Very important and that's what students need

Over the weekend, news broke that Nigeria’s immediate former first lady, Dame Patience Jonathan approached a federal court and claimed ownership of $31.4 million illegally frozen by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC in Skye Bank.

My thoughts about it are simple, “a clear conscience fears no accusation”, pretty much sums it up.

Mrs. Jonathan’s husband has been getting N1 billion for feeding yearly for six years, another N500 million for two years as vice president. So, for eight years he was getting another N500 million for feeding as a Nigerian deputy governor and for the years he was governor of Bayelsa.

As president of Nigeria, her husband was getting N300 million for dressing per annum. The husband sitting allowance as president, acting president, vice president, deputy governor and governor runs into billions just as Buhari is getting over N300 million as sitting allowance this year.

These are allowances and perks of the office, excluding salaries and other emoluments.

Assuming Patience Jonathan invested her first N1 billion. If she invested in a company that wins good contracts, using a blind trust. A blind trust is what government official do. Essentially, it is an arrangement where people entrust their investments to other people to manage for them.

Then, you have to factor in that Mrs. Jonathan has not bought a single litre of petrol, diesel, repaired a car, paid a day’s rent, or a single domestic staff salary for the past 16 years. Her husband’s salary has been practically intact.

So, can you see why people would kill to become president? Why Buhari wouldn’t mind the country going up in flames to achieve his ambition of being president. You can see now why President Muhammadu Buhari cannot find work in the private sector, but keeps hovering around government agreeing to serve under a junior officer who was military head of state as chairman of the Petroleum Trust Fund?

Don’t you think Bola Tinubu and Senator Buruji know that Nigerian politics pays better than drug pushing in the United States of America?

If you think Patience Jonathan accumulated too much wealth, tell President Muhammadu Buhari to cancel all the allowances accrued to his office.

In fact, it is time for Buhari to fulfill one of his campaign promises and PUBLICLY declare his assets and those of his wife, so you can see that anyone who has held public office in Nigeria is a multi-millionaire in US dollars.

When confronted about his children schooling in expensive universities in the United Kingdom while Nigerians struggle to buy forex to send their children abroad, President Buhari shrugged and told his interviewer, “I can afford it.” What does that tell you about the extent of wealth in the Buhari household?

Buhari has not worked a day in his life aside from government rackets.

Late President Yar’Adua declared $10 million assets and still he hid a whole mansion he owned in London, as a governor, not even as a president.

Kaduna’s governor Nasir El Rufai declared an asset base of N90 billion.

Let General Muhammadu Buhari declare his asset PUBLICLY and those of his wife. Then the conversation can begin.

Nigerian government is BIG BUSINESS. Period!

Those who accuse Dame Jonathan of stealing the money she owns have a chance now to go to the court, and as Amicus Curiae or some legal profundity, show where she stole the money from.

I can boldly tell you that the money is her savings. Just like Yar’Adua’s wife owns assets from her savings. Same with Aisha Buhari and Mrs. Abacha.

My point?

Nigerian politicians are overpaid and the system cannot afford them any longer.

So this is it – Until Muhammadu Buhari declares his assets publicly. Until every other former first lady’s (that includes Aisha Buhari) accounts are made public – nobody can estimate the range of possible wealth of an ex president. So no one can say, “How did she get the money?” There is simply no benchmark for comparison.

Let the EFCC follow the law and release Patience Jonathan’s money to her. It’s from her savings.

Ena Ofugara studied law in the University of Benin for some years before leaving Nigeria for the United States where he is studying while working. He has a passion for Nigeria. He has a clear bias for his people of the Niger Delta and he believes the Nigerian system – justice, social, economic – is rigged against his people. So he became a social and political commentator to highlight this injustice. Connect with him on Facebook. 

The opinions expressed in this article are solely those of the author.

Former President, Goodluck Jonathan has replied his critics who accused him of handing over a nation at the verge of collapse to his successor, President Muhammadu Buhari.
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Jonathan recounted the achievements of his government to include, handing over a country that produced the richest man in Africa.
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Jonathan said, “I took over a Nigeria that was the second largest economy in Africa with a GDP of $270.5 billion in 2009, I handed over a Nigeria that had grown to become the largest economy in Africa and the 24th largest economy in the World with a GDP of $574 billion.
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“I inherited a Nigeria in which the trains were not working, and handed over a Nigeria in which citizens can safely travel by trains again. I also inherited a country where illiteracy rate particularly in the Northern part was alarming. I handed over a country where every state in the North and indeed all the states had a Federal University. I inherited a country where there was total infrastructural decay in all the unity schools and colleges of education. But I handed over a country with massive infrastructural improvement in almost higher institutions. I inherited a country where agricultural inputs and production were almost zero. But I handed over a country where a bag of rice was sold for N6,500 to N7000. My regime since the establishment of ecological fund office did more irrigation dams in the North and other parts of the country than other subsequent administrations put together. I inherited epileptic fuel supplies resulting to endless queues at the filling stations. I maintained despite enormous challenges of fuel subsidies and handed over a relatively stable fuel regime.
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I inherited a Nigeria that was a net importer of cement, and handed over a Nigeria that is a net exporter of cement.
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In 2009 the richest Nigerian was the 5th richest man in Africa, but I handed over a Nigeria that produced the richest man in Africa.
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The former President further stated " I inherited a country where people were almost losing hope on the credibility of its electoral process but I noticed that democracy will continue to grow in the African continent if leaders value the process of elections more than the product of the process. I handed over electoral process that engendered fairness in its conduct and conclusiveness ".
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He said, “Even in the 2015 general elections in my country, Nigeria, there was potential for major crisis if I was not a President duly elected by the will of the people.
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“The campaigns leading to the elections almost polarized the country into Christian vs Muslims and North vs South divide.
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Most World leaders were worried that our elections will result into major crisis.
Some pundits even from here in the United States said that those elections would spell the end of Nigeria and that we would cease to exist as a nation because of the polls.
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That is where the leadership question comes into play.

As a leader that was duly elected by the people, I considered the people’s interest first.

How do I manage my people to avoid killings and destruction of properties?

With the interest of the people propelling all the decisions I took, we were able to sail through.

Indeed, we sailed through because I refused to interfere with the independence of the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, having appointed a man I had never met in my life to run it. We sailed through because I maintained and still believe that my personal ambition, interest is not worth the blood of any single Nigerian.

My philosophy was simple. For elections to be credible, I as a leader, must value the process more than the product of the process. And the citizens must have confidence in the electoral body.

By Evelyn Usman,

LAGOS—An unidentified middle-aged man, Wednesday, abducted two siblings, who were returning from extra-moral class in Satellite area of Lagos. Thereafter, he exchanged them for two bags of rice in a shop at 63, Marwa Road, near Chemist Bus Stop.

The children are aged eight and 13.

It was gathered that at the shop, the abductor told the sales girl that he would like to take two bags of rice to the mother of the children, whom he claimed owned a restaurant close-by, to ascertain whether the rice was the brand she needed.

Speaking with Vanguard last night, owner of the shop, Mrs Silverline, explained that “he (the abductor) told my sales girl that the mother of the children needed Indian rice, but my sales girl told him that what we had was Brazilian rice and that it was good.

“Thereafter, he made a phone call to someone he claimed was the mother of the children and at the end said he would like to take the bags of rice to the woman. But my girl insisted on following him to collect the money for the bags (N40,000) should the woman agree to buy them.

“The stranger said he would ride on a motorcycle with the bags of rice, while my girl followed with the children on foot. But on reaching the purported restaurant, the owner said she never saw any one with bags of rice, neither did she admit knowing the children.

“They walked to Ijegun end of Satellite without any sight of the abductor. When we asked the children about him, they said that the abductor was not their father.”

An eyewitness, Ifeoma John, said that immediately the abductor left with the bags of rice, a man who claimed to be the biological father of the children, arrived, alleging that his children could have been hypnotised by the abductor.

He contacted policemen from Satellite Division, who took everyone involved to the station, from where the children were released to their parents.

˙˙ʞɔɐq ǝuoɥd ɹnoʎ
uɹnʇ ǝsɐǝןd noʎ uɐɔ
'noʎ uɹǝɔuoɔ ʇ,usǝop
ʇɐɥʇ ƃuıɥʇǝɯos pɐǝɹ oʇ
ǝuoɥd ɹnoʎ ƃuıuɹnʇ uı
pǝpǝǝɔɔns ǝʌɐɥ noʎ ʇɐɥʇ ʍou

˙˙ʞɔɐq ǝuoɥd ɹnoʎ
uɹnʇ ǝsɐǝןd noʎ uɐɔ
'noʎ uɹǝɔuoɔ ʇ,usǝop
ʇɐɥʇ ƃuıɥʇǝɯos pɐǝɹ oʇ
ǝuoɥd ɹnoʎ ƃuıuɹnʇ uı
pǝpǝǝɔɔns ǝʌɐɥ noʎ ʇɐɥʇ ʍou

OP check your subject and change it.

More trouble looms for the defeated candidate of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in the December 5, 2015 and January 9, 2016 governorship election in Bayelsa State, Chief Timipre Sylva as Governor Henry Seriake Dickson initiates legal fireworks to disqualify Sylva from ever contesting governorship election.
After losing the last election, Sylva who had been governor of the state between May, 2007 and February, 2012 approached the Bayelsa State Election Petition Tribunal sitting in Abuja seeking to be declared winner but lost his bid on all grounds. Rather, the tribunal upheld the election of Dickson but Sylva, to the disappointment of analysts appealed the judgement.
But Dickson who expressed dissatisfaction with the tribunal for refusing to bar Sylva from contesting governorship election having taken governorship oath of office twice, has cross appealed the judgement of the tribunal in which he won.
In a cross appeal filed on Monday, August 15, Dickson’s lead counsel, Tayo Oyetibo contended that by virtue of section 182(1)b of the 1999 Constitution, Sylva having been elected governor of Bayelsa State on two previous occasions is neither qualified to contest election into that office again or present any petition challenging Dickson’s victory at the polls.
Section 182(1) b of the 1999 Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria states: “No person shall be qualified for election to the office of Governor of a state if … he has been elected to such office at any two previous elections.’’
Sylva, it will be recalled contested the governorship election in the state on 14th April, 2007, won and was sworn in on May 29, 2007. Luck ran out of him on 15th April, 2008 when the Court of Appeal nullified his election on grounds that it was fraught with irregularities and directed him to hand over to the Speaker of the Bayelsa State House of Assembly. Consequent upon the annulment, a new election was conducted by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) on 24th May, 2008 in which Sylva was returned as elected.
Consequently, Sylva took another oath of allegiance and oath of office on May 29, 2008 and exercised the powers of a governor until February 14, 2012 when Governor Dickson was sworn in.
While quoting copiously from decided Supreme Court cases such as Brig. Gen. Muhammed Buba Marwa versus ADM. Murtala Nyako, Dickson affirmed that Sylva was not qualified to challenge his re-election at the tribunal and urged the Appeal Court to strike out the petition and formally disqualify Sylva from ever running for governorship having been sworn in twice as governor.
Special Adviser to Governor Dickson on Media Relations, Mr. Francis Agbo said having woefully lost the election in seven out of eight local government areas in the state in spite of the manipulation and intimidation of voters by the federal agencies, Sylva should have congratulated Governor Dickson and joined hands with the governor to restore the lost glory of the state and not to write a petition that is at best ‘‘watery, bare in content and was as usual, dead on arrival.’’ While stressing that Sylva has a bad case having been totally rejected by the people, a decision which the tribunal has upheld, his appeal was an unnecessary distraction but the governor will never be distracted from serving his people because according to him, his boss has his hands on the plough and the Bible says a man who has his hands on the plough will never look back.
Agbo accused Sylva and his APC friends in high places of terrorizing the Nigerian Judiciary to make Sylva governor through the backdoor. While advising Sylva to stop dragging the judiciary in the mud, the governor’s image maker urges the Judiciary not to be blackmailed or intimidated.
John Idumange > ‎NU

The bride is fantastically showing off her asset.

firstEVA:
GEJ was a disaster, no basis for comparison pls.

PMB is a perpetual failure and comparing him with GEJ is like comparing the space of development in Abuja to Ebonyi.

According to him, it was even a “magic” that the stations were still getting volume of products they dispense to the public, judging from the prevailing circumstances at NNPC.

He said: “One of the trainings I did not receive is that of a magician. http://www.vanguardngr.com/2016/03/fuel-scarcity-will-persist-till-may-kachikwu/[/quote] Punk Kachukwu should apply to the Daura President to send him on training.

Pangea:
I hope he will not embarrass us more by giving another goat and yam analogy?
This is world stage and not Nigeria o!

He is no longer your president so don't border about been embarrassed.

Yeah, nothing is wrong with it. Only yesterday I arranged a pump attendant job for a friend who is also a B.Sc holder. I know a lady who is also a B.Sc holder that started as a pump attendant but was later promoted to the post of Cashier in one of the NNPC Mega Station. I'll advise that you attach photocopies of your academic qualifications when applying.

jelal007:
But una still vote Dickson na. Una neva see anytin yet.

jelal007:
But una still vote Dickson na. Una neva see anytin yet.

D change for centre na dagbo, so make manage vuga dey go.

Second Batch Admission List for the 2015/2016 Admissions for Federal University Otuoke is out. Kindly visit the University website on www.fuotuoke.edu.ng for details. Congratulations to all that made the list.

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Traders make big gains at Bayelsa APC primary election
September 22, 2015 at 3:46 pm in News FacebookTwitterSMSWhatsApp
Petty traders are making brisk businesses at the Samson Siasia Stadium, Yenagoa, venue of the All Progressives Congress (APC) Governorship Primary Election. The venue was filled with party supporters, who outnumbered over 1,502 delegates from the eight local government areas of Bayelsa.
Some traders expressed satisfaction with the crowd, blaming themselves for not coming to the venue with enough goods to sell. Mrs Grace Apreala, one of the those hawking soft drinks and snacks, said she sold all her products at about 12 noon. According to Apreala, “I am happy with today’s event; I have made cool money today but I am worried because I did not come with enough goods.
“All my goods, including the drinks and snacks, have finished; you see, the event is still on-going and I do not have any other to sell.” Apreala said the price of her goods did not change and commended the organiser of the programme.
Another trader, Mrs Tari Owei, described the APC primary as “opportunity to make money”, saying that she was happy with the event. “Yes, this is an opportunity; I have to increase the price because the customers are much; a medium sized plantain sold at N100 before, now sells for N150 here, though it depends on the size.
“Sales are in progress and I believe that I will make good business today; for my goods, I have enough and my house is close, so, I can rush and bring some more,” Owei said. One of the APC’s supporters, Mr Gidion Peregba, told NAN that he was satisfied with prices of goods at the event but decried few number of food vendors in the area.

Another initiative of the Jonathan administration being enjoy by the Daura President. GEJ fighting corruption in Nigeria since 2010.

Idiotic

Greetings Nairalanders,

Please I want to know the procedures and cost of starting a Block Industry business.

GEJ!!! Na God win

[quote author=salterswan post=35811606]The Managing Director of Nigerian Liquefied Natural Gas, NLNG, Ltd, Babs Omotowa has insisted that the N1.2 trillion bailout fund for States was generated by the administration of former President Goodluck Jonathan.

Omotowa who made this known in an interview refuted claims by the presidency claiming the fund was not generated from Jonathan’s administration.
The NLNG boss while confirming that $1.6bn was paid to the Government from operations said “We did not pay the government $1.6billion dividend but $1.6billion corporate income and education tax, which is different from dividend.”

He however insisted that “this of course is from our activities in 2014.”

by Victoria Ibezim-Ohaeri

Governors that have no drop of oil from their states dedicate most of their time giving public lectures and blabbing about oil, oil, oil.

You hardly, perhaps never, even hear the governors from the South-South talking about oil unlike the governors from no-drop-of-oil states. It is this unrivalled obsession for oil wealth that makes fiscal federalism unrealisable in Nigeria.

Let these governors obsessed with oil revenues start thinking creatively about how to harness the abundant natural resources from their states. Let this covetousness, laziness and excessive noise stop, please.

1. We are Nigerian Youths who hail from the Niger Delta Region and are studying abroad and in Nigeria
2. We are the 3,063 students/beneficiaries of the Special Educational Scholarship under the Niger Delta Presidential Amnesty program run by the Office of the Special Adviser to the President on Niger Delta.
3. Our numbers and existence can be confirmed through the Charge de Affairs for Education in the various Nigeria High Commissions all over the world and through agency heads like the Nigeria Immigration Service, Nigeria Intelligence Agency Defense Attaches domiciled in these missions.
4. We were told that the former Special Adviser Hon. Kingsley Kuku in the absence of Permanent Secretary handed over to the most senior Director Engr. Jayeoba Tikolo on May 29,2015.
5. We were also told by officials of the office that Engr. Jaiyeoba Tikolo was not introduced to the banks as a Signatory and thus cannot authorize any form of expenditure until one is appointed by the government.
6. The officials of the office have told us that they have been trying for the past 40days to get the government in the State House to make the Acting Head a Signatory to the Account without success.
7. We have kept quiet for this long so as to enable the government settle down but we have no option than to come public as no government or nation will change its Academic calendar for our sake for any student that is thrown out will miss the academic window and even face deportation.
8. Our colleagues in the Edinburgh Napier University Scotland, Canadian University Dubai, the Lyn University Virginia, Mapua Institute of Technology Mapua are but a few that have been prevented from registering for the new semester.
9. We have not received our allowances for upkeep and Accommodation for 3 months and we are now destitute in large numbers all over the world; United Kingdom 625 students ,South Africa 69 students, United States 275 students, Malaysia 180 students, Philippines 50 students, Russia 45students, Belarus 53 students, Dubai 23 students and the rest are spread all over the globe from Grenada to Australia.
10. We are appealing that the government authorize and appoint the Acting Head of the Presidential Amnesty Program Engineer Jayeoba Tikolo as a signatory and this should not be difficult.
11. That the acting head Engineer Jaiyeoba Tikolo be authorized to pay our Allowances, Tuition, Salaries and other attendant basic office cost.
12. That all awards of new contracts and payment of contracts should be suspended until a substantive head is appointed for the office.
13. We wish to reiterate that nonpayment of our Tuition and Allowances in the next 30 days will lead to the revocation of our visas and likely deportation after such massive investments in us.
14. That we will continue to seek for Presidential intervention even if it means waiting for Mr. President in Washington on the 25th of July 2015.
15. President Buhari should please instruct the relevant agencies to take ACTION IMMEDIATELY, as Nigeria is being ridiculed abroad.
Verily, ridiculing Nigeria is not part of the change President Buhari preached during his electioneering campaigns.
COURTESY: NIGERIAN STUDENTS ON FEDERAL SHOLARSHIP (UNDER THE PAP)

It is sad and painful that this is happening after professing so much love for one another, believing that it marks beginning of a fruitful journey only to end this way.

Most of us are blind folded by love that we fail to see the real attitude of those we are engaged to. Only to realize after marriage and by then it is too late.

Abuja – Mr Yakubu Dogara, Speaker of the House of Representatives, says any call for removal of petroleum subsidy can only be done through amendment of Price Control Act 1977.
He said the amendment cannot be by presidential fiat or government policy.
Dogara said this while addressing national executives of Independent Petroleum Marketers Association of Nigeria (IPMAN), led by its President, Chinedu Okoronkwo in Abuja on Monday.
`As a legislator, I can tell you there is something about subsidy removal that we are not looking at.
`If you look at Section 4 of the Price Control Act, it talks about regulating the prices of products that are listed in the First Schedule of the Act.
“One of the products listed in the first schedule is petroleum. So by law in this country, we must control the price of petroleum products.’
According to the Speaker, the law passed by parliament gives the responsibility of adding up items on the schedule to the Price Regulating Board.
`I am not sure we have that board in place. So, for any discussion to be meaningful, you have to put pressure on the executive. It is not the legislative work to constitute the board.’
He explained that members of the board could remove petroleum product from the schedule of the Act.
The Speaker, who expressed regrets over the failure of past administration to encourage domestic refining of the nation’s crude oil, described Nigeria as laughing stock among comity of nations.
`I don’t know if there is any country that produces oil like Nigeria that refines outside its shores.
`For me, it is illegal; this is most inexcusable because we have turned this nation into a laughing stock.
`Why is it that we can’t refine oil here? Why is it that in an oil producing country, citizens have to queue for nine hours to buy a product that should just be there?
`This is something that I believe that with your expertise, you need to leverage on.’
Okoronkwo, IPMAN President assured that efforts were in top gear to ensure successful implementation of the $4 billion refinery projects in Itobe, Kogi state and Aggeh, Bayelsa state.
According to him, the core investors Watercarbon File of Peru and their training arm, Blue Oil in London, will be paying a working visit to Nigeria for further discussion on the project.
He said, “the government and people of Kogi have given us about 1,385 hectares of land near Itobe river.
“Right now, the drawing and necessary works are on going, we are awaiting the licence to kick-start the project.
“We intend to build about 200,000 barrel a day refinery there and another 200,000 barrel a day in Bayelsa”, he said. (NAN)