Why The Remaining Chibok Girls Have Not Been Released – Information Minister

April 16, 2019

The minister of information and culture, Alhaji Lai Mohammed has said that the existence of different factions in the current Boko Haram formation has been one of the reasons why the remaining abducted Chibok Girls are still in captivity.

This was even as he said that the government of President Muhammadu Buhari is working with Swiss partners and others on daily basis to make sure that the girls’ whereabouts are found and that they are eventually freed.
The Minister who spoke today, Tuesday at a news briefing at the Department of African Studies, Georgetown University, Washington DC, said that some of the negotiations with Boko Haram for the release of the girls are ‘delicate,’ due largely to the fact that it takes a lot of time and there is a sort of factionalisation within the terrorist group.

The minister, who engaged members and students of the department on the development in the country, said that government has never one day forgotten or closed the case of the abducted girls.
“Few days ago was the fifth anniversary of the abducted girls and that means they were kidnapped more than a year before President Muhammadu Buhari administration came into power.
“It was the engagement of this government that led to the release of 107 of the girls and what I can assure you is that the government is still engaging in trying to find out where the girls are and what has become of them.
“However, some of these negotiations are very delicate due largely to the fact that it takes a lot of time and there is a sort of factionalisation within the terrorist group.
“We are still working with our Swiss partners and the others everyday so that we can be able to track where these girls are, what have become of them and how many are left.
“However, these are not something you can disclose, anyhow because of the sensitivity.”
Responding to question on the reintegration and sponsorship of the girls, the minister said that going by the experiences of the 107 girls that were released, government took responsibilities for their reintegration and got them all back to schools.
He said that recently, there were media reports about the bright performances of some of the girls in their respective fields.

There’re More Corrupt Judges That Need To Be Shown The Way Out – Group

Editorial staff

April 16, 2019

A 20-man group of aged Senior Advocates of Nigeria (SANs) under the aegis of the Justice Reform Project (JRP) has advised the government of Muhammadu Buhari to look beyond the former Chief Judge of Nigeria (CJN), Justice Walter Onnoghen, who resigned recently following allegation of none declaration of his assets, which amounted to corruption.

The group called on the government to take steps to similarly sanction other judges whose legitimate earnings are not commensurate with their wealth, saying that such action will restore confidence in the Judiciary and debunk the impression that the former Chief Justice of Nigeria (CJN) was being victimized.

The group, set up to push for reforms in the judiciary/legal profession, is led by one of the oldest SANs, Ebun Sofunde, with Jibrin Okutepa, Dr Babatunde Ajibade, Prof Ernest Ojukwu, Osaro Eghobamien, Mrs. Funke Adekoya, Kayode Sofola, among others, as members.

In a statement, JRP emphasized the need for the government to look beyond Onnoghen for three reason main reasons thus:

“Beyond Honourable Justice W. S. N. Onnoghen, however, the JRP believes the revelations that have been made in the course of this affair necessitate that urgent steps be taken to identify and sanction all other Nigerian judicial officers who are found to possess inexplicable wealth that cannot be reconciled with their legitimate income or their asset declarations, two of the allegations made against Justice Onnoghen.

“These steps are necessary for a variety of reasons. First, to restore public confidence in the judiciary and disabuse the notion that all judicial officers in Nigeria are corrupt and that justice is for sale.

“Second, to disabuse the notion that Justice Onnoghen’s travails are a mere witch-hunt motivated by ethnic and political interests rather than the result of a genuine concern for sanitising and reforming the Nigerian judiciary.

“Third, to eliminate the suspicion that the Executive arm of government is using the information it has access to by virtue of its control over the apparatus of the state to take selective action only against those judicial officers that fail to do its bidding.”

Forex Market Gets $210 Million CBN Boost

Editorial staff

April 16, 2019

The inter-bank segment of the Foreign Exchange Market has received a boost of $210 million from the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) following sales concluded today,Tuesday.

According to figures obtained from the Bank, authorized dealers in the wholesale segment of the market were offered the sum of $100million. Similarly, the Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs) segment received the sum of $55 million, while customers requiring foreign exchange for invisibles such as tuition fees, medical payments and Basic Travel Allowance (BTA), among others, were also allocated the sum of $55 million.

The Director, Corporate Communications Department, Isaac Okorafor confirmed the transactions and disclosed that the effort of the Bank had helped to reduce exchange rate pressures across all segments of the market. According to him, the stability of the exchange rate underscored the level of confidence investors and the public had in the Naira.

It will be recalled that the Bank, at its last intervention on Friday, April 5, injected the sum of $247.8 million and CNY34.8 million into the Retail Secondary Market Intervention Sales (SMIS) segment.

Meanwhile, the Naira today, Tuesday, exchanged at an average of N360/$1 in the BDC segment of the market.

Buhari Govt Plans N15 Billion Green Bond To Fund Agric, Power, Others

Editorial staff

April 15, 2019

The Federal Government under President Muhammadu Buhari is planning a N15 billion Green Bond to fund agriculture, power, health and water amenities to make life better for Nigerians.

The minister of Finance, Hajiya Zainab Ahmed, who announced today, Monday at a news briefing in the United States of America, explained that the Debt Management Office (DMO) will be in the forefront for the programme.

According to her, the Green Bond will be the second one and would be used to finance agriculture, power sector, mostly solar projects, as well as some projects in the water sector.

She said that the projects for which the funds will be applied “must be green.

“They must be projects that are not contributing to carbon dioxide emissions to the society. The first green bond issuance was successful and all the projects that were scheduled to have been financed have been done and the projects are at various levels of completion.”

Oba Of Benin Commends Nigerian Army For Protecting Nigeria’s Democracy

Editorial staff

April 15, 2019

The Oba of Benin, Omo N’Oba N’Edo Uku Akpolokpolo, Oba Ewuare II, has commended the Nigerian Army for protecting and sustaining the nation’s democracy.

The Oba, who spoke today, Monday, when he played host to the Chief of Army Staff (COAS), Lieutenant General Tukur Yusuf Buratai in his palace in Benin city, Edo State, said that the conduct of the army, in conjunction with other stakeholders, has contributed in sustaining Nigeria’s democratic process over the years.

He stressed that the role of the army in ensuring peace and security could not be over-emphasized, adding that the army has also helped restore peace in neighbouring countries.

He commiserated with the army over the loss of some of its personnel in the war against insurgency even as he gave the assurance that the palace would continue to do its best and build on the legacies of his fore-fathers.

He said that the palace would continue to play the role of the custodian of the people and keep reviving the historical culture and heritage of the Binis in particular, and Nigeria at large.

Earlier, the COAS said was in the palace to pay homage to the royal father, in view of the important role of the traditional institution in the society.

He appreciated the Oba for the peaceful coexistence between the Benin kingdom and the Nigerian Army.

He gave assurance that the army support, in conjunction with other security agencies would keep combating crime within the kingdom.

There’s No Plan To Remove Fuel Subsidy, Finance Minister says

Editorial staff

April 15, 2019

Nigeria’s Finance Minister, Mrs. Zainab Ahmed has cleared the air on the controversy generated by the International Monitory Fund (INF) on the removal of fuel subsidy, saying that removing it is not on the cards.

Reacting to IMF’s recent advocacy on the removal of fuel subsidy to free more money for infrastructural development, the minister emphasized that there is no plan by the government to remove fossil fuel subsidies.

Zainab Ahmed spoke to news men along with the governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), Godwin Emefiele, at the end of the 2019 World Bank/International Monetary Fund (IMF) Spring Meetings in the United States.

She said: “we are here to discuss with the global community on various policy issues. One of the issues that always come up, especially in the IMF Article IV is how we handle fuel subsidy.

“So, in principle, the IMF would say fuel subsidies are better removed so that you can use the resources for other important sectors, which is good advice, but in Nigeria, we do not have any plans to remove fuel subsidies at this time because we have not yet designed buffers that will enable us remove the subsidy and provide cushions for our people.

“So, there is no plan to remove fuel subsidy. We will be working with various groups to find out the best approach, if we have to. We discussed this very frequently at the Economic Management Team but what is the alternative? We haven’t yet found viable alternatives. So, we are not yet at the point of removing fuel subsidies.”

303 More Private Universities In Offing In Nigeria, Commission Boss Reveals

Editorial staff

April 15, 2019

The Executive Secretary of the National Universities Commission (NUC), Professor Abubakar Rasheed, has revealed that no fewer than 303 new private universities from different parts of Nigeria are currently being processed. This is in addition to 170 universities already existing in the country.

He explained that applications for the new universities are being received from groups of individuals, corporate organizations, foundations and faith-based organizations from all over the country.

Professor Rasheed spoke in Abuja today, Monday in a lead paper he presented at the maiden edition of the National Summit on Private Universities with the theme: “Private University Education Delivery in Nigeria: Challenges and Opportunities.”

The NUC boss said that the country currently has 170 universities out of which 79 are private with 38, representing 48.11 per cent, owned by faith-based organizations, while 41, representing 51.89 per cent, are owned by corporate bodies, foundations or individuals.

He said although there are many private universities in the country, most of them are still unable to fulfill their admission quotas as they admit barely six per cent of the total university admissions in the country per session.

According to him, the setbacks are not enough to stop the issuance of licences as Nigeria needs more universities to cope with the high demand for university education.

He admitted that private universities still face a number of challenges, including non-availability of quality infrastructure and facilities, merit-based student admission, staffing and sustainable funding, even as he said that in spite of these difficulties, the institutions have fared very well.

Speaking on the summit, he said that the programme is to serve as an avenue for the exchange and promotion of good practices in private university education delivery in Nigeria and to initiate a dialogue on the challenges and opportunities in the subsector.

“The summit is also aimed at supporting the Nigerian government’s effort at developing academic, institutional and executive capacities within the higher education subsector, to enable it compete effectively and be relevant in an increasingly knowledge-driven world economy.”

How Ex Gov Fayose’s N1.2 Billion Was Moved Into My Bank, Ex Ekiti Bank Manager

Editorial staff

April 15, 2019

Akure branch manager of the Zenith Bank Plc, in Ekiti State, Sunday Alade has given a graphic description of how the sum of N1.2 Billion allegedly belonging to the former governor of the State under the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Ayodele Fayose, was transferred from Lagos and lodged in the branch.

Sunday Alade, who served as branch manager of the bank in 2014 when the money was moved to his branch, appeared in court today as a prosecution witness in the ongoing trial of Fayose.

Fayose is currently standing trial alongside a company, Sportless Investment, before the Federal High Court, Lagos. The duo, however, pleaded not guilty to the charge bordering on fraud and money laundering slammed on them by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC).

Led in evidence by prosecuting counsel, Rotimi Jacobs (SAN), Sunday Alade said that he got a call from his head of operations asking him to prepare to head for Akure Airport to receive huge cash from a customer.

“On the 17th of June 2014, I was in my office in Zenith Bank, Akure when I received a call from my head of operations, Abiodun Oshodi, that a customer would be coming to make a deposit into his account with the bank.

“He said in order to provide security, we should arrange for a bullion van to go to the airport to pick the cash.

“After an hour, my head, Abiodun Oshodi, came and said the customer had arrived. He introduced Abiodun Agbele as the customer.

“He said we should prepare to go to the airport. I asked for time to arrange for security, but they said that won’t be necessary as they had sufficient security. They came with Mopol and some soldiers in a Toyota Hilux van.”

Ex bank branch manager said that he joined Oshodi and Agbele to the airport, along with the bullion van and the security men, adding: “at the airport, we waited for a few minutes before the arrival of the aircraft. Three individuals came out of the aircraft.

“Two of them walked away. The remaining person introduced himself as O. Adewale. The cash was offloaded into the bullion van and we drove to Zenith Bank Akure.”

Alade said that when they arrived at the bank, the money was counted in his presence. He said Oshodi, Adewale and Agbele were also present.

“The money was counted. It was N724million. We were informed that there was a balance. We went back to the airport and picked N494million the second time.

“The total cash amounted to N1.219billion. Another aircraft brought the N494million. I gathered that the cash was lodged into three bank accounts – those of De-Privateer, Spotless Investment and Ayodele Fayose.

“I also understand some cash was taken away that day by Mr Agbele.”

Asked who Adewale was, he said: “Adewale O introduced himself as Obanikoro’s ADC.”

Asked if he knew those who walked away from the aircraft when it landed, the witness said: “One of them resembled Obanikoro. I never met him in person. But he resembled the person I saw on television and newspapers.”

Under cross-examination by defence counsel Ola Olanipekun (SAN), and Olalekan Ojo (SAN), the witness said he was not aware of where the money came from.

Asked if he knew what the money was meant for, he said: “Not at all.”

The trial continues on May 10 and 14.

Unprofessional Conducts: Police Boss Vows To Re-Jig The Force

Editorial staff

April 15, 2019

The Inspector General of Police (IGP), Mohammed Adamu, worried by the spate of unprofessional conduct and brutality of some men and officers, has vowed to re-jig the Force to bring it in tandem with the international best practices.

He said: “the Force has immediately embarked on administrative actions and policies directed towards giving a new orientation to the personnel, especially on human rights and international best practices. There will be personnel re-organization in Lagos State and I have also directed nationwide training and capacity development programmes on weapons handling and laws and policies regulating the use of force.”

The Force spokesman, Frank Mba, quoted the Police boss, who visited families of victims of recent police brutality in Lagos as saying that the leadership of the Force will never condone any form of abuse of power, overzealousness and sundry unprofessional conducts.

He stressed that such anomalies, aside from negating the professional calling of the Police, are unacceptable as they create distrust and disdain between the citizens and the Force, thereby widening the trust gap between the two.

The IGP, who addressed the over 1000 Officers and Men of the Command at the Police College, Ikeja, described the Nigeria Police Force as a disciplined, transparent, responsible, responsive and accountable institution.

Oil Workers Advise Buhari To Beware Of IMF’s Attempt To Destabilize Nigeria

Editorial staff

April 15, 2019

Nigeria oil workers have cautioned the government of President Muhammadu Buhari to beware of move by the International Monetary Fund (IMF) to destabilize Nigeria by its call for the withdrawal of subsidy on oil in the country.

A statement by the leadership of both the Nigeria Union of Petroleum and Natural Gas Workers (NUPENG) and the Petroleum and Natural Gas Senior Staff Association (PENGASSAN) wondered why IMF is still callously and wickedly advising the government to inflict more pains and harms on the people.

“Imposing more stringent reforms in domestic revenue mobilization including amongst other increase, in VAT and securing more domestic oil revenues through subsidy removal at this time is clearly an attempt to destabilize the nation.”

The two oil workers’ unions, which described the statement credited to the IMF Media Chief for Africa on the state of Nigeria economy as “unsolicited poisonous advice on further recovery of the nation’s economy, said that such statement is already created panic in the country with associated hoarding of petroleum products, panic buying , skyrocketed increases in prices of goods and services in the country.

“Clearly, IMF is speaking from the two sides of its mouth, in one breath, the Media Chief praises the significant progress the nation has made in terms of its Gross Domestic Product (GDP) that increased by 1.9% in 2018 from 0.8% in 2017 on the back of improvement in manufacturing and other economic policies of the government, while on the other hand, offering poisonous advice on further economic recovery.

“It is quite bewildering and baffling that IMF is not considering the pains and agonies Nigerians went through even to achieve the acknowledged gains of 2018, with almost two-thirds of the world’s hungriest people among the Nigerians.”

The leadership of the two unions made it clear that the IMF statement is embellished and loaded with poisons, “considering the antecedents of IMF in our economic challenges and struggles over decades of our nationhood. The various devaluation of our currency on the strength of advices of same IMF has been a very big burden on our nation for several years now.

“The leadership of NUPENG and PENGASSAN are aware of what Nigerians are going through, we empathize with them and will not turn blind eyes to any further attempt to increase their pains and impoverish them further.”

The union acknowledged the efforts, commitment and determination of the government of President Muhammadu Buhari to put Nigeria in the right economic stead after several years of economic maladministration and mismanagement, adding that such efforts are being widely acknowledge at home as demonstrated with his re-election for 2nd term in office and globally, even by the IMF.

They pleaded with the President therefore to constantly put in mind the current hardship Nigerians are going through in the collective journey to economic recovery, stressing that any economic policy that is devoid of human feelings could lead to more social dislocations and upheavals which in the long run becomes counterproductive.

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