Nigeria Immigration Service boss, Muhammad Babandede
Nigeria has sent 36 Indians back to their country over possession of fake visas with which they gained entry into the country.
They are Sajji, Mrs. Sajji Arvini, Mrs. Sunil Babujumma, Mrs. Meemi, Papachi, Mr Deva, Rajani, Mrs. Kiran Shivachadra, Shivachadra and Mr Shakthi, Prabhukumar, Rajan, Mr Shree Kumar, Jagandeesh, Mrs. Mamathaja, Mrs. Sheela, Prasad, Pappa and Ms. Nirveni.
Others are Shambhu Kumar, Mrs. Reshma, Ravi Kumar, Iraji, Mrs. Jinotha, Kishore, Nageena, Mrs. Sheelavathi, Nentaraju/Santhosh Kumar, Mrs. Sumati, Krishna Lokesh, Santhil, Vasantha, Seebu, Vishwanath, Vishwanth Ramya and Rajeshwari. According to the Permanent Secretary in the ministry of Interior, Dr Mohammed Umar in a statement, the minister, retired Lt.- Gen. Abdulrahman Dambazau, has approved such deportation with immediate effect, adding that two nationals of the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea were also deported. They are AN Chuk Sik and Jon Su Gyong.
Dr. Umar said that the deportation was done pursuant to section 45(2, 3 and 4) of the Nigeria Immigration Act 2015, adding that the Indian nationals gained entry into the country with fake visas and counterfeit Immigration stamps, while the Korean nationals failed to regularize their stay upon the expiration of their contract with Zamfara Government.
The ministry asked all foreign nationals to operate within the provisions of the law as the nation would not compromise its immigration laws.
Attorney General and Minister of Justice, Shehu Malami has announced the recovery of a total of N769 billion from 2015 to date.
Speaking to newsmen today, Tuesday, after presenting the report of the presidential committee on the recovery of looted funds by public officers, Malami said that the money recovered from tax evaders in May this year was N13.8 billion.
“Again, N3.8 million, $378 million US dollars, 27,800 pounds was equally recovered from public officials.
“In summary the recovered funds by the three man committee is N769billion naira cash were recovered within the period under review.”
He said that in May this year, government paid N439.2 million to about 14 whistle blowers who gave specific information on tax evasion.
President Muhammadu Buhari has confessed that corruption has been fighting back from within his government and outside it as he tries to correct the many wrongs of the past.
He declared today, Tuesday, as he received nomination and expression of interest forms from a group of Nigerians at the Presidential Villa, Abuja: “corruption has been fighting back from both within and outside. But we held our ground.”
He expressed joy that as the nation approaches the 2019 general elections “the weakest ones amongst us, whose selfish expectations did not align with our selfless vision, have exited our party.
“We now have a party of strong and patriotic individuals who are ready, willing and able to continue on this journey of building a strong, secure, self-sufficient and corruption free Nigeria.”
President Buhari said that he was honoured to receive the nomination form members of the group from all over the country contributed money to buy, adding that it is a gesture from an association of patriotic Nigerians, which comprises over three million members that believe in his principle of bringing the desired positive CHANGE in Nigeria.
The President recalled that since his protest at his party, the All Progressives Congress (APC) secretariat a few weeks back on the very expensive cost of the presidential nomination form, he had received many offers from different associations and organisations whose members were ready to pool their resources to buy the form for him.
“The 12 million members of the Rice Farmers Association offered to buy me a form. The members of the Fertiliser Producers Association also contacted my office with the same offer. Some members of the Independent Petroleum Marketers Association also offered to buy the nomination form. I can go on and on.
“I am very touched by these gestures. And I want to assure you all that my commitment to our CHANGE agenda is as strong as ever.
“As I accept this nomination form from NCAN today, I want to ask all the other groups who have offered to buy my nomination form to redirect their contributions to the Not Too Young To Run wing of the APC.
“Nigeria is blessed with many talented and visionary youths who have a lot to contribute. Many of them may not be able to afford the nomination fees set by our party. Your contributions will go a long way in supporting the next generation of leaders.
“I therefore would request that remaining funds raised to buy my presidential nomination form be used to support these young, competent and dynamic future leaders.”
Buhari prayed to God to give him all the strength and wisdom to continue to deliver the promises he and his party made to Nigerians.
President Muhammadu Buhari has vowed to continue to deny looters of public funds the fruit of their crime.
He also vowed to evolve a proper management, transparency and accountability culture in the management of Nigeria recovered assets.
The President spoke today, Tuesday at the presidential Villa, Abuja when he received the report of a three-man presidential committee set up to carry out a comprehensive audit of assets and funds recovered by Ministries, Departments and Agencies of the Federal Government of Nigeria from 29th May 2015 to 22nd November 2017.
Buhari insisted that corruption constitutes a threat to the well-being, national security, and economy of Nigeria even as he made it clear that his government will not allow the wanton diversion and embezzlement of public funds into private pockets.
“Thus, we intend to continue taking all necessary measures to deprive looters of public assets of the fruits of their crimes.
“It is in keeping with the Anti-corruption Policy of this Government, and in line with global best practices that this Committee was set-up to review our asset recovery and management practices in order
“Given our history of impunity, much of Nigeria’s wealth has historically been squandered or stolen; leaving us with inadequate infrastructure for our growing population and economy. Asset Recovery is thus one of the essential tools for fighting corruption and we must therefore take issues of managing such recovered assets very seriously.
“We must utilize proceeds of our recoveries optimally to address our economic and social problems, and loopholes for stealing public funds must be blocked.
“To this end, let me assure Nigerians that the findings and recommendations of the Committee would be carefully examined and given due consideration with a view to implementing the recommendations. Our asset recovery and management system will in future be transparently, effectively and efficiently managed, and we will set-out a fresh template of public accountability in the country.”
The President stressed that the key tool that will revolutionize asset recovery and management architecture is the Proceeds of Crimes Bill which is currently awaiting passage by the National Assembly.
“Once the Bill is passed and assented, many of the challenges facing our asset recovery and management practice will be adequately taken care of as the Bill addresses most of the challenges facing effective asset recovery and management in Nigeria.
He therefore encouraged the National Assembly to take necessary steps to pass the Bill.”
Buhari assured Nigerians that his administration shall continue to keep faith with its promise, and shall remain committed until Nigeria triumphs over the evil of corruption, attain a prosperous economic status and surmounts all her security challenges.
The political primaries are scheduled to hold between this month and the next and definitely by the end of October 2018, the hustling and jostling in Nigeria’s political arena would have begun in full earnest. The elections will be held in February 2019. For the benefit of any outsider who may never have witnessed Nigeria’s general elections, the type that is ahead, I offer in this brief note, a description of what to expect, what is already happening in the context of the character, content and style of Nigerian politics, what will happen and what may happen after the elections.
Note this: Very few Nigerian politicians would easily admit that they are in pursuit of their own vaulting ambition, with an eye on profitable return on investment. They are likely to tell you that they are in the race, because they have been approached by members of their community, or certain interest groups to seek elective office, to seek another term, because they are so good, so indispensable that either the constituency or the people will have problems should they decline. “My people asked me to do this…” is a common refrain in Nigerian politics. To cite a familiar example, President Muhammadu Buhari has been told that there is no “alternative” to him in this country of about 200 million people, by the people who surround him. And he believes them!
For years, we have therefore had too many unwilling candidates who were pushed into public office, not because they had anything to offer but because other people found them useful. There are others who are in politics and who actually go on to win elections just because they have an influential parent, a powerful Godfather, or a sellable family name, or enough war-chest to buy everyone that is available for purchase in the electoral value-chain. In the majority however, you will find those who will claim that they are responding to a Divine call. They have been told by a pastor (especially a General Overseer of one of these miracle-dispensing churches) or an imam (sorry a Sheik in Mali, Senegal, Niger, Guinea Bissau, and in-country, a Sheik in Ilorin, Osogbo, Bauchi, Maiduguri). They all rely on these pastors or imams or the covenants that they enter into in fraternities and cults.
Election season is boom-time for these Nigerian spiritualists and the others our politicians consult overseas. A Nigerian election is not only a do-or-die battle on the physical plane, it is spiritual war. It is time for the spiritualists to eat. And they have started by telling their clients that they are the anointed ones of God. I am not making this up. These merchants of electoral victory are on the internet, especially You Tube, using technology to dispense the gospel. They claim to know who will be the next President or that next Governor or lawmaker; they manage to give only such vague hints that would draw the politicians to their doorsteps. If the politician is a newcomer to the game, there are consultants who claim to know the best pastors and imams, and in case you have not noticed, this is that type of season when prayer mountains, night vigils and special prayer rooms have become extra-ordinarily busy. Every election season, sacrifices are offered – someone who should know has said that there are more cases of kidnapping whenever Nigeria goes to the polls – human beings are offered as sacrifices to all kinds of small gods.
It is all about money and power. The spiritualists are bound to remain in charge before, during and after the elections. Spiritualists dictate the manner of governance and politics in more ways than you can ever imagine. If you disagree, please argue with the paper you are holding or your laptop or ipad, or phone. One spiritualist somewhere in Anambra state recently reported that he was attacked and his car and his body were riddled with bullets. He came out of that encounter unscathed. According to him, the bullets could not penetrate his body. In the Nigeria that I know, and given the season that we are in, that was an excellent marketing strategy. You may not believe the man of God, but he will receive visitations from hundreds of politicians and their thugs who devote substantial time and attention to the search for spiritual fortification. In this same country, one famous politician used to go about with a live tortoise strapped around his neck, nestling comfortably under his agbada! We are in the age and season of bullet-proof, miracle-seeking politicians.
Money. This is an important part of the game. The extant Electoral Act (2010) in Nigeria is very specific about campaign finance and the exact amount that a politician is allowed to spend to seek particular offices, the source of the money, the exact amount that can be contributed by entities or individuals to campaigns and the general role of money in Nigerian elections. The law states that a presidential candidate can only spend a maximum amount of N1 billion, a governorship candidate, N200 million, a senatorial candidate, N40 million, House of Representatives candidate, N20 million, State House of Assembly, N10 million, chairman of local government, N10 million, and councillorship, N1 million. Campaign finance regulations are the most abused in Nigerian elections. The aspirants and candidates do what they like, the regulatory authorities look the other way, before, during and after elections. It is all about money on all sides. Election time is an opportunity for every one involved in the election value-chain to make money. There are some candidates who will be honest enough to say that they sold their houses and vehicles and shares and other possessions to be able to get involved in the process. But there are others who will disclose that they are so broke they have had to take bank loans. And there are others who will claim that they had to go cap in hand to their friends and associates to help them out with funds. There is something common to them all: they incur debts ahead of the election. Should they be lucky enough to win, they have to settle the IOUs that brought them to power. This is the root of corruption in Nigeria that has not yet been addressed. If persons are allowed to violate the electoral law on campaign finance, and get away with it, they will do worse. The rule of law is violated; personal interest is allowed to pre-dominate.
We have just such a case before us right now. The President of Nigeria, Muhammadu Buhari is reportedly so cash-strapped he cannot afford to pay the N45 million required for the purchase of the Expression of Interest Form and Nomination Form for the presidential election in his party, the All Progressives Congress (APC). In 2014, he reportedly took a bank loan to busy the same forms. Nobody has told us whether he has paid off that loan or not, but this time around, one entity has stepped in to buy the forms on the President’s behalf. This is clearly in violation of the Electoral Act, subsection 91(9) thereof. Some kind of solipsistic interpretation has been given by APC lawyers but it is not the duty of lawyers to interpret the law so they might as well just keep quiet. I don’t also want to get into that moral argument about whether or not President Buhari should accept the forms. If nobody invokes the law, and tests it, he will collect those forms and nothing will happen. And there are perhaps others like him at other levels, who may collect favours and gifts far in excess of what the law allows. The law is an ass; it doesn’t behave like one except you refuse to push it.
The law on campaign finance in Nigeria is dead anyway because the entire process is monetized. If you are a Nigerian politician, and you want to be something as small as a councillor (a friend tells me that Councillors are big but I don’t believe him), you will need to find money to start feeding the community, months before the primaries or the election, you have to show up at naming, wedding and funeral ceremonies, pay school fees, hospital bills, send lawyers to police stations to help sort out matters ranging from robbery to wife battery. Every day, in your house, a cow must be slaughtered and food must be provided for every one that walks through the gate. You also have to buy motorcycles, bicycles and help fund the acquisition of third or fourth wives. A man who seeks elective office in Nigeria is a victim, to tell the truth. When his constituents deliver triplets, he is the one that will be called the father of the triplets even if he didn’t enjoy the sweaty, ha-oh- yes! – yes-oh-yes!- you-want-to-kill-somebody- privileges that led to the surplus harvest. And he is expected to pick up the bills.
The Nigerian politician needs thugs, also known as able-bodied-men. Because violence is prevalent and we are beginning to see the signs, every major Nigerian politician builds up his or her squad of thugs, who are conveniently labelled supporters. Their requirements are minimal. They need smoke, instruments and money and they are ready to do whatever it takes to protect their master. To understand Nigerian politics, please find out the meaning of “smoke and instruments” and the role that they play in our context. The Nigerian politician also must look the part. He has to dress well. He must surround himself with a beautiful wife or wives. When the wives are not available, the girls around him must meet certain expectations and the electorate will yell: Oga sir! The Nigerian electorate are children of illusions: they tend to believe what they see. When they are disappointed later, they complain that politicians are bad people. They always forget that they caused the problem in the first place. They sell their stomachs before election day, they sell their votes on election day and they sell their conscience after the election. And the politicians exploit all the shortcomings.
Nigeria continues to fail, because the first thing the politician does is to seek returns on his investments: he wants all the money he has spent on thugs, parties and girls back. The last thing he remembers is his duty to the people. The people, as far as he is concerned have collected their own returns upfront. He wouldn’t need them until he needs their votes again. I have given this broad portrait to paint a picture of where Nigerian politics is, and to all aspiring office seekers, including the experienced ones, I offer the following simple instructions, cynically, but we must together respect what the facts say:
To win elections in Nigeria, you need spiritualists, thugs and money
You need thugs and spiritualists because your life is not safe. You can get killed by assassins, sent by your opponents who also want the same position.
You need money because that is what it is all about. Once you declare your interest in politics, every one around you is likely to believe that you have saved some money aside, or stolen some money, or you have rich Godfathers who have given you money, and you are stupid enough to throw it around, and that only a gambler goes into politics. They want their own share of what you have.
You need the spiritualists because your opponents, believe it or not, will take your name everywhere to their own spiritualists and their minimum objective is to destroy you, or well, stop you.
Don’t ever make the mistake of eating outside. Important political figures in Nigeria do not eat outside. They pretend to be fasting. If you see any Nigerian politician, eating and talking anyhow at a public forum, ignore him, he is not yet ready. He is planning to move from depression mode to suicide.
The law says thugs are not allowed. The tradition is that every politician has a small team of able-bodied men. The state security agencies can’t protect you. Get your own men, and get lawyers too. Lawyers want to chop too. They will help you protect the thugs.
If you can help it, keep your wives and children out of the fray. Your opponents will make them an issue if you throw them into the game.
Beware of the consultants. Many of them will come to you. They know everything. They worked with that Governor and that Senator and they know everything about the media and the field of politics. Just be careful. Politics is about strategy but half the strategists out there are fake.
By all means, pray. Pray hard. You may not win, but if you are alive, you may try again. And don’t be squeamish about this: in Brazil, one imbecile called Adelio Bispo de Oliveira put a knife through a Presidential aspirant’s stomach and nearly killed him. In Nigeria, the situation could have been worse. Seek to be a winner, not a martyr.
Like the Boys’ Scout, be prepared…
This is my advice to you: my short manual on Nigerian politics. There is a longer version where this came from.
President Muhammadu Buhari has expressed sympathy to the victims what he called ‘the tragic fire incident’ that occurred today, Monday in Lafiya, the state capital.
The fire, which reportedly started from a petrol station, killed several persons and destroyed vehicles and several shops.
The President, who was briefed about the scale of destruction of life and propert, expressed grave concern over the high toll in the fire incident even as he consoled the bereaved families and appealed to the state and federal authorities and well meaning persons in the state to ensure that the best medical assistance was provided to the injured persons.
“I wish that this kind of tragedy never happens to any part of the country,” said the President.
An eyewitness, Saidu Hussaini had said today that the explosion killed many people who are passing along the road closed to the gas station.
“I saw more than 10 corpses, and the corpses were from the passersby whose vehicles, motorcycles and tricycles were affected by the explosion.”
He said that apart from the dead, many vehicles, motorcycles and tricycles were also burnt down within the gas station and neighbouring areas.
The state Sector Commandant, Federal Road Safety Commission (FRSC), Faustina Alegbe, also said that two persons has been confirmed dead out of the 37 casualties in the explosion, adding that FRSC personnel evacuated all affected persons to the hospital for medical attention.
The Public Relations Officer of Dalhatu Araf Specialist Hospital in Lafia, Deborah Dangara, confirmed that corpses and casualties from the explosion were brought to the hospital, but declined to give the number of deaths recorded until they get comprehensive reports.
She revealed that all the medical staff at the hospital have suspended all other activities to attend to victims of the explosion.
The Chief Fire Officer of the state fire service, Dogara Dalhatu, said that the situation is under control as the affected individuals have been evacuated to the hospital.
Former Vice President Atiku Abubakar who is currently a Presidential aspirant on the platform of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), has asked the former Jigawa State Governor, Sule Lamido and also currently a Presidential aspirant on the same political platform for the 2019 election to step down for him.
Atiku, who spoke today, Monday at the headquarters of the PDP in Dutse, capital of Jigawa, emphasized that Lamido ought to step down for him because he is his elder brother.
Adressing some party leaders in the state during his ongoing campaign tour, Atiku likened the scenario between himself and Lamido to that of the Yar’Adua brothers, where Umar the younger brother shelved his gubernatorial ambition so as not to endanger Shehu’s presidential ambition.
“But with the intervention of elders in the state, the junior brother Umar Musa stepped down for another aspirant so that the politics will not be a family affair, leaving Shehu Musa to contest for president while someone from another family vied for governor.”
The former Vice President argued that his mother was an indigene of a village called Jigawar Sarki in Dutse Local Government Area of the state and had migrated to Adamawa State where she gave birth to him.
“Sule Lamido is my junior brother and will learn from what transpired between Shehu Musa and Umaru Musa.”
Governor Aminu Waziri Tambuwal of Sokoto State has decided to surrender a second term bid, preferring to contest as Presidential aspirant of the opposition Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), to which he defected recently.
In his place is Alhaji Mannir Dan Iya, the immediate past Commissioner for Local Government who the PDP has picked as a consensus candidate for the state governorship election in 2019.
Governor announced the name of Mannir Da Iya today as the consensus gubernatorial candidate of the PDP, saying: “we had a very crucial meeting and in line with the democratic principle of consensus, majority of the participants have agreed and consented of Mannir Dan’iya as the sole candidate of the party in the forthcoming Governorship election in the state.
“We will all work together as a united family to ensure the victory of PDP in the state and at the central.”
Tambuwal said that all the 18 state lawmakers that defected with him and the national lawmakers from the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC), on which platform he won the governorship election in 2015 to PDP, would be given automatic tickets as promised by the national headquarters of the party.
He appealed to the members of the party to respect the agreement and take it in good faith.
Governor Akinwunmi Ambode of Lagos State has made it clear that he is not tired to do more to uplift Lagos State as he formally declared his intention to go for second term in the 2019 election on the platform of the All Progressives Congress (APC).
Governor Ambode, who spoke at the open ground in Alausa, while addressing party faithful, said that more need to be done for the State. He had earlier picked his nomination form for a second term at the APC Headquarters in Abuja.
He said: “in these three and a half years as your governor, I have seen visible proof that we can achieve unbelievable things when we all come together with no more than our belief in our dreams.
“We achieved because you believed. But there is still a lot more to be done. But I am not daunted. I am not tired and I am sure you feel the same way because we all envision a better Lagos, a Lagos of our dreams.”
The governor said that he had collected his nomination form earlier in the day, and asked for support as he sought to continue with the mandate to steer the affairs of the state. “I ask you to believe again, and together, let’s achieve more.
“Exactly four years ago, I called on you to join me in a journey of selfless service to build a secure and prosperous Lagos State driven by a vibrant economy and supported by quality service, equity and justice.
“You believed in me and gave me your support.”
Governor Ambode thanked Lagosians for believing in him and his government as well as their support so far throughout this administration.
“I thank all members of our great party, the All Progressives Congress; our political leaders, most especially our National Leader, Chief Bola Ahmed Tinubu, for giving me the platform to contribute to the further growth and development of our state.
Speaking on Ambode’s second term bid, Sen. Gbenga Ashafa representing Lagos East Senatorial District, said he was happy with Ambode’s declaration and was in support of his move. Ashafa called on residents to support Ambode in order to witness a more prosperous Lagos.
Also, a member of the House of Assembly, Mr Tunde Braimoh, said Ambode deserved a second term as all he had done was visible for all Lagosians to see. Source: NAN
The Board of Trustees (BoT) of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has made a move, with the setting up of a 12-member committee to work on consensus option in picking its Presidential candidate from amongst 13 presidential aspirants now jostling for the position.
According to the chairman of the BoT, Senator Walid Jibrin, the present number of aspirants is complex, stressing that there are fears that there could be disagreement among the contestants that could lead to major divisions after the primaries.
“A committee has been set up to discuss with all the aspirants to come up with one of them as a consensus candidate. We have 13 of them in the race.
“We have also advised the leadership of the party to regulate the processes and draw a code of conduct to guide the conduct and behaviour of the aspirants and officials to be engaged in the selection process.
“Consequently, the BoT has forwarded its full recommendations to the National Working Committee (NWC) of the PDP for consideration.”
Jibrin, whose tenure as chairman Bot has been renewed, urged members of the BoT to always maintain their honour and integrity by remaining neutral in all the processes leading to the emergence of party’s candidate.
The chairman of the BoT stressed that the committee would not compel any of the aspirants to withdraw from the race, but rather, “they would be persuaded to put the interest of the party above their personal interests and ambitions”.
Those in the race for the presidential ticket of the PDP are: former Vice President, Atiku Abubakar; Sokoto State Governor, Aminu Tambuwal; Gombe State Governor, Ibrahim Dankwabo; President of the Senate, Bukola Saraki; former Governor of Jigawa State, Sule Lamido; former Governor of Kaduna State, Ahmed Makarfi; former Plateau State Governor, Jonah Jang; and former President of the Senate, David Mark.
Others are: former Minister Special Duties Duties and Inter-governmental Affairs, Kabiru Tanimu Turaki; former Governor of Kano State, Rabiu Musa Kwankwaso; former Governor of Sokoto State, Attahiru Bafarawa; Mr. Stanley Osifo and a former Senator, Baba Datti Ahmed.
The BoT had last week met in Abuja where it disclosed that it was working to reduce the rising number of presidential aspirants, but said it would not force any aspirant to step down.
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President Muhammadu Buhari has expressed sympathy to the victims what he called ‘the tragic fire incident’ that occurred today, 
