Welcome to Naijainfo1960 Blog: Police open fire on protesting JAMB candidates

Welcome to Naijainfo1960 Blog: Police open fire on protesting JAMB candidates: Hundreds of candidates, wishing to sit Monday’s  Unified Tertiary and Matriculation Examination of the Joint Admission and Matriculation Bo...

Ebola, coming to an end? Last known Ebola patient in Liberia discharged

According to BBC Africa, the last known Ebola patient in Liberia has been discharged from hospital. Her name is Beatrice Yardolo, 58. Good news!

Ondo Stakeholders Canvass Support For General Buhari

A group of political leaders, acting under the aegis of the “Ondo State Stakeholders Forum”, is canvassing increased support for the candidate of the All Progressives Congress (APC), General Muhammadu Buhari for this month’s presidential election.
At a meeting held on Saturday in Akure, the leaders, drawn from the 18 local government areas of the state, expressed unanimity that what Nigeria needs at this time is to change the government of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) of President Goodluck Jonathan.
To that end, the said that they have been preparing hard to ensure that the APC presidential candidate comes out victorious in the election.
The political leaders added that the corruption being perpetrated under the watchful eyes of the PDP government is enough reason for the people of the state and the country at large to send President Jonathan back to his Otuoke hometown.

How, When And Why Did Jega Become PDP's Mortal Enemy? By Peter Claver Oparah

Like joke, like joke, as the Nigerian lingo goes, Prof. Attahiru Jega, the Chairman of INEC has become enemy number one to the withering cabal in PDP and all those that invested in the continuation of the malfunctioning Goodluck Jonathan presidency and his endangered party, the PDP. INEC Chairman, Prof. Attahiru Jega The other day, PDP's Rottweiler and paid jobber, Chukwuemeka Ezeife was threatening that there would be no election except Jega quits as INEC Chairman. He was simply re-echoing the views of a so called Southern Leaders Forum, a ringside front for supporters of PDP and Jonathan who, on the day the National Security Council met and vetted Jega's preparedness for election, organized a press conference somewhere in Abuja and were demanding the sack and arrest of Jega. Like commissioned jobbers, these shadowy enablers of Jonathan/PDP did not advance any coherent crimes  Jega committed that warranted their extreme demand. At best, what they advanced were mere regurgitations of the disheveled afterthoughts the PDP hastily assembled against Jega and his INEC the moment they saw defeat starring them in the presidential election.

How Edo Pastors Shared ‘N7 Billion PDP Bribe’ – APC

The Edo State chapter of the All Progressives Congress, APC, has said over 400 clergymen in the state shared money offered as bribe to the Christian Association of Nigeria by the Peoples Democratic Party to support President Goodluck Jonathan in the March 28 presidential election. Ayo Oritsejafor is the President of the Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN)
The party, in a statement on Sunday, said some of the pastors drawn mostly from the Pentecostal bloc of the association, got between N50, 000 and N2 million from the N7 billion CAN allegedly received from the PDP and Mr. Jonathan.
It, however, praised the Edo State chairman of CAN, Peter Imasuen, for not participating in the sharing of the largesse.
A Borno-based pastor, Kallamu Musa-Dikwa, recently alleged that President Jonathan, who is also the candidate of the PDP for the March 28 election, gave the Christian body N7 billion to support him.
The clergyman, a former associate pastor with E.Y.N. Church in Maiduguri, said the money was routed through the national secretariat of CAN, which in turn shared N3 million each to its state branches.
Mr. Musa-Dikwa, who is who is the Executive Director, Voice of Northern Christian Movement, spoke in Kaduna a few weeks after the Governor of Rivers State and Director General of the APC Presidential Campaign Organisation, Chibuike Amaechi, said the pastors were given N6 billion to back Mr. Jonathan.
The CAN has since denied the allegation.
The APC said on Sunday in the statement by its spokesperson, Godwin Erhahon, that an insider in the Christian body revealed to it at the weekend in Benin City how the money was shared.
It said “over four hundred pastors in Edo State, majority of whom are of the Pentecostal churches, shared from the bribe with some of them getting between five hundred thousand and fifty thousand naira each.”
It added that “a few others from the so-called super churches received as much as two million naira each because they claimed that their churches have more members.”
The party said it was informed that while the national leadership of CAN disbursed N4 billion to its branches, it kept back N3 billion and left an instruction that Catholic churches be left out of the largesse from the PDP
It said some of the bishops in Edo State were dissatisfied with the “greedy manner” their bosses shared the money.
The APC said it could reveal authoritatively that Mr. Imasuen was one of the state chairmen of CAN “who were godly and patriotic enough to reject the bribe which was given to Christian leaders to campaign for President Jonathan and condemn APC Presidential Candidate, General Muhammadu Buhari.”
The party also claimed that one of those who participated in the sharing of the money was already finding ways to make peace with Mr. Buhari.
PREMIUM TIMES could not reach Mr. Imasuen to speak on the APC claim.
However, Mr. Erhahon said on phone, Sunday, that its claim was authentic as some of the clergymen in Edo State confirmed the offering of bribe to the CAN.

Mimiko Received N2 Billion To Rig Elections, Former Commissioner Alleges

Segun Ojo Sahara Reporters Media Segun Ojo, a former Commissioner for Finance in Ondo State, has alleged that Governor Olusegun Rahman Mimiko has received N2 billion from President Goodluck Jonathan in order to rig the presidential election in the southwest for the incumbent president who is the candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party.
Mr. Ojo claimed that the governor, who was elected on the ticket of the Labor Party but defected to the PDP late last year, had perfected plans for rigging the elections in Ondo, Oyo, Osun, Ekiti, Lagos, and parts of Edo States.
Mr. Ojo made the disclosure while speaking to a correspondent of SaharaReporters in Akure, the Ondo State capital. He asserted that the Presidency had given Mr. Mimiko two billion naira to execute the rigging process.
According to the former commissioner, Governor Mimiko had disbursed seven million naira to each of the PDP wards in Ondo State. He accused the governor of recruiting “political thugs” to strategize on ensuring that President Jonathan wins Ondo State at all cost.
“Governor Mimiko can’t lie to me that he didn’t received two billion naira. The money is now been dispatched ward to ward for the purpose of rigging this presidential election,” said Mr. Ojo. He added, “We all can see that the governor has been moving with his agents from one local government to another in the name of gathering support for President Goodluck Jonathan, doling out funds for people to vote the PDP candidate. 
“I bet, President Goodluck Jonathan and his PDP candidates can’t win elections in Ondo State because the people have seen that they were only been cajoled and deceived by the PDP. They know PDP is a failure in Ondo State, and Mimiko came to the party for further destruction.”
Mr. Ojo, who served as a finance commissioner under the late Governor Adebayo Adefarati, criticized Mr. Mimiko for betraying many of his associates who have now left him for the All Progressives Congress (APC). He said many of the governor’s former allies even regretted working with him during his days in the Labor Party.
“Go and ask people who knew the journey of how Raman Mimiko became the governor of Ondo State. They will tell you that he is never a man someone can trust with his own life. We know what we lost for bringing Mimiko into government. He later became the governor, after many people sold their house, properties and some even lost their life for his ambition. He started witch hunting the people that helped him into power. 
“He forgot the fingers that fed him while the road was still very rough. Already, he has failed and if there is anything you can compare him with, it is ‘evil’ because he deserves nothing more from the people of the state than to send him and his Jonathan parking,” Mr. Ojo said.
Mr. Ojo, who is now an APC member, claimed that 18 political parties in the state were ready to support the candidature of Mr. Buhari and his vice presidential candidate, Yemi Osibanjo.
“Buhari must come as president, Mimiko must go as governor. We are ready to show Mimiko out of Ondo State, and if Jonathan is sent parking, our betrayer Governor Mimiko knows he is leaving as well. He has been following the President up and down like a loose dog, lavishing the resources of the state on trips and private costs while civil servants and people of the state are languishing in poverty.
He boasted that Mr. Buhari would garner more votes in Ondo State than incumbent President Jonathan. He said his political organization called Ondo State Rainbow Coalition was working alongside APC party leaders to sensitize residents of the state on the need to send the PDP government packing.
“I can assure you that we would use the current crisis rocking the PDP in Ondo State to gain more support for General Muhammadu Buhari,” said Mr. Ojo. On the recent endorsement of Mr. Jonathan by some southwest leaders, Mr. Ojo said, “Nigeria of today is now different from the one of yesterday. Those elders were bought with dollars and they sold their conscience, especially those parading themselves as Afenifere. It’s a big shame.”

Presidency May Remove Jega This Week

Professor Attahiru Jega SaharaReporters has learned that hawkish members of President Goodluck Jonathan’s inner circle have convinced him to move in an aggressive and decisive manner to remove Attahiru Jega as the chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) this week.
Sources within INEC as well as the ruling Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) disclosed that, barring a last-minute change of heart, President Jonathan will go ahead this week to force Mr. Jega to embark on a terminal leave prior to the end of his year in the middle of 2015.
Our sources said the decision to remove Mr. Jega would open the door to appoint a new chairman, a national commisoner of INEC, Amina Bala Zakari,  who would be open to jettisoning the use of permanent voters cards and other anti-rigging technologies. “Once Prof. Jega is removed, Mr. President will nominate a new chairman who will declare that INEC is not ready to use PVCs. And once PVCs are removed, it will become easier to carry out major rigging,” an INEC source said.
He added that the Presidency had been able to use its massive slush funds, sourced from deals in the oil and energy sectors, to compromise a majority of INEC officials in the states. Over the last four years, Petroleum Minister Diezani Alison-Madueke has been stashing away funds that President Jonathan is now using to bribe electoral officials, traditional rulers, and even some members of the civil society groups. One PDP insider told SaharaReporters that Mr. Jonathan had distributed more than $200 million to different groups since INEC postponed elections two weeks ago.
Several sources said the removal of Mr. Jega is a major part of a strategy developed by President Jonathan’s team to ensure that they win the presidential and other elections by hook or crook. The presidential election is now scheduled for March 28 while governorship and legislative polls will hold on April 11.
Two weeks ago, facing a groundswell of opposition and in the face of rising unpopularity, the PDP and Mr. Jonathan used a series of maneuvers to compel INEC to postpone elections for six weeks. SaharaReporters had detailed plans by Mr. Jonathan and his team to postpone elections in order to slow the momentum of the All Progressives Congress and its presidential candidate, Muhammadu Buhari.
The Presidency knew that the APC and its presidential candidate were short on campaign funds, said our sources. In forcing the postponement, Mr. Jonathan and his inner circle achieved a temporary crippling of the main opposition party’s ability to continue to run political campaigns and to sustain its electoral lead over the ruling party.
An APC top official told SaharaReporters that the party was truly short of funds. “The president and his people have been putting aside public funds for a long time. They are now sharing the money around the country, but Nigerians are not fools. When the elections come, people will remember that all that money was stolen from them,” he said.
Prior to the postponement, some PDP officials had confided in SaharaReporters that their party and Mr. Jonathan were on the ropes and faced certain defeat. But following the postponement, some of the same officials now wax confidence, asserting that Mr. Jonathan and their party would comfortably win the elections.
A PDP official told SaharaReporters that Mr. Jega’s removal was a done deal. According to him, the hawks around Mr. Jonathan, including Ms. Alison-Madueke, Governor Olusegun Mimiko, Vice President Namadi Sambo, and presidential aides Doyin Okupe and Femi Fani-Kayode, believe that the PDP and Mr. Jonathan can weather the storm of any fallout from the firing of the INEC chairman. “They believe the APC, the world press, the US and EU will make noise, but then everybody will eventually calm down,” said the source. He added that the same situation played out when President Jonathan removed Sanusi Lamido Sanusi as the Governor of the Central Bank.
Our sources said Mr. Jega’s refusal to be compromised in the conduct of this year’s elections had spelt his doom. “Many RECs (resident electoral commissioners) are in the party’s [PDP’s] pocket, but Professor Jega has refused even to pick up the phone calls of those representing the president. That’s why the decision has been reached to push him out of the way,” one INEC source said. He added that Mr. Jega knew that the eyes of the world were on him, and had decided to run elections that are acknowledged as credible.
Our sources added that, before and after Mr. Jega’s removal, the PDP plans to launch a major campaign to depict him as incompetent, corrupt, and a servant of the APC. “His successor will come out and say that INEC’s preparations for the elections are in a state of mess and that further delay is needed to make proper preparations,” he added.

#Ekitigate Rigging Video PSA Launched in Lagos Ft. Obanikoro, Ayodele & Brig.Gen. Momoh

Obanikoro, Ayodele & Brig.Gen. Momoh

A Lagos-based NGO, All Nigeria Save Democracy Movement (ANSADEM) has launched a Public Service Announcement using excerpts from SaharaReporters leaked tape of the rigging of Ekiti state gubernatorial election using creatively designed cartoon images of former Minister, Musiliu Obanikoro and Governor Ayodele Fayose of Ekiti state with Brig. General Aliyu Momoh was kneeling before the duo
 

 

Attorney General Adoke Secretly Funding Anti-Election Lawsuit Through Cronies

AGF Mohammed Bello Adoke An investigation by SaharaReporters has revealed that Nigeria’s Attorney General and Minister of Justice, Mohammed Adoke, is the secret instigator of myriads of lawsuits that aim to scuttle Nigeria’s general elections. The elections, which were originally scheduled to start on February 14, 2015, were postponed till March 28. The postponement followed a series of maneuvers by the Presidency and top security officials determined to see to it that President Goodluck Jonathan is re-elected. 
Last week, SaharaReporters revealed that the attorney general had filed sworn affidavits in support of one of the lawsuits in which an amorphous group, Society for Advancement and Protection of Public Rights, sued the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) as well as the AGF. The lawsuit asked an Abuja high court to bar INEC from using card readers for the 2015 elections.
Embarrassed by our revelation, Mr. Adoke, one of the closest associates of Mr. Jonathan, issued a statement claiming that the officers who swore to the affidavits did not consult with him before filing the affidavits that supported the plaintiff in the case. He said that the concerned officers would be issued a query.

Group Threatens Mass Action If Senate Confirms Obanikoro, Launches Ekitigate Audio Video CD

Musiliu Obanikoro
The All Nigeria Save Democracy Movement (ANSADEM) has issued a strong statement to the Nigerian Senate that if it confirms Senator Musiliu Obanikoro to a ministerial post it will face mass action. This was the message the group sent at a press conference held today at the Centre for Constitutional Governance in Ilupeju, Lagos State.
Comrade Adebayo, the convener of the group, read the press statement saying "confirming Senator Musiliu Obanikoro as minister would be tantamount to a big disservice to the fatherland and a direct attack on Nigeria's democracy."
"We call on the Senate to exercise a great sense of responsibility and leadership by first probing the involvement of Senator Obanikoro in that shameful saga before screening him for a ministerial post."
The group has also mass-produced the audio recording detailing his shameful acts, which is to be "distributed free to Nigerians across the country, the diplomatic community, and international institutions including the United Nations, the International Criminal Court, and the African Union."
Adebayo said that the "removal of Professor Jega at this time is sure to rob the 2015 general elections of all credibility credentials" and therefore "we condemn and call on Nigerians to resist any attempt to postpone the elections again or illegally remove Professor Attahiru Jega as INEC chairman before his terms runs its course."

PDP will rule Nigeria for next 60 years – Patience Jonathan

Nigerian first lady, Patience Jonathan The First Lady, Dame Patience Jonathan, has declared that the Peoples’ Democratic Party (PDP) will continue to rule Nigeria for the next 60 years. Jonathan, represented by the Minister of Women Affairs, Hajiya Zainab Maina, spoke at the party’s women rally in Sokoto on Tuesday.
She said that Nigerian women had got their fare share and attention in Jonathan’s administration by holding about 50 per cent of the posts. “The president has fulfilled all the promises he has made to Nigerian women in 2011 and he will do more if re-elected,” she said.
The first lady also said that the president had 13 women in his cabinet, and had empowered women in a myriad of ways. She further said that the president was also working tirelessly to curb the menace of insurgency.
While commending women in the state for their sustained support to the PDP, She urged them collect their Permanent Voter Cards (PVCs). “Your PVCs are your power which will help you to cast your votes for the PDP candidates at all levels,” she said.
This, she said, would ensure that women were not disenfranchised to vote. The first lady also called on mothers in the state not to allow their children to be used to cause a breach of the peace before, during and after the general elections.
Meanwhile the first lady has started the distribution of some empowerment materials to women in the state. The materials included 1,200 bags of rice, 5,000 wrappers, 5,000 bundles of guinea brocade, 800 women wears, 2,000 rubber mats, 800 children’s wears and 800 blankets.

INEC To Conduct ‘Mock’ Election Before March 28 To Test Run Card Reader Machines

The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) plans to conduct a ‘mock’ election to publicly test run its Smart Card Reader (SCR) machines, an official of the commission has revealed.
The public test run is part of INEC’s efforts to demonstrate the efficiency of the Permanent Voters Cards (PVCs) before the scheduled March 28 presidential election, said Olusegun Agbaje, the Ondo State resident electoral commissioner (REC). He disclosed that INEC plans to hold the ‘mock’ election in twelve states, including Ondo, Lagos and Ekiti in the southwest region.
Mr. Agbaje disclosed the commission’s plans on Tuesday at a “peace accord” meeting convened by the police in Akure, the Ondo State capital. He said the ‘mock’ election had already been slated for Saturday in Lagos and would be carried out by trained officers as a replica of normal elections. He said the idea was to determine how efficient the Smart Card Machines (SCRs) would be for the polls.

Chad President Announces Location Of Boko Haram Leader, Demands His Surrender

President Jonathan and Chadian President Idris Deby Itno State House Photos
President Idriss Deby of Chad told the media during a press conference that the Chad military and government has narrowed down the location of Boko Haram leader Abubakar Shekau.
"He was in Dikwa two days ago. He managed to get away but we know where he is. It's in his interests to surrender," President Deby said during the international press conference.
President Deby added that "‎Abubakar Shekau must surrender. We know where he is. If he doesn't give himself up he will suffer the same fate as his compatriots.”
The Chadian military has been part of a transnational military campaign against the Boko Haram insurgency originating from northeast Nigeria, and has been the target of Boko Haram’s violence in the past.

Reps summon petroleum minister, Shell MD

The House of Representatives on Thursday summoned the Minister of Petroleum Resources, Mrs. Diezani Alison-Madueke, over the decision of Shell Petroleum Development Company of Nigeria to relinquish its interest in some oil blocs called Oil Mining Licence II.
She is to appear with the Managing Director of SPDC to explain the bidding process for the blocs.
The House noted that some “discrepancies ‎and insider trading arrangements” within SPDC on the bidding process for the bloc had been reported.
The resolution followed a motion moved by a member from Abia State, Mr. Abonta Nkem-Abonta.
The House said it was interested in knowing whether the country’s Local Content Law had not been breached in‎ any way in the ongoing bidding process.
“The House notes the circumstances surrounding its intended exit from the said bloc.
“It recognises the need for local content and development in the oil sector.
“It also acknowledges the need for compliance with the Local Content Act in order to accommodate host communities in the process of bidding for oil bloc OML II, which will soon be relinquished by SPDC,” part of the motion read.
The House named Gokana and Tai (Ogoni), Oyigbo, Asa, Ukwa Oil Field (Abia) and Adoni, Opobo, Boni (Rivers) as the communities where the blocs are located.

Budget: Reps slash oil benchmark to $54

The House of Representatives on Thursday slashed the crude oil benchmark for the 2015 budget to $54, down from the $65 originally proposed by President Goodluck Jonathan.

Lawmakers took the decision as they considered and approved the 2015-2017 Medium Term Expenditure Framework and Fiscal Strategy Paper.

The approval of the MTEF is a mandatory requirement preceding the passage of the 2015 budget estimates of N4.3trillion by the National Assembly.

The Senate already approved the MTEF last week, an indication that both chambers may likely pass the budget itself next week.

The Senate had passed $52 as the oil benchmark.

In slashing the benchmark, the House adopted the position of its Joint Committees on Appropriations, Finance, Aids/Loans and Debt Management, which advised against the $65.

The report of the committees indicated that the $65 was not sustainable in the face of the crashing crude oil prices globally.

APC deputy gov candidate defects to PDP

The Deputy Governorship candidate of the All Progressive Congress in Abia State, Prince Eke Idika has defected to the ruling Peoples Democratic Party.
Eke who declared for PDP Thursday at the Umuahia Township Stadium during the PDP’s women presidential rally attended by the First Lady, Dame Patience Jonathan, said the decision was informed by his discovery of late, that the PDP had better agenda for the country.
He said, “I decided to drop the broom because the broom does not sweep well; vacuum cleaner sweeps better. If we need change it must be the right change not just any change.”
The APC candidate who said he returned from the US said he had been impressed by the performances of President Goodluck Jonathan, and expressed confidence that if reelected he would “do more for the country.”
In her remarks at the event, Mrs. Jonathan solicited the support of Abia electorate for her husband saying that he has a better programme for the country.
She said his achievements in the key sectors of the economy so far were a sure proof that if given another opportunity, the Nigerian economy would fare better.

EFCC arrests student for £54,000 romance scam

Operatives of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission have arrested a suspected internet fraudster, a 21-year old student of the Yaba College of Technology, Lagos, Obiechina (surname withheld) for allegedly swindling a United Kingdom citizen, Kieran Oakes, of the sum of £54,000 (N20m) in a romance scam.

The Head of Media and Publicity of the EFCC, Mr. Wilson Uwujaren, said in a statement on Thursday that Obiechina met his victim on Facebook in 2013 and started an affair with her by claiming to be an American business man, Lisa Jackson.
Uwujaren said the fake Jackson and his unsuspecting victim later agreed to get married.
According to him, the suspected scammer collected money on several occasions from the suspect adding up to £54,000 ostensibly to travel to the UK to meet his ‘lover.’
He said Oakes was forced to petition the EFCC after a seemingly endless wait for her lover when she realised that she had been swindled.
The EFCC Spokesman said Obiechinna was picked up by operatives of the commission in a sting operation while attempting to pick up a parcel sent to him.
He said the suspect would be charged to court as soon as the investigation was concluded.

Patience Jonathan right on Buhari, says Fani-Kayode

Former Minister of Aviation, Femi Fani-Kayode

The Peoples Democratic Party Presidential Campaign Organisation has risen in strong defence of the First Lady, Mrs. Patience Jonathan, saying she was spot on in her assessment of the Presidential Candidate of the All Progressives Congress, Gen. Muhammadu Buhari(retd.), as being “brain dead.”

Director of Media and Publicity of the PDPPCO, Mr. Femi Fani-Kayode, in a response to the APC Presidential Campaign Organisation on Thursday in Abuja, said “The First Lady, Patience Jonathan, was absolutely right. To say that General Buhari is ”brain dead” is an understatement and to suggest that he is suffering from dementia is nothing new.

He said, “The First Lady has spoken in a courageous and forthright manner and, most important of all, she has spoken the bitter truth.

“Instead of crying like spoilt little brats and complaining, the APC and the Buhari Campaign Organisation should live with that bitter truth and leave her alone.

“She has every right to express herself in any way that she deems fit and she is entitled to her opinion. This is especially so given the fact that her husband, President Goodluck Jonathan, is in the Presidential race.”

Fani-Kayode further said, “Buhari’s general disdain for women and their opinion is well known. This is a man that said that he would scrap the office of the First Lady if he is elected President.

“If he is not ready to face public scrutiny and criticism for his often times irresponsible, retrogressive, nonsensical and asinine views, he should quit the Presidential race and consider retiring from politics.

“Our counsel to the APC is as follows: leave the First Lady alone or prepare yourselves for a relentless verbal blitzkrieg, the likes of which you have never seen before.”

Refineries will produce 400,000bpd in 2016 – NNPC

The Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation said on Thursday that the country would be producing about 400,000 of refined petroleum products every day when it completes the current rehabilitation of the three refineries in the country by the first quarter of next year.

The Coordinator, Corporate Planning and Strategy, of the NNPC, Dr. Tim Okon, stated this while defending the budget of the agency before the Senate Committee on Petroleum Resources (Downstream).

Okon, in company of the Group Managing Director of NNPC, Mr. Joseph Dawah, told the senators that the corporation could not afford the bills for their turn around maintenance from the original builders.

Okon said when the corporation invited the builders from Japan and Italy for turn around maintenance, they declined and instead, they recommended SAIPEM, a foreign firm operating in Nigeria to carry out the turn around maintenance on their behalf.

Senate slams SEC over N30bn bond to Gombe

The Senate on Thursday accused the Acting Director General of the Securities and Exchange Commission, Munir Gwarzo of allegedly disobeying a court order on the N30bn bond to Gombe State.
The Chairman, Senate Committee on Capital Market, Chairman of the Committee, Ayo Adeseun, also alleged that the agency was spending the 2014 budget which was not approved by both chambers of the National Assembly.
A member of the Committee, Magnus Abe wondered why the Commission would give another N10bn to Gombe State as bond when the initial N20bn was enmeshed in controversy including a court order.
He said, “For a state that receives less than N3bn a month and they now have an obligation of over N700m on loans tied to their allocation. I think that the whole culture of irresponsibility and disdain for the feelings of the public and Nigerian people is reflecting in everything that this Commission is doing.

Muslim, Christian clerics plan joint prayer for Jonathan

Muslim and Christian leaders, operating under the auspices of Inter-Faith Prayer Forum, are to hold a joint prayer for President Goodluck Jonathan and Vice President Namadi Sambo in Abuja on March 20.
This was disclosed by leaders of the prayer forum, led by Archbishop Leonard Kawas and Sheik Dan Zanga, when they paid a courtesy call on the Director-General of the Peoples Democratic Party Presidential Campaign Organisation, Senator Ahmadu Ali in Abuja on Thursday.
Spokesman for the Forum, Kawas, said they were in support of the administration of  Jonathan and applauded the PDP-led administration for doing “great works.”
He said no one could ascend the Presidency if he did not have the blessing of God, explaining that this had informed the decision of the religious leaders to pray ceaselessly for the present administration.
“Koran and the Bible agree on the fact that only God Almighty gives power,” he said.
He allayed the fears that the forthcoming elections would be violent,  declaring that “those in support of mischief will be exposed by God.”
Ali, who was represented by his deputy, Prof. Tunde Adeniran, expressed the appreciation of the PDP presidential campaign organisation for the prayers and support of the religious leaders since the beginning of the electioneering.

Prosecute actors of Ekiti gov poll rigging tape – Poll

Ekiti State Governor, Ayo Fayose
| credits: File copy

Participants in an online poll have demanded the prosecution of those identified to be involved in a leaked audio tape, alleged to be that of a meeting, where the plot to rig the June 21 governorship poll in Ekiti State, was hatched.

 

Those who have admitted that the voices in the leaked tape belonged to them include the immediate past Minister of State for Defence, Senator Musiliu Obanikoro; Minister of Police Affairs, Jelili Adesiyan; Peoples Democratic Party governorship candidate in Osun State, Senator Iyiola Omisore; and Governor Ayodele Fayose.

 

One Brid.-Gen. Momoh, who was the military commander in Ekiti State for the election, and the immediate past Minister of Police Affairs, Caleb Olubolade, were among those who attended the controversial meeting.

 

The alleged rigging tape, which was said to have been recorded on June 20, the eve of the election, by one Capt. Sagir Koli, who worked with Momoh, suggested that the actors discussed how the army commander would assist the PDP to win the election.

 

Koli, who leaked the audio tape, has being in hiding, believed to be outside Nigeria.

INEC set to test run card readers

The Independent National Electoral Commission has selected two states in each of the six geo-political zones across the country to test run its card readers.
The exercise will start on Saturday March 7, 2015.
Addressing stakeholders at the Kano State INEC headquarters on Thursday, the state Resident Electoral Commissioner, Alhaji Mukaila Abdullahi, noted that 54 card readers would be put to test during the mock poll, scheduled to hold at Danmaliki ward in Kumbotso Local Government Area between 8am to 1pm.
Abdullahi said the proposed Saturday field test would afford the commission the opportunity to practically demonstrate the workability of the machines for voter accreditation process, using the permanent voter cards.

Police open fire on protesting JAMB candidates

Hundreds of candidates, wishing to sit Monday’s Unified Tertiary and Matriculation Examination of the Joint Admission and Matriculation Board, narrowly escaped death in Jos on Wednesday when policemen opened fire on them.
It was learnt were policemen were called in to maintain law and order following the unruly behaviour of the applicants, who became restive over the inability of the board to release the examination slips of the applicants.
The students gathered at the Muritala Mohammed Way office of JAMB, following announcements that they could collect the details of their examination centres from the board.
Our correspondent gathered that the students were asked by JAMB officials to leave their slips and come later to collect their details.

Shekau has not killed Chibok girls –Jonathan

Abducted Chibok girls

President Goodluck Jonathan has said on Thursday that the more than 200 female pupils kidnapped by Boko Haram from their hostel at the Government Girls Secondary School, Chibok in Borno State, are still alive.

Jonathan revealed this in an interview with the African Independent Television during a current affairs programme, Kaakaki.

The schoolgirls have spent more than 300 days in captivity since they were abducted in April 14 last year during their West African Examination Council final papers.

The President’s claim that the girls were still being kept by Boko Haram contradicted Abubakar Shekau’s statement in a video released in October 2014 to the media that he had married off the pupils. In a previous statement, the group’s leader had threatened to sell the girls as slave brides.

Jonathan argued that if the schoolgirls had been killed, the Boko Haram insurgents’ commander, Shekau, would have released a video showing how they the girls were murdered.

According to the President, the Nigerian security forces are also wary of storming the main stronghold of the terrorists because they fear the insurgents may use the girls as shields.

He said, “Because they may use them as shields so we are working with the global best practices. We can’t just move in with artillery and clear the place. The good story is that they’ve not been killed. They are still alive because when terrorists kill they display.”

The President however contradicted his assertion, during his Monday interview with the cable TV news channel, Al Jazeera that the Federal Government did not mishandle the Boko Haram insurgency, claiming that the insecurity problem did not start during his tenure.

Jonathan said, “At the beginning, we did not really estimate the capacity of Boko Haram. But over the years they continued to build their capacity with links with other terrorist groups. I believe we’ve got up to 65 per cent of what is needed to prosecute this war.”

He added that the military force was winning the war against the insurgents, noting that only Madagali still remains under the control of the terrorist group in Adamawa State.

“People will want to go back when they no longer hear stories of Boko Haram invasion. We launched the Victims’ Support Fund to aid in rehabilitating them. The Victims’ Support Fund is not managed directly by government but by the private sector,” the President stated.

Speaking on the alleged plot by the Peoples Democratic Party and his administration to foist an interim government on the nation, Jonathan pointed out that there was no provision for interim government in the country’s Constitution.

“There’s no provision for interim government in our constitution. The only interim government is military government. Talking about interim government to me is treasonable. There are some Nigerians that are bent on creating crisis in this country. There was no reason to doubt the May 29 handover,” the PDP presidential candidate said.

Although Jonathan expressed confidence that he was going to win the March 28 election under the platform of the PDP, he admitted that his chances were slimmer than they were in 2011.

“Globally, a sitting president wins with fewer votes than during his first attempt. PDP still has better chances of winning a national election. PDP is still the dominant party; there’s no polling unit where you don’t have PDP members.

“If you remove the PDP elements in the opposition, it would just collapse like a pack of cards. PDP still has an edge over every other party; I am not worried about the outcome of the presidential election,” the President said.

Card reader: PDP plans to rig, says APC

The All Progressives Congress has said the Peoples Democratic Party’s opposition to the use of Card Readers during the oncoming elections has shown the “accuracy of the APC’s accusations” that the ruling party plans to either prevent the election from holding or to rig it.

In a statement in Lagos on Thursday by its National Publicity Secretary, Alhaji Lai Mohammed, the party described as very curious the fact that the PDP “that rushed to the press” to deny the APC’s claims, “quickly turned around to confirm them.”

The party said, ”At the press conference we addressed on Wednesday, which rattled the PDP and the President Goodluck Jonathan Administration so much, we listed the conditionalities of the PDP/Jonathan Administration for holding the election: ‘No PVC, No Card Reader, No Jega’ and the fact that the party wants the military deployed to harass and intimidate voters.

Physically challenged persons protest non-inclusion in SURE-P

Persons with Disabilities in Bayelsa State on Thursday staged a peaceful protest in Yenagoa over their non-inclusion in the Subsidy Re-investment Programme of the Federal Government.

The placard-carrying physically-challenged persons, numbering over 50, took their protest to some major streets and media houses in the state capital demanding inclusion in the programme.

Some of the inscriptions on the placards read, “Stop discriminating against physically-challenged in the state”, “5% inclusion is imperative”, “Community leaders and Kalango stop hijacking our chances”, “SURE-P,we are part of Nigeria, stop discriminating against us” and “Graduate Internship Scheme, we should be included. We have graduates among us”.

President, Joint National Association of Persons with Disabilities, Isaac Stephens, lamented that members of the group had been sidelined in the activities of the programme since its inception in 2012.