I wish U all
Happy New Year
Thursday, 31 December 2015
Not in my time will the senate spend N47bn on cars- Saraki
Senate President Bukola Saraki has denied allegations that the senate is planning to spend N47 billion for car purchase. President Buhari during his media chat yesterday alleged that the senate was planning to spend the said money on cars but said he won't allow it.
Read President Buhari's New year message to Nigerians
Read below...
Welcome to the beginning of a New Year of the continuation of CHANGE in our beloved nation. I am aware that Nigerians have experienced a number of significant hardships over the past months. Living in the State House has not alienated me from your daily sufferings. I am aware of the lengthy queues at fuel stations and of the difficulties businesses have faced in acquiring foreign exchange.
These challenges are only temporary; we are working to make things better. When I presented myself to you as a presidential candidate and asked you to vote for me, I wanted to be a leader who keeps his promises. I wanted to be a leader who restores the people's hope in those elected to serve them. I wanted to be a leader who initiates positive and enduring CHANGE.
I am still totally committed to being that kind of leader. Unforeseen circumstances and other distractions notwithstanding, I shall still do my utmost best to keep every promise I made to Nigerians during my election campaign. In the past seven months since our inauguration on May 29, 2015, my administration has focused on laying the right foundation for the CHANGE you voted for during our historic presidential election. Nigerians will in due course begin to enjoy the fruits of all our ongoing work.
The effective and efficient implementation of our 2016 budget proposals will address many of the socio-economic issues that are of current concern to our people. One area in which Nigerians, especially those in the northeast, have already begun to experience major CHANGE is in the war on terror. I commend our Armed Forces for significantly curtailing the insurgency which has ravaged the northeast of Nigeria over the past few years.
However, there is still a lot of work to be done in the area of security. Our Armed Forces will maintain, consolidate and build on their successes in the war against Boko Haram and violent extremism. This government will not consider the matter concluded until the terrorists have been completely routed and normalcy restored to all parts of the country that have been adversely affected by the Boko Haram insurgency.
Our crackdown on corruption will continue to be vigorously undertaken. I urge the courts to support our efforts and help in the recovery of stolen funds by speedily concluding trials and showing that impunity no longer has a place in our country.
There is much work to do in other areas as well and I have charged all my ministers and other appointees to ensure that Nigerians experience positive changes in their lives in 2016. We must reduce our country's reliance on oil. We must diversify our economy.
And we must do all we can to promote job creation. Our challenges are many but our determination to succeed is strong and unshaken. So too is our confidence in God. I wish you all a very
Happy New Year.
MUHAMMADU BUHARI
FG declares tomorrow January 1st 2016 as public holiday...
The Federal Government has declared Tomorrow, Friday 1st of January 2016 as a public holiday. Minister of Interior, Gen. Abdulrahman Dambazau (retd) made the declaration on behalf of the Federal Government. The minister enjoined Muslim and Christian faithfuls to use the unique occasion to pray for the peace and unity of Nigeria..
Brazilian team offer Jose Mourinho new job, promise to pay him monthly with food hampers..lol
Jose Mourinho is currently in Brazil following his dismissal from Chelsea, and one club in the country is trying to poach the former Chelsea coach. Ibis Sport Club, known as the ‘worst team in the world’ after they set a world record back in the 1980s for the most number of matches (55) without a win, have now offered the former Chelsea who was earning £10million per year at Chelsea, a 2-year contract which includes a monthly payment of a food hamper, bonuses for each game lost, a wage increase every time the team is thrashed.
By funnily enough, if Ibis wins the league, Mourinho would automatically be sacked. Ibis Sport Club made their offer to Mourinho on South America’s equivalent of April’s Fools Day. See the contract below...
http://www.lindaikejisblog.com/2015/12/brazilian-team-offer-jose-mourinho-new.html?m=1
Presidency Votes N3.6bn For BMW Cars In Budget 2016
Presidency votes N3.6b for BMW cars in Budget 2016
Foodstuff, others to get N427.5m
A FLEET of new exotic cars is on the way for the Presidency.
The BMW salon cars for principal officers are likley to cost N3,630,000,000, going by the 2016 budget for the Presidency. The number of the cars is not specified.
Besides, N189.1m is voted for tyres for various vehicles, including the bulletproof and plain Mercedes Benz cars being used in the Presidency.
The expenditure on tyres is to cover other brands of vehicles, including Toyota cars, trucks, Land Cruiser Sport Utility Vehicles (SUVs), Prado SUVs, Hilux pick-up vans, Peugeot 607 and 406 cars, ambulances and others broadly described as “ utility and operational vehicles”.
President Muhammadu Buhari will, in the next fiscal year, likely spend N1,415,706,197 on both local and international travels and transportation, as against the N944,672,109 spent in 2015 by him and his predecessor, Dr. Goodluck Jonathan, on travels and transportation.
As against this year’s N24.4 billion allocation, the Presidency, voted N39 billion in the 2016 national budget.
Details of the 2016 budget breakdown for the Presidency indicate that in place of the N24. 6 million voted for Wildlife Conservation, including the purchase of exotic animals last year, N326m is allocated for next year.
Also, acquisition of presidential canteen materials and kitchen equipment has increased from N83.1m this year to N89m in 2016.
There is also a marginal increase in the N11m voted for supply of foodstuff and catering services in the Vice President’s office in 2015 to N16.6m.
A breakdown of the 2016 budget for the Presidency includes: general renovation of the Guest House (N387m); complete furnishing of the Guest House (N45m); purchase of computers (27.5m) and construction and provision of recreational facilities (764m).
Recreational materials totalling N12m are to be procured.
Other expenditures on the Presidency’s vehicles include N39.8m for the purchase of an unspecified number of 200 amps, 100 amps and 60 amps Mercedes Benz batteries for bulletproof vehicles.
Also N30m is to be expended on the purchase of tool boxes, car jacks, and diagnostic machines for the Presidency’s bulletproof cars.
The purchase of C-Caution triangles, fire-extinguishers and cables is to cost N27m.
While there is no indication of the number or condition of items procured by the Presidency in 2015, N114.4m is to be expended on the upgrade of internet infrastructure in the State House; N22.5 is to be spent on purchasing internet servers.
The purchase of what is described as “Active Devices for State House Network” is to cost N100m and N35m is to be expended on the purchase of security appliances and licences, including computer anti-virus software.
Under the Office of the National Security Adviser’s N90.3 billion budget for 2016, N8.7 billion is to be expended to develop the ONSA’s “All-Eye” surveillance project and N9 billion to construct an esoterically-named “Stravinsky Project”.
The ONSA’s security vote, including funds for operations, is pegged at N576m.
The Department of State Security Service (DSS) has N2.2 billion for its 2016 security vote. The Presidential Air Fleet is to spend N262.4m on Air Navigation equipment.
Under the 2016 budget, State House Headquarters is to spend N104.7m on refreshments and meals. Foodstuff and catering materials worth N102.9m are to be supplied.
There is provision for N99m as grants to local councils.
Other items under the Presidency’s 2016 budget include: N55,670,000 for installation or budget planning software; N272,646,891 for Upgrading of mechanical and electrical power line (underground) supplies to the State House; N322,421,971 for linking of cable to drivers’ rest room at Villa Admin and N213,873,953 for linking of cable from House No 9 Generator House to the gate.
Others are: N618,604,265 for installation of electrical lightings & fittings; N191,592,132 for electrical installation of distribution boards & other cables; N22,861,449 for provision of stage curtains & electrical drive; N10,416,146 for installations of electrical materials and luminaries.
http://thenationonlineng.net/presidency-votes-n3-6b-for-bmw-cars-in-budget-2016/
President Buhari's Media Chat (Video)
The #PMBMediaChat is coming up in less than an hour,
Presidential Media Chat has ended...
Watch video below.
Part 1
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZpXpRT6zavw
Part 2
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Xv6FCn0p-mo
Part 3
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O0SsoqKmdjQ
Part 4
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ghAgdlYdeTU
People Like Nnamdi Kanu And Sambo Dasuki Do Not Deserve Bail – Buhari
President Muhammdu Buhari on Wednesday declared that people like the former National Security Adviser under ex-President Jonathan, Col. Sambo Dasuki (rtd) do not deserve bail.
Buhari was reacting to a question from Premium Times journalist Ibanga Isine during his first presidential media chat on Wednesday in Abuja. Isine was bringing the President's attention to rising criticisms against his government for alleged violation of judicial processes, the rule of law and court orders as seen in the cases of the former DG of the State Security Services (SSS), Mr. Kayode Are, detained Biafra activist, Nnamdi Kanu and the former NSA Sambo Dasuki.
In his reaction, Buhari, fighting to conceal his anger noted that people like Sambo Dasuki and Nnamdi Kanu do not deserve bail because of the weight of atrocities they have committed.
"If you see the kind of atrocities people like Dasuki committed you won't give them bail. A former President told Dasuki to collect N40 billion. N40 billion. And you want to give him bail to go and see his doctor in London? Do you know that Nnamdi Kanu has two passports and he came into the country without using any? Do you know that Nnamdi Kanu brought a sophisticated equipment into the country for Radio Biafra? What kind of government do you people want?" the President fumed.
Read more: http://www.signalng.com/people-like-dasuki-do-not-deserve-bail-buhari/
5 Countries Crushed By Oil Price Collapse - CNN
Countries that produce the world's crude are getting crushed by low prices.
Huge budget surpluses are turning into deficits, and generous social programs are being replaced with austerity and cuts.
Oil has collapsed below $37 a barrel, compared to over $100 in mid-2014. The global oil glut, OPEC's determination to pump like there is no tomorrow, and slowing demand from China and other countries are pushing oil prices to new lows.
Here are the five countries hit the worst.
1 Venezuela
Venezuela has the world's largest oil reserves. Its government has for years used the money it makes producing oil to pay for pensions, health care, social benefits and even to subsidize housing and grocery stores.
But now, the economy is on the brink of collapse. Inflation soared over 150% in 2015 and is expected to rise over 200% next year. The government is unable to pay its bills, and food and basic supplies are in short supply.
The economic downturn has led to political turmoil. Earlier this month, the country's opposition won a majority in an election for the first time in 17 years.
2 Saudi Arabia
Oil accounts for 75% of Saudi Arabia's revenue and the country's finances are getting slammed. The government ran a nearly $100 billion budget deficit in 2015 and announced tough austerity measures for next year.
"That's a reminder that even the world's lowest-cost oil producer relies on high(er) prices to balance its budget and current prices don't come anywhere close," Kit Juckes, global strategist at Societe Generale, said.
3 Nigeria
Africa's biggest oil producer is in trouble. Oil accounts for roughly 75% of Nigeria's government revenue, and almost 90% of the country's exports.
The plunge in oil prices has left the government unable to pay its bills. Local media reported that in some regions, state employees haven't received salaries in months.
The country is suffering from power cuts and fuel shortages.
4 Russia
Nearly half of Russia's government revenue comes from oil and gas exports. The plunge in oil prices came when Russia was already suffering because of Western economic sanctions, imposed on Moscow over its involvement in the crisis in Ukraine.
Russia's budget is based on an oil price of $50 per barrel, but oil is trading around $37. The International Monetary Fund expects Russian GDP will shrink by 3.8% this year and by another 0.6% in 2016.
5 Iraq
Low oil prices are crushing Iraq's finances when the country desperately needs income to fund its war against ISIS.
Iraq has been pumping record amounts of oil this
year, but the increase in production hasn't
compensated for the drop in prices. The country
has huge oil reserves, but needs more investment
in infrastructure to access it.
http://money.cnn.com/2015/12/30/investing/oil-prices-countries-suffering/index.html?sr=twmoney123015oil-prices-countries-suffering0703PMVODtopLink&linkId=19996273
Wednesday, 30 December 2015
President Buhari is right by pegging the price of one liter of petrol to N85 in Nigeria
President Buhari is right by pegging the price of one liter of petrol to N85 in Nigeria based on the average international price of one barrel of oil that is hovering around $38 or less
Mikel Obi: Chelsea's atmosphere's much better now than under Jose Mourinho
Chelsea and Nigeria midfielder John Mikel Obi says Chelsea is much more happier under Guus Hiddink and have a better atmosphere in the team than under former manager Jose Mourinho, who was removed by the club owner, Roman Abramovich, before Chelsea's 3-1 victory over Sunderland on 19 December. Obi said;
"We’ve moved on and the atmosphere has improved since the change of manager. It’s fine now, we’ve just not been getting results. José is a fantastic manager and will always be a fantastic guy. But sometimes football is a cruel game and you have to move on.
He came back to the club a second time and won two trophies but now he’s gone and we have to move on. Is it the right decision? Who knows? We’ll only see in the future. “He [Hiddink] hasn’t changed much yet but he was here before and he knows the place and all the staff. The players are different – only me and John Terry were here before – but he knows what to do. We’re down there in the table for a reason so he can’t come in and perform miracles but we want to get out of there and climb the table. We’ve had three games now without losing so are making the right steps. I’ve been as confused as everyone else,” he said.
“It’s difficult when you’re not playing, as you don’t really know what the problems are. I wasn’t playing that much under Mourinho so couldn’t put my finger on what was going wrong. It was a collective thing – the players and the manager were not performing.” he concluded
Mikel also feels Man Utd played for a draw just like Chelsea were content with a draw at their recent clash at Old Trafford.
“Sometimes you could see in the game (against Man Utd) that they had chances to attack but were a little bit sceptical or hesitant. Maybe they were a little bit scared. “I don’t think they were really scared but just a bit cautious. They were playing not to lose as well. Because of the fast players we have up front, who can break, they were cautious and approached the game not to lose. Both teams are not in the right place right now to attack, attack, attack, attack. Sometimes you have to be smart and settle for a point.”
Source: Lindakejiblog
Nnamdi Kanu apologises to Pres. Buhari, Jonathan, Igbo elders
Leader of the Indigenous People of Biafra and founder of Radio Biafra, Nnamdi Kanu, has expressed regret for referring to President Buhari as a terrorist, evil and a paedophile during one of his programmes on his radio station on August 1st this year. Kanu tendered the apology for his comment against Buhari, Jonathan and others in a statement which he made to the DSS on October 23rd.
The statement in part reads
"Reference to the President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria as a terrorist, evil and a paedophile is regrettable and uncalled for and for that, I unreservedly apologise and will be doing so in a private letter to the President. Before PMB (President Buhari) there was the administration of Goodluck Jonathan. I also said uncomplimentary things about him and Igbo elders as well, which I now recognise should not have happened because it is un-African to be rude or insolent to elders. All I was trying to do is to draw attention to the problems afflicting society and something done about them.”.
He says he is however not apologetic on his stand for the actualization of the Biafran state. Kanu who is standing trial for treason and five other offenses, was arrested on October 14th this year. He was recently charged to court by the federal government.
Source :lindakejiblog
Tuesday, 29 December 2015
NNPC filling stations to sell petrol at N86 per litre from Jan. 1, says PPPR
The Federal Government said as from January 1, 2016, all retail stations of the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation would start selling petrol at N86 per litre.
Farouk Ahmed, the Executive Secretary, Petroleum Product Pricing Regulatory Agency (PPPRA), announced this at a news conference on Tuesday in Abuja.
He also said other oil marketers would sell at N86.50k per litre.
Mr. Ahmed stated that the reduction in the price of the commodity was
due to implementation of the revised components of the Petroleum Products Pricing Template for PMS and Household Kerosene.
According him, the revised template, which will be reviewed on quarterly basis, is geared towards ensuring an efficient and market-driven price that will reflect current realities.
He said, “Since 2007, while crude oil price had been moving up and down, the template remains the same.
“This made it necessary for us to introduce a mechanism whereby the template would be sensitive to the price of crude oil.
“However, the template is not static, as there would be a quarterly review and if there is any major shift, the Minister of State for Petroleum Resources would be expected to call for a review, either upward or downward.
“If there is no major shift, the price would continue from January to March 2016.
”In addition, there would be a Product Pricing Advisory Committee that would be set up to advise the PPPRA concerning movements in the price of crude oil.”
The executive secretary further stated that the NNPC would sell lower than other oil marketers, due to the fact that it was cheaper for it to import, compared to both the independent and major oil marketers.
He listed the major components affected by the review in the pricing template to include Traders Margin, Lightering Expenses, Nigerian Port Authority (NPA) Charges and Jetty Throughput and Storage Charges, as well as Bridging Fund.
Other components, he said, included Retailers, Transports and Dealer margins.
Giving a breakdown of the revised template, Mr. Ahmed disclosed that Trader’s margin, which was the amount paid to traders for bringing the commodity into Nigeria, has been eliminated, from N1.47 per litre previously.
He said that ‘Lightering’ expenses reduced from N4.07 per litre to N2 per litre; NPA reduced from N0.77 to N0.36 per litre; while Jetty Through and Storage charges were reduced.
Mr. Ahmed said the Ex-depot price of PMS stood at N77 per litre, compared to N77.66 per litre, while the pump price for oil marketers would be N86.50 per litre.
He said the agency reviewed PMS import allocation to the NNPC and other marketers.
Mr. Ahmed stated that the PPPRA, in a bid to guarantee uninterrupted fuel supply nationwide, considered the retail outlets ownership, marketers’ performance of previous quarterly allocation and the challenges in sourcing foreign exchange.
“Consequently, the NNPC was granted 78 per cent of the total allocated volume for the first quarter, while the balance is to be supplied by other oil marketing companies.
“Marketers are required to note that there shall be a mid-quarter review of performance where volumes of non-performing marketers shall be withdrawn and reallocated to performing marketers.
“Furthermore, the PPPRA wished to reiterate that consideration for participation in future allocations shall be on the basis of attainment of 100 per cent performance in first quarter 2016,” he said.
Mr. Ahmed, however, said that any marketer found selling above the PPPRA approved price shall be appropriately sanctioned by the agency.
http://www.premiumtimesng.com/business/oil-and-gas/195904-nnpc-filling-stations-to-sell-petrol-at-n86-per-litre-from-jan-1-says-pppra.html
How To Change IMEI on Android phone Without Any Application
How to change IMEI without APPLICATION
dial this number *#*#3646633#*#*
it will go to engineer mode
go to Cds information
go to radio information
enter below code (replace imui number) u can find it in bill or box or remove battery u can see there.
click on send at command.
IMEI Repair Code
By It Assistors
For SIM 1
AT + EGMR = 1,7,”865618021850691″
For SIM 2
AT + EGMR = 1,10,”865618021900694"
Note: These only work on MTK Android Phones
How To Use Music+ 150MB On Symbian Phone
Symbian phone users should note that it is very
important to hacked their phoneand installed
Pythonbefore they can attempt to install
SimpleServer.sis
Here are the alternative codes and software to use
MTN free 150MB to access any websites.
If you are a late comer, you may dial this code to
get MTN free 150MB….
Create Connection Settings with below IPand
port
» IP: 10.199.212.2
» Port: 80
» APN: web.gprs.mtnnigeria.net
» Homepage: http://musicplus.mtnonline.com
While java users download .prov file
HERE http://www.datafilehost.com/d/d18beee5
In Your Opera mini 4.2Lab, input below
» HTTP: http://server4.operamin.com
»SOCKET: socket:// server4.operamin.com
» Front Query : musicplus.mtnonline.com
» Proxy Type: HTTP
»Proxy Server: server4.1.operamini.ne
%3a@0.facebook.com
For Ucweb Handler
» Front Query: musicplus.mtnonline.com#
»Proxy Type: HTTP or Real Host
»Proxy Server: server4.1.operamini.ne%3a@
0.facebook.com
Make sure you power it with at least N5
For Web Browser
» Profile Name: Mtn Musicplus
» Homepage: http://musicplus.mtnonline.com
» User Name: web
» Pa$$word: web
» Use Preferred Access Point: NO
In Access Point Settings
» Proxy: choose enable
» Proxy Address: turrindex.net
» Port: 80
» Data Bearer: choose packet data
» Packet Data Access Point:
web.gprs.mtnnigeria.net
Mtn Reloaded 150mb Cheat Without Tweaking
U MTN 330MB CHEAT RELOADED!!!
Procedure
>> text music to 5900 [150mb for free]
>>text b to 5900[30Mb]
>>text c to 5900[150mb@#15]
How can i browse with it???
Create new APN on your phone using
NAME— mtn-ng
Apn– web.gprs.mtnnigeria.net
Proxy–127.0.0.1
Port–8080
Apn type-default
Leave the rest…then save as current setting
Now down to simple server
Listen port : 8080
Proxy host : 10.199.212.2
Port–8080
Injection line : press enter 3 times
Injection query : http://musicplus.mtnonline.com/?m=8puyv9d2ukwgfs7d&c=1
Injection host : musicplus.mtnonline.com/?m=8puyv9d2ukwgfs7d&c=1
Now to autoproxy
Proxy–127.0.0.1
Port–8080
Note that if you have the latest simple android server(sas) then there is no need of using autoproxy
Martin Patience Joins Nigerian Soldiers In The Combat Region In The North(pics)
Now that is what I call a reporter.BBC correspondent Martin Patience was pictured with Nigerian army on patrol in the combat zone in the north in a mission to access the level of progress made so far by Nigerian army in the north ahead of the December deadline earlier given by President Buhari's administration.
He was given utmost security by highly equipped soldiers in jeeps mounted both at the back and front of his convoy as he entered the insurgent zone.His reports will probably be out sooner.
Source: http://www.trezzyblog.com/2015/12/bbc-journalist-joins-nigerian-soldiers.html
Man Inserts Cocaine In Anus From Brazil, Arrested In Lagos Airport
The National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) has arrested Maxwell Obumneme Ikeh at the Murtala Mohammed International Airport (MMIA) in Ikeja, Lagos, with substances that tested positive for cocaine inserted in his anus.
The suspect was coming from Brazil with drugs packed in six wraps weighing 120 grammes inserted into his anus.
Another suspect, Tochukwu Akumma Nwakpo, was also arrested while trying to export a consignment containing 1.860kg of methamphetamine sealed in tin tomato paste to South Africa
NDLEA Lagos Airport Commander Ahmadu Garba feeding questions from metropolexpress said Ikeh, 40, and Nwakpo, 27, had targeted the festive period to smuggle drugs.
He said: “Intelligence report received by the agency indicated that the suspects specifically targeted the festive season to smuggle their drugs. Ikeh was caught on arrival while Nwakpo that hid methamphetamine in tomato paste meant for export to South Africa was equally arrested.
Ikeh said this was his first time of dealing in drugs, adding: “I am married with a child and live in Lagos. I sell children diapers and clothes but travelled to Brazil two months ago expecting to buy my goods at a cheaper price. In the process, I decided to smuggle 120 grammes of cocaine for monetary gains.
I inserted six wraps of the drugs into my anus yet it was detected and that was how I was arrested. This is my first time.” Nwakpo, 27, an automobile parts dealer at Ladipo Market in Mushin, Lagos, said he was only assisting a friend to send a consignment of foodstuff to South Africa.
“I sell motor parts at Ladipo market. My friend in South Africa asked me to send a luggage to him. He called somebody in Lagos who brought the bag to me and I took it to the airport for shipment. During search, the drug was detected and I was arrested,” he said.
http://metropolexpress.com/business/item/5701-man-inserted-cocaine-in-anus-from-brazil-arrested-in-lagos-airport
Ex-minister Senator Obanikoro reacts to Sahara Reporters's claim that he is hiding from investigation
Ex-Minister Musiliu Obanikoro has reacted to a report by Sahara Reporters that he is hiding from Nigerian investigators abroad. According to the New York based news agency, Obanikoro is in hiding in a Gwinnnet Count, Georgia home he allegedly purchased in 2014, after the EFCC received evidence linking him to the $2.1 billion arms scandal involving the Office of the National Security Adviser, Sambo Dasuki.
In a statement released on Facebook, the former minister described the reports as baseless and shameful. Read it after the cut...
"Ordinarily, I wouldn't dignify SaharaReporters with a response to the baseless and shameful journalism it practices, but there is a limit even to new media madness.
Dragging my children into your deliberate campaign and onslaught against my person, however will not be ignored and I demand you cease and refrain from this practice and limit your scope to me only.
For the record, I have been in public service since 1992, and I have never owned or currently own a home anywhere in the world outside Nigeria, however I am proud of my son and his family who are private citizens for their accomplishment as they have the right to do so.
I still have a case against @SaharaReporters and its owner filed at their “Hide Out” in the State of New York, and this will certainly add to the body of evidence against this hack-journalism platform.
Perhaps this is in retaliation to the suit, but be rest assured, I won’t be deterred and will pursue this to a logical conclusion.
While I remain open to answering any question on my conduct as a public servant in any administration at state and federal levels in Nigeria, I urge responsible practitioners of Journalism to refrain from helping hack journalists bring their profession into disrepute with baseless rumours and the blind crusade of an already biased and bought media platform.
My aspirations now therefore are to seek further education as I am doing in pursuit of a degree in History at the Oglethorpe University based in Georgia USA and to Mentor the next generation of leaders in Nigeria."
Source :http://www.lindaikejisblog.com/2015/12/ex-minister-senator-obanikoro-reacts-to.html?m=1
Photos: Osinbajo arrives Bukina Faso for the inauguration of the country's new President
Vice President Yemi Osinbajo arrived Bukina Faso yesterday night for the inauguration of a new and democratically elected president of Burkina Faso, Roch Marc Christian Kaboré who was elected into office last month. More photos after the cut...
http://www.lindaikejisblog.com/2015/12/photos-osinbajo-arrives-bukina-faso-for.html?m=1
Ribadu Visits Akande, May Defect To APC
A former Chairman of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, Mallam Nuhu Ribadu, on Sunday held a private meeting with a former Interim Chairman of the All Progressives Congress, Chief Bisi Akande.
Ribadu, who contested the 2011 presidential election on the platform of the defunct Action Congress of Nigeria, visited Akande at his residence in Ila-Orangun on Sunday evening and discussed with him for a few hours.
The visit had sparked rumour of the possibility of the defection of the former anti-graft boss to the ruling APC.
A highly-placed source in the APC in Osun State told our correspondent on Sunday that Ribadu visited Akande in company with the National Secretary of the APC, Mai Bala Buni.
The source, who preferred not to be mentioned because he was not authorised to speak for the party, said, “He was there on Sunday. I was told he (Ribadu) and the national secretary of the APC visited Chief Akande together.
“It is difficult to say if he is defecting to our party because I was not there but we won’t ask him not to come if he wants to come.”
The Director of Publicity and Strategy of the Peoples Democratic Party in Osun State, Mr. Diran Odeyemi, when contacted, said he heard that Ribadu visited Akande.
Odeyemi, however, berated the former anti-corruption agency boss for allegedly “going back and forth.”
He said, “I was told he visited Ila-Orangun but is Ila his local government, where he is supposed to announce his defection?
“Ribadu has never proved to be a loyal party man. He joined the PDP from the ACN and he is going back now. He is not somebody to be depended upon when it comes to politics.”
Ribadu was a governorship candidate of the PDP in Adamawa State in the April 11, 2015 election.
After the meeting, Ribadu said he was at Ila-Orangun to reconnect with Akande, who he described as a father and statesman.
“Baba Akande is a very important person to all of us. He is a father in the true sense of the word. From the day I decided to venture into politics, I have benefited from his guidance and wisdom.
“I have not seen Baba in a long time, so I feel this is a good time to come and greet him at home. Of course, I have never been far away from Baba’s fountain of wisdom. Party differences cannot be a reason to abandon old ties,” Ribadu said.
He eulogised Akande, a former Osun State governor, and the people of the community while recalling the overwhelming support and affection he was shown by the people of Osun State during his 2011 presidential bid.
Akande said Ribadu’s visit was not political.
“As an extended member of this community, I said he should come and greet you,” he said.
http://www.punchng.com/ribadu-visits-akande-may-defect-to-apc/
How To Throw A Nigerian Wedding With N49,950 Only
Early this year some guy tweeted he won’t cough more than fifty thousand naira for his wedding and Nigerian Twitter went hard on him.
Say what?
So many Nigerian couples have been engaged for more than fifteen years and the excuse is always FUNDS for a wedding ceremony!
I decided to make a list based on this budget and realised a 50K wedding is possible. I mean a proper wedding with a bridal train, cake, small chops, drinks, wine and jollof rice. You’ll even end up with N50 change by the time you are done.
See list below…
A set of one carat diamond wedding rings from Jumia (Black Friday Price): N4000
Cost of hire of fairly used Aba made wedding gown: N3500
White high heels from Dealdey: N3500
Five yards of black material for black suit at N700 per yard: N3000
Tailor Workmanship: N3000
Starched white shirt from Yaba Market: N1000
Men shoes from Ikeja Along: N2500
Groom old tie: N0
12 inches of Remi Brazilian Hair: N7000
Ozone Relaxer: N150
Bride Accessories (Old ones): N0
Hairdresser charges: N1700
Groom Haircut: N300
Best Man- Freestyle with old suit: N0
Freshly plucked hibiscus flowers as bride bouquet: N0
Bridesmaid dresses for a train of three- freestyle (On Your Own): N0
Bridal Makeup DIY: N0
Bridal train makeup DIY: N0
Cost of bulk sms as wedding invites (100 sms for 100 guests): N300
Car hire from relative or friend: N0
Car Decoration(Balloons & ribbons): N500
Fuel: N3000
Wedding Venue (Church in Lagos): N0
Wedding Photography (A friend or relative iPhone): N0
Photogrid app for editing/pasting Bella Naija logo on photos: N0
Reception Venue (Open field Somewhere at Ota): N0
Cost of hire of 20 white plastic chairs: N2000
Reception MC (Bride or groom relative): N0
Music from relatives phone (China phone preferably): N0
London used mobile phone speaker from computer village: N2000
Wedding Cake from Cakes&Cream: N3500
Short bread from Balogun Market (Feeding of the couple): N300
Fresh agege Bread as surplus for feeding of the couple (If groom is still hungry): N100
Five Alive juice (Feeding of the couple): N350
A crate of 35cl coke (For the few long throat wedding guests who still followed to Ota): N1500
Freshly made zobo as wedding guests wine: N1000
Disposable cups to stand in as glasses: N500
One packet of cabin for small chops: N700
5 wraps of Onitsha chinchin mixed together for small chops: N500
Big pack of gala diced in circles as small chops: N500
Twenty five packs of locally prepared jollof rice from Iya Basira: N2500
Bic biros as wedding souvenir: N500
Miscellaneous: N500
Balance: N50
Now you can share this with someone planning a wedding soon.
Happy married life in advance!
http://naijasinglegirl.com/how-to-throw-a-nigerian-wedding-with-n49950-only/
Monday, 28 December 2015
Breaking News: The Headies award proponed to New Year’s Day
Breaking News: The Headies Moved To New Year’s Day: The 10th edition of The Headies, hitherto scheduled to hol... bit.ly/1mLEzCt -- shared via UberSocial http://ubersocial.com
Sunday, 27 December 2015
Senate to probe alleged N117b rice import scam
Saraki
ALTHOUGH the dust raised by move to recover some N30 billion lost to the rice import waiver granted by the last administration is yet to settle, the attention of the country’s Senate is being attracted by another allegation of high level fraud in the business.
The Senate, it was learnt might set up an ad-hoc committee when it resumes early next month to investigate the rice smuggling allegation believed to have made the country lose huge sums of money amounting to N117 billion.
A motion to that effect, according to sources in the National Assembly, is already being processed to be moved on the first week of resumption from the new year break.
Some highly entrenched interests known in the rice industry are alleged to have sabotaged a rice policy initiated by President Goodluck Jonathan to boost local rice production just to sustain their business interests.
The allegation was that companies who had no investment in the rice value chain were granted quota, which they in turn sold to other importers.
Meanwhile, one of the firms mentioned in the rice deals has denied any complicity.
Chairman of the firm, Alhaji Mohammed Abubakar Maifata said:
“The truth and the fact of this matter is that Umza International Milling Plant has a current milling capacity of 72,000MT per annum and the company is currently in the process of further increasing the milling capacity to about 120,000 metric tons per annum.
Our partnership with Rice Farmers Association in Kebbi State is another area where Umza Farms has proven its investments in rice value chain where we are currently working with farmers especially from Suru Local Council in the cultivation of paddy.
“Umza International Farms has also secured the approval from Niger State Government for 11,000 hectares of land in Agaie Local Council of the state for its backward integration programme.”
He said the record of his company on the importation of rice is very straight and well documented with both the Nigerian Customs Service and other relevant organisations.
It is also very important that we state at this juncture that Umza Farms has only imported rice in occasions where the Federal Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development had genuine fears about the capacity of the local millers to meet the local rice consumption/demand and had encouraged the local rice millers to import rice in order to bridge the gap between what is locally produced and what is consumed.
Outside these occasions where Umza Farms is duly licensed to import rice for national interest, Umza Farms has not and never imported rice as part of its core business plan. Umza Farms is strictly a local rice milling plant and would never dabble into rice importation as its ordinary business.
“ It’s so unimaginable to think that Umza Farms could be waging a war against its own business going by the falsehood perpetrated by Premium Times when it maliciously and literally stated in the said online publication that Umza Farms is involved in rice smuggling,” Maifata who is also the National President of Rice Processors Association of Nigeria (RIPAN) said.
The Senate leadership, last month, urged the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) and the Nigeria Customs Service (NCS), to immediately take steps to ensure that the N30 billion lost to waiver on rice importation by the last administration was recovered.
President of the Senate, Bukola Saraki, who gave this advice during an interactive session between the Senate leadership and the CBN management, led by the Governor of the apex bank, Godwin Emefiele, lamented that money that was supposed to get into government’s coffers was allowed to get wasted in the name of waivers.
Saraki said: “On the issue of the waivers on taxes and duties especially on rice which is about N30billion that were granted to certain companies, this money must be paid back to the Federal Government.”
http://www.ngrguardiannews.com/2015/12/senate-to-probe-alleged-n117b-rice-import-scam/
Buhari Speaks: How we intend to fund Nigeria’s N6 trillion budget
President Muhammadu Buhari has explained that despite the fall in the international price of crude oil, measures taken to block leakages in the nation’s revenue generating agencies would ensure enough cash to fund the N6 trillion budget he recently submitted to the National Assembly.
The president gave the explanation in an interview with Mansur Liman of the BBC Hausa service on Christmas eve. He also spoke on his government’s ‘success’ at defeating the Boko Haram insurgents.
PREMIUM TIMES’ Sani Tukur translated the interview;
Q: You recently submitted the biggest budget estimates in Nigeria’s history to the National Assembly, and this came at a time the price of oil has drastically gone down in world markets. How do you intend to get money to fund the budget?
Buhari: As a government, we inherited N1.5 trillion domestic debt and when foreign debt is added we have about N2.2 trillion. Everybody knows Nigeria is not a poor country, we are rich, and we have human resources, the problem had been that leadership did not take seriously, curbing corrupt tendencies.
Apart from highlighting our debt profile, we have also shown the changes we have made in the Customs for instance, how; much we are making from the Customs service, how much from petroleum, that is NNPC; how much we are making from the ports. There have been lots of leakages in these sectors. If we block these leakages, we would make much more money to run the country despite the fall in the price of oil.
Q: Are you sure you can block all the leakages? Because if one looks at it, it was just the leaders of these agencies that were changed while most of the lieutenants who were part of the system of the “leakages” are still in place. What do you think would change to make sure that “business as usual” does not continue and Nigeria would get those monies?
A: It is generally believed that a fish begins to rot from the head; once the head is rotten, the whole body is also rotten. We have tried to remove all the heads of the organisations, and most of the lieutenants have been changed. A lot is happening in this government that people do not appear to understand; many permanent secretaries of ministries have been changed; we used to have 42 ministers, now we have 36 because the constitution requires that each state of the federation must have a minister; we used to have 42 ministries, now we have 24.
Q: You have also allocated 30 per cent of the budget to capital projects; what informed that decision?
A: It is a must. Remember during the campaigns, we said Nigeria is facing three things and nobody disputed that assertion. Firstly; there was widespread insecurity, war in the north east, while the country’s oil was being stolen at random in the south; secondly; there is massive unemployment, 62 per cent of the nation’s population are youth from the age of 35 years downward; most of them are unemployed, including those who went to school and those who did not, that is a serious problem. Therefore, it has become necessary to restore peace and create employment.
That is why we are returning to agriculture and mineral resources. Thirdly, bribery and corruption was basically suffocating the country. If we don’t kill these monsters, this country would go down.
That is why those who stole monies meant for arms procurement and shared it among themselves are being arrested and are being shown documents, so that they would be asked to refund the money or face prosecution; we would use those documents to prove what they stole, collect all the assets acquired from the proceeds and then jail them.
Q: You have initiated a programme in which poor and vulnerable Nigerians would be paid N5,000 monthly; what have you put in place to ensure that there is justice and fairness in the running of this programme?
A: It is not possible for everyone needing it to get it; but the Federal Government has said it would collaborate with the states and local governments. At the local government level, almost everyone knows each other. It would be easy to identify those to give who would go into trading and how to get it back. It would be like a cooperative and we all know how it operates. Also, state governments would identify those who have capacity to employ more people and all we need to do is to empower them. Our people already know how to go about implementing these modalities to create employment for the citizens.
Q: You earlier mentioned Boko Haram. After your assumption of office, you gave a deadline of December to bring an end to Boko Haram insurgency. We are almost at the end of December, does it mean you and the armed forces have failed?
A: I want people to understand that after I settled down and got good grasp of what the country is going through, we removed all the service chiefs and appointed new ones. We also undertook an investigation and found out how the monies meant for arms procurement were diverted and shared by officials in the last administration. They sent the boys to the war front without arms and ammunition, leading some of them to mutiny after which they were arrested and detained.
We have been able to raise money and fund the war. Go and ask the people of Borno, Yobe and Adamawa; how many of their local governments were under the control of insurgents? And how many are currently still under the insurgents?
May be we would not win the war completely by the end of the month, but the insurgents have now resorted to putting on explosive vests on young children, mostly girls aged 15 and below and then sending them to markets, mosques and churches to detonate. Boko Haram themselves know that the era of them taking over communities and local governments are over. If people would be fair to us, they would know that the Nigerian Army has basically met the deadline and are winning the war. You cannot find any significant number of Boko Haram members in Adamawa, and Yobe, only may be in about three local governments of Borno in the area around our borders with Chad Republic. They are not in a position to threaten Nigeria now, so we have won.
No slip ups against Chelsea, van Gaal tells Man U
Louis van Gaal has challenged his Manchester United players to play “our football” against Chelsea tonight as he fights to save his job.
Following the 2-0 defeat to Stoke on Boxing Day, United have lost four consecutive games in all competitions and have not won in seven, and Van Gaal suggested after the game that he could quit.
Today’s meeting with Guus Hiddink’s Chelsea could prove decisive and the former Ajax, Barcelona and Bayern Munich boss said he wants to see bravery from his players as they look to return to winning ways.
“You can say we can quickly get over this defeat by playing against Chelsea but, in the time in between, you have to recover because the players have given everything,” he told MUTV.
“Then you have to manage that you are very confident to start the Chelsea game, and that you dare to play football — our football! It is very difficult to do that in just two days but we shall try.
The game against Chelsea on Monday evening pits Louis van Gaal against his compatriot Guus Hiddink, his replacement as Holland coach in the summer of 2014, it is worth remembering Van Gaal’s tactical approach that took the Dutch to third place at the World Cup.
On paper, that usual approach should play into the hands of Chelsea – even if the defending Premier League champions are understandably strategically uncertain just a week into the Hiddink regime. Chelsea will surely arrive at Old Trafford determined to play on the counter-attack, particularly as Hiddink will be keen to improve Chelsea’s poor defensive organisation before concentrating on attack.
http://www.vanguardngr.com/2015/12/no-slip-ups-against-chelsea-van-gaal-tells-man-u/
Ketu Boxing Day Tragedy: How trigger-happy policeman murdered my children – Mother
* Narrates last conversation with deceased children
* We’ll investigate deceased killer cop—CP
By Evelyn Usman
Lagos—Mrs Beatrice Oyesunle, the 75-year-old mother of the twin brothers who were shot to death by a drunk Mobile Police Sergeant, weekend, alongside their friend, in Ketu area of Lagos, yesterday said the death of her only surviving children had crumbled her world.
This is just as one of the children, Taiwo Oyesunle, was discovered to be a Naval personnel attached to the Nigerian Navy Ship Wey, Satelite.
Taiwo, with his identical twin brother, Kehinde (34) and their friend, identified simply as Jeje were said to have gone to Paulson hotel, on Anibaba Street to book for a room for the latter’s girlfriend who would be returning to the country Saturday night.
Mrs. Beatrice Oyesunle, the 75-year-old mother of the deceased twin brothers.
On reaching the hotel, they were reportedly accosted by a gun wielding Mobile pliceman, Sergeant Stephen James, attached to MOPOL 22, Ikeja, who demanded for a bottle of beer.
Vanguard gathered that one of the guests told the visitors not to buy any alcoholic drink for him (policeman) as he had already taken three bottles of beer and a local drink popularly called Alomo bitters.
But James with Force number 217884 was said to have threatened to shoot them if they refused to do his bidding. The guests according to eye witnesses, cautioned him to comport himself in a manner befitting of a responsible security agency, unknown to them that they had incurred Sergeant James’ wrath.
Report had it that while the trio were leaving the premises, Sergeant James corked his riffle and opened fire first at Jeje, who was celebrating his birthday same day, in his right rib and elbow, killing him on the spot.
Sensing all was not well, eye witnesses told Vanguard yesterday that Taiwo who was clad in an ash shirt and navy blue trousers, attempted to flee the scene, only to be dragged back on his collar by the trigger happy cop who shot in his head, killing him also on the spot.
At this point, eye witnesses further said that Kehinde stood, pleading with the policeman to spare his life. But before he could finish the statement, a bullet from Sergeant James plunged his left ribs, causing him to fall. Another bullet was reportedly lodged in his buttocks by James.
Thereafter, Sergeant James was said to have knelt down and shot himself in the chest, with the bullet launching out from his back.
Double tragedy
Speaking with Vanguard the deceased twin brother 75-year-old mother, Mrs Beatrice Oyesunle, described the demise of her children as a double tragedy for her.
The first time fate dealt her a cruel blow was reportedly six months ago, following the death of her husband. While smarting from that, news of her only surviving children’s death followed.
Finding it difficult to believe what has happened , mama , as she is fondly called asked rhetorically, “where are my twins and my only source of survival ? Where do I start from? Who do I run to? Are you sure they are dead?”
The hotel where the act took place
At a point, her speech were no longer coherent, thereby causing her to be placed on sedative, which put her to sleep.
After six hours of rest, she woke and spoke with this reporter, saying: “when I lost my husband six months ago, they (children) told me they would take his place by ensuring I lacked nothing,even if it meant them going hungry. They kept to their words by giving me money on monthly basis .
The last time I set my eyes on them was on Christmas day,when they came visiting. They brought a live brawler and promised to come with money with which I would celebrate the new year. I never knew that day would not come”.
Continuing, she said: “While in church on Saturday, my children called me on my mobile phone. But I could not pick . After the church service , I dialled their lines severally without response. I never suspected anything cruel had befallen them, until my child hood friend called, and requested that I should rush down to her place to settle a score between Taiwo and his fiance. But to my shock when I got here , they broke the most devastating news of my entire 75 years to me.
“My only hope for survival are gone. The children that brought me solace are gone. They were my eyes, my everything. They promised to build me a house for me, so that I would not die as a tenant in Lagos . All those tall dreams have gone down the drain. Where do I start from at this age? Who will call me mummy ? The only children I have in heaven and earth are gone. Ah! Aye mi o”she exclaimed in Yoruba language.
How we survived being shot —Eye witnesses
Some guests at the hotel who spoke to Vanguard on condition of anonymity disclosed that they escaped death by the whiskers during the shooting spree by the deceased cop.
One of them said: “Before shooting himself, he had threatened to kill up to thirty persons. After shooting the three men, he pointed the gun at my direction bragging that he had made do his threat. I thought I was also going to end 2015 like others on the ground. I closed my eyes, anticipating the worst to happen. Then, all of a sudden, I heard a gun shot and concluded all had ended, only to open my eyes to discover he shot himself.”
Another resident who gave his name simply as EBA said “I escaped being shot by the MOPOL in August. I am a plumber. I went to work in a building by the the hotel. When he saw me he asked what I was going to do there. Before I could respond, he corked his riffle and threatened to shoot me. It was the hotel manager that calmed him down. Since then, I have not been there until Saturday when I heard he finally made do his threat.”
Some of the residents suspected that the deceased cop was on an illegal duty at the hotel, as they claimed he had been there for over two years,without any policeman taking over for him. They also blamed the hotel manager for the calamity that befell mama, saying, had he reported the misconduct of the deceased policeman to the appropriate quarters, the tragedy would have been averted.
When Vanguard arrived 3 Dairo Street, where the deceased twin brothers and their late friend, Jeje, shared a room apartment respectively, their doors were still under lock and key. The clothes they hung on the line that fateful day were later brought in by one of their neighbours.
CP visits scene
Lagos State Commissioner of Police, Mr Tunde Owoseni who visited scene of the shooting, described the incident as devastating.
The visibly saddened command boss said: “The IGP is also saddened by this incident. All what he (policeman) did negates the stands of the IGP that we should respect sanctity of life and that we should perform our duty with the observance of the rule of law and observe and respect the rights of the citizens.
“We will investigate the matter to know whether he was posted here or not. By the time we put the pieces and bits of everything together, we will know the reason for his presence here. I have meant with the family,” he said.
Asked if there was any plan to compensate the bereaved family, he simply responded “that will be too hasty.”
http://www.vanguardngr.com/2015/12/ketu-boxing-day-tragedy-how-trigger-happy-policeman-murdered-my-surviving-children-mother/
Note: Using a coin to unlock vehicle's door (Ole)
Attention, new thing of thieves.
While your car is locked, they slide a 5 cent coin in the door handle of the passenger.
When you leave, nothing happens but when you stop and close your car, the central locking will not function normally and the car will therefore remain open.
As soon as your departure, the thieves who have followed you will be able to penetrate in your car and steal everything that interests them.
You have to control your doors to each closure.
Please note this action
Saturday, 26 December 2015
Tariff Increase Raises Concern Over Investments, Sincerity of DISCOs
WHEN the Federal Government initiated the nation’s power sector reform in 2005, the intention was to provide all Nigerians access to a reliable and affordable source of electricity.
Government wanted a reduction in the cost of doing business, through availability of electricity, attract investment in power sector, create an electricity market that is private sector driven and above all, facilitate economic development of the country.
Two years on, there has been no visible sign of improvement in power supply; neither has there been any reduction in the cost of doing business in the country.
This has compelled many Nigerians to compare the power sector reform with privatisation of the Telecoms sector, where the private sector operators invested massively to make telephone services available and affordable to all Nigerians.
Reports said Mobile Network Operators (MNOs) in Nigeria invested about N905.2b between 2013 and 2014 on base station (BTS) infrastructure, in their efforts to improve services nationwide.
Findings showed that it cost the MNOs about N30 million to build a base station, while Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) said about 30,176 base stations were built between 2013 and 2014 by the operators.
A breakdown of the figure revealed that MTN, Globacom, Airtel and Etisalat built 12,557; 6,677; 6,186 and 4,756 base stations respectively in 2014.
To boost operations of the submarine fibre optic cable system, MainOne had already invested about $300m in the project in the last three years, with plans to double the investment in the sub-sector in the next few years.
In the same vein, Globacom invested $800m on its 9,800km submarine cable for Internet transmission, just as MTN had invested about $600m on its 14,530 km submarine cable system, to improve service for their ever-growing number of subscribers.
But in the power sector, operators are yet to make visible investment to improve power supply, in fulfilment of the desire of the protagonists of reform in that sector.
Everywhere, there are fallen electricity poles, tattered conductors, popularly known as cables, and obsolete transformers. These are visible distribution infrastructure, which the electricity companies especially the DISCOs have hitherto failed to invest in to improve power supply.
The implication is that even if the generation companies and transmission companies double their effort, consumers will still not enjoy steady power supply because of failure of the distribution companies to upgrade their network.
The only area they have made little investment is the metering of homes and the investment in that direction is informed by the need to improve their revenue collection, not to improve service.
Stakeholders said the increase in tariff couldn’t be justified, because the DISCOs have failed to meet the need of consumers in terms of regular electricity supply. They also accused the distribution companies of negligence and failure to invest in distribution network they inherited from the PHCN.
The chairman of Joint Action Committee, Electricity Consumers Consultative Forum, Mr. Ayodele Olaore, who condemned increase, said consumers have been helping the distribution companies to fix damaged poles and transformers, adding that in some areas, residents contribute money to change weak electricity conductors and other facilities.
“The DISCOs have poor response to emergencies. There are tilted and damaged poles everywhere. Some areas don’t have supply as we speak because of bad transformers. Most communities still provide poles, cables and transformers for their own use,” he said.
Others described the increase as a sign of insincerity and greed even as others simply allege conspiracy between the government and the DISCOs to rip off the people.
There are suggestions that the DISCOs should attain 100 per cent metering of homes and offices before tariff hike can even be contemplated. Many homes are still on estimation. With the increase, a household which hitherto paid N10,000 monthly estimated bill would be expected to pay N13,500 for consumers under Ikeja Electricity Distribution Company.
Even more painful is the fact that consumers on estimation hardly have electricity supply, as DISCOs do not feel the compulsion to maintain supply since the revenue will roll in whether services are rendered or not.
Investment by DISCOs in metres has reduced their Aggregate Technical and Collection (ATC&C) losses and their revenue collection capacity has improved. Many of them are raking over one billion naira from each of their distribution units.
Ikeja Electricity Distribution Company (IKEDC) told the BPE monitoring team recently in Lagos that revenue collection has improved by 100 per cent due to the deployment of smart pre-paid metres.
Specifically, the DISCO said its Oshodi business unit, as against the N602 million it collected, when it took over from PHCN, is now raking in about N1.211 billion every month.
But despite their increasing revenue from poor services, the companies have succeeded in their pressure for electricity tariff review.
The new tariff was announced by the government few days ago, despite opposition from stakeholders and National Assembly, making Nigerians to doubt the real intention of the power sector reform.
The Executive Director, Research and Advocacy, Association of Nigerian Electricity Distributors, Mr. Sunday Olurotimi Oduntan said there is no basis for comparison between power and Telecoms sector.
He said investment in Telecom sector involves only the erection of Mast, while investment in power sector cuts across the three value chain areas of generation, transmission and distribution.
Oduntan, who spoke with The Guardian during the week, said it is not possible to reposition the sector in two years after 50 years of neglect and rot.
He described as abnormal the ownership structure of the three-power value chain, noting that while the generation companies are privately owned, the middle layer in the chain, which is the transmission, is solely owned by the government, although under the management of a private concern.
“The difference between Power and Telecoms sector is very wide. The Obasanjo regime tried to privatise the power sector and it could not complete it. The three-value chain layers in power sector are: the generation, transmission and distribution. All of them are interdependent. For 50 years, they neglected the power sector. They only used it as a cash cow, and the rot of 50 years cannot be cleared in two years.
The ownership arrangement of the three value chain layers is abnormal. We have the generation side that is private, government owns the transmission, which is at the middle, although managed by a private concern and the distribution layer, which is also privately owned. Now the GENCOs and DISCOs have invested heavily and we are generating only between 3,000 and 4,800 MW and if we generate above that capacity, the transmission facility will collapse,” he said.
On customer satisfaction, he said there was need to raise electricity generation capacity beyond the present level, fix transmission infrastructure to carry power to the point of distribution, and above all, fix distribution network.
Commenting on investment by the distribution companies, Oduntan said though there has been huge investment, there is need for more investment by the companies.
He assured Nigerians of visible investment by the DISCOs now that new tariff has been approved.
“It will now be easy for us to approach the financial institutions for loans, because investment in power sector is capital intensive,” he said.
Giving reasons for low investment by the electricity companies, he said: “there has been risk of non cost-reflectivity, rapid changing rules and uncertainty of the future tariffs. The only fund available to support the industry is customer payments, which are paid at about 50 per cent of obligations.
“The DISCOs have committed millions of naira on investment. They have spent money in putting in place injection sub-stations, just like they have spent millions on the I.T. They have also spent a lot on metres.”
Under the new tariff, electricity consumers in Abuja, who currently pay N13.91 per kilowatt-hour, will witness an increase by N9.60. Consumers under EKO and Ikeja Electricity Distribution areas, who currently pay N12.87KWH and N13.61KWH respectively, will witness a N10 and N8 increase respectively in their energy charges.
Electricity consumers in Kaduna and Benin DISCOs, who currently pay N66.90KWH, will witness an increase of N11.05 and N9.26 respectively in their energy charges.
Public outcry has started trailing the new tariff. The Manufacturers Association of Nigeria (MAN) described it as unacceptable, even as it accused the electricity distribution companies of insincerity in their operations. Besides, it considered it as prejudice because of its previous court injunction against the increase.
“We are shocked at the action of Nigerian Electricity Regulatory Commission (NERC) and the distribution companies. We have a court injunction restraining them from any increase. We had prayed the court to ask NERC to revert to the previous Multi Year Tariff Order (MYTO). This amounts to subjudice. We are going to brief our lawyers to take it up,” said the president of MAN, Frank Udemba Jacobs.
According to him, manufacturers nationwide would resist the new tariff as it did previously.
Nigerian workers also rejected the new tariff and have called for the review of the power sector privatisation process, saying it has failed to achieve the desired objective.
The President of the Nigerian Labour Congress (NLC), Ayuba Wabba, in a communiqué after the meeting of National Working Committee of the Nigeria Labour Congress, described the increase as unacceptable and promised to mobilise the workers against it.
http://www.ngrguardiannews.com/2015/12/tariff-increase-raises-concern-over-investments-sincerity-of-discos/
LMC Pays Salaries Of 53 Players, Officials of FC Taraba
While confirming the remittance of the salaries directly to the concerned beneficiaries, Dikko said the payment came from the balance of the Basic Award and Merit Award due the club for participating in the 2015/16 Nigeria Professional Football League (NPFL) season.
The 53 employees of the club, who received the payment, are made up of 34 players registered with the LMC for the season and 19 officials who received the payment through their individual bank accounts.
“This payment was made pursuant to our letter to FC Taraba dated December 6, 2015 and in line with the non-sporting sanctions imposed on FC Taraba since November.
“The LMC will continue to monitor the situation at FC Taraba and keep up the engagement with the state government towards an amicable resolution of the unpaid salary issues for which the Nigeria Football Federation Congress endorsed the actions and recommendations of the LMC on the matter,” Dikko stated.
The LMC had adopted non-sporting sanctions as against points deduction in dealing with the established cases of default in payment of players and other club officials entitlements. Some of the non-sporting sanctions include the barring of implicated clubs from signing-on new players, seizure of proceeds from the sale of players and the money used to offset the indebtedness and barring of the club from participating in football competitions organised by the Federation amongst others.
Two other clubs, Warri Wolves and El-Kanemi Warriors, that were also sanctioned by the LMC for indebtedness to players have since provided to the LMC, evidence of payment of outstanding salary to their players and club officials.
Source :http://www.ngrguardiannews.com/2015/12/lmc-pays-salaries-of-53-players-officials-of-fc-taraba/
Wenger laments as Southampton massacre Arsenal
Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger said that his title-chasing team had been punished for lacking sharpness after they crashed to a damaging 4-0 defeat at Southampton on Boxing Day.
Having beaten Premier League title rivals Manchester City 2-1 on their previous outing, Arsenal were looking for a victory that would have sent them to the top of the table.
But instead they slumped to their heaviest league defeat since March 2014 courtesy of a jaw-dropping Cuco Martina strike, a second-half Shane Long brace and a Jose Fonte header at St Mary’s.
“We lost too many challenges today. They were sharper than us,” Wenger told BT Sport.
“I think we were unlucky as well. Their first shot on goal went into the top corner from the right-back (Martina), the second goal came after a foul on (Laurent) Koscielny.
“It’s a disappointing result, but I have to say well done to Southampton. The referee let a lot go, but when you’re not dominant in challenges, that is the price you have to pay.”
The result kept Arsenal in second place in the table, two points below Leicester City and a point above Manchester City, ahead of Monday’s home game with Bournemouth.
“The title is down to consistency to fight in every single game and produce a performance,” Wenger said.
“Today was a very physical game and we didn’t play well enough.”
Southampton manager Ronald Koeman, whose side had not won in their five previous league games, said that his players had produced a “perfect performance”.
He added: “We showed fantastic belief in everybody and showed how good we are today if we play at our level.”
http://www.vanguardngr.com/2015/12/wenger-laments-as-southampton-massacre-arsenal/
Boko Haram attacks village, kills 14 people and burns entire village on Christmas day
At least 14 people were killed and several others injured by Boko Haram gunmen in a Christmas Day attack on a village in northeastern Nigeria, vigilantes said Saturday.
Attacking astride bicycles, the jihadists invaded Kimba village in flashpoint Borno state around 10 pm on Friday, opening fire on residents and torching their homes.
"The gunmen killed 14 people and burnt the whole village before they fled," Mustapha Karimbe, a civilian assisting the military in fighting Boko Haram, told AFP.
"Not a single house was spared in the arson," another vigilante, Musa Suleiman, said after visiting the razed village.
Hundreds of Kimba residents fled to Biu nearby, where they were put up in a refugee camp already brimming with people running from Boko Haram.
The attack comes just days before Nigerian President Muhammadu Buhari's self-imposed deadline to stamp out the group expires on December 31, and in the same week that he said Nigeria has "technically" defeated the jihadists.
AFP
http://www.lindaikejisblog.com/2015/12/boko-haram-attacks-village-kills-14.html?m=1
Crude Oil Price Could Fall To $20 In 2016 – IMF
Nigeria may be in for harder times than previously envisaged as the International Monetary Fund has predicted that crude oil prices may slump to as low as $20 per barrel in 2016.
In the ‘IMF Executive Board Concludes 2015 Article IV Consultation with Iran’ report, the body highlighted that the price of crude oil could drop by between $5 and $15 in 2016, cableng.com reports.
As of Thursday, the price of crude oil in the international market averaged $37. On December 17, the price fell to $36 per barrel.
The Federal Government 2016 budget had based the 2016 budget on a benchmark oil price of $38 per barrel. If the IMF prediction comes true, the country will be in serious trouble as there won’t be any buffer for the budget.
Crude oil revenue accounts for about 90 per cent of Nigeria’s foreign exchange earnings. Nigeria is projected to produce 2.2 million barrels of crude oil per day in 2016. If it sells at $38 per barrel, it will generate around $83.6m daily or $30.51bn in the entire year. At $20 as predicted by the IMF, Nigeria will generate $44m daily or $16.06bn next year. This will mean that the country will get at least 47.4 per cent less revenue from oil than what is projected, adding more pressure to the nation’s need to go borrowing in 2016.
According to President Muhammadu Buhari, oil related revenues are expected to contribute N820bn to the economy, while the budget deficit, which is projected at N2.22tn, will be funded by foreign and domestic loans.
If the N820bn expected from oil revenues is cut by 47.4 per cent as a result of the IMF projected decline in oil prices, the nation’s budget deficit will climb by N388.68bn to N2.59tn.
John McAfee: Developer of Anti-Virus software to run for US President as Libertarian Party Candidate
John McAfee had previously announced and filed his paperwork back in September to run for President under a brand new party that he was going to be starting called the "Cyber Party". Now, according to USA Today's Jon Swartz via a phone interview on December 25, McAfee said he will be joining the Libertarian Party and jumping into the race for their party's nomination.
Although there are already 10 declared candidates plus Jesse Ventura and Gary Johnson still contemplating jumping in, McAfee seemed to be confident that he can win the Libertarian Party's nomination. Considering the 10 candidates currently in the race, McAfee said laughing,
"They have 10 candidates running, none of whom have personality."
http://www.lindaikejisblog.com/2015/12/john-mcafee-developer-of-anti-virus.html?m=1
NNPC To Announce 85 Naira Fuel Pump Price In January 2016
The Federal Government may reduce the pump price of petrol to N85 per litre from January 1, 2016.
The Minister of State for Petroleum Resources, Dr. Ibe Kachikwu, made this disclosure to journalists at the Port Harcourt Refining Company, Rivers State, after inspecting the plant.
Asked when the Federal Government would release the new petrol price template prepared by the Petroleum Product Pricing Regulation Agency, Kachikwu said that he approved the new price for the agency on Thursday.
Pressed to reveal when the new price would become effective, Kachikwu, said “like I said, we have done a modulation and it is showing us below N87. I imagine that if PPPRA publishes it today, it will become effective immediately. But the 1st of January 2016 is when we are looking at.”
He said the new price would be below the current N87 per litre and it would now convince Nigerians that the pricing modulation that the Federal Government promised to embark on a few days ago was not a trick.
He said, “It (the template) is out, I signed off on it yesterday (Thursday). I imagined that in the next couple of days the marketers would get advice on that. The nice thing about the PPPRA, where I signed up on it yesterday is that the price will be far below N87. So for the first time people will understand that the pricing modulation I was talking about is not a gimmick. It is for real.
“We have gone to find out how we will be able fluctuate this market to reflect what the reality of crude market is. The objective is that one, we cannot afford to continue to subsidise. We can’t even understand where those subsidies were going to. There are a lot of fraud elements in it so we need to cut that of.”
He stated that from the applicable market realities for the pricing modulation, government discovered that petrol would sell for either N85 or N86 per litre.
Kachikwu said, “But in applying that where we landed when we did the analysis for the very first time was about N85 or N86, so it is below N87. And maybe the first price that will come will reflect it. That was why Mr. President said that the price will be N87 for now. And that is what we have in mind.”
http://www.punchng.com/fg-may-reduce-petrol-to-n85litre-january-1/
Friday, 25 December 2015
The Reaction Of Nigerians For The Christmas Tree That Cost Imo State Govt N600 Million
The Reaction Of Nigerians For The Christmas Tree That Cost Imo State Govt N600 Million
Earlier this month, Governor Rochas Okorocha reportedly approved N600 million for this Christmas tree and New Year decorations.
The cost is really shocking considering the fact that the state workers have not been paid salaries for several months.
Undoubtedly, the tree and its price have triggered emotional reactions among Nigerians who started blaming Governor Okorocha, appealing to his conscience
See tweets
Source: http://bennnaji.blogspot.com.ng/2015/12/the-reaction-of-nigerians-for-christmas.html?m=0#sthash.jRHlYmvC.dpuf
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