KILLER CUSTOMS OFFICIALS ON RAMPAGE : 3 Die, Others Injured Trying To Escape From Customs Officers [See Photos] VIEWER DISCRETION ... 9JaKonceptBlog

Three young ladies lost their lives on Thursday along Lagos-Benin highway after their bus was hit by a vehicle carrying the operatives of Nigerian Customs Service in a hot chase.
According to an eyewitness,the deceased ladies were in a hummer bus with a registration number EDO AKA 35 LG carrying their goods known okirika.

They were chased by Custom officials from the Federal Operations Unit,Zone A,Ikeja,from a checkpoint in Ijebu Ode after the driver carrying them refused to stop at the checkpoint.
While chasing them,the vehicle carrying the officials hit the hummer bus which somersaulted several times into a bush at a location called J3.

Three of the passengers died on the spot while others were severely injured with the driver losing one of his legs.
There were no security personnel to assist or convey the corpses to morgue.

LOVE GONE SOUR WITH DEADLY CONSEQUENCES : Couple Shot Dead At Wedding Venue By Jilted Ex-Lover In Delta ... InformationNigeria

A man who was apparently angry after being ditched by his girlfriend had caused serious chaos in the Ukala community of Delta State on Saturday, January 31, 2015 when he stormed the wedding venue of his ex-girlfriend, and shot the couple to death.

He went further to shoot sporadically at the guests who were gathered to witness the event and eventually killed the bride’s mother in the process, Nigerian Monitor reports.
The venue of the ill-fated wedding, which was also to serve as reception for the guests, was laid waste when trouble started immediately after the couple’s first dance. The bride who was simply identified as Stephany, was a graduate of Office Management and Technology from one of the polytechnics in the state. It was learnt that she had walked up to her ex-boyfriend simply identified as Teddy to inform him that she was tired of their relationship which had lasted for eight years without leading them to the altar. Some sources in the know disclosed that her intention was to make Teddy propose to marry her with immediate effect since they had both secured jobs.

After receiving the news, Teddy was said to have started nurturing plans to finally settle down with her. Things took new turns however, when Stephany’s mum suddenly appeared with a United Kingdom-based businessman who arrived Nigeria in December 2014 and introduced him to Stephany.

The deceased bride’s mum told her that the unnamed United Kingdom man was in dire need of a wife and Stephany who was desperate to settle down welcomed the idea since virtually all her mates were married.

They started plans to tie the knot as soon as practicable without any knowledge of the unforeseen danger ahead. Unfortunately they could not live to tell the story of their big day as the bride’s angry ex-lover decided to nip the relationship in the bud by sniffing life out of them halfway into their wedding ceremony.

Source: Talk of Naija

TRY WHICH KIND RECONCILIATION ABEG? : Please dissolve our one-week marriage, I can’t cope with his big manhood, wife tells court ... TribuneNews

If she wants to leave, she must pay me N60,000 —Husband

There was laughter at the Sharia Court, Samaru, Gusau, Zamfara State,  during the week, when a housewife, Aisha Dannupawa, asked the court to dissolve her one-week marriage to her husband, Ali Maizinari, because she could not bear the size of his penis.

When the case came up, the woman told the court that she married her husband after her first marriage failed.

The mother of three revealed that  before she packed into her husband’s house, as the tradition demanded, she was invited into his parents house.

She told the court that “when he came, we had sex but the experience was a nightmare. Instead of enjoying the sex, it turned out to be something else because his penis was too big,” she told the court.

She also told the court that after the experience, she took some medication, which was given to her by her mother.

“I told my mother the experience but she told me to endure and that with time, I will be able to cope. She then gave me some drugs,’’ she added.

According to her, “two days later when he came to visit me, we had sex again, but the experience was too much to bear. It was then I knew that I coulld not continue with the marriage because of the size of his penis.’’

The husband, Maizinari, did not deny what his wife said. He told the court that he was willing to divorce her but that she should pay back the dowry and all that he spent on her during the courtship.

When he was asked to state the amount, Maizinari disclosed that what he expected from her was N60,000.

President of the court, Alhaji Mamman Shinkafi, told the couple to try reconciliation before the next date.

THE ART OF STUPIDITY AND UNMITIGATED FOOLISH TALK PERFECTED : Tinubu, Osinbajo in secret pact over presidency – PDP ... PremiumTimes

The spokesperson of the campaign office of President Goodluck Jonathan, Femi Fani-Kayode, has accused a national leader of the opposition All Progressives Congress, APC, and former governor of Lagos State, Bola Tinubu, of plotting to emerge Nigeria’s president through the back door.

Mr. Fani-Kayode, who addressed a press conference Friday in Abuja, said the APC is planning to foist on Nigeria “an evil, ungodly, wicked and ruthless agenda” in the event the APC wins.

He said since the formation of the APC it has been an open secret that Mr. Tinubu is its national leader and also its biggest financier.

“The question that should agitate every Nigerian is why Tinubu has been investing heavily in the APC presidential project to such a point that he has single-handedly produced the joint presidential ticket of General Muhammadu Buhari and Professor Yemi Osinbajo.

“It should baffle well-meaning Nigerians why Senator Tinubu has decided to draft General Buhari, despite his age, acrimonious background and questionable health status, into the presidential race whilst ensuring that his stooge, Prof. Osinbajo was foisted on the general as vice presidential candidate,” he said.

The reason, he said Mr. Tinubu is doing all that is to seize the presidency of Nigeria by subterfuge.

Mr. Fani-Kayode said the former Senator had wanted to be running mate to Mr. Buhari in spite of a nationwide resentment for Muslim-Muslim ticket in the country.

He said Mr. Tinubu had justified the ticket by saying that competence was the important thing and not the issue of religion.

He said when that agenda could not succeed, the opposition leader, after being given the opportunity to nominate a vice presidential candidate, decided to “prop up his stooge in the person of Prof Osinbajo”.
“Now the real reason Senator Tinubu nominated Osinbajo has been made known to us and we hereby offer a public service to the Nigerian people by drawing national attention to it. Credible pieces of information at our disposal indicate that Tinubu has perfected plans to come to power through the back door.

“Senator Tinubu, according to our information, has compelled Professor Osinbajo to swear to an oath that after six months in office, he would resign as the vice president, in the unlikely event that their party wins.

“The wicked plot, as laid out by them, is to force Professor Osinbajo to resign for Senator Tinubu to be nominated by General Buhari as his replacement,” he said.

The campaign spokesperson said the ultimate objective of this plot is to ensure that Mr. Tinubu becomes President.

The script he said, is that given the “questionable” health of Mr. Buhari, Mr. Tinubu who is desperate to be president, will simply bid his time in the expectation that Mr. Buhari will not be able to go the whole hog.

“How wicked can those that hatched this plan be? How unfair can they be to the North, to General Buhari and to Nigerians? We wish General Buhari long life.

“Senator Tinubu’s dangerous plan is about getting power. This is sad. No thoroughbred Yoruba man or indeed Nigerian wants to get power through the misfortune of another person,” he said.

To buttress his point, Mr. Fani-Kayode said Mr. Tinubu had perfected the same plan prior to the 2011 election when he attempted to force then running mate, Tunde Bakare to resign and pave the way for him to emerge as vice presidential candidate.

He said becoming the vice president is not the destination for Mr. Tinubu but becoming the president!
“The agenda of the cabal within the APC is with the perceived health challenges of General Buhari.

“They have told themselves in hushed tones that he has prostate cancer, acute asthma and that he suffers from dementia,” he said.

Mr. Fani-Kayode said all structures around Mr. Buhari belongs to Mr. Tinubu.

He said all the actors around Mr. Buhari that are driving his campaign behind the scenes are all Tinubu’s men.

“Most of the covert funding for this campaign comes from Tinubu’s friend outside the country and from Tinubu’s himself. So, if he becomes President, Buhari will become virtually incapacitated and he will not be the one running the government.

“Those behind this plan would now be waiting for Buhari to pass on. That is what Tinubu want to do to the North and to Nigeria.

“This is a wicked and ungodly attempt for Tinubu not only against the North and the Hausa/Fulani but against the whole country.

“We are convinced beyond any reasonable doubt that most Nigerians are not with this cabal. This is because no sane or rationale person would wish another evil to actualize his political ambition,” he said.

FOR THE RECORDS : Who wants Buhari dead? ... By Yomi Odunuga

The All Progressives Congress presidential candidate in the re-scheduled March 28 election, General Muhammadu Buhari, must have grown tired of reading news about his failing health and imminent death mostly hyped by political interests that would stop at nothing to frustrate his ambition to rule Nigeria again. Indeed, it is a miracle that Buhari is not only alive but also remains a candidate in an election that has shredded all bounds of common sense and morality. Never in the history of this country has a general election been this divisive, bitter and brimming with biting hate. If Buhari had not tried his luck thrice in the past to mount the saddle of leadership through the ballot box, you would have thought that he is one character from Mars that has come to upset the apple cart. It is, to say the least, benumbing that some people have elevated political buffoonery to a craft in governance. Pity!

As I write this, there are over ten cases filed at various courts in the land against the Buhari candidacy. Some of these cases are being handled by renowned legal luminaries who continue to feed off a warped political arrangement in which alleged corrupt politicians conveniently retire to the National Assembly to doze on the couch of slush funds; others are under the care of the popular ‘charge and-bail’ lawyers scattered across the Federal Capital Territory. At first, it was the long-running rant about his eligibility to contest based on the spurious allegation that neither did he attend a secondary school nor possess the requisite secondary school certificate. You would have thought such allegations, hollow and irritatingly mundane as they were, would naturally pale into insignificance after Buhari eventually made public a Certified True Copy of his secondary school result. Instead, it fired up other issues that confound the senses. The wailings of Buhari’s detractors continue in decibels of needless noise. That simple document had gone through different forensic analyses in the laboratories of the ‘Jonathanians’ with divergent findings to the consternation of many Nigerians.

In fact, the ‘findings’ as espoused by the lackeys of the ruling Peoples Democratic Party are parts of what the courts would have to determine in the next few weeks. Ordinarily, one would have thought that those pushing for Buhari’s disqualification from the presidential race would allow the courts do its constitutionally assigned responsibilities on the conviction of the ‘evidence’ before the judges. Unfortunately, that is not the case. It appears some of them would prefer a natural or, better still, faster exit of the enigma called Muhammadu Buhari. Do not get it wrong please. By all shades of imagination, Buhari, a former military dictator and strict disciplinarian, should not be an issue in this election. At least, not after three failed shots at the exalted seat with a crushing humiliation by a victorious President Goodluck Jonathan in his last attempt. That was in 2011. At that time, Buhari had his own crowd but he was not anywhere near the besotted bride he has transformed into in the last six months. Needless to say that, in 2011 and other elections before then, no one cared about the genuineness of Buhari’s certificates if he had any neither did anyone give a second thought to his age or health. It was immaterial who his friends were. He was simply a man of his own crowd, testing the murky waters of politics thatalmost drowned him.

Four years after, the story has changed. The stone the builders rejected has become the cornerstone and that has thrown some people into palpable tension. A presidential candidate that the dull-witted ones at the PDP had described as a ‘no contest’ and an easy pie for Jonathan to take to the cleaners has suddenly become a dreaded dictator that must be stopped by all means possible. Sadly, this election campaign has been enveloped in unduly negative sentiments; this election has been riddled with the bullet of seething hatred. The gloves are off and bare-knuckle punches are unleashed on the nation. It got to its infamous best with a muckraking documentary on Buhari that was serially aired on a popular television network. It was a hatchet job carried too far. Buhari, his life, his family and his anguish as a father became subjects of odious political propaganda. In that documentary, he comes across as an anti-establishment figure and a revenge-seeking bigot out to inflict a damaging blow on the waning psyche of a nation in turmoil. His second coming, when it happens, is projected as the real Armageddon. Then, you ask, why this rush of hatred for a man who had always been dismissively labelled an underdog in his last three attempts?

The answer is simple. The sudden outpouring of support for Buhari by millions of Nigerians jolted the authority to the reality of an ‘underdog’ pulling the rug from under their incompetent platform. For, if the truth must be told, the Buhari phenomenon and acceptance even in geo-political zones where he wouldn’t have mustered significant votes in the past developed due to the failure of the ruling government to walk the talk of its electoral promises. At a point, nearly all the indices of development with which the electorate would have assessed the performance of the government fell through. Clearly, the shoddy handling of the general insecurity in the land, especially the deadly activities of the Boko Haram insurgents in the North East, contributed to the low rating; coupled with the misfortunes of a rebased economy with the highest number of the employed grappling with survival. The situation is not helped by the perception, in spite of the persistent denial by the government, that corruption continues to grow in leaps and bounds as rent-seekers and shady portfolio cabal control the levers of business in the oil sector. The cry for change, which was borne out of despair and alienation, marks the beginning of a campaign that has been anything but issue-based.

Now, the concern is no longer about Buhari’s certificate. That should be settled by a court of competent jurisdiction. His eligibility or otherwise should also be by a verdict from the court since key members of the PDP believe he should be disqualified. In a democracy, litigants are free to test the veracity of their arguments, no matter how tendentiously mundane or pedestrian such arguments are, in the law courts. What they do not have a right to is the resort to blackmail and falsehood without any empirical basis or justification. That is exactly what Governor Ayodele Fayose of Ekiti State has been doing through his devious fixation to a Buhari terminal sickness and likely death. It is one thing to play politics with an opponent’s credentials and past conduct. It is another thing to play god with that person’s health and life. Ever since Buhari left for the United Kingdom, Fayose continues with his mockery of that visit. Not satisfied with his doomsday prediction of a likely death on the throne should Buhari win the general election, Fayose now stalks Buhari. He has become a leech. He insists Buhari is sick and undergoing treatment in the UK. Earlier in the week, he vowed to release a picture of the retired General on his sick bed in the UK. In addition, he says that with such relish and sense of conviction that I doubt if Fayose would flinch should Buhari fall dead today. In fact, that should be his greatest joy.

Then, we ask why? It is surprising that no one among the ranks and file of the PDP has deemed it necessary to rein in Fayose in his bestial, demeaning and vicious propaganda against a man whose only sin is picking another party’s ticket to give Jonathan a run for his popularity in a presidential contest that still runs neck-to-neck. Vacuous as it may sound, Fayose has said that he is not particularly against a Buhari presidency. His greatest wish would be to see that such emergence must be based on the truth. He said he loathes the propaganda of deceit by the opposition party. That is fair enough. However, what elsecould be more dubious propaganda than when a man spends millions of naira to sponsor newspaper advertisements predicting the imminent death of a fellow citizen on the altar of political chicanery? What do you call Fayose’s commitment to scurrying the end of the world in search of the photograph of a sickly Buhari on his deathbed in a UK hospital? Moreover, how would the ruling PDP have reacted to it if the table has changed and the opposition is the one attempting to make political capital out of this no brainer? Would the hawks at the PDP have kept mum, believing that it is all fair and square in politics to throw decorum to the dogs?

By the way, this is not in anyway to say that the APC should not come clean on candidate Buhari’s health if indeed it is true that he suffers any debilitating illness. Anything contrary to this would be tantamount to a direct abuse of the term, political expediency. It would be a disservice not only to Buhari but also to the millions of people who have decided to vote for him.Besides, it is a disservice to a nation that had travelled the same road in its penultimate presidential election.However, the concern is that even if the party comes clean, the likes of Fayose would not just be content with allowing a sleeping dog lie. Buhari’s medical report, no matter the reputation of the institution that issues it, would still be another subject of litigation. That is the sickening part of this election; nothing seems to be genuine to the ruling party unless what its propaganda machinery reels out to the public. That is why theysay the Chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission, Prof. Attahiru Jega, is no longer competent to supervise the election. That is why they are no longer comfortable with the use of the Permanent Voter Cards and the Card Readers. That is why they want Buhari disqualified on the excuse that Muhammadu and Mohammed are two different names with diverse meanings. That is why they say the death of his children because of a terminal illness should be an election issue. That is why they want him out before Election Day, by whatever means possible. The fear factor is driving those who fear change to nuts. And that’s scary. Really scary because of the length they are willing to go, even at the risk of putting all else asunder!

WHERE IS MANKIND HEADED ... WHAT'S THE MATTER WITH MEN TODAY? : B-I-Z-A-R-R-E: How a cleric poisoned client, chopped off his hands, head, private parts ... VanguardNews

Residents of Obele community in Oko-Agbola, Magbon area of Badagry, Lagos, were taken aback at the sight of policemen at the site of a swimming pool around the area on February 13, 2015. However, before their arrival, a crowd had gathered to watch the bloated headless body of a man in the river. At the approach of the policemen, the crowd disappeared into thin air for fear of possible arrest.

On closer observation , it was discovered that the headless man also had other parts of his body mutilated. For instance, his two breasts were slashed off, his two wrists chopped off and his chest region dissected, revealing a conspicuously deep hole. Not only that, his stomach was also discovered to have been sliced open with the intestines missing, as well as his manhood.

Before the arrival of the policemen, the crowd reportedly tried in vain to fathom the true identity of the headless man who was dumped in the river, stark naked. However, the nut has been cracked by operatives of the Homicide section of the State Criminal Investigations Department ,SCID, Panti, Yaba, following the arrest of a Muslim cleric , otherwise known as Alfa.

The 27 year-old suspect, Alfa Fatai Aderomu, an Arabic teacher popularly known around Oko-Agbonla area of Magbon, is currently cooling his heels inside the dreaded cell at Panti. He gave a shilling account of how the headless body found its way into the river.

JOURNEY OF NO RETURN

The headless man was later discovered to be one Rafiu Suleiman , a father of one, who also lived around the area. Further checks showed that he left home for his place of work in Apapa on Valentine day, February 14, 2015, but never returned. Apprehension reportedly set in next day following his continued absence, a development that led to his family reporting at Morogbo police division the next day.

Search, as gathered, had been conducted round the area, with visits to hospitals and mortuaries but he was not found. His wife and their 3-year-old baby were said to have waited in vain for the arrival of their 41-year-old bread winner, until news about the discovery of a headless man in Obele river reached them.

STARTLING DISCOVERY

Crime Guard gathered that members of the family were invited to ascertain whether the headless body was that of the missing Suleiman. While they were at it, the wife reportedly called a member of the family who was with the Police on phone, informing that her husband had informed her on Valentine day that he would stop by Alfa Aderomu’s place on his way back.

With that information, operatives of the Homicide section led by the officer-in charge, Mr Iyamah Daniel, a Chief superintendent of Police, stormed Aderomu’s apartment located at 32, Oko-Agbola street,where he was seen teaching children Arabic and Islamic studies. He was subsequently apprehended.

Spokesman for the Lagos State Police Command, Kenneth Nwosu, who confirmed the arrest, revealed that when a search was conducted round the cleric’s apartment, a pair of blue Jeans identified as the one worn by the victim was found in a nearby bust opposite Alfa Aderomu’s house. On further interrogation, he reportedly opened up by saying that he administered a concoction on the deceased that fateful day which led to his death, right in his apartment which he shared with his wife and five children.

CONCOCTION FOR FAVOR

In an encounter with the Oyo state-born suspect, he gave a terrifying account which could be likened to a horror movie, of how the victim whom he claimed to be his client, died and how he was dumped in the river. Hear him: “ Rafiu Suleiman (deceased) was a friend and a client for two years . He usually came for spiritual cleansing. Yes, I have been an Alfa ( Islamic cleric) for 15 years.I own a mosque where I teach children Islamic and Arabic studies.

I also administer treatment on strange sicknesses. Also, I prepare concoction of favor, success and quick sales for my clients. On February 14 , 2015, Suleiman called me on phone to inform that his child had dislocated his arm. I told him I could prepare medicine that would heal him. That morning, he came to my house and dropped N2000 for the preparation of the medicine intended for his child.

On his way back from work, precisely11pm, he came to my place and demanded for an earlier concoction I prepared for him. It was for favor. He said he needed it in order to gain his boss’s favor at work. He worked as a crane driver. After preparing the concoction, he took it . That was 12 midnight. By then, he said he could not go back home, that it was late. At about 2am, he started complaining of stomach ache. I gave him palm oil, after which we both slept.

… AND HE DIED?

At this point, the suspect paused , shook his head intermittently and cast a stare at this reporter as if he was in a trance. After a long silence, he continued: “ I woke up at about 4am. But by the time I shook Suleiman to wake him up, he was cold. I shook him vigorously and at the same time called out his name but there was dead silence.”

Crime Guard asked if his (Alfa’s) wife and children whom he said occupied one of the two bedrooms were not attracted by the noise, he replied: “ No, I did not shout that loud . Immediately, I picked my phone and quickly dialed the number of the Chief Imam of Obelle community (name withheld). When he came, he suggested we should take the body away from the house in order to avoid prying eyes.”

HOW BODY WAS DISMEMBERED

Alfa Aderomu stated that the body was cut and and packed into two bags of rice and thereafter, taken to a bush along the street. From his explanation, it seemed the Chief Imam came prepared for the dehumanizing act, as according to him: “ When we reached the bush, the Chief Imam brought out a knife and cut the two wrist s and the head.

He hid them somewhere in the bush with a promise to come pick them later. Next day, we called another cleric named(name withheld) on phone. On arrival, we discovered that came with another cleric(name withheld) . They dissected the chest and removed the heart . They also cut the stomach and removed all the intestines. They further cut off the breasts and manhood.”

BODY DUMPED IN THE RIVER

Asked what part of the body he collected, he said , “I did not collect any part”. Also asked what they intended doing with the body parts, he said : “ I believe they either wanted to sell them or use them to prepare concoction for fertility , stroke or other illnesses.’’ Continuing, he said : “ We, thereafter, pulled his clothes and pants before dumping him inside the stagnant pool . Our intention was to prevent his death being linked to me. I did not plan to kill him.

POWDERY SUBSTANCE KILLED HIM

How could I plan to kill Rafiu Suleiman who was like a brother to me? I have prepared several concoctions for him and nothing bad has ever happened. What actually killed him was the powdery substance I added in the concoction. I believe it was too much. That was why, when he complained of stomach ache, I quickly gave him palm oil.

I didn’t know it would kill him. Since I became a cleric, such calamity had never befallen me. I had to call my colleagues because I was confused. I did not know they would end up complicating my problem,. If I had known, I would have called his family or even raised alarm.

RECOVERED BURNT SUBSTANCE

When asked what the earthen port with burnt substance which was recovered inside his apartment was meant for, the suspect revealed that it was a concoction for success which was at the verge of being prepared for a client. According to him: “ The burnt substance were in different denominations of naira I added some ingredients to it before burning them. It was at the last stage of preparation when I was arrested.

The last stage would have been the killing of a ram for the blood to be added to the burnt materials. Thereafter, the ram would be cooked and shared to people. It was meant for a client who wanted to be successful in his business”, he said , insisting however that his intention was never to kill his client.

POLICE ON THE TRAIL OF FLEEING CHIEF IMAM

As at the time of filing this report, operatives of the Homicide section were on their way to recover the head of the victim from where the suspect said it was kept. Also the Chief Imam of the community alleged to have cut off the head and wrists was said to be on the run. But the Police stated that they were on his trail, assuring that they would get him.

POLICE REACTION

Lagos State Command Image maker, Kenneth Nwosu, who confirmed the story said that the suspects would be charged to court at the conclusion of investigations.

THE PROMISE OF HARDER DAYS AFTER MARCH 28TH : More austerity measures coming – Okonjo-Iweala ... PunchNews

Following the continuous decline of the price of crude oil in the international market, the Federal Government on Thursday said it was preparing additional measures to mitigate the impact of the price drop on the Nigerian economy.

It also denied withdrawing the Medium-Term Expenditure Framework from the National Assembly, adding that the MTEF and the budget were with the lawmakers.

The Minister of Finance, Dr. Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, stated these in Abuja while speaking at the launch of the Action 2015 programme, where she had a dialogue with school children of 15 years of age.

Action 2015 is an international movement to call for more action in the area of fighting corruption, inequality and climate change, and it is based on the believe that 2015 can be a pivotal year that will change the future.

The concert-styled event had in attendance celebrities such as Genevieve Nnaji, Samson Siasia, Dbanj, Timi Dakolo, Praiz, Marvellous Odiete, Nike Laoye and Jaiye Keys, who lent their voices to the call for inclusive growth.

Okonjo-Iweala said the country was facing a challenging time because of the developments in the global economy, adding that this had necessitated the need for additional austerity measures.

The minister did not provide details of the additional measures being planned.

She had during a public presentation of the 2015 budget proposal listed the stoppage of the purchase of new furniture, and reduction in international travels and trainings by government officials by 50 per cent as some of the austerity measures to be taken this year to boost revenue.

Others are the implementation of the Stephen Orasanye committee’s report on the rationalisation of the civil service; and introduction of 10 per cent tax on private jets, three per cent surcharge on champagnes and one per cent property tax on mansions with value exceeding N300m.

Between December 17, 2014 when the budget proposal was submitted, with oil benchmark price pegged at $65 per barrel, and now, global oil prices have further crashed to around $46 per barrel.

The development has further heightened tension in the country because of the Federal Government’s almost total dependence on crude oil exports for its revenue

Specifically, Okonjo-Iweala told the children that 2015 would be a very difficult year for the economy, noting, however, that with appropriate fiscal and monetary policy instruments, the government would manage the economy in a manner that would be beneficial to all.

She said although the country could have moved faster in achieving its goal in the past, a lot of efforts had been put in place to ensure that it achieved the Millennium Development Goals.

The minister gave an assurance that despite the challenges facing the economy as a result of the drop in oil prices, the government was prepared to respond with additional austerity measures.

She said since the budget proposal was with the National Assembly, the government was monitoring developments around oil prices in order to come up with appropriate measures once the decline got to the lowest point.

The minister said, “We have to provide an environment for the children to grow so that they can become leaders that will uphold the values that we need such as honesty, hard work, truth and valuing the country above self.

“Even though the oil price is going down, the budget is with the National Assembly. Let me just tell you that measures are being put in place so that we can manage the budget and the economy at whatever the oil price bottoms out.

“Right now, no one knows the bottom because it is falling every day. Once it stabilises and we know the bottom, we will accompany it with appropriate measures. So, we are working everyday with scenarios; we are following exactly the plan we told Nigerians.

“There are scenarios at $55, $50 and below of the additional measures that will be needed, and I believe that though this will be a very difficult year for the country, we have the tools, we know how to apply them and we know that working together, we will be able to take this country through this year and then to a brighter 2016.”

On what is being done to assist the poor to mitigate the difficult times, Okonjo-Iweala said although things might look tough at the moment, the government was building a platform on which it would assist those at the bottom of the pyramid.

She said. “For one to help lift people out of poverty, we are doing something that is technological, which is trying to give every Nigerian a smartcard and your generation will be the one to mostly appreciate this.

“It will enable us to target those at the very bottom once they have a card to be able to help them with some assistance that can assure basic health care and their children being in school through a conditional cash transfer programme and that programme is being put together by the President.

“These are some of the things that will target and include more people who are left out now.”

She said the government was working towards providing an environment for the children to grow so that they could become leaders who would uphold the values of honesty, hard work, truth and valuing the country above self.

NOT EVERYONE WHO SAYS TO ME LORD, LORD ... Buhari Is A Better Christian Than Jonathan By Ikechukwu Orji (A COMPELLING READ)... SaharaReporters

It was Mahatma Gandhi who said he admired Christ not Christians. I guess he said this to remind people that most Christians are definitely not Christ-like. One cannot  claim to be a Christian when his attitude is opposite of the principle that we are called to live by.   There is no middle ground in this race. It is either you are living like Christ or you are a pretender. People like pretending to be what they are not. It is for this reason that one writer defined hypocrisy as a tribute that vice pays to virtue.  

There is absolutely nothing Christ-like in President Goodluck Jonathan’s administration. His policies are harsh towards the common man. He has done absolutely nothing for the poor of the land. Rather, he has done a lot to favour the rich and eminent personalities. Any true Christian knows that God loves the poor and is earnestly seeking to do them good. He is seriously looking for those to use to render service to the poor. It can only take a wicked man to increase the prices of petroleum products on a New Year day thereby causing immense hardship to numerous poverty stricken citizens.  Any government that is anti poor is anti God.

Jonathan has refused to go after those who are squandering our patrimony. Corruption is rampant and he is pretending that all is well. You cannot be a follower of Christ and allow evil to run rampant around you. How long can we continue this dance of death? How long are we going to allow these men from the forest of thousand demons to continue to desecrate our land? It is about time we chased them away. We need discipline and decorum in governance. And that is what Muhammadu Buhari is about.

Buhari is everything that Jonathan is not. He is disciplined, painstaking and has a visceral dislike for corruption. He has promised to confront corruption and he is just about the only politician that has the credential to do that. He has done it before and he will do it again. The man cares passionately for the poor of the land and wants to do his bit to help them. Buhari is not a drunk and he is not in the business of running around with other people’s wives. As a Head of State, 11 out of 19 Ministers appointed by him were Christians.

Buhari showed leadership when a dangerous Islamic sect known as Maitatsine threatened our peace. He refused to register Nigeria as a member of the Organization of Islamic Countries and banned government sponsorship of pilgrimages to Mecca. It is a well- known fact that his personal aides and domestic workers are mostly Christians and under him no one was victimized on the basis of religion.  It is on record that Jonathan is the first President to lead Nigerian delegation to the Organization of Islamic Countries in February 2013. He has spent an average of $14 billion on 26, 000 Haji pilgrims annually from 2010. From all ramifications, Buhari has more Christian qualities than Jonathan.

Buhari’s government will focus on building a society that would begin to move the powers of a smothering federal government back to states and local government. Government will be closer to the people and better aware of their real needs and wants. APC as party is open and beckoning to a majority of Nigerians not because we are handing out goodies to people but because we have a better proposal for them and their families.

As a transformational leader, Buhari is sure of what he wants happen and is extraordinarily strong-willed about it. He has one thing in mind instead of a variety of passing impulses. He wants a society full of opportunities. In short, the key to a successful transformational leader is to keep your eyes focused on your goals. And the people’s general has a knack for ignoring unproductive criticism and feels neither threatened nor moved by it. He is not one of such politicians that display so much pettiness and hostility that is simply not productive. Surely, Nigeria will be better under him.  

Ikechukwu Orji

ikechukwuorji@yahoo.com

CAN WE EVER BE FREE OF THESE CYCLES OF FAILED PROMISES IN THE POWER SECTOR? : Power supply dips by 360MW ... SweetCrude

27 February 2015, Lagos – Supply of electricity to consumers across the country has fallen by 360.88 megawatts in the last one week and the Federal Government has again attributed the development to the vandalism of pipelines that transport gas to power plants.

Specifically, the energy sent out to electricity consumers plunged from 3,424.11MW on February 17 to 3,063.23MW on Wednesday, while the average national demand stood at 12,800MW.

Within the same period, peak electricity generation fell from 3,768.2MW to 3,224.8MW, while energy generation also dropped from 3,494.96MW to 3,131.8MW.

The PUNCH had on Monday reported exclusively that the country was losing over 1,500MW of power despite claims by President Goodluck Jonathan that he had delivered on his promise to supply electric to Nigerians.

The Minister of Power, Prof. Chinedu Nebo, has often blamed the fall in power supply to continued puncturing of gas pipelines.

He had said in Lagos last week, “Power generation in the country today has improved tremendously with actual generation/transmission capacity consistently hovering around 5,000MW, up from 2,800MW in 2011.

“Currently, the major challenge to increased power generation is the limitation in gas supply as a result of the activities of vandals who are bent on visiting hardship on the entire nation.”

Speaking in Abuja on Thursday, Nebo again said the country could boast of only four days of free flow of gas to the power plants without interruption by vandals.

He said, “We have only had four days of free flow of gas without vandalism. That tells you how horrible the situation with vandalism is. Vandalism is affecting our capacity to generate electricity.

“We are hoping that in the next two weeks, when the other pipelines that are being repaired and the ones that are being serviced are put in use, we will come back to, and even go beyond where we are.”

Asked if securing the pipelines was beyond the abilities of the security agencies, the minister said, “It is not beyond them. When you are talking about thousands of kilometres on one stretch, to police this is not easy. Because when these things were instituted or installed, nobody thought that Nigerians would hate themselves enough to directly vandalise the pipelines.

“What we are now trying to do, using the various security agencies, especially the Nigerian Security and Civil Defence Corps, the Navy, Army, Police, and so on, is to make sure that these places are garrisoned. But this will not stop the problem.

“The most critical is what Mr. President is trying to do now: deploy resources to digitally survey the pipelines. It is very expensive. But we have to do that. Until that happens, we still have to worry about vandalism.”

The minister advocated for embedded generation of power and noted that this would help address the pains of pipeline vandalism.

SHAMELESSLY STRUGGLING TO BUY VOTES : Jonathan Gave Us Money—Lagos Igbo Leader ... SaharaReporters

Leaders of Ndigbo resident in Lagos State, southwest Nigeria, have confirmed that they were given money by President Goodluck Jonathan during his recent visit to the state to solicit for their support and votes.

Making this known is the former President of Ohaneze, Lagos State, and coordinator of Goodluck Jonathan Support Group, Dr Oliver Akabueze.

He said that the president solicited for their support and asked the leaders to mobilise Igbos in the state to vote for him.
He explained that the money received was not a bribe but campaign fund to mobilise the Igbos in the state to vote for the president who is seeking re-election.

Akabueze also stated that the president donated a luxury bus for his campaign and that the bus must be fuelled and a driver must be employed to drive the bus around the state during the campaign for Jonathan.

Though he declined to disclose the amount of money the president gave them in Lagos, sources said it runs into billions of naira.

Investigation revealed that the manner the money was shared has divided the leaders. Some of the leaders are grumbling because some got more money than the others.

P.M.NEWS learnt from one of the leaders that while some got N500,000,  others were given N300,000 and N100,000 respectively.

Some of the leaders who spoke to our reporter but did not want their names mentioned, said the money has caused division as some of the leaders who felt shortchanged said they will not campaign for Jonathan, saying those who got more money should go ahead and campaign for the President.

Last week President Jonathan spent five days in Lagos during which he held series of meetings with various ethnic and socio-cultural groups and their leaders to seek their support for his re-election.

During his stay, he reportedly doled out billions of naira to the groups, though his media aide, Reuben Abati, denied that the president gave out money to any group.

AND WHERE IS A LEADER'S MILK OF HUMAN KINDNESS IN THIS EBELE INTEGRATED FARMS : INVESTIGATION: Inside Jonathan’s Controversial Mega Farm ... PremiumTimes

Afeni Eunice and her son, Prsident Goodluck Jonathan jointly owns Ebele Integrated Farms Limited

People residing in six villages in Abuja, the nation’s capital, have been forced by the Federal Capital Territory Administration, FCTA, to leave their homes and relocate to a neighbouring Wukara community at the Aviation Village in Abuja to pave way for the establishment of a farm by President Goodluck Ebele Jonathan and his mother, Madam Afeni Eunice.

The large expanse of the land was allocated to them by the Federal Capital Territory Administration, Daily Trust reported.

The farmland, measuring 95.88 hectares, is located at the Cadastral Zone, Aviation Village, within the Abuja Municipal Area Council, AMAC, and was specifically allocated to Ebele Integrated Farms Limited by FCTA on March 8, 2012, two days after the company applied for the land and less than three months after it was incorporated by the Corporate Affairs Commission, CAC.

According to the CAC, Ebele Integrated Farms Limited, with registration number 1003866, was registered on December 20, 2011 with a share capital of N30 million, said Daily Trust.

The company has only two registered directors: Goodluck Ebele Jonathan, with share capital of N28.5 million and Madam Afeni Eunice, with share capital of N1.5 million.

Records at the commission indicated that the nature of business the company was registered to execute are: “To carry on the business of agricultural and mechanical farming in all its branches (which include but not limited to) crop farming, rearing of livestock, feed milling, arable and fruit farming, manufacturing and distribution of agric products, flour merchants, poultry farming, animal husbandry, fish farming, deep sea fishing, trawling and to sell and deal in same etc.”

However, Ebele Integrated Farms Limited, since its registration in 2012, has no evidence of filing annual returns with the CAC, which is a vital requirement to be fulfilled by all such registered companies.

The legal practitioner that filed the application documents for the registration of the company with the commission, Arum Ifeyinwa Jane, provided the address of the company’s owners, Jonathan and Eunice, as number 23, Kolda Street, Wuse 11, Abuja.

Similar address was provided by the company to the Abuja Geographic Information System (AGIS) in its application for the farmland.

However, Daily Trust reported that when its correspondent visited the supposed company’s address at 23 Kolda Street, nobody around the area seemed to know that Ebele Integrated Farms Limited or any other company ever occupied the building within the past ten years. A security guard inside the compound said that the building was owned by a telecommunication firm.

When Daily Trust visited the farm near Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport, Abuja, over 40 articulated vehicles belonging to SCC Construction Company were seen with several staff of the company carrying out different works.

Armed soldiers and plain-cloth security operatives were seen at strategic parts of the farm which has a crocodile section near the main gate, orchards, where well irrigated mango trees provide shelter overlooking the hill top buildings said to be meeting and resting place for the president.

On the other side, there is a standard fish pond with embankment to prevent erosion. There is also the clean water in the fish pond recycling itself.

A short distance from there is a small airstrip for any helicopter to land. The airstrip is overlooking another set of hundreds of mango trees and a small stream with water passing through all in a solid concrete walls round the farm.

The security operatives in the farm were there to, among other assignments, prevent any unauthorised person from gaining access into the farm.

However, our reporters, with their cameras and other tools, succeeded in gaining access to the facility.

People living at the Wukara village, workers at the SCC construction company working in the farm, government officials in the FCT ministry, AGIS, Development Control Department of the FCDA and AMAC “have all been warned not to talk about that farm,” Daily Trust said.

The case of the displaced villagers is pathetic. Malam Ahmadu (not real name), who was seen resting under a tree at the outskirt of Wukara, spoke to our reporters.

He said: “I was residing in Sarkin Madaki village before we were ejected and our houses demolished. Six villages that include Sarkin Madaki where I hail from, Aguwan Audu, Kukeli, Anguwan Sharuwa, Badambo and Nasarawai, were the villages people were sacked from and demolished to provide space for this farm. Yes, we knew the farm belongs to the president but we have been warned not to say so. They said we must never discuss about the farm with anyone.

“The former FCT Commissioner of Police came in company of some top officers and warned us at the palace of the Aguma (village head) of Wukara that if we ever mentioned anything to anyone about the farm, they will arrest the person that made the statement and drive others from here without compensation. I am talking to you now because no one is seeing us. If you had met me in the village, I would not have talked to you.

“When they sacked us from our various villages, government gave us plots of land each at Wukara. People from all the six affected villages were moved to Wukara. But no monetary compensation was given to us. We had to sell part of the land allocated to us and build the remaining. It was after the commissioner of police warned us and left that we resolved to name the farm as the Aviation Farm.”

Another resident of Wukara, who simply identified himself as Malam, told Daily Trust at BasanJiya, a nearby community where he went to buy provisions, that their problem is not just because their villages have been converted to the president’s farm, but because they took away their houses, places of worship, farmlands only to be given a piece of land, each, in return. “We are all farmers. None of us had his farm replaced. How do they want us to cultivate?

“We all had our various sources of water before we were sacked from our villages. Here at Wukara, we scoop water from the ground to drink, cook and use at home because we have 2 boreholes that do not work. We complained to the Aguma who said he has written to SCC Construction Company but nothing has been done till date.

“Yes, they are constructing access road for us through the bush path. We do not want that one. Let them construct the one that will burst near the airport gate. That’ll be shorter and safer for us.”

When Daily Trust visited the palace of the Aguma of Wukara, Malam Mohammed Sarki, the people seen around the palace said the traditional ruler was indisposed.

One of the elders was however said: “Nobody can speak to you about the farm. On the issue of the road and water, we have written to AMAC and SCC. Go to their offices and ask them why they refused to help us.”

Daily Trust reporters visited AMAC twice; first the chairman was said to be in a meeting, while on the second occasion he was said to have gone to the FCT ministry for official consultation.

A senior council official who pleaded anonymity, however, said: “Look, do not waste your time. The chairman will never see you on this matter. How can the president compensate them? Advise them to come and beg the chairman for a borehole and clinic, that is more realistic.”

At the SCC Construction office in Utako District, Abuja, efforts to see the project manager were not successful.

However, a top official of the company, who pleaded not to be identified, said that Aguma had actually written a two-page letter to the company, dated May 16, 2014, requesting them to sink additional boreholes for them, adding: “In as much as we sympathise with the community, as contractors, we cannot use our money to develop their community for them.

“What they are asking for is not provided in the contract agreement. As a construction company, we only employ people with skills. But we went out of our way and employed their people who are now working for us. I am not privy to the contract sum, I would have told you. But it is a fact that what qualified us most for this contract was what the president saw our company did in General Abdulsalami Abubakar’s farm in Minna. You know, it was SCC that constructed it also.”

Meanwhile, the development makes people wonder if the farmland in question was actually intended to be used as such by the designers of Abuja.

A retired top ranking civil servant, Chief Bisi Winsala Kolins, who said he used all his retirement benefit to build houses in Garki that were demolished by the FCDA on the excuse that the area was meant for business and not residential, averred: “I am aware that in the Abuja master plan, no part of the Abuja Municipal Area Council (AMAC), including the aviation village, is meant to be used for farming. It is also a fact that the Abuja master plan cannot be redesigned to accommodate any new development. That farm must, therefore, be demolished and relocated to outside AMAC for justice and fair play.”

Former Minister of the FCT, Malam Nasir el-Rufa’i, in a response from the United Kingdom to an online inquiry by Daily Trust, said no part of Abuja Municipal Area is supposed to be used for farming purposes, including the aviation village now housing Ebele Integrated Farms.

El-Rufa’i said: “Aviation Village is self-explanatory … it is part of Phase 5 of the Federal Capital City (FCC) meant to accommodate aviation company needs – hangars, fuelling and maintenance facilities, housing and hotels. There were no provisions for agricultural land in the city footprint.

“Farmlands are located outside the city in places like Gaube, Kuje and Kwali. I am surprised that agricultural land is being allocated in the footprint of the FCT. This may be another violation of the Abuja Dream…..God Save us.”

At the Abuja Geographic Information system (AGIS), a top official who initially doubted claims by our reporters that the application by Ebele Integrated Farms Limited was approved in only two days from the date of the application, was shocked to see the company’s file number MISC 117899 with AGIS.

He said: “You are right, look at the farm’s file. Their application for the allocation of the plot was dated March 6, 2012 and approval given on March 8, 2012. The initial plot number was 1680 before it was later changed to 1683. The change in the plot number does not affect the plot itself. Look at the note written with red pen that the FCT Minister attached to his approval.

“In all my years in AGIS I have never seen an application for plot of land treated with such a rush. If we were allowed to treat it like the normal applications, we would have verified the address. Even if the address they gave was correct and they later moved to a new address, they are supposed to notify us of their new address.”

Mr. Jonathan’s multibillion naira integrated farm project has attracted a lot of criticisms from the public, mainly because the president’s salary and legitimate earnings as a president could not afford him to own a multi-billion Naira farm project.

An NGO, Purpose Driven Human Initiative, in a media advertisement said the president’s farm project has vividly demonstrated why his administration has been unable to fight corruption.

According to the NGO, the president’s action of owning the farm has contravened Fifth Schedule Part 1 (code of conduct for public officers) of the 1999 constitution, section 1, which states: “A public officer shall not put himself in position where his personal interest conflicts with his duties and responsibilities.”

Reacting to the publication, New Generation Coalition, a pro-Jonathan group, argued that the president’s project has not violated the Constitution, arguing that the Constitution allows a public servant to engage in farming activities.

It also pointed out that former president Olusegun Obasanjo also acquired a farmland in Abuja while in office in 2005.

Also, some legal experts who spoke to Daily Trust expressed different views on the issue. While some argue that the president was morally wrong to undertake such ventures while in office, others think differently.

Below are some of the views in their words:

JONATHAN IS NOT WRONG – FAGBOUNGBE (SAN)

Nahimah Ajikanle Nurudeen, Lagos

Lagos-based Senior Advocate of Nigeria (SAN), Felix Fagboungbe, said President Goodluck Jonathan has not violated any law by applying for, and obtaining, a farmland in Abuja.

The position of Jonathan as a president, Fagboungbe argued, did not take away his right to own property.

He said the Code of Conduct only required the president to declare his assets if he owns property, because he has legal right to own property.

“The only thing the Code of Conduct requires is that he has to disclose it, if people know that the land belongs to him, anyway. Because we are not sure he actually owns the land in as much as he hasn’t confirmed that the land belongs to him. People might just be speculating.

“It is not possible to conclude land allocation processing within 48 hours, it is not possible because you need to identify the land, do the survey of land and a lot processes that go along with land allocation. But if truly the land in question was allotted within 48 hours, it means that it was not applied for with the survey plan because for such land, the surveyor-general has to see the survey and the survey department too, has to do something to certify the process,” he said.

IT’S AN IMPEACHABLE OFFENCE – BALA NA’ALLAH

From Garba Muhammad, Birnin Kebbi

Bala Ibn Na’Allah, a former member of the House of Representatives and a lawyer, described the acquisition of a farmland at Aviation Village, Abuja, by President Goodluck Jonathan as a breach of his terms of office.

“It’s an impeachable offence,” he said.

Mr. Na’Allah, speaking in Zuru, Kebbi State, added: “The Conduct of approaching FCDA to get the land is in breach of the oath of his office and that is what is referred to as gross misconduct which itself is an impeachable offence.

“Looking at the speed of the processing of the grant of that land to the said company of which the president is alleged to be a director, it’s obvious to give a reasonable ground for establishing gross abuse of office by both the president and the minister of the FCT.”

Na’Allah, however, pointed out that it may be difficult to determine the legal position of this issue without putting it on both moral and legal scale.

“Law and morality are distinct and distinguishable but looking at the entire phantasmagoria vis-a-vis the oath of office taken and subscribed by Mr. President which among other things states that he would not allow his personal interest to influence his official conduct and decisions.

“It does appear that there is a clear case of breach of oath of office amounting to establishing a case of gross misconduct against Mr. President. While the Constitution allows public office holder’s to engage in farming, it equally prohibits them from taking any appointment as directors of companies and other paid employment.

“So, if you look at this issue from both moral and legal scale, there is no how the president will be exonerated because as president, you are barred from becoming a director of any company.

“Therefore, it doesn’t make sense if anybody thinks that it is okay, since the land is going to be used for farming. Legally, since he cannot be a director of a company, it means he is in breach of the oath of his office where he said he will not allow his personal interest to influence his official conduct and decisions.”

REVOKE THAT ALLOCATION – ALIYU UMAR (SAN)

From Ibrahim Musa Giginyu, Kano

For a Senior Advocate of Nigeria (SAN) and former Kano State Attorney-General and Commissioner for Justice, Aliyu Umar, the approval for the allocation of the farmland to President Goodluck Jonathan should be revoked to deter Nigerians from engaging themselves in corrupt practices.

He, however, said that the speed with which the FCT minister approved the land cannot be faulted by the law because the Land Use Act has not given time frame for processing and approving of such applications. “The question to ask is: did he (Jonathan) actually apply for the land or was the land allocated to him before he was given forms to fill?

“If the processes enshrined for the acquisition of the land have been breached for any reason, then it has become illegal and also an act of abuse of office. The act may not be a crime, but it is morally wrong as it encourages corruption.”

He urged relevant authorities to investigate the alleged irregularities involved in the matter such as when the company was incorporated and whether the process involved in the acquisition of the land was breached and whether the acquisition and the erection of the farm has altered the master plan of FCT or not.

HE MAY NOT BE ENTIRELY WRONG – FESTUS OKOYE

From Dickson S. Adama, Kaduna

The President is allowed, in the Constitution, to acquire land for the purpose of farming, a constitutional lawyer and Civil Rights Activist, Barrister Festus Okoye has said.

However, he pointed out that the size of the land and procedure of acquiring it can be unacceptable.

He argued: “By the Fifth Schedule of the Constitution containing the Code of Conduct for public officers, the president is allowed to acquire land for the purposes of farming. But the issue of the quantum of land acquired or the purposes for which it is acquired or the means through which the land was acquired is a completely different matter. But the Constitution allows the president to engage in farming, and you cannot engage in farming without acquiring a land. So, to that very extent, it is legitimate for the president to acquire land for the purposes of farming.

“If you ask me though, I will say that for a land as big as a whole village to be acquired by anyone for the purposes of farming is not acceptable. I personally don’t see the reason why the president should acquire over 90 hectares of land for purposes of farming while in office. Again, what the law says about acquisition of such land or property by a public office holder like the president is that it must be declared publicly and filed with the Code of Conduct Bureau or the agency in charge of asset declaration by public office holders. And this should be done before, during and after leaving the office.”

He urged public officers, including the president, politicians and the media to work towards building a greater Nigeria and stop trivialising issues and or hide under the coverage of the Constitution to do things that would be morally unacceptable.