More People Have Died In Nigeria Than Iran, Afghanistan Under APC – Atiku

July 21, 2018

Former Vice President of Nigeria and leading Presidential aspirant of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Alhaji Atiku Abubakar has alleged that more Nigerians have died under the government led by the All Progressives Congress (APC) than in Iran and Afghanistan.

Atiku who spoke today, Saturday, when he formally declared in Yola, the capital of Adamawa State, his intention to contest the 2019 presidential election, promised to stop the wanton killings and return the country to sanity.

He said that the current APC government had performed below expedctations in the management of the economy, in keeping the country united and stemming the trend of wanton loss of lives.

“the APC government has destroyed our economy. They took over an economy with a growth of 7 per cent and brought it down to less than 2 per cent. Today we are witnessing the most insecure situation in Nigeria ever since APC took over.

“Fellow Nigerians, the government of APC has failed, it has failed to unite Nigerians” Atiku said adding “today we are more divided than in any other time in the history of this country.

“Today we have the highest unemployment rate in this country. More than 10 million of our people have been made unemployed under the watch of the APC administration.”

The PDP Presidential hopeful said that he is poised to work with other compatriots in the PDP to secure the party’s nomination for the next year’s election and rebuild the economy and reunite the country.

“What the PDP is going to do is to restore our economy, restore hope of a greater Nigeria and ensure that we have security of lives and property.

“I therefore appeal to all of you wherever you may be that it is time to now re-embrace the party that has given us unity, prosperity and security in this country.”

Hajj Commission Flags-Off 2018 Airlift Of Pilgrims To Saudi Arabia

Greenbarge Reporters

July 21, 2018

The National Hajj Commission of Nigeria (NAHCON), today, Saturday, kick started the airlift of intending pilgrims to Saudi Arabia for 2018 Hajj operations with over 400 intending pilgrims from Kogi State being airlifted by Max Air to Madinah.

This is coming one week after the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia began its Hajj season.

The airlift which took place at the Domestic Wing of the Nnamdi Azikwe International Airport at 11:00 am was witnessed by the chairman and Chief executive officer of the commission, Barrister Abdullahi Mukhtar Mohammed.

Meanwhile, information from NAHCON said that the biometric data registration is progressing steadily, adding that State Muslim Welfare Boards in conjunction with biometric data capturing officials have been doing commendably well in this regard.

“As at 19th of July, statistics shows that 17, 000 (seventeen thousand) biometric data have been captured while over five thousand visas have been processed.

“Pilgrims are once again reminded that the registration is availed free of charge courtesy of Saudi Arabia’s generosity. Therefore, any intending pilgrim that paid for the registration hitherto is urged to return to his/her registration center for a refund.

“Similarly, intending pilgrims are advised to be patient and wait for their turn to be invited for the biometric registration before they present themselves at the centers. This is important to maintain orderliness, prevent stress and to follow the arrangement on ground to accommodate a specific number of people at a time yet; everyone will be captured before end of the exercise.

“Intending pilgrims are also advised to note, for avoidance of speculations and distrust, that there are other biometric data capturing candidates that are not pilgrims but are legitimately traveling to Saudi Arabia for their different purposes. Therefore, the handlers alternate between different categories of biometric applicants, vis-a-vis pilgrims from licensed tour operators, travelers on tourism, as well as those applying for work and study visas to Saudi Arabia; everyone visits the same biometric centers for data capturing. Hence everyone is enjoined to exhibit the spirit of tolerance.” [myad]

Finance Minister By-Passes FAAC, Shares N668.9 Billion To 3-Tiers Of Govt

Greenbarge Reporters

July 20, 2018

The minister of finance, Kemi Adeosun has by-passed the Federation Accounts Allocation Committee (FAAC) by sharing the sum of N668.898 billion to the three tiers of government for the month of May.

Director of Information at the Federal Ministry of Finance, Hassan Dodo, who made this known in a statement today, Friday in Abuja, said that the sharing of revenues for May, which was meant to be distributed in June, was put on hold because of the disagreement on remittances by the revenue generating agencies, especially the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC).

Dodo said that the money was distributed due to the urgent need to cushion the undue hardships being experienced by workers nationwide. He, however, said the government was intensifying efforts to address the unsatisfactory remittances.

“The total revenue realised for the month, was shared in line with the extant formula as follows: Federal Government – N282.223 billion; State Governments – N181.167 billion; and Local Government Councils – N136.490 billion. The Oil Producing States received N53.071 billion as 13 per cent derivation.”

Source: Channels TV.

Presidency Asks Nigerians To Ignore Ethnic Groups Shedding Crocodile Tears

Greenbarge Reporters

July 20, 2018

The Presidency has advised Nigerians to ignore those it described as ethnic and sectional groups who assembled in Abuja recently to shed crocodile tears.

The Presidency insisted that they are selfish leaders, who felt alienated after a transparent and accountable system halted their disproportionate survival on resources of the state.

Referring to a communique issued by the leaders of some socio-cultural organizations led by the Northern Elders Forum (NEF) and some ethnic and sectional groups which accused the Muhammadu Buhari administration of incompetence in handling the security situation in the country, in a statement today, the Presidential spokesman, Malam Garba Shehu expressed worry on the “unholy alliance by these groups who are stepping up their assault on the All Progressives Congress administration as it expands its national dominance and moves closer to securing an outright victory in the elections next year.”

Garba Shehu said that the Presidency is dismayed at the refrain about President Buhari not doing anything about security in the country which he said, had now turned into the number one fake news item being peddled in the media.

The Presidency then referred all those it said are purveyors of falsehood to a State House press release published a few days ago and signed by Special Adviser on media and publicity to the President, Femi Adesina, which clearly outlined the government’s major achievements and initiatives in tackling security challenges from January to July, 2018.

“The press release which was titled: “Combating Insecurity in the Country: Lest We Forget – Presidency’’ listed out on going security operations: (1) Nigerian Army’s Exercise Ayem Akpatuma covering Benue, Taraba, Kogi, Nasarawa, Kaduna and Niger States launched in February to tackle cases of kidnappings, herdsmen/farmers’ clashes, among others; (2) Nigerian Air Force establishment of three new Quick Response Wings (QRW) in Taraba, Nasarawa and Benue States respectively, and deployment of Special Forces personnel.

“The press release also noted President Buhari’s approval for the establishment of a new Battalion of the Nigerian Army, as well as a new Police Area Command, in Birnin Gwari Local Council in Kaduna State, as part of measures to scale up security in response to the banditry affecting the area.

“We advise Nigerians to read Adesina’s statement if they haven’t yet, or re-read it for better understanding of the efforts to ensure peace in the country.

“It is sad and misleading for anyone to say that President Buhari had not responded to the security challenges in the country.

“No one can honestly say that President Buhari is doing nothing about security. It’s just a fake news item being peddled by selfish politicians with vested interests in keeping Nigerians incensed, and it risks being entrenched as reality if we don’t educate ourselves with the truth.”

Buhari Laughs At Politicians Who Think They Can Buy Nigerian Votes

Greenbarge Reporters

July 20, 2018

President Muhammadu Buhari has laughed off politicians who still live in the past thinking that with their money, they can wangle their way into power.

He said: “some of the people thought to be uneducated and unsophisticated are very educated and sophisticated during elections; for those who have money to give they say bring the money we will still do what we want to do.”

The President spoke today, Friday, when he received members of the Buhari Support Group Centre (BSGC) at the Presidential Villa, Abuja.

President Buhari said that God’s divine intervention and the use of technology during the 2015 elections exposed the weakness of previous processes where a privileged few sat and allocated figures to constituencies during elections.

“They just sit and look at a constituency and they award the numbers, then they say anybody who disagrees should go to court; now, for somebody who is looking for the next meal where does he get money to pay Senior Advocates of Nigeria?

“Thank God for technology. With the PVC (Permanent Voter Card), you know where you registered and it can be shown whether you voted or not.”

Buhari, who advised Nigerians to get their voters card for the 2019 elections, and ensure that they vote to please their conscience with pride as citizens, gave reason why he made his intention to contest the 2019 Presidential elections known early.

President Buhari said that one of the reasons was to stop distraction to governance by those agitating for and against his second-term.

“I had to announce before the National Executive Committee (NEC) of our party about my intention to ask for the party’s nomination for next year’s election so that we can save a lot of time and cool tempers.

“A lot people were trying to make it a habit of being a nuisance to themselves and many Nigerians, so when I came out I said those who are serious let them come out.

“And I tried to make sure that the party is organized and consolidated so that we start from the bottom to the top, and that Nigerians will be involved in a way that each constituency will pick those that are going to represent them at various levels, whether as Local Government chairmen, in the State Assembly, House of Representatives, Senate and finally the president.”

The President commended the BSGC for all the sacrifice and steadfastness in championing his candidacy.

“I thank you very much for the sacrifice you have been making. I am happy to use this opportunity to meet you and thank you for the sacrifices and steadfastness. I don’t think I can thank you enough because by identifying yourself as a group for all these years and getting nothing for it visibly I think its worthy of commendation.”

The Coordinator of the BSGC, Umaru Dembo, said: “through thick and thin, rain or sun shine, hot or cold we are here to assure Mr. President that since 2014 we have been working, expanding and helping to explain the new life that your government has ushered in for the good people of Nigeria.”

He said that the BSGC had initiated the documentation of the President’s achievements in a book authored by Dr. Sani Muktar Bichi and himself.

Dembo assured the President of a bottom-up process of mobilizing more supporters for the administration, while appreciating him for reversing the trend of impunity, corruption and lawlessness that reigned before 2015.

Dembo said that the BSGC is an umbrella organization encompassing “Women for Buhari and Osinbajo,” “A Kasaa Tsare,” “Northern Youth Assembly,” “Buhari Renewal mandate” and others in support of good governance in Nigeria.

Central Bank Of Nigeria, China Kick-Start Currency Swap

July 20, 2018

The Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) and the People’s Bank of China (PBoC) have formally kick-started the Bilateral Currency Swap Agreement (BCSA) which was signed on April 27 this year in China.

A statement by the CBN’s spokesman, Isaac Okorafor today, Friday, said that the sales of foreign exchange in Chinese Yuan (CNY) would be through a combination of spot and short tenored forwards.

It added that the exercise, which would be Special Secondary Market Intervention Sales (SMIS) retail, would be dedicated to the payment of Renminbi denominated Letters of Credit for raw materials and machinery and agriculture.

The spokesman explained that the CBN would receive bids from all authorized dealers, saying that as a result of the peculiarity of the exercise, CBN would not be applying the relevant provisions of its Revised Guidelines for the Operation of the Inter-bank Foreign Exchange Market, which direct all SMIS bids to be submitted to the CBN through the Forex Primary Dealers (FXPDs).

According to Okorafor, the CBN would also not be applying the relevant provisions of the Guidelines which equally provide that “Spot FX sold to any particular end-user shall not exceed 1% of the overall available funds on offer at each SMIS session.”

Speaking on the bid period, he said that authorized Dealers should submit their customers’ bids from 9.00 am to 12.00 pm on Friday July 20, 2018, adding that bids received after this time would be disqualified.

On funding, he said that authorized dealers are to debit the customers’ accounts for the Naira equivalent of their bids, stressing that the CBN would debit authorized dealers’ current account on the day of intervention to the tune of the naira equivalent of their bid request.

Okorafor further explained that there would be no predetermined spread on the sale of FX Forwards by Authorized Dealers to end-users under the Special SMIS-Retail, adding that authorized Dealers would be allowed to earn 50 kobo on the customers’ bids.

According to the CBN spokesman, the bids would be on Spot FX basis as the Authorized Dealers’ accounts with the CBN would be debited in full for the Naira equivalent of the USD bid amount, even as he advised customers that are not willing to accept the settlement terms not to participate in this Special SMIS – Retail.

He said that forward bids would be settled through a multiple-price book building process and would cut-off at a marginal rate to be disclosed after the conclusion of the Special SMIS – Retail process.

He also urged customers not willing to accept the terms of the forward rate not to participate in this Special Chinese Yuan SMIS Intervention.

Okorafor emphasized that the CBN reserved the right not to make a sale if it had the impression that the exercise did not provide an effective price for the determination of the CNY/NGN exchange rate.

Obasanjo Recruiting Rent-Seeking Politicians For 3rd Term Agenda – Oshiomhole

Greenbarge Reporters

July 20, 2018

Chief Olusegun Obasanjo in group Photograph with members of the PDP NWC led by National Chairman Prince Uche Secondus | Photo credit: The Whistler NG

National chairman of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Comrade Adams Oshiomhole, has described the former Nigerian President, Chief Olusegun Obasanjo as an expired old man who has embarked on the recruitment of rent-seeking politicians for the purpose of grabbing power for his third-term which Nigerians had rejected long ago.

Speaking to news men today, Friday, in Aso Rock Presidential Villa, Abuja, shortly after a closed door meeting with President Muhammadu Buhari, Oshiomhole said: “…that old man is going round as an organizing secretary, recruiting people, looking for tired players to continue with his third term agenda which Nigerians have rejected.”

The APC boss, who was reacting to insinuation that the ruling party is being hit my massive defections of its top shots to other parties, said that by whatever form the coalition, led by the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) come in, “Nigerians have spoken and they are not about to return to the era where NNPC and Central Bank and security money is shared to people based on the philosophy of PDP -‘share the money.’ They won’t do that.”

He said that if there has been mass defection, it is the PDP that had suffered most.

“I think this is what you should ask the PDP. They are the ones who have suffered huge mass defection even of the so called founding fathers.

”In those good old days, people like Professor Jerry Gana will tell us that we are the founding fathers; people like president Obasanjo will tell you that I was the first president and all those stuff. All of these people are gone.”

Oshiomhole said that a party, like the PDP, whose founding fathers, including Professor Jerry Gana and former President Olusegun Obasanjo, can never upstage the ruling party.

“I think the media should get more engaged and scrutinize those of us who are political players, especially when we speak from both sides of our mouths, or we know are turning the truth upside down.

“Just few months back, you know that a good number of them after their convention; people like Professors Oyediran and Jerry Gana, who are said to be founding fathers of the party left to form what is called the SDP. So, they broke out and when it dawn on them that even together we defeated them just four years ago, now further factionalized what can they do? They just want to capture power for the sake of power.

“And they said okay, even though we have already broken the house into pieces for the purpose of capturing power, let’s come together. Does it make sense? I mean in the morning you broke away from PDP to SDP, then to ADC and then in the evening, you say you are… let me put it more differently.

” As brothers and sisters belonging to the same family, we decided to fight and denounced our family, denounced our surname and everybody decides to adopt a name that suits him. Now we are confronting our opponent. We suddenly realize that we have just become pockets of mushrooms, you knowing having dropped our father’s surname and adopted different names; we now say how do we confront this massive opposition? Then we say okay, we can’t be brothers again because we have already denounced that, but can we now become a coalition of friends? Now what brothers cannot do, is it friends that will do it? Particularly, friends of all kinds of multiple feathers?”

Osinbajo Goes To Dubai; To Address Business Community

Greenbarge Reporters

July 20, 2018

Vice President Yemi Osinbajo leaves for Dubai tomorrow, Saturday, the United Arab Emirate tomorrow, where he is scheduled to deliver a keynote address at the Christ Redeemers Friends International (CRFI), Middle East-UAE Chapter Professional Business Summit…
A statement today, Friday, by the senior special assistant to Osinbajo on media and publicity, Laolu Akande said that Professor Osinbajo would be addressing top corporate executives and international business organizations in the Middle East and Africa at the event which is being organized by the CRFI, Middle East-UAE Chapter, aimed at exploring investment opportunities for corporate professionals and business organizations in the UAE and Nigeria.
“The event is also aimed at creating an environment for mutual interaction and opportunity to showcase the best of Nigeria in the current economic climate, and to project Nigeria’s business image abroad.”
Akande insisted that under the government of President Muhammadu Buhari, the country’s economy has made significant strides, adding that the Presidential Enabling Business Environment Council, which is chaired by the Vice President, has been the driver of the Buhari administration’s Ease of Doing Business reforms, which have improved the country’s ranking in the World Bank’s Ease of Doing Business Index 2017.
He recalled that in the World Bank Doing Business index, Nigeria climbed up 24 places and was placed on the list of 10 most reformed economies globally.

“Also, the report noted that Nigeria made progress across several indicators comprising starting a business, dealing with construction permits, getting electricity, registering property, getting credit, paying taxes and enforcing contracts.
Akande said that the Vice President is expected back to Nigeria on Sunday.

How Dino Melaye’s Thugs Shot, Wounded Policeman In Kogi – Police

Greenbarge Reporters

July 20, 2018

Kogi State Police Command has narrated how thugs in the convoy of Senator Dino Melaye, representing Kogi West Senatorial District opened fire on a policeman and wounded him at a checkpoint in the State.

In a statement by the Command’s Public Relations Officer, William Ovye Aya reacting to allegation that unknown gunmen in uniform fired gun shot at the vehicle of the Senator, the Command described it as misleading.

The Command said that at about 3.30pm yesterday, Thursday, a team of policemen from the Command was on a routine anti– Robbery/Kidnapping patrol along Aiyetoro Gbede–Mopa road.

“During the patrol, and as it is often the practice, the team pinned down at a point at Iyah Gbede Junction, where they were observing the highway and occasionally conducting Stop and Search. It was in this process a long convoy of vehicles coming from Mopa towards Aiyetoro Gbede approached the Point. “Officers of the Command at the Point flagged down the convoy. While the lead vehicle, a Toyota Hilux van, which was later discovered to be conveying officers of the Nigerian Security and Civil Defense Corps, stopped to introduce themselves, other vehicles in the convoy dangerously zoomed off without regards to the safety of the officers on ground.

“Surprisingly, some plain clotheed armed men, occupying a white Toyota Hilux van, without registration number, without provocation fired gunshots at the officers of the Anti-Robbery /Kidnapping Patrol Team. One of the officers, a Sergeant, was hit by bullet on the right part of his chest as a result of which he sustained grievous injury. The Officer is currently lying critically ill in the hospital where he has undergone a live threatening and currently recuperating.

“Expectedly, the policemen in self defense responded by firing back to repel the unexpected attack. Vehicles in the convoy nevertheless, drove away from the scene. It was not until the officers of the Nigerian Security and Civil Defense Corps were questioned that it was realized that the convoy was that of Distinguished Senator Dino Melaye.

“It is rather unfortunate that the Senator could after this dastardly act by his aides, be going around with armed men, unknown to the Command who could launch such a lethal attack on police officers in the course of their normal duty.

“It is more saddening that the Senator could turn around to issue misleading statements to cover up the heinous crime committed by his hired aides.

“While, the command has instituted a high powered investigation panel into the incident Distinguished Senator Melaye is hereby advised to report with people in his convoy to the office of the Deputy Commissioner of Police, State Criminal Intelligence and Investigation Department, Lokoja to assist in the investigation.”

Blueprint Newspaper Honours Distinguished Nigerians

Greenbarge Reporters

July 19, 2018

Former Governor of Kogi state, Captain Idris Wada (right) receiving the Blueprint’s Distinguished Award in Patriotism from Chairman, Blueprint Newspapers, Alhaji Mohammed Idris (middle) with them is the Kogi state Former Commissioner of Information /Editor-In-Chief of the Newspaper, Hajiya Zainab Suleiman Okino in Abuja, yesterday.

Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of the National Hajj Commission of Nigeria (NAHCON), Barrister Abdullahi Muktar Muhammed (right), receiving Blueprint’s Distinguished Public Service Champion Award from Royal Father of the Day, the Etsu Nupe, HRM, Alhaji Yahaya Abubakar in Abuja yesterday. [myad]

1...1,2581,2591,260...2,499 Page 1,259 of 2,499