Of Budget Cut, National Assembly And Institutional Blackmail, By Sufuyan Ojeifo

September 6, 2015

There is no shortcut to economic redemption for a nation caught up in a downturn which has already been foretold. Certainly, there is no cut-and-paste approach to economic recovery and good governance; there cannot be quick fixes without well thought-out plans.
For decades, we have carried on with an undefined pattern of governance and walked our way into operating an over-bloated system of government without checks. Today, while we are trapped in the limitations that come with oil wealth, and fast dwindling oil revenue, there appears to be a general consensus in the country on the need to cut the cost of governance, which is fundamental.
But the current approach by the executive in reducing the cost of governance has been somewhat cosmetic, thus limiting what should have been a well-considered holistic intervention, with far-reaching reforms, to a mere cut in salaries and allowances of members of the executive and the legislature.
This arrangement, so far, is the least strategic method in reducing the huge cost of governance in Nigeria. Sadly, the burden of this haphazard approach is more on the legislature which survives only on salary and allowances.
The National Assembly has, from the outset of the current Fourth Republic democratic dispensation, become the target of institutional blackmail deliberately orchestrated against it by former President Olusegun Obasanjo.
Unfortunately, many Nigerians have erroneously tagged along without asking probing questions. This is not blindly defending the legislature as not having some bad eggs within its ranks, who will always try to cut corners and circumvent the system. We also have some good Nigerians in the executive arm that will, at any cost, ensure judicial use of public resources.
We have good Nigerians all over – that is given. However, the undue public pressure on the National Assembly is becoming somehow misplaced in reducing the cost of governance. It has attained a ridiculous and alarming level to the extent that some individuals have ignorantly narrowed the huge cost of governance to the spending of the National Assembly. Over the last five or six years, the annual budget of the National Assembly had hovered around N150 billion. Significantly, annually, the allocation has always represented about 3.3 percent of the total federal budget.
But the wrong assumption in several quarters is that the money is shared by 469 members of the Senate and House of Representatives.
In response to advocacy and pressure on it to consider making some sacrifice in the area of bringing down the cost of governance, the National Assembly in the 2015 budget slashed its budget from N150 billion to N120 billion. The 2015 budget is N4.3 trillion. I am waiting to confirm how much the executive arm is willing to shave off from its over N4 trillion allocation. Now, for those alleging that each lawmaker gets as much as N250 million yearly, if this amount is multiplied by 469 federal lawmakers, the total will be N117.2 billion. The implication of this is that, according to their fancied view, all the institutions under the National Assembly such as the bureaucracy, National Legislative Institute (NILS), the National Assembly Service Commission (NASC), aides, ongoing projects and other parliamentary exigencies will make do with less than N3 billion. This is not correct.
The correct position is: 7,200 individuals draw salaries and allowances from the National Assembly and these include 109 Senators, 360 members of the House of Representatives, 13 commissioners in the National Assembly Service Commission, 3,208 members of staff of the commission and 337 members of the management staff, 3,024 legislative aides, seven members of board of the National Institute of Legislative Studies with 115 staff members of the institute.
Besides, funds are allocated to servicing the 54 Senate standing committees and 91 House standing committees; the legislative institution also fulfills its financial obligations to bodies like the inter-Parliamentary Union, Commonwealth Parliamentary Association, Pan African Parliament, ECOWAS Parliament, African, Carribean and Pacific- EU Joint Parliamentary Assembly, Shoora/Arab Parliament and National Conference of State Legislatures.
The truth is that all over the world, the cost of maintaining the legislative arm is usually very high. Unfortunately for the Nigerian lawmakers, critics have nearly succeeded in coming up with wrong figures to malign its image. Indeed, the National Assembly, being the bastion of democracy here, as it is anywhere it is the form of government, needs more allocations than the N120 billion which it has committed itself to.
However, I expect that the 20-man Independent NEEDs Assessment Committee set up by the Speaker of the House, Yakubu Dogara, will eventually try to set the record straight. This committee is largely made up of people in the civil society organisations who have, at one point or the other, taken position against the lawmakers. But feelers from the House had even suggested that, when the breakdown of activities of the lawmakers and their financial commitments to others agencies within the National Assembly are made known to the public, Nigerians will eventually know that the legislative arm even needs more money to perform other numerous tasks to meet public expectations.
Truth is the National Assembly may be walking a tightrope very soon in meeting its constitutional obligations. But let me say this for emphasis: that there is no harm in adjusting to prevailing circumstances in the country by reducing the cost of doing government business if it is based on holistic intervention. Going forward, if we must interrogate the prevailing development vis- a-vis the raging issue of cutting cost, we must sincerely bear in mind the level of political exposure of the lawmakers to their constituencies in terms of meeting communal and personal needs. This reality is with us and we cannot feign ignorance or live in self denial of it.
In addition, we should address the huge cost of winning party primaries and the elections proper. We should also be sensitive to the lawmakers who have during campaigns and elections invested heavily in the processes. If we must tell ourselves the truth in the context of our country, the executives have the opportunity to make up with certain needs through contracts by cronies. Yet, none is available to the lawmakers. This is talking within the context of legitimate deals. In essence, in reforming governance to reduce cost, we should include a reorientation package, for the people to understand the constitutional responsibility of a lawmaker, limited to just making laws. The pressures from within and without are just too much for the lawmakers to bear sometimes.
So in seriously addressing the issue of high cost of governance in Nigeria, we must review and reform the entire process, which should include: reducing cost of doing contracts and executing projects; decreasing the number of personnel for appointive offices; restructuring the bureaucracy; cutting down on regional and foreign commitments; general review of salaries and allowances across all tiers of government and, most fundamentally, a complete overhaul of the electoral process to make public offices less expensive. We can, as well, in the spirit of total reform make public offices attractive to only those who are willing to make sacrifices. But it must be holistic and not at the expense of an arm of government which is underfunded ab-initio.
By implication, cutting the cost of governance, indeed, requires a strategic roadmap and not this piecemeal approach where the president or a governor will just announce a 50 percent pay-cut and the people will clap.
It is elementary in nature and diversionary in approach. So far, the body language of the President and his approach hardly suggest a government willing to cut costs.
What are the public exigencies that suggest, for instance, the splitting of the Media office in the Presidency into two, namely Special Adviser to the President on Media and Publicity and Senior Special Assistant on Media and Publicity? In the past administrations, only one person occupied the position of Special Adviser Media and Publicity. Splitting the office, this time round, implies adding cost.
As I round off, I will like to make two points: one, getting the president and governors to heavily reduce or even scrap security votes will be a good way to start cutting cost. Reducing their salary by 50 percent is just cosmetic. Two, even if we scrap the budgetary allocation to the National Assembly, and we are able to save N120 billion, the fact is, the amount involved cannot solve one percent of our problems as a nation.
What does this then tell us? It simply tells us that contrary to the thinking in some quarters that the federal lawmakers are the ones milking the nation dry and depriving it of development, the executive arm is the guilty party. Going by the allegations of graft in the media against some ministers in the immediate past administration and against some former governors, it is appropriate for Nigerians to look elsewhere (not the National Assembly) for the goats eating their yams.

Ojeifo, Editor-in-Chief of The Congresswatch magazine, sent this piece via ojwonderngr@yahoo.com. [myad]

Anambra Governor, Obiano, Immortalizes Akunyili, Renames Women Center After Her

Greenbarge Reporters

September 6, 2015

The Governor of Anambra State, Chief Willie Obiano has named the prestigious Women Development Center, Awka after late Professor Dora Akunyili who died in June last year. The Centre was renamed as the Professor Dora Akunyili Women Development Center, Awka.
The renaming was part of a well organised effort to immortalize the former Minister of Information and fake drugs czar, who fell to cancer last year.
The renaming of the Center came after a memorial mass that was attended by prominent citizens like Dr. Alex Ekwueme, former Vice President, Chief Victor Umeh, former National Chairman of APGA, Iyom Josephine Aneni, PDP Women Leader, Onyeka Onwenu, Chief Executive Officer of the National Center for Women Development as well as the key members of the Anambra State Executive Council Members.
In a brief speech titled: “Immortalizing Professor Dora Akunyili,” Governor Obiano described her as a beloved sister, daughter, wife, mother, teacher, moralist, crusader, role model, merchant of hope and angel of light. He said that in gathering to immortalize her, people of Anambra were simply trying to remind themselves that “the greatest legacy a man or woman can leave is a good name.
“Brothers and sisters, we are gathered here to affirm the wise saying of our elders that ezi afa ka ego – a good name is better than gold!”
Governor Obiano said that the life and times of the late czar should serve as a strong call to moral re-armament among the people of Anambra.
Obiano observed: “we finally begin to live when we choose to live in the service of the people; when our lives bring hope, happiness and fulfilment to people around us. Dora reminds us that a life of service to the community is the true life of meaning.”
The governor recalled some of the finest moments of Professor Akunyili on numerous national assignments, saying that most Nigerians were familiar with Dora’s legend.
“We are familiar with her courage in the face of extreme danger; her unwavering commitment to the cause she believed in even when a bullet peeled off her head gear, her passionate speech at the National Conference while she endured the biting pains of cancer and of course her blunt refusal to be cowed when the struggle for succession that followed the death of President Yar’Adua needed a rallying point.”
He recalled the late Amazon’s historic memo to her fellow ministers where she declared her readiness to pay the ultimate price in the struggle to return Nigeria to the path of sanity in the cloudy days that preceded the passage of former President Umar Yar’Adua. Governor Obiano maintained that Dora was willing to walk alone once she was convinced that she was walking in righteousness and in light.
Quoting the famous lines of Martin Luther King Junior that “a man who has nothing to die for is not fit to live,” Governor Obiano said that Dora had taught Nigerians the values of standing alone.
“She has taught us that it is better to stand alone for righteousness than to enjoy the momentary satisfaction that comes from standing in the company of others.”
The governor further observed that in honouring Dora, Anambra State has built a psychological monument to her name, adding: “we lift her up as a beacon of hope to our people. We hold her up as a shining example to our youths and we celebrate her as the quintessence of virtue to our women! “Surely, Umu nwanyi Anambra cannot accept mediocrity again because Dora Akunyili lived among us. Truly, umuada Anambra can no longer be restrained from dreaming big dreams because they walk in the footsteps of Dora Akunyili.”
The governor said that the late Minister still lives through her numerous legacies, even as he quoted from Scottish Poet, Thomas Campbell that “to live in the hearts of those we leave behind is not to die.” [myad]

I’m Proud To Be Part Of Change Movement, Says Atiku

Greenbarge Reporters

September 6, 2015

Atiku Abubakar and Gen. Muhammadu Buhari (rtr)

Former Vice President Atiku Abubakar and leader of the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) has expressed his pride in being part of the change movement which President Muhammadu Buhari is championing.

Atku, who is also the Turaki of Adamawa, said that there are enough examples to show that after 100 days in office, President Buhari is making great difference in the way government is run in this country and that Buhari has reinforced his confidence that despite the perceived slow pace, “Nigeria is on the path of progress and bright future.”

A statement by his media office in Abuja quoted the former Vice President as saying that the first 100 days in office of President Buhari clearly indicated that Nigeria is witnessing a marked departure from the culture of impunity, inertia and apathy in governance.

According to Atiku, even within the first 100 days, Nigerians could clearly see real proofs that the country is already moving in the right direction, which he attributed to President Buhari’s leadership by example style.

He said the President’s body language has sent strong and unmistakable message that the era of impunity was over, and that “corruption is no longer fashionable.”

The former Vice President explained that when leaders lead by example, they could automatically inspire public confidence, which he said is a condition for the success of any government policy.

According to Atiku, the Buhari administration has so far succeeded in blocking revenue leakages and diversions, which has been feeding corruption.

He said the Boko Haram terrorists are for the first time facing a fiercer response from newly motivated armed forces, adding that the terrorists are in disarray because of the new offensive strategy adopted by the government.

The former Vice President appealed to Nigerians to show more patience with President Buhari because some major reforms might take time, but that the country would ultimately be a better place.

Atiku said the level of poverty and unemployment in Nigeria is inconsistent with its oil wealth, explaining that corruption is the biggest obstacle to development.

The former Vice President said that President Buhari has boosted his optimism that Nigeria would rebound again.

This is even as Atiku expressed sadness over the recent incidents in Lagos, in which lives were lost when a container fell off a trailer and onto some cars, as well that in which fire razed some stores in Balogun market.

He described the loss of lives in these two incidents as unfortunate and preventable, adding that the relevant government agencies needed to be more conscious of their responsibilities in protecting Nigerians.

“Every day, the lives of Nigerians are lost to avoidable road carnage because some road users flagrantly violate the laws.”

Atiku urged the relevant government agencies to be alive to their responsibilities, and to prosecute offenders severely to ensure that others are deterred from taking actions that lead to needless loss of life.

“The relevant agencies have failed to hold violators of the laws of our land accountable to their actions. That is why these things keep happening again and again.”

Atiku consoled with the families of those who lost loved ones in the unfortunate incidents and prayed that God would give them the fortitude to bear their loss.

“Hopefully, these incidents will lead to improved laws and better supervision,” he said, “and your loved ones will not have died in vain.”

Meanwhile, Atiku Abubakar said there is need for stricter enforcement of safety regulations in the country to avert fire incidents and other disasters at public places.

The former Vice President made the assertion while condoling with the victims of the Balogun market fire disaster in Lagos.

The former Vice President regretted the apathy that characterizes government and public attitude to safety standards.

Atiku noted that Nigerians take safety issues for granted, an attribute he said eventually produces undesirable outcomes.

He stressed the need to train people on safety procedures and skills on how to respond to emergencies to minimize the scale of casualties or destruction.

He expressed his condolences to the families of the victims and the affected traders for their losses, and prayed to God to grant them the fortitude to bear the loss. [myad]

Governor Lalong Appoints NAN Reporter As Senior Special Assistant On Media

Greenbarge Reporters

September 6, 2015

Governor Simon Lalong of Plateau has appointed Mr. Mark Longyen of the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) as his Senior Special Assistant on Media and Publicity.

A statement by the Director of Press and Public Affairs, Governor’s Office, Mr. Emmanuel Nanle said that the governor also appointed Mr. Jeptha Jackden as the General Manager of Plateau Radio and Television Corporation, Jos.

The statement said the two appointments would take effect immediately.

“The governor is optimistic that with the injection of this crop of media practitioners, the best of the interest of Plateau will be served through their professionalism and valid contribution to information management in the state,’’ it said.

Longyen holds a B.Sc in International Relations from Obafemi Awolowo University, Ile-Ife, and Post-Graduate Diploma in Journalism from the International Institute of Journalism (IIJ), Abuja.

Before joining NAN in 2012, Longyen worked with some private media organizations after his National Youth Service Corps in Calabar, where he served as Press Officer, Government House, from 1992 to 1993.

Jackden was until his appointment, the Director, Broadcast and New Media, Plateau Ministry of Information. [myad]

Wife Tells Court: My Husband Is A Drunk; Don’t Mind Her, She Is A Thief, He Responds

Greenbarge Reporters

September 5, 2015

One Mrs. Rukayat Jimoh and her husband, Mr. Jimoh played some funny drama today at an Ajegunle Customary Court when the wife requested the court to dissolve the marriage on the ground that he is a habitual drunkard, even as the husband responded that the wife is a thief.

Mrs. Jimoh, a trader and mother of two – Amidat, 4 years, and Abdulahi, 7 months – pleaded with the court to dissolve the marriage based also on the allegation that her husband never paid her bride price nor was he taking good care of her and the children.

“He drinks to stupor, often beats me without provocation and does not pay the children’s school fees,” she narrated.

The petitioner alleged that there was no love lost in the marriage and pleaded with the court to grant her custody of the children.

This was even as the husband accused the wife of always stealing his money and engaging in fight with co-tenants and himself.

The presiding judge, Mrs. V.O. Sanni, advised the couple to make peace, asking the petitioner to forgive his wife and settle things amicably. [myad]

Buhari’s First 100 Days: Does Nigerian President Mean Business? By Zainab Usman

Greenbarge Reporters

September 5, 2015

September 5 marks Muhammadu Buhari’s first 100 days in office. The new President seems to have had a “slow and steady” start, writes Zainab Usman.

As I stood on a queue at the immigration desk at the arrivals section of the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport in Nigeria’s capital city Abuja in May 2015, a well-dressed couple who had just arrived skipped the queue and headed straight to the desk. People murmured in exasperation and a woman right in front of me said with indignation: “It’s OK, now that Buhari is president, all these things will stop.”

Her statement reflected the general mood of optimism I witnessed around the country — on the streets and days later, at the Eagle Square, where Muhammadu Buhari took the oath of office — that Nigeria’s new president would solve the country’s numerous problems.

High expectations on Buhari’s leadership credentials swept him to victory with almost 54% of the vote in a historic defeat of an incumbent president in Nigerian elections. Buhari’s ascetic demeanour, quite atypical of the venality often associated with Nigeria’s political elite, endeared him as the candidate to tackle the violent insurgency in the North, the predatory corruption and the looming economic crisis after the collapse of global oil prices in July 2014.

Since his victory, the pressure on Buhari and his ruling party, the All Progressives’ Congress (APC), to deliver on campaign promises has been immense. Growing demands for political accountability, enabled by a vibrant media culture, have led to unprecedented scrutiny over every appointment, every speech and every decision by the new government.

So how is Muhammadu Buhari’s performance so far stacking up against his campaign promises in his first 100 days in office?

Shortly after his inauguration, it was evident that tackling the Boko Haram insurgency in Nigeria’s north-east was a major priority. Buhari’s trips to West African neighbours, the G7 in Germany, the African Union summit in South Africa and the United States on invitation from President Obama aimed to restore confidence in Nigeria’s leadership of the multinational joint task force, to secure support for the war against Boko Haram, and to restore Nigeria’s ties with allies which had frayed under his predecessor.

As widely expected, Buhari replaced the military chiefs who had superintended over the largest security budget of up to $5.8 billion per year and yet the most hollowed-out army in the country’s history.

Although Buhari’s government is ostensibly taking the right steps to tackle a six-year insurgency, Boko Haram remains very much active, killing over 1,000 people since his inauguration.

With Buhari’s towering personal integrity, anti-corruption is a key area in which many Nigerians eagerly await decisive action on cases of mismanaged and stolen public funds. Although no high profile corruption conviction has been secured, certain indicators point to considerable progress.

The anti-corruption agency — the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission — dormant for years under former president Goodluck Jonathan is awake from its death-sleep, suddenly acting on old petitions, arraigning former governors, and inviting the Senate President’s wife and other high profile personalities for questioning.

Although many eagerly await the trials of notorious former ministers — some of whom individually have been accused of stealing up to $6 billion of public money — the most useful anti-corruption reforms are likely to be the less-publicised ones such as the recent harmonization of government revenue and receipts in a Treasury Single Account to block avenues for mismanagement. Relatedly, Nigeria’s foreign reserves rose from $28.6 billion in May to $31.2 billion in July, two months after Buhari’s inauguration despite the low oil prices.

Quite conspicuously, the APC government is yet to articulate a clear economic policy direction after three months in office. Perhaps in a bid to calm growing disquiet among Nigerians, investors and international partners, Buhari attributed, in an op-ed, this delay to the challenge of rebuilding damaged institutions first before appointing competent and credible individuals to form his cabinet.

Silent reforms could slowly start bearing fruit with, for instance, improvement in electricity supply due to an increase in power generation and the rehabilitation of the country’s refineries now operating at 60-80 percent. This could enable Nigeria ease out of expensive fuel subsidies when a cabinet is finally appointed in the next few weeks.

Yet, the absence of a clear economic agenda remains unsettling.

There is reason to expect a largely technocratic cabinet of credible individuals, if the appointments made so far in strategic revenue generating agencies are anything to go by. The selection of an ExxonMobil vice president and general counsel, Emmanuel Ibe Kachikwu, to head the notoriously opaque state oil corporation, the NNPC, hopefully indicates a refreshing break from Nigeria’s penchant for recycling veteran politicians across several regimes and sustaining the personality cults around them.

Despite these laudable strides in laying the foundation for effective governance within Buhari’s first 100 days in power, two critical challenges could effectively undermine even the most well-intentioned efforts.

First, although Buhari and his party have acknowledged the challenge of managing the public’s huge expectations, their communications and public relations strategy to temper expectations has been weak at best. Needless controversies over the president’s perceived reluctance in declaring his assets — which has now been resolved with full public declaration — and the circulation of unauthorized documents outlining targets for the government’s first 100 days were unmitigated PR blunders.

To make things worse, Buhari’s selection of mostly “northern” (but not entirely Muslim) presidential aides has raised concerns over the regional inclusiveness of his government in a society polarized by the divisive rhetoric of the elections campaigns.

Second, there is a limit to how much impact Buhari’s best efforts at effective governance can have on ordinary Nigerians without transformative leadership at the sub-national tiers of government. As a federation, Nigeria’s 36 states have significant fiscal and political autonomy and therefore their policies have a direct bearing on grassroots human development.

The dynamic government of Nasir el-Rufai in the northern state of Kaduna stands out among its peers in appointing a young, inclusive and technocratic cabinet, in crowdsourcing ideas for the state development agenda and other innovative approaches to governance within these three months. As the heart of the North, Kaduna’s success would position it as a beacon for a northern economic revival to address the decades-long economic decline responsible for the widespread deprivation in the region that incubated violent extremist groups like Boko Haram.

In his first 100 days in office, Nigeria’s president seems to have had a slow start. Yet some of the preliminary results suggest clear-sighted efforts to target the institutional roots of decay and corruption.

Supporting this “slow and steady” approach with a clear economic policy direction, dynamic public relations and effective state-level leadership might just be the formula for the “change” from the familiar ways of doing things that millions of Nigerians are hoping for.

Zainab Usman is a doctoral candidate in International Development at the University of Oxford. Her research assesses political institutions, the oil economy and economic reform in Nigeria since the transition to democracy in 1999. Usman is also the co-convener of the Oxford University China-Africa Network. Her research interests are in governance, natural resources management, economic development, political institutions, gender and security in sub-Saharan Africa. The opinions expressed in this commentary are solely those of the author. [myad]

I Travelled Long Distance In Vehicle, Met People Celebrating, Man Who Woke Up In Mortuary Narrates

Greenbarge Reporters

September 5, 2015

“What I remember is that I was in a vehicle and traveled a long distance. When I got there, there were many people and there was a lot of celebration and merriment and the people were happy. But they did not allow me to stay with them. They said I should go back and repeat my work.”

These were the narrations by a 70 year old man, Amos Otene, who reportedly resurrected after spending over 30 hours in a hospital mortuary in Makurdi, the Benue state capital. He spoke on Wednesday at his Old GRA residence in Makurdi, about his encounter with death as well-wishers continued to troop there to catch a glimpse of the resurrected man.

Otene added: “I am much better now and I thank God for everything and I also owe many thanks to the hospital for taking care of me and my family members who have been worried. I hope they will continue to be with me until I am completely free from this stress.”

According to report, doctors at a private hospital in the town had on August 26, 2015, certified Otene dead at 4. 30 am and promptly covered him up and wheeled him into the mortuary, awaiting instructions from members of the family for embalmment.
Eche, one of his children who lives in Lafia, Nasarawa state was said to have visited and was taken to the mortuary to confirm that his father had indeed passed on. According to Eche, at about 1.39 pm, the morticians at the hospital wheeled out the trolley containing my father and unveiled the face for me to see.

Report had it that Otene was admitted on August 25, after he complained of severe tooth ache which had persisted for several days. As the news of Otene’s death spread, family members and other sympathizers continued to throng the hospital.

Doctors, who according to reports, further proved that Otene was dead, extracted the requisite body fluid and other substances from the corpse, for post mortem examination which was to ultimately reveal the cause of death.

Eche said: “In the process of wheeling my late dad into the mortuary, he started raising his right hand and all of us fled towards the reception area of the mortuary. From a safe distance, we watched as my father lifted himself and sat on the bed and that was about seven minutes later. One of the attendants eventually summoned enough courage and approached my father who fell back on the trolley.

“The doctors ordered that my resurrected father be readmitted in the ward where some medication was administered and he was placed on fresh round of drips. He remained in the ward till Tuesday when the doctors carried out series of tests and certified Otene fit for discharge.

Meanwhile, medical experts have said that Otene could not have died in the first place and that the question of resurrection was out of the question. The only explanation, according to a Makurdi-based medical practitioner, Dr. Ameh Edache, was that he was in a long coma.

“He was in a long coma if he came back to life before embankment,”Edache said.

Until his retirement in 2012, Otene was said to have worked at the Department of Forestry of the Federal Ministry of Agriculture in Makurdi. [myad]

Nigeria Qualifies In Group G For 2017 African Cup Of Nations, Draws With Tanzania

Greenbarge Reporters

September 5, 2015

Super Eagles of Nigeria have now qualified in group G of the African Cup of Nations (AFCON) 2017 qualifier match after playing goalless draw today with Taifa Stars of Tanzana at home. It is the first leg of the second group match between Nigeria and the Tanzanian side.

The Taifa Stars made several attempts to get a goal against the Super Eagles, but on several occasions, Carl Ikeme, Nigeria’s goalkeeper, denied them the chance.

The Nigerian side had gone into the game with high hopes of getting maximum three points from the game after the Tanzanian side had lost 3-0 in Egypt, but the Nigerian side was denied that opportunity.

In the 11th minute, Nigeria came close to scoring through Emenike, who could only head over from close range from Musa’s whipped cross into the area.

The Tanzanian side upped their game, getting close to scoring in the 14th minute, with a great work from Samatta down the right, cutting inside and smashing a well-hit curling effort to the far post that was well dealt with by Ikeme, the Wolverhampton Wanderers’ goalkeeper, who was in top form.

The match was fierce and fast as expected, but the Taifa Stars defiled permutations by holding Nigeria to a goalless draw.

Both sides made several other attempts, without getting a goal to go ahead in the first leg of the second Group G games.

Before the game began, Taifa Stars, were last in Group G behind Chad, as they had lost 3-0 in Egypt while Nigeria defeated Chad by a 2-0.

It is the first major game for the new Super Eagles’ Coach Sunday Oliseh and the Taifa Stars’ coach, Boniface Mkwasa.

In the group, Nigeria now have four points while Tanzania have one point.

Meanwhile, Head Coach of the Super Eagles, Sunday Oliseh, has expressed satisfaction with one point, after they drew 0-0 with Tanzania in Dar es Salaam.

“The first half was not good for us. The second half was a little better. I am happy with the one point,” Oliseh said afterwards. You can’t expect the boys to gel from the beginning that’s why am happy with the one point.”

The former national team captain, was however full of praise for goalkeeper Carl Ikeme, who gave a good account of himself on his debut.

“It is unfair to say Ikeme had a decent game. He was actually fantastic.” Oliseh commended.

Eagles captain on the day, Ahmed Musa, added: ” Football has changed, there are no small teams. Tanzania gave us a good game.” [myad]

PDP Board Of Trustee Member, Ogbemudia Defends Buhari, Says 100-Day Concept Is Not Sacrosanct

Greenbarge Reporters

September 5, 2015

A two time former Governor of old Bendel State and a member of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) Board of Trustees, Dr. Samuel Ogbemudia has said that the concept of 100-Day celebration of being in office by the President of governor is not a sacrosanct even as he asked Nigerians to stop criticizing President Muhammadu Buhari over who he appoints to serve him and the country.

“That they are being done in the past was perhaps a persuasive authority but that does not mean that everybody should keep to it.”

Ogbemudia spoke yesterday when he met members of the committee which he set up to oversee the yearly Award of the Best Journalist in Edo state, led by a former General Manager of the Edo State Broadcasting Service (EBS) Pastor (Mrs.) Sibi Lawal-Igioh.

He said that it is unnecessary for people to begin to assess President Buhari achievements in the so-called 100-Day in office, when it was obvious that the man said he met everything in bad shape “and in such situation, you need to clean up the system so as to start on a good note.

“First and foremost, Buhari was elected for four years and in the programme of events which led to the elections, at no time was hundred days mentioned. A programme well thought out to bring Nigeria back to the line of development, the line of security and so on, planning alone takes more than a hundred days.”

On appointment, Ogbemudia said: “Nigerians asked him (Buhari) to appoint people who can work with him and he can only appoint people he knows. If he fails by appointing a United Nation they will say it was his fault, they ought to have known. But he is now picking people he has tremendous trust in their ability. So those criticizing him should let him do his work. If at the end of four years he did not perform, then Nigerians have another opportunity to either say carry on or stop.

“All these criticisms, I do not buy them. And the people who are criticising him probably they have never held any government position, they don’t know what is happening there, that all that glitters is not gold”.

“So I expect that when eventually he finished the home work he will come out with something big. When he was elected, Nigerians have very high expectation of his performance and in order not to disappoint Nigerians, he wants to take time to plan his programme so that when eventually he pushes it out they will welcome it.

“So they can excuse him because the Buhari they knew earlier on is no longer the same Buhari because this is a democracy. He has the National Assembly and the judicial arm now. His power then is being shared with these two arms now. He cannot join the bandwagon, as a matter of fact that is why he wants to change the evil ways things are done before so that Nigeria will be better” the PDP Chieftain said.

On the yearly Award for the best Journalist in Edo state, Dr. Ogbemudia said: “when you go to Observer (state owned Newspaper), you see reporters who have worked hard over the years but no recognition. So what we want to do is that at the end of the year, we will find out which journalist has excelled over the year and give him a plaque and a little money attached.

“What we are going to do is open a fix deposit account so that the interest we make in the deposit can be used for the award even when I am gone. We have journalists who are working hard in this country and I feel we have to start from Edo state first to recognize them.” [myad]

Court Orders Arrest Of Dead Man Second Wife For Selling Off His Properties, Contempt

Greenbarge Reporters

September 5, 2015

A society lady, identified as Princess Abiodun Folasade Madojutimi Omotade, has been issued a bench warrant by a Lagos High Court following her refusal to appear before it on contempt proceeding on Tuesday, July 21, 2015.

Princess Folasade is one of the two wives of late Mr. Olaseni Ayodeji Omotade who reportedly died in a plane crash on 22nd October, 2005, leaving the family without a will.

As at the time Olaseni died, Folasade, who was the only woman then in the house, allegedly cornered all the properties and embarked on asset stripping, disposing all the properties and assets of late Olaseni without the knowledge of Grace, the deceased’s first wife.

Hell was let loose when she attempted to dispose the family’s property at No. 5a and 5b, Kayode Alli Street, Omole Phase I, Ikeja, Lagos.

According to reports, the bench warrant was issued by Hon. Justice L.A.F Oluyemi, ordering all security agencies, the Nigerian Police Force, Nigeria Immigration Service, Nigerian Customs Service, Nigerian Navy, Nigerian Air Force, International Police, (INTERPOL) and all other security forces to arrest her and put her in prison until September 23, 2015 when the case will come up for hearing.

The warrant read in part:

“It is hereby ordered: Order bench Warrant to be and same is hereby issued against the first defendant/contemnor, Miss Folasade Abiodun Adesokan, aka Mrs. Omotade, for her arrest by any enforcement agency/agent in Nigeria; and to remain in prison custody when apprehended till the next hearing date which is 23rd September, 2015, for hearing of the contempt proceedings.”

One of the wives with three children, Grace Omotade, who reportedly claimed to be the only legal wife and a matron packed out of her matrimonial home in annoyance when her late husband, then in his prime, brought in Folasade whom she viewed as his mistress.

However, the defendant, Folasade, stressed that she remains the only surviving wife of the deceased with three children and that the first claimant, Grace, was a mere concubine and in the course of her co-habitation with the deceased, claimed to have had three children for the deceased.

Folasade said: “She was three months pregnant when I lost my husband and I gave birth to a set of twins named Taiwo Oluwadamilare Omotade and Kehinde Ayooluwa Omotade on May 17, 2006.

“I currently have three children for my late husband,” she said.

Reports say Grace got a hint of the development and filed Suit No: ID/183M/2006, seeking an order restraining and preventing Folasade and her agents from selling, disposing off and/or leasing the property at Omole Phase I and an order directing and/or mandating the Registrar of the court and or the Deputy Sheriff to put the property under lock and key and deposit same with the Honourable court pending the determination of the case.

The order was granted by Hon Justice Williams Dawodu on July 10, 2006, wherein the Honourable judge ordered that parties shall maintain the status quo pending the determination of the interlocutory application. But the defendant went ahead to sell the said property in defiance of the court order for N55 million to one Mr. Raphael Adeyemi and Mrs. Abimbola Aina, prompting the claimant to institute contempt of court proceeding against her.

The deed of sale was reportedly sealed and delivered by Princes Folasade in the presence of one Mr. Isaac Alabi, a baker at 1/3 Isaac Alabi Crescent and Modupe Ladele, a Lawyer at 14 Abimbola Street, Alapere. [myad]

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