founder?

Keneking: Sai Tinubu. Quite thoughtful from the APC founder and leader.

Former Lagos State Governor and leader of the All Progressives Congress (APC) Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu, has sympathised with Governor Ibrahim Gaidam of Yobe State over Sunday’s murder of 41 students of the College of Agriculture in Gujba by suspected Boko Haram militants.
In an emotional letter sent to the governor, Tinubu said he was moved to “deep sorrow and anguish indignation” upon hearing the news of the tragedy. He said the wanton murder of the students “jars the conscience and reminds us of the sinister nature of the enemy our nation now faces”.
In one of the most horrific attacks carried out on defenseless people by the Islamic militants, gunmen on Sunday invaded the hostels at the school and shot dead more than 40 students while they were sleeping. The attackers also set the school buildings on fire as they retreated after the attack.
Tinubu wrote: “ I dare not ply you with words of false comfort and consolation for there is no genuine solace to be had at a moment like this. Evil crept through the darkness to snatch the lives of young people who were just entering the fullness of life. “Their purported crime was that they wanted to improve their lives and help the nation; for this, they should be commended. Instead, their lives were snuffed short,” the APC leader said.
Tinubu also assured the governor that though the grief is heavy, Nigerians share in the tragedy of this moment. “ You are the father of all residents in your state, thus you carry the heavy grief of a father; but you don’t carry this grief alone; all Nigerians grief with you. Those taken are our children too.”
The former governor also urged Gaidam and the people of Yobe State never to bow to the intimidation of the attackers but overcome this tragedy with determination and persistence.
Tinubu told Gaidam: “You must look beyond the death and spilled blood of these innocent children. In times like these, it is easy to give up and retreat into the shadows these evil forces have created. Yet we must be of good courage, we must forge ahead with our best plans and preparations for the people.”
The APC leader also warned of the dire consequences of giving in to terror. He urged the governor to remain steadfast in providing quality education, enlightenment and progress for the people describing the attack as a contest for the soul of the state and the nation.
“This is a contest for the soul of the state and the nation; we dare not lose it. These murderers seek to shutter the educational system in your state. Should they accomplish this, they will only attack another institution, then another, until all are flattened,” he said.
Tinubu called on the Federal Government and the law enforcement agencies to work closely with the state government to devise a strategy that better protects targeted institutions saying with the latest attack, it is now clear the acts of terror is not directed at a particular religion but to all Nigerians.While offering his assistance to Gaidam, Tinubu reiterated his commitment to standing by the people.
He said: “I want you to know that I stand by you, if there is anything I can do to help overcome this terrible moment, please call on me. You are my brother and I will come to help as a man does when his brother is in need.”

http://pheesayor..com/2013/10/tinubu-writes-yobe-gov-emotional-letter.html

So why do everyone call independence Nigeria's birthday?

wordsbase: Yeah.. Nigeria is 99.. But is 53 years old in independence. Muche like the difference between when a chilllld is born and when he get's his first drivers' license.

When it is getting close to independence celebration, many people refer to it as Nigeria's birthday. To the best of my knowledge Nigeria came on in 1914 and only got independence in 1940.

So how old really is Nigeria, 53 tomorrow or 99 years old?

US District Judge Katherine Forrest has ordered a controversial Nigerian businessman, Jimoh Ibrahim, to pay over $10 million for failing to meet his obligations on two aircraft he leased for the operations of his Nigerian air traffic business that is now grounded. Mr. Ibrahim had personally guaranteed the leased aircraft on behalf of his defunct airline, Air Nigeria.

SaharaReporters obtained a ruling by Justice Forrest in which she ordered the shady Nigerian businessman to pay up the initial $8 million owed to Aersale Inc., the owners of the leased aircraft. In addition, the judge ruled that Mr. Ibrahim must pay interests on the lease as well as legal fees.

Delivered in the form of a summary judgment, the ruling criticized the Nigerian businessman for seeking to find loopholes to enable him to disown the lease guarantee. She ruled that his legal schemes could not invalidate the lease agreement.

Mr. Ibrahim had challenged the authenticity of the lease document he had personally signed on behalf of Air Nigeria. He claimed that some pages of the lease document were not initialed. He also claimed that the passport number used on the document was from one of his expired passports. In addition, he tried to shift the blame for his business decisions on the moribund airline’s former managing director, Kinfe Kassanye, claiming that the former MD misled him into signing the lease.

But an unimpressed Judge Forrest dismissed Mr. Ibrahim's pleadings, describing the case as a straightforward issue of breach of contract. She added that Mr. Ibrahim did not deny that he signed the lease and was well aware of its implications.

The judge also denied Mr. Ibrahim's request to have Air Nigeria named as the main defendant in the case.

The ruling has been certified, and Judge Forrest has asked the plaintiffs, Aersale, Inc., to file papers in the form of a motion detailing the full scope of the company’s interests and costs. The firm’s filings are expected to include how much it cost the company to hire attorneys to file and pursue the lawsuit against Mr. Ibrahim.

Air Nigeria collapsed a few days after a Dana Airways flight crashed in a Lagos suburb, killing all passengers on board as well as some people on the ground.

A whistleblower who worked for Air Nigeria, John Nnorom, provided SaharaReporters with detailed information of the depth of the airline’s financial and technical crises. Mr. Nnorom and other anonymous staff sources told SaharaReporters that Air Nigeria would have sustained a tragic air crash because Mr. Ibrahim was more interested in carting away profits than in maintaining the aircraft in his airline’s fleet. They also revealed that he owed numerous service maintenance providers and lessors huge sums of debt.

The revelations compelled the Nigeria Civil Aviation Authority to revoke the airline’s air worthiness certificate, leading to its collapse.

A New York-based lawyer said Aersale, Inc. would likely seek the seizure of Mr. Ibrahim's private jet as part of a broader strategy to recouping debts owed to them

http://pheesayor..com/2013/09/new-york-judge-orders-jimoh-ibrahim-to.html

National assembly pay slip #OurNass protesters received contained no new information.
Nigerian lawmakers on Thursday gave youth groups protesting the lack of transparency in their remuneration system outdated pay slip containing no new information.
Hundreds of young Nigerians, who networked through social media, stormed the National Assembly demanding answers to five key questions management of the assembly had refused to answer through freedom of information requests.
They were denied entrance to the National Assembly protest ground.
They were rather restricted to the outer gate of the National Assembly where four senators met and addressed them.
The senate team that addressed the protesters was led by the senate spokesman, Enyinaya Abaribe (PDP Abia state).
In response to the scathing criticism of lawmakers for earning outrageous salaries and allowances in a country where majority live on less than a dollar per day, Mr. Abaribe promised the protesters he would make his pay slip available to the public, if they wanted.
“We have no reason to tell lies,” he said. “If you want my pay slip, you can come and get it.”
When the documents were sent out, the protesters were stunned to find Mr. Abaribe issued them a January 2010 pay slip containing only earnings apportioned by the Revenue Mobilization And Fiscal Commission.
The pay slip captured the legally permissible N1.4 million monthly salary of an average senator, but left out the contentious quarterly allowances, sitting allowances, and other allowances the lawmakers receive, which are the main reasons for the protest.
The pay slip, printed on a white plane paper confirmed that the senators are ranked, with an average senator graded C05. Principal officers of the National Assembly are ranked higher and receive higher perks too.
Although outdated, the pay slip is the first public confirmation of Nigerian senators’ legal earnings.
The pay slip contradicts claims by lawmakers that their ‘outrageous’ quarterly “constituency allowance” is a cumulative payment. Actually, an average senators receives N422 thousand monthly as legal constituency allowance.
A senator’s basic salary is N168,666.67, while he receives a little over N337,000 monthly for housing – rent.
Legally, an average Nigerian senator earns N47,000 daily. But works only three days in a week or six months in a year.
Lawmakers total perks still a big secret
Outside the legally permissible, Nigerian lawmakers are believed to earn extra huge allowances, ranging from sitting to hardship allowances. Most of these allowances, they allocate to themselves.
Neither the public nor any other government agency oversee these in-house allocations.
In December 2010, after Central Bank governor, Lamido Sanusi, put the National Assembly on the spot over its huge overhead expenditures, the Senate president, David Mark, pledged to review the National Assembly’s recurrent expenditure downwards.
“Based on realities of our economic situation and the need to channel our scarce resources towards nation building, we must drastically cut down the cost of running government vertically and horizontally in the three arms of government as well as the three tiers of our federating unit,” the Senate president said while receiving the 2011 budget proposal documents in December 2010.
“In this regard, the National Assembly will lead the crusade. We will make the required sacrifice and review downwards our recurrent expenditure. We expect others to make similar sacrifice,” he added.
That year, rather than a downward review to reflect the senate president’s promise, the National Assembly budget was jacked up.
In the proposal, the National Assembly’s portion in the 2011 budget – including overhead and capital – was N112 billion. But the lawmakers were unimpressed with the figure. So, while passing it, they raised their chunk of the budget by 100 percent, to N224 billion. After an outcry, the lawmakers passed the amended budget, pegging their take of the slice at N153 billion.
Yet, officials of the National assembly insisted they implemented a pay cut of 67 percent at the House of Representatives and 40 percent at the Senate.
According to a National Assembly experts, if the 2011 pay cuts were implemented, the House of Representatives members will earn N15million quarterly, saving Nigeria N30.45 million on each member quarterly and N121.82 million annually.
That indicates that they were earning N45.45 million quarterly.
There are 360 members of the House of Representatives and collectively, the nation would save N43.8 billion annually if the House of Representatives’ cut were implemented.
The senators are 109 and announced a cut of 40 percent. Although they are more discreet about their allowances, savings would have mounted way higher than the House of Representatives’.
Despite the announcements and expectations, the cuts were never backed by official documents or public records. The National Assembly annual budgets never dropped, but has remained at N150 billion – the same amount it was without the cuts.
Since then, the detailed annual budget of the National Assembly remained confidential, hidden away from the public.

http://pheesayor..com/2013/09/nigerian-lawmakers-issue-ournass_27.html

1MCN: In all fairness, I think Lagos may not be said to have the very worst of roads in our country, even though the state has its own fair share of the bad roads. Truth is that Lagos roads are terribly overstretched, too many vehicles, too many people. Worse of all is that there isn't even much space for expansion or construction of new roads.

Last Friday I came to Lagos from PH by land. It took me about 7hrs to get to Ojota from Waterlines in PH. But almost 3hrs from Ojota to Iyana Paja in Lagos!

Meanwhile, I wonder how Ilugunboy came up with the assertion that the Tin Can Road is the "THE MOST ECONOMICALLY IMPORTANT ROAD" in Nigeria. That's a crass and cranky spurious assertion.

That has been my problem with Lagos, to be honest Fashola is trying but Lagos is populated and he seems not to know how to manage the population, maybe that's why the state is carrying out registration of residents for better planning. Lagos is over-populated and other states not developing their states makes it worse. So many bad roads in Lagos.

Tim Can Road is very economical but because that's the only road that leads in and out of the Lagos port which Olisa Agbakogba claims can generate 7 trillion naira

The protest march is over in most places and the aim has been achieved, to make a statement and send a message. Points have been made.

One thing noticed is that all the anti-GEJ people online have been silent on this issue, only Labout party tried with a little involvement.

Even my dear and precious NAIRALAND ignored the matter even after others repeatedly called for frontpage attention, so discouraging.

To those who viewed, thanks for your time. May we witness the Nigeria we so much crave for.

Thank you and God bless you.

"@DOlusegun: What NGO are you with? They asked us. "We are the people" we answered. #OurNASS #Lagos

@DOlusegun:Nigerian students. You have been home for 88days. The children of the average lawmaker are in choice colleges abroad. #OurNASS

@MrEnclave
We are standing here #OurNASS

@MrEnclave
Our letter has been presented to the clerk of Lagos Assembly. No one is coming out again. #OurNASS

@MrEnclave
We just left now #OurNASS #Lagos

@MrEnclave
The Lagos Assembly presently coming to address us outside. #OurNASS

‏@MrEnclave
The police sent to watch us has slept off. #OurNASS Lagos

@dreamygiorgi
#ourNASS #Abuja had a huge turnout. I'm certain our reps are gradually getting the message that it isn't business as usual. Glad I marched

@ASAG001
How I wish our legislators and lawmakers will embark on an indefinite strike without pay ...#OurNASS. Can't fit shout..-_-..

‏@omojuwa
A study has shown that the National Assembly can run on N25bn/year. That leaves N125bn extra for #Education #OurNASS

‏@tee_hidee
Politicians on twitter who are supposedly fighting for d masses are curiously silent 2day. 2mrw, they will resume with GEJ must go. #OurNass

@gbengasesan
They've spent N5.2 billion per bill in 2 years! CBN Governor says 25% of Federal Government’s total recurrent expenditure spent on #OurNASS

Even after repreated calls for front page attention, the mods have ignored this thread. And you call it Nairaland but ignore something like this that will make Nairaland (Nigeria) better.
SMH

@WilDeji
House of assembly members attempted to divide the group by requesting for reps. We've insisted on a grp address. #OurNASS #LSHA #Lagos

No info for PH

Titiluvly:

OK...Following...

@nicholasibekwe
Protesters at the Lagos #OurNass protest are holding a mock plenary session. They just resolved to cut their pay to N18k. Lol #Creative.

@famuyideolawale
Where is senetor saraki #OurNASS

‏@9ja_Boss
"@Uche143: Our legislature remains the highest paid in the world! Our professors the lowest! ENOUGH !#ourNASS #NigerianDream"

@Marutsy
A mock parliamentary session being enacted here on the steps at the Lagos House Of Assembly #Lagos #Alausa #OurNASS

@famuyideolawale
Where is APC #OurNASS

@Marutsy
Good to see ordinary, young, working class people here..making sure their voices r heard! #Lagos #Alausa #OurNASS

Ribadu is in support

@NuhuRibadu
Yes, we need transparency and accountability in all sectors. I support full disclosure #OurNASS

RT @obamirinda Join us now at Oyo State house of assembly complex gate inside the state secretariat #Ibadan Ask #OurNASS

‏@nicholasibekwe
A detachment of policemen in a pickup van just arrived. They're keeping a safe distance from the protesters. Lagos #OurNASS

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