Whitedove School In Lagos, Nigeria, Shines At An Outing In America, By Maero Ozako

March 15, 2016

Whitedove School, Lekki, Lagos continues to blaze a trail as they recently attended and stood out at the 42nd annual National High School model, United Nation’s conference in New York, USA held from March 2 to 5.

The conference which attracted 3,500 high school students from around the world was held with the aim of simulating the real sessions at the United nations in New York. The children were chosen as ‘diplomats’ so as to reflect the views and policies of their assigned countries. Just like at the United Nations, there are specialized committees and plenary sessions.

The NHSMUN is a subsidiary of the International Model United Nations association, (IMUNA) which has been officially recognized as a non-governmental organization of the United Nations. The 10 children from the White Dove School who were assigned to play the roles of representatives of Cape Verde, an Island country off the coast of West Africa, played their roles excellently well.

They were basically to deliberate and understand the intricacies of international affairs. For Opawole Titoluwani who attended as a member of the ECOFIN committee; the Economic and financial committee, during the event, he raised some issues on CRIME RARE DUE TO POVERTY. Most of the farmers that cannot make profit go on to commit economic crimes Temiloluwa also representing Cape Verde saw the trip as fun and educational. she found the members of her group quite friendly.

Eneasato Divine who was a member of the United Nations Environment programme established in 1972, found the sessions most engaging. He played an active role in proposing bills. Ogechi Ogba was the only member from her school of the High Level Political Forum on sustainable development. She contributed to the issue of reduction of marine biodiversity, a major problem in Cape Verde.

Ayomipo Odedina was on the team that discussed the importance of promoting sustainable urban growth in Sub-Saharan Africa. Christopher Obieke was in the Disarmament and international security committee, For him, this conference was an eye-opener.

In the words of the White Dove School’s Vice-principal, Mr Ola Ehuwa, the students have always been exceptional, in line with their grooming: ‘Our vision is to be a foremost global Christian school that integrates academic, creative and moral excellence in raising purposeful future leaders. Our mantra is that excellence is our birthright, ‘ she said. ‘The uniqueness in our students lies in their awareness that they are role models and creators. This reflects in their comportment, speech and interaction with people. Every year, the students of the Whitedove school explore their creativity at their Annual Innovation Fair.

‘Leadership is an important aspect of vision’, says the administrator, Mrs Oluwayemisi Adekoya. ‘The National High School Model United Nations Conference provides the right exposure for our students to learn the rudiments of leadership at global dimension. It broadens their knowledge on international diplomacy and relations. It also gives them a multi-racial exposure and enhances their team work skills and builds up confidence. Finally, it gives them an opportunity to assemble in the hallowed chamber of the U.N Headquarters, New York.’

For Maero Ozako a child motivator and editor of the children’s pages, CHUMMIES who is also in New York for these sessions, this is a grand opportunity for any child. ‘ In all my work with schools and children, very few children show the level of intellect and confidence that the children of the Whitedove School show.”

After the event the delegates also went on to some sight-seeing, visiting the White House, China Town as well as the statue of Liberty. [myad]

Vice President Osinbajo Calls For Rehabilitation Of Lake Chad

Greenbarge Reporters

March 15, 2016

Vice President Yemi Osinbajo has called for the rehabilitation of the Lake Chad even as he gave assurance of Nigeria’s support for the Paris agreement on Climate Change reached at the end of COP21 meeting held in France last December.
Speaking today at the Presidential Villa during a courtesy visit by the French Minister for the Environment, Power and Marine Affairs, who presided over the COP21 meeting in Paris, Ms. Segolene Royal, the Vice President said that Nigeria will join in the signing of the global pact before the end of this year.

Osinbajo emphasized need for the rehabilitation of Lake Chad which is being threatened by climate change, adding that Lake Chad is important from the point of view of security and economic factors.

The Vice President restated Nigeria’s concern about the lake and welcomed international support on its preservation and rehabilitation, saying that working together with the legislative arm of the Nigerian government, Nigeria will play its part in signing the agreement and ensuring ratification.
“COP21 outcome is important for everyone, it is the largest landmark agreement on climate change,” says Prof. Osinbajo adding that Nigeria was pleased with the meeting and its outcome-the Paris Agreement.
He thanked the French minister for making a stop in Nigeria as she tours countries in the continent, expressing the hope that Nigeria and France would continue to expand diplomatic and economic relationships, especially as the federal government is now confronting a number of economic issues including diversification and development of infrastructure.
The Vice President who was joined at the meeting by Nigeria’s Environment Minister, Ms. Amina J. Mohammed, commended the effort of Ms. Royal in her role as COP21 president and pledged Nigeria’s continued support.
Earlier Ms. Royal told the Vice President that she is visiting Nigeria and a number of other African countries to ensure that the Paris Agreement is established through the signing and ratification process, and also beyond to encourage the signatories take concrete actions in line with the agreement after the signing.
She noted the support of the international community on the preservation and rehabilitation of Lake Chad and announced that the Paris Agreement would be signed April 22 at the United Nations. [myad]

Aviation: Political Interference, A Necessary Evil. By Capt. Evarest Nnaji

Greenbarge Reporters

March 15, 2016

I have read a lot of sanctimonious sermons from aviation practitioners over the years about the evil of political interference in our industry in Nigeria. It makes a nice pulsating conversation as it often radiates and resonates well when dressed and ornamented in safety.

Anything hooded around safety will always elicit interest and sympathy in aviation world, home and abroad.

But as a practitioner, an aviator and investor, I have seen a lot about “interference” whether political and institutional. To me, interference can come from political office holders or from regulators themselves. It just depends on the intention of the one who is interfering and whether the interference is for good or for evil purpose.

I, for an example, in no distant past, had had to encounter a regulator who either did not like my gut or did not like the size of my ears and thereby decided alongside his lieutenants to close down my operation.

Every inconceivable, written and unwritten, regulatory clauses man can fathom were quoted and bandied to inflict damage and circumvent our operation. Practically, in one occasion, it took just a phone call from a politician who reported that a helicopter landed on a “walk-way” in his area for our entire operations, in the whole of Nigeria, to be grounded for two days. And that was ever before sending an inspector to find out or to clarify what the caller meant by walkway, or ever hearing from us, the operator. I heard threats and harassments heading precipitously towards grounding my operation and destroying my millions of dollars worth of investment before I reached out for “political interference.” In fact, some years after, someone who was in the band actually, over a class of wine, joked and said “I remember when we were mandated to come up with something to closed down this place.”

As for Autonomy, we all fought for it; stampeded and taunted government officials and policy makers until they had nowhere to turn than to cave in. A great success, but our collective energy and effort, regulators as well as operators. So, I cannot in all honesty stated here that political interference, or any interference for that matter, is a way forward, but our society is still bedeviled with demonized humans who if completely left unchecked can be palpable monsters. In other words, some of our people are not yet broad minded enough to be completely trusted to be “honest and transparent.”

I strongly believe that the Autonomy we have in place is resounding enough to support and protect any regulator who knows his onions. With what we have in place, you can refuse and rebuff any obnoxious pressure from people in power if their request or inquiry is not legitimate. For instance, I don’t know on which leg anyone, Minister or from National Assembly, would stand to insist that you issue pilot license to someone who is no qualified. But starts if that person “not qualified” believes and can prove that you have issued pilot license to another person in his category and takes the case to someone in power. You will, in such case, automatically lose your moral grounds to be honest and transparent; and at such, when you cry “interference,” the monster described in the bible book of Job chapter 41 shows up in your mirror.

To me, and for now, we have no good reason to complain. We have one of the best aviation regulations in the world today; thank God we got it through when we did. All that is needed from every interested party is to be purely professional in our conducts.

Nnaji, a Businessman and aviator wrote in from Abuja. [myad]

Buhari Describes Political Violence In Rivers As Primitive: Says He Will Deal With It Decisively

Greenbarge Reporters

March 15, 2016

President Muhammadu Buhari has condemned recent political violence in Rivers State, saying that the killing of people over political differences is primitive, barbaric and unacceptable.
“We will deal decisively with all sponsors of violence. I have given the security services clear directives in this regard.
“We will show that violence in any form will no longer be tolerated before, during or after elections.”
The President who spoke today in Malabo, capital of Equatorial Guinea where he is on an official visit, at an interactive meeting with Nigerians said that the Independent National Electoral Commission will be encouraged to explore the possibility of Nigerians abroad voting in the 2019 general elections.
He said that some African countries have started allowing their citizens resident abroad to vote in national elections and that he fully empathized with the desire of Nigerians in the Diaspora to vote in national elections.
President Buhari pledged that he will therefore do all within his powers to fulfill that desire.
“I want all Nigerians to know that I respect them and their right to choose their leaders.”
The President said that establishing a new national airline was not currently on the Federal Government’s list of priorities, but that his administration’s main area of focus now is reducing the level of poverty in the country.
The President said that developing the infrastructure needed to boost production in all sectors of the economy and creating more jobs for young Nigerians, as well as other actions that will directly improve the living conditions of ordinary Nigerians will continue to be prioritized by his administration.
Buhari was responding to complaints by members of the Nigerian community about the absence of direct flights between Nigeria and Equatorial Guinea.
The President assured them that his administration’s war against corruption will remain “fearless, relentless and merciless.
“We will be merciless and relentless in pursuing all those who abused public trust. Nigerians will see how some of the elite conspired to run the nation down.” [myad]

How Much Fani Kayode Spent To Forge Buhari’s Medical, School Certificates? By Yusuf Ozi-Usman

Greenbarge Reporters

March 15, 2016

We just woke up this morning to hear of how the garrulous, careless and disrespectful Femi Fani Kayode was involved in the sharing of N3.145 Billion, representing our nation’s collective patrimony.

The former Document-Forger-In-Chief, who is supposed to be cooling off in one of the congested prisons in the country for that offence alone, but who still has the temerity to walk tall on our street, was forced to confess today that he actually received the N840 Million which he was ‘alleged’ to have benefited from the total of N3.145 Billion that was shared amongst those that were close to the former President, Dr. Goodluck Jonathan, in his infamous campaign to retain the sweet power.

As a matter of fact and the way things went, there was no way this leaking-mouthed, Northern-hater would have denied receiving the money after the operatives of the dutiful Economic and Financial Crime Commission (EFCC) had done a clean job of their investigations, by quoting the bank into which the money was paid, the account number, the exact amount paid at different dates until the whole money was completed.

It was like a pastor who was caught the other day, pumping away atop the beautiful wife of one of the members of his Church. When he was caught red-handed, he had nothing to say other than that it was the work of the devil; that was when even the man-of-God would himself become the devil.

In the case of Fani Kayode, I imagined what he would have said and or done if the EFCC had just mentioned his name as one of the beneficiaries of the great loot without the details provided. He would have gone to the press, wrote 20-page press statement, addressed gullible newsmen and women and blew all the grammar he could muster, including some jargons from Yoruba accent that cannot be found in the modern dictionary.

Fani Kayode would have tagged President Muhammadu Buhari as a dictator who had come after him simply because he waged disastrous campaign of calumny, personal destruction and shameless vendetta against him during the last campaigns. He would have gathered some hungry youths, made hungry by his own part of looting that deprived the same youths access to employments and good living, to protest that the Northern leaders have come on him simply because he is a Yoruba man from the South West, and or because he is outspoken against the Northerners and Muslims. He would have cursed all the Northerners and Muslims for framing him up.

Fani Kayode, indeed, would have attempted to curry support from ignorant international community, and he would have even aligned with the agitators for the actualization of the Republic of Biafra just so that he would have enough followers and clouts to fight off the government he sees as disturbing the sick status-quo, to which he is a chief beneficiary: the government of Buhari that, in reality, is systematically restoring Nigeria to some kind of sanity, from the insanity to which the immediate past leadership, with person like Fani Kayode as the chief architect, led it to.

Caught red-handed or pant-down or both, Fani Kayode admitted, surprisingly without a cent of resistance, that he actually received the N840 Million, but said, as an after-though, that he used the money for the assignment he was given to execute by former President Jonathan.

He said: “they then paid the money in for the assignment I was given. I asked them where the money came from. They said it was from private contribution for the Jonathan campaign. I believed them, and I had no way of knowing exactly where the money came from.

“As far as I’m concerned, it was campaign funds, and the money was used for the purpose for which it was meant. And we accounted for it to the man who gave us a job to do, President Jonathan.”

That is Fani Kayode speaking matter-of-factly!

And the question that follows immediately is: what was the purpose for which a whooping N840 Million was released to the loud-mouthed Fani Kayode? Was the forging of medical certificate of Ahmadu Bello University Teaching Hospital, Zaria, indicating that Buhari had a terminal illness that rendered him incapable of leading Nigeria part of what he used N840 Million to do?

Was the conspiracy with some renegade military men or women, still in service to hide Buhari’s secondary school certificate from his file at the time he (Fani Kayode) was making the certificate a big campaign issue part of the assignment he used N840 Million to execute? Eehem, Fani Kayode eehem???

Fani Kayode has been kind enough to say that he had already accounted for the N840 Million given to him and his team to the man who gave them the ‘job’ to do, which of course, is the former President, Dr. Jonathan, but he truly owe Nigerians another form of explanations as to how much of the huge sum he received was devoted to try to deconstruct the personality of Buhari.

He needs to tell Nigerians where he hide the huge sum of money to the extent that what is remaining in his bank account now is below N200,000. I advise EFCC to go searching his suckaway or a grave in the back yard of his house or houses or even the grave side of his father!

In any case, would one be correct to say that Fani Kayode came on board of Jonathan campaign organization with strict instruction to demystify Buhari, a man who is old enough to be his grandfather, all in the name of worldly thing?

Ha, what does it profit a man to gain the whole world and lose his soul? As in the sad case of Femi Fani Kayode?

It is important, necessary and appropriate for the Fani Kayode of this miserable world to know, if he had not already known it, that there is time for everything: a time to be born, a time to sleep, a time to dream, a time to eat until you suffer from self-inflicted stomach-ache, a time to confess, a time to go to prison, a time to be disgraced and a time to finally, finally die! Such days are numbered; and they are coming. [myad]

Nigeria Deserves To Be Re-Colonised For Another 100 Years – Donald Trump

Greenbarge Reporters

March 15, 2016

A front-line presidential contender in the United States of America, Donald Trump, has focused his acclaimed crudity on Nigeria, saying that the country deserved to be recolonised for another 100 years.

“These are people who import everything including matchsticks. In my opinion, most of these African countries (like Nigeria) ought to be re-colonized again for another 100 years because they know nothing about leadership and self-governance.”

Trump, at a campaign rally said: “one of the highest producers of crude oil in Africa without nothing tangible to show for it is Nigeria. 56 years after independence, Nigerian leaders still can’t deliver.

“How do you trust even those who have run away to hide here in the United States? They hide behind education? I hear they abuse me in their blogs but I don’t care because even the internet they are using is ours and we can decide to switch it off from this side.

“Look at African countries like Nigeria or Kenya for instance, those people are stealing from their own government and go to invest the money in foreign countries.”

Trump added: “ordinary electricity, water, home-refined petroleum products, transportation – road, rail, water and air – infrastructure.

“From the government to the opposition, they only qualify to be used as a case study whenever bad examples are required.”

Meanwhile irate supporters of Republican presidential candidate, Donald Trump have started attacking Muslims and Hispanic, telling them to go home. Two university students in Kansas, one Muslim and one Hispanic, were assaulted after they noticed a white man using racist language toward a black man. The white man then turned his ire toward Khondoker Usama, the student body vice president at Wichita State, and his friend.

The attackers called the ‘brown trash,’and told them: ‘go home. Trump will win. You want to live in this country, you better leave.”

But the student responded with defiance: “this is my country; who are you to tell me that?”

From there, the situation escalated, and the confrontation turned physical as the man punched Usama’s friend and took him to the ground. Usama tried to get in between the man and his friend but was punched, then backed away because he thought the man might be reaching for a weapon.

“He kept kicking the student who was lying on the ground, He was kicking him; it was a gut-wrenching scene. He saw that I was calling the police and got back on his motorcycle and circled around us and was saying ‘Trump, Trump, Trump, we will make America great again. You losers will be thrown out of the wall.’”

The Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR) held a press conference with Usama yesterday to call for a hate crime probe of the attack.

CAIR blamed Trump last month for a nation-wide rise in Islamophobia, saying: “We live in a nation today where people like Trump, where people like the Republican GOP have mainstreamed Islamophobia.”

CAIR’s St. Louis branch director Faizan Syed said: “They have made it O.K. It’s O.K. to take out a gun and threaten somebody.”

Trump’s language concerning Muslims and Hispanics in particular has left a number of Americans angered or outraged. Trump continues to defend his The normally apolitical Brandon Stanton, owner of the Facebook account Humans of New York (HONY), published an open letter to the real estate mogul on the HONY page Monday.

…over the last two years I have conducted extensive interviews with hundreds of Muslims, chosen at random, on the streets of Iran, Iraq, and Pakistan. I’ve also interviewed hundreds of Syrian and Iraqi refugees across seven different countries. And I can confirm— the hateful one is you.

Trump has repeatedly defended the rhetoric he uses at his rallies. Among the myriad of defenses he’s cited are his rejection of political correctness exercised by establishment politicians.

“The reason there’s tension at my rallies is that these people are sick and tired of this country being run by incompetent people that don’t know what they’re doing on trade deals, where our jobs are being ripped out of our countries,” Trump said on Meet the Press Sunday.

He added that supporters are “not angry about something I’m saying — I’m just a messenger.” [myad]

Fani-Kayode Admits Receiving N840 Million For Jonathan’s Campaign Assignments

Greenbarge Reporters

March 15, 2016

PDP Campaign Director, Femi Fani Kayode — Femi Fani Kayode

Former aviation minister and director of media for the Goodluck Jonathan Campaign organization, Femi Fani-kayode has admitted that he received the sum of N840 Million for the assignment he was given by the former President.

Fani Kayode, who has been fingered as the highest beneficiary of the newly discovered monumental fraud involving the sum of N3,145 Billion in which several personalities in Jonathan government were named.

Fani-Kayode confessed to PREMIUM TIME that the funds were paid into his account by Nenadi Usman, who was director of finance of the Goodluck Jonathan campaign.

“The campaign asked me to open an account for my campaign directorate, which I did.

“They then paid the money in for the assignment I was given. I asked them where the money came from. They said it was from private contribution for the Jonathan campaign. I believed them, and I had no way of knowing exactly where the money came from.

“As far as I’m concerned, it was campaign funds, and the money was used for the purpose for which it was meant. And we accounted for it to the man who gave us a job to do, President Jonathan.”

Others who were alleged to have participated in the sharing of the money are former Secretary to the Government of the Federation (SGF) and leader of the Social Democratic Party, Olu Falae; a former finance minister, Nenadi Usman; a former Imo state governor, Achike Udenwa; former minister of state for foreign affairs, Viola Onwuliri and politician Okey Ezenwa

The discovery was made the operatives of the Economic and Financial Crime Commission.

Fani-Kayode was believed to be the chief beneficiary of the disbursement, receiving N840 million, paid in three tranches into his Zenith Bank, Maitama branch, with account number 1004735721.

The first tranche of payment involving N350 million was made on February 19, 2015 while the second tranche of N250 milion was made on February 19, 2015 and the third one of N240 million was effected on March 19, 2015.

The EFCC expressed surprise to discover that the balance on the same account as at December 31, 2015 was N189, 402.72. [myad]

Equatorial Guinea Admires Buhari’s Personal Integrity, Awards Him Highest Honour

Greenbarge Reporters

March 15, 2016

President Obiang Nguema Mbasogo of Equatorial Guinea has conferred the highest of his country honour, Grand Collar of the Order of the Independence (GCOI), on President Muhammadu Buhari of Nigeria.

Conferring the award as President Buhari arrived the country for an official visit, President Nguema Mbasogo said that the honour was a confirmation of President Buhari’s “personal integrity, exemplary leadership style and courage to fight terrorism in order to ensure peace and safety in Africa.

“We deemed it fit and appropriate to honour this son of Africa for the great work he is doing, which includes tackling Boko Haram, a great menace to the continent.”

President announced that he has dedicated the award to the people of Nigeria, who, he said, have worked tirelessly for peace in the country and Africa.

“I will like to express profound gratitude for the honour given to me and my people. There has never been a time for greater neighbourliness on our continent in the interest of peace, security and economic stability than now.”

President Buhari said at the investiture ceremony that as African countries faced common challenges, they must strive to cooperate more to find workable solutions that will facilitate rapid socio-economic development on the continent.

He pledged that under his leadership, Nigeria will continue to make significant contributions to peace, political stability and progress in Africa. [myad]

Faleke Admits He Was Not Governorship Aspirant, But Wants Court To Declare Him Kogi Governor

Greenbarge Reporters

March 15, 2016

The running mate to the late Prince Abubakar Audu in the November 21 Kogi state governorship election, James Faleke, has confessed that he was not a governorship aspirant on the platform of the All Progressives Congress (APC) but appealed to the Tribunal to declare him as the governor of the state.

“I was also not an aspirant at the primary election, but one of the conditions Audu picked me as his running mate was because I am a member of the APC.”
He called on the State Election Petition Tribunal which is holding its session in Abuja, to declare him the validly elected governor of Kogi State.

Faleke is being led in evidence at the tribunal by his counsel, Chief Wole Olanipekun (SAN).
He told the tribunal that he did not know any of the candidates who contested with the late Audu even as he said:“I did not see the result of the primary election because I left the venue, but the next information I had is that late Audu won the primary and I was chosen as the running mate.”
Faleke argued that the death of Audu had nothing to do with the inconclusiveness of the election and that they had already won before it was declared inconclusive.
He said that he knew they had already won the November 21 governorship election and that was why he did not participate in the December 5 election.
“Myself and Prince Audu were declared winners at each polling unit, ward collation centre, each local government and the state collation centre.
“The state’s Returning Officer declared the result at the state collation centers.
“Prince Audu died in the morning and the election was declared inconclusive in the evening.
“So it was declared inconclusive far after the death.”
When asked during cross-examination by the Counsel to the 1st respondent, the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC)), if he was still a member of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Faleke responded by saying yes, adding: “I am not aware that the 2nd respondent, Governor Yahaya Bello, is a member of the APC. All I know is that the 2nd respondent campaigned and worked for the Peoples Democratic Party.
Part of the documents that was tendered and admitted in evidence were Form CF001, Form CF002 and many more. [myad]

Auditor-General Confirms Sanusi Lamido’s Accusation That NNPC Failed To Remit N3.2 Trillion To Federation Account

Greenbarge Reporters

March 14, 2016

Auditor General of the Federation, Samuel Ukura has confirmed the accusation by the sacked governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), the then Sanusi Lamido Sanusi that the NNPC under Goodluck Jonathan withheld N3.2 trillion ($16 billion) in revenues from the federal government in 2014.
Sanusi Lamido is now the Emir of Kano.
The Auditor General, who presented his findings in a report to lawmakers at the National Assembly today, said that other government ministries and agencies had also failed to remit funds, taking the total not passed on to 3.3 trillion naira for 2014.
Ukura said that the report was based on an “examination of NNPC mandates to CBN (Central Bank of Nigeria) on Domestic Crude Oil Sales and Reconciliation Statement of Technical Sub-committee of Federation Account Allocation Committee (FAAC) meeting held in January 2014.
“Amount not remitted to FAAC was N3,234,577,666,791.35,” the auditor-general said in his report.
Constitutionally, the Nigerian National Petroleum Company (NNPC) must hand over all oil revenue – which makes up about 70 per cent of total income – and money is then paid back based on a budget approved by parliament.
According to the latest figures on OPEC’s website, Nigeria’s oil exports are worth about $77 billion a year.
Development in Nigeria, Africa’s biggest oil producer and largest economy has been stunted by decades of corruption and mismanagement.
Recall that in 2014, the then central bank governor, Lamido Sanusi, was suspended after accusing the NNPC of failing to pay $20 billion into government accounts between January 2012 and July 2013. [myad]

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