Young innovators control ICT world'

The Chief Executive Officer, New Horizon, Mr. Tim Akano, has said the Information and Communications Technology world is being controlled by young innovators who have founded companies such as Google, Facebook and WhatsApp.

He, therefore, urged students to empower themselves with suitable ICT training programme if they must be relevant in today’s workplace and business environment.

He said this at the opening of an international IT resource centre at Landmark University, Omu-Aran, near Ilorin, Kwara State, a statement from the company indicated.

The centre, according to firm, will empower students of the school with the most sought after skills and professional certification.

He said, “You can be self-employed after graduation. You can create your own companies and become employers of labour. Some days ago, Facebook acquired WhatsApp, a messaging company founded by two young people for $19bn that is about 40 per cent of Nigeria’s GDP.”

“Few months ago, Apple Incorporated bought a mapping company owned by a young Nigerian by name Chinedu for $1bn. Google also bought a company called WAZE for $1bn. You can begin to do similar innovations by dreaming big,” he said.

The Pro Chancellor of Landmark University, Professor Yemi Nathaniel, opened the IT resource centre, worth over N100m, alongside the Vice Chancellor, Prof Mathew Ajayi.

Nathaniel enjoined the students to avail themselves of the opportunities that the new technology could offer.

He recalled that the journey to actualise the project began four years ago.

He said, “I want to commend the New Horizons team for their tenacity and for not giving up even when things seemed not to be going the way they were expecting.

“I want our students to take maximum advantage of the opportunities available at the IT resource centre. I believe even if you are studying History with the skills and certification programmes offered by the New Horizons/Landmark University, you can work anywhere in the world, including the oil industry.”

Nis jobs tragedy and unemployment time bomb

| credits: neearo

“Nigeria sits on many time bombs, but the deadliest time bomb of all is that of youth unemployment.  There can be no talk of good governance where millions go unemployed and many are under the crushing weight of poverty” – Bola Tinubu, 26 February, 2014

The nation is very much in the throes and traumatic aftermath of last Saturday’s death of at least 23 young Nigerians, who showed up for the aptitude test of the Nigeria Immigration Service.  The job hunters were trampled to death in stampedes which erupted in the screening centres of Abuja, Minna, Benin and Port Harcourt. The sensible postponement of the exercise in Lagos spared the nation more deaths in the wake of the lethal bedlam that marked the event.

It is now history and a matter for profound regret that rather than show penitence at the massive fraud and organisational fiasco that led to the disasters, Interior Minister, Abba Moro, chose to indict the victims of a system that sentences its youths to fatal ordeals. Of course, our penchant as a nation for costly bungling is legendary.  A recent example is the adjournment of the much advertised National Conference almost as soon as it was inaugurated, because of logistical hitches.  So, no one had taken time to think through the details of organising such an important event?  In the same manner, a little forethought on the mechanics and logistics of holding the massive immigration screening on the same day would have averted the tragic fiascos; especially in the light of a similar disastrous outing in 2008 by the same parastatal.  But then, this is a nation that is organisationally challenged; flaunting great potentialities but unable to collate them to achieve desired results. More baffling is the fact that the calamity occurred in the context of a paramilitary institution which ought to have accumulated the disciplinary orientation and strategic insight germane to crowd control.  But then we are dealing with decaying and dysfunctional institutions in which human lives and happiness are seen as expendable.

Anomie and the absurd, ingredients of gripping thrillers and engrossing fictions are normalised on our streets.  The disappearing and reappearing petrol queues with their tolls on productivity and health; the unending wait for a glimmer of electric power and the virtual shutdown of essential services as a result of strikes or cash crunches are all varieties of the disorder which occasioned last Saturday’s harvest of deaths.

Consider too, the emptiness of official assurances in the tragedy.  On Friday, the minister was quoted as saying that “Adequate arrangement has been made for security and effective conduct of the test.” On Saturday, the solemn assurances went up in smoke and nobody as far as we know, including the minister has lost his job for shoddy performance.  Do you recall, by way of a related example, that at the outset of the current elongated petrol shortage, the oil minister, Diezani Alison-Madueke, came over to Lagos and assured that the hiccup would be short-lived; and that marketers caught hoarding fuel would be sanctioned? Well, nothing of the sort as far as we know has happened; but there are official statements being made concerning the need “to deregulate the downstream sector of the industry” an ominous warning that the siege on consumers will soon be legitimised by an increase in the pump price of petroleum products.  Frightening are the omens if we recall the upheavals of January 2012.

Let us now touch on the scourge of youth unemployment which is at the heart of Saturday’s tragedy.  The statistics of woe are distressing enough.  520, 000 applicants were seeking jobs for which there are less than 5, 000 vacancies.  And that sums up the social terror of youth unemployment put officially at 23% but which may be as high as 45%.  It is tempting but dangerous to dismiss Bola Tinubu’s warning quoted above as political rhetoric, especially in the light of the deadly stampede at the immigration screening centres which rendered it prophetic.

To be sure, there is a global dimension to unemployment which the International Labour Organisation puts at over 203 million at the end of last year.  Disturbing still is the fact that in 2013 alone, the number of unemployed people rose by 5 million, one of the highest in many years. ILO’s warning of a jobless recovery in the advanced economies finds its correlate in Nigeria’s jobless, high growth.  Our economy is caught in the trap of impressive but non-inclusive growth, that is also not creating jobs.  President Goodluck Jonathan’s claim to have created 1.6 million jobs in 2013 was hotly disputed on social media by unemployed youths who asked scornfully: Where are the jobs?

Even if Jonathan’s claim is verified, it still falls short of what is required to roll back the tide.  For example, at the just concluded 20th Summit of the Nigerian Economic Summit Group, Foluso Philips, Chairman of the Group disclosed that Nigeria requires to create 24 million jobs in the next 10 years if it is to reduce by half the country’s gargantuan unemployment crisis. That gives us a yearly target of 2.4 million jobs to reach a 50 per cent rollback of the swelling army of unemployed.

That is not all.  If you take a quick look at the ILO survey, you will discover that the countries with the least unemployment figures are those in Latin America and the Caribbean as well as those in Asia.  What does this tell us?  It returns to the debate about unemployment, the issue of the nature and character of the State since the countries in the regions mentioned are either emergent left of centre governments or the developmental states of Asia which have clear social welfare credentials as well as privilege the closure of the gap between the affluent and the have-not.  In other words, it is likely that there is a connection between the current neo-liberal growth strategy and our escalating unemployment considering that growth does not automatically translate into jobs unless there is a conscious effort and plan to draw the connection.

At a recent workshop attended by this writer in Osogbo, Osun State, one was pleasantly surprised to discover how job creation was made the focus of educational policy through for example the construction of an extensive garment factory employing designers, tailors and allied artisans perhaps the biggest of its type in West Africa. The brief of the workers is to design standardised school uniforms for the schools in the state; but it is of interest in the context of this discussion that an elaborate job creation mechanism had been aligned to it as well as to an equally far-flung schools feeding system which generates employment for caterers, food vendors and farmers with a value chain built around the project.

The point then is this: Jobs cannot be created in the haphazard, lack-lustre manner in which the government at the centre has hitherto approached the matter. It connotes consciously formulated policies, energetically directed to yield backward and forward linkages which generate jobs and alleviate poverty.

This is the lesson to take home from the recent immigration jobs tragedy.

Jonathan admits treating terrorism with kid gloves

President Goodluck Jonathan

President Goodluck Jonathan on Thursday admitted that his administration had hitherto been treating terrorists in the country with kid glove.

Terrorists, especially members of the Islamic sect, Boko Haram, have hold sway in the North-East zone in the past three years, killing thousands of citizens in attacks on villages, military and police facilities, worship houses and drinking joints.

The President said his government had now decided to be more forceful in its approach because of its desire to stamp out terror groups from the country.

He spoke in Windhoek, Namibia, during a bilateral talk with President Hifikepunye Pohamba.

“Initially, we handle it (terrorism) with kid glove, but now we have decided to be a little more forceful because we must thrash out these terror groups. We must not allow it to continue to slow down economic growth in that part of the country,” Jonathan said.

Jonathan told his Namibian counterpart that a terror attack on any part of the world is an attack on everyone, saying terrorism has become a global phenomenon though the intensity might vary from one country to the other.

He cited the case of Nigeria where he said terrorism  was being witnessed in only three North Eastern states out of the 36 states of the federation.

He said the Federal Government had resolved that it would not allow terrorism to continue to hinder economic growth in the affected states.

The President said, “We must not allow it to continue to slow down economic growth in that part of the country.

“With the terror attacks in that part of the country, the rest of the country feel it because Nigerians live everywhere.

“In these other parts, there is always the fear that if you do not tackle it, it will infiltrate in these other parts.

“We will work together to ensure that terror attack is stamped out globally and in Nigeria we are committed.”

Jonathan thanked Pohamba for his country’s support to Nigeria on its election as a non-permanent member of the United Nations.

He made a case for at least two seats for Africa in the UN Security Council.

Jonathan said, “I also believe in your philosophy that if by God’s grace, the UN Security Council will be restructured, that is, if the super powers will allow it to be restructured, Africa should be considered at least for two positions to represent the interest of African people.

“I always say it that we cannot talk of democracy when the strongest institutions globally are not democratic but dictated to by one country alone.

“If we must practice democracy and emphasise that all countries must be democratic, we need to start from these powerful UN institutions that all parts of the globe must have a say there.”

Pohamba had said that his country would forever remain grateful to Nigeria for its contribution and sacrifice towards the attainment of independence.

Osun advocates makes case for vocational education

The Osun Government on Friday said it  would initiate a sensitisation campaign on the  importance of  acquiring technical and vocational skills.

Mr Abraham Owolabi, the Director of  Schools, Osun Board for Technical and Vocational Education, said  this in an interview with the  News Agency of  Nigeria in Osogbo.

According to the director, the state government  had made  provision  for publicity and other instruments to create awareness.

“Publicity about technical and vocational education in the state is not yet adequate, we need to let our people know the relevance of vocational and technical education to development.

“So the government should sensitise the parents and let them know that technical education is not inferior to other forms of education.

“If it is encouraged in the society, parents would not discourage their children from pursuing their gifted areas of learning and skills  acquisition,” Owolabi said.

Owolabi  also said the  entry qualification  into the nine technical schools in the state was the Junior Secondary School Certificate.

The technical schools are located in Osogbo, Ife, Iwo, Ara, Inisa, Gbongan, Osu, Ijebu-Jesa and Otan-Ayegbaju.

TB killed 192 in Adamawa in 2012 -Agency

No fewer than 3,382 cases of Tuberculosis were recorded in Adamawa in 2012 out of whom 3,098 were successfully treated by the state TB Control Programme.

 

Project Manager of the Control Programme, Dr Stephen John, stated this in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria on Friday in Yola.

 

He said 192 of the patients died of the disease, while 41 others failed to complete their treatment.

 

“In 2012, Tuberculosis statistics showed that 3,382 cases were recorded, 192 died and 41 missed the treatment, while 3,098 successfully completed their treatment,” John said.

 

He said 3,460 cases were recorded in 2013, adding that statistics of the dead, defaulters and those that completed their treatment were being compiled.

 

He said the government was making progress in combating tuberculosis in the state, considering the increased number of cases being detected each year.

 

John said high cases of the diseases were recorded in Yola North, Yola South, Mubi North, Mubi South, Michika and Numan local government areas due to high population density.

He said lack of adequate microscopes in some TB laboratories, mobility for supervision and monitoring, as well as inadequate staff were some of the constraints to the control programme in the state.

B'Haram writes Army, threatens to attack Maiduguri barracks

The members of the Boko Haram Sect have written to the 7th Division of the Nigerian Army threatening to attack Maimalari Barracks on Friday (today), Punch reports. Read full report below...

Investigations revealed that security had been beefed up in the Maimalari Barracks which has the Headquarters of the 7th Infantry Division of the Artillery Corps, the Ordinance, the Signal and other crucial units of the Army in Maiduguri.

It was gathered that while security agents saw the letter as a ploy to instill fear into security operatives, all efforts were being made to ward off any attack on the foremost military formation in the North-East.

A source said that the insurgents might have compelled one of the drivers to get the letter to the military of their plan to attack the barracks.

The source said that the letter was written in Hausa Language.

“Yesterday, the Boko Haram sect wrote that they would attack the Maimalari Barracks. They wrote the letter in Hausa Language to give the notification of their coming.

“However, security operatives are praying for them to come to the barracks. The barracks is the biggest; it is the cantonment in Maiduguri.

“The barracks accommodates, the 7th Infantry Division, the Artillery, Ordinance, Engineering, Signal and other corps.

“People are even surprised how they got the letter to the barracks; one cannot rule out intimidation of one of the drivers to get the letter to the barracks.

“Soldiers are on the red alert. There are many soldiers there who are waiting for the attack. Soldiers are battle ready,” the source said.

The current threat is coming barely after the Boko Haram sect launched an attack on Giwa Barracks, the Headquarters of the 21 Artillery Brigade on March 15, 2014.

Authoritative military sources said that over 350 insurgents were killed in that attack while some soldiers were injured. A soldier was also said to have lost four children to the attack.

Our correspondent also gathered that the Special Forces had taken over the Gwoza Hills believed to be one of the strongest hideouts of the sect in the North-East.

Investigations revealed that the Special Forces stormed the Gwoza Hills and killed several insurgents in a combined operation with the men of the Nigerian Air Force on Wednesday.

The source said that a soldier was killed in the attack while some others were injured.

“There was an encounter in Gwoza Hills. Troops have taken over the place; it was another fierce encounter.

“A soldier was killed and some others were wounded. On the part of the insurgents, I can’t give you the exact casualty figure because the Air Force was involved and bombs were used.

“Gwoza Hills is one of their strong points. The Boko Haram took over the entire place before the battle but soldiers have taken over the place and have captured some of their arms and ammunition.

“That place is one of their main operational bases; corpses are smelling there. It is a joint operation involving the Air Force and others.

“The insurgents hide under the hills to launch attacks. It takes over three hours to climb to the top of the hills in some cases. The hills are massive,” the source said.

Drug trafficking: Court jails 36-year-old for life

An Abuja Federal High Court on Friday sentenced a 36-year old man, Callistus Sunday Chukwukelu, to life imprisonment after finding him guilty of drug trafficking.

The convict told the court that he planned to get married this year.

Chukwukelu was arrested by officials of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency with 1.470 kilograms of cocaine at the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport, Abuja on January 1 when he was returning to the country on an Ethiopian Airline flight from Sao-Polo, Brazil.

He was consequently charged under section 11 (a) of the NDLEA Act, which prescribed a maximum sentence of life imprisonment on conviction.

Chukwukelu did not deny the charge.

He pleaded guilty when the charge was read to him, following which Justice Adeniyi Ademola promptly convicted him.

The convict then pleaded for leniency, stressing that hardship pushed him into drug trafficking.

According to him, he got involved in the illicit business after his boutique in Lagos was razed by fire.

Also, he informed the court of his marriage plans, which he intended to finalise before the end of the year.

Chukwukelu equally pleaded with the court to have mercy on him so that he could continue to take care of his aged mother.

But the convict must have been disappointed when, after all his pleas, the court still proceeded to slam the maximum punishment – life imprisonment – on him.

Justice Ademola explained that Chukwukelu’s plea of leniency was insufficient to dissuade the court from sentencing him to life imprisonment, as prescribed by the law for such offences.

Interestingly, the judge noted that beyond the fact that the law under which Chukwukelu was charged stipulated life imprisonment, evidence from his international passport indicated that he was an old hand in the business of drug trafficking

Bayelsa releases N300m for pension arrears

The Bayelsa Government has released N300m for payment of arrears of gratuity and pension to retired civil servants in the state, the Head of Service, Sir Fraser Okuoru, announced on Friday.

Okuoro made the announcement at the end of the State Executive Council meeting in Yenagoa.

He said the government had previously paid N1.5bn to the pensioners, adding that the fresh amount had brought the total sum paid to N1.8bn.

He appealed to pensioners to exercise patience, noting that they would be paid their full entitlements in due course.

Also speaking, the Commissioner for Education, Chief Salo Adikumo, said government had disbursed N55m for the purchase of science equipment for junior and senior secondary schools in the state.

He said the items would enable students prepared for their forthcoming WAEC and NECO examinations.

Adikumo, who expressed displeasure over the collection of examination fees by principals of secondary schools, warned those involved to desist or be sanctioned.

“I have heard reports severally that some principals in some of the local government areas still collect WAEC and NECO fees,” he said.

He said government had disbursed N312m for payment of WAEC and NECO fees for its students.

N100m NECO fees: Parents protest Zaria children's exclusion

Some parents in Zaria, Kaduna State,on Friday protested the exclusion of their children from the N100m NECO fees paid by the Kaduna State Government for final year secondary school students.

The News Agency of Nigeria reports that the government had since released the money to the National Examination Council.

The spokesperson of the parents, Alhaji Aliyu Yusuf-Nadabo, told newsmen that although the government had released the money, most children in the state had been excluded.

“We are not happy with the way the state ministry of education is handling this matter. As parents, we have already paid NECO money but there is no effort to refund it to us.

“The State Commissioner for Education, Alhaji Ahmed Ali had announced that the state government had paid our children’s NECO fees but we are yet to get any refund,” he said.

When contacted, the Zonal Director, Zaria Education Office, Alhaji Bashir Aliyu, said the parents had misinterpreted information about the payment.

According to him, the commissioner was misquoted on the matter.

“The commissioner during the distribution of books in Kaduna said that every deserving final year indigenous student will benefit.

“The information was misconceived because it is meant to purchase NECO cards for final year indigenous students with eight credits including Mathematics and English.

“This is not the first time the state government will be doing it as the previous government had done so.

“Initially, the requirement used to be six credits in mock examination including English and Mathematics but this year’s result is excellent.

“Gov. Muktar Yero of Kaduna State is aware of the present situation, and has promised to look into the issue with a view to proffering solution to it.

“For us to take care of all the students, we need about N270m,” he said.

How to Take Care of Your Man 101

Lesson 1:
Your man is not a man. He is a god. You must apply this lesson to all the other lessons that will follow this one. When things get a little bit bizarre, come back to our first lesson and remember, there’s nothing at all manly about your man.

Lesson 2:
Your man is a god, and you are not a woman, but woman. Your individuality has no meaning when it comes to looking after your man. There’s no personal trait you can offer him. You must be bland and gentled. You must kill your soul. Your personality is of no consequence. If you think you’re an Ifemmelu or an Elizabeth Bennet, you better domesticate yourself, if not, that finger on your left hand will be barren forever. If the finger isn’t barren, then you must remember that no condition is permanent.

Lesson 3:
Your man is not only a god, but also a dog. It is tragically incapable of looking after itself. You must clean up after it, brush its hair, soothe its temper, and cuddle with it.

Lesson 4:
The name of the game is long suffering. You must suffer, and suffer, and suffer, and suffer, on behalf of your man. If he cheats on you absorb it, it is his way. If he slaps you, why were you being such a stupid ho? Don’t you know that if you don’t talk right you are liable to be slapped? And isn’t a kiss with a fist better than none?

Lesson 5:
Your man’s words are gold to your ears. Every time he talks you must position your eyes and ears to catch every minute detail. God gave you two ears and one mouth for this purpose. Don’t get it twisted. Your views don’t matter. You shouldn’t even have views. Your views are your man’s views. You are a parrot. The chain of command is from your man’s brain to your pretty lips. If your man says that your father was born in a toilet and that Cancer is spread by flies and that periods are contagious, you better quote him without reservation.

Lesson 6:
Your man… I mean your god man, is like a Ken doll. All god men are equal. There is no difference between them. That’s why all the relationship advice you’ve been reading is gold. And that’s why you must never cheat. The next god man, will be exactly the same as the previous god man, so there’s really no point sleeping around. Furthermore, there are a million million other women who are dying (and I mean dying) to be in your shoes. If you cheat, your god man will kick you out, and replace you within the week.

Lesson 7:
Your family loves your god man more than they love you. If you mess up, get maltreated and go to your family to complain. Your family will go to your god man to apologise on your behalf because you are worthless and valueless. Your value can only be measured by how much your man loves you.

Lesson 8:
If your family is peculiar and happens to love you more than your god man, do not tell them about your god man. They will wreck your marriage and return you to the curse and pestilence upon your soul that is singleness. You must be silent. They mustn’t know. They mustn’t hear a goddamn word from your lips about your man’s not so brilliant ways. Your man is a god, generous in his stinginess, and loving in his cruelty.

Lesson 9:
You have no desire. Your desire is your man’s desire. You must do it, whenever, if ever your man is ready, however he wants to do it, whichever way he wants to do it with and whatever he wants to do it with. This is the price you must pay, for this was the deal you made when you decided that you needed to have a dog god man to be happy.

Lesson 10:
If your husband strays from your bed, it is your fault. You were not hot enough. You did not keep it tight enough. You did not do him enough. You let yourself go. Even if you gained no weight, you lost your coquettish nature. You messed up. Yup, it’s all your fault. I’ll say it again. It’s all your fault.

Lesson 11:
Remember, your man is a dog god. You must praise him. Praise him, and pet him and praise him again. If you don’t the size of his ego will deflate and you will be unhappy because his ego is your happiness. Beyonce is happy because Jay Z has a very big ego. She said it in her song, ego. If you do not fill his ego tank, he will go to the ego black market, and you know what that means don’t you? “Ekaete she done get belle oh”

Lesson 12:
Your dog god man is like a second hand car. If you do not need him he will spoil from lack of use. So you must need him like a drug addict. You must need him for everything. You are woman. You are useless. You cannot do anything without your man, so you must need him. Need him I say. If you do not need him, he will break down and crawl to the mechanic, where he will be picked up by someone who needs him more.

Lesson 13:
Your god dog man is perfect. He was perfect when he was born and he’ll be perfect when he dies. He can’t change. If he likes wearing red socks, he will never ever wear black socks, because that would be like asking a chicken to fly and chickens can’t fly. He can’t change so you must become a chameleon. Working woman by day, house girl in the evening, and sex worker by night. You can do it. The Lord is your strength.

Lesson 14:
Your dog god man isn’t just a god dog man, he is an alien. Yes. He is from Jupiter and you are from Pluto. Jupiter is the largest planet in out solar system and Pluto was the smallest when it was still a planet. Now, Pluto is only an ex planet. That is your place as woman in the grand scheme of things. So not only are you less than your dog god alien man, you must also be content with excuses from your girlfriends like, “It isn’t his fault! He’s not built the same as us” because they’re true.

Lesson 15:
Your man is a professional food critic and a glutton. Does your ogbono soup taste like it looks? Does your Ofe Nsala offend him more than it makes him say Shalala? Then your marriage, or your relationship is about to get rocky because he’s going to step in the name of his stomach to Mama Hooters. And we all know that that’s only the beginning don’t we. What? You’re thinking it’s not that bad… You’re thinking what happened to take out. Well, it seems that dog god alien men don’t do take out, because home cooked meals are EVERYTHING!

Now you could live by the rules above. God knows it’s possible, just as we all know it’s possible to find a man who really believes he’s a god dog alien man. But… wouldn’t that be such a pitiful existence? When the story is presented without the filters of emotions and experiences is this not how a lot of people live because they fear that the alternative would be worse? I wouldn’t wish it on you. I wouldn’t wish it on my sister. And I wouldn’t wish it on my daughter. Even if society demands that you live with the entitled monsters that it has created, be strong enough to demand more. If man is a dog god alien, then it’s safe to say that you’re a dog god bitch of an alien. You are not less. You are never less. You’re only ever equal or better.

HOW ABACHA STOLE FROM NIGERIA~USA

The United States has opened up on how the late Head of State, Gen. Sani
Abacha , his son, Mohammed, a friend of the family, Abubakar Atiku Bagudu
and others looted about $2.2 billion through security votes fraud.
Money was also stolen through the Ajaokuta Steel debt-buy back and extortion
of Dumez Group, a company operating in Nigeria.
Mohammed Abacha and Bagudu might be imprisoned if they disobey the
order freezing their assets.
The highlights of how the late Gen. Abacha and others looted the treasury
were contained in a March 10, 2014 note to the Federal Government by the
U.S. Department of Justice.
The document, which was sourced from the United States, urged the Federal
Government to “serve Mohammed Sani Abacha and Abubakar Atiku Bagudu
with the record of proceedings under the United Kingdom Civil Jurisdictions
and Judgments Act, which is needed to enforce the warrants of arrest in rem
issued by the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia”.
According to the document, Abacha and others laundered the looted funds
through the United States.
Sixteen accounts and investment chains were traced to the Abachas in France,
the United Kingdom, British Virgin Islands and the U.S.
Although the Abachas allegedly asked a former National Security Adviser, Aliyu
Ismaila Gwarzo, to request for funds from the government to address
“unidentified emergencies” to stabilise the then military administration, the
ex-NSA was not indicted for money laundering.
There was nothing in the report suggesting that Gwarzo benefited from the
loot.
Also, the report exposed how a former Minister of Finance, Chief Anthony Ani,
was ordered by Gen. Abacha to repurchase some debt instruments worth 973
million Deutche Macs (the defunct German currency).
The US Department of Justice said: “General Sani Abacha was the President of
Nigeria from 1993 to 1998. During his time in office, General Abacha,
Mohammed Sani Abacha, Abubakar Atiku Bagudu (Bagudu) and others
embezzled and extorted hundreds of millions of dollars from the Government
of Nigeria. Abacha and his associates then transported and laundered the
proceeds of those crimes through the United States.
“The prosecutor believes Abacha and his associates conducted three
fraudulent schemes during his time in office: (1) the “security votes” fraud,
through which more than $2 billion was embezzled from the Central Bank of
Nigeria; (2) the Ajaokuta Steel debt buy-back fraud, which defrauded the
Nigerian government of more than $200million through overpayment of non-
performing debt; and (3) extortion of Dumez Group, a company operating in
Nigeria, which was used to invest in Nigerian Par Bonds that were managed
and traded in the United States.
“Between January 1994 and June 1998, General Abacha, Aliyu Ismaila Gwarzo
(Gwarzo) and others prepared letters requesting funds from the Government
of Nigeria, based on the false pretence that they were needed to ensure
national security and the stability of General Abacha’s regime.
“In order to execute this scheme, Gwarzo submitted letters to General Abacha
in his capacity as National Security Advisor, requesting millions of U.S. dollars,
British pounds sterling, and/or Nigerian naira, to address unidentified
‘emergencies’ that threatened Nigeria’s national interest. General Abacha
approved these request and disbursed the requested funds.
“These funds, however, were not used to ensure national security or stability
of the regime. Instead, these funds were diverted to shell companies and
personal accounts created by Mohammed Sani Abacha or Bagudu.
“In 1979, the Nigerian Steel Development Authority, an entity owned by the
Government of Nigeria, entered into an agreement with TPF, a Russian
company, to construct a steel plant in Nigeria for five billion German
Deutschmarks (DM).
“Under this agreement, the Nigerian steel authority gave TPF promissory notes
guaranteeing payment to the company. The Nigerian government later
suspended payment on this debt because of a dispute that arose with TPF. As
a result, TPF sought to sell off these instruments to recover some of the debt
owed to the company.”
“In October 1995, Bagudu orchestrated a series of transactions whereby the
debt instruments were sold at inflated process to a Liberian company, Parnar
Shipping Corporation (Parnar) for 350 million DM. In turn, Parnar sold these
bills for 481 million DM to Mecosta Securities (Mecosta), which resold them to
the Nigerian government for 973 million DM. General Abacha’s Finance
Minister, Chief Anthony Ani, personally approved the Nigerian government’s
repurchase of these bills of exchange at the order of General Abacha.
“The Nigerian government purchase of the debt through Mecosta cost the
government approximately 500 million DM more than if they bought the debt
back directly from Parnar. Abacha and his associates subsequently acquired
this money as another form of illicit profit.
“A French civil engineering company, Dumez Group, and its Nigerian affiliate,
Dumez Nigerian Plc, had been involved in various civil engineering projects in
Nigeria since the 1960’s.
“After General Abacha became President of Nigeria in 1993, he stopped
payment on contracts between Nigerian government and foreign-based
companies, including Dumez Group. As a result, Dumez Group was left with
over $400 million in unpaid bills from the Nigerian government.
“An Abacha associate approached the company after payment ceased and
informed the company that he could arrange for the government to resume
payment if Dumez Group agreed to “kick back” twenty-five percent of what it
received. Dumez Group agreed to these terms, and received over $389
million.
“In return, the company “kicked back” over $97 million, or twenty-five per
cent, of that amount to General Abacha and his associates through a Swiss
bank account controlled by Mohammed Sani Abacha.”
The document listed 16 accounts and assets to be forfeited by Gen. Abacha
and his associates.
The Department of Justice added: “On November 18, 2013, the prosecutor
filed a forfeiture action in the U.S District Court for the District of Columbia
seeking to forfeit the proceeds of money laundering and corruption offences
related to the investigation of General Abacha and his associates.
“The property sought to be forfeited by U.S. authorities include the following
assets (collectively, the Defendant Properties):
•All assets held in account number 80020796, in the name of Doraville
Properties Corporation, located at Deutsche Bank International Limited in the
Bailwick of Jersey, and all interest, benefits, or asset traceable thereto;
•All assets held in account number S-104460, in the name of Mohammed Sani,
at HSBC Fund Administration (Jersey) Limited in the Bailwick of Jersey, and all
interest, benefits, or assets traceable thereto;
•All assets held in account number 223405880IUSD, in the name of Rayville
International, S.A, at Banque SBA in Paris, France, and all interest, benefits or
assets traceable thereto;
•All assets held in account number 223406510PUSD, in the name of Standard
Alliance Financial Services Limited located at Banque SBA in Paris, France, and
all interest, benefits, or assets traceable thereto;
•All assets held in account numbers 10030688 and 100138409, in the name of
Mecosta Securities, at Standard Bank in the United Kingdom, and all interest,
benefits or assets traceable thereto;
•All assets held in HSBC Life (Europe) formerly held in account number
37060762 in the name of Mohammed Sani at Midland Life International
Limited, and all interest, benefit or asset traceable thereto;
•All assets in account number 38175076, in the name of Mohammed Sani, at
HSBC Bank Plc, and all interest, benefits, or asset traceable thereto;
•All assets held in the name of Blue Holding (1) Pte. Ltd., on behalf of or
traceable to Ridley Group Limited and/or the Ridley Trust, at J.O Hambro
Investment Management Limited in the United Kingdom, and all interest,
benefits, or assets traceable thereto;
•All assets held in the name of Blue Holding (2) Pte. Ltd., on behalf of or
traceable to Ridley Group Limited and/or the Ridley Trust, at J.O Hambro
Investment Management Limited in the United Kingdom, and all interest,
benefits, or assets traceable thereto;
•All assets held in the name of Blue Holding (1) Pte. Ltd., on behalf of or
traceable to Ridley Group Limited and/or the Ridley Trust, at James Hambro
and Partners LLP, in the United Kingdom, and all interest, benefits, or assets
traceable thereto;
•All assets held in the name of Blue Holding (2) Pte. Ltd., on behalf of or
traceable to Ridley Group Limited and/or the Ridley Trust, at James Hambro
and Partners LLP, in the United Kingdom, and all interest, benefits, or assets
traceable thereto;
•Doraville Properties Corporation, a corporate entity registered in the British
Virgin Islands, together with all its assets and all property traceable thereto;
•Mecosta Securities, Inc., a corporate entity registered in the British Virgin
Islands, together with all its assets and all property traceable thereto;
•Rayville International, S.A, a corporate entity registered in the British Virgin
Islands, together with all its assets and all property traceable thereto;
•Ridley Group Limited, a corporate entity registered in the British Virgin
Islands, together with all its assets and all property traceable thereto; and
•Standard Alliance Financial Services Limited, a corporate entity registered in
the British Virgin Islands, together with all its assets and all property traceable
thereto;
“Following the filing of the Verified Complaints, the United States District Court
for the District of Columbia issued sixteen warrants of arrest in rem, ordering
the restraint of each of the Defendant Properties.
“The prosecutor has sought the enforcement of the warrants of arrest in rem
in France, Jersey, British Virgin Islands, and the United Kingdom.
“The prosecutor is now required to provide notice of the U.S. forfeiture
proceedings to Mohammed Sani Abacha, Abubakar Atiku Bagudu, and Dumez
Nigeria Plc. Additionally, in order to enforce the warrants of arrest in rem for
property located in the United Kingdom, the prosecutor must provide record
of the U.K proceeding to Mohammed Sani Abacha and Abubakar Atiku
Bagudu.”

Emmy Rossum and Amber Valletta on H&M's Trendy, Eco-Friendly Fashion

“People don't talk about the fact that fashion is the second largest polluter on Earth,” actress Sophia Bush told ELLE.com last night at an event in Los Angeles celebrating the launch of H&M’s new Conscious collection. “And it's a problem and there is no reason for it to be.”

The Conscious collection, available in stores April 10, is the brand’s third as part of its Conscious initiative and was designed in partnership with the Ever Manifesto. All the items are made with sustainable materials like vegetable tanned leather from Sweden and organic silk. The line represents a new trend in the fashion industry that clearly interests celebs: at last night's party actresses like Kate Mara, Emmy Rossum, Camilla Belle and Noomi Rapace modeled looks from the line and offered some advice on what women can do to be more eco-friendly.

“I don't think anybody's perfect and anybody who says they are is probably lying,” Bush admitted. “But I try. I'm looking at where things come from. I try to reduce my shipping if I can. I look at all of that stuff, and if I have the option to buy something that I know has a lower carbon footprint, I do it.”

Rossum, who said the blue gown she selected from the collection, “looks like Dior but is H&M,” shared some easy advice for being more conscious: “Brush your teeth in the shower. Multi-task, then you're saving water. Try to drive a hybrid. Try to carpool. Roll down your windows. Don't use as much AC. And try to recycle. Don't throw out leftovers. Actually eat that salmon that you have left over that you don't want to eat.”

Model Amber Valletta recently signed on as a face of H&M's campaign because she feels this line represents the future of fashion. “The biggest trend that we're going to see that won't go out of style is that clothes and accessories are going to be made in a more responsible way,” Valletta told us. “Not just environmentally, but also the supply chain and the people who are making our clothes will be treated fairly.”

Valleta says raising awareness is the first step to change: “The big thing is a lot of people don't realize that there is a problem,” the model said. “So first, it's our job to start talking about the problem and saying, ‘Look, this is what's going on. It's ugly. No one's to blame, but look. We all need to fix it.’"

"Start by looking at your labels, be conscious of where products are being made," the Revenge actress added. "Look for companies that you hear are trying to do it better. If you can't afford to buy somebody like a Stella McCartney, you can afford to buy H&M.”

 

The women point out that it's key that sustainable clothes still look cool and be wearable, which means it’s on the fashion brands to adopt this trend. “I care that my lifestyle is sustainable, but still reflective of my personal style,” Rossum said. “So it can't be sustainable and recycled and look like dog poo. It still needs to look chic, and it still needs to reflect what I want to reflect.”

Sarah Jessica Parker: "I Wore More Shoes in a Day Than Any Human Wears in Their Lifetime

Ever since Carrie Bradshaw stepped into her first Manolo Blahnik, fans have waited with baited breath for the real Carrie Bradshaw—the inimitable Sarah Jessica Parker—to create a shoe line of her very own.

Finally it’s happened, with the help of none other than George Malkemus, CEO of Manolo Blahnik, and Nordstrom. ELLE.com got a look at the collection today and we are happy to report: It does not disappoint.

We sat down with the lovely SJP to learn more about the shoes, Carrie’s relationship with shopping versus her own, and what she thinks of Instagram. (SPOILER ALERT: you may be surprised!)

You’ve come up with names for the shoes. Names that are actual people’s names!

SJP: Well some are living, breathing, contemporary people, and some are named for people, and some are simply names that I loved and I thought that, well, I’d never get to use them for daughters! I think I’m really pretty much complete in that department.

The Silvia was named for a character I played in an A.R. Gurney play about 18 years ago. I played a dog called Silvia. The Brigitte is named that because it reminded me a little of the era of Brigitte Bardot. Maud is inspired by the great Maud Frizon. There’s the Etta. There’s this myth that Audrey Hepburn’s real name was Etta.

Related: Why We Love Sarah Jessica Parker

I love the detailing on the back. Tell us about it?

SJP: It’s this grosgrain detail, which is on every single shoe. When I was growing up I had to wear hair ribbons every day and we had a bureau dedicated [to them]. Primarily we had to wear braids every day, we could also wear loops, which is a braid kind of tucked into itself. But we were required to wear ribbons every day and iron them ourselves and for the most part our everyday ribbons were grosgrain. We also had some satin, we had some tartan, we had velvet. The velvet was for special occasions. So early on when George and I were working on the design, sitting on the floor of his office, I said, “George, do you think we could put grosgrain on the seam? I thought it would be a nice detail.” And it’s turned into a nice sort of way of identifying ourselves, you know?

Do you relate to Carrie’s love of shoes?

SJP: I mean she sort of has a more reckless relationship with them than I do. I feel funny saying this, I’m not really a shoe shopper. I’m not going to go out and buy hundreds of pairs of shoes. I’m much more thoughtful than [Carrie] is, which is also one of the treats of playing her all these years. But because I wore more shoes in a day than any human wears in their lifetime, I learned an enormous amount about the business and in many ways from George who was so generous to us over those many years.

What was the biggest surprise during this process for you?

SJP: There were a lot of surprises! Just expanding your education. What you think you know versus what you actually learn. Maybe the biggest surprise was what we could do given the price point which I thought was going to provide a lot limits that would feel frustrating to me. We were very cognizant of where we wanted to land, and I kept saying to George, “Can we afford that, can we afford that?” And there are things we simply can’t right now, but it’s also kind of nice to have those kind of boundaries in some way because it keeps you truly focused.

GM: They’re artisanal made shoes. They’re probably about 90% still made by hand.

SJP: We have pictures on our Instagram page that I run from Tuscany!

Do you like social media?

SJP: I have an ambivalent relationship with it. It’s certainly interesting, and I’m not great at promoting myself but it’s been fun to find a way in quietly and politely and get to talk about the collection in a way that I felt comfortable with. It’s just myself and my assistant, Alyssa. We do it ourselves every day.

Can you imagine your daughters in heels yet?

SJP: I can because clearly they can. They’re very, very into what choices they make for clothing and their shoes and their hair and their hair accessories. I wasn’t like that growing up at all because I wasn’t given choices. I was given a set sort of uniform from which to choose. And that was it. And then I just had hand-me-downs. Despite my work outside the house when I’m home they typically only see me in whatever is appropriate to take kids back and forth and run in and out. We don’t talk a lot about fashion. So it’s been very curious to see that develop on their own.

Nigeria needs experienced leaders -Buhari

A former Head of State and leader of the All Progressives Congress, Gen. Mohammadu Buhari, has said that the nation needs experienced leaders to develop the country. He, however, noted that governance should be a mixture of old and young competent individuals. He noted that ability, competence and skill in politics did not reside in one particular age group.

Seventy-one-year-old Buhari was speaking at the 50th anniversary lecture of the Nnamdi Azikiwe Hall, University of Ibadan on Thursday, where he played the role of a chairman.

The lecture, with the theme, ‘Youth and the future of Nigerian Politics’, was delivered by a former Minister of Agriculture, Dr. Shettima Mustafa.

While defending the importance of experience in governance, Buhari made references to many world leaders who transformed their countries even though they were over 70 years.

“China and Japan post- 1945 had a history of very old people managing the affairs of these two great oriental economies. Mao Zedong and Chou En-Lai in their 70s laid the foundation for their successor, Deng Shao Ping, to bring one billion people out of poverty into self- sufficiency in food supply and an economy second only to the US.

“Charles de Gaulle led French resurgence after the war when he was over 70 years and in Britain, three old men managed its recovery through 1950s and 1960s. The last three Saudi Arabian kings ascended the throne in their 70s and 80s and see what transformation the nation enjoys in the last 40 years. If you think that this achievement is solely due to oil resources, take a look at Nigeria and consider what poor use we made of our resources.”

However, the former All Nigeria Peoples Party presidential candidate, made a case for the position of younger generation in governance, saying that their strength and vigour were necessary ingredients for good governance.

“The ideal thing is to have a mixture of experienced people who will bring their wisdom to bear and young men and women with energy and vigour to cooperatively run an administration. A young Singaporean leader, Lee Kuan Yew in his 30s assumed the premiership position and turned his country to a beacon of efficiency, prosperity and growth. John Kennedy is another good example of a young leader. He kick-started the American technological achievement by inspiring oratory,” Buhari added.

While delivering the lecture, Mustafa, who was Azikiwe’s running mate in the Second Republic, said Nigerian youths had a lot to learn from the old politicians and the political philosophy of Azikiwe.

“The youths have a great role to play in governance and national transformation just like we have in the Arab Spring, but the place of our elders cannot be pushed aside. Governance is like a relay race; those in the starting point must do well for the latter runners to finish well,”he said.

Private jet: Reps probe oil minister's N10bn expenses

The House of Representatives on Thursday passed a resolution to probe an alleged spending of N10bn by the Minister of Petroleum Resources, Mrs. Diezani Alison-Madueke, to charter and maintain a jet for her personal use.

The resolution indicated that the minister spent 500,000 Euros or N130m monthly to maintain the aircraft in the last two years.

“Thus, in the last two years, the minister has committed at least N3.120bn to maintaining the private jet, which is used solely for her personal needs and those of her immediate family, which is an appalling act”, the sponsor of the motion, Mr. Samuel Adejare, told the House.

He alleged that other “wasteful” costs associated with the minister’s frequent trips with the jet were “currently estimated at N10bn, which include payment of allowances to the crew for trips, hanger parking and rent based on the lease agreement.”

The All Progressives Congress lawmaker from Agege Federal Constituency in Lagos State, argued that, at a time of dwindling resources, it was a “breach of  public trust” and “impudence” for a government official to fly “all over the world, obviously for leisure.”

Members endorsed the motion in a unanimous voice vote and directed the Committee on Public Accounts to conduct the investigation within three weeks.

In another resolution, the House observed that the Nigeria Liquefied Natural Gas had not remitted revenue to the Federation Account since 2004.

It resolved that its Committee on Gas Resources should investigate the issue within three weeks as well.

A member from Kano State, Mr. Aminu Suleiman, had brought the matter before the House.

Part of Suleiman’s motion reads, “The House notes that the NLNG Bonny, in flagrant disobedience and breach of Section 162(1) of the 1999 Constitution has not remitted funds accruing to it to the Federation Account from 2004 till date.

“That the non- remittance of funds accruing to NLNG Bonny from 2004 till date has adversely affected the Federation Account to the detriment of Federal, States and Local Governments.

“That the unpatriotic actions of those in charge of the NLNG Bonny from 2004 till date has resulted in loss of huge revenue that ought to be shared to all tiers of the government form the Federation Account for both recurrent and capital development.

“That, the non-remittance of funds that accrued to NLNG Bonny to the Federation Account from 2004till date has badly affected all critical sectors of the Nigerian economy and constitutes an economic crime.”

Robbers invade church, steal phones, N2m

No fewer than 15 armed robbers invaded the Christ Apostolic Church in Alagbado, Lagos State, stealing about 40 phones and money estimated at N2m.

The robbers, who operated for about 20 minutes, were said to have also attempted raping some of the church members before they left the church premises.

It was learnt that the men came around 2am penultimate Friday while the over 450 congregation was engrossed in a prayer session.

A member of the church, who craved anonymity, said some of the members had observed a strange man making phone calls while the vigil was on.

He said, “The vigil actually started around 12 midnight. Some of us observed a man who came in around 1.30am. He was seated in the women’s section. About four persons tried persuading him to change seat, including the pastor, but he refused. So they left him.

“I observed him going out several times to make phone calls. At about 2am, I overheard him saying, ‘start coming, they are praying’. Few minutes later, I heard a gunshot.”

The head usher of the church was said to have been shot at close range, when he tried closing the door against the robbers, who he originally thought were arriving late for the programme.

The bullet was said to have shattered the glass at the entrance, and landed on the pulpit.

When the gun men got in, the church members were said to have been ordered to lie face down, while they started ransacking them.

One of the church leaders said, “They positioned themselves at the church’s major entrances. They collected money, phones and recharge cards. They started shouting, ‘where is your pastor?’ They took the church offering and wanted to rape some of our women. In the 20 years of my being in the ministry, I have never seen such effrontery before.”

Our correspondent gathered that the robbers, however, did not know that there were two other exit doors in the church.

The pastor was said to have sneaked out through the exit and dodged behind a window, where he viewed everything going on.

It was learnt that the gang leader, who wore a mask, suddenly became angry and started arguing with a member of the gang over a phone that was snatched from one of the church members.

The source said, “It must have been God working at that point. During the argument, this young man suddenly pulled off his mask and started fighting the other robber. They had a heated argument over a phone they had just snatched without knowing that the pastor was looking at them.”

PUNCH Metro gathered that the pastor of the church alerted the police who arrived at the scene just after the robbers left.

An elder in the church told our correspondent that the members of the church, however, held on to the stranger in the church who appeared to have been the robbers’ informant.

He said, “Apart from me, there were three other people who saw him. A particular member of the church even told us that he was the one who grabbed her phone while the robbers were stealing items. He wanted to follow the robbers when they were escaping, but we held him till the police arrived.”

He was handed over to the Ojokoro Police Division for interrogation. He was said to have aided the police in apprehending the other robbers.

Our correspondent gathered from residents of the area that the same gang of robbers had been terrorising the area for a long time.

A resident, who did not want his name mentioned for security purpose said, “After they left CAC that day, they robbed in about eight other streets – Baruwa, Tebun Fagbemi, Sunday Fadipe, Idowu Oya, Ayobola, Balogun, Alhaji SL and Taibat Banire Estate.”

Investigations by PUNCH Metro revealed that the gang leader, who led the church operation and angrily pulled off his mask, was the son of a traditional ruler.

Our correspondent gathered that the young man, identified simply as Ade, had been arrested, but there had been high-powered influences seeking his release from police custody.

The pastor of the church, who identified him, was said to be under pressure to withdraw his incriminating statement from the police.

The residents said they were apprehensive as the state command’s authorities had withdrawn the matter from the police team originally handling it at the Special Anti-Robbery Squad.

When contacted, the Lagos State Police Public Relations Officer, Ngozi Braide, said the matter was being investigated at SARS.

Braide said, “The incident took place around 2am and some people were arrested around 4am. The matter is currently under investigation and the suspects, including the son of the traditional ruler, are in police custody.

“It will, however, be unreasonable for anyone to be apprehensive and insinuate things against the the command’s authorities in a case in which they have no interest. Justice is what we stand for and justice is what we are going to do in this matter.”

Moro, NIS boss fought over immigration recruitment - Investigation

Facts have emerged that a cold war between the Minister of Interior, Mr. Abba Moro and the Comptroller General of the Nigerian  Immigration Service, Mr. David Parradang, played a major role in the  NIS  recruitment  that resulted in the death of 20 job applicants on Saturday.

It was learnt on Wednesday in Abuja that both Moro and Parradang had been on each other’s throat over who should conduct the exercise.

Investigations revealed that while the minister insisted that it was the responsibility of the Ministry of Interior to handle the recruitment as the presiding ministry, the comptroller general  was of the view that the service should be allowed to handle the recruitment.

A source, who spoke to one of our correspondents on ‘the drama’ that preceded the immigration jobs tragedy, said the Immigration boss had argued that  those to be given jobs would work with the NIS as such the service could  not be left out.

It was learnt that at the height of the disagreement between Moro and Parradang, the ministry was said to have engaged a consultant, Drexet Tech Global, to conduct the exercise.

The leadership of the NIS was said to have been excluded from the processes that led to the engagement of the consultant.

Ministry officials, who should know about the consultant,   said that not much information was released on the deal.

“Look, nobody really knew anything about this consultant. All we were told was that it was one man or one woman. It didn’t go beyond that. Honestly, I really can’t tell,” a ministry source said in response to enquiries by The PUNCH.

It was learnt that while the minister delegated the NIS boss to ensure the smooth conduct of the ill-fated recruitment, Parradang in turn was said to have delegated  a deputy  comptroller to preside over the exercise in Abuja.

It was learnt that while over one million applicants besieged the centres across the country, both the minister and the NIS boss were in Jos felicitating with the Governor of Plateau State, Jonah Jang, who celebrated his 70th birthday in Jos on Saturday.

A source told one of our correspondents that Moro was taken aback when he saw Parradang at the venue of the governor’s birthday on the date of the exercise.

It was learnt that Parradang had reasoned that he had to be physically present at the event because Jang played a major role in his emergence as the CG of the NIS.

Efforts to get the NIS Public Relations Officer, Emeka Obua, failed as our correspondents could not reach him on his mobile phone.

But a source in the NIS confirmed that Parradang had advised the minister that the exercise should be conducted in batches, but Moro refused.

However, the Special Assistant to the minister on media, Mr. George Ubong, said that it was not true that the minister hijacked the exercise from the comptroller general.

Ubong said that the CGI, the Director of the Board and other stakeholders were part of the exercise.

He said that advertorials and radio jingles were placed in media houses after meetings were held and the date for the exercise was picked.

He said, “The minister never hijacked the exercise; I can tell you that the CGI, the Director of the Board and other stakeholders were part of the exercise.

“Meetings were held and there are minutes of the meeting, and there was an agreement as to what newspapers and radio houses to place advertorials and jingles. Also don’t forget that the CGI granted an interview after leaving the National Assembly to announce when the exercise was to hold.”

Sylva, others oppose trial by EFCC

Former governor of Bayelsa State, Timipreye Sylva, and six other accused persons have challenged the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission’s competence to try them on a 42-count criminal charge before an Abuja Federal High Court.

The EFCC had dragged the former governor to court, alongside Francis Okuburo, Gbenga S. Balogun, Samuel Ogbuku, Marlin Maritime Limited, Eat Catering Services Limited and Halloween Blue Construction and Logistics Limited.

However, the accused persons have filed a motion on notice, asking the court, presided by Justice Ahmed Mohammed, to decline jurisdiction on the grounds that the matter was a subject of a pending appeal at the Court of Appeal, Abuja Division.

In an affidavit in support of the motion on notice, the third accused person, Balogun, who is the manager of Marlin Maritime Limited (the 5th accused) argued that the property, which the EFCC was seeking their attachment and forfeiture in a new application dated March 10, 2014, were subject of the pending appeal.

The accused persons also asked the court to discontinue the legal representation of EFCC counsel, Rotimi Jacobs, SAN.

However, the motion could not be heard on Thursday as Balogun’s counsel, Ochu Chukwuma, informed the court that he would need time to respond to the counter-affidavit filed by EFCC.

Justice Mohammed adjourned the matter to May 16 for hearing.

Sylva was facing a pending criminal charge, also filed by the EFCC before the Abuja FHC, before the anti-graft agency filed the fresh 42-count charge against him.

The Commission said the new charge followed a fresh  evidence of corruption in its investigations into the former governor’s activities while in office between 2009 and 2012.

However, the EFCC has not been able to re-arraign Sylva and the others since the new charge was filed.

Osun gov: Jonathan asked me to contest, says Adeleke

A former Governor of Osun State, Alhaji Isiaka Adeleke, has said that President Goodluck Jonathan asked him to join the race for the August 9 governorship election holding in the state.

He said this on Thursday at the Peoples Democratic Party secretariat in Osogbo where he had gone to pick up a form to contest for the party’s primary.

A former Deputy Governor of the state, Senator Iyiola Omisore, Senator Akinlabi Olasunkanmi and Mr. Wole Oke had been cleared by the party state executive  as the governorship aspirants who met the deadline for the purchase and submission of intention form.

Adeleke, who is also a former senator, confirmed the rumour  that his coming to join the race less than three weeks to the primary was as a result of pressure from the Presidency.

The governorship aspirant said that he was interested in the race to the Senate but was called from the Presidency and asked to contest because of his pedigree.

Adeleke, who the state executive of the party had said was not a financial member of the PDP, pleaded for forgiveness with a promise that he would do “whatever is necessary.”

He said, “I want to plead with you to forgive me because I have not been  seeing you. I wanted to go to the Senate until about four weeks ago when the President ( Jonathan) sent for me.

“I went to Abuja and I met his aides; they  told me that the President wanted me to  be the PDP governorship candidate in Osun. I said it was okay by me but I told them that I was only preparing for the Senate.  I also said that how would the three governorship aspirants who have been working round the clock feel about this. I said the President should talk to them so that they would not see me as a treacherous person.

“The President called me and said the same thing and he said that he would reach out to other contestants. If it is me God wants to use to win the election then I wholeheartedly accept. I am not seeking to cause disaffection within the party and I am not desperate about it.”

Adeleke said that despite being asked to join the race, he still needed the support of everybody in the party while urging all aspirants to run rancour free campaigns ahead of the April 5 PDP primary.

He said that he decided to heed the call and join the race with the aim of restoring the state to the glorious vision of its founding fathers.

A former Speaker in the state, Mr.   Adejare Bello, who was one of the dignitaries who followed Adeleke to the party secretariat, also pleaded with the state executives to forgive any wrong done to them by the new aspirant

FG has lost B'Haram war - CNPP

THE Conference of Nigerian Political Parties on Thursday declared that the Federal Government had lost the war against the violent Islamic sect, Boko Haram.

The CNPP explained that any form of arrangement for the 2015 general elections in the northern part of the country was under threat as a result of the continued destructive activities of the members of Boko Haram in the area.

Rivers State CNPP Chairman, Dr. Menaigbi Dagogo-Jack, who made this declaration while speaking with The PUNCH in a telephone interview on Thursday, described the killing of innocent people on a daily basis in the North as an indication that the Federal Government had lost the war against terrorism.

Dagogo-Jack pointed out that government appeared to be helpless over the attack on the people by Boko Haram members, adding that if nothing was done, the 2015 general elections would be difficult to conduct.

He stated that the situation had made it necessary for Nigerians to engage in prayers, disclosing that clergymen in the state under the leadership of Bishop Friday Nwatu had decided to pray for an end to the carnage by Boko Haram in the North.

“It is clear that the effort of the Federal Government is not enough to put an end to Boko Haram onslaught against innocent Nigerians. The method of sending troops to an area where Boko Haram strikes and leave the area after 10 days cannot work.

“Clergymen in the state led by Bishop Friday Nwatu of the Integrity Christian Ministry have looked at the situation and decided to gather to pray for this country. We need God to intervene because if we don’t do that, the 2015 elections will be under serious threat,” the state CNPP stressed.

Dagogo-Jack maintained that Nigerians were not satisfied with the way government was handling the challenge of Boko Haram, even as he urged the Federal Government to rely more on intelligence to get at the terrorists.

He said, “This is a guerrilla war and the Boko Haram members are using sophisticated weapons and the declaration of state of emergency in some of the affected states appears not to be yielding fruit.

“To say the Federal Government is losing the war against Boko Haram is an understatement. The truth is that the Federal Government has lost the war. We must resort to prayers to save the situation.”

Dagogo-Jack, who commiserated with the families of the Islamic sect’s victims, urged Nigerians not to relent in speaking against the evil perpetrated by the dreaded group in the North.

Police officer knocks LASTMA official unconscious with his gun

A mobile policeman yesterday afternoon attacked three officials of the Lagos State Traffic Management Authority, LASTMA, and knocked one unconscious following an argument along Ashabi Cole off Lateef Jakande road Agidingbi in Ikeja.

Trouble started when LASTMA officials attempted to tow a vehicle parked in front of a bank which was causing traffic. The police officers guarding the bank challenged the LASTMA officials and tried to prevent them from towing the vehicle which was said to belong to a bank customer. An arguement ensued and before anyone could stop it, one LASTMA official was rushed to the hospital after a police man gave him a head butt and smashed the butt of his gun into his face.

When other LASTMA officials saw what had happened to their colleague, they turned the whole scene into a free for all show as both parties started arguing and fighting.

Head of LASTMA confirmed the incident and said the unconscious official is receiving medical attention.

Government should stop giving actors money - John Okafor

Popular actor, John Okafor, in a recent chat with Punch, criticised the recent visit of the Actors’ Guild of Nigeria to President Jonathan.

Okafor, popularly known as Mr Ibu, said he had beef with those who went to visit the president  because the president is yet to set his priorities right with regard to Nollywood.

“The government should stop giving Actors’ Guild cash, because we don’t know how to handle it. Some people will go to the office, process the money and squander it and we (actors) never benefit from such goodwill.

“If they (government) can give us a structure or land, we (actors) can go ahead and secure funds from investors to build five-star hotels and other facilities on it, because it will be a tourist haven. We can bring the Nigerian Censor’s board into the same arena." Okafor tells Punch. Continue...

"How can we be paying N50,000 to have one movie censored and then generate N5m from over 100 movies produced in a month and yet there aren’t any structures in place for Nollywood? “With such amount of money, government should be able to cater for us. If this is done, the industry will make a giant stride.”

Okafor also talked about homosexuality in the Nollywood industry...

 “Homosexuality is very rampant in our industry and it is one thing that aggravates my anger many at times,” he reveals.

He talks about fans not taking him seriously because of the 'unserious roles' he plays in the movies.

“Many people do not take me seriously because of the kind of roles I play in movies. But the truth is that those who know me very well know that I am a very focused and principled person.

“In fact, I teach and mentor many upcoming actors and also organise workshops and seminars regularly for them.”

He recalls when he knew he would be an actor.

“I think I got the gift of acting from my grandfather. I discovered this in the early 70s. My grandfather was a foremost comedian in his own right. Back in the days, he would take me to places where he performed. Growing up, I realised that I was going to become an actor somehow,” he recalled.

Okafor says acting has not made him rich

“Acting has not made me rich, but I’m very comfortable. I am able to feed and adequately take care of my family; neither do I borrow money.

“It has also opened many doors for me and it has taken me far and wide beyond my wildest imagination. It has exposed me to certain level where I can say that God has done it for me.”

B'Haram writes Army, threatens to attack Maiduguri barracks

The members of the Boko Haram Sect have written to the 7th Division of the Nigerian Army threatening to attack Maimalari Barracks on Friday (today).

Investigations revealed that security had been beefed up in the Maimalari Barracks which has the Headquarters of the 7th Infantry Division of the Artillery Corps, the Ordinance, the Signal and other crucial units of the Army in Maiduguri.

It was gathered that while security agents saw the letter as a ploy to instill fear into security operatives, all efforts were being made to ward off any attack on the foremost military formation in the North-East.

A source said that the insurgents might have compelled one of the drivers to get the letter to the military of their plan to attack the barracks.

The source said that the letter was written in Hausa Language.

“Yesterday, the Boko Haram sect wrote that they would attack the Maimalari Barracks. They wrote the letter in Hausa Language to give the notification of their coming.

“However, security operatives are praying for them to come to the barracks. The barracks is the biggest; it is the cantonment in Maiduguri.

“The barracks accommodates, the 7th Infantry Division, the Artillery, Ordinance, Engineering, Signal and other corps.

“People are even surprised how they got the letter to the barracks; one cannot rule out intimidation of one of the drivers to get the letter to the barracks.

“Soldiers are on the red alert. There are many soldiers there who are waiting for the attack. Soldiers are battle ready,” the source said.

The current threat is coming barely after the Boko Haram sect launched an attack on Giwa Barracks, the Headquarters of the 21 Artillery Brigade on March 15, 2014.

Authoritative military sources said that over 350 insurgents were killed in that attack while some soldiers were injured. A soldier was also said to have lost four children to the attack.

Our correspondent also gathered that the Special Forces had taken over the Gwoza Hills believed to be one of the strongest hideouts of the sect in the North-East.

Investigations revealed that the Special Forces stormed the Gwoza Hills and killed several insurgents in a combined operation with the men of the Nigerian Air Force on Wednesday.

The source said that a soldier was killed in the attack while some others were injured.

“There was an encounter in Gwoza Hills. Troops have taken over the place; it was another fierce encounter.

“A soldier was killed and some others were wounded. On the part of the insurgents, I can’t give you the exact casualty figure because the Air Force was involved and bombs were used.

“Gwoza Hills is one of their strong points. The Boko Haram took over the entire place before the battle but soldiers have taken over the place and have captured some of their arms and ammunition.

“That place is one of their main operational bases; corpses are smelling there. It is a joint operation involving the Air Force and others.

“The insurgents hide under the hills to launch attacks. It takes over three hours to climb to the top of the hills in some cases. The hills are massive,” the source said.

When our correspondent contacted the Director of Defence Information, Maj.-Gen. Chris Olukolade, he asked to be called back as he was in a place where it was not possible for him to give a comment as of the time of filing this story.

Meanwhile, the Chairman Governing Council, National Human Rights Commission, Prof. Chidi Odinkalu, in Abuja on Thursday described the new approach adopted by the security agencies to fight terrorism as a welcome development.

Odinkalu told the News Agency of Nigeria  that many approaches were needed to tackle insurgency.

Reacting to the New Approach to Countering Terrorism by the Office of the National Security Adviser, he said both soft and hard approaches were required.

“You need the soft approach, de-radicalisation, investment in community, resilience and education to complement the hard approach which is the military approach,”he said.

Alleged missing N24bn Police pension fund: Reps committee faults Okonjo-Iweala

Alleged missing N24bn Police pension fund: Reps committee faults Okonjo-Iweala

THE House of Representatives committee on Public Accounts yesterday faulted the claim by the Coordinating Minister for the Economy and Minister of Finance, Dr Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala that N24billion pension fund was not missing and challenged her to a public debate on the matter.

At the resumed hearing of the missing money yesterday the Public Account Committee Chaired by Rep Solomon Adeola Olamilekan insisted that the N24bilion was actually missing accusing the Finance Minister of either being ignorant of the facts of the transactions or trying to mislead the country.

The hearing was attended by the Director General of Pension Transitional Arrangement Department (PTAD) Mrs Nellie Mayshak and her team, as well as the representatives of the office of

According to Adeola “we invited you people to appear before this honourable Committee on this serious transactions involving Tax payers’ money running into billions of naira and the new DG of Pension Transitional Arrangement Department was honest enough to say that she just took over and that there was no document to back up the disbursement of the N24bllion. We further requested for more documentation in order to get to the root of the matter only for the Minister to come up with a press statement that the money was not missing”

“We challenge her to a Public debate where all the media houses will be present and will be on live on all Television stations, so Nigerians will know whether or not the N24billion was missing”,he declared.

Olamilekan noted that ,”all these documents being brandished around in defence of the missing N24billion are fraudulent, forged and fake which can not stand the test of the time, they have nothing to do with the missing money. The minister claimed that the money was kept in an account, but which bank and how much was the interest since it was kept in the bank? She also claimed that the money had been paid into the treasury, where is the official receipt issued to that effect ?.

The committee then requested for the statements of bank account detailing how the account was operated at the First Bank Plc, between 2009 and 2012 which must be duly signed by the bank as its officials might be invited by the Committee to give evidence

GLO MAST FELL, KILLED TWO IN CROSS RIVER

Tragedy struck in Odukpani local government area of Cross River State on
Wednesday evening at about 6pm when a telecommunications mast said to
belong to Globacom fell and killed two people.
Those killed were an eleven year old girl, Lawrencia John Asuquo and a middle
aged man, Adindu Fynecountry.
Lawrencia was on an errand for her father while Adindu was in his drugstore
when the unfortunate incident occurred.
Two others were fatally injured, several other sustained minor injuries and
some houses were destroyed.
Those critically injured were carried to the General Hospital in Calabar.
The incident happened following a rainstorm that came with severe winds it
was gathered. It happened in Ntoe Edet Oqua Street in Odukpani Qua Town.
Father of the deceased girl, Mr. John Asuquo Etok, a staff of Odukpani Local
Government Council, was inconsolable yesterday.
His words, “It’s just unfortunate the mast fell and killed my daughter as she
went out to buy something from a nearby shop. Her name is Lawrencia John
Asuquo and she was about to sit for the Primary 6 exams. She was a pupil of
St. Theresa Primary School, Odukpani Qua Town. I want government to come
to my aid as my house was also destroyed by the wind .I am presently
homeless. I want the state emergency management agency (SEMA) and Glo to
come and assist me. I have seven children; five boys and two girls.”
Brother of the deceased Fynecountry, Mr. Henry Okeke from Akwete in Ukwa
East LGA, Abia state, said, “It was around 7pm I got a call that my brother
was dead in Odukpani. His name is Adindu Fynecountry. When I got to
Odukpani, I saw the corpse lying here. I could not do anything than to agree
with the police, then we carried his corpse in the police van and deposited it
in the mortuary. I am here to see the Glo people and the National
Communication Commission (NCC). There are lots of things we have to address
in the matter because it’s a big disaster. I have not seen any of them yet to
talk to. For now we are keeping our fingers crossed waiting for their response.
He has 7 children. For now I can’t quantify the losses in his shop.”
A lady who sustained some injuries from the incident, Mrs Blessing Edim, said
“the mast fell as I was busy packing my goods as a result of the strong wind. I
want government and Glo to come to our aid. The estimated loss of my goods
is worth over N100, 000.”
A Globacom official in Calabar who pleaded anonymity said he was not his
place to talk to the press.
He however said the fallen mast was that of his company.
He said, “The brand has sent emissary to the families of the victims to ensure
that there have temporary palliative while awaiting instructions from the
brand headquarters in Lagos on how to resolve the issues at stake.’’

10 Most Powerful People in Media

The YNaija list of 10 Most Powerful People in Media under the age of 40 has just been released and yeah, I made the list. Woop, woop! These are people who have gone beyond their own careers and their own empires, and are influencing trends, leading on success, and driving people to action. 

From OAPs to moguls, these are the most powerful in Nigeria’s media space. Check on it after the cut...


Alex Okosi
Okosi is the Senior Vice President and Managing Director, Viacom International Media Networks Africa. As an executive, he made his mark by bringing by bringing the urban-music themed MTV Base music channel to Africa back in 2005. It was perfect timing; African music was at the cusp of a renaissance and the presence of MTV Base on the TV screens led to an explosion of quality visuals and great video content from artists. Okosi was selected as a Young Global Leader by the World Economic Forum and his influence in entertainment circles is undeniable. Only recently, Nigerian radio OAPs were nominated for honours at the Nickelodeon Kids Choice Awards and they probably have Mr Okosi to thank for it.

Ayeni Adekunle
Ayeni the great started his career as a journalist working for the likes of Enconium and Vanguard but has evolved to become one of the most important media men this side of the Atlantic. His Black House Media group has worked with a range of important clients from Nigerian Idol and Nigerian Breweries to superstars D’banj and Ice Prince and he publishes Nigeria’s biggest entertainment website The NETng as well its weekly newspaper equivalent. In 2013, he convened the Nigerian entertainment conference that attracted the movers and shakers of the entertainment industry and business world, sparking dialogue and creating networking links.

Gbemi Olateru-Olagbegi
No one has a presence on radio quite like Gbemi. Sweet, sassy and slighty tart, she has been working on the radio for over eight years and has quietly built a formidable fan base and listenership that has followed her from her days at Cool FM to her present gig at Beat FM where she hosts the Drive Time Show in the evening. A graduate of Oakland University in Rochester, Michigan, Gbemi has also risen through the ranks to become head of programming at Beat FM’s sister station Naija FM. She is currently working on her upcoming television show.

Linda Ikeji
Everybody visits Linda Ikeji’s all powerful blog. It’s futile trying to deny, the Alexa rankings state otherwise. The blog has become the one stop shop for gossip, heart to heart dialogue, the occasional political commentary and yes, breaking news. Even the federal government is not unaware of the power of her platform, tipping her as one of the media partners for its centenary celebrations. She may do battle with a celebrity or two, but even they would agree that the publicity she offers is pretty much unparalleled. She generates millions in advertising but still manages to retain that girl next door persona.

Maupe Ogun
The television presenter and co-host of Channels television’s must-watch breakfast magazine Sunrise daily may be the only woman in the room most of the time, but she has managed to come across as one of the smartest. And articulate. And fearless. Always compulsively watchable, with her probing and unflinching questions, many an unprepared guest have been known to shrivel under her piercing gaze. Educated at the University of Lagos and the University of East Anglia, Norwich, UK, Ogun participated in president Obama’s town hall meeting with young Africans.

Mfonobong Nsehe
Nsehe’s prolific work with Forbes magazine Africa and Ventures Africa has resulted in the eventual recognition of previously under the radar Folashade Alakija as one of the richest people on the planet. As a staff writer with Forbes Africa, Nsehe’s brief is to profile Africa’s success stories and chronicle the lives of its rich and famous. Shunning the hype and the gloss, the Akwa Ibom-born journalist and blogger goes in to uncover the real picture.

Tolu Ogunlesi
Tolu is a two-time winner of the CNN/Multichoice African journalist of the Year, most recently in 2013 when he won in the Economic and Business category for his reporting on Eko Atlantic City. Ogunlesi once worked as a features editor for the defunct NEXT newspapers and his writing has appeared in various international media like The Huffington Post, CNN, UK Guardian and The Economist. He runs a weekly column on The Punch, Nigeria’s most widely read newspaper.

Toolz
Tolu ‘Toolz’ Oniru may get plenty of notice for her stunning physique but she has proved there is more to her than meets the eye. Bodacious, beautiful and brainy, she has parlayed her OAP duties on Beat FM into a position of power, being able to fast track or stall careers with her choice of playlist. Her other gig on the Guaranty Trust Bank sponsored Ndani TV is about to commence its second season and the accolades pouring in for that stint thanks to the probing-yet-breezy comradarie she exudes while interviewing her guests. Those skills translate from the radio to the small screen and her performance on the debut season of the X-factor Nigeria is sure to net her next year’s deal. Is there anything that Toolz cannot fix?

Toyosi Ogunseye
Ogunseye became one of the youngest editors of a major newspaper when she was promoted to editor of the Sunday Punch. She may be tasked with preparing the weekly but she still finds time to churn out powerful features like her three-part piece on the impact of gases released by a steel company on an upscale estate in Lagos state which won her a second CNN/Multichoice African journalist of the Year trophy, this time in the Environment category.

Uche Pedro
The now married founder of BellaNaija, the most popular lifestyle/entertainment website in the country has overseen the growth of BellaNaija from a single girl’s blog to mentions by Oprah Winfrey, CNN and a permanent home on internet web traffic assessor Alexa’s top 40 listings. Quiet, unassuming and loath to step out in public glare, Uche Pedro wields a lot of power as her site has been known to dictate the latest fashion trends, attract advertising mega bucks and corner the market on wedding photography.