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121 People Await Death In Indonesia, 18 To Be Executed After Ramadan

Indonesian presidentBambang Waluyo, Indonesian Deputy Attorney General, has said that no fewer than 121 people are currently on death row in Indonesia, including 35 foreigners, mostly convicted of drug-related crimes.

Waluyo who disclosed this on Monday in Jakarta during a parliamentary hearing, said that his office is preparing to execute 18 convicts, after July 6, the Eid al-Fitr Muslim holiday, which ends of the holy month of Ramadan even as the government planned to execute 30 death-row convicts in 2017.

Meanwhile, the Justice Ministry said that those on the death row include Mary Jane Veloso from the Philippines, Lindsay Sandiford from Britain and Frenchman Serge Atlaoui.
The ministry recalled that in 2015, Indonesia executed 14 convicts; all but two of them were foreigners, in a move that drew international condemnation.
Under Indonesian law, each convict would face a squad of 10 gunmen.
Indonesian President, Joko Widodo, who took office in 2014, has taken a tough stance against drug trafficking, saying that the country is facing a drug emergency.
dpa/NAN. [myad]

Ekwueme Advocates Regional Independence For Nigeria

Alex EkwuemeFormer Nigeria Vice President, Dr. Alex Ekwueme has advocated regional independent where the six zones of Nigeria would have their constitutions.

Ekwueme saidthat what Nigeria negotiated and agreed on with the British colonial authorities before independence in 1960 was a regional government arrangement, where each of the federating units had a constitution, which was annexed to the Republican Constitution of 1963.
The former Vice President made his position known at the 17th Annual Convention of the Igbo Youth Movement, which comprised former governors of Anambra State, Chief Chukwuemeka Ezeife and Peter Obi, and Niger Delta activist, Ankio Briggs. The theme of the convention was ‘Still in search of true federalism.’

“It was on the basis of that (balancing interest of minority and majority) that I came to the conclusion that we should have six regions or geo-political zones as you call them as of the 1994 constitutional conference – three in the North and three in the South.
Ekwueme stressed that it was time for Nigeria to revert to the basic principles and arrangements left behind by the country’s founding fathers.
Going down memory lane, Ekwueme observed that his incarceration by the military in 1984 at Kirikiri prisons afforded him the opportunity to reflect deeply on Nigeria’s problems.
According to him, he came to the conclusion that a six geo-political zonal structure was the solution to the ills plaguing Nigeria.
Ekwueme added, “The six-geopolitical zonal structure will take care of minorities in both the North and the South.
“It was on the basis of that (balancing interest of minority and majority) that I came to the conclusion that we should have six regions or geo-political zones as you call them as of the 1994 constitutional conference – three in the North and three in the South.
“From the south, you have the South-West, the Yoruba; you have the South-East, the Igbo; and then you have two minority groups, Mid-West and COR (Calabar, Ogoja and Rivers) as South-South.
“In the North, you have the North-West, which is Hausa/Fulani; then the North-Central, Middle Belt, which is the aggregation of minorities, and then in the North-East again, minorities predominated by Kanuris in Borno and Yobe and then other minority groups.”
According to him, the Republican Constitution provided a sharing formula, which allocated 50 per cent to the regions, 30 per cent to a distributable pool and 20 per cent to the centre.
“There is a need for us to return to the basics from what we inherited from our founding fathers,” Ekwueme said. [myad]

Buhari Condemns Terror Attack In Florida

Abba Kyari and BuhariPresident Muhammadu Buhari has condemned yesterday’s terrorist attack on the Pulse Night Club, Orlando, Florida, describing it as criminal and cowardly,”

In a letter to the Ambassador of the United States in Nigeria, James Entwistle, President Buhari conveyed Nigeria’s heartfelt sympathy to President Barrack Obama and the people of United States of America.

The President also assured the United States of Nigeria’s continued support and cooperation in the fight against terrorism.

“President Buhari extends his most sincere condolences to the families, relatives and friends of the victims.

“The President condemns such criminal, cowardly attack, wherever it might occur, as an attack on all decent, democratic, peaceful people.

“Every terrorist attack only strengthens Nigeria’s resolve to stand shoulder to shoulder with the United States and other countries in the frontline of the war on terror,” the letter, which was signed by the Chief of Staff to the President, Abba Kyari read.

President Buhari also called on all peace-loving nations to commit themselves whole-heartedly to multilateral cooperation and collaborative actions aimed at eradicating the scourge of international terrorism. [myad]

Yes, We Are Now Ready To Dialogue – Niger Delta Avengers

Blown up oilThe Niger Delta Avengers (NDA), the militant group attacking oil facilities in the Niger Delta on Monday has finally agreed to dialogue with the Nigerian Government but that it must involve the oil companies operating in the region.

In the last few weeks, the group had blown up dozen of oil facilities across the Niger Delta States forcing Nigeria’s oil production to 1.1 million barrels per day, the lowest in recent times.

In a statement by its spokesperson, Brigadier General Mudoch Agbinibo, the group warned however that none of the oil companies should carry out repairs on the blown off installation before the dialogue is concluded.

“We are going to redirect and reactivate all our activities if the government, oil companies and their services firms don’t heed to these modest warnings of not carrying out any repairs works   and suspend the buying of crude oil from our region as we await the right atmosphere that will engender genuine dialogue. We Want a peace with Honour not a Peace of our time”

The statement reads in full:

“The high command of the Niger Delta Avengers (NDA) is using this medium to restate that there are no new items to put on the table for dialogue, we only want a genuine attitude and conducive atmosphere that will make us commit to any proposed dialogue and last peace talk. We want the federal government to commit members states of the multi national Oil Corporations to commit independent mediators to this proposed dialogue; we believed that it is only such environment that will engender genuine dialogue that will be aimed at setting up a framework for achieving the short, medium and long term demands of the Niger delta to de-escalating this conflict and bring about a lasting peace.

The NDA high command is restating our commitment to attack the interest of oil corporation and international refineries operators that bring in vessels to the Niger delta territory to buy our oil that every successive government have refused to used and reapply the proceeds towards any development in the region since 1958. If they refuse be heed to our advice will result to sinking of two their mother vessel as an examples to others They should not undertake any repair of pipeline, oil and gas facilities that is damaged or attacked by our forces during this period of “Operation Red Economy” until and/or after the dialogue.

We are using medium to warn and condemn the activities of all brands of social media agitators being peddled around by some politicians to promote their criminal ways in affairs of the Niger Delta. This genuine spirit behind our struggle for the Niger Delta cannot be derailed on the basis of connivance by politician, traditional rulers, settled ex- agitators and criminals moving around to fill their pockets.

The issues of the Niger delta are as old and as new as the days of Pa. Dappa Biriye, Major Jasper Isaac Adaka Boro, to Ken Saro Wiwa and the government of President Musa Yar’ Adua. We are warning this government of President muhammadu Buhari, not to turn the essence of genuine peace talk and dialogue to political jamboree that is prevailing now where all manner of social media agitators and criminals have being sponsored by the job seeking corrupt political class to safe faces before the government of the day.

Finally, if need be we may review our earlier stance of not taking lives. We are going to redirect and reactivate all our activities if the government, oil companies and their services firms don’t heed to these modest warnings of not carrying out any repairs works   and suspend the buying of crude oil from our region as we await the right atmosphere that will engender genuine dialogue “ We Want a peace with Honour not a Peace of our time”

Thanks

Brig. Gen Mudoch Agbinibo
Spokesperson. [myad]

Over 400,000 Apply For Federal Govt. Teaching Jobs Within 36 Hours

Online peopleThe Job Creation Unit in the Presidency has announced that the newly launched Jobs portal of the Federal Government “N-Power. gov.ng,” which was opened to the job seekers on Sunday, June 12, has recorded over 400,000 successful registrations.
“We have been very impressed by the enthusiastic response to the call for applications. As at noon on Monday June 13, only 36 hours after the launch of the portal, 403, 528 applicants had successfully registered on the site and were in the middle of completing the application process,” said Afolabi Imoukhede, Senior Special Assistant to the President on Job Creation.
“We are also very pleased that the registrations have been taking place without any hitches or system failures, considering the volume of response.”
All together the website has received over 35 million hits since Saturday midnight.
The Jobs Scheme, known as ‘N-Power’, is one of the five initiatives of the Social Investment Programmes of the Federal Government of Nigeria, described by President Mohammdu Buhari in his Democracy Day Speech as “by far the most ambitious social protection programme in our history.” A total sum of N500B has been provided for the programme in the 2016 Budget, an unprecedented development in Nigeria’s budget history.
N-Power is designed to help young Nigerians acquire and develop life-long skills to become solution providers in their communities and to become players in the domestic and global markets.
It will provide employment opportunities for 500,000 graduates as teachers, agriculture extension advisers, healthcare assistants, and civic and adult education instructors in communities across Nigeria.
There will also be a pool of 100,000 software developers, hardware service professionals, animators, graphic artists, building services professionals, artisans and others.
Applications for the Scheme commenced on Sunday June 12 on the portal: www.npower.gov.ng.

The Buhari presidency assures all Nigerians that this application process would not only be structurally robus, transparent and fair, the selection process that will follow would also be based on objective criteria that has nothing to do with party affiliations.
Unemployed Nigerians both graduate and non-graduates would be drawn from across the country on state by state basis in the final analysis. [myad]

Ekiti Situation: Why Fayose’s Lies Won’t Help, By Adeoye Aribasoye

 

 

 

APC EKITI ARIBASOYEEkiti State Governor, Mr. Ayo Fayose’s recent efforts at presenting the financial situation of the state to the media and blaming the immediate past administration for the turn of event, provide some interesting  insights into developments in Ekiti State.

Many of the reports centred on Governor  Fayose’s appeal to labour union leaders in the state and some contained in his media interviews, where he tried to falsify the state’s  debt portfolio (in a manner that has become the standard practice of his regime) in the bid to  appeal to the striking workers.

While there is nothing wrong in Governor Fayose’s appeal to the workers, what one finds quite strange was the governor’s resort to cheap blackmail of his predecessor in Office, Dr Kayode Fayemi, currently the Minister of Solid Minerals Development.

Fayose said he paid N1bilion monthly on the loans allegedly taken by the Fayemi administration, hence the finances of the state were being affected. In another forum, he claimed to be making a monthly payment of N1.5 billion on the state debt. This claim, coming almost 20 months after the exit of the APC-led government in the state is not only lame, it s infantile and laughable. It is nothing but another in the series of Fayose’s bizarre rants.

While the Fayemi administration’s main loan was the N25 billion naira bond it raised at the capital market in 2011 and other minor facilities taken from a few commercial banks, the DMO had put the state’s indebtedness at N18.8 billion. That is outside the N20billion loan recently taken by Fayose.

This figure contrasts sharply with the figure usually bandied by Fayose. He had upon resumption put the state’s indebtedness at N86 billion, then to N96 billion, and later to N68billion, insisting that it would take about 35 years to service the debt.

One fact Fayose had refused to disclose is that his administration , had, within the first year in office accessed about N20billion loan from commercial banks with attendant huge interest rate, plus commitments to a few contractors.

While Fayemi opted for a capital market bond, with low interest rate and a well structured repayment plans, Fayose opted for commercial bank loans with its huge interest rate. Through the repayment plan put in place, it is on record that the Fayemi administration had repaid more than N14 billion from the N25billion bond money.

The repayment of the bond money taken by Fayemi, was spread along seven years from the date of its approval. Hence, the repayment is expected to be completed in 2018. It is also on record that throughout Fayemi’s tenure, the state was paying about N500,000,000 (five hundred million naira ) monthly to service all its commitment (both bond money and bank facilities).

One is then baffled how Governor Fayose came about the N1billion he claimed to be paying monthly on the loan taken by the immediate past administration.

While Fayemi spent the bond money for infrastructure development of the state, including major roads, street lightening, school renovation, government lodge/office, a civic centre, the Ikogosi warm spring resort and Ire Burnt Bricks Company, among others; Fayose had opted for white elephant projects including an airport and a flyover.

While the loan taken by Fayemi has a well structured repayment plans and a thorough monitoring of projects by the Stock Exchange Commission (SEC), Fayose has yet to disclose the repayment plans for the loans he took, the same way he did not account for the Federal Government’s bail out released to the state by the President Mohammadu Buhari’s government.

In his craftiness, Fayose also failed to tell the labour leaders and indeed Ekitis that the only reason the bond money would not be liquidated in 2018 as structured was that he had, upon assuming office in October 2014, gotten the nod of the then PDP-led federal government to suspend repayment for a certain period of time.

The beauty of leadership is being able to evolve creative ways to manage and bring succour to the people in times of crisis. Fayose has, through his constant references to his immediate predecessor in office in negative terms, demonstrated his inability to provide the right leadership at this critical moment.

It must be stated clearly that while the DMO put the state’s indebtedness at N18.8 billion , the recent N20 billion taken by Fayose had increased it to N38.8 billion, and that is just the ones we know about.

We implore Governor Fayose to lessen his infantile attitude, play less to the gallery and concentrate more on governance- which as he should have realised by now,  is not a monkey business.

While we sympathise with the governor over the financial burden of the state, we urge him to look inward and work with relevant stakeholders, developmental partners and the state workforce as well as entrepreneurs from the state to help his administration. This we consider a better approach to development that will lift the state from its current economic mess, much faster  than trying to bully the workers, institutions and investors in the state.

Governor Fayose should now put on his thinking cap, roll his sleeves and go to work, rather than going about the streets drinking local gin and cutting ‘asun’ meat. He should also take a cue from some of his colleagues who have become quite innovative in their approach to governance and stop constituting a nuisance to the polity.

 

Barrister Adeoye Aribasoye, an Ado-Ekiti based legal practitioner, is also Southwest Zonal Coordinator of APC Youth League. [myad]

 

An Open Letter To Nigerian Youths, By Professor Isa

YouthsMy Dear Nigerian Youths,
I am very angry and that is why I am addressing you.
You are the source of my anger and I want to vent my spleen- maybe not at you directly- but at the arrogance of your ignorance.
You sit in front of a computer and rant all day through social media but with every click, you make money – not for yourself – but for Mark Zuckerberg (Facebook).
With every megabyte of data you spend complaining and maligning, you make stupendous bucks for Etisalat, Glo and Airtel.
Over the next two years, the number of Nigerian millionaires will jump by 47% but most likely you will not be among because you are too busy whining and complaining. And yet about 60% of Nigeria’s 170m population are below 35 years. Oh, what a waste! By the way, Mark Zuckerberg was 19 when he started Facebook.
Africa’s youngest billionaire, Ashish Thakkar, is 31. He escaped from the Rwandan genocide and relocated to Uganda where he started an IT business.
Collin Thornton, who made his millions by fixing bad computers and setting up Dial-a-Nerd, is 35.
Adam Horowitz, an 18-year-old entrepreneur, started 30 websites in 3 years before he became successful.
The only thing you have ever started is an online petition. Have you heard of Jason Njoku? He’s 33 and the founder of Iroko TV. He received $8m investment into his company just a few years ago. What he does? Sharing the same Nollywood films that you spend hours to watch online. He didn’t just hang around waiting for Buhari to make something happen or blaming Jonathan for not making anything happen.
Kamal Budhabhatti was deported from Kenya but while on the flight, he thought of the opportunities in Kenya. He found his way back after 6 months and today his company is valued at $30m. He’s 36.
Have you heard of Chinedu Echeruo? Apple just paid $1b for his app. He’s a Nigerian like you and all he did was attempt to fix a problem. But for you, the only thing you attempt to fix are your nails- and your hairdo! Chinedu moved to New York in 1995 and found it difficult to navigate the city with ease so he developed HopStop to fix the problem.
Stop listing all the problems – we know them already but what are you doing about them?
Awolowo was 37, Akintola was 36, Ahmadu Bello was 36, Tafawa Balewa was 34, Okotie-Eboh was 27 and Enahoro was 27 at the time of independence of Nigeria.
In 1966, the first coup was led by Kaduna Nzeogwu (29) and stopped by Murtala Mohammed (28), TY Danjuma (28), IBB (25), Sanni Abacha (23) and Shehu Yar’adua (23).
It brought in Yakubu Gowon as Head of State at 32 and Olusegun Obasanjo at 29.
You are in your 40s and you still sag your trousers.
Of course, you know Linda Ikeji. You’ve spent hundreds of hours on her blog laughing and commenting while she smiles her way to the bank.
She’s just built a house for her father in the village- just by you clicking on her gossip and sharing.
Your day is not complete without a stop by at her blog. She was as broke as you are but she turned a hobby into a business.
Are you that void of understanding?
You think those politicians have any regard for you?
That is why I referred to the arrogance of your ignorance at the beginning of this diatribe.
You have a false estimation of yourself. You have an over bloated ego.
You are only as good as an election ticket – pure and simple. You are only good to be used and discarded like a used ballot paper. Who keeps a used ballot paper anyway? That is why they only remember you every four years.
The word CHANGE belongs to the masses not to selected few. [myad]

Our Operational Manager Stole N14 Million, Ecobank Tells Police

Banking hallThe management of Ecobank Nigeria has facilitated the arrest of the operational manager of its Ejigbo branch, Akhanenu Ikechukwu, 41, for allegedly withdrawing N14,014.157 from the account of two customers of the bank without authority.

The accused was handed over to the Nigerian Police at the Ikoyi Division Lagos, Western Nigeria.The police also established that the accused shared the money with his partner in crime, Nduka Stephen,36.

According to the police, the suspects were arrested following a complaint by the management of Ecobank.

After investigation by Sergeant Ijatuyi Tope and his team, the suspects were arraigned before an Igbosere Magistrates’ Court, Lagos on Monday on a four-count charge of felony to wit fraud, forgery and stealing.

Police prosecutor, Inspector Igonbo Emby informed the court in charge No F/34/20/2016 that the accused persons committed the alleged offence between September and November 2015 during working hours.

Emby told the Court that the first accused used his position as the operational Manager of EcoBank, Ejigbo branch to fraudulently withdraw N10m from Account No. 2741128259 belonging to a customer of the bank, Rabiu Oladimeji Lawal, and N4m from another account with forged documents and transferred the money into his accomplice’s account from where they allegedly withdrew the money and shared it.

He said nemesis caught up with the first accused when the management of Ecobank audited their account books and discovered the fraud. The bank, he added, called in the police to effect the arrest of the accused.

Emby said the offences are punishable under sections 409, 361(B), 285(7) of the Criminal Laws of Lagos State, 2011.

The accused persons pleaded not guilty to the allegations and Magistrate P.A. Adekomaiya admitted them to bail in the sum of N3m each with two sureties each in like sum.

Adekomaiya adjourned the case till 11 July, 2016 for mention, while the defendants were taken to Ikoyi Prison, Lagos pending the perfection of their bail conditions. [myad]

Federal Govt. Opens Online Portal For .5 Million Graduate Teachers

TeachersThe Federal Government has opened the online registration portal for recruitment of 500,000 graduate teachers under the N-Power Teacher Corps Scheme.
In a statement by the Senior Special Assistant on Media to the Vice President, Laolu Akande, the Unemployed Nigerians selected and trained will play teaching, instructional and advisory roles in primary and secondary schools, agricultural extension systems across the country, public health and community education, covering civic and adult education.
To register, interested candidates are advised to visit: www.npower.gov.ng and have the following before commencing registration:
1. A valid email address
2. Registered Phone Number
3.. Soft copies of Passport photograph
4. Curriculum Vitae in WordbDocument or PDF format
5. Highest Certificate (e.g. Degree, HND, NCE or ND)
6. Bank Verification Number, BVN
Candidates are also advised to consider fast internet service (3G or 4G network as the site is said to be slow.
“Besides their monthly take home pay estimated at about N23,000, the selected 500,000 graduates will also get computer devices that will contain information necessary for their specific engagement, as well as information for their continuous training and development.
“They get to keep the devices even after exiting from the programme.”
Akande said based on the plan of the Buhari administration, the N-Power Teacher Corps programme is an invaluable opportunity for young Nigerians to make immense economic and social contributions to the nation while developing their skills.
It will also help to address the problems of inadequate teachers in public schools.
Also, persons enlisted under the scheme will gain work experience and acquire key competencies through academic and non-academic capacity building programmes intended to improve their competitiveness in the workplace.
Their devices will come loaded with knowledge-oriented applications and software that will enable them acquire the skills and capacity. [myad]

Modu Sheriff Storms PDP National Secretariat, Battles Police

Modu Sheriff at PDP SecretariatEmbattled national chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Ali Modu Sheriff, threw the national secretariat of the party in Abuja, the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) into disarray today, Monday, when he arrived to resume his chairmanship of the party.

Modu Sheriff, who stormed the Headquarters of the party as early as 7.00am with a retinue of his supporters, was barred from gaining access into the secretariat by the armed policemen stationed at the building.

Trouble began when his convoy was prevented from driving into the premises of the secretariat by the police as a result of which Modu Sheriff alighted from his jeep and addressed a few journalists who were around.

He expressed shock that he was prevented from entering his office as chairman of the party, adding that he relied on the court judgment which was delivered in Lagos that affirmed him as the authentic chairman of the party.

“The party belongs to Nigerians and not the Nigeria Police or the people that were hand-picked at Port-Harcourt by Gov. Wike and his cohorts as the man who is purported to be acting as the National Chairman of the party. One thing remains, there was no convention in Port-Harcourt because I cancelled it.
“I don’t know why the police can say we cannot enter our offices when we have a valid court order to that effect. We will take this matter beyond the Nigeria Police. The law will take its course in this matter.

“When you are talking of a caretaker committee assuming office here last week, the caretaker committee was not known to the constitution of the party while the Board of Trustees, BOT, is only an advisory body in the party. So, none of them has the power to be running the affairs of our party. Senator Ahmed Makarfi-led caretaker committee has no role here. It is an illegal body in the eyes of the law.”

A visibly angry Modu Sheriff asked his driver to drive him to the Inspector General of Police (IGP), Solomon Arase at Force Headquarters to direct his men to vacate the premises of the secretariat.

He left his supporters behind, as they drum, dance and display placards at the front of the secretariat. [myad]

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