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
Nigeria's quest for regular power supply may not be achieved in the nearest future as the distribution companies, DISCOs, still battle to cope with several failed expectations from the underlying agreement behind the electricity industry performance milestones. Meanwhile most consumers that are not part of this agreement are forced to carry the burden of the industry failures as services level deteriorates.
The DISCOs have now heightened their clamour for "cost reflective tariff", a euphemism for graduated increase in the tariff paid by consumers, but they have refused to disclose the average cost per unit of electricity delivered to consumers. They have not addressed the contentious issue of estimated billing system which gives them the latitude to impose exorbitant bills on consumers.
Many electricity consumers are still without meters. In fact, Sweetcrude learnt that out of a total of 6,159,775 customer accounts in the Nigerian Electricity Supply Industry (NESI), only 3,206,599 customers, or 52 per cent, have so far been provided meters, leaving a gap of 2,953,176 unmetered customers.
Though none of the DISCOs contacted by Sweetcrude (Ikeja Electric, Ibadan Electric, Enugu Electric) was willing to talk on the cost of delivering electricity to consumers, the Head Corporate Communications, Abuja Electricity Distribution Company, Mr. Oyebode Fadipe, stated that the cost of electricity charged by the DISCOs was actually determined by the Nigerian Electricity Regulation Commission, NERC, as it is not within the powers of the DISCOs to determine.
He said the cost of a kilowatt of electricity is an aggregation of a number of factors, from the side of the generation companies, transmission companies and DISCOs. Fadipe said he could not give the accurate cost of a kilowatt per hour of electricity because it varies from region to region and from DISCOs to DISCO. He did not disclose the cost as it affects Abuja DISCO either.
He said, "We do not have the power to fix the cost of energy. The determination of the tariff from a unit of electricity is a function of NERC. If there is any need for an upward review of the cost, DISCOs meet and we later approach NERC to inform them of the need for a review.
"If the NERC sees reason with the DISCOs for an upward review, it goes ahead and makes the review and also announces it."
However, Interim President, Nigerian Electricity Consumers Advocacy Network, NECAN, Mr. Tomi Akingbogun, believes that the DISCOs, in connivance with NERC, have been manipulating the system to rip-off consumers.
He stated: "The DISCOs have us in their pockets courtesy of Nigerian Electricity Regulatory Commission, NERC. They claim they are covered under one of so many Multi-Year-Tariff-Orders, MYTOs, that has been modified to the comfort of the DISCOs.
"The only way out is for the public to challenge the MYTOs in court like MAN did. But MAN has funds, while NECAN, the voice of the public has none. Until then, we will be taken for granted," he said.
Efforts made to get the reaction of NERC were not successful as Mr. Mike Faloseyi, Head Corporate Communications who promised to send the organisation's reaction could not get back to Sweetcrude as at the time of going to press. DISCOs have been lobbying for increment in the charges imposed on consumers even with favourable nine-year MYTO (2015 to 2024) which varies from one region to the other.
Abuja DISCO, for example is expected to charge N24.30 in 2016 and 2017 for consumers classified under residential 2 (R2), while residential 3, (R3), are expected to pay N46.23 and N47.09, per kilowatt hour, Kwh, respectively within the period under review. Also, consumers classified as commercial (C1) are expected to pay N36.65 and N37.39 in 2016 and 2017 respectively, while C2 are charged N46.23 and N47 within the period under review.
For Benin DISCO, R2, consumers are expected to pay N24.08 and N31.27 in 2016 and 2017, respectively, while those in the R3 category are expected to pay N38.56 and N40.46 in 2016 and 2017, respectively. C1 consumers are expected to pay N33.87 and N34.90 respectively, while C2 consumers are expected to pay N40.67 and N38.11, within the period under review.
R2 consumers under the jurisdiction of Enugu DISCO are meant to pay N27.13 and N34.28 in 2016 and 2017 respectively, while R3 consumers are meant to pay N45.10 and N48.12 respectively within the period under review. C1 consumers are meant to pay N32.13 and N34.28 respectively, while C2 consumers are meant to pay N42.40 and N45.24 within the period under review.
For Ibadan DISCO, consumers in the R2 category are meant to pay N23.09 and N24.97 in 2016 and 2017 respectively, while R3 consumers are meant to pay N41.31 and N44.66, respectively within the period under review. Also, consumers in the category of C1 are meant to pay N27.66 and N29.91 respectively, while the C2 class are meant tom pay N38,87 and N42,03 respectively.
The DISCOs have blamed their call for increased charges on "difficult operating environment, unavailability of fund, as well as the inability of generation companies, GENCOs, to generate enough electricity due to shortage of gas. However, the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation, NNPC, debunked this claim, as it accused DISCOs and the Transmission Company of Nigeria, TCN, of frustrating stable power supply in the country, stating that the country currently has enough gas to generate up to 4,800 megawatts (MW) of electricity and 6,000 megawatts by the second quarter of 2017.
According to the Group Managing Director of the NNPC, Mr. Maikanti Baru, Nigeria is currently producing an average of 8.0 billion Standard Cubic Feet per day of gas (SCFD), out of which 1.3 billion scfd is utilised for domestic consumption; 3.5 billion scfd for export, 2.5 billion scfd for re-injection/fuel gas use, while about 700 million scfd is flared.
He stated: "As we speak today (Thursday, March 02, 2017) there is enough gas to generate about 4800MW and 6000MW by second quarter 2017 based on our gas supply plan, but the power sector is presently struggling to evacuate 4500MW power due to DISCOs incessant rejection of allocated load and transmission line constraints."
Baru explained that despite the difficult environment in which it operates, the NNPC was committed to ensuring adequate gas supply to meet the Nigerian industrial growth.
The DISCOs have also alleged that the government is yet to fulfill its own side of the bargain following the performance agreement they reached at the inception of the privatization process.
According to them, it was agreed that full losses should be recognized in tariffs, but they said the situation on ground is that real losses are higher than what is contained in tariffs due to indebtedness by MDAs and a large number of consumers, widespread electricity theft and non – implementation of the tariff review.
Persons Living with Disabilities, PWLDs, across the 57 Local Government Areas of the state, numbering about a thousand, Tuesday, stormed office of the Lagos State Governor, Mr. Akinwunmi Ambode, Alausa, Ikeja, to protest what they called unlawful arrest, detention and "inhuman treatment" of their members in the state.
The protesters, under the umbrella of Physically Challenged Empowerment Initiative, PCEI, mainly of Northerners, in a peaceful protest, presented four demands to the Governor for his immediate action.
Coordinator, PCEI, Mohammed Zanna, who led the placards carrying protesters, accused officials from the state's Ministry of Youth and Social Development, MYSD, of what he called "arbitrary arrest, unlawful detention for months without trial in a terrible conditions leading to health problems and even death.
Some street beggars protest in Alausa Ikeja Lagos on Tuesday photos by Olubunmi Azeez.Some street beggars protest in Alausa Ikeja Lagos on Tuesday.Some street beggars protest in Alausa Ikeja Lagos on Tuesday.Members of the CSOs in Anambra State.Homes in South East threatened by erosion.Ugo Agballa conducting participants around the erosion exhibition.Members of the Association of Orphanages and Homes Operators in Nigeria, with the Imo State commissioner of police, Mr. Tiwo Lekanu, (centre).Some street beggars protest in Alausa Ikeja Lagos on Tuesday.
Speaker of the House of Representatives Yakubu Dogara has eulogised Nigeria's acting President, Prof. Yemi Osinbajo, for demonstrating exceptional capacity, humility and patriotism in handling the affairs of state.
In a congratulatory message to mark Osinbajo's 60 years Birthday Anniversary, Dogara commended the acting president for exhibiting abiding faith and commitment to the ideals of democracy and rule of law.
Ag Pres Osinbajo
He noted that since his emergence as the Vice President and chairman of the country's Economic Council, the acting president had not left any one in doubt in his capacity to handle matters of national interest, development and progress.
He commended Osinbajo's disposition towards building national peace, unity and stability of Nigeria which he had always manifested while carrying out his duties.
Dogara wished his Excellency a happy birthday celebration, and prayed that God Almighty will continue to keep him in good health.
By Chidi Nkwopara THE opening of the 2017/2018 Legal Year of Imo State Judiciary, may have become history but the memory of what transpired at the event, especially the exchange of words between the lawyers and Governor Rochas Okorocha, will definitely remain evergreen to all that witnessed it.
Chief Rochas Okorocha
The day's event started with a concelebrated mass at Maria Assumpta Cathedral, Owerri. About 10 priests and three Catholic bishops, Anthony J. V. Obinna (Owerri), Solomon Amatu (Okigwe) and the bishop emeritus of Orlu Diocese, Gregory Ochiagha, officiated during the mass.
Preaching the homily, Archbishop Obinna condemned what he called "the non-implementation of judicial independence, enshrined in the Nigerian Constitution".
The second phase shifted to the Justice Paul Onumajulu Square, located in the High Court premises Owerri. Governor Okorocha, who probably, didn't want to face any ecclesiastical bashing in Assumpta Cathedral, chose to honour this later segment.
NBA releases the first missile: The verbal missiles against the state government commenced when Mr. Lawrence U. N. Nwakaeti, the Owerri NBA Chairman, read his seven-page address.
While describing the NBA as "the militant wing of the legal profession," Nwakaeti roundly condemned the prevailing executive interference with judicial independence. "Back here in Imo State, what we have is one illegality after the other. What is the essence of preaching recession as an excuse and at the same time spending huge sums of money on Christmas decorations? Such decorations can only be for the living and not the dead", Nwakaeti said.
Wave of illegalities
The NBA Chairman also bristled that "the State Judicial Service Commission, JSC, was not left out in this wave of illegalities", stressing that just recently, its non-statutory members were purportedly sacked, in clear violation of the Constitution. Let it be on record that the Bar does not recognize the present JSC, as constituted, until the executive respects the rule of law and reverts to the status quo. The executive has gone ahead to handover monies meant for the Judiciary to the JSC, comprising the Governor's handpicked men", Nwakaeti said.
While condemning government's act, the Bar also demanded that all monies standing to the credit of the judiciary, should be handed over to the heads of court. Recalling the protracted strike of the Judiciary Staff Union of Nigeria, JUSUN, and the role played by the Bar to get the workers back to work, Nwakaeti regretted that government unilaterally jettisoned the agreement it entered into with the Union.
"Now, they are being victimized by the government, who currently, is withholding their three months salary. The Bar is of the view that this action of the government is wrongful and hereby call on government to take immediate steps towards paying off these arrears", the Bar said. Nwakaeti then raised a pertinent question: "Why is the Government of Imo State finding it difficult to comply with the constitutionally guaranteed financial autonomy of the judiciary, even after freely signing an agreement to that effect?"
Okorocha fires back: In a reprisal attack, Governor Okorocha accused the lawyers of speaking out of crass ignorance and falsehood, instead of knowledge. While linking Ahamba's address to sheer partisan politics and a possible wish to occupy the Douglas House in 2019, Okorocha warned among other things that he will not handover to anybody above 50. "Let me make it abundantly clear to people like Chief Ahamba, who are angling to take over from me that I will not handover to anybody above 50 years", Okorocha said.
Responding to some of the issues raised by the NBA Chairman, the Governor said that the bulk of the presentation by the Bar, stemmed from an ill-informed position. "It is not true that any local government worker was sacked by this administration. I am shocked to hear that 1,100 local government staff has been sacked. I must warn that any worker found wanting in the discharge of his or her official duties, would be shown the way out", Okorocha said.
When the lawyers started murmuring, in apparent disagreement with the Governor's submissions, Okorocha said: "Educated people don't make noise when somebody is talking. When you were addressing us, I didn't talk and now that I am talking, you must shut up and listen". On the issue of pensioners and pension, Okorocha said that no pensioner was forced to sign any document.
"The pensioners signed the forms voluntarily. Imo pays N1.4 billion as pension monthly, the highest in Nigeria. Imo got N13 billion from the Paris Club Refund and has used it to offset the backlog of unpaid pensions", Okorocha said.
Addressing the outstanding three-month staff salaries of judicial workers, the Governor said that since the staff opted to go on strike, even after government entered into an agreement with the Nigeria Labour Congress, he declared the "no work, no pay policy".
After tutoring the NBA leaders on how to fashion their future addresses, Okorocha then said: "I came with the intention to change Imo State and indeed, Imo has changed for the better. I can boast that none of my predecessors, with the exception of Dee Sam Mbakwe, did not do 20 percent of what I have done. I deserve some commendation".
AHAMBA FIRES SECOND SALVO
Okorocha was still ruminating over the NBA Chairman's verbal canons when the Chairman, Body of Senior Advocates of Nigeria, BOSAN, Chief Mike I. Ahamba, SAN, took the centre stage and berated the state government over the deteriorated court halls across the state.
"A check on either the High Court, Magistrate Courts or Customary Courts outside the capital city of Owerri will expose a gory spectacle of dilapidation of buildings and furniture, most times, with no conveniences. It would appear that any contraption called a building is considered good enough for the dispensation of justice", Ahamba said.
He also condemned what he branded "arbitrary slashing and non-payment of in-service and post-service remunerations of public officers" in the state.
"The most disturbing aspect of this unfortunate, wicked and indefensible situation is that it has extended to those who preside over our courts at all levels in Imo State. Blackmailing workers and retirees into signing ill-concocted documents, purporting same to tantamount to signing off their rights to due emoluments is, in my humble opinion, a journey in self deceit", Ahamba said.
AND THE CHIEF JUDGE LAMENTS
In his own address, the state Chief Judge, CJ, Hon. Justice Paschal Nnadi, lamented that the judiciary did not witness much improvements and renovations in the past legal year.
"The renovation of the burnt Customary Court of Appeal at New Owerri, is yet to be completed, many years after work started thereon. The need to complete that office building cannot be overemphasized, as the Court presently sits in a makeshift accommodation and the situation has become worse with the appointment of an additional judge to that very busy court", Nnadi said.
The CJ reminded Okorocha that "there has not been any capital fund released to the Judiciary since my assumption of Office as the Chief Judge of Imo State in 2014".
He touched a number of other grey areas bothering the Judiciary and appealed to the Governor to take urgent steps to resolve the problems.
The Federal Government has released the Economic Recovery and Growth Plan (ERGP) which unveils a road map for Nigeria's economic recovery growth and sustainable development.
The Media Adviser to the Minister of Budget and National Planning, James Akpandem, announced this in a statement on Tuesday in Abuja.
According to the adviser, the ERGP is available on the ministry's website, www.nationalplanning.gov.ng and that of the Budget Office, www.budgetoffice.gov.ng.
Akpandem said that the development of the plan went through rigorous processes, including wide consultation and robust engagement with stakeholders.
"The plan has been approved by the Federal Executive Council. The core vision of the plan is one of sustained inclusive growth.
"There is an urgent need as a nation, to drive structural economic transformation with emphasis on improving both public and private sector efficiency.
"The aim is to increase national productivity and achieve sustainable diversification of production, to significantly grow the economy and achieve maximum welfare for the citizens, beginning with food and energy security,'' he said.
President Buhari
The official said that the plan envisaged that by 2020, Nigeria would have made significant progress towards achieving structural economic change with a more diversified and inclusive economy.
He said that the plan was expected to deliver on five key broad outcomes, namely: a stable macroeconomic environment, agricultural transformation and food security as well as sufficiency in energy.
Other outcomes, he said, would be on improved transportation infrastructure and industrialisation, focusing on small and medium scale enterprises.
Akpandem said that the ERGP was different from previous strategies and plans because it focused on implementation, at the core of the delivery strategy over the next four years. He said that it outlined bold initiatives such as ramping up oil production to 2.5 million barrels per day (mbpd) by 2020.
"It focuses on privatising selected public enterprises/assets, and revamping local refineries to reduce petroleum product imports by 60 per cent by 2018. "It builds on existing sectoral plan such as the National Industrial Revolution Plan and the Nigeria Integrated Infrastructure Master-plan.
"The plan signals a changing relationship between the public and private sector, based on close partnership. "It also utilises the value of the merger of budget and planning functions into one ministry, to create a better and stronger link between annual budgets and the ERGP."
In addition, he said that the plan would provide for strong coordination with the states to ensure that the federal and sub-regional governments worked towards the same goals.
Akpandem said that the ceremonial presentation of the plan would take place when President Mohammadu Buhari, returned from vacation.
Another set of Nigerians voluntarily returned from Libya on Tuesday.
Nigerians who voluntarily returned from Libya disembarking from the aircraft on their arrival at the Murtala Muhammed International Airport, Ikeja in Lagos on TuesdayNigerians who voluntarily returned from Libya disembarking from the aircraft on their arrival at the Murtala Muhammed International Airport, Ikeja in Lagos on TuesdayNigerians who voluntarily returned from Libya disembarking from the aircraft on their arrival at the Murtala Muhammed International Airport, Ikeja in Lagos on Tuesday
The Federal Government has denied reports that its has reopened the N-Power portal for new applicants.
The Senior Special Assistant on Media & Publicity to the President, Laolu Akande made this known in disclaimer on Tuesday.
He said the reports circulating especially on the Social Media that new N-Power applications are now being is false and fraudulent.
The disclaimer read thus:
‘Our attention has been drawn to false and fraudulent reports circulating especially in the Social Media that new N-Power applications are now being received on the N-Power portal. There are also equally false reports and claims about an unauthorised request for vital personal information of beneficiaries on web portals not known to the Presidency or any arm of the Federal Government.
‘Nigerians, especially beneficiaries and potential beneficiaries of the N-Power Volunteer Corps should ignore such reports emanating from fake sources and outlets and only relate with bonafide presidency and FG sources and web portals. For the avoidance of doubt, legitimate communication about the N-Power is done through selection@npower.gov.ng or the relevant Focal Persons appointed by each of the 36 States and the FCT.
‘Any information that does not emanate from this identified sources or directly from the Presidency should be simply and outrightly dismissed.
‘In due time, we shall announce information regarding the Buhari administration’s plan to ramp up the number of N-Power beneficiaries from the current 200,000 to 350,000 under the 2017 budget proposals now before the National Assembly.’
I live with my partner and lately, he's treating sex like a sort of competition. Iwork from home and I am very strict about the hours I work so I won't mix businesswith pleasure. He's currently on his annual leave and his first week at home, he went down on me under the desk. I didn't mind. I love him and it was fun.
I was engrossed in my favourite programme the next day when he came up to me, took out his penis and said it was my turn to make him happy. When I told him I didn't feel like it, he said I was selfish and sulked. I didn't ask him to go down on me when he did, and don't believe we have to match each other's performance. How do I handle this?
Racbel,
bye-mail.
Dear Rachel,
Your partner is being unreasonable and childish. It was his idea to give you oral sex, not yours. Sulking because you can't have what you want is a habit that should be grown out of, and has no place in an adult relationship.
A couple's 'sex account' should be reviewed every month or so, not every day.
The balance should be equal overall, not act for act, blow job for blow job.
That kind of accounting only leads to petty, childish arguments because it is petty childish behaviour. Tell your man to grow up and leave him to work things out for himself
Every time we go out, my boyfriend stares at other girls as if he's searching for eye contact – with me there beside him! Other than this, we have a trusting relationship as we've been an item for 10 months now and I love him.
Whenever I try to talk to him about this, he gets annoyed and says I'm
overreaching. Do you think I am? Or am I right to be furious?
Roli, bye-mail.
Dear Roli,
It seems to me that it's not his roving eye that's the basic problem – it's his
reluctance to keep that roving eye in check, even though it upsets you. His overdoing the flirt look suggests his ego needs a little TLC (tender loving care).
Talk to him – not about what he does that makes you feel bad – but about what he does that makes you feel wonderful. Also, try explaining that it's precisely because you love him that his ogling other women distresses you, and ask him to stop.
Be gentle and sincere, and don't accuse. You want his understanding this time, not a quarrel.
Away from being a laugh merchant, celebrated comedian and On Air Personality, Emeka Erem, aka Ajebo will be touring Nigerian campuses with his comedy and music concert, Ajebo Unleashed. However, the comedian revealed that this time around, he is taking with him a message of hope and inspiration.Ajebo
Sponsored by Minimie Chinchin in partnership with Wow Production, his production outfit, the comedian, who is popular on YouTube for his animation series, House of Ajebo revealed that the aim is to give back to students in campuses.
"We are going with two hash tags. One of is #DontDoDrugs. No matter how much it has been said, we will not stop talking about it. Drugs kill. As an entertainer, I can stand here today to tell you that I didn't need to take any performance enhancing drug to perform on stage," he said.
According to him, the second hash tag, #SurviveOnCreativity is geared towards letting Nigerian youths know that their future is in their hands. The idea, he said, is to urge them to survive on their God given talents by building an entrepreneurial mindset even while on campus.
"So we are trying to also push the message of entrepreneurship. We cannot protest, we cannot fight, we cannot take up arms. What we have is entertainment and that is what we are using to talk to the youths of this country," he said.
In addition to all that, Ajebo revealed that he will also be giving out a cash gift of N100,000 to one lucky person. "All they have to do is to shoot a one minute video of how they break the boredom on campus and tag his Instagram handle, @ajebodcomedian using the hashtag, #minimiechichinbreaktheboredomchallenge. Also on campuses, we will be giving out cash prizes to three lucky people in an open mic session at the show," he added.
The campus tour is set to kick off at the University of Abuja on March 8. On the 10th, it will berth at the Nasarawa State University while also stopping over at Babcock University on March 12, UNILAG on March 15, Lead City March on March 24 and UNIBEN on the 6th of April.
Among comedians who will be following him on the tour are Seyi Law, Akpororo, Elenu, Acapella, Pencil, Kenny Blaq, MC Shakara, Kilnt de Drunk, Osama, Ambassador Wahala, Chucks de General and others while the likes MI, Skales, MCGalaxy, Reekado Banks will be providing music.
I've just met this wonderful man who is clever, funny and sexy. The problem is he's massive 'down there'. I'm on the small size so sex is always a bit painful, but this is agony.
I'm frightened to try again. Do you think we have a future?
Jessica, by e-mail.
Dear Jessica,
Don't panic! You say sex is painful, so I think you may not be producing enough
bellow-the-belt lubrication. Take your time, and instead of rushing to get started,
indulge in a lot of fore play. Relax whilst you do that.
If you need further help, a reputable chemist will recommend some lubricants, and remember, some positions are better than others. Talk to him about your fears – then have fun discovering ways to make love-making more pleasurable for both of you. Your bits are designed to accommodate the head of a baby – and I'm sure that even he’s is not that big!
By Levinus Nwabughiogu ABUJA – Mrs Aisha Buhari, wife of President Muhammadu Buhari has decried the socio-ecomomic disparity she said exists between Nigerian men and women, saying it has impeded the development of the women.
According to her, women were the most vulnerable and poorest group globally.
Mrs. Buhari however encouraged the women not to be “deterred as they are the fountain of wisdom and endurance”
The President’s wife expressed the view in her message to Nigerian women on the occasion of International Women’s Day.
“Today is a historic day in the struggle for the upliftment of Women across the continents. I recall with happiness the series of steps taken at different levels to drive attention to the plight of women in the areas of health, education and opportunities in the scheme of things.
“Today has provided yet another opportunity to reflect on the condition of women both at the global arena and national level with a view to providing a way forward for the betterment of the Nigerian women.
“As you may be aware, records have shown that women are the most vulnerable and poorest group globally. “In Nigeria, this gap exists as a result of socio-economic and other factors. Despite these challenges that women face in their journey, however, they must not be deterred as they are the fountain of wisdom and endurance.
“This year's theme, Be Bold for Change, encourages taking groundbreaking action that drives the greatest change for women; accelerating gender parity and helping women advance and unleash their limitless potential.
“Let me use this opportunity to reaffirm my commitment towards the cause of women through my initiative "Future Assured" from which thousands of women and children have benefitted.
“It is imperative to appeal to all stakeholders particularly Governments at all levels to rise to the global challenge of ensuring the achievement of gender equality and empowerment of all women and girls in line with the objective of sustainable development goals.
"Educating a woman it is said is educating a Nation or generation" it is my wish therefore to felicitate with fellow Nigerian women and women all over the world on this very memorable and important day”, she said.
The acting president Yemi Osinbajo storms Lagos on Tuesday 7, march 2017 with his entourage to grace the occasion of the breaking ceremony of segment -2, railway modernization project in Lagos. This is as a result of APC campaign promises made to people to increase and improve transportation system in Nigeria. People that embellished the occasion includes Rotimi Amaechi, transportion minister, Gov. Ambode, lagos state governor and other cohorts. Going by his posits on Saturday in his home town, Osinbajo stressed that the Muhammadu Buhari’s administration will strive to deliver on its campaign promises to the people of Nigeria.
Osinbajo gave the assurance on Saturday at Ikenne, his home town where he was the Special Guest of Honour at the 39th Ereke Day celebration. Ereke is an annual festival organised in Ikenne, Ogun State, as platform for addressing the town's developmental challenges. Osinbajo pointed out that the opportunity to address the nation's numerous challenges and reposition the country for greatness is now. He said that the All Progressives Congress (APC) administration would keep its promises, saying "the President has no other business besides fixing the problems of the country.'' He restated the commitment of the Federal Government to address the challenges facing the country.
On the other hand the minister of science and technology, Dr. Ogbonnaya Onu, had said that President Muhammadu Buhari's administration has delivered on the campaign promises of All Progressives Congress, APC, to the country. The minister also said a lot of policies had been put in place by the administration and assured that by the end of 2017, Nigerians would start seeing tangible results of the policies. In a bid to achieving their campaign promises the acting president Yemi Osinbajo storms Lagos to commission the breaking ceremony of segment -2 modernization railway project. Below are the pictures taken during the event:
Osinbajo flanked by Ambode and other prominent Nigerians
Osinbajo commissioning the projectOsinbajo leading by exampleOsinbajo delivering a speech at the occasionProminent Nigeria at the occasion
musical performersDancers at the occasionOsinbajo greeting the oba of LagosObservers from abroad
The Delta Police Command has intensified efforts to rescue the Divisional Police Officer, (DPO) in charge of 'C' Division, Asaba, who was allegedly kidnapped by gunmen last Sunday along Agbor-Asaba highway.
The spokesperson of the command, DSP Andrew Aniamaka, told newsmen on Tuesday in Asaba that the police had launched manhunt to rescue the DPO.
"The command has dispatched a crack team of detectives to track down the hoodlums and rescue the victim.
"We are presently on the heels of the hoodlums and detectives have been mandated to rescue the DPO unhurt.
"As a police force, we have always responded swiftly to issues of security and safety of all residents in the state. It is our duty call.
"Moreso, when our own flesh and blood is involved. We will do everything humanly possible to secure his freedom.
"All we need from the public is support and information," Aniamaka said.
The police image maker vowed that the command would ensure that the DPO was rescued unhurt, adding, "it is our task to make sure that the officer is freed and unharmed."
He gave an assurance that the command would not relent in its commitment and determination to track down the perpetrators of the criminal act and bring them to justice.
The victim, Mr Valentine Mbalu, a Superintendent of Police, was abducted at gunpoint by armed hoodlums last Sunday on his way from Agbor to Asaba.
Police sources told newsmen on Monday last week in Asaba that the kidnappers allegedly blocked the victim's car, forced him out at gunpoint and whisked him away in their waiting car.
The Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) on Tuesday injected another sum of 100 million dollars into the interbank foreign exchange market, its acting Director, Corporate Communications, Isaac Okorafor has said.
Okorafor said the measure became necessary as part of the initiatives to make Forex easily accessible, thereby crashing demand at the black market.
The director made this known to newsmen in Abuja on Tuesday.
He said that the measure was to fund the commercial banks with enough Forex to cater for the request of customers and to meet basic travelling allowance, medicals and tuition fees.
This fresh injection by the apex bank brings the amount so far pumped into the interbank Forex market within the last two weeks to 1.14 billion dollars for both forwards and invisibles.
A former Economic Adviser to former President Olusegun Obasanjo, Prof. Ode Ojowu said the measure would further create problems for currency speculators who had not recover from the sudden appreciation of the Naira.
"It appears this time around, the CBN has decided to become smarter than the market manipulators by putting on its cap of authority to look beneath the market forces," he said.
Ojowu also commended the efforts of the CBN in ensuring the continuous appreciation of the Naira.
He attributed this to good policy and effective communication strategy, which had increased dollar supply to the market.
A 17-year-old girl, Fatima Baba, has appealed to the Niger Child Right Protection Agency to dissolve her one-month-old marriage.
Fatima, who is married to 35-year-old Salihu Mohammed, told the agency on Tuesday in Minna, that she was no more in love with her husband, a resident of Shaba Legbo village in Gbako Local Government Area of the state.
She pleaded with the agency to dissolve her marriage to enable her further her education.
"I was given in marriage to Salihu by my family, who thought I will have a better life with him.
"I do not want this marriage; I do not love this man. I want a divorce because I want to go to school and it is only when I am divorced that I can return to school," she said.
In his response, Mohammed said that he married his wife legally, and with the consent of her family.
He said that Malam Salihu Mustapha, his wife's uncle, gave her to him in marriage after she consented.
"At first, my wife was happy with the marriage until she suddenly changed her mind and opted for a divorce.
"I still love my wife and I want to spend my life with her, but if she wants a divorce, I have no objection. I cannot force her to remain in the union," he said.
Malam Halilu Shaba, the District Head of Shaba Legbo, in his reaction, told the agency that parents in the community were fond of forcing their children into early marriage.
"Some also send their children to become house-maids, thereby denying them the opportunity to go to school," he said.
He commended the agency for its intervention, adding that such step would serve as deterrent to parents.
The Director-General of the agency, Hajiya Maryam Kolo, commended Fatima for the courage to seek for divorce, and gave both families a two-week ultimatum within which to dissolve the marriage.
"If you fail to do so within the two weeks, the agency will file for divorce on behalf of the girl in a Sharia Court," she said.
Kolo warned parents and community leaders against forcing children into early marriage thereby denying them the opportunity to acquire western education.
She said that early marriage had many disadvantages including the risk of Vesico Vaginal Fistula (VVF) diseases.
Kolo advised other girls to emulate Fatima's bravery and report similar matters to the agency.
Emma Ujah, Abuja Bureau Chief, Chris Ochayi & Grace Udofia The Federal government yesterday released its Economic Recovery and Growth Plan (ERGP) with a view to restoring macroeconomic stability and unleashing various sectors towards achieving the nation's full economic potentials.
The ERGP's core vision of the plan is sustained inclusive growth through structural economic transformation with emphasis on improving both public and private sector efficiency in order to increase national productivity and achieve sustainable diversification of production. According to the document released yesterday by the Minister of Budget and national Planning, Sen. Udoma Udo Udoma, "The Plan envisages that by 2020, Nigeria would have made significant progress towards achieving structural economic change with a more diversified and inclusive economy. Overall, the Plan is expected to deliver on 5 key broad outcomes, namely: a stable macroeconomic environment, agricultural transformation and food security, sufficiency in energy (power and petroleum products), improved transportation infrastructure and industrialization focusing on small and medium scale enterprise." Agric
In the agriculture sector, the federal government agric policy objectives: Increase agriculture GDP from N16.0 trillion in 2015 to N21.0 trillion in 2020 at an average annual growth rate of 6.92 per cent (2017-2020).
The federal government also plans to "Significantly reduce food imports and become a net exporter of key agricultural products, e.g., rice, tomatoes, vegetable oil, cashew nuts, groundnuts, cassava, poultry, fish, livestock" and become self-sufficient in tomato paste (by 2017), rice (by 2018), and wheat (by 2019/2020).
Manufacturing Manufacturing accounted for 9.5 per cent of Nigeria's GDP in 2015. In 2010-2015 period, the sector grew at an average annual growth rate of 13.3 per cent, almost three times the 4.8 per cent growth experienced by GDP. The ERGP seeks to improve this performance and double manufacturing's share of GDP, largely by developing Special Economic Zones (SEZs) to attract manufacturing away from economies where the labour cost advantage is declining and re-energize local industries that have suffered as a result of, e.g., the influx and dumping of goods in Nigeria.
The ERGP will build on the Nigeria Industrial Revolution Plan (NIRP), a key pillar of the country's industrial policy focusing on agro-business, solid minerals and metals, oil and gas; as well as, construction, light manufacturing services.
Solid minerals Solid minerals is one of Nigeria's most promising growth sectors. Although its overall contribution to GDP growth is small, its contribution to GDP doubled from N52 billion in 2010 to N103 billion in 2015. Nigeria has 44 known types of minerals of varying mixes and proven quantities, some of which are concentrated in certain regions. Consequently, the administration has planned to grow solid minerals GDP from N103 billion (2015) to N141 billion (2020) at an average annual growth rate of 8.54 per cent (2017-2020).
It also wants to facilitate the production of coal to fire power plants and integrate artisanal miners into the formal sector.
It also plans to produce geological maps of the entire country by 2020 (on a scale of 1:100,000) and encourage and promote mineral processing and value addition industries that strengthen backward and forward linkage
All Progressives Congress (APC) has attributed Federal Government`s recent achievements in spite of President Muhamadu Buhari`s absence, to the party's team spirit underscored in Acting President Yemi Osinbajo's commitment and loyalty.
The party in a statement in Abuja on Tuesday, congratulated Osinbajo on his 60th birthday and said he had demonstrated high level loyalty and commitment to the "change agenda'' of Buhari and APC.
According to the statement by the party's National Publicity Secretary, Mallam Bolaji Abdullahi, no doubt, his wisdom, vigour and innovativeness have been essential to the numerous achievements recorded by this administration.
"At 60, Prof. Osinbajo has recorded several landmark achievements as a man of God and a man of the law," it said.
The party said that the acting president had visited crisis-prone areas, stabilised the economy and promoted good governance.
It commended Buhari for the vision and wisdom in choosing Osinbajo as his running mate.
The APC wished the acting president a happy birthday filled with God's blessings and grace.
It also prayed that God would continue to bless him with good health, wisdom and many more years in the service of God and country.
The National Youth Council of Nigeria (NYCN), on Tuesday appealed to the Federal Government to expedite action on the signing of National Peace Corps bill recently passed by the National Assembly.
Mr Murtala Muhammed, National President of the council, made the appeal while addressing youth in Jalingo.
Muhammed said the signing the Peace Corps bill into law would engage hundreds of youth meaningfully in service of the nation.
He led the youth into a five minute prayer session for quick recovery of President Muhammadu Buhari.
According to him, Buhari's administration meant well for the youth of the country and should be supported by all and sundry to succeed.
He commended the Federal Government for various youth empowerment programmes such as N-Power, Yes P among others.
He also challenged Taraba youth to find solution to the nation's problems with the support of the government.
"I urge you to develop yourselves and become people that will solve problems and those of the nation instead of waiting on government.
He told the youth to promote ethnic and religious harmony to enhance the unity of the country.
Mr Kalu David, a member of the Board of Directors of the council, urged the youth to develop themselves as future leaders of the country and shun crime and violence.
Newly appointed Ekiti State Police Commissioner, Mr Abdullahi Chafe, on Tuesday said he was not posted by the Federal Government to do a hatchet job ahead of next year's gubernatorial election in Ekiti.
Chafe, who assumed office last week, said in his maiden press conference in Ado Ekiti that he was also not in the state to fight the Governor, Mr Ayo Fayose.
He was reacting to concerns expressed by some Ekiti elders, who accused the Inspector General of Police, Mr Ibrahim Idris, of transferring the former Commissioner of Police, Mr Wilson Inalegwu, to Kogi State without the knowledge of Gov. Fayose.
Chafe said he was in Ekiti State to perform his constitutional role as a police officer.
"My mission in Ekiti is to sanitize it and make it a no-go-area for criminals, so that investors can see the state as a safe haven.
"I am not here acting under any instruction to fight anybody. I never knew there was any election coming anytime soon until I arrived and was briefed," he said.
Chafe promised to sustain all the anti-crime strategies and structures already put in place by his predecessor, to combat crime.
He promised to work together with various unions and administrators of tertiary institutions in Ekiti State against disruption of public peace, cultism and fraudsters.
The commissioner said his men would sustain the raids on black spots in Ado Ekiti and motor parks to check crime.
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
ABUJA – Former vice president and a chieftain of the All Progressives Congress APC, Atiku Abubakar has restated his call for a restructuring of the federation, saying states that are not financially viable should be collapsed into those that are viable.
“There is no doubt that many of our states are not viable, and were not viable from the start, once you take away the federal allocations from Abuja. We have to find creative ways to make them viable in a changed federal system.
Collaboration among states in a region or zone will help. We can examine the possibility of using the existing geo-political zones as federating units. We can also find other ways to determine the viability of states, for example by introducing a means test such that a state that is unable to generate a certain percentage of its expenditures internally for a specified period of time will be deemed unviable and collapsed into another or a group of states.
“We can constitute a body of non-partisan experts to suggest other ideas. But in all, we must devolve more powers and resources from the federal government and deemphasize federal allocations as the source of sustenance of states. We need to start producing again and collecting taxes to run our governments in a more sustainable way with greater transparency and accountability”, Abubakar submitted.
The former vice president stated this on Monday at the annual Prof. Ademola Popoola Public Lecture, at the Faculty of Law, Obafemi Awolowo University, Ile-Ife.
Explaining his own concept of restructuring, Abubakar said local government councils cannot be seen as federating units.
“The restructuring that I have been calling for involves changes to the allocation of powers, responsibilities and resources among the states or zones and between them and the federal government.
I do not see local governments as federating units and, therefore, they should not derive their powers from the constitution. Likewise ethnic nationalities are not federating units and any attempt to restructure the country along those lines will be unworkable. Some of our roughly 300 ethnic nationalities are big enough to constitute independent countries while some are too small to even constitute local government areas”, he added.
He said though many of those against restructuring are his own kinsmen, the major factors against the change are issues of dependency, fear and mistrust.
He said; “If we cut out all the sophistry, posturing and pretensions, it is clear to me that the resistance against restructuring is based on three interrelated factors, namely dependency, fear and mistrust. Dependency of all segments of the country on oil revenues, fear of loss of oil revenues by non-oil producing states or regions and mistrust of the motives of those angling for restructuring. This can be seen in the regional patterns of the advocacy for and opposition to restructuring. The bulk of the calls for restructuring comes from the south while the bulk of the opposition to it comes from the north. This tells me that it will be critical for all parties to put their cards on the table, give one another the necessary reassurances and make the necessary compromises in order to secure a restructuring deal. Denials and insults by both sides are not a substitute for these.
“Although arguments against restructuring come mostly from the North, there are, however, elements from the other regions who are in government and who argue against restructuring, claiming that it is only good leadership (ostensibly theirs) that is needed to resolve our nation's challenges. Opponents also argue that restructuring is a ploy to break up the country.
They insist that national unity is non-negotiable and claim that the matter has been resolved by the civil war. How the current structure is the only guarantee of unity is never really explained, neither is it demonstrated that devolving more powers and resources to federating units would lead to a breakup of the country.
“Only our First Republic Constitution came close to the US's Constitution in terms of the process of federal constitution-making and allocation of powers between the federating units and the federal government.
Subsequent efforts have been ones where military leaders amended the constitution through decrees, and, when our peoples' representatives were involved, set the parameters and redlines that could not be crossed by "we the people." With eyes firmly set on oil revenues rather than diverse economic activities, and a mindset that saw any push for greater autonomy for regions as a threat to national unity, the efforts resulted in excessive centralization of power and concentration of economic resources at the federal level.
For as long as oil flowed and revenues remained high, few people seemed to mind. Thus, our governments walked away from preceding sources of government revenues. Rather than clamour for more productivity and improvements in human resource development, we clamoured for and got more states and local governments.
“We even had the awkward situation where the federal government created local governments and continues to allocate resources directly to them through so-called joint accounts with state governments. The result has been that local governments have ceased to be local, and they are also not national or effective.
Rather the state governments essentially confiscate the funds and expend them as they wish. Thus the division of responsibilities for local government administration has killed the responsibilities. Put another way, the intrusion of the federal government in local government administration has virtually destroyed local administration”.
The Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) yesterday declared a state of emergency on the degenerating Quality of Service (QoS), provided by Mobile Network Operators (MNOs) and other service providers,
As part of measures to cushion the situation and ameliorate the recurrent inaccessibility to foreign exchange (forex) by operators, the Executive Vice Chairman (EVC) of NCC, Prof. Umar Danbatta yesterday told the operators that the Commission had written to the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) Governor, Mr. Godwin Emefiele and he was favourably disposed to addressing the forex needs of the operators.
Specifically, as a follow up to the letter, the Executive Commissioner (Stakeholders Management), NCC, Mr. Sunday Dare had a meeting with Mr. Emefiele and extracted a commitment from him on how he hoped to address the forex needs of the operators.
Danbatta spoke yesterday in Abuja during an interactive session on Quality of Service delivery which NCC management had with operators.
Danbatta said, since the NCC had declared 2017 as the year of the consumer, all hands should be on deck for telecom consumers to have a fresh lease to high Quality of Service. "The consumer has to be treated with dignity" Danbatta added, saying the "8-point agenda drives this point home".
NCC
"NCC has put measures in place to check and monitor quality of service on various networks "and we have sent this report to our task force on QoS and have been interacting with governments at different levels as part of the measures to deal with the poor QoS". He said.
Danbatta admonished the operators and co-location service operators to provide suggestions on how to address the situation.
Earlier, NCC's Executive Commissioner (Technical Services), Mr. Ubale Maska said, QoS has been a great concern as consumers inundate the Commission with complaints.
"It requires everybody's input if the situation has to be redressed, hence 2017 has been declared the year of the Consumer".
NCC Director, Technical Standards and Network Integrity (DTSNI), Dr. Fidelis Ona, explained that the Commission is aware of some of the challenges which include Right of Way (RoW), Force Majeure, Difficulty in acquiring new cell sites, multiple taxation and regulation, vandalism, power supply among others.
"We are engaging stakeholders, including Industry Working Group on Quality of Service, special committee on Counter Harmonization to address this".
NCC's Head, Quality of Service Unit, Engr. Edoyemi Ogoh in his presentation traced poor quality of service to fibre cuts, community issues, among others.
He said in October 2016, operators experienced 175 cuts across the nation while they recorded 180 cuts in November and 103 in December, 2016.
There were 113 community issues in October 2016, 74 in November and 133 in December, adding that fibre cuts and community issues remain major drawbacks for QoS.
In their various presentations, some of the operators painted a grim picture of their encounters especially in an economy that is going broke.
Chief Technical Officer (CTO) at MTN Nigeria, Mr. Hassan Jamil expressed happiness with the interactive session, so that the regulator can know our situation one on one basis…"
He said demand for both voice and data services are on the rise but we are unable to catch up on investment because of scarce forex availability".
The catalogue of woes he listed included inability to import equipment to boost expansion:
We can't transmit forex to vendors
Incessant fibre cuts
Community related challenges
Scarcity of diesel to power base stations
Right of Way issues with different layers of government in the regions
Sabotage at different levels
We planned 100 sites for Abuja but after a very longtime we were only able to build six because of the bottlenecks of getting approvals and until we resolve these, quality of service will be a mirage"
Similar situations were painted by representatives of Globacom Limited, Airtel Nigeria, Etisalat, American Towers Company (ATC), IHS Limited, among others.
The EVC encouraged the operators to be more creative by adopting alternative source of energy like solar power as a stop gap.
APC National Leader, Chief Bola Tinubu, on Monday, commended Gov. Kashim Shettima of Borno for executing developmental projects in spite of the Boko Haram insurgency in the state.
He made the commendation while inaugurating the rehabilitated 70-bed Benishiekh General Hospital in Benisheikh, headquarters of Kaga Local Government Area of Borno.
Gov Kashim Shettima of Borno State.
He said Shettima had proven to be man of the people by his efforts in implementing people-oriented programmes.
He added that "I wà nt to express my utmost thanks to you for inviting me to inaugurate this project.
"I am indeed honoured to be associated with the success story of the state governor."
Tinubu, who was accompanied by Chief Bisi Akande, former APC chairman, also inaugurated other projects, including 13 primary schools, health centres and irrigation projects.
Acting President, Prof. Yemi Osinbajo has met with the United Nations’Security Council in Abuja.
Recall that the United Nations Security Council arrived Maiduguri, Borno State on Sunday on a visiting mission to Lake Chad Basin Region. As scheduled, the council visited the Acting President in Abuja.
Ag. President Yemi Osinbajo receiving the President, UN Security Council, Mr. Mathew Rycroft during a meeting between the government and a delegation of the UN Security Council on the security and humanitarian situation in the Gulf of Guinea at the State House, Abuja.Ag. President Yemi Osinbajo receiving the President, UN Security Council, Mr. Mathew Rycroft during a meeting between the government and a delegation of the UN Security Council on the security and humanitarian situation in the Gulf of Guinea at the State House, Abuja.from the right, Ag. President Yemi Osinbajo; the President, UN Security Council, Mr. Mathew Rycroft; Co-Lead, UN Security Council Mission to Nigeria, Mr. Fode Seck; French Deputy Permanent Representative to the UN, Mr. Alexis Lamek and other members of the delegation during a meeting between the government and a delegation of the UN Security Council on the security and humanitarian situation in the Gulf of Guinea at the State House, Abuja.from the right, Ag. President Yemi Osinbajo; the President, UN Security Council, Mr. Mathew Rycroft; Co-Lead, UN Security Council Mission to Nigeria, Mr. Fode Seck; French Deputy Permanent Representative to the UN, Mr. Alexis Lamek and other members of the delegation during a meeting between the government and a delegation of the UN Security Council on the security and humanitarian situation in the Gulf of Guinea at the State House, Abuja.
Fed up with their own presidential candidates, a group of French voters has had the audacity to hope that Barack Obama could run for the Elysee Palace.
A French petition calling for the former US president to enter the race for the French presidency has gathered more than 48,000 signatures.
Barack Obama
The charismatic Obama’s signature smile has also popped up across Paris in tricolour posters with his iconic 2008 slogan “Yes We Can” translated into French (“Oui on peut”).
“We realised that Obama was available at the end of his second mandate, so we thought, well, why couldn’t he be the next French president?” one organiser told AFP, asking not to be named.
Their only problem? He’s not a French citizen.
Some organisers say they hope to garner the support of one million people and have their proposal examined by the National Assembly, opening up the possibility of offering Obama French citizenship.
But another admits it’s “all a big joke.”
“But it also has a meaning, since we notice that voters don’t identify with the current candidates in France, and we can only vote against someone instead of voting for someone,” he added.
Polls currently suggest independent centrist Emmanuel Macron and far-right candidate Marine Le Pen are the current frontrunners.
Both are running campaigns against France’s political establishment at a time when former favourite, rightwing candidate Francois Fillon, is embroiled in a fake jobs scandal.
Polluted environments take the lives of 1.7 million children under the age of five, according to two new reports from the World Health Organisation (WHO).
The Director-General of WHO, Dr Margaret Chan, while presenting the reports, said unhealthy environments were responsible for one-quarter of children deaths.
The reports reviewed the threats from pollutants such as second-hand smoke, ultraviolet radiation, unsafe water and e-waste.
"A polluted environment is a deadly one – particularly for young children.
"Their developing organs and immune systems, and smaller bodies and airways, make them especially vulnerable to dirty air and water," Chan said.
In one of the two reports, 'Inheriting a Sustainable World: Atlas on Children's Health and the Environment', WHO announced that many of the common causes of death among children aged between one month and five years of age are preventable with safe water and clear cooking fuels.
These common causes of infant death include diarrhoea, malaria and pneumonia, according to the UN health agency.
"The main pollutant is in the air, resulting in 570,000 deaths each year among children under five years old.
"Air pollution can stunt brain development and reduce lung function and trigger asthma.
"In the longer-term, exposure to air pollution can increase the child's risk of contracting heart disease, a stroke or cancer," the report stated.
Among other actions described in the other report: 'Don't pollute my future!' WHO recommended measures to counter the impact of the environment on children's health.
The UN health agency recommended reducing air pollution, improving safe water and sanitation, and protecting pregnant women and building safer environments.
Dr Maria Neira, WHO Director, Department of Public Health, Environmental and Social Determinants of Health, called for measures to protect children from the impacts of exposure to polluted environments.
"Investing in the removal of environmental risks to health, such as improving water quality or using cleaner fuels, will result in massive health benefits," Neira said.
One of the emerging environmental threats to children is electronic and electrical waste, according to the second WHO report.
Appliances such as old mobile phones that are improperly recycled "expose children to toxins which can lead to reduced intelligence, attention deficit, lung damage, and cancer," the UN agency reported.
At the current rate, the amount of such waste is expected to increase by 19 per cent between 2014 and 2018, up to 50 million metric tonnes.
The reports also pointed out harmful chemicals that work themselves through the food chain.
These include fluoride, lead and mercury, as well as the impact that climate change and ultraviolet rays have on children's development.
Former aide to Ex-President Goodluck Jonathan on Electronic media, Pastor Reno Omokri has replied The Guardian of U.K. and the Minister of Information and Culture, Alhaji Lia Mohammed, saying their claims that the former President rejected help from Britain in the rescue of the abducted Chibok school girls were false.
Reno, in a reply article titled, “Response to The Guardian of U.K. and Nigeria’s Minister of Information,” said, contrary to the claims, Ex-President Jonathan did sought after the assistance of the British Government and the international community in general in tackling the Boko Haram insurgents and securing the release of the girls especially in the area of arms.
"My attention has been drawn to a report in the Guardian of the U.K. alleging that the former Nigerian President, Dr. Goodluck Jonathan rebuffed efforts by the British military to rescue the kidnapped Chibok Girls sometime in 2014."
Omokri
Nothing could be further from the truth and to prove that this story from the Guardian is untrue, the international community will recall that when a Boko Haram affiliate kidnapped a Briton and an Italian, Chris McManus and Franco Lamolinara, from Birnin Kebbi in Kebbi state of Nigeria, then President Jonathan personally authorized British Special Forces from the British Military Special Boat Service, to attempt a rescue mission in Sokoto state on the 8th of March, 2012 a full two years before the Chibok Girls Saga.
The British Military sent boots to the ground and these troops were given full and unhindered cooperation by both the then Nigerian government and the Nigerian military.
This already shows that Dr. Goodluck Jonathan had set a precedence of allowing British Military Forces operate in Nigeria to rescue hostages. This proves that not only is The Guardian story untrue, but it was not well researched. Why would then President Jonathan approve that operation and rebuff the other? The story from The Guardian is built on a foundation of lies.
This is however not surprising since The Guardian stated that it was relying not on its own investigation but on second hand hearsay reportage from The Observer.
The international community is reminded that it is public knowledge that then President Goodluck Jonathan wrote letters to the trio of then US President, Barack Obama, then British Prime Minister, David Cameron and French President, François Hollande, asking them for precisely what The Guardian says he refused, help in rescuing the Chibok Girls.
The international community is reminded that so eager was the then Nigerian President to rescue the girls that he personally approved for these foreign governments to fly over Nigerian airspace in order to identify the location of the Chibok Girls.
Not only did Dr. Goodluck Jonathan welcome foreign intervention, he was also the prime mover in the Multi National Joint Task Force involving Benin, Cameroon, Chad, Niger, and Nigeria and authorized the military forces of those nations to fight Boko Haram on Nigeria soil. If President authorized the military forces of these nations to operate against terrorists in Nigeria, why would he refuse similar assistance from Nigeria’s international partners?
And to Lai Mohammed, Nigeria’s current minister of information (if he can be so called) who said:
“After the girls were kidnapped and the Jonathan Administration did nothing for all of 15 days or make any determined efforts to rescue them thereafter, our party, the then opposition APC, told the nation several times that the whole Boko Haram crisis was allowed to escalate by the PDP-controlled Federal Government so they can use it as a political tool ahead of the 2015 elections.”
My response to his lies is as follows. Opinions are subjective but facts are sacred. The facts are that then President Jonathan immediately sprung to action to rescue the kidnapped Chibok Girls and it was precisely the fallacious Lai Mohammed, whose words I caution the international community to take with a pinch of salt, that attempted to frustrate the efforts by the then government to rescue the girls.
Below are a factual timelines with dates, names and location. I challenge Lai Mohammed to rebut them with his own facts:
Timelines:
March 12, 2014: The then minister of state for education, Mr. Nyesom Wike, wrote the Governors of Borno, Yobe and Adamawa and advised them not to hold the West African Senior Secondary Certificate Examinations in areas susceptible to the Boko Haram insurgency. This letter had the reference number HMSE/FME/147/VOL.1/150 and the subject: ‘Security challenges and the conduct of the 2014 WASSCE and SSCE in Borno, Yobe and parts of Adamawa States’.
The Governors of Yobe and Adamawa acknowledged the letter and cooperated with the then Peoples Democratic Party led Federal Government to bus students to secure locations to write their scheduled school leaving examinations.
April 14, 2014: Contrary to the advise given by the Peoples Democratic Party led Federal Government of President Goodluck Jonathan, the All Progressive Congress led Government of Governor Kashim Shettima, for reasons best known to it, chose to ignore that advise and held the WASSCE examinations in Chibok, a mainly Christian town that was susceptible to attacks from the Islamic extremist group, Boko Haram. On the day in question, the girls of Government Girls Secondary School Chibok were kidnaped by Boko Haram while preparing to write their final physics examinations.
Curiously, both the Principal of the school and her Vice were not on the school’s campus as the girls were inside a dormitory.
The Principal of the school, Hadjiya Asabe Kwambura, later claimed to have gone to Maiduguri for a ‘medical check up’ on the day of the abduction. It seemed very inauspicious for a principal of a school to schedule a non emergency ‘medical check up’ for a time when the school she presided over was having perhaps its most important activity of the year, school leaving examinations.
This same woman later changed her story when she told Fox News that she had gone to Maiduguri to buy medicines and was informed by her daughter about the kidnap. But how did her daughter, a student of the school, avoid being kidnapped?
It is noteworthy that this particular principal was never reprimanded or disciplined or in anyway made to take responsibility for this obvious dereliction of duty by the Borno state government who owns the school.
Flash forward to April 2, 2016: Governor Kashim Shettima confessed in an interview with Premium Times that he, the chief security officer of the state, DID NOT inform then President Jonathan when the girls were kidnapped for reasons best known to him.
April 17, 2014: Exactly three days after the kidnap, President Jonathan who had not been formally informed of the issue because of the deliberate refusal of the APC led government of Borno state to brief him called for an emergency meeting at the Presidential villa after the military independently alerted him.
Multiple dates in April, 2004: The military, principally the air force, were given conflicting information as to what direction the fleeing terrorists took when they captured the girls. Were these conflicting information a deliberate effort to send the military on a wild goose chase?
Flash Forward to January 6, 2017: One of the Chibok girls who escaped from her captors granted an interview to the New York Times and revealed that they were not taken to Sambisa Forest by the terrorists as previously thought. According to her testimony, they were rather taken to the Borno state capital of Maiduguri and kept at a house there for months.
Flash Forward to January 11, 2017: Chibok Community leader, Pastor Bulus Baba, in an interview with local media corroborated the New York Times report and said even after they left Maiduguri they were moved to another town and kept in the home of an influential local politician. According to him:
“The girls said, they spent over 8 months in Gwoza local government area along with other abducted women. They said they were kept at a resident of one of the top politicians in that local government area until at a point when a fighter jet dropped bomb that touch part of the house killing some of the girls."
May 2, 2014: Then President Jonathan sets up a fact finding mission to determine the facts of the kidnap and stresses that the mission’s work would not interfere with search and rescue efforts.
May 2, 2014: Frustrated by the school’s authorities to come clean with accurate information about the identities of the missing girls, the Christian Association of Nigeria released the names of the kidnapped girls for the first time.
May 3, 2014: Charles Eguridu, head of the West African Examination Council’s National Office in Nigeria revealed in testimony broadcast live on national television that WAEC had asked the Borno state Governor not to hold examinations at Chibok due to safety issues, but that Governor Shettima, in writing, had assured WAEC that he would provide adequate security for Chibok, a promise he did not keep. According to Mr. Eguridu:
“The Borno state government also refused to relocate the students from Chibok to safer places like Maiduguri. "Borno state government only agreed to relocate the remaining 189 pupils after the abduction of the girls.”
Talk about medicine after death.
May 4, 2014: After consistent confused and contradictory information from the Borno state Government and various other authority figures, the Presidency invited the principal actors in the Chibok saga to the Presidential villa to ascertain the truth. The Presidency was shocked at the non appearance by officials of the Borno state government. The governor’s wife who was invited shunned the event and when the then First Lady, Dame Patience Jonathan saw the scanty representation from Borno she famously exclaimed ‘na only you waka come’?
May 5, 2014: many residents of Gamboru Ngala were killed by Boko Haram forces after troops stationed there left that town to go to the Sambisa forest area closest to Chibok town to look for the missing girls. The precision behind the arrival by Boko Haram just as the troops left the town gave rise to strong suggestions that the terrorists were tipped off by a mole.
May 6, 2014: The then National Publicity Secretary of the APC and now the current minister of information, Lai Mohammed, released a statement calling the Presidency’s intervention a ‘distraction’.
May 6, 2014: In response to a request by the Nigerian Government for help, then United States President, Barack Obama announced that the US was dispatching personnel into the area to help search for the missing girls.
May 9, 2014: Nigeria welcomed experts from the United States and the United Kingdom to help search for the girls.
May 11, 2014: Borno state Governor, Kashim Shettima tells the local and international media the girls had “been sighted”. In view of later testimony by the released girls that they had initially been kept in Maiduguri, Shettima’s accounts now elicit more suspicion especially as Boko Haram released a video a day after the revelation by Governor Shettima.
May 12, 2014: Boko Haram releases a video purporting to be of the Chibok girls. However, in that video, the girls do not look terrified and one of them is shown distracted as she appears to be sending a text or making a call on her mobile phone which was visible to the camera. This video is still publicly available on YouTube. Giving the testimony that they were held in Maiduguri the state capital before being taken to Gwoza, how could this video have been shot in day light without attracting some attention?
May 26, 2014: The Nigerian military revealed through Chief of Defence Staff, Air Marshal Alex Badeh, that it knew the location of the girls but could not attack because of fear of loss of lives of the girls after a similar operation in Sokoto to save an Italian and a Briton led to loss of lives of the hostages taken by an affiliate of Boko Haram.
Unspecified Date in May 2014: The Jonathan administration began secret negotiations to secure the release of the Chibok girls.
September 7, 2014: In an interview with foremost Northern Nigeria daily, Leadership Newspaper, some of the parents of the kidnapped girls alleged that the entire saga was a conspiracy. In that interview, a Chibok parent, Bulama Jonah, said:
"We still believe that there was an internal collaboration in the abduction of our daughters by the Boko Haram gunmen, because we have correct information that some of the teachers, who are very senior in the school, managed to move their own daughters and family out of the school premises before the attack.
"That is why we are insisting that (the Borno state) government must provide our daughters and we would not take it lightly if they don't produce our girls for us. The girls were in their custody, because school premises belong to government; and we believe they were aware of the attack but failed to provide security for them."
October 6, 2014: Then President Jonathan visits Niamey as part of efforts to secure the release of the Chibok girls with the help of the Nigerien government.
October 15, 2014: During the Presidential Declaration by then candidate Muhammadu Buhari, now the incumbent President, Audu Ogbeh, at that time the Director General of the campaign (he was later replaced) said on live Television that the pressure group Bring Back our Girls, led by a virulent critic of the Jonathan administration, Oby Ezekwesili, lso said that the #BBOG campaign is led by "members of our party, the APC." This is an exact quote and reflects the politicization of the saga.
Flash Forward to July 12, 2016: President Muhammadu Buhari appoints Bring Back our Girls co-founder, Ms. Hadiza Bala Usman, as the head of Nigeria’s largest and perhaps most profitable parastatal, the Nigerian Ports Authority. Many consider this as a reward to Ms. Usman and a corroboration of the “members of our party, the APC” comment of Chief Audu Ogbeh.
October 17, 2014: A truce was announced with Boko Haram after negotiations which was to allow for the release of the Chibok girls. The truce was broken by Boko Haram who reneged on their promise to release their captives.
From the above, it is clear that Nigeria’s minister of information, Alhaji Lai Mohammed has an estranged relationship with the truth.
Rev. Tor Uja, Executive Secretary, Nigerian Christian Pilgrim Commission (NCPC), said that having a honest man like President Muhammadu Buhari to lead the country is an opportunity Nigerians should not miss.
This is contained in a statement signed by Mr Celestine Ogugua, Head Media, and made available to newsmen on Monday in Abuja.
Uja stressed the need for Nigerians to support President Buhari to deliver on his campaign promises and laid solid foundation for the country's growth and development.
He said a nation like Nigeria with all the symbols of greatness can only be built to last by those who have been established on the enduring virtues of Christ.
He admonished Christians to live up to their calling in Christ and lead by example in being strategic in their reasoning and planning.
He said Nigeria is the country in the world, which still sponsors pilgrimage and so pilgrims should give back by being change agents in the country.
President Buhari
"I feel sad that people come on pilgrimage and when they leave here, their character is even worse. "I want you to make up your mind that you won't deny Jesus Christ,'' Uja said.
The Nigerian pilgrims in a one-day Prayer Convocation for Nigeria jointly prayed for the restoration and perfection of President Muhammadu Buhari's health and the Acting President Yemi Osinbajo at Mount Zion, Jerusalem.
Also in his remarks, Mr Babachir Lawal, Secretary to the Government of the Federation (SGF), called on Christians to desist from what he described as Pull Him Down Syndrome.
He also advised that they should cut off from peddling false rumors about the President's health in the social media, adding that they should focus on pursuing their own agenda.
He said Christians should be more apt in decision-making that concerns the country instead of complaining about the government of the day.
Earlier, speaking on the theme: "Building a Covenant Nation'', Pastor Seyi Malomo, Aso Rock Chaplain, said Christians must use their position to build Nigeria up, not destroy it.
"We are praying that beginning from here, there will be a new Nigeria because when a nation is built, everyone will benefit.
The prayer convocation for Nigeria had pilgrims from Rivers, Benue, Taraba, Adamawa, Enugu states and FCT in attendance for the 2016 Pilgrimage completion.
A former Managing Director of the Daily Times of Nigeria Plc, Dr Onukaba Adinoyi-Ojo, was on Monday buried in Oboroke-Ihima, ancestral home in Okehi Local Government Area of Kogi.
Adinoyi –Ojo, who died on Sunday evening was buried according to Muslim rites at about 5.30 p.m, followed by special Islamic prayer presided over by the Chief Imam of Ebiraland Alhaji Musa Galadima.
Adinoyi-Ojo, 57, was hit by an oncoming vehicle while running to nearby bush to avoid armed robbery attack at a spot in Igbara-Oke, Ondo State.
The former journalist died on the spot and his corpse was later deposited at a morgue in Akure.
Onukaba Adinoyi-Ojo
He was said to be returning from Abeokuta to Abuja where he had gone to grace the inauguration of a library built by former President Olusegun Obasanjo.
His journalism career took a turning point in 1984 as aviation correspondent to the Guardian newspaper when he scooped the importation of 53 suite cases.
The suits, believed to be loaded with millions of naira notes, were brought in violation of a ban placed on importation of naira notes from abroad.
He later served as the Special Assistant on media to the former Vice President, Alhaji Atiku Abubakar.
Adinoyi-Ojo was also an aspirant during the 2015 governorship primary of the All Progressives Congress (APC).
He is survived by a wife, Memunat and three children.
The burial was attended by dignitaries, relations, friends, colleagues and government officials, including the Director-General, the state Bureau of Information and youth mobilisation, Alhaji Abdulmalik Abdulkarim.
Meanwhile, Gov. Yahaya Bello of Kogi has described the death of Adinoyi-Ojo, who he described as a veteran journalist, as a big loss to the government and people of the state.
Bello in a condolence message issued by his Chief Press Secretary, Petra Akinti-Onyegbule, said that he was particularly sad that Adinoyi-Ojo's death came at a time the state needed the services of the late media executive.
He, however, commended Adinoyi-Ojo's contributions to journalism profession, saying that the deceased departed the world with good character, integrity, honour and intellectual sagacity.
The governor prayed God to grant the reposed soul of the departed journalist eternal rest.
He urged members of deceased's family, friends, relations and colleagues to be consoled that Adinoyi-Ojo lived a worthy life and left indelible marks in the sand of time.
Staff National Secretariat of Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) on Monday they would not return to work even after the reopening of the secretariat until they were assured of their safety.
Sen. Ali Modu Sheriff had on Feb. 23 forcefully reopened the national secretariat after the Court of Appeal In Port Harcourt affirmed him as authentic national chairman of PDP.
They said that one of the major casualties of the party's power tussle were the staff, many of whom had spent 17 years of their working lives serving the party.
"The staff members have witnessed their salaries peter away, receiving just about 32.50 per cent of their 2015 salaries.
"Their housing, transport and other allowances have all fallen into arrears, with many members of staff thrown out of their accommodations by landlords.
"Members of staff are desirous of resuming work after having been made victims of problems they never caused, but are concerned about their safety,'' he said.
The workers recalled that after the court judgment in 2016 which validated the party's national convention held in Port Harcourt, "members of staff were requested to resume duty in May/June, 2016.
"The staff in obedience did so but only in the few days they reported for work, they were harassed and intimidated by demonstrators and protesters.
"We were violently chased out of the offices, many had to run away leaving their personal belongings which we understand have now been vandalized by unknown persons,'' they said.
They said apart from appeal already filed on the latest judgment, "the staff members are also concerned that the BoT has written a protest letter to the Inspector-General of Police against the reopening of the secretariat''.
They said that one of the things that would guarantee safety of lives in the secretariat was the full implementation of the Feb. 17 Court of Appeal judgment.
They, however, said that the judgment appeared to be implemented or observed in the breach as Sheriff surprisingly resumed at the secretariat without the National Working Committee (NWC).
They said that the judgment ordered the maintenance of "status quo ante as May 21, 2016'', meaning that the 12 National Working Committee (NWC) members of the party should resume duty immediately with Sheriff.
"But, only three out of the 12 members of NWC namely Prof. Adewale Oladipo, the National Secretary; Alhaji Bala Buhari , National Treasurer and Alhaji Fatai Adeyanju, National Auditor are the only ones working with Sheriff.''
"The situation is more frightening to us as staff in the light of the fact that those working with the Acting National Chairman are those handpicked through processes that are alien to the PDP Constitution.
"For example, Dr. Cairo Ojugboh, presently officiates as Deputy National Chairman when he was a candidate in the May 14, 2016 PDP Zonal Congress where he contested for the office of the National Vice Chairman, South-South but lost to Chief Emma Ogidi.
"The same untoward recruitment holds for Bernard Mikko from South-South geo-political zone who now operates as Acting National Publicity Secretary as against Chief Olisa Metuh who is from South-East.
The staff commended efforts of former President Goodluck Jonathan and the PDP Governors Forum to work out a political solution to the crisis and prayed for the success of the efforts.
The family of disqualified Big Brother Naija housemate, Kemen, have registered their utmost displeasure and discontentment on his disqualification from the ongoing reality TV show.
Kemen, who was disqualified and asked to leave the Big Brother house immediately as a result of breaking the statutory rules of the game by making sexual advances at fellow housemate, Tboss, while she was asleep without her consent, has left the Big Brother house like other evicted housemates.
According to a source close to the family, they are displeased with the level of punishment Big Brother meted out on Kemen, arguing that it has tarnished the image and dignity of Kemen, making Nigerians begin to see him as a perverted rapist.
Most importantly, they are angry that Tboss did nothing to save Kemen from being disqualified even though she had the power to do so.
The source further claimed that Kemen's family is majorly angry because Nigerians are venting their anger on Kemen through the social media.
He claimed that if Tboss didn't approve of what happened that night, why didn't she say so or react immediately it happened? He went further to reveal that immediately Kemen reunites with his family, they may be suing Big Brother for defamation of character and unlawful justice.
He went on to suggest that from all indications, it seems Big Brother has a soft spot for Tboss because she has some influential people who have indicated interest in her winning the ultimate prize at the end of the show.
The greenback on Monday crashed against the Naira, as the Nigerian currency gained 5 points at the parallel market. The Naira traded at N460 to a dollar, after speculators had forced it 3 points down amid liquidity boost on Friday. However, the Naira weakened against the Pound Sterling but maintained its Euro rate as it traded at N560 and N480, respectively.
Naira-Dollar
At the Bureau De Change (BDC) window, the Naira was sold at N399 to a dollar, while the Pound Sterling and the Euro closed at N580 and N525, respectively. The Nigerian currency also traded at N305.50 at the interbank window. In other segments of the market, Deposit Money Banks (DMBs) and Travelex, an International Money Transfer Services Operator, sold the Naira at N370 to a dollar. Traders expressed the hope that the strengthening of the Naira would reposition the economy for greater productivity. They, however, appealed to the CBN to sustain the liquidity boost in the market so that the Naira could sustain its gains against the dollar. Some Nigerians, however, expressed worry that the gains of the Naira against the dollar had not translated in the reduction in the prices of goods and services.
By Joseph Erunke ABUJA-CONTRARY to claims by Miss Stephanie Otobo that Apostle Joshua Suleiman went for her marriage introduction at her family house, her father, Rev. Benson Otobo, has refuted the claim, saying nothing as such ever happened.
Rev. Mr Otobo told journalists in Abuja, Monday that Apostle Suleman has never been to his compound nor known where he lives and that Stephanie, his daughter was not a decent girl he had wished, regretting why she was attempting to drag the name of the revered man of God to the mud.
When asked whether Apostle Suleiman had ever been to his house for any marriage introduction with his daughter, Rev. Otobo responded: “Not at all. Apostle Suleiman does not even know where I live.”
Stephanie Otobo and Apostle Joshua Suleiman
He, however, informed newsmen that he has since called Apostle Suleiman to distance himself from his daughter’s misconduct.
Reverend Otobo, who disclosed that his daughter was equally at loggerhead with him at the moment for scolding her two months ago over nude pictures he saw on her whatsapp platform, and that he was not surprised of his daughter’s current character given that she grew up with her mother in Sapele, Delta State, after he divorced her.
EXCLUSIVE VIDEO: Ms. Stephanie Otobo explains her relationship with Apostle Suleman while awaiting bail freedom in Lagos court pic.twitter.com/y3GfK3bc4e
He disclosed that he put an end to his marriage to his daughter’s mother about 30 years ago due to her unfaithfulness.
But he said he was shocked that his daughter could go all that far attempting to rubbish the reputation of the man of God, adding that he was shocked to hear all his daughter said about Suleiman.
“I was shocked to hear this thing just yesterday. I’m not part of it at all. Even that my daughter, as I speak, we are at loggerhead because two months ago, I saw her picture on the internet, through her whatsapp. I had a shout with her on the way she dressed and I saw her with tattoo and all that, I now advised her that ‘look, why are you dressing like this, you need to dress decently even on whatsapp, she flayed at me, giving me names, calling me names, telling me I’m not serving God and different kinds of things I cannot even reveal to you now.
” She insulted me and told me that from that day on, I was not her father any more and that I should just forget about her for life.
” If a daughter is telling her father that, I don’t know why I would be involved in anything that concerns her. I’m not aware of all these things that she’s talking about.Not at all.”
He admitted that his daughter told him that she lives in Canada, wondering who she knows there that she was staying with.
“She told me she lives in Canada, I don’t know who she knew there.”
Answering question on the whereabouts of her daughter’s mother, Mr Otobo said: “Her mother is in Sapele. And it’s going to 30 years now that I divorced her mother, when these children were even small because of her unfaithfulness.
” So, I have divorced her for a very long time.”
When asked how old is Stephanie, he replied: “Stephenie is twenty something years.”
On where her daughter grew up, he said: “She grew up with the mother, she was very small when I divorced her mother. What is happening now is like ‘ like mother like daughter.”
Below is the question and answer from the conversation with Rev. Benson Otobo :
Is Stephanie your daughter?
Yes, she’s my daughter
There’s this allegation through the letter by a Lagos lawyer, Festus Keyamo, that there was a relationship between your daughter and the man of God, that the man of God made proposal to marry your daughter. Did he approach you?
Not at all.
So there was nothing like introduction regarding marriage between Apostle Suleiman and your daughter in your house?
Not at all. Apostle Suleiman does not even know where I live
The market indices of Nigerian Stock Exchange (NSE) on Monday declined by 1.72 per cent in spite of improved 2016 financial results released by Access Bank with dividend of 40k per share.
Journalists report that the market capitalisation shed N149 billion or 1.72 per cent to close at N8.507 trillion from N8.656 trillion achieved on Friday.
The All-Share Index, which opened at 25, 012.08, lost 430.09 points or 1.72 per cent to close at 24,581.99 amid price loses. Dangote Cement recorded the highest price loss of N11.29 to close at N249.26 per share.
7UP trailed with a loss of N9 to close at N86, while Guinness lost N2.15 to close at N61.35 per share.
CAP declined by N1.48 to close at N28.12, while Unilever was down by N1.17 to close at N27.81 per share. On the other hand, Nestle led the gainers' table, growing by N62.58 to close at N691 per share.
Forte Oil followed with a gain of N2.63 to close at N54.50, while Nigerian Breweries gained N1.15 to close at N130.05 per share.
GTBank appreciated by 20k to close at N25, while Zenith Bank grew by 15k to close at N14.50 per share. Zenith Bank emerged investors' delight, exchanging 24.03 million shares worth N348.76 million.
UBA came second with 14.89 million shares valued at N74.72 million, while Transncorp traded 12.47 million shares worth N8.67 million.
United Capital sold 13.38 million shares valued at N33.90 million, while NEM Insurance traded 10.43 million shares worth N8. 65 million.
Newsmen report that investors staked N1.47 billion on 128.16 million shares in 2,978 deals against the 274.17 million shares worth N3.39 million achieved in 2,856 deals on Friday.
At the inception of the present government in the state of Osun in November 2010, it undertook a comprehensive review of its school feeding programme inherited from the previous administration and came up with an overhauled and rebranded programme that was officially launched on 30th April, 2012.
The Osun Elementary School Feeding and Health Programme now known as O-MEALS is the template upon which the President Muhammudu Buhari's Federal Government has initiated its own national school feeding programme.
However, these ten (10) facts about the state of Osun's school feeding programme will completely amaze you. 1. The O'Meals programme currently feeds 254,000 school children in the state of Osun, the longest running in the country.
2. O'Meals currently employs 3,007 caterers, and indirectly employs 7,057 people.
Osun feeding
3. 12.7million naira is spent daily to feed all school children for 200 school days in a year. 12billion naira has been spent so far since 2012.
4. 900 cocoyam farmers, 700 small poultry farmers, 310 catfish farmers, 63 cow markets currently benefit from the O'Meals initiative.
5. School enrollment increased from 155,318 pupils at inception to 252,739, representing a 62% increment in enrollment.
Osun feeding programme
6. 8,400 crates of eggs are consumed weekly, 336,000 crates are consumed annually and 1,344,000 crates of eggs have been consumed in four years.
7. 10 metric tonnes of fish is consumed weekly; 400 tonnes of fish is consumed annually, while 1,600 metric tonnes of fish have been consumed by pupils in 4 years.
8. 35 heads of cows are slaughtered for consumption per week, 1,400 heads of cows are slaughtered for consumption annually, while 5,600 heads of cows have been slaughtered for consumption in 4 years.
9. 15,000 birds are consumed per week, and 600,000 birds are consumed annually by the pupils. 2,400,000 birds have been consumed in 4 years.
10. 0'Meals is the longest running Government scheme of its kind in Nigeria, So far , 202,234,400 hot meals have been served in the last four years.
Governor M. A. Abubakar, Monday, signed the 2017 appropriation bill into law. Present at the event that happened in Exco Chambers, Government House were the Deputy Governor, members of the state executive council, members of the legislature and the press.
The Governor signed the following bills into law: 1. 2017 Appropriation Bill 2. Bill to Penalise the Offences of Kidnapping, Rape, and Theft of Cattle 3. Bill to provide for the Bauchi State Fisheries 4. Bill to Provide Free Emergency Treatment to Accident Victims within 24 hours of Occurrence of an Accident.
Gov. Mohammed Abubakar signing the 2017 Appropriation Bill into law.
Speaking at the event, Gov. Abubakar commended the steadfastness of the State House of Assembly. He said the budget was slightly amended to correct some errors and reflect current realities. He stated his resolve to continue to work with the legislative to uplift the people.
On the second bill, Gov. Abubakar said there was urgent need to stem hideous crimes on the increase. He noted that Bauchi is peaceful, and so the bill will make the state inhabitable for criminal elements. He promised to do his best to stamp kidnapping and rape out of the state.
The third bill, Gov. Abubakar said, will increase employment, engage youths and improve dietary conditions in the state. He said the aim was to increase fish production and consumption, and ensure children especially those under 5 can access a balanced diet.
The last bill according to the Governor is innovative. "We have taken the first major step. The next step is to put heads together with the legislature on how to put measures in place to ensure lives are saved" Gov. Abubakar said. He added that Ambulance points will be placed at strategic points in the state and that victims of accidents and emergency situations will be given priority treatment within 24 hours of occurrence as enshrined in the new law.
Finally, Gov. Abubakar urged all stakeholders responsible for implementing the law to execute same in the best interest of citizens of the state
Gov. Aminu Tambuwal of Sokoto State has urged local government councils to be prudent in their expenditure, considering the precarious financial situation in the country.
The governor, according to a statement issued by his spokesman, Malam Imam Imam, gave the advice on Monday during a meeting with the 23 local government chairmen in Sokoto.
Tambuwal said that the councils also needed to look within and diversify their revenue sources.
"We need to double our efforts in enhancing internal revenue in the state.
"The local councils have an important role to play in that regard," he said.
Tambuwal charged people at local government level to closely monitor state government projects in their localities.
"Since these projects are meant to benefit the communities directly, our people should endeavour to be at the forefront of protecting them.
" The contractors are on site and the supervisors have been doing a good job of monitoring the progress of the projects.
" I want to urge the people to take the lead in ensuring quality is maintained," the governor said.
Tambuwal said that various projects were ongoing in various sectors like health, education and agriculture, promising that the state government would continue to meet the yearnings and aspirations of the people.
The Federal Government on Monday announced its readiness to ensure seamless operation at Kaduna International Airport as Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport, Abuja closes on March 8 for runway repairs.
The Minster of Information and Culture, Alhaji Lai Mohammed, disclosed this during a World News Conference organided by the ministry in Abuja.
The news conference featured the Minister of Transportation, Mr Rotimi Amaechi; Minister of State, Aviation, Sen. Hadi Sirika and the Inspector General of Police, Mr Ibrahi Idris.
The Minister of Power, Works and Housing, Mr Babatunde Fashola, was also represented at the news conference.
Mohammed said the Acting President had inspected Kaduna airport and the rail station to ascertain the level of readiness to ensure smooth operation during the six-week closure period.
He said that the summary of the findings during the inspection was that even though the airport might not be 100 per cent ready, its current state was suitable enough for the operation.
The minister also disclosed that the repair work on the Abuja-Kaduna highway had been completed to ensure smooth passage for Abuja bound passengers.
"As you are all aware, the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport, Abuja will shut from the midnight of Tuesday March 7 to the Wednesday March 8 for the purpose of repairing the failed portion of the airport runway.
Lai Mohammed
"During that time, Abuja flights will be diverted to Kaduna.
"On Friday, the Acting President, Prof Yemi Osinbajo inspected the Kaduna airport and the railway station to ascertain the state of readiness.
"The summary of the finding is that while the airport may not be 100 per cent ready, by the time Abuja airport is shut, it will indeed be suitable enough,'' he said.
Minister of Transportation, Mr Rotimi Amaechi, said the government had concluded arrangements to provide free transportation service for Abuja-bound passengers to and from Kaduna.
Amaechi said that the train services would be rearranged to suit the flight schedules at Kaduna airport, adding that the train would be coming from Kaduna instead of the current arrangement.
He said the Kaduna airport runway was in perfect shape, adding that it was a portion of the terminal building that was yet to be completed as at Friday.
According to him, the work was nearing completion as at that day and the contractor promised to deliver it before the deadline.
The Minister of State, Aviation, Sirika, craved the indulgence of air travelers to bear with the government on the closure.
He said that the decision was for safety reasons, which is the key word in aviation sector.
The minister said the part of the Kaduna airport terminal building had been completed as at this morning, adding that much work had been done to ensure smooth operation.
According to him, the ministry has provided a dedicated website (www.abujaairportclosure.info) to update airport users on the operations at Kaduna during the period.
Sirika said the government had no other option than to shut the Abuja airport runway considering the level of dilapidation that had made it to fail completely.
He said that Kaduna airport would remain a seasonal international airport even after the six weeks period until it met the requirements to be a designated international airport.
According to him, Ethiopian Airline is the only foreign airline that has expressed its readiness to fly the airport so far but at the end we expect more to operate the airport.
The minister reiterated the government's plan to concession all the airports for efficiency beginning from the big four such as Lagos, Abuja, Kano and Port Harcourt.
"We have already concluded the arrangement for the appointment of transaction adviser that will commence work in a matter of weeks,'' he said.
The Inspector General of Police, Mr Ibrahim Idris, assured that the police had made adequate security plans to ensure seamless operation between Abuja and Kaduna airports.
Idris said the police force had enough capacity and capability to carry out efficient surveillance on the road, the rail line and air during the six weeks.
According to him, he was in Kaduna on Sunday to conduct assessment of security in the airport, on the road and the rail at Jere and Idu stations.
"In the whole, our deployment on the ground is perfect because we have the various units of the Nigeria Police Force in charge of specialized units.
"We have the force Explosive Ordinance Department (EOD), we have the force animals in charge of dogs; we have the patrolling team and the mobile force as well as the air wing.
"As I stated, all the units are deployed fully on ground,'' he said.
Troops of the Operation Delta Safe have destroyed 80 illegal refineries in Bayelsa, Delta and Rivers states.
According to a statement made available to newsmen in Abuja on Monday by Maj. Abubakar Abdullahi, the Co-ordinator, Joint Media Campaign Centre, Operation Delta Safe, seven illegal refineries were destroyed in Bayelsa.
Abdullahi said the refineries were discovered around Obhoyohan and Ngiri Creeks in Nembe Local Government Area of the state.
He said that they contained 150,000 litres of suspected stolen crude oil, while three suspects had been arrested in connection with the illegalities.
In Delta, Abdullahi said the troops destroyed six illegal refineries made up of four storage tanks and two dug out pits filled with suspected crude oil around Sara Abiteye swamp in Warri South West Local Government Area.
"Additionally, another patrol at the axis Ajoloso Creek in Elume community destroyed a camp housing eight illegal refineries.
"Similarly, troops destroyed nine illegal refineries that comprised four ground pits and three metal tanks filled with product suspected to be stolen crude oil at Katu near Camp 5 in Warri South-West.
"This is in addition to seven illegal refineries earlier destroyed around Opunami Creek.
"Another patrol conducted around Udu, Ughelli South Local Government Area discovered eight illegal refineries depot at Udu trailer park and destroyed 1200 drums laden with 140 metric tonnes of illegally refined diesel,'' he said.
Abdullahi also said that the troops destroyed 10 illegal refineries around Bolo in Bonny Local Government Area of Rivers.
"This is in addition to 25 others earlier raided at Creek 6 and Ijokiri in the same Local Government Area,'' he said.
The media coordinator appealed to the people to support Operation Delta Safe with useful information, adding that all hands must be on deck to frustrate the activities of economic saboteurs.
"Let me also advise the sponsors and operators of illegal refineries to desist from the economic sabotage which begets environmental pollution and other social problems.
"Our troops would not relent until our mandate is achieved,'' the coordinator said.
A lady born with sickle cell anaemia, Popoola Temitope, who is presently struggling to walk and living in pains needs urgent assistance from well-meaning Nigerians, government and the corporate society to help raise the sum of N5 million so that she could undergo a re-corrective surgery in India.
Temitope who has been house-ridden due to the severe complications presently rely on drugs from her doctors at the Lagos University Teaching Hospital (LUTH) to cope with pains and discomfort.
Already, some of her friends have taken it upon kick started a campaign to raise the money needed for the surgery.
As at the time of filling this report, specifically at about 10:00am on Monday the coordinator of #IstandwithTope, Pastor Adedayo Babalola, said the ongoing campaign has generated about N1.9m.
Temitope
One of the popular posts on the already trending #IstandwithTope reads, "She needs #5MILLION Naira to walk again. She has been ‘bent over’ for more than 20years.
After a successful surgery in India 6 years ago, Temitope could walk straight, drive and do all the things she thought was impossible.
Unfortunately one of the metal plates in her leg got broken during ‘another Crisis" To view updates on the campaign, go to Facebook and search for #Istandwithtope.
A sympathiser, Mr. Lekan Oluokun took to Facebook to lament the sorry state of Temitope, stressing that she is now immobile as a result of the recurring pains.
Lekan said, "I was with Tope last week Sunday (19th of February, 2017) and she was describing the pains she feels from her head to her toe whenever the sun is up. She practically lives on pain killers.
This however has not affected her view about life. She still shared some of her dreams with me but the obvious fact is that she is in pain.
Today, the only option Temitope has to walk again and escape the daily pains is the surgery scheduled for her in India.
If you are touched by Tope's story kindly make donations into the account: Popoola Temitope, Zenith Bank, 1004384095.
