Words Of Widom From Wunmi Obe

My election is historic - President Buhari

Real reasons Why I Have Been Unable To Pay Osun Workers- Aregbesola

Osun Governor, Rauf Aregbesola, said on Friday that the salary imbroglio in his state which led to workers strike, was beyond his control. He said this while fielding questions from State House Correspondents in Abuja.

“No head of the family will be happy that he cannot feed members of the family. Extend that to state, it is heart-rending that I am in this quagmire. But no matter how sad (I don’t want to use the word depressed), no matter how unhappy I am, the truth is that I will not fail to say that it is a situation absolutely beyond my control,” he said.


The governor said that he led an administration in receipt of regular allocation “in which I do my budget”.

“Unfortunately, this allocation started falling in rapid form that totally disorganized my budget and any other arrangement.

“For those who want to be objective, Osun of November 2010 when I assumed office and Osun of today are not the same.

“People must give credit to the changes that we have brought about in Osun. The changes were not miracles, they were changes occasioned by application of resources.

“But with the unexpected and sharp decline in our revenue, we had dislocation. The result of that dislocation is this quite sad experience.”

He said that if the situation was peculiar to his state he would probably have no excuse.

“I pray it does not continue. I am not sure if there will be any state that will actually escape from the biting effect of the absolute sharp drop which I call economic disaster that we are grappling with.

“Since my inauguration on November 27, 2010, I had made it a duty to pay salary on or before 25th of every month up until January 2014 when that became practically impossible.

“I have been giving the same staff who today are, regrettably and painfully, not being paid annual bonus that we call 13th month salary.

“There was no demand for it. I just felt that workers must be encouraged, they must be inspired.

“I did that religiously and faithfully from 2010 to 2013.”

Aregbesola added that the development that led to the crisis began “in July when we received the June allocation and it was short by 40 per cent”.

According to him, since then, what the state was receiving from the Federation Account “is less than the wages, personnel cost”.

He narrated how Osun had struggled with it until October 2014.

“By that time, there was nothing we could do. Add to it is that we could not even go to bank to borrow to pay the wages commitment.

“It is a sad development.

“I am struggling to reduce the pain as much as possible and I am almost at the end of the efforts I am making to ensure that by the end of this month, I will have enough to at least meet to a large extent the salary needs of the workers,” he added.

We Are Suffering, Abiola Family Begs FG To Come To Their Aide

 Alhaji Muri Abiola, elder brother of the late business mogul, Chief Moshood Kashimawo Olawale Abiola has appealed to the federal government to compensate the family having been treated badly after the death of the family breadwinner in July 1998.

Alhaji Abiola called on Governor Ibikunle Amosun to assist them in using his good offices to plead with President Muhammed Buhari to support the family as the exit of the breadwinner has created a lot of hardship into the family.


The appeal was made yesterday while speaking with newsmen at the Oja-Agbo residence of Abiola in Gbagura area of Abeokuta,the Ogun state capital.

Residents of Abeokuta and top government functionaries led by the deputy governor of the state, Princess Yetunde Onanuga were today at the residence to observe a prayer session in commemoration of the 22nd anniversary of the June 12 election, won by Chief MKO Abiola.

According to Muri Abiola: “the federal government has neglected us and this is not good. When MKO died, many of us were arrested for no just cause. They said they are doing some findings, we were locked up in Panti and many other cells in the country.

“After a while, we were asked to go home and nothing was given to us as compensation. We made several efforts to get our plight get across to them but nothing forthcoming till date.

“As I am speaking with you now, many of our children are out of job and we have nothing to keep bodies and souls together. This should have not happened to the family of MKO Abiola, who died because of this country. All what he stood for during his lifetime was enthronement of democracy and today, that is what many of those who were against it then are benefitting from.


“They have not accorded him the due honour he deserved. We have been neglected by the past government and we strongly believe that our governor will pass our message to President Muhammmed Buhari,” Alhaji Muri Abiola pleaded.

Photos: Femi Otedola's daughter graduates from college

Billionaire oil magnate, Femi Otedola was in London yesterday to attend the graduation ceremony of one of his daughters, Temi, who just finished from the American School London

Buhari to earn N14.4m annual salary

According to a report by Vanguard, this is what President Buhari, VP Osinbajo and other top govt officials will earn. Isn't it too small though? Read full report from Vanguard below...

    The Revenue Mobilisation Allocation and Fiscal Commission, RMAFC, has reviewed the salaries of the President, Vice President, Senate President and Speaker of the House of Representatives and Speakers in the 36 states of the federation, as well as well other legislators in both the National and State Assemblies among other public officers in the country. Based on the total package prepared by the RMAFC, President Muhammadu Buhari ‘s annual salary and allowances stand at N14, 4 million.


The break down shows that his Basic Salary is N 3,514,705 and Hardship allowance, N1,757,350:50. Constituency N 8,786,762:50 and Leave Allowance – N351, 470.
Buhari will receive a 400 per cent increase in his salary amounting N14. 058 million, as gratuity upon a successful completion of his tenure.

The Federal Government is to provide him with all his needs including vehicles, Special Assistants, Personal Assistants, entertainment, security, utility bills,newspapers, medical bills and clothings.
The president’s estacode and Duty Tour allowance were not specified.

However, the Vice President Osinbajo is to receive an annual Basic Salary of N2,064, 400; Hardship allowance- N1, 515, 786.25 and a Constituency Allowance of N7, 578, 931.25, bringing his total annual earning to N12.1million.

About 75 per cent of his annual basic salary would be paid for vehicles and their maintenance if he chooses to buy his vehicles and maintain them.

He is to receive another 25 per cent to hire his Personal Assistants; 75 per cent for domestic staff; 45 per cent for entertainment and 30 per cent for utility.

The VP is to receive a separate 20 per cent of his salary for monitoring; 200 per cent for accommodation and 300 per cent for furniture.

His duty Tour Allowance stands at N 35, 000 per night and an estacode of $900 per night.
He is to receive 10 per cent of his salary as Leave Allowance and 300 per cent as gratuity upon a successful completion of his tenure.

National Assembly
Also, following a downward review of salaries and allowances of both the National and State Assembly legislators, the Senate President will receive a basic annual salary of N2, 484, 242.50 and allowance of N6. 2 million, bringing the total to N8. 69Million. His monthly salary is about N724, 570. In addition, he collects 250 per cent of his Annual Salary as Constituency Allowance.

However, his vehicles and their maintenance are provided by the federal government. Similarly, his domestic staff, entertainment, utilities, security responsibility, Legislative Aids, House Maintenance an, as well as a Special Adviser and a Personal Assistant are provided by the federal government.
Similarly Robe (clothing) and newspapers are provided for the Senate President.

The Deputy Senate President enjoys the same benefits except that his Annual Basic Salary stands at N 2,309,166.75, total allowance N 5,772,916.8, bringing total annual salary to 8,082,083.63 and a monthly pay of N 673,506.97

The Senate Majority Leader receives a salary of N12, 968, 960.

The Minority leader receives a total annual salary of N12, 908, 168. The Whip receives N12, 867 . The same applies to Committee Chairmen. Incidentally in the last administration almost all senators were chairmen of various committees.

The allowances received by the members of the upper legislative chamber is far more than their salaries indicate.
For instance, each senator receives 75 per cent of the annual salary as allowance for a vehicle and its maintenance.
They collect another 75 per cent of their salaries for domestic staff; 30 per cent for entertainment; 30 per cent for utilities; 25 per cent for robe (clothing); and 250 per cent as constituency allowance.

Others include, another allowance unspecified which stands at 53 per cent; newspapers 15 per cent; Personal Assistance, 24 per cent; and House maintenance 5 per cent.

House of Reps
At the House of Representatives, the Speaker receives a total annual salary of N 4,334,942.50.
Just like the Senate President, the federal government provides his vehicles and their maintenance .
His domestic staff, entertainment, utilities, security responsibility, Legislative Aids, House Maintenance an, as well as a Special Adviser and a Personal Assistant are provided by the federal government.
Similarly Robe (clothing) and newspapers are provided for the Speaker by the Federal Government.
He receives 75 per cent of his salary as constituency allowance.

The Deputy speaker whose annual salary stands at 4,002,309.94 enjoys similar benefits as the speaker.
The Majority Leader of the House, the Minority Leader, the Chief Whip and Chairmen of Committees receive annual salaries of N 6, 352,680.00.
In addition, they receive 50 per cent of their salaries as Vehicle and Maintenance allowance; another 50 per cent for domestic staff; 10 per cent for utilities and another 10 per cent for House maintenance.

House of Assembly
Speakers of the State Houses of Assembly enjoy all the benefits as their federal counterpart where virtually all they need are provided with public funds. However, their annual salaries stand at N 2,049,843.75 and a Constituency Allowance of N25 per cent of their Annual Salaries.

Deputy Speaker receives N 1,807,478.13 and 25 per cent of same as constituency allowance.
Members at the House of Assemblies receive annual salaries of N 2,473,866.25.
In addition, they receive 20 per cent for vehicles; 25 per cent for domestic staff, 10 per cent for utilities; 25 per cent each for robe, constituency , Personal Assistant and 5 per cent for newspapers.

The decision to review the current salaries and allowances of the nations’ public office holders received approval of many members of the public who had complained that the Nigerian law makers were about the highest paid in the world. These are the official earnings of these political office holders. But their spoils of office amount to several millions and even billions of naira in recent past.

President Buhari leaves Abuja for AU Summit in South Africa

The president left Abuja this morning for the AU Summit which he will be held in South Africa. He is expected back in the country on Tuesday June 16. In his entourage are Ogun state governor, Ibikunle Amosun and Benue state governor Samuel Ortom.

Commercial flight makes first landing in Maiduguri Int'l airport after 2yr closure

The Maiduguri International Airport in Borno state which was re-opened on June 9th after being shut down for two years due to Boko Haram attacks, made its first commercial landing today June 13th. The Governor of the state, Kashim Shettima was onboard the flight.

Tonto Dikeh On Sick Bed

   
 "Wokeup today with a joyful heart,With a smile that only The Angels would understand..Am Happy even thru my pains and sorrows.I see life differently and I wonder why he saves me each time,A little girl died this morning.She was my friend for a week,She was A great lil girl and she cld pray. She believed and was faithful,God has his reasons.. But am alive And from this day I have only one thing to promise myself hardcore Self love and happiness..Am in a Very happy Place with me,Scared of course but am excited to know that I can be happy through anytin..

    I use my self as a point of Contact to every sick person,I don't know wat u re going thru but I proclaim healing and health into your lives.. By his stripes you are healed,I asked God for a miracle.It didn't come as a healing it came in form of a Man (MrX) who is ready to hold my hands and make sure I know nothing but happiness till the end...Identify your miracle and Give God d glory even when the doctors say "Ma'am u have 5months to live... #ISmile #StrongWoman #HappyWoman #CheatingDeathwithAsmile #SpecialThankstomymedicalteamandDoctors #No Pity party needed #HAPPY WEEKEND SWEETIES

FG bans paramilitary agencies from use of camouflage uniforms; restricts use to only the military

Press statement from Defence Headquarters below...

    The use of camouflage uniforms by various security agencies other than the Armed Forces namely; Army, Navy and the Air Force has been banned. The Nigerian Police will however use the uniform when in Joint Operation with the military or on special operation such as specific anti-riot missions. This followed the directive of the National Security Council, as it approved the recommendations of a committee on measures to streamline the use of camouflage uniforms, in view of the security implications and concerns raised on the clamour, duplicity and proliferation of camouflage uniforms in the country.

The use of camouflage/fatigue is therefore restricted to the military and for occasional use by the police henceforth. The directive also stipulates that the military is to adopt only 2 types of camouflage for the 3 arms of the Armed Forces. All para-military agencies using various camouflage/fatigues uniforms have up to January 2016 to withdraw such materials currently in their inventory.

With this development, the Ministry of Justice along with law enforcement agencies have been tasked to ensure that extant laws guiding the use of uniforms in Nigeria are strictly enforced. In the same vein, the Office of the National Security Adviser has been vested with the authority to vet and clear any production and supply of camouflage uniforms in Nigeria.

The proliferation and imitation by criminals and impostors using uniforms especially the camouflage have been generating some concern in national security circles. The development has been communicated to all the agencies by the Office of the National Security Adviser.

First assignment for anyone appointed as AGF is to probe Amnesty Int'l report- Buhari

President Buhari says the first assignment he will give anyone he appoints as the Attorney General of the Federation will be to examine the recently released Amnesty International report which indicted some top military officers of gross Human Rights Abuse.

In a statement released by the Senior Special Assistant on Media and Publicity, Garba Shehu today June 12th, President Buhari said the allegations leveled against the Nigerian military is quite disturbing and will require the AGF to look into the report and advise the govt on an appropriate course of action.

    "The president is quite disturbed by the allegations contained in the report. The next step is to look into the allegations and confirm or disprove the disturbing details." The statement went further to add that allegations of Human Rights Abuse during President Buhari's tenure will be investigated immediately "Any allegation of human rights abuse that takes place during the tenure of President Buhari's government will be swiftly investigated and dealt with" the statement said.

God's will has been done - Femi Gbajabiamila

Lagos state will never ever experience blackout, there would be electricity 24 hours a day- Aliko Dangote

Africa's richest man, Aliko Dangote paid a courtesy visit to the Governor of Lagos state, Akinwunmi Ambode earlier this week where he revealed that his company is in the process of building a Gas Pipeline from Bonny to under the sea which when done, will provide Lagos with 24hr power supply.

    Speaking to the press, Dangote said "I’ve assured him that we really love doing business here, it’s a friendly state for doing business and also to assure him of all the projects that we are doing that we are on course; that is building the largest ever single refinery of 650,000 barrels per day, which is by far more than the consumption of Nigeria and that would satisfy our consumption at least for the next 7 to 10 years by the time we finish.

    Also, we are building the largest fertilizer plant of two to three million tonnes of Uranium and Amonia also in the Lekki Free Trade Zone and assure him that we are going to do a Gas Pipeline from Bonny to under the sea, in which when we finish, Lagos state will never ever experience blackout, there would be electricity 24 hours a day.

There are quite a lot of things that would come along with, that would create so many jobs. I think Lagos will be one of the fastest growing cities in Nigeria and Africa as a whole. I can assure you that we would do our own bit in terms of your efforts in policing Lagos, for security and whatever the need is, feel free to call us, we would partner with you and whatever you want us to do to make Lagos a better place.
 It’s not a small project. We would have challenge in getting people to work there, because at the height of it, we would have almost close to 38,000 people working at the same location, this is something that we have to partner with the state government. Having 38,000 people on one site, not every one of them will be from the community, others will be from other states, there would be cultural issues and all that, we need to integrate everybody to ensure that the whole thing work out fine,” 

My Pussy Is For Hire-Maheeda Slams

Obama Is Ready To Help- Buhari

President Muhammadu Buhari on Thursday said he had directed the nation’s service chiefs to produce a list of the logistics needed by the military to successfully execute the war against the Boko Haram sect.

He said he would forward the list they will prepare to the leaders of the Group of Seven Industrialised Nations (G-7) based on their request.

Buhari disclosed this while speaking  with journalists at the end of the extraordinary summit of Heads of State and Government of Lake Chad Basin Commission and Benin at the Presidential Wing of the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport, Abuja.


He said the leaders of the G-7 requested for the list during his recent meeting with them in Baravia, Germany.

He added that based on the request, he had informed his colleagues in the commission to also prepare their countries’ lists for the same purpose.

He explained that the final list that would be forwarded to the G-7 would be drafted at the end of the African Union summit holding in South Africa.

The President said, “You will recall that I was personally invited to the G-7 meeting.

“I went there and I was asked to brief the G-7 and I was impressed with the tremendous sympathy they have for this sub-region, Lake Chad Basin Commission.

“All of them from President Obama are willing to help us.

“They have actually asked me to discuss with their Chief of Defence Staff or their Ministries of Defence or talk to them directly on what we need.

“So, I brought this case to our meeting here and I told them that Nigeria has gone quite far.
“I had five hours meeting with my service chiefs and I asked them to produce comprehensive logistic requirements.

“I also advised my colleagues to be prepared to produce their logistic requirements so that after the AU meeting, we will agree on what to send to the head of G-7, President of Germany.”

Buhari said members of the G-7 were anxious to render assistance, especially when the Boko Haram sect declared its loyalty to the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria.


He also explained that the rules of engagement among the troops of the member states have been clearly spelt out.

Punch

Assembly Approves Wike’s N10bn Loan After Amaechi Allegedly Left Empty Treasury

The Rivers State House of Assembly on Thursday approved a loan of N10 billion requested by the State Governor, Nyesom Wike. The state governor had sent a letter to the House of Assembly asking that he should be granted approval to secure the loan that would be used to fund some major projects in the state.

28 lawmakers voted in favour of the approval.

Speaker of the House, Mr. Ikuinyi Ibani, in his remark, explained that it would be difficult for any government to survive without funds to operate.

Ibani, who pointed that the House would not be involved in frivolous approvals, added that the state legislature would endorse transparent and sincere requests that would benefit the people of the state.

Explaining that the immediate past administration left an empty treasury, the Speaker disclosed that the loan would be taken from Zenith Bank and repaid through Valued Added Tax.

Alaafin of Oyo Steps Out With 4 Wives

 Alaafin of Oyo, Oba Adeyemi  and his  4  wives (Olori's) pictured as they stepped out in style for the National Assembly Inauguration on Tuesday June 9th

Real Reasons Why Osinbajo Can Not Be Allowed At Security Meetings For Now

 There has been some disquiet in many quarters over the non-participation of Vice-President, Yemi Osinbajo, at different security meetings held by President Muhammadu Buhari since assumption of office. One was held on Tuesday, June 2, 2015 while another one was on Wednesday, June 10, 2015 and the Vice-President was not allowed to be at both meetings. A source however explained to Dailypost why the VP cannot attend the meetings for now. Read the reasons below.

“I am sure he would have been invited if he had security background. Being a Professor of Law is fine, but in terms of intelligence and access to security information, you are nowhere near the rank of Colonel or equivalent in the Nigeria Military. Look, I have watched some footage's that if the VP gets to see, he would lose appetite for days. Now we have someone who has been in luxury virtually all his life, attaining the position of VP and some people are clamoring for his presence in highly sensitive talks. The truth is that the military hierarchy would not even feel comfortable saying some things in his presence. I can tell you that they respect Prof. Osinbajo as VP but they cannot trust him with information yet.


You cannot compare him to Buhari who served in many military roles, chased away militants that was threatening Nigeria security, overthrew a military government, became Head of State, fought corruption and went ahead to instill discipline among a stubborn citizenry. The VP would have to go through what is called ‘Stimulation’. This is a process where he is lectured on terms, dealings, operations etc. of the military. His inner strength, strong heart and ability to keep things to himself will first be put to test before he gets access to some classified materials and information. We must understand the fact that Osinbajo was a candidate promoted by Bola Tinubu (ex-Lagos Governor), he was not handpicked by Buhari. If the President had picked a vice, it is likely that such individual may get the access Osinbajo isn’t getting now. Everyone knows the VP has been loyal to Tinubu for decades and he cannot swear that he would not divulge details of these security meetings to his political godfather. So he has to earn it. Tinubu may have used his influence to put him in this position but he must draw a line between blind loyalty and national duty.”

Tension In Rivers State As Wike Plans To Sack LGA Chairman

Hundreds of supporters and Councilmen took to the streets on Thursday to address their displeasure over the plan to dissolve the leadership. Demonstrators carried placards and chanted songs while marching in a procession.

Tensions mount in Rivers State as Governor Nyesom Wike plans to sack "elected Chairmen" of Local Government Areas over improper elections into Councils.

Hundreds of supporters and Councilmen took to the streets on Thursday to address their displeasure over the plan to dissolve the leadership. Demonstrators carried placards and chanted songs while marching in a procession.

Samuel Eyiba, the Chairman of Ahoda west LGA, told SaharaReporters that  "Any attempt to dissolve elected Chairmen and Councilors of 23 LGA in Rivers State, [will be resisted by] the good people of Rivers State."

Also Celestine Akpo Bari, Chairman of Khana LGA, said "we would not allow any attempt to truncate democracy and subvert the will of the people.”

We Will Follow Due Process To Punish Saraki, Others- APC

The All Progressives Congress spokesman, Lai Mohammed has said the party will follow due process to punish Bukola Saraki, Yakubu Dogara and others for defying its directive on the election of the National Assembly leadership. The party had earlier conducted its own election where Ahmed Lawan emerged as the Senate President and Femi Gbajabiamila emerged as the house speaker, and had warned all members not to contest but vote for the party’s candidates.

Bukola Saraki and Dogara however defiled this, and not only just contested but won the elections. The party has however said they will be dealt with accordingly.

Reports of me decamping to PDP is laughable and absurd - Saraki

Senate President Bukola Saraki has described as absurd and laughable, rumors of him defecting to PDP from APC. In a statement he released today June 10th, Sen. Saraki said he left the PDP willingly and will not be going back there at this time when he's already in a ruling party.

    "The new Senate President also denies that he had a plan to decamp to the People's Democratic Party, describing the insinuation as " absurd and laughable." According to him, "it is just cheap blackmail by political adversaries who want to call a dog a bad name in order to hang it. And those making such desperate allegations should remember that I willingly left the PDP on matters of principles when the party was in power. Is it now that the party is out of government and in opposition that I will now return having worked so hard for my party in the last general elections".

Read the full statement after the cut...



    The Senate President, Dr. Abubakar Bukola Saraki, has described President Muhammadu Buhari's reaction to Tuesday's election of National Assembly leaders as a "great mark of leadership" and a demonstration of the President's commitment to democracy. In a statement issued by his media office on Wednesday, the Senate President commended President Buhari for remaining steadfast in his commitment to the principle of non-interference in National Assembly politics even in the face of great pressure on him to act otherwise. "This shows that Mr. President is a man of great conviction who, in his own words, belong to everyone and to no one," the statement reads. In a similar vein, the new Senate President also denies that he had a plan to decamp to the People's Democratic Party, describing the insinuation as " absurd and laughable." According to him, "it is just cheap blackmail by political adversaries who want to call a dog a bad name in order to hang it. And those making such desperate allegations should remember that I willingly left the PDP on matters of principles when the party was in power. Is it now that the party is out of government and in opposition that I will now return having worked so hard for my party in the last general elections," he queried.

    He stated his commitment to the All Progressives Congress (APC), saying he remains a loyal party member and a leader of the party, committed to contributing his quota to building the party and helping it to deliver its promise of change to Nigerian people. He urged all members of the National Assembly to put politicking behind them and settle down for the proper business of legislating. "Our country is going through a very trying times. We have the challenge of insecurity in the North East. The massive problem of youth unemployment and general economic challenges occasioned by the falling oil prices in the international market and the consequential fall in revenue. All these are coming against the huge public expectation that propelled our party into office. We have pursued our legitimate aspirations appropriately. Now that the issues have been settled, we need to move on in the larger interest of our people, without whose mandate we would not have been in a position to aspire to these positions in the first place." The Senate President stated his readiness to embrace every member of the Senate regardless of his or her political leanings in the leadership elections just concluded.

Stolen Assets Recovery: Buhari Demands Fuel Imports From Oil Marketers Implicated In Fraud

Facing a huge cash crisis, President Muhammadu Buhari has resorted to unusual strategies for recovering some of the funds stolen from Nigeria’s treasury through a series of shady deals between former Petroleum Minister Diezani Alison-Madueke and a group of indigenous oil companies and oil marketers she and former President Goodluck Jonathan favored




Former Governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria, Sanusi Lamido Sanusi, brought the part of the illicit deals to public attention when he alerted Nigerians that the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC) had failed to deposit $20 billion of oil revenues with the CBN. In addition, Mrs. Alison-Madueke had inked some deals, with the blessing of former President Jonathan, involving oil swaps and the transfer of certain oil wells reclaimed from multinational oil companies to shady Nigerian operators, including Jide Omokore and Kola Aluko.

An investigation by SaharaReporters discovered that President Buhari’s administration has begun the difficult and complex process of retrieving some of the missing petro-billions. One approach so far adopted by the new president is aimed at addressing the fuel scarcity that has harmed the Nigerian economy and threatens to paralyze the country’s economic activities, according to highly placed officials in the government.

But one exception involves Mr. Omokore whose Atlantic Atlantic Energy Oil Company was involved in the controversial concession of oil wells. A source at the Presidency told SaharaReporters that Mr. Omokore had volunteered to return $500 million to the Federal Government. However, the source added that President Buhari nixed the deal based on information that Mr. Omokore, believed to be a front for Mr. Jonathan and Mrs. Alison-Madueke, is in possession of $4.5 billion of funds that should have been deposited in the federation account.

The sources told SaharaReporters that the government’s immediate strategy involved targeting oil marketers and companies “caught red-handed in stealing huge sums of oil subsidies and oil revenues.” The government has pressured these companies and their owners to agree to repay the stolen monies traced to them by immediately importing more fuel into Nigeria.

The sources said the Buhari government has recorded significant early success in getting some oil marketers and their companies to accept the fuel-for-funds deals. “A number of them have agreed to import massive levels of fuel in lieu of the funds they received in shady transactions during the Jonathan administration,” one Presidency source claimed.

Another source revealed that the administration had started out by putting pressure on former Petroleum Minister, Diezani Alison-Madueke. She was reportedly quick to deny responsibility for the illicit deals with the oil marketers. Instead, she squealed on her subordinates in the NNPC, accusing them of structuring and doctoring the deals that robbed Nigeria of billions of dollars.

“The [Buhari] government got her to write a formal account of her allegations against some NNPC officials and oil companies. What she put down gave a picture of how some of the funds went missing. The document was then forwarded to the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) in the form of a petition,” one source said.

Mrs. Alison-Madueke’s “petition” reportedly named all the persons involved in the massive fraud in the oil sector, including some past and serving officials of the NNPC. Our sources said those she implicated in the NNPC include the current General Managing Director (GMD), Haruna Momoh, a former GMD, Austen Oniwon, Reginald Stanley and Sam Okeke, a former Group General Manager, New Business Division of the NNPC.

An EFCC source told SaharaReporters that a crack team of investigators was currently working on the former minister’s petition. He said the document had revealed new facts previously unknown by EFCC agents and Nigeria’s intelligence officials at Department of State Services (DSS). Among the scams disclosed by the former minister is information that at least four companies involved in an oil swap deal had not accounted for huge sums that should have been remitted to the account of the Nigerian government.

Among the companies implicated in her “petition,” Transfigura was reportedly unable to account for $80 million, Televeras $111million, while Aiteo apparently gulped down $150 million. Other oil firms named in the defrauding of the Nigerian people are Ontario, which failed to account for $135 million, and Sahara Energy, accused of skipping the payment of $120 million to the government.

Our EFCC source revealed that two companies, Transfigura and Sahara Energy, had made some gesture towards paying back some missing funds. However, a source at the Presidency told our correspondent that “so far the reconciliation has involved just paperwork and has not scratched the heart of the scam.” Investigators described Aiteo and Ontario as particularly problematic because they have completely cooked their records. An investigator also disclosed that the two companies are most directly linked to Mrs. Alison-Madueke and former President Jonathan. Both Ms. Alison-Madueke and Mr. Jonathan are currently in the UK, with the former Petroleum Minister reportedly undergoing a weeklong cancer therapy.

Some of the companies have agreed in principle to return the funds by bartering imported fuel for the funds they acquired illegally.

Our sources disclosed that other downstream companies caught in the storm of missing and stolen funds include Forte Oil, owned by businessman Femi Otedola, Folawiyo Energy, and, Oando, owned by Wale Tinubu and Honeywell Oil Company owned by Oba Otudeko.

Officials of the Buhari administration declined to give official confirmation of the stolen assets recovery process relating to other officials of the Jonathan Presidency.

SOURCE:SAHARA REPORTERS

Don't Jubilate Yet, Ekiti Cleric Warns Fayose

The General Overseer, Hour of Mercy Prayer Ministry, Prophet Muyideen Kasali has warned Ekiti State Governor, Ayodele Fayose not to be carried away by the expiration of the Fourth Assembly, which comprised of APC lawmakers who were bent to impeach him, but rather he should watch and pray.

The cleric said this in Ado Ekiti today while addressing his congregation during their special programme held in his church this morning. He further urged  the governor to be more prayerful in order to forestall future crisis as there were still challenges ahead for him.

Tambuwal leads other Ex House of Rep speakers and deputy speakers on a courtesy call to new speaker

Immediate past speaker of the House of Reps now Sokoto state governor, Aminu Tambuwal led past Speakers of the House of Representatives including Patricia Etteh, Ghali Na' Abbah and deputy speakers Emeka Ihedioha on a courtesy call to the new speaker, Hon Yakubu Dogara today June 10th

Remi Tinubu reportedly refuses to shake Saraki's hand during her swearing-in

Eventhough there's a photo of them laughing nd being cordial, there's a viral report that Senator Oluremi Tinubu, wife of Bola Tinubu, refused to shake hands with the new Senate President Bukola Saraki after her swearing in this morning.

Senator Tinubu alongside 28 other APC Senators who were absent when the Senate was inaugurated yesterday, were sworn in as Senators this morning. After their swearing-in, Protocol demands that they proceed to the Senate President to shake his hand and show him their certificate. Every other senator observed the protocol except Tinubu who only showed him her certificate and reportedly ignored his handshake.


The APC Senators who were absent during yesterday's Senate inauguration and sworn in today include the party's desired choice for Senate President and Deputy Senate President, Ahmed Lawan and George Akume. Others are Senators Abdullahi Adamu (Nasarawa) Bukar Abba Ibrahim (Yobe), Gbenga Ashafa (Lagos), Olusola Adeyeye (Osun), Isiaka Adeleke (Osun), Shehu Sani (Kaduna) and Oluremi Tinubu (Lagos). In all 26 of them were sworn in.

Sanctioning Saraki/Dogara: Lai Mohammed says party is in a dilemma

The National Publicity Secretary of the APC, Lai Mohammed says the party is currently in a dilemma in regards to carrying out its planned sanction on their party members, Senator Bukola Saraki and Hon Yakubu Dogara for presenting themselves for elections at the National Assembly against the party's wish.

While speaking on Channels TV this morning, Lai Mohammed said there have been reservations expressed by some people that the party might lose its majority in the house to the PDP if they do not manage the situation properly

    "Yes people have expressed that concern but how do you maintain cohesion and discipline in the country and the same time ensure that you continue to maintain the majority in the house. Now what happens if this goes unpunished and unquestioned, then anybody in the party can do what they like. So this is the dilemma the party is facing. The dilemma within the party is how on one hand we ensure cohesion and  discipline within the party and the same time ensure that the matter does not deteriorate. The real danger the party faces now is having the leadership of the national assembly which you cannot call your own. The leadership of the national assembly that does not share your agenda. The leadership that does no share your vision. If you understand how the National Assembly works and the kind of power the leadership has, you will understand the danger of what happened yesterday.  For instance today, we can no longer talk about having leadership caucus in the National Assembly today because the leadership is made up of both the PDP and the APC. So there is nothing personal to APC that can be discussed in confidence without the PDP knowing. It means if a letter goes to the President to the Senate, it means it will go to the leadership of the PDP, APC, everybody even before our own members read it. It is quite a serious issue"he said.

He said he cannot pinpoint any mistake his party made that led them to this current situation.

Asked if the party can afford to suspend Saraki and Dogara, he said "The party can afford to do anything to maintain discipline"

He explained why the party described the actions of Saraki and Dogara as treachery

    "Well you see when we were campaigning, we campaigned against the PDP because we believed that the PDP after 16 years did not live up to the expectations of Nigerians. Now if any of our members now want to be Senate President or Speaker and he is going to rely on the same opposition that was displaced and in total defiance to the party's directives, its Treachery. If 57 people voted to elect senate president, that speaks volumes. That means there are only 8 senators from the APC that joined the 49 Senators from the PDP. If Femi scored 174 votes, that means out of the 209 members of the APC in the house of Reps, only 30 moved over. So clearly, what happened yesterday was rebellion by a very small minority of the members elect, that is why we call it treachery"he said

On why the meeting with President Buhari and members of the APC which was supposed to resolve all issues between party members before the National Assembly leadership election did not hold as expected at the International Conference Center Abuja  yesterday June 9th, he said

    "The meeting did not hold for two reasons. One, those members of the party that were bent on disobeying the party directives did not trun up and while the President was preparing to come to attend the meeting with all other faithful, loyal members of the party, he was informed they had already started voting in the upper chambers and at that point in time there was no point for him to come to join the meeting. That is why we now asked our members to go back  to the National assembly while we went to the presidency"he said

Meet the Nigerian Senator with just one hand!

Despite the seeming 'odd' of having just one hand, Senator Nneji Athan Achonu realized his dreams of becoming a Senator of the Federal Republic of Nigeria as he was sworn into office alongside his colleagues yesterday June 9th. Popularly referred to as the one armed general, he campaigned, contested and won the election for Senator representing Okigwe Senatorial zone of Imo State. He is 56 years old, married with children.

APC not well equipped to handle the affairs of government at the center- PDP

The Publicity Secretary of PDP, Olisa Metuh says the emergence of Senator Bukola Saraki and Hon. Yakubu Dogara as the new leaders of the National Assembly which is against their party wishes, signifies that APC is not well equipped to handle the affairs of government at the center. In the statement he released today June 10th, Mr Metuh said the APC is only suffering from the greed, lust for power and inordinate ambitions of the party's leaders.

    "The crass inexperience so far displayed by the APC is a pointer that it is not adequately equipped to handle the affairs of government at the center. Nothing can be more astonishing than the whining by the APC that the PDP at the last minute expressed its preference for Saraki and Dogara as Senate President and Speaker of the House of Representatives respectively, after it had earlier stated that it was not interested in the positions. This calls to question the capacity, experience and skills of APC leaders on political matters and we have no apology whatsoever for their naivety. The APC is merely suffering the consequences of the greed, lust for power and inordinate ambitions of their leaders. They should note that Nigerians have since moved ahead with the new leaders in the National Assembly and stop wasting their energy on propaganda and blackmails to heat up the polity.”he said

Tinubu’s political career is coming to a sunset - Bode George

A former Deputy Chairman of PDP, Chief Bode George says the emergence of Bukola Saraki and Yakubu Dogara as new Senate President and Speaker House of Representatives indicates that Bola Tinubu's career politically is coming to a sunset.

    "You know I predicted weeks ago that the APC is just a congregation of strange bedfellows. The most beautiful thing about what has happened is that Bola Tinubu’s political influence in Nigeria is coming to a sunset and it is about five minutes to midnight for him. If he cannot see this now, then it will be foolish of him. He brought in the APC national chairman and the vice-president and he thinks Nigeria belongs to him.
   
 So, he thought what he did in Lagos was what he could replicate at the national level and they have shown him that he cannot continue to be the lord of the manor. So, if he is wise, he will slow down. President Muhammadu Buhari, as an army general, has fought more battles than him and has an understanding of things.

    The PDP was never dead. We were only given a bloodied nose, not a technical knockout. So, this is an opportunity to start regrouping and getting ready for 2019. I want to salute the dexterity and perfect political manoeuvres for which the PDP is well known. People like Tinubu and Chief Bisi Akande in Osun have always been local champions. Now, they have come to the national level of politics and they are now learning the tricks that all that glitters is not gold. I congratulate Saraki and Ekweremadu.
    They understand what Nigeria is all about. The APC would discipline Saraki? Is Saraki a child? They probably think they are playing local politics like the one they play in Lagos State. I welcome them to the real world" he told Punch

Man accuses AIG Joseph Mbu of torture, threat to life

Alhaji Suleiman Yerima, a Lagos-based foreign exchange dealer has accused the Assistant Inspector-General of Police in charge of Zone 2, Lagos, Joseph Mbu, of directing policemen to torture him over a forex deal that went wrong.

The businessman said Mbu directed policemen from Zone 2 to torture him and one of the ways they tortured him was to dip his face into a bucket of water, a form of torture known as 'water-boarding', used to extract confessions from terrorists.

The man who has petitioned president Buhari said he was detained for 80 days by the police after he and a friend were picked up by the EFCC. He said his friend, a man named Uwem Antia was equally tortured and beaten. He claimed in his petition that Antia is lying critically ill in a Lagos hospital following several beatings and torture by the police which included 'hanging him on a pole like a roasted chicken from 11pm till the early hours of the morning.'

He said, “Over 250 people are in EFCC detention cells; some have stayed for four months, some six months. EFCC did water boarding to me and Antia and it was because a friend reached former IG Suleiman Abba that I was not beaten but my life is in danger, the policemen and EFCC officials are out to kill me.”

Punch reports

    Yerima said that his ordeal began on March 3, 2015, when EFCC operatives phoned him that he was needed at their office in respect of a petition written against him and Antia by one Denis Ale and Mrs. Gladys Aginwa, both of Standard Chartered Bank, Lagos.

    The FOREX dealer stated that he visited the EFCC office with Antia in company with his lawyers and was shown the petition, in which Ale alleged that he gave him N120m to source for dollars and that he had not fulfilled the bargain.

    Yerima said, “I told the operatives that it was not N120m but N627m which they sent to Uwem Antia’s account with Zenith Bank. Antia, who is the Managing Director of Kafisto Oil and Gas Ltd., was the one that brought the customers to me and my duty was to source for dollars.

    “When Mr. Antia confirmed the alert of N627m in his account, I gave them $1m in cash. The next day, Antia gave them the balance of $2.250m and both transactions were properly documented. During our interrogation, Antia supported our statements with documentary proof of evidence and clearly stated in his written and oral statements that I had given him the balance of $2.250m, which he delivered to Denis Ale.”

    In spite of Antia’s statement and evidence exonerating him from any wrongful act in the transaction, the businessman said one Mr. Adeola, Head of BFF at the EFCC, still ordered that he and Antia should be detained.

    Yerima stated that they were denied bail and access to their families and lawyers by the EFCC Director of Operations, IIiyasu Kwarbai, and that when they challenged the treatment, they were rushed to a magistrate court on March 12, where the commission obtained a detention order for 30 days.

    He said, “On the evening of March 13 around 8pm, policemen from Zone 2, led by one DSP Dantoro, came to the EFCC detention facility. Antia was released to the officers on the instruction of Kwarbai and he was handcuffed by the officers and his legs chained.

    “The officers started beating him mercilessly in the presence of EFCC officials, the policemen later took him away to their torture chamber at Zone 2 and continued the torture under the directive of Mr. Joseph Mbu and supervised by Dantoro.”

    But the EFCC denied detaining Yerima and Antia for extended period of time. The commission’s spokesman, Wilson Uwujaren, who said he was not aware of Yerima’s case, noted that the anti-graft agency did not keep suspects in its custody unnecessarily.

    When contacted by Punch, Joseph Mbu could not be reached for comment.

Source: Punch

Presidency dismisses rumours on Buhari’s delayed relocation to Aso Villa

The Senior Special Assistant on Media and Publicity to president Buhari, Shehu Garba released a statement yesterday describing as false, reports being circulated online that the reason Nigeria's new president hasn't relocated to Aso Villa was because he was advised by a Senegalese spiritualist not to do so for now. In the statement, Shehu said the report was embarrassing to say the least. He said the president is a Muslim who believes his fate belongs to God.

    "The so-called spiritual cleansing of the Aso Rock Villa by Senegalese marabouts before President Buhari moves into the villa is the figment of the imagination of rumour mongers." He said

Shehu said renovation works at the villa was mostly the reason pres. Buhari hasn't moved to the Villa.

photos from the National Assembly inauguration