SIGNS OF THE TIMES : Drama as congregation chases popular Lagos Pastor from pulpit on Sunday (See Photo) ... Punch

The Punch reports that members of the church rejected their pastor and chased him away for allegedly impregnating his housemaid who is also a member of his church.According to report, the pastor, Barkuma Andrew, was stopped from leading the church seven months ago when the housemaid, Grace, had complications after aborting the pregnancy. The pastor lives with his wife, children, wife’s cousin, Favour, and Grace in a three-bedroom flat inside the church premises.It was reported that the members had pleaded with the Central Conference of the church in Taraba State to help look into the alleged incident. However, when the district did not do anything about it, the congregation sought the service of another pastor three weeks ago. The congregation got to church at about 10am yesterday for Sunday service only to see that Andrew and some “unknown” people had commenced the service.This sprouted the anger of the members of the church as they chased pastor Andrew and his folks out of the church. Men from the Makinde police division, including the DPO, were said to have intervened after the incident was reported at the station. A member of the church and a former secretary to Andrew, Moses Sherima, said that the pastor sent his wife to her village when he impregnated Grace. He said:“My room is opposite pastor’s apartment and I was his secretary. When he started dating that girl (Grace), I called his wife’s cousin, Favour, on the matter. She said Grace used to tell her whenever the pastor had sex with her. At a point, I had to move upstairs when I could no longer bear it. The day that abortion happened, I was sleeping inside my room when I heard Grace screaming. I rushed there and saw blood coming out from her private parts. When the wife came back from one of her numerous journeys, he told her to send Favour away.”Another church member, John Komboroh, said the church was embarrassed by Andrew’s conduct, adding that they were tired of his leadership. He said:“The petition of adultery against the pastor had been sent to the bishop at the Central Conference. He came here, but did not do anything about it. That was why we wrote to the main body, the Southern Conference to give us another pastor. His (Andrew’s) action is an embarrassment to us. We don’t want him again.”The new pastor of the church, Reverend James Sunday, said:“We were about to start our service this morning when we met the old pastor and some unknown people already holding the service. I calmed down my people to avoid chaos.”Another resident and a female member, who identified herself only as Blessing, said the pastor had once made sexual advances to her.“My husband is not always at home. The pastor would call me in the night and asked if I had slept. One day he entered my room and gave me a soft slap on my back. I had only the wrapper on me. I was surprised and told my neighbours.”When contacted on the telephone around 1pm on Sunday, Andrew said he was in a meeting and promised to get back to The Punch on the incident. He told The Punch Metro that he was still at the meeting when he was called back around 5pm.

FOR THE RECORDS ... TIME TO PUT THE FACTS AND FIGURES FORWARD : Mega-Issue: All Buhari’s Appointments Till Date-The full List ... NewsDay

President Muhammadu Buhari has made 35 appointments. We Bring you the full list:-
1. Aide de Camp to president: Lt. Col Abubakar Lawal, [Kano State, North-West and husband to President Buhari’s foster daughter].
2. Special Adviser, Media and Publicity to the president: Femi Adesina, [Osun State, South-West].
3. Senior Special Assistant, Media and Publicity: Garba Shehu, [Kano State, North-West].
4. State Chief of Protocol/Special Assistant (Presidential Matters): Lawal Abdullahi Kazaure, [Jigawa State, North-West].
5. Accountant General of the Federation: Ahmed Idris [Kano State, North-West].
6. National Security Adviser: Babagana Monguno [Borno State, North-East].
7. Chief of Defence Staff, Abayomi Olonishakin, [Ekiti State, South-West].
8. Chief of Army Staff: Tukur Buratai, [Borno State, North-East].
9. Chief of Naval Staff: Ibok-Ete Ekwe Ibas, [Cross Rivers, South-South].
10. Chief of Air Staff, Sadique Abubakar, [Bauchi State, North-East].
11. Chief of Defence Intelligence: Monday Riku Morgan [Benue State, North-Central].
12. Director General, State Security Services, SSS: Lawal Daura, [Katsina State, North-West].
13. Acting Chairperson, Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, Amina Zakari, [Jigawa State, North-West].
14. Managing Director, Nigerian Ports Authority, NPA: Habibu Abdulahi [Kano State, North-West].
15. Special Adviser, Niger Delta Amnesty Office: Paul Boroh, [Bayelsa State, South-South]
16. Acting Director General, Nigerian Maritime Administration, Safety and Security Agency, NIMASA: Baba Haruna Jauro [Yobe State, North-East].
17. Executive Vice Chairman/ Chief Executive Officer, Nigerian Communications Commission: Umaru Dambatta [Kano State, North-West].
18. Executive Chairman, Federal Inland Revenue Service, FIRS: Babatunde Fowler, [Lagos State, South-West].
19. Director General, Budget Office of the Federation: Aliyu Gusau, [Zamfara State, North-West].
20. Group Managing Director, Nigeria National Petroleum Corporation, NNPC, Emmanuel Kachikwu, [Delta State, South-South].
21. Secretary to Government of the Federation, Babachir David Lawal, [ Adamawa, North East]
22. Chief of Staff to the President: Abba Kyari, [Borno, North-East].
23. Comptroller-General, Nigerian Customs Service: Hameed Ibrahim Ali, [Kaduna State, North-Central].
24. Comptroller-General, Nigerian Immigration Service: Kure Martin Abeshi, [Nasarawa State, North-Central].
25. Senior Special Assistant on National Assembly Matters (Senate): Ita Enang, [Akwa Ibom State, South-South].
26. Senior Special Assistant on National Assembly Matters (House of Representatives): Suleiman Kawu, [Kano State, North-West].
27. Director, Department Of Petroleum Resources, DPR, Modecai Baba Ladan. [Kano, North West].
28. Managing Director, Asset Management Company of Nigeria, AMCON, Ahmed Lawan Kuru. [].
29. Commissioner for Insurance and Chief Executive of the National Insurance Commission, Mohammed Kari [North-West]
29. Executive Director AMCON: Kola Ayeye.
30. Executive Director, AMCON: Eberechukwu Uneze.
31. Executive Director, AMCON: Aminu Ismail.
32. Group Executive Director, NNPC, Maikanti Baru.
33. Group Executive Director, NNPC, Isiaka Abdulrazaq.
34. Group Executive Director, NNPC: Dennis Nnamdi Ajulu.
35. Group Executive Director, NNPC: Babatunde Victor Adeniran

TIME FOR AKPABIO AND HIS DRIVER TO UNDERGO PSYCHIATRIC ANALYSIS WITH FRSC : Ex-Governor Akpabio discharged from hospital after car crash ... PremiumTimes

A former Governor of Akwa Ibom State and Senate Minority Leader, Godswill Akpabio, has been discharged from the National Hospital, Abuja, hours after he was admitted for treatment following an auto crash involving his convoy on Monday.
Mr. Akpabio emerged from the ward in company with his successor, Udom Emmanuel, at 5:10 p.m., witnesses said.

Spotting a gray kaftan, the former governor was assisted down the steps and led to the governor’s official car which was parked close to the ward.

Mr. Emmanuel helped Mr. Akpabio into the front seat of the official car before the vehicle drove out of the hospital premises accompanied by security operatives and aides.

Other top functionaries, who witnessed Mr. Akpabio being discharged included former Abia State Governor, Theodore Orji and the Executive Secretary of the National Christian Pilgrims Commission, John Kennedy Opara.

The Akwa Ibom State House of Assembly Speaker, Aniekan Uko, had left the hospital shortly before Mr. Akpabio was discharged.
 
PREMIUM TIMES had exclusively reported how Mr. Akpabio escaped death early Monday after his car got involved in an accident along the Airport Road in Abuja.

The accident occurred near the Bolingo Junction close to the Ship House, Abuja.
A witness said Mr. Akpabio was moving in a convoy of vehicles towards the City Gate when his vehicle ran into another car belonging to the American embassy.

THE WAGES OF RECKLESSNESS : Ex- Governor Akpabio hospitalised in Abuja after own car disobeyed traffic light, then crashed ... PremiumTimes

A former Governor of Akwa Ibom State, now Senate Minority Leader, Godswill Akpabio, escaped death Monday morning after his car got involved in an accident along the Airport Road in Abuja.
PREMIUM TIMES learnt that the accident occurred near the Bolingo Junction close to the Ship House, Abuja.
A witness said Mr. Akpabio was moving in a convoy of vehicles towards the City Gate when his vehicle ran into another car.
“My wife and I were coming from the NNPC Mega Station and we stopped at the traffic light by Bolingo Hotel Junction. When the green light showed and we made to move, there was this siren blaring Mercedes Benz jeep that came from the town and almost crashed onto my car. I don’t know how we dodged but another that was behind the jeep hit the car behind me and tumbled on its side.
“I and my wife rushed out of our vehicle and helped the driver bring out his boss. When we brought him out, we found that it was former governor Godswill Akpabio.
“At the time we brought him out, the siren was still blaring. We put him in the other vehicle and he was rushed to the National Hospital.”
The witness said Mr. Akpabio was badly shaken and was in a traumatic condition when he was brought out of the crashed vehicle.
He said the former governor was apparently rushing out of the city when his convoy beat the traffic and crashed.
When PREMIUM TIMES arrived at the National Hospital two hours after Mr. Akpabio was admitted at the hospital, a security official said the former governor was at the National Trauma Center.
The source however noted that Mr. Akpabio was later moved to a private section of the hospital for X-ray and other investigations.
At about 10am, PREMIUM TIMES met with the driver to the former governor, simply called David who confirmed the accident.
Mr. David said his boss was in a stable condition but declined to say how the accident happened. He wore a pair of black jeans trouser with a white stripped shirt.
When contacted on the telephone, the Chief Medical Director of the hospital, J. Momoh, said he could not speak on Mr. Akpabio’s case because he had no authorisation from the family.
Mr. Momoh, who argued that it was against medical ethics to speak about a patient on admission, did not however deny that Mr. Akpabio was being treated at the facility.
“I cannot speak about a patient on admission without getting approval from his family. You should therefore excuse me,” Mr. Momoh said.
When reminded that Mr. Akpabio was a public official and Nigerian Senate Minority Leader and not a quiet family man, Mr. Momoh still insisted he could not speak on the matter.
At about 12.25p.m. Mr. Akpabio’s successor, Governor Udom Emmanuel, arrived in a three-vehicle convoy, led by a Toyota Jeep, with registration number, Yab 474 BG.
Mr. Udom was driven in a BMW salon car with the number plates covered.
UPDATE
Mr. Akpabio’s Physician, Iniobong Essien, has arrived the National Hospital to oversee the medical treatment of the former governor.

WHAT MANNER OF THIEVES AND CROOKS DO WE HAVE IN HIGH PLACES IN THIS NATION? : EFCC arrests Adamawa University VC, others for selling N13m SUV as scrap FOR 150K ... Read documents used for this story here. ... PremiumTimes

The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, on Monday arrested top officials of the Adamawa State University for selling a N13 million government-owned Toyota Land Cruiser as scrap.
The commission’s spokesperson, Wilson Uwujaren, confirmed the arrest in a telephone interview with PREMIUM TIMES.
Mr. Uwujaren said the vice chancellor of the university, Shall David Joshua, and the bursar, K.E. Anjili, were among those arrested.
“Our operatives in Yola, Adamawa State today arrested top officials of the Adamawa State University for questioning over the sale of a brand new Toyota Land Cruiser jeep as scrap to the former FRSC boss, Haladu Hananiya,” the EFCC spokesperson said.
PREMIUM TIMES had on August 6 reported how a former Corps Marshal of the Federal Road Safety Commission, FRSC, Haladu Hananiya, paid N150,000 for a new Toyota Land Cruiser SUV worth N13 million.
Mr. Hananiya is alleged to have used his position as former Chairman, Governing Council of the Adamawa State University, ADSU, to convert the vehicle to his personal property.
The university bought the vehicle on January 28, 2015, several months after the former FRSC boss ceased to be chairman of the institution’s board.
Seven days later, the car was passed to Mr. Hananiya who bought it off as scrap, paying a only N150, 000.
Mr. Hananiya was appointed chairman of ADSU governing council on August 16, 2014.
About two months into his four-year tenure; the state government sacked the board on October 8, 2014.
Investigation showed that the vehicle was purchased from AS Galadima Motors, located at Dawaki Junction, opposite Charley Boy Bus Stop, Kubwa Express Way, Abuja, with receipt number 0006 and sales invoice no: 0106.
A petition sent to the EFCC said that prior to Mr. Hananiya’s appointment, the university’s management passed a resolution empowering principal officers to retain official vehicles after paying the scrap value of N150, 000.
“Principal officers are entitled to retain their official vehicles once during their tenures after paying the scrap value of N150, 000; and if for any reason an officer leaves office after spending two years or half of the tenure, he shall pay the scrap value of N150, 000,” part of the resolution reads.

SHOCKING: Ex-FRSC boss buys off govt’s 7-day old N13m SUV as scrap, paying N150, 000

A former Corps Marshal of the Federal Road Safety Commission, FRSC, Haladu Hananiya, is in trouble for allegedly paying N150,000 for a brand new Toyota Land Cruiser SUV worth N13 million.

Mr. Hananiya is alleged to have used his position as former Chairman, Governing Council of the Adamawa State University, ADSU, to convert the vehicle to his personal property.

The university bought the brand new vehicle on January 28, 2015, several months after the former FRSC boss ceased to be chairman of the institution’s board.

Seven days later, the car was passed to Mr. Hananiya who bought it off as scrap, paying a token N150,000.

A whistle blower, one Luka Ibrahim Monduva, first made the alleged scam public in a petition to the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC.

Mr. Hananiya was appointed chairman of ADSU governing council on August 16, 2014.

About two months into his four-year tenure; the state government sacked the board on October 8, 2014.

However, three months after the board was sacked, the university, on January 28, purchased a brand new Toyota Land Cruiser V6 SUV with chassis no: JJEJU9FJ3E5C47168 for Mr. Hananiya.

He bought off the vehicle as scrap seven days later.

Investigation showed that the vehicle was purchased from AS Galadima Motors, located at Dawaki Junction, opposite Charley Boy Bus Stop, Kubwa Express Way, Abuja, with receipt number 0006 and sales invoice no: 0106.

In his petition to the EFCC, Mr. Monduva alleged that prior to Mr. Hananiya’s appointment; the university’s management passed a resolution that empowers principal officers to retain official vehicles after paying the scrap value of N150, 000.

“Principal officers are entitled to retain their official vehicles once during their tenures after paying the scrap value of N150, 000; and if for any reason an officer leaves office after spending two years or half of the tenure, he shall pay the scrap value of N150, 000,” part of the resolution reads.

But Mr. Hananiya only spent two months in office, and Mr. Monduva described his purchase of the new car on scrap value as “fraudulent and questionable”.

He insisted that during the short period the former FRSC boss served in the university’s board, he was not given an official vehicle.

“However, the Governing Council of ADSU, acting in concert, conspired with the vice chancellor of the university and purchased an official vehicle on the 28th day of January 2015 at the cost of N13 million long after the termination of Gen. Hananiya’s short term in office,” the petition reads.

“I wish to assert here that subsequent to the belated and illegal purchase, the duo reduced the disused official vehicle to a ridiculous scrap value of N150, 000 only, which does not in any case represent the fair value of the vehicle.

“Wherefore, I humbly invite the EFCC to interfere and reverse the fraud perpetrated on the university and prosecute parties to the act altogether, thereby engendering probity and observance of due process in the discharge of official functions by public servants.”

Officials of the Adamawa State University could not be reached to comment for this story. Multiple calls to the two telephone numbers listed on the university’s website failed to connect.

An email seeking comment to the address listed on the university’s website is yet to be responded to.

Attempts to seek clarifications from Mr. Hananiya failed as he would not pick calls or reply a text message sent to him.

However, EFCC spokesperson, Wilson Uwujaren, confirmed that the commission received a petition against the former FRSC boss.

Mr. Uwujaren also confirmed that the EFCC has started investigating the matter.

Read documents used for this story here.

BETWEEN A BISHOP AND A PHARISEE ... TIMES ARE CHANGING AND CHANGING FAST : Thousands Protest Against Malaysia’s Najib Razak Over Corruption Allegations ... Prime minister faces anger over his handling of troubled 1MDB investment fund, economy ... WSJ

KUALA LUMPUR, Malaysia—Protests against Prime Minister Najib Razak’s management of the economy and the debt problems at a state investment fund entered a second day on Sunday.
On Saturday, police said an estimated 25,000 people protested in the Malaysian capital.
Authorities earlier denounced the protest, which began Saturday afternoon near Merdeka, or Independence, Square in the center of Kuala Lumpur, as illegal. The government also said it was against the law to wear yellow T-shirts in support of the rally.
However, the directives and the deployment of hundreds of police officers didn’t do much to deter the protesters. Many were seen wearing yellow, while some vendors were reported to be openly selling the garments on the streets.
Police estimate about 30,000 people took part in protests nationwide on Saturday. There were no immediate reports of incidents or arrests.
“We are collectively against this government,” said Hasbullah Yakuub, one of those who took to the streets in Kuala Lumpur.
The heavy police presence and the government order banning the yellow T-shirts reflect Mr. Najib’s resolve to stay in power after it emerged that nearly $700 million was deposited into his bank accounts shortly before 2013’s national elections. Last month he sacked then-Deputy Premier Muhyiddin Yassin after Mr. Muhyiddin called on Mr. Najib to explain the worsening situation at the investment fund, 1Malaysia Development Bhd., or 1MDB. Mr. Najib also promoted four members of a parliamentary committee investigating 1MDB to the cabinet, meaning they could no longer stay on the panel. The following day, he replaced the country’s attorney general, who was also involved in an investigation into 1MDB, ahead of his scheduled retirement date in October.
On the financial front, Mr. Najib also this week created a new policy team to help stabilize the country’s economy.
State media agency Bernama on Saturday reported him as saying the protesters are “shallow and poor in their patriotism and love for their motherland” for holding the demonstration so close to the country’s independence day on Monday. “Don’t they understand the country was built on the blood and sweat of our freedom fighters?”

           

Malaysia Prime Minister Najib Razak, seen during the 19th annual Leaders Consultation in Brunei on Aug. 11, faces rising criticism. Photo: Reuters

Despite the protest, political analysts said Mr. Najib will likely succeed in keeping control of this resource-rich nation, as long as the British-educated leader can retain the support of the ruling United Malays National Organization and prevent a steeper slide in the value of Malaysia’s ringgit currency, which has lost about 16% of its value against the dollar this year.
The protests follow a report in The Wall Street Journal last month that Malaysian investigators had traced nearly $700 million of deposits into what they believed were Mr. Najib’s personal bank accounts after the movement of cash among agencies, banks and companies linked to 1MDB. Mr. Najib is head of 1MDB’s advisory board.
The Journal reported that the original source of the money was unclear and that the government investigation hadn’t detailed what happened to the money that allegedly went into Mr. Najib’s personal accounts. Mr. Najib has denied any wrongdoing or taking money for personal gain. The country’s antigraft agency said the money in Mr. Najib’s account was a donor contribution that originated from the Middle East. The donor wasn’t specified.
The issue has created a political firestorm in Malaysia, re-energizing the country’s opposition movement. It also provided fresh momentum to former Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad’s campaign for the 62-year-old Mr. Najib to resign as head of both Malaysia’s ruling party and its government.
Economists said the furor has further depressed business sentiment in the country, making the ringgit one of Asia’s worst-performing currencies this year.
The latest protest, organized by the Coalition for Clean and Fair Elections, or Bersih, as it is known in Malay, also draws on dissatisfaction with some of Mr. Najib’s economic policies. Before the protest, supporters said they had sold more than 30,000 yellow, Bersih-themed T-shirts. The rally was scheduled to last until midnight Sunday to usher in Malaysia’s 58th National Day.
Opposition politicians have made complaints ranging from the alleged gerrymandering of electoral districts to the conviction of opposition talisman Anwar Ibrahim for sodomy this year.
Yet analysts said that despite the strong show of dissent on the streets, Mr. Najib’s position is likely to be secure as long as he can keep the support of UMNO, which has governed Malaysia since independence from Britain in 1957.
“That’s his immediate concern: to ensure the stability of the support for himself in UMNO,” said Ibrahim Suffian, director at Kuala Lumpur-based polling firm Merdeka Centre.
“The Bersih protest itself isn’t going to change anything,” said James Chin, a Malaysian academic who heads the Asia Institute at the University of Tasmania in Australia. “Unless there is a full-scale riot, he is still in a strong position. The only thing that can really kill Mr. Najib’s career is if the ringgit slides,” Mr. Chin said. “Then we might see the country’s big business tycoons withdrawn their support from UMNO and push him to go.”

                        

A shopkeeper wears a Bersih mask at a stall in Malaysia’s Kuala Lumpur on Saturday. Photo: Reuters

Given that Mr. Anwar, who is by far the most influential opposition figure, is serving a six-year prison term, Mr. Najib’s biggest obstacle to survival might well be one of his predecessors, former leader Dr. Mahathir, who served as the country’s prime minister for 23 years before stepping down in 2003.
In recent months Dr. Mahathir, now 90 years old, has campaigned for Mr. Najib’s resignation, accusing him of mismanaging 1MDB, which has amassed some $11 billion in debts. On Saturday evening, Dr. Mahathir turned up at the protest in Kuala Lumpur. He told reporters that he came in person to see what was going on. Mr. Najib has denied any wrongdoing.
Dr. Mahathir still commands considerable support within some sectors in UMNO and on Aug. 20 called for a nonconfidence debate in parliament to determine Mr. Najib’s future. So far, parliament hasn’t acted on the former leader’s call.
Mr. Najib’s supporters privately said he has the numbers within UMNO to fend off Dr. Mahathir.
His fight to stay in government is far from over, however. Swiss authorities last week said that they have opened a criminal probe into the relationship between what they called “suspicious transactions” in Switzerland’s banking sector and 1MDB. The investment fund said it is ready to assist in any investigation.

LET THE HOUSE RAT GO AND TELL THE BUSH RAT THAT THERE IS A NEW SHERRIF IN TOWN ... BISHOP KUKAH MUST READ THIS : Discourage Your Husbands From Corruption, Sultan Urges Muslim Women ... ChannelsNews

The Sultan of Sokoto, Alhaji Muhammad Abubakar Sa’ad, has urged Nigerian Muslim women to support the current fight against corruption by discouraging their husbands from engaging in corruption.

The Sultan made the statement on Friday while speaking at the 30th Anniversary of the Federation of Muslim Women Association in Nigeria (FOMWAN) in Ilorin.

The anniversary was celebrated at the Banquet Hall of the University of Ilorin where various Muslim organisations from Ghana, Ivory Coast and the United Kingdom came to felicitate with the Nigerian branch of FOMWAN.
The Sultan pointed out that the change needed in Nigeria should start from home, “for it to be positive and succeed”.
Alhaji Abubakar advised the women to always abide by the dictates of Islam, and not support their husbands who might want to indulge in corrupt practices.
He called on the women to discourage their husbands from unlawful means, if the current change clamoured by Nigerians would be positive.
In his speech, the Kwara State Governor, Abdulfatah Ahmed, also told the gathering that ethnic disunity and religious imbalance in the nation could be traced to lack of good leaders.
He, however, urged the women to hand down good morals to their children, for them to be good and responsible leaders of tomorrow.
Both leaders also called on Nigerians to ensure that the present fight against corruption by the administration of President Muhammadu Buhari was successful.

JUST A SMALL TIP OF THE MIGHTY ICEBERG OF LOOTING : Jonathan, Diezani, Obuah Under Probe Over $6m Mobile Stage Purchase ... PunchNews

The ongoing probe of the past administration by President Muhammadu Buhari has indicted his predecessor, President Goodluck Jonathan, and two of his former officials, over an alleged purchase of three mobile stages to the tune of $ 6.9million, a Presidency source has said.

The fund was said to have been withdrawn from one of the numerous accounts of the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation. According to a document emanating from the presidency on Saturday, the deal, which had become subject of investigation, was allegedly carried out among Jonathan; his Chief Security Officer, Mr. Gordon Obuah; and former Minister of Petroleum, Mrs. Diezani Allison-Madueke. The $6.9 million was said to have been withdrawn for the purpose of buying three units of 40-foot mobile stages for use by Jonathan during mass public speaking events.

According to the document, apart from the fact that the sum for the stages were “incredibly inflated,” there was currently no evidence that the stages were bought since the money was withdrawn. “While the cost of mobile stages range in size and designs, only outlandish rock star musicians in Europe and the United States spend hundreds of thousands on their huge stages way bigger than the 40-feet stages. “Even then, those musicians and superstars would not pay over $2m per stage, according to industry sources. “The process of procurement of the three  mobile stages was neither known to extant Nigerian laws and due process regulations, nor were the offices of the Auditor-General and the Accountant-General in the know, according to the investigators,” the statement read in part. It added that the phony purchase was carried out late 2011, a few months after Jonathan won a general election for a full term after having completed the term of late President Umaru Yar’Adua.

Jonathan’s CSO was said to have initiated a memo to the former president on October 17, 2011, asking for the purchase of three mobile stages. He was reported to have written in that memo to Jonathan that the memo was regarding “regarding my earlier discussion with Your Excellency on the security implication of your public appearances and your subsequent directive on the need to procure a secured presidential platform.” The Presidency source said on the same day, without any financial advice or purchase order reviews, the former President minuted an approval of the request to buy the three stages to the then Minister for Petroleum Resources. In his minute, Jonathan was said to have written, “we have discussed this, please deal.”

According to the document, on the same October 17, the Senior Special Assistant to the President on Administrative Matters, Mr. Matt Aikhionbere, did another letter on the strength of the President’s approval requesting the minister to take action on the request to purchase the stages for $6.9m. It added, “By the next month, an NNPC payment voucher number 3840336 was already in place revealing that the money was released. “NNPC directed that the money be taken from one of its accounts in New York CITIBANK, with sort code CITIUS 33, and Routing number 021000089. “It was first routed from the US bank to an NNPC account in Zenith Bank, with account number 5000026593, Maitama branch in Abuja, from where the money was sent to a private account. “The sum of $6.9m was then credited to a Sterling Bank account of one J. Marine Logistics Limited, Abuja, a company, investigators say, was registered by Obuah.

“The CSO himself, according to investigators, has not been able to show proof of the purchase and his memo irked his bosses at the SSS that he took the initiative to write requesting for the stages, an action which officials say was way above his pay grade.” The document added that it was not the duty or responsibility of the CSO to make the determination on that purchase as he was meant to have informed the service, which will then review the situation and act accordingly. It added that the $6.9million in question was promptly paid on November 29, 2011, into a private account belonging to the former CSO. (Punch)

WEDDING BELLS .. CHARLY BOY TAKES NEW WIFE : Charly Boy Gets New Wife, Says Diane Still With Him ... NAN

Charles Oputa, popularly known as Charly Boy, has taken Ms Ify Koko, a Nigerian-Ethiopian, as wife.

The entertainment maverick told the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Abuja on Friday that "I met her in another radio show. She was one of the callers and that was how it all started. "I have known her for over a year now until we decided to make it a permanent thing few months ago. Some body of my status needs more than one wife. I need many wives, many children and plenty of love that will do it for me.

"Koko is the 18th woman in my life right now and she is the latest. As you can see, I am looking younger because I am very happy with my new bride, who is very beautiful and supportive. "I have also decided to go on air with her because she has something to bring to the table, she is an advertiser and human resource manager." Charly Boy, who introduced the new bride as Ify Koko, said, "I am now married to Ify Koko, a Nigerian-Ethiopian. We have agreed to come together to co-host my radio program: 'Talk Junction' on FRCN network every Saturday by 10.30am.”

The Area Father, as he is popularly called by fans, however, stressed that he was not divorced from Diane, his wife of over three decades. "Diane is still with me, we are not divorced. We have been happily married for 38 years now and she is the Chief Mother of my home and all my children and that is not changing. "She goes no leave, no transfer. Every other woman I have live in their separate places. I really don’t see the big deal about it, people are over blowing the whole thing. "I am an African man, and I can marry as much as I can take care of and I don’t believe in divorce,” he emphasised.

Koko, on her part, said, "I have known Charlie Boy as very caring and loving man and I have a son for him. We decided to formally come together as husband and wife four months ago and I am not regretting it. "I don’t have business with any other woman in his life as I only focus on what I have with him,” she added. (NAN)

UNILAG AND THIS IGNOBLE CULTURE OF SEXUAL HARRASMENT IN FOCUS : UNILAG, I was also a victim of sexual harassment ... PunchNews

I am a product of the University of Lagos and proudly so too. I feel good when I introduce myself as an ex-Akokite.   I naturally align myself with anyone working for the progress of my alma mater and resist anything that could tarnish its image. That was why I joined other great Akokites to resist the unpopular decision of   former President Goodluck Jonathan to rename the university.   And I’m glad we succeeded.

For me, securing admission to the ‘flagship’ of Nigerian universities was no mean feat. I did not only burn the midnight oil, I tried ‘burning’ some in daylight just to get in. My cousin who was a UNILAG student then   had told me that the university was very competitive. He said   I needed a minimum of nine points in my Advanced Level result to qualify for admission. God’s grace coupled with my hard work helped. I got 11 points. So I had a smooth cruise to   my dream university.

However, whatever fond memories I have of my alma mater now are sometimes marred by the ugly incident of sexual harassment I was forced to endure on campus. Of course it is always good to bury our painful pasts in the ocean of forgetfulness, because that is where they actually belong, I sometimes struggle to do so. I feel a gush of disgust whenever I hear about cases of rape or attempted rape on any campus in the country. So you can imagine how saddened I was when I read reports of a teenager raped while seeking admission to UNILAG.

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To think that an innocent teenager could be defiled within the walls of a university community is sickening. And seeing that all that the university could do in this case was to simply disown the lecturer alleged to have perpetrated the heinous act is shocking. Shortly after the university’s denial of any deal with the rape suspect, another lady, now married, accused the same lecturer of attempting to rape her.

It is ridiculous that at a time when universities across the world are thinking of better ways to handle cases of sexual harassment, the best UNILAG could do to protect its own students is to engage in unnecessary defence almost to the point of stupidity.

In my time, there were no official channels of reporting erring lecturers. All I could do was to ask some people to appeal to my lecturer to leave me alone. Unfortunately, some of the people I asked to help me told me to give my lecturer what he wanted. It was that bad.

Though I was not raped, I was seriously harassed if you consider what constitutes sexual harassment in universities in other climes. For example, in Harvard, any unwelcome conduct of a sexual nature that is sufficiently severe, persistent or pervasive, that it interferes with or limits a person’s ability to participate in or benefit from the university’s education or work programme or activities is defined as sexual harassment. My supervisor refused to guide me through writing my final year project because I did not allow him to sleep with me. Imagine that.

UNILAG was setting up a panel to investigate a case that it had technically denied existed. To help the university in facing reality for the sake of others who are probably suffering in silence, I would like the authorities to know that I was a regular student when I was sexually harassed on its campus. My lecturer   then   was a full-time lecturer. And despite being desperate for help, I couldn’t get any.

There is no point playing the ostrich in this matter. UNILAG cannot afford to bury its head in the sand. Sexual harassment is not peculiar to Nigerian universities. It is a well established phenomenon. It happens even in well-established universities all over the world. A recent survey by the Telegraph in the UK found that one in three female undergraduates has some experience of sexual assault while on campus.

Also, a survey of 2,126 students of Cambridge University by the Women’s campaign last year found that more than three quarters of the students had experienced harassment while 30 per cent said they had been sexually assaulted. At Egerton University in Kenya, at least two female students are said to drop out of school yearly due to the problem of sexual harassment.

The only difference between universities in the developed ones and the ones in Africa is that while they are taking pragmatic steps to solve the problem, African universities are pretending as if it does not exist. But the earlier the students are protected, the better for everyone.

Both Harvard and Cambridge have well documented   policies on sexual harassment. They consider it a serious offence. Everybody is well-protected – both the lecturers and the students.   Apart from their well- articulated policies, they also provide counselling services for traumatised victims. In spite of these provisions, their students are still complaining and they are asking for better policies. They think what the universities are using as working documents should be reviewed in conformity with the latest dynamics of the problem. To them, the policies are 10 years out-of-date.

Nigerian universities should emulate their counterparts in the developed world by formulating policies and procedures for responding to cases of sexual harassment. They should establish formal channels of communication where students can report cases of harassment.

Students should know where to go for help when they are harassed by randy lecturers. They should have access to names, emails and phone numbers of people that could be contacted when in trouble. Victims should also be assured of being protected and that they will not be victimised.

Nigerian universities should understand that those who engage in acts of sexual harassment are not likely to stop unless they are challenged. If the lecturers know that their jobs would be on the line if caught, they will exercise some caution. But as long as they think the system is there to protect them, they will continue to perpetrate this heinous crime against women.

EMPTY VESSELS MAKE THE MOST NOISE : Jobless politicians criticising Buhari’s appointments –Keyamo ... PunchNews

Lawyer and human rights activist, Festus Keyamo, has described those criticising President Muhammadu Buhari’s appointments as “few jobless politicians.”

In a statement issued on Friday, Keyamo stated that those politicians depended only on government appointments as their means of livelihood.

He said, “The so-called ‘uproar’ over the perceived ‘lopsided’ appointments made so far by President Buhari is nothing but an orchestrated frustration of a few jobless politicians who depend only on government appointments as their means of livelihood and, of course, the noise of the latest opposition party in town.

“The majority of Nigerians want to see good governance, pure and simple, and care less about the ethnic origin of those appointed into positions.

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“My worry is that the decade-long general division of government positions into ‘juicy’ and ‘non-juicy’, and the mentality that these few ‘juicy’ positions must be shared equally among the major ethnic groups was nothing but a contraption of the old order from which we have just liberated ourselves.”

Keyamo added that all government appointments posed an equal challenge to those appointed as a call to higher service of the country, saying that all public positions come with an equal responsibility to be honest, forthright and dedicated.

According to him, describing some positions as “juicy” and others as “non-juicy” is another way of identifying positions that have enough money from which to steal from those that are “dry.”

Therefore, any agitation from a section of the country to get “juicy” positions, the rights activist said, was only an agitation for their kinsmen to be appointed to steal enough from which they would benefit.

He said, “I therefore unreservedly condemn, in the strongest of terms, the so-called ‘uproar’ about ‘juicy positions’ going only to a certain section of this country. All sections of this country should be happy and content with whatever positions that the President deems fit, at the end of the day, to give to their kinsmen.

“After all, the President still has a long way to go with appointments. He has not even filled up to five percent of available positions. Please, let the President be.”

MISSION ACCOMPLISHED FOR JONATHAN AND HIS GOONS : PDP may soon die, says Okupe ... PunchNews

The Senior Special Assistant to former President Goodluck Jonathan on Public Affairs, Dr. Doyin Okupe, says the Peoples Democratic Party may soon die.

The former presidential spokesman said the PDP might go into extinction soon except the party undergoes a complete overhaul.

Okupe said this in a Facebook post on Thursday.

He commended the PDP for the formation of a body headed by Chief Raymond Dokpesi to increase its membership.

He, however, stressed that the PDP must embark on a complete overhaul if it must remain relevant in the next four years.

He said, “The time has come for the PDP, if it must remain politically relevant, to embark on a total overhaul and reform itself. It must engage Nigerians in a new coalition for the sole purpose of putting our dear country on the path to true, real and the enduring change that will, once and for, all establish us as a major global player, not pretenders that we presently are.

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“The PDP must reform lest it dies, God forbids, a painful and insidious death.”

Okupe said he feared that the PDP might soon die due to its declining acceptability.

He, however, said the All Progressives Congress-led Federal Government had been able to twist the minds of Nigerians such that the PDP appeared as a corrupt party.

He noted that overtime, Nigerians would see that the APC and the PDP are the same.

He said, “The party (PDP) has suffered very serious bashing from the sustained avalanche of assaults from the gigantic propaganda machinery of the now ruling party — the APC.

“The credibility of the party as a veritable political alternative to the APC has been nearly irreparably damaged. Some of the recent disclosures and more that may come up from the impending probes will further damage the national acceptability of the party.

“At the end of the day, the APC may not meet the expectations of Nigerians or may, in fact, fail outright over time but the PDP, as it is presently constituted, will not be an acceptable alternative to the majority of Nigerians now or in the future.”

Okupe, who was one of President Muhammadu Buhari’s biggest critics during the run-up to the last presidential election, said both the APC and the PDP lacked ideologies and proper leaders.

He said while the PDP was created as a coalition to wrest power from the military, the APC was a merger of several interest groups set up to wrest power from the PDP.

WHAT A PITY : Nigerian dies in Malaysia after selling kidney for N6million ... DailyPost

A 28-year-old Nigerian, identified as Chukwudi, from Imo State, had reportedly died while trying to sell his kidney in Malaysia to a patient needing a transplant.
Pulse reports that a Nigerian business man based in Malaysia, disclosed that Chuwkwudi is not alone in this risky and dangerous business of selling internal organs for money, as many young Nigerians undertake this venture just to get rich quick.
The business man (name withheld) said: “I know many Nigerians will say it is none of my business how others make their money but I want to bring this to the notice of our country people how many of our young men die here in Malaysia in very disturbing circumstances.

“I can tell of this young Igbo boy named Chukwudi, from Owerri, Imo state, who was paid the sum of N6 million by one rich man to donate his kidney for a transplant.

“The young man was brought in from Nigeria and I had the privilege of interacting with him and tried to discourage him from undertaking such a risky venture but he was adamant, telling me he had made up his mind already and nothing could stop him.
“I even asked him to join me in my little car washing business from which I have been able to build a house back home but Chukwudi did not want to struggle to make money, he wanted to undertake this venture just to get rich quick.
“He wanted fast money and he ended up a dead man because the operation was not successful. He died in the process while the rich man had a successful kidney transplant.
“I felt so bad because I kind of liked the boy who was a graduate and had a lot of life ahead of him.

AND THESE GOONS CLAIM THEY FOUGHT CORRUPTION WITHOUT MAKING NOISE O : Anti-graft War: We’ve Recovered 70 Vehicles, N600m Generators From Yuguda – Bauchi Gov ... LeadershipNews

Bauchi State governor Mohammed Abubakar has said that the state government through its Recovery Committee has so far recovered over 70 vehicles, N600million generators and a   number of air conditioners from the officials of the immediate past administration of former Governor Isa Yuguda.
Abubakar stated this during an official opening of register by the National Youth Council of Nigeria (NYCN) to collect signatures in support of President Muhammadu Buhari’s anti-corruption war in Abuja.
The governor explained that immediately after his assumption of office, he started to toe the line of President Muhammadu Buhari’s anti-graft war by setting up a recovery committee, which was saddled with the   responsibility of recovering all illegally-acquired vehicles and lands by the immediate past government functionaries.
He said, “I’m happy to be the first governor to register support for President Muhammadu Bahari’s anti-corruption war initiated by National Youth Council of Nigeria (NYCN). I believe the anti-corruption drive would also be factored along good governance, fighting corruption and security of lives and property.”
He expressed confidence that Buhari’s antecedents of zero-tolerance for corruption would place the country on a high pedestal among the comity of nations.
Earlier, national president of NYCN, Ikenga Ugochinyere, said the war on corruption is a war that must be won, adding that a corruption-free Nigeria will guarantee stable power supply, employment, infrastructure development, security, conducive atmosphere for investment, improved standard of living, better economy, and improved international image.
He noted that the youths will be the greatest beneficiaries of a corruption-free Nigeria, saying the anti-corruption war will avail them the opportunity to fulfill their potentialities.

WHEN THERE IS NOTHING THEY CAN DO ABOUT IT AGAIN : Senate, Reps okay pay cut ... Punch

Members of the National Assembly on Wednesday said they welcomed the decision of the Revenue Mobilisation Allocation and Fiscal Commission to review downward the salaries and allowances of members of the National Assembly.

The House of Representatives said a pay cut would be a “relief” to lawmakers in many respects, including restoring the dignity of the legislature in the country.

It noted that it was “disgusting” to hear Nigerians call their legislators “looters” and “thieves” on account of the salaries and allowances worked out for them by an agency of the government empowered by law to do so.

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The Chairman of RMAFC, Mr. Elias Mbam, had on Tuesday disclosed that a new pay package, reflecting cuts in the remuneration of public service officers would be released in September.

Mbam specifically mentioned the National Assembly as an arm of the public service that would be affected in the planned pay cut.

Mbam, who spoke with State House correspondents in Abuja soon after a meeting with President Muhammadu Buhari, said, “Presently, we are reviewing the subsisting remuneration package and it is going to reflect the socio-economic realities of today.

“We expect that before the end of next month, it will be ready.

“But, it will go through a process; it is not something that you will just say ‘yes or no.’

“It will go through a process and it should be obvious to you the economic realities of the day and it is going to reflect that.”

Answering a specific question on whether he thought senators and members of the House of Representatives would welcome the pay cut, he stated, “They (senators and Representatives) do not have a choice.

“We are guided by the 1999 Constitution and we are going to be guided by such laws that are provided for in the Constitution. They swore to obey the laws of the country.”

The House, which reacted through its Chairman, Ad hoc Committee on Media and Public Affairs, Mr. Sani Zoro, claimed that members would be relieved if the new pay package came into effect.

Zoro observed that since 1999, Nigerians viewed legislators as people who did not deserve their pay or even “erroneously” believed that they fixed salaries for themselves.

“So, for us, it will be a relief if the pay is reduced. We will now have our integrity intact.

“We will feel confident to be called honourable, instead of feeling horrible as some people wish to address legislators,” he said.

Zoro also told The PUNCH that the pay cut would reduce the financial pressure lawmakers faced from their constituents and the general public, who held the “wrong impression” that they were very rich.

“This is good for us on another ground. There are those who see us as looters and thieves.

“This is a message to them to let us be; since we will no longer be paid the money they feel we do not deserve.

“Our burden will now become less and we are very pleased with this development,” Zoro added.

Zoro also told The PUNCH that it was a “cheering” decision by RMAFC, coming after the Speaker, Mr. Yakubu Dogara, had set up a committee to assess the “needs” of the 8th House.

He explained that the committee, made up of civil society organisations and professionals in many fields, would cost the financial requirements for running the legislature.

At the moment, each member takes a monthly salary of around N900,000, excluding a quarterly allowance (running cost) of about N27.9m.

Senators take a slightly higher salary and quarterly allocation.

Lawmakers are currently observing a six-week annual recess to last till September 29.

Also, the Senate spokesperson, Dino Melaye, explained that the Senate President, Bukola Saraki, first initiated moves to review downward, the total package accruable to legislators in the upper chamber immediately after the inauguration of the 8th Senate.

CORRUPTION FIGHTING BACK EMPLOYS DECEPTION : I didn’t praise Jonathan’s anti-corruption style – Falana ... Punch

Human rights lawyer, Mr. Femi Falana (SAN), on Wednesday denied claims that he approved of the approach former President Goodluck Jonathan’s administration adopted to fight corruption.

Falana, in a statement, said “some misguided fellows” attributed to him in his recent interview with Channels Television, a suggestion that the Jonathan administration fought corruption in a more civilised way.

“I challenge the reactionary forces that have twisted and manipulated my views to reproduce any statement made by me suggesting that ex-President Jonathan fought corruption in a civilised manner,” he said.

He said the claim was part of a desperate move to discredit President Muhammadu Buhari’s anti-corruption policy and to link him with forces of corruption that were fighting back against the policy.

He said, “In a desperate move to discredit the anti corruption programme of the Muhammadu Buhari admistration some misguided fellows have attempted to link me with the forces of corruption that are fighting back in the country.

“I was  alleged to have  ‘suggested’  in an interview with Channels television, that (former) President Jonathan fought corruption in a more civilised manner than President Buhari. I never made  such a stupid  statement. Hence, the  ‘suggestion’ ascribed to me is grossly misleading and downright dishonest.”

Falana had said in the interview that the National Peace Committee, led by a former Head of State, Gen. Abdulsalami Abubakar, was only protecting the interest of the rich.

He said in his statement on  Wednesday that the much that he said about Jonathan administration’s fight against corruption was that the administration recovered $970m from the loot of the late former Head of State, Gen. Sani Abacha.

He said, “In accusing the influential members of the National Peace Committee of gargantuan  hypocrisy, I did say that tbeir chairman, General Abbdulsami Abubakar, even probed the dead and recovered property and over $1bn from Abacha loot which are contained in the Forfeiture  Decree No 45 of 1999.

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“With respect to President Jonathan, I did say that his administration recovered $970m from the said Abacha loot and sacked  three of his ministers. I never said that those actions were taken quietly as they were announced and celebrated in the media by the Jonathan administration.

“Consequently,  I questioned the motive of the members of the  National Peace Committee in  calling for ‘soft landing’ for corrupt people. Convinced that the call was a demonstration of class solidarity I urged the Buhari administration not to be deterred in prosecuting the anti-corruption war.

“In fact,  I did not hesitate in supporting  President Buhari’s anti-corruption policy by  citing   section 15 of the Constitution, which has imposed a duty on the the Nigerian State to abolish corrupt practices and abuse of power.”

MAKING NIGERIA AND NIGERIANS PROUD : Meet Jelani Aliyu, Nigerian genius who designed Chevrolet Volt (PHOTOS, VIDEO) ... African Spotlight

Jelani Aliyu, hails from Sokoto State, Nigeria and is General Motors Lead Exterior Designer and the designer of the Chevy Volt. General Motors is the world’s largest automobile maker. The car has been described as an American Revolution and one of the hottest concepts in the design line.
Jelani was born in 1966 in Kaduna, to Alhaji Aliya Haidara and Sharifiya Hauwa’u Aliyu. The fifth of seven children, theirs is a very close-knit family. For him, it was an amazing experience growing up in Sokoto, surrounded by the rich culture of the people and the state and enjoying excellent access to the latest and international information.
Scroll down for his video profile…








From 1971 to 1978, he attended Capital School, Sokoto, an excellent school and this served as a very productive educational experience for him. In 1978, he gained admission into Federal Government College, Sokoto, from where he graduated in 1983 with an award as the best in Technical Drawing.
Jelani was privileged to meet and make many good friends from all parts of the country and beyond during this time. He had tremendous encouragement and mentoring from his family and friends and his creative art develop the ed. He drew a lot, designed his own cars, and even built scale models of them, complete with exteriors and interiors.
After FGC, he got admission into the Ahmadu Bello University, Zaria to study Architecture, but soon discovered that curriculum did not support his future vision and plans.
After considering other institutions in Nigeria and their academic programmes, he concluded that only one of them had the study criteria that would support his future goals. The institution in which he chose to pursue his education was one he felt offered the best creative programmes and had experience that would give him the best foundation required to study Automobile Design abroad. That institution was the Birnin Kebbi Polytechnic. He was there from 1986 to 1988 and earned an associate degree in Architecture, with an award as Best All-Round Student. While there, he did some in depth research into home design and construction, looking into materials and structures that would be most compatible with our environment and climate; buildings that would stay cool in a hot environment with little, or no artificial electrical air conditioning. Upon graduation from the polytechnic, Jelani worked for a while at the Ministry of Works, Sokoto.
In 1990, Aliyu moved to Detroit, Michigan to enroll at the College for Creative Studies in Detroit under a Sokoto Schorlarship board sponsorship. Having always wanted to study Automobile Design, this was a dream come true and an absolutely fascinating experience. The course was very practical and emphasis was put on creativity and the development of new designs to provide solutions . He received his degree in automobile design in 1994.
In 1994 he began his career with the design staff of General Motors. He worked on the Buick Rendezvous and was the lead exterior designer of the Pontiac G6. He also worked on the Astra with General Motors’ Opel Division.
With his brilliant work on the design of the Chevrolet Volt, which was unveiled in 2007, Jelani Aliyu is considered by many to be the super star of the General Motors renaissance.

THERE IS NO BEATING THE OLD FOX IN ESTABLISHING THE RULE OF LAW : Nigeria to cut senators, reps’ jumbo pay as Buhari fumes ... PremiumTimes

Following President Muhammadu Buhari’s order directing the Revenue Mobilisation, Allocation and Fiscal Commission (RMAFC) to address public outcry over huge salaries and allowances of members of the National Assembly, the chairman of the commission, Elias Mbam, said on Tuesday that Senators and members of the House of Representatives will earn less than N1 million by the end of next month.
Speaking at the State House after Mr. Mbam made presentation on the activities and challenges of the commission, President Buhari chided the RMAFC for approving excessive remunerations for some political office holders, and urged the commission to seek a proper interpretation of its powers and address the public outcry against the unreasonably high payments.
President Buhari also warned that severe sanctions will be visited on any individual or organisation that violates the directive on the payment of all national revenue into the Federation Account.
President Buhari spoke a week after PREMIUM TIMES published details of the federal lawmakers’ salaries and allowances, a publication that sparked widespread public anger against the lawmakers, with many calling a drastic cut.
But in his response to reporters’ questions after meeting the president, the RMAFC boss said the commission had been working on the review of the salaries and allowances of the political office holders at National Assembly, the State Assemblies and Local Governments, adding that the review also covers the Judiciary.
Mr. Mbam said the review, which according to him is still going through a process and expected to be ready by next month, is expected to reflect the economic realities of the day occasioned by the drop in oil prices.
“We are currently reviewing the subsisting remuneration packages and it is going to reflect the socio-economic realities of today. We expect that before the end of next month, it will be ready. But it will go through a process, it is not something that you will just say yes or no,” he said.
According to Mr. Mbam, “no member of the National Assembly should earn up to N1million per month” and that the Senators and Members of the House of Representatives have no option but to abide by the commission’s new wage formula.
“They do not have a choice. We are guided by the constitution and we are going to be guided by such laws that are provided for in the constitution and the oath they swore to obey,” he said.
According to him, President Buhari advised that they use all legitimate means to ensure that all public office holders’ emoluments comply with those approved by the commission and “ensure that leakages are blocked.”
As part of the challenges faced by the commission, Mr. Mbam said the commission was not properly funded as it should be one of the agencies of government that should have financial autonomy.
“The best way to do that is to include it as one of the agencies that will benefit from first line charge,” he said.
The second challenge, he said is lack of power of enforcement. He therefore demanded a review of the Act establishing the commission so that it can have power of enforcement and sanctions on any of the defaulting MDAs.
Mr. Mbam said the review of of salaries and allowances had been on since last year, noting that it had become imperative to conclude it following the drop in oil prices and the financial constraint which had degenerated to states been unable to pay salaries of staff.
“These are some of the issues that made the review necessary. It did not start with this administration, we started the review as far back as last year. It is not because of the present administration that we commenced it,” he said.
The RMAFC is saddled with the responsibility of determining the remuneration for political office holders, both elected and appointed, from the national level to the local government level.
The pay packages of public office holders, particularly the salaries and allowances of the National Assembly members, have been an issue of serious concern among Nigerians.
Since 2010, the N150 billion annual allocations to the National Assembly in the budget, which includes the salaries and allowances as well as other perks, have remained a closely guarded secret, as their details have always been hidden from the public.
PREMIUM TIMES had on August 18 published a report indicating that the 360 members of the House of Representatives gulp N6.58 billion from the nation’s treasury in annual salaries and allowances, while the 109 Senators cost the nation N2.14 billion in similar emoluments.
Cumulatively, the country shells out a hefty N8.72 billion every year in salaries and allowances to lawmakers in the two chambers of the National Assembly.
However, the amount the Senators and Members of the House of Representatives remit as tax appears insignificant as their income tax is calculated as a function of their basic salaries alone.
Yet the allowances, which are non-taxed are about 870 percent (Senators) and 820 percent (Reps) of their basic salaries.
PREMIUM TIMES analyses of the lawmakers’ pay did however not include the illegal but hefty quarterly allowances lawmakers pay themselves – they call it office running cost.

ADIEU NURSE CARO. WE WILL MISS YOU DEARLY : Chief matron of Lagos Assembly found dead in office ... PMNews

The Chief Matron of the Lagos State House of Assembly, Mrs. Caroline Oriola, was reportedly found dead in her office at the Assembly premises on Monday morning.
Oriola had gone to the office on Saturday but did not return home.
Her dead body was discovered on the Monday morning by a cleaner, who had gone to clean the clinic before the the resumption of work.
It was learnt from some staff that the Chief Matron had gone to her office on that Saturday to pick some drugs.
She allegedly drove her car to the Assembly complex, parked at the lawmakers’ car park, before proceeding to her office.
She was also said to have put on the air conditioner in her office and backed the door.
Security men on duty at the weekend were oblivious of the incident even though the woman signed in before she picked the keys to the clinic being a weekend.

Late Mrs. Caroline Oriola

Her colleagues and other staff of the Assembly have expressed shock at the incident with many describing her as a very good woman who never took the health of others lightly.
“It is indeed a sad news, nobody expected that she would die, when she did.
“We were told that she was in the clinic to pick some drugs only for her dead body to be found on the floor by a cleaner,” one of the staff who refused to mention his name, said.
It was learnt that Oriola’s husband, who had waited endlessly for her to return home, had gone to check for her at the Assembly.
However, her husband was said to have returned when she could not find her car at the general car park as she was supposed to have done.
The body of the deceased has been conveyed to the morgue using the Assembly ambulance.
It was accompanied by some staff of the House led by the Clerk of the House, Mr. Segun Abiru.

THIS EX-NSA SHOULD TREAD CAREFULLY : SSS charges ex-NSA, Sambo Dasuki, to court for ‘undermining national security’ ... PremiumTimes

The State Security Service on Monday announced that it has charged the immediate past National Security Service, Sambo Dasuki, over alleged “acts capable of undermining national security.”
A statement Monday by an official of the Service, Tony Opuiyo, said Mr. Dasuki was charged for “possession of fire arms without license punishable under section 27(i)(a)(i) of the Firearms Act Cap F28 LFN 2004″.
The statement said, “You may recall that on 16th July, 2015, the Department of State Services (DSS), carried out a search operation on properties belonging to the immediate past National Security Adviser, Mohammed Sambo Dasuki (Col/rtd), in Abuja and Sokoto.
“This action was necessitated by credible intelligence which linked him to acts capable of undermining national security. The search operation led to the recovery of large cache of arms and ammunition among other things and for which further investigation was conducted.
“Consequently, on Monday 24th August, 2015, he was charged to court based on evidence so far obtained, but which relates to possession of fire arms without license punishable under section 27(i)(a)(i) of the Firearms Act Cap F28 LFN 2004. This is in line with democratic practice and our avowed commitment to the rule of law, in which nobody is deemed to be above the law no matter how highly placed in the society. Accordingly, the general public will be duly informed as the matter progresses.
“Meanwhile, the Service recommits itself to the fundamental role of providing adequate security for all Nigerians to enable them pursue their legitimate aspirations and businesses.”

SETTING THE RECORDS STRAIGHT ... I’m ready for probe, Okonjo-Iweala declares ... PremiumTimes

Former Minister of Finance, Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, on Sunday declared support for President Muhammadu Buhari’s anti-corruption drive, saying she was ready to subject herself to an unfettered government probe of her two terms in office.
The former Minister, who was reacting to media reports that she was planning to build a multi-million dollar Okonjo –Iweala family hospital in Abuja, denied nursing any such ambition.
Mrs. Okonjo-Iweala, who spoke through her spokesperson, Paul Nwabuikwu, described the report as “totally baseless”, as “the alleged hospital is non-existent”.
“Dr Okonjo-Iweala has a clean record of two terms in office,” the spokesperson said. “As we have consistently maintained, she is not afraid of a transparent investigation of her two terms in office. She supports the anti-corruption drive in Nigeria. No one who has had the privilege of serving his or her country should feel too big to be investigated.
“It is this very issue of fighting corruption that brought her back in the first place and she has a track record of blocking corruption. It is ironic that it is those same corrupt people who are trying to tarnish her image,” he said.
Mr. Nwabuikwu denied the existence of any hospital owned by Mrs. Okonjo-Iweala’s immediate family.
“Anyone who is in doubt can go to Gwarinpa, Abuja where the hospital is allegedly located, or enquire from General Electric and Perkins + Will Global, the two organisations that were mentioned as Consultants to the project in the report as to whether the hospital has been built,” Mr. Nwabuikwu said.
The spokesperson, however, confirmed that Mrs. Okonjo-Iweala’s husband, Ikemba Iweala, who retired recently as a neuro-surgeon and emergency physician with over 40 years’ of practice in Nigeria, the United Kingdom and the United States, was actually planning a hospital.
To actualize his desire to give back to Nigeria, Mr. Nwabuikwu said, Mrs. Okonjo-Iweala’s husband had, for several years, been working on plans to establish a hospital in Abuja, using his savings to develop the concept and design of the hospital.
So far, Mr. Nwabuikwu said, Mr. Iweala had made efforts to source for financing for the project, pointing out that it was the prototype design and website of the yet to be realized project that was being published as a multi-billion dollar evidence of corruption against the former minister.
“Why is Dr Okonjo-Iweala the object of this ceaseless campaign of falsehoods and distortions? The answer is simple: because she refused to steal and share, and because she blocked many powerful people, some of whom are now in power, from stealing. That is why they would go to any lengths to tarnish her name,” the minister’s spokesperson explained.
He recalled that it was the former minister’s fight against fuel subsidy scammers that led to her mother being kidnapped in 2012, followed with the demand for her to resign from government and leave the country.
“The hospital idea is still very much alive. Anyone who is interested should please come forward to discuss possible investment. But there is a condition: the money must be clean. Corrupt people, especially lying governors, need not apply,” Mr. Nwabuikwu said.

LET AMBODE SHOW SOME SERIOUSNESS BY IMMEDIATELY SUBMITTING A PETITION TO EFCC AND ICPC TO COME LOOK INTO LAGOS STATE ACCOUNTS UNDER FASHOLA : Fashola spent N139m on two boreholes – LASG ... Punch

The immediate past Governor of Lagos State, Mr. Babatunde Fashola, spent N139m on the drilling of two boreholes at the Lagos House, Ikeja.

The project was completed by Deux Projects Limited according to a report published by the state government

The report, which was part of the awarded contracts by the Lagos State Tenders Board in 2013, was seen on the website of the Lagos State Public Procurement Agency.

In the same year, N640m was spent by the Fashola administration for the reconstruction of a car park and other associated works at the Lagos House, Marina. The report stated that the N640m contract was given to Julius Berger Plc as part of phase two of the reconstruction of Lagos House where Fashola lived during his eight years in government.

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In the same year, N300m was spent on the relocation of cables belonging to the Power Holding Company of Nigeria at the Lagos State University Teaching Hospital. The contract was awarded to Deux Projects Limited.

According to the report, the former governor also spent N175m to replace the railings of a pedestrian bridge on Carter Bridge from Ido to Idumota with concrete railings. The contract was awarded to A Abicon Engineering Limited.

According to the report, N220m was spent on the facility management of the Lagos State University College of Medicine. The contract was awarded to Deux Projects Limited.

The former governor, according to the report, spent N619m on surface repair on Ajara-Erekiti-Iragon-Ikoga Road in Badagry Local Government.

According to the report, Fashola spent N1.2bn on the construction of an unidentified multi-storey building in Onikan, Lagos.

The former governor was also said to have spent N1.6bn on the construction of a 48-bedroom hotel at Lagos State VIP Chalets, Badagry.

About N510m was spent on the remodelling and equipping of the official residence of the state’s Chief Judge at 4 Thompson Avenue, Ikoyi, Lagos, according to the report.

About N165m was spent on the construction of an 18-classroom block at Ajara Senior Grammar School, Ajara Badagry. The same amount was also spent on an 18-block classroom at Community Senior/Junior Secondary School, Bayeku, Ikorodu.

Fashola had recently come under fire for spending N78.3m of taxpayers’ money on his website, tundefashola.com.

Although the figures were published on the official website of the state government, the former governor said all the monies were duly approved by the Lagos State House of Assembly and the Lagos State Public Procurement Agency.

Fashola, in a six-page letter, stated that the website of the state government was authentic.

He, however, warned against attempt by some persons to tarnish his good image and misrepresent his budgetary spending to the members of the public.

All attempts to speak with Fashola’s spokesperson, Hakeem Bello, proved abortive as he did not pick calls neither did he respond to a text message sent to his telephone.

ENSURING THAT JUSTICE IS DONE IN THE NEW ORDER : Boko Haram: Army reinstates 2,500 soldiers, 102 officers ... Punch

Acting Director, Army Public Relations, Col. Sani Usman

The Nigerian Army has recalled over 2,500 soldiers who were asked to withdraw from service for alleged offences committed under the counter- insurgency operations code named Operation Zaman Lafiya.

The review panel set up by the Army, which began sitting in Kaduna on August 17, has also screened and reinstated 102 officers, who were sentenced or facing prosecution in relation to the operations in the North-East.

The reinstated soldiers and officers, it was learnt, had commenced retraining at the Nigerian Army Training Centre, Kontangora, Niger State.

The 2,500 soldiers were among the over 4,000 who responded to a memo from the Army authorities inviting soldiers for a review of recent disciplinary cases, which emanated from the counter terrorism operations.

The NA had said on August 1, 2015 that the service would constitute a panel to review all recent disciplinary cases in the service.

But the Acting Director, Army Public Relations, Col. Sani Usman, cautioned that the directive to review disciplinary cases should not be mistaken for a “total reinstatement of dismissed and deserter soldiers.”

Our correspondent learnt that more dismissed personnel of the Army might be brought back to the service as the screening panel would continue with the review of cases on Monday (today).

A source in the Nigerian Army, who confided in our correspondent, said, “The panel has cleared 2,500 soldiers who were dismissed from their units for minor offences alleged to have been committed under Operation Zaman Lafiya.

“The review panel also cleared 102 officers who were either asked to withdraw, dismissed or facing prosecution for various offences under the operation.”

The soldiers, who were said to have been conveyed out of the NDA, Kaduna, venue of the review panel, in luxury buses on Saturday are expected to undergo a short retraining exercise as part of the reintegration requirements into the service at the NATRAC, Kotangora.

After the retraining, the Army authorities would screen the affected personnel and re-activate their suspended bank accounts.

It was further learnt that the panel would also review the cases of 66 soldiers who were sentenced to death by firing squad.

The source, who spoke to one of our correspondents on Sunday, said that not all the dismissed soldiers who turned up in Kaduna were lucky to have regained their jobs.

Some of the soldiers, said to have been dismissed about 15 years ago for various offences, were asked to leave the venue of the review panel.

The soldiers were said to have been dismissed from the Army for various offences since the regime of former President Olusegun Obasanjo.

It was learnt that majority of the affected soldiers were dismissed from the service for violating a law said to have forbidden the personnel of the Army from marrying foreigners.

When our correspondent contacted the Acting Director, Army Public Relations, Col. Sani Usman, he said that those asked to leave the venue of the review panel were not eligible for the review exercise.

Usman said that they were dismissed from the service for various offences about 15 years ago and were not part of those whose cases were meant for review.

Usman described them as “a group of mischief-makers who should have been arrested and prosecuted for disrupting the peace of the public.”

He said, “The alleged protesting soldiers were no longer soldiers for almost 15 years now.

“They were dismissed for various offences and therefore are not part of those whose disciplinary cases are being reviewed by the committee. Consequently, they are not eligible for the ongoing review.

“They are bunch of mischief makers that need to be arrested and prosecuted for constituting a nuisance to the public. Already the relevant security agencies have been alerted on their activities.”

On the issue of the recall of the officers and men of the Army, he said that he could not give the figure of those screened and cleared.

Usman said that the exercise was ongoing and that the panel was expected to submit its report to relevant authorities.

“This is an ongoing exercise; they want to ensure that justice is done. I cannot give you any figure, the authorities are waiting for the committee’s report; they will conclude sitting very soon,” he added.