according to veritable and acceptable rules and standards.
The group emphasised that no office was worth than the life of an individual.
source: thenationonlineng.net/ondo-violence-group-seeks-compensation-for-victims/

The 4 Brigade of the Nigerian Army, Benin has denied some media reports on the arrest of an officer of the Brigade for suspected cultism in Edo.
This was contained in a statement issued by Capt. Mohammed Maidawa, an Assistant Director, Army Public Relations, and made available to News Agency of Nigeria (NAN), Benin on Sunday.
According to Maidawa, “the attention of the Headquarters 4 Brigade Nigerian Army has been drawn to a media publication dated 23 March, 2019.
“In the said publication, it was alleged that Private Igbavboa Lucky and not Private Opiri Stephen as erroneously published was alleged to have been arrested and paraded by the State Police Command for cultism activities.
“For emphasis, Nigerian Army (NA) is a professional organisation with extant policies that regulates the conduct of its personnel. It does not allow any of its personnel to belong to any confraternity such as cult groups and related associations.
“Consequently, any of its personnel who cross the red line in this regard will face the full rigours of military discipline.”
He further said that the alleged case of Private Igbavboa Lucky who was arrested was an isolated case.
He also said that preliminary investigation had revealed that the suspect was not personnel of 4 Brigade Nigerian Army but a deserter from 101 Special Force, Borno since January.
“Thus, his conduct is a complete negation of the minimum behavioural conduct expected from personnel of the Nigerian Army.
“I also wish to use this medium to appeal to journalists to verify their stories before publication in order to avoid negative reportage capable of bringing the image of the Brigade or the NA into disrepute.
“The public should be rest assured that the case will be thoroughly investigated and the military justice system will take its course,” Maidawa said.
source: thenationonlineng.net/cultism-4-brigade-denies-report-of-arrest-of-officer-in-edo/

A 50- man team of the Egyptian National team on Sunday breezed into Asaba , the Delta State Capital brimming with optimism ahead of the international friendly match against the Super Eagles of Nigeria.
The team, which landed at about 1.40 pm, proceeded to the Golden Tulip Hotel Camp escorted by men of the Nigerian Police Force (NPF) and Department of State Security Service (DSS).
Assistant coach of the team, Tito Garcia Sanjvan said the team was coming with a winning mentality.
He added the friendly match was important to the team being the last FIFA window before the Nations Cup holding in Egypt.
According to him: “We play always to win. We try to do our best.For us it is an important because Nigeria is a very tough team. It is important because it is our last match before the tournament for our young players.”
He said testing the young Egyptian team away against Nigeria will help toughen them.
He said the match will provide opportunity for the team coaches to introduce more young players.
Sanjvan regretted the Egyptian team could not get the three points in their last group game against the Menas of Niger Republic, stressing that team improvement was uppermost as the young players learn.
Sanjvan said the Egyptian team stands a good chance of emerging champions at the 2019 Total African Nations Cup, adding that Algeria, Morrocco, Tunisia, Nigeria and Senegal can win the African Nations Cup.
His words: “There are 5 or 7 teams in the tournament that can win the Nations and Nigeria is one. This type of tournaments is difficult to predict so we take it step by step”.
He said the team will be led by Arsenal Superstar, Mohammed Elneny and Soulyaman of Al Ahli, adding that some key first team players like Liverpool star Mahmoud el Salah and a host of others will miss the friendly match with Nigeria .
source: thenationonlineng.net/were-here-to-win-says-egypt-coach/

A 26-year-old man whose name was simply identified as Chidiebere at the weekend in Aba, stabbed his cousin identified as Chisom, 27, to death over N500.
Chisom, until his death last Friday, reportedly lived with his aunt (Chidiebere’s mother) who operates an eatery in the Ogbor Hill axis of Aba and was said to have shared the same room with his assailant.
It was gathered that on Thursday last week, Chisom’s aunt had gone to the market to buy things and asked the deceased to take charge of business while she was away.
Immediately the mother went out, Chidiebere was reported to have entered into the shop and demanded that Chisom should give him N500 he learnt someone who owed the mother had paid.
The deceased was reported to have refused to give his cousin the money, insisting it was for his mother.
Chidiebere was said to have insisted the money must be given to him and after a heated argument, the deceased capitulated and gave his cousin the money.
When eventually Chidiebere’s mother came back from the market, Chisom was said to have narrated to her what happened.
A source close to the family said Chidiebere who became infuriated on why his mother was informed of development, vowed to deal with his cousin.
The source further stated that the deceased did not take the threat as anything serious and in the night, after supper, they went to bed.
At about 1.00am, Chidiebere was said to have awoken, reached for a dagger he hid somewhere in the room and stabbed his cousin who was fast asleep, close to the heart twice.
The incident was said to have happened around Ebiogwu street, Ogbor Hill and as neighbours managed to bring badly injured Chisom to a clinic in the Federal Housing Estate, doctor at the clinic pronounced him dead.
After stabbing his cousin to death, Chidiebere went back to their house to sleep not minding the consequences of his action.
It was while he was still sleeping that youths from the Federal Housing Estate stormed the house, apprehended and later handed him over to the police at the Azuka police station.
The Divisional Police Officer (DPO) was away when our reporter visited his office.
However, a senior police who would not want his name mentioned, confirmed the incident and said the matter has been transferred to Umuahia.
source: thenationonlineng.net/man-stabs-cousin-brother-to-death-over-n500/

A member of the House of Representatives, Hon. Jubrin Abdulmumin, at the weekend said that any erring member of the All Progressives Congress (APC) involved in foul play in the emergence of the leadership of the 9th National Assembly won’t go unpunished.
In 2015, some members of the ruling party had connived with some opposition members in the emergence of the leadership of the 8th National Assembly to the detriment of the APC.
But speaking with State House correspondents after meeting with President Muhammadu Buhari at the Presidential Villa, Abdulmumin was optimistic that APC lawmakers will tow the line of the party for the emergence of the next leadership of the National Assembly.
He, however, harped on the need for lobbying prior to the process.
He said: “Well the position of our party and our leaders has always been that all elected members and of course, senators should exercise patience, work is going on, consultations are being carried out and I believe that no any elected senator or members of APC would allow himself to be used by the opposition like in the case of 2015.
“In the case of 2015, there weren’t consequences but I am pretty sure that this time around, if anybody allowed himself to be used by the opposition party, there will certainly be consequences.”
Asked if they will follow the wish of the party, he said: “Well, that is what is expected. But as you also aware, they are matured people, they are elected members, there is need for engagement, there is need for a lot of lobbying – that is what is obtainable all over the world.
“And we have in the person of the President- our father who is reaching out to everybody and of course the party chairman and other leaders working day and night consulting with members and lobbying where they should, so that at the end of the day we can have a very smooth leadership election.
“But of course, that is not to say that there is no elements of desperation as you can see, a lot of people coming out to indicate interest.
“Personally, I have complained about that and the way and manner they are going about it it’s a bid unhealthy for the party, because at the end of the day only one person will become senate president and only one person will become the speaker and other principal officers.
“So we need to start imbibing the culture of putting the country first or the party first before ourselves.
“Personally, I have demonstrated that because I have indicated that I am not interested in running for the office of the speakership, deputy speakership or any principal office because of how chocked up the whole system is as regard the number of people that are contesting.
“Just to open up space, and allow some of us to sit down and organise and ensure that the government and of course the party eventually have the kind of parliament or the kind of leadership of the National Assembly that they can work with harmoniously.” he said.
source: thenationonlineng.net/9th-nass-leadership-erring-apc-lawmakers-will-be-punished/

Mr Emeka Okereke, Director General, Enugu Chamber of Commerce, Industry, Mines and Agriculture (ECCIMA), has called on the Federal Government to reconsider the signing of the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA).
Okereke said this in Abuja when the chamber officials visited the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN).
The visit was to create publicity for the forthcoming 30th Enugu International Trade Fair.
The Fair is slated to hold between April 5 and 15 with the theme: “Promoting and Enhancing Value in Addition in the Oil and Non-Oil Sector for Robust Economic Growth And Development.’’
He said that the agreement was meant for free enterprise and building block economy.
According to him, many African countries have signed the agreement and so such can discourage bringing goods through the illegal ways.
AfCFTA was adopted on March 21, 2018 to create a single continental market for goods and services, with free movement of goods and ensure block African economy.
Okereke said that the country had even signed the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) Trade Liberalisation Scheme (ETLS).
He said that the ETLS was established to encourage entrepreneurship development in the region and increase intra-regional trade and boost economic activity.
Okereke added that the ETLS and Free Movement Protocol are the most promising tolls for enhancing regional integration in West Africa.
” For AfCFTA, Nigeria consciousness is good but we cannot run away from reality; we cannot be an island on to ourselves, even in ECOWAS, we have signed for free movement of goods, persons and services.
” I tell you those goods can still come into our country except we are not obeying the ECOWAS protocol we have signed into,” he said.
Okereke said that challenge was that the country has an open border, adding that even if the country did not sign goods, it would still come into the country through the back door.
He said that the agreement would create a single market for goods and services, with free movement of people and investments across 55 countries.
According to him, the government should try and develop the country’s infrastructure as the main challenge for manufacturers is the high cost of doing business.
He also urged the government to address the multiplicity of taxes and levies.
He complained that most companies left the country due to cost of doing business.
” The government needs to address issues affecting the business environment in order to boost the country’s economy.”
source: thenationonlineng.net/why-fg-needs-to-reconsider-signing-african-free-trade-agreement/

Owing to the non-review of the Multi Year Tariff Order (MYTO) since February 1, 2016, the shortfall of the Nigerian Electricity Supply Industry (NESI) has exceeded N1.4trillion.
The Executive Director, Association of Nigeria Electricity Distributors (ANED), Barrister Sunday Oduntan, broke the news to reporters in Abuja.
Asked to state what losses the freezing of the review has caused in the industry, he said that “our records show a figure in excess of N1.4trillion shortfall of the value chain.
He promised that supposing the DisCos have a cost reflective tariff, the association would even be bold to list the names of the ones that are not performing well.
Odutan however pointed out that if you cannot collect 30% (revenue) no Jupiter should expect you to remit 100%.”
Giving conditions for an improved power supply in the industry, he said the sector must agree on the landing cost and the payment for it.
The Executive Secretary however suggested that the “other option is to say the price is N100, we subsidize the poor ho cannot pay N11,000 for energy every month. You now subsidize it. If you introduce subsidy, the shortfall, the remaining figure has to be paid for.”
According to him, Kenya; Tunisia; Uganda; South Africa; Ethiopia; Morocco; Egypt; Algieria and Bukinafaso are examples of countries that subsidize electricity for their poor consumers.
The third one is that if government is not buoyant enough to subsidize electricity, it should allow NERC to make a law “that will create an instrument called, regulatory asset.”
Odutan noted that with the creation of the asset, will cover the shortfall in the industry because the DisCos can use it to borrow money from banks.
In every tariff computation, he said, there is an allowance for Capital Expenditure (CAPEX) which the operators expenditures must not exceed.
According to him, the current tariff in the industry is a suppressed one as it gives all DisCos N45billion and each DisCo N5.5billion annual expenditure.
The ANED representative said TCN, on the other hand, has a total of N50billion annual expenditure approved for it, stressing that it is unfair for the TCN to complain about DisCos’ low investment.
With that heavy CAPEX, he said, TCN cannot solve half of its problems.
He also disproved the the acclaimed 7,000Mega Watts (mw) energy generation capacity, stressing that that quantum of electricity does not enter customers homes in Nigeria.
Odutan added that “Today’s TCN has not transported to my members anything near 6,000Mega Watts (Mw) one day, never in the history of Nigeria.TCN has not whelled power up to 6,000mw for one week from 1960 to 2019. Let somebody come out and state otherwise. We will asked them which day and when?”
He noted that the power firms have a higher revenue assurance in metered areas than those that under estimated billings.
He said that despite that the Nigerian Electricity Regulatory Commission (NERC) has saddled the Metered Asset Providers (MAP) with the responsibility of metering the customers, the DisCos, will continue to meet up with their previous obligation on metering.
source: thenationonlineng.net/power-sector-shortfall-exceeds-n1-4tr-due-to-tariff/

The Shell Petroleum Development Company of Nigeria Limited (SPDC) has signed a contractor support fund of $200 million with the United Bank for Africa (UBA) to boost the financial capacity of its vendors and suppliers,
With the UBA agreement, SPDC’s total contractor support fund has hit $2.4 billion.
SPDC’s Director and General Manager, Government and Business Relations, Bashir Bello, who signed the $200 million Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the United Bank for Africa (UBA) in Abuja at the weekend, described the initiative as a product of the continuous effort by SPDC and its joint venture partners – NNPC, Total and Agip – to enhance Nigerian content and local participation in the nation’s oil and gas value chain.
The fund provides support for contractors to finance projects executed for Shell companies in Nigeria in line with the aspirations of the Nigerian Content Act. To access the fund, the contractors must have a valid purchase order and meet the bank’s risk assessment criteria.
“Findings indicate that lack of access to capital hinders many Nigerian companies from competing for and executing contracts effectively” said Bello who signed the deal on behalf of SPDC.
“This funding will enable us to achieve our community content ambition of increasing participation of host communities in the SPDC value chain,” he added.
The General Manager Energy Bank of UBA, Ebele Ogbue, said the bank was committed to providing support to Nigerian companies through its partnership with SPDC JV. Ogbue, who signed the MoU for UBA, commended the national and community content efforts of Shell companies in Nigeria, noting that UBA was ready to provide the needed financial backing that would empower Nigerian companies to play more active role in the country’s energy sector and beyond.
The Shell Contractor Funding Scheme started in 2011 with the Shell Kobo Fund, which gave rise to the Shell Contractor Support Fund in 2012. The scheme has been redesigned to address the current economic exigencies and to align it with stakeholder needs by merging the two initial initiatives. In 2016, Shell signed a $2.2 billion MoU with seven Nigerian banks that have since then disbursed around $1.5 billion loans to about 372 small- and medium-sized Nigerian suppliers and vendors in the oil and gas industry.
source: thenationonlineng.net/shell-uba-sign-200m-contractor-support-fund/

A delegation of Igbo leaders met with the President General of the pan Igbo socio-cultural organisation, Ohanaeze Ndigbo, Chief John Nnia Nwodo to congratulate him for his enlightened, focused and selfless leadership of Ndigbo in the trying period before and during the last elections.
The delegation which was led by Senator Ben Obi and included former governors Achike Udenwa and Okwesilieze Nwodo, Senator Azu Agboti, first Chairman Niger Delta Development Commission, NDDC, Chief Onyema Ugochukwu and former Ministers, Chief Dubem Onyia and Processor ABC Nwosu urged Nwodo not to relent in his pursuit of a restructured Nigeria.
The delegation thanked the Ohanaeze President General for standing firm on the priority Igbo position for the restructuring of Nigeria based on greater devolution of power and resources from the centre to the federating units and praised the President General for ignoring saboteurs of Igbo cause because he has been vindicated by the massive Igbo votes along the direction that Ohanaeze had endorsed.
The delegation pledged their personal unflinching support and loyalty for the President General and Ohanaeze Ndigbo to ensure that this task of restructuring Nigeria for the benefit of all citizens is accomplished.
The delegation said it was proud that the principled stand of Ndigbo on restructuring was galvanized by Ohanaeze Ndigbo under the very capable leadership of the President General and this resulted in the massive turnout of Ndigbo at the last general elections not only in the South East but throughout Nigeria, and vowed to assist the President General to ensure that Nigeria shall continue to feel the weight of Igbo votes until restructuring is accomplished, and those who continued to ignore Igbo votes in Nigeria do so at their risk.
The leaders pleaded with the Prescient General to ignore the activities by a few Ndigbo to sabotage the collective Igbo view since the Igbo votes strongly endorsed his position, but frowned seriously on the sell-out of Ohanaeze Ndigbo by the Secretary-General of Ohanaeze Ndigbo and urged that he should be strongly sanctioned.
The Igbo leaders reiterated that the task of restructuring Nigeria into a nation that works for all its citizens and not just for only a section of its citizens, remains the top priority agenda of Ndigbo in Nigeria, and as the Igbo adage says, “the jaws do not rest until what is being chewed is finished,” the President General must ensure that this burning desire of Ndigbo for the restructuring of Nigeria continues to remain in the front burner of Nigerian politics.
The task for Ndigbo now, according to the leaders, “is to design the post general election agenda to maintain Igbo solidarity such that the Igbo post election agenda is not distracted by those lobbying for positions in government and those positioning to be President in 2023.
The Igbo wisdom of struggling for where to sleep before fighting for the mat to sleep on should guide our post election strategy.”
The delegation was exceedingly proud of Ndigbo for how they voted at the last elections “where ministers and prominent Igbo APC members found that the community is always bigger than the individual and it must be humbling for them to have lost at their polling booths.”
The icing on the cake for Ndigbo was the election of Rt. Hon. Emeka Ihedioha of Imo State which clearly showed that Ndigbo are resolved to start to redress the wrongs of the last few years from inside Igboland.
The leaders stressed:”It was clear that Ndigb are not afraid and will not be afraid in Nigeria whether in Owerri, Lagos, Kano, Abuja, Aba, Enugu, Warri or Asaba to express their full citizenship rights and their dissatisfaction with the way they are being treated politically in Nigeria. The post election thinking of every Onye Igbo must be Igbo renaissance in a Nigeria that works.
It is important that government must focus on restructuring and the task of nation building where all citizens of Nigeria are equal before the law and have equal opportunities to employment and other economic activities. Those who think that they can be senior and junior Nigerians must be told firmly that they are hallucinating.”
source: thenationonlineng.net/igbo-leaders-pay-solidarity-visit-to-ohanaeze-pg/

Lagos State Environmental Sanitation and Special Offences (Enforcement) Unit (TaskForce) has denied any involvement in the death of a young school girl, Adijat Shakiru at Akoun Village, Ikorodu, Lagos who was shot by a policeman on Wednesday last week.
Chairman of the Task Force, Mr. Olayinka Egbeyemi, a Chief Superintendent of Police refuted the allegation in a press statement released on Sunday signed by the Public Relations Officer of the Agency, Mr. Taofiq Adebayo.
The statement said operatives of the Agency were not involved in any enforcement operations around Ikorodu as reported on Saturday, 23rd of March, 2019.

Egbeyemi disclosed further that it became necessary to correct the misrepresentation due to persistent inquiries from members of the public and need to set the records straight.
He said it was unfortunate that the inaccurate report has generated negative comments that portrayed the task force team as an irresponsible organisation.
He however confirmed that a young school girl was killed in Ikorodu but that the police officer involved in the incident was not attached to the Lagos State Task Force.
“It is on record that the Officer who killed a 17-year-old Adijat Shakiru at Ikorodu, one Sergeant Mudi Emmanuel has been arrested and is undergoing ‘orderly room’ at Provost Marshall Unit for professional misconduct over the killing”, he stated.
He also reiterated that the Lagos Police Command has clarified that “the action fell short of the rules of engagement for the use of firearms and professional standards for police”, adding that the Officer would soon be charged to court for murder.
source: thenationonlineng.net/taskforce-denies-involvement-in-death-of-school-girl-at-ikorodu/

Policemen of the Lagos State Police Command has arrested an alleged serial killer, Ibrahim Abdullahi a.k.a Tiny and four others shortly after midnight at his Ijegun-Egba area hideout.
The Lagos Police PRO, DSP Bala Elkana, in a statement said the suspect whose name sends shivers down the spine of residents of Satellite-Town, Lagos, was arrested during an operation led by the Divisional Police Officer of Satellite-Town Division, CSP Chike Oti, to rid the community of the violent activities of criminals.
It would be recalled that the Commissioner of Police, Lagos State, CP Zubairu Muazu, had earlier in the week changed Area Commanders, DPOs and Tactical Unit Commanders in the state, to clamp down on members of unlawful societies and raid identified criminal enclaves.
”Based on this directive and credible intelligence received about Ibrahim Abdullahi aka Tiny, who had been on the run since he was linked to the murder of three residents of the community, Satelite division, swung into action.
”The said Tiny was arrested alongside one of his accomplices, Obinna Kelvin Okey, 23.
”During preliminary interrogation, they confessed to belonging to a cult group called the Aro-Bagger aka Vickings.
”Other cultists arrested during the operation include Ismaila Adebayo; 21, Bode Akodo; 21 and Abdulwahab; 25, all of Eiye Confraternity.
”CP Zubairu Muazu directed the Homicide Section of the State Criminal Investigation and Intelligence Department, Panti, Yaba, to take over the case involving the said Ibrahim Abdullahi which has to do with an ongoing investigation on the three murder incidents linked to him.
”The other suspects were transferred to the Command’s Anti Cultism Squad for further investigation,” he said.
In a related development, the PPRO in the statement added that one Stephen Egbe, a notorious traffic robber who specialised in robbing commuters along Mile 12/Badagry Expressway, was caught in the act on March 23 at about 8:05pm at Mosalachi bus stop near Maza-maza, by detectives of Satellite Town Police Division.
”The Command Special Anti Robbery Squad (SARS) is directed to take over investigation and all the suspects arrested will be charged to court,” he said.
source: thenationonlineng.net/alleged-serial-killer-4-others-arrested-in-lagos/

The All Progressive Congress (APC) in Niger state has suspended the state Commissioner for Women Affairs and Social Development, Barrister Amina Musa Gua’ar for alleged anti-party activities.
The Paikoro local government APC local working committee accused the Commissioner of engaging in anti party activities during the general elections in the council and flaunting the orders of the party.
The Party accused her of engaging in some anti party activities of Alhaji Atiku Abubakar and Mr Ishaya Azalolo who claimed to have acted based on Barrister Amina Gua’ar opinion, directive and support.
The Party also accused her of mudslinging the party as she was said to have referred to the executive organ of the party as “bunch of thieves”.
The local working committee stated that it invited the Commissioner for interaction but she refused to appear before the committee which resulted in her suspension.
The suspended letter dated Friday 22nd March, 2019 and signed by the local government APC chairman, Alhaji Abdullahi Kwanaread, “In reference to a letter dated 18th March, 2019, the local government executive working committee of the APC in Paikoro has resolved to utilize Article 21, Section A, Subsection 111 of the Constitution as amended “disobedience or negligence in carrying out lawful directive of the party.
“Continuing, this is due to your refusal/disobedient to abide by the party’s directive within the stipulated time frame. Sequel to this, I hereby notify you of your suspension from the party until further notice”
However, the State APC claimed it had not received any correspondence regarding the suspension.
The letter was however copied to the APC stakeholders, Zonal chairman, APC State Secretary and Chairman as well as the Political Adviser to the Governor and Secretary to the State Government .
source: thenationonlineng.net/niger-apc-suspends-women-affairs-commissioner/

According to the Benue State governorship supplementary election results from some Polling Units in 22 Local Government Areas of the state, Ortom on Sunday is leading with 7,774.votes.
Recall that Vanguard had reported on March 9 that the election was declared inconclusive as a result of the cancellation of results from more than ten local government areas in the state, when Prof Sabastine Maimako, said the “margin of lead is below that of cancelled votes”,
source: www.vanguardngr.com/2019/03/breaking-samuel-ortom-wins-benues-supplementary-election/

Similarly, representatives of the South East Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, Elders Council, also appealed to Ihedioha, “to take a holistic review of the collateral damage done to Imo people’s psyche and state’s economy and work out sound ways to address then”
Leaders of the delegations, Dr. Rufus Omeire and Senator Ben Obi, made the appeals when they paid a courtedy call on Ihediha at the weekend, in Owerri.
Dr. Omeire explained that they were on the visit to not only congratulate Ihedioha, but to also inform the incoming Governor of the deprivations they passed through, in the hands of their brother.
“It will be heard to believe, but the greater percentage of Ideato South people, suffered serious deprivations in the hands of our brother. We are pleased that the outgoing governor did not actualize his intent of foisting his son-inlaw on Imo people”, Omeire said.
Supporting Dr. Omeire’s position, a former Commissioner for Commerce and Industry, Mr. Ben Obinali, said that “most of the communities in the area were completely neglected by the Okorocha administration”.
The delegates included Mr. Geoffrey Omeire, Mr. Bonaventure Ogbulie, Chief Tony Anyaegbu, Ifeanyi Okwara, Stanley Dike and a host of others.
Speaking on behalf of the South East PDP Elders Council, Senator Ben Obi appealed that the damage done to the people’s psyche and the state’s economy, must be redressed.
“We are happy with Imo people and certainly, with you on board, Imo will be liberated from the clutches of intimidation, high handedness and government of a family, by a family and for a family”, Senator Obi said.
He reminded Ihedioha that “in the circumstance tthe people have found themselves, there is a lot of work to be done in the state”.
Responding, Chief Ihedioha said: “Expectations are very high. The people’s victory is being celebrated across the country and that is the challenge facing me. The difficulties we have as a state, in the past seven or eight years, is before us.
“We have had the misfortune of having an unfortunate government. We have lost focus as a state.
The arms of government also function in breach of the dictates of our Constitution. I have a responsibility to restore order in Imo and bring our state back to life”, Chief Ihedioha promised.
source: www.vanguardngr.com/2019/03/we-were-marginalized-by-our-son-okorochas-kinsmen-tell-ihedioha/

Muhammed made the promise during a press conference in Bauchi on Sunday, shortly after the announcement of the supplementary poll results by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC).
Mohammed polled 6,376 votes as against 5,117 garnered by the incumbent governor, Muhammed Abubakar of the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC).
NAN reports that the just concluded supplementary election took place in 15 Local Government Areas of the state on Saturday.
“Today is a very auspicious day for us in Bauchi and on behalf of the party, I wish to express gratitude and appreciation to God almighty.

“The collation of the supplementary poll that has just been concluded by INEC is a work of God and we owe it to him.
“We also owe it to the people of Bauchi who have stood very firm on the threshold of freedom and liberty and have shown that they are the icons of democracy and liberty.
“Words alone cannot express my appreciation to them all,” the governor-elect said.
Muhammed also said that the auspicious achievement recorded by the PDP in the supplementary election deserved to be celebrated.
He however, called on all his supporters to celebrate in peace.
“They should all go out to celebrate but they should celebrate in peace and with gratitude to God because what we want is peace and tranquility, harmony and good relationship with one another.
“We do not have any acrimony or hatred against anybody, even those who didn’t vote for us, we want them to join us in this celebration because this is democracy,” he said.
Muhammed also appreciated the security agencies in the state promising to continue to work with them as they had shown they were the key partners of the society.
source: www.vanguardngr.com/2019/03/bauchi-governor-elect-bala-mohammed-promises-good-governance/

The Executive Vice Chairman of NCC, Prof. Umar Danbatta, disclosed this when delegates from the United States Trade and Development Agency (USTDA) paid him a courtesy visit at the commission’s headquarters.
Danbatta said that the planned disbursement was part of the commission’s strategies to boost broadband penetration and make it pervasive nationwide.
He said that it was part of the digital transformation agenda which NCC had put in place for actualisation, stressing that the subsidy would augment the InfraCos’ Capital Expenditure (CAPEX).
Danbatta said that the InfraCo scheme had a public-private partnership (PPP) arrangement, with a subsidy component that was being worked out for the licensees to fast-track deployment in their respective zones.
”The licensees are expected to play some roles and NCC too is to play some roles to encourage broadband infrastructure deployment by the licensees.
”Currently, we have seen the licensees’ CAPEX, we have negotiated the CAPEX and we have arrived at percentage of subsidies based on the negotiation that we have had with them.
”However, the subsidy will be paid to them by the commission upon attainment of reasonable milestones by the licensees in their zones of deployment,” he said in a statement on Sunday.
The chairman said that the six licensed InfraCos included: MainOne Ltd for Lagos Zone; Raeana Nigeria Ltd for South-South Zone, O’dua Infraco Resources Ltd for South-West Zone and Fleek Networks Ltd for North-West Zone.
Others are Brinks Integrated Solutions for North-East Zone and Zinox Technologies Ltd for the South-East Zone while the remaining seventh licence for North Central Zone is being processed.
Danbatta said that the idea of InfraCo was an auspicious initiative of the commission, as it will see licensees deploy their infrastructure for a period spanning five years.
He said that the InfraCos would provide wholesale services to other licensees to drive last-mile connectivity to people in the rural, under-served and unserved areas of the country.
”We are trying to build an intra-city and inter-city networks that will be able to connect citizens all over the country irrespective of where they are and what their circumstances are.
”To that extent, we have decided to provide access points in all the 774 local government areas in the country, trying to provide access to close to 190 million Nigerians, a lot of whom live in rural communities,” he said.
Danbatta said that the commission was adopting fixed and wireless broadband approaches to its broadband infrastructure development.
He, however, said that the InfraCo model was open to the use of combination of terrestrial, sub-terrestrial and aerial fibre optic deployment options and the use of Television White Space (TVWS) spectrum to provide connectivity in rural areas.
The Chairman, Board of NCC, Sen. Olabiyi Durojaiye, called on USTDA to work with the commission towards addressing deployment challenges.
Durojaiye said that some InfraCo licensees in the South-South geo-political zone were faced with challenges due to the riverine, swampy nature of the region.
The Acting Country Director, USTDA, Thomas Hardy, commended NCC for achieving and surpassing the country’s broadband penetration target of 30 per cent in 2018.
Hardy said that the agency’s mission was to see areas where it could help to support the digital transformation goals of the country.
He said that USTDA would work with NCC and other organisations to open up opportunity for greater trade, greater economic development and closer bilateral cooperation.
”As a small foreign sister agency of US, with a long-standing history in Nigeria, we support economic infrastructure projects.
”We help in the telecommunications, energy and transport sectors, where countries have identified their priority development goals in the area of infrastructure development.
”Through US companies, we develop an independent analysis of ways to meet your infrastructure goals,” he said.
source: www.vanguardngr.com/2019/03/ncc-concludes-process-for-subsidy-disbursements-to-infracos-danbatta/

Dr Kunle Olajide, the Secretary-General, Yoruba Council of Elders ( YCE ), has tasked President Muhammadu Buhari to ensure true federalism and national unity.
Olajide told the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) that the president needed to return the nation to the era of revenue generation and not sharing of allocation.
NAN reports that Olajide is also a retired medical practitioner and a traditional title holder in Ibadan land.
“I have written a congratulatory letter to the president on his re-election and assured him of YCE’s support for his administration towards achieving a greater Nigeria.
“In the letter, I told him that his victory carries enormous responsibilities among which were the need to ensure national unity and a revisit of the El-Rufai’s committee report on restructuring.
“The president has replied the letter, appreciating it and the in-depth suggestions.
“He assured me that the suggestions will be given adequate cognisance,” he said.
The YCE leader said the nation could achieve rapid growth and development with true federalism which allowed devolution of powers.
He stressed that the decisions of the Gov. Nasir El-Rufai led committee on restructuring set up by Buhari’s administration in 2017 was far-reaching, calling on the president to revisit the report.
“We have to gradually move back to the period of generating revenue and not sharing revenue.
“Each federating unit should be allowed to exploit and explore its resources.
“They should then pay an agreed percentage to maintain few essential services in the centre such as Defence, Foreign Affairs, Immigration and Custom services,” he said.
Olajide said that there were only 14 items on the exclusive list in the First Republic and the rest were residual for the states.
According to him, “today, there are 66 items on the exclusive list. The intervention of the military in 1966 truncated the march to true federalism.
“So, in the next four years, Buhari should be able to finish the process, foundation and implementation of the El-Rufai’s committee recommendations.
“I think it is very essential that the report is implemented as a first step to entrench a true federal system of government.”
He also called on the president to make national unity a priority, urging him to ensure that all parts of the country were given sense of belonging through appointments and projects.
“The president should ensure that his appointments reflect the diversity of Nigeria and in line with the Federal Character Principle enshrined in the Nigerian Constitution.
“We must ensure that people think of Nigeria before anything else, irrespective of tribe and religious affiliation. The president must ensure that he bequeaths a legacy of a United Nigeria
“He must ensure that the people remained the centre of all their decisions, including security of lives and properties.”
On the 2019 general election, he said that the nation had made some progress, adding that the conduct was still better than those witnessed in the past.
Olajide opined that INEC should be unbundled from its overloaded responsibilities.
He said the electoral umpire should only be responsible for registering of political parties and conduction of elections.
He called for the constitution of Election Offence Tribunal to handle cases of electoral malpractice.
The YCE leader said that civil security agencies and not military, should play roles in elections, suggesting recruitment of more personnel for the police as well as NSCDC to meet up with required number.
“Let me confess. I am very proud of the Yoruba race. The outcome of the election gladdens my heart considerably because the political temperature was very high during the campaign season.
“Everybody was anxious and worried that there might be widespread violence. Yes, there were violence and skirmishes here and there, but not to the extent envisaged.
“Looking at the conduct of the election by itself, I think we have made progress. We are not yet there, but we are far better than where we were before in Yorubaland,” he said.
source: thenationonlineng.net/our-expectations-from-buharis-second-term-yce/

The presidential candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party, Atiku Abubakar, has congratulated the party’s governorship candidate in Sokoto election, Gov. Aminu Tambuwal, after he was announced the winner of the re-run election by the Independent National Electoral Commission ( INEC ) on Sunday.
On his verified Twitter handle, Atiku also hailed the decision of the people of Sokoto.
He said: “I congratulate His Excellency, Governor Aminu Tambuwal on his re-election and I assure the good people of Sokoto state that they have made the right decision that will see them continue on the path to peace, progress and prosperity. -AA # SokotoDecides”
Atiku Abubakar
@atiku
I congratulate His Excellency, Governor Aminu Tambuwal on his re-election and I assure the good people of Sokoto state that they have made the right decision that will see them continue on the path to peace, progress and prosperity. -AA #SokotoDecides
3,222 2:39 PM - Mar 24, 2019
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source: thenationonlineng.net/sokoto-rerun-atiku-congratulates-tambuwal-on-re-election/

The Peoples Democratic Party ( PDP ) has won the two state constituencies in which supplementary election took place on Saturday, according to results obtained from the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) Sunday afternoon.
The PDP candidate in Nassarawo/Binyeri State Constituency in Mayo-Belwa LGA, Umar Nashon, won the contest in that constituency by polling 10,733 votes against the 7,185 received by the candidate of the All Progressives Congress (APC).
In the Uba/g*ya State Constituency in Hong LGA, Abbas Aminu Iya of the PDP narrowly defeated his APC opponent, Mohammed Atiku. Abass Iya got 7,251 votes while Mohammed Atiku had 7,238 votes.
With the two wins, the PDP now has 13 seats in the next session of the Adamawa State House of Assembly to post a slim majority.
The PDP and APC got eleven seats each when the main state House of Assembly election was conducted on March 9. The African Democratic Congress (ADC) won one seat during the March 9 election. The state assembly comprises 25 seats.
The supplementary election had been fixed for Saturday in the two state constituencies after the March 9 election was postponed in Nasarawo/Binyeri because a candidate died close to the election, while votes were cancelled in three polling units in Uba/g*ya during the March 9 election there.
source: thenationonlineng.net/adamawa-assembly-pdp-wins-2-remaining-constituencies/

Minister of State for Agriculture and Rural Development, Senator Heineken Lokpobiri on Sunday said he would not appear before the Judicial Commission of Inquiry set up by Bayelsa State Governor, Seriake d**kson, to investigate electoral violence in the state.
The minister described the commission as a mere smokescreen to divert the attention of the people of the state from alleged d**kson’s bad governance in the past seven years.
Lokpobiri condemned what he described as the governor’s incessant setting up of commissions against the letters and the spirit of the Nigerian Constitution.
The Justice Inikade Eradiri-led commission invited Lokpobiri and other leaders and chieftains of the All Progressives Congress (APC) to appear before it and clear themselves of alleged involvement in violent conducts during the general elections.
But Lokpobiri in a statement signed by his Special Adviser, Media, Mr. George Oji, said the invitation was d**kson’s usual antics to cow opposition in the state.
The minister said the concern of the impoverished people of Bayelsa was alleged misappropriation of the state’s resources of the state by d**kson and not the diversionary issue of the commission of inquiry.
Lokpobiri urged d**kson to forget the commission and face the task of explaining to Bayelsans how he expended the huge financial accruals to the state, which he said had risen to a whooping N1.4trn.
He said: “As we speak, the money that has accrued to the state has increased to N1.4trn and there is nothing to show for it. Let d**kson give proper account of this. Let d**kson forget about the so-called commission of inquiry and give proper account of how this money has been spent.
“This is also a wake up call to Bayelsans that this is an attempt by d**kson to divert attention from the real issues of corruption and deliberate impoverishment of our people.
“Bayelsans should begin to interrogate d**kson concerning the volume of money that has come to the state, including the bailout funds, the loans, as well as the domestic and foreign loans. The people should try to match it with the projects and what is on the ground. That is what Bayelsans want to know.”
Lokpobiri insisted that governance was a more serious business than talking about frivolous issues and making false claims that had little or nothing to do with accountability.
He challenged d**kson to public debate to explain his stewardship in office saying the commission was unnecessary since according to him there was no single political violence involving the APC in Bayelsa during the last elections in the state.
He claimed that the only incidence of violence he could remember was the killing of an APC member, at Tungboabiri, Sagbama, which was perpetrated by PDP thugs before the elections and the recovery of of arms, including AK47 from PDP thugs.
Lokpobiri accused d**kson of using the Nigerian Army Engineering Regiment in Toro-Orua, the governor’s home town, and the state security outfit, Door-Akpor set up to divert election materials and prevent APC agents from accessing the collation center in Sagbama, where the rigging of the elections were perpetrated.
source: thenationonlineng.net/lokpobiri-to-d**kson-i-wont-come-to-your-commission-of-inquiry/

A 22-year-old Koromiaware Kenneth has lamented her ordeals following the killing of her husband, Kenneth Adebor, at Nembe-Bassambiri, Nembe Local Government Area, Bayelsa State, a day before the Presidential and National Assembly elections in the state.
Mrs. Kenneth, who was four-month-old pregnant said her husband was killed by political thugs. She urged security agencies to fish out his killer.
She spoke when the state leader of the APC and former Governor Timipre Sylva met her family in Yenagoa at the weekend to commiserate with them following the incident.
She told Sylva that life had been difficult since the death of her husband and wondered how she would cope with losing her husband to violence at her young age of 22.
“What will I tell my baby when I give birth? How will I cope? On that day, my husband told me to cook for him. After that, I went to my friend’s place. I later spoke to him and he told me he was at home. I later heard that he was dead.
“I still feel so bad because I am pregnant for him. The pregnancy was four months when he died. Since his death, life has not been easy. Political thugs killed my husband. Security agencies should find them for making me a widow at 22. It is traumatising for a young girl like me to be a widow”, she said.
In his remarks, Sylva said he was highly disturbed at the violence against APC members during the last elections in the state.
He sympathized with the window and her family and said the party was with her in her time of grief adding that he and other APC leaders would continue to support her.
Narrating the circumstance that led to the death of Kenneth, he said: “It is a touching moment to see a young girl like this being made a widow because of politics. What are we really looking for? When the husband was killed nothing was going on yet. It was a night before the election.
“The PDP candidate came into the community with thugs and this young man was just walking by but he was cut down by the thugs without any provocation at all. Now, look at the young lady pregnant for him. She is a widow.
“I needed to see her because as a party member, the husband was quite committed to APC and for the wife to have lost him like this, we have to come together as friends to do something for him. She just told me that she is due to deliver in August. We have to support her”.
Sylva said it was unfortunate that the PDP leaders were the ones always quick to accuse the APC of violence despite contrary evidence.
“They have the police, the security, the government, information organs and they have the money. So, nobody has a say.
“People only hear the PDP. The APC doesn’t have a voice, because we are not in government in the state. But is clear that the end of the PDP government is near in Bayelsa State”, he said .
source: thenationonlineng.net/political-thugs-made-me-a-widow-at-22-says-wife-of-slain-apc-member/

The Internally Generated Revenue of the 18 local government areas of Edo State has hit N210m monthly.
Before the coming of Governor Godwin Obaseki, the 18 local government area could barely raise N30m monthly.
State Commissioner for Local Government and Community Affairs, Hon Jimoh Ijegbai, who disclosed this in a chat with newsmen said the introduction of e-ticketing helped to boost revenue of the local councils.
Ijegbai said plans were on to block leakages in the council’s revenue through the introduction of scratch cards.
He said the scratch cards were already being test run in Ikpoba-Okha, Egor and Oredo local government areas.
According to him, “If you look across the 18 local government areas. You will see massive infrastructural development. For the first time, Esan South East now have a transport line. They never had it before and their salaries are now regular.
“In December, Mr. Governor approved 50 percent of their savings for grading of rural roads. We have completed work on 20 primary health centres we used as pilot scheme. We want to use technology to drive our primary health. We now have Primary Health Care Development Agency. That will enable access whatever is due to Edo from the National level.
“Before Obaseki came in, the 18 local governments IGR was about N30m monthly but it is now oscillating between N190m to N210m. By the time we leverage on all other sources, it will improve more than. We will now be using scratch cards to block minor leakages we are seeing. ”
source: thenationonlineng.net/edo-lg-igr-hits-n210m/

The People’s Democratic Party (PDP) has won four out of the five Local Government Areas where supplementary elections held in Imo State on Saturday, bringing to a total of 13 Assembly seats won by the party.
The Action Alliance (AA) clinched the remaining LGA to win a total of eight Assembly seats, while the All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA) won a total of six Assembly seats.
Meanwhile, the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) did not win in any of the 27 Council Areas.
The supplementary election held in Ngor-Okpala, Ikeduru, Oguta, Isu and Orlu LGAs.
The election was characterised by heavy voter apathy and violence
With the outcome of the result, the PDP now has the majority seat in the incoming House of Assembly.
source: thenationonlineng.net/pdp-leads-imo-assembly-with-13-seats/

Governor Aminu Waziri Tambuwal has assured of running an all inclusive government that would move the Sokoto state to purposeful heights with opportunities for all.
Tambuwal who was shortly announced winner of governorship elections after defeating his opponent, Alhaji Ahmed Aliyu Sokoto by a slim margin in tough contested polls made the remark when a tumultuous crowd of jubilant supporters and well wishers thronged Government House in celebration of his victory.
The governor who is reelected for the second term of another four years expressed appreciation to the entire people of the state especially PDP members for the feat he described as the will of God.
” I am thanking Allah for what we are witnessing today in our political journey that is blessed with victory. It is not my making nor anyones but something that has been destined by Allah. It is the collective efforts of Sokoto state people.”
Tambuwal, however, appealed to the jubilant supporters mostly youths to conduct themselves in a peaceful and orderly manner while expressing their joy for the victory.
Meanwhile, Government House Sokoto continued to be a beehive of activities with all kinds of victory slogans, songs and music renting the air as major streets in the metropolis taken over by jubilant supporters in a motorcade with others on motorcycles singing” Sai Mutawalle” just as they lite fire on bunches of brooms declaring the end of APC in Sokoto.
source: thenationonlineng.net/tambuwal-promises-all-inclusive-government/

The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission ( EFCC ) has declared a former Director General of the National Intelligence Agency (NIA), Amb. Ayodele Oke and his wife, Folasade, wanted in connection with alleged N13billion fraud.
The cash had to do with $43,449,947, £27,800 and N23,218,000 recovered by the EFCC from an apartment at Osborne Road, Ikoyi, Lagos, in April 2017.
But a family source said Oke, who has been away abroad got medical treatment, had not been served the charges against him.
He said Oke is not on the run but attending to his fragile health.
A statement by the Acting Head of Media and Publicity of the commission, Mr. Tony Orilade said the couple were declared wanted after they failed to answer fraud charges filed against them.
The statement said: “Justice Chukwujeku Aneke of a Federal High Court Lagos, had on February 7, 2019 issued an arrest warrant on them, consequent upon an oral application by counsel for the EFCC, Rotimi Oyedepo.
“Oke and his wife are wanted in connection with the $43,449,947, £27,800 and N23,218,000 cash recovered by the EFCC from an apartment at Osborne Road, Ikoyi, Lagos, in April 2017.
“They are facing a four-count charge bordering on money laundering offence to the tune of N13 billion.
“One of the counts reads: “That you, Amb. Ayodele Oke and Mrs. Folasade Ayodele Oke between 25th day of August 2015 and 2nd day of September 2015 in Lagos, with in the jurisdiction of this court directly converted $160,777,136.85 property of the Federal Government of Nigeria to your own use which sum you reasonably ought to have known formed part of proceeds of an unlawful act to wit: criminal breach of trust and you thereby committed an offence contrary to Section 15 (2) (d) of the Money Laundering (Prohibition) (Amendment) Act 2012 and punishable under Section 15(3) of the same Act”.
A top source, who spoke in confidence with our correspondent, said: “Twice, we have been to court but he refused to appear to answer the charges against him. We trailed him to NIA quarters but we avoided barging into the premises.
“But later the trail signal disappeared which indicated that he had gone underground.
“We explained our dilemma to the court and it gave us the go-ahead to look for him.”
Responding to a question, the source added: “What we have done now is to watch-list him. Wherever he is, whoever sees him airport, seaport and land borders should report to any security agency.
” At this stage, what we need to do is to serve him charges.”
A family source however said: “As at today, Oke and his wife have not been served any charges. They only arraigned him after he has gone abroad for treatment. Before he left the country, there was no communication from the anti-graft agency.
“How can the EFCC declare the ex-NIA boss wanted after he had appeared before them for questioning? Once he is through with his medical care, Oke and his wife will report to the EFCC accordingly.”
source: thenationonlineng.net/alleged-n13b-fraud-efcc-declares-ex-nia-boss-wife-wanted/

President Muhammadu Buhari on Sunday in Abuja congratulated First Bank Nigeria on its 125th anniversary, which he said “historically and remarkably marked the commencement of banking in the country in 1894’’.
In a statement by his Special Adviser on Media and Publicity, Mr Femi Adesina, the president felicitated with the bank on behalf of the Federal Executive Council (FEC) and Nigerians in general.
President Buhari joined the financial services industry, particularly the banking sector, in celebrating “the purposefulness, prudence and propriety that has become the hallmark of the bank for more than a century and quarter’’.
He also congratulated the Board, management and staff for upholding the vision of the founder, Alfred Lewis Jones.
The President saluted the vision and strength of character of the management in providing a voice for the Nigerian economy by rendering competitive financial services that had culminated in spread of branches across the country, Africa and Europe.
According to him, as the oldest bank in Nigeria, the FBN has lived up to the expectation of customers over the years, both private and public, necessitating its survival and continuous service as a formidable training ground for many Nigerian bankers and chief executives.
He noted that such chief executives had also established banks and served the country as Governors of Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN).
While celebrating the milestone and great achievements of FBN, the president commended banks in the country for generally supporting government policies in buoying the economy.
He especially lauded banks for their renewed focus on infrastructural development and providing financial lifelines for businesses.
He, however, urged them to always explore partnerships that would benefit the country and promote trust.
source: thenationonlineng.net/buhari-felicitates-with-firstbank-on-125th-anniversary/

I pray for more grace to the church(all individual).

Ecclesiastes 7 vs 10

Prayer is the key to all locked doors. We all need prayers and we all want our prayers to be answered but are you praying the right prayers? Are you living the right way you ought to live that will make your prayers to be answered. Hope you arent praying for things because you want to boast and make others feel uncountable-James 4 vs 2-3. Pray the right prayers as from today and let Spirit assist you- Romans 8 vs 26-27, Luke 11 vs 9-10. Forgive others- Mark 11 vs 25-26
1. Pray against the Spirit of deceit- Acts 5 vs 1-11. You might be deceiving yourself and be thinking you are deceiving God. Dont forget God sees all things. Be true to yourself in your way of life and also be true to God. When your life is full of deceit you end up ruining yourself
2. Pray against loss and failure.
3. Pray to God to help you to be free from sin- 1st John 3 vs 9. Isaiah 59 vs 1-8. Pray on sins that easily entangles you if you've given your life to Christ and you still see yourself falling into some sins easily and be determined to leave your sinful life alone(Dont let the sins that easily entangles you be sweet to you because they are deadly that destroys ones life)- Hebrews 12 vs 1
4. Confess every hidden sin and secret convenant to God- Proverbs 28 vs 13
5. Pray against every attack of the devil which cuts ones glory Short-Judges 16 vs 20
6. Pray for joy in your home, life and country.
7. Pray to God to break every yoke and let misunderstanding happen between you and those who will allow you trust them and later deceive you and put you into trouble.
8. Pray for more of God in your life.
9. Pray that his Spirit never depart from you.
10. Pray your destiny is never exchanged or destroyed.
11. Pray to God to break the yoke of any family curse in your life.-Proverbs 26 vs 2
I pray the LORD will make himself known in your life Amen. You are born great and you shall fulfil destiny Amen. Isaiah 3 vs 10
I wish you all the best in life. REMAIN BLESSED

Amen and you too.

I gave my dog weed to make him to be Sharp and brave can you imagine I have been running since morning.