Thursday, June 27, 2013

SOME OF TODAY'S NEWSPAPER HEADLINES, JUNE 28, 2013

VANGUARD
*Adeboye, Suswam visit Suntai in New York
*NGF LEADERSHIP SAGA: You’re fake chairman, Amaechi taunts Jang
*Jega admits presence of corrupt staff in INEC
*Democracy can’t survive without strong political parties —Sambo
*Alleged N5.2bn scam: Court acquits Elumelu, Ugbane, Jibo, others -
*Man attacks 3 children in Tokyo stabbing spree
*Office romance: Secretary demands N.1m pay-off from lecturer ‘lover’
*Millions Of Troubles
*Adeboye, Suswam visit Suntai in New York
*Imo lawmaker escapes mob action
*Suprise! Keshi backs Ideye
*Strike: Travellers stranded as poly students protest
*Pay crash victims or face sanctions, FG tells Dana Airline
*Ijaw group to FG: Establish military academies in N-Delta
*Jonathan appeals to Reps over N72bn slash in 2013 Amendment Bill
*Reps urge CBN to implement cashless policy in phases
*32 dead as gunmen raid 3 villages in Plateau
*CP Mbu blames rift with Amaechi on media
*NMA threatens to sanction erring affiliates
*Elephants storm Nigeria on Wednesday

PUNCH
*Presidential dinner: Jonathan didn’t meet Amaechi for security reason–Presidency
*Student, who gave birth in toilet, names baby
*Northern govs protest forces PDP to postpone convention
*NEC meeting: Seating arrangement averts Amaechi, Jang clash
*Ogun PDP suspends Daniel, 12 others
*Jonathan hails Fashola at 50
*Access to general hospitals on referrals – Lagos
*Nigerians must resist bad leadership —David-West
*Ojukwu family seeks dismissal of burial rites suit
*I desire a legacy of prosperous Nigerians – Jonathan
*Erosion threatens N7.5bn projects in Anambra poly
*Only S’West can replace Oyinlola —Ogun PDP
*NEC cuts police reform budget by N1.3tn
*Budget: Jonathan sends details of amendments to Reps
*Lack of concentration ruined Eagles —Eguavoen
*National Youth Games excite Ondo State
*Keshi defends under-fire Ideye
*For Dolphins, basketball competition has just begun
*NEC cuts police reform budget by N1.3tn
*Budget: Jonathan sends details of amendments to Reps
*$27m missing in Nigerian Embassy in US
*Crash: Dana gets December deadline to pay up compensation
*Kidnappers seize trader in Lagos, demand N25m ransom
*59-year-old man arrested for raping girl, 8
*Tipper drivers decry extortion by policeme
*$27m missing in Nigerian Embassy in US
*Crash: Dana gets December deadline to pay up compensation

TRIBUNE
*2013 budget amendment: Jonathan writes Tambuwal, seeks urgent passage
*FG gives Dana Airline 6 months to pay claims
*I have drug addicts in my cabinet - Borno gov
*Gunmen kill 33 in Plateau
*PDP suspends special national convention, South-West zonal congresses
*FG recovers N5.5bn Abacha loot
*All states must implement 27.5% teachers’ enhanced salary scale —NUT
*Mixed reactions trail hanging of 4 persons in Edo
*Alleged drug-related offence: Lamido of Adamawa strips traditional ruler of title
*Implement cashless policy in phases, Reps tell CBN
*Assault on journalist: PSP operator ignores Lagos Assembly
*Telecom operators, technicians sue FG over NITEL/MTEL
*72 hours to deadline: Subscribers rush to register SIM cards •Date stands - NCC
*Continuity in govt, key to national development —Mark
*More oil discoveries in Lagos soon - Experts
*Jonathan divides Senate over boards’ appointments
*25 days after: Kenyan plane still grounded at Lagos airport
*Alleged forgery: FG re-arraigns 2 Leadership journalists
*Ekiti may no longer probe past administrations
*Oyediran family launches book
*Ribadu, Akinbode to give pre-Ramadan lecture
*NEC prunes cost of police reforms to N1.5trn Sets up committee on crude oil theft
*N25bn debt: NLNG may declare force majeure over gas exports
*Senate probes $27m proceeds of embassy property in Washington
*Police to now manage its pension scheme
*Poverty, major problem of my administration - Jonathan
*‘Kaduna rail accident would not have happened’
*Amosun decries N1.3trn yearly expenses on food importation
*$1.69m fraud: Court turns down Ajudua’s bail application
*ICPC backs BPP on reversal of NPA contract

THE NATION
*You can’t see Jonathan, guards tell Amaechi
*Police get 1% from federation account
*Budget amendment row: Jonathan succumbs
*Boko Haram burns 209 schools in Yobe
*Drama as Amaechi, Jang greet, sit side-by-side
*Madiba…how far can life support go?
*Obama calls Mandela a ‘personal hero’
*Adoke: Fed Govt has recovered £22.5m stolen assets abroad
*Reps seek 25-year jail for illegal arms possession
*Dana: Multiple claims stall compensation, says minister
*N10b suit: Court allows Braithwaite’s application to call witnesses
*Senate probes $27m ‘fraud’ in Nigerian Embassy
*PDP shifts mini convention
*Petrodollar fuelling corruption in Nigeria, say UK, UN officials
*Hard drug production suspects reject NDLEA’s interpreter
*Ban on public protests remain, says Rivers police chief
*Woman arrested for ‘threatening’ lecturer
*FAAC funds crises: Reps seek diversification of economy
*‘Fayemi, others responsible for Christ’s School’s growth’
*FRSC sues 10 transporters
*UNIPORT Four: Suspects’ trial suffers another setback
*Stakeholders disagree on zoning in Rivers PDP
*Communities want speedy development
*Fashola inaugurates COWLSO’s retirement villa
*CBN appointments divide Senate
*Police parade suspected attackers of ex-Offa council chair
*Banker arrested for stealing customer’s N4.7m
 *Monthly sanitation holds in Lagos tomorrow
*400 Ekiti residents get free surgery
*Why bank fraud persists, by police chief

THISDAY
*NIPP Privatisation: Suswam Assures Foreign Investors of Transparency
*Dana Crash: FG Gives Airline December Deadline to Settle Outstanding Claims
*Oteh: Why Waiver on Transactions Cost Yet to be Implemented
*Nigerian Banks Must Create Niche Markets, Says Citibank CEO
*Sambo: Power Asset Sale Most Transparent Transaction
*Diamond Bank Assures Customers on Improved Services
*Renaissance Credit Gets CBN Licence
*Diamond Bank Extends $550 Million Bond Issue to July
*PDP Bows to Pressure, Postpones Special Convention to August 20
*2015: Gulak Urges South-south Leaders to Back Jonathan
*Board Appointments by Jonathan Polarise Senate
*Rivers Governorship: We are Not Slaves, Akere Tells Obuah, Wike
*Rivers Crisis: Junaid Asked to Leave Jonathan’s Wife Alone
*Jonathan Provides Details on Budget Amendment to House
*FG Recovers N5.5 Billion from Abacha Family
*Obama Won’t Visit Mandela in Hospital
*Tinubu’s Daughter Installed Traders’ Leader Amid Controversy
*UN Report: Nigeria Has Highest Number of HIV Children Worldwide
*Drama as Amaechi, Jang Sit Together at NEC Meeting
*Obaigbena Endows Academic Prizes in Fashion, Tech, Entrepreneurship
*Gaidam: We Have Spent N4 Billion Combating Boko Haram Menace

Sunday, June 23, 2013

Don Doubtful of Eko Atlantic City’s Safety

030313F3.Eko-Atlantic.jpg - 030313F3.Eko-Atlantic.jpg

Despite several assurances from the Lagos State Government about the Eko Atlantic City Project, a new district bordering Bar Beach, which is being constructed on land reclaimed from the Atlantic ocean, a hydrographer and consultant lecturer with University of Lagos, Dr.  Dupe Olayinka, at the weekend, raised fresh doubts on its safety.
When completed, the project, which is billed to sprawl on nine million square metres of reclaimed land, according to the state Governor, Babatunde Fashola, would provide housing to about 250,000 residents as well as go a long way to curb the menace of erosion, which is fast eating into the Lagos coastlines.
But laudable as the project appears, especially in tackling the problem of housing deficit, it has continued to be dogged by criticisms, one of which was reiterated by Olayinka at the 2013 World Hydrography Day Celebration held at Oriental Hotel, Victoria Island, Lagos.
Tagged, 'Hydrography – Underpinning the Blue Economy', this year's celebration which was organised by the Hydrographer of the Navy, who also doubles as the  President, Nigerian Hydrography Society (NHS), Rear Admiral Muhammed Inusa, the event saw several challenges trashed by the guest lecturers, discussants and captains of industries.
While admitting how laudable the project might sound, she stressed that unless proper monitoring is put in place, the Eko Atlantic City would not be safe, adding that the five cowries creek through which water should flow out of the commodore channel had been blocked.
She said: "I will like to state categorically that I have nothing against the Eko Atlantic City Project. It is a laudable project that will provide accommodation for thousands of people, as such, reduce the burden caused by housing in Lagos.
"But the fact remains that the hydro-dynamic process, which is a natural process must be monitored because whenever an activity is going on, definitely, there will be impact on the other side of the Gulf of Guinea and do not be surprised that the impact might be as far as Senegal or Cameroun.
"The truth is that it is too late to stop the Eko Atlantic City Project, but there should be a holistic approach in monitoring whatever process is going on around that area. Also, the hydrographic process around the Banana Island is such that when there are surges from the Atlantic Ocean, it goes through the harbour and commodore channel to the five cowrie creek."
She added: "So, the five cowries creek serves as a border zone for that area and when you block it through the Banana Island, definitely, there will be breakwater, which will go back towards the commodore channel and cause erosion.
"Unless there is proper monitoring, I do not think we have a safe environment there. We can see what happened in New York City through hurricane Sandy. When we have large storm surges, I am not sure what we have can withstand it."
She called on the government to consider the collaborative input of hydrographic surveyors, meteorologists and oceanographers, especially those with local content that know the layer of the land and water.
"To the best of my knowledge, there was no local content in the survey. We heard that they did simulations and contacted experts abroad, so maybe they want to prove to us that outsiders know more about our waters than some of us who have lived here for over 30 to 40 years."
In his address, the Chief of Naval Staff (CNS), Vice Admiral Dele Ezeoba, who was represented by the Flag Officer Commanding (FOC), Western Naval Command, Rear Admiral Ibok-Ette Ibas, said the Nigerian Navy (NN) was in the process of developing Nigeria’s hydrographic capability in line with the IHO’S 3- Phase Hydrographic Capacity Building Strategy.
He added that the navy has attained phase one of the development strategy, which is the ability to collect and disseminate maritime safety information, only in 2010 in collaboration with NIMASA.
He said: "The NN is currently on course to achieving the Phase 2 and 3 of the Capacity Building Strategy, which involves the creation of surveying capacity and the ability to produce nautical charts respectively.
"To this end, the NN is in the process of acquiring a hydrographic vessel from the United States of America and also upgrading the Nigerian Navy Hydrographic School (NNHS) to an IHO certified center of excellence for hydrographic studies."
On challenges facing the society, he said the slow pace is largely attributed to government’s will and poor funding which is an anomaly considering the huge financial requirement involved in hydrographic operations and the enormity of surveying Nigeria’s vast maritime domain.
He said: "Over the years, the activities of the NNHO have been solely funded by the NN and in order to improve the situation and place the society on a new pedestal, the NN is seeking the Federal Executive Council’s approval to upgrade the Hydrographic Department of the Nigerian Navy to National Hydrographic Agency (NHA)."
Source: Thisday Newspaper

Nelson Mandela in critical condition, South Africa's presidency says

Nelson Mandela, now 94, endured 27 years in prison before becoming South Africa's first president from 1994 to 1999. Pictured, Mandela in Mmabatho for an election rally on March 15, 1994.
Former South African President Nelson Mandela is now in critical condition, officials said.

Mandela's condition worsened in the past 24 hours, the South African president's office said, citing Mandela's medical team. He has been hospitalized in Pretoria since June 8 for a recurring lung infection. Previously, authorities had described his condition as serious but stable.

"The doctors are doing everything possible to get his condition to improve and are ensuring that Madiba is well-looked after and is comfortable. He is in good hands," President Jacob Zuma said in a written statement, referring to Mandela's tribal name.

Mandela, 94, has become increasingly frail over the years and has not appeared in public since South Africa hosted the World Cup in 2010.

The anti-apartheid hero has been in and out of the hospital in recent years.
His history of lung problems dates to when he was a political prisoner on Robben Island during the apartheid era, and he has battled respiratory infections.

Considered the founding father of South Africa's democracy, Mandela became an international figure while enduring 27 years in prison for fighting against apartheid, the country's system of racial segregation.In 1993, Mandela and then-South African President F.W. de Klerk jointly won the Nobel Peace Prize.

The iconic leader was elected the nation's first black president a year later, serving only one term, as he had promised. Even as he has faded from the spotlight, he remains popular and is considered a hero of democracy in the nation. Last year, South Africa launched a new batch of banknotes with a picture of a smiling Mandela on the front.

Source: CNN

Nigerians will have to pay a £3,000 fee to visit UK

David-Cameron

 
Visitors from Nigeria and other “high risk” countries in Asia and Africa will be forced to pay a £3,000 cash bond before they can enter United Kingdom.

From November, a pilot scheme will target visitors India, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, Nigeria and Ghana who will have to pay the UK government a form of cash guarantee or deposit to deter immigration abuse. They will forfeit the £3,000 if they overstay in Britain and fail to return to their home countries by the time their visa has expired.

The controversial move by the UK home secretary, Theresa May, to introduce the Australian-style system reflects her determination to show that the Conservatives are serious about cutting immigration in the UK.

Ms May said: “This is the next step in making sure our immigration system is more selective, bringing down net migration from the hundreds of thousands to the tens of thousands, while still welcoming the brightest and the best to Britain.”

She added: “In the long run we’re interested in a system of bonds that deters overstaying and recovers costs if a foreign national has used our public services.”

The Home Office is targeting countries which have high volumes of visitor visa applications and what it deems to be relatively high levels of fraud and abuse.

Saturday, June 22, 2013

Ife Youths & Market Women Endorse Aregbesola for 2nd term...Pass Vote of Confidence on Hon. Makinde


In a bid to consolidate on the initiative of Governor Rauf Aregbesola to improve on the standard of education in Osun state, Hon Rotimi Makinde representing Ife Federal Constituency recently displayed support for the growth and prosperity of his teeming constituents especially in the aspect of education.

On June 20th, 2013, Ife Palace Square went agog as Hon Makinde financially empowered over 150 market women and youth leaders drawn from 42 wards. Similarly another group of youths numbering 150 who were trained by seasoned administrators in various computer skills and IT courses were also paraded and given certificates; an initiative sponsored and financed by Hon Makinde.

Hon Makinde, said, “many of our young men and women are capable and desirous of engaging in meaningful economic ventures, and can do a lot for themselves if they are provided with the right and required facilities as well as skills”, adding that, “the largesse was designed to create opportunities for meaningful self-employment for our youths”.

He disclosed that the beneficiaries were carefully nominated by political and community leaders from the 42 wards in the constituency, pointing out that “this presentation was with the conviction that our passion to serve our people, and reduce the risk of poverty and despondency will be reciprocated with the right attitude by the beneficiaries”.

A cross section of the beneficiaries who expressed their views to the press commended the deputy chairman of Human Rights, Hon Rotimi Makinde and prayed God to continue to guide and protect him, give him the wisdom and courage to offer his best as a true representative of the masses at the parliament and assured of their support and loyalty to him.

The event was well attended by personalities which included Deputy Gov, Otunba Laoye Tomori, Comm for information Hon Sunday Akere, Hon Famurewa Israel Ajibola (Makinde's colleague at NASS), and all Local Govt Chairmen in Ife. Others are party stalwarts, actors and actresses. Also in attendance were 15 traditional rulers, student union leaders, friends and associates.
Moreover, famous Ewi exponent, Ajobiewe who served as MC at the event exhibited his excellent literary prowess with his citation of various panegyrics, his delivery of the citations took several hours and nobody got bored.

Friday, June 21, 2013

Jewish Man Is Killed at Western Wall in Jerusalem

An Israeli security guard shot and killed a Jewish man at the back of the Western Wall plaza early Friday after apparently suspecting him of being a Palestinian militant about to carry out an attack, the police said.

Tensions occasionally run high around the holy site where throngs of Jewish worshipers regularly pray before the huge beige stones, a remnant of the retaining wall of the Temple Mount revered by Jews as the site where their ancient temples once stood.

On the plateau above the wall, Muslims pray at Al Aksa Mosque, the third holiest site in Islam. Like the wall, the mosque compound, known to Muslims as the Noble Sanctuary, is in Jerusalem’s Old City, a fiercely contested area captured by Israel from Jordan in the 1967 war, and Israeli-Palestinian clashes erupt there from time to time.

Micky Rosenfeld, a spokesman for the police, said that based on the initial testimony of the security guard, the shooting victim, a man in his 40s who was not immediately identified, had shouted “Allahu akbar,” or “God is great,” and had his hand in his pocket at the time he was shot, near a public restroom at the back of the plaza. The guard, from a private firm contracted to secure the entrances to the plaza, fired several shots at the man who was pronounced dead at the scene.

Part of the plaza remained cordoned off hours after the early-morning shooting while police investigated the incident, and the body had not yet been removed.

The Western Wall plaza has recently been in the news as the focal point of a struggle between Jewish women demanding the right to pray in a style traditionally limited to men and the strictly Orthodox forces who oppose them.

Source: New York Times

Thursday, June 20, 2013

Info About National Environmental Standards and Regulations Enforcement Agency (NESREA)

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The National Environmental Standards and Regulations Enforcement Agency (NESREA) was established by the Federal Government of Nigeria as a parastatal of the Federal Ministry of Environment, Housing and Urban Development. NESREA has a responsibility for the protection and development of the environment, biodiversity conservation and sustainable development of Nigeria's..... Read More>>
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Hairy stockings are not the answer to rape culture


There's no shortage of wacky anti-rape products for women, but what we need is a shift in focus from victim to perpetrator


'Full-leg-of-hair stockings' as featured on China's Weibo microblogging site
What would make women feel safer? For perpetrators of sexual assaults and abuse to get more than a 15-month sentence after they assault 13 women and girls? A culture where the victims of sexual crime are not blamed when they are attacked? Or would having hairy legs do it?

In the battle against rape culture some innovators seem to think that old-fashioned notions of strong legislation need a few more, bells, whistles and technological wizardry. Here are some recent ideas from around the world.

Anti-pervert stockings

Fact: women with hairy legs are never sexually harassed or assaulted. At least that seems to be the thinking behind these fetching hairy leggings, which have become a viral sensation in China. Posted on the microblogging site Weibo, they are described as "full-leg-of-hair stockings, essential for all young girls going out". Sadly, once posted in the UK, commentators were quick to point out the flaws of the inventor's cunning plan. "This is exactly the sort of thing that drives us perverts wild," wrote one.

Banning lingerie mannequins

If a fatal and exceptionally violent gang rape had left your country reeling, with protesters pouring out on to the streets to complain about a culture of impunity for rapists, who would you blame? One municipal council in India knew: shop mannequins wearing lingerie. According to a Mumbai municipal council resolution they "promote rapes", and were ordered to be removed as a matter of public safety. "After all," said city councillor Ritu Tawde, "a mannequin is a replica of a woman's body." There is no news yet as to whether the council thinks scantily-clad women should also be banned.

The screaming alarm

If you think standard personal alarms are easy to ignore, the ila Dusk has a more tech-savvy approach. When you pull the chain of the device it emits "an ear-piercing 130-decibel female scream that research has shown others are more likely to respond to than a traditional alarm", according to the packaging. But when the Guardian asked the personal safety campaign group Suzy Lamplugh Trust for their thoughts on the device, they pointed out that screams just confused bystanders and that shouting instructions such as "Call the police" would work better.

Electric shock underwear

Again in India, a trio of engineering students have come up with a prototype to deter would-be attackers: a camisole that not only transmits stun-gun levels of electric shock to groping hands, but also calls the police for you. "Lawmakers take ages to come up with just laws and even after that, women are unsafe," point out the Chennai-based students behind the device. "Hence, we have initiated the idea of self-defence, which protects the women from domestic, social and workplace harassment." It's not clear whether the device would be legal or any safer than wearing a Taser in your bra.

Rape-aXe

Perhaps the most controversial anti-rape device comes courtesy of Dr Sonet Ehlers. Based in South Africa, which has been called the world's rape capital, the terrifying female condom has rows of hooks inside it, which attach themselves to a man's penis during penetration and can only be removed by a doctor. Critics have described it as a "medieval" response and although there are no reports that anyone has actually tested it, the doctor was allegedly distributing them to women working as prostitutes during the 2010 World Cup in South Africa.

Although these inventions are eye-catching, well intentioned, and draw attention to the fact that sexual attacks and harassment are endemic worldwide, they only highlight what we have always needed: legislation to protect women that is properly enforced, along with a change in the focus of rape prevention from the victims to the perpetrators. And you can keep your hairy stockings.

Source: UK Guardian

Wednesday, June 19, 2013

PRESIDENT JONATHAN CALLS FOR MORE INTERNATIONAL COOPERATION IN WAR AGAINST TERRORISM

President Goodluck Ebele Jonathan Tuesday in Abuja restated his call for greater global cooperation and coordination in the war against terrorism.
Speaking at separate audiences with the new ambassadors of Israel, Russia, Greece and Algeria who presented their letters of credence to him at the Presidential Villa, President Jonathan said that Nigeria and other countries will benefit immensely from greater collaboration amongst their security agencies on efforts to combat domestic and international terrorism.
The President told the incoming ambassadors that Nigeria would welcome increased cooperation  from countries that are more experienced in such matters for its ongoing operations against domestic terrorist groups.
President Jonathan told the new Israeli Ambassador, Mr. Uriel Palti that he looked forward to visiting Israel later this year and discussing ways of enhancing bilateral cooperation between Nigeria and Israel with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.
He also assured Mr. Alekos Oikonomopoulos, Mr. Nikolay Udovichenko, Mr. Belkacem Smaili and Mr. Amadou Habibou, the new ambassadors of Greece, Russia, Algeria and Senegal respectively, that the Federal Government will fully support their efforts to strengthen existing cordial relations between Nigeria and their countries.
The new ambassadors all expressed their delight at being posted to Nigeria and promised to do everything possible to strengthen diplomatic and economic ties between their countries and Nigeria.

REUBEN ABATI
Special Adviser to the President
(Media & Publicity)
June 18, 2013

Tuesday, June 18, 2013

Dekunle Fuji Becomes Nurse In America

In the search for greener pastures, a popular Nigerian gospel fuji musician, Dekunle Fuji is now a certified nurse in the US.
The former Storm Records artiste who several years ago was a toast in the gospel scene is now based in the US State of New Jersey where he went through a nursing course to become a qualified nurse.
NET investigations have it that the former artiste had left Nigeria for a show in the US in 2011. Getting to the US, Dekunle began considering the thought of settling down in the States. In no time he quickly applied for a nursing course and finished with the course a few months ago, according to our source.
A source who confirmed the report told NET that prior to his sojourn in the US, the musician (although does not like to be referred to as a gospel artiste) had joined the Nigerian Police Force even before moving to the US.
"Dekunle had joined the police force where he was appointed a senior officer because of his qualification. It just so happened that his travelling came through just about the same time the Police force had employed him", the source said.
We also discover that in the US, the musician turned nurse is still taking up shows in churches and crusades where he gets paid up to about $5000 (N790000) per performance.
Another source says that the musician who lost his father and mother at a young age had decided to adopt New Jersey as his permanent home for now. The source said, "Nigeria is more like his second home since he relocated, besides he doesn’t seem to have much for him here".
While he was in Nigeria, Dekunle Fuji whose real name is Adekunle Oloyede Michael Olalekan had made a name for himself in the church circles, delivering his album, ‘No Lele‘ under the Storm Records imprint in 2008. The album debuted following the hit single, ‘Mo Like Jesu Gan’ which featured rapper, Ikechukwu with the video directed by DJ Tee.
The Osun State-born musician who is a graduate of Theatre Arts from the University of Lagos had launched himself into a new kind of hiphop infused fuji with a Christian message gaining popularity among both fuji and hihop fans at the same time.
Dekunle’s new vocation is coming on the heels of recent trail of Nigerian celebs that have down-played their celebrity statuses and adopting a more regular profession.
Former beauty queen and actress, Regina Askia-Williams had long become a qualified nurse in New York since marrying her American husband.
There are also tales of former, 419 Squad member, MP who dropped music to train as a doctor in UK but has since moved to the US where he now resides and practices.
Source: Thenetng
Source: Naij.com

Monday, June 17, 2013

Governor Mimiko Swears in 18 New Commissioners



Commissioners and their portfolio

Eyitayo Jegede (SAN), Ministry of Justice.

Engr. Clement Faboyede; Ministry of Community Development and Cooperative Services.

Yele Ogundipe, Ministry of Finance.

Akin Adaramola, Ministry of Budget and Economic Planning.

Barr Deji Falae, Ministry of Culture and
Tourism.

Sola Ebiseni, Ministry of Environment.

Dr Dayo Adeyanju, Ministry of Health.

Dr Bade Omoloja, Ministry of Housing and Urban Development.

Lasisi Oluboyo, Ministry of Agriculture.

Nicholas Tofowomo, Ministry of Transport.
Engr Gboye Adegbenro, Ministry of Works

Kayode Akinmade, Ministry of Information.

Bekekhimi Idhiarhi, Ministry of Youths and Sports

Barr. Remi Olatubora, Ministry of Adult, Technical and Vocational Education.

Arch Jide Adejuyigbe, Ministry of Education.

Lady Yemi Mahmud, Ministry of Women Affairs and Social Development.

Barr. Tunde Atere, Ministry of Natural Resources.

Bamiduro Dada, Ministry of Local
Government and Chieftaincy Affairs.

Saturday, June 15, 2013

What is YouWiN!

What is YouWiN!

The Youth Enterprise with Innovation in Nigeria (You WiN!) Programme is a collaboration of the Ministry of Finance, the Ministry of Communication Technology (CT), the Ministry of Youth Development and the Ministry of Women Affairs and Social Development that will launch an annual Business Plan Competition (BPC) for aspiring young entrepreneurs in Nigeria, in line with the Federal Government’s drive to create more jobs for Nigerians. The programme will be implemented in partnership with Nigeria’s private sector, who will be requested to provide funding support.

Objectives of the programme

The main objective of the Youth Enterprise with Innovation in Nigeria (You WiN!) Programme is to generate jobs by encouraging and supporting aspiring entrepreneurial youth in Nigeria to develop and execute business ideas that will lead to job creation. The programme will provide aspiring youth with a platform to show case their business acumen, skills and aspirations to business leaders, investors and mentors in Nigeria.

Specific Objectives of the Programme include to:

  • Attract ideas and innovations from young entrepreneurial aspirants from Universities, Polytechnics, Technical colleges, and other post-Secondary institutions in Nigeria;
  • Provide a one time Equity grant for 1,200 selected aspiring entrepreneurs to start or expand their business concepts and mitigate start up risks;
  • Generate 80,000 to 110,000 new jobs for currently unemployed Nigerian youth over the three years during which the three cycles will be implemented;
  • Provide business training for up to 6,000 aspiring youth entrepreneurs spread across all geo-political zones in Nigeria;
  • Encourage expansion, specialization and spin-offs of existing businesses in Nigeria; and,
  • Enable young entrepreneurs to access a wide business professional network and improve their visibility.

PLEASE NOTE!!!

  • YouWiN is an equity contribution to your business. It is therefore NOT A LOAN but a grant.
  • Award recipients will be paid according to the needs of the business and specific mile-stones stated in the business plan.
  • Award recipients must be registered with CAC before disbursment of funds even though they do not need to be registered  to apply. You/wiN will support the registration process.
  • Award recipients will opperate accounts using their registered companies with any of the participating commercial banks prior to disbursment.
  • Award recipients must sign a grant agreement with the managers of YouWiN before disbursment of funds.

Thursday, June 13, 2013

SENATOR AHMED BOLA TINUBU’S LONDON FAIRY TALES By Doyin Okupe

By Dr Doyin Okupe

On Monday,10th of June,2013,on a day when his new political party called APC battled unsuccessfully to produce a new set of leadership, the National leader of the Action Congress of Nigeria (ACN) Senator Bola Ahmed Tinubu was at an event in London speaking on a topic he called LEADERSHIP,NATIONAL DEVELOPMENT AND THE PEOPLE. We have noted several inconsistencies, political razzmatazz and utter falsehoods contained in the address.

We begin by responding to his assertions, which were not only wide off the mark but betray the hypocrisy for which the national leader of ACN and his party have become very well known. His claim that, “everyone claims to be democratic but not everyone is faithful to his or her word”, is a clear case of self-indictment as will be evident in due course.


As any keen and discerning observer of Nigeria’s democracy will attest, Senator Tinubu and his ACN are completely lacking in democratic temper. The ACN as a party is not only undemocratic but blatantly autocratic and makes no pretenses about it. We recall that only recently, its national chairman, Chief Bisi Akande, haughtily asserted that whosoever is not pleased with the national leadership of the party’s way of running the ACN and picking its candidates was free to leave the party.


It is clear that CAN leadership’s understanding of democracy is tainted and skewed by his undemocratic mindset, which has seen him exert authoritarian control over the party. With such disposition, it is easy to understand his warped and defective reading of the democratic situation in Nigeria. To assert as he did in that paper that Nigeria under the leadership of President Goodluck Jonathan is a dysfunctional democracy is not only the height of ignorance but equally of unbridled mischief.


Tinubu must be talking of an imaginary Nigeria not the Nigeria we all know and live in. His submission on our democracy is nothing but wild conjecture, completely unrelated to reality. For the records, the Nigerian democracy is robust, vibrant and unattenuated. Unlike the ACN chieftain would have us believe, Nigerian democracy does not stand in any dark and uncertain corridor neither is it authoritarian. Rather, it looms large in the minds of Nigerians for its respect of fundamental human rights and the rule of law. For followers, local and international of Nigeria’s democratic journey since 1999, there is unanimity of opinion that no administration has equaled the Jonathan administration in the observance of and respect for the hallowed principles of maintenance of rule of law, free press, sanctity of the electoral process, separation of powers and respect for public opinion. President Goodluck Jonathan’s opening up of the democratic space through institutional reforms clearly marks him out as a committed democrat.


It is trite to observe that President Jonathan is perhaps the most unjustifiably maligned leader in the history of Nigeria with critics using their overriding influence on Print and Electronic Media freely and in many cases unfairly to take potshots at him. It is common knowledge that no administration has been abused, lied against and harangued like the present administration under Jonathan. Yet, there have not been any reprisals or harassment from government agencies. Instead, the administration has encouraged free speech and open government. It is on record that despite the avalanche of criticisms and attacks in the media, journalists and their organizations have not been hounded or closed down as we witnessed in recent past.


Rather than muzzle free speech, this administration has always explored the legal option in seeking redress as was the case recently with the recent Leadership Newspaper issue. Furthermore, the signing into law of the Freedom of Information Act after previous administrations had stalled it was a pointer to the inherent democratic character of the Present administration.


Unlike the governments being run by ACN party at the state levels, the administration of President Jonathan however, has always bowed to the wishes of the Nigerian public on a number of occasions when they have disagreed with certain policies of his government. The reversal of his decision on the removal of subsidy on petroleum products, the offer of amnesty to terrorists at the insistence of Nigerians in the northern part of the country and the decision to shelve the introduction of the N5000 note following public opposition, are three examples that will suffice in this regard.


Like the other assertions contained in his paper. Senator Ahmed Tinubu’s take on the electoral process rings hollow. It is a fact attested to by all, including members of the international community, that the electoral system in Nigeria has been sanitized following reforms implemented by the present administration under President Jonathan. Opposition parties, including Tinubu’s ACN, won elections conducted by a Federal INEC under these reforms. The only cases which could probably justify his claim that “we have too many false winners who were true losers” are found in the elections conducted into local governments by the Action Congress of Nigeria state Governments. For example, Nigerians will recall that under Tinubu’s watch, massive electoral fraud was perpetrated during the Local Government elections in Lagos State where winners in 24 hours suddenly became losers. Tinubu himself was widely reported in the papers as having voted without a voter’s card.


The ACN national leader talked glibly about perversion of national development and alleged inability of the Jonathan administration to solve the problems of hunger and inequality in Nigeria. Clearly, Tinubu must be either living in a different Nigeria or he is being mischievous. It is on record and facts bear this out, that no administration in Nigeria’s 53 years of independence has done more to address these problems more than the Jonathan administration. We will address this shortly but first let us make a few observations concerning few states controlled by the ACN.


It is an irony that despite huge financial resources available to Lagos states government in form of revenue from the Federation Account and massive Internally Generated Revenue in the 8 years that Senator Tinubu governed Lagos, how many of these high sounding programmes which the ACN leader pontificated on did he implement? What social security system did he put in place for workers and peasants in Lagos state? Why have the Action Congress of Nigeria governments in Oyo, Osun, Lagos and Ekiti removed subsidy on health care and tertiary education making it impossible for the poor in those states to send their wards to State Universities, Polytechnics and Colleges of Education or have access to affordable health care in the last few years? Will Senator Tinubu deny that school fees in LASU,EKSU,OOU and the teaching hospitals owned by Osun,and Oyo state governments have increased by between 200 and 300% in the last two years? Is this the model they hope to replicate at the National level?


By contrast the Jonathan administration has consistently intervened and placed emphasis on the key areas of increased access to education, poverty eradication, access to healthcare (with giant strides recorded in primary healthcare) and empowerment particularly of youths and women.
For instance between 2011 and 2012 over 433,650 lives were saved through the ‘Saving One Million Lives’ (SOML) initiative. In addition, thousands of frontline health workers have been recruited, trained and deployed to most remote communities in Nigeria to increase antenatal attendant coverage. Furthermore, in the last one year 1,500 primary healthcare facilities have been refurbished and supplied with the essential commodities to increase delivery skilled-birth attendant, and in 2012 alone, 1.044 million antenatal care visits were made in the 1,000 MSS facilities across the 36 states and FCT, which is a 26 percent increase from 828,922 reported in 2011 to increase postnatal care coverage.


These are verifiable facts and not imaginary figures, which Tinubu and his party cannot controvert. Aside achievements in the health sector, the Jonathan administration has intervened critically in the area of job creation and youth empowerment.
A number of initiatives have been embarked upon to reverse the high unemployment trend.
Reforms in the Agriculture sector alone has created almost two million jobs in the last two years while Nigeria is fast moving on a lane of self -sufficiency in production of major food staples.
Similarly, new government investment in Water Resources as well as the return of train services has not only created new jobs but has restored a the economic livelihood of several communities on the rail routes across the country.


These include The Public Works and Women/Youths Employment (PW/WYE) project, which was launched by the President. The project targets 370,000 jobs across the country in 2011.
Similarly, the YouWiN (Youth Enterprise with Innovation in Nigeria) project was launched in October 2011, to provide jobs for 80,000 to 110,000 unemployed Nigerian youths. Jobs would be created through businesses created by with brilliant business ideas, who are identified through You Win and directly supported to realize their entrepreneurial ideas over the next three years. After intensive business development training, the first set of 1,200 potential beneficiaries were selected in March 2012 for grants to start their proposed businesses.


The Nigerian opposition leaders address their minds to the quantum of new investments coming into the country as a result of President Jonathan’s economic reforms. Are they probably not aware of the Indorama 1.2 billion dollar fertilizer plant in Onne,the 250 million dollar Procter and Gamble Plant in Ogun State,the 8 billion dollars investments in Agriculture and others?


As with much of what Tinubu said in his paper, the ACN chieftain’s opinion that, “no large nation has ever attained sustained growth without government running deficit budget to build required infrastructure…”, is verbose and cannot be supported by any critical or statistical analysis.
Senator Tinubu’s recommendation of deficit budgeting as an instrument for National development in developing countries is just another economic view but certainly not sacrosanct. It is sound judgment for developing nations also to employ a combination of deficit and Private Sector Participation (PSP) in various degrees and combinations to finance its developmental processes and projects. It is advisable that developing nations employ PSP in funding infrastructures and deploy budget deficits to finance both the productive investment and commercially disposable projects that can then be offloaded at maturity to the public in order to re-invest the resources into other massive financial investment.


This is what exactly this administration has embarked upon in order to manage effectively the financial resources of this nation. The government is spearheading the disposal of the 5000 MW NIPP projects, which the private sector is now ready to purchase in addition to the PPP scheme, which this administration is employing to enhance our infrastructural facilities.
It should interest the public that Mr Tinubu’s political acolyte, Mallam Nassir El-Rufai, accused the former Lagos State Governor of nearly running the PHCN bankrupt with his Enron power deal. This what how El Rufai put it in his book, THE ACCIDENTAL PUBLIC SERVANT, :


“I saw starkly how government officials were willing to pervert the interest of the country to impress foreigners or obtain preferences for those they thought were their kinsmen…It was gratifying (and I felt that it was divine judgment for the sleepless nights and media attacks we in the BPE were put through by their executives and Nigerian collaborators for no reason other than their narrow commercial interests) that I had to witness the collapse of that evil corporation”.


On Tinubu’s contention that under the watch of President Jonathan insecurity has grown and that Boko Haram has turned large parts of northern Nigeria into no man’s land with lives and property under severe threat and economic activities grinding to a halt, we advise the ACN leader to wake up to the reality of the moment. It is clear to any clear-sighted and right thinking Nigerian that this administration is firmly in control of the security situation. The Boko Haram terrorists have been routed and expelled from the camps and enclaves by the Nigerian military and life and commercial activities continue uninterrupted in the states currently under emergency rule. Infact, a major Nigerian airline, IRS, just announced a resumption of its flight to Maiduguri which had been suspended while the insecurity persisted.
Nigerians know for a fact that were it left to Tinubu and his party, the terrorists would be having free rein in the northeast of Nigeria. It is public knowledge that whilst peace loving Nigerians fully supported the declaration of emergency rule by President Jonathan in Borno, Yobe and Adamawa States, the ACN and the Congress for Progressive Change(CPC) one of its merging partners, opposed the move going as far as calling on the National Assembly to reject the declaration.


This is why we regrettably disagree with Senator Tinubu’s labeling of himself as a patriot. As everyone well knows, patriots are concerned with the image, the well-being and survival of their country and will do everything in their power to protect same even if they have political differences with their home governments. They do not condone terrorism neither do they travel around the world denigrating their country. It is noteworthy that even though President George Bush Jnr. is not in sync with some policies of present American President, Barrack Obama, he does not go around the world disparaging the current American President. Also several notable Black American leaders including Ambassador Jetta, Andrew Young and Rev Jesse Jackson have visited Nigeria and other African countries quite often, yet none of them will speak evil of their home governments in spite of the various challenges facing the African American community in the United states. This is the hallmark of true patriotism.


It is clear from Tinubu’s paper that the ACN chieftain and his party lack a fundamental understanding of both democratic norms and sound economic judgment. His Third Path blueprint for economic transformation is nothing but a hollow ideological concept. As the ACN national leader has failed to realize, the world has moved away from ideologies in favour of pragmatic and result oriented policies, which impact meaningfully on the lives of the people. Nations like Russia and China, which spearheaded Communism, one the great ideological movements of the 20th century, have since embraced market reforms, and also have states in the western hemisphere dumped pure capitalism for more people oriented policies with less dogmas and economic clichés. We are sorry to say that the so called “THIRD PATH” is a clueless path to socio-economic abyss as it remains essentially a theoretical proposition with no evidence of success either in history or contemporary climes.


In conclusion, we wish to advise the leader of the Action Congress of Nigeria to adopt a higher standard of integrity as a former Governor and political leader. The advertised speech which Mr. Tinubu and his unabashed promoters describe as an “address to the House of Commons” was in reality an event put together by a private concern owned by a Nigerian who only rented a room within the premises of the British parliament. Good leadership must be distant and distinct from lies and deliberate falsehood intended to fool the public.
For Leadership, integrity counts!

Thank You
Dr Doyin Okupe
Senior Special Assistant to the President on Public Affairs
13th June,2013


Culled from Dr Doyin Okupe's facebook Timeline

Tuesday, June 11, 2013

Boko Haram Ranks Second on Global Terror List


boko-haram• Killed 1,132 in 364 attacks, says U.S. report
• Killed 1,132 in 364 attacks, says U.S. report
• Group’s, Talibans’ record higher than killings by Al-Qaeda, Maoists, Al-Shabaah
• Outrage at ACN’s opposition to ban on group
• PDP accuses party of support for insurgents
WITH only the Talibans in Afghanistan ahead, Boko Haram is now the second widely known perpetrator of terrorism in the world, according to a report by the United States (U.S.) government.
Just last week, the U.S. State Department announced a $7 million bounty for information that will lead to the capture of the group’s leader, Abubakar Shekau.
And in Nigeria, there is outrage at the opposition of the Action Congress of Nigeria (ACN) to the Federal Government’s ban on the group. The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) on Monday accused the ACN of trying to use the press as a subterfuge to hide its support for insurgents and to whittle the efforts by the Federal Government to end acts of terrorism in the country.
The ruling party, which threw its weight behind President Goodluck Jonathan, said contrary to the claims by the ACN, no part of the presidential order proscribing terrorist groups, directly or indirectly violated any provision of the constitution or impinged on the freedom of the press in the country.
The PDP National Publicity Secretary, Chief Olisa Metuh, in a statement on Monday described the allegation by the ACN that the order was aimed at gagging the press, as despicable and a clear indication of how far the opposition party could go to distort facts to support violence and cause disaffection among Nigerians.
The PDP in Ondo State and the Niger Delta Professionals also faulted the position of the ACN.
An annex to the U.S. government report on terrorism last year, just made available to The Guardian, shows that besides the Taliban in Afghanistan, Boko Haram in Nigeria had the highest number of terror attacks last year and killed also the second highest number of people.
The statistical report called ‘START’ conducted by the University of Maryland for the American government on global terrorism in 2012 has revealed that while the Talibans killed 1,842 people in 525 attacks last year, and came tops on the infamous ranking, Boko Haram came second killing 1,132 in 364 attacks.
Both the Talibans and Boko Haram killed more than Al-Qaeda in Iraq, the Maoists in India, Al-Shabaab, Al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula among other global terrorist groups.
Commenting, the Christian Association of Nigerian Americans (CANAN) noted that based on these statistics of the U.S. government, the refusal of the State Department to designate Boko Haram a Foreign Terrorist Organisation (FTO) continued to be unsettling.
A statement from the group on Monday in New York said: “The statistics that were computed at the instruction of the U.S. government by a reputable university deemed a centre of excellence by the U.S. government show proof why Boko Haram should be designated.”
CANAN added: “This is a further evidence that our demand to the State Department to designate Boko Haram an FTO is a position backed up by facts and reality. Our hope and expectation is that soon, the State Department will do what is right.”
The statistical report also revealed that of the top 10 countries with the most terrorist attacks last year, Nigeria came fifth because of the activities of Boko Haram.
Besides, Nigeria ranked fourth in number of deaths from terrorist attacks. According to the statistical information attached to the recent “U.S. Terrorism 2012 reports”, last year alone, there were a total number of 546 terror attacks in Nigeria with 1,386 killed.
“The average lethality of terrorist attacks in Nigeria (2.54 deaths per attack) is more than 50 per cent higher than the global average of 1.64.”
The statistical report revealed that in 2012, the majority of highly lethal attacks  -159  in  all -, took place in Afghanistan, Pakistan, Iraq, Nigeria and Syria, killing a total of 2,880 people.
The report stated that Boko Haram “was responsible for a number of highly lethal attacks in 2012, including a series of co-ordinated bombings and armed assaults in Kano, Nigeria, on January 20 that killed an estimated 190 people.”
The ‘START’ was conducted by the National Consortium for the Study of Terrorism and Responses to Terrorism, based at the University of Maryland. The consortium is deemed a U.S. Homeland Security Centre of Excellence for Science and Technology.
The U.S. laws require the government in its yearly terrorism reports to include complete statistical information on number of individuals killed, injured or kidnapped by each terrorist group during the preceding year.
Last year June, the U.S. State Department contracted the consortium to collect the statistical data.
A statement by the Ondo State Director of Publicity of PDP, Ayo Fadaka which was made available to The Guardian in Akure yesterday, expressed “total disappointment” over the ACN’s position on the Boko Haram issue.
The statement read in part: “The activities of terrorist groups represent a grave challenge to the corporate existence of the nation and its only goal is to systematically pursue a programme that would have completely led to its disintegration.
“In tackling this development, President Goodluck Jonathan certainly did explore all available avenues to make Boko Haram and its accomplices to embrace peace and even conditionally disarm its membership and this was rebuffed continuously.
“It was when it became almost impossible to call them to order that the Federal Government finally declared a state of emergency in the prime theatres of their action and even when that happened, the ACN was the only party that condemned the action of government as if the programmes of these anti-system groups are synonymous with its goals.
“Again, the ACN has pushed further its frontiers of clandestine support for these groups by needlessly criticising the Federal Government gazette of the ban of these agencies saying it will infringe on the liberty of people, we wonder if there are elements in that party that are accomplices of Boko Haram.
“Therefore, we call on the people of the South-West to take due cognisance of the activities of the party and be circumspect in appreciating same. There are ominous signs that there are more than meet the eyes in its style and operations. In the South-West, we take pride in our tolerance level and ability to accommodate our diverse feelings but if feelers from Osun State are anything to go by today, religious sentimentalism is being promoted by the ACN government of Rauf Aregbesola and this is sad and absolutely reprehensible.
“In playing politics, we expect that issues that promote the development and health of the nation must dictate the views of political parties and not sectarian and parochial issues that will certainly do more damage than ordinarily anticipated.
“Parties thrive today because there is a nation where peace and orderliness reign and that must be a goal of every citizen to preserve.
“We restate that anyone who is conscious of all the evils perpetrated on citizens and corporate organisations in this country by Boko Haram and its accomplices and continues to seek to express support for these organisations in whatever manner is anything but patriotic.
“We equally remind the ACN that its desire to make any political gain in Nigeria is certainly predicated on the peace and well-being of the nation.”
In their reaction to the ACN’s position, Niger Delta Professionals said that the party’s attack was an insult to the Nigerian people.
In a statement by National Co-ordinator, Mr. Onoriode Izomo and National Secretary, Mr. Andrew O. Ugbovoro of the group, they said that the ACN’s action had proved its desperation to rule the nation.
“Or how else would you explain such an open support for violence and killing of innocent souls and destruction of property by a group that has no value for life? Is ACN indirectly unveiling part of their agenda for their proposed coalition with the APC?  Buhari attacked the Presidency by his utterance, the whole world condemned him, now his supposed coalition partner decides to join his wagon of senseless utterance and publicly attack the President again. These are the same people who had consistently criticised the President on his peaceful approach to the handling of fear and terror created by the same group in Nigeria,” the group said.
It added: “We want to let the ACN know that Nigerians may be gullible but not totally stupid, any one or group who could support the Boko Haram despite all the havoc they created in this nation is not only violence-oriented, but is an enemy of peace and does not deserve to be given the slightest opportunity to go near Aso Rock let alone enter into it. God has only shown Nigerians the make-up of people seeking our votes to rule us. By this singular act, we are no longer deceived by the below par performance of some of the ACN governors, it’s merely a ploy to lure Nigerians to their own doom. ACN or APC if given opportunity to run the affairs of this nation would use Boko Haram to terrorise Nigerians. Note that any man or group that supports evil is himself or herself evil.”
SOURCE: The Guardian