The fashion marathon continues in the South of France with amfAR’s 22nd Cinema Against AIDS Gala, hosted today at the Hotel du Cap-Eden-Roc in Cap D’Antibes.
The stunning backdrop of the French Riviera was momentarily eclipsed by a few of our favorite girls whose head-turning looks added to the already dreamy evening of glitz and glamour. From Gigi Hadid’s plunging neckline to Kendall Jenner’s exposed midriff (for the 2nd time this week!), there was no shortage of sartorial stunners.
Looking to try something new (or get some more use out of that bridesmaid dress)?
Time to repurpose your cocktail looks by pairing them with a summer sneaker. The styling trick is a fashion girl favorite and, more importantly, surprisingly easy to pull off.
Simply pair a running shoe with a sheath dress or a midi frock with canvas kicks. The result is a devil-may-care approach to summer dressing. Master the casual trend with these suggestions.
Apple has acquired Chinedu Echeruo’s HopStop.com, The Wall Street Journal’s publication, AllThingsDigital reports. Founded in 2005, HopStop.com makes mobile applications for both iOS and Android that covers over 300 cities and that helps people get directions or find nearby subway stations and bus stops. Terms of the deal have not been disclosed as at the time of this publication.
Chinedu Echeruo, formerly an analyst at investment banks and hedge funds founded HopStop in 2005. Echeruo is now Chairman of the Board for HopStop.
HopStop has oft been compared to Israel’s Waze which was recently acquired by Google for $1 billion. The move is seen as Apple’s plan to bolster its map offering especially given Google’s recent acquisition of Waze.
A serial entrepreneur, Chinedu Echeruo grew up in Eastern Nigeria and attended Kings College, Lagos. He attended Syracuse University and the Harvard Business School in the United States and founded HopStop.com after working for several years in the Mergers & Acquisitions and Leveraged Finance groups of J.P Morgan Chase where he was involved in a broad range of M&A, Financing and Private Equity transactions.
He also worked at AM Investment Partners, a $500 million volatility-driven convertible bond arbitrage hedge fund.
He founded and raised nearly $8 million for his two U.S based internet companies; Hopstop.com andTripology.com.
Tripology.com was acquired in 2010 by American travel and navigation information company, Rand McNally.
He was named Black Enterprise Magazine’s Small Business Innovator of the year and listed in the magazine’s Top 40 under 40 and is currently a partner and head of the Principal Investing group at Constant Capital, a West Africa based investment bank.
True to form, Echeruo is working on yet another venture but this time, focused on small businesses in Africa.
According to him:
“There is no reason why every entrepreneur should have to reinvent the wheel every single time in all the countries in Africa. My idea is to essentially to have one place where a budding entrepreneur can access a template for starting a business, and then customize it to suit their own situation. Essentially a business-in-a-box.”
Motorists and residents of Lagos, who use petrol to power their generators, have cried out about the difficulties they are encountering while struggling to get the product.
An eyewitness, who monitored the situation in different parts of the state on Thursday, reported that the number of filling stations that had the product to sell was reducing daily, while the few ones that had petrol in stock were capitalising on the scarcity to make excessive profits at the expense of consumers.
Many filling stations have stopped selling the product on the excuse that they have no stock.
It was observed that the few stations that had the product in stock had very long queues of motorists and other consumers, who had to wait for hours to buy the product, thus compounding the already chaotic traffic situation in the metropolis.
As a result of this, most of the filling stations were selling petrol for as high as N150 per litre instead of the official price of N87 per litre.
Most of the filling stations had adjusted their pumps to reflect the new prices they fixed.
The strike by petroleum tanker drivers, who are members of the Nigeria Union of Petroleum and Natural Gas Workers, has grounded product loading at fuel depots across the country, thereby worsening the already bad petrol supply situation.
Findings by our correspondent revealed that the PTD had also succeeded in setting up a surveillance team to enforce its no loading directive to all members and to punish anyone caught flouting the directive.
The strike by the tanker drivers, according to market sources, is the major reason why most filling stations are without products.
It was also gathered that some depots went ahead to load products in disobedience to the PTD directive on Monday.
This, according to some marketers, informed the setting up of the surveillance team by the drivers’ union.
Two marketers, confirmed that petrol supply situation to filling stations from the depots had almost come to a halt.
One of the marketers said, “There is no improvement on the situation. Nothing is happening at the depots and nobody is saying anything to bring sanity to the mess in the system.
“The surveillance team of the PTD arm of NUPENG is going round the depots to ensure that nobody is loading.”
It was also gathered that some marketers had moved to Abuja to seek solutions to the lingering problem.
A source told in confidence, “Some marketers are currently in Abuja waiting for the possibility of a meeting with key officials of the current government and the incoming government.”
The Executive Secretary, Major Oil Marketers Association of Nigeria, Mr. Thomas Olawore, was contacted on the telephone, he admitted to being in Abuja but would not disclose his mission to the seat of power.
“Nobody is talking to us about anything. It is true that I am in Abuja now, but I will soon be on my way back to Lagos,” he said.
But the Group General Manager, Group Public Affairs Division, Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation, Mr. Ohi Alegbe, insisted in a telephone interview with our correspondent that 1.2 billion litres of petrol had been pushed into the market from its last consignment.
He said with the current daily demand for petrol and the stock of the product with the corporation, there was enough petrol to service the country for another 20 days.
Alegbe said, “All the petrol the whole country has been consuming for a while now came from the NNPC. We have the product that can last for another 20 days pending when new consignments come in.
“I think whatever questions Nigerians have should be directed to the independent petroleum marketers and the major oil Markets; not us.”
Alegbe, who declined to make a categorical statement on the possibility of the marketers hoarding products, said it was crucial that Nigerians inquired from them the whereabouts of the product the NNPC had pumped into the system.
The instruction from the PTD to its members on Monday read, “Comrades/unit chairmen/executives you are directed to suspend all loading activities in all the depots as from Monday 18th May, 2015.
“There will be severe sanctions for any chairman/others that did not comply.”
Our correspondent had gathered that the tanker drivers were advised to take the action by the marketers, who were owed subsidy arrears of over N200bn by the Federal Government, in order to force the government to liquidate the debt.
The marketers are worried that they may lose money if the current government does not take full responsibility to liquidate the debt.
Despite the initial payment of N154bn by the Federal Government to the marketers, who in turn made a part payment to the transporters, the scarcity of petrol has persisted, grounding economic and social activities in the country.
Governor Sule Lamido of Jigawa State yesterday handed over to the Secretary to the State Government, Alhaji Abdu Babura, after a news conference at the end of the council meeting and left the state for Abuja-Lagos en route Saudi-Arabia.
The out-going governor said at the news conference that a debt profile of the state obtained from the joint sitting of the two transition committees was N14 billion.
He said the federal government owes the state N12 billion from the airport project executed by state government with the understanding and commitment of the federal government to reimburse the state while N2 billion is the actual debt of the state.
It would be recalled that the governor had at a briefing two weeks ago, said he committed about N17 billion of the state’s funds in the airport project with hope that President Goodluck Jonathan, who promised during his visit to Jigawa in 2010 to establish an airport there, would reimburse the state, adding that the federal government only paid the state N5.8 billion, leaving a balance of N12 billion.
President Jonathan in October 2014 while commissioning the airport said the federal government would only support state governments handling airport projects because the government cannot reimburse all the eight state building airports across the country.
Lamido also told newsmen that there were rollover projects worth N90 billion for which the state government had awarded contracts but had not made any payment to the contractors, adding that it was left for the incoming administration to continue or stop the projects.
The governor also told journalists that all political appointees would be in their offices till the midnight of May 28, adding that statutory appointees would stay till their tenure expires.
ABUJA — CHAIRMAN of Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, Prof. Attahiru Jega, yesterday, said the successful conduct of the 2015 general elections proved doomsday predictions wrong.
He also attributed much of the problems faced by the commission during the elections to attitude of the political class, unsettled legal framework and apathy among the electorate.
Jega, who made the comment when he received a delegation led by Mexican Ambassador to Nigeria, Marco Antonio Garcia Blanco, in his office in Abuja, insisted that some predictions, especially in some western media, suggesting that the outcome of the elections might lead to the end of the country had proven to be false due to the generally free, fair, credible and peaceful conduct of the elections.
He said: “We are, indeed, very happy that our elections turned out to be well and to have been recognized both nationally and internationally as free, fair, credible and also peaceful.
“Leading to the election, some impressions had been created, particularly in the international media as if this may be the end of our country. Thank God it was doomsday prediction which turned out to be false.”
Better than 2011 elections
Jega, who was delighted by the offer to share experiences with other countries, explained that though the 2015 elections were not perfect, they were much better than 2011 and admitted that there was room for improvement.
The INEC chairman said: “We know that the election has not been perfect; we know that it was better than 2011, but there is also a lot of scope for improvement and that is why we welcome every opportunity to visit other countries and to see how they do their own elections and to be able to exchange ideas and to also learn good practices which we can continue to adapt to our own circumstances for continuous improvement of our own electoral process.”
He appreciated the efforts of the Mexican Embassy in the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding between both countries in sharing electoral experiences and urged that such bilateral relationship be extended to other sectors.
“You facilitated the signing of the Memorandum of Understanding which has been very useful, many of our staff have benefited by participation in some conferences. All these experiences have been useful and beneficial and we cherish the opportunity,” he said.
Earlier in his remark, Ambassador Marco Antonio Garcia Blanco had said his mission to the commission was to transmit congratulatory message for a great job the commission did in the last electoral process.
He said everybody recognized the key role played by the commission in the successes achieved in the electoral process.
He called on the leadership of INEC to share experience with his country which, according to him, is very important in improving the electoral process in Mexico.
“Your expertise, knowledge and wisdom will be a great asset to our electoral body. With experience sharing, Mexico will benefit a lot,” he said.
Blanco advocated continuous strengthening of existing bilateral relationship between both countries
Meanwhile, Jega attributed much of the challenges the commission faced during the last elections to attitude of political class, unsettled legal framework, apathy among electorate.
Other factors highlighted by the INEC chairman include insecurity, technological challenges with the card reader, vendor issues, inadequate voter education as well as poverty.
Electoral Offences Commission
Jega, who confidently said the institutions of democracy were gradually gaining ground in Nigeria, called for the establishment of an Electoral Offences Commission, as part of efforts to step-up performance in the future.
He spoke at the 8th national development summit of traditional rulers with the theme, ‘Consolidating Nigeria’s Peace and Unity in Democratic Advancement,’ in Abuja.
Represented by one of his commissioners, Dr Israel Igbani, Jega noted that the commission concentrated on three focal points, namely structure, policy and plans, to ensure a successful conduct of the elections.
“Guided by the lessons learnt from 2011, in our preparation for the 2015 elections, INEC concentrated on three focal points, namely: Structure, Policy and Plans,” he said.
Challenges
He further explained that the commission in carrying out its responsibility, was confronted with numerous challenges such as insecurity which necessitated the shift in the dates of the elections from February 14 to March 28 and April 11 for the Presidential and National Assembly and Governorship and State Assembly respectively.
According to him, the extension allowed security forces to regain some areas lost to terrorists.
“As a result, the elections were held under relatively peaceful conditions, notwithstanding scattered pockets of violence and intimidation in a few areas,” he said.
He noted that the attitude of the political class in Nigeria had always presented a great challenge to every electoral management body in the country, saying with the winner takes all syndrome came a high level of desperation to capture power by all means necessary.
He also noted that hate speeches and campaigns were rampant during the electioneering period.
Jega further noted that it was so unfortunate that the commission pursuit electoral reform, but lamented that “this could not be accomplished before the elections.”
He added that apathy among the electorate, particularly concerning the collection of the Permanent Voters’ Cards, PVCs, could not be overlooked.
He said: “In spite of the concern of some citizens about the smart card reader, its yielded remarkable result though not without some initial hitches as is common with new technologies.
“Also, some of the vendors from whom electoral materials were purchased did not live up to their contractual obligations and could not cope with the commission’s tight deadlines.
“Diverse languages barriers, culture and tradition also posed major challenges to the delivery of voter education/ enlightenment.
“The difficult economic situation (poverty) in our society was manipulated by politicians to easily mobilize some youth for reckless political foot soldering.”
To address these challenges, INEC boss said political parties must imbibe the principle of internal democracy to complement efforts of the commission, while calling for the creation of Electoral Offences Commission to apprehend, investigate and prosecute offenders.
He said: “The commission is moving into the next phase of careful, strategic planning and preparation for future elections. To improve our electoral process, INEC and stakeholders will have to ensure the followings; Continuous voters’ registration procedures must be put in place and sustained.
“Distribution of PVCs should be carried out more regularly, efficiently and effectively. The process and timing of recruitment and training of ad-hoc staff must be reviewed.
“Voter education and enlightenment must be stepped up to further reduce to its barest minimum the issues of voter apathy, violence and electoral offences.”
Chairman of the Summit Governing Council, the Abe 1, Ovie of Uvwie Kingdom, HRM Emmanuel Sideso, called on the President-elect, Gen. Muhammadu Buhari, to ensure the constitutional empowerment of traditional rulers.
He said: “It is our hope that soon after your assumption of office, constitutional empowerment of traditional rulers shall be achieved, against many years of feet dragging on the matter.
‘’We also want to re-echo the call for the appointment of a Special Adviser to the President on chieftaincy affairs, to enhance grassroots governance.”
Countdown to the inauguration of the 8th Legislative Assembly in Lagos State, there is currently a serious face-off between some lawmakers-elect and former Governor of Lagos State, Asiwaju Bola Tinubu, over who will take-over from Rt. Hon. Adeyemi Ikuforiji, as Speaker of the Lagos State House of Assembly (LAHA).
Barely 10 days to the inauguration of the incoming legislative assembly, the challenge of who to fit into Ikuforiji’s shoes capable of maring the smooth take-off of the incoming administration Legislative and Executive Arms of government is yet to be settled among members–elect.
The pomp and pageantry that usually greets inauguration of the assembly is likely to be adversely affected. Who succeeds Ikuforiji is apparently occupying the minds of the incoming lawmakers.
However, for the first time, the legislative assembly will be having a significant number of minority, as seven out of 40 seats of the house will be occupied by Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, members, while 33 seats will be occupied by members-elect from the ruling All Progress Congress, APC.
One major fall-out of the last election is that the current Deputy Speaker of the Assembly, Hon. Kolawole Taiwo, fondly called HKT by his admirers will not be returning in the 8th assembly.
Taiwo, having served four terms in the House, representing Ajeromi Ifelodun Constituency 1, is the most favoured to clinch the office. But having suffered defeat to a candidate of the PDP, Mr. Dayo Famakinwa, this automatically destabilized the earlier permutations for a new speaker come June 1. The contenders for the speakership race are Lanre Ogunyemi, representing Ojo Constituency II is returning to the House for the second time. Ogunyemi is from Lagos West.
Mudasiru Obasa, representing Agege constituency I, is the current Chairman of the House Committee on Budget and Economic Planning. Obasa is considered one of the most respected lawmakers in the House and commands much respect among his colleagues. He is from Lagos West. Rotimi Abiru, representing Somolu Constituency II, is currently the Deputy Chief Whip of the House. Interestingly, Abiru is the only principal officer that got re-lected during the just concluded polls. Other principal officers lost out either at party primaries or during the elections.
His experience cannot be overlooked as he is coming in as a third term lawmaker. Having been in the House since 2007, Abiru is regarded as one of the most vibrant lawmakers. Abiru is also regarded as a good manager of human and material resources. He reads the mood of the House and proffers solutions on issues where necessary, that is why he is nicknamed ‘Barometer’ by his colleagues. He is from Lagos East.
Moshood Olanrewaju Osun, representing Lagos Mainland constituency 1, is coming as a third term lawmaker. Coming from a rich legislative background, Osun is from Lagos Central and this may be an advantage if the party considers his zone. Hon. Funmilayo Tejuosho, the only female contender, represents Mushin Constituency I. She is from Lagos West. She was the Deputy Speaker in the 6th Assembly.
Tejuosho has remained consistently dogged and the most formidable Amazon on the floor of the House. She is brilliant, articulate and capped it up with needed legislative experience. Leading the Assembly will not be new to Tejuosho as she had once served as Deputy Speaker in the Assembly where she presided over proceedings in the absence of the Speaker.
Gbolahan Yisawu, from Eti Osa 1, had shown interest in the speakership even before the party’s primaries and this development made many of his colleagues to regard him as having inordinate ambition. He is from Lagos Central. Wasiu Eshinlokun-Sanni, elected to represent Lagos Island 1, was a member of the House between 1999 and 2003. Pundits posited that the absence of 12 years may have shut him out of the current legislative reality, though he is also from Lagos Central.
Lagos State House of Assembly
Lagos State House of Assembly
With the governor-elect, Mr. Akinwummi Ambode coming from the East and his Deputy, Fausat Adebule from the West, the odds might favour Eshinlokun, who is from the Central. Following initial intrigues, horse trading, negotiations, arm twisting and high-wire politicking, it was gathered that some members decided to queue behind Eshinlokun for speakership, while some queue behind others and some are undecided.
Eshinlokun, is said to be the candidate of APC national Leader and former Governor of Lagos State, Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu, the “Jagaban” as he’s fondly called. However, Tinubu who was yet to publicly endorse him as at press time, eventhough it was gathered that mercenaries had been sent in motion to convince other members to support Eshinlokun’s ambition who is the anointed candidate.
He might have difficult time convincing his colleagues because they (colleagues) believe that he has lost touch with legislative matters because of his absence since 1999. Another obstructing factor is that Eshinlokun has a pending court case with a fellow party member, Hakeem Masha, over who was the legal candidate to represent APC in the election to represent Lagos Island 1.
Another stumbling block to Eshinlokun’s ambition is that the current Speaker, Ikuforiji prefer to give it to his stooge and ally, Abiru, in order to fully cover his tracks after leaving office.
Meanwhile, Obasa is said to be a non indigene, from Ewekoro in Ogun State. The house would not want a situation where the speaker will be seen as a non-Lagosian as the case against the governor- elect, who is said to be from Ondo State. Moreso, there is one Abiru as the Clerk of the House, so the issue of Abiru as speaker and the Clerk did not augur well with members.
Abiru, not wanting to let go has also employed the support of Hon. Oshinowo, popularly called “Pepper,” and House of Representatives member-elect, Kosofe in the quest to change Asiwaju’s decision and endorse him, Obasa as the anointed candidate. It was gathered that many attempts to see Asiwaju on the matter have not yielded any positive result. Hence, the game continues.
Osun and Yishawu are also not giving up easily. They have embarked on one-on-one canvassing with members. While Osun is enjoying some attention, Yishawu is not, as he is considered to be too ambitious and arrogant for the job. Interestingly, Hon. Tejuosho, who many believed has gathered enough legislative experience, coupled with her profession as a Lawyer, is still unsure to replace Ikuforiji’s.
Her close links with APC strong member, Muiz Banire, is likely to affect her ambition because of the frosty relationship between Banire and Tinubu. Members believe that if she eventually becomes the speaker it will be difficult for Tinubu, who is the godfather to many to shadow and control the speaker.
There is murmuring among members to reject any imposed candidate on the assembly, warning against the repeat of 1999 episode, when the majority candidate for speakership, Hon. Ola Animashaun was consumed at the 11th hour by the power that be then and Hon Olurunnibe Mammora, in a twist of fate, emerged the speaker.
Though, the incident saw members of the house throwing chairs at one another during the session of the election. According to one of the members-elect who preferred anonymity, “The Assembly is supposed to be independent, hence, we should be left alone to choose our own popular leader rather than imposition. The era of imposition in the assembly is over. We have brilliant members now and we are ready to go the whole hug to stop any form of imposition.”
OWERRI—A new dimension has crept into the current struggle to wrest the governorshipl election victory from Governor Rochas Okorocha of the All Progressives Congress, APC.
According to a petition, EPT/IM/GOV/2/2015, filed before the Governorship Election Petition Tribunal by the candidate of African People’s Alliance, APA, Mr. Charles Osita Nnadi, claimed, among other allegations, that the total number of votes cast in most polling units in the state outnumbered the total number of registered voters, as well as the total number of eligible voters, who collected their Permanent Voters Cards, PVCs, and the total number of accredited voters.
The petitioners, Mr. Nnadi and his party, APA, claimed, that the total number of votes cast in most polling units, particularly Ideato North, Ideato South, Aboh Mbaise, Oru East, Orsu, Obowo, Mbaitoli, Ikeduru, Okigwe, Nkwerre, Nwangele and Njaba local government areas of Imo State, were greater than the total number of registered voters, who collected their PVCs and the total number of accredited voters in the areas in question.
The petitioner also averred that the election was invalid as a result of corrupt practices and non-compliance with the Electoral Act.
According to the petitioner, the governorship election of April 11, 2015, and the supplementary election of April 25, 2015, were marred and vitiated by substantial non-compliance with statutory requirements, irregularities, corrupt practices, fraud, illegal voting and mutilation of election result sheets that substantially affected them.
He said none of the candidates was entitled to be declared winner of the election, and that the exercise should have been nullified.
Nnadi also claimed that there were cases of ballot box snatching, illegal voting and snatching of election result sheets by thugs/agents of the first and second respondents, Governor Rochas Okorocha and APC, respectively.
The petitioner also accused the governor and his agents of indulging in illegal buying and selling of PVCs, through which they allegedly induced and procured illegal and unlawful votes across the state, contrary to the provisions of the Electoral Act.
We recall that at the last count, no fewer than three cases had been filed in the tribunal, challenging the victory of Okorocha.
FOURTEEN people were killed in separate violence that rocked Ekiti, Plateau and Benue states on Tuesday night and Wednesday morning.
Three of the deaths were recorded in Ado Ekiti during a clash between transport workers and Hausa traders while six were in Plateau State where gunmen invaded four villages in the Barkin Ladi Local Government Area.
The third incident which was also by gunmen left five persons dead in Jooter, Ukum Local Government Area of Benue state.
The Ado Ekiti fracas was said to have started building up on Tuesday night when a bag belonging to the wife of a chieftain of the road transport workers was snatched by unknown persons along the ever-busy Ijigbo-Old Garage area of the city.
The victim was also allegedly raped, a development that irked the drivers who, engaged the Hausa in a fre-for-all in Erekesan Market, Oja Oba in the state capital.
An eyewitness said the victim’s husband reported the matter to his colleagues after his efforts to identify the perpetrators failed.
He added that butchers who, are mainly Yoruba, fought on the side of the Hausa against the transport workers whom they accused of undue harassment and unprovoked attacks.
“The fighting was made worse by hoodlums who joined the transport workers. They were fighting with guns, bottles, charms, clubs, cutlasses and knives. At least three people died. Some were also injured,”
It was reported that the violence spread from the market – Old Garage – Mugbagba axis of the city to Atikankan area, a converging point for many Hausa traders in the state.
As of the time of filing this report, Ajilosun, Okeyinmi, Okesha and Irona were no-go areas .
The hoodlums vandalised many vehicles and set many shops at the Erekesan Market ablaze after looting them .
Banks and other business outlets operating in the city were forced to shut down to avoid being looted by the hoodlums.
Sunday Adigun, a cameraman with the Core TV, who was beaten to a pulp, had his camera smashed for trying to cover the fighting which was hijacked by hoodlums.
The state Police Public Relations Officer, Alberto Adeyemi, did not confirm the deaths but he said that four persons wounded during the fracas were taken to an undisclosed hospital for treatment.
The state new Commissioner of Police, Etop James, who spoke with residents of the affected areas, expressed regrets over the incident and promised to restore normalcy in the city.
It was gathered that the attack on the four villages in Barkin LGA – Jong, Lobirin, Rabuk and Zim – was a reprisal by some armed youths for similar incidents in some Fulani communities.
Police Public Relations Officer, Emmanuel Abu, who confirmed the attack, said no arrest had been made.
Abu added that the Commissioner of Police, Nasiru Oki, had ordered the redeployment of more policemen in the LGA to prevent further attacks.
He urged the affected communities to remain calm and report any suspicious movement to the police.
It was gathered in Benue State that about 10 gunmen in a Toyota vehicle shot sporadically at people at a drinking spot in Jooter, Ukum LGA, killing five of them.
The gunmen were said to be looking for a target who was said to have gone to the place to have a drink.
An eyewitness who did not want his name in print said that the “target” was among the injured.
The state Command’s Police Public Relations Officer, Austin Ezeani, who confirmed the incident, said that three people were killed and five critically injured.
The direction and programmes of the incoming administration of Major General Muhammadu Buhari (rtd) appears to be emerging with the guide being offered in the form of start-up reform marshal plan by a former British Prime Minister, Mr Tony Blair, who urged him to carry out a complete overhaul of the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC) and solve the problematic petroleum subsidy regime within the first 100 days of assuming office.
The recommendation is in synch with the call by the Petroleum and Natural Gas Senior Staff Association of Nigeria (PENGASSAN) for the incoming Buhari administration to declare a state of emergency in the oil sector given its myriad of problems.
Blair’s policy pep-talk came just as the Vice-President-elect, Prof. Yemi Osinbajo, gave a frightening picture of the country’s economic situation, saying that Nigeria’s local and international debt burden has hit $60 billion, while the debt servicing bill for 2015 is N953.6 billion (about 21%) of our budget.
The ex-British prime minister, who was represented by Peter Benjamin Mandelson, a former Secretary of State for Trade and Industry, at a two-day All Progressives Congress (APC) Policy Dialogue holding in Abuja, yesterday advised that the government should as a matter of priority undertake the shake-up in the management of NNPC within the first 100 days of assumption of office.
Blair said the new government should try to utilise the enormous goodwill it presently enjoys to take far-reaching economic decisions, including taking an intelligible stand on the controversial fuel subsidy policy. “You have more goodwill to do very difficult things at the beginning of your administration than later. You can crack the NNPC with the first 100 days,” he said. According to Blair, Nigeria has huge natural endowment of energy resources but could not effectively utilise such rich resources to economic advantage because of misplaced priorities.
“These issues are like this, for a country that has extraordinary resources of oil and have this amazing privilege of source of energy, yet power generation was not as good as it should. People having to wait for hours queuing to get fuel and end up buying it elsewhere. I think the resources voted for this subsidy can be better used for other things. “Where is it running away to? I think we need to recapture this oil resource and the revenues put to good use so that it can be invested for the long term good of the country, in infrastructure, human capital development, education system and skill acquisition that people need to work with in the future. “This is where the money should be going to. That is why before reorganisation and also the long reach of the law, there is the need to begin here pretty soon in order to make sure the system as whole works better for Nigeria. That is my view,” he said.
Exhibiting deep knowledge of Nigerian internal political dynamics, the Briton further advised Buhari not to turn his back on the people of the South-east and South-south based on the perception that he did not get the support of the voters from the zones. “You need to show the people who did not vote for you that you care for them and will work to solve their problems as much you will do for those that supported you. This is what is called ‘Big stake politics’,” he said. He also advised the government to tackle frontally the problem of unemployment immediately after taking over the administration of the country if it must successfully reduce youth restiveness and sectarian crisis.
He said that everything must be done to avoid allowing a return to the usual bad ways of doing things. While declaring the policy retreat open, Prof. Osinbajo, who also stood in for Buhari, said the country’s economy is currently in its worst moment in history. Apart from the figures of extreme poverty in the country, which he said had now affected 110 million Nigerians, Osinbajo said the country’s local and international debt stands at $60 billion, while the nation’s debt servicing bill for 2015 is put at N953.6 billion, 21 per cent of Nigeria’s budget. “The figures of extreme poverty in our society — 110 million by current estimates — makes it clear that our biggest national problem is the extreme poverty of the majority. Thus, no analysis is required to conclude that dealing with poverty and its implications is a priority. “We are concerned that our economy is currently in perhaps its worst moment in history.
Local and international debt stands at US$60 billion. Our debt servicing bill for 2015 is N953.6 billion, 21% of our budget. On account of severely dwindled resources, over two-thirds of the states in Nigeria owe salaries. Federal institutions are not in much better shape. Today, the nation borrows to fund recurrent expenditure,” he said. Osinbajo drew the attention of the gathering to some of the key issues raised by the party during the campaign which included addressing the challenges of economy, insecurity, corruption and job creation. Osinbajo lamented the highly unequal society in which the country had found itself, adding that “the largest chunk of the benefits of our national wealth accrues to a small percentage of our population”.
He said the APC manifesto has offered a vision of shared prosperity and socio-economic inclusion for all Nigerians, that leaves no one behind in the pursuit of a prosperous and fulfilling life. According to the vice-presidentelect, the goal of the policy dialogue is to “interrogate the various positions and propositions before a wider audience and to launch a robust public conversation on policy directions and priorities that will help inform our administration’s approach in the next four years”. “This forum exemplifies the sort of consultative and consensual approach to policymaking that our party and the new administration intend to model in office,” he said.
In his remarks, the Director of Policy, Research and Strategy in the Directorate of the APC presidential campaign, Dr. Kayode Fayemi, said the phase of policy conception is over and that the party should now be thinking of “execution, governance and of providing tangible developmental deliverables”. The policy dialogue continues today with presentations by panelists drawn from various sectors of the economy and social backgrounds.
In the same vein, citing a plethora of challenges bedevilling the Nigerian oil and gas industry, PENGASSAN has urged the incoming administration of Buhari to declare a state of emergency in the sector to address its many problems. The oil workers argued that all sub-sectors of the oil and gas industry are going through one problem or the other which are not only dwindling the fortune of the sector, but the entire Nigerian economy as the sector currently accounts for more than 80 per cent of Nigeria’s foreign exchange earnings In a statement by PENGASSAN’s President, Mr. Francis Johnson, the senior oil workers said there are many issues in the oil industry requiring urgent attention from the in-coming government.
They urged Buhari to reposition the industry for efficient and effective delivery of its benefits to Nigerians. Johnson also noted in the statement that there is need for the in-coming government to call an all-inclusive stakeholders’ forum of those involved in operations in the sector to critically examine and proffer workable and enduring solutions to all the problems in the larger interest of the Nigerian nation.
Johnson said: “All the subsectors of the oil and gas industry have one challenge or the other and all these challenges are affecting the deliveries of the benefits of our God-given hydrocarbon resources to the country and the entire people of Nigeria. “These challenges are as a result of past neglects, wrong policies and policy summersault in some areas of the subsectors.
All these are inflicting pains on Nigerians who ought to be enjoying the benefits of the natural resources that God bequeathed to the country.”
President Goodluck Jonathan will on May 28 in a brief ceremony at the Presidential Villa, hand over ministries and agencies’ briefs to the president-elect, Muhammadu Buhari. Jonathan will also the same day, take Buhari on a guided tour round the villa. This is just as the Federal Executive Council (FEC) approved five universities.
The council will equally hold its valedictory session next Wednesday. This was disclosed yesterday when the Information Minister, Mrs. Patricia Akwashiki, jointly briefed State House correspondents with Education Minister, Ibrahim Shekarau, at the end of the council meeting.
Akwashiki who outlined the hand over ceremony, also said there would be dinner on May 28. Shekarau, on his part, said four federal colleges of education were converted to universities. Shekarau listed the colleges of education as Adeyemi College of Education, Ondo (now Adeyemi University of Education, Ondo); Federal College of Education, Zaria (now Federal University of Education, Zaria); Federal College of Education, Kano (now Federal University of Education, Kano); and Alvan Ikoku College of Education, Owerri (now Alvan Ikoku University of Education, Owerri).
According to him, the colleges of education were part of the 21 federal colleges of education that had been awarding degree programmes in the last three decades under the close supervision of the different universities they are affiliated to. He said the conversion of the colleges of education to universities was imperative as they will churn out more graduates to enhance quality teaching. “We are heading to having more graduates in the teaching profession and hence the need for these universities to produce graduates in education. If we need quality education, we need quality teachers,” the minister added. According to him, the next step to be taken was the amendment to the laws establishing the colleges, which is to be prepared by Justice Ministry.
He stressed that administrative changes would follow suit. Shekarau also told journalists that FEC approved the establishment of the Federal University of Health Sciences in Otukpo, Benue State. The university was formally College of Medical Health Sciences under the Federal University of Agriculture, Makurdi. The minister disclosed that institution had been granted autonomy as part of continuous efforts to ensure quality graduates into the various fields of medicine and sciences.
The Nigerian Army has disclosed that about 579 officers and soldiers are currently facing General Court-Martial (GCM) in Lagos and Abuja for various offences ranging from acts of cowardice, desertion and sabotage.
The Director of Army Public Relations (DAPR), Col. Sani Usman, confirmed this wednesday in Abuja, during the press briefing on the activities of the Nigerian Army within the period under review.
Usman said: “There are currently, two separate court martials going on in the Army Headquarters Garrison Command, Abuja, and 81 Division, Nigerian Army, Abuja with a view to ensuring quick dispensation of justice, discipline and professionalism."
He said that about 473 officers and soldiers are facing the court martial in Army Headquarters, Garison in Abuja, while 106 officers and soldiers are standing trial in 81 Division, Lagos.
According to him, "It is a common practice in the military that anyone who runs foul of the law and the authorities felt that he could not be summarily dismissed, must go to the court martial."
Meanwhile, the soldiers are alleged to be facing trials over offences ranging from insubordination, acts of cowardice, refusal to carry out orders, indiscipline, and Absence Without Leave (AWOL), amongst others.
Usman while fielding questions from journalists, refused to speak on the fate of 66 soldiers who were sentenced to death last year for mutiny by a GCM sitting at the AHQ Garison, Abuja, urging members of the public to wait for the decision of the Army Council.
It was alleged that lawyers to the 66 soldiers are having difficulties appealing their death sentence and secure their freedom, because the processes have not been completed, which is dependent on the final decision of the Army Council on the matter.
According to the procedure, the Army Council, would have to meet and confirm the sentences where if upheld, the lawyers would be at liberty to appeal to a conventional higher court.
Considering that the GCM was already depleting the number of personnel needed for the ongoing Counter-Terrorism and Counter-Insurgency (CT COIN) in the country, Usman said the army was already adding to the personnel strength of the force in the North-east.
He said 481 personnel of the armed Forces Special Forces, which comprised personnel of the army, navy, air force and the police, have completed their training and inducted into the theatre of operations within Z Division area of responsibility.
Similarly, the Army spokesman said that one additional battalion, 151 Battalion, has completed its training and inducted into the theatre, while two battalions, 152 and 153 Battalions are currently undergoing training and would be inducted on completion.
"Additionally, Army Headquarters Task Force Group is currently in the last phase of their training while Nigerian Army Armoured School, Bauchi, has intensified training of Tank Crew personnel. Moreover, personnel training on Improvised Explosive Devices, (IEDs) in the United Kingdom and United States is ongoing," Usman said.
He also disclosed that 2,388 members of 72 Regular Recruits Intake at the Nigerian Army Depot, Zaria, Kaduna State, would pass out on Friday May 22, which would also boost the personnel strength of the army.
Speaking further, Usman attributed recent successes recorded in operations against the terrorists in the North-east and indeed other operations within the country to the infusion of these specially-trained personnel and are manifestations of Nigerian Army’s huge investment in human and material resources within the period.
He said the Nigerian Army administrative policies and procedures which were last reviewed in 2005 has recently been reviewed to be in line with current and future realities.
“To ease the problems associated with retiring Nigerian Army officers, a one-stop documentation procedure was devised recently. An office of the Deputy Director Retirement and Documentation was established at the Army Headquarters Department of Administration with a 90-day time line of documenting and processing retiring officers’ benefits.
“Similarly, a system of annual update of Nigerian Army personnel Next-of-Kins has been devised. This is intended to eliminate the hardship hitherto experienced by families and in particular, the Next-of-Kins of our fallen colleagues", he said.
In April, he noted, 20 next-of-kins received cheques for payment of Group Life Insurance entitled to them while a total of 235 next-of-kins benefitted from the special assistance by the office of the National Security Adviser.
Similarly, Usman revealed that over 2,000 children of deceased personnel were screened and passed for NA scholarship for 2014/2015 academic session.
Furthermore, he said, up to 20 families have also benefited from the official burial expenses within the last month in addition to the Chief of Army Staff’s token which was intended to provide immediate succour to the families.
In another development, the army spokesman said Boko Haram terrorists have reverted to using increasing number of young girls and women as suicide bombers and assured that the military are upping their game to ensure that no new territories including Marte would be lost to the terrorists again.
My eyes and ears were busy minding their business and reading the word of God when a strange North East wind from the lucid grapevine blew some hot gist about Sylvia and Dangote over.
Now lets start from the very beginning
Earlier this week, the internet was agog with reports that former beauty queen Sylvia Nduka, was gearing up to get hitched to Africa’s richest man, billionaire Aliko Dangote.
The reports are true as Sylvia was actually a share holder in Dangote's Harem. She travels to any country in the world on his luxury private jet. Gets pampered in some of the most exotic hotels and locations in the world. pricey designer labels (bags, shoes, clothes), triple measures and rolling over did Dangote make her closet.
She changed her dressing to wearing Hijabs and Burqua even though she hates covering up the Islamic way.
But becoming Mrs Dangote no be beans so she embraced hijabs and was seen sweating profusely at function yet she kept the hussle on all in a bid to con Aliko into dumping others and wifing her up. When that didnt work, she consulted her beauty queen BFF and the planning went deeper Sensing that the Oshiomhole/Iara wedding would be a good season to pressure Dangote into marriage.
The ex beauty queen acting on the catastrophic advice of her friend called Ene, went ahead and leaked the fake news of an impending marriage between them. An act that did not go down well with the very conservative Dangote who allegedly warns members of his harem against publicity.
The love struck Sylvia even went further by adding Aliko Dangote’s initials to her Instagram page, calling herself Sylvia Nduka AD. However, she deleted it after news broke about their not-so-secret whirlwind romance and Dangote became angry and would not take her calls.
An anonymous insider added:
"She wanted to be Mrs Dangote so bad and she is willing to do anything but this latest stunt has backfired. He wont pick her call but she is trying hard and Very soon he will forgive her because they have something special and she lied to him that she was not behind the leak. The only problem is that she is just a small fish considering the calibre of women who make up the harem. She stands no chance"
Indications emerged on Tuesday that the packaged water industry in the country now generates N8 billion turnover daily.
The Director General of the National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC), Dr Paul Orhii, made the revelation at the presentation of annual report on packaged water in Abuja.
The DG explained that the “primary objective of annual packaged water monitoring exercise was to ensure that existing packaged water producers comply strictly with Good Manufacturing Practices (GMP) without compromising quality and safety of consumers.
“Besides, the agency cannot afford to toy with an industry whose daily turnover is now estimated at N8 billion. This is due to the importance of safety of water for consumption, the increased need to continually and proactively prevent water-borne diseases,” Orhii observed.
He explained that “the outcome of this exercise in the form of generated data would be considered as national data on packaged water quality parameters profiling that will be shared with relevant stakeholders.”
Orhii further expressed concern over quality testing laboratories in the country, warning that the inability of producers to adhere to best practices would compel the agency to wield the big stick.
“The agency will be left with the only option of closing down such erring factories if producers failed to subject their water to quality status profile analysis,” the DG said.
While making his presentation, the consultant for the project and Chief Executive Officer of the company, Emani Global Network Nig. Ltd, Emmanuel Osiegwu, said the report remains a very critical component of national data on water consumption in the country.
Osiegwu explained that the new report would now act as a guide to innovations and the need to revamp the water industry.
The crisis rocking the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) recorded a new twist as the party’s national chairman, Ahmed Adamu Muazu, surrendered to pressure and resigned.
And deputy national chairman of the party, Uche Secondus, has taken charge as as the party’s acting national chairman pending the election of a substantive chairman.
Muazu who has been in the United Kingdom for treatment over an undisclosed ailment sent in his resignation letter in the early hours of Wednesday.
The National Working Committee (NWC) which confirmed the resignation of Muazu after its emergency meeting yesterday also disclosed through the PDP national publicity secretary, Olisa Metuh, that the party leadership was already shopping for Muazu’s replacement within the North east zone.
The 22-year-old would-be-jihadist wrote to his reclusive father to say he was itching to join the fight. Hamza trained with explosives and embraced the terror network that killed 3,000 Americans in the September 11, 2001 attacks.
But young Hamza was no run-of-the-mill jihadist recruit. He was the favorite son of 9/11 mastermind Osama bin Laden, who was grooming him to take over as Al-Qaeda’s leader, according to US intelligence officials.
More than 100 newly declassified documents were provided to AFP by the Central Intelligence Agency, including two letters to Bin Laden from his son and one from Hamza’s mother imploring that he follow in his “father’s footsteps.”
They included Al-Qaeda correspondence noting the eagerness of Hamza, believed to have engaged in terror raids when he was a teen and propaganda videos at a younger age, to return to his father’s inner circle.
The documents are part of a trove of thousands seized during the deadly 2011 US Navy SEAL raid on Bin Laden’s hideout.
They shed light on inner workings of the terror network and the debate over its future in light of the security noose tightening around bin Laden and the compound in Abbottabad, Pakistan where he met his fate.
Speculation still swirls about where Hamza, dubbed the “crown prince of terror” by a British MP, was on the night his father died, and no proof has emerged that he was at the compound.
He has not appeared publicly or made any public video statements in years, and his whereabouts remain a mystery, senior US intelligence officials said.
But the documents depict a son describing himself as “forged in steel,” ready to join his father on a journey to “victory or martyrdom,” and a concerted effort by Al-Qaeda to smuggle the young man to his father’s hideout.
“What truly makes me sad is the mujahidin legions have marched and I have not joined them,” Hamza wrote bin Laden in an eloquent letter in July 2009, when the son was under house arrest in Iran, according to an English translation provided by the CIA.
“I dread spending the rest of my young adulthood behind iron bars,” he added.
“My beloved father, I announce to you that I and everyone, God be praised, are following on the same path, the path of jihad.”
– Groomed as successor –
It was not possible to independently verify the origin of the documents or the accuracy of the CIA translation.
Officials said the seized documents showed the “enormous toll” counterterrorism operations had on Al-Qaeda, including its inability to replace leaders it had lost.
“Bin Laden at the time of his death had recognized this peril and planned to bring his son Hamza to his Abbottabad compound to groom him as a successor,” a senior intelligence analyst told AFP.
Hamza had not seen his fugitive father in eight years, and described the “pain of separation” he felt at age 13 and his hopes of a reunion as a young man of 22.
“You bid us farewell and we left, and it was as if we pulled out our livers and left them there,” he wrote.
After Hamza’s release from house arrest, top Al-Qaeda lieutenant Atiyah Abd al-Rahman wrote to bin Laden on April 5, 2011, one month before his death, detailing three possible ways to shepherd Hamza to his father.
The “least dangerous option” was sending him through Pakistan’s Baluchistan province, which borders Iran, to the teeming port city of Karachi, Abd al-Rahman said, writing under the pseudonym Mahmud.
Meanwhile, Abd al-Rahman arranged for Hamza “to attend a course on explosives,” he wrote.
As the plan emerged, Hamza’s brother Khalid wrote to say Hamza should use a fake ID and driver’s license to safely navigate Baluchistan.
Abd al-Rahman wrote Bin Laden promising to train Hamza in firing various weapons, adding that the young man was “very sweet and good.”
An unconfirmed report has it that a former Minister of Niger Delta Affairs, Godsday P. Orubebe, has dumped the People’s Democratic Party, PDP, for the All Progressives Congress, APC
Orubebe is believed to have announced his decision on his twitter handle @ElderGOrubebe on Tuesday.
“I have concluded plans to join my folks in the APC to champion and sustain the movement for a better Niger Delta in the new administration,” was posted on the twitter handle that could not be independently verified.
Meanwhile, a close aide to the former Minister has denied the report. The aide who warned not to be mentioned in print said Orubebe was still in the PDP.
Similarly, an aide to the Beyelsa state government has also denied the report, saying Orubebe was still in the Peoples Democratic Party. According to the aide, who pleaded anonymity, no information of such nature has been received so far. We recall that Orubebe caused a stir during the 2015 presidential election when he attempted to disrupt proceedings at the International Conference Centre, Abuja, where election results were been collated
Former Tinsel actress and mother of one, Damilola Adegbite turned 30 years old yesterday, May 18, 2015.
On Sunday, May 17, 2015, she celebrated the 36th birthday of her Ghanaian actor husband, Chris Attoh.
The Flower Girl actress who was born on Saturday May 18, 1985, took to Instagram to post a cute photo of herself in celebration of her birthday. Damilola Adegbite and Chris Attoh, who share the same birthday month, welcomed their first child on Friday, September 5, 2014.
A visual spectacle, the Cannes Film Festival is arguably as famous for its endless parade of couture gowns as it is for its showcase of the finest in film talent - so it comes as little surprise to hear that there's a strict red carpet dress code imposed upon those attending one of the many premieres.
However, this 'Croisettiquette', not only dictates the formality of footwear, but the height of it too. Organisers are facing an angry backlash after a group of women were reportedly denied entry to Saturday night's world premiere of Carol - starring Cate Blanchett and Rooney Mara - for not wearing heels. The guests - believed to be in their 50s, some with medical conditions - were wearing "rhinestone flats", The Independent reports, which they were told weren't appropriate.
While a spokesperson on behalf of the festival declined to comment on the incident, they did confirm that "it was obligatory for all women to wear high heels to red-carpet showings". The dress code applies to men too, who are all required to wear a tux and bow-tie. The festival has also imposed a strict ban on red carpet 'selfies' this year.
Kristen Stewart is set to star in a new ghost movie about the Parisian fashion industry, titled Personal Shopper. The actress will be working alongside director Olivier Assayas.
Stewart and Assayas’ previous collaboration, Clouds of Sils Maria, premiered at Cannes last year and saw Stewart become the first American actress to walk away with the much-coveted César award.
Personal Shopper will be set in Paris, with shooting slated to begin later this year. Producer Charles Gillibert confirmed rumours of the upcoming project, tweeting from Cannes: "#DreamTeam Olivier Assayas and Kristen Stewart together for Personal Shopper.
Nigeria's President-elect, Muhammadu Buhari, has decried the inability of the military to crush the Boko Haram insurgency in the North-east, declaring that it is shameful and unacceptable.
Speaking when the National Executive Council of the Arewa Consultative Forum (ACF) paid him a courtesy visit in his Kaduna residence yesterday, Buhari said it is a shame that the military could not secure 14 out of the 774 local governments in the country.
Buhari’s declaration not withstanding, the Chief of Defence Intelligence (CDI), Rear Admiral Gabriel Okoi, believes that with proactive intelligence gathering, the war against terrorism will be won much faster.
This is just as Sabongari, a community in Adamawa State was attacked weekend, by the Boko Haram insurgents leading to the killing one man and the abduction of six women.
Buhari also condemned the recent attack on Maiduguri and the takeover of Marte town by the Boko Haram insurgents, saying that the lives and property of Nigerians must be protected by the military.
According to him, "The military has never been so incapacitated like now. It's a shame that the military cannot secure 14 Nigeria's local governments out of the 774 local governments in the country."
Buhari stressed further that what is more worrisome is the fact that Nigeria's military had to rely on South African mercenaries before achieving the recent success in the war against Boko Haram.
He restated that his administration would focus on three major areas — insecurity, the economy and job creation — as well as tackling the endemic corruption that has eaten deep into the fabric of the nation.
"My administration will concentrate on three major areas on assumption of office, that is insecurity, the economy/unemployment and corruption. We will ensure we nip the insecurity in bud.
"The Nigeria Army have to bring in South African mercenaries to enable them record the recent gains in the North-east," said Buhari.
He said further that his administration would make sure that every Nigerian lived within his earning, adding that "a situation where people live above their earnings will not be tolerated."
Earlier, the Chairman of ACF and former Inspector General of Police, Alhaji Ibrahim Ahmadu Coomassie (rtd), said Nigerians voted for Buhari because they believed in his integrity, transparency, accountability, honesty and commitment to security of lives and property.
Coomassie said Nigeria had never experienced the level of decay, the collapse of moral values and the high level of corruption, crime, unemployment and impoverishment of the citizenry like it happened in the last six years.
"Security has been the major concern especially in the North-east region which has been devastated by the insurgency caused by the Boko Haram. And the energy which is the source of power and main driver of the economy requires serious and urgent attention," Coomassie said.
He added: "The current situation when SGF operates above ministers offends the laid down principles of accountability in governance."
But despite the dissatisfaction of Buhari on the military’s prolonged effort in crushing the insurgents, the Nigerian military has urged its personnel to redouble their efforts in providing “actionable intelligence” to assist in the Counter-Terrorism and Counter-Insurgency (CT COIN) operations.
The charge came with the assurance by the CDI, Rear Admiral Okoi, that the security challenges being faced by the country would soon be over.
He thus charged defence attaches to ensure that the activities of Boko Haram and their linkage with global terror and terror groups are well monitored, saying: "Failure to do that is at their own risk."
The charge by the CDI coincided with a re-launch of terrorist attack on Sabongari, an Adamawa village, where a man was killed and six women abducted.
Okoi expressed the belief that in no distant time, the security problems would have been dealt with adequately to bring peace to Nigerians and the West African sub-region as a whole.
"Let me at this juncture remind you all that to achieve acceptable peace in the continent you must double your efforts at providing actionable intelligence that will help in decision making," he said.
According to the CDI, the growing sophistication of the society coupled with increasing expectations from home and abroad requires a continuous re-appraisal of the military's operational tactics and methods of intelligence gathering in order to rise to the demands of the 21st ventury security environment.
Similarly, the intelligence chief dismissed as no news the claimed link between the Boko Haram terrorists and other global terror group such as Islamic State in Iraq and Syria (ISIS).
Okoi stated this yesterday in Abuja, while fielding questions from journalists at the opening ceremony of the Deputy Defence Advisers/Attaches/Librarians Training Conference.
He said the contributions of the participants during the interactive session would form a vital part of the Agency's feedback to the government with regards to repositioning their efforts at combating contemporary security challenges.
The military intelligence chief said that the theme for the conference: "Refocusing Activities of Nigeria's Defence Missions to meet Contemporary Security Challenges", was carefully selected to guide their deliberations to the current efforts at addressing the security challenges bedevilling the country and create an atmosphere for sustainable national security and development.
Okoi also declared that with the recent victories against Boko Haram and successful conduct of the general election, the general internal security problem, especially in the North-east had been drastically reduced.
"Let me remind you all", he said, "that we are at a very unique point in our national political life when for the first time in our democratic history an opposition is taking over the reins of government."
He noted: "It is unique and interesting as the international community will no doubt be looking forward to the roles Nigeria will play in the international arena with you as key players.
"This is coming at a time also when the security challenges which necessitated the increased involvement of the Nigerian Armed Forces in internal security operations has abated."
Meanwhile, after what looked like a sustained routing of the Boko Haram terrorist group leading to the destruction of their hideouts in the Sambisa forest and the liberation of many women and children, the insurgents appear to be regrouping and re-launching fresh attacks against the people.
Chairman of Madagali Local Government Area of Adamawa State, Maina Ularamu, has said that there was an attack by Boko Haram insurgents on Sabongari town in the local government wherein a man was killed and six women abducted.
Worried about the rebound of the terrorists, Ularamu thereby called on the federal government to provide more security following the renewed attacks on communities in the region.
The council boss urged the military not to relax in the fight against the insurgents in the area as he complained that the presence of the military are lacking in some parts of the local government which might put the insurgents on a vantage position to launch more attacks on the people.
He expressed worry that unless the insurgents are completely wiped out, they could start recruiting the youths into their notorious fold.
Sources in the community indicated that the insurgents invaded the town on Saturday, forcing residents to flee into the bush.
A resident, who simply identified himself as Musa, said the insurgents arrived the village around 10 pm and shot several people, killing one and injuring many and destroyed many properties.
Musa explained that the insurgents took them unawares because for a while they had not experienced any attack since the area was liberated by the military from the control of the Boko Haram insurgents.
He said although many were able to escape from the onslaught of the insurgents because the people are security conscious and do not sleep with both eyes closed, but that they are always on the watch for the fear of being attacked by the insurgents.
Last week, not only did a young female suicide bomber launch an attack on Damaturu, the Yobe State capital, killing seven persons, the insurgents indeed recaptured Marte, a border town in Northern Borno State.
ADO EKITI—Ekiti State Governor, Mr Ayo Fayose has faulted Mr Femi Falana’s claim that he (Fayose) was providing cover for armed gangs to operate in the state, saying such a comment is ridiculous and nonsensical.
Speaking in Ado-Ekiti yesterday through his Chief Press Secretary, Idowu Adelusi, the governor wondered why the Lagos-based lawyer would always stand truth on the head.
The governor, who was reacting to a comment by Falana in a national daily that the governor was the one sponsoring armed hoodlums to operate in the state described Falana as a hypocritical political merchant, who always kept silent whenever APC controlled States are involved.
He asked; “Is this not hypocrisy? And Falana did not find it important to ask those All Progressives Congress (APC)-controlled states what they have done with their workers’ salaries if truly he is a human rights activist as he claims to be.
“Hypocrisy has made Falana not to say a word on the collapse of the judiciary and the legislative arms of government in some APC controlled states. Or is the judiciary in Rivers working? And has Falana said a single word on the collapse of the judiciary in Rivers State?
While urging Falana to live up to the meaning of his name by minding his own business, Fayose wondered why the lawyer would be pretentious about some issues and act to be a defender in others not involving his friends and paymasters.
“Falana should be ignored because he is fond of beating about the bush and his utterances are always dictated by the percentage of stomach infrastructure from his paymasters.
“I have never and will never provide official cover for armed gangs.
The Buhari-Osinbajo administration will be sworn in on May 29. No doubt, expectations are high, hope in the country and governance is rekindled.
We are requested to submit articles, papers and open letters to the President on rebuilding Nigeria. It could be on choice of ministers, policy direction, tackling corruption, diversifying the economy, power crisis, providing employment, foreign relations among others.
Join us, as we set the agenda to rebuild Nigeria and to make every sphere of the nation work again!
Yola—Boko Haram insurgents have killed several people and abducted six women at Sabongari town in Madagali Local Government of Adamawa State.
Sources from the area indicated that the insurgents invaded the town weekend, forcing residents to run into the bushes.
This was even as about 108 displaced Nigerians, mostly women and children who were rescued from Niger Republic have been received by officials of Adamawa State government in Yola, the state capital.
However, a resident, who simply gave his name as Musa said the insurgents arrived the village at about 10 pm Sunday night and started shooting sporadically, killing many people and injuring others before abducting the women.
The Chairman of Madagali Local Government Area, Maina Ularamu who confirmed the incident, called on government to provide more security in the area.
Ularamu expressed regret that several villages and communities were presently without military presence and urged the Army to deploy troops to the areas.
Meanwhile, speaking with newsmen in Yola on the arrival of the 108 people rescued from Niger Republic, the Executive Secretary of the State Emergency Management Agency, SEMA, Haruna Furo said 24 of the persons were from Taraba State while two were from Gombe State.
Furo noted that the state government was making arrangements to convey those from the state to their various communities just as it would assist others to return to their states of origin.
Some of the displaced persons interviewed said most of them were fisher men, farmers and traders who had carried out their various trades in Niger for years.
In the over five years that President Goodluck Jonathan has been presiding over the affairs of the country, the Federal Government has borrowed N5.04tn from the domestic debt market.
Jonathan became Nigeria’s acting President on February 10, 2010 and substantive President on May 6,2010 following the death of President Umaru Yar’Adua on May 5,2010. On May 29, 2011, he was sworn in as an elected president.
Records at the Debt Management Office showed that the domestic debt of the Federal Government stood at N3,466,360,000,000 (N3.47tn) as of March 31, 2010.
The latest debt statistics from the DMO as of March 31, 2015 showed that the domestic debt had risen to N8,507,545,474,000 (N8.51tn).
This means that in the last five years, the Federal Government had borrowed N5.04tn from domestic lenders. It also means that within the period, the domestic debt of the Federal Government grew by 157.48 per cent.
A breakdown of the domestic debt profile of the Federal Government by instruments showed that FG Bonds accounted for N5.37tn or 63.13 per cent of the total domestic debt.
The Nigerian Treasury Bills, on the other hand, accounted for N2.87tn or 33.68 per cent of the Federal Government total domestic debt profile.
Similarly, the Nigerian Treasury Bonds accounts for N271.22m or 3.19 per cent of the Federal Government’s total domestic debt profile.
The DMO statistics also showed that the domestic debts of the states grew by 116.83 per cent within the same period.
As of March 31, 2015, the domestic debts of the states stood at N1.69tn or $10.87bn. However, as of March 31, 2010, the domestic debts of the states which were only given in dollars stood at $5.01bn.
This means that in dollar terms, the domestic debts of the states rose by $5.85bn or 116.83 per cent in the last five years.
Within the same period, the external debts of both the federal and state governments rose from $4,306,180,000 ($4.31bn) to $9,464,110,000 ($9.46bn).
This means that within the five-year period, the external debts of both tiers of government rose by $5,157,930,000 ($5.16bn). In percentage terms, the external debts of both tiers of government rose by 119.78 per cent.
The latest debt figures released by the DMO did not segregate the external debts of the country into the proportions owed by the Federal Government and the various states of the federation.
As of December 31, 2014 when the debt figures were last segregated, the states’ component of the nation’s external debt profile stood at 33.63 per cent while the Federal Government’s component stood at 66.37 per cent.
With $1,169,712,848.66, Lagos State occupied the top position on the list of the most externally indebted states.
It was followed by Kaduna, $234,416,052.15; Cross River State, $131,469,661.94; Edo State, $123,128,295.53; and Ogun State, $109,154,553.08.
The least exposed states in terms of external debts were Taraba, $22,780,063.89; Borno, $23,067,549.16; Delta, $24,233,639.67; Plateau, $30,947,579.75; and Yobe, $31,237,619.25.
The increasing profile of the nation’s domestic debt has been reflecting on the cost of debt servicing.
According to budgetary provisions, the cost of debt servicing went up from N591.76bn in 2013 to N712bn in 2014. This was made up of N663.61bn for servicing domestic debt and N48.39bn for the foreign debt component.
A statement by the DMO last week said the debts of the country, especially that owed by the Federal Government had not grown unusually in the last four years. It also explained that the debts had been rising because of budget deficit financing.
According to the office, the increase in public debt between 2011 and 2014 was the lowest compared to the period 2004–2007 and 2008–2011.
The DMO said, “In 2010, there was a general wage increase (53.7 per cent average increase) for all categories of public servants, including political appointees. The funding of this depended on increased domestic borrowing.
“The global economic and financial crisis (2008-2010) occurred within the same period. All economies engaged in counter-cyclical public spending, using what was popularly referred to as stimulus package.
“In Nigeria, the government was able to effectively play the role by borrowing from a domestic bond market, which to the country’s credit, had been developed as an alternative source of funding after the exit from the Paris and London Clubs debts in 2005 to 2006.
“While the Federal Government’s debt stock has grown, a comparison with the figures before the exit from the Paris Club should not be on absolute figures alone. The size of the GDP and the structure of the debt must be taken into consideration.
“The increase in the domestic debt was due principally to the financing of the deficits as appropriate in the annual budgets. The budgets include both capital and recurrent expenditure; thus, the deficit cannot be attributed to a single item on the budget.
“In the case of external borrowings, which are mostly from the multilateral financial institutions; the utilisation of the proceeds are tied to projects – in power, agriculture, health, education – and other infrastructure and human development projects.”
The Debt Office added that public borrowings were done in accordance with the mandate of the National Assembly.
Finance experts, who spoke to our correspondents, on the issue, called on the DMO to ensure that it did not go beyond the acceptable limit of debt to Gross Domestic Product Ratio
An Associate Professor of Finance, Nasarawa State University, Keffi, Uche Uwaleke, said that the increase in the debt could also be looked at from the standpoint that the economy was growing.
He said, “One important point you should realise is if the debt is sustainable. If it is sustainable relative to the size of economy, then it should not call for concern. As long as we are operating within the acceptable threshold of debt to GDP ratio, then it shouldn’t be of much concern.
“But that doesn’t mean we should continue to borrow, the DMO should do all within its powers to manage the debt stock within a sustainable level.
“Again, the worrying aspect of it is the fact that in the past for instance, we borrowed money to finance consumption. We borrowed money to meet the demand for increase in wages and salaries and we have not recovered from that up till now because if you check the 2015 budget, the provision that has been made for debt servicing is as a result of the impact of that borrowing area.”
Also, Bismarck Rewane, who is the Chief Executive, Financial Derivatives Company, who described the debt as huge, said that Nigeria was spending about 25 per cent of its revenue on debt servicing.
He said, “The debt servicing burden is quite high. The debt has to be restructured because what we are seeing now is that the debt-to-GDP is high. We are spending almost 25 per cent of our revenue to service debt and that is why I say it is quite high, and again we have another large percentage that is spent on subsidy. When you consider all these, you will find out that there will be nothing left to run the economy.”
A former President, Association of National Accountants of Nigeria, Samuel Nzekwe, said the country’s debt would slow down the development of capital projects across the country.
The Chairman, Institute of Chartered Accountants of Nigeria, Abuja District, Mr. Adewale Gbakinro, said it was wrong for the Federal Government to borrow as much as N5tn in the last five years when oil sold for more than $100 per barrel for most of the period under review.
Gbakinro said, “Much of the borrowings were spent on recurrent expenses. It does not make sense to me to borrow to pay salaries.
“The amount of money being spent in Nigeria to run government is not right. I know that democracy is costly but a lot could have been done through financial discipline.”
Gbakinro listed the budget for feeding at the Presidential Villa and the maintenance of the presidential fleet as some areas that government could have cut down on the cost of governance.
