‘El-Rufai lied, Jonathan didn’t spend N64bn on Independence

Former Minister of National Planning, Dr. Abubakar Suleiman

Former President Dr. Goodluck Jonathan Administration has denied reports attributed to the Governor of Kaduna State, Mallam Nasir el-Rufai that it spent over N64bn on Nigeria’s Independence celebrations in five years.

Operators of the former administration said in a statement signed on its behalf by the immediate past Minister /Deputy Chairman, National Planning, Dr. Abubakar Sulaiman, that the administration spent N332.6m on Independence celebrations from 2012 to 2014.

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Sulaiman, who described the claim as a tissue of lies, challenged the Federal Government to make public the amount spent on the Independence Anniversary celebrations from 2012 to 2014.

He said the Federal Government under Jonathan spent N107.6m in 2012; N45m in 2013; and N180m in 2014.

He said that while the amount spent on the anniversary celebrations in 2010 and 2011 were not immediately available, they were in the same bracket with the other years.

The former minister said that there was an increase in the total sum spent on the celebrations in 2010 because of the Golden Jubilee celebration, adding that the sum budgeted was not the outrageous amount quoted by the governor.

He wondered where El-Rufai got the billions which he said was spent on the anniversary celebrations in five years from.

Suleiman said, “We were taken aback by the recent comment reportedly credited to His Excellency, Governor Nasir el-Rufai, where he claimed that the immediate past President, His Excellency, Dr. Goodluck Ebele Jonathan’s administration spent N64bn to cover the country’s Independence anniversary spending in five years.

“This tissue of lies was contained on his Facebook comment on Thursday. Ordinarily, we would have allowed this to go as just the ranting of a favour seeker, but for the sake of the ordinary Nigerians who were abreast of happenings under the administration and also those who never did, we will like to set the record straight.

“It is important to correct the misinformation so that the unsuspecting public would not be misled. For the record, a breakdown of our anniversary spending between 2012 and 2014 amounted to N332.6m. We challenge the Office of the Government of the Federation to publish these details for the consumption of the public.”

“For the record, a breakdown of our spending for this event between 2012 and 2104 goes thus: 2012 had N107.6m; 2013 was N45m and 2014 had N180m. So, the question here is where did the billions as claimed by El-Rufai emanate from?

“Even though those of 2010 and 2011 are not handy now, it should be known that they all fell within the same bracket as the one stated, except that the 2010 anniversary was a golden one when the country marked her 50 year of independence. But even then, not such outrageous sum was either budgeted or expended.

“Again, it is germane to explain the increase in the 2013 anniversary spending for the purpose of accountability. The National Honours Award Investiture was incorporated into the celebration, thus making it two events in one, hence the N174, 800,000.00 budget. We also want to add that the said award investiture could not hold in 2013 and the approved budget rolled over and was utilised to organise the investiture in 2014.”

He urged government functionaries to desist from abusing their immunities and destroying history for their selfish interests.

He said that former President Olusegun Obasanjo may have been right when he accused El-Rufai of lying and unfair embellishment in his memoir, ‘My Watch’, with his current claim.

He urged President Muhammadu Buhari to be on his guard and not to allow those bent on misinforming Nigerians to mislead him.

“Perhaps, President Olusegun Obasanjo was right in his assessment of El-Rufai when he said in his latest memoir, ‘My Watch’, that his vivid recollection of him (E-Rufai)is his penchant for lying, for unfair embellishment of stories and his inability to sustain loyalty for long.

“That exactly is what El-Rufai has done with his ungodly fabrication of lies against the Jonathan government.

“One hope is that President Buhari would be on guard against being misled by the likes of El-Rufai, who are hell bent on misinforming Nigerians.

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Thugs attack Ayefele band in Ondo

Yinka Ayefele

Some youths suspected to be thugs on Saturday reportedly attacked a popular juju musician, Yinka Ayefele, in Ijare town in Ifedore Local Government Area of Ondo State, disrupting his performance.

It was learnt that the musician was invited to the town to entertain guests at a burial ceremony held at Odo Oja street in the town but the hoodlums were said to have disrupted the performance. No fewer than 15 people were reportedly injured during the attack.

Though Ayefele was reported to have escaped from the scene unhurt,   some of his band boys were not lucky as they were reportedly beaten when the hoodlums discovered that their leader had escaped. Some of the guests were also beaten by the hoodlums.

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According to a source, the thugs complained that Ayefele got N3m for the performance and could not give them money from the performance fee.

Before the attack, the source narrated that the leader of the hoodlums sent one of his boys to the Ayefele, band leader to ask for the “ boys settlement” but was turned down.

The gang leader was said to be infuriated about the feedback and mobilised his boys to the venue of the party.

In other not to cause trouble, Ayefele’s band leader was said to have told the hoodlums to exercise patience till the end of the party.

After few minutes, when there was nothing for the thugs, the source said they broke bottles and plates at the party venue and destroyed the tent, tables and chairs.

It was also gathered that Ayefele was smuggled out of the venue of the party when the hoodlums moved towards the back of the state where to reach the musician. Some of the guests were also beaten by the thugs.

Normalcy was reportedly restored after over one hour when the security men dispersed the hoodlums.

However, the Public Relations Officer of the state Police Command, Mr. Femi Joseph, said there was no official report of the incident.

Also, efforts to get the musician’s comment proved futile as calls to his telephone number indicated that it was switched off.

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We’re not aware of Ooni contestant’s fraud case – Giesi

The Giesi Ruling House of Ife has said the family will present Prince Adeyeye Ogunwusi, who is being investigated by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission on allegation of fraud and forgery, to the kingmakers as the next Ooni if he is found to be among the most qualified aspirants.

Ogunwusi is one of the leading contestants to the stool from Giesi Ruling House. The family has been picked to produce the next Ooni of Ife.

The secretary of the Giesi Ruling House in Ife, Prince Adelowo Ogunleye, spoke in a telephone interview with our correspondent in Osogbo on Saturday.

Ogunleye said the family was not aware of the case with the anti-graft agency, stressing that the family would have carried out their own investigation on the matter if the petitioners had written to Giesi family.

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The secretary of the ruling house said, “That allegation is between him (Ogunwusi) and the petitioners. We are not aware of it. We read the petition in PUNCH just like other members of the public.

“We interviewed him (Ogunwusi) just like we did other candidates and he did not mention the case. Nobody raised any matter against him. If they had written formally to us, we would have investigated.

“If he is qualified, we will present him to the kingmakers. Nobody informed us of any case against him.

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SEE The Men Buhari Is Bringing On His Second Ministers List

*Okorocha’s in-law, Odimegwu, Nnaji, etc.
Just days after submitting the list of the first set of ministerial nominees, President Muhammadu Buhari is weighing options on the next batch of nominees. Last minutes of intense horse-trading and lobbying are ongoing in the states without any representation on the first list.

Investigation showed that the jostle for the other slots has become intense.

The states that the second set of ministers will emerge from are:

Ondo, Kogi, Abia, Enugu, Imo, Bayelsa, Borno, Cross River, Nasarawa, Yobe, Zamfara, Osun, Kaduna, Bauchi, Sokoto, Adamawa, Lagos.

A reliable source, who spoke in confidence, said: “Despite the fact that the President has set his own criteria, he is weighing options on the remaining candidates because of interplay of factors.

“Although some aides are proposing the retention of the 42-man ministerial structure, others are urging the President to stick to the 36-team model prescribed by the 1999 Constitution.

“The submission of the first batch of 21 names to the Senate has heightened lobby for the remaining slots.”

It was gathered that governors, party leaders at all levels and associates have been trying to reach out to the President and “strategic aides.”

But the battle for the slots was said to be keen because no one knew the mindset of the President.

Another source said: “For instance in Imo, ex-President Olusegun Obasanjo wants the slot for a former Chairman of the National Population Commission (NPC), Chief Festus Odimegwu but Governor Rochas Okorocha is rooting for his in-law, Prof. Anthony Anwuka (a former vice chancellor).

“In Abia State, the jostle is between Buhari’s old associate, Ike Emenike and the party’s guber candidate, Anyim Nzeribe, who is a loyalist of Governor Rochas Okorocha in the state.”

“Having been familiar with the politics of Kaduna, President Buhari is taking sole charge of the ministerial nominee from the state, based on certain indices.

“In fact, Governor Nasir el-Rufai is actually staying away from making any input in the nomination process. He has left the President and other stakeholders to sort it out.

“In Ondo, the race for the ticket is between a former President of the NBA, Rotimi Akeredolu (SAN) and a top politician from the state, who was an executive of a multinational company.

“In Osun, there are three candidates for the slot and Buhari is expected to pick one. They are ex-Governor Olagunsoye Oyinlola (recommended for his support to Governor Rauf Aregbesola and APC); the immediate past Vice Chancellor of the University of Ibadan, Prof. Isaac Adewole and a prominent politician in the state.

“Apart from also being a favourite of Obasanjo, ex-Governor Oyinlola’s candidacy is also being promoted by some forces in APC.

In Enugu State, our source said the list is longer despite the fact that the state chapter of APC could only garner 14,000 votes (less than 3 per cent of the total votes cast) for Buhari.

The source added: “We have Comrade Osita Okechukwu, who is a reliable associate of Buhari. Although Okechukwu, the National Publicity Secretary of CNPP, has not met Buhari since his inauguration, he is said to be not too keen.

“But others vying for ministerial slot are ex-Minister of Power, Prof. Barth Nnaji (seeking a third term in FEC); APC National Vice Chairman, South-East, Emma Eneukwu; APC governorship candidate, Chief Okey Ezea and Chief Onyemuche Nnamani.

“In spite of the Kwara State slot going to the National Publicity Secretary of APC, Alhaji Lai Mohammed, the President of the Senate, Dr. Bukola Saraki is still lobbying for the return of his “godson” and ex-minister of sports, Bolaji Abdullahi, who was the Deputy Chairman of the Strategy Committee for the APC Presidential Campaign Council.

Abdullahi was rated as an asset during the campaign, and for resigning from ex-President Goodluck Jonathan’s cabinet, he has earned the respect of some APC leaders.

“Saraki’s position may lead to the resuscitation of geopolitical representation in the Federal Executive Council to make the team 42.”

Investigation revealed that the challenge at hand is how Buhari will manage the choice of the remaining ministers because there are more than qualified party members, technocrats and long-standing and trusted associates.

A source in the Presidency added: “From the look of things, we may have to resort to consensus on some nominees as the case in some states.

“Let me give you the example of Ekiti State. When the nomination of the candidate for the state was knotty, ex-Governors Niyi Adebayo and Segun Oni met with Buhari where Oni declared without reservation that the slot should be given to Dr. Kayode Fayemi. And that assisted in tackling the matter.

As at press time, findings confirmed that most APC governors were shocked that the President did not allow them to make input into the choice of his ministers.

A source in the APC Governors Forum said: “The President determined those he wanted to work with him. To a large extent, the governors were not consulted on those picked from our states. But they have to bear with the President because it is his constitutional prerogative.

He said many governors woke up to read the list of cabinet members like every Nigerian.

“Since the President does not choose commissioners for the governors, they cannot pick his ministers for him. I think he is trying to do away with the past culture put in place by the PDP.

“The governors were no doubt shocked or surprised but the consolation is that he has chosen credible people.”

Apart from the governors, senators desirous of having the ministerial list would have to wait till Tuesday because the Senate President was said to have refused to open the envelope sent to him.

A Senator said: “We have all been pestering Saraki to have a glimpse of what was sent by the President but he said he would not open it until Tuesday.

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Pope expels gay priest from Vatican

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The Vatican, on Saturday, fired a senior priest, Krzysztof Charamsa, who publicly came out as gay on the eve of a major meeting of church leaders to discuss the Church’s stance on social issues such as divorce and homos*xuality.

A statement by a spokesman for Pope Francis described the Polish priest’s action as “very serious and irresponsible,” adding that he would be immediately sacked from his post as a theologian in the Vatican.

The statement read, “The decision to make such a pointed statement on the eve of the opening of the synod appears very serious and irresponsible, since it aims to subject the synod assembly to undue media pressure.”

Charamsa, who is a mid-level official in the Vatican bureaucracy’s dealing with church doctrine, flanked by his Spanish boyfriend while donning his priest’s collar, on Saturday, had earlier told a news conference in Rome that he was compelled to speak out against the “hypocrisy and paranoia” that he said had shaped the Church’s attitude to s*xual minorities.

The 43-year-old priest said, “I’m out of the closet, and I’m very happy about that. I want to be an advocate for all s*xual minorities and their families who have suffered in silence.”

He presented a 10-point “liberation manifesto” against “institutionalised homophobia in the Church,” which he said particularly oppressed the gay men who, according to him, make up the majority of priests.

He also revealed plans for a book about his 12 years at the heart of a Vatican bureaucracy, only just recovering from a scandal under previous Pope Benedict XVI over the influence of a “gay lobby” among senior clergy.

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Bakare condemns NANS for Obasanjo’s third term endorsement

Pastor Tunde Bakare

The Serving Overseer of the Latter Rain Assembly, Pastor ‘Tunde Bakare, has berated students in the country for losing their voice against the socio-economic and moral decadence in the country.

According to him, the society has replicated itself on campuses.

Bakare said this at the first National Students’ Summit organised by the Campus Life Project, the National Association of Nigerian Students and the Reach Out Integrated in Lagos on Saturday.

The fiery cleric spoke on ‘Campus Life Decay: What Went Wrong?’

The Convener of the Save Nigeria Group berated NANS for endorsing the third term agenda of former President Olusegun Obasanjo.

He lamented the spate of corruption, violence, incompetence and cluelessness among Nigerian politicians, which, he said, had become the characteristics of politics and leadership among students on campuses.

Bakare said, “We need to talk about the catastrophic quality of governance in the student unions with due respect to the few exceptions; we need to talk about how the corruption, aggrandisement, violence, incompetence and cluelessness among Nigerian politicians have become the characteristics of politics and leadership among students on campuses.

“We need to talk about the shameful endorsement of Obasanjo’s third-term agenda in 2005 by the National Association of Nigerian Students then led by Kenneth Hembe.

“We also need to talk about how student union leaders in different universities would scramble to share largesse from Nigerian politicians rather than speak truth to power.

“Before you talk about the profligate spending of politicians in your state capital or Abuja, you need to talk about how student leaders budget millions of naira for phantom phone calls.”

The former vice presidential candidate of the defunct Congress for Progressive Change stated that unlike when there was one major fellowship – the Lagos Varsity Christian Union — when he was a student, the many campus fellowships and churches today “are as powerless and helpless against the ills of the campus society as are the churches and mosques on the city streets.”

He said, “What I find disheartening, however, is the hijacking of student unionism by political godfathers with the aid of their student conspirators who go on to extend the bad governance records of their godfathers within student union circles and beyond, including rigging student union elections, deploying violence, and making themselves perpetual or never-graduating students in order to continue to feast on the perks of office much like their sit-tight political godfathers.”

Bakare, who decried the poor self-governance among students, said it was a shame that students protest over bed-bug infested mattresses.

Students of UNILAG had protested against bed-bug attacks in their hostels recently

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EFCC takes over Diezani’s Abuja residence …after London arrest, bail

Former Minister of Petroleum Resources, Mrs. Diezani Alison-Madueke

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Operatives of the Economic Financial Crimes Commission have taken over the residence of the former Minister of Petroleum Resources, Mrs. Diezani Alison-Madueke, in Asokoro, Abuja.

The operatives stormed Alison-Madueke’s residence on Friday shortly after she was arrested by the police in the United Kingdom.

The EFCC officials, who were fully armed, were sighted in two buses at the gate of the residence as of 8pm on Friday.

They had earlier stormed the place with three trucks, one of which was marked ‘police.’

Earlier, the former minister was arrested by the operatives of the National Crime Agency in London, the United Kingdom.

Investigations revealed that Alison-Madueke was arrested in relation to offences bordering on fraud and bribery.

The Spokesman for the UK High Commission in Abuja, Joe Abuku, confirmed to one of our correspondents that five persons were arrested by the agency.

The International Corruption Unit of the NCA, on its website, also confirmed the arrest of five people across London as part of an investigation into suspected bribery and money laundering activities.

The ICU is mainly responsible for investigating international corruption affecting developing countries.

Findings also revealed that her arrest was connected with her alleged mismanagement of the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation and missing funds in the corporation.

It was learnt that the Seizure Organised Crime Agency within the National Crimes Agency of the UK was responsible for arresting Alison-Madueke over the ongoing probe of allegations against her.

It was also learnt that Alison-Madueke was picked up by operatives of the SOCA at the instance of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, which had also been probing her in Nigeria, discreetly.

naijatonic investigations revealed that the SOCA has a working agreement with the EFCC in the area of investigation of allegations of financial crimes and proceeds of such crimes.

The source said, “It is true that the former Minister of Petroleum Resources, Mrs. Alison-Maduake, has been arrested by the UK’s National Crimes Agency, not the Metropolitan Police.

“There is an agency within the National Crimes Agency called the Seizures Organised Crimes Agency. She was actually arrested by operatives of SOCA because the agency has a working agreement with the EFCC.

“We have been cooperating with SOCA on a number of issues. “I can tell you that Diezani is being quizzed over allegations of bribery and fraud by the UK police.”

Investigations further revealed that the EFCC dispatched a team of crack investigators to Alison-Madueke’s residence at Frederick Chiluba Avenue, Asokoro, Abuja, moments after the commission was alerted that the investigation had commenced from the UK’s end.

It was further gathered that the EFCC operatives were still searching her residence as of the time of filing this report.

A relation of Alison-Madueke, who spoke on condition of anonymity, confirmed her arrest to one of our correspondents on Friday.

Our correspondent could not get the Head of Media and Publicity of the EFCC, Mr. Wilson Uwujaren, to comment on the issue as repeated calls to his mobile telephone line indicated that it was either switched off or in an area outside network coverage.

Speaking to one of our correspondents on the telephone, an official of the NCA, who didn’t disclose his identity, said he could not comment on an ongoing investigation.

“I’m afraid I cannot comment on an ongoing investigation,” he said. Another official of the ICU, who also didn’t disclose his identity, told naijatonic on the telephone that he could neither confirm nor deny that the former petroleum minister was arrested.

“It is part of our policy not to disclose information like that to anyone, so I cannot confirm nor deny that she has been arrested,” the official said.

Another official at the Press Office of the Department for International Development said he would get in touch with naijatonic on the development, but he had yet to do so as of the time of publishing this report.

The ICU, however, said it was stepping up its work to investigate cases of international corruption affecting developing countries. Its International Development Secretary, Justine Greening, on the agency’s website, said, “Corruption is not only picking the pockets of the poor, it is an enemy of prosperity and a brake on a country’s development. Through the international corruption unit, the best of British law enforcement will step up our aid work combating corruption head on across the developing world.”

The Joint Head of the ICU, Jon Benton, also said the work the agency was doing was absolutely vital for helping developing countries get back what is rightfully theirs.

“The UK has zero tolerance for overseas bribery and corruption,” he said.

Meanwhile, a source at the EFCC confirmed to The Cable, an online newspaper that the commission carried out a raid on Friday at the residence of the former minister.

The raid took place just few minutes after the ICU arrested the former minister, the report said.

“The raid on her [Alison-Madueke] residence today (Friday) yielded vital information that will help in the prosecution of the case. Many agencies across several countries are involved in this investigation. Anti-money laundering agencies in Austria, France, Switzerland, Nigeria and the UK are working together on it,” the source was quoted to have said.

The former petroleum resources minister’s arrest came two days after President Muhammadu Buhari announced himself as Nigeria’s Minister of Petroleum.

He had vowed to recover all looted funds worth several millions of dollars that were allegedly stolen in the petroleum ministry under the watch of Alison-Madueke, who had become an object of attacks from Nigerians over scandals that rocked the ministry during the former administration.

For instance, in June 2008, Alison-Madueke was subjected to a Senate probe after it emerged that as Transport Minister, she had paid N30.9bn ($263m) to contractors between December 26 and 31, 2007. She is said to be worth over N1bn.

However, she has never been officially charged or tried for these allegations and has strongly denied any wrongdoing. She was alleged to have spent billions of dollars inappropriately on private jets and responsible for some $20bn, reportedly missing.

She is also widely accused of reckless spending of government funds. When contacted, the Special Adviser to the President on Media and Publicity, Mr. Femi Adesina, said, “I have no comment or information on it. It is a security matter.”

Meanwhile, EFCC operatives also stormed the home of Jide Omokore, one of her business allies while she was the oil minister.

Omokore owns SPOG and Atlantic Energy and is said to be involved in multi-billion dollar oil deals, including kerosene scam that denied Nigeria’s treasury by over $6bn.

It was reported by Sahara Reporters that Omokore’s 9 Turnbull Street home in Ikoyi, Lagos and his Glover Street, Ikoyi office were raided by the EFCC operatives.

It was, however, learnt that the former minister was granted bail hours after she was detained by the ICU.

A report by Channels TV said that the London Police confirmed that she had been charged to court for money laundering and she’s expected to appear at the Charing Cross Police Station for questioning on Monday.

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Bomb blast: Pieces of human flesh litter Abuja suburb

Pieces of human flesh were seen on Saturday morning littering the roadside in a suburb of Abuja, Nyanya, where an explosive went off late on Friday.

The explosive was said to have been detonated at the Jikwoyi Park, Nyanya, on the popular Abuja-Keffi Expressway, claiming yet-to-be ascertained number of lives.

The late Friday incident was the third to be recorded in that vicinity.

Two previous incidents with heavy casualties were witnessed there last year.

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Our correspondent, who visited the scene as early as 6.30am on Saturday,  reported that the scene of the blast had been cordoned off by security operatives.

A combined team of soldiers, policemen, officials of the Nigerian Security and Civil Defence Corps as well as the Federal Road Safety Corps were seen controlling the crowd of onlookers which kept increasing every minute.

Some policemen wearing black T-shirts marked “EOD” were seen picking pieces of human flesh that still littered the road side.

The pieces of flesh were being packed inside cartons by the security operatives as wailing residents looked on.

Buses and cars that had their windscreens shattered as a result of the impact of the blasts were still at the scene.

An eyewitness, who identified himself simply as Aminu, told our correspondent that rescue workers recovered many corpses from the scene of the blast late Friday.

“What you see them packing now are pieces of flesh because many of the victims were torn into pieces. Corpses with several missing parts were taken away last night,” he said.

The incident has caused a serious traffic gridlock on the expressway inwards Abuja as many motorists made attempt to get a glimpse of the scene.

Security operatives were still having difficulties in controlling the surging crowd at the time of filing this report at 7.15am.

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34 killed, 39 injured by boko haram in maiduguri

Sani Usman

Boko Haram insurgents have killed over 34 people in Sajeri and Gwoza areas in Maiduguri, Borno State between Thursday and Friday.

Four female suicide bombers killed 13 people and injured 39 others in Sajeri while gunmen suspected to be Boko Haram members attacked Gwoza on Friday morning killing over 20 persons.

Confirming the development on Friday, the Acting Director, Army Public Relations, Colonel Sani Usman, said that multiple explosions rocked the Sajeri area on Thursday, killing at least 13 persons and injuring 39 others.

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Usman also confirmed that the injured victims of the attacks, which were carried out by four female suicide bombers, had been taken to the hospital.

He said, “There were bomb explosions at Sajeri, Maiduguri on Thursday. Troops, security, and emergency management were mobilised to the location. Although details are sketchy, four Boko Haram terrorists’ suicide bombers detonated their vests simultaneously.

“Three of them in the same area and the fourth detonated in front of a mosque. It has been confirmed that 14 people lost their lives and the 39 wounded people have been evacuated to the hospital.”

He, however, assured residents in the area that everything was being done to ensure their safety.

“We appeal to the people and residents in the affected area to remain calm. Everything is being done to secure lives and property,” he said.

Over 20 people were also said to have been killed when gunmen suspected to be Boko Haram insurgents attacked Gwoza in Maiduguri, on Friday.

The Executive Director, Stefanos Foundation, Mr. Mark Lipdo, who quoted military sources in an interview with naijatonic, said that the insurgents overran the town as early as 7.30am killing many people.

Gwoza was the first town to be declared Muslim caliphate by the insurgents on August 14, 2014, but it was later reclaimed by the military this year.

Lipdo expressed worry that the insurgents were still allowed to prowl about even when they had been chased out from some places.

He called on the military to maintain effective presence in places where the insurgents had been chased away from.

The attack on Gwoza came less than 24 hours after the insurgents attacked Kinchinga village in Madagali Local Government area of Adamawa State slitting the throats of five people.

Boko Haram insurgents have increasingly used suicide bombers to target civilians. On September 20, 2015, at least 117 people were killed in similar attacks in the city of Maiduguri.

The Boko Haram insurgency has also claimed more than 1,260 lives in the country since President Muhammadu Buhari assumed office on May 29, 2015.

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50 French firms to visit Nigeria next week

A delegation of 50 heads of French companies are expected to visit Nigeria next week to explore business opportunities and establish bilateral links in the country, the French Embassy said on Friday.
A statement by the First Counsellor, Political Affairs and Communication, Embassy of France, Georges Vanin, said the business delegation was the first of its kind from France to any African country.
The statement said the delegation was organised by the Movement of the Enterprises of France, France’s leading network of entrepreneurs and the largest employer federation with 800,000 member firms.
According to it, the French companies on the delegation include those in the building, transportation, environment, energy and sustainable cities sectors.
“The largest economy and the largest population on the continent, the middle class is emerging in Nigeria, which demand new infrastructural facilities and equipment, but also in services and leisure,” the statement read.
The statement quoted the President of MEDEF, Mr Pierre Gattaz, as saying Nigeria was a land of investments and development for French businesses.
“Nigeria is a land of investments and development for French companies. Africa is our new frontier. We are friends and have much to gain by building strong, confident and sustainable business relationships.
“Although, France has much to contribute to Africa, but Africa has so much to bring to France,” Gattaz said.
It added that Gattaz would lead the delegation of the 50 companies – small, medium or large – interested in the many opportunities of the Nigerian market.

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Ex-Minister of Petroleum Resources, Diezani Alison-Madueke arrested in london

Ex-Minister of Petroleum Resources, Diezani Alison-Madueke

Immediate past petroleum minister, Deizani Alison-Madueke, was on Friday arrested in London by the United Kingdom National Crime Agency along with four others for alleged money laundering.
Details later…

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SEE GOBE: Man Who May Emerge the Ooni of Ife in Alleged N400m Fraud

The EFCC has begun investigation into allegations of forgery, fraudulent conversion and obtaining the sum of N400m by false pretence against Adeyeye Ogunwusi and his firm, Metropole Interproject Ltd.

Ogunwusi is said to be one of the lead contestants for the vacant stool of the Ooni of Ile-Ife.

In a petition written by the chambers of Rotimi Jacobs & Co. dated September 7, 2015, Messrs Sijuwade Holdings Limited stated that in 1993, it purchased a parcel of land measuring 30,000 square metres from the Ojomu Chieftaincy Family at the Lekki peninsula, Lagos, and duly obtained the Governor’s Consent to the transaction.

Thereafter, SHL claimed it entered into an agreement with Metropole Interproject Limited for the latter to sand-fill the entire parcel of land, and that upon completion of the sand filling, Metropole would be given 7,500 square metres from the land “to serve as the company’s fees.”

The petition stated that after the completion of the sand-filling, Metropole offered to develop the remaining portion of land for SHL, adding that the offer was accepted on the condition that the development would be in phases.

The responsibilities of Metropole as stated in the Development Mandate Agreement included the funding of the development and procurement of all necessary permits from the federal and Lagos State governments; as well as the funding/construction of 24 duplex units on the 7,500 square metres and this was to form the basis of Metropole’s equity in the project entitling the developer to 16 units out of the 24.

The petition stated, “Our client (Sijuwade Holdings) gave Mr. Ogunwusi the title document (which was in our client’s name), including the tax clearance of two directors to process the necessary permits required for the construction. After the completion of phase 1, our client requested copies of the approvals and consent, but Mr. Ogunwusi refused to provide them.

“Our client engaged the services of a town planner (TG Marchnata) to conduct a search at the offices of the Lagos State Physical Planning and Development Authority. The town planner got copies of all the documents submitted by Mr. Ogunwusi/Metropole for the purposes of procuring the building permits for the construction.

“To our client’s surprise, the search revealed that Mr. Ogunwusi/Metropole had forged the title documents by superimposing the name of Metropole Interproject Limited as a co-owner of the parcel of land. The signature of Professor Olawoyin, SAN, who prepared the title document was also forged by Mr. Ogunwusi/Metropole.

“Mr. Ogunwusi also submitted a forged Certificate of Incorporation with the name: Metropole Interproject & Sijuwade Holdings Limited. He also forged some documents belonging to the Lagos State Government and uttered same to the Lagos State Physical Planning and Development Authority.”

The petition further stated, “Meanwhile, before our client got to know about the fraudulent activities of Mr. Ogunwusi/Metropole, our client had, in line with the agreement it had with Mr. Ogunwusi/Metropole, issued title in favour of Metropole and its nominees for the units due to the company.

“Apart from the forgery earlier complained about, Mr. Ogunwusi/Metropole has also sold the eight duplex units that ought to have accrued to our client and he converted the proceeds, running into N400m, to his personal use.”

The petitioner, therefore, asked the EFCC to investigate the circumstances under which the title documents were allegedly forged.

In a letter with reference CR:3000/LS/EGC-1/VOL. 6/409 and dated September 17, 2015, the EFCC asked the legal firm of Olawoyin & Olawoyin to confirm if the agreement allegedly submitted by Metropole for the building permits was prepared by the firm.

The EFCC’s letter was signed by one Abubakar R. Madaki on behalf of the Head of Operations, and stated that the request was made pursuant to Section 38 (1) (2) of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (Establishment) Act, 2004; and Section 21 of the Money Laundering (Prohibition) Act, 2012.

While responding to the EFCC request, Olawoyin & Olawoyin stated in a letter dated September 23, 2015, “We wish to state that the agreement (a copy of which was attached to your letter under reference) was NOT prepared by our firm. We have taken the liberty to attach to this letter a copy of the actual document that was prepared by our firm and draw your attention to the following differing aspects of the agreement:

(a) The front page of the agreement attached to your letter contains Metropole Interproject Limited as a party to the agreement of sale, while in the actual document prepared by our firm, Metropole Interproject Limited is not a party.

(b) The signature on the front page of the actual document prepared by our firm is that of the undersigned, Prof. Gabriel Olawoyin, SAN, while the signature attached to the front page of the document attached to your letter is NOT that of Prof. Gabriel Olawoyin.

(c) Page 1 of the agreement prepared by our firm does NOT make any reference to Metropole Interproject Limited, while the document attached to your letter makes reference to Metropole Interproject Limited.”

When contacted to authenticate the content of the petition, Mr. Rotimi Jacobs of Rotimi Jacobs & Co. confirmed that his firm sent the petition to the EFCC on behalf of Sijuwade Holdings, but refused to comment further.

Similarly, Olawoyin confirmed his firm’s response to the request by the EFCC but declined further comments.

Ogunwusi, on his part, denied the allegations levied against him and Metropole Interproject Limited, saying he was being maliciously targeted for negative press because of his interest in the vacant stool of the Ooni.

He said, “Why are they trying to write damaging reports about me now and why not two, three years ago? The heart of man is full of wickedness. What they are saying is a lie; we have resolved it. They are using it to smear my name.

“Oba Akiolu (of Lagos) and Asiwaju Bola Tinubu are aware of the issue. We have resolved it and I don’t know why they are doing this. It is a lie that I put Metropole Interproject Limited as a co-owner of the land; they are trying to expose what they are not; if they chose to fight dirty, I will meet them.”

Ogunwusi later made a conference call to a man purported to be Prince Deremi Sijuwade, who said, “I heard something about the petition and I will say it should be discountenanced. I am not sure those things written in the petition are correct; we will come up with an official statement in that regard.”

The head of the kingmakers and the Obalufe of Iremo quarter, Ile-Ife, Oba Solomon Omisakin, when contacted on the telephone by one of our correspondents, said he was not aware that a petition had been written to the EFCC against Ogunwusi or any of the contestants for the throne.

“I am not aware of such a petition. It is not to my knowledge,” he said.

Asked if the kingmakers could use such a petition to screen out the contestant, Omisakin stated, “Until I get to know, I won’t make any comment.”

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BREAKING: Ex-Petroleum Minister, Madam Diezani Arrested

Information reaching naijatonic from sources are pretty sensational, to the effect that one of the most powerful minister in Goodluck Jonathan government, Diezani Alison-Madueke has been arrested.

My sources, who are very close to the seat of power in Abuja, disclosed that her actions are part of the reasons President Muhammadu Buhari has refused to appoint anyone as Petroleum Minister. The corruption he has so far uncovered are said to be mind-blowing and monumental, to say the least.

Below are the details of Madam Diezani's arrest:

According the Premium Times, the immediate past Minister of Petroleum Resources was on Friday arrested in London, alongside four other people by the British law enforcement agency.

The identities of the four other people arrested along with her could be immediately ascertained.

She was arrested for offences related to bribery and corruption being investigated by the UK National Crime Agency.

Two top British officials in London have however confirmed the development. They requested not to be named because they have no permission to speak on the issue.

The British High Commission in Nigeria confirmed that some arrests were made Friday.

Joseph Abuku, Press and Public Affairs Officer, said, “This morning, five people between the ages of 21 and 60 were arrested on suspicion of bribery and corruption offences. The crimes are being investigated by the National Crime Agency (in London).”

You may wish to know that NNPC under her watch was involved in several shady deals, many of which are said to run into Billions of Dollars and Trillions of Naira.

She escaped from Nigeria since President Buhari was sworn in and refused to return home, 'out of fear'.

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Amnesty for B’Haram

The Defence Headquarters has inaugurated a committee to midwife the process that will lead to the granting of amnesty to willing members of the Boko Haram sect.

A Defence Headquarters’ statement, signed by Group Captain Wap Maigida, on behalf of the Acting Director, Defence Information, Col. Rabe Abubakar, stated that the planned reintegration would involve three categories of Boko Haram members.

According to him, those to benefit from the government’s gesture are those who were forcibly conscripted into the sect; those who have surrendered and renounced membership of the deadly sect and those who are willing to do so.

Maigida said that the membership of the committee were drawn from federal agencies involved in the ongoing campaign against the insurgency and representatives of Borno, Adamawa, Yobe, Gombe, Bauchi and Taraba states in the North-East and Jigawa State in the North-Wes

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Ondo civil servants begin strike over unpaid salaries

Ondo State Governor, Dr. Olusegun Mimiko

Civil servants in Ondo State began a two-day warning strike on Wednesday to press home their demand for the payment of their two-month salary arrears.

When our correspondent visited some government offices in Akure, the state capital on Wednesday, all of them were under lock and key while security men were sighted at the entrance of the Governor’s Office and some ministries to prevent possible breakdown of law and order.

The leadership of organised labour in the state on Tuesday had directed workers to stay at home if the salaries promised by the government were not paid before the close of work, but it was gathered that some of the workers received alerts of one month salary on Tuesday night.

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However, the state government described the strike as an embarrassment to the government and an unpatriotic act on the part of the workers since they had started receiving the July salaries.

The state Commissioner for Information, Mr. Kayode Akinmade, condemned the action of the labour leaders as he said since the government had started the payment of salaries, there should be no need of directing the workers to embark on the strike.

He said, “There should be no need for strike, the governor had directed that two-month salaries should be paid, the workers should have exercised patience, the delay may be as a result of bank process.

“They should understand that the two months cannot be paid at the same time, it has to take some time before the second month enter but I am sure that before the end of today (Wednesday) all of them would have received alert of the two months.

“So I see no reason the workers should go on strike if they are not politically motivated.”

To ensure total compliance, the labour leaders, assembled as early as 7:00am on Wednesday on the premises of the Ministry of Finance and moved from one premises to the other, including local government secretariat, hospitals, schools, ministries and parastatals in the state.

The State Chairman of the Public Service Joint Negotiating Council, Mr. Sunday Adeleye, alleged that the government only tried to divide the workers by paying net salary for the month of July to the core civil servants and secondary school teachers and not paying anything to workers in the local government and primary school teachers and other categories of workers.

He accused the government of breaching the agreement reached with the labour leaders at the meeting where it was agreed that gross salaries of July and August and deductions for the period would be paid.

The JNC chairman said the government was also withholding deductions fo the month of July apart from not paying local government workers and primary school teachers.

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States still owe us N2bn, says WAEC

WAEC logo

The West African Examinations Council on Wednesday said that the council was still being owed N2bn registration fees by state governments for their candidates who sat for the 2015 May/June West African Senior School Certificate Examination.

WAEC’s Head of National Office, Dr. Charles Eguridu, gave the figure in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria in Lagos.

NAN reports that WAEC had withheld the results of candidates from some states who had failed to settle the registration fees of their students amounting to N4bn.

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However, the council rescinded its decision after the intervention of the Nigeria Governors’ Forum.

According to Eguridu, there is the need for the indebted state governments to pay up, saying that the debt, is hindering its operations.

“I want to state that about N2bn out of the over N4bn owed the council by some state governments was still outstanding.

“No fewer than 14 states so far have responded to this; but I think the response should be better. This is seriously affecting our operations.

“We had entered into a gentleman’s Memorandum of Understanding with the concerned state governments because we found out that they are equally trying to give education to Nigerian children.

“And if they approach us, based on that, there is need for us to oblige them,” he said.

He said so far the ongoing November/December diet of its General Certificate of Education for private candidates had been hitch-free with no any major incident recorded.

“The only little challenge we had was the coinciding of some of our examination schedule with the time of prayer of our Muslim candidates, and this has been immediately taken care of.

“And so, for now, everything is moving on fine,’’ he said

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Amosun okays payment of outstanding deductions

Ogun State Governor, Ibikunle Amosun

Ogun State Government has announced the commencement of payment of backlog of cooperative deductions and leave bonuses to its workforce.

The Ogun State Governor, Senator Ibikunle Amosun, broke the news on Tuesday during the special reception held in honour of the outgoing Head of Service and 35 retired Permanent Secretaries from the Civil Service at the Arcade Ground, Oke-Mosan, Abeokuta.

Amosun said he had approved the immediate payment of the arrears from November 2014 to April 2015 from the bailout given the state by the Federal Government while it had on its own paid the deductions from June to September 2015.

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He reiterated his administration’s commitment to paying the salaries of its workforce as and when due, saying this had been the culture of its administration even in the face of the sudden economic downturn in the country.

Amosun, who also used the occasion to inform journalists that he had sent the list of his intended cabinet members to the State House of Assembly for clearance, noted that his administration would immediately hit the ground running in order to improve the fortunes of the state and mitigate the effect of the economic downturn on the state.

Meanwhile, Amosun also lauded the immense contributions of the outgoing Head of Service, Mrs. Modupe Adekunle, describing her as a significant player in the success story of his administration.

He said, “Today, you can raise your shoulders high anywhere because you are a significant part of the success story of this administration.

“Tell anyone who cares to listen that you were part of the administration that transformed the entire landscape of Ogun State.”

The governor described Adekunle and the 35 other retiring Permanent Secretaries as people of noble character and worthy examples for others coming behind.

The Chairman, Body of Permanent Secretaries, Mr. Sola Adeyemi, described the HOS as a woman who distinguished herself through hard work and dedication and undoubtedly contributed greatly to the development of the state.

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Buhari’s cabinet: Cleanest dirty shirts in the laundry?

President Muhammadu Buhari

In a bid to ensure that Nigeria is in safe and secure hands for socio-economic and political regeneration promised during his campaign, President Muhammadu Buhari has spent the better part of four months into his new administration scurrying around the country for Nigerians, incorruptible and professionally competent, to serve in his cabinet.

For a country located at the bottom rung of the Transparency International, global corruption perception rating index, finding 36 good (wo)men to fit the lofty expectations of the President in consonance with his high integrity persona is akin to identifying the cleanest dirty shirts in the laundry.

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Although the task is as arduous as seeking for a needle in a hay stack, it would appear that Buhari may be on target to accomplishing his mission as he prepares to roll out the list of the change agents that l would like to refer to as his economic “husband men” anytime from now.

Already, security agencies have put the potential candidates in the crucible and quite a number of names floating around in the main stream and social media seem to have passed the litmus test.

In a country where people are judged based on ethnic bias and religious inclination rather than from the prism of their character and content, the President, the All Progressives Congress and indeed Nigerians should brace themselves for the flurry of criticisms that would trail the official release of the names of the “few good men” to the National Assembly for scrutiny and approval as ministers.

One way of vitiating the associated agony and stress is for Buhari to take solace in the wise counsel of the philosopher, John Adams, that, “Politics, as a practice, whatever its professions, has always been the systematic organisations of haters”.

The quote above underscores the fact that political hate is not peculiar to Nigeria.

While the aphorism that one can never be prepared enough holds true in almost all instances, a counter strategy against the aforementioned onslaught of ethnic jingoists and religious bigots that would seize the media space to literarily slay the President as soon as the list is released, may not be a media management masterstroke. But suffice it to say that the initiative would evince similar benefits realisable when measures are put in place to mitigate an anticipatory response to an uncommon policy.

By that l mean that President Buhari’s spokesmen and the APC’s reputation managers should proactively hedge against any backlash by preparing upfront, information underpinning the principles behind the choice of the candidates and the values they are bringing to the table.

As image and crisis managers would agree, the efficacy of pre-emptive actions is undeniable and one way of justifying the appointments is by engaging their principal, rigorously in dialogues that would elicit reasons for his choice of the candidates for the cabinet positions-professionally, ethnically and religiously. In a highly polarised country where divisive factors such as the tongue, tribe and worship pattern of candidates were freely used as commodity, currency and fuel during campaigns for the general election, appointments into public offices have assumed an equally combustible dimension, so one can never be too careful.

For instance, two of the recent appointments made by President Buhari that generated the most public opprobrium are the military service chiefs and his choice of the Secretary of Government of the Federation and the Chief of Staff. While the appointment of his Chief of Staff and the SGF were later explained, he chose people he can trust having worked with the appointees over the years which was deemed treasonable, his explanation that professionalism was purely the criterion applied in choosing the top brass of the three arms of the armed forces- Army, Navy and Air force- has been received with scepticism. Dissenters believe that it is unlikely that in the entire armed forces of Nigeria, no South-East or South-South candidates were qualified enough to fit the bill.

Against the foregoing background, it would be deft if detailed professional competence and political balancing factors that came into play in selecting the proposed cabinet members are availed members of the public to enable them judge for themselves, the rigour invested in the exercise by Mr. President and how altruistic his intentions are.

The idea that the National Assembly should also be furnished with the proposed portfolio of the list of nominees being sent for clearance( recently canvassed in an editorial by a newspaper) should also be given due consideration as such facts could serve as public enlightenment that could take the wind off the sail of critics or those who may have some axe to grind.

As we all know, putting a round peg in a round hole can hardly attract sustainable criticism and fundamentally, facts are antidotes to rumour mongering.

Expectedly, there would be the tendency for some hawkish advisers to contend that Mr. President does not owe Nigerians such a detailed explanation, but such people would be misguiding him because the ultimate objective of any good politician is to carry the populace along in his policies and programmes. In my experience from studying politicians over the years from Winston Churchill’s (1940-45 and 1951-55) war time exploits in Great Britain encapsulated in his “Battle of Britain” speech to the parliament before the war against Germany; Franklin Delano Roosevelt, (1933-45) “New Deal” to Americans during the Great Depression and Deng Xiaoping’s (1978-92) introduction of “Four Modernisations” in China after the Cultural Revolution, nothing engages the mind of a great politician and leader more than how to get his voting stakeholders to buy into his programmes and policies.

To achieve that objective, a lot of what is today referred to as Emotional Intelligence had to be invested.

Emotional Intelligence being the ability to recognise one’s own and other people’s emotions is the skill required to better understand, empathise and negotiate with others.

Churchill relied on it in Great Britain, when he made the famous speech to parliament that Brits should prepare for “the battle of Britain” that enabled the country hold out against Germany and thus led them out from the brink of defeat to victory; Roosevelt deployed it in the USA when he re-established hope during the Great Depression through his pursuit of the three Rs policy of Relief, Recovery and Reforms conveyed in the New Deal and Xiaoping adopted it in China when after the calamitous Cultural Revolution, he had to deftly negotiate with the communist party leadership to allow a bit of openness in order to introduce the “Beijing Spring” that allowed criticism of government and enabled him pursue the policy of “ Four Modernisations” which entailed the opening up Chinese economy to foreign investments in the economy, agriculture, scientific and technological development and national defence.

Now, Buhari had mentioned in his Chatham House presentation last February that one event that significantly inspired his change of ideology from autocracy to democratic system of governance is the fall of the Soviet Union. So, l assume that he has abiding interest in the history of how nations leap forward or collapse. That’s why l choose England, the US and China as references in my analogy as models for success .

To be concluded

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Bayelsa 2015: Sylva to face Dickson again

Mr. Timipre Sylva and Bayelsa State Governor, Mr. Seriake Dickson

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A former Governor of Bayelsa State, Timipre Sylva, has emerged the candidate of the All Progressives Congress for the December 5 governorship election in the state after winning the party’s primary.

Sylva polled 981 votes to defeat his distant rival, Mr. Godknows Powell, who scored 39 votes in a peaceful primary conducted at the state secretariat of the party in Yenagoa on Wednesday.

The primary was conducted by a seven-member electoral committee led by Brig. Gen. Mansur Dan-Ali (retd.).

With this victory, Sylva will face incumbent Governor Seriake Dickson, who defeated him in the 2011 governorship election.

A two-time former member of the House of Representatives, Warman Ogoriba scored 28 votes.

Another aspirant, Diekivie Ikiogha, scored 22 votes while Ebite Williams got nine votes and Charity Valdego scored seven votes. Messrs Preye Aganaba and Febo Austin scored eight and seven votes respectively, among others.

Out of 1,147 total votes cast at the poll, the chairman of the panel declared 1,120 votes valid and declared 27 votes invalid.

The rescheduled primary was peaceful and largely devoid of rancour and violence which characterised the initial exercise that was held on September 22 at the Samson Siasia Sports Complex.

Delegates conducted themselves in an orderly manner from 11pm on Tuesday till Wednesday afternoon when they cast their votes after accreditation.

There was, however, a brief protest at the venue of the election when Ikiogha led some aggrieved aspirants to the area, accusing the panel of shutting them out of the exercise.

For about an hour, Ikiogha and some other aggrieved aspirants kept the panel chairman busy with their complaints.

Ikiogha said the panel came to the state without meeting with them to intimate them on the modalities for the election, alleging that the committee came with a mandate to stop them from partaking in the exercise.

He said, “This election is worse than the previous exercise that was cancelled. We are aware that a new list of delegates was compiled the previous night for the purpose of the election.

This is not the change we advocated for. We are appealing for the cancellation of the election.”

But the committee chairman insisted that the process was transparent and appealed to the aggrieved aspirants to maintain the peace.

After lodging their complaints, the angry aspirants walked out of the venue of the exercise and refused to come back till the end of the election

Sylva, who was declared winner of the primary around 4pm by Dan-Alli, thanked the delegates for electing him for second time.

He also commended the electoral committee members for a job well, saying that politicians still had had a lot to learn from the military.

Apparently alluding to Edo State Governor, Adams Oshiomhole, Sylva lampooned the governor for alleged inability to conduct the primary.

He said, “I am very happy today to accept this victory that you have given to me for the second time. I will like to tell all of you today that this is only the beginning of the journey. Today, I have seen that we politicians have a lot to learn from the military.

“What a great and serving governor of a great state of this country was incapable of doing just a few days ago has been achieved by a retired general and his team. This tells me that we have a lot to learn from the military.”

Meanwhile, one of the topmost contenders for the APC governorship race, Chief Ndutimi Alaibe, withdrew from the contest

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We are not after anyone –Buhari

President Muhammadu Buhari

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PRESIDENT Muhammadu Buhari in his Independence broadcast on Thursday (today) assured Nigerians that his government was not persecuting anybody but said all must be ready to account for their deeds.

Borrowing from his inaugural speech on May 29, Buhari said, “I bear no ill will against anyone on past events. Nobody should fear anything from me.

“We are not after anyone. People should only fear the consequences of their actions. I hereby invite everyone, whatever his or her political view, to join me in working for the nation.”

Nigeria today marks 55 years of independence, having secured its freedom from the British colonialists on October 1, 1960.

The President said the citizens needed to celebrate notwithstanding the situation in the country, thou he regretted that we had not fully exploited unity of purpose as a nation blessed with vast human and natural resources.

Buhari told Nigerians: “We have all the attributes of a great nation. We are not there yet because the one commodity we have been unable to exploit to the fullest is unity of purpose. This would have enabled us to achieve not only more orderly political evolution and integration but also continuity and economic progress.

‘‘Countries far less endowed have made greater economic progress by greater coherence and unity of purpose.

‘‘Nonetheless, that we have remained together is an achievement we should all appreciate and try to consolidate.”

He again paid tribute to former President Goodluck Jonathan for conceding defeat in the March 28, 2015 election.

“We have witnessed this year a sea change in our democratic development. The fact that an opposition party replaced an entrenched government in a free and fair election is indicative of the deeper roots of our democratic system.

“Whatever one’s views are, Nigerians must thank former President (Goodluck) Jonathan for not digging-in in the face of defeat and thereby saving the country untold consequences,” he said.

The President, in his review of his government’s five months in office, acknowledged Nigerians’ expectation for the government to hit the ground running and that he had taken some steps to meet such expectations.

Buhari said, “Every new government inherits problems. Ours was no different. But what Nigerians want are solutions, quick solutions not a recitation of problems inherited.

“Accordingly, after consultations with the Vice President, senior party leaders and other senior stakeholders, I quickly got down to work on the immediate, medium-term and long-term problems, which we must solve if we are to maintain the confidence which Nigerians so generously bestowed on us in the March elections and since then.

“As you know, I toured the neighbouring countries, marshal led a coalition of armed forces of the five nations to confront and defeat Boko Haram. I met also the G7 leaders and other friendly presidents in an effort to build an international coalition against Boko Haram.

“Our gallant armed forces under new leadership have taken the battle to the insurgents, and severely weakened their logistical and infrastructural capabilities. Boko Haram are being scattered and are on the run.

“That they are resorting to shameless attacks on soft targets such as Internally Displaced Persons’ camps is indicative of their cowardice and desperation. I have instructed security and local authorities to tighten vigilance in vulnerable places.”

The President said government officials had held a series of long sessions on the best way to improve the nation’s power supply “in the safest and most cost effective way” and that a moderate improvement in electricity supply had been achieved.

The President said improvement had also been noted in the supply of petrol and kerosene to the public and that early signs indicated that within months the whole country would begin to feel a change for the better.

Buhari also said preliminary steps had been taken to sanitise the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation to curb its inefficiency and corruption.

“Those of our refineries which can be serviced and brought back into partial production would be enabled to resume operations so that the whole sordid business of exporting crude and importing finished products in dubious transactions could be stopped,” he added.

The President said that he had also ordered the complete audit of government’s other revenue generating agencies, mainly the Central Bank of Nigeria, the Federal Inland Revenue Service, the Nigeria Customs Service and the Nigerian Communications Commission to achieve better service delivery to the nation.

The President’s address further read, “Prudent housekeeping is needed now more than ever in view of the sharp decline in world market oil prices. It is a challenge we have to face squarely. But what counts is not so much what accrues but how we manage our resources, that is important.

“We have seen in the last few years how huge resources were mismanaged, squandered and wasted. The new All Progressives Congress government is embarking on a cleanup, introducing prudence and probity in public financing.

“At an early stage, the Federal Government addressed the issue of salary arrears in many states, a situation capable of degenerating into social unrest. The APC government stepped in to provide short-term support to the owing states and enabled them to pay off the backlog and restore the livelihood of millions of Nigerians.”

The President also spoke about public anxiety concerning his delay in appointing ministers. He said his government had chosen not to rush forming a cabinet without a clearer picture of what was bequeathed to it by the past administration.

He said, “Our government set out to do things methodically and properly. We received the handover notes from the outgoing government only four days before taking over. Consequently, the (Ahmed) Joda Transition Committee submitted its report on the reorganisation of Federal Government structure after studying the handover notes.

“It would have been haphazard to announce ministers when the government had not finalised the number of ministries to optimally carry the burden of governance.

“Anyway, the wait is over. The first set of names for ministerial nominees for confirmation has been sent to the Senate. Subsequent lists will be forwarded in due course.”

The Senate president, Bukola Saraki, announced on Wednesday that he had received the ministerial list from the President and that the Senate would commence deliberation on it on Tuesday

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Judge withdraws from Saraki’s case over online reports

Senate President, Bukola Saraki

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Justice Ahmed Mohammed of a Federal High Court in Abuja, on Wednesday withdrew from the case filed by Saraki against the Code of Conduct Tribunal and the Code of Conduct Bureau.

The court therefore ordered that the case file should be returned to the Chief Judge of the FHC, Justice Ibrahim Auta, for re-assignment.

At the resumed hearing of the case on Wednesday, Justice Mohammed attributed his decision to return the case file to what he described as “negative reports” on the case.

The judge expressed displeasure at the reports in the media that he ordered the CCB and CCT to stop the prosecution of Saraki, adding that the reports had already created a negative opinion in the mind of many Nigerians.

Precisely, two weeks ago, Justice Mohammed had summoned the CCB and the CCT over the planned arraignment of Saraki by the CCB.

Justice Mohammed had while granting the motion ex parte that was argued before him, directed the CCB and the CCT to appear before him on September 21, 2015 and show cause why the interim injunction being sought by the Senate President should not be granted.

He also directed that all the plaintiffs should be served with the motion ex parte and the accompanied affidavit while hearing notice should be served on all the respondents.

Meanwhile, President Muhammadu Buhari has said he can be impeached if he interferes in the Code of Conduct Tribunal case against Saraki over charges of false assets declaration.

Saraki, on September 11, had been served a 13-count by the Office of the Attorney General of the Federation. The Senate President responded by calling it a witch-hunt.

But in a statement on September 20, the Presidency denied any responsibility for the Senate President’s trial and described the attempt to link Buhari to Saraki’s trial as unacceptable.

The Presidency had argued that the trial of the Senate President was purely a judicial and constitutional issue.

Buhari, in an interview with Sahara TV, which was monitored by one of our correspondents on Wednesday, however, said he could not interfere in the trial because it would be unconstitutional to do so.

He said, “What has the President got to do with it as a person? The case is in court. Do Nigerians expect me to tell the Chief Justice to tell whichever court that they shouldn’t try the Senate President?

“Do Nigerians know the constitution of their country; that the Legislative, Judiciary and Executive have got their roles within the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria? Then how do they expect me to interfere? I can be successfully impeached if I do it.”

Asked if he would pass any vote of confidence in the Senate President, in the light of the backing of Saraki by 83 senators on Tuesday, the President said, “That would depend on the outcome of the trial.”

Responding to questions about his current relationship with the Senate President, Buhari said that he had been communicating with Saraki through letter.

“There are some appointments which the Senate has to approve and I cannot remember how many letters I have personally written to him, because it is constitutional.

“There are people I want to work with but I cannot work with them unless the National Assembly approves. So, I have been writing to the Senate President and to the Speaker of the House (of Representatives) and it is constitutional,” he said.

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bukola saraki receives the miniterial list

Senate President, Bukola Saraki, receiving the ministerial nominees on Wednesday

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Senate President, Bukola Saraki, on Wednesday received the ministerial nominees list at about 4:56pm from the Presidency but said the content of the presidential communication would be read on Tuesday.

The Senate had adjourned plenary at 2:00pm on Wednesday till Tuesday, October 6.

Sources said 21 names were contained in the list.

The Chief of Staff to the President, Abba Kyari, in company with the Senior Special Assistant to the President on National Assembly Matters (Senate),   Ita Enang, delivered the list in a sealed envelope to the Senate President in his office.

Saraki, who left the office around 5:30pm, later spoke to journalists through his Special Adviser on Media and Publicity, Alhaji Yusuph Olaniyonu, explaining that the list would be read on the floor during plenary Tuesday next week.

“The Senate president received the ministerial list around 5:00pm this evening but no action would be taken on it until next week Tuesday. The envelope is still sealed,” Olaniyonu told journalists.

But The PUNCH learnt that a former Lagos State Governor, Babatunde Fashola; and a former Rivers State Governor, Rotimi Amaechi, made the list.

Also said to be on the list are Kayode Fayemi, a former governor of Ekiti State; a former Governor of Anambra State, Chris Ngige; and a one-time Governor of Abia State, Ogbonaya Onu.

Malami Abubakar, SAN, a former National Legal Adviser to the defunct Congress for Progressives Change; Aisha Alhassan, a former governorship candidate of the APC in Taraba State; and Amina Mohammed, a special adviser to the Secretary-General of the United nations, Ban Ki-Moon, also made the ministerial list. Same for a former finance commissioner in Ogun State, Kunle Adeosun.

Curiously, the Group Managing Director of the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation, Ibe Kachikwu, is said to be on the list, perhaps to combine his headship of the NNPC with junior petroleum minister. portfolio. Buhari has already announced himself as the substantive Minister of Petroleum.

The President had pledged that his ministerial nominees would be submitted to the Senate for screening and approval before the end of September thus raising fears on Wednesday that Buhari had failed to keep his promise to Nigerians.

Also, the Senate had earlier on Wednesday announced that the President had yet to send the list of ministers.

The Chairman, Senate Ad-hoc Committee on Media and Publicity, Dino Melaye, who addressed journalists shortly after the Senate had adjourned to Tuesday next week, however urged Nigerians not to lose hope because the September deadline given by Buhari would not expire until midnight.

Melaye had said, “We want to announce that we are still waiting for the ministerial list from Mr. President and I want to advise that there is no need for agitation as September expires by 12 midnight today (Wednesday).

“We want to assure Nigerians that as soon as we get possession of this list we will communicate same to Nigerians through the National Assembly Press Corps.”

He had also reiterated his earlier statement that the Senate “will attend to the ministerial nominees expeditiously but diligently, once the list was sent by the President.”

“Due process will be followed and I repeat that it is not going to be business as usual; we are going to properly screen all nominees and only those who meet the constitutional and moral requirements shall be cleared,” he had added.

Melaye explained that the Senate would as from next week start the consideration of all the communication earlier presented to it by the President concerning some appointments made while the Senate was on recess.

Buhari had on Tuesday sent a letter to the Senate, seeking the confirmation of the appointment of Prof. Umaru Garba Danbatta as the Executive Vice-Chairman of the Nigerian Communications Commission, for a first term of five years.

Buhari in another letter sought the confirmation of the appointment of Dr. William Babatunde Fowler as Executive Chairman of the Federal Inland Revenue Board for a four-year term while in another letter, the President sought the confirmation of the appointment of the Managing Director and three executive directors for the Assets Management Company of Nigeria.

The nominees are Kuru as Managing Director; Kola Ayeye, Eberechukwu Uneze and Aminu Ismail as executive directors.

However, the Senate Minority Leader, Godswill Akpabio, had during plenary on Tuesday expressed concern that the Senate president did not read out the list of ministerial nominees despite the fact that newspapers had reported that it was in the Senate.

Akpabio, who had raised a point of order, citing order 14, also noted that the situation became worrisome in view of the fact that the September 30 deadline promised by Buhari would lapse on Wednesday.

But Akpabio’s argument had been countered by the Deputy Senate Leader, Bala Ibn Na’Allah, who explained that the list could still be sent before midnight on Wednesday.

Meanwhile, the Senator representing Osun Central Senatorial District, Prof. Olusola Adeyeye, was on Wednesday announced as the Senate Chief Whip by Saraki.

Adeyeye was unanimously endorsed by the South-West caucus of the All Progressives Congress in the red chamber on June 24.

His name was on the list of principal officers approved by the APC leadership as contained in a letter addressed to the Senate president by the National Chairman of the party, Chief John Odigie – Oyegun, on June 23.

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