An Ex-FRSC boss buys off govt’s 7-day old N13m SUV as scrap, paying N150, 000

Former Corps Marshal of the Federal Road Safety Commission, FRSC, Haladu Hananiya, is in trouble for allegedly paying N150,000 for a brand new Toyota Land Cruiser SUV worth N13 million.<br /> <br /> Mr. Hananiya is alleged to have used his position as former Chairman, Governing Council of the Adamawa State University, ADSU, to convert the vehicle to his personal property.<br /> <br /> <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"> <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj7dgXdtYmlutaebDta2MwYl_BQ1tk-SPsODXkVFy8FXtWwBFXOInvJlPrgcroHssorHqxpLkro9P_vkQgQpwsNxClK571v3sqPlNbR6T3kMOtqdOU6Y-4pCMf0Za_-OOpTGKq8IFiMu-eW/s1600/Sugar+Mummy7.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="398" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj7dgXdtYmlutaebDta2MwYl_BQ1tk-SPsODXkVFy8FXtWwBFXOInvJlPrgcroHssorHqxpLkro9P_vkQgQpwsNxClK571v3sqPlNbR6T3kMOtqdOU6Y-4pCMf0Za_-OOpTGKq8IFiMu-eW/s640/Sugar+Mummy7.jpg" width="640" /></a></div> The university bought the brand new vehicle on January 28, 2015, several months after the former FRSC boss ceased to be chairman of the institution’s board.<br /> <br /> Seven days later, the car was passed to Mr. Hananiya who bought it off as scrap, paying a token N150,000.<br /> <br /> A whistle blower, one Luka Ibrahim Monduva, first made the alleged scam public in a petition to the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC.<br /> <br /> Mr. Hananiya was appointed chairman of ADSU governing council on August 16, 2014.<br /> <br /> About two months into his four-year tenure; the state government sacked the board on October 8, 2014.<br /> <br /> However, three months after the board was sacked, the university, on January 28, purchased a brand new Toyota Land Cruiser V6 SUV with chassis no: JJEJU9FJ3E5C47168 for Mr. Hananiya.<br /> <br /> He bought off the vehicle as scrap seven days later.<br /> <br />     Read documents used for this story here.<br /> <br /> Investigation showed that the vehicle was purchased from AS Galadima Motors, located at Dawaki Junction, opposite Charley Boy Bus Stop, Kubwa Express Way, Abuja, with receipt number 0006 and sales invoice no: 0106.<br /> <br /> In his petition to the EFCC, Mr. Monduva alleged that prior to Mr. Hananiya’s appointment; the university’s management passed a resolution that empowers principal officers to retain official vehicles after paying the scrap value of N150, 000.<br /> <br /> “Principal officers are entitled to retain their official vehicles once during their tenures after paying the scrap value of N150, 000; and if for any reason an officer leaves office after spending two years or half of the tenure, he shall pay the scrap value of N150, 000,” part of the resolution reads.<br /> <br /> But Mr. Hananiya only spent two months in office, and Mr. Monduva described his purchase of the new car on scrap value as “fraudulent and questionable”.<br /> <br /> He insisted that during the short period the former FRSC boss served in the university’s board, he was not given an official vehicle.<br /> <br /> “However, the Governing Council of ADSU, acting in concert, conspired with the vice chancellor of the university and purchased an official vehicle on the 28th day of January 2015 at the cost of N13 million long after the termination of Gen. Hananiya’s short term in office,” the petition reads.<br /> <br /> “I wish to assert here that subsequent to the belated and illegal purchase, the duo reduced the disused official vehicle to a ridiculous scrap value of N150, 000 only, which does not in any case represent the fair value of the vehicle.<br /> <br /> “Wherefore, I humbly invite the EFCC to interfere and reverse the fraud perpetrated on the university and prosecute parties to the act altogether, thereby engendering probity and observance of due process in the discharge of official functions by public servants.”<br /> <br /> Officials of the Adamawa State University could not be reached to comment for this story. Multiple calls to the two telephone numbers listed on the university’s website failed to connect.<br /> <br /> An email seeking comment to the address listed on the university’s website is yet to be responded to.<br /> <br /> Attempts to seek clarifications from Mr. Hananiya failed as he would not pick calls or reply a text message sent to him.<br /> <br /> However, EFCC spokesperson, Wilson Uwujaren, confirmed that the commission received a petition against the former FRSC boss.<br /> <br /> Mr. Uwujaren also confirmed that the EFCC has started investigating the matter.

An Ex-FRSC boss buys off govt’s 7-day old N13m SUV as scrap, paying N150, 000

Former Corps Marshal of the Federal Road Safety Commission, FRSC, Haladu Hananiya, is in trouble for allegedly paying N150,000 for a brand n...

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‘Maxim’ Puts Idris Elba, a Man, on September Issue

<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"> <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjurxQNFtmRKhH3c4TwQ9QJk19Ox07Nqy-0o30FFpwHd7qhnzrMLJCNGl33hkWB6VqAiyvgkwexErApvPlFPK7nsodiSjjqx93zn8AqscZmC8LFa6m0t0tjAO4k6sQbt4SGpaiNeFgAXgeJ/s1600/Idris2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjurxQNFtmRKhH3c4TwQ9QJk19Ox07Nqy-0o30FFpwHd7qhnzrMLJCNGl33hkWB6VqAiyvgkwexErApvPlFPK7nsodiSjjqx93zn8AqscZmC8LFa6m0t0tjAO4k6sQbt4SGpaiNeFgAXgeJ/s640/Idris2.jpg" width="492" /></a></div> What first pops into your head when you think of Maxim magazine? Women in bikinis? Women in bras? Women baring “underboobs”? Side boob? Center boob? ALL boob?<br /> <br /> If so (and it most likely is so), get ready to change your perception: The cover star of Maxim’s September 2015 issue is not only wearing a full-coverage top, but it’s … a man! <br /> <br /> Idris Elba — full-time actor, part-time rapper, and future James Bond  —is officially the first-ever dude to cover Maxim U.S. without the presence of a woman. Who knew that (in this case, anyway) the fastest way to feminism was actually the absence of a female, altogether? <br /> <br /> Over the past several months, Maxim has undergone a major makeover under the strict guidance of new editor-in-chief Kate Lanphear (formerly the style director of T: The New York Times Style Magazine), who has taken the “lad mag” from trashy to fash-y. Gone are the sleazy, objectification-filled photos of women cupping their bare breasts, replaced with gorgeous, tightly cropped, classy portraits of Taylor Swift, Lily Aldridge, and Candice Swanepoel — as well as this awesome upside-down one of pop star Charli XCX from May. <br /> <br /> But choosing stud muffin Elba — especially for the all-important September issue — is an even bigger departure from Maxim’s old ways. “It just makes sense to have a man in fashion on the cover,” Lanphear told Racked. <br /> <br /> “For me, [Elba] was really the perfect embodiment of what I think the new Maxim man is,” she explained. “He’s multidimensional, he’s complex, he’s sophisticated, but he’s down to earth. It was funny when on set, I was like, ‘Is there anything this guy can’t do?’ He’s an award-winning actor, he’s a DJ, his capsule clothing line for Superdry is about to hit stores. The guy broke the [British] land speed record, which hasn’t been touched since like 1928. He’s sort of a living, breathing superhero.”<br /> <br /> Whether Elba will prove a superhero on the newsstand is another story, but Lanphear seems confident in her pick. Ad pages are up higher than ever (143 percent more than last year), and according to the Elba, just under 70 percent of Maxim readers polled said they preferred the glossy’s new fashion-forward, sophisticated look. <br /> <br /> With those kinds of numbers, it’s impossible to deny that Maxim’s on to something good.

‘Maxim’ Puts Idris Elba, a Man, on September Issue

What first pops into your head when you think of Maxim magazine? Women in bikinis? Women in bras? Women baring “underboobs”? Side boob? Ce...

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Buhari Appoints New NNPC, NCC Helmsmen

<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"> <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjS1x8GrUhw-vPn-vr1o7kDO5Stb4hwfmvZDaElKJhYLDnvnq361RlsJi4hDyCUfSoQ4RFCXUnyuLslqP_-6F1QbtJdkoWq84uUfGumedwp02xabu3GkG5320T4Afi-9CKGyntI4I_gFIlm/s1600/capture26.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjS1x8GrUhw-vPn-vr1o7kDO5Stb4hwfmvZDaElKJhYLDnvnq361RlsJi4hDyCUfSoQ4RFCXUnyuLslqP_-6F1QbtJdkoWq84uUfGumedwp02xabu3GkG5320T4Afi-9CKGyntI4I_gFIlm/s320/capture26.jpg" width="301" /></a></div> Yesterday, President Muhammadu Buhari appointed Dr. Emmanuel Ibe Kachikwu as the Group Managing Director of the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC).<br /><br />Dr. Kachikwu, who was the Executive Vice Chairman and General Counsel of Exxon-Mobil (Africa), is to take over from Dr. Joseph Thlama Dawha.<br /><br />Dr. Kachikwu hails from Onicha-Ugbo in Delta State.<br /><br />He is a First Class Graduate of Law from the University of Nigeria,  Nsukka and the Nigerian Law School.<br /><br />The new NNPC Chief Executive also has Masters and Doctorate Degrees in Law from the  Harvard Law School.<br /><br />He started his working career with the Nigerian/American Merchant Bank before moving on to Texaco Nigeria Limited where he remained for about eight years before joining ExxonMobil.<br /><br />President Buhari has also approved the appointment of Professor Umaru Garba Danbatta as the new Executive Vice Chairman and Chief Executive of the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC).<br /><br />Prof. Danbatta, who holds a Doctorate Degree in Electronic Engineering, takes over from Dr. Eugene Juwah whose tenure expired on July 29, 2015.<br /><br />The new NCC Chief Executive’s other academic qualifications include a Bachelors Degree in Electronic Engineering and Telecommunications as well as a Masters Degree in the same field.<br /><br />He is a Fellow of the Nigerian Society of Engineers and has had a meritorious career in which he rose to become Professor of Electrical Engineering and Electronics at Bayero University, Kano, specializing in Telecommunications Engineering and Information and Communications Technology.<br /><br />Before his new appointment, Prof. Danbatta held top management and leadership positions at different times including Head of Department, Dean Of Faculty, Director, Centre for Information Technology, Chairman of the Nigerian Society of Engineers (Kano Branch), Deputy Vice Chancellor and Acting Vice Chancellor.<br /><br />His appointment as Executive Vice Chairman of the NCC is for five years in the first instance.

Buhari Appoints New NNPC, NCC Helmsmen

Yesterday, President Muhammadu Buhari appointed Dr. Emmanuel Ibe Kachikwu as the Group Managing Director of the Nigerian National Petroleu...

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US to lift arms embargo on Nigeria

<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"> <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhS0E2RHnqkZJRrvmOXRuB8iX3J8spC5yRBBi-3VoXTIQa-jCFOv-5XsrOGwsBGnzAaNdwrmzzgZJTZ2Tj0XgvFuv0VNAIzL37sIGoT_bI4tpE9Bh7EHru2RWnagasYpOr1VSrvwj2mJp8Y/s1600/capture25.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="396" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhS0E2RHnqkZJRrvmOXRuB8iX3J8spC5yRBBi-3VoXTIQa-jCFOv-5XsrOGwsBGnzAaNdwrmzzgZJTZ2Tj0XgvFuv0VNAIzL37sIGoT_bI4tpE9Bh7EHru2RWnagasYpOr1VSrvwj2mJp8Y/s640/capture25.jpg" width="640" /></a></div> From the look of things, it seems that the United States would soon lift the current arms embargo placed on Nigeria.<br /><br />The Head of a Delegation of the US Congress Committee on Judiciary to the country, Mr. Darrel Issa, said this while speaking with journalists after an indoor meeting with the nation’s defence and military chiefs at the National Defence College, Abuja.<br /><br />Issa said that the US had commenced the process of lifting the restrictions of the Leahy Law on Nigeria because of the recent moves to professionalise the military by the Chief of Defence Staff, Maj. Gen. Abayomi Olonisakin, and the service chiefs.<br /><br />The Leahy Law is a human rights law of the US, which prevents the US State Department and the Department of Defence from selling arms and ammunition to countries whose military are believed to have committed brazen acts of rights violation.<br /><br />The refusal of the US government to sell arms to the country because of the Leahy law had made Nigeria under former President Goodluck Jonathan to explore other options, including the Black Market, to get desperately needed arms and ammunition to halt the advances of the Boko Haram insurgents in 2014.<br /><br />Issa added that most of America’s support for Nigeria in the area of training, technical support and equipment provision was not tied to the Leahy and had not been stopped.<br /><br />He said that the US was relying on President Muhammadu Buhari and the military chiefs to rebuild the trust of Nigerians in the military as an institution that would protect the citizenry.<br /><br />The US congressman said that Nigerian military chiefs and the American delegation had discussed the issue of additional support, especially in the area of aerial surveillance critical to the fight against insurgency and the theft of the nation’s crude oil.<br /><br />He said, “There are a number of things that we discussed today. Basically, there was the need for additional technical support, including overhead surveillance. This is important for Boko Haram but it is also important to stop the theft of this country’s oil by pirates and others.<br /><br />“The fact is that this new regime with the new general staff has begun the process of ensuring that military professionalism in all post-civilians and combats has been made in a way that we can both be confident that the rule of law is being obeyed.<br /><br />“So the process has begun to lift the restriction of the Leahy. But let’s understand that the vast majority of support that the US provides and would provide would be provided regardless of those. Our technical support, our training and most of the equipment we supply have never stopped and will continue.<br /><br />“But we are looking forward to the President, with the new General Staff to work to make sure the people of Nigeria can have the confidence in the professionalism of the military, something the people rely on when the military is trying to clear insurgents and protect civilians.<br /><br />“That is important to the new President; that is important to our President. So those are some of the areas that we discussed but we are very much looking forward to a great difference in the relationship, a proactive relationship and one in which we can provide a much greater level of support. Many of the items we discussed today are new and enhanced items that would be provided to this government.”<br /><br />Issa said that the leadership of the military had been showing an understanding that the war against terrorism involved getting the people out of the insurgency and securing the communities as well as creating the environment for them to have trust in the government rather than the Boko Haram.<br /><br />He stressed that the Boko Haram had not only disrupted the peace of the area, it had also caused famine in the affected communities.<br /><br />He added that USAID “would be providing assistance as the military close areas and make it safe for communities to be rebuilt.”<br /><br />The Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Defence, Alhaji Aliyu Samaila, said that the visit of the American delegation to the country was a follow-up to President Buhari’s recent visit to the US.<br /><br />Samaila said that the President’s visit was of great gain to the country and that it rekindled the hopes and aspirations of both the US and Nigeria.<br /><br />He said, “This is a delegation from the United States Congress; they are on a visit to Nigeria and this is a follow-up to Mr. President’s visit to the US. We have said it again and again that the visit of Mr. President was of great gain to this country. It has rekindled the hopes and aspirations of the two countries.<br /><br />“The United States believes in Nigeria; they have trust in our President and the government of the people of Nigeria. And they are also very concerned about the security situation in Nigeria and the Lake Chad Basin area.<br /><br />“And that is one of the reasons they are here to discuss with us and the military, that is, the services. We have discussed the issues concerning the insecurity in Nigeria and also the issue of human rights. They are pleased with the discussions. We hope that at least we would continue to build on this. Gaps that had been created before have been identified and they are definitely going to work on them.

US to lift arms embargo on Nigeria

From the look of things, it seems that the United States would soon lift the current arms embargo placed on Nigeria. The Head of a Delegat...

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Emeka Offor, Abike Dabiri’s firms, others owe banks N143.81bn

<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"> <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi6UP20kVqG4hzPnzWsSKrMaIlf3Hyfr0e3eDjEQZygexyEHZ2EbNKSjOQcDTklkkrYLeskpCK-W-1PEs-5OjRkggq3vibnUCpg-9i4H-D89d0MgE-ei0r0ZtSimN72XGUzKHylMSRhQ_E6/s1600/capture24.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="428" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi6UP20kVqG4hzPnzWsSKrMaIlf3Hyfr0e3eDjEQZygexyEHZ2EbNKSjOQcDTklkkrYLeskpCK-W-1PEs-5OjRkggq3vibnUCpg-9i4H-D89d0MgE-ei0r0ZtSimN72XGUzKHylMSRhQ_E6/s640/capture24.jpg" width="640" /></a></div> The Nigerian Deposit Money Banks yesterday continued with the policy of naming and shaming their delinquent debtors with further publication of the names of firms and their directors whose loans have become non-performing for more than one year.<br /><br />While nine banks published the names of the loans defaulters on Monday, four banks released the lists of their chronic debtors, owing a total of N143.81bn, on Tuesday.<br /><br />The four banks are First Bank of Nigeria Limited, Access Bank Plc, Diamond Bank Plc and Unity Bank Plc.<br /><br />The banks, which had published the list of their delinquent debtors on Monday were Zenith Bank Plc, Guaranty Trust Bank Plc, Union Bank Plc, Sterling Bank Plc, Skye Bank Plc, Fidelity Bank Plc, Stanbic IBTC Bank, Heritage Bank Limited and Enterprise Bank Limited.<br /><br />First Bank, which has its total amount of non-performing loans as N43.72bn, published 92 names of delinquent debtors.<br /><br />The first five companies on the lender’s list owe a combined sum of N23bn. These are Ajaokuta Steel Company Limited, Starcomm Plc; BGL Securities Limited, where a former Minister of Finance and National Planning, Kalu Idika Kalu, is a director; Shield Petroleum Limited and Fargo Petroleum and Gas Limited.<br /><br />Shield Petroleum, the number one on the list, owes N6.883bn; while Zurich International Service, the last on the list, owes N26.69m.<br /><br />Unity Bank also released 260 names of delinquent debtors with a combined NPL figure of N45.52bn.<br /><br />The list has the companies of some prominent Nigerians. These include Umar Mutallab’s DeanShanger Project Limited, N3.6bn; Senator Ayodele Arise and a former Minister of State for Works, Mr. Dayo Adeyeye’s International Payment Devices Limited, N81.9m; and Prince Adeyanju Olateru-Olagbegi’s Cupid Investment BDC, N90.1m.<br /><br />Other prominent companies on the list are Ekiti Kete Mass Transit, which owes N991m; Fargo Petroleum and Gas Limited, N2.5bn; Ava Cement Limited, N.8bn; and Plywood Chemical and Accessories, N1.1bn.<br /><br />Ava Cement topped Unity Bank’s debtors’ list with N9.8bn, while Malcolm Akpokodje owes the least with N20m.<br /><br />Access Bank Plc published a list of 11 delinquent debtors, with a combined NPL figure of approximately N3.4bn.<br /><br />Top on the list are Bioka Ventures Limited, which owes N1.15bn, while Derukas International Limited was last on the list with a debt of N56.3m.<br /><br />Diamond Bank Plc has N47.17bn as its total NPLs, with companies belonging to prominent Nigerians owing sizeable amounts.<br /><br />These include Sir Emeka Offor’s Global ScanSystem Limited, which the bank says owes N181m; a former Chairman, House of Representatives Committee on the Diaspora, Mrs. Abike Dabiri-Erewa’s Thriller Eneavours, which owes N122m; and a former Delta State Commissioner for Sports Solomon Ogba’s Delta Mega Trend Limited, which owes N89m.<br /><br />Aside the 13 banks which have published their debtor lists, other banks which will publish theirs this week are Ecobank Nigeria, First City Monument Bank Limited, Standard Chartered Bank, Keystone Bank Limited, United Bank for Africa Plc and Wema Bank Plc.<br /><br />Investigations by our correspondents on Monday revealed that most of the banks had cut their list of delinquent debtors due to litigation with their customers over disputes arising from loan terms and last-minute renegotiations by some clients.<br /><br />A top bank executive, who spoke to one of our correspondents under the condition of anonymity, said, “Some of the banks have to remove the list of some clients due to issues that border on litigation.<br /><br />“Some names were removed at the last minute after the affected customers came to renegotiate with us. Some banks have had to cut the names on their debtors’ list by at least 50 per cent.”<br /><br />Officials of banks, who spoke to our correspondents, linked the relatively high figure of the NPLs in some banks to inside connivance with customers, lingering margin loans and huge oil and gas-related loans.<br /><br />According to them, customer relationship managers in some of the banks connived with the customers to obtain huge loans that eventually became bad.<br /><br />They also said that long-standing margin loans in some banks were responsible for the high figure.<br /><br />“A huge chunk of the loans are oil and gas related. The drop in oil prices has also worsened the situation for some oil and gas companies. They borrowed relatively large amounts of money, which later became bad loans,” an official of a tier-1 bank told our correspondent.<br /><br />Meanwhile, the Asset Management Corporation of Nigeria will publish the list of its debtors early next week if they fail to regularise the terms of their loans with the agency.<br /><br />The spokesperson for AMCON, Mr. Kayode Lambo, who confirmed this on Monday, said companies which failed to regularise the terms of their loans with the agency would have their names published.<br /><br />“As many companies who have not been servicing their loans will have their names published,” he added.<br /><br />The names of firms belonging to prominent Nigerians who have not been servicing their loans may appear on the list.<br /><br />In 2009, the Federal Government spent about N5tn to buy the NPLs from banks to save them from imminent collapse.<br /><br />AMCON, the government agency created after the 2009 banking crisis, was the special purpose vehicle used to acquire the NPLs from the banking sector.<br /><br />The Central Bank of Nigeria had on April 22, 2015 directed the banks, discount houses and AMCON to publish the list of delinquent debtors from August 1.<br /><br />They are to publish the names in at least three national newspapers on a quarterly basis.<br /><br />In line with the directive, the banks gave the chronic debtors a three-month grace period, which expired on July 31.<br /><br />The Director, Banking Supervision, CBN, Mrs. ‘Tokunbo Martins, had in a circular dated April 22, 2015, said, “In order to ensure that the industry NPL ratio does not exceed the prudential limit of five per cent and to improve the credit culture in the banking industry, banks and discount houses are directed to observe prudent credit underwriting and monitoring standards.”<br /><br />The debtors are those whose accounts have been classified as lost and include persons, entities, directors, subsidiaries and other related parties, according to the central bank.<br /><br />The central bank had stated that delinquent debtors in the category described above would be blacklisted and “banned from participating in the Nigerian foreign exchange market and in the Nigerian government securities market.”<br /><br />The PUNCH had on March 15, 2015 reported that the volume of the NPLs in the Nigerian banking industry was set to rise further on the back of the devaluation of the naira amid weak global crude oil prices.<br /><br />Global rating agency, Fitch Ratings, had in February, after the second round of devaluation of the naira, predicted that the banks’ non-performing loans would rise above the CBN’s five per cent limit by the end of this year, but below 10 per cent.

Emeka Offor, Abike Dabiri’s firms, others owe banks N143.81bn

The Nigerian Deposit Money Banks yesterday continued with the policy of naming and shaming their delinquent debtors with further publicati...

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NRGI Report: Nigeria lost over N6.4 trillion to corruption-ridden NNPC oil sales

<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"> <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg8mTXMwI7xSWHVJP0QKTNkBB7sFbVbryyq6h8V_GDFbKlAOwy4ePEgpvm3FmqzVIblch60n6-Dyr7DzRDzgxVv2-BlqFphRERcnNzOC8zvw_cS__4_c-gxVI1jC_sCXQBK4qtRw7A_jTC2/s1600/capture11.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg8mTXMwI7xSWHVJP0QKTNkBB7sFbVbryyq6h8V_GDFbKlAOwy4ePEgpvm3FmqzVIblch60n6-Dyr7DzRDzgxVv2-BlqFphRERcnNzOC8zvw_cS__4_c-gxVI1jC_sCXQBK4qtRw7A_jTC2/s640/capture11.jpg" width="640" /></a></div> The Nigerian government would have been buoyant enough to finance its 2015 budget of N4.36 trillion and still pay off its external debts of N2.03 trillion if it had not lost more than that amount — $32 billion (N6.4 trillion at N200/$1) — to massive corruption that characterized oil sales by the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation during the last administration, a new report has said.<br /><br />An independent investigative analysis by the Natural Resource Governance Institute (NRGI) has revealed that over $32 billion oil revenue was lost to NNPC’s mismanagement of Domestic Crude Allocation (DCA), opaque revenue retention practices and corruption-ridden oil-for-product swap agreements.<br /><br />The report offered a deep, independent analysis of how NNPC sells its oil, and found that the national oil company’s discretionary spending from domestic crude oil sale revenues has skyrocketed, exceeding $6 billion a year for the 2011 to 2013 period (i.e. over $18 billion in three years).<br /><br />Also, the in-depth research found no evidence that NNPC, between 2004 and 2014, forwarded to the treasury any revenues from sales of Okono crude with volumes of over 100 million barrels, with an estimated value of $12.3 billion.<br /><br />In other words, the corporation has provided no public accounting of how it used a decade’s worth of revenues from an entire stream of the country’s oil production.<br /><br />In the same manner, losses from three provisions in a single, offshore processing agreements (OPAs) contract, estimated at $381 million in one year (or over $1.9 billion between 2010 till date), were identified.<br /><br />This is aside the fact that NNPC channeled Nigeria’s precious crude — worth $35 billion –to swap deals between 2010 and 2014, the recent offshore processing agreements (OPAs) containing unbalanced terms that did not efficiently serve Nigeria’s needs and interest.<br /><br />The report, whose executive summary was exclusively made available to PREMIUM TIMES ahead of its public release Tuesday or Wednesday, provided additional insight regarding the monumental corruption characterizing NNPC operations and those of its subsidiaries.<br /><br />The document argued that NNPC’s approach to oil sales has remained riddled with corruption largely because of its inability to either develop its own commercial or operational capacities, or facilitate the growth of the sector through external investment.<br /><br />Corroborating the NEITI, PwC and Reconciliation Committee’s assertions about NNPC’s legacy of inefficiency and mismanagement, NRGI researchers submitted that NNPC’s mismanagement of public revenues and its performance failures has persisted due to lack of political will by successive governments to reform the corporation.<br /><br />The report pointed at the degenerating management of NNPC’s oil sales in recent years—and particularly since 2010.<br /><br />The problems, it said, stemmed from the rising number of ad hoc, makeshift practices the corporation has introduced to work around its deeper structural problems.<br /><br />For instance, the corporation entered into a poorly designed oil-for-product swap deals when it could no longer meet the country’s fuel needs.<br /><br />Similarly, it began unilaterally spending billions of dollars in crude oil revenues each year, rather than transferring them to the treasury, because its actual budgets consistently fail to cover operating expenses.<br /><br />Some of these makeshift practices began with credible goals, the report said. But over time, their operation became overly discretionary and complex, as political and patronage agendas surpassed the importance of maximizing returns.<br /><br />The report identified five key areas bordering on the most pressing problems enveloping NNPC oil sales.<br /><br />Researchers said they arrived at their findings after reviewing published and unpublished official records, together with data from trade publications and secondary literature, and conducted dozens of interviews between 2010 and 2015.<br /><br />The report made valuable recommendations, which somehow buttressed a recent statement by Kaduna Governor, Nasir El-Rufai, about the need to either scrap the NNPC or reform the oil and gas sector as a whole.<br /><br />Excepts from the reports relating to the five summary issues are presented as images below:<br /> <a href="http://media.premiumtimesng.com/wp-content/files/2015/08/1.png"><img alt="1" class=" size-full wp-image-187784 aligncenter" height="313" src="http://media.premiumtimesng.com/wp-content/files/2015/08/680x313x1.png.pagespeed.ic.pa-1rOa08-.png" width="680" /></a> <a href="http://media.premiumtimesng.com/wp-content/files/2015/08/2.png"><img alt="2" class="aligncenter wp-image-187785 size-full" height="305" src="http://media.premiumtimesng.com/wp-content/files/2015/08/660x305x2.png.pagespeed.ic.CVzOncGnLx.png" width="660" /></a> <a href="http://media.premiumtimesng.com/wp-content/files/2015/08/3.png"><img alt="3" class="aligncenter wp-image-187786 size-full" height="319" src="http://media.premiumtimesng.com/wp-content/files/2015/08/665x319x3.png.pagespeed.ic.IKcV9vIeKE.png" width="665" /></a> <a href="http://media.premiumtimesng.com/wp-content/files/2015/08/4.png"><img alt="4" class="aligncenter wp-image-187787 size-full" height="291" src="http://media.premiumtimesng.com/wp-content/files/2015/08/664x291x4.png.pagespeed.ic.zI6Q-nvpws.png" width="664" /></a> <a href="http://media.premiumtimesng.com/wp-content/files/2015/08/5.png"><img alt="5" class="aligncenter wp-image-187788 size-full" height="256" src="http://media.premiumtimesng.com/wp-content/files/2015/08/664x256x5.png.pagespeed.ic.C4fXmNhcZP.png" width="664" /></a>

NRGI Report: Nigeria lost over N6.4 trillion to corruption-ridden NNPC oil sales

The Nigerian government would have been buoyant enough to finance its 2015 budget of N4.36 trillion and still pay off its external debts o...

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Boka Haram says they ae still strong – Boko Haram

<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"> <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhBTR5bZwaRpA9hmTy9_KI6YtyG_tjpM3aC9H0FUN5MtNXBRD-kA-b-LkTIAypmlci5bC8hRPKnt8yNUPY04n9Uw9hXABU_rKZS9aOL5Wypn3BC1Fpvg27NYuQ0XQFLF4kTjzJ8RD-BS5ta/s1600/Boko+Haram2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="360" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhBTR5bZwaRpA9hmTy9_KI6YtyG_tjpM3aC9H0FUN5MtNXBRD-kA-b-LkTIAypmlci5bC8hRPKnt8yNUPY04n9Uw9hXABU_rKZS9aOL5Wypn3BC1Fpvg27NYuQ0XQFLF4kTjzJ8RD-BS5ta/s640/Boko+Haram2.jpg" width="640" /></a></div> The jihadist group, known as  Boko Haram, says its fighters remain in areas they were years ago, despite an aggressive military effort against it by Nigeria and neighbouring countries.<br /><br />The group made the claim in a new video, in which its leader, Abubakar Shekau, was again missing.<br /><br />In the eight-minute video, an unidentified young man speaking in Hausa with Kanuri accent, said Boko Haram members remain on the ground.<br /><br />“We are still present everywhere we had been before,” he said.<br /><br />The video shows the group launching attacks on the security checkpoint, seizing weapons, and cutting the throat of unidentified middle aged man dressed in a police uniform.<br /><br />The absence of Mr. Shekau in the new video raises question again about whether he is still alive or dead.<br /><br />He was absent in an earlier video from the group in July.<br /><br />The group also called on Muslims to reject the Muhammadu Buhari government.

Boka Haram says they ae still strong – Boko Haram

The jihadist group, known as  Boko Haram, says its fighters remain in areas they were years ago, despite an aggressive military effort aga...

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Nicki Minaj and Meek Mill Reportedly Split

<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody> <tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-9qVgR-EYhQaHI6E0OvfQgjUwr8Nj-VnA0yKwHK8wnZC2JTf9i_NwewKtd3gQW-nnoeX4ZDPFhJt-m1TpLIdA_fE9jfTWmajUL9zXV7lyjWHpm-J7025Si4LPW6vNYJgvcSsl9FJZwbqd/s1600/Nicki+Minaj+and+Meek+Mill1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="504" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-9qVgR-EYhQaHI6E0OvfQgjUwr8Nj-VnA0yKwHK8wnZC2JTf9i_NwewKtd3gQW-nnoeX4ZDPFhJt-m1TpLIdA_fE9jfTWmajUL9zXV7lyjWHpm-J7025Si4LPW6vNYJgvcSsl9FJZwbqd/s640/Nicki+Minaj+and+Meek+Mill1.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr> <tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"></td></tr> </tbody></table> Just a day after the rapper released his (embarrassing) Drake diss track, reports have surfaced that Minaj and Mill have decided to break off their engagement and split.<div style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; color: black; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: medium; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 1; word-spacing: 0px;"> <br /></div> <div style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; color: black; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: medium; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 1; word-spacing: 0px;"> While neither one of them has confirmed the breakup, reports say they called things off Thursday night and are “still on good terms.” The rapper will continue as the opening act for Nicki’s The Pinkprint Tour and will fulfill the rest of those obligations.</div> <div style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; color: black; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: medium; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 1; word-spacing: 0px;"> <br /></div> <div style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; color: black; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: medium; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 1; word-spacing: 0px;"> As you likely know, Drake and Minaj are not only good friends, but they’re also represented by the same label. The beef between the “10 Bands” rapper and Meek Mill probably didn’t go over too well with Minaj and could definitely have added to the split.</div> <div style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; color: black; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: medium; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 1; word-spacing: 0px;"> <br /></div> <div style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; color: black; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: medium; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 1; word-spacing: 0px;"> Looks like Drake wins this one.</div>

Nicki Minaj and Meek Mill Reportedly Split

Just a day after the rapper released his (embarrassing) Drake diss track, reports have surfaced that Minaj and Mill have decided to brea...

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Nigerians groan as petrol sells above N110 nationwide

<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody> <tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh4zA_EhbDWo3TatkxiX2vxH3YjfwJtvUEomYQD2EWfPNKlZOJzAJ2SyZSd_36wFANHOK9l12BIoqTSVCqIPoH-P1zXUcfly592CLQlZUyG9JvwfAUK6G7v6aJ_8FrNjY6Ypk1YkZmzAmYS/s1600/Motorists+queuing+for+fuel+at+a+petrol+station1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="406" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh4zA_EhbDWo3TatkxiX2vxH3YjfwJtvUEomYQD2EWfPNKlZOJzAJ2SyZSd_36wFANHOK9l12BIoqTSVCqIPoH-P1zXUcfly592CLQlZUyG9JvwfAUK6G7v6aJ_8FrNjY6Ypk1YkZmzAmYS/s640/Motorists+queuing+for+fuel+at+a+petrol+station1.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr> <tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Motorists queuing for fuel at a petrol station</td></tr> </tbody></table> Several millions of Nigerians are complaining as petrol sells above N110 and queues by motorists continue to grow across the country.<br /><br />This is against an official price of N87 per litre as the Federal Government subsidises Premium Motor Spirit (petrol) with N45.28 on every litre, according to latest figure from the Petroleum Products Pricing Regulatory Agency.<br /><br />In most fuel stations across the country, Nigerians have been buying petrol between N110 and N160, despite Buhari’s recent assurance that his administration would not remove fuel subsidy.<br /><br />In Imo State, one of our correspondents who went round Owerri, the state capital, confirmed that most of the filling stations were selling above the pump price.<br /><br />A motorist, Mr. John Okorie, who expressed disappointment at the N110 pump price, said he had expected Buhari would frontally tackle the persistent fuel crisis upon his assumption of office.<br /><br />“If there is anything Buhari has to do to stabilise Nigeria, the first thing is to ensure regular power supply and keeping the pump price of petrol at N87,” he said.<br />ADVERTISEMENT<br /><br />In Ondo State, the product sells for N120 per litre in Akure and other towns.<br /><br />A motorist, Mr. James Fayehun, blamed the situation on the President’s failure to sanction dealers who have been defaulting on the regulated price.<br /><br />“I don’t blame the dealers that sell above the pump price. At least we have a government in this country which cannot claim to be ignorant of the development,” Fayehun said.<br /><br />Meanwhile, experts have said that petrol subsidy arrears have continued to rise, in spite of the hike in the price of petrol by marketers. About two months ago, it was revealed that petrol subsidy arrears had hit N291bn.<br /><br />The Executive Secretary, Depot and Petroleum Products Marketers Association, Mr. Femi Adewole, in a telephone conversation with one of our correspondents, said he did not have the current subsidy claims owed oil marketers, but noted that the figure had increased.<br /><br />He said, “I don’t have the figure, but I know that what former Minister of Finance, Dr. Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, handed over was N291.7bn. We have imported some cargoes after that and PPPRA has yet to advise our members because it does the calculations.”<br /><br />One of our correspondents, however, noticed that the product was not available in most filling stations in Edo State thereby leading to long queues by motorists at the few stations that were dispensing petrol.<br /><br />It was also discovered that most filling stations were selling between N110 and N115 in Minna, the Niger State capital; and Asaba, the Delta State capital.<br /><br />A manager in one of the filling stations on the Asaba-Benin Expressway blamed the sale of the product above the pump price on its short supply.<br /><br />The commodity sells for between N110 and N130 per litre in Kano State, depending on if it is a major or an independent marketer.<br /><br />According to investigations, major marketers sell the product for N110 per litre, while their independent counterparts sell for between N120 and N130 per litre.<br /><br />Independent marketers in Calabar, Cross River State, pegged the price of PMS between N105 and N110 per litre.<br /><br />In Osun State, most petrol stations sell a litre of petrol for N110 even though the price stated on their fuel dispenser is N87.<br /><br />A mega station belonging to the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation along Ring Road in Osogbo, the Osun State capital, which sells a litre of petrol for N87, attracts long queues of motorists jostling for fuel.<br /><br />Some residents expressed their disappointment with the situation, however.<br /><br />One of them, Mobolape Omotoso, said, “Petrol is one of the essential products in Nigeria, but despite this, its price is not stable. We are buying it between N110 and N120 per litre.”<br /><br />The price of the petrol in Bauchi State fluctuates as the price ranges between N87 and N110.<br /><br />Major marketers sell the product for N87 while the independent marketers sell it for between N103 and N110 per litre.<br /><br />A civil servant, Abdu Saleh, who expressed displeasure with the development, called on the Department of Petroleum Resources and other relevant agencies to ensure that marketers comply with the government’s directive.<br /><br />One of our correspondents observed that a few filling stations were selling the product for N110 per litre in Ilorin, the Kwara State capital.<br /><br />Reports from hinterland indicated that the product was being sold for between N120 and N150 per litre.<br /><br />The Zonal Chairman, Western Zone of the Independent Petroleum Marketers Association of Nigeria, Alhaji Debo Ahmed, blamed the hike and differential price of petrol on the insufficient supply of the product.<br /><br />He said many fuel depots were not functional, while appealing to the Federal Government to make the depots functional to reduce the cost incurred in transporting the product.<br /><br />In Oyo State, there is hardly any filling station selling petrol at the official pump price of N87 per litre. At least, 95 per cent of the major filling stations no longer sell the product as they claim they cannot get the product at rates that will make them sell at the official pump price.<br /><br />In Ekiti State, where the product also sells for not less than N110, a commercial driver, Mr. Sola Ayeni, wondered why the government had failed to bring the price down.<br /><br />He said, “We are not sure of how the government is going to tackle the problem, but it is good if a firm stance is taken on the issue.”<br /><br />A trader, Mrs. Oluseyi Alade, said, “We are still watching the situation to know if the new government will be different. If with subsidy, we are still having this problem, then something is wrong somewhere.”

Nigerians groan as petrol sells above N110 nationwide

Motorists queuing for fuel at a petrol station Several millions of Nigerians are complaining as petrol sells above N110 and queues by mo...

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Gunmen kill two policemen, abduct 80-year-old in Bayelsa

<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"> <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg911RaEKtf6ix-S1SjwZvN67poAptmTikNJ_QNKmprPbne3BbFHkF32OwsOVyYnWY-ou4_Zyw1uV-mLrj41ZDr1D98fPXEueV60xlTfX-n_aExohT9WMvx3AsJPg9ZFopHOM2qj_p9j9UK/s1600/gunmen1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="476" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg911RaEKtf6ix-S1SjwZvN67poAptmTikNJ_QNKmprPbne3BbFHkF32OwsOVyYnWY-ou4_Zyw1uV-mLrj41ZDr1D98fPXEueV60xlTfX-n_aExohT9WMvx3AsJPg9ZFopHOM2qj_p9j9UK/s640/gunmen1.jpg" width="640" /></a></div> Some suspected gunmen in Bayelsa State have killed two policemen. News sources said that the gunmen stormed the residence of the Chairman of Southern Ijaw Local Government Area, Remember Ogbe, to abduct him, but were engaged in a gun battle by the policemen attached to the council boss.<br /><br />A source, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said, “The gunmen continued shooting especially after they were initially repelled by the police. They kept shooting at the chairman’s building.<br /><br />“But the policemen withstood them. They showed some gallantry. However, two of the policemen were not lucky. They were hit by bullets and died.<br /><br />“The gunmen escaped without fulfilling their mission, which was to abduct the chairman.”<br /><br />The source, however, said the gunmen escaped into the creeks with the riffles of the slain policemen.<br /><br />The incident, it was gathered, threw the community into confusion and sent residents scampering for safety.<br /><br />A police squad carried out preliminary investigations on the incident and later arrested a suspected mastermind of the incident identified as Seigha Oduwaiye, 24.<br /><br />Oduwaiye, who hails from Akassa in Brass Local Government Area, was said to have made useful statements to the police.<br /><br />Spokesman for the Bayelsa State Police Command, Mr. Asinim Butswat, said detectives had intensified efforts to arrest Oduwaiye’s accomplices.<br /><br />He said, “On July 30, 2015, at about 8pm, four daredevil gunmen stormed the residence of the Chairman of Southern Ijaw LGA, Remember Ogbe, at Amassoma to abduct him, but were engaged in a gun battle by the policemen attached to the Chairman.<br /><br />“The gunmen retreated, but the two police corporals lost their lives due to injuries sustained in the encounter.<br /><br />“The bodies of the slain policemen have been deposited at the morgue of the Federal Medical Centre, Yenagoa.”<br /><br />Also in the state, a gang of kidnappers was said to have attacked the residence of one Mrs. Tonye Aroh in Opume community and abducted her.<br /><br />The 80-year-old Aroh was kidnapped at about 8pm, same time the other gang of gunmen killed the policemen.<br /><br />The victim was whisked away in a speedboat.<br /><br />Confirming the incident, Chairman of the Ijaw Youth Council, Ogbia Clan, Mr. Osanya B. Osanya, condemned the abduction and urged the kidnappers to release the old woman without delay.

Gunmen kill two policemen, abduct 80-year-old in Bayelsa

Some suspected gunmen in Bayelsa State have killed two policemen. News sources said that the gunmen stormed the residence of the Chairman ...

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Etcetera writes to Biafrans

<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"> <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZXqywWzu6Ez0oiKAht8e5bHKwERhGSIQtf7MJMK74yHHsHjE9Mw-sefdu14LoSODb_VfQLL24ShyphenhyphenJSbiGX_PygAHobIK0sPP9aFKEdUkKTnp9alvM4CioPjGINA1GWfFpkzmTjVLdvm_b/s1600/Etcetera1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZXqywWzu6Ez0oiKAht8e5bHKwERhGSIQtf7MJMK74yHHsHjE9Mw-sefdu14LoSODb_VfQLL24ShyphenhyphenJSbiGX_PygAHobIK0sPP9aFKEdUkKTnp9alvM4CioPjGINA1GWfFpkzmTjVLdvm_b/s1600/Etcetera1.jpg" /></a></div> Etcetera advices Biafrans on how to actualize their dreams while in Nigeria. Read his article. "I have been receiving a lot of mails and phone calls in recent weeks requesting that I lend my voice in support of the ongoing campaign for the sovereign state of Biafra and to also speak up against the recent shut down of Radio Biafra by National Broadcasting Commission. I have decided to make my opinion known to those who have been bombarding me with requests to support the Biafran movement.<br /><br />Yes, I believe that the Igbo have been marginalised in Nigeria right from 1970 till date. I also believe that as a people, the Igbo have every right to speak out and seek redress. I believe that no tribe or ethnic group in Nigeria deserves to be marginalised or shut out by certain quarters of government because of an incident of the past. Just like every Igbo man, I believe that Biafra was a good dream born out of a necessity at that time. It was a good dream which went horribly wrong and became a nightmare for us, the Igbo people and the whole of Nigeria from 1967 to 1970, from which I believe we have woken up. It will be foolhardy to dream the same dream in the same way and manner without thoroughly accounting for why and how it turned into a nightmare, and factoring in the changes that have taken place in Nigeria since the 1960s.<br /><br />The thought that the actualisation of the sovereign state of Biafra is in itself the solution to all the problems of Ndigbo is to display an understandable naivety about human nature and today’s politics. What we need as a people is a new vision that will encompass the lessons of the past, the changes that have taken place since the end of the civil war, the reality of present day Nigeria and demand for a system founded on justice, liberty and equality under the rule of law for Ndigbo and non Igbo as well. I believe this new vision is attainable. They say charity begins at home and in this regard, I believe it is time for every honest and sincere Igbo man or woman, to channel his or her energy towards actualising good leadership and government in Igboland by joining the political process. It is time for every one of us to unite against corruption in our land. It is time for Ndigbo to come together to reverse this ubiquitous trend of bad leadership ravishing Igboland and put in place a system that would enable the best of us to emerge as leaders. Great nations are ruled by their best minds and not by a band of common thieves without respect for individual liberty and democracy that do nothing but devise ingenious ways to looting the treasury and serve the vilest and most primitive of human instincts. Without this political and cultural change embedded in the concept of our future, Igboland will remain underdeveloped, and that in itself, will constitute a gargantuan problem for us in the future. Making this necessary change in igboland will ensure that if and ever or when Nigeria collapses as a result of our collective idiocy, irresponsibility, ignorance and corruption, and the jumbo pay of politicians, Ndigbo will be better placed to build a new nation based on justice, equality, rule of law, tolerance, development and honesty. War has never been the solution to any problem. I didn’t witness the civil war but from what I saw in my recent visit to Maiduguri, Adamawa and Plateau state, I have become a disciple of dialogue as a means to resolve issues. If Biafra will become a reality, it shouldn’t be through the barrel of a gun. It is wrong to seek divorce by putting a gun to your spouse’s head. We should realise that a divorce from Nigeria is also possible if the Nigeria state comes to its natural end because of years of ethnic and religious prejudices, injustices, and vision-less irresponsible, corrupt leadership that failed to lay the foundation of a viable state and make the necessary social investment for its survival. This might be the natural course of events if Nigeria continues to sleep walk into disaster and neglect honest nation building. We shouldn’t continue to pursue the Biafra dream in the way and manner some people and groups are doing at the moment without regard to the present reality. It can only undermine the whole essence of the struggle. As an Igbo man, there is nothing I want for Igbo that I do not want for other ethnic groups. There is nothing I wish for my fellow Christians that I do not wish for Muslims. We are all humans after all. We are all brothers and sisters divided by language, skin colours and religion. I believe that enlightenment is recognition of this basic facts, and that underneath our skins, flows blood of the same colour and minds that can think alike and able to overcome the prejudices which our difference try to impose on our judgment. There is nothing that can justify the killing of a fellow man. I can only lend my voice to a vision that doesn’t entail the destruction of lives and property.<br /><br />I am sorry to say that the continuous clamour for the recognition of Biafra by America may not yield much because of the selfish nature of America’s foreign policy. If there is nothing in it for America, America won’t get involved. We are a great and industrious people. For a start, won’t it be better to seek economic independence and have Nigeria and the rest of the world depend on us for something? Today, Africa has gone from car assemblage to total manufacturing. I am proud that I am alive to witness this history, that a Nigerian made car can actually be better that the Toyotas and Hondas of this world, and it is all due to the ingenuity of an Igbo man. Ndigbo, this can be a place to start. Igbo kwenu!!"

Etcetera writes to Biafrans

Etcetera advices Biafrans on how to actualize their dreams while in Nigeria. Read his article. "I have been receiving a lot of mails ...

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Armed robbers now disguise as ATM users –Police

<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"> <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEinHCTLZwqZSzUfvcvUYwI7VzcL539d93rh4jgAM8hWN2IGkWkvfmoxM8kRAPtsHgc6mEGZiN3D8H8Gz8vWNX6vVYHiNnasw7T5KyfLfBeqgObfEj-omr-9YPI29z5MmGBZiRavIhha7sSg/s1600/ATM+Machine.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="560" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEinHCTLZwqZSzUfvcvUYwI7VzcL539d93rh4jgAM8hWN2IGkWkvfmoxM8kRAPtsHgc6mEGZiN3D8H8Gz8vWNX6vVYHiNnasw7T5KyfLfBeqgObfEj-omr-9YPI29z5MmGBZiRavIhha7sSg/s640/ATM+Machine.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>  The Nigeria Police have issued an alert to Nigerians using the Automated Teller Machine, particularly in the night, to be watchful as armed robbers have started pretending as ATM users in order to rob bank customers.<br /><br />The NPF issued this alert on its website after an Abuja resident, a man, reportedly went to one of the banks in the FCT at about 12:10am on Thursday to withdraw money from an ATM.<br /><br />The police reported that three young men pretending to also withdraw money from the ATM attacked the man.<br /><br />The statement added, “The victim raised an alarm, which attracted the nearby Police patrol team to the scene. The hoodlums took to their heels upon sighting the advancing Police team. One automatic pistol fell from one of the suspects and was recovered by the Police. The victim was safely rescued.<br /><br />“However, another male victim was unlucky as hoodlums attacked him and snatched cash sum of N500, 000 that he just withdrew from an ATM on July 28, 2015. Police responded to his distress call and one of the suspects was arrested. Efforts are on to apprehend other gang members.”<br /><br />Meanwhile, there have been reactions to the alert by some Nigerians.<br /><br />One Terry commended the Police and said, “At least the police know where to find them. The police should also queue at the ATM (undercover) as customers.”

Armed robbers now disguise as ATM users –Police

 The Nigeria Police have issued an alert to Nigerians using the Automated Teller Machine, particularly in the night, to be watchful as arm...

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Buhari’s appointments has shown his hatred for Igbo – says Ohaneze

<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"> <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgJ9TGJl2Nv37EhnrAzB9BChaQnv2qu2gRyZ23fMmcxmd_QF3erwidF40xvAKqqrpddK8P3BUnfVg62gzGnuxualJqSRJVyHhLFM9Y5v35y5_bjOeqfvQCwt9qFRACPIZsfHxZIGn8KEx-q/s1600/Buhari.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgJ9TGJl2Nv37EhnrAzB9BChaQnv2qu2gRyZ23fMmcxmd_QF3erwidF40xvAKqqrpddK8P3BUnfVg62gzGnuxualJqSRJVyHhLFM9Y5v35y5_bjOeqfvQCwt9qFRACPIZsfHxZIGn8KEx-q/s1600/Buhari.jpg" /></a></div> Pan Igbo socio-cultural organization, Ohaneze Ndigbo, said yesterday that it was not surprised at the way the appointments of President Muhammadu Buhari were going, insisting that it had shown the president’s deep rooted hatred for the Igbo nation.<br /><br />Anambra State president of Ohaneze, Dr. Chris Eluemuno, in an interview at the state –owned Anambra Broadcasting Service Television in Awka, said the situation would still have been the same even if the entire Igbo voted for him.<br /><br />He said: “I said it during the campaigns that General Buhari does not like Igbo people and it is happening now with all the appointments he has so far made since he came into office on May 29, 2015<br /><br />“He appointed five service chiefs and there is no Igbo man, even though Igbo have qualified people to occupy the positions.<br /><br />“His party has completed the selection of principal officers in the national assembly and despite the fact that the speaker, Mr. Yakubu Dogara made case to apply the federal character in allocating the offices, the president jettisoned it through his intervention and left Igbo APC lawmakers out.<br /><br />“He also exhibited his vindictiveness during his recent visit to the United States of America, USA, when he travelled with only governors from his party, leaving out governors from the opposition parties.<br /><br />“He was also quoted as saying that he would favour those who voted for him and our position is that there is no way the president should expect all Nigerians to vote for him in the last presidential election.That statement contradicted Buhari’s earlier stand that he belonged to everybody and belonged to nobody.”<br /><br />Eluemuno, who is also the chairman of chairmen of Ohaneze in the seven Igbo speaking states, argued that Buhari had no reason to discriminate against the Igbo because Igbonation played prominent roles in the development of Nigeria and should therefore not be discriminated against in the scheme of things.<br /><br />According to him, apart from the Secretary to the Government of Federation, SGF, the remaining appointments are ministers and board members, which constitutionally must go to all the 36 states of the federation, adding that appointing an Igbo minister would not therefore be a favour to them.<br /><br />On the president’s threat to probe only the Jonathan administration, Eluemuno said it would amount to witch hunt if he limited it to the immediate past administration, advising that the probe should start from the PDP civilian administration that began 16 years ago with Chief Olusegun Obasanjo, who governed for eight years.<br /><br />He also advised the President not to jettison the report of the Constitutional Conference convoked by former President Goodluck Jonathan, arguing that the Constitutional Conference report was key to fighting corruption in Nigeria as it contained recommendations that could help him succeed in his fight against corruption in the country.<br /><br />Eluemunor said the president might also be expecting too much if he thought that he would find angels to make ministers, stressing that as long as those he described as the corrupt civil servants were there, the ministers, no matter their background and integrity would still be corrupt.<br /><br />“He should know that those who corrupt the ministers are the top civil servants. They are the ones that show the ministers the way once they are sworn in. If he wants to fight corruption in the service, he should start by cleaning up the civil service,” he added.<br /><br />He called on the Igbos to brace up to the challenge posed to them by the APC- led federal government.

Buhari’s appointments has shown his hatred for Igbo – says Ohaneze

Pan Igbo socio-cultural organization, Ohaneze Ndigbo, said yesterday that it was not surprised at the way the appointments of President Mu...

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Which way for Biafra?

<br /> <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"> <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhFiX8C7GfEKax270Z_XwWqNXFS2AXMsfWYnLJoGs8IeyEGU009eWoYThyphenhyphenaF8J1X7XtyaBX-8DOPutMp_AQIjDhtWFyAgF8DBqUz0p3s0c_MQWWIPWRChHW2mW1ILkvzHuqZyfoHdxcj0r-/s1600/Biafran+Money1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhFiX8C7GfEKax270Z_XwWqNXFS2AXMsfWYnLJoGs8IeyEGU009eWoYThyphenhyphenaF8J1X7XtyaBX-8DOPutMp_AQIjDhtWFyAgF8DBqUz0p3s0c_MQWWIPWRChHW2mW1ILkvzHuqZyfoHdxcj0r-/s640/Biafran+Money1.jpg" width="514" /></a></div> SINCE the pogrom against Ndigbo of 1966, that led to the the declaration of the Republic of Biafra among the South Easterners of Nigeria , and the subsequent civil war, from 1967 to 1970, in which Biafrans were defeated,  many do not know what to do with the name Biafra, which was drawn from the Bight of Biafra at the South of the Atlantic Ocean.<br /><br />Most war veterans from the Nigeria side, especially the leaders treat everything about Biafra with ignominy, disdain, and repulsion. Out of pride and arrogance, they wish the name was crushed out of existence.<br /><br />They forget , that over One million lives were lost in that war majorly through famine, and hunger; that over four African nations, and four nations in Europe recognised Biafra, within its two and half years of existence, that Ndigbo, are a people that show and carry love for humanity, everywhere they go; that Igbos are making their contributions to the building of a virile Nigerian nation in spite of and against all odds; that you can never kill love, for God is love; and that their poor handling of the case of Biafra is a major scar on the conscience of this nation, among other scars, which include the poor handling of Biafran war veterans, retirees, and pensioners of Nigeria, our Prison and police cells.<br /><br />The only preserved relics of that civil war, can be found in the wretched, poorly maintained war museum in Umuahia. Till date many Biafran war veterans are yet to be paid their disengagement allowances and other entitlements 43 years after, and that is not a big surprise in a nation where even now, military pensioners still queue, and slump on queues for their pension stipends. If those who fought and won the civil war, and those who fight to keep Nigeria safe today still beg for their entitlements, Biafrans who lost the war, ought to learn, and look for a better solution to their predicaments.<br /><br />The Movement for the Actualization of the Sovereign State of Biafra, MASSOB, have consistently employed very non-violent methods to keep the name Biafra, and the quest for justice, equity, peace and unity of the Igbo man in Nigeria alive.<br /><br />They have resuscitated the Biafran Pounds across some Nigerian Borders, organised serious protest marches and rallies, which the Federal Government find embarrassing and typically, MASSOB have been visited with arrests, extra judicial killings, harassments, and all manners of suppressive actions, which have not solved the problem. The latest development in the Biafra story, is the Radio Biafra, which has given the Nigerian Broadcasting Commission, NBC, sleepless nights.<br /><br />I have not tuned to that radio, but those who have listened to it, say it spreads hate and bad language, against the Nigerian state, while also carrying news worthy items on the realities of the Igbo man in Nigeria.<br /><br />The radio is quite popular among Igbo youths, and the problem is that most of these youths never saw or fought the war, they did not see kwasiokor, Ogbunigwe, air raids, army camps, bedbugs, and the likes, they never lived on rodents, and reptiles as a source for protein. All they know about that war experience is from books, and the social media, and thus,may also not realise that a pharaoh who did not know Joseph is in on the throne.<br /><br />President Muhammadu Buhari, PMB, was reported to have told his audience during his recent trip to America that his government will be more favourably disposed to help those who voted massively for him, than those who did not. There is no problem with such a comment because it is exactly what politicians in Nigeria do, hence some argue that Igbos made the mistake of voting massively for former President Jonathan during the last elections.<br /><br />It is realistic to expect a tilt against Ndigbo under this government, no matter what, and it will be a pleasant surprise if PMB did otherwise. Although we now hear that PMB was quoted out of context or wrongly, we will wait for time to tell.<br /><br />Biafrans should now stand on the awareness created and the messages passed to turn things around for themselves.<br /><br />The supporters of MASSOB, and Ndigbo in general, in Nigeria and in the diaspora should take the message to the next positive level in the best interest of Ndigbo. Rather than focus on the negativities, and fighting governments, MASSOB, Biafrans, and Ndigbo should harness all the energy and resources to look more inwards in order to turn Igbo land into that dream place for every person.<br /><br />Their first assignment will be to hold our leaders in Igbo land responsible, by devising ways and means to challenge the present governors, and to make governance very hard and difficult for all thieves, and corrupt persons in our land. Information should be compiled on all past and present leaders, with the view of denying them access to governance where they have stolen the common wealth of Ndigbo in any way.<br /><br />For example, a list of corrupt and stupendously rich governors making waves in the social media include some Igbo governors, and MASSOB should take such men to task, by organising to prosecute them now or soon after they lose their immunity. MASSOB should be in the fore front of the fight against corruption and kidnapping in Igbo Land.<br /><br />Second, a master plan for rail and road transportation that will cover the entire Igbo land should be produced, in addition to Carbohydrate and protein supply plan for the South East Zone.<br /><br />Third, the Igbo States, should agree with some South South States, especially Delta and Bayelsa on the development of a commercially viable deep sea port to augment Port Harcourt and Calabar Ports and to reduce the drudgery, risks and blackmail from importation through Lagos Ports.<br /><br />The general attitude of an average Biafran should be to develop Igbo land and its environs first and as matter of urgent priority, with or without the oil money from federal government. Should this not be the way Biafra should go ?<br /><br />Mr  Clement Udegbe, a legal practitioner, wrote from Lagos.

Which way for Biafra?

SINCE the pogrom against Ndigbo of 1966, that led to the the declaration of the Republic of Biafra among the South Easterners of Nigeria ...

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Anxiety heightens as Oro Festival begins in Ife

<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"> <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiu9E1nb2eeQmqh6ZAuq_ElNpex1BEGHKcnqnXORdqOH_Q6_fD1jlSpY1MoYrH9me1dykqtb4EGwS4_clDIRRj8CGVF0K0_jR1mBYWVqa5fJmw8z0UKOATcTraF5DeERXDtLTHPlhbVmfg5/s1600/Ooni+of+Ife%252C+Oba+Sijuwade.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="396" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiu9E1nb2eeQmqh6ZAuq_ElNpex1BEGHKcnqnXORdqOH_Q6_fD1jlSpY1MoYrH9me1dykqtb4EGwS4_clDIRRj8CGVF0K0_jR1mBYWVqa5fJmw8z0UKOATcTraF5DeERXDtLTHPlhbVmfg5/s640/Ooni+of+Ife%252C+Oba+Sijuwade.jpg" width="640" /></a></div> Anxiety which surrounds the demise of the Ooni of Ife, Oba Okunade Sijuwade, has continued to heighten as worshippers of Oro began the annual festival in the ancient town on Friday night.<br /><br />Oro is a deity worshipped across Yoruba land, which forbids the womenfolk from going outdoors in the night during the period of its festival.<br /><br />Although, sources in Ife told our correspondent that the festival, scheduled to commence on Friday night had nothing to do with the demise of the Ooni, the public believe otherwise.<br /><br />The sources, however, insisted that the festival, which would last for seven nights, should not be mistaken for the commencement of the rites of passage of the Ooni.<br /><br />They also insisted that the Ooni was still alive, contrary to the media reports that the monarch died in the United Kingdom.<br /><br />Although some youths interviewed by our correspondent said they were not aware of the festival, they said the festival would force everybody to remain indoors at night throughout the seven- day period.<br /><br />A former Commissioner for Culture and Tourism in Osun State, Mr. Sikiru Ayedun, confirmed to our correspondent that the festival would start on Friday night.<br /><br />Ayedun, who is from Ife, said, “Yes, Oro will start tonight (Friday). But it has nothing to do with the rumour of the death of Baba (Ooni).<br /><br />“It is an annual festival and it holds around this time. So, it has nothing to do with the rumour in town.”<br /><br />The news of the death of the Ooni was reported by the media on Wednesday, but the 16 chiefs, known as the Royal Traditional Council of the palace, led by the Lowa of Ife, Oba Joseph Ijaodola, debunked the news.<br /><br />The Lowa also led the chiefs to announce to Governor Rauf Aregbesola on Thursday that the monarch was alive and not dead.

Anxiety heightens as Oro Festival begins in Ife

Anxiety which surrounds the demise of the Ooni of Ife, Oba Okunade Sijuwade, has continued to heighten as worshippers of Oro began the ann...

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