OBLONG MEDIA GLOBAL INTELLIGENCE is where independent minds meet to dissect politics, society, power, and global affairs without fear or filters. This is not mainstream media.
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Sequel to the two bomb attacks on a gas installation in Warri, the Nigerian army invaded Okpelama community, Gbaramatu kingdom, in search of MEND. Soldiers are constantly conducting several surveillance at Kurutie, the hometown of ex Niger Delta militant. The soldiers stormed the community with gunboats at about 10.30 pm on Saturday night..
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President Muhammadu Buhari has appointed Abuja-based lawyer and activist, Maryam Uwais, as his Special Adviser for Social Protection Plan. A presidency source familiar with the matter revealed that Mrs Uwais, wife of Muhammadu Uwais, a former Chief Justice of Nigeria, was appointed weeks ago. The lawyer, our source said, has been deployed to the office of Vice President Yemi Osibajo, where she is coordinating the administration’s social protection schemes, including a N60billion micro-credit scheme for artisans and market women. Mrs. Uwais is a respected lawyer with over 30 years experience, including serving as principal partner at Wali Uwais &…
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Nigeria’s woes in the area of dwindling revenue from crude oil sales is expected to heighten, as the South African Petroleum Industry Association (SAPIA) stated that South Africa would likely stop importing crude oil from Nigeria following the lifting of the sanctions on Iran, Bloomberg is reporting. Executive Director of the SAPIA, Avhapfani Tshifularo, told journalists that the potential return of Iranian oil exports to South Africa threaten to displace barrels from Saudi Arabia and Nigeria that plugged the supply gap when sanctions were imposed on Iran, which is OPEC’s fifth biggest producer. He said: “The re-emergence of…
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January 19, 2016 Press Statement. …Says Action Deliberate Plot To Mortify, Subjugate Opposition Spokesperson The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) condemns in totality the brazen display of authoritarianism demonstrated by the President Muhammadu Buhari-led APC Government in handcuffing its National Publicity Secretary, Chief Olisa Metuh even when the court is yet to hear his case. This development which expectedly elicited widespread public outcry clearly betrays an extra-judicial, top political witch-hunt policy of the APC, carefully designed to humiliate, embarrass and portray PDP leaders as common criminals and set the stage to cow and decimate opposition and perceived foes of the…
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In a move that has surprised many, President Goodluck Jonathan has queried the governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria, CBN, Sanusi Lamido Sanusi, over various infractions detected in the apex bank’s 2012 audited account. The query, which covered 22 issues bordering on massive fraud at the bank, was sent to the governor on May 6 and the response, though expected back on May 8, was submitted to the President on May 21. The query of the bank’s account, which its auditors, Ernst and Young, passed without officially signing, with only a comment that it complies with the CBN…
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President Muhammadu Buhari of Nigeria has submitted a face saving corrected version of the 2016 budget to national assembly, a letter read out on the floor of the senate confirmed on Tuesday. Following adjustments to the detailed breakdown of the budget that had “led to some confusion”, Buhari then submitted a new draft keeping the overall figures unchanged. “In this regard, please find attached the corrected version. This is the version the National Assembly should work with as my 2016 budget estimates. The draft bill remains the same and there no changes in any of the estimates,” the letter…
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Senate Committee on Ethics, Privileges and Public petition to hear petition on 20/01/2016. Chevron Nigeria & its associate companies have been very unfair to the Nigeria Economy. – WhistleBlower
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The Attorney General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, Abubakar Malami, SAN has said that corrupt judges will go to jail as the government of President Muhammadu Buhari will actively promote and ensure that corrupt judges are prosecuted and their illegally acquired assets are returned to the State. He said considering the pivotal role that they play in the administration of justice, it is important to ensure that Nigerian judges, like the proverbial Ceazer’s wife, are beyond reproach or even suspicion as gone are the days when corrupt judges escaped from Justice in Nigeria. Malami made the commitment…
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Twitter has been unavailable to millions of users around the world due to problems affecting the social network’s website and related apps. Users experienced problems reading and sending tweets from around 8am on Tuesday. Visitors to the website were greeted by the message: “Something is technically wrong. Thanks for noticing – we’re going to fix it up and have things back to normal soon.” The glitch affected Twitter’s own iOS and Android apps and the company’s application programming interface (API) – the system applications use to communicate with Twitter. Twitter, which has around 300 million users worldwide, acknowledged the…
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The Ekiti State chapter of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has declared that the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) arrested associate of President Muhammadu Buhari, Colonel Jaffar Isa (rtd), to give the anti-graft war an undeserving credibility. The party insisted that the manner of the release after being quizzed by the commission over his involvement in the alleged $2.1 billion arms deal gave a strong suspicion that the arrest was a smokescreen meant to delude the Nigerian populace. The party noted that the case of Isa, a former military administrator of Kaduna State, whom the anti-graft said was…
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There appears to be a fresh round of crisis in Nigeria’s major opposition party, the Peoples Democratic Party, with some elected national officers calling on the acting chairman of the board of trustees, Bello Mohammed and the national publicity secretary, Olisa Metuh, to step down from their offices. The call, which was made in a statement signed by four of the national officers, which they also said represented the views of all deputy national officers and some members of the National Executive Committee of the party, was sequel to the ongoing trial of Messrs. Mohammed and Metuh over corruption…
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As reported two weeks ago, that President Muhammadu Buhari has withdrawn the Budget he presented to the National Assembly, the Presidency is confirming that President Buhari has now officially written to the Nationally Assembly to request the withdrawal of the 2016 Appropriation Bill for correction. This development confirms the alleged secret extraction and doctoring of the original budget document according to Hope For Nigeria, and the presenting of a second version of the Budget through the back door last week. The National Assembly could not start deliberation on the budget as scheduled after their resumption from Christmas recess, as…
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If Seriake Dickson the Governor of Bayelsa State is expecting a congratulatory message from President Muhammadu Buhari over his recent re-election for a second term of office, he had better forget it. Lai Mohammed, Nigeria’s minister of information and culture told journalists in Abuja on Monday that the President would not follow the habit of his predecessor who was of the habit of sending congratulatory messages to winners of elections regardless of party affiliation immediately after announcement of results. Governor Dickson of Peoples Democratic Party was recently re-elected for a second term in an election that was marred by…
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Nigerian state governors, ministers, business leaders, public officials and bankers allegedly stole $6.7 billion in public funds in seven years, information minister Lai Mohammed said on Monday. Mohammed told reporters in the capital, Abuja, that some 1.34 trillion naira ($6.72 billion, 6.15 billion euros) was allegedly stolen between 2006 and 2013. “The situation is dire and the time to act is now,” he added. Giving a breakdown of the alleged theft, Mohammed claimed: – 15 former state governors stole 146.84 billion naira – 11 businessmen took 653 billion naira – Eight people in the banking industry stole 524 billion…
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A Leader of the defunct Movement for the Emancipation of the Niger Delta (MEND), Chief Government Ekpemupolo, has explained why he has not appeared in court on the alleged N34 billion fraud, for which an order of arrest was issued on him. Ekpemupolo, in an open letter to President Muhammadu Buhari, said he has nothing to do with the matter in court. He blamed his refusal to appear in court on the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), its lawyer Festus Keyamo and some ex-Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) members, who defected to the All Progressives Congress (APC). He accused…
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•Crude production cost almost equals selling price This is an uncertain period for the Nigerian economy due to the continuing fall in the price of crude oil, the nation’s main revenue earner, and projections for the petroleum industry are indeed grim, ’FEMI ASU writes. With crude oil trading around $30 per barrel in the international market from a peak of $114 in June 2014, production from Nigeria now faces a decline as some fields face an imminent shutdown if the low oil price persists. Industry players say operating some of the fields in the country is becoming uneconomic, with…
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President Muhammadu Buhari has approved the appointment of Muhammad Mustapha Abdallah as the new Chairman/Chief Executive Officer of the National Drugs Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA). The Secretary to the Government of the Federation (SGF), Babachir David Lawal said in a statement on Monday that the appointment which takes effect from January 11, 2016, is for a first tenure of five years. Abdallah, a retired Lieutenant Colonel of the Nigeria Army, has a Certificate of Education from Nigeria Defence Academy in 1977, a Bachelor’s Degree in American Politics and Government from Sam Houston State University, Huntville, Texas, USA in 1989.…
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PDP director on New Media, Deji Adeyanju has alleged that there is a plot by the Buhari-led govt to assassinate, silent or implicate him and other social media critics. See more of his tweets below.
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As the protagonists of Biafra intensify efforts for the realisation of their secession agenda, former President Olusegun Obasanjo, yesterday, described the move as a dead agitation borne out of sheer ignorance and error of judgment. The former President said those involved in the current agitation for Biafra were embarking on hopeless and futile exercise, which no serious-minded Nigerian should engage in. Obasanjo who spoke in Abuja during a roundtable discussion organized by Nextier Advisory, a public sector advisory firm spearheaded by Patrick O. Okigbo III, with the theme: “Nigeria and the Biafra Agitation”. The ex-president asked leaders from the South-East…
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The leadership of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has said the heinous and draconian agenda of the All Progressives Congress (APC)-led government of President Muhammadu Buhari to decimate opposition will not succeed as the party is coming up stronger because Nigerians now know better. The party said the APC, having realised that it lacked what it takes to deliver its numerous bogus campaign promises to Nigerians, has ignobly resorted to intimidation and harassment of the opposition through its set-out witch-hunt policy. The National Secretary of the party, Prof. Adewale Oladipo, said in a statement yesterday that in a desperate mood…
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When it rains, it pours. The price of crude oil plunged below $30 last week, plumbing to a low last seen in December 2003. On Saturday, the United States and the European Union lifted the sanctions on Iran. That, alongside the direct and the proxy battles for regional supremacy between Iran and Saudi Arabia, will further increase the glut in the global oil market. Though there are desperate calls by Nigeria and other hard-pressed members of the Organisation of the Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) for an emergency meeting and a supply slash, Saudi Arabia, United Arab Emirates (UAE) and…
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Cross River State Governor, Prof. Ben Ayade, on Thursday announced the establishment of a social health insurance scheme to ensure access to efficient and quality health care by residents of the state. The governor explained that under the scheme, all taxable adults might be required to make a monthly contribution of N1, 000, which would guarantee them free treatment for their ailments, including surgeries. Ayade, who disclosed this shortly after inspecting the Calabar Specialist Hospital currently under construction at the Summit Hills, Calabar, said an executive bill would soon be sent to the House of Assembly…
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OWERRI—Imo State governor, Rochas Okorocha, has summarily sacked over 3,000 workers in 19 parastatals, agencies and departments, as he stopped their salaries with effect from January 4, 2016. A Nigeria Labour Congress, NLC, source told Vanguard that over 3,000 workers were affected in the sack. Vanguard gathered that “the current action of the governor, which not only came on the heels of last Wednesday’s labour protest in Owerri, headed by the National President of Nigerian Labour Congress, NLC, Ayuba Wabba, is also closely linked with the recent obnoxious form which the administration forced Imo workers to sign before collecting…
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The Ekiti Justice Group (EJG) has described as shameless falsehood, claim by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) Acting Chairman, Ibrahim Magu that the commission do not have any petition against chieftains of the All Progressives Congress (APC), saying; “it is on record that petitions were submitted to the EFCC office in Abuja against former governor of Ekiti State, Dr. Kayode Fayemi by the State Government and concerned groups.” While trying to defend allegation of political witch hunt against the EFCC, Magu had said; “Such accusations have come up a lot, but, we work with petitions before…
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Northern governors under the auspices of the Northern State Governors Forum said yesterday that they are working hard to restore and revive the legacies left behind by the late Premier of the north, Sir Ahmadu Bello as they pointed out disparity between the North and South. Speaking on behalf of the Forum, during th 50th anniversary of the death of the premier, the Chairman of the forum and governor of Borno State, Kashim Shettima, said while the late Sardauna did very well for the north, it was the responsibility of present day leaders in the region to invest on…
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We must continue to educate the Technical Chief Justice of Nigeria, Muhammadu Buhari. Let all the jollof rice eaters draw his attention to this case. Chief Emeka Ojukwu V. Federal Military Government of Lagos State 1985. Intro- it is not news that the abandoned property thing took place in Lagos. Do not be fooled by the Lagos Media who made it look like it was an Ijaw or ikwerre thing. David Mark oversaw that evil deed. The above decision therefore was part of the issues decided in the case filed by the ex biafran lord against the military…
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President Muhammadu Buhari has written to the Nationally Assembly to formally request the withdrawal of the 2016 Appropriation Bill he had presented to a joint session of the federal legislature on December 22 for adjustment, THISDAY has learnt. The president’s leader was addressed to Senate President Bukola Saraki and Speaker of the House of Representatives Yakubu Dogara. The formal request followed controversy over the alleged secret extraction and doctoring of the original budget document. The controversy over the budget had raged all through last week, as the National Assembly resumed after a recess and the legislators prepared to begin…
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The January 9, 2015, election in Bayelsa has broken the chain of order and unwritten code of command among ex-militants in the Niger Delta. High Chief Government Ekpempulo, also known as General Tom Polo, is widely held as the overall commander and also the marshall of the Western flank, while Alhaji Asari Dokubo, leads the Eastern Flank and in close alliance with General Tom Polo. These two agitators are widely loved and respected in local communities in the Niger Delta and have all received several chieftaincy titles for their struggle for resource control, especially during the military regime of…
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Under Buhari’s watch as Petroleum Minister in the late 1970s, $2.8 billion (worth billions of naira today) was missing from the NNPC account. The matter was subject to Senate investigation under the chairmanship of Olusola Saraki in 1983. But before the report could be dealt with, Buhari conveniently overthrew the Shagari government in a military coup d’état. Vera Ifudu, an NTA newscaster, revealed that Saraki told her in an interview that the missing money was traced to Buhari’s account at Midland Bank in London. For this disclosure, Vera was summarily sacked by the NTA. However, she appealed against her…
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The Northern Elders Forum, the apostles of “the North is born to rule,” finally played their joker. They maintained that if the government does not #Bring Back Our Girls by the end of October, 2014, Jonathan should forget about running for re-election. This again reveals that there is more political mischief to the kidnapping of the Chibok schoolgirls than initially meets the eye. As a matter of fact, it shows conclusively that #Bring Back Our Girls is simply another instrument of #Bring Back Our Northern Domination. The First Lady understood this clearly from the onset; which is why she…
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In a deft move designed to ensure efficient distribution and country-wide penetration of petroleum products, the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation, NNPC, has commenced nationwide consultation with stakeholders aimed at drumming support for the planned expansion of its retail outlets across the country. Under the expansion plan, NNPC is seeking to expand the market share of its retail business to an appreciable level from the current 12 per cent by building a mega station in every Senatorial district in the country in the months ahead. Speaking during the flag-off of consultation during the week with a visit to the Governor…
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The fact is that there is enough blame to go round and if we do not end the blame game we would not be in a position to make the changes that will position our country to come out of these circumstances that militate against our growth and unity. The late Major Chukwuma Kaduna Nzeogwu has been my hero right from the time I became politically conscious, however, I wish he had not participated in the January 16th, 1966 coup. I believe he was misled by people cleverer than him, who took advantage of his impulsive nature. First and…
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“For as long as the Old Eastern region remains in disarray and not united, self-determination of the region will remain impossible.” ~ An anonymous retired Nigerian Army Chief The word “South-South,” even though it may sound absurd, is a name we have come to accept as a people. We can’t say exactly how we came about to be identified with the name neither can we say exactly when we were given the name, but we just know it is our name. While growing up back in the days, geography taught us about “the North,” “the South,” “The East” and “The…
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On the recommendation of the committee established to audit the procurement of arms and equipment in the Armed Forces and Defence sector from 2007 to 2015, President Muhammadu Buhari has directed the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) to carry out further investigation into the misconduct established against the following retired and serving officers of the Nigerian Air Force and Nigerian Army: (1)Air Chief Marshal AS Badeh (Rtd) (2)Air Marshal MD Umar (Rtd) (3)Air Marshal AN Amosu (Rtd) (4) Maj-Gen. ER Chioba (Rtd) (5)AVM IA Balogun (Rtd) (6)AVM AG Tsakr (Rtd) (7)AVM AG Idowu (Rtd) (8)AVM AM Mamu (9)AVM…
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D r. Tanko Yakassai was an active political player in the First Republic having held several national positions in the defunct Northern Elements Peoples Union, NEPU among which were National Financial Secretary, National Youth Leader, National Organising Secretary and subsequently National Secretary of the Aminu Kano led party. In the Second Republic he shifted to the National Party of Nigeria, NPN and was the Presidential Liaison Officer to the National Assembly. He currently chairs the Northern Elders’ Council. He speaks on the factors that led to the January 15, 1966 coup and the consequences thereafter. By Omeiza Ajayi YOU…
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I read Governor Adams Oshiomhole’s comments to the effect that he heard from the Chairman of the All Progressive Congress (APC), Chief John Oyegun, that former President Goodluck Jonathan had told him (Chief Oyegun) that after the election, he would put Governor Oshiomhole in a hole, but today the ex-president is the one in a hole. This statement, while seemingly an attack on the person of former President Goodluck Jonathan, says more about the character of the Edo State Governor than it does about the former President. A good leader does not act on hearsay and gossip, especially when…
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It is now a season of vindication for the leadership of International Society for Civil Liberties & the Rule of Law concerning the full graduation of the democratically chained administration of President Muhammadu Buhari from ballot box to barrel of gun. According to the Shasta and the Legist Schools of Jurisprudential Thoughts of ancient India and China respectively; a society not popularly governed by law is a society of anarchy and lawlessness. And such society is said to be popularly governed by law if respect for its law starts from its political office holders and the same law evenly…
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As the intricacies behind the 2016 budget proposal submitted to the Senate by President Muhammadu Buhari continues to unwind, indications have emerged that the mystery trailing the document may have been caused by the slump in oil prices Senate had raised the alarm recently that the budget was missing, but later said that was not the case, only for the Senate President, Bukola Saraki to point at Presidential Liaison Officer (Senate) Ita Enang of submitting a different version of the document presented by President Muhammadu Buhari on December 22. But according to Presidential Liaison Officer (House of Representatives) Sumaila…
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“In the name of the Supreme Council of the Revolution of the Nigerian Armed Forces, I declare martial law over the Northern Provinces of Nigeria. The Constitution is suspended and the regional government and elected assemblies are hereby dissolved. All political, cultural, tribal and trade union activities, together with all demonstrations and unauthorised gatherings, excluding religious worship, are banned until further notice.” With these words the nation’s political sleep was murdered. It was never to wake up. It remains dead. They were words read by the one and only Major Chukwuma Kaduna Nzeogwu, one of the masterminds of the…
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Nigeria President Muhammadu Buhari surely meant well for the Nigerian people. His integrity, discipline and avowed commitment to fight, name and shame corruption had never been in doubt since Nigerians have high hopes in his administration to ‘fight corruption among the elites’, in a bid to free Nigeria’s economy from Kleptomaniac. As it is a fad that “when you fight corruption, surely corruption will fight back,” aptly captures the trending conspiracy of few Nigerian Army Generals (retired) and former Heads of State who allegedly prompted Buhari to ‘let-off’ his earlier, intentional investigation of $182million Halliburton bribe scandal, so he…
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Tompolo disassociated himself from the blowing of the Escravos gas pipelines. He said that because of his case with government, he shouldn’t have done that knowing that all fingers will point at him. There’s saying that if a witch cried yesterday and a child died today; all accusations would be on the witch. He acknowledged that he was aware that some people were planning to bomb the gas pipelines but has no connection with it.
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FORMER Central Bank of Nigeria governor and Emir of Kano Alhaji Sanusi Mohammed has warned that there could be a repeat of the 1966 military coup if a section of the country continues to fan embers of violence and disunity of the country. Speaking earlier this morning to mark the 50th anniversary of the death of the Sardauna of Sokoto and former premier of Northern Nigeria Sir Ahmadu Bello, who was killed on January 15 1966 in the country’s first military coup, the emir issued a tacit warning that the ongoing Biafran agitation must stop. Emir Sanusi…
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All Officers and Men of the Nigeria Customs Service are to make full disclosure of their assets in a new measure put in place to push transparency and compliance with the Rule of Law. The directive on Assets Declaration was contained in a Circular signed by the Comptroller-General of the NCS, retired Colonel Hammed Ibrahim Ali. It was addressed to all Deputy Comptrollers-General, Zonal Coordinators and Customs Area Controllers. All Officers are to comply with the directive within 14 days. According to the Circular, the directive on Assets Declaration is in compliance with the Bank…
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While the probe into the utilisation of funds allocated to the National Security Adviser’s office is gathering momentum, I thought President Muhammadu Buhari would have by now returned the SUVs he admitted receiving from former President Goodluck Jonathan, in line with the spirit of anti-corruption. I have been expecting the President to return the SUVs for weeks now without a positive response. Why should a man with a “saintly, austere and frugal lifestyle” be holding on to one armoured SUV and one untreated SUV? An armoured SUV can cost as much as $120,000. I am thoroughly disappointed. It…
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Ann Widdercombe, former British parliamentarian, despairing on the notion of justice after seeing two judges reach for two extremes of the continuum while sentencing on two remarkably similar offences, wrote in exasperation: “One can be forgiven for concluding that justice is a lottery… in which the luck of the draw is determined by the judge allocated to the case”. It was scant consolation to her that the judges were actually exercising lawful discretion within the guidelines set by the law but while one judge went for the harshest sentence allowed, the other chose the most lenient. I invite the…
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What is going to be the position of the Supreme Court on the controversial rulings of the different divisions of the appeal court on the various governorship election petitions the latter determined in the last one month, now that the Chief Justice of Nigeria (CJN) has spoken on the very vexatious issue? What position will the seven justices of the apex court take after the head of the judiciary arm of government publicly put a question mark on the rulings of the appeal court? Will the highest court in the land restore the image of the judiciary that has…
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Acting Managing Director of Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC), Mrs Ibim Semenitari, has said the commission is owing about 8,000 contractors between N300 and N400 billion. She said the volume of the debt has put pressure on the commission, adding that while the commission would meet its contractual obligations, contractors who show enough commitment in the execution of their projects would be given priority in payments. Semenitari spoke Friday while conducting a delegation from United States-based Centre for Strategic International Studies (CSIS) round a 233-bed Niger Delta Region Specialist Mother and Child Hospital in Port Harcourt. When prodded on…
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The state Governor of Imo state Rochas Okorocha openly told elders at the state house that they should be grateful that Buhari apprehended a criminal and terrorist like Nnamdi Kanu who deserves to be persecuted by hanging. He told them that Biafra has long been dead with Ojukwu and not even Amadioha can resurrect it, that very soon many youths will loose their lives in the name of this struggle. On behalf of all the state governors in the Eastern region, we have unanimously agreed with President Buhari not to release that terrorist and troublesome boy who does not…
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A new report published today by Nigerian research organisation SBM Intelligence has tried to establish the extent of support for Biafra being carved out of present-day Nigeria. The report includes a survey to gauge support for a referendum on Biafra (82% said yes) and full independence for Biafra (59% said yes). Here is a summary of the report: Nigeria became a unified country in 1914. Since then the country has faced some serious trials against its unity, the most serious during the civil war which took place 1967 – 1970. It was a war that resulted after one of…
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ex-militants, Thursday night, blew up a gas pipeline in Warri South-West Local Government Area, Delta State conveying gas from Escravos–Warri-Lagos-Abuja, property of the Nigeria Gas Company, NGC, in what is believed to be a resumption of fresh hostilities in the Niger Delta region. A riverside dweller, who spoke to Vanguard on phone from one of the Ijaw communities, said, “We slept with our eyes open throughout the night as bombs boomed everywhere, the attackers were exploding bombs and shooting guns indiscriminately.” His words, “They blew up the gas pipeline from Escravos to Warri – Lagos and Abuja at three…
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On the recommendation of the committee established to audit the procurement of arms and equipment in the Armed Forces and Defence sector from 2007 to 2015, President Muhammadu Buhari has directed the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) to carry out further investigation into the misconduct established against the following retired and serving officers of the Nigerian Air Force and Nigerian Army: (1)Air Chief Marshal AS Badeh (Rtd) (2)Air Marshal MD Umar (Rtd) (3)Air Marshal AN Amosu (Rtd) (4) Maj-Gen. ER Chioba (Rtd) (5)AVM IA Balogun (Rtd) (6)AVM AG Tsakr (Rtd) (7)AVM AG Idowu (Rtd) (8)AVM AM…
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Look I saw this one legged approach to governance long before the elections. I tried to say it but my tiny voice was drowned by the baying mob of change seekers who refused to see beyond the emotional lynch mob who saw all the evil in the world in Jonathan. We all failed to look at his past performance as a hamstrung military dictator whose main achievements where the war against indiscipline and the long prison terms that were handed over to hapless politicians. I knew it will come to this, I knew that the only song he could…
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President Muhammadu Buhari on Thursday told the parents of the missing Chibok girls that he did not know where their daughters were. The parents, 136 of them, together with members of the Bringbackourgirls (BBOG) movement, converged on the banquet hall of the presidential villa, seeking answers to the whereabouts of the 219 missing schoolgirls from Chibok in Borno state. But they were shocked and broken when the president told them in unequivocal terms that he did not have any information on their whereabouts. Speaking shortly after a 45-minute meeting with the president that journalists were barred from attending, Aisha…
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Nigeria’s corruption perception index (CPI) has been poor for several decades with the country’s CPI reaching an all time high of 152 out of 158 countries in 2005. Nigeria is the 136th least corrupt nation out of 175 countries, according to the 2014 Corruption Perceptions Index (CPI) reported by Transparency International. Corruption Rank in Nigeria averaged 117.37 from 1996 until 2014, reaching an all time high of 152 in 2005 and a record low of 52 in 1997. Nigeria’s CPI has been relatively poor over several decades in relation to other countries and so it is perceived by some…
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Nigeria’s foreign reserves are feeling the pain of both its reliance on oil for forex inflows and its attempts to arrest the slide in the Naira as the price of oil continues to spiral downwards. The Central Bank of Nigeria has warned a recession is imminent if proactive steps were not taken to revive growth in key economic sectors as the country facing its worst financial crisis in years. Nigeria’s economic growth in the past decade has not always been about oil but the government’s inability to tax the services and agriculture industries has left it reliant on revenues…
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Former President Goodluck Ebele Jonathan was today (January 14th) honored by the Southern Christian Leadership Conference in Atlanta, Georgia. Founded by the late American Civil Right leader, Dr. Martin Luther King Jr, in January 1957, it is currently led by Dr. Charles Steele Jr. Dr. Jonathan also received Dr. Martin Luther King Jr’s sister, Naomi King (the lady with the black hat who hugged him) during the event. Matthew 5:5 is the fifth verse of the fifth chapter of the Gospel of Matthew in the New Testament. It is the third verse of the Sermon on the Mount, and also…
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President Buhari once said that he has not been convinced why the Nigerian currency (Naira) should be devalued. There are also discussions within Nigeria on whether or not the Naira should be devalued. And therefore, when the IMF president, Christine Lagarde came to Nigeria on an official visit, those who opposed the devaluation of Naira panicked. They thought the ‘devil’ has finally arrived to devalue the Naira. But the IMF and Western investment banks don’t support currency devaluation but currency liberalisation. In order words, to leave the price of the currency to be determined by the forces of demand…
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Nigeria’s currency yesterday fell to a 43-year low of 305 to a dollar as the the foreign currency’s scarcity worsened following the decision of the central bank to stop the sale of foreign exchange to Bureaux de Change (BDCs). The naira fell from an average of 287 per dollar on Tuesday to an average of N305 per dollar on the parallel market. Since the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) stopped weekly dollar sales to BDCs on Monday, the Naira has started taking a plunge against the dollar. Nigerian newspaper Vanguard quoted Mr. Harrison Owoh, the Chief Executive Officer of…
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An All Progressives Congress (APC), youth group, Youth for Change (YC) has given the national chairman of the party, Chief John Odigie-Oyegun, seven days ultimatum to recognize the party’s deputy national publicity secretary, Comrade Timi Frank as the acting spokesman of the party. The youth group has threatened to carry out a nationwide protest after seven days of its warning, if Frank was not recognized as the spokesperson of the party. The group, in a statement signed in Abuja Wednesday by the national coordinator and the publicity secretary Adamu Muhammad and Daniels Ojolowo respectively, expressed disappointment in the leadership…
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Naira depreciates further to N300 per dollar Investors in companies quoted on the nation’s stock market recorded a loss of about N1.217 trillion in eight trading days of the New Year following sell pressure that have persisted in the equities market. As at yesterday, the market capitalisation of the Nigerian Stock Exchange (NSE), which gauges the value of listed stocks, stood at N8.633 trillion as against the opening figure of N9.850 trillion recorded at the close of trading in December 31, 2015, accounting for a loss of N1.217 trillion or 12.35 per cent. Checks by New Telegraph showed that…
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…confirms setting up a search committee Senate investigates controversial budget Strong indications emerged yesterday that the 2016 Appropriation Bill was actually missing from the custody of the National Assembly. President of the Senate, Bukola Saraki, inadvertently admitted at the plenary that the bill was missing and a search committee was set up to locate the whereabouts of the document. He also indicated that the committee had not reported back to the Chamber, pointing out that debate on the alleged missing budget had to wait till those given the assignment had brought a feedback to the upper legislative chamber. Saraki made…
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As controversy deepens over the where about of the hard copy of the 2016 budget proposal presented by President Muhammadu Buhari to a joint session of the National Assembly last December, a senator has confided that the president withdrew the proposal through the backdoor. The Senator, who asked not to be named, accused the presidency of grandstanding over claims that the National Assembly leadership should be held responsible for the missing document. “It is ironic that a government that claims accountability cannot be transparent. I can assure that none of us (senators) is aware of the sectoral allocations contained…
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Jan 14 2015 President Goodluck Jonathan on Wednesday directed the leadership of the Armed Forces to redeploy officers sabotaging operations. Mr. Jonathan made the call at the National Cemetery, Abuja, while unveiling the Cenotaph built in memory of the nation’s fallen heroes from 2011 to date. The president said that the military are doing their best under the circumstances they were working. He said that the government would continue to encourage the military and provide the soldiers what is required to perform their duty. “I am not saying that there are no bad eggs; there are definitely few cases where…
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Dec. 21 2014 *Nigerians won’t elect sectional leader in 2015-Presidency. The emergence of a former Head of State, Gen. Muhammadu Buhari, as the presidential candidate of the All Progressives Congress (APC), appears to have changed the political calculations in the northern part of Nigeria. Sunday Vanguard learnt, last night, from very competent sources, that many of the northern political opinion leaders and groups had decided that all necessary support must be given to Buhari to win the February 14, 2015 presidential election so as to return power to them. The Chairman of the northern influential group, Arewa Consultative Forum…
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President Goodluck Jonathan said on Monday that his successor would not have any difficulty fighting corruption because of the technology his administration is putting in place to fight the menace. Addressing party supporters at the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, campaign rally in Ibadan, the Oyo State capital, Mr. Jonathan, who is the presidential candidate of the party, promised to end corruption in Nigeria, if given the mandate to run the country for another four years. “I promise you if you vote for me and I come back and serve this country in the next four years, the next persons…
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“Conscience is an open wound, only the truth can heal it” – Uthman Dan Fodio (1754-1817) “Those who cannot remember the past are condemned to repeat it.” George Santayana, The only reason that all the Northern and some Yoruba elites get jittery when they hear of Biafra is fear of loosing Nigerias oil wealth. Biafra is not just an attempt by greedy Igbo to breakup and dominate the oil wealth as most night school educated Northerners and their Yoruba co-travelers will assume, it is a dream for every reasonable Nigerian who quest for freedom,equity and fairness. In 1957, the…
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The bible says,”you shall know the truth and the truth shall set you free.” I have heard a lot of outpouring of emotions about the demolition of OSHODI Market by the LAGOS State Government led by Governor Akinwunmi Ambode last week. I heard Ohaneze, l heard CD South East, and l heard some Igbo groups in Lagos. The summary is that Gov Ambode has declared war on Igbo Traders in Lagos because they did not vote for him in the last elections. Now the truth must be told: Former Governor Babatunde Fashola had planned to evacuate that market right…
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I have been following the so called Dasukigate and I am amazed how easy it is for a government to use the media to deceive and distract the ignorant masses. History has shown that propaganda remains the biggest tool of any government that intends to enslave a people. Unfortunately, even the current opposition has been quite incompetent in putting the records straight. For the records, there is nothing like a $2.1B arms money. It was a propaganda masterstroke well concocted by the DSS and EFCC to distract everyone from the incompetence of the Buhari administration. That is why…
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State governments are now free to explore and exploit the mineral resources in their domains provided such is done legally without interfering with locations already given to other stakeholders, the Federal Government has said. The government stated that although it had exclusive rights to mine minerals across the country, the constitution encourages states to either set up their own investment corporations or partner private investors to exploit minerals in their domains. The Minister of Mines and Steel Development, Dr. Kayode Fayemi, stated this in Abuja while playing host to the Lagos State Commissioner for Energy and Mineral Resources, Mr. Wale…
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A wise man once told me: “Nigerians are mules, everyone who can, kicks at them.” The thing is, the more things change, the more they feel the same. In 1984, Major-General Muhamadu Buhari as military tyrant diagnosed “indiscipline” as Nigeria’s national malaise. The sexy power word in those days was “summarily.” Buhari promised that the military government of which he was head would “summarily” deal with any Nigerian who was found wanting in “discipline.” He quickly launched a “War Against Indiscipline.” It caught on fire. Nigerians were pressed to “behave.” They began to queue for buses and other services…
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Soldiers have detained 65 parents of the abducted Chibok girls who were on their way to Abuja from Borno to participate in the protest of the Bringbackourgirls (BBOG) movement scheduled for Thursday. According to Tunji Olanrewaju, a member of the BBOG strategic team said the 65 parents were stopped at Askira, near Chibok, in Borno state by soldiers acting on “orders from above”. “Over 120 of them (Chibok parents) were supposed to come for the march on Thursday. So they were leaving Chibok this morning because it is a two-day trip.They set out at 7am – about 64 0r…
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Security on trail of Mu’azu, Jonathan’s Secretary Tukur EFCC to quiz ex-PDP chair on alleged diversion of $2.1b arms cash EFCC on his trail over N600m shared to six chairmen of PDP mobilisation committees. He is believed to be in Asia EFCC interested his role in the botched deal with fake Boko Haram chiefs involving payment of huge cash Security agencies are “watch-listing” former Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) Chairman Adamu Muazu and a former Principal Private Secretary to former President Goodluck Jonathan, Hassan Tukur, it was learnt yesterday. The two influential personalities are said to have been placed on…
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United Middle Belt Youth Congress, UMYC, has demanded a separate identity for the people of the region to differentiate them from the Hausa-Fulani and Kanuri peoples of the far North. Leading a delegation of executive officers of the congress on a courtesy call to Vanguard’s corporate office in Lagos, the group’s President, Mr. Abuka Onalo, said the people of the Middle-Belt were now remorseful of their roles in past actions of spearhea-ding Northern interests that did not benefit their people. He particularly regretted the role of the Middle-Belt in the Nigerian civil war, saying the people of the…
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Almost 24 hours after the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, declared Governor Seriake Dickson winner of the January 9th, 2016 Gubernatorial election in Bayelsa state, President Muhammadu Buhari has refused to send his congratulatory message. Hence exhibiting what political commentators have described as “Political intolerance” on the side of the Presidency. Dickson had won with a total of 134,998 votes, while his closest rival, Timipre Sylva of the All Progressives Congress, APC, garnered 86,852 votes. Despite INEC’s declaration, Sylva has refused to accept defeat and has threatened to challenge the elections at the tribunal. When Post-Nigeria contacted the Special…
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You will agree with me that so much has been said and written in recent times concerning President Muhammadu Buhari’s attitude to Ndigbo that further commentary on it may seem like beating a dead horse. On this occasion, I tend to differ; essentially because it is in presenting the precarious situation of Ndigbo in Nigeria especially under this administration before the court of public opinion (both domestic and international) that the truth can be deciphered. This truth is both historical and empirical. In the African narrative tradition, the bridging of time and space is a common reality essentially because…
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U.S. President, Barack Obama, on Tuesday, said America would suspend duty-free benefits for South Africa on March 15, a move that could cost South Africa up to seven million dollars. He said this in Washington, adding that the suspension was because South Africa failed to meet the requirements of a trade deal. He noted that “I have determined that South Africa is not meeting the requirements and that suspending the application of duty-free treatment to certain goods will be more effective in promoting compliance.” The suspension was seen by analysts as a move to put pressure on Pretoria to…
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Lawyers are to file a complaint before the International Criminal Court (ICC) against Nigerian President, Muhammadu Buhari, on alleged human rights abuses against members of the pro-Biafran separatist movement. Dutch lawyer and professor, Göran Sluiter, who specialises in international criminal law, is leading the team that will file the complaint at the Hague in the Netherlands in February. Sluiter and his colleague, Andrew Ianuzzi, are working full time on the case and are occasionally assisted by a team of 20 other lawyers. Sluiter told IBTimes UK they had been representing the ‘Biafran minority’ since the arrest of pro-Biafran leader,…
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Prof. Isaac Adewole, the Minister of Health, confirmed this in Abuja on Tuesday at a joint ministerial news conference on the update of the outbreak of the disease. However, Adewole said there were no new confirmed cases or death in the last 48 hours. He did not disclose the state from which the additional life was lost. “In the last 48 hours the government raised a four-man expert committee, chaired by Prof. Michael Asuzu, to visit Kano, Niger and Bauchi, the three most endemic states. “The committee will embark on a fact finding mission, assess the current situation, document…
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The hatred between the Yoruba and Ndigbo has gone on for far too long. Let there be love shared among us! The Yorubas and the Igbos, two of the most resourceful, engaging and outgoing ethnic groups in Nigeria, are becoming implacable enemies. Increasingly, they seem to hate one another with pure hatred. I never appreciated the extent of their animosity until the social media came of age in Nigeria. Now, hardly a day passes that you will not find Yorubas and Igbos exchanging hateful words on internet blogs. The Nigerian Civil War ended in 1970. Nevertheless, it continues to…
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Nigeria might be the richest economy in Africa but that does not impress hard-nosed investors who buy and sell shares at the local stock exchange. The West African financial market had another losing day today, closing at its lowest level for more than three years, down 2.5%. Investors are growing increasingly worried about the outlook for the biggest economy in sub-Saharan Africa, largely because the country is too dependent on revenues from the energy industry and the price of oil has fallen through the floor. Last week, Brent crude oil, the benchmark blend of oil traded in London, fell…
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Founder of the Latter Rain Assembly, Pastor Tunde Bakare has advised President Muhammadu Buhari to implement the recommendations of the 2014 National Conference. In a state of the nation address in his church entitled: ‘Road map to successful change,’ Bakare argued that though the All Progressives Congress, APC, refused to participate in the exercise, the report was done by Nigerians. He said: “Let it be known that in spite of the rejection of our pre-election call for a transition period, Nigeria is now a nation in transition. This transition period will predictably be followed by a revolution which will,…
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Nigeria’s external reserves has declined to a 12-year low, dropping to $28.93 billion at the closing of business last week. This brings the total decline of the reserves from the beginning of December 2015 to 3.17 per cent. The reserves which was at $29.880 billion as at December 1, 2015 had dropped by 2.7 per cent within the month to $29.069 the last day of last year before a further shed of $138.668 million dollars between December 31, 2015 and January 7, 2016. A CBN official explained that the decline was due to the fact that the level of inflow…
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“We may place blame, give reasons, and even have excuses; but in the end, it is an act of cowardice to not follow your dreams.” ― Behavioral Science Academic, Dr. Steve Maraboli. He studied Economics because his sister said it was a good course, studied for MBA as advised by his parents, so as to end up in an exquisite office where he would earn a six-figure salary. But what he truly wanted was to be a motor mechanic. Somewhere in Nigeria’s commercial nerve, Lagos, 30-year-old Taiwo Abiri is living his dream of making money by getting his hands…
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Excerpts The Catholic Church has not gone out fishing to find Chief Nwobodo. To the extent that we are all Christians, children of God, his decision to come to the Catholic Church is at best a return home. I say return home for reasons that all of us who are Christians already know. I do not need to bore you, but at least we know that before 1517, every Christian was Catholic. As such, today we know that: If you are Lutheran the your Church was founded by Fr Martin Luther in Germany in 1517 If you are Menonite,…
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As reported on Monday, the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), yesterday lifted its ban on foreign currency deposits and withdrawals by customers from comercial banks. This is coming as it also embargoed further foreign currency sales to Bureau de Change (BDC) operators. It was hinted on Monday, that the apex bank might relax some of its policies in respect of domiciliary account following constraints Nigerian bank customers are having making foreign currency related transactions from their bank accounts. The apex bank also decided to provide the available but highly limited foreign ex- change to meet matured letters of credit…
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The Chairman of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, Ibrahim Magu, has declared that the war against corruption has just begun. He stated this Monday during an ineractive session with online journalists in Lagos, southwest Nigeria. According to Magu, nothing will be left tochance in bringing corrupt elements to justice, whether the persons are highly placed or not, adding that the extent of the looting of the nation’s treasury was mind numbing. On whether former president Goodluck Jonathan would be invited over the Dasuki arms scandal, he said Jonathan has not been invited because memos and documents regarding…
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(CBN Governor has gotten it right – this will stop round tripping). I hereby recommend that PMB should leave Godwin Emefiele in position for the next 4 years. Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) will no longer sell foreign exchange to Bureau de Changes. CBN has instructed all commercial banks to discontinue selling forex to Bureau de Change. The apex bank also resolved to now permit commercial banks in the country to begin accepting hard currency deposits. CBN Governor failed to establish stringent measures on hard currencies withdrawals. So far so good, he is back on track.
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The national leadership of the Peoples Democratic Party has demanded a comprehensive inquest into the killings that occurred during the governorship election in Bayelsa State and for all perpetrators to be brought to book. The party praised the people of the state for standing against intimidation, rigging and violence to ensure that their will as a people prevailed in Saturday’s supplementary election. In a statement issued on Monday by the Acting National Chairman of PDP, Chief Uche Secondus, the party decried the desperation of the APC whose thugs it alleged openly engaged in violence resulting in the killing and…
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The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission has arrested Emeka Mba, the Director General of the Nigerian Broadcasting Commission over an alleged N15 billion fraud. Mr. Mba was arrested on Monday morning in Abuja and taken to the EFCC’s headquarters where he is currently being interrogated. Those familiar with the investigation say the EFCC had been investigating the NBC in the past one month. Last week, some detectives stormed the headquarters of the NBC, ransacking computers and files in the Finance and Account unit. During the operation, some key Accounts staff where taken away. Sources said the arrested officials made…
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Aliko Dangote, president of Dangote Group, has assured Nigerians that when his refinery is ready, the country would no longer need to import petroleum products. Speaking at the site of his refinery in Lekki, Dangote said his refinery would put an end to fertiliser importation in Nigeria, transforming the country into a net exporter of refined crude and fertilizer. “Today, Nigeria imports 100 percent of its fertilizer, but when we finish, Nigeria will be the largest exporter of Urea and Ammonia in Africa,” Dangote said. “The refinery is the largest single line in Africa and it will meet our…
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Tunde Bakare, the serving overseer of Latter Rain Assembly, has warned governors not to “provoke the rage” of poorly paid workers by reducing the minimum wage. Many states have been saying they can no longer afford to pay the N18,000 minimum wage because of dwindling revenue. But Bakare said politicians should instead reduce their own salaries. Bakare also accused CBN of contributing negatively to the Nigerian economy in more ways than one. In his state-of-the nation address titled ‘Roadmap to successful change’, the pastor outlined eight major steps that Nigeria must take to execute the change the nation voted…
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There is no doubt about it; these are not the best of days for the opposition Peoples Democratic Party (PDP). The self-styled largest political party in Africa is presently at the receiving end of negativities of not holding political power The PDP, through its leaders and prominent members have been at the mercy of the President Muhammadu Buhari-led Federal Government, who has in the course of carrying out its anti-corruption crusade, clamped down on them in such a way that suggested a well-orchestrated and targeted onslaught on the former ruling party. There have been serious cries by members of…
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Human rights lawyer, Femi Falana (SAN) said the re-arrest of the immediate past National Security Adviser, Col. Sambo Dasuki, and the leader of the Indigenous People of Biafra, Nnamdi Kanu, after they were granted bails by different courts amounts to impunity. According to him, President Muhammadu Buhari won the presidential election on the promise to fight corruption and end impunity in the country and he ought to ensure that the rule of law was respected. He said the orders for bail of Dasuki and Kanu should be respected as there was no legal justification for the re-arrest. Falana stated…
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