NEW COMPUTER VILLAGE: Govt meets stakeholders over relocation of ICT market

Lagos State Government has assured residents of Katangowa, in AgbadoOke-Odo Local Council Development Area, host community of the new Computer Village, that their interest, whether personal or collective, will be protected even as plans are being concluded to flag off the project.

Commissioner for Physical Planning and Urban Development, WasiuAbiolaAnifowose, who represented Governor AkinwunmiAmbode at the strategic parley held at the LCDA headquarters, assured the stakeholders, landowners and those who operate business in the area that they will not be forced out until a befitting alternative has been provided for everyone. He explained that unlike a military regime where issues of human rights are dumped, a responsible civil government like Ambode’s will carry everybody along to ensure smooth relocation, justice and equity, in line with government’s resolve to turn the metropolis into a mega city and create a conducive environment for the urban dwellers.

Anifowose who conducted the meeting in Yoruba and English Language, allayed their fears about forceful ejection, compensation or demolition without alternative accommodation, while urging all those affected to submit their particulars to the LCDA, in order to have a register of those to benefit from the project insisting that this will enable government allocate stalls only to the rightful claimants.

He also disclosed that those relocating from Ikeja to Katangowa will not move in until the contractor has completed the structures, so as not to discomfiture anyone doing business either at the old or new location.

“A few months ago, when I came here and promised to build a flyover bridge at Abule-Egba to ease traffic and open up this flank, some of you thought it was impossible. But the bridge has been completed, and in record time, and based on that promise which has been fulfilled, I am here today in company of the Permanent Secretary and with the LCDA chairman as my witness, to announce Governor Ambode’s determination to build the new computer village in this area.”

Chairman of the LCDA, Mr. Augustine Arogundade said he was pleased to host the meeting and commended the government for siting the project in his domain. He pledged maximum collaboration with the stakeholders and the contractor in bringing to reality the new Computer Village in Lagos.

During a brief presentation, Mr. Jimmy Onyemenam, CEO Bridgeways DPG Limited, real estate developer handling contract of the new ICT market, gave a simplified account of the project, its scope, and size and the facilities that would be provided at the computer village. According to him, when ready, the Katangowa project would be the biggest ICT Park in West Africa and will offer over 4,000 shops, exhibition halls, hotel, shopping plaza, industrial park, warehouses, KeeKlamps (small shopping shades), a helipad, malls, banking halls, parking lots, conference centre, food courts, security and power, and delivered in a carefully laid out plan to remove the chaos currently bedevilling the Computer Village, Ikeja. Market women, leaders of trade unions, landlords, top government officials and various stakeholders attended the one-day meeting.

The Lagos State government conceived the new ICT Village 13 years ago, during the administration of Ahmed Bola Tinubu. The aim is to build a befitting market for computer business and afterwards, relocate the market from its present location at Ikeja. At the forum, Onyemenam presented the master plan of the new buildings designed to world-class standard. He said the new computer village is designed to meet the expectation and comfort of all occupants who want to do business in the Emarket. “The N20 billion project has 15 hectares of land, which has been earmarked by the Lagos State government in the Alimosho Local Government Area.

:The Sun

2019: NO ONE SHOULD STOP FAYOSE – Ladoja

APC should perish thought of taking power from PDP in Ekiti in 2018

Former Governor of Oyo State, Senator Rashid Ladoja has said that no one in the Peoples’ Democratic Party (PDP) should stop Governor of Ekiti State, Ayodele Fayose from contesting for Presidency in 2019 saying it is the governor’s fundermantal human rights to contest for the nation’s number seat.

Ladoja, who visited Governor Fayose at the governor’s office in Ado-Ekiti yesterday, said Fayose is eminently qualified to contest for presidency in 2019 and no one should stop him.

“Governor Fayose is my own brother and he is a go-getter. Whatever he sets his mind to achieve, he goes for it and he gets it. He is eminently qualified and possesses all the leadership capabilities to rule Nigeria and take us out of the woods.

“Some people in the PDP have said that they have zoned the presidency to the north, but it is left for Fayose to convince the members in the PDP to support him for his presidential ambition. He is fit for it judging from his antecedents as a quintessential leader in the country. I also want to advise the party leadership to use zoning of the presidency in a way that would guarantee the PDP winning the election in 2019 and not as a way of favouring some individuals who may not be ready for the job.”

The ex-governor who hinted that he is already packing his load and returning to the PDP, also told the All Progressive Congress (APC) in Ekiti to perish the thought of taking over power from the PDP in 2018, said: “Fayose has performed excellently well in governing Ekiti. There is no governor in this country today who can beat his chest two times and say my state came tops for two consecutive times in NECO. Fayose as a political enigma cannot be uprooted in Ekiti based on his good governance, transparency and the many good projects he is embarking on in the state and which has adorned the landscape of the Fountain of Knowlegde. I therefore advise APC to forget Ekiti in 2018, as Ekiti people would not like to leave Fayose for the need to continue the good works of Fayose.”

Speaking about his state and the chances of PDP in 2019, Ladoja lambasted current governor Abiola Ajimobi for “causing confusion with his newly enthroned ‘obas’ “,. He said that the incumbent governor knows that he has lost popularity and relevance in the state and :” that is why he is causing distractions and confusions all over the place in the state”.

Ladoja therefore, expressed confidence that the PDP would take over power from APC in Oyo in 2019, saying: “Ajimobi has lost relevance in Oyo, especially with his obaship confusion project that is doomed from the start. So, I can confidently assure you that we will take over power from him in 2019.”

Speaking further about the obaship tussle which he has challenged in the court, Ladoja said though, the state government seems to be delaying justice by making effort to gag the judiciary, but :” the whole charade would not stand and cannot stand as our tradition, norms and regulations in Ibadan recognizes only Olubadan as the custodian of Obaship title and one who can confer it on anyone.

:The Sun 

MONKEY POX DISEASE UNDER CONTROL- NCDC

Nigeria Centre for Disease Control (NCDC) has urged Nigerians to remain calm as it is working aggressively to control Monkeypox outbreak in Bayelsa state.

Dr Chikwe Ihekweazu, Chief Executive Officer of NCDC, told newsmen on Saturday in Abuja that the centre was taking steps to manage the cases and prevent further spread of the disease.

According to him a Rapid Response Team (RRT) from NCDC has been deployed to support the Bayelsa State Government in the investigations and public health response.

He said that 13 cases were reported, most of them have been discharged but four are still receiving treatment but all of them are doing well and no death reported.

He said that if cases are detected early and well managed the chances are that they will survive.

“It is a self limiting illness which means that there is no specific treatment for the virus”.

He noted that doctors and healthcare providers have been advised on what to do.

“The key thing is to bring in patients with characteristic rash on their face which is what stands Monkeypox out from other diseases.

”Monkeypox looks like an extreme case of chickenpox but a little bit more severe and the disease looks and sounds a lot worse than it actually is.

”The virus circulates in a few more animals apart from monkeys like rats, squirrels and bush meat and the period of increased risk is at the point of killing, touching or preparing them.

”The people at risk are those who kill, touch or cook the animals that is those who come in contact with the animals and don’t use protective measure or wash their hands after wards.

”Once the virus gets into the human population then there is a risk of human to human transmission which is what has happened in Bayelsa but the first contact is from animal to human,” he said.

Ihekweazu explained that Monkeypox infection is a relatively rare disease that has previously been reported in Nigeria in the 1970s.

He said that it is primarily a zoonotic infection that is transmitted primarily from animals to humans, with limited subsequent person-to-person transmission.

He further explained that there is no serious aftermath of the disease except staying with the scare of the rash for quite a while.

He therefore assured Nigerians that the NCDC was in control of the situation and was working aggressively to combat it’s further spread.

:Vanguard (NAN) 

BREAKING: Oke Emerges as LASU’s New DVC Administration

Prof. Oyedamola Oke of the Faculty of Science, Lagos State University (LASU)  on Friday emerged as the  new Deputy Vice-Chancellor (Administration) of the institution.
Mr Adekoya Martins, Acting Head, LASU Centre for Information, Press and Public Relations (CIPPR), disclosed this in an interview with newsmen on Saturday in Lagos.
Martins said Oke emerged as the DVC (Administration) following an election held by the University’s Senate members on Friday .
He said Oke was declared winner of the election after polling 77 votes against his opponent Prof. Banji Fajonyomi who polled 39 votes.
While congratulating Oke for his emergence as the DVC (Admin), the Vice Chancellor of the university, Prof. Olanrewaju Fagbohun,  said the election was credible and devoid of personal attacks  and mudslinging.
“Even the conduct of the two candidates after the result was announced showed that they are men of character, and I am sure they will continue to work together for the institution,” he said.
Newsmen report that Oke succeeds  Prof. Fidelis Njokanma of the LASU College of Medicine (LASUCOM) and is expected to hold the office for a period of two years.
Oke is a former Dean, Faculty of Science and current Coordinator, LASU Admissions.



:Vanguard (NAN) 

AG Dangote begins relocation of gas pipes stalling APAPA-WHARF ROAD RECONSTRUCTION

LAGOS – Mr Ashif Juma, the Managing Director of AG Dangote Construction Company Ltd, on Saturday said the firm has begun relocation of gas pipelines slowing down the Apapa-Wharf Road reconstruction project.

Juma said on the sidelines of a site inspection exercise that the construction work was divided into four sections .

According to him, work is currently going on simultaneously on two sections.

He said that gas pipes in the Right of Way (RoW) had slowed down the project for more than two months.

Juma identified the high traffic in the area as one of the challenges affecting the project, adding that a team of traffic consultants were handling this to ensure it does not affect construction work.

“We are working with the Federal Ministry of Power, Works and Housing and Gaslink to relocate some pipes under the drains.

“Nobody was aware of the pipes when we began the project because this road was constructed over 40 years ago.

“ And nobody has drawings of where utilities are so, we have been careful excavating.

“We are starting the relocation of the gas pipelines from today and it will take us one week of careful work to finish so that construction work can continue.

“We need to dig deep to lay the foundation for a good concrete road but the gas pipes have not allowed us to do that so, we have been working on other sections.

“After this relocation, we will do a good job as we have done in over 21 countries; building durable concrete roads.

“We only appeal to people of Lagos to be patient with us because this portion we are constructing will last more than 50 years,” he said.

He gave an assurance that by the end of the month, the public would see the visible concrete road.

Juma also said that as the rainy season winding up, efforts would be intensified on the site to ensure the project was delivered on schedule.

“Inspite of the challenges, we want to complete the road by June 2018.

“Today, we have about 93 people working on site with about 27 equipment and we are working six days a week.

“ After the rainy season, we would do seven days and run two shifts for 24 hours,” he said.

Conducting NAN round the fabrication site, he explained that most of the drainage slabs were being mass produced there and the pre-cast walls and slabs were being moved to the construction zone to speed up work.

“We produce here for two reasons, speed and good quality of concrete,” he told NAN.

The managing director, while conducting NAN round the site and the new “Concrete Slipform Machines” said the equipment would ensure stability of the road.

NAN reports that a team of engineers from a gas company joined Juma and his team of engineers to excavate gradually a major gas pipe on the RoW.

He directed that security men must continuously guard the cordoned off area to ensure that reckless motorcyclists, who usually remove barricades to drive through construction zones, do not have access to the area.

NAN observed that heavy duty machines were being used to lift and lay large drainage channels on the CMS bound carriageway.

Also, pumping machines were being used to drain off water on some portions while earth moving equipment compacted sand on some portions with workmen also carrying out various activities.

The Minister of Power, Works and Housing, Mr Babatunde Fashola, on June 17 signed the N4.34 billion Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) for the reconstruction of the four kilometres road with AG Dangote Construction Company Ltd and other stakeholders.

The project is being funded by AG Dangote Construction Company Ltd, the Nigerian Ports Authority (NPA) and Flour Mills of Nigeria.

The project has a completion period of one year.

:Vanguard 

TSTV rolls out 1 November

Satellite TV service provider, TSTV says its TSTV Africa, will begin commercial operation on Nov. 1.

Its Managing Director, Mr Bright Echefu, made this known while briefing newsmen on Saturday  in Abuja.

Echefu added that TSTV would launch its services with about one million decoders nationwide.

He said that at least 5,000 decoders TSTV would be released to the public next week for  free, adding that it would use the first set of decoders with one month free subscription to test run its services.

“Commercialization of our decoders will resume officially on Nov. 1 and by that time, every part of Nigeria would have TSTV decoders for people to buy.

“We are releasing about one million which can go round and our target for the first quarter is one million units.

“In every quarter we will bring one million units and we are targeting four million units within the next one year.

“I can tell you categorically that some decoders will be released next week for Nigerians to test and we are going to cover the 36 states of the federation.

“These decoders are going to be free and it close to 5,000 units to test and that will last for two weeks,’’ he said.

Echefu disclosed that the delay in releasing the decoders to the public was to ensure that dealers were properly scrutinized so that the decoders do not fall into the wrong hands.

He explained that the decoder would be sold to Nigerians at a subsidized rate.

According to him, the landing cost of the decoder is N28,000.

“We don’t want a situation where someone would pick our decoders and dump them somewhere.

“That is why we are very careful because of competition.

“ We have received well over 6,000 applications and it has been overwhelming processing these people; but so far, we have been able to accredit more than 748 dealers and we have received applications from more than 3,000 of them.

“That is why we have not commercialized our services even though we are the ones losing because we have enough decoders to cover the whole of Nigeria.

“But it will be unfair with all the money put in for us to give decoders out and those decoders don’t get to the end users,’’ Echefu added.

TSTV boss said that measures had been put in place to ensure its sustainability in terms of services, pledging that the organisation would be envied by many Nigerians in the next ten years.

He disclosed that the organisation currently has 250 staff on direct employment, while it expects about 10000 to be engaged indirectly at take off.

According to him, TSTV has improved on its transmission facilities to overcome weather challenges while expressing happiness over the acceptance by Nigerians.

He praised the Federal Government for the three year tax relief granted to the company to encourage more investors to come to Nigeria.

He said that the company would consolidate on the new tax policy to grow its business in the country and recoup its investment.

On the alleged copyright infringement on two international content providers, Turner Broadcasting System and beIN sports, Echefu said the company entered into partnership agreement with every concerned organisation.

According to him, TSTV will air CNN and beIN sport channels.

He commended DSTV for creating value for Nigerian content.

Newsmen recall that the new satellite pay TV was inaugurated on Oct. 1.

:Vanguard (NAN) 

NIGERIAN BREWERIES HONORS JOURNALISTS with N6 million cash prizes, others

Lagos – The Nigerian Breweries Plc has rewarded distinguished Journalists with N6 million cash prize at the 9th Edition of the Nigerian Breweries Golden Pen Award.

The 2017 Nigerian Breweries Golden Pen Award was held on Friday night at the Eko Hotel, Lagos, and it was entitled: “Agriculture, Local Sourcing and Industrial Development”.

The Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer of the company, Mr Johan Doyar, said the award which was launched in 2009, was to promote the practice of Journalism in Nigeria.

Doyar said that this year’s theme had a lot of potentials and also had the key source to development.

“It is our hope and expectations that the media will draw attention to the sections of the economy to agriculture; it is important to acknowledge the role of the media in national development.

“Nigeria is a land of talents and we believe in it passionately,” he said.

The Deputy Governor of Lagos State, Dr Idiat Adebule, represented by the Permanent Secretary,Deputy Governor’s Office, Mrs Yetunde Odejaye, commended the Nigerian breweries for its consistency in sustaining the award.

Adebule said that the award would promote objective news reporting and project Nigerian media as patriotic institutions.

She also lauded the media for supporting the initiatives of Nigerian Breweries over the years.

“The theme of the award is apt and timely; the media has a role to play in directing the attention of these stakeholders to the role that agriculture brings toward the nation’s economic recovery, food security, employment opportunities and poverty reduction.

“In diversifying the economy, agriculture holds the four aces; it is the way forward, it has the potential to grow our economy and contributes significantly to the gross domestic products,” the deputy governor said.

The Chairman of the Panel of Judges, Dr Yemi Ogunbiyi, said the entries for this year’s award were an improvement over the past years.

He lauded the efforts of Nigerian Breweries at sustaining the award and commended the Nigerian media for its unrelenting efforts to set an agenda for the good of the Nigerian people.

The Nigerian Breweries Reporter of the Year cash prize of N2 Million, was given to Isioma Madike of The New Telegraph.

Madike’s work ,“Shongan Farm: The dream of Zimbabwean White’’, an investigative piece, earned him the award.

The 2nd runner up for the Nigerian Breweries reporter of the year, Mr Caleb Ojewale of The Business Day was given N750,000, while the 1st runner up, Mr Arukaino Umukoro, of the Punch Newspapers went home with N1 million.

In the Photo journalist category, the overall winner, Olatunji Obasa also of the the Punch Newspapers got N1 Million; first runner up, Jubril Sulaimon, of The New Telegraph got N750,000, and second runner up, Toluwani Eniola 0f the The Punch Newspapers, got N500,000.

The winner of the Nigerian Breweries Golden Pen Report of the Year, Mojeed Alabi, of The New Telegraph, received N1 million.

All the winners in all categories got an iPad and a Plaque, each. 

:Vanguard (NAN)

MONKEY POX: Bayelsa has 13 suspected cases, 50 persons actively followed – Etebu

YENAGOA – A 12 member rapid response team comprising senior medical professionals have been inaugurated by the Bayelsa State government to combat the spread of the suspected monkey pox, a viral epidemic that has hit the state.

The government also set up other sub-teams to carry out contact tracing of patients.

The State Commissioner for Health, Prof. Ebimitula Etebu, who inaugurated the committee Friday in Yenagoa reassured the citizens that there was no need to panic.

Etebu said that currently, the state had 13 suspected cases at different stages of recovery following treatment at the makeshift isoloation ward at the Niger Delta University Teaching Hospital, Okolobiri.

According to him, over 50 persons were being actively followed at different locations in the state.

The situation, he added, was not beyond control and stressed the need for people to observe the simple hygiene of washing hands.

He also handed over some boxes of hand sanitizers to the team entrusted with the responsibility of monitoring the disease.

“At present, as we speak, we have 13 suspected cases at different stages of recovery following treatment at the makeshift isoloation ward at NDUTH, Okolobiri. There are also over 50 persons being actively followed at differently located places in the state.

”And this is in order to quickly detect any new cases following exposure to suspected cases. The state Ministry of Health, with the support of the international community led by the World Health Organisation, international partners, the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control have since embarked on enlightenment campaigns.

”Active disease surveillance has also been carried, case management and other sundry measures have also been carried out in a bid to halt the spread of the disease in the state.

”New suspected cases are being reported everyday in the state. The situation can get out of hand if critical measures are not quickly put in place and that is why we have thought it expedient to inform the public.

” And the essence is to allay the general public of the fact that there is no need to panic; it does not call for any fear. The ministry and the government of the state are on top of the situation.

”We have carried out all necessary measures that is why we have been able to contain so far and today we are just symbolically giving the opportunity to the press to ensure that we do not want speculation,” he said.

‎Etebu noted that the disease is transmitted when a person comes in contact with the virus from animals or materials that are contaminated with the virus.

According to him, the virus enters the body through broken skin that is usually not visible.

The virus, he added could enter the body through respiratory tract or the mucus membrane in the eyes, in the nose and in the mouth.

He said animal to human transmission could occur by the bite of many bush animals and it could also occur through a direct contact with body fluids or lesions or patients that had already come down with the disease.

‎”It can also be contracted through contaminated beddings and so on and so forth. Human to human transmission occurs through droplet infection with direct contact with body fluids or lesions or materials that are in direct contact with contaminated clothings and the like.

”So, the simple measures we have been propagating and sensitising people and creating awareness is that if you maintain simple hygiene of washing your hands when you touch animals whether dead or alive, when you go to toilet and so on, will help prevent transmission of this virus.

”We have also done several things and the most important thing is that we are telling the public that if you see any body that has developed an unusual rash, that is similar to chicken pox rash or small pox, immediately contact us or advise the person to go to the nearest health facility.”

Also, the Commissioner for Information and Orientation, Mr. Markson Iworiso, said that the government was embarking on practical steps to ensure that the disease was prevented from spreading.

He urged the citizens to report all cases of unusual rash to the medical facilities for necessary action.

Iworiso-Markson urged the citizenry to call two dedicated lines, 08066987752, 08035474676, to report cases of the suspected virus, saying that his ministry would produce jingles in local dialect and English to sensitise the people to the scourge.

The Chief Medical Director, NDUTH where 11 cases of the virus were being handled, Prof. Dimie Ogoina, said that a doctor who was infected and an 11-year-old were treated and discharged.

The CMD, who said others were responding to treatment, emphasized the need for awareness creation in the bid to effectively arrest the disease and appealed to the media for the usual cooperation.

He said, ”Based on the mandate we have received from the state government, we currently have an isolation centre put in to manage the suspected cases of monkey pox. In deed, the index case that came in about two weeks ago, the hospital has been fully mobilised to receive and care for every suspected case of monkey pox in the state.

”Currently, in the hospital, we have a designated makeshift facility where we receive adult and children that are suspected to have monkey pox.

“We are fully mobilised and we have provided sufficient awareness among the staff of the hospital.

” Unfortunately one of our doctors contracted the virus at the early stage of the outbreak before it was fully recognised.

But I am happy to inform you that the doctor has been cared for, treated and has fully recovered and he is doing well.

“We have also successfully treated and managed an 11-year-old index case who has recovered and is doing well.

:Vanguard 

Interesting FACTS ABOUT ZOBO, Roselle drinks

I know you have been craving for the weekend to come so desperately. Look, the weekend is finally here again, and it’s time to relax and ease yourself of the stress of work during the week. Don’t you agree that it is right about time to spice things up?

Today, we will be learning about one of Nigeria’s popular drinks, family beverage and our very own local Chapman; Roselle drinks and also known as Hibiscus tea is popularly known as zobo in Nigeria.

Zobo drink is one of Nigeria’s popular drinks made from dried Roselle plant flowers. The drink is also as Roselle drink. It is mostly prepared at home as family beverage drink and also as refreshment in parties and get-togethers.

Ingredients for 5 litres of Zobo drink:

You can get more with the same quantity of ingredients depending on the concentration you want. If you will be using artificial flavours, you might want to add more water.

2 De Rica cups of dry Zobo leaves

1 clove of garlic

1 big piece of ginger

1 big, very ripe pineapple

Enough water

PREPARATION:

Zobo leaves are usually very dusty, so make sure you wash off the dust thoroughly. It will seem like all the flavours/colour of the zobo are being washed off but don’t worry, you would be impressed to find out that the leaves still have a lot of the colour intact when you start boiling it.

Wash, peel and cut the pineapple into thin slices. Some people add the peel of the pineapple when making the zobo drink but I don’t do this, simply because I always think that dirt sticks to the peels of pineapples.

Similarly, peel and cut the ginger and garlic into tiny pieces.

DIRECTIONS

1. Put the washed zobo leaves into a deep pot.

2. Add the pineapples and pour enough hot water to consume the contents of the pot and then some garlic at this initial stage.

3. Start cooking at medium to high heat and let it boil for about 5 minutes.

4. Now, add the ginger and the garlic, more water and keep boiling for the next 30 minutes. This is the actual time it would take for the zobo leaves to be completely soft and the pineapples tender.

5. Turn off the heat and set the pot aside to cool down completely.

6. When cool, wring out the juice from the pineapples and zobo leaves, leaving only the zobo juice in the pot.

7. Pour the juice through a sieve to take out the remaining large particles then pour it through a chiffon cloth to remove the tiniest particles.

8. Add any artificial flavour of your choice at this time and stir.

9. Pour into bottles and refrigerate. Your Roselle drinks is ready but remember that it is best-served chill.

Finally, serve with ice and sliced fruits. Enjoy with any snack of your choice.

:The Nation

2018 budget will be BUHARI’S LAST – Bafarawa

…What PDP must do to wrest power from APC

…Those who killed PDP moved to APC

…PDP out of ICU but still in hospital

…Anti-corruption war cannot be won on pages of newspapers

By Gbenga Oke

Alhaji Attahiru Dalhatu Bafarawa was governor of Sokoto State between 1999 and 2007. Since he left office as governor, he has remained a political icon in his home state of Sokoto and Nigeria.

Towards the 2015 general elections, he defected to the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, from the All Progressives Congress, APC, after he claimed the APC handed over the party structures to newcomers which included his then Governor, Aliyu Wammakko.

In this interview with Saturday Vanguard in Abuja, he condemned the selective fight against corruption in Nigeria and said the current government of President Muhammadu Buhari is finished. He also said PDP needs to put its house in order if it will wrestle power from the APC in 2019.

N igeria is 57 years years old as an independent nation. How well do you think we have faired? I believe Nigeria is a wonderful country, a country that has been on and off since we got our independence. Sometimes we see light and sometimes we see darkness.

But by the grace of God, things are moving, Nigerians are bearing the hardship however it comes, whether good or bad, we always manage any situation. Also, whether good or bad, Nigerians are familiar with their problems and that is one of the blessings God gave to us as a nation. We can always manage ourselves no matter the situation.

Having talked about Nigerians managing every situation, will you say that the President Muhammadu Buhari Administration, which campaigned on ‘change’ has brought any hope for Nigerians?

I must say that those who reposed hope and trust in this government are members of the All Progressives Congress, APC. Maybe because I do not have any hope in this government and because I knew there was not going to be any change, I am not surprised about what is happening. So whatever has happened, I am not moved because I did not vote for APC, so I do not have any hope in the APC government. It is those who put their hope in APC that are heart-broken right now.

Are you trying to justify what you said during the campaigns in 2015 that if this government was elected, it would not execute any of its campaign promises?

Yes. I was not a member of the PDP, initially. I was a member of the APC and I was the Chairman of the Constitutional amendment committee of the party before it was registered. The whole constitution of the APC was done in my house. I was a pioneer member of the APC, we formed the party and the party was registered. But from nowhere, the five governors, who were from the PDP, the party that was accused of not doing the right things then, were asked to come and join APC.

According to what we were told then, these people had the capacity, they had the money, they would join APC so the party could be better. And for people like me whom my governor was joining APC from PDP then, we were asked to hand over the party structure to them because we did not have money to finance the campaigns according to what we were told.

So, when you are thinking of good government, you need to start with a good foundation. How does a good foundation come by? A good foundation is forming a party without injustice right from the probation. So, once they brought in those governors on the basis of sponsoring the party and we were asked to hand over the party structure to them, I knew there was no hope any more for this country.

There could not be hope when you brought people you were not sure of and asked them to join those who were doing things rightly. It is like mixing a dirty mud water with clean water. So, there is no difference between APC and PDP because the same people who killed the PDP moved in again to join the APC.

So that is where the problems started, if they allowed the original members of the APC to continue without bringing the PDP to join us then, APC would not have derailed.

But do you see any hope?

Of course, there is hope.

With the current government?

The current government is finished. Why do I say so? The budget they are going to present for 2018 is the last budget they are going to present before they will leave. In the 2017 budget, they have not done anything. Nigerians can testify to the fact that they have not seen or felt any dividend of democracy from this government.

So, when they present their next budget, nothing much should be expected because any serious government should have performed in the first two years of its administration and the third year is for finishing the projects while the fourth year will be for campaigns. This is the third year of this government and we have not seen anything they have done or any completed project. As far as I am concerned, this government has not done anything they will use to campaign to Nigerians.

The challenge is not yet over. Even in the PDP where the people are putting their hope, there must be serious alignment and re-adjustment in the party. As far as I am concerned, for now, the APC and PDP are in disarray.

You are still a member of the PDP and with the judgement of the Supreme Court affirming Senator Ahmed Makarfi as the leader of the party, don’t you think the PDP is better positioned to take over power?

While the crisis between the Makarfi and Sheriff factions lasted, the PDP was in Intensive Care Unit, ICU. Now by the grace of God, the Supreme Court judgement helped the PDP to be discharged from the ICU to the Hospital Ward level, that is where the party is right now. So, it depends on how we discharge our convention, which will show Nigerians whether the party can be discharged from the hospital. It will determine whether the party is fit to take over.

That is why I said both the APC and PDP are in some kind of problems. As far as I am concerned, the PDP is still in the hospital and until we hold our convention, elect leaders of the party successfully, we are not going anywhere. When the party is discharged from the hospital that means it is physically well to take over the reins of power in this country.

You as a leader in the PDP, what are you telling Nigerians?

I think I am supposed to be among the doctors who will help the party get out of the situation but it depends on whether doctors’ advice is taken or not. If we agree to take advice, I think there is no cause for alarm. I think the party needs to sit together, agree on who becomes our leader with consensus before going to the convention. We do not need too many candidates to be vying for party chairman or secretary positions, it is uncalled for. If we want to save this country, we have to put our selfish interests aside, let’s work for building the party and let’s work for building the nation so we can have good governance.

Unfortunately, 80 percent of Nigerian politicians are not real politicians, they are just political office seekers. And unfortunately, these 80 percent are the rich and wealthy people who control almost everything. The real politicians don’t have the means, so Nigerian politics has turned to an investment company where you can go and invest and get your money back.

So, this is how we run the affairs of the party and democracy in Nigeria. People get retired from the military, customs or even permanent secretaries, the next thing is politics because you have the money, you want to become a senator or governor.

And those who do not intend to contest will go and look for popular candidates in the states who they can invest their money on; they are not putting their money because they have the interest of the nation at heart, they are investing and waiting to recoup their investment when the person is in office. These are the problems we have in this country. That is why each time I hear them saying they are fighting corruption, I consider it a joke.

One of the selling points of the Buhari administration is commitment to fighting corruption. How will you rate this government when it comes to fighting corruption?

The problem is that this government is not serious about fighting corruption. The person who was seen fighting corruption was former President Olusegun Obasanjo. He created EFCC and ICPC just to fight corruption. When this government came to power, they did not make any change in EFCC and ICPC, but they claim the priority of their government is fighting corruption.

They did not even change a messenger and at the top level, they did not change any personnel. Like what he did with Customs, he brought Hameed Ali, who is not a customs man but a military man.

He brought him because he wanted a change in Customs. Why did he not do same in EFCC so that it will bring change to the agency? As I am talking to you, from messenger to the top hierarchy of EFCC, no changes at all. If they are serious about fighting corruption, EFCC and ICPC need to be restructured and they should put things in place and tell them the objectives.

The fight against corruption today is a huge joke because they will call you, investigate you secretly and then the next thing is a screaming headline on the pages of newspapers the next day before even going to court. Is this an investigation?

This government is just using EFCC to victimize whomever they feel is their enemy, otherwise, if you are being accused and an investigation is ongoing, you should not be prosecuted on the pages of newspapers. That is not fighting corruption. I believe it is not a big grammar to find a thief. If you have the evidence and you present it to the accused, if he can’t prove it, then you take him to Court and let the Court decide whether you are guilty or not.

But what do we have today, people being prosecuted on the pages of newspapers once you are invited. It is unfortunate.

Are you saying it is more of a political witch-hunt than fighting corruption?

Of course, that is what they are doing and that is why they cannot find any better person to do the job except the person that is a tool in their hands. I believe in fighting corruption and every Nigerian should support it because we cannot move forward in the way we are moving public funds. All these shout that they are fighting corruption is uncalled for. How can you say you are fighting corruption and the investigators are the ones leaking information to the newspapers? That is not how to fight corruption and that is why nothing is moving with this government. People are fed up with the ‘fighting corruption’ rhetoric.

You seem to agree with the assertion of a senator that the Buhari Administration pampers corrupt APC members?

What I am talking about is exactly what the senator said. When the SGF issue happened, Buhari became the judge, his vice President Osinbajo became the prosecutor and the investigator, so he investigated the matter and he took it back to the judge which is Buhari, this time around because the suspended SGF is part of them, they did not take it to the EFCC, they arranged it within themselves.

The investigator is the vice-president, the judge is President Buhari and up till now, he has refused to give the judgement and no date has been fixed for the judgement. But if it is a common man, they will take him to Magu (EFCC chairman) for investigation. But if it were a member of APC, they will treat it as a special case like that of the suspended SGF. Don’t forget that they first cleared him before the noise became too loud for them to ignore.

What about your case with the EFCC?

My case with the EFCC is in the court, so the Courts will decide it.

What is your take on the issue of restructuring?

I will make my views on it separately and not in the cause of this interview because this is a very serious matter and it is not a joke.

Do you think it is what the country needs now?

This is a very serious issue and we have to give special attention to it.

On the situation in the South-East, proscription of IPOB and Operation Python Dance

When Obasanjo was in power, he had the challenge of Sharia in the North but when he found out that Sani Yerima was the mover, all advice was given to Obasanjo to deal ruthlessly with Yerima but Obasanjo turned down that advice and invited Yerima as his son and he was able to manage that crisis.

After he left, Yar’Adua came and the Niger-Delta militants were all over the place. He too invited their leaders and he sat down with them at the Villa and they discussed the way forward. Now Buhari has come with his own, he needs to apply the same measures other leaders used to quench the fire.

When I was Governor of Sokoto State, I sold the idea of publishing the monthly allocation to Okonjo Iweala, which she sold to Obasanjo despite being a member of the opposition party, ANPP, then. And today, that advice is what government is still following by publishing the monthly allocation on the pages of newspapers.

So you feel dialogue is the best way out of IPOB crises?

Yes, a dialogue is the best way out of the IPOB crises. As a democrat, you must do things in a democratic manner because we are no more in a military era.

:Vanguard 

Coca-Cola Unveils $20m SAFE BIRTH INITIATIVE For Nigeria, Ivory Coast

The Coca-Cola Company is set to launch a new program tagged, ‘The Safe Birth Initiative’ aimed at supporting the ministries of Health in Nigeria and Ivory Coast to tackle the high incidence of maternal and newborn mortalities.

This was disclosed by the Coca-Cola Europe, Middle East & Africa (EMEA) Group President, Brian Smith, during a courtesy visit to His Excellency Alassane Ouattara, President of the Republic of Ivory Coast.

The programme will focus on strengthening the capacity of maternity and neonatal units in selected public hospitals in Ivory Coast and Nigeria. With US$2 million grant from Coca-Cola to Medshare International Inc., the US-based not-for-profit NGO will source essential equipment, kits and supplies worth about US$20 million to enable safe deliveries and post-delivery emergency care for both mothers and their newborns.

The programme will also include the training of biomedical technicians and other appropriate hospital personnel by Medshare International on the operation, repair and maintenance of the donated equipment as well as the reactivation of a huge stock of faulty or abandoned equipment in public hospitals which is a major challenge for the country’s healthcare delivery system.

This intervention comes as Ivory Coast, which has enjoyed stability and one of the fastest economic growth rates since the end of a civil war in 2011, grapples with some of the highest maternal and newborn mortality ratios globally.

:Leadership 

How I Checkmated ETHNIC TENSIONS DURING MY TENURE - Goodluck Jonathan

Former president, Goodluck Jonathan has revealed the steps he took to deal with Ethnic tensions during his time as president of Nigeria.

Jonathan said that he convened a National conference in 2014 to douse the rising ethnic tensions across the country.PoliticsNGR learned that He made this revelation while delivering a speech at the opening panel of the Dialogue of Civilizations, Multipolarity and Dialogue in Regional and Global Developments,’ Rhodes Forum’s 15th Anniversary Summit in Greece on Friday.

He said;  "When I was in office as President, I championed the cause for good governance, transparent elections and peaceful power transfers, because I also believed that at the heart of the dialogue for a more peaceful world, is the need to cultivate a culture of democracy and good governance at the national levels. This is a good way to reduce local tensions that could blossom into global crisis.

In Nigeria, through a process of dialogue, we arrived at an amnesty programme that brought an end to the crisis in the Niger Delta, an oil-rich region in my country that accounts for all the oil wells that remain the mainstay of Nigeria’s economy.

Sometime in 2014, I had a thought in my mind. Nigeria is easily the most ethnically and religiously heterogeneous society in Africa, and one of the most diverse nations in the world.

Many times, these different ethnic groups are pulling in diverse directions that as a leader, you may experience genuine fears that the centre may not hold. At that time, I asked myself, how can I as President, help build a more harmonious union in Nigeria. One based on the words of our National Anthem which ends with ‘to build a nation where peace and justice shall reign’.

To address this I convened a National Conference where the various ethnic groups and other stakeholders deliberated for five months on the future of the country. They had the mandate to discuss and advise the Government on all matters pertaining to our nationhood, except the sovereignty of the country.

On Thursday, August 21, 2014, I received the report. Our general elections came up six months after the national conference. The confidence and national goodwill the conference inspired, helped bring down the tension during and after the general elections. It was a confidence-boosting outcome, despite the predictions by some international bodies that Nigeria was going to disintegrate in 2015."

Just a few days ago, the Present Muhammadu Buhari-led administration stated that it will not be implementing the resolutions of the 2014 Confab report.

:politicsngr

Tour reveals shady NIGERIAN cash behind LONDON LUXURY HOMES

In a bid to expose the murky Nigerian money lurking behind some of London’s most high-end properties, anti-corruption campaigners are offering an unusual property tour of the British capital.

As the coach carrying journalists and campaigners winds through luxurious west London, experts revealed the hidden world of misused public funds, unexplained wealth and the British “enablers” who make it happen.

The coach’s first stop was the multi-million pound home of “one of the biggest political movers” currently operating in Nigeria, who was named in the so-called “Panama Papers” leak that revealed the holders of offshore accounts in the tax haven.

One of the expert guides, journalist and author Oliver Bullough, said London had become the “Death Star” of global kleptocracy, which he defined as the stealing, hiding and spending of public money.

He explained that London was unique in being able to facilitate the final two steps in that process.

The British capital’s banking sector and overseas dependencies were able to hide dirty cash and its high-end estate agents were eager to convert the cash into properties, many of which remain empty, Bullough said.

The next stop takes in a luxury flat close to Marble Arch, which another of the expert guides, former US State Department intelligence expert Matthew Page, said belongs to a political leader implicated in fuel-subsidy and bribery scandals in Nigeria.

– Neighbourhoods ‘hollowed out’ –

The tours are organised by anti-corruption campaigner Roman Borisovich, who has specialised in exposing shady Russian money, and are held every few months.

Borisovich said he set up the tours “to attract public attention to the enormous proportions of money laundering that is being washed through UK properties”.

He told AFP he had chosen Nigeria for the latest tour as it was “the only country that is openly asking the British government to repatriate the proceeds of crime, which were stolen from the country”.

Nigeria President Muhammadu Buhari last year called for a return of some of the estimated $37 billion (31.5 billion euros) stolen from Nigeria that has ended up in London.

One of the stops on the tour is a multi-million pound central London flat currently at the centre of of a civil lawsuit by the US Department of Justice.

US authorities believe the property was a gift to Nigerian former energy minister Diezani Alison-Madueke in exchange for an oil contract.

Alison-Madueke has been implicated in bribery, fraud, misuse of public funds and money laundering cases in Britain, Italy, Nigeria and the United States.

The former president of the global oil cartel OPEC — and the first female to hold the post — she has always denied the allegations which involve billions of dollars syphoned from oil deals and state accounts.

Another luxury property on the tour is registered to the charity of a Nigerian career politician, while guides explain the intricate backroom deals between oil giants and public servants.

The mood amongst the journalists and activists on board takes a sombre turn as the coach passes Grenfell Tower, the west London bloc where an estimated 80 people died in a fire in June.

The luxury flat of a Nigerian businessman and academic in the very same development which rehoused the survivors of tragedy is the final stop.

“We wanted to emphasise the problem that money laundering creates in London when you have affluent areas that are becoming deserted, whole neighbourhoods are being hollowed out, while the less well off are suffering, like in the Grenfell Tower,” Borisovich told AFP.

His NGO, ClampK, is set to host more tours, with other countries such as Kazakhstan in the spotlight, and is preparing an a smartphone app to allow members of the public to do their own walking tours of the capital’s dirty money hotspots.

:Vanguard 

NNPC Records $471.9m Exports in July

Abuja: The Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation, NNPC  has  disclosed it recorded a total export receipt of $471.90 million in July 2017 as against $219.34 million posted in June.

According to the July edition of the Monthly Financial and Operations Report of the Corporation which was made public on Thursday, contribution from crude oil amounted to $392.20 million while gas and miscellaneous receipts stood at $64.72 million and $14.98 million respectively. .

The report indicated that of the export receipt, $108.09 million was remitted to the Federation Account while $363.81 million was remitted to fund the Joint Venture cash call for the month of July, 2017, to guarantee current and future production.

Providing a broader perspective, the report noted that the total export of crude oil and gas receipt for the period of July 2016 to July 2017 stood at $2.77 billion. Out of that, the sum of $2.31 billion was transferred to JV cash call in line with the budget and the balance of $0.46 Billion was paid to Federation Account.

The NNPC observed that the low receipt was due to the twin effects of production disruption in Niger-Delta and low crude oil prices during the period.

On naira payments to the Federation Account, the NNPC announced that theDomestic Crude Oil and Gas receipt during the month amounted to N145.83 billion, consisting of N5.56 billion from Domestic Gas and the sum of N140.27 billion from Domestic Crude Oil. It was noted that out of the naira receipt, the sum of N56.30 billion was transferred to Joint Venture Cash Call (JVCC) being a first line charge and to guarantee continuous flow of revenue stream to Federation Account.

In all, the Federation Crude Oil and Gas liftings are broadly classified into Equity Export and Domestic. Both categories are lifted and marketed by NNPC and the proceeds remitted into the Federation Account.

Equity Export receipts, after revision for Joint Venture (JV) Cash Calls, are paid directly into Federation Account domiciled in Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN). Domestic crude oil of 445,000 barrels per day is allocated for refining to meet domestic products supply. Payments are effected to Federation Account by NNPC after adjusting crude & product losses and pipeline repairs & management cost incurred during the period.

The Corporation also lifts crude oil and gas, other than equity and domestic crude oil, on behalf of the Department of Petroleum Resources (DPR) and the Federal Inland Revenue Services (FIRS), proceeds of which are remitted into Federation Account.

The Third Party finance liftings are Crude Oil and Gas liftings from fields that are financed using alternative finance/loan facility which require the servicing of debt obligations before remitting the balance into the Federation Account.

:TheSun 

Nigerian INDEPENDENCE DAY PARADE holds Saturday in New York

Nigerians all over the U.S. are gearing up for the 2017 edition of the annual Nigerian Independence Day Parade and Festival, which will hold on Saturday in New York.

The event is being organised by Nigerians living in the U.S. to commemorate the 57th anniversary of Nigeria’s independence.

The annual event, which started in 1991 and has been held annually since then, is the largest gathering of Nigerians outside of the homeland and is in its 26th year.

Mr Yinka Dansalami, Chairman, Organising Committee of the event, said this year’s event would hold for three days, with the Parade holding from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Saturday.

“The Parade Route begins at Second Avenue and E. 54th Street and ends at E. 44th Street in New York City.

“Known as the largest celebration of Nigeria not happening in the homeland, the 26th annual Nigerian Independence Day Parade celebrates the very best of Nigeria’s food, culture, music and people.

“The route will end at Nigeria House and will be followed by the Independence Day Festival at Dag Hammarskjold Plaza near the United Nations Headquarters,” he said.

He said the event attracts an average of 75,000 people annually, adding, however, that this year’s is expected to attract more than 100,000 people.

According to him, there will be Nigerian Culture Night on Friday from 7 p.m. to 12 a.m. and the New York African Restaurant Week Mega-Food Festival and Day Party from 12:30 p.m. to 7 p.m. on Sunday.

Dansalami said “the three-day event will showcase Nigeria’s unique culture and promote the positive image of Nigeria to the rest of the world.

“Since its founding in 1991, the Nigerian Independence Day celebration has become the largest observance of Nigeria’s independence outside of Nigeria.

“Now in its 26th year, the NYC Nigerian Independence Day Parade and Festival is organised and presented by the Nigerian Independence Day Committee.

“The Committee is a coalition of Nigerian cultural, religious, professional, business, and civic groups committed to preserving, presenting and celebrating Nigeria’s rich history and culture”.

Dansalami also said the Nigerian Cultural Night is an annual cultural celebration of music, food, and fun where attendees of all ages are asked to wear their favorite cultural attires.

“They are prepared to dance, sing and celebrate the night away. Nigerian DJs will be on-hand spinning the most popular Nigerian and afrobeat hits.

“In partnership with New York African Restaurant Week, Nigerian Independence Day celebration participants will join more than 25 restaurants and food vendors representing cuisines from various parts of Africa.

“There will also be more than 30 participating exhibitors and vendors across fashion, arts, culture, and community organizations,” he said.

:NAN

U.S: Divide between TWO MAJOR POLITICAL PARTIES WIDENING

Disagreement among Republican and Democratic voters on a range of political issues has risen sharply in recent years, a political divide that intensified during the first year of President Trump’s administration, according to a new report from the Pew Research Center.

“The divisions between Republicans and Democrats on fundamental political values—on government, race, immigration, national security, environmental protection, and other areas—reached record levels during Barack Obama’s presidency,” Pew’s report states. “In Donald Trump’s first year as president, these gaps have grown even larger.”

Since the widening of the partisan opinion gap is a continuation of a trend, Trump’s presidency hasn’t ushered in a new era of intense political polarization so much as it marks a new chapter in an increasingly polarized political time. Public opinion remains more divided along partisan lines than along the lines of race, religion, age, gender, and educational background, Pew finds.

As the country’s partisan divide has increased in recent years, hostility between Republicans and Democrats has remained high. Perhaps surprisingly, Pew’s data shows a slight decline in the share of Democrats and Republicans who say they have a “very unfavorable” view of the opposing party relative to one year ago. Overall, though, the numbers don’t represent a major change, and aren’t enough on their own to say that partisan hostilities are lessening. The vast majority of Republicans and Democrats, at 81 percent for both parties, say they have an unfavorable view of the other side in the latest report.

America’s partisan divergence reaches beyond the realm of political debate in Washington. Pew data indicates that Republicans prefer to live in rural areas, while Democrats prefer urban living. Sixty-five percent of Republicans say they would rather live in communities where “houses are larger and farther apart” and “schools, stores, and restaurants are several miles away.” In contrast, 61 percent of Democrats said they would prefer to live in a place where the homes are smaller and more densely packed into neighborhoods, and stores, schools, and restaurants are in walking distance.

“What it shows is that even things that are ostensibly not about politics are still subject to political divides,” Jocelyn Kiley, an associate director of research at Pew, said in an interview. “That reflects a lot about the state of the American political landscape right now.”

Those preferences line up with the urban-rural divide that showed up in the results of the 2016 presidential election. Fifty-nine percent of voters who lived in a city with a population greater than 50,000 people voted for Hillary Clinton, while 62 percent of voters who lived in a small city or rural area pulled the lever for Donald Trump, according to exit polls from the presidential election.

The fact that even living preferences have taken on a partisan dimension helps explain another aspect of America’s highly partisan political environment. It’s common for Democrats and Republicans to have social circles filled with people who share their own political beliefs. Sixty-seven percent of Democrats say that a lot of their close friends are also Democrats, while 57 percent of Republican voters surround themselves with Republican friends, Pew’s survey conducted in August 2017 shows. That inevitably diminishes the likelihood that people will have their partisan viewpoints challenged in any kind of meaningful way in their day-to-day lives.

The more that Americans’ social lives and identity become intertwined with partisan beliefs, the more pressure people will face to adopt partisan viewpoints rather than risk alienating close friends and their broader social network. That dynamic is likely one reason why Gallup found in 2015 that college-educated Republicans were more likely than less educated Republicans to say that the threat of global warming has been exaggerated, despite warnings from the scientific community that the harmful impacts of climate change are already underway.

Trump himself has a track record of climate denial, and it is possible that his own defiance of the scientific consensus will intensify skepticism among some Republican voters. Prior to taking office as president, Trump called global warming a “hoax.” After the administration announced it would withdraw from the Paris climate accord, the White House sidestepped questions over whether the president continues to think climate change is a hoax.

Pew’s latest report suggests that kind of rhetoric may have had an impact on Republican voters who support the president. Among Republicans, voters who strongly approve of Trump were also the most likely to say that there is no solid evidence of global warming, while Republicans who disapprove of the president were the most likely to say there is solid evidence. Eighty-eight percent of Republicans who disapprove of the president said there is solid evidence for global warming, while 57 percent of Republicans who “very strongly” support Trump said there is not.

As long as Republicans and Democrats continue to cluster geographically across the country and surround themselves with like-minded partisans, it’s likely that the partisan divide will remain as entrenched as ever.

: The Atlantic

BUHARI HAS NOTHING BUT CONTEMPT FOR SOUTHERNERS, MIDDLE BELTERS… – FFK

THE TRAVAILS OF IBE KACHIKWU

I have little doubt that Ibe Kachikwu, the Minister of State for Petroleum Resources and Energy, regrets the day that he left the relative comfort of the private sector and entered the stormy waters of Nigerian politics.

I am sure that he curses the day that he opted to join the APC and that he accepted the long-awaited and much sought after invitation to be a member of this government

Today Kachikwu has finally come to understand and hopefully accept the fact that no matter how much he tried to be a loyal and true member of Buhari’s kitchen cabinet and inner circle and no matter how much he considered himself to be a key and indispensible member of the feared and dreaded cabal, he is at best tolerated by his boss

And that is the story of Nigeria. That is why a fine and upstanding Governor like Willie Obiano of Anambra state will sit before President Muhammadu Buhari, remove his beautiful fedora hat and place it on his lap like a pliant puppy and obedient little schoolboy .

It is in this context that one must ask why Kachikwu should be in the least bit surprised that he has not been granted access to President Buhari and that the northern Managing Director of the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation has completely usurped his functions and undermined his authority?

Did he really expect things to be any different in a Buhari administration? Has he forgotten that he is Igbo? Has he forgotten that his people are part of those that the President once disdainfully referred to as the “5 per cent”?

When I said that Buhari hated the Igbo some time back many were shocked, many disputed my assertion, many were in disbelief and many were in denial even when the evidence to prove and substantiate my assertion was incontrivertible and compelling.

Today a good number of hitherto and erstwhile doubting Thomas’, cynics and skeptics have seen the light, finally agreed with me and voiced their observations and concerns loudly and publicly.

The President himself affirmed our grave allegations and confirmed our worst fears in his Independence Day speech in which he insulted the Igbo elders and leaders and basicallly told them to go and control their children and wards.

This is bad enough but permit me to share something with you today that is even more disconcerting and troubling: the truth is that deep down Buhari has nothing but contempt for southerners, Middle Belters and Christians.

As painful as it is for some to hear and as difficult as it is for others to accept, there it is. That is the BITTER TRUTH!

Sadly Ibe Kachikwu jumped in the sack with the wrong set of peopleand now the chickens have come home to roost.

He chose to forget that he is regarded as a second class citizen and his mouthwatering and earth-shaking revelations about abuse the sordid events that are going on under his watch at the Petroleum Resources Ministry in any way help or protect him.

As a matter of fact his singing and spilling the beans will rather make things worse for him because sooner or later those he has courageously chosen to expose will hit back with all the force and fury of a wounded lion and with the venom and spite of a cuckolded husband and a cheated wife.

From what I have seen and heard the truth is that the EFCC are already in the process of a detailed investigation and are closing in on him.

To them siphoning 24 billion USD from the coffers of the National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC) by awarding questionable contracts outside of due process means absolutely nothing. As a matter of fact that is what is expected of their cronies and agents.

Where else will they get the money for Buhari’s 2019 presidential campaign from?

My friend and brother Reno Omokri captured the situation rather well when he wrote the following:

“the first time Muhammadu Buhari was Petroleum Minister in the 1970s, Fela sang ‘2.8 billion Naira missing’. Now he is Petroleum Minister again and Kachikwu is singing $26 billion missing! Why is it that huge billions tend to go missing or spent without due process whenever Buhari is Minister of Petroleum? However, Kachikwu was naive for writing that letter to Buhari!

Omokri is absolutely right. What a messy and stinking cesspool and pit of poisonous snakes Ibe Kachikwu has found himself in.

And quite apart from all that it must be a living nightmare and pure hell for an intelligent, well-educated, enlightened, cosmopolitan, Harvard-trained former Shell executive and Federal Minister to have his powers curtailed and usurped and to be treated with contempt and disdain by the Chief Executive Officer of a corporation that is under his own Ministry!

This is made even worse by the fact that that Chief Executive Officer probably, if at all, went to some fourth-rate rodent-infested “school” or “university” near the borders of Chad or Niger Republic or some other dubious institution of “higher learning” not too far from the dusty, dry and barren sand slopes of the Sahara desert.

Poor Ibe Kachikwu! I guess that he has to live with the consequences of the choices that he has made. His situation reminds me of the verse in the Holy scriptures that says it is “a great evil under the sun when the sons of slaves ride around on horseback whilst the sons of the King are walk around on bare feet”.

This goes against the natura order of things and something ought to be done about it. My first prayer for him is that he does a thorough spiritual search and attempts to discover who and what his principal, President Muhammadu Buhari, really is and what he seeks to achieve in our country.

My second prayer is that he finds the decency and courage to resign from the government that he serves before it is too late, before they turn on him and before he is thoroughly discredited and rubbished out of office

And finally my third prayer is that he restores his confidence, his self-respect and his dignity, that he stops walking around barefoot, that he finds and puts on his royal shoes and that he mounts and rides his horse.

Gone are the days that he should be running behind the carriages and working for those that do not have ten percent of his wisdom and knowledge. He is far better than that.

Yet whatever he chooses to say or do one thing is clear: in Nigeria the keepers of wealth are not the keepers of life

Yet they shall fail because, like the brilliant, beautiful, dazziling and passionate American Amazon, Dana Loesch, recently said, “we will shatter their violence of lies with the clenched fist of truth”.

The notion of a united Nigeria after the 2017 genocide against the Igbo and state-sponsored terrorism coupled with the wholesale rejection of the idea of restructuring by the core north is absurd and far-fetched.

There cannot be peace where there is no justice. There cannot be tranquility and harmony where there is inequality. There cannot be love and peaceful co-existence where there is hate, condescension and fascistic philosophies. There cannot be camaraderie and fellowship where the tyrant unleashes the full force of his tyranny against the people.

Many may suffer. Many may be killed. Many may be detained and incarcerated. Many may be wrongly accused, villified and in bondage. Many may be dispossesed, humiliated and scattered.

Many may be tortured, brutalised, maimed and scarred and many may suffer all shades and manners of indignity, shame, poverty, lack, deprivation and hunger.

Yet despite all these deep, harrowing and seemingly endless travails, one thing is sure: our liberation shall eventually come because no matter how dark the night, joy comes in the morning. The Bible says “many are the afflictions of the righteous but the Lord delivers him of them all”.

In the end deliverance, freedom, joy, peace, justice, abundance, vindication and the victorious lamp of liberty shall rise from Zion as the freedom bell rings and our nation is healed and restored.

In the end the Lord’s will shall be done, His counsel shall stand, His pupose shall be established, His name shall be glorified and we shall prevail.

By Femi Fani-Kayode

:Vanguard 

Nigeria’s largest ELECTRONIC MANUFACTURING ASSEMBLY PLANT LAUNCHED

CALABAR – The Minister of Information and Culture, Alhaji Lai Mohammed said on Thursday in Calabar that Nigeria was gradually moving toward technological independence.
The minister stated this when he inaugurated the ultra-modern Digital Set Top Box manufacturing plant, owned by the Gospell Digital Technology and located at Calabar Export Free Zone.
The plant, regarded as one of the country’s largest electronic manufacturing and assembly, is capable of manufacturing TV decoders, prepaid electricity meter, smart phones.
It is also capable of manufacturing TV main boards, tablets computers and all kinds of electronic devices.
The minister commended the investors and the managers of the plant for exhibiting absolute confidence in the future and economy prosperity of the country and in the Digital Switch Over (DSO) programme.
He challenged Gospell Digital Technology and other manufacturers of Set Top Boxes/Decoders to produce a multi-purpose television set that would help in transforming the TV experience of Nigerians.
“The average home today, in order to have access to the various types of entertainment, will require a television, a Set Top Box and a VCD/DVD player.
“This era is about to end. I am challenging the industry to move to one device in the home – the television.
“Give us a TV with a built-in decoder and the requisite middle-ware inside it.
”And please not for the rich, but for every Nigerian home.
“With that, we would have succeeded in the reduction of the cost of access to television, information and education,” he said.
Mohammed hoped for an era in the country where viewers would be able to access Nollywood releases, with or without the internet and with a remote control that could convert the TV into a computer.
The minister said that the transition from analogue to digital broadcasting in the country was to give Nigerians total television viewing experience, transform the life of the people and change TV viewing forever.
Gov. Ben Ayade of Cross River, in his speech, expressed satisfaction with the manufacturer for locating the plant in Calabar
He promised to buy 5000 Set Top Boxes and encouraged the investors to engage people from the state in its employment as a way of supporting the growth of the company.
The Group Managing Director of the company, Godfrey Ohuabunwa, said the plant marked a new dawn in the electronic and IT manufacturing sector in Nigeria
He said in addition to manufacturing of DTT and DTH boxes, the plant had three Surface Mount Technology Automatic Chip Placement lines and four pneumatic Assembly lines.
According to him, the lines has the capacity of placing 2500, 00 components per hour.
He said the plant was also capable of producing 20,000 Set Top Boxes per month, manufacture 100,000 printed circuit boards per month and would generate not less than 500 job opportunities.
The Chairman, Senate Committee on Information, Sen. Suleiman Adokwe, Senators Shehu Sani, Samuel Anyanwu; Mao Ohuabunwa and the Director-General, National Broadcasting Commission (NBC), Malam Is’haq Modibo-Kawu attended the occasion. (NAN)

:Vanguard