Deputy Senate President, Ike Ekweramadu has briefed the Presidency over the invasion of the Senate Chamber and stealing of the Mace by some hoodlums in the earlier hours of today, Wednesday and that the Presidency expressed sympathy to the Senate for the incident.
Speaking to news men shortly after a closed door meeting with Vice President Yemi Osinbajo at the Presidential Villa, Abuja, Ekweremadu said that he had briefed the Vice President “because the President is not in town. It was appropriate for him to know what transpired because we run democracy. We are all in one government and it is the responsibility of the President or the Vice President to ensure the law and order in the country.
“Once we have this kind of major development, it is important that he is briefed at the earliest opportunity. The Senate President is out of the country, its therefore my responsibility to come over and brief the Vice President. He has sympathized with us over what happened and he is going to join forces with us to ensure that we get to the root of the matter to make sure that this will not happen again.
“For us it is a threat to our democracy. The invasion of the parliament is not acceptable to any person; it is not acceptable to me, it is not acceptable to the VP; it is not acceptable to my colleagues and I believe it is not also acceptable to the President, so those who acted this script must be on their own.
“All we need to do as a country is to ensure that this is forestalled and I want to appeal to the media to help us discourage this kind of brigandage so that people have to behave in a very responsible manner. “
Senator Ekweremadu gave assurance that Senator are on top of the situation, adding that they carried out sitting today and that they will continue tomorrow.
He however wondered what legal right Omo-Agege, who has been suspended, has to enter the chamber, stressing that it was a breach of the law for him to force himself into the chambers.
“As I said, police is still investigating. We are going to find out the details of those who aided him to come in and then some of them I believe have been arrested and we will get to the root of the matter.”
“Let it be stated that our client could like most other subscribers gloss over such regular illegal deductions. However, his commitment to the principle of transparency, accountability and best practices shall not allow him to paper over such underhand cut and malpractices.
These were contained in a letter which the radical former Military Governor of old Kaduna State and pro-democracy fundamentalist, retired Colonel Abubakar Dangiwa Umar to Nigerian telecommunication giant, Globacom, over illegal deduction of funds from his phone account.
The letter, written on his behalf by his lawyer, Osa Director Esq, Dangiwa said that he has noticed with utter consternation and disdain the consistently regular but illegal deduction of fund from his phone payment
The letter reads: “We are Solicitors to Colonel Abubakar Dangiwa Umar (Retd), a former Military Governor of Old Kaduna State, herein after known as our client and on whose behalf we write you this letter.
“Our client is a subscriber to your Glo Network. He has two lines on your network. However, our client has noticed with utter consternation and disdains your consistently regular but illegal deductions of funds from his account. The reason for such illegal deductions is as a result of your unsolicited and bogus claim of his subscriptions to your numerous offers.
“On a daily basis you deduct a certain amount of money from his two lines for allegedly subscribing to your 577 Wiki Tips and Jokes Tips services. For instance, on 20th and 27th March, 2018, you made three to four deductions of N100 (one hundred naira) each from his lines on account of his “subscription” to 577 services. These unwholesome practices have been going for quite a while unabated.
“Let it be stated that our client could like most other subscribers gloss over such regular illegal deductions. However, his commitment to the principle of transparency, accountability and best practices shall not allow him to paper over such underhand cut and malpractices.
“Also in the interest of millions of subscribers to your network, who are probably vulnerable and weak to the point of being voiceless, our client is demanding that you put a stop forthwith such crass economic exploitation and manipulation of your subscribers. This attitude becomes even more offensive when you multiply N400 daily by 100 million subscribers. That is a colossal amount of N4billion daily taken away from innocent and unsuspecting subscribers.
“This demand by our client is not motivated by any material interest. Therefore, we shall not be asking for any monetary compensation for the inconvenience and rude embarrassment caused to our client by your actions.
“However, we demand on behalf of our client, that you stop outright such illegal deductions and also tender an unreserved written apology to our client. The cessation of such illegal deductions should not be limited to our client alone, as we also demand that you stop such deductions from your numerous subscribers, some of whom are friends and associates of our client.
“It is pertinent to let you know that our client has the phone numbers of these friends and associates. We shall be cross-checking with them to find out if you have done the needful.”
The letter, dated 29th March, 2018 asked Glo to “TAKE NOTICE that failure to so within 14 days from the date above-written, “we shall commence legal actions against you. Take this letter as a pre-action notice.”
President Muhammadu Buhari at the Commonwealth FORUM
President Muhammadu Buhari has lectured Commonwealth countries on the best way to utilize Trade and Investment Facilitation to generate resources for sustainable development amongst members.
He also identified Ease of Doing Business and Regional Integration that expands markets with safeguards against injurious trade practices from third parties; More Inclusive Growth with the empowerment of women and the youth, as factors that are capable of making business among the members countries easier.
In a keynote address he delivered today, Wednesday, at the Commonwealth Business Forum at Guildhall, London, President Buhari said that Provision of a platform for Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs); A radical expansion of human capital for the 21st Century, what is now known as “Knowledge Economy”; and Provision of hard and software infrastructure for the 21stCentury Digital Economy to boost e-commerce, increase efficiency, solve development problems and enhance cyber security, are other factors necessary for an easier business environment.
The Commonwealth Business Forum (CBF), with the subject “Making Business Easier between Commonwealth Countries” is part of events at this year’s Commonwealth Heads of State Meeting, CHOGM- 25.
The President said that Nigeria had already started championing this course with events such as the “High-Level Trade and Investment Facilitation Forum for Development” convened by Nigeria in November 2017 in Abuja in partnership with the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS):
“The Abuja Statement from this Forum: “Deepening Africa’s Integration in the Global Economy through Trade and Investment Facilitation for Development,” has become a global and multilateral reference point. We believe that the Commonwealth should lend its support to these types of activities, as a sound model, for Making Business Easier Amongst Commonwealth Countries.
“To underscore Nigeria’s commitment to spreading prosperity throughout the Commonwealth, in the past 6 months, Nigeria Co-Chaired with the United Kingdom, the “UK All-Parliamentary Group for Trade out of Poverty” (APPG-TOP). The Report of this Commonwealth Inquiry Report was launched on 3rd April, 2018.
“Nigeria affirms its commitment to the principal message from this Commonwealth Inquiry Group that Nigeria co-chaired with the UK. The surest, most sustainable way to lift millions of people out of poverty across the Commonwealth is through boosting trade and investment. We believe that, we, as Leaders in the Commonwealth, should grasp the opportunity and agree a major new focus on trade and investment for inclusive development.”
He shared the experiences of Nigeria regarding the on-going deep and extensive ‘ease of doing business’ reforms which are being staged under a 60-day National Action Plan, saying: “Stage 1 focuses on eight areas that make it easier to register businesses, obtain construction permits, get credit, pay taxes, have electricity, trade across borders, facilitate entry and exit of people and register property. These reforms were codified in an Executive Order. Transparency and efficiency across government was mandated and made enforceable. These reforms have resulted in improvements: reduction in cost and time and greater transparency particularly for micro- small and medium sized enterprises.
“Stage 2 is focused on 11 areas, improving on Stage 1. This stage also covers new areas, including contract enforcement, simplifying the procurement process, and trading within Nigeria. Action in this and subsequent stages will revolve inter alia, around reputational issues.”
The President said that these efforts have been acknowledged as evidenced in the World Bank’s ‘Doing Business’ Report published in November last year, which moved Nigeria up 24 places and recognized the country as one of the top 10 most improved economies in the world. He however said more work needs to be done as we enter the next stage.
“In developing countries, labour and industry are concerned about distortions in trade policies that result in subsidised products which have contributed to exports dumped in developing economies. These have had bad effects in the form of job losses.
“Growth is not yet inclusive and remains elusive. There are downside risks about disruptions to trade and investment. Global and regional markets have been considerably rattled by the risks of trade wars. Concerns over climate change are unabated and are increasing. There are tasks and duties on all sides.”
The Nigerian leader emphasized the need for a healthier business relationship among countries: “But if we are to make business easier between our countries and going beyond the Commonwealth, we must avoid trade wars and work collectively to preserve the global trading order, support regional initiatives as well as support domestic structural reforms that focus on the priorities of individual countries.”
He reiterated his belief in wealth creation and employment opportunities within the Commonwealth: “If there is a collective Commonwealth Commitment to the Ease of Doing Business, we shall spur growth, multiply wealth and expand employment opportunities. These objectives will be accelerated by trade and investment facilitation.”
President Buhari used the opportunity to call on the Commonwealth Business Forum and prospective investors in the Nigerian economy, to participate in the 2018 “UK/Nigeria Trade and Investment Forum” at the London Stock Exchange.
If the invasion of the Senate in plenary today, Wednesday, April 18, by two thugs sponsored by suspended Senator Ovie Omo-Agege (APC, Delta Central), during which they attacked the Mace, the legislative symbol of authority, and made away with it in a Rambo-like operation, is a fore-shadower of what to expect in the weeks and months ahead of the 2019 general elections, then we must all worry. To be sure, Omo-Agege was suspended for his remarks that that the amendment of the 2010 Electoral Act that reordered the sequence of the 2019 general elections, moving the presidential election from the first to the last in the sequence, was targeted at President Muhammadu Buhari. Prior to his suspension, Omo-Agege had apologised to the Senate in plenary; but, in a volte-face, he had proceeded to file a suit against the Senate President, Dr. Bukola Saraki and the Senate when he got winds that the Ethics and Privileges Committee had recommended him for suspension from legislative activities for 180 days. But the Senate, considering the plea by Saraki, decided to reduce the 180-day suspension by a half to 90 days. This, according to the Senate, was to serve as deterrent to other senators who might contemplate taking the Senate to court over its powers to regulate or determine its internal affairs. Omo-Agege, instead of allowing the matter in court to run its full course, was beside himself and decided to resort to that odious self-help. I wonder what he intended to achieve by that. Will his storming the Senate with thugs and disrupting its sitting in a day force a reversal of the decision to suspend him? Certainly not! Instead, it would worsen his situation as it has done. Did he think that the attack on that particular Mace could have prevented a replacement with another Mace? There are so many Maces in the custody of the Sergeant-at-Arms that could serve as replacement. I just cannot understand what Omo-Agege, a supposed gentleman, wanted to achieve. It is sad that a senator of the Federal Republic of Nigeria lost his sense of equanimity when it mattered most and ended up being a misguided role model. He is an unfortunate proxy in a seeming battle in defence of the electoral interest of the President. If the motivation for the show of shame was to ingratiate himself to the Presidency in the battle for 2019 tickets of the APC, then beyond being an unenviable role model and unfortunate proxy, he is a reprehensible tragic hero, putting his reputation and family name at stake. How could an elderly man, head of family and father who is supposedly educated descend so low into the gutter in a desperate bid to achieve what end that is at best mundane? “A good name,” according to the Bible (Proverbs 22.1), “is more desirable than great riches and a loving favour rather than silver and gold.” By that treasonable act of attacking the authority of a revered democratic institution of the Senate of which he is a part even though suspended for 90 days, Omo-Agege is nothing but a felon and should be appropriately dealt with in accordance. He has lost his respect as a senator in the estimation of well-meaning Nigerians. I watched as he was being led away by two very senior Police officers into the back seat of a waiting Hilux van and driven away amid the blaring of siren. That was a pitiable anti-climax to an action that could not escape essential indictment as jejune. The Omo-Agege saga is a reminder of another similar incident that another politician from Delta State choreographed in 2015 at the International Conference Centre where the result of the presidential election was being collated. I refer to former Minister of Niger Delta, Elder Peter Godsday Orubebe, who was the agent of President Goodluck Jonathan where the results of the presidential elections were being announced. At a point, on March 15, 2015, Orubebe went overboard, seized the microphone and for several minutes, insisted that the INEC Chairman, Professor Attahiru Jega, should leave the centre because, according to him, he was biased against the ruling PDP. Openly accusing Jega of being “tribalistic and partial”, he said the INEC chairman acted promptly on the complaints from the opposition APC but refused to accept a petition from the PDP. Although that did not deter Jega from seeing through his assignment, the Orubebe rascality that could have encouraged a rejection of the presidential election result by the PDP was eventually put down by Goodluck Jonathan’s decision to, without consulting his party leaders, accept the result of the election in a historic telephone call to Muhammadu Buhari. That was even when two states were yet to be announced by the INEC. I have drawn this comparison in order to question what the problem is with politicians from Delta State that accentuates their rascality. Well, it may not be solely peculiar to Delta, but the people of the state should begin to interrogate the antecedents and psychologies of those they vote in as their representatives in the National Assembly as from 2019. Other states should follow suit. It is unfortunate that Omo-Agege found himself on the wrong side of the authority in the Senate; otherwise, this side of him would not have been known. His colleague, Dino Melaye, from Kogi State, obviously has more capacity and multiple competencies for mischief than Omo-Agege, but he is on the right side of the Senate authority and he is being mollycoddled; his nuisance values tolerated and deployed to utilitarian advantage. I remember when Dino Melaye was a member of the House of Representatives, he fought on the floor of the House and had his dress torn into rags in defence of the then House leadership under the Speakership of Hon. Patricia Etteh. There were others who had, in the past, thrown decency to the wind and fought one another on the floor of the House. Because of the youthfulness of the preponderant members of the House, they were and are still always eager to flex muscles and actually deliver the punches. But the Senate ambience is different. While senators are not giving to fighting, they are at home exchanging banter. Historically, senators’ action of personally hijacking the Mace is not new to us, but the dimension that Omo-Agege has just introduced, sponsoring thugs to invade the chamber in plenary to attack and make away with the symbol of authority is, no doubt, novel. The ease at which the thugs entered the chamber and grabbed the Mace calls for a review of the security in and around the chambers of the Senate and the House of Representatives. Besides, the legislators’ personal security should be taken seriously by them as the 2019 politicking for elective posts enter into frenzy. Significantly, we should henceforth place a demand for proper and respectful conducts from our senators and spell it out to them that whoever perpetrates this sort of Omo-Agege’s rascality and allied misbehaviours will be recalled. In fact, Nigerians in the various senatorial zones who know the antecedents of those aspiring to represent them, should use their votes to screen out the likes of Omo-Agege from finding their ways to the Senate in particular and House of Representatives and State Houses of Assembly in general. This will help to sanitise the legislative arm of government. Ojeifo, editor-in-chief of The Congresswatch magazine, contributed this piece via ojwonderngr@yahoo.com
A constitutional lawyer, Festus Keyamo (SAN) has said that he had proudly accepted his appointment as the Director of Strategic Communication of President Muhammadu Buhari Campaign Organisation. In a statement, the outspoken lawyer said that he was consulted by the relevant officers before the appointment was made public. “Let me put it on record that I was indeed consulted before the announcement. Upon the offer, I wholeheartedly and proudly accepted the challenge to do this for the good of my country and for posterity. “For in President Buhari I have found an approximation of the lofty values I cherish and have fought for all my life. “I know millions of Nigerians have never seen me in the mould of partisan politics. This is because for the past two and half decades, I have been under intense public scrutiny while engaging successive governments (military and civilian) in the most critical way possible. “The public has also watched me grow steadily all the way from that young, restless lawyer to the exalted position of a Senior Advocate of Nigeria (SAN). In the process of my restless and relentless engagements of the authorities, I have been hounded, arrested, detained, paraded like a criminal, charged and discharged from courts severally, but remain unbowed. Hence, some of us have been branded as “radicals” and seen as completely apolitical.” Festus Keyamo noted that the ultimate aim of every struggle is not to enthrone a perfect, flawless system, adding that it only the starry-eyed, younger ones that think such is possible which he said is “Utopia. “Rather, the ultimate aim of the struggle is to enthrone a government (yes, even with the normal human flaws) that is focused, determined and fiercely opposed to the unscrupulous wheeler-dealers in the society, committed to protecting the interests of the down-trodden, the weak and vulnerable. “One of the obvious ways to do this is to ensure that what belongs to all is not cornered by a few; and if they do so, to ensure that they are made to account and brought to justice. “I can boldly say that no Government in the history of Nigeria has recovered so much looted funds as that of President Muhammadu Buhari. “The fact that this Government has clearly chosen this path in protecting the masses of our country (as unpleasant as it has been to some) is one of the many reasons why I am so proud and bold about my support for the re-election bid of President Muhammadu Buhari. “In doing this, I take a cue from my revered late boss, Chief Gani Fawehinmi, SAN who mentored me. Throughout his career, he also consistently and fiercely engaged every government in Nigeria and suffered as a result. Guess what? THE ONLY GOVERNMENT HE FULLY SUPPORTED THROUGHOUT HIS LIFETIME was that led by General Muhammdu Buhari in 1984 – 1985; and that was to the chagrin of some of his professional colleagues and fellow “radicals.” “However, he saw what they did not see at that time, because when that government was overthrown by General Babangida, what followed was the worst era in our history in terms of institutionalizing corruption and political chicanery in Nigeria. “In the 2007 Presidential election, my late boss again endorsed General Buhari in the following words: “When we talk of anti-corruption war, there is no way you will exclude General Buhari. I don’t want to hear what a political party is going to do, whether ANPP or PDP or NDP or which other political organization. Tell me who is leading the party, tell me who is leading the government, that’s my concern. It’s a matter of leadership. This is a serious election, very serious one.” “Some of those same forces and interests that saw the back of General Buhari in 1985 are still very much around with us. You can hear their voices getting louder of late, preaching hate and toiling hard to incite the people against the President. They want us to go back to our old ways, disguised as if they genuinely care for the masses of this country. When you look at the profile and ignoble antecedents of these characters – the emergency heroes, some of us have no option but to undertake this role we have been called upon to assume just to ensure that they do not succeed in their selfish enterprise. “For all I have said above, my convictions about this job are deep and well thought-out. Given my background, it is clear that I cannot be a sycophantic rabble-rouser, looking for some personal gains. Having reached the top echelon of my career, some of us can conveniently stay away from all these, and continue to earn a good living from our thriving law practice. “However, the call of duty beckons because we are at a critical crossroads in our history where one wrong turn may take us back to the sorry state from which we are emerging. We are here to convince and appeal to the masses not to allow us take that wrong turn. “Now, it is important I elaborate a bit on this “sorry state” from which we are coming. Some people always attempt to befuddle the issues by continually reminding us of certain statistics that existed before 2015 and after 2015. However, our situation before 2015 is comparable to that of a car on a high speed, seemingly doing well on the road, but with the temperature gauge already rising. That car is in trouble. But to the uninformed, the car would be seen as doing well. “However, the callous driver, fully aware of the rising temperature in the engine, continues to speed on. After some time, it is inevitable that the engine of the car would overheat and crash. In that state, the callous driver hands over the car to the new driver. The new driver, seeing the condition of the vehicle, decides to fix the radiator first which is responsible for the overheating in order to protect the engine, before setting out on the road again. Yet, the callous driver mischievously calls everyone to come and see how the new driver has parked the car to fix the engine before setting out once again. The callous driver tells everyone that the new driver is clueless; that that is why the car was parked briefly. “The above anecdote is a graphic reflection of the situation we find ourselves. With the crash in oil prices just before 2015, the previous government resorted to borrowing to pay salaries and recklessly drew down on our foreign reserves, just to give the impression that all was well. So much unearned money was also circulating in the country amongst a few, giving the false impression that we were in a buoyant economy. “However, the economy was headed for a crash. “All the indices show that the slip into recession started shortly before this government took over, like the car which engine was already over-heating. “The attempt by a few to deceive the people that all was well with us before this government took over, is one of the reasons some of us have decided to come out of our shells to put a hole in that false narrative. It is simply a big lie. “I am persuaded that the Buhari Government took the right measures to halt a bigger disaster awaiting our economy had it been otherwise. “Those who are persuaded otherwise are within their legitimate right to do so. We are all patriots, trying to find the right answers to our problems as a nation. However, if you are persuaded otherwise, kindly state in details what exactly should have been done to run the economy better, given the crash in oil prices and production that dropped to around 700,000 barrels per day. “Surely, discerning Nigerians would no longer buy the fable of “Buhari destroyed our economy.” “If I voted Buhari in 2015 and I am to vote for him again in 2019, then why can’t I campaign vigorously for him? I see no reason. It is a fallacy to say you are neutral in politics, yet you step forward to cast your vote at elections. If you are persuaded enough to vote for a candidate of your choice, then you must also be persuaded enough to campaign for that candidate, because your vote would be lost if you do not convince others to also adopt your position. “That is why I have made my choice for 2019 and I will publicly stand by it. That choice is President Muhammadu Buhari. For those who are persuaded otherwise, I challenge them to also name their choices because you cannot criticise my choice of a candidate without naming your own choice. After all, the President would not be running against ghosts or against a vacuum. “Therefore, this is not a time to hide behind a blanket criticism of any candidate. Each candidate should be assessed in comparative terms with other candidates. “There has also been much attempt to de-market the President using his age and health as pummeling tools, and as such raising the decibel in the clarion call for a young or younger President. Firstly, on the issues of age and health, it would be ungodly and outrageous for a mere mortal to assume the status of God Almighty to speculate on the longevity or strength of any human being. Even doctors have been proven wrong on so many occasions. It is a matter entirely in the hands of God. “Our past Presidents that died in office (Abacha and Yar’Adua) were in their prime. In fact, Abacha did not even show any sign of a failing health before he slumped and died. In Zimbabwe, the main opposition candidate for years, Morgan Tsvangirai used the issue of age and health to campaign against President Mugabe, urging him to go and retire and rest. Yet, just a few weeks ago, Morgan Tsvangirai died at the age of 65 and Mugabe is still alive and kicking at the age of 94. “Those are the mysterious ways of God Almighty. No human being should even use that as a campaign gimmick. That person would be courting the wrath of God Almighty. “In addition, no one can argue that age has anything to do with the required integrity to be the President of a country. I also firmly believe that our value systems in politics and the society have been so damaged pre-2015, that a firm and experienced hand is needed to reset our collective psyche before we can set sail again. The notion that public office is just available to share money which was the norm pre-2015 is gradually being changed. Spending a few more years to sustain that kind of re-orientation will do us a world of good. “President Buhari is one of the very last of the upright Mohicans in Nigeria available to help reclaim public integrity before he takes his bow in 2023, if the Nigerian people so wish. We must take advantage of his still being around to deepen the nation’s moral fabric. “The choices before us have never been so CLEAR in the history of our country. On the one hand are those who are already in the mud and seeking to drag others into the mud. These are the ones who keep saying “We are all corrupt together,” and who keep confessing and apologising like people coming out of a trance. They say they should be forgiven because they have been “honest” enough to confess and apologise. “Fellow Nigerians, there is nothing like an honest thief. It is a disgusting oxymoron. A thief is a thief. This is especially so if the thief did not willingly come out to admit he was a thief until his hands were caught right inside the cookie jar. “The other choice before us is a President who has been accused of everything that is false but even his most ardent critics, and detractors locally and internationally have not accused him of having a penchant for wealth accumulation. I am persuaded to campaign for him by his austere lifestyle, his Spartan taste and frugal nature. “I am not looking for a god or an angel to vote for. They are not around here on earth. I am only looking for someone with these minimum personal qualities I have enumerated above. The President’s other human flaws may be there, but I am waiting for the candidates of our opponents to show me their credentials from heaven. “People can easily point to those with questionable past in the ruling party, the APC. “With my antecedents and in my true conscience, I cannot defend them and cannot make excuses for them. However, in joining the President’s party, they are subjecting themselves to the disciplined leadership of the President. Like Chief Gani Fawehinmi, SAN said above, it is the leadership that matters. Like I always ask: should we all stop going to church because some known sinners also throng to churches every Sunday? “The obvious answer is in the negative. On the other hand, the other party whose key leaders were all part of those who pilfered our commonwealth are about to present us with one amongst themselves as a Presidential candidate in 2019. Of course, reasonable Nigerians are waiting to dismiss that before it happens. “However, for some of my friends, colleagues and associates who are still persuaded by the other way of running our country, and who belong to different political platforms, all I can do is to wish them well, but also state that this is a time for us to agree to disagree. It is all for the good of our country. It will bring out the best in us in canvassing our persuasions. “However, I will be putting my heart and soul to this assignment and if anyone is offended by my commitment to the cause, I offer no apology. You can also do likewise to advance your cause. Nigerians would decide at the end of the day. “My message to all those teeming supporters who did it in 2015 for our President is that you do not abandon a ship with which you set sail midway. Our race is not a 100-meter dash. It is a marathon race to rescue our country. We are almost there. When we turn the corner in 2019, you will see the tape at the finishing line. We must not run out of breaths. We believed in 2015. We must keep that belief alive. The hallmark of true supporters is to stand firm in times of storm and in times of calm. The storm is almost over. The President has battled to take control of the steering wheel of the nation and we are on course. “Do not let the naysayers bully you whether in real life or in cyberspaces. When they run out of arguments, they resort to abuses. If they abuse you, see them as patriots, but misguided ones; if they attack you, see them as patriots, but misguided ones; if they call you unprintable names, see them as passionate patriots, but misguided ones. Do not retaliate. With time, especially when majority of votes wipe out their minority opinions in 2019, they will come round to you and acknowledge your vision. So, hold your own and keep your heads up. “For us, this race is never a do-or-die affair. We shall present the facts as we see them and let Nigerians decide. We do not have to hire Cambridge Analytica to scare the electorate. They are already sufficiently scared by the humongous corruption that took place under the watch of the last government; the electorate are already sufficiently scared by those who are apologizing just to sneak their way back to power; the electorate are also sufficiently scared by the tons of cash buried in graveyards, farm houses, luxury flats in Ikoyi, in Yachts in the High Seas and those used to buy real estate strewn all over the world. “Nigerians know from where their problems came. They know it is not President Buhari. They know it came from some of those battling tooth and nail to displace him. Those who are persuaded by us should not remain aloof, please. Kindly join us in this journey. Thank you. FESTUS KEYAMO, SAN, FCIArb (UK). Director, Strategic Communications, President Muhammadu Buhari Campaign Organisation (Official Spokesperson).”
Senate has surrendered over its move to amend sequence of elections in Nigeria. The bill was sponsored by Senator Suleiman Nazif . The bill tilted: “An act to amend the provisions of the Electoral Act No. 6, 2010 to make provisions for the sequence of elections in Nigeria.” In the Senator Nazif presentation on the amendment, he proposed the conduct of Governors and State House of Assembly in the first week and follow by the National Assembly elections while the Presidential election to be conducted last. The President, Muhammadu Buhari refused his assent to the bill a fortnight ago and was returned to the Senate which tried to use majority to veto the President. The Senate was stopped from doing so by a court of law.
Police arrested Senator Ovie Omo Agege over the invasion of the Senate Chamber by some hoodlums who ran away with the Mace, the symbol of authority. Senator Omo Agege, who allegedly led the hoodlums is being made to return the Mace within 24 hours.
The Senate has asked the security to arrest suspended Senator Ovie Omo-Agege and some hoodlums he allegedly led into the Senate plenary to seize the Mace which is the symbol of authority of the Upper Legislative Chamber. “This action is an act of treason, as it is an attempt to overthrow a branch of the Federal Government of Nigeria by force, and it must be treated as such. All Security agencies must stand on the side of due process and immediately mobilize their personnel to retrieve the mace and apprehend the mastermind and the perpetrators of this act.” In a statement by the Senate spokesman, Senator Aliyu Sabi Abdullahi, the Upper Chamber of the National Assembly stressed that this action is also an affront on the legislature, and the Leadership of the House. It said that the Senate is now in an Executive session even as promised that an updated statement will be released immediately after the closed door session.
The International Monetary Fund (IMF) has hailed the rapid growth of the Nigeria’s economy, predicting that it would hit 2.1 percent growth towards the end of this year. The Fund however, projected a slow down to 1.9 percent growth next year, in its latest World Economic Outlook (WEO) Report launched in Washington DC, United States where the annual World Bank/IMF Spring Meetings are ongoing. The IMF advised oil-dependent economies, including Nigeria’s to intensify economic diversification as the global body foresees the crash of crude oil prices in the near future. “Some low-income countries like Mozambique and Nigeria have experienced financial stress or deteriorating loan quality in recent years as growth has moderated and corporate balance sheets have weakened. “Further deterioration in loan quality would impair credit intermediation and ability of the banking sector to support growth, which would raise the risk of cost recapitalisation and severely burden the already strained public finances.’’ The IMF Director of Research, Mr Maurice Obstfeld at a news conference yesterday, said that global economy would grow by 3.9 per cent in 2018. Obstfeld said the forecast was borne out of the continued strong performance in the Euro area, Japan, China and the United States. “Despite the good near-term news, longer-term prospects are more sobering. Advanced economies are far facing aging population, falling rates of labour force and low productivity growth. “Emerging and developing economies present a diverse picture. Many of these countries need to diversify their economies to boost future growth and resilience,’’ he said. According to Obstfeld, global financial conditions remained loose, despite the approach of higher monetary policy interest rates and enabling a further buildup of asset-market vulnerabilities. He said the recent escalating tension over trade (United States vs China) presented a growing risk for global financial stability. “The prospect of trade restrictions and counter-restrictions threatens to undermine confidence and derail global growth prematurely. “While some governments are pursuing substantial economic reforms, trade disputes risk diverting others from the constructive steps they would need to take now to improve and secure growth prospects,’’ he said. The IMF encouraged each national government to advance growth by resolving issues of climate change, infectious diseases, cyber-security, corporate taxation and corruption, among others. The global financial body said “each national government can do much on its own to promote stronger, more resilient and more inclusive growth,” saying global interdependence will only continue to grow; and that “unless countries face it in a spirit of collaboration- not conflict – the world economy cannot prosper.
The House of Representative has commenced a process towards stopping the electricity Distribution Companies (DisCos) from cheating consumers through billing for the electricity they never consumed. A bill seeking to amend the Electicity Power Reform Act, sponsored by the House of Representatives Majority Leader, Femi Gbajabiamila and others, has scaled second reading on the floor of the Green Chamber. If passed, every electricity consumer must be provided with a prepaid meter, thus ending the regime of paying for power not consumed. The lawmakers also proposed to criminalise non-provision of prepaid meter after application and illegal disconnection of consumer’s light among others with a fine of N500, 000, or six-month jail term. Failure to carry out the provision of the proposed law was to attract a six-month jail term, a fine of N1 million, or both. The development followed the second reading of a bill where Section 67, sub-Section 1 of the Principal Act among others was amended. Leading the debate on the general principles of the bill, Gbajabiamila said that feedback from Nigerians showed deliberate extortion of consumers by the DisCos. On the need to back the prohibition of estimated billing by law, the House Leader pointed out the difference between regulation and law. He said: “The Electricity Regulatory body can direct that all consumers be provided with prepaid meters immediately and by the stroke of a pen, can also direct that the prepaid meter no longer be provided for one reason or another. So, if this is backed by law, such can no longer happen.” Other lawmakers took turn to relive their experiences in the hands of Discos officials on estimated bills. Speaker Yakubu Dogara said that he had to disconnect his house in Bauchi that was not occupied but receiving N80, 000 monthly on estimated bill. Deputy Majority Chief Whip, Pally Iriase described estimated bill as a serious financial oppression, adding that the sale of the National asset was faulty from the beginning. Saying that the arbitrariness of the billing is real, Iriase regretted that “the people who were handed our commonwealth for nothing and making millions out of it could not add any value to it. “These are the same people who don’t want to install the meters even after the consumers have paid for the meter, they kept on giving excuses.” Muhammad Monguno (APC, Borno) wonder why estimated bill was alien to Nigeria’s less-developed neighbours like Chad and Sudan and others that Nigeria supplies power to. Mrs. Nkeiruka Onyejeocha (PDP, Abia) regretted that corruption has eaten deep into the system. She described as unacceptable a situation whereby an entire community in parts of Southeast gets one prepaid meter while the bill, running into hundreds of thousands are shared by individuals within the community. “Billing on one prepaid meter by the entire community is always causing problems every time”, she added. Sergius Ogun (PDP, Delta) lamented that the N215 billion intervention fund given to the sector, and by extension to the DisCos, has yielded no result. The Principal Act was amended by creating new Sections 68 to 72 as Section 68 (1), estimated billing methodology is hereby prohibited in Nigeria. Below are the provisions: Section 68 (2): Every electricity consumer in Nigeria shall apply to the electricity distribution company carrying out business within his jurisdiction for a pre-paid meter and such consumer shall pay the regulated fee for pre-paid meter to be installed in his premises and the electricity distribution company shall within 30 days of receiving the application and payment install the pre-paid meter applied for in the premises of the consumer. Section 68(3): Customers who elect to buy their pre-paid meters through Credit Advancement Metering Implementation must state it in their applications and such customers must be metered within 30 days of the receipt of their applications. Section 68(4): All electricity charges or billings to the premises of every consumer shall be based strictly on pre-paid metering and no consumer shall be made to pay any bill without a pre-paid meter first being installed at the premises of the consumer. Section 68(5): If a customer is not metered within 30 days after application has been duly made, the relevant electricity distribution company is prohibited from refusing to connect the customer or disconnect the customer in the event that the customer has been connected or estimate his bills Section 69: Upon connection, the electricity distribution company serving the Consumer must inform the customer in writing on the nature of the meter installed, tariff methodology and all other services available to the customer. Section 70: In giving effect to the provisions of this Act, the National Electricity Regulatory Commission as the regulatory body must ensure that all licensed distribution companies comply with the provisions of this Act. Section 71: All cases of illegal disconnection, refusal of the relevant distribution company to connect a customer after application, un-metering within 30 (thirty) days of a customer applying for a pre-paid meter and estimated billing shall attract both civil and criminal liability. Any officer found guilty shall be liable to a fine of N500, 000, or imprisonment for a term of 6 months or to both such fine and imprisonment as the Court may deem fit. Section 94 sub-Section (2)of the Principal Act is amended by creating a new sub-section (4) as follows: Any person who performs any act or does anything or refuses, fails and/or neglected to carry out his lawful duties with intention to contravene or frustrate the Implementation of Sections 68 and71 of this Act is said to have committed an offence; and upon conviction shall be liable to 6 (six) months imprisonment or a fine of N1,000,000 or to both such fine and imprisonment without prejudice to the right of the Commission to cancel or suspend any license under this Act. The bill scaled second reading after it was unanimously passed in a voice vote.
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Police arrested Senator Ovie Omo Agege over the invasion of the Senate Chamber by some hoodlums who ran away with the Mace, the symbol of authority. Senator Omo Agege, who allegedly led the hoodlums is being made to return the Mace 
The Senate has asked the security to arrest suspended Senator Ovie Omo-Agege and some hoodlums he allegedly led into the Senate plenary to seize the Mace which is the symbol of authority of the Upper Legislative Chamber.
The International Monetary Fund (IMF) has hailed the rapid growth of the Nigeria’s economy, predicting that it would hit 2.1 percent growth towards the end of this year.
The House of Representative has commenced a process towards stopping the electricity Distribution Companies (DisCos) from cheating consumers through billing for the electricity they never consumed.