A Nigerian newspaper and Online version of the Vanguard, a daily publication in Nigeria covering Niger delta, general national news, politics, business, energy, sports, entertainment, fashion,lifestyle human interest stories, etc
Lagos State Governor, Mr. Akinwunmi Ambode on Tuesday said the State Government would continue to take the front seat in ensuring that security agencies in the State especially the Police are well equipped to continue to safeguard the lives and property of Lagosians.
The Governor, who spoke at the 10th Town Hall Meeting on Security held at the Civic Centre, Victoria Island, Lagos, organised by the Lagos State Security Trust Fund (LSSTF), said though security is an expensive business, his administration would continue to make the necessary sacrifice that would ensure that residents, visitors and investors in the State can feel safe to move about and carry out their lawful businesses.
He said the LSSTF, established 10 years ago to fill the gap in the equipment, training and logistics deficiencies for security agencies operating in the State has however been limited by lack of resources to provide the needed equipment to wage war against all forms of criminal activities.
Governor Ambode, who was represented by his Deputy, Dr. Mrs. Oluranti Adebule, said the State was extremely proud of the support it has received so far from the private sector, noting that through the Trust Fund, they have so far demonstrated the understanding that security was indeed everybody's business and a high sense of corporate social responsibility.
"We have improved security in our State and we are very grateful to all those who have committed to making contributions to the Fund over the years. Our collective efforts have also made our security model a standard for others to follow," he said.
Lagos State Governor, Mr. Akinwunmi Ambode,
The Governor recalled that the efforts of the State Government in supporting security agencies recently came to fore in Johannesburg, South Africa where the Rapid Response (RRS) Squad of the State Police Command was awarded "Best Anti-Crime Police Squad in West Africa" while the Commander RRS, ACP Olatunji Disu, was awarded "Most Outstanding Police Operational Officer in Africa" just as the Lagos State Government got the award for "Best Security and Most Safety Conscious State in Africa".
He however said that the successes achieved so far must be sustained, saying that it would require more concerted efforts from the private sector to complement government's efforts in equipping the security agencies with modern equipment.
"In recent times, we have had to deal with a few more untraditional crimes such as kidnapping and terrorism. These crimes, coupled with the harsh economic condition in Nigeria has made our security situation even more challenging. The truth is that it is our collective resolve that has protected us from unimaginable security breaches.
"Security is today a big challenge for most key city-States in the world even with the most sophisticated security apparatus. We must therefore salute the gallantry and collaboration of our various security agencies for using the assets we have provided for them to protect us."
"I wish to state that our government would continue to take the front seat in supporting our security agencies in the state. But you all must also play your part as responsible citizens of Lagos to ensure the future worthy of the Centre of Excellence", Governor Ambode said.
In his welcome address, the Chairman of the LSSTF, Mr Oye Hassan- Odukale, said that the Fund has fully come of age as an organisation that is fully committed to the safety and security of all Lagosians.
In his welcome address, the Executive Secretary/CEO, Dr. Abdurrazaq Balogun, said the security in the State has improved drastically owing to the interventions by the State Government through the donation of equipment worth over N1.6billion in the last one year with private sector support of about N440million in cash and 19 patrol vehicles.
Also in his presentation, the State's Commissioner of Police, Fatai Owoseni, explained that against the backdrop of numerous challenges, Lagos State witnessed tremendous improvement in crime management, adding that in assessing the state of safety and security, Lagos can be adjudged as relatively peaceful and secured.
One of the discussants and a former Assistant Inspector General of Police, Umaru Manko, said the idea of Lagos State Security Trust Fund, has given leverage to policing in the State, adding that Lagos has over the years shown its capacity to successfully run state policing.
At the meeting, corporate organisations, individuals and stakeholders made donations towards the sustenance of the Lagos State Security Trust Fund.
Ringier One Africa Media is shutting down operations in some of its markets across Africa, from ten to just three by the end of this year, tech news platform, Techmoran reports.
According to those familiar with the matter, Cheki Zimbabwe and Cheki Zambia will be closed at the end of the month and staff retrenchments will be announced in less than 48 hours as the firm struggles to move to profitability and run only Cheki Kenya, Cheki Nigeria and Cheki Ghana.
According to the platform, although it is yet to receive clear information on the fate of Cheki Uganda, which is the fourth successful site after Cheki Nigeria, Cheki Kenya, Cheki Ghana; it will likely be shut down after its Tanzania sister site which is also facing the axe.
Techmoran recalls that two years ago, Cheki had over ten country sites but at the moment, there are just five active sites left, that is, Cheki Kenya, Cheki Nigeria, Cheki Uganda, Cheki Tanzania and Cheki Ghana. Instead of raising more cash to operate in all the ten markets, Ringier One Africa Media has decided to tackle a few major markets in Africa before it expands into new ones.
On January 1, 2017, The Tony Elumelu Foundation will begin accepting applications for the third round of the TEF Entrepreneurship Programme targeting to reach its 10-year, $100 million commitment to training, mentoring and funding 10,000 African entrepreneurs.
The foundation says the application portal will be open until midnight (WAT), March 1, 2017. Entrepreneurs must complete the online application and selection is on a rolling basis, so early application is encouraged.
TEF Founder Tony O. Elumelu said: "I believe the seeds we are planting through the Programme will transform Africa. Two years on, it is clear that we have found a key to unlocking Africa's potential for economic transformation. As our entrepreneurs grow their own businesses and realise their ambitions, so too does the vision. We are showing what the African private sector can achieve; how hard work and enterprise can catalyze real, sustainable development."
The Programme is designed to identify entrepreneurs that have the potential to grow their businesses and collectively generate 1,000,000 new jobs, that can contribute at least $10 billion in additional revenues to the African economy.
ABUJA-The Presidency yesterday stated that President Muhammadu Buhari traveled to Banjul, capital of The Gambia to meet with the country’s President, Yahya Jammeh, who lost the presidential election penultimate week.
Vanguard had reported that the President would take a trip to the country.
In a statement, the presidential spokesman, Mr. Femi Adesina stated the Nigerian leader, who arrived Banjul together with President Ellen Johnson-Sirleaf of Liberia, the current Chairperson of the Authority of Heads of State and Government of ECOWAS, and President Ernest Bai Koroma of Sierra-Leone, were received at the airport by Gambia’s Vice-President, Isatou Njie-Saidy.
Similarly, out-going President of Ghana, John Mahama, who had earlier arrived Banjul, expectedly joined the other West African leaders to meet President Jammeh at the CoCo Ocean Resort and Spa, Banjul.
President Jammeh had earlier conceded defeat in the election, after a 22-year rule, but recanted a week later, asking for fresh polls to be conducted by a “god-fearing and independent electoral commission.”
President Buhari and the ECOWAS leaders were expected to discuss the the political developments in The Gambia with President Jammeh, and would insist on the “sanctity of the electoral process, and respect for the wishes of the people.”
They would also “ask their host to respect the Constitution of his own country, and maintain the inviolability of an electoral process that had been concluded, and in which he had admitted defeat, and congratulated his main challenger.”
The statement added that the team was scheduled to meet the President-elect, Adama Barrow.
President Buhari was expected back in Abuja the same yesterday after the meeting.
Rap superstar Kanye West on Tuesday delivered a surprise even in this most unusual of political years — he met President-elect Donald Trump, marking the artist’s first appearance since a reported mental breakdown.
West, a rare US celebrity to voice support for Donald Trump, showed up in the early morning with an entourage and his own cameraman at Trump Tower and boarded the elevator of the tycoon’s skyscraper home.
An uncharacteristically taciturn West returned to the lobby 40 minutes later with the president-elect himself who, pressed on what the two discussed, said: “Life.”
“Just friends, just friends. He’s a good man. Long time. Friends for a long time,” said a visibly upbeat Trump.
West, sporting a fitted black sweatshirt, at first stood sullenly with his arms folded as reporters peppered him with questions — including on whether he would make good on his earlier promise to run for president in 2020, presumably challenging Trump.
“I’m just here to take a picture right now,” West finally said before flashing a smile and a thumbs-up sign.
Notably absent was the rapper’s wife, reality television star Kim Kardashian.Singer Kanye West and President-elect Donald Trump arrive to speak with the press after their meetings at Trump Tower December 13, 2016 in New York. / AFP
She has kept a low profile since gunmen broke into her Paris hotel room and robbed her of $10 million worth of jewelry — and gossip pages have recently speculated on the state of the couple’s marriage.
West last month stunned a California audience with a lengthy speech in which he said he did not vote but would have backed Trump as he appreciated the businessman’s outspokenness.
West was soon hospitalized after a series of erratic comments on stage, including alleging that his sometime collaborator Jay Z was sending hitmen to kill him and lashing out at Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg for not paying West $53 million to relieve his personal debt.
The celebrity news website TMZ said that West’s doctor feared he had suffered a mental breakdown and that West flew to New York on Monday to see a psychiatrist.
– Kanye for inauguration? –
Trump, the former host of “Celebrity Apprentice,” has been interviewing prospective members of his administration at Trump Tower, creating a media spectacle as candidates come to his door.
Few political observers would expect Yeezy to land in the cabinet, even with Trump’s penchant for unexpected picks.
One possible explanation for the meeting is that Trump has been eager to tap A-list musicians for his inauguration after so many celebrities rejected him during the campaign.
The New York Post reported that Trump will also meet the Italian tenor Andrea Bocelli, who is performing Thursday at Madison Square Garden, and use their past ties to appeal for him to perform at the January 20 inauguration.
West is also one of the few prominent African Americans to embrace Trump, whose election win stemmed from overwhelming support from white working-class men after a campaign in which the tycoon excoriated Mexicans, Muslims and other minorities.
West, whose pro-Trump speech set off boos at his concert, previously campaigned for President Barack Obama and accused president George W. Bush of not caring about African Americans after the slow response to Hurricane Katrina.
The 39-year-old was also among the first in hip-hop to speak forcefully against homophobia.
But West has drawn growing comparisons to Trump, especially since his 2014 marriage to Kardashian, with the rapper delighting in self-aggrandizing social media postings and criticism of establishment rules.
West has likened himself to Michelangelo and has alleged that the Grammys are rigged, threatening on Twitter to boycott the music industry awards if he is not nominated for Album of the Year. He was not — although he is up in eight other categories.
Call it an online real estate platform, and you will be right. Although it neither lists houses nor parcels of land for sale, Studacom provides indispensable real estate services for Nigerian universities and polytechnics. Coined from two words – Student and Accommodation – Studacom.ng focuses specifically on students' off-campus accommodation, providing the critical information about available off-campus accommodation for students affected by dearth of on-campus accommodation, thereby saving students the valuable time and energy that would have been dissipated searching for a place to live.
Launched in August, 2016, in Ozoro, Delta State, Studacom has listed over 60 hostels spread across Delta State Polytechnic, Ozoro; Delta State University, Abraka; University of Benin and Federal University of Petroleum Resources, Effurum, effectively meeting the accommodation needs of students in these tertiary institutions across the two States of Edo and Delta.
Studacom also has a vital feature that connects students who have already secured accommodation and are looking for roommates.
"Studacom.ng is a hyper-local online off-campus student accommodation booking and roommate finding platform. We are the go to guys that connect students with safe and affordable accommodations off-campus across several Nigerian schools," said Joel Amawhe, 21 years old CEO/Founder of Studacom.ng in an interview with Vanguard.
Joel Amawhe
He explained that, unlike the regular online real estate platforms who are merely aggregators and relies on subscription, Studacom has adopted commission based model, charging only 5 per cent on total cost of successfully completed transactions; a model, Amawhe said property owners finds more attractive, as Studacom only makes money when the property owners do. Studacom also makes money when students use its premium roommate finding service.
This solution, Amawhe said, was inspired by the need to simplify the search process for off-campus hostels and reduce the stress students pass through looking for where to live.
According to him, "Millions of students are admitted each year but only a few stay on campus due to poor state of on-campus hostels and lack of hostels to accommodate all students, leaving the rest to hunt for expensive off-campus hostels. Often times, students are compelled to trek long distances to areas they may not have been to in their quest to find hostels. Hostel owners on the other hand also find it difficult to access the potential student tenants. Studacom.ng integrates the whole long process of searching, contacting owners, booking hostels and roommates into one safe and secure, easy-to-use and hassle-free platform."
Although the platform has shown tremendous prospect within the short time it has operated, challenges remain. Like everything new and online related, scepticism abounds both from the hostel owners and the students, including cost of marketing.
More so, Studacom wants to expand to all the tertiary institutions across Nigeria and Africa but needs at least N30 million seed funding, which it hopes to raise within the coming year.
Dakar – Over 2,000 people may have died of famine this year in parts of northeast Nigeria which cannot be reached by aid agencies due to an insurgency by Islamic militant group Boko Haram, hunger experts said on Tuesday.
A report by the U.S.-based Famine Early Warning Systems Network (FEWS NET) said the deaths occurred in the town of Bama in Nigeria's Borno State, the jihadists' former stronghold.
According to FEWS NET, while food aid is staving off famine for people uprooted by conflict who can be reached, the outlook is bleak for those in parts of the northeast cut off from help.
"The risk of famine in inaccessible areas of Borno State will remain high over the coming year.
"In a worst-case scenario where conflict cuts off areas that are currently accessible and dependent on assistance, the likelihood of famine in these areas would be high,'' the report said.
About 4.7 million people are in need of emergency food aid in Borno, Adamawa, and Yobe states, nearly two-thirds of them in Borno alone.
The UN children's agency (UNICEF) said in September that some 400,000 children were at risk from famine in the three states, 75,000 of whom could die from hunger within months.
"Yet the current humanitarian response is insufficient amid extreme levels of food insecurity, and only one million people have received food aid this year,'' FEWS NET said.
It noted that almost four in five of the 1.4 million displaced Nigerians in Borno state were living in local communities, where tension was rising in many families as food runs short.
It added that improving security had enabled aid agencies this year to reach some areas that were previously cut off, but many remained unreachable due to the ongoing violence and lack of security.
Boko Haram militants have killed about 15,000 people and displaced 2.4 million across Cameroon, Chad, Niger, and Nigeria during a seven-year campaign to create an Islamist caliphate.
Nigeria's army has pushed the Islamist group back to its base in Sambisa forest in the past few months, but the militants still often stage raids and suicide bombings.
The planet’s poorest countries are falling further behind the rest of the world and cannot catch up without more aid and favourable trade deals, a UN report said Tuesday.
In the 45 years since the United Nations created its list of Least Developed Countries (LDC), only four have graduated from the impoverished group: Botswana, Cape Verde, Maldives and Samoa.
Efforts to boost economic development in the remaining 48 LDCs have been “glacial”, the UN Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD) said in its annual report on the world’s poorest nations.
Nearly half of the global poor — currently defined as people living on less than $1.90 per day — live in the 48 most impoverished countries, a rate that has more than doubled since 1990, UNCTAD said.
UNCTAD warned that these four dozen nations were caught in “vicious circle” in which their sustained poverty was increasingly hampering their ability to lift themselves up on their own.
“Countries can only break out of such vicious circles with international support in finance, trade and technology”, the agency said in a statement.
The report projects that only three countries — Angola, Equatorial Guinea and Vanuatu — are on track to rise out of the LDC category in the coming years, but even there the story is mixed.
Two of those three — Angola and Equatorial Guinea — have seen gross national income rise thanks to oil wealth, but the benefits of energy revenues have not been spread across the population.
Specifically in Equatorial Guinea, the profits of oil production have largely been shared among the ruling family, according to multiple human rights reports.
UNCTAD chief Mukhisa Kituyi therefore stressed that graduation from the poorest nation category is not, in itself, a mark of progress.
“How a country graduates is just as important as when it graduates,” he said in a statement.
The current list of least developed countries includes 34 African nations, nine in Asia, four in the Pacific region as well as Haiti.
Four African heads of state landed in The Gambia on Tuesday with a mission to persuade President Yahya Jammeh to leave office, as the country’s election commission was locked down by police.
Jammeh’s party has vowed to challenge the result of a presidential election in court, unleashing an avalanche of calls at home and abroad for him to cede power to opponent Adama Barrow, who was officially declared the winner.
After arriving in Banjul, Nigeria’s Muhammadu Buhari, Liberian leader Ellen Johnson Sirleaf, Sierra Leone’s Ernest Bai Koroma and Ghana’s outgoing President John Mahama convened at a luxury hotel before heading for talks with Jammeh around 1330 GMT.
They were to be joined later by UN West Africa envoy Mohamed Ibn Chambas, whom Jammeh has refused to meet on several occasions in the past, a spokesman confirmed to AFP.
Jammeh sent his deputy Isatou Njie-Saidy to meet the delegation on the tarmac, reportedly due to security fears for the longtime leader’s safety.
“We hope we can talk and that the will of the people will prevail,” President Sirleaf, who heads the delegation, told journalists after arrival.
Nigerian foreign minister Geoffrey Onyeama said his side was “hopeful” and going into talks with “no preconditions”.
After meeting Jammeh the African leaders will hold separate negotiations with Barrow, several sources told AFP.
Influential opposition coalition members were gathering by afternoon in preparation for their round of talks, and were confident of a breakthrough.
“Remember President Buhari is from the military. Jammeh is from the military. I think that will make a difference,” said Hamat Bah, a senior coalition official.
Up until now the president of the tiny country of fewer than two million people may have exasperated his regional peers but has never threatened peace in the sub-region, a situation that has dramatically shifted since Jammeh’s move to void the election.
In a sign that Jammeh may be serious regarding a legal dispute over the vote, the staff of the Independent Electoral Commission (IEC) were locked out of their premises on Tuesday, their chairman told AFP.
“I went to work this morning, but personnel of the Police Intervention Unit (riot police) did not allow me to enter the headquarters,” IEC chief Alieu Momar Njie told AFP.
No reason was given, he added. The premises remained locked down and surrounded by police by early afternoon.
A readjustment of the votes counted in the election was made by the IEC on Monday last week, reducing the number of ballots for all three candidates but ultimately confirming Barrow’s victory.
– Army loyalty –
Meanwhile Gambian army chief Ousman Badjie seemed to reverse a previous declaration of support for Barrow and arrived at delegation preparation talks wearing a badge that featured Jammeh’s face on his uniform.
Badjie said he supported the “commander in chief, President Yahya Jammeh” in brief comments to journalists.
This followed comments by the US ambassador to the UN, Samantha Power, warning that The Gambia faced “a very dangerous moment” if the military continued to side with the president.
If Jammeh and the delegation does not reach an agreement, west African states would “contemplate more draconian decisions”, a top official with the regional ECOWAS bloc headed by Sirleaf told French radio station RFI late Monday.
Despite the IEC incident, Jammeh’s party had not filed a complaint with the Supreme Court on Tuesday, thought to be constitutionally the last day possible to contest the election result, but they have until 6pm to do so.
A group of the country’s most influential lawyers has said there is “no legitimate legal mechanism available in The Gambia to hear and determine the election petition”, as Jammeh would have to stuff the court with his own appointees.
The legal body has lain dormant since May 2015 as Jammeh himself sacked many of its judges.
– ‘Go now’ –
Jammeh has led The Gambia for 22 years since taking power in a coup.
President-elect Barrow has told AFP he wants Jammeh to step down “now”, though the longtime leader has the legal right to stay in office until mid-January.
The African Union has also promised to dispatch its own delegation as soon as possible to aid the transfer of power, while a statement released Monday said it rejected “any attempt to circumvent or reverse the outcome of the presidential election.”
Promoters of MMM Nigeria, known as Guiders have urged Nigerians to remain calm as the one month freezing of all accounts of the scheme is a measure adopted to ensure sustainability and stability of the scheme.
The system which entails the Providing Help (PH) and the Getting Help (GH) also assured that there is nothing to worry about since the 'FROZEN ACCOUNT' period is even the best time to provide help.
Sergey Mavrodi of inventor MMM
They also said that the accounts will continue to grow with a 50% more benefit on the amount staked or provided (PH).
The guiders took to the MMM Nigeria website to douse tension and provide explanations on the one month account freezing.
Read full explanation below:
"Good morning Mavrodians. What we are seeing now is the only practical measure to protect MMM Nigeria from danger.
"A lot of news of MMM crash this December has been on the social media and other news and gossip. This has really affected the system. There were heavy conspiracies by financial institutions to collapse the system. What happened to the system last week would have been worse if GH is allowed today. Despite the holiday bonus, many participants were ready to GH today. The PH is not commensurate to the GH and this is the fear created by sponsored fake news.
"The truth remains that the mavros in the system are safe until they are unfrozen. Those who have PH in the system shouldn’t cancel them because since all green mavro are frozen no PH will be paired.
"For those who understand the system, what has happened is a temporary measure to save the system and saving the system is saving our money. If we are allowed to GH, by next week there may be no enough PH to pair the GH then the worst will happen.
"This is a kind of caution taken to avert danger. So our mavros are safe. I encourage those who want to PH to still do their PH. The maturity is January and doesn’t change anything by then the system is back and stronger.
"Don’t lose hope, all of us have mavros in the system and let’s not use because of this little set back forget what MMM has done for us and will do more if the system is safeguarded.
"I personally feel the same way as you but it’s better to save the system than lose everything.
"Some people are complaining why the Guiders were not informed and my response is, if the Guiders were informed the system will crash in less than 10mins of the information."
"The way you received the news is the way we Guiders received the news but we have the training that such thing may happen if there is evidence of danger ahead. This show how firm and protective MMM is structured."
"Let’s be optimistic and positive. This is our community, let’s protect it."
This message was sent out by MMM Nigeria Guiders who identified themselves as Guider DonVal Amaechi and Guider Philip Awazi.
Recall that members of the scheme woke up Tuesday morning with a shock message displaying on their screens indicating that all access to requesting of fund, (Getting help) had been frozen till January 14. This caused panic and confusion among the over three million member participants of the scheme.
By Rotimi Ojomoyela Ado-Ekiti- The Federal High Court sitting in Ado Ekiti Tuesday ordered the Economic and Financial Crime Commission (EFCC) to “defreeze Governor Ayodele Fayose’s accounts in Zenith Bank with immediate effect.
Justice Taiwo Taiwo who held that the anti-graft agency did not follow due process in taking such an action, described the EFCC action as illegal, wrongful, unlawful and unconstitutional: “I hereby give a mandatory order directing the Respondents jointly or severally to immediately de-freeze, unblock and make operational both accounts belonging to the Applicant.”Fayose & EFCC
The accounts were frozen by the EFCC in June, this year.
The judge said the EFCC action breached the governor’s fundamental rights to fair hearing, as the commission did not make him a party to the proceedings for the interim freezing of the account.
He said that the EFCC suppressed facts by not disclosing to the court that granted the interim freezing order that the two accounts that were frozen belonged to Governor who enjoys total constitutional immunity.
An Afghan boy who became an internet sensation after pictures of him wearing an improvised Lionel Messi football shirt went viral finally got to meet his superstar idol on Tuesday.
Murtaza Ahmadi met the Barcelona forward in Doha, where the Spanish league champions are due to play a friendly match against Saudi Arabian side Al-Ahli later.
Six-year-old Murtaza, from the rural Ghazni province southwest of Kabul, walked out onto the pitch as a mascot hand-in-hand with the Argentinian at the start of the match at Doha’s Al-Gharrafa stadium.
“The image the world wanted to see,” tweeted Qatar’s 2022 World Cup organisers, who brought the pair together.
“The six year old boy who dreamed of meeting his hero, #Messi, finally comes true.”A handout picture released by Qatar's Supreme Committee for Delivery and Legacy on December 13, 2016 shows Barcelona’s Argentinian forward Lionel Messi (C-L) holding six-year-old Afghan boy Murtaza Ahmadi (C-R) in Doha, upon the team’s arrival to play a friendly match against Saudi Arabian side Al-Ahli. An Afghan boy who became an internet sensation after pictures of him wearing an improvised Lionel Messi football shirt went viral finally got to meet his superstar idol. / AFP
A delighted Murtaza said: “I’m very happy to have met my hero. It is a dream for me,” according to a statement released by Qatar’s Supreme Committee for Delivery and Legacy, the committee overseeing organisation of the 2022 tournament.
Murtaza became a worldwide online hit earlier this year after he was pictured wearing his hero’s shirt, made out of a plastic bag, with the name Messi and the famous number 10 written on it in marker pen.
The shirt was made by his teenage brother Homayoun after his neighbour threw away grocery bags.
“I love Messi, he plays really well, and I love the shirt my brother made for me,” he told AFP at the time.
His family could not afford to buy him a replica kit.
Pictures of Murtaza playing football in his improvised kit were first posted on Facebook.
After the pictures went viral, Murtaza received a real shirt from his hero.
His father, Mohammad Arif Ahmadi, said at the time: “I want my son to become the Messi of Afghanistan.”
Messi, Luis Suarez and Neymar all started the friendly game .
Abuja – The Minister of Budget and National Planning, Udoma Udoma says that the Federal Government will issue new oil licences as part of efforts to explore new streams of revenues to fund the 2017 budget.
Udoma made this known when he appeared before the Senate Joint Committee on Appropriation and Finance to defend the revised Medium Term Expenditure Framework (MTEF) and the Fiscal Strategy Paper (FSP).
He said that the Federal Government would also review the current joint venture arrangements with oil companies, marginal oil fields as well as mount pressure on revenue generating agencies to surpass expected targets.
Udoma said a total of N10 trillion was being targeted by the Federal Government as revenue for the 2017 fiscal year.
According to him, out of this amount, about N5 trillion is expected to be generated from the sale of crude oil.
"Non-oil revenues will rake in about N5.06 trillion.
MINISTER OF BUDGET AND NATIONAL PLANNING, SEN. UDOMA UDO UDOMA
"These revenues are expected to come from corporate and company taxes, Nigeria Liquefied Natural Gas, Stamp Duties, capital gains tax and value added tax.
"Others are Customs, excise, fees, surcharges on luxury items, special levies and Federal Government independent revenue,'' he said.
Speaking further on the budget projections, Udoma said: "I know N7 trillion seems larger than N6 trillion.
"In actual dollar term, the 2017 budget is smaller. We have had challenges in revenue generation in funding the 2016 budget.
"We are trying to get to the bottom of revenue generating agencies in order to raise more money.
"On independent revenue, we need to work with the National Assembly. The issue of 80 per cent of operating surplus is a problem.
"We need to work with the National Assembly to review certain clauses of the law. We need to be more imaginative and creative in order to get out of the problem we have with revenue generating agencies.
"We want to issue a presidential order to ensure that revenue generating agencies are unable to spend money unless payments of salaries until their budgets are passed.
"We want to be more engaging in the Niger Delta to ensure that there is peace in order for us to produce.
"We will be increasing the amount for the Amnesty Programme to the old figure. It is important to engage the people in the Niger Delta region,'' he said.
The News Agency of Nigeria reports that the MTEF report submitted to the Senate by the Budget Office indicated that the 2017 budget which was initially pegged at N6.7 trillion, had also been revised upward to N7.3 trillion.
Out of this, the Federal Government is expected to expend N1.5 trillion in servicing domestic debts, however, the Federal Government earmarked N1.3 trillion in the 2016 budget.
On foreign debt, the Federal Government wiuld spend N175.9 billion as against N54.5 billion spent on foreign debt servicing in the 2016 budget.
On capital expenditures, the Federal Government budgeted N2.1 trillion.
Recurrent expenditures would gulp N1.9 trillion, about N1.8 was budgeted for the same purpose in the 2016 Appropriation.
Meanwhile, the new figure is coming in spite of claims by the Federal Government that many ghost workers had been removed from government's payroll.
The Federal Government also intends to borrow a total of N2.3 trillion, out of this, N1.5 trillion would be sourced locally, while N1.1 trillion would be gotten from foreign sources.
In the 2016 budget, N1.2 billion was reportedly borrowed locally, while N635.8 billion was gotten through foreign borrowing.
President Muhammadu Buhari is expected to present the 2017 budget proposal on Dec. 14, before a joint session of the National Assembly.
Birnin Kebbi – The Kebbi State Government says it will deploy 1,500 out of 2,000 youths under the N-Power programme to teach in rural areas as part of efforts to improve the standard of education in the state.
Gov. Atiku Bagudu disclosed this while launching the primary school enrolment campaign in Dumbegu Model Primary School in Maiyama Local Government Area on Tuesday.
A statement by Alhaji Abubakar Muazu, the Press Secretary to the governor, said the proposed deployment of majority of the N-power beneficiaries would boost teaching in the state and improve education.
Bagudu reiterated the resolve of his administration to ensure provision of adequate teaching and learning materials, and environment to improve education.
He appealed to community leaders to assist government in the management of the schools in line with the policy of the state on education.
The UNICEF Sokoto Chief Field Officer, Mr Muhammad Mohiudin, said the fund would support the development of child education.
He said the state was a beneficiary in the UNICEF Educate a Child (EAC) programme aimed at improving primary education.
He said nine local government areas were beneficiaries of the programme in the state, assuring that the programme will be sustained.
The trial of Emeka Mba, former Director General of Nigerian Broadcasting Commission (NBC), could not hold due to absence of counsel to EFCC at Federal High Court, Abuja, on Tuesday.
EFCC's counsel, Malam Salisu Majidadi, was not in court and was not represented when the case was called.
Mba is facing trial on an amended 15-count charge bordering on N2.9billion fraud.
Mba is facing trial alongside the Director of Finance and Accounts, .Patrick Areh, Basil Udotai and Babatunji Amure.
Emeka-Mba
Counsel to Mba, Mr Sunday Ameh, said he was not informed on why the EFCC was not represented in court.
The counsel said he would have asked the court to strike out the case if the defendant was already arraigned.
"We are surprised they are not in court. We are also not aware of reason of their absence", Ameh said.
Counsel to the other defendants aligned themselves with Ameh's submission.
The judge, Mr Gabriel Kolawole, adjourned the matter to Jan. 24, 2017 for arraignment.
The House of Representatives on Tuesday mandated its Committee on Information, National Orientation, Ethics and Values to investigate the licence status of GOTV in the provision of Digital Terrestrial Television Services in Nigeria.
The committee is also to engage the National Broadcasting Commission (NBC) to enforce the pay-per view scheme on the digital television broadcasting service providers for the benefit of Nigerians.
The resolutions followed the adoption of a motion titled "Call for Investigation of the License Status of GOTV in the Provision of Digital Terrestrial Television Services in Nigeria'', sponsored by Rep. Jones Onyereri (PDP-Imo).
Moving the motion, Onyeriri argued that GOTV does not possess the licence to provide digital terrestrial television services in Nigeria.
He said that "Details Nigeria Limited" was the company which obtained a Digital Mobile TV (DSTV MOBILE) for 10 Nigerian cities in 2007.
"However, the licence granted to Details Nigeria Limited was converted by GOTV to provide digital terrestrial television through a high-tech manoeuvre without due process and in violation of the provisions of the law,'' Onyeriri said.
According to him, the National Broadcasting Commission is empowered to regulate the operations of Radio and Television stations, including Cable Television Services, direct broadcasting and any other medium of broadcasting in Nigeria.
"Section 2 (1) (g) of the Act empowers the Commission to receive processes and consider applications for the establishment, ownership or operations of radio and television stations in Nigeria.
"The section of the Act specifically empowers the Commission to control and regulate the operations as well as upholding the principles of equity and fairness in the broadcasting industry.
"In violation of the Act, GOTV, a subsidiary of Multi-Choice Nigeria, started operations of Digital Terrestrial Television Broadcasting in April 2012 at Ibadan, Port Harcourt and Lagos without passing through the due process of bidding for the private signal distribution.
"Nigerians are made to pay for what they do not consume through the monthly subscription scheme presently obtainable in the service charges of major Digital Television Broadcasting service providers like DSTV, Star times and GOTV.
"This is as against the pay per view scheme obtainable in other countries like USA, UK, Brazil, France, and even South Africa,'' Onyereri said.
The committee was given eight weeks to carry out the investigation and report back to the House for further legislative action.
Leader of the Indigenous People of Biafra, IPOB, and Director of Radio Biafra, Mr. Nnamdi Kanu has threatened that he would expose secrets that are capable of sinking Nigeria. Kanu gave the threat at his resumed trial on Tuesday.
In the Tuesday's ruling, trial Justice Binta Nyako of the Federal High Court in Abuja granted the Federal Government the nod to shield identities of witnesses billed to testify against Nnamdi Kanu.
Director of Radio Biafra and Leader, Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB), Nnamdi Kanu as he appeared before Justice Ahmed Mohammed Federal High Court, Abuja on Wednesday, 23/12/2015
Justice Nyako who held that names of all the prosecution witnesses who are mostly security operatives, would not be disclosed in any record of the court proceedings also said that the witnesses would be allowed to testify against the defendants behind a screen that would be provided by the court.
Justice Nyako however stressed that both the defendants and their counsel would be allowed to see the witnesses who she said would enter and exit the courtroom through a special door. However, Kanu immediately rejected the court ruling, insisting that it was against the tenets of Justice and fair hearing.
“I won’t stand this travesty of Justice. Buhari spoke in public, he accused me in public. I must also be allowed to stand my trial in public”, Kanu bellowed from the dock. “This is nonsense! I will give testimony before this court! By the time I finish, there will be no Nigeria. This is no Sharia court. It is a court that operates under the common law.
“There will be no screening of witnesses, no fake identities or fake addresses. I cannot be tried in secret. No! Nnamdi Kanu cannot be jailed in secret! They are mad. Why must I be tried in secrecy by a government that does not obey court orders.
“They are killing my people in public, after killing my people they want to try me in private? That person is mad. I won’t allow it. “, Kanu fumed. The IPOB leader is facing an11-count charge alongside three other pro-Biafra agitators, Mr. Chidiebere Onwudiwe, Benjamin Madubugwu and David Nwawuisi.
Charges against the accused persons border on reasonable felony and their alleged involvement in acts of terrorism.
The defendants had earlier alleged plot by the Federal Government to import foreigners to testify against them.
The Police arraigned a 24 – year old man before an Iyaganku Senior Magistrates' court on Tuesday for allegedly disappearing with sales money from the shop of the wife of Oyo state Gov. Ajimobi.
Afeez Ajibola of 22 Oke- Bola, Ogunpa Road, in Ibadan was arraigned on a two- count charge bordering on stealing.
The Police Prosecutor, Cpl.Kola Olaiya told the court that Ajibola on Nov. 25, at about 9. am at Grandex Stores, Palm MÃ ll, Ring road ,Ibadan allegedly eloped with the sum of N227,945.
Ajibola was also alleged to have stolen one black wallet valued at N3,000 and one key ring holder valued N2, 500.
He said the total value of stolen items from Grandex stores by Ajibola was N233, 445, property of Chief Mrs Florence Ajimobi, wife of Oyo state governor.
According to the Prosecutor, Ajibola, being a sales boy at Grandex store, was asked to pay the sum of N227, 945 to the account of the store by the supervisor.
" The Supervisor, Mrs Adetoun Adigun, said she used to remit everyday's sales money to the bank as a routine, but, on Nov.25, she sent Ajibola instead.
"Adigun said she sent Ajibola to remit the sum of N227,945 to the stores account at the bank on her behalf, being sales money of the previous day, Nov. 24," said Olaiya.
Olaiya said Adigun forgot to ask Ajibola for the teller, two days after Ajibola failed to come to work.
" On Dec. 2, Grandex director, Mrs Ajimobi asked Adigun to bring all the tellers with her after discovering that Nov. 25 teller was missing.
"Adigun called Ajibola on his cell phone to bring the money and it dawned on Mrs Adigun that Ajibola did not pay any money to the shop's account," said Olaiya.
Olaiya said the Police arrested Ajibola later, and his room was searched. A purse and keyholder were found.
He confessed taking them from the shop.
Ajibola pleaded not guilty to the two counts when read to him in court.
Olaiya said the offence contravened section 390 (6) of the Criminal Code Cap 38, Vol.II Laws of Oyo state 2000.
The Senior Magistrate, Mrs Munirat Giwa- Babalola granted the accused bail in the sum of N100,000 with one surety in like sum.
Arsene Wenger feels guilty about Arsenal's Champions League failures and the Frenchmen is hoping a quote from the Bible can act as inspiration when they face Bayern Munich in the round of 16.
Arsenal will aim to reach the quarter-finals for a first time in seven seasons when they face Bayern in February and March, having lost twice to the Germans and Barcelona, and once each to AC Milan and Monaco in their last six campaigns.
"We are all here to change history and to make history, so we have to change what happened before and make it better," the Arsenal manager told British media.
"Look, the last six years we have not come past the last 16. They said that God made the world in seven days and this is the seventh day for us! So we have to get a special day."
Wenger
Arsenal hoped to avoid a European heavyweight after topping their group but were pitted against Bayern for the fourth time in five seasons when the draw was made on Monday.
"I am responsible for the results so I don't want to escape when I don't meet the expectations of people who love this club," Wenger added.
"You feel guilty because you always question yourself first and your decision making. I think that's completely normal."
Despite Bayern's superior head-to-head record against Arsenal in recent seasons, assistant manager Paul Clement said he expected a tougher test but felt the hectic festive schedule will be the undoing of the English Premier League club.
"Arsenal have got great players throughout… But we have a lot of very good offensive players too, so it'll be a very interesting tie. It's the biggest game of the round, for me," Clement told Talksport radio.
"Bayern have had the upper hand against Arsenal recently, but this is a totally different season. It will be interesting going into February what the momentum of the two teams is — that's important.
"Arsenal are going to have a busy winter period and we have a four-week winter break, so hopefully we will be able to take advantage of that."
Africa's representatives at the FIFA Beach Soccer World Cup will be decided over the coming days as the CAF Beach Soccer Africa Cup of Nations kicks off in Lagos from Tuesday.
So far, only hosts the Bahamas, Oceania's Tahiti and European sides Poland, Switzerland, Portugal and Italy are confirmed at next year's showpiece but, over the coming days, Africa's eight best teams will look to join them.
Home favourites Nigeria will hope to add to their two previous victories in this competition, which came in 2007 and 2009, and will come up against the side they defeat in the final on both those editions, Ivory Coast, in Group A.
Egypt and Ghana complete the pool while last year's champions Madagascar will feature in Group B along with Libya, Morocco and three-time competition winners Senegal.
France's Jeremy Basquaise, right, battles for the ball with Nigeria's Ogbonnaya Okemmiri, during a past FIFA Beach Soccer World Cup match in Rio de Janeiro.
The ever-popular Copa Lagos event – held at the stadium in Eko Atlantic on Sunday – showcased the kind of fervent atmosphere that teams can expect during the competition and Nigeria head coach Audu Ejo Adamu hopes to make the most of the support from the stands.
"We have been in camp and working hard as we prepare for this competition," he told the official NFF website recently.
"The players, other members of the technical crew and myself are confident and we are going to challenge for the trophy, nothing less.
"Nigeria is one of the strongest teams in beach soccer in Africa and, playing at home, we believe the added advantage of crowd support will push us all the way."
Group games will take place between Tuesday and Thursday and, after a rest day on Friday, the semi-finals and the final will be played out across the weekend with the two finalists ensured of a spot at the FIFA Beach Soccer World Cup.
